INSIDE GOOD NEIGHBORS page 3 DOUG HORNIG page 7 YMCA HERO page 10 GIMME SHELTER page 11 COOPERATIVE ART page 14
JULY 2017 VOL. 12, NO. 2
Crozet’s Future Water Needs Under Study
LEGACIES page 15
By Michael Marshall
ART FEST page 17
editor@crozetgazette.com
CAMINO CAKE page 19
BETH KAGARISE
READING THERAPY page 20 KAYAKING page 21 GRAPE STATUS page 22 CROSSFIT page 23 PARADE PHOTOS page 24-25 IN NATURE page 26 WITT’S TITLE page 28 STATE CHAMPS page 28-29 GRADUATES page 30 SOFTBALL page 32 CAMPING WITH FIDO page 33 THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND page 34 LIGHTNING COUNT page 35 DEAD OR ALIVE? page 37 BEREAVEMENTS page 42-43
Young patriotic spectators watch the annual CVFD Fourth of July parade approach on Park Road. More Crozet Independence Day Celebration photos begin on page 24.
Keeping it Wild: Wildrock Nature Playscape Opens North of Crozet By Clover Carroll
clover@crozetgazette.com
“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” – Henry David Thoreau In the summers of my childhood in the 50s and 60s, I would leave home in the morning and return for dinner, running wild all day over nearby woods, streams, and playgrounds without supervision. Today this free-
dom would be nearly unthinkable in most American communities! In his 2008 book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv asserts that an increasing number of today’s children suffer from “Nature Deficit Disorder” because they now spend so much of their free time indoors, “plugged in” to video games and other technology. “This book explores the increasing divide between the young and the continued on page 12
Crozet’s future demand for public water is under study by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority and the Albemarle County Service Authority, RWSA Executive Director Bill Mawyer told the Crozet Community Advisory Committee at its June 21 meeting. In Albemarle, the RWSA is responsible for producing the wholesale clean water supply and treatment of wastewater. The ACSA handles retail service to individual customers. Crozet has its own independent water supply system consisting of Beaver Creek reservoir and the water treatment plant on Rt. 240 near Mechums River as well as storage and pumping facilities. The study, which is forecasting demand at a 50-year horizon, is prompted by an increase in the frequency that “peak day” water demands are occurring. A peak day is one in which demand on Crozet’s treatment plant exceeds 80 percent of the plant’s production capacity. Five years ago that happened just once in a year. Now it occurs about a dozen times a year, according to RWSA
continued on page 18
McGill Siblings Head for National High School Rodeo By Margaret Marshall
margaret@crozetgazette.com
This ain’t their first rodeo, but it is their first national rodeo. From July 16 to 22, Mark and Joy McGill will compete in the National High School Rodeo Finals in Gillette, Wyoming. The brother and sister pair joined the
Virginia High School Rodeo Association about a year ago, and both have enjoyed a successful rookie season, earning enough points over the course of the fall-to-spring season and state finals to qualify for the national stage. Mark, who just graduated from
continued on page 8
Mark McGill
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For Love of Neighbor Crozet’s civic life runs on volunteers, people who’ve realized that they want to invest in the future of the town and understand that it can’t just be left to someone else to do. It’s personal. There are great rewards in friendship and accomplishment from joining your neighbors in public causes. It takes work and sacrifice to make Crozet the great place it is. The Crozet Community Association’s Good Neighbor Award was instituted to recognize such committed citizens, and the awards are presented at the Independence Day celebration so that the town at large can show their thanks. This year the spotlight was on CCA president Tim Tolson and
Jo Ann Perkins, both longtime volunteers who usually prefer a humble profile. Tolson has worked incredibly hard as CCA president—they won’t let him leave the post—as the main organizer of the July Fourth parade and fireworks show, and as the critical gear in the community opinion surveys, which rely on his dexterity with creating online forms. He also played a role in the building of the new Crozet Library and served the maximum term, six years, on the Crozet Community Advisory Committee. He got his start as president of the Crozet Elementary PTO and is active at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Ivy. Perkins has been the treasurer of Claudius Crozet Park, a rare community-owned park, for 38 years. That’s a lot of Arts and continued on page 27
To the Editor Send your letters to the editor to news@crozetgazette.com. Letters will not be printed anonymously. Letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Crozet Gazette.
Thanks for the Parade Lawn Hospitality! Every Fourth of July the conversation is the same...”See you on the really pretty big yard across from the park!” For the last three years we have gathered there with our family and neighborhood friends. It has become a tradition. And this year I was able to meet Ms. Daisy, the wonderful owner of this beautiful property. And she could not have been more welcoming to all the little ones eager to see the first fire truck coming down the road. To Ms. Daisy... thank you so much for
allowing us and so many other Crozet families to sit in the shade in your front yard. It’s the perfect spot for us and one that holds many memories for so many. So, we’ll “see you next year on the really pretty big yard across from the park!” With love, your Crozet neighbors. Beth Kagarise Crozet
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Published on the first Thursday of the month by The Crozet Gazette LLC, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932
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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, Roscoe Shaw, Heidi Sonen, Eric Wallace, Denise Zito.
3
BETH KAGARISE
From the Editor
JULY 2017
434-996-0394
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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The Friends of Nelson County got a significant ally when veteran author Doug Hornig came on board. Hornig’s a long-time student of natural resource markets and had written for years for Casey Research, a business newsletter targeting investors. More recently, he wrote for Katusa Research, focusing solely on natural resource investment. Hornig also wrote (with Marin Katuso) The Colder War, an examination of Russia’s canny understanding and potential domination of the future world energy market, a book that became a New York Times bestseller. So his neighbors figured he knew what he was talking about when Hornig began to question the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a huge bone of contention between politicians at both the state and local levels. A staunch member of no political party, Hornig is normally content to
keep a low profile where politics are concerned. This issue, though, caught his attention. Hornig joins the Edison Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy in the belief that massive investments in infrastructure are expensive and outdated and that energy companies should focus on upgrading existing infrastructure and becoming distributors of energy. In the specific case of Dominion, Hornig notes the falling demand for electricity, the as-yet-unconfirmed availability of raw materials, and the probability that the ultimate users of pipeline-delivered energy will be even farther away than suggested. “Worst case: a pipeline carrying nothing to nowhere,” he said. He also points out that the financial reality today is that solar power has gone from being an environmentalist’s fantasy to a dynamic, affordable, growing and important source of energy. The field of natural resource investment is not the only one he’s turned his pen to. Over the
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past 40 years, Hornig has written mysteries, thrillers, poetry, science fiction and literary nonfiction. Love for the area inspires his activism, Hornig said. It’s an affection that’s endured since his first sight when he was very young. “I passed through the Rockfish Valley many years before I landed here and thought, ‘I should live here.’” It was not a straight path, though. Hornig was born and
raised on Cape Cod, a place he found bereft of decent weather and even a softball team. He was drawn to writing and published a neighborhood newspaper when he was nine or 10 years old. It’s a thread that continued through his life, even when he was driving a cab, working in factories, and learning the language of computers. Hornig came south for colcontinued on page 29
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JULY 2017 RODEO PHOTOS COURTESY THE MCGILL FAMILY
8
Joy McGill
Rodeo
—continued from page 1
