Crozet Gazette January 2017 by The Crozet Gazette

INSIDE NEW FACES page 2 GO FOR LAUNCH page 3 DIRT TO GLASS page 6 CCAC page 7 HERE & GONE page 8

JANUARY 2017 VOL. 11, NO. 8

Crozet Plaza Design Options Bring Out the Community

NEXTDOOR page 10 GREENWOOD STORE page 15

By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com

MEATLOAF page 18 GOODWIN CREEK page 20 SUPER EL NIÑO page 27 JUST SCARED page 28 FIELD HOCKEY page 30 CHEERLEADERS page 31 FOOTBALL RECAP page 32 DREAM BIGLY page 35 BROKEN HEART DEATH page 36 THE SEA OF PLASTIC page 38 SEMICOLONS page 39 VALLEY CRANBERRIES page 40 SCIENCE IS NOT RELIGION page 41 BEREAVEMENTS page 42-43 TALLAMY’S OAK page 45

Crozet Pizza Owner Mike Alexander and John Plantz of Parkway Pharmacy look over alternative designs for the downtown Crozet plaza at the Downtown Crozet Initiative event December 8.

Crozet to Get a Catholic Church A Catholic church is coming to Crozet now that Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond Francis X. DiLorenzo has recognized the Crozet Catholic community as a mission congregation that is on its way to becoming a regular parish. DiLorenzo made the announcement at a meeting at diocese headquarters in Richmond Dec. 15 that assembled the pastors of the Charlottesville-area Catholic churches, Crozet representatives Michael

Marshall and Julie Balik, and diocesan officials who will be responsible for supporting the success of the new parish. DiLorenzo gave local Catholics and Holy Comforter Catholic Church pastor Fr. Joseph Mary Lukyamuzi permission to begin holding a once-amonth Mass in Crozet in January 2014, a move that was designed to test community support for a church. Local Catholics formed the Crozet continued on page 17

On December 8 the Downtown Crozet Initiative invited the community to the new Piedmont Place shops in downtown Crozet to provide feedback on three separate designs for the future Crozet community plaza. The event was sponsored by Milestone Partners and Crozet New Town Associates, the development services firm and property owners behind the Crozet Square project, and featured free food and beverages. Food was provided by Smoked BBQ and Morsel Compass’s food-truck, with complimentary brews courtesy of Star Hill served at the Blue Ridge Bottle Shop. On display in the building’s firstfloor meeting room were easels showcasing drawings by landscape architecture firm Mahan Rykiel Associates Inc. for the Crozet community plaza, a $3 million, 28,000-square-foot civic greenspace and hardscape that will serve as the centerpiece of the Barnes Lumber development site. The draw-

continued on page 24

Perrone Robotics Brings Silicon Valley Innovation to Crozet By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com Over the past 15 years New Jersey native and automotive software pioneer Paul Perrone has made Crozet his home. He shops at the local grocery, his kids attend Western Albemarle schools, he sips coffee at Mudhouse and he’s stoked about the recent addition of the Crozet Bicycle

Shop. Now, in hopes of spearheading the community’s longstanding effort to transform the downtown area into a hub of thriving commerce and localroots business, Perrone has committed to move his own company, Perrone Robotics, Inc., to the Barnes Lumber site. The relocation makes PRI the first major business to, in the words of

continued on page 4

Perrone Robotics testing their self-driving car.

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

time. Crozetians turn out when If the Perrone premise is true, they know the future of the Meet the New Gazette that highly accomplished pro- town is at stake, as they did in fessionals are looking at long- force for the plaza design open The Gazette is shedding a term family and lifestyle issues house last month. skin and getting set up to hanin choosing jobs, then the firm That culture of caring and dle the bustling town Crozet is The Perrone Robotics is likely to be just the first to enterprise is sure to attract more becoming. We introduce four Move Is Big choose Crozet. Fortunately for new businesses. freelance writers who are now us, Paul Perrone and Greg contributing to your favorite Our faith in our local officials Scharer are Crozet long-timers hometown newspaper. Eric was vindicated in their expedi- who don’t need our Be Nice culWallace will be covering sports tious action last month to clear ture explained to them. It’s To the Editor and civic life. Theresa Curry is the way for Perrone Robotics to already internalized. Our Send your letters to the editor to writing features, and Gazette establish in downtown Crozet. anchor company is one of us. news@crozetgazette.com. Letters will veteran Clover Carroll, our lit- It’s a no-brainer move, but you How lucky and how proud we not be printed anonymously. Letters erary authority, will also cover can’t bet on local government to are. We can trust them not to do not necessarily reflect the opinions our schools. Lisa Martin joins do the right thing. Hurray, this foul the nest and to share our of the Crozet Gazette. vision of a vibrant town center. We think the selection prem- Thank You ise is true. Crozet is in a geoWe would like to thank all of graphical sweet spot, nestled in beauty, but with easy access to a our family and friends for the cornucopia of possibilities. Old many phone calls, cards, meals, Crozet really did lead a and visits in the days following Mayberry life and we carry on the passing of Dianna Weeks. that tradition of friendliness We would like to especially and helpfulness—short of get- thank Mabel and Mike Fox, ting into your business—in our Chris Shu of Brownsville small town life. Our history has Market, and Pastor Nickell of taught us to solve our problems Mount Ed Baptist Church. nd Drive - $260,000 - 4 bedrooms, 3 baths - www.8116WestEndDrive.com - can you please add a New Listing banner on top of this one... With much love, with our own initiatives. We made a fire department, a rescue ourne Lane - $899,900 - 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths - www.6406WoodbourneLane.com squad, a public park and pool, a The Toms, McAllister, and Weeks Families ead Drive - $569,900 - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths - www.7123HampsteadDrive.com reservoir, a Master Plan for Crozet/Greenwood Clover Carroll, Theresa Curry, and Eric Wallace growth. the team, too, on special story assignments, topics that call for investigation. We believe they will all be Virginia Press Association prizewinners.

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CROZET gazette

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LOUISE DUDLEY, Editorial Assistant louise@crozetgazette.com

the

Published on the first Thursday of the month by The Crozet Gazette LLC, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932

Member, Virginia Press Association

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John Andersen, Clover Carroll, Theresa Curry, Marlene Condon, Elena Day, Phil James, Charles Kidder, Lisa Martin, Dirk Nies, Robert Reiser, Rebecca Schmitz, Roscoe Shaw, Heidi Sonen, Eric Wallace, Denise Zito.

Don’t miss any of the hometown news everybody else is up on. Pick up a free copy of the Gazette at one of many area locations or have it delivered to your home. Mail subscriptions are available for $29 for 12 issues. Send a check to Crozet Gazette,

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JANUARY 2017

Field School Clears First Hurdle for Relocation

A Selection of Local 2016 Sales Crozet Avenue

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Rendering of what proposed Field School buildings might look like (courtesy of Field School)

By Clover Carroll clover@crozetgazette.com Field School of Charlottesville has been a welcome resident of Crozet for the past decade, but they are looking to relocate to larger, more up-to-date quarters closer to Charlottesville. The Albemarle County Planning Commission voted unanimously at its December 13 meeting to recommend approval of the Field School’s application for a special-use permit to build a new campus on 25 idyllic acres on Barracks Road, just west of Charlottesville near the Colthurst Farms subdivision, and about 1000 feet from the nearest development area. It is mostly wooded and features a 3-acre pond and mountain views, combining the advantages of rural natural beauty and proximity to town. The new location will allow for an increase in enrollment from the current 86 to as many as 150 students. The Planning Commission’s task, as explained by planning director Andrew Gast-Bray, was “to evaluate the location and environmental impact” of the proposal, independent of the quality of the school itself. “We love it in Crozet,” admitted Field School founder and Head of School Todd Barnett. “But we need to draw on a larger community.” Youthful and enthusiastic, he apologized for his attire when I arrived for our interview the

morning after the vote, as he had just participated in a gym class with his students. He also teaches History, Civics, and English at the private boys’ middle school, along with 16 other full- and part-time faculty members, as well as driving the daily school bus from Charlottesville to Crozet. He described this trip at the Planning Commission hearing. “I drive through five compromised intersections in the 10 miles from the Charlottesville bypass to Crozet on 250 West. If our site switches to Barracks Road, a big wide road that is relatively lightly travelled, one mile off the bypass, our population will travel 10 minutes less each day, easing area congestion, minimizing pollution, and without a doubt causing less traffic and increasing safety on county roads generally.” In granting their recommendation for approval, Planning Commissioner Karen Firehock complimented Barnett on the thoroughness of his proposal and for engaging the community in its development. “I had to ask fewer questions than usual because this was a very well put together, very detailed proposal. Much of the due diligence was done.” In addition to the 300 letters of support received by the Planning Commission, 11 parents, teachers, students, and neighbors spoke at the meeting in support of the new location,

continued on page 12

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developer Frank Stoner, a senior partner at Milestone Partners, the development firm behind the project, “buy into the Master Plan’s long-term vision for downtown Crozet.” While the company will initially erect a temporary, 5,000-square-foot modular structure on the site, once the Crozet Square project moves into Phase 1—that is, when construction starts on the community plaza and the restaurants, businesses, apartments and offices that will surround it—PRI will build a permanent office and testing facility that, according to the company’s current projections, may be home to as many as 120 employees by 2022. But what, specifically, does PRI do? “Simply put, we design the software that allows cars to drive themselves,” said corporate operating officer Greg Scharer. With ambitions to become “the Microsoft of autonomous cars,” the company employs a workforce of highly educated software and development engineers, and competes with Silicon Valley firms (think, Google) for talent. According to Perrone, he chose Crozet because his company ethos is one of family values and longterm commitment. “Crozet is a beautiful place and a great spot to raise a family,” said Scharer, himself a born-and-bred, 45-year Crozet resident. “We want the people who come to work for us to buy into the

Paul Perrone

company and stick around for a long time. We want them to love where they live and we think that when you consider the slated development of downtown, the proximity to the mountains and the proximity to Charlottesville, Crozet is the perfect place to make that happen.” Founded in Leesburg in 2001, PRI was the result of Perrone’s lifelong passion for robotics and computers, which began when he was a small child growing up across the bay from Atlantic City. It was the early 80s, the dawning of the age of personal computers, and science-fiction films featuring artificial intelligence and robotics were all the rage. “I recall making sketches of robots and even robot cars as a kid,” said Perrone. “The robot car was driverless and had a swimming pool on the roof, and inside there were vending machines, a bed and video games…. TV shows with robotic cars like Knight Rider

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and, of course, the movie Love Bug fascinated and inspired me.” As if struck by fate, when Perrone spotted a computer screen illuminating a Christmastime display in a storefront window in his hometown, he had to have one. “The moment I laid eyes on that device I knew I wanted to work with computers,” he said. “Soon thereafter I was able convince my parents to get me an 8-bit Commodore 64… I saw getting this computer as my vehicle for starting to tinker for real; I wanted to make smart machines.” The bug stuck. Soon enough, it was 1992 and Perrone was attending Rutgers University where, as an engineering student, he dove headfirst into researching brain-emulating artificial neural networks. By the time he entered graduate school at the University of Virginia, the interest led to research designing safety-critical software for automated machines and, specifically, the automatic control of trains. The research led to a commercial gig developing software platforms. “A software platform is software that’s used to build other software,” explained Perrone. “It’s like a foundation and a set of tools that lets you build a house more rapidly. Only, with a software platform, it lets you build other software applications more rapidly.” A breakthrough came in 2001. “I set out to fuse the prevailing concepts I’d been working on—namely, my love of robotics and artificial intelligence, and my developed expertise in safety-critical system design and software platforms,”

said Perrone. The attempt resulted in the creation of a software platform for robotics that Perrone dubbed MAX. The acronym stands for “Mobile Autonomous X,” with x being a variable allowing developers to plug in whatever sort of robot they want—i.e. a car, airplane, pool-cleaner, or whatever. “It’s basically a software platform that lets you create whatever sort of robot application you want quickly and robustly,” said Perrone. “I didn’t see anything like it at the time, so I ran with the idea and created Perrone Robotics around it. “It allows robotics developers to avoid having to rebuild things they would otherwise have to create themselves over and over again across and sometimes within organizations when building applications,” said Perrone. “It also allows hardware independence, which means we can integrate different sensors, controls, algorithms, computer platforms and what not…. This is not unlike an operating system like Windows or Android that provides services and abstractions for computers and smartphones respectively. We like to say MAX is to robots as Windows is to computers or Android is to smartphones.” For the first few years PRI amounted to little more than its namesake tinkering around in his basement workshop building small-scale home-robots meant to showcase MAX. “The robots ran around the house, annoyed my cat, and just did basic request and deliver operations,” chuckled Perrone. continued on page 22

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Woodridge Brewery Leads Virginia’s Dirt-to-Glass Revolution By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com A visit to Lovingston’s newest farm-to-table brewery, Woodridge Farm Brewery, makes for a fascinating—and definitively multi-tiered—aesthetic experience. Beyond producing what may well be the most locally crafted beer in the state, the property is downright pretty. Perched atop the central hillside of a rolling 300-acre farm, the brewery’s wraparound porches open onto Nelson County’s famous Blue Ridge views. Second is the building itself. With walls, beams, floors, log-siding, bars, decking boards, window frames, et-cetera, made entirely of lumber gleaned from the farm, the place is so rustic and grandiose it feels plucked from the pages of Hemingway. Yet, there it is—big lacquered tree-trunks for interior supports; floors featuring 12 species of meticulously puzzled-together hardwoods; massive single-slab bar tops with matching

stools; the list goes on. “I hand-selected, cut down, cured and fashioned just about every piece of lumber in this building,” said owner Barry Wood. “I remember the trees every board in that flooring came from, I can tell you just where they used to stand.” Here emerges a theme: Not only does Wood prefer to keep things local, he takes pride in doing them himself. Regarding Woodridge’s beer, the philosophy has been taken to its extreme. Marketing his brews as ‘Dirt-to-Glass,’ Wood says the company’s product is as local as it gets. The process began about five years ago when Wood was approached by a local Nelson County distillery about growing barley. “They were interested in getting locally-sourced wheat and they wanted us to grow it,” he said. “I thought it was a great idea and we started working to make it happen.” Partnering with Virginia Tech and the University of Iowa, Wood joined forces with a team

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continued on page 19

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

CCAC Invites Community To Discuss Perrone Robotics’ Move To FormerBarnes Lumber Site

Milestone Partners’ L.J. Lopez with Perrone Robotics COO Greg Schumer (seated), fielding questions from the community.

By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com On December 14 the Crozet Community Advisory Committee met at The Meadows Community Center to discuss an allowable-use amendment seeking to expedite Charlottesville-based tech-company, Perrone Robotics Inc.’s move to the Barnes Lumber site in downtown Crozet. The meeting was the result of the CCAC’s unanimous decision to support the amendment at November’s meeting. CCAC chair Dave Stoner opened the forum by introducing Milestone Partners’ co-founder and partner, L.J. Lopez. “It feels full-circle this meeting should take place here, as this is where we first introduced the Barnes Lumber proposal a couple of years ago,” said Lopez. “We’re here tonight to talk about rezoning for the proffer amendment on the current parcel which expands the uses to accommodate an exciting user that is invested in the longterm business of Crozet and the vision of Barnes Lumber. This amendment is really a shortterm means to a long-term vision, in that there are current restrictions on the use of the property, so this expands those uses that are consistent with the comprehensive plan, supports Perrone’s use in the short-term, and allows for the current and parallel path of the larger Phase

1 commercial redevelopment plan for Barnes Lumber.” After being introduced by Lopez, corporate operating officer of Perrone Robotics Greg Scharer offerred information about the company and their planned usage for the temporary and long-term offices they plan to install on the Barnes Lumber site. “Perrone Robotics is a software company that makes the software that makes cars drive by themselves,” said Scharer. “We see what we do as critical for making the world safer in the future. Cars will not have as many fatalities when they’re driven by computers,

we’re creating and test it in vehicles to make sure it’s flawless when we put it into cars in the future,” he said. “The business involves writing autonomous driving software, which we then test in a low-impact setting. It’s very quiet, very nondestructive and extremely safe.” Having lived in Crozet for 45 of his 46 years, Scharer said that both he and company founder and CEO Paul Perrone—who’s lived in the area for more than 15 years now—are both thrilled that PRI is moving to Crozet. Additionally, he said the reason the company didn’t make the move sooner was they’d been unable to find a space that supported their needs and plans for future development. However, with the proposal of the Barnes Lumberyard project, all that changed. “We see the opportunity here to develop our business, but we also see opportunity to bring other companies that are symbiotic to our business to the area,” said Scharer. “We want to create a technology corridor greater than just what we are, that brings in more people, that makes it easier for us to attract great talent and, meanwhile, raises the tide in the area and the county as well. We’re committed to being here for a long time.” With that, Scharer opened the floor to questions.

“W

e want to create a technology corridor greater than just what we are, that brings in more people, that makes it easier for us to attract great talent and, meanwhile, raises the tide in the area and the county as well. We’re committed to being here for a long time.” - Greg Scharer, Perrone Robotics

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www.charlottesvilleselfstorage.net we’re very confident about that.” Scharer explained PRI is a high-tech company that employs a highly educated workforce. In the next year, the business will look to expand from 15 to around 30 employees. “These are great, high-paying jobs for engineers, developers, testers and others that can help us take the software that

“What specifically is the temporary building going to look like?” asked a Crozet townsperson. “To start with, we’re going to bring in a 60-by-84-foot modular structure that will give us about 5,000-square-feet of office space,” said Scharer. “Additionally, we’re going to use continued on page 9

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Patina Pops Up By Theresa Curry theresa@crozetgazette.com They were here and now they’re gone. “Furnish,” the temporary shop that opened for a month or so in the building adjoining Gateway Market, gave December visitors a small glimpse of the antiques, gifts and small furnishings available at Patina in Charlottesville, many with a specific holiday focus. “That was our intention,” said Ellen Beard, owner of Patina. “We wanted to offer something unique and different during the Christmas season for those west of Charlottesville.” She’d been wanting to try it, she said, and when veteran art buyer Leigh Glassmore became available after the closing of Kane’s Furniture, she had a feeling the time was right. The women turned the small building into a cozy, quirky Christmas store

with a little bit of something for everyone. There was another reason for the pop-up, Beard said: “Sometimes businesses do this to kind of test the waters. We found people in Crozet to be very receptive.” She’s not ruling out the possibility of a yearround shop in the area, if she can find a space that’s affordable. “We would need it to be larger because we deal so much in antique furniture,” she said. Meanwhile, the space won’t be vacant for long. Roger and Diane Gilmer of Lyndhurst will open a garden flag and outdoor art store in the same space. They hope to have the shop open by February 1, and certainly by Valentine’s Day. The Gilmers, both in their early 60s, have been operating their business part time for many years on the move, traveling to fairs in the mid-Atlantic region. As they began to cut

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JANUARY 2017

Third Thursday at The Lodge at Old Trail january 19 5:30 pm

An Evening with the Pro Re Nata Brewery

Ellen Beard outside her pop up shop, Furnish

back on their other jobs––his as a FedEx driver and hers as a service dispatcher––they were glad to find a small space to display their colorful collection of seasonal flags, matching porch rugs and metal garden adornments. Roger has a skill ideally suited for a man who sells flags. He’s a metal artist able to weld and bend steel into simple shapes

like flagpoles of every size. “We’ll have a great selection of solar flagpoles,” he said. The Gilmers plan to make some changes to the exterior of the building during the next few weeks. “In January, you’ll see us out there painting, probably burgundy with white trim,” Roger Gilmer said. “Stop by and say hello.”

