Daily Wrap-Up: Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 — Playoff night under the lights, a freeze warning overnight, and a packed weekend ahead

Nine area football teams kicked off their playoff runs at 7 tonight, four of them at home. A freeze warning takes effect at midnight. And Stafford opened two around-the-clock food kiosks this week, while the weekend fills up with the tree lighting, VETFEST, and the downtown holiday open house.

Playoff night is underway

All nine games kicked off at 7 p.m. Colonial Forge, the top seed in Region 6B, hosts Independence; Brooke Point hosts Gainesville; Riverbend hosts Potomac Falls; and Courtland hosts Mechanicsville. Stafford travels to Battlefield, Massaponax goes to John Champe, King George visits Varina, Spotsylvania plays at Huguenot, and James Monroe is at Kettle Run.

No finals were in yet when this wrap-up was written. The results will be in Saturday's Morning Brief, and this morning's brief has the full playoff preview.

Freeze warning overnight

The National Weather Service has a freeze warning in effect from midnight until 8 a.m. Saturday. Tonight's low is around 33 in Fredericksburg, with widespread frost expected in Caroline County after 11 p.m. The weekend stays dry — mostly cloudy Saturday with a high near 54, and cloudy Sunday with a high near 55.

Two new food kiosks open in Stafford

Stafford County Public Schools, the Stafford Education Foundation, Amazon, and the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank opened two automated community food kiosks Thursday — one at North Stafford High School and one at Shirley C. Heim Middle School. The kiosks run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, funded by a $200,000 Amazon investment that is part of a larger $560,000 partnership announced in May.

The Food Bank's president, Dan Maher, cited a recent statewide study finding 42 percent of Virginia residents reported food insecurity in the past year, including 40 percent in the region and 44 percent among families with children. The kiosks build on one that opened at the Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center in 2023.

Your weekend

Saturday starts early with the 4th Annual Run for Valor, 8 to 11 a.m. at Valor Ranch in King George, and the Walk to End Alzheimer's at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. The FXBG Pottery Throwdown runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hurkamp Park, and the True Honey Teas Festival is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fredericksburg Convention Center.

VETFEST 26 takes over Strangeways Brewing at noon, and the Fredericksburg Roller Derby's Toy Box Scramble — a Toys for Tots benefit with a costume contest — plays at 2:30 and 5 p.m. at the Field House. The Fredericksburg Tree Lighting is 4 to 7 p.m. at Riverfront Park, and the Downtown Holiday Open House runs Saturday and Sunday with a free trolley. Holiday parking starts Saturday, with a four-hour limit in designated downtown areas through Jan. 10.

Sunday brings a free Vox Humana concert at 3 p.m. at St. George's Episcopal Church and the Mac & Cheese Cook-Off at 4 p.m. at Maltese Brewing Company. Saturday's field hockey finals — Stafford at 10 a.m., Chancellor at noon — and Mary Washington's banner night are in this morning's brief.

Also worth knowing

• Fredericksburg police are asking for help locating 58-year-old Elbert Martin, last seen Wednesday near Emancipation Highway and Stafford Avenue.

• Stafford's school board will likely remove three new school construction projects from its 10-year capital improvement plan, as enrollment projections decline, according to the FXBG Advance.

• Kalahari's grand-opening festivities continue through Sunday at the new Thornburg resort.