Western Albemarle last month, will compete in the team roping event with his partner Ethan Rowe, who hails from the Richmond area. In this event, the partners, each on horseback, work together to tie a steer, with the first partner roping his head and horns and the second his legs. In regional rodeos, Mark also competes in steer wrestling, in which he rides after a running steer, throws himself from his horse to the steer, and then pulls the steer by the horns to pull it off balance and wrestle it to the ground. Joy, a rising senior at the Covenant School in Charlottesville, will compete in the Queen Contest as well as in goat tying. Crowned 2017 Miss Virginia High School Rodeo in May, Joy will go against the other 46 queens, from most states as well as provinces in Australia and Canada, for the title of national queen. The competition is not your average beauty pageant. Joy and the other state queens are judged in eight categories, including not merely appearance and personality, but also a prepared speech, an impromptu speech, a personal interview, a written exam on the rodeo rulebook, and horsemanship. After all that, the goat tying event almost seems easy: all Joy has to do is ride 100 feet, dismount, and tie a goat securely by three legs in less than 10 seconds. These cowboy skills weren’t always part of the McGill family’s repertoire, though they have
always been horse people. “I’ve been riding since I could walk,” Joy said. “I just kinda hopped on in the backyard,” Mark remembered. But their childhood riding English began to change when Mark decided he wanted to do something a little more extreme. “I thought I wanted to ride bulls,” he said, “but Mom tried to get me to do something safer.” That’s how he ended up roping and wrestling steers in the Virginia High School Rodeo Association. But it quickly became a whole family affair. “I always did English stuff,” Joy says. “Then I went to a rodeo with Mark and saw the barrel racers.” Soon she was competing too. Their parents, Lois and Jerry McGill, now spend weekends driving to rodeos and cheering for their cowboy and cowgirl. Many of the competitions require trips all over the state, or to North Carolina or West Virginia. “We haul all over the place,” said Lois. Of course, the upcoming sixday haul to Wyoming will be their farthest by far. In tow will be Mark’s horse, 15-year-old Diego, and Joy’s, 13-year-old Jet, both quarterhorses. But the whole family can hardly wait for the trip. The rodeos, they say, are tons of fun. “We barbeque together; even though you’re competing, everybody knows each other. It’s like camping with everybody you know,” Mark said. His mom agreed: “Rodeo is like a big family. Everybody looks out for everyone. They have church on Sunday morning.” As the biggest of them all, the National
CROZETgazette
ALLIE PESCH
rodeo is sure to be the most fun. When they’re not competing in their own events, Joy and Mark will watch their friends in others, attend professional clinics and workshops, and participate in friendly competitions. And there are dances almost every night. Joy will also spend her time campaigning as part of the Queen competition, advertising the Virginia rodeo. In fact, some of her campaigning began before the trip to Wyoming—in the Crozet and Free Union Parades! She also hopes to make appearances at county fairs, probably in Rockingham and Augusta. Nationals also offers a chance to be spotted. Not only is the entire week of events televised on RFD-TV and streamed online at NHSRAtv, it’s also packed with college scouts, there to scope out the talent and recruit to their collegiate teams. Joy admits to being a little nervous, but both she and Mark are more excited than anything else. Winners in various events receive prizes like belt buckles or saddles, and sometimes sponsorships from clothing or equipment companies. Most of all they get the glory of winning in the biggest high school rodeo arena in the world, though. Mark, who also volunteers one night a week with the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, says he learned most of what he knows about rodeo from Jerry Brown at Bucking B Ranch in Buckingham, though since the McGills’ horses live at home, they can practice whenever they want. The siblings estimate that they spend about 15 hours a
JULY 2017
Joy McGill in the Crozet Parade.
week on rodeo. Next year, it’ll probably be more for Mark: he’s taking his talents southwest, continuing his rodeo career at Cisco Junior College in Cisco, Texas. He chose the school because he liked the coach and the other guys he met from the team, and he plans to study agriculture there. Joy also hopes to do rodeo in college, and is also considering Texas schools, though she still has a year to make those decisions. The usual powerhouse states at Nationals are Texas, Arizona, and California, but the world champion in breakaway roping is from the Winchester area, so our state is indeed producing some stellar equine athletes. Mark and Joy, as part of that proud number, hope to do their part to make Virginia rodeo proud. And they’re eager to grow the sport here, too, encouraging others to get involved. As Mark said, “It’s only my first year and I made it to Nationals, so it’s never too late!” Good luck to our Crozet cowboy and cowgirl!
Mark McGill
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ALLIE PESCH
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Jessica Maslaney, PIedmont Family YMCA CEO, in the Crozet Parade.
Jessica Maslaney Opens a New Door By Lisa Martin
lisamartin@crozetgazette.com
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Crozet’s own Jessica Maslaney, former site director of the Crozet YMCA and now CEO of the Piedmont Family YMCA, recently oversaw construction of the brand-new Brooks Family YMCA in McIntire Park in Charlottesville. Maslaney was hired as CEO in 2015 after more than ten years of delays and legal challenges, and just before groundbreaking on the $19 million, 79,000square-foot facility. Young, optimistic and tenacious, she brought the mammoth project in on time and within budget. “Everything you do prepares you for the next step,” said Maslaney as she recalled her first ribbon-cutting at Crozet Park in October of 2012, just after the pool dome was installed. “I was very pregnant with my daughter
at that event,” she said. “In fact, I’m glad she wasn’t early.” She is thrilled at the potential of the Brooks Y to reach more of the Charlottesville/Crozet community. “The Y has a very holistic approach to health and fitness. It’s more than just a gym—it can hopefully be a transformative experience.” A special open house for current Crozet YMCA members was held at the new facility on June 17. Crozet Y subscribers will need a “citywide membership upgrade” to use the Brooks Y. For individual members, that means a rate increase of $6 per month, and for family memberships, an additional $17 monthly. The Brooks Y offers a 10-lane lap pool, a zero-entry recreation pool, three basketball courts, three group exercise studios, and three kids/teen areas. Doors opened to the public June 30.
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CROZETgazette PAUL CANTRELL
JULY 2017
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Now Open in the Blue Goose Building in Downtown Crozet • Over 20 years experience • Over $150 million in sales Late afternoon sunlight filters through the new memorial shelter built at Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve Park. Adjacent to the lone standing chimney, these two structures symbolize the people and way of life that once enriched our Blue Ridge Mountains.
To Remember: The Hills of Home By Sally James In an upper corner near the parking areas of Byrom Park in northwestern Albemarle County, now stands the sturdy framework of what could have been someone’s fine mountain home. The Albemarle Blue Ridge Heritage Project has completed their memorial shelter at Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve Park. Driven by the desire to remember and honor the families who were displaced by the creation of Shenandoah National Park, the ABRHP has created a memorial that includes a 16-foot tall chimney with a plaque affixed bearing the names of the families and landowners who lost homes and property in the 1920s and ’30s, and now this open shelter. Completed in early June and with oversight by committee member Larry Lamb, the shelter was constructed by SalvageWrights Ltd., roofed by Stuart Collier’s C&C Roofing, with concrete donated by Allied Concrete and finished by Dallas Hite Masonry. Beautiful eightinch posts and beams made of oak are reminiscent of the craftsmanship of the people
CrozGaz_March 2017_Layout 1 2/27/17 who built their homes and barns in these mountains many years ago. The project has been blessed with grants from the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors (CAAR), National Association of Realtors (NAR), the Bama Works Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, the Perry Foundation, and recently, a grant from Preservation Piedmont. Combined with donations from many generous supporters, ABRHP is moving into its final phase of designing and building four educational panels to be installed in the shelter. To learn how to contribute to this last phase of the memorial, visit the ABRHP Facebook page, or www.blueridgeheritageproject.com/albemarle/. The Blue Ridge Heritage Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose vision is “to develop a monument site in each of the eight counties where land was acquired to create Shenandoah National Park.” In addition, checks made payable to “BRHP-Albemarle” can be mailed to ABRHP, P.O. Box 88, White Hall, VA 22987.