CCAC

temporary means of getting Perrone into Crozet and will eventually be replaced,” said Lopez. “They’ve bought into the long-term vision of Barnes Lumber and while we’re working through the larger planning effort—from rezoning, to the road network, to the uses— once all that’s resolved and we can make permanent plans, they would then pivot from the modular space and project forward to build a long-term permanent structure.” Lopez and Scharer emphasized the company’s commitment to the projected development of downtown Crozet. “We want to be a part of making this community grow and thrive,” said Scharer. “In fact, for us to be successful, we need that to happen. You have to remember, we’re competing for talent with firms from Silicon Valley. So

—continued from page 7

the older spaces for mechanical work, maintenance on vehicles, testing and things like that.” “In terms of long-term employees, what do you anticipate five to ten years from now?” asked another community member. “We have big aspirations; we intend no less than to become the Microsoft of cars,” said Scharer. “Whether we achieve that vision or just some portion of it, either way we’re going to be continuously growing. We’d like to see ourselves doubling in size every year. So in five years, a feasible scenario would be 120 employees.” “Is the modular structure going to be permanent?” asked another community member. “The modular structure is a

continued on page 26

You’re invited to join us as another year of Third Thursday’s kicks off at The Lodge at Old Trail. This year we begin this popular lecture series by welcoming Crozet’s Pro Re Nata Brewery. We’ll be joined by Dr. John Schoeb, Co-owner, and Brad Hulewicz, Head Brewer. They will be discussing a wide range of topics including, how the brewery was created; the thought process that goes into developing new recipes; the future of the brewery and the burning question of how the brewery got its’ name! It’s sure to be a fascinating evening for everybody and of course, there will be samples on hand for you to toast in the new year yet again. Make your plans today and come join us for a look into the Pro Re Nata Brewery. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

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CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

Not Sure Who Your Neighbor Is? Look Nextdoor By Theresa Curry theresa@crozetgazette.com It’s Twitter without the trolls, Facebook without the cat videos, a platform for practical concerns rather than personal expression. People on Nextdoor. com share the same kind of information they might write on index cards and tack to the bulletin board of the corner store. And like the bulletin board, it’s strictly local: lost dogs, free kittens, yard sales, church suppers. When Cathe Myers first moved here, she thought she’d be starting up a “Crozet” page. She found out that even a small town is still too big to be one “neighborhood.” She’s the leader for Yancey Mills, and there are currently 10 other Crozet neighborhoods in the system, with many others still to be represented. Now online are Old Trail, Parkside Village, Westhall, Grayrock Orchard, Beaver Creek Mountain, Cory FarmLiberty Hall, Wickham Pond, Western Ridge, Crozet Park and Bargamin Park in addition to Yancey Mills. Cathe and her husband, Russ Myers, own “Gate of Heaven,” a non-profit ministerial retreat. She said she understood the value of networking from other non-profit jobs, and wanted to get to know her new community, more far-flung than her former home in Richmond. She acts as a leader, checking the posts to make sure no inappropriate messages are posted and generally keeping abreast of neighborhood news. Anne Dreshfield, who’s part of the central Nextdoor staff in

San Francisco, said the pattern of use varies little from rural to urban areas. “Neighbors in more rural areas appreciate Nextdoor because homes are more spread out; they’re less likely to run into a neighbor like you would in a more suburban or urban environment.” There are slight variations in topic: “For example, neighbors in San Francisco might discuss a lost house cat, while neighbors in upstate New York are more likely to discuss a lost horse.” Most messages are informative and helpful. Someone in Old Trail spotted a mountain lion and others who caught a glimpse chimed in. People in several neighborhoods worry about traffic, both congestion and reckless driving through the residential streets. Families want to recommend a tutor, or a plumber, or a restaurant. Someone in Beaver Creek Mountain found an ailing lost dog in hours, thanks to a posting on the site. A few take a more contentious tone, slamming the same

Nextdoor.com desktop and mobile sites. Photo courtesy Nextdoor.

restaurant reviewed positively by others, or making fun of a neighbor’s opinions, or hinting at evidence incriminating a neighbor’s teenager. A recent long discussion about traffic in Old Trail somehow devolved into half-hearted personal insults that were, by Facebook or Twitter standards, very mild. On Nextdoor, a real name in always necessary and confirmed, so no one can impersonate someone else or hide behind a pseudonym. Nextdoor has community guidelines describing what is and is not allowed on the site, Dreshfield said. “The crux of our Guidelines can be boiled down to one simple statement: ‘Everyone here is your neighbor. Please treat each other with respect.’» As people all over the world adjust to the idea of cyber neighborliness, Nextdoor has become the Coat Drive: Saturday, No- international. “We launched vember 5th. At Emmanuel & in the Netherlands in February of this year and in the Gretchen Zaub ofHoly PublicCross. West offered a United Kingdom in September,” discount to anyone who saw her note Thanksgiving service, NovemDreshfield said. “In both of on Nextdoor.. ber 24 at 10am.

those countries, the ways neighbors have used Nextdoor has not varied greatly from the United States. We’ve found that neighbors are neighbors, and their needs are universal.” Some users have benefitted in ways that go beyond respect. One member wanted to hire transportation to the Albemarle airport and found a neighbor who offered to drive her without charge. Families pass on outgrown children’s clothing and toys including, in one case, some large outdoor structures in good condition, snapped up by a family just before the holidays. One neighbor found a dog and posted its photo before the owner even knew it was lost; others have found hubcaps, cell phones and earrings and searched online for their owners. There’s also a private message function that allows people to talk privately without revealing their emails or phone numbers. Practical uses for this type of narrowly-focused messaging continued on page 42

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CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Speech/Language Pathology Services Psychological Assessment Educational Testing Literacy Tutoring Multi-Disciplinary Assessment Waltz of the Flowers dancers, alphabetically: Emma Alger, Anna DeLaura, Olivia DeLaura, Abby Huemme, Jenny Little, Sara Luna, Ashna Nitzsche, Virginia Peng, Maddie Thiess, Kyra Ventura, Claire Zwadlo. Photo: Mindy Beaumont.

ABT’s Nutcracker Crozet’s Albemarle Ballet Theatre presented The Nutcracker at the newly restored Wayne Theater in Waynesboro December 11. The two performances both sold out.

The new location allowed the company to expand the production beyond the shorter, “Nutcracker Suite” they have performed at the Crozet studio the past several years.

Services for Adults, Adolescents, Children, and Toddlers Lauren Carter, Ph.D. Greg Hanson, Ph.D., OTR/L Shilpa Hanumantha, Ph.D. Linda Jones-Oleson, M.S.,CCC-SLP Kimberly Lemite, Ph.D.,NCSP Lisa Locke-Downer, Ph.D. Rebecca Plesko-Dubois, Psy.D. Nicole Schroeer, M.S.Ed., BCBA Sarah Shreckhise, M.S.,CCC-SLP, BCBA Antoinette Thomas, Ph.D Kristie Wells, LCSW, NIC-A Susanne Wilbur, M.A., LCSW

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CROZETgazette

Field School —continued from page 3

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describing it as the perfect site for a relatively small, nature-oriented school. Barnett has held three meetings with Colthurst residents and also with representatives of the neighboring St. David’s Anglican Church, to listen to their concerns and involve them in the planning process. “We would much prefer to see the school rather than a developer to come in and do what they could by-right, which is one house per two acres,” noted long-time Colthurst Farms resident Jessica Simons, a sentiment that was repeated by other speakers. “This puts the idea of a bypass to bed forever and always. Who could argue with listening to children having a phenomenal experience in both the morning and afternoon?” Parent Steve Bolton noted that this was a “direct Civics lesson” for the many students in attendance. Dennis Rooker, lawyer for the school, emphasized that this use is “in harmony with the purpose and intent of the Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan.” Engineer Justin Shimp noted that both Jack Jouett Middle School and Albemarle High School are also located outside the growth area, in rural zoning districts. Neighbors were especially gratified that the school has promised to plant a natural screen or buffer on its borders and to employ no lighting or sound amplification on its athletic fields. Only one resident spoke against the proposal, due to traffic concerns and a small area of critical slope disturbance. These were allayed by a VDOT traffic study that predicted only 372 trips per day to and from the school between 8 and 5 p.m. The permit includes an allowance for special events—such as graduation and parent visiting days—twelve times a year. Safety will be increased by VDOT’s stipulation that both left and right turn lanes off Barracks Rd. be built, which will be on Field School property and will not impact the current road structure. The property, which will be donated to the school by a sup-

portive community member if the proposal is approved, was previously owned by Charles Hurt, who had prepared it for farming use by installing a dam to create a pond that will afford opportunities for fishing, canoeing, and aquatic studies by science classes. It was also used in the past as a construction trash dump site—since cleaned up— and a portion of it had been designated for the now-defunct Western bypass. As seen in Shimp’s sketch, plans for the 25-acre campus include an academic building, gym, dining hall, and nature pavilion for outdoor instruction. The permit allows for the three buildings to have a footprint no greater than 30,000 sq. ft. The buildings will only occupy 4.3 acres plus 3 acres of athletic fields, with the rest preserved for outdoor recreation, hiking trails, and the like.

Todd Barnett

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

Plan for the new Field School campus (Courtesy of Field School)

The site will use public water and a central sewage system with three connections to one septic field. After over six years of work on the relocation project, Barnett welcomes this outcome, but cautioned that it is only the first step. “Many thanks to all those who supported Field School’s SUP bid on our Barracks Road location before the Albemarle County Planning Commission,” read a 12/15 Facebook post. “We got a unanimous approval from that body. This was Round 1, with Round 2 coming up in 1-2 months before the Board of Supervisors. I will be reaching out for support again in a month or so.” The Supervisors are expected to consider the proposal in late January or early February, and Barnett hopes to double the number of letters in support to bos@albemarle.org. If the project is approved, the building plans would then go before the Architectural Review Board for consideration. If all goes according to plan, Barnett hopes to occupy the new campus within the next five years. The Field School of Charlottesville is an academically rigorous private school for boys in grades 5-8 with the mission to “develop well-rounded boys of character and accomplishment.” It opened in 2007 at Crozet Park with 27 students, and moved to its current location in the former Crozet High School (later Crozet Elementary School) in 2009. Built in 1923,

the building is drafty and lacks modern conveniences; the entire property only occupies 8 acres. Barnett pointed out that they always knew their current location would be temporary. The Field School curriculum emphasizes hands-on, interdisciplinary study, with daily time spent outdoors and many field trips, including an annual 8th grade visit to Costa Rica. The school’s motto, “omnis puer scitus et frater... every boy known, every boy a brother,” highlights the personal touch of small classes with an emphasis on values education and community-building. Their many contributions to the Crozet community have included an annual Spirit Walk featuring both prominent and little-known historical characters and followed by apple butter making, an annual play or musical, and various community service projects such as splitting and delivering firewood for needy families, helping to set up the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, donations to PACEM, and regular choir singing at Mountainside Senior Living. Eighth-grader Will Jackson spoke of looking forward to future Spirit Walks “re-enacting the lives of Hessian soldiers who were held near there” during the Revolutionary War era. To enjoy the Field School’s presence in Crozet while you still can, plan to attend The Adventure of the Indigo Falcon in

continued on page 26

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CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

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Chorus Christmas Concert The Crozet Community Chorus presented “A Global Holiday Concert” to a packed house at Crozet Baptist Church on December 17. The performance, under the direction of Dr. John McCarty with lively accompaniment by Tracey Schimmel Reed, featured seven different languages, a violinist, a drummer, and four soloists. The non-auditioned, secular chorus, which celebrated its first season

in 2015, has over 70 members. Dr. McCarty is an assistant professor of music and the director of choral music at Bridgewater College, where he teaches several choral music classes. The Crozet Community Chorus welcomes new members, with rehearsals for its spring season beginning January 10. If interested, please register at crozetchorus.org or email crozetchorus@gmail.com.

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CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

By Phil James

phil@crozetgazette.com

The Country Store The area surrounding Greenwood is flush with history. It is hard to believe that before the arrival of the railroad tracks to that section of western Albemarle County in the early 1850s, there was no Greenwood community, much less a “downtown” Greenwood. “Uptown” Greenwood got rolling first with the arrival of crews that labored to excavate the rail bed and hand-drill Claudius Crozet’s easternmost mountain tunnel. While Greenwood Depot denoted the temporary end of the Virginia Central Railroad’s line extending westward from Richmond, steam locomotives were refilled with mountain spring water and driven onto a massive apparatus that turned and pointed the engine back east. The soon prospering Uptown greeted arriving railroad passengers with a hotel and general store, and a private boarding school that employed teachers from Jefferson’s University at Charlottesville. A decade later, Uptown faced firsthand the fury of Civil War troops and their bent for mayhem and destruction. Greenwood’s train depot greatly enhanced life and business in the Greenwood region for many decades. Inadequate modes of transportation and poor road conditions drove passenger and commercial traffic onto the trains until well into the 20th century. The coming of automobiles and, finally, public monies for road improvements, gradually weaned travelers away from the steel

Greenwood

This modern masonry building was built as the new home for the Country Store in 1940 after an earlier frame structure was destroyed by fire. It remains a popular destination today for those searching out antiques and one-of-a-kind treasures. [Photo courtesy of E.O. Woodson Jr.]

rails. At the foot of the steep roadway leading to the depot sat H.R. Boswell’s store in downtown Greenwood. Depending on wind direction, pungent fumes from his sassafras mill in the side yard often tainted his corner location. Less frequently patronized during the heyday of rail travel, his mercantile establishment nevertheless sat at an important crossroads in the community. Directly across the road stood the venerable blacksmith establishment operated by three successive generations of the Woodson fam-

Along with the new Greenwood High School, the Country Store assumed its role as a prominent gathering place in the village as automobiles gradually supplanted rail travel and fewer people frequented the area around the C&O Depot. [Photo courtesy of E.O. Woodson Jr.]

ily. Boswell was an active, contributing member of his community, serving on the Greenwood School Improvement League, as supervisor of construction for the village’s 1908 two-story schoolhouse located behind his store business, and as a school board trustee who aided the establishment of yet another community high school building in 1921. The hugely popular and successful Country Store that had no equal in western Albemarle County eventually replaced Boswell’s store and mill. Their stationery stated “Dealers in Most Everything”. Advertisements of the day left little question that if it were needed for farm, orchard, home or business, they likely had it on hand, or could quickly get it for you. A devastating but temporary business setback occurred during the afternoon of Tuesday, November 7, 1939. A fire that was believed to have begun in the basement furnace quickly swept through the wooden structure, despite the best efforts of Crozet, Charlottesville and Waynesboro firefighters. Their diligence saved the store manager’s home next door as well as Greenwood High School. After three hours time, only a smoldering heap remained. The financial losses, fortunately insured, totaled more than $50,000, a formidable sum in its day. A modern masonry building replaced the burned structure, and for several more decades it anchored the community. The Country Store sat on Greenwood’s “hot corner” (the intersection of Greenwood Station Road [Rt. 690] and Greenwood Road [Rt.

continued on page 16

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

Greenwood —continued from page 15

691]), to borrow a baseball term easily recognized by Sammy Fox who, as a youth in the late1930s, worked at the store for 15-cent wages (while he anticipated his next baseball game). Both before and after the fire, the pace and patterns of rural life could be observed from the store’s long, covered front porch. Diagonally across the road once sat a massive rock crusher where convicts in boldly striped suits, overseen by serious-minded guards with long guns, broke large rocks into many smaller ones that were used to improve the surface of the road toward Jarman’s Gap. During WWII, around-theclock village volunteers staffed the Aircraft Warning Service spotting tower, logging and reporting all planes passing overhead. Later, at that same location, the Corner Garage kept everyone’s vehicles in good repair. When its days of service ended, the post office located there. Nearby, Tobe Moyer’s barbershop might have been open for business—unless a customer or passerby had convinced him to accompany them to a spot where the fish were said to be biting that day. Always depend-

The Country Store, Inc.’s advertisement in the March 1925, Volume One edition of The Greenwood Buzzer, “Price 10¢, Published Monthly by the Students of Greenwood High School.” [Courtesy of E.O. Woodson Jr.]

