Preakness Party
The Rappahannock Community College (RCC) Educational Foundation will host the 22nd annual Preakness Party from 4-7 p.m. May 16 at Ditchley, 1571 Ditchley Road, Kilmarnock. Tickets are $100 per guest. Purchase tickets at 333-6707 or www.rappahannock.edu/preaknessparty.
The event offers food, drink, live and silent auctions, “Most Audacious Hat” and “Best Dressed Man” contests and a broadcast of the Preakness Stakes on big screens under the tent.
Preservation tour
Senior director of preservation Phil Mark will present Uncover Three Centuries of Architectural Wonder Stratford, a behind-the-scenes tour of the 18th-century Great House, from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. May 16 at Stratford Hall Historic Preserve, 483 Great House Road, Stratford.
The tour will focus on the main floor of the house and the most recent room restoration projects, as well as the exterior and lower level and projects at neighboring outbuildings. Tickets are $46.90 at stratfordhall.org.
Garden party
The Mathews Historic House Tour & Garden Party will be held from 2-5 p.m. May 17 at Providence Manor, the home of Jim and Celia McKinnon. The event is a fundraising effort of the Mathews County Historical Society.
Tickets are $65, cash or check. Tickets are available for purchase at the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center, 239 Main Street, Mathews. For a promotional brochure, visit www.mathewshistory.org.
Spring concert
The Crewe Academy for Strings Spring Concert will be held at 3 p.m. May 17 at Warsaw Baptist Church, 226 Main Street, Warsaw. Refreshments will be served following the concert.
NNK250 speaker
The 2026 NNK250 Signature Speaker Series will continue at 2 p.m. May 17 at the Rappahannock Indigenous Conservation Education Center, 2570 Newland Road, Warsaw.
Dr. Emily Sneff, consulting curator for exhibitions planned for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration at the Museum of the American Revolution and the American Philosophical Society, will discuss “When the Declaration Was News.”
Community league
Bluff Point Community League, 2595 Bluff Point Road, Kilmarnock, will hold a potluck dinner meeting Monday, May 18. Social time will begin at 6 p.m.; dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m. Bring a dish to share.
The speaker will be Northumberland County District 4 supervisor A.C. Fisher Jr.
Photo Group
The Rappahannock Art League Photo Group seeks new members of all levels who wish to improve their skills. The Photo Group meets at 10 a.m. on third Mondays at the Lancaster Community Library, 16 Town Centre Drive, Kilmarnock.
RAL membership is not required. Contact Marty Hill at isnap0824@gmail.com or 450-8792.
Post 86
American Legion Adams Post 86 meets at 5 p.m. on third Tuesdays at the Lancaster Community Library, 16 Town Centre Drive, Kilmarnock.
Garden club
The Kilmarnock Garden Club will meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at Kilmarnock Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 65 East Church Street, Kilmarnock. Sarah Monroe will present the River Roots Discovery Garden planned at the new Lancaster High School.
Monroe serves as the pro bono consultant for the garden. The program is open to the public. Sarah brings together design, science and community to create landscapes that connect people with nature. She will be joined by Brett Dawson of Northern Neck Botanical for this presentation.
Rotary meetings
The Northern Neck Rotary Club meets at 7:30 a.m. on second and fourth Wednesdays at River Counties Community Foundation, 834 Rappahannock Drive, White Stone. Those interested in the speaker topics or Rotary are welcome.
Pig pickin’
The Fairfields Volunteer Fire Department on June 6 will present Pig Pickin’ on the Point at Buzzards Point Marina, 468 Buzzard Point Road, Reedville.
Tickets are $60 for adults, $20 for ages 8-12, free for those younger than 8. Gates will open at 1 p.m. Extreme boat docking competition will begin at 2 p.m. Barbecue will be served from 4-6:30 p.m. Exit 38 will play from 5:30-9:30 p.m. For tickets, call 453-4100 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