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Piedmont Family
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natural world, and the environmental, social, psychological, and spiritual implications of that change,” Louv explains in his introduction. Contact with nature, he argues, is essential for healthy child—and adult— development. Carolyn Schuyler agrees with this assessment. To combat this trend, she has created a unique “nature playscape” north of Crozet, where children can experience the “joy of free play in nature” and explore to their hearts’ content in a safe, free roaming, 28-acre park chock full of enchanting activities and enticing “play zones.” The blessedly quiet and peaceful playscape is nestled beneath Fox Mountain, far away from the hustle, bustle, and stress of urban life. “Play zones” include a mud kitchen, fox den, hobbit house, a giant nest and eggs that could belong to the giant, a climbable wooden salamander, a fort-building station, a discovery garden, a play stage with costumes, a stone walking labyrinth, and a play fishing pier complete with pond, sand beach, fishing poles, and magnetic fish. For real water play, there is a wading stream where children can splash in provided rubber boots and catch frogs, minnows, and crayfish with provided nets and buckets. A tree house is under construction, and the discovery trail leads to a picnic pavilion and to the original “wild rock” itself,
which towers over the playscape and offers wide views. According to Schuyler, “each child who visits has a favorite spot.” Sarah Harris, the early childhood field trip coordinator, pointed out that “the opportunity to play unsupervised in nature builds confidence.” Wildrock, which opened May 1, is located at 6700 Blackwells Hollow Rd (Rt. 810) about 14 miles north of Crozet beside Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve Park. Hosting field trips on weekday mornings, it is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Reservations may be made at wildrock.org, required due to limited parking and staffing arrangements. With a basic “pay what you can” policy, the suggested donation is $5 per individual or $25 per family. Schools pay $8 per student, and “Easy Camping” will launch soon, to include a tent, showers, and an evening campfire program with s’mores. Wildrock can also be rented for family reunions and corporate events, and custom workshops are offered for families, community groups, educators and therapists, and business groups. The pay structure is designed to keep Wildrock sustainable and support its many outreach programs. Schuyler’s first career was as a therapist working primarily with children, where she learned the healing benefits of play therapy. “I saw firsthand how nature play builds emotional resilience.” She returned to this area
CROZETgazette
13
Third Thursday at The Lodge at Old Trail
lies to spend time there relaxing in nature, and has plans for a Veteran Get-Away Program which welcomes veteran families with kids ages 18 and under to come for a Saturday afternoon of fun on the playscape and trails, followed by a food truck dinner, evening campfire games and activities, s’mores, star gazing, and tent camping. “I wanted to create a safe space for healing, for building positive memories,” she explains. “Our camping programs encourage family bonding and a love of nature. It is the world’s best back yard.” The entire playscape is wheelchair accessible. Of course, Schuyler did not make her dream come true alone—it has truly taken a village. Building Wildrock was a community effort, with hundreds of volunteers from U.Va.’s Freedom By Design, U.Va. APO Fraternity, the JAG School, and the Boy Scouts donating their time, labor, and expertise. The Building Goodness Foundation, a major partner, built most of the structures. Schuyler’s unique vision and inspired mission has earned grants from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF), the Perry Foundation, and the Hartfield Foundation— some of them matching grants that also relied on individual donations, which are still welcomed! Etsy artists and Folkmanis have donated costumes and animal puppets. As I spoke with her, my favorite quotation from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden seemed to describe this project: “If one
july 20 5:30 pm
Encyclopedia Virginia: A Virtual History of Virginia with Peter Hedlund
continued on page 36 MEREDITH COE, COURTESY WILDROCK
three years ago with her husband and two-year-old daughter, after eleven years working in Maryland. As she surveyed the family-owned land where her daughter could roam freely— replete with stream, willow tree, boulders for climbing, and the towering “wild rock” itself—she suddenly had a dream of what this space could become for children and families of the community, how it could serve “to celebrate nature play, to provide a platform for connection and a bridge into nature for those who don’t have much access to green space.” Out of this vision—combined with Schuyler’s creative drive, dedication, enterprise, and tireless work—Wildrock has become a reality and a unique resource for the children of the region. Schuyler became passionate about creating an environment that would build stronger children and families, inspire the love of nature, and act as a catalyst for others to support healthy growth and healing. Wildrock’s mission is “to promote nature play for health and happiness”—especially focusing on individuals and families who might be dealing with challenges such as autism, cancer, abuse, or sensory integration disorder. Schuyler has formed partnerships with a number of nonprofit organizations that serve these populations, such as the Virginia Institute of Autism, Galen Foundation, Boys and Girls Club, Computers4Kids, International Neighbors, The Women’s Initiative, and Bright Stars, who visit frequently at little or no charge. She encourages foster families and refugee fami-
JUNE 2017
It’s almost time for another Third Thursday at the Lodge. Make your plans today to join as we welcome Peter Hedlund and Encyclopedia Virginia: A Virtual History of Virginia. Peter will be discussing Encyclopedia Virginia, a project of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, that’s a fully vetted online resource devoted to the rich history and culture of Virginia. Using new technologies Peter will take you into places such as the pulpit of an eighteenth-century church, Patrick Henry’s basement where he kept his wife and many more—all without leaving your seat. He’ll also talk about new technologies like 3D printing and virtual reality. It’s sure to be an amazing evening as the history of Virginia comes to life before your very eyes! OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Make your reservation early. RSVP to 434.823.9100 or rsvp@lodgeatoldtrail.com 330 Claremont Lane Crozet, Virginia 22932
www.lodgeatoldtrail.com Children can roll oversized eggs down the ramp out of “the nest.”
INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE
14
CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
By Lisa Martin
lisamartin@crozetgazette.com
LISA MARTIN
When Shannon Horridge first learned about a cooperative art idea that spanned grade levels at an educators’ conference a few years ago, she knew she’d have to try it. Horridge has taught art at Brownsville Elementary for the past 18 years, and she was intrigued by the prospect of kindergarteners and high schoolers working in tandem on an art project based on a beloved children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Horridge explained the sequence of events. “First, the kindergarten classes read the book and talked about shapes and patterns they saw in the
Shannon Horridge
monsters,” she said. “Then they drew their own monsters with wax crayons, and painted over the crayon with watercolor,” in a process called a crayon resist. The young artists also dictated a description of their monster’s personality and physical qualities, which was attached to the backs of the paintings. Horridge delivered the artworks to WAHS art teacher Nancy Mehlich, who in turn presented them to students in her Art I, Art II, and Crafts classes. The high schoolers each used ‘found’ and recycled materials of all kinds—buttons, yarn, milk jugs, fabric, pins, egg cartons, paint—to construct a three-dimensional sculpture exactly replicating one of the monster paintings. The results were stunning. “The students were so inventive,” said Horridge. “Every time I look I see some new detail, some really creative use of a physical thing to mimic a texture in the painting.” Though Horridge had piloted the program with another colleague using 18 paintings the year before, WAHS took on a bigger goal. “We were able to collaborate on sixty of the paintings,” said Mehlich, “and next year we hope to do more.” One pair of art partners was Lucie Mercer from Brownsville and Lexi Warburton, a sophomore at WAHS. Though they
LISA MARTIN
Brownsville-WAHS Art Collaboration Leads to Twinned Success
Lexi Warburton and Lucie Mercer paired up to create matching monsters.
