Boats take part in the Cardboard Boat Regatta as part of Springfield Days at Lake Accotink Sunday, May 31, 2015. This year’s Cardboard Boat Regatta will be held on Sunday, June 3. Photo by Steve Hibbard.
Event Schedule
Saturday, June 2, 2018
5K fun run and 1-mile walk. 8:30 a.m.—leave from and return to Metro Run & Walk at 7261 Commerce Street, Springfield.
Craft & Fun Fair. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Springfield United Methodist Church (7047 Old Keene Mill Road.) In addition to 45 crafters and vendors, there are activities for children, musical entertainment, and food and ice cream trucks.
Car Show. 10 a.m. -2 p.m. American Legion Post 176 (6520 Amherst Avenue, Springfield). Registration starts at 8 a.m.; no charge to show a car. All makes and models welcome including antiques, classics street rods, muscle cars, customs and exotics. Multiple trophies for different classes will be awarded.
Book Sale. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Richard Byrd Library (7250 Commerce Street, Springfield). Book sale proceeds support the Friends of Richard Byrd Library, its children’s programs, periodicals and more.
Taste of Springfield. Noon -6 p.m. Springfield Town Center, Frontier Drive.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Cardboard Boat Regatta. Boat check-in begins at 8 am; races begin at 11 am. Lake Accotink Park (7500 Accotink Park Road, Springfield).
For almost 50 years, Springfield Days, a community-wide weekend-long celebration has been the unofficial kick-off to summer. Held on June 2 and 3, this year’s free events begin with a 5K fun run and conclude with the traditional cardboard boat regatta at Lake Accotink Park. In between there’s a car show, craft and fun fair, book sale and more. This year’s Springfield Days features a Taste of Springfield.
The event has a long history, dating back to the mid-twentieth century, with an annual celebration with food, games, fireworks, and music held on July 4. Most events took place in the big field at Old Keene Mill Road and Commerce Street (where Giant and K-Mart are today).
In the 1980s the business community began a new tradition called Springfield Days that connected the business and residential community through sidewalk sales and special events. That tradition has evolved into a community-wide celebration that brings together the business and residential communities, Fairfax County Park Authority, and volunteer service organizations.