Greenwood’s Country Store, Inc. was considered “one of the biggest rural stores in the State” at the time of its total loss to fire on November 7, 1939. The cause was said to have been a defective furnace in the basement. It sat beside the “new” Greenwood High School that was constructed 1921-22. [Photo courtesy of E.O. Woodson Jr.]

able Country Store clerk George Ellinger could have been seen daily going to work from his lifelong home on Greenwood Road, gathering day by day his century’s-worth of Greenwood memories. Sheila Fox grew up just a short walk down the road from the country store. She fondly recalls her father Sammy’s tales of growing up in the village and his working at the store as a youngster. She also remembers the Country Store as it was during the 1960s and early ’70s when it was operated by Walter and Lucy Young. “In the summers,” she recalled, “my brother, sister, and I would scour the ditches and roadsides to find soda bottles that we would take up to the store for two-cents return fee each. Instant wealth! Of course, we never took the money. We would use our newly acquired funds on the vast array of penny candy that the Youngs had lining the insides of the U-shaped counter cleverly positioned right there at child height. Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Janes and Bit-O-Honeys. The list went on and on, each mounded up in its own container. Heaven on earth! “The store had everything— it wasn’t just a grocery store. There were pots and pans, sewing notions, glassware, apparel,

etc, to the left. Then on the right side, it was a grocery store. During our teenage school years, all the neighborhood children would walk up to the store to buy little baby Cokes and honey buns or Juicy Fruit gum, and linger in a warm place while we waited for the school bus which would come down from Newtown and then turn left unto Jarman Gap Road. Greenwood Country Store was a fixture in our little community.” Today she maintains a presence within that storied institution with sought-after examples of her magician-like expertise creating imaginative and useful furniture and decorative items.

Cherished memories are still shared today by a gaggle of young girls who would arrive at the store via pick-up truck ride from their grandmother’s home several miles away at Casa Maria. Without fail, Mr. Young wittily welcomed the group as they entered the store with a loud, “Hi, boys!” Indignation prevailed, of course, among the little group while they “did their shopping”, but then faded away (until the greeting was repeated during their next visit) while they enjoyed their customary Sugar Daddy on the return trip down Greenwood Station Road. You know, they just don’t make downtowns—or country stores—like they used to.

The H.R. Boswell store and sassafras mill operated at the corner of Greenwood Station Rd. and Greenwood Rd. in this c.1910 photograph. James and E.O. Woodson’s blacksmith shop was directly across the road. [Photo courtesy of E.O. Woodson Jr.]

Follow Secrets of the Blue Ridge on Facebook! Phil James invites contact from those who would share recollections and old photographs of life along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Albemarle County. You may respond to him through his website: www.SecretsoftheBlueRidge.com or at P.O. Box 88, White Hall, VA 22987. Secrets of the Blue Ridge © 2003–2017 Phil James

CROZETgazette

Catholics —continued from page 1

Mass Committee and Masses began in March of that year, on the second Sunday of the month, at The Field School and have continued since. They were an immediate success and the first Mass attracted 250 people. The recent Mass in December drew 270. The elevation to mission status allows the community to begin planning for weekly Masses; to offer all the sacraments, among them baptisms and marriages; to begin a religious education program; and to begin the search for land suitable to build a church on. Holy Comforter will serve as the new church’s mother church and will sponsor it until it is ready for independence. For now the church is known as the Crozet Mission of Holy Comforter Church. The church’s name will be decided later. DiLorenzo said an additional priest will be assigned to the Charlottesville area, likely to directly support Fr. Lukyamuzi, and to ensure that the staff nec-

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JANUARY 2017 essary to cover weekly Masses in Crozet is in place. The new priest is expected to be here by Spring. Marshall, chair of the Mass Committee, wrote to DiLorenzo in October asking him to say Mass in Crozet and meet the community that has assembled. Crozet Catholics began a petition drive seeking mission status last summer, aiming for at least 200 households as a viable foundation population, and the invitation to the bishop included a summary of the demographic information collected in the petitions, which numbered 184 at the time. That letter prompted the meeting and ultimately the decision to move ahead in Crozet. DiLorenzo said that the question of Crozet’s status had been under discussion in Richmond for sometime. The meeting discussed two alternative routes for Crozet, one as a mission of Holy Comforter, or possibly the Church of the Incarnation, or as a quasi-parish that would be managed directly by a senior official at diocese headquarters. The meeting also discussed likely territorial boundaries for

From left: Michael Marshall, chair of the Crozet Mass Committee; Vicar General Msgr. Mark Lane; Judicial Vicar Msgr. Raymond Francis Muench; Holy Comforter Catholic Church pastor Fr. Joseph Mary Lukyamuzi; Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo; and Crozet Mass Coordinator Julie Balik.

the future parish and growth prospects for the town. In the end, the path of mission parish of Holy Comforter was the bishop’s decision. The parish boundaries, likely to resemble the attendance zone of Western Albemarle High School, will be finalized when the move to parish status is accomplished. Petition data show the community has so far registered 249

households that total 689 people and include 233 school-age children. About 55 percent of those families currently attend St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Charlottesville. The next largest group, 25 percent of households, is people with no church affiliation, and the remaining 20 percent of households are divided among those continued on page 26

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

Ten Cooking Secrets Revealed! There are some things you never learn from a recipe. You must either learn these things from a trusted friend or family member who knows their way around a kitchen, or you learn them from trial and error. Happily, you can now learn ten of these secrets from the Crozet Gazette! 1. When baking with chocolate—under cook it. I learned this from my friend Barbara, who is an extraordinary baker. When she makes brownies or chocolate cake, she removes the item from the oven a few minutes prior to the recipe directions. Her chocolate items are divine. 2. Soup needs celery—and lots of it. This I learned from my father, who every Saturday, his day off, would put his head out the back door to check the weather, come back in and proclaim ‘it’s a good day for soup!’

Yes, we lived in the mountains of Pennsylvania where there are two seasons: August and winter, so it was almost always cold and dreary. But this is a man who even made us soup for a summer picnic (low point for me). Neighbors would drop by to eat Dad’s delicious and legendary soup. And the secret was celery. 3. Everything is better with bacon. Whether you’re wrapping a fig, making a sandwich or crumbling it on your salad, bacon makes it better. Now that I think of it, this is probably no secret. 4. Meatballs are best using bread soaked in water. Forget the breadcrumbs if you’re making meatballs. Take a few slices of bread and soak them in warm water. When completely soggy, remove the bread, wring it out and add it to the meatball mix. The soaked bread gives the

meatballs a velvety consistency. 5. Don’t over-knead a quick bread or pastry. Yeasted breads benefit from at least ten minutes of kneading. But when making biscuits, muffins or pie dough, less is more. Handle with care, the less manipulation the better. 6. Gin and Tonic needs LOTS of lime. This is another thing I learned from Barbara. Before I met her, I would cut a wedge of lime and squeeze it into my happy hour G&T. But Barbara squeezes at least half a lime into her drink. I’ve also found that adding more gin makes it better, too! 7. To make a crispy chicken,

dry before roasting. One of the most delicious parts of a roasted chicken is that crispy skin. To guarantee you’ll get that, always dry the bird with paper towels before roasting, and crank up the heat. Rub the chicken with oil and herbs prior to roasting. My kids claim I make the best roasted chicken. I tell them— just dry it. 8. Want to have a good party? Invite a few too many people. This is not exactly a cooking tip, but if you’re a cook, you enjoy entertaining. My mom always said that the best way to have a great party is to invite a few more people than your house

continued on page 44

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JANUARY 2017

Inside Woodridge Brewery

Woodridge —continued from page 6

“Everybody wanted to jump onboard, but they only wanted to do one beer a year with all local stuff,” said Wood. “[Which] didn’t do us any good, because we need to be malting upward of 4,000 pounds a week—in order to keep us going, we have to sell three times a year, not just once. And because you can get the stuff cheaper out west, for everything beyond a couple of specialties, that’s where breweries are sourcing from for the rest of the year.” The answer to Wood’s problem soon presented itself. With the passage of SB 430—a 2014 law essentially allowing Virginia farmers to open small-scale breweries (15,000 barrels or less) on the rurally zoned properties where they live—Wood decided to take what he’d learned malting and growing wheat and open his own brewery. “Aside from that final thing, I had all the pieces to the puzzle,” said Wood. “So when the law was passed to allow farm breweries, opening our own place was a no-brainer. Instead of stopping at the malting facility, we decided we were going to take things right from the dirt all the way to the glass.” Sourcing spring water, wheat, yeast and herbs from the farm, and doing all its own malting and brewing, Woodridge’s beers constitute a nearly closed-circuit product. With hop-yards installed this past fall, aside from coffee, chocolate and other such necessary imports, next

year’s process will feature ingredients grown entirely on-site. “Our mission is that every beer we offer to patrons is going to be made from ingredients found right here on the farm,” said Wood. “It can’t get any more local. It can’t get any more unique.” According to Wood, every step is infused with the same tender loving care with which he approached fabricating the building. “It takes a little more blood, sweat and tears to make beer this way,” said Hall. “Everything is a lot more time intensive and demanding. We grow our own rye and oats, two types of barley and four types of wheat—all of which took almost five years to figure out how to do. I hand-turn the [grains] during the malting process and that can take upward of two weeks. It took me two years to perfect the process.” Spearheading the trend SB 430 kick-started, Woodridge appears to be the most advanced of the dozen or so farm-to-brew operations that have sprung up across the state. Wood and his Woodridge crew say they hope customers will fall in love with the landscape, pretty building, beer and the locally grown, locally produced farm-to-pint product. “We’re a throwback to how beer was made here 200 years ago when communities had farmhouse breweries and where everything was done local,” said Wood. “You can sit up on the porch and see next year’s beer that you’re going to drink growing out there in the fields. We think that’s special. We think that’s the experience.”

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Goodwin Creek Bakery Moves to Larger Kitchen By Theresa Curry theresa@crozetgazette.com Goodwin Creek Farm and Bakery, the Afton-based momand-pop business, is set to move into a new building this winter, signaling the owners’ commitment to what was at one time an on-the-fly adjustment to the realities of life in Nelson County. The bakery grew as a kind of fall-back position when the original plan fell through, say John and Nancy Hellerman, the owners. Plan A was to have a working farm, selling hay to farmers and eggs and vegetables at the Nelson County Farmer’s Market. “We did really well there,” he said. “People loved our produce, and we got to know them and it was fun.” But then there was the day about ten years ago when they went out to gather vegetables for market day and the deer had done more than their usual damage. “They’d eaten almost everything,” Nancy remembers. Unwilling to disappoint their

weekly clients, she baked muffins and bread. The baked goods were also well received. “Those days were fun, too,” John said. “Whatever was left of the produce, we’d put it on a focaccia and bake it. I kind of miss it.” They made the change to predominantly baked goods, found they needed an inspected kitchen, and increased production to make it worthwhile. In the early days, they took 16 or so loaves a week to market. Now, the couple pulls at least 250 loaves a day from the fragrant ovens, with the weekly output growing to more than 2500 loaves in the spring and fall. They currently have one fulltime and one part-time helper. They’re working in close quarters in what used to be a regular farmhouse kitchen, with the former living area devoted to cooling, packing and loading. In the kitchen, it’s a complicated dance to get from the sink to the counter, from the ovens to the cooling racks, especially when more than one person is involved.

John Hellerman with pretzels headed for Blue Mountain Brewery

“We just have the bedrooms to live in,” John said (The Hellermans have two young sons, Dave and Joe.) “Everything else is taken up by the bakery.” This will all change soon, as the bakery operation moves downhill into a separate building with a better-designed workflow and new equipment. One of the new pieces, a giant

mixer, has already arrived but was pressed into service quickly when the old one conked out prematurely. The new space and new ovens should be fully functional by early spring. John’s not sure they will be able to increase production, but it will allow them to adjust their work hours, now pretty crazy, with baking in

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CROZETgazette progress from before dawn to late at night at times. They’ll have more time, more space, and a more efficient flow. The Hellermans are fearless entrepreneurs, able to adjust to changes in fortune without drama or regret. John said he’s always been that way, dabbling in building and businesses from the time he began working. He took a long break from work to help out during his father’s final illness. During that time he met Nancy, a Chilean architect. Like him, she has a love of hard physical work and the idea of being her own boss. They bought the farm, commuting there from Crozet, and thinking it would be a hobby business. Chickens were once a part of the plan, and at one time there were hundreds, producing 30 dozen eggs a day. Like the vegetables, they eventually disappeared into the hungry Afton ecosystem. So now it’s just the bakery and the upkeep of the 50-acre farm and equipment. Marketing hasn’t been hard for Goodwin Creek, with the Afton and Crozet areas growing, and an increasing demand for good local products. The Hellermans use top-quality flour, usually organic flour directly from King Arthur, or the same product, shipped and milled in North Carolina. Greenwood Gourmet, Crozet Great Valu and Blue Mountain Brewery were all early customers, and still major ones. The explosion of wineries and breweries in the area–– many with restaurants––means continuing and growing demand. The bulk of their business is loaf breads. “We have what I call early American-style bread,” John said. “You can always make a sandwich out of it.” But they also roll out European-style batons, focaccia and rolls with great flair. The Hellermans adjust to the needs of their clients. A brewery wants fresh soft pretzels to serve with an ale-infused mustard, so they bake them. Restaurants want a thick, country-style slice, so they invested in a second slicer. Local wine and beer makers check the weather and predict a huge influx of tourists, so change their orders accordingly, sometimes with short notice. They’re always trying new things, listening to suggestions,

JANUARY 2017

Nancy Hellerman

checking out new recipes, talking to bakers who’ve been around a long time. Not everything has gone off without a hitch. The Hellermans recall squeezing around in the kitchen with infants slung from their backs or chests. “You have to learn to sleep when they do,” Hellerman learned. “Otherwise you just can’t continue. That was a big lesson.” Once they baked a large order of rolls destined for St. Anne’s-Belfield, missing the salt. “They looked great,” John said, “but something just looked wrong.” (Salt moderates the activity of the yeast, slowing down the rising of the dough). They made another batch, loaded them, still hot, and delivered them just as the students were sitting down to lunch. It’s not an easy way to make a living: anyone can see that. They have long hours, are on their feet constantly, worry about the repercussions of significant upturns in bulk prices and changes in ownership like the recent one at Great Valu. Things are constantly in flux as they react, adjust and grow. But the beauty of their land above Goodwin Creek and the constant interaction with pleased customers make it worthwhile. John’s brother and some of Nancy’s far-away family have moved to adjoining property, and John’s mother is usually on hand to be with the boys. “Everyone seems to understand it,” John said. Find a full list of products as well as places to buy at goodwincreekfarm.com. The Hellermans regret that they can’t accept visitors or customers at the bakery.

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Perrone

—continued from page 5

That’s how things looked until, in late-2004, a friend hipped Perrone to a Pentagonsponsored competition—the DARPA Grand Challenge. “They were offering a $2 million dollar prize for someone who could build a fully autonomous self-driving vehicle capable of traveling from L.A. to Las Vegas across the Mojave Desert in 10 hours or less with no one onboard and no one in remote-control. The vehicle had to be 100 percent autonomous and robotic,” said Perrone. “So I looked at my home-robot named Beaker and thought, well, if I can make the jump from this scrappy little thing to one of the world’s first self-driving cars, then I’ll know MAX has the right stuff and that I was truly onto something.” Seized by inspiration, Perrone and his wife bought a chunk of land just outside of Crozet and returned to the Charlottesville area. Building what he describes as a “silver, egg-shaped dune buggy,” the designer enlisted the help of some friends and began automatizing and subsequently testing “Tommy,” PRI’s first fully-automated vehicle. In the end, three-hundred teams from all around the world applied to enter the contest and, of those, only 40 vehicles—including Tommy—were selected to compete. While Tommy didn’t win, what happened was pretty astonishing. Within the span of 10 months Perrone wrote all the software for Tommy as well as the software extension for auto-

mated cars—MAX-UGV, or Unmanned Ground Vehicle— that would lay the foundation for PRI’s future. *** In the 11 years post that first DARPA Grand Challenge, PRI has expanded from a basement-based operation to a company of 15 highly sought-after employees that, in the last year alone, attracted more than 150 visitors from Silicon Valley and beyond. Last fall, PRI partnered with tech-giant Intel to scale-up marketing and development of its MAX platform with intentions of making the technology available to the world marketplace; they’ve received numerous patents, including, most recently, the General Purpose Robotics Operating System; and are working with an undisclosed “major insurance agency” to develop crash-testing and avoidance technologies—an endeavor which, in October, spawned a subsidiary company. Perrone describes the offshoot as a happy accident. “We’d been working to build hardware that would facilitate our testing of automated vehicles,” said Perrone. “This included a kit that lets you convert an automobile of any size into a self-navigating vehicle within 30 minutes or less by dropping in equipment to turn the steering wheel and control the brake and throttle. Additionally, we’d designed a platform that’s about 4 to 5 inches tall, 12 feet long, and 5 feet wide that drives around 55 mph, on top of which you can place a foam or balloon car. The platform has ramps and a hard-

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The Perrone Robotics team

ened shell so that, if you collide with it, you drive right over it.” Powered by MAX, the kit and self-driving platform are used to safely test PRI’s automated vehicle software’s collision avoidance capabilities. And while according to Perrone both systems have sophisticated fully autonomous capabilities, as the hardware portion of the effort was beyond the scope of PRI’s business goals, they “spun off a subsidiary, Perrone Automotive Robotics Test Systems, to encapsulate that work and its physical assets, which focuses on automated vehicle testing using MAX and the hardware equipment mentioned.” The systems have proved invaluable to private insurance companies and government agencies alike. While the PARTS spinoff is exciting, Perrone prefers to focus on the implications of his company’s partnership with Intel Corporation. The result of an undisclosed investment made by Intel Capital—Intel Corps.’ global investment organization—PRI received a portion of $38 million in capital split between 12 tech companies described by Intel’s senior vice president, Wendell Brooks, as being run by “visionary entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies to transform lives and industries.” “We’ve entered into an agreement under which we’re collaborating with Intel regarding certain technical, marketing and sales activities in the autonomous vehicle [marketplace],” said Perrone. “After witnessing

how rapidly and effectively we can integrate MAX for the automation of vehicles, Intel agreed to help us commercialize our software so that we can put it in the hands of others to use. It’s a big deal for us because we’ve been able to use MAX to do amazing things, and now the world will be able to use MAX to do the same—we’ll see massive scale from this.” As might be expected, the investment has caused a major strategic shift within the company. Prior to the partnership, PRI mainly concentrated on building customized software for individual customers—a time-intensive process which could take as long as 3 years from sale to completion. Now they’re preparing a small armada of cars intended to show major industry players and automotive producers what MAX can do. “We’ve gone from a company that focused on great, custom engineered robotics that serviced maybe one or two customers at a time, to creating software that, with the right partnerships, will serve a global audience,” said Scharer. With Google testing fleets of autonomous cars and Budweiser making the world’s first automated beer shipment in late-November of 2016, PRI’s future looks very bright indeed. “Moving into the future, you’re going to see more and more autonomy in cars,” said Scharer. “By 2025, we think a majority of the cars will probably be autonomous, and by 2030 or 2035, the preponderance will

be autonomous… and we intend to have a major share in that action.” Both Scharer and Perrone’s confidence in the growth capacity of the autonomous industry derives from safety considerations. “There are between 33,000 to 40,000 traffic fatalities a year in the United States alone, with around 747 crashes occurring every week that kill everyone involved,” said Scharer. “Once automated cars become the dominant mode of transportation, we predict that rate will be reduced by almost 75 percent immediately. As the system becomes standardized, total fatalities will go down by another two orders of magnitude.” This is good news for Crozet. With projections that his company will double in size for each of the next five years, Perrone envisions a downtown where his employees shop, socialize and convene with family and friends. “These are great high-paying jobs for extremely talented and well-educated people we’re talking about,” said Scharer. “So there’s definitely a correlation between the downtown development and the attractiveness of our company. We believe in the Crozet Square vision, and we believe that its development is going to be integral to enabling us to attract the great world-class talent we need moving forward… We’re invested in Crozet and intend to be here for a long, long time.” For more information, visit PerroneRobotics.com.

