Kalahari opens in 10 days, a Sheetz pitch on Route 3, the nonprofit that almost didn't make it

Good morning, FXBG.

First full week of standard time, and it's starting gently: mostly sunny, a high near 68, with patchy fog possible late tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Sunrise is about 6:37 and sunset about 5:08 p.m., by our calculation. Spotsylvania and Caroline students are home today, as we noted yesterday. Stafford and city kids have school today, and everyone is off tomorrow.

One quick reminder, since tomorrow is the big one: Election Day is Tuesday, polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and you have to vote at your assigned polling place. Find your precinct here. The NWS says sunny and about 73, so no excuse about the weather.

In today's Rundown:

📬 A small ask before the news: Email providers are still sizing us up. If you found us in spam or Promotions, move this to your main inbox and save our address to your contacts. And if you have a second, reply with something you love about Greater Fredericksburg: a trail, a lunch spot, a person. Every reply helps keep us out of the junk folder, and we read them all.

If you've driven I-95 through Thornburg in the past two years, you've watched it go up. Kalahari Resorts' Spotsylvania location opens Thursday, Nov. 12, and the company bills its 175,000-square-foot indoor waterpark as Virginia's largest. Inside the same building: more than 50 waterpark attractions, a 90,000-square-foot indoor adventure park called Tom Foolerys (rides, a ropes course, go-karts, an indoor zip line, bowling, laser tag, an arcade), about a dozen restaurants and bars, shops, a convention center and around 900 rooms. It's a $900 million project and the chain's fifth location.

The question we hear most is the one locals keep asking online: can you go without booking a room, and what will it cost? Yes, you can. Here's what Kalahari has actually published, and where the gaps still are.

Waterpark day passes: Kalahari's site says they're on sale now, in three flavors: all-day, after-4 p.m., and group. The page doesn't list a price, and passes are sold by date, so check the date you want. For a ballpark: in July, a Kalahari spokesperson told The Richmonder that Virginia pricing would be similar to its other resorts, where an all-day waterpark pass runs $70 to $95, an adventure park pass $45 to $50, and a combo pass $105 to $135. Treat those as estimates, not Spotsy's final numbers. Waterpark day passes

Adventure park: The Tom Foolerys page lists an all-day pass for non-hotel guests at $49.99 for anyone 42 inches and taller and $29.99 for shorter kids, but tickets are still marked "coming soon." You can also pay per attraction. Go-karts, mini golf and laser tag are listed at $7 each, and escape rooms at $25.

The patient-local discount: Kalahari's Black Friday page is already selling pass packs: waterpark passes from $79.99 a pair and combo passes from $129.99 a pair, in packs of up to 20. The catch is that they're good only for visits starting Jan. 4, 2027, and blackout dates apply. The deals run through Nov. 30, and the page says overnight-stay deals start Nov. 23. If you're fine skipping the opening rush, this is the cheapest way in we've seen. Black Friday deals

Before you load up the car:

If you do want the overnight: In July, Kalahari's general manager told The Richmonder that a one-night stay for two adults and two kids started at $415, waterpark included. The FAQ adds a $44.99 daily resort fee. An opening offer gives a $50 nightly dining credit for stays from Nov. 15 through March 31. Kalahari FAQ

What it means for the rest of us: The county expects about $6.8 million in tax revenue in the first year, and the resort said it expected to have more than 1,000 full- and part-time workers hired locally by opening day. The first big event comes six days after opening, when the Governor's Conference on Tourism checks in with more than 500 rooms booked. On traffic, Spotsylvania's economic development director told The Richmonder the county had hoped for a traffic light at the site but didn't qualify under the state's traffic study. Opening weekend around the Thornburg exit is worth planning around. The Richmonder

It’s a light week for local meetings with the election in the middle of it, but two are worth knowing about.

Spotsy: Sheetz, townhomes and a commercial pad on Route 3 (Wednesday). The Spotsylvania Planning Commission holds a public hearing on Regency Commons (case R25-0016), a request to rezone about 12.5 acres in the Courtland District to mixed use. County filings show a Sheetz with gas pumps at Plank Road (Route 3) and Five Mile Road Extended, a separate commercial lot, and a few dozen attached single-family homes. The proffers allow up to 45 homes, though one county summary says 40. The development plan also includes road work on Route 3 and Five Mile Road. RC Holdings LLC is the applicant. If this sounds familiar, Stafford supervisors turned down a Sheetz at Enon Road and U.S. 1 last month. The Planning Commission only makes a recommendation. Spotsy's supervisors have the final vote later. Case files and renderings