never met during the creative process, each gave serious thought to their monster design. “It was really fun,” said Mercer, who pointed out that her painting was a picture of herself as a monster. In the notes on the back, she described specific details such as its hands, which had “black fur and three claws,” its specially decorated feet, and its “ears shaped like an 8.” From there, Warburton used a variety of materials to interpret Mercer’s image in 3D. “I thought a lot about how Lucie said it was her,” said Warburton, whose part of the project took about four weeks to complete. She used hot glue and orange tissue paper for the body, folded cardboard for the head, pieces of insulation for the feet, and
sections of watercolor trays for the ears. In a further set of parallels, Warburton was a former student at Brownsville herself, and had even had Mercer’s kindergarten teacher, Ms. Davis, as a long-term substitute in third grade. Mehlich would love to have all of the pairs of artists meet up in person next year, perhaps even to collaborate on the work while still in progress. In the meantime, she’s collecting materials in boxes in her art room— wood, metal, paper, plastic, fabric—so there will be plenty to choose from. “Most art teachers are kind of savers,” she said. “A quantity of anything will make a thing.” Add the ingenuity of artistic collaboration, and the outcome can be twice as nice.
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
By Phil James
phil@crozetgazette.com
Look Around—History Is Hidden Ever wonder about the individual whose name adorns the street sign at that intersection which you drive through every day? Or why that nearly century-old business facade was designed with oversized plate glass windows? And what’s the deal with the old horseshoe partially embedded in that tree next to the parking lot? To live in modern society is to have one’s senses bombarded constantly from all sides. It takes effort to focus even on the task at hand — like safe, responsible driving — so it’s understandable when we whisk right by otherwise obvious vestiges of our past without even a sideways glance. “Looking Back” was a Daily Progress newspaper column penned by Free Union native Vera Viola Via (1914–1964). From the late 1940s until shortly before her passing, Miss Via focused on uncovering and casting new light on some of the people and places associated with our shared heritage.
15
in
Plain Sight
Similar to other Daily Progress interpreters of local history such as Boyce Loving and David Maurer, Vera’s weekly columns were the result of her just looking around Albemarle County for vestiges of the past. We would be a much poorer community had she not taken the time and spent her precious energy to enlighten us. Spillway construction at the dam for Lake Albemarle, summer 1941. Workers from Civilian Conservation Corps Co. #338, Camp Albemarle, established in June 1933 at White Hall, VA, began Let’s begin with our largest the lake project in 1938. African American CCC Co. #1390, Camp Gallion, from near Green Bay, VA, relocated to Camp Albemarle in July 1941, and brought the project to its completion. [Photo and most easily was courtesy of the J. Harvey Bailey Collection] “overlooked” history feature. Western Albemarle motored along Shenandoah condemned more than 16 thouCounty is bordered by the maj- National Park’s “Greatest Single sand acres of long-settled and esty of our beautiful-in-all-sea- Feature,” the Skyline Drive. populated land in western sons Blue Ridge Mountains. Hikers, both casual as well as Albemarle and then gifted it to Perhaps you are numbered those bound for Georgia or the Federal government for a among the millions who have Maine along the Appalachian national playground. Those Trail, regularly traverse that whose homes and ways of life backdrop which we too often were sacrificed for the park’s take for granted. establishment would want us to In the 1920s, the honor their personal legacies by Commonwealth of Virginia continued on page 16
Shenandoah National Park contains over 16,000 acres of western Albemarle County land. The eminent domain process by which those properties were acquired in the 1920s and ‘30s uprooted scores of Albemarle families who had known no other home besides these mountains. The overgrown National Park Service boundary marker is alongside the 18th-century Three Notch’d Road at Jarman’s Gap. [Photo by Phil James]
The Newtown community’s Rosenwald School, still standing on Newtown Road/ Rt. 690 at Greenwood, was constructed c.1925–’26. It contained two connecting classrooms with individual cloakrooms. An Industrial Room protruding between vestibuled twin front entrances allowed for shop and cooking classes. Its last students were transferred to then-segregated Virginia L. Murray Elementary School at Ivy in 1960. [Drawing from Rosenwald Community School Plans, Bulletin No. 3; 1924.]
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History
—continued from page 15
seeking out and learning from the remnants left of their former homes, gardens, and solemn burying grounds. In addition to overlooks and trailheads all along Skyline Drive inside the park, three public access points for adventurous park pass holders exist in Albemarle County: in Jarman’s Gap at the end of Rt. 611; in Sugar Hollow at the end of Rt. 614; and in Brown’s Gap at the end of Rt. 629. Parking is extremely limited at each of these points, and it is imperative that adjacent private property rights are respected. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state-sponsored segregated schools were illegal. It took more than a decade of court challenges for that landmark decision to become implemented in Albemarle County. Prior to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, in the era of Jim Crow traditions, separate and unequally funded African-American public school facilities were augmented by funds from philanthropist and Sears, Roebuck and Co. president Julius Rosenwald. Beginning in 1917, Rosenwald Funds were added to locally raised monies to build schoolhouses in Black commu-
nities in the South. In the Newtown community at Greenwood, one such school was opened in 1926, modeled after Rosenwald’s plans for a two-teacher school. Other former African-American schools at Brown’s Cove, Ivy, and White Hall have been repurposed as private dwellings. The Crozet Elementary School for Black students, opened in 1916 adjacent to Union Mission Baptist Church, was razed in 1984, lost to the ages like too many otherwise historic structures that once stood in and around that village. Before you depart Crozet village, pause to glance at the large plate glass display windows in the store building across the road from the former train depot. When your mind’s eye refocuses, it might picture the 1930s automobile showroom for Lockhart Chevrolet. Down Main Street on the corner of Jarman’s Gap Road, that former tearoom-turned-filling-station also had a show room extension added to display automobiles for sale. On Brown’s Gap Turnpike at the stop sign in front of c.1888 Wyant’s Store in downtown White Hall, you are invited to park your posterior on their front porch bench, relax and wave as the world passes you by. While you’re there, comfortably contemplating the true meanings of life in the country, con-
This concrete watering trough alongside historic Brown’s Gap Turnpike/Old Three Notch’d Road was filled with water piped from the millrace for the c.1790 Jarman’s Mill at Mechum’s River. The inset photo shows the trough’s inscribed construction date as April 29, 1915. The mill’s foundation ruins are directly across the road. [Photo by Phil James]
Crozet radio station WPED was founded in 1970 by George Cory in a building at the bottom of Hilltop Street adjacent to Claudius Crozet Park. Its original transmitting tower was erected nearby in a former pasture where Parkside Village is today. As a result of station mergers in the 1980s and ‘90s, operations were removed from the Crozet-Hilltop studio. [Poster courtesy of “Big John” Dutram, former WPED DJ, and Lisa McCauley Miller/Modern Barber Shop]
sider that the springy bench upon which you are perched had its origin a half-mile away on the Camp Albemarle Civilian Conservation Corps grounds, established in 1933. Just up the road, hidden in plain sight directly behind Piedmont Store and the White Hall Post Office is the original Piedmont Store. At age 150plus, it is the oldest extant country store in Albemarle County, still standing firmly on its stacked rock foundation. Several miles to the east and across the river near Earlysville, you might notice the street sign denoting Link Evans Lane, honoring that community’s blacksmith. Further along, when you pass across South Fork Rivanna Reservoir you would not realize that the steel-truss bridge that once spanned Ivy Creek is buried in the water’s depths. No,
not in plain sight unless you spot its photo, taken in the 1960s as the reservoir was filling, in the book Flash: The Photography of Ed Roseberry, published in 2016. Scattered all along the byways on which we travel are hidden springs once well-known and counted on by travelers before the advent of automobiles. Shallow ponds and accessible wide spots in small streams once provided ice in the cold winter months to fill deep icehouses, some of which still exist today beneath trap doors in generic looking sheds. Look around—a watering trough here, a millstone there, lonely stacked-stone chimneys, even an occasional horseshoe partially protruding from a tree; each have stories to tell of others, much like yourself, who once passed this way.