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DCI

—continued from page 1

ings are the result of a project that has been in the making since Milestone first announced its proposed plans for the site at a Crozet Community Advisory Committee meeting in 2013. Mahan Rykiel was brought onboard last June, after Milestone held a number of community meetings—and actually opened a Facebook forum—in order to garner feedback from the community regarding the proposed plaza. “The plaza is so important because it is going to serve as the catalyst for attracting businesses, restaurants, retailers and residents to the downtown area,” said Frank Stoner, a partner with Milestone Partners. “We don’t want to start building without a clear plan for the plaza and these drawings are bringing us that much closer to getting started.” According to James Sink, a lead landscape architect with Mahan Rykiel who attended the DCI event and worked on the drawings, his team had enumerable conversations with Stoner and other shareholders to ensure

they understood the values and needs of Crozet residents. “They were adamant about making sure the plaza was designed in a manner that was reflective of the identity of the community it’s intended to serve,” said Sink. “They didn’t want some cookie-cutter design, they wanted something that was unique to the area and the people that live here.” In addition to shareholder feedback, the company looked extensively at Crozet’s Master Plan and considered the area’s history and heritage. The process yielded three concepts, which ultimately inspired the renderings. The first drawing was based on the area’s agricultural past. “We looked at the old orchard groves, the rolling farmland and so on,” said Sink. “We thought about how that agricultural heritage would’ve connected the townspeople—what their lives must’ve been like, how they might’ve convened together in a town-center.” The second design drew from the railroad. “We considered the downtown overpass and how odd and unique that was as an architectural feature,” said Sink. “We thought about how the

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017 railroad connected the town to other regions and what differentiated the town from those regions.” The third concept drew inspiration from the town’s industrial heritage—including the dilapidated infrastructure of the Barnes Lumber site itself. “We looked at the textures of that decay and thought about how, while things change and fade, new things come to replace them,” mused Sink. “We wanted to point to that cycle of new growth and life blossoming from the substrate of history.” The plans share many similarities in that they all feature a large lawn, shade trees, ample walkways, a flexible stage feature and built-in seating where people can gather and picnic. Additionally, each design incorporates built-in natural storm water harvesting features which, according to Sink, add beauty while increasing sustainability and functionality. “We’ll use naturalized vegetation and native species to minimize erosion while capturing rain water and runoff which would otherwise have to be gathered via unsightly drains and piped somewhere else,” said Sink. Two of the designs—apple orchard and railroad roots— have a water feature. The former offers a splash-pad for kids to play in with surrounding seating area; the latter a sort of lazy-river-esque wading pool in which tikes can frolic while more mellow users dip their feet and ankles. Meanwhile, in lieu of H2O, the industrial heritage concept proposes an extensive arbor and trellis feature. However, Sink says that if the IH option is selected and townspeople are vocal about wanting a water feature, the designers could respond accordingly. “I’ve been doing this for a while now and, while it’s always exciting to be a part of creating a space that will ultimately become a community’s meeting place, the fact that these developers held an event to not only secure the community’s backing and support, but to gather its input is just astounding,” said Sink. “This is not something that happens; it’s atypical for sure.” The three-hour event featured a steady stream of attendees, with a Milestone public

relations spokesperson estimating between 400 to 700 people passed through. The crowd was diverse, ranging from long-time community icons, to young professionals, to families new to the area, to curious neighbors. With a box, pens and paper, and a sign soliciting feedback placed on a table beside the drawings, community opinion was strongly encouraged. “When you look at what’s on the Barnes Lumber site now, the reality is just about anything would be an improvement,” said John Plantz, former owner of Parkway Pharmacy (he’s since passed the operation on to his son) and a Crozet resident since 1977. “However, I think that what Frank is proposing is just about the ideal. The fact that he not only cares about, but is going out of his way to invest in obtaining public opinion is just amazing. Normally with developers, they get an approval and away they go, regardless of how anyone feels about it.” According to Stoner the strategy is a practical one. “We realized very early on that unless the community embraces this project and buys into it, it will fail,” he said. “The thing is, it’s not easy to get to downtown Crozet—this isn’t a plug-andplay situation, this isn’t some strip-mall development going in right off Route 29 where people will see it and just automatically come. This is a special situation and we’re seeking to do everything we can to facilitate a sense of ownership. We want Crozet residents to feel about this the way people in Charlottesville feel about their downtown mall.” According to Stoner, achieving that goal takes more than hiring world-class architects to create pretty designs. “The plans have to be authentic,” he said. “They absolutely have to reflect the desires and personality of the community. Otherwise, as buildings and businesses come in, everything will feel contrived. We want to make sure that, when everything is said and done, residents can say, ‘That’s right, I helped bring this here; this is mine.’” Stoner says Milestone will compile the feedback it received at the meeting and make that information available to the public for further consideration.

continued on page 26

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DCI

—continued from page 25

He expects the data to be posted on the DCI website by late January. The company hopes to break ground on the plaza by 2018. As the evening wound down, a couple gathered with their three small children alongside the designs. Cradling his young daughter in his arms, U.S. Department of Defense contractor Alex Brisker pointed to a drawing. “We love the fact that there’s outdoor seating and a stage,” he said. “In 2010, we moved here from Rockville, Maryland, which had a beautiful town-center. We’re going to raise our kids here and we’re excited to think about having a kid-friendly place that we can walk to and meet with friends and socialize for a few hours. Right now, it’s like, ‘Who’s going to host a get-together this week?’ Which gets old. You want to have somewhere local you can go aside from each other’s houses. Right now, we have to drive into Charlottesville to get a good meal or go shopping, so having all that right here in

Field School —continued from page 13

April, a Sherlock Holmes production involving all students and some adults, which will feature a missing child, street

Catholics —continued from page 17

who now attend Incarnation, Holy Comforter and St. John the Evangelist in Waynesboro. Bishop DiLorenzo is expected to say Mass in Crozet this spring

town is really desirable.” Similar sentiments were expressed by Blue Ridge Bottle Shop husband-and-wife owners, Shawn and Coleen Miller. “We have a two-year-old and a fiveyear-old, and we’ve been living in Crozet for eight years now,” said Coleen. “We hope this is the first step in what will be a rising tide for the town. We want Piedmont Place as well as the Crozet Square to become the hub of the community. We love Crozet and now we can finally say it makes sense to stay here as opposed to moving into Charlottesville.” Reflecting on the designs and the event, Crozet Community Association president Tim Tolson offered some perspective. “For people to see that the input they provided in May and June of 2015 has been taken into account and resulted in the creation of these designs is huge,” he said. “How many towns get the opportunity to design and build their own space? How many places do you get to live in where you get to do that? This is very special. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we need to make sure we get it right.”

urchins, drumming, and choral singing. If the quality is anything like last year’s Shenandoah Boys, it is sure to be an evening well spent! For more information, visit www.fieldschoolcv.net.

on a date to be announced later. The Diocese of Richmond incorporates all of Virginia below the Rappahannock River, a large region in which Catholics are about 6 percent of the population. Counties north of the river constitute the Diocese of Arlington.

The first Catholic Mass in Crozet, at Field School, March 9, 2014.

CCAC

—continued from page 9

our employees are intelligent, sophisticated and youthful. They want somewhere they can walk around and socialize; they want to eat and shop close to home; they want biking and walking paths; they want parks and gathering places. So we’re invested in making the downtown development project as successful as we possibly can. We’ll obviously be more attractive to talent when we have a prestigious permanent building for them to work in. So, for our part, we’re hoping that will happen very soon.” “Where do you intend to be doing the testing?” asked committee member Phil Best. “There’s space now in the old lot and on a temporary basis we’ll be setting up a track in that area for testing,” said Scharer. However, in the longterm, as the Crozet Square development plan moves forward, according to Lopez, the company would eventually use the downtown road networks for testing. Additionally, PRI plans to set up a closed testing-loop adjacent to the business’s permanent structure. Most of the onsite testing would involve benign activities like parallel parking, backing into an empty space, or testing the sensitivity of sensors in detecting small objects—like, for instance, a cat. When community members expressed concern about the cars being tested on public roads, Scharer explained that, at that point the software will be in its final stages of development and therefore safe enough to test on actual roadways. Additionally, he said a human driver will always be in the cars, capable of overriding the automated system at any moment and taking control of the vehicle. As a precaution, a remote-control operator will be standing by as well, who, in addition to being able to fully operate the vehicle, is also equipped with a kill-switch (which, when activated, tells the car to safely and as swiftly as possible pull over, come to a complete stop, and shut off the engine). “We take pride in our spotless safety record and the fact that we have never had a

single issue,” said Scharer. “And we intend to keep it that way.” In closing out the session, committee member Leslie Burns said, “I think it’s a great thing for us to be flexible and do what we can to accommodate a business like this coming into the area. This is the sort of company that will anchor Crozet as we move into the future.” Indeed, beyond job projections, the company had over 150 visitors from overseas and out of state last year, many of whom stayed for days and even weeks at a time. And as PRI expands, Scharer says they only expect that number to grow. Factor in interest expressed by companies like Intel—which just invested heavily in PRI and says it would like to have a special supportive office nearby— and economic prospects begin to look increasingly lucrative. The remainder of the meeting was spent looking at language for a resolution regarding net versus gross density calculations, which were discussed at length at the CCAC’s November meeting. The resolution will be used as a means of seeking to alter the county’s current zoning ordinance policy which, contrary to the methodologies outlined in the town’s Comprehensive Plan, calculates building units allowed for a given property under development by gross acreage. Alternatively, the resolution calls for a net acreage approach to be adapted, wherein units are determined based upon net buildable acreage, which would not include critical slopes, wetland areas, flood-zone areas, preserved greens space, roads, and so on. “The CCAC understands that the gross density methodology employed in the Zoning Ordinance was originally intended to promote utilization of land in the growth areas, which it has,” read Stoner. “However, the Comprehensive Plan and growth area plan were subsequently written to provide a more nuanced methodology, and avoid some of the unintended adverse consequences of the gross density methodology.” With a few exceptions, after being read aloud, the language in the resolution was found to be suitable, and was unanimously approved by the committee.

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JANUARY 2017

Crozet

Weather Almanac

DECEMBER 2016

By Heidi Sonen & Roscoe Shaw | weather@crozetgazette.com

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2016 Was a Very Warm Year This year will go down as the sixth warmest year ever in Crozet/Charlottesville. We have 106 years of records with good enough data to count. The only other years that were warmer were, in order, 1953, 1998, 1991, 1941, and 1931. The coldest year ever was 1917 but close behind were a couple of recent years, 2003 and 2014. This year wasn’t really that “hot.” Our heat wave index this summer was nowhere near the warmest ever. We just had a consistently warm spring, summer, and fall. The catalyst for this year’s heat was a “Super el Niño” which peaked at the end of February. El Niño is an unusual but natural phenomena that causes a strong warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The warm ocean usually lasts a year or so and comes back every few years, but this year it was exceptionally strong. The warm water changes the entire global atmospheric circulation pattern. Sometimes, we can forecast six or 12 months in advance with surprising accuracy based on the status of El Niño or the opposite, La Niña. However, in Virginia, the correlations are weak so long range forecasting remains elusive. Globally, 2016 will rank as the “hottest ever” in most data

sets. The earth was much warmer at times in the distant past but since thermometers became widespread in the 1880s, this will almost certainly be the warmest. Much will be made of this “hottest ever” tag at year-end, but global temperatures have cooled rapidly since El Niño faded and La Niña has slowly emerged this winter. The year 2017 will almost certainly be cooler than 2016 and the heat record this year will likely stand for a long time in a similar fashion to the 1998 El Niño year. The longer term warming trend since the start of the fossil fuel era (about 1950) remains about one degree of warming Fahrenheit every 40 years. Here in central Virginia, there has been no warming trend. El Niño remains a mystery in many ways. Some studies have suggested that orbital pulls are highly correlated with El Niño and the occasional release of heat into the tropical Pacific provides just enough heat to keep us from slipping into another ice age. The earth slowly cools until a brief surge in El Niño heat comes every couple of years. Much research is being conducted now that we have better global data sets but much of what drives our climate remains a mystery.

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“Bad Boy” was a bad cat. His chart was marked with a clear “WILL bite you.” Note, this is different from “MAY bite you.” We knew from experience that Bad Boy didn’t think twice about drawing blood from us. Heck, Bad Boy wouldn’t think twice about drawing blood from his owners! A typical visit with Bad Boy usually at some point involved taking him back in his carrier, looking inside and seeing a really upset cat hissing and swatting at the cage door. “Who wants to help me with Bad Boy?!” So what makes cats like Bad Boy so “bad” and why in the world do their owners keep caring for them, despite the danger in doing so? The first step in handling “bad” cats is to accept that they aren’t truly “bad” or aggressive, but rather scared out of their minds. When Bad Boy is somehow captured and shoved in his carrier, then driven to the vet, I truly believe that in his feline mind, he thinks he is being taken to his death. So what would you do if you were being taken to the gallows? Would you fight back? Bad Boy was definitely not going down without a fight. As to why some cats just freeze up and behave when they are scared vs. others who act more aggressively, this is just a personality difference, and may be influenced by some past experiences as well. Why some cats will allow us to draw blood and give shots without protest is perhaps as puzzling as why some cats are crazy balls of teeth and nails at the vet. Bad Boy was essentially a feral cat who wandered up to a caring home that offered food. He had a strong mistrust of “others,” much like a wild animal. Despite kind words and offerings of food, Bad Boy remained defensive

and protective all of his life. Once we realize these “bad” cats are just scared, we can handle them more effectively. Instead of roughly grabbing them by the scruff and telling them to “stop that!” we calmly and quietly put a towel over them and try to immunize them or listen to their hearts without grabbing or hurting them. This is difficult–both immobilizing a scratching/biting ball of fury, but also keeping calm when something is trying to attack you. Many cats are so bad/scared, that we simply forego any try at examination and bring out the drugs. We can usually get them into a tight cage and give them an injection of a sedative, which finally allows us to examine them. This is safest and easiest for everyone, including the cat. It was not too long ago that Bad Boy, now 17 years old (but still bad!) got into a terrible fight. We don’t know what happened, but one day he was not moving much and when he came in, he had terrible infections in three of his paws. Because of his advanced age and some other health problems, Bad Boy was not responding to antibiotics as we expected. He couldn’t walk. He couldn’t go outside. His owners hand-fed him and he had to come into the office several times a week for continued care. Many times we were forced to ask if now was the time to put him to sleep, but something in me could tell that he still had life in him. Perhaps it was when he would still muster up a hiss and a swat at me that I knew we should keep going. But through this process, by far the worst illness that Bad Boy experienced in his life, he started to change. This was the first time in his life that he was kept inside, for he came to his owners as an outdoor cat and would never accept being an inside cat. But now here he was,

CROZETgazette stuck inside because he was sick and couldn’t walk. He was rather helpless, even being hand fed. For the first week of this condition, it seemed like he refused to believe the state he was in and still kept up his bad boy behavior. But soon enough, he seemed to relent. Eventually, he would start purring when being fed. Was this a “nervous” purr? Could he really be enjoying our presence? In the office, I no longer had to bring out the towel and leather gloves. I was careful, but I could examine Bad Boy with my bare hands and eventually he even starting purring in the office. It was as if after 17 years of “being bad,” keeping up a wall to protect himself from being hurt, he finally realized that the world was perhaps not such a bad place, and that some people could be trusted. We seemed to see this wall removed before our eyes, revealing a cat who for the first time in his life appreciated a cheek rub and a warm house. After 6 hard weeks of care, Bad Boy actually did heal almost completely. He could stand, his infection was gone, and his feet had returned to normal size. However in an ironic twist of fate, just a few days before Christmas Bad Boy suffered a massive stroke. His owners found him completely unable to stand, and seemingly unable to move out of a curled up position. When I examined Bad Boy, it was clear that he had indeed suffered a stroke and had major

JANUARY 2017 neurological impairment. Here we had another hard decision upon us. Was it time to let him go, or would Bad Boy make it through another fight? We decided to care for him that day, and it was a touching day we had with him. He was completely disabled, laying down in a somewhat contracted position. Yet he purred all day. I hand fed him and he ate vigorously while purring all the way. He was allowing some major head petting and truly seemed to be enjoying the attention. However it was obvious that he was not going to survive. He was having some trouble breathing and was terribly disabled. Given the other medical conditions he had and his 17-yearold age, his prognosis for recovery was grave. The very difficult decision to put him to sleep was made. As his owner and I met and talked about this decision, Bad Boy purred and let us pet him. He even would allow us to touch his feet and would seemingly reach out with his paw just to touch our hands. It was a special moment to see such a strong, bad cat so weak, yet so appreciative of human contact. In this heavy moment we let him go. There is clearly a human parallel that Bad Boy teaches. Bad Boy put up a wall for nearly his whole life to protect himself. This made him untouchable. When he finally let that wall down, he ultimately found that the people who care for him did not mean him harm, and he purred.

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Isabel Brown, Sarah Capshaw, Mallory Murphy, Marian Laing, Courtney Schoeb, Lena Egl, Reagan Burton, Addie Patterson, Elizabeth Callahan, Cloe Plantz, Krista McCullough, Jane Servine, Isobel Williamson, Mary Moffett, Ann Carter, Caroline Teague.

