Julie Trace, Connect with Fairfax

Julie Trace, Connect with Fairfax

When I first started my site last summer, I saw a page on Facebook called “Connect with Fairfax,” worked up all my courage and asked them if they could do a Facebook shoutout for little old me. Connect with Fairfax shared my site with their fans.  I remember telling my husband, “Wow!  They mentioned my site on Connect with Fairfax!”  To me, this was huge.  As days turned into months and months into a year, I got to know the founder of Connect with Fairfax, Julie Trace, a dedicated community member with a positive attitude and a passion for promoting local businesses and events.  I am happy to feature her on my site!

 

1. Why did you start Connect with Fairfax?

I started Connect With Fairfax with several goals in mind:

  • To create a place where people could go to find out about fun events taking place and a place where groups could share information about an event they are hosting. As you know, there are tons of things to do in the area, from large events to small activities for the children. While it’s impossible to cover all of the great stuff happening in Fairfax County I try to list as much as I can and cover as many different age groups as I can.
  • To help promote the wonderful non-proft organizations in the area and spread the word about their volunteer opportunities. There so many groups in our area that work really hard (and for free!) to help a cause that they truly believe in and to benefit others.  I want to help them get their message out there. Also our community is made up of kind and giving people who would like to volunteer and give back.  Hopefully, Connect With Fairfax can help them.
  • To help promote local businesses by sharing their information and providing affordable advertising opportunities. In order for businesses to grow and be successful, they need to connect with their community through ads as well as interaction. The website and facebook has been a great way for companies to do this. With new restaurants and businesses opening all the time, I really enjoy working with them and sharing their information with our community.
  • To help make people aware of the resources available to them in Fairfax. We are so fortunate to live in a county with so many resources available to us. All of us have needed help at some time or another and didn’t know where to turn.  Whether it was needing help with food or clothing, locating a missing pet, finding information for an aging family member, needing emergency medical care or finding childcare for your children. I want people to know that there are resources available to help them and, especially if they are facing a crisis, that they aren’t alone.
  • Lastly, to create a place that helps bring our community closer together by connecting with others in a friendly, somewhat small-town way.  Fairfax County is huge, as we all know.  There is so much information available that sometimes it can be overwhelming.  I wanted to create a website/facebook page that was personal and makes us all feel more like friends sharing and helping each other rather then strangers living in a big city.

 

 

2. What are your favorite events in Fairfax?

I love the annual events in Fairfax!  The 4th of July parade is always a favorite because I have great memories of my mom taking me when I was a little girl.  We would have to park far away and it felt like we were walking forever before we finally got there (in reality it was probably just a few minute, ha!).  I loved watching the parade and still do.  Another favorite is the Fall Festival in October.  Fall is my favorite season so the festival is the perfect way to kick it off.  Plus they have great vendors, food, exhibitors and it’s all in beautiful historic Fairfax.  The Fairfax Fair is always a blast, too. When I was little I don’t remember having the huge Fair like we do now.  Instead there was a carnival that came to Fair City Mall and that was the big “fair” that I remember.  Funny how times change.  I really do enjoy all of the events in Fairfax, the large events as well as smaller ones.

 

 

3.  When you have some time to yourself, what are some of your favorite local places to visit?

When I have some time to myself, my favorite places to go or things to do are visiting the parks and taking pictures.  I love our beautiful parks and we are so lucky to have so many!  I have a million pictures from Great Falls, but everytime I go there, the views are so awesome, like it’s the first time I’ve ever been … so I end up taking more pictures. I also enjoy just sitting outside at Starbucks, walking around Old Town Fairfax, visiting the shops in Occoquan, going to the Farmers Markets in the summer or catching a movie at the Cinema Arts theater in Fair City Mall.  But whatever it is, I always have my camera.

 

 

4. Tell us what the future holds for Connect with Fairfax?

Connect With Fairfax is a work in progress.  This is only the beginning.  I have a lot more planned for the site.  I want to continue to share information and would like to highlight even more events and resources and reach out to more people.  So stay tuned to see what’s up ahead…

 

 

Learn more at http://www.connectwithfairfax.com/ and follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ConnectWithFairfax for the latest updates and community information.

 

 

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