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
JULY 2017
17
By Lisa Martin
lisamartin@crozetgazette.com
WAHS is known for its academics and powerhouse sports teams, but there is also a rich and varied set of arts programs—from visual to performance—thriving within the school. Four years ago, a group of parents in the WAHS community decided to form a nonprofit organization, Arts in Western Education (AWE), to elevate the visibility of arts in all six western-district schools and to provide a source of extra funding for the programs. The group emphasizes the benefits of arts education for whole child development, and notes that participation in the arts helps students express their creativity while increasing self-confidence and learning to collaborate. Colette Sheehy, outgoing AWE president, said the effort has been given a boost by the current WAHS administration. “[Principal] Darah Bonham and [Assistant Principal] Tim Driver
are very supportive of the arts, and really help by promoting events in the announcements and on social media.” AWE’s prime fundraising event, “ArtFest in the West,” first launched in 2013 and was held at The Lodge at Old Trail. Showcasing student projects and talent across artistic fields and throughout the elementary, middle, and high schools, the event was an immediate success, raising $6,000 for school art programs. Moved to WAHS in 2014, the event has grown steadily, raising $8,000 last year and $12,800 in 2017. At this year’s March event, the 300 or so people in attendance were entertained by jazz and choral music, a drama performance, and interactive art demonstrations such as face painting and creating ceramics pieces on a potter’s wheel. The AWE’s five board members, aided by WAHS staff, do the hard work of setting up and running the event, and last year added a silent auction component increased fundraising sig-
LISA MARTIN
ArtFest in the West a Windfall for School Art Programs
Sophomore Caitlin Adams throws ceramics on a pottery wheel at ArtFest.
nificantly. “The silent auction contributed about $5,000 this year, and of course the business donors are important as well,” said Sheehy. After simply allocating the ArtFest proceeds across schools in the event’s early years, AWE has transitioned to a grant process whereby each school submits a request to fund a specific activity or set of supplies. “If we are more aware of what
teachers are doing with this money, we can better advertise those goals and potential donors might be more responsive to particular needs such as instruments or uniforms,” said Sheehy. “Next year we might even have auction sheets for specific things they request.” This year, all 11 grant requests submitted by teachers were fully funded, and the procontinued on page 31
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chief engineer Jennifer Whitaker. The most dramatic potential implication of the study would be to increase capacity at Beaver Creek reservoir, possibly by dredging it or raising the 59-foot earthen dam. The reservoir now holds 520 million gallons and at its deepest point is 40 feet deep. The 104-acre lake, part of 219 surrounding acres owned by the RWSA, opened in 1964. It drains a watershed of more than 7,000 acres extending to the top of the Bucks Elbow Mountain. Landowners on the lake are not allowed to disturb the landscape within 200 feet of the water’s edge, but officials noted that some are mowing up to the water’s edge. Swimming is not allowed in the lake, but boating is. The Crozet water service area roughly overlays the Growth Area boundaries but also includes the Sunset Hills and Thurston Drive neighborhoods north of town that are outside the Growth Area, as well as some parcels on Rt. 250 near Yancey Mills. ACSA director Gary O’Connell said the authority supplies 8,400 residents in the Crozet district. “We’ve seen a 35 percent increase in connections since 2010,” he said, adding the average customer uses 3,500 gallons of water per month. “That’s an average baseline.” Ninety-five percent of ACSA’s Crozet customers are residential. The area has 59 irrigation customers that use 4 percent of the water and local breweries account for less than 3 percent of use, O’Connell noted. The Crozet treatment plant can clean one million gallons
per day. “Average daily flow keeps growing,” said Whitaker. “Peak flow—above 80 percent—is nearing the capacity of the plant. For the last four or five years, we’ve been having 10 or 12 peak days in a year. Now we’re seeing two or three days over a hot summer week, and then two or three days the next week. Then somebody wants to fill a pool, and then and then and then. We see a much more consistent rise in that condition that’s causing us to need to have the capacity to treat and respond to it.” Meanwhile, a change in state standards for dams means that the Beaver Creek dam needs a $10 million improvement in its system for discharging water. A dam failure would release a flood that would reach all the way to Charlottesville’s South Fork Reservoir. Whitaker said the RWSA already plans to increase the Crozet treatment plant’s capacity to 1.5 million gallons per day. “Preliminary design is almost complete,” she said. The project to enlarge is expected to take five years. The reservoir has a “safe withdrawal” limit of 1.8 million gallons per day. “One-point-five is close to one-point-eight,” Whitaker noted, “so there will be permitting issues [with the state’s Department of Environmental Quality]. If supply needs to be increased then does the dam need to be raised to contain more water,” she asked rhetorically. “Is a 1.5 mgd expansion sufficient? Do we need to add pipes? We have to come up with a road map.” The engineering firm of Hazen and Sawyer, headquartered in New York City but with an office in Richmond, will do the study, which is expected to be finished by December 2018.
CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
19
Camino Cake The iconic walk in the United States is the Appalachian Trail (AT). Undertaken as a physical challenge, as recreation or meditative retreat, each year since its completion in 1937, thousands walk from Georgia to Maine, or just enjoy part of the trail. See the March 2017 issue of the Crozet Gazette for the story of a young man of my acquaintance who walked the AT in a most extraordinary fashion. He then returned and bought my old Honda—thanks, Adam. In Europe, the walk of walks is the Camino de Santiago, The Way of St. James. Established sometime in the Middle Ages, pilgrims would undertake a spiritual journey across Europe, ending near the Spanish coast at Santiago de Compostela, there to venerate the saint whose bones were said to be interred within the cathedral bearing his name. There are many routes through all the European countries and most funnel to the last 800 km across northern Spain. The route has been in continuous use, except during the Black Plague (!), and has been popularized anew in the 1980s. Martin Sheen starred in the movie “The Way,” introducing the pilgrimage to Americans. I highly recommend this film if you’re interested in learning more about the Camino. As my Dutch friends say, “The Appalachian Trail is nice, but there are no cafes.” What makes walking The Camino so
completely charming is that while most of the trail takes you through the countryside, over fields, along vineyards and farms, or deep woods, every few hours the Way meanders through a town where you can stop for fresh squeezed orange juice, an excellent coffee, a Fanta soda, some sparkling water, or a beer. Little snacks are available as are full lunches. Most towns also feature youth hostels and small hotels which provide inexpensive accommodation and, in most cases, a communal pilgrim meal. Twelve dollars buys you three courses and a bottle of wine or water— take your pick! You’ve walked all day—eat! And thus can a woman walk 80 miles in a week, carrying a heavy backpack, and not lose an ounce. Sigh. I’ve walked most of the Camino, in stages over the years. It’s a most amazing way to meet people, reflect on life, practice one’s Spanish, admire extraordinary scenery, and have hilarious adventures. And the food! Ah, the Spanish food is just wonderful. Probably the only thing I’ve not been crazy about was the pulpo (octopus). As you get closer to Santiago de Compostela, the St. James cake appears on the pilgrim meal menu. When we walked the last hundred kilometers, we ate it every night. It’s an almond cake, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and while it is a pretty standard recipe, we had varia-
tions: some moist, some dry. It became a nightly ritual to evaluate the cake. We still make torta de Santiago each July 25, the feast of St. James, to honor the Apostle in whose memory we have had such extraordinary experiences. The cake is topped with a cutout of St. James’ cross, sprin-
kled with powdered sugar, and then the cutout is removed, leaving the imprint on the cake. I purchased a metal cross while in Spain, but it’s easy to make one of cardboard. Check the Internet. The recipe that follows has been adjusted and perfected by my husband John, the great devotee of all things dessert.