Fredericksburg: student seats on the School Board (tonight). The city School Board meets tonight. Last month, Vice Chair Molly McFadden proposed adding two student co-representatives, both juniors, who would serve into their senior year. They wouldn't vote or attend closed sessions, but they would give a report at each meeting and could weigh in before votes. Each would get a $1,500 scholarship (or the equivalent) at the end of the term. Potomac Local reported that the board planned to vote on the process in November, with the first students starting in 2027. We couldn't open tonight's posted agenda to confirm the item is on it. Potomac Local

In 2021, when Kristy Stonehill's 20-year-old daughter had a psychotic break, Stonehill went looking for help and found NAMI Rappahannock, the Fredericksburg-area affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It was founded in 1984. She also found it was, in her words, "essentially dying." After COVID and years of volunteer burnout, it was down to one support group and six volunteers.

She describes herself as a stay-at-home mom with little nonprofit experience. She decided she would "just figure it out." She started a family support group in 2023, and within six months, 40 people were coming. Today, as the Fredericksburg Free Press reported this weekend:

If you or someone you love could use it: The eight-week Peer-to-Peer (for adults living with a mental health condition) and Family-to-Family (for families and caregivers) courses have wait lists and start again in January, so getting on the list now makes sense. There are weekly or biweekly support groups for adults and for parents and guardians of kids under 18. A youth peer-led group is planned by December. People who have finished the state's peer recovery specialist training can also apply for its internship program, which reopened applications this month.

Stonehill said people on a wait list for a therapist can call for support in the meantime, and NAMI volunteers sometimes help callers find alternatives to the ER. (If it's an emergency, call or text 988 or 911.) Her daughter recovered and went back to college. Free Press · NAMI Rappahannock

🌉 I-95 bridge work in Caroline starts next Monday. VDOT's $13.3 million project to replace the decks on the northbound and southbound I-95 bridges over the CSX tracks (mile marker 103, a mile south of the Carmel Church exit) now begins Nov. 9. Expect periodic lane closures this fall and longer lane shifts, closures and some ramp closures in 2027. Work runs through May 2028. If you drive to Richmond, VDOT posts the next week's closures every Friday afternoon. VDOT

🏋️ New gym, new coffee, new Korean-Mexican. District Athletic Club is scheduled to open Nov. 10 in the Fredericksburg Shopping Center, 503 Emancipation Hwy. Nono's Cafecito is now serving inside the SUCCESS Space co-working space at the Village at Spotsylvania Towne Centre. And a Bebop Korean-Mexican Grill is planned for this spring at 570 Celebrate Virginia Pkwy. in Stafford. Free Press Biz Beat

🧚 Fairy Godmother Project leader stepping down. Executive Director Cathleen Pessolano is leaving because her family is moving out of state. The local nonprofit's board is searching for a successor and says programs will continue without interruption. Free Press

🇺🇸 Veterans Day week starts early in Spotsy. The Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office Veterans Day Celebration is Sat., Nov. 7, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Event listings put it at 9119 Dean Ridings Lane, but the organizer's page doesn't publish the venue, so confirm before you go. In Stafford, county offices and courts close Wed., Nov. 11. Landfills stay open and parks keep 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m. hours. Listing · Stafford County

🚂 Trains at the mall. The Rappahannock Model Railroaders bring their O-gauge and N-gauge layouts to Spotsylvania Towne Centre, near the food court, Sat., Nov. 7, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 8, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. It's free to watch. Small train fans will want to stay a while. Spotsylvania Towne Centre

A lot of the local worry about Kalahari has been about water. According to Spotsylvania's Kalahari FAQ, as reported by The Richmonder, the resort's average demand is estimated at 229,000 gallons a day, peaking at 413,000. The surprise is where the water goes. The hotel rooms are projected to use the most, about 47%, while the waterpark accounts for about 19%. Officials said the park recirculates its water and has to refill outside peak morning and evening hours, when the rest of us are showering. The Richmonder

Quick poll by reply: Are you going to Kalahari? Hit reply with "day pass," "staying over," "waiting for January" or "not at those prices." We'll share the results, and if enough of you go opening week, we'd love to hear how it went.

Know a family that's been counting down to Nov. 12? Forward them this. The price and towel info alone will save them a headache.

📸 Top photo: Kalahari Spotsylvania under construction beside I-95, December 2025. Courtesy of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions (media gallery).

Go vote tomorrow, FXBG. See you Tuesday.

The FXBG Rundown

A little more local. A lot more interesting.