Chantilly — Grab the children, comfy shoes and sunscreen — and come to the Sully Place Shopping Center, this Saturday, May 12, for the first-ever Chantilly Day celebration. It’s free and open to everyone, no matter where they live, and promises to be a day of fun and entertainment.

Music, food, a car show, children’s activities, displays by the local high schools, an awards ceremony and a parade are all in store. The festival will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the parking lot near Babies R Us, followed by a free concert until 6 p.m.

“I am amazed at how quickly the community has responded to Chantilly Day,” said event organizer Andrew Ross. “We oversold all of our tables and will have 120 tents set up with community organizations, businesses and restaurants.”

“The Dulles Chamber [of Commerce] has put together a great team of Chantilly enthusiasts, and we're going to have so much fun spotlighting the community,” continued Ross. “Between the parade, children’s activities, car show and entertainment stage, there’ll be fun for everyone of all ages. On Saturday, from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Chantilly Day will be the best place to be.”

Led by Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) as the grand marshal, the parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will march along Metrotech Drive. Performing will be both the Westfield and Chantilly high school marching bands. There’ll also be a color guard, fire engine from Chantilly Fire Station 15, a pet parade, plus other business and community groups.

People with pets and children with decorated bikes, scooters, etc., are also invited to march in the parade. Staging will be behind Babies R Us. The parade is open to all area residents. People from Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fair Oaks, Fair Lakes, Fairfax, South Riding, etc., are welcome to participate.

Both Chantilly and Westfield High will have tents in the business expo area. Chantilly will feature entities including its performing and creative arts, Hispanic Leadership Club, and Chantilly Academy. Art students will sell their work and paint children’s faces, cosmetology students will do hair braiding and extensions, and the Robotics club will bring the basketball-shooting robot they built.

From 11 a.m. to 5:30 or 6 p.m., a Taste of Chantilly will feature food from local restaurants including Chick-Fil-A, WaBa Grill Teriyaki House, Don Churro CafÈ, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Hooters and Creekside Bakery.

There’ll be onstage performances from 10:40 a.m.-4 p.m. Both the Westfield and Chantilly jazz bands will entertain; and at 2:45 p.m., Chantilly’s Junior Air Force ROTC drill team will demonstrate its precision marching. At 4 p.m. will be a two-hour rock concert by The Merchants of Cool.

A pet adoption will be held from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on the grassy area in the Babies R Us parking lot, and a variety of pets will be available to good homes.

The children's fair will surround the pet-adoption area. Children will be able to enjoy a rock-climbing wall, rides on a trackless train, moonbounces and other inflatables, games and a 60-foot obstacle course.

The car show runs from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in the parking lot in front of K-mart. There’ll be lots of classic cars, with BB&T’s NASCAR racecar — a Richard Childress Racing vehicle — as the showstopper.

The theme for Chantilly Day is “Remember Yesterday, Celebrate Today, Embrace Tomorrow.” So attendees will also be encouraged to visit Sully Plantation and the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center, and shuttles will be available at the festival to take them to and from Sully Plantation.

Saharnaz Farivar is the coordinator of the Chantilly-Centreville Chamber of Commerce — an offshoot of the Dulles Chamber — and this organization and the Westfield Business Owners Association are jointly sponsoring Chantilly Day. As a result, more than 100 local businesses will be there showcasing their offerings.

Awards for Educator of the Year, businesses and nonprofit groups, and student essay-contest winners will be presented at 11:30 a.m. And the most-popular car in the show will receive a people’s-choice award. Also slated is a special presentation to two representatives from the mayor’s office in Chantilly, France. They’ll have a booth, too, with information about their city.

Sully Place Shopping Center owner, Beatty Management Co., donated the space for the day’s festivities. Parking is in the K-mart, Lowe’s and Lotte parking lots. Roads will only be closed for the parade from 9-10:45 a.m., and traffic will still be able to flow around most of Metrotech Drive.

Go to www.chantillyday.com for registration information, plus more ways to get involved. Anyone interested in marching in the parade, entering the car show, participating in the business expo or volunteering should contact the event organizers at info@chantillyday.com.