JV Field Hockey Overcomes Setbacks From top row, left to right: Top Row: Gina Weigold (coach), Erin Flynn, Eleanor Hawkes (manager), Marlena Flynn, Mary-Campbell Spencer, Hannah Kearns, Madison Masloff, Ellie Bowen, Megan Yourkavitch, Milo Oakland (coach) Middle Row: Joie Funk, Hannah Egl, Shelby Flynn, Genevieve Russell, Dorothy Park, Hannah Weyher, Maggie Trundle, Claire Kallen Bottom row: Gracie Bynum, Kira Repich, Reid Ferguson, Anne Patterson, Valerie Hajek, Audrey Russell, Jessica Meeks, Hannah Noll

Varsity Field Hockey Goes to State Semi-Finals Again By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com Coming off a strong 2015 season, having graduated a troupe of strong senior athletes—basically the entire defense—Western Albemarle High School varsity girls’ field hockey coach Milo Oakland describes the opening month of their 2016 season as full of trepidation. “I wasn’t sure that we would be able to repeat our success from the previous season,” said Oakland. “It was pretty clear we were going to need a team-first, pass-first attitude and that created some growing pains. But once the girls figured out how to better move off the ball and get rid of the ball quickly from their stick, we were able to take a different route and find similar success.” While the first month of competition was tough—the team couldn’t seem to gel and suffered two particularly bad losses—Oakland says they refused to give up and worked hard to improve. Closing out the season with 13 wins, eight losses and a tie overall, the girls

won nine of 12 in-conference games—a run that included a seven game winning streak— and advanced to the state tournament semi-finals for the second season in a row. Concerning the losses, Oakland shrugs. “Four of our eight losses were to the two state finalists—runner-up James Monroe beat us three times and the championship winner, Tabb, beat us in the state semi-finals,” he said. “Two more losses were to Albemarle, which had a very strong team this year. And another was to Collegiate, always a private-school powerhouse. Long-story short, even though we lost eight times, seven of the eight were to topranked teams in the state.” The young team featured a squad of uncannily wellmatched girls skill-wise, with each player taking on a contributing role in the overall effort. Standouts were midfielder Valerie Hajek and forward Joie Funk, who were both named to the All-State First Team. “Valerie is an NCAA Division-1 caliber player and has offers continued on page 44

By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com Despite the loss of key players to injury and relocation, the Western Albemarle County High School Junior Varsity field hockey team managed to post a record of 10 wins, four losses and two ties. Even more impressive was the goal differential, a whopping 43 – 13. However, according to coach Compton Going, the statistics don’t tell the half of it. “Sure, the numbers show we had a successful season,” he said. “As a field hockey family, from the parents and friends in the stands, to the coaches and players on the sidelines, we were continually encouraged by the scoreboard. But for me, the most impressive marker was the degree of improvement. These girls went above and beyond to work hard and improve their level of play every game.” And this in the face of setbacks. For instance, a few weeks into the season the girls lost their starting left midfielder, Annie West, to a family move. Then there was Ann Carter Sipe, the team’s starting midfielder and driving force, who played the entire season with turf toe. And then Caroline Teague, who toward the end of the season suffered a broken arm. And lastly, Reagan Burton, a high-speed right wing who was bedridden after coming down with pneumonia. Furthermore, with Going and his assistant, Steve

Momorella, coming onboard August 1, both coaches and players faced a steep learning curve. “While we’d met and coached some of these girls in the Albemarle Girls’ Field Hockey League, we had no real idea what to expect,” said Going. “Coming on with less than a month to go before the first game, we had very little time to form and develop as a team. But we were confident that if we worked hard and played to the athletes’ strengths we would be competitive.” With this in mind, the new coaches’ decided to emphasize possession. Their idea? Hold onto the ball as much as possible and make it difficult—if not impossible—for opposing teams to score. And guess what? The strategy worked. “A season highlight came when, after our game with Charlottesville, the referee made a point of speaking to the team,” said Goin. “Having a seasoned, respected referee from a historically highly competitive area go out of his way to tell them they’d played the best game he’d ever called was profound. It really boosted the girls’ confidence.” Overall, Going says his first season with WAHS was an experience he wished didn’t have to end. “Our goal as coaches was to teach the girls how to play high-level field hockey,” he says. “Meanwhile, we wanted to use the sport as a means of helping them navigate the ups and downs of high continued on page 44

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

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From top row, proceeding left to right: Head coach Chris Stutsman, Avi Cicilese, Morgan Newton, assistant coach Julie Stutsman. Tiffany Smith, Jackson Ursenbach, Belicia Gentry. Kaityln Graves, Erin Donnelly, Mc Kenzie Collins, Olivia Lepore.

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WAHS Cheerleading Is Raising Fans’ Spirits By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com When thinking of fall sports there’s one that many people tend to overlook: Cheerleading. However, spending hours upon hours planning and practicing the choreographed movements, dance-steps, acrobatics, chants and stunts that will eventually inspire fans to leap out of their seats and holler for the home team is not only hard work, it requires huge commitment. According to Western Albemarle High School’s varsity sideline cheerleading coach, Christine Stutsman, many people assume that, because a cheer squad’s final routines are performed with polish, the sport is ‘easy’ or undemanding. But nothing could be further from the truth. “We start practicing regularly three weeks before the season begins,” she said. “And while in the end we want our routines to appear effortless, it takes many hours of practice to get them right. These girls and boys show huge dedication and drive, getting together day after day and working hard to create the final product that fans end up watching from the bleachers.” Additionally, as there is only one cheer squad, the kids essentially put in overtime, performing at varsity football and basketball games, and other events as well. “Because our official season is so long and has only a short break in between, you

have to really want to be here to stick it out,” explained Stutsman. “This isn’t something that you can just step into and think it’s going to be easy, or that it isn’t demanding. We’re at every game and practicing in between. And in the spring, we perform at school spirit and fundraising events too. It’s really tough. Only those who truly love cheering can keep up with the demands.” As this year’s team was small, featuring only nine members, Stutsman says the group was able to focus more than usual on perfecting stunts and tricks. Working to nail down the elementary moves early on, they were able to advance to the more exciting stuff—like pyramids, hoists and aerial acrobatics. With the team including three juniors, five sophomores and a freshman—the unit’s lone male—Stutsman is thrilled by the team’s future prospects. “The kids put in a huge amount of effort and have really shown devotion to getting things right,” she said. “They are really creative, love what they’re doing, support one another, and just all around have a lot of fun together. Because of that we had an awesome fall season. So I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year and beyond. With such a young team, I think we have a great opportunity to put together an even more amazing routine than we already have.”

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WAHS Varsity Football Builds for the Future By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com For the Western Albemarle High School varsity football team, the fall 2016 season was about team-building and gaining experience. While taken at face value the team’s record of four wins and seven losses may appear disappointing, according to head coach Ed Redmond, that’s a glass-half-empty way of looking at it. “We were a really young team this year,” he said. “We lost a lot of talent last year and had many players playing at the varsity level for the first time… Above all, this season was about learning and getting better.” Considering the youthfulness of his roster, while Redmond came into the season hoping for the best, he knew his efforts would have to focus on working with his players to develop their individual skills and establish the kind of team dynamic that might lead to a powerhouse

showing next year. “We knew we were young and that we were going to have to spend a lot of time focusing on learning how to play together as a team,” said Redmond. “We had to feel out who worked where and who would fill what roles. So there was a big learning curve. But in the end we worked tremendously hard and, with 15 starters returning next year, we basically looked at this season as a kind of dress rehearsal for next fall.” Understanding that a year of rebuilding—sometimes known as an ‘off’ season—can be trying, both coaches and team leaned heavily on the leadership of defensive end and captain, Noah Crutchfield. According to Redmond, the senior served as a kind of psychic anchor for the squad. “He was a real rock for us,” said Redmond. “He had a great team-attitude and stayed upbeat and positive no matter what. I can’t say enough about Noah’s abilities as a leader.”

WAHS JV Football Fall Recap By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com Going into the fall 2016 season, Western Albermarle High School junior varsity football coach Matt Wozneak wasn’t

thinking about a winning record. Rather, he was thinking about growth. “At the JV level, our number-one goal at all times is to become better football players and better young men,” he said. “Beyond that, I

From top row, proceeding left to right: Michael Redmond, Jon Faulconer, Ed Redmond, Tim Morris, Robert Crickenberger, Matt Wozneak. Riky Rao, Everett McConville, William Joczik, Harley Davis, Caleb Johnson, William Mitchell, Alex Johnson. Ben Life, Jacob Rusina, Jacob Jordan, Harland Shifflett, Bronson Brown, Nic Hamm, Connor Koenig. Michael Asher, Clay Nowlin, Arthur Lins, Jason Heilman, Jack Lesemann, Cameron Greene. Wyatt Hull, Sayer Brown, Jack Masloff, Sam Herndon, Wyatt Thomas, Matthew Kuzjak, Peyton Miller. Not pictured: Jacob Christ, Adam O’Connor, Sam Duska.

From top row, proceeding left to right: Coaches Jon Faulconer, Robert Crickenberger, Matt Wozneak, Ed Redmond, Michael Redmond, Tim Morris, Sam Spencer and manager Makayla Ward. Trev Awkard, Ben Alter, Marc Henley, Luke White, Dylan Hahn, Ethan Pambianchi, BB High, Danny O’conner, Lyubo Trayanov, Seabastain Crescimanno. Noah Crutchfield, Clay Landis, Luke Tenuta, Joey Bowen, James Buetow, Jarret Smith, Ben Morinelli, Ryan Adcock, Ryan Greenburg. Rhyzon Sims, Ethan Kent, Conor O’dea, Tai Atuaia, Aidan Saunders, Darren Klein, Zee Christmas, Tristain Ingersoll, Ramon Diaz, Harrison Marshall. Andreas McCullough, Robert Sims, Peter Slechta, Victor Becerra, Tareek Washington, Derek Domecq, Jack Weyher, Chris Valente, Matt Simmons, Noah Yourkavitch.

Finishing the season with 36 tackles—15 of them for a loss— and seven sacks, Crutchfield’s defensive prowess earned him offers from West Virginia Wesleyan College and Delaware State University to play at the collegiate level. On offense, the trio of quar-

terback Derek Domecq, receiver Jack Weyher and running back Darren Klein led the team, giving WAHS fans much to be excited about moving into next year. On the season, Domecq completed 112 of 216 passes— that’s a 51.9 percent completion

think we came into the season pretty confident, looking forward to the challenges and how we might respond to them.” After an impressive season opener—the team posted a 41-6 victory over Broadway—those challenges came quickly. “We had a rough start in district play, suffering two very tough losses,” said Wozneak. “But from that point on, we resolved to do whatever it took to win out the rest of our season... The guys found their drive and worked very hard to make that happen.” Indeed, after losing to Monticello High School by a field-goal, the team rallied and went on a five-game winning streak. The defense gelled, keeping opposing teams below 15 points each game. Meanwhile, on offense, backed by a strong line led by team captain Jacob Jordan, quarterback Wyatt Hull began putting up impressive numbers. “Stepping in when starter Jack Masloff broke his ankle, Wyatt had a phenomenal season,” said Wozneak. “His attitude was unselfish and team-oriented, and his ability to make plays out of chaos simply

astounding. He did a great job in his first year playing high school football.” Other key offensive players included deep-threat wide receiver, Michael Asher, as well as offensive backs Sayer Brown, Wyatt Thomas and Adam O’Connor. On defense there was free safety Peyton Miller, who, according to Wozneak, “provided excellent and aggressive run defense.” “Our outside linebackers were all serious assets,” he went on to say. “With Jack Leseman, Jason Heilman, Bronson Brown and Wyatt Thomas all playing that position with real fire.” Ultimately, the efforts paved the way for an appearance in the Jefferson District JV championship game. “Though we ended the season with a tough loss in the championship, nothing could take away what the guys accomplished during this season,” said Wozneak. “They showed amazing perseverance and wherewithal. I couldn’t be more proud.” With many key players expected to move up to varsity,

continued on page 44

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

From top, left to right: Mandy Snow, assistant coach Kristina Parker, Olivia Nichols, Courtney Berry, coach Ron Pack, assistant coach Eric Warfel, Ellie Bright, Cassidy Wilson, Hailey McDaniel, Abby Boitnott, Lilly Davis, Andrea Vial, Alema Atuaia, Jasmine Monge, Adriana Bland, Corinne Dottori, Sierra McCance

Volleyball Turns a Down Year into a Winning Season By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com After graduating seven seniors—six of whom were starting players, including a Conference 29 multi-record-breaking player of the year—Western Albemarle High School girls’ varsity volleyball coach, Ron Pack, says people expected the 2016 fall season to be one of rebuilding. In fact, the thinking ran so deep, some of the players came into the preseason in a bit of a funk. “At the beginning, I think we had a few players who thought we were going to have a ‘down’ year,” said Pack. “But the coaching staff had high expectations and made high demands of the players—we were confident in the team and knew they could do well.” Fueled by the coaches’ unflagging surety, the girls responded with hard work, upping their game in practices and matches. “As the season progressed, they began to see just how good they really were and this helped them gel as a team,” said Pack. “They started playing with determination and tenacity, and that made all the difference.” Indeed, by the end of the season the team had compiled a record of 25 wins and four losses, and advanced to the regional semifinals. Of the squad’s four losses, all were to strong teams—three of which were from schools much larger than WAHS. “You have to remember that WAHS is a class

3A school,” said Pack. “We lost two regular season matches to Powhatan, which is a class 4A school. We lost one match to Stone Bridge, which is a class 5A school. And we lost to Blacksburg at the 3A West semifinals by a score of three sets to two sets, and they went on to play in the state semifinals. So all of our losses came at the hands of really strong squads.” Leading the team was senior captain, Courtney Berry. Named the 2016 season’s Most Valuable Player, Berry was selected to the All-Conference 29 First Team and All-Region 3A West Second Team. “This was Courtney’s fourth year on varsity,” said Pack. “That is a rare occurrence here at Western. She led the team in kills, led the team in blocks and was third on the team in aces. She finished second in season kills, third in career kills, first in season blocks and first in career blocks at Western.” Upon graduation, Berry will go on to play at Washington and Lee University. Captain Olivia Nichols was another standout. This season— her third as a varsity player— Nichols won All-Conference 29 First Team honors, as well as an All-Region 3A West Honorable Mention. “Olivia finished second on the team in kills, second in blocks, and second in digs,” said Pack. “Furthermore, she’s now fourth in career blocks at Western.” Next year, Nichols will play for Sewanee: the University of the South. continued on page 44

Left to right: Max Morrison, Dre McCullough, Jabari Gomez, Keegan Riley, Jake Jackson, Will Davis, Sam Duska, Nate Riley, Asa Shin, Beighley Austin, Drew Rakes, Anthony Ramazani, TJ brooks, Jack Overstreet. Kneeling: Future WAHS wrestler Ethan Mulcahy, Zach Swales

Wrestling Poised To Upstage Last Year’s Winning Act By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com Coming off a 2015 season that WAHS record-books show to be the best in team history, the 2016 WAHS varsity wrestling team has big shoes to fill. Consider this: Last year’s dual record was 19 wins and five losses; achievements included winning the Jefferson District and Conference 29 tournaments, and placing sixth at the Region 3A West event; additionally, 12 of the team’s 14 wrestlers qualified for regionals, with two placing at states. And yet, graduating only two starters—including Russ Hill, who placed third at last year’s state tournament and is now wrestling as a true freshman for NCAA Division I powerhouse The Citadel—with six starters returning, head-coach Adam Mulcahy and WAHS wrestling fans have much to be excited about. “This team has a ton of leadership and an ultra-highquality work ethic,” said Mulcahy. “That helps show the younger guys the expectations and set the practice tone. Last year, with only two seniors, we missed that ethic. It was a real deficiency.” Hoping to solidify the team ethos, WAHS wrestlers worked out and trained together throughout the spring and summer, and attended a prestigious, week-long summer camp at UVA. “The camp was a great team-building week and allowed our kids to get back on the mats in a competitive environment with their team,” said Mulcahy. “We took the experience and

used it to build momentum going into the fall, working hard on developing our technique.” Topping the list of returners is senior Nate Riley, who wrestles at 182 pounds and placed sixth at last year’s state tournament. “Nate has a chance to break the WAHS all-time win record this season,” said Mulcahy. “He could finish his career at Western with over 150 wins, which would be an amazing feat.” With such a deep squad, the team features many standouts. These include senior Asa Shin, one of the top 170-pound wrestlers in the state, who Mulcahy says will likely join the career ‘100-Win Club’ this season. Additionally, there are seniors Anthony Ramazani at 138 pounds and Will Davis at 145 pounds. “Will and Anthony are incredible leaders for us that set the practice tempo daily and push the other wrestlers to do better,” said Mulcahy. “Both finished in the top-eight at regionals last year and are working relentlessly to punch their ticket to states.” While championships, awards and winning records are great, Mulcahy says they often overshadow the element of the sport that, for him, matters most. “The transformation these guys undergo from season to season and year to year is just—it’s unlike any other,” he said. “They grow in fortitude, willpower, character, strength, skill and toughness. And that’s what really matters. That’s a truly humbling thing to be a part of.”

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

Boys’ Basketball Gunning For A Run At The Championship

continued on page 47

TOD COHEN

Last year was a record-breaking year for the Western Albemarle High School boys’ varsity basketball team. Led by seniors Will Cress, Mike Vale and Carrington Murphy, the squad tallied 24 wins—the most in school history—and qualified for the state tournament where, despite losing to Portsmouthbased powerhouse, IC Norcom High School in the quarter-finals, they recorded the deepest playoff run in school history. While losing three star seniors hurt, coach Darren Maynard says the team’s five returning seniors have stepped up their game and assumed the mantle. “We lost some major guys but, with five seniors, we have an extremely mature team that, in terms of leadership and talent, hasn’t skipped a beat,” he said. “We were on the court three times a week throughout the fall and, coming off last year’s success, the chemistry is just amazing. I can tell you for a fact, these guys are hungry to win.” Leading the effort is senior Ryan Ingram, the team’s returning All-State point-guard. “Ryan is a great, dependable player who’s worked hard to step into a leadership role,” said Maynard. “He’s a talented young man and has a chance to break quite a few [WAHS] individual records this season. He’s already off to a great start and I anticipate him following through and having a big year.” Alongside Ingram is exceptional junior shooting guard

Chris McGahren. “He’s a dangerous player and a fantastic shooter,” said Maynard. “Leave him open and he’ll convert.” With McGahren currently averaging nearly 50 percent from behind the arc for the season, Maynard’s assertions are by no means an exaggeration. Additionally, the WAHS squad gets inside support from its 6-foot-9 senior forward, Austin Cress, whose presence on the boards and in the score-

Senior Guard Josh Coffman

TOD COHEN

By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com

Senior Forward Austin Cress

Players and coaches, from top row, left to right: Mady Starsia, Eleri Hayden, head coach Kris Wright. Deja Newton-Grant, Ava Coles, Isabel Shaffrey, Mary Burch. Ann Meenan, Shannon Moore, Elisabeth Coffman, Ellie Plantz, Anna O’Shea. (Managers unnamed.)