Torta de St. James 2 2/3 cups almond flour ¾ cup white flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 ¼ cup sugar ½ cup butter 6 eggs, separated
Zest of one lemon 4 drops almond extract 1 cup of sliced and toasted almonds for decoration 1 cup of powdered sugar for decoration
Preheat over to 350°F Butter and lightly flour a 10-inch springform pan or tart pan. Beat butter and sugar till creamy, then beat in the egg yolks. Add lemon zest and almond extract and beat till well mixed. In a separate bowl, mix the flours and the baking powder, then add to the sugar/butter mixture. With clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold them into the egg/butter/flour mixture. Pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes. Cake is done if an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake, then cover with the toasted slivered almonds. Place a St. James cutout cross on the cake, then sift powdered sugar over the top. Carefully remove the cross. Serves 8.
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
By Lisa Martin
lisamartin@crozetgazette.com
First graders at Crozet Elementary take turns practicing their reading skills each week with a few unconventional listeners, one of whom is named Lucy. Lucy is quiet, easy-going, and nonjudgmental, though she does occasionally give her readers a friendly lick. Lucy is a therapy dog, a black lab belonging to volunteer Ellen Braun, who brings Lucy to Sarah Ackenbom’s first grade class for regular visits to spend a little quality reading time with the students. The use of therapy animals in reading programs for children is a growing trend in Virginia. Research shows children can improve their reading skills by reading aloud, and pet therapy advocates say reading to animals reduces a child’s self-consciousness. The CharlottesvilleAlbemarle SPCA’s Pet Therapy Program, for example, where Braun and Lucy got their start, currently provides reading support at eight area schools and libraries. “The kids are able to get comfortable with a dog,” explained Braun, “and so they have an experience with reading that is relaxed and joyful.” Not to be confused with service dogs, who assist people
with life-limiting disabilities by serving as their full-time companions, therapy dogs are pets, handled by their owners, who interact with people in their community as a team. In addition to providing reading support for children, therapy dog teams may visit hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers, inviting patients to pet or even snuggle with the animal while absorbing its calm, doggy vibe. Not just any hound can be a therapy dog, however—a canine candidate must complete a rigorous training and certification process to qualify. Braun, who adopted Lucy from Lab Rescue of Greater Richmond, said the training follows two stages. “First is obedience training, to cement the bond between the dog and owner, and then the dog visits institutional settings such as nursing homes and hospitals to make sure she can adapt to different mixes of people, smells, and levels of tension.” Once Lucy was certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, Braun took her to read with children at the Crozet Library, and eventually began partnering with Ackenbom at Crozet Elementary. Ackenbom said she’s grateful for the impact the therapy team
LISA MARTIN
Therapy Team Smooths Out Reading Ruff Spots at Crozet
Therapy dog Lucy and her partner Ellen Braun visit with first graders at Crozet Elementary.
has had. “It’s impossible to explain the feeling of having a sweet, loving dog around a group of six- and seven-yearolds,” she said. “Their young souls are soothed by having an animal in the classroom.” Ackenbom chooses the students who read with Lucy in two ways, for two 30-minute sessions each week. “One selection is at random out of a hat, and when all have read with Lucy we start over. The second selection is more ‘need-based,’ if a child is having a difficult time with a particular skill, or perhaps needs to feel successful because something else challenged them recently.” She said the team is a key piece that she
uses “to ensure all of my students feel loved and supported in my classroom.” Braun has helped arrange for two other certified teams— Anne Townsend and her yellow lab Daisy, and Brenda Neckerman and her black lab Lila—to work with the other two first grade classes at Crozet Elementary. Looking ahead, she’d like to recruit more teams to expand the program to kindergarten and second grade. “A good match would be a dog owner who is dedicated to literacy, who can work within a school system and respect a teacher’s timing needs, and who can integrate their work with a continued on page 32
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A River Runs Through It Waynesboro Invites Public to Water Trail By Theresa Curry
theresa@crozetgazette.com
The Waynesboro Parks and Recreation Department has put the finishing touches on the Waynesboro Water Trail, a twoto-three-hour trip that takes paddlers by four of Waynesboro’s public parks. Take-out spots near each of the parks allow visitors to shorten the trip, and those wanting a longer trip can continue on to Crimora Park, Grand Caverns Park, Grottoes Park, and Port Republic, where the South River flows into the North to become the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, all part of the larger South River Blueway. The city’s portion is not a demanding paddle, said Ryan DeMarmels, a Parks and Recreation staff member, but it has plenty of features to keep it interesting. There’s a small rapids and a short (100 feet or so) portage. The most interesting feature, though, said Stephanie Seltzer, also of the Parks and Recreation staff, is that kayakers are actually paddling through the city, although there are ample stretches of serene, untroubled South River water that seem completely cut off from anything urban. The city’s done everything possible to make access easy for beginning paddlers. There’s a launching chute at Ridgeview Park, the spot near downtown where the trail typically starts, that requires no more than a nudge to position a kayak on the river. People wanting to get a feel for the river before tackling the trail
can rent kayaks furnished by the city on Sundays from 1 to 6, for a more restricted paddle both upriver and downriver. De Marmels said there are signs in the water that advise kayakers how far to take the rentals. There are several suggestions as to how a lone kayaker might traverse the water trail: starting upstream (at Basic Park), paddling south to Ridgeview Park and floating back; or leaving a bike at the place provided at the takeout. Otherwise, you’ll need a friend or fellow paddler to provide a second car or a ride back to the start. Fishing is encouraged, although only trout are considered safe to eat. For more information, visit the city’s website at waynesboro. va.us.
