Welcome to Manassas
Hello Everyone,
What a great week it’s been such great weather spring is definitely in full swing. As you may know I been wanting to start street photography so this week will be the start of a series I will do maybe not weekly but I definitely plan to share a bit of the cities around me. I am planning to do it in parts so I can touch on every little thing about this cities and give it the love they deserve. Over the weekend I got the pleasure of going to Manassas, VA. My goal has been to capture the old towns of a giving city and I did just that. But before I get into this lovely city I want to share a couple other things that have been on my mind. Last weeks blog was one of my favorites that i’ve written in quite some time. I am so happy with how it all came together. I feel like I got to share all that my country is and what makes us who we are. I am so proud to be from there and it’s always an honor to share anything I can about my country. This week I finally got to go out on my usual hikes to photograph wildlife. I felt a bit bad because I could tell the majority of the birds were working hard to build there nest so they can start mating. I felt like I was intruding in there space. I definitely kept my distance and came home early as I didn’t want to keep interrupting them. Spring time truly is beautiful as not only does the weather improve but new life is born. From trees blooming to baby birds hatching spring has a lot to offer. It’s always great to be out in hikes and meeting photographers. I met a nice gentleman who I ran into at the first spot I went to this weekend he seemed to have the same idea as me as I ran into him again at the second location I went to. He told me about an eagle nest he discovered and how to get the best angles of them. He said there eggs should be hatching soon. I am very excited to see this baby eagles hopefully soon.
Manassas originated in 1852 at the junction of two railroads which linked Northern Virginia and Washington D.C with the Shenandoah valley and Richmond. Known for it’s civil war history this city has been through a lot. The first battle of bull run was fought in July 1861 and the second battle of bull run was fought in August of 1862. During that time Manassas was just a railroad crossing but a strategic one at that. It connected a lot of major cities during the war. Despite the 2 confederate victories there the Manassas junction was mostly under Union control for most of the war. Following the war Manassas grew into a small town which was incorporated in 1873. In 1892, Manassas became a county seat of Prince Williams County replacing Brentsville and in 1975 was incorporated as a city. If you ever visit the Northern Virginia area this city is a must visit. The Manassas battlefield park is full of things to do I highly recommend a walking tour related to the first and second battle of Manassas.
Who is Loy E. Harris? Harris grew up in southwest Virginia and established his own insurance agency when he moved to Manassas. He quickly started to turn vacant storefronts into vibrant businesses. Once he became president of the Historic Manassas, Inc he had a vision to imagine Historic Downtown as an anchor for the community. He welcome the arts, fine dining, recreation and retail, and he donated his time and money to the cause. One of his most passionate projects was an ice rink pavilion but unfortunately he passed away in 1999 a year before the pavilion opened. This pavilion has become such a staple to the city of Manassas as is right at the heart of the city. I participate in walk MS fundraiser every year in which we raise funds for MS research. The national MS society holds this events every year in different cities across the U.S and one of those cities is Manassas. We begin our walk from the pavilion and walk 1 to 3 miles around the city. There’s also an event held there every year celebrating my country of El Salvador where vendors sell authentic food and textiles from my country.
I grew up in Fairfax County and was always home bound. I rarely went out it was just going to school and back home. My mom would work 3 jobs so I would barely see her either and in the weekends that I was off I usually just spend it outside at the pool or playing football. It was so rare that I would get to go out and see other cities around me. I didn’t even get to see Washington D.C until I was about 16 and when I turn 18 I got to see Alexandria and Arlington. I was in my early 20’s when I first got to go to the city of Manassas so it took quite some time before I got to explore this city. Now it’s a must go city for me as there is so many wonderful restaurants and activities to do there. I have still yet to explore a forest that’s near Manassas battlefield park but I will soon. Manassas is very diverse so I feel like I fit right in. Next week I will share a couple experiences i’ve had here in Manassas. Until then have a great week and hope you have enjoyed.