Girls’ Basketball Continues To Rebuild

By Eric J. Wallace eric@crozetgazette.com After back to back injury-riddled seasons, last year WAHS girls’ varsity basketball coach Kris Wright took the opportunity to reset team culture and rebuild. “Two years of major injuries to multiple kids really short-circuited our consistency,” he said. “Prior to that, we’d qualified for the state tournament twice in three years. The constant up-and-down and emotional upheaval that comes with an injury really has a lasting impact on a team’s mentality; it’s tough to shake.” With the girls working hard, making progress and building confidence through the season, Wright was intent on paving the way for a successful 2016-17 showing. “With nine girls back from last year, we’re taking the ‘reset’ effort to the next step by trying to inject more intensity and consistency into things again,” said Wright. “We had higher participation numbers and commitment to offseason workouts and, thus far, despite some tough close losses, we’re becoming increasingly confident on the court.” As far as team leaders go, Wright says he’s looking to senior forward Eleri Hayden. After suffering a major knee injury as a sophomore, Hayden came back in a big way in 201516, earning an unexpected spot on the All-District second team and an All-Conference honorable mention as well. “Eleri has a huge range as a player and is a major inside-outside threat for us,” said Wright. “She worked

TOD COHEN

Players and coaches, from top row, left to right: Assistant coach Ryan Hughes, Josh Coffman, Chris McGahren, Mitch Larkin, Garrett Payne, Austin Cress, Jed Strickland, Garrett Payne, Teo Rampini, head coach Darren Maynard. Patrick Bodnarik, Garrett Payne, Ryan Ingram, Gabe Nafziger. (Managers unnamed.)

Senior Forward Eliri Hayden TOD COHEN

Senior Guard Ava Coles.

extremely hard in the offseason and that’s paying off right now. She has the spirit and grit to pull us together and be a leader in the toughest of situations. So we’re leaning on her quite a bit.” Then there’s sophomore guard Elisabeth Coffman, who was named to last year’s AllDistrict first team and AllConference second team as a freshman. “Elisabeth has started every game in her career so far and she’s just a sophomore,” continued on page 47

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

by John Andersen

Reach for the Stars Hello, New Year. I’ve been thinking about you for a few weeks now, wondering how we’ll fare together. Although nothing magical happens on January 1, many of us think of this as a time to start with a clean slate. We can save what we want from last year, throw out the junk, and look at you with dreams and aspirations. So, New Year, you’ve got to take me as I am, right when the ball drops. I’m not quite where I want to be, but who really is? Let’s make a deal. I will bring my best. My best attitude, my best effort, my best goals, my best mindset. And you just be you. New. Wide open. Full of opportunity. Full of time and second chances. I’m not gonna wait for you to get old. Or for me to get old. Hello New Year. Let’s go. I have got some big goals this year. Huge goals. Embarrassingly optimistic goals. Goals brought to me by my past, and some by chance as well. Goals that will require significant change to make them happen. Goals with a high chance of failure. Goals that have me frightened and excited. If you read this column, you know that I have a passion for running trail ultramarathons. I know it seems insane, but it’s actually quite relevant to any other fitness journey. Just a few weeks ago, I got a surprise email from BUFF USA, the apparel company that specializes in the head and neck “buffs” as seen on Survivor (we are a BUFF retailer, selling them at Crozet Running). In short, the email told me “Congratulations, you are getting one of our sponsor entries to the Western States 100!” For some background here, the Western States 100 is the Super Bowl of trail and ultra-

running. It is the very first 100mile footrace and the most prestigious in the nation, always drawing the very best of the best. The race starts at Squaw Valley Resort at Lake Tahoe, and travels over the Sierra mountains and canyons, ultimately finishing in Auburn, California. Like many trail races, there is a limit to how many participants can enter because of U.S. Forest Service permits. That number is just under 400 runners. So, with almost 5,000 runners applying to get in each year, there is a lottery system with a disappointingly small chance of your name getting picked. I didn’t get picked in this year’s lottery, held last month. Running Western States is a dream of most distance trail runners because of the prestige and history of the race, as well as the fact that you are running with the best trail runners in the nation and from around the world. The top-ten men and women from the prior year have guaranteed entry, as do about 20 elite runners who race their way in via winning one of the “Golden Ticket” races. There are several sponsor spots, and volunteer spots, and then the majority of the field are just the lucky everyday runners who got their names pulled. This gives Western States such a great vibe, being such a competitive race, but still a small race where the back-of-the-packers and the nation’s elite all hang out at the start line together. More from luck and having a good relationship with our rep rather than my non-elite speed, I was chosen for one of BUFF’s sponsor spots. This was an amazing email to get. For where I am right now in my running, it was as if the

continued on page 40

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

BY DR. ROBERT C. REISER

crozetannals@crozetgazette.com

Death Takes a Holiday Welcome, 2017! 2016 was a bumpy ride and I am hoping for fewer surprises this year, although it doesn’t look good so far. As if to cap off the difficulties of 2016, at the very end of the year we lost two beloved Hollywood icons. Carrie Fisher—Princess Leia—had a cardiac arrest on December 23 at age 60 and died just two days after Christmas. Her mother Debbie Reynolds died the very next day at age 84 of a massive stroke. These two holiday-related celebrity deaths raised several interesting questions at least among the ER staff working with me over the holidays. Can

sick people postpone their deaths sometimes to survive until significant events like holidays happen, as is widely believed, and can spouses or parents will themselves to die after the death of a close loved one, also widely believed? Researchers have looked at the postponement of death phenomenon from many angles. Sociological research published in the Lancet in 1988 found that among Jewish people the number of deaths was lower than expected in the week before Passover and higher than expected in the week after. The same author also published in JAMA in 1990 that mortality among Chinese

women dips by 35.1 percent in the week before the Harvest Moon Festival and peaks by the same amount (34.6 percent) in the week after. The author explains that he chose to study mortality among Chinese and a Chinese holiday for two reasons. First, the holiday moves around the calendar, (like Passover in the previous study) thus allowing separation of the effects of the holiday from fixed, monthly mortality effects. Second, the holiday appeals strongly to one (experimental) group and not to others (which can be used as control groups). The dip/peak mortality pattern did not appear in various non-Chinese control groups for whom the Harvest Moon Festival had no significance. Both of these studies had design flaws and relatively small numbers of patients, a little over 2,000 combined. Additionally a re-analysis of these data, that included an additional 2,437 Asian-American deaths, found no evidence that elderly Asian women were able to prolong their lives until after the festival. A much larger study published in JAMA in 2004 looked

at 309,221 people dying of cancer and found the proportion of persons dying of cancer in the week before Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the individual’s birthday was not significantly different from the proportion dying in the week after the event. They concluded that in a large population sample there was no evidence that people could postpone their death for significant occasions. Of course individuals can behave differently from populations and most of the ER staff still believes people can sometimes hang on to reach a landmark event before dying immediately thereafter. If that is the case (it is likely not), can the surviving spouse or parent subsequently die of a broken heart as Debbie Reynolds seems to have? There is some good research to answer this question dubbed the “widowhood effect.” Recent longitudinal studies put the excess mortality of recent widowhood (compared with marriage) among the elderly between 30 percent and 90 percent in the first 3 months and around 15 percent in the

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JANUARY 2017

Crozet Convenient Care CliniC Left, X-ray of the heart during the contraction phase from a patient with takotsubo. Note the distinctive shape with a narrow neck and ballooned lower portion (arrows), which contracts abnormally. Right, The Japanese takotsubo (ceramic pot used to trap octopus) has a shape that closely resembles that of the heart on the left. Image courtesy Dr Satoshi Kurisu, Hiroshima, Japan/American Heart Association.

months thereafter. There were some notable exceptions however. Deaths of a spouse from Alzheimers disease or Parkinsons disease and some rapidly progressive cancers did not raise the subsequent mortality risk of the surviving spouse. The authors speculate that the spouses had already participated in “anticipatory grief ” and were thus protected from sudden shocking grief reactions. Even more dramatic than the widowhood effect is the “broken heart syndrome” where in the very moments of severe emotional distress people have a life-threatening condition that mimics a heart attack. Unlike a true heart attack, though, these broken-hearted patients have no coronary artery disease and conventional heart attack therapies are not indicated. The medical term for this is Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. A Takotsubo is Japanese ceramic

pot used to catch octopus. Apparently octopus cannot resist crawling into an empty pot and will stay in it even as the pot is hauled into a boat. The Japanese were the first to describe this syndrome in the 1990s and named after it the pot because the heart deforms into a shape that resembles a takotsubo during these attacks. Broken heart syndrome occurs almost exclusively in menopausal women (90 percent of patients). It is believed to be a spasm of the arteries of the heart in response to adrenalin and other stress hormones. All of this reminds me how much human beings depend on love to survive. As we enter 2017 and the challenges sure to come in the new year, remember how interconnected we all are. We all need to love and be loved. Take care of each other.

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JANUARY 2017

A New Year, But the Same Fight for Safe Food By Elena Day elena@crozetgazette.com I turn the calendar with a deficiency of optimism. The churches tell us that the meek will inherit the earth. Will the extraction of the earth’s resources continue without environmental restraint? Will agrochemical companies market increasingly toxic products to grow genetically modified [GM] crops? Shall we be meek in defense of our Earth? Tom Vilsack was Secretary of Agriculture under Obama for 8 years. He’s okay with the Monsanto/Bayer merger, loves GM crops and the more resistant they are to multiple weedkillers, the better. In the 2010s, U.S. farmland “infested” with glyphosate (Roundup) resistant weeds grew by almost 30 million acres, equivalent to nearly 2/3 the size of California. The USDA proposed to decrease the approval time for new and more toxic weedkillers from 2 years to 13 months. We can thank Vilsack for glyphosate-resistant Kentucky bluegrass, approved by the USDA in 2011 without an environmental impact assessment. Glyphosate resistant alfalfa was approved in 2011, even though Vilsack and the USDA knew it would readily cross pollinate with organic and non-GM alfalfa. He proposed that the speed of chicken killing in poultry processing plants increase from 140 birds per minute to 175 birds per minute. Worker safety groups successfully opposed the speed increase, but Vilsack privatized the inspection of killing lines. The poultry owners now inspect themselves. Vilsack did promote the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food campaign to increase awareness of alternative food systems, i.e., organics. As Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch quipped, “He made the icing on the cake a little better, but the cake itself was still Big Ag.” Trump has yet to name his Secretary of Agriculture. This past summer Congress

passed Senate Bill 764, dubbed by opponents the “Deny Americans the Right to Know” (DARK) Act. It effectively overturned Vermont’s GM labeling law, substituting instead voluntary product QR coding, which requires a special app to access. Obama signed it into law. One would have hoped that Obama veto the bill in spite of the 63 to 30 vote to pass it and at least land himself on the side of the American consumer. Vilsack and others presented S. 764 as a compromise, but it clearly was crafted for Monsanto and the agrochemical companies. This new law also creates confusion as to the definition of “bioengineering.” It requires the USDA to determine how much bioengineering of a product requires labeling and even prevents the food companies from certain types of disclosure. Investigative “determination” is never on fast track. Ninety percent of the U.S. public supports food labeling. The Republicans, who are big states rights proponents when it comes to gay rights and women’s reproductive rights and the rights of corporations to do local polluting, voted to overturn the Vermont law and effectively extend the so-called “Monsanto Doctrine” to the legislative branch. Plenty of liberal Democrats were on board as well, including Diane Feinstein from California, Minnesota’s Al Franken and our own Tim Kaine. Currently, agrochemical company lawyers are challenging county and state laws created to protect public health and safety and the environment from toxic pesticides in our food, water, and soil. And they are winning! Syngenta, an agrochemical multinational, recently won a ruling in Hawaii’s federal district court against Hawaii’s Kauai County. For years the big six ag-chem companies have been spraying experimental (chemical composition undisclosed) chemicals on 1,100 farms in the Hawaiian Islands to see which GM crops survive. Kauai County had passed a pesticide regulation ordinance to create a buffer zone of 500 feet for schools, homes and hospitals from massive spraying of experi-

mental toxic pesticides on the GMO farms. The district court also struck down bills passed on Mauai and by the Hawaii County Council. The decision is being appealed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. If the ruling is upheld there, it will be the environmental equivalent of Citizens United. Our government agencies charged with protecting public health will function as legal shields for corporations from any and all county and state public safety and health regulations that might impinge on their profit margin. The emerging legal right of agrochemical corporations to do whatever they want has been named the Monsanto Doctrine. * * * I was ill over the Christmas holiday and I spent days on the couch. I’ve been watching a Spanish whodunit/telenovela titled Mar de Plastico. It’s set in southeastern Spain in Almeria. Racial conflict and environmental challenges, a murder and multiple romances—what more could one ask to keep one on the couch. Mar de Plastico translates into “sea of plastic” and indeed there are over 185 square miles of plastic greenhouses in Almeria. Consider that Albemarle County is 726 square miles. Fifty years ago the land was a semi-arid plain adjoining the Mediterranean Sea extending to the Sierra de Gador on the north. People herded goats and movie companies filmed “spaghetti westerns.” Beginning in 1963, small farmers drilled deep wells and constructed greenhouses to extend the growing season. Over 13,500 small farmers turned their holdings into greenhouses and marketed their produce through cooperatives. Today the area is home to the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world. The plasticulture is so vast it can be seen from outer space. Tomatoes, eggplants, cukes, lettuce, peppers, melons are exported primarily to the United Kingdom and also France and Germany. The greenhouses provide one-third of Europe’s winter consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Temperatures in the greenhouses are as high as 45 degrees Celsius (over 110 degrees F). Hot temperatures in the greenhouses give rise to plant diseases and increased insect pests. As many as 100,000 workers, at first predominantly from Eastern Europe and now more and more from Morocco and sub-Sahara Africa, grow and harvest crops from October to July. At least half are undocumented. The pay is generally 30 to 35 euros per 8 hour day and often as low as 20 euros. (The dollar and euro are almost equivalent currently.) Housing is substandard. Shantytowns spring up within the sea of plastic. Local small farmers are squeezed by the rise of plasticulture elsewhere in the Mediterranean basin and they in turn exploit their workers, who are in endless supply. The albedo or “whiteness” of a surface is the fraction of sun’s radiation reflected back into space. In Almeria the albedo from the endless greenhouses has actually had a cooling effect on the area. Temperatures have decreased by 0.3 Celsius every ten years since 1983 while overall temperatures in Spain have increased form 1 to 3 degrees Celsius. Ten percent of vegetables are raised hydroponically today with optimal Israeli methods of computer-controlled drip irrigation that contains a chemical mix of fertilizers, micronutrients and pesticides. Sand covers the soil to conserve humidity and prevent erosion. Sand depletion is another of many negative consequences of plasticulture. Ninety percent of the greenhouses use artificial soil called Enarenado–a mix of clay, manure and sand on top of the original soil base. Although drip irrigation and the opening of a desalinization plant in 2009 has somewhat ameliorated the water situation, the Sorbas-Tabernas fossil aquifer in Almeria has been mined to the point of collapse. Fossil or paleowater is nonrenewable. The European Union is seeking its protection, but farmers continue to drill illegal holes. Since the 1980’s companies have arrived to recycle plastic continued on page 44

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

The Endangered Semicolon by Clover Carroll | clover@crozetgazette.com In his essay collection A Man Without a Country, published two years before his death in 2007, Kurt Vonnegut wrote: “Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons…. All they do is show you’ve been to college.” This typically radical and tongue-in-cheek pronouncement is often used to justify disdain for this form of punctuation, which some see as archaic and which seems to be rapidly disappearing from our discourse—mainly because fewer and fewer writers know how to use it properly. But Vonnegut’s words have been taken out of context. He went on to say “And I realize some of you may be having trouble deciding whether I am kidding or not. So from now on I will tell you when I’m kidding.” In fact, later in the same essay he himself uses a semicolon, commenting, “And there, I’ve just used a semicolon, which at the outset I told you never to use. It is to make a point that I did it. The point is: rules only take us so far, even good rules.” Much as I admire Kurt Vonnegut—black humor author of classics such as Cat’s Cradle (1963), Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Breakfast of Champions (1973), and my favorite short story of all time, “Harrison Bergeron” (1961)—I have to disagree with him on this one. The semicolon is my favorite punctuation mark, without which I could not write a coherent paragraph! First, let’s remind ourselves that the vital role of punctuation in written language is to define relationships between sentence elements, or thought elements. The weakest of these—the comma— indicates a gentle pause for breath, or a kind of embrace setting off a closely related fragment of thought. “Paperwhites, the most delicate of flowers, smell heavenly.” The brawny period, on the other hand, ends a sentence at the conclusion of a

thought, establishing finality and providing a gateway to the introduction of a new idea. The elegant semicolon falls exactly halfway between these two. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines the semicolon as “a punctuation-mark consisting of a dot placed above a comma.” Literally, it is half a colon (:), the punctuation mark that means “namely” or “that is”— but this doesn’t get at its actual meaning. Like Janus (the namesake of our current month), it looks both backward and forward at the same time, linking two sentence elements and lending an artful balance to the prose, like a seesaw with children of equal weights hanging level. Another word for sentence elements is clauses, which can be either dependent or independent. Dependent clauses, such as “new year’s day” or “slick streets,” cannot stand alone, while independent clauses, such as “the new year has begun” or “it is snowing” can. An independent clause expresses a complete thought and must contain both a subject and a verb; a dependent clause expresses an incomplete thought, or thought fragment. Two related independent closes may only be joined into the same sentence by using a conjunction (such as and, but, so, or yet), or by using a semicolon—which is less wordy and adds strength to the sentence. The semicolon allows a writer to join two complete thoughts into one sentence, showing their close relationship and uniting them into one larger thought without confusion. To join two independent clauses with only a comma (commonly known as a comma splice) is confusing, misleading, and sloppy. Let’s look at some examples. “The holidays are over, it’s time to get back to work” consists of two independent clauses, each of which contains a subject and a verb. These are two complete ideas that, though related, demand definition stronger than a comma. The reader is confused, because the comma implies that we are still within the same thought, not that we are starting a whole new one.

