Neighborhood and Community Services

Fairfax County Neighborhood & Community Services is seeking public input on a new name for Bailey's Community Center in Falls Church, VA. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is considering renaming the facility after a mid-20th Century pillar of the Black community, Minnie Peyton. The three-week community engagement period includes a community meeting and a public vote to determine community preference for a potential name change.  A community meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 6 p.m. at Bailey's Community Center (5920 Summers Lane, Falls Church, VA). The public is invited to learn about Minnie Peyton and the history of Bailey’s Community Center. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share input on the renaming of the center. Spanish interpretation available; for additional language or transportation needs, call 703-533-5750.    Three options have been identified as potential names. The public may vote on the following options through July 11, 2023:  Minnie Peyton Community Center Minnie H. Peyton Community Center Minnie H. Peyton Community Center at Bailey’s Born in 1889 in Washington, DC, Minnie (Hungerford) Peyton was a well-known matriarch of Springdale, a historically Black community in Bailey’s Crossroads. In 1928, Minnie and her sister Florence (Hungerford) Green agreed to buy five acres of land in Bailey’s Crossroads; the land was conveyed to the sisters in 1935. In 1954, each sister sold approximately 1.5 acres of land to the Fairfax County School Board. On September 4, 1956, Lillian Carey Elementary School opened on the property previously owned by sisters Minnie and Florence. Fairfax County opened the adjacent Bailey’s Community Center on January 28, 1978. Bailey’s Community Center – which now includes the former Lillian Carey School – offers a variety of programs and activities for all ages and abilities. Minnie died in 1985 at the age of 96, having spent 50 years in the Springdale community. On Sept. 12, 2023 – at the request of then-Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross – the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed the Fairfax County History Commission to verify documentation related to Minnie Peyton and the desire to name Bailey’s Community Center in her honor. In a May 21, 2024, Board Matter (#20), Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez shared that the History Commission had completed its report. The Board of Supervisors then directed NCS to begin the process of broader inclusive engagement for the community to collectively contribute recommendations that inform the naming decision.  For more information on the renaming effort, visit Renaming of Bailey's Community Center.  

Celebrate the summer solstice - the longest day of the year - with a Day of Play at Fairfax County community centers! Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services invites the community to celebrate the Longest Day of Play on Thursday, June 20, 2024, and discover all that’s offered right here within our community. Organized by the Virginia Recreation & Park Society (VRPS), Play All Day VA aims to promote the importance of PLAY for all ages, abilities and interests through local parks and recreation facilities and free or discounted recreational programming. NCS is offering a a variety of free programs on June 20. View this list to find the NCS Community or Senior Center closest to you. Stop by for activities such as pickleball, volleyball, a nature walk, billiards, stargazing and much more. Community Center membership is always free. Celebrated on the summer solstice, Play All Day VA is an opportunity for everyone to get out and discover all that NCS offers throughout the county. For more information, visit the NCS website or read this list of events happening on June 20, 2024. "We are very excited to participate in this year's Play All Day VA," said NCS Division Director Chris Scales. "This is a wonderful opportunity to show off our facilities, programs, instructors and community spirit at our centers. We hope that community members of all ages will visit, and most importantly, play." Community members also can participate by taking a selfie in one of our centers and tagging us on social media. Use #PlayAllDayVA and #fairfaxncs. Or just find a way to play outdoors and have fun on the longest day of the year. Parks and recreation departments statewide offer year-round opportunities for families and individuals to explore, play and engage in activities that promote health and wellness. The National Recreation and Parks Association says that living close to parks and other recreation facilities is consistently related to higher physical activity levels and park usage for other health benefits for both adults and youth." To learn more, visit VRPS' website. About NCS Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) promotes the well-being of individuals, families and communities by providing a variety of recreation, educational and developmental programs and services; by facilitating community engagement to identify areas of need and enhance countywide capacity for serving those needs; and by connecting residents with a continuum of county- and community-based resources that promote equity and create positive outcomes for people of all ages and abilities. About the Virginia Recreation & Park Society The Virginia Recreation & Park Society (VRPS) is a private, non-profit professional organization, founded in 1953 and incorporated in 1956. Its purpose is to unite all professionals, students, and interested lay persons engaged in the field of recreation, parks and other leisure services in the Commonwealth of Virginia, into one body. The members work together to promote and improve the profession in all its diversity.