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By Theresa Curry theresa@crozetgazette.com
THERESA CURRY
Vines in late June at King Family Vineyard
Local Grapes Thrive After Soggy Spring There’s a saying among Virginia winemakers that it’s no harder to make wine in Virginia than anywhere else, except for the frost, humidity and hurricanes. To some degree, all three of these challenges were factors in the 2016 season. Late frost is the worst, said Sarah Craun of Stinson Vineyards in White Hall. “It damages the buds to the point where you lose the grapes.” Brooks Hoover, vineyard manager of Pippin Hill in North Garden, said several varieties were lost to last year’s late frost, which followed weeks of early spring rains. Humidity’s not easy to contend with either: it’s usually the culprit behind diseases caused by mold and mildew, and although few hurricanes hit here with full force, the heavy rains that reach Virginia during hurricane season cause grapes to swell and bloat. “It’s a nightmare when this happens,” said Bill Tonkins, Veritas vineyard manager. “The grapes swell and actually split.” It’s the water saturating the grapes, rather than the uptake of water from the earth, that’s the danger, he explained. At Stinson last year, Craun said, grapes were harvested early under threat of rain, with their lack of maturity causing a dilemma for the winemaker. Luckily, though, said Hoover, every year is different. In spite of the mild winter, which encourages the grapes to bloom
early, most local vineyards weren’t too badly affected by central Virginia’s April frost. “We saw a little loss,” said Matthew Brown at King Family Vineyard, “and there were a couple of close calls later, but generally we came out okay.” Like other vineyards, he said, his vineyard acknowledges that they’re working in a distinctly non-Mediterranean climate and tries to choose grapes that work within that reality. “We’re doing more with Petit Verdot, which does well here,” he said. State wine experts are always on the lookout for grapes more suited to our humid, changeable climate. “We experimented with Petit Verdot years ago as a good Virginia choice,” said Enology Professor Emeritus Dr. Bruce Zoecklein of Virginia Tech. “In my opinion, it’s been rather slow to catch on. King Family and Veritas are doing a good job with it now.” At Pippin Hill, the very varieties that suffered last year at are doing great, Hoover said. “The vines appreciate a year off.” He specifically mentioned the Chardonnay and Viognier, which came back after last year’s challenges and are thriving better than ever. At Veritas, Tonkins also mentioned the Viognier (after Chardonnay, Virginia’s most heavily planted white grape.) “This is a variety that’s sometimes a little dodgy, but it’s looking very good now, well ahead of schedule.” Tony Wolf, professor of viniculture at Virginia Tech, said that across the region, Viognier crop levels are notably good.
Vineyard staff acknowledge that it’s way too early to predict the quality of the harvest. Pippin Hill’s Hoover is keeping his eye on El Niño, which can greatly affect rainfall during the growing season and extend the hurricane season by weeks. King Family’s Brown says there are other factors besides the weather to worry about: squirrels, deer, raccoons and birds can be extremely destructive, especially during a drought. Tonkins said that Veritas will know more about the harvest about 30 days before.”This is agriculture, this is Virginia,” said Hoover. “Everything changes.” Wolf summed it up: “The stage is set for a very good crop in 2017, but harvest is too far off to offer more than an optimistic suggestion that the 2017 season is advancing towards another very good season from a quality standpoint. Stay tuned.”
Cold treats sweeten summer No one need go hungry for a sweet bite of something cold this month. At Los Cabanas on Rt. 250, owner Maria Garcia has ample frozen stores of paletas, fresh and colorful treats several steps up from ordinary popsicles, with whole chunks of frozen fruit, infusions of chili, bright tropical flavors of lime, guava, mango, yellow cherry, mamey and coconut, many made in Charlottesville at La Flor Michoacana. Other frozen treats incorporate cookies, rice pudding and eggnog. Across the road, Brianna and Austin Robbins, who operate the food truck Braised at Pro Re Nata, have whipped up a cold Whoopie Pie, a luscious homemade sandwich of cookies and cold, stout-flavored buttercream, providing`a sweet ending for dessert lovers at the brewery. At Crozet Creamery, manager Erik Schetlick created a United States of Cream flavor for July 4, with red velvet chocolate providing a nice contrast with two shades of vanilla. By the end of the month, he hopes to be able to offer pints of Creamery ice cream, once he’s able to freeze the dessert cold enough for folks to transport it home.
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Maria Garcia offers many varieties of las paletas at Los Cabanas
A few miles away at the Batesville Store you’ll find a freezer full of Trickling Spring ice cream, a rich, small-batch brand the store imports from a specialty maker in Pennsylvania. “One bite and I knew I had to offer it here,” said owner Alex Struminger. Hard-to-resist flavors like salted caramel, fresh blueberry, chip and mint, and Indonesian vanilla are popular, but store employee Kim Eastep singled out the vanilla with grape nuts. “My grandparents used to sprinkle grapenuts on their ice cream,” she said. “I was amazed to find it already made that way.”
Tax break favors charitable farmers Farmers now have another reason to make sure extra produce goes to deserving families. In 2016 the Virginia General Assembly established a donation tax credit for food growers who donate a portion of their crops to a nonprofit food bank. The amount of the credit is 30 percent of the fair market value of the donation, with a limit of $5,000. If farmers owe less than the amount of the credit they’re due, they can carry the credits over for as many as five years. Abena Foreman-Trice of the Blue Ridge Food Bank, which oversees this area, said the Food Bank processed $10,000 in tax credits in 2016, and that so far in 2017, it’s processed $12,000, a healthy chunk of the statewide total of $35,000 in tax breaks for growers this year. To qualify, eligible taxpayers submit an application to the Department of Taxation.
CROZETgazette THERESA CURRY
Carl Zovko, ZSP CrossFit
Foreman-Trice said the intent of the local Food Bank is to provide more and greater varieties of fresh produce to neighbors in need. She said the local office is glad to respond to questions about the process at 540-2138421.
Chickapig Shows Up Here The Chickapig van rolled through western Albemarle last month, making a couple of stops, its last before a national tour to introduce the game to a wider audience. Lovers of the game created by Rockbridge Guitar’s Brian Calhoun, and those new to it, gathered at Starr Hill, where they could sip the newly released “Chickapig pilsner” and learn more about the game from expert Judah Brownstein. The next day, Brownstein parked the colorful Chickapig mobile at the Batesville Store for a special Father’s Day promotion. Munching on chicken and pork
JULY 2017 quesadillas offered in honor of the game, families tested their strategies while Brownstein answered questions. Brownstein’s summer plans coincided perfectly with plans for the popular local game’s market expansion. “I was going to travel out west anyway,” he said. The van is neatly outfitted with living and sleeping space, with plenty of storage for the Chickapig boards and T-shirts. Solar panels on the roof power the overhead fans and run the refrigerator. Brownstein has plenty of qualifications for his stint as a rolling game instructor and purveyor. He was the country’s national high school chess champion in 2000, and more recently lived in close quarters sailing a boat across the Atlantic. He likes the fact that Chickapig, unlike chess, encourages conversation and can engage family members of all ages. Brownstein will introduce the game at stops throughout the prairie states and the northwest and make a loop back again to return in the fall. He leaves behind 12 gardens he started in various places while moving around the Charlottesville area in the van.
CrossFit comes to Crozet Those wishing to get in shape, stay in shape or balance their athletic performance welcome Carl Zovko as the owner and coach of ZSP CrossFit, which opened last month in the Crozet Shopping Center. With a doctorate in physical therapy, Zovko works at PT Plus full time. “So, for now, our open hours are set before and after work: 6 and 7 a.m.; and 6:30
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Chickapig van parked outside the Batesville Store for Father’s Day fun.