This is the ideal situation to use a semicolon, because the two ideas follow on one another. “The holidays are over; it’s time to get back to work” communicates accurately that we have two, independent, complete thoughts, but they are so closely related that they become more meaningful when combined into one sentence. For another example, “it is snowing, the streets are growing slick” makes little sense as written. The relationship between the words, and between the sentence parts, has been thrown into doubt. Does “it” refer to “streets” or “slick”? How are the streets related to the snow? Oops! The writer forgot to indicate with proper punctuation that these are two separate but equal, complete ideas, the second resulting from the first: “it is snowing; the streets are growing slick.” Substituting a comma where a semicolon should be is an easy mistake to make. The test is whether the second part of the sentence can stand alone as a complete sentence; if so, replace the comma with a semicolon. “I’m tired, I think I’ll go to bed” or “ars longa, vita brevis” both cry out for semicolons to set them straight. The latter is an ancient aphorism (Latin, from the original Greek) that has simply been passed down inaccurately, and should be translated “art is long; life is short.” The error of a comma splice can also be ameliorated with the addition of a conjunction: “It is snowing, and the streets are growing slick” or “art is long, but life is short” are correct, but less powerful expressions than the semicolon solution. A semicolon is also required before transitional adverbs such as however, nevertheless, therefore, and for example. “It is snowing; however, my all-wheel drive should keep me safe” or “life is short; therefore, enjoy each moment.” One additional, though relatively rare, use of the semicolon is to set apart complex elements in a series, especially if they involve commas themselves. “On our trip across the country we visited Mesa Verde, in Colorado; Yellowstone, in Wyoming; and Yosemite, in California.” This use simply signals to the reader whether we are within or between elements continued on page 44

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

inthegarden@crozetgazette.com

Cranberries, Part Two After the publication of the December column on cranberries, I received a letter from Lonnie Murray, appearing below. Since it includes a great deal of information on cranberries, both in the wild as well as in the garden, with Mr. Murray’s permission we are reprinting it here in lieu of my regular column. Except for some minor editing, it appears as he wrote it. You’d asked if anyone locally grew cranberries... I have grown both Vaccinium macrocarpon and V. oxycoccus successfully for some time. I grow them in a bog garden alongside Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, sundews and native orchids. It has a soil mix that is a mix of 50/50 peat and sand. Most years I’ve not had to go to the store to buy the berries because the bog produces enough

on it’s own. Bogs, and bog gardens, are frequently misunderstood. People often assume they need to be flooded, shady, and mucky (i.e. high nutrient). In reality, bogs are acidic, low-nutrient sunny places that are often deceptively well drained. It is the drainage that keeps them low nutrient. So, to grow cranberries successfully, fertilizer is not necessary; indeed, it would kill most of the plants in the bog. It’s worth noting that cranberries grow natively just over the mountain in the Shenandoah Valley, although they’ve now become quite rare. Indeed, the resort Shenandoah Acres was once a wild cranberry bog that contained so many native orchids that it was described by a botanist as a sea of pink when they were all in bloom. Sadly, long ago that cranberry bog was dredged, all the plants removed and then covered in sand to make the resort that

exists today. I’m confounded why someone didn’t just start a “pick your own cranberry” farm instead. The irony of a site like this destroyed so that people can go there to experience “nature” is overwhelmingly tragic to say the least. Indeed, given that cranberries grow naturally in sandy moist soils in the valley near the mountains, I’ve wondered why no one is growing them commercially? Seems like a lost opportunity. Anyway, our mountain bogs where cranberries live are quite magical places and deserve our respect and appreciation. These ecosystems also function to help filter contaminants and keep our waterways clean. Indeed, since rain gardens are often composed of a sandy media, with some modifications cranberries can be successfully included in them to treat

storm water and help keep reduce the pollution of our rivers. Perhaps some explanation is in order regarding bogs being “deceptively well drained,” as Murray notes. To the average person, the term “bog” connotes a very soggy place. Bogs typically occur in areas of high precipitation and low evaporation, so there is indeed abundant water. But since they often sit atop sandy soils, water flows through relatively easily, even if a layer of clay may sit beneath. Over time, bogs can colonize shallow ponds by creeping in from the edges. Sphagnum, also known as peat moss, takes hold and acts as a sponge, absorbing a great deal of the water. As the lower layers of sphagnum die, they can accu-

Back to Fitness

but far from being the guy who’s actually winning races these days. For Western States, I’m going all in. I am indeed somewhat embarrassed to say that I am shooting for a top-10 placement. Anyone “in the know” would also probably be somewhat embarrassed for me, because that is a super lofty goal, and frankly, I’m just not quite top-10-at-Western-States kind of talent! But here lies the point: so what?! If you don’t dream the dream, there is no dream! Not many people accomplish really big things in life unless they thought it was possible. Sure, we all set realistic goals at times—things that are a pretty safe bet as long as we

show up and do some work. But, how often do you set huge, embarrassing goals? Goals that will require immense work, even a change in your being, to accomplish them? I’m excited to begin this journey. I have a rough plan of how I’m going to train, and it’s going to be tough. It’s going to take everything I have, mentally and physically, to get through these next 6 months. Only major changes in what I’m doing will get me there. I’ve got to get faster, tougher, and stronger. Are your goals big enough? Are they demanding change? Whatever your goals are, your entire past has made you prepared for your journey towards them. Your current health, your recent failures,

your relationships, and even your childhood. It is important to look inward and appreciate why you are how you are, and appreciate that you are uniquely prepared for taking on the goals you’ve set for yourself. There is a huge chance that I won’t meet my goal of a top 10 at States. I’m a dreamer, but I’m no dummy. I put my chance of success at less than 5 percent. I won’t ever regret going for it, both on race day, but also in the months of training leading up to it. But I think I would regret not giving myself a challenging goal. Do you set goals that have a high chance for failure? Nobody wants to fail, but if you knowlingly put yourself out there, you will actually no longer be vulnerable to “failure.”

—continued from page 35

Dallas Cowboys had emailed me and told me I made the team. Or Dave Matthews called and said he wanted me to play guitar with him on his upcoming tour. I’m going to Western States! I was ecstatic and still am today. And now it’s time for goal-setting. The race is in late June, so I’ve got about 6 months to prepare. I am still in awe of my good fortune, and it has come at a perfect time in my running career. I’m coming off of 3 years of great racing, with no injuries and still-improving performance. I’m locally competitive,

A cranberry bog in West Virginia (photo courtesy Lonnie Murray).

continued on page 45

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JANUARY 2017

ourselves (and the planet) ill. Walt Whitman’s poem comes to mind in this regard. (Carmen and I met in Walt Whitman High School in 1968, so this poet has held a special place in our lives for a long time.)

Science and The Meaning of Life “…and books that told me everything about the wasp, except why.” – Dylan Thomas, A Child’s Christmas in Wales Carmen set her coffee cup down on the kitchen table with a flair exuding confident authority. “Why should I give you that much power over my life?!!!” I just had asked her–as we were finishing breakfast–if she agreed with professor E. O. Wilson’s assertion that the origin and meaning of human existence “must be taken from the hands of theologians and philosophers and put into the hands of scientists.” I was pleased with her resolute pronouncement. We are in deep trouble if we accede this much power to scientists. E. O. Wilson is one of America’s premier and most honored biologists and naturalists. During his distinguished 40-year career at Harvard, he founded two distinct scientific fields of study: biodiversity and sociobiology. Now in his late 80s, he is a Professor Emeritus of Entomology (the study of insects) at Harvard’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; and he is a regular lecturer at Duke University. A prolific and talented author of more than 30 major works, Wilson is a twotime winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. In 2014, he published a book titled The Meaning of Human Existence. In lieu of philosophy and religion, Dr. Wilson’s asserts in this book and in subsequent interviews that “the explanation of meaning falls to science.” This is necessary not only because philosophy “is a declining and highly endangered academic species,” but more radically, because religious faiths (which in his assessment are merely the products of evolu-

tion) are “sources of ceaseless and unnecessary suffering” that are “dragging us down.” “The best thing we could possibly do would be to diminish, to the point of eliminating, religious faiths.” “Human beings must have an epic, a sublime account of how the world was created and how humanity became part of it.” This claim of Dr. Wilson I can agree with. Where we part company is when he goes on to say “the way to achieve our epic that unites human spirituality, instead of cleaving it, is to compose it from the best empirical knowledge that science and history can provide.” Dr. Wilson believes “The unfolding of history is obedient only to the general laws of the universe. Each event is random yet alters the probability of later events.” These “accidents of history, not the intentions of a designer, are the source of meaning.” Astonishingly, Wilson believes the meaning of human existence will be revealed by empirical knowledge disclosed from five scientific disciplines: evolutionary biology, paleontology, archaeology, brain science, and artificial intelligence/robotics. This is nonsense. Meaning involves so much more than finding out how, in a mechanical sense, the world was created; or discovering when humanity, through evolution, became to be a part of it. Meaning entails value: what is good, what is beautiful, what is right and just, what we love and hold dear, what we worship as sacred. Additionally, a meaningful life entails expressing creativity and exercising our free will. If what Wilson says is true–that the unfolding of history is obedient only to the general laws of the universe—moral choice and freedom of thought and action are illusory. If his premise is correct, then the historical fact of his book The Meaning of Human Existence being published in 2014 is, in actuality, a meaningless artifact arising from the long chain of cause-and-effect

proceedings of matter and energy that mindlessly obey the general laws of physics and chemistry. Science To Live By is offered to you as a public service of the non-profit Floriescence Institute. The mission of the Institute is to promote the art and science of human flourishing in the 21st century. The floriescent worldview that guides the work of the Institute is built around three pillars— science, ethics and aesthetics. A central tenet of the floriescence framework is: science provides information and knowledge; ethics and aesthetics assign value and meaning; woven all together they yield wisdom. Normally, I write to empower you, dear reader, with information and insights revealed through science. Today, I write to alert you to what science cannot do. Philosophy at its root, at its core, means the love of, the friend of, wisdom (philo = love, friend; sophia = wisdom). An important aspect of befriending wisdom is knowing and accepting limitations. Theoretical and empirical knowledge obtained from science and technology lack the wherewithal to discern its meaning and impact on your life and mine. Citizens from all walks of life, including theologians, philosophers, artists, poets and musicians, must join in the conversation with scientists if we as a society are to discern the meaning and relevance of information obtained from the sciences. I also write to warn of its allure, and to be on guard against those who have fallen under its spell. The power and success of science and technology are real, but they can masquerade as being omnipotent. If we submit our consciences to these enticements, we will become weary of life and make

When I heard the learn’d astronomer, When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me, When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them, When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself, In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars. And finally, I write to counterbalance the widely held worldview personified by prominent scientists such as E. O. Wilson who espouse that we are not answerable “to any power but our own.” I ask how can we properly exercise power if we are only accidental cogs in the mechanistic, materialistic, nonmoral wheel of life? I close this essay, as I began, with a quote from Dylan Thomas’ poetic telling of a boy’s remembrances of Christmas in Wales a century ago. Gathering round the fire at this season of the year, listening, often with eyes closed, to a recording of Thomas in his own voice bringing his story of Jim, Dan, Jack, Mrs. Prothero and the fire brigade to life again is a treasured family tradition. If Wilson had his way and all religious life became extinct, even gifts as simple as this would vanish under the iron hand of science. Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steady falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept.

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JANUARY 2017

Kids’ Crossword 1

by Louise Dudley

3 4

7 10

9 12

11 14 16

15 17

21 22

24 26

25 28

27 31

32 34

37 22

Solution on page 47

Dribbling Around ACROSS 1 Last day of the work week 4 Very chilly 7 Slam the ball from above into the basketball net 8 Sneak a quick look 9 Hair product for styling 11 Opposite of “off” 12 2,000 pounds 13 A break in the game 16 Writing instrument 17 Taking too many steps with the basketball 20 Place for docking a boat or fishing 21 Purring pet 22 What a tournamentwinning team cuts down 23 Number of players on the court at once (both teams) 28 Slang name for basketball 30 Listen to a game broadcast on this 31 Popular fish sandwich 33 Pig’s home 34 _____ Brogdon, former UVA basketball star 36 Brief hello 37 An even score DOWN 1 Penalty that might result in a free throw 2 Permanent tattoos are

made with this 3 Short bark 4 Position usually played by the tallest team member 5 Say this if you approve 6 Doctor who keeps your teeth healthy 7 A bear’s winter home 9 Wait for a green light to do this 10 Tony _____, UVA men’s basketball coach 12 Number of points for a long-distance shot 14 Opposite of “down” 15 Official with a whistle (abbreviated) 17 A light-weight metal 18 School class with paint and crayons 19 Close-in basketball shot 21 Deal these out to play rummy 24 Canada is _____ of the USA 25 Joanne _____, UVA women’s basketball coach 26 Salty sauce for Chinese food 27 Wrapper for a hot dog 29 Jack _____, UVA player from New Zealand 32 Dr. Seuss’s “Sam I ___” 35 Do, re, ___, fa, sol, la . . .

Grace Rayl Lett Grace Rayl Lett, 95, of Crozet, VA, formerly of Jackson, TN, passed away on December 22, 2016, at the Jackson Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, TN following a serious fall. Grace lived life to the fullest, having recently celebrated her 95th birthday with family and friends while visiting her daughter, Betsy Lett Adams, in Jackson, TN. She was born December 2, 1921, in Wilmore, KY, the daughter of the Rev. C.H. Rayl and Bessie Julia Kirk Rayl, both Methodist ministers. Grace graduated from Morehead State College in Morehead, KY in 1942. In 1943 she was recruited by the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corp. to study nursing for the war effort and graduated from Yale University School of Nursing with a Masters in Nursing degree in 1946. Grace and her husband, Harlon J. Lett, were married on June 15, 1947 and were blessed with 66 wonderful years together. Grace was a dedicated and loving mother and grandmother, who not only cared deeply for her family but many in the community as well. She worked for several years as a head nurse at Jackson Madison County General Hospital, and in the nursery at First United Methodist Church in Jackson where Grace and Harlon were

members for 60 years. Her faith was strong and all who met her felt God’s love in her presence. Grace was creative, curious, compassionate, and a good friend to many. She enjoyed sewing for her children and grandchildren, golfing with her friends, and traveling in the United States and Europe. In 2009 Grace & Harlon moved to Crozet, Virginia to be with their daughter Cathy Lett Loman due to Harlon’s failing health. In Crozet, Grace made her church home at Tabor Presbyterian Church, where she was grateful to find a welcoming community. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harlon J. Lett, her parents, the Rev. C.H. Rayl & Bessie Julia Kirk Rayl, brothers John E. & Charles W. Rayl, sister Ruth Rayl Smith, and grandson, Robert Jeffrey Adams. She is survived by her daughters, Cathy Lett Loman and husband Jim, of Crozet, VA, Betsy Lett Adams of Jackson, TN, and son Robert Lett and wife Susan, of Cheyenne, WY, grandchildren Julia, Matthew, and Sophie Loman, grandson Joshua Lett, two sisters in law and several neices and nephews. Memorials may be directed to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, or to the charity of your choice.

Gazette obituaries are just $25 for up to 500 words and include a photograph. Email ads@crozetgazette.com or call 434-249-4211

Nextdoor

—continued from page 10

become more obvious over time. The Albemarle County Police Department was able to notify residents of a scam in the very areas targeted by a fraudulent charity. In New York City, public officials contact a central point for the city’s 1800 Nextdoor neighborhoods when there’s an urgent bulletin or warning. In the works are ways to allow Nextdoor members to reach each other’s cell phones with a short message if there’s an emergency. Gretchen Zaub of Public

West, the popular oyster bar and restaurant in Old Trail, said she’d recently offered a 10 percent discount to anyone who saw her note on Nextdoor. “I can tell by the response that it’s been successful,” she said. “I’m glad to get comments and suggestions, even if it’s like someone recently who didn’t like our fish and chips.” She said the restaurant’s decision to offer more vegetable dishes in the new year was reinforced by comments from Nextdoor users. “Although of course we want people to come from all over, this (Nextdoor) is our built-in clientele,” she said. “I wish I had discovered it much sooner.”

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JANUARY 2017

Robert James “Cid” Scallet Robert James Scallet, known to almost all as Cid, died suddenly of an acute cardiac event on December 21, 2016, at the age of 63. Cid and his high school sweetheart, Liza, walked into Monticello forty years ago and walked out life-long members of the Charlottesville-area community. Cid will be remembered by even casual acquaintances for being larger than life, and making them feel the same way. Everyone was important to him. He engaged people with his passion for words, music, sports, politics, gardens, cats, and the island of Kauai—or just made them laugh. Cid was continually reinventing himself in his professional life, starting as a teacher and ending as a consultant and administrator for several educational organizations. However, he was best known as the gre-

garious host, impresario, and co-owner of the Batesville Store—a role which allowed him to share his creative talents, enthusiastic embrace of life, and generous spirit with many members of the community. Much beloved as a husband, brother, uncle, adopted father, teacher, and friend, Cid was likewise unwavering in his devotion to his family, close friends, and his wife, Liza. There will be a memorial ceremony in the Spring to celebrate his life. Donations in memory of Cid may be made to the Cid Scallet Memorial Fund at the Waynesboro YMCA, 648 S. Wayne Ave, Waynesboro, VA 22980, 540-943-9622. The Cid Scallet Memorial fund will go toward paying for family memberships to the Waynesboro YMCA for those who can’t afford it.

