County Fair Time: It’s fair season in Virginia, and you know what that means: tractors pulls, pageant queen appearances, livestock markets and shows, and pony (and Carolina camel) rides. The Shenandoah County Fair in Woodstock – continuing through September 4 – offers fair-goers all of this and more, in addition to entertainment acts featuring the likes of country crooner Josh Turner (September 1) and multi-genred country-pop-rock singer-rapper Uncle Kracker (September 3). Plus, the Shenandoah County Fair will have plenty of action, with demolition derbies, harness racing, and TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Wrestling.

Earl Taunts Coast: Virginians are on high alert for the first real threat of hurricane-like weather this season. Forecasters predict Hurricane Earl – now a category 4 storm – will just brush by the Hampton Roads area, making for some choppy surf and perhaps gusty winds, but a minor shift in trajectory could mean the difference between certain landfall and it drifting back into the Atlantic.

Squirrels Season Winds Down: At first we were unsure of calling the capital city’s new minor league baseball team the Richmond Squirrels, but by all accounts, it has been a winner. If you have yet to visit the Diamond and see the Squirrels at play, get your tickets soon – the season concludes on September 6.

DMV Stuck in Idle: After government offices struggle to get back online after a major computer breakdown, Governor Bob McDonnell calls for an independent, third party investigation into the cause. The lingering IT outage is still impacting the Department of Motor Vehicles, and as of today, none of the Commonwealth's 74 DMV customer service offices are able to supply driver's licenses or I.D cards, prompting law enforcement agencies to “issue blanket amnesty to thousands of drivers whose licenses have expired,” says The Washington Post.