BEREAVEMENTS Eric S. Betthauser, 43 Bernice Yates Barker Rea, 90 Robert Lee Goolsby Sr., 78 Homer Virgil Brown Jr., 81 Sarah Margaret Carpenter, 55 Nancy Via Shipp, 86 Alease Nelson Collier, 92 Mary Jane Shifflett, 71 Lorena Hall Garver, 96 Frank Edward Willis, 92 Betty Dolan Harmon, 91 Martha Elizabeth Fritz Coleman, 84

Gayle Leake Marshall, 98 Margaret Anita Freel Titus, 95 Roscoe Sponaugle, 95 Robert James Scallet, 63 Elsie Virginia Thomas, 96 Cavil T. Huff, 68 Roberta Alma Brown Williams, 81 John Francis Hackett, 83 Willis Mott Moore III, 72 James Grant Couch, 96 Gertie Morris Shifflett, 80 Dianna Lynn Weeks, 62 Thomas Huffman, 52 Lillian Roach, 85 Wilbur A. Thomasson, 98 Edward Lee Armentrout Jr., 83

November 22, 2016 November 22, 2016 November 28, 2016 November 29, 2016 November 29, 2016 November 29, 2016 December 1, 2016 December 2, 2016 December 7, 2016 December 7, 2016 December 9, 2016 December 11, 2016 December 13, 2016 December 16, 2016 December 20, 2016 December 21, 2016 December 21, 2016 December 22, 2016 December 22, 2016 December 23, 2016 December 24, 2016 December 25, 2016 December 25, 2016 December 25, 2016 December 27, 2016 December 27, 2016 December 28, 2016 December 29, 2016

Dianna Lynn Weeks Dianna Lynn Weeks, 62, of Greenwood, died at her residence on Sunday, December 25, 2016. She was the daughter of Shirley Toms and the late Walter Lee Toms Jr. She is survived by her husband, Steven Weeks; one son, Todd McAllister and his wife, Emily; stepsons, Steven M. Weeks and his wife, Allison, and their son, Silas, and Andrew Weeks and his wife, Charity and their son, Mason; one sister, Rhonda Roberts and husband, Danny; one brother, Walter Lee Toms III and wife, Meloney, six nieces and nephews, Chip Obrien, Randy Roberts and wife, Erin, Laura Deel and husband, Ernie, Megan Toms, Dylan Toms, and Layton Deel; uncles, William Fix and famiy, and Joe Fix; mother-in-law, Frances Weeks; and sister and brother-in-law, Marilyn and Randy Gallimore. Dianna worked for the

County of Abemarle for 34 years and was a supervisor at the copy center. She loved her animals, especially her cats and had a love of gardening. Family suggest that memorial contributions be made to SPCA, 3355 Berkmar Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22901. A private service will be at a later date.

Betty Dolan Harmon Betty Dolan Harmon, 91, died in Charlottesville on Friday, December 9. She was born in Ronceverte, West Virginia, to the late James E. Dolan and Julia Preston Hayes Dolan. She was preceded in death by her husband, Benton O. Harmon Jr. in 1995; and a son, Lt. Colonel James H. Harmon. She is survived by one daughter, Julia Kay Woodson and husband, Bill, of Crozet; two sons, Robert Owen Harmon and wife, Doreen of Hampton, Va., and Nile R. Harmon of Crozet; two sisters, Helen Gainey of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Janice Bostic of Whie Sulphur Springs, West Virginia;

a sister-in-law, Marie Combs of Huntington, West Virginia; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She served as a volunteer at University of Virginia Medical Center for 32 years. The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to the Hospice of the Piedmont www.hopva.org or Susan G. Komen, P.O. Box 96216, Washinton, D.C. 20009. A graveside service was held December 13 at Riverview Cemetery in Ronceverte, West Virginia. Anderson Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.

Serving Western Albemarle Families Since 1967 Robert S. Anderson & John W. Anderson, Jr., D I R E C T O R S

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Field Hockey from the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins,” said Oakland. “She’s special because she has no weakness—she’s a complete player defensively and offensively.” As a center midfielder, Hajek was the team’s leading scorer with 21 goals. Meanwhile, at center forward, Funk was the team’s second leading scorer, with nine goals. “Joie’s value stems from her work ethic, fitness, and tenacity,” said Oakland. “Our team defense could generally be characterized as high-pressure with the other nine field players shifting into position depending on how the initial pressure is applied. Joie almost always applied that initial pressure. Our entire defense started with her.” Additionally, there were two All-State Second Teamers, defender Audrey Russell and forward Kira Repich. “Audrey was our shutdown left defender,” said Oakland. “She played sparingly last season in the midfield and for her to take on the role that she did this season was pretty incredible. When

she first suggested it in the preseason, I was a little surprised, but saw no reason not to try it out. It was clear by the end of the first half of the first game that she was in the perfect place.” Upon the final analysis, Oakland says the team had a great season. Despite the early woes, the girls relied on strong chemistry—enjoying one another’s company on-field and off—had fun in practice and trained hard to get better. “They had a lot of fun laughing and joking around at times in practice and games, which kept their spirits high,” he said. “On the flip side, they knew when it was important to get down to business and work hard. In that sense, they showed a special maturity you don’t often see in a group of high school kids.” Losing 11 seniors, Oakland says next year’s season will be about reinvention. However, based on this season’s work and effort, he isn’t worried. “Over the last three years these girls have consistently proven they can meet their goals with a light heart and hard work,” he said. “If that core mentality remains, I have no doubt we’ll find success.”

JV Hockey

Football

school and community life. And I think we accomplished those goals.” Award-winners recognized by the team included: Offensive MVP, sophomore Melinda Punsalan; Defensive MVP, freshman Mary Moffett; Warrior Award, sophomore and captain Isabel Brown; Sportsmanship Award, sophomore Elizabeth Callahan.

rate—for a total of 1,707 yards and 17 touchdowns. On the ground, the QB chalked up another 979 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and nearly 90 yards per game. “Derek is a really hard working and highly competitive player,” said Redmond. “We have big expectations for him moving forward, and we’re excited to be a part of his development.” Defensively, Redmond named outside guard and linebacker Jarrett Smith, as well as linebacker James Buetow as standout players. Concerning the future, Redmond has this to say: “We’re looking to have a big year next year. This past fall, we benefited from great senior leadership, learned a lot, and experienced a huge amount of growth. We plan on putting all that to work for us next season. We’re looking to work hard in the offseason and hopefully come into the year prepared to excel.”

—continued from page 30

JV Football —continued from page 32

next year’s team will be young. Very young. Regardless, Wozneak is excited. “All I can say is that I look forward to working with anyone who wants to come out and learn the game of football,” he explained. “No matter what happens next season we’ll always work to get better both on the field and off, and I look forward to every minute of it.”

—continued from page 32

Meatloaf

—continued from page 18

will accommodate. We grew up in a very small house, so this was not usually a problem. Putting a lot of people in a small space, with good food and drink, forces them to interact and have fun. Works for me! 9. Store your apples in the refrigerator and your citrus fruit at room temperature. A bowl of apples may look good on the table, but the apples do not

Volleyball —continued from page 33

Beyond Berry and Nichols, the squad will graduate an additional five seniors. Concerning next season, coach Pack calls it a wait-and-see situation. “Next year’s team will be young in regards to varsity volleyball experience,” he said. “Players

Safe Food —continued from page 38

waste. However, thin plastic remains unrecyclable and in some areas is calf deep. Some aquifers have been contaminated by pesticide-laden wastewater. Plastic, wastewater, and sewage from shantytowns finds its way into the Mediterranean. Construction materials--steel and plastic and pesticides--have their own large CO2 and nitrous oxide footprint. In 2014 a sperm whale washed ashore on Spain’s southern coast. It had swallowed 37

Semicolon —continued from page 39

in the series. If you still doubt the merit or usefulness of the semicolon, just look to the great authors of poetry and fiction from before, say, 1950 (William Faulkner rarely used a comma, let alone a semicolon). John Keats, Jane Austen, and Henry James were major fans. The structure of our language hasn’t changed; only our understanding of it has. Going back to Vonnegut, the breaking of these rules can occa-

store well at room temperature. Again, this is a Barbara tip. She also insists that tomatoes should not be refrigerated. Right again. 10. The secret to great meatloaf? Catsup (or Ketchup), take your pick. If you want a really interesting read, Google Malcolm Gladwell’s article in a 2004 issue of The New Yorker magazine. He explains, the intricacies of catsup and why it is so delicious. If you love a good meatloaf, the secret is more catsup than you can imagine. Let’s make one. have to earn their spots on the team during tryouts, so I don’t know exactly what the team will look like. There were six underclassmen on this year’s squad and I anticipate many players from our JV team will try out for varsity.” Regardless, Pack is sure the 2017 Warriors will take a cue from this year’s team and do great things.

lbs of plastic dumped into the Mediterranean from the greenhouses. By 1999, 30 million acres were covered in plastic worldwide, mostly in economically poor areas with marginal soils and low rainfall. It is estimated that plasticulture continues to grow by 20 percent every year. Eighty percent of greenhouses are in the Far East (China, South Korea, Japan). Fifteen percent are in the Mediterranean basin. China leads the world’s growth with the volume of plastic film exceeding 1 million tons/year (2015). sionally be forgiven in classic lines like Charles Dickens’ famous opening to A Tale of Two Cities: “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” But like Vonnegut, Dickens usually does use them to help us navigate his long sentences, to make his meaning clear, and to craft powerful expressions— even ending the same novel with Sidney Carton’s inspiring “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.” The rules defining when to use the semicolon are good rules.

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Tallamy’s Oak Seed catalogs are arriving in the mail now, exciting gardeners with visions of the beauty they can enjoy during the upcoming growing season. Whether you are planning your next garden makeover or your first garden ever, I hope you are giving the natural world due consideration. When you create a naturefriendly garden, your reward is extra beauty and excitement from the numerous kinds of critters that will visit or make your yard home. You can feel proud that you are providing desperately needed wildlife habitat. If you are interested in helping wildlife, you may have heard and taken to heart Doug Tallamy’s advice to plant an oak tree. This University of Delaware ecology professor has been working hard to encourage folks all across the land to plant one. Unfortunately, his message has been lost in translation as garden columnists and bloggers tend to misinterpret the advice and spread misinformation to the public. They often tell readers that planting an oak will provide food for over 500 species of Lepidoptera (moth and butterfly) caterpillars, which will provide an abundance of food for a chickadee (a cute bird anyone would want to assist) and its chicks. However, a single oak tree is not going to live up to that expectation. Professor Tallamy is referring to the entire genus of oaks, comprising about 60 species of these trees in the United States. Your lonesome oak is only going to support a fraction of the species total promoted by the professor. Should you still heed this ecologist’s advice? In many cases, the answer would be no,

even if one tree did indeed host that many species of caterpillars. If you own a small yard, it is never wise to plant a tree that is going to attain great height and breadth. As the tree grows ever bigger, its expanding area of shade will severely limit your ability to grow a variety of plants on your property that would create a thriving habitat. One tree does not a habitat make. If you own a large property that can easily include one or more oaks without shading most of your land, is planting an oak tree the best thing you can do to bring nature home? Again, the answer is no. Although Sudden Oak Decline (brought on by stressors, such as severe drought or ill-timed frost) has been occurring in the United States, we still have plenty of these trees in our area to feed the moth larvae and the few species of butterfly larvae that need them for sustenance. (You can verify this fact by visiting a forest near you.) The real problem is not a dearth of oaks, but rather an overabundance of lights. They burn at night inside and outside of buildings (including homes), in parking lots, along roadways and walkways, and in many public parks. These lights attract moths (that comprise the majority of the 500-plus species mentioned by Professor Tallamy) that do not then fulfill their destiny of mating and producing the next generation. Artificial lighting has been disastrous for these insects, which are such a hugely vital component of a properly functioning ecosystem throughout the various stages of their life cycles. As light pollution has increased, moth populations have plummeted. Moths are practically nonexistent nowadays compared to when I was a child. When you have a dearth of moths, you

Planting an oak to support caterpillars that feed birds is useless when ubiquitous and overly bright nighttime lighting keeps so many moths (such as this Luna Moth) from mating. (Note the numerous dead insects at the bottom of this light fixture that burned for days when the absent owner forgot it was on.) Photo: Marlene A. Condon.

have a dearth of caterpillars for those chickadees—no matter how many oak trees you plant. Furthermore, in most people’s yards, Professor Tallamy’s oak becomes, essentially, nothing more than an invitation to reproductive failure for many kinds of moths and butterflies. Although some lepidopteran species manage to escape the effect of our artificial lighting to mate successfully, they leave behind offspring that overwinter underneath leaf litter that many people habitually remove. When people take away the protection afforded by the fallen oak leaves, these caterpillars and pupae do not make it to spring when they would have transformed into adults. So again, when fewer adult insects exist to mate, fewer caterpillars will exist to feed those chickadees—no matter how many oak trees you plant.

If, as a society, we are to increase caterpillar numbers for the benefit of our birds (and other critters), we must alter many of our life practices. To accomplish this goal, you must recognize what is truly important in life (maintaining the health of the environment) and what is not (removing leaves from underneath trees and excessive artificial lighting). If your yard is large enough and you can keep the leaf cover where it belongs, you might want to plant an oak tree as part of a multidimensional naturefriendly garden. However, living in agreement with nature is not quite as simple as Professor Tallamy suggests. Please do not let yourself be fooled into believing that all it takes to make a significant difference in the numbers of moth and butterfly caterpillars is to plant an acorn.

In the Garden

Thanks again to Lonnie Murray for his input. He is the former Chair of the Albemarle County Natural Heritage Committee and is currently an elected director for Albemarle County on the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District. And I always appreciate hearing from anyone who may have more experience with a particular plant than I have had. Raise a glass of your favorite cranberry concoction and toast the New Year, even if it is now a few days old!

—continued from page 40

mulate to thicknesses of several feet. When harvested, this can be sold as peat moss, burned to provide heat, or used as a filter to provide the distinctive flavor of Scotch whiskies. Harvesting peat from bogs is only sustainable on a very small scale, however, and ultimately increases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. But that would be a topic for a different time and another author.

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JANUARY 2017

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REGISTERED PIANO TECHNICIAN to service your piano. Tuning, in-home repair. Wendy Parham, RPT 434-2189093 or wendyrparham@gmail. com. THE LODGE AT OLD TRAIL, a senior living community located on the Old Trail Village square, is searching for several special individuals with caring hearts, a team mentality, and a willingness to go above and beyond for our residents. • Activity Assistant: every other weekend: Responsible, reliable, energetic adult. Conduct activities in the assisted living and memory care neighborhoods. Approx. 6 hours per day. Dementia experience a plus. • Cook: full time. Closed by 8pm! • Custodian/floor technician: part time • Dining Room Servers and Food Runners • Dishwasher: full time • RMA: part time and PRN (weekend shift diff) Great benefits for full time positions. Send resume to TessMarshall@lodgeatoldtrail. com, complete online application or in person. EOE. The Lodge at Old Trail, 330 Claremont Lane, Crozet, VA 22932, 434-823-9100 www.LodgeatOldTrail.com TUTORING: Certified teacher/ experienced tutor in Crozet. Offering PSAT/SAT/ACT/SOL Test Prep, Reading, Writing, Study Skills/Organization, and Homework Help in most subjects/ all grade levels. Call 434-4654311.

Classified ads start at $16 repeating for up to 30 words. Additional words are 25 cents each. To place an ad email ads@crozetgazette.com or call 434-249-4211

CROZETgazette

JANUARY 2017

Boys Basketball

Crozet Gazette Business Card Ads

—continued from page 34

books—around 15 points and 8 rebounds per game on the season—provides a counterpoint to the Warriors shoot-heavy offense. “With three strong guards, it’s no secret we like to shoot the ball,” said Maynard. “And we look to Austin to offer inside support.” Looking ahead at the February playoff season, Maynard says that, if the boys want it badly enough and stick to their guns, there’s no reason the team shouldn’t wind out the season with at least another district championship under their belts.

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Girls Basketball

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—continued from page 34

said Wright. “She has killer natural instincts for the game and is a tremendous passer and shooter. We’re looking for her to continue to evolve as a player and do even more spectacular things in the future.” In addition to Coffman and Hayden, Wright names senior forward Deja Newton-Grant, junior forward Shannon Moore, and junior guard Mady Starsia as key players. “Each of these girls played a lot last year,” said Wright. “We’re hoping to continue to build on that experience and see them continue to improve.” When asked about postseason prospects, Wright remains noncommittal. “Right now, I think we have a chance to be a competitor in the Jefferson District race,” he said. “But our focus remains on growing as a team and playing better basketball. We’re a long way off from mid-February—we’ll just have to see what the postseason brings when we get there.”

MATT ROBB Phone: 434.531.6060 Fax: 888.251.3406 EMail: matt@robbconstruction.com 8803 Dick Woods Road Afton, VA 22920

www.robbconstruction.com Class A Lic. #2705073818A

T P I N B T U N

COL D E K E N ON T T E N I R S CA T A R S AD I O S T Y I

Are your books ready for tax season? Let me get your financial records in order so you can get back to business. I can provide a one-time service or long term support.

Marybeth Cerrone, MBA cerronemb@gmail.com

Crozet, Virginia

434-806-5300

Resolving your water concerns John Moore Crozet, VA 22932

434-996-9742 434-823-1973 jbmooreservices@gmail.com

we can service your existing equipment water testing • water filtration • water softeners • uv sterilization • well pumps

Coming to Crozet in February

Simply Flags & Gifts Largest Selection of Garden & House Flags in Charlottesville

Rockfish Gap Tpke & Crozet Ave.

Come see our Little Cottage of Flags & Gifts

540-255-4427

Solution to Kid’s Crossword, page 42 F R I DAY O N I P E DUNK B G E L TON T I MEOU H N P R RAV E L L I NG E R E F A E T T EN Y O T B U R HOO P S NA A T Y MA L CO LM H E T I E

Accounting - Bookkeeping Tax Services - Notary Public BY APPOINTMENT

1186 Crozet Avenue In the Blue Goose Building in Downtown Crozet

Phone: 434-823-1420 Fax: 434-823-1610

Wishing Our Customers... A Happy and Prosperous New Year! Blue Ridge Builders Supply & Home Center

Crozet 434 823 1387

Blue Ridge Paint & Decorating Charlottesville 434 964 1701

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