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New sidewalk and ramps were installed to solve storm water drainage issues.
p.m.,” he said. ZSP is in the west end of the shopping center, the old home of BB&T. The space still has the bank vault in the corner, but the rest of the space has been freshly painted, carpeted and outfitted with appropriate fitness gear. Zovko used the initials ZSP (for Zovko Sports Performance) once he found that “Crozet CrossFit” was already taken. “Maybe that business is in France, or maybe it will show up here later,” he said. Right now, his clients are mostly new to CrossFit, a patented brand of functional fitness. “Because the training is so hands-on, most people who start with a gym develop a loyalty and stick with it,” he said. “That’s as it should be.” He was surprised from the first when more than twice as many clients as he expected showed up. How did they know about him? “Well, remember, this is Crozet,” said Zovko, who lives here in Bargamin Park. “My landlady knew about it before I even told anyone.” The interdisciplinary nature of the training is a big part of what he finds appealing. “Every day is different,” he said. “In each hourlong session, we spend a long time warming up; from 15 minutes to a half-hour in intense exercise, and then a stretch and cool down. Athletes can track their workouts electronically at the studio. Most important, said Zovko, is that people don’t have to be at a certain level to begin. He’s always there, ready to modify, demonstrate or assist. He asks that someone in doubt about their physical ability, new to fitness, or with certain disabilities come a few minutes early so he
can consult with them. Other clients typically choosing CrossFit are athletes who excel in one discipline. “For instance, you can be an ultra-marathon runner and be too stiff to tie your shoes,” he said. “We can help with that.” The weeks before and after his opening have been long ones for him. “Obviously, someone who takes on a venture like this has to have the support of his family,” he said. He said he owes a lot of thanks to his wife, Lindsey––a professional photographer––and daughters Lily, 7; and Harper, 5. From his practice as a physical therapist, Zovko has a deep interest in the impact of movement on fitness and happiness, and is concerned about the nation’s trajectory of poor health. “If you can’t come here, I hope you will go somewhere or do something: just move,” he said.
Crozet Shopping Center Improvements A great deal of work was recently completed in the parking lot of the shopping center to fix the drainage problem that has plagued the tenants for some time, said Sharon Plemmons, who helps manage the property for owners Mark Green and Kurt Wassenaar. She was referring to the flood-like conditions that have occurred in the past during hard rains, sometimes causing water inside the shops themselves. Extensive engineering and architectural work in advance of the improvement should ensure that the water now drains as it should, Plemmons said.
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
by John Andersen
john@crozetgazette.com
We’re Human, Remember
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I am incredibly fortunate to have been able to take a trip to Alaska recently. What an amazing place! My summary of the entire state is that you are either in a small town, or you are in wild, remote, wilderness—there is simply no in between. Incredible mountains are everywhere, complete with snowy caps, glaciers, majestic rivers, waterfalls, and endless forests and fjords. Thriving here is abundant wildlife—bears, eagles, otters, whales. You can’t help but feel while in Alaska that we humans are a part of this natural world, not separate from it. My fascination with Alaska started early in life when my dad gave me a book of Jack London stories. I read every single one. Then James Michener’s Alaska, telling the historical tale of this place as he does best, from the past to the present. From all this reading (and more) and now visiting this magical place, I’ve found three reasons that many of us are spellbound with the Alaska story and of course, I’ll do my best to tie them into how this relates to you and your fitness. 1) We love the natural scenery and wildlife. So seriously, are there people who don’t like beautiful mountains and majestic wildlife? I’m not saying you
have to get lost on a mountain top or ride an Orca, but let’s agree that there is a part of all of us that wonders at our natural world at its most pristine and finest. Alaska truly is the last frontier. There is so much in that natural world that is still happening just as it was 10,000 years ago. Yes, we humans have done our best to mess it up, but the state is just too large and concentrated conservation efforts actually work. As I spent time in the Alaskan wilderness, or ven just admired it from a cruise ship, I couldn’t help but feel an incredible bond with our natural world. All too often we are stuck in houses, offices, cars, pavement and we rarely get outside to simply immerse ourselves in beautiful natural environment we have all around us in Crozet. Do you live in Crozet but have never been to Shenandoah National Park? Get outside in the wilderness regularly. Make it a family priority. Reconnect. You’ll be surprised at the wellness and fitness gains you’ll make. 2) We love the tough stories. In Alaska, you can’t escape the history of the gold rush. It is a huge part of Alaska’s history, and the accurate history portrays broken dreams, incredible hardships, and tragic journeys.
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The author “experiencing nature” outside of Juneau, Alaska.
CROZETgazette Yet we love hearing those stories of misery! For example, the gold miners who took the path up the Chilkoot Trail to get to the Klondike goldfields and Dawson. It seems an impossible journey, yet thousands tried. These people were determined and even though few actually struck it rich, it’s the stories of the journeys and the hardships that we remember and that captivate us as to what we humans are capable of. Do we think competing in an Ironman is an epic accomplishment? Well, how about hauling
JULY 2017 1,000 pounds of goods up the Chilkoot pass in winter? Don’t put limits on what you think you can do. Humans can do some incredible things and we have been doing so for thousands of years, long before training plans and races were around! 3) We love the native cultures. Alaska has some incredible native culture history. Their harmonious living with their natural world is all the more impressive when we compare it with the early “civilized” settler’s behavior of nearly exhausting continued on page 45
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Chiles Peach Orchard, 1351 Greenwood Road, Crozet Jo Ann Perkins and Tim Tolson with their community awards
From the Editor —continued from page 3
Crafts Festivals to account for. And look at what the park has accomplished in recent years to add amenities and events. She is a stalwart with the White Hall Ruritans and the Crozet Women’s Club. She is the widow of former Supervisor and School Board member Walter Perkins, and supported him through more than 20 years of public duties with a relentless schedule of meetings and burdensome choices. She was the Virginia Tree Farmer of the Year in 2014. Let’s remember, too, some other recent recipients of the award: Kim Guenther, Cheryl Madison, Karl Pomeroy, Kostis Alibertis, Preston Gentry, Jessica Mauzy, Bill Schrader, Scott Baker, David Wayland, Nancy Virginia Bain, June Andrews and Tom Loach. We wouldn’t be the community we are without their efforts. You don’t have to go to heroic lengths to be a contributor of course. There are quotidian ways to give and help. They
matter, and they add up. Look around, small things need to get done, too. One way for everyone to pitch in now is by filling out a community survey. If you received a letter with a code number in it, you were randomly selected to be in the geographically controlled part of the survey. Follow the instructions and use your code. Every response means that the statistical error rate in drawing conclusions from the responses gets lower and the data gets more like bedrock. If you didn’t get a letter, or if someone in your house has already answered it, your vote still counts. Go to the public site for the survey, crozetcommunity.org/2017/05/ public-survey/ , and fill it out, or get a paper copy at Crozet Library. Get your opinion in the count! Want a purpose that’s bigger than you and your lifetime? Think of Crozet as your hometown and imagine what you want it to be for those kids you see in the parade. Invest yourself where you are. It will pay off.
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Western’s Boys Tennis Takes State Championship By Margaret Marshall
PHOTO COURTESY CHERIE WITT
margaret@crozetgazette.com
Averi Witt on her way to a 5:00.3 1600m run at the New Balance Outdoor National meet at North Carolina A&T State University in June.
Witt Takes State 1600m Title By Margaret Marshall
margaret@crozetgazette.com
Averi Witt graduated from Western on June 2, but she wasn’t done representing her school quite yet. The next day, she woke up to run the 1600 in the 3A State Championship track meet in Harrisonburg. Having already raced as part of Western’s third-place 4x800m relay team the previous day, Witt had to race wisely, and she executed her plan: she claimed her third individual state title with a time of 5:03.85. Racing side by side with junior teammate Zoe Clay for the first two laps, Witt pulled ahead in the third and held off Clay, who finished third, and challenger Kaitlynn Wolfe from rival Blacksburg, who finished second. Though Witt had already won state titles during the indoor season, in the 1600 and the 800, this one meant something extra. “Outdoors, I really wanted to get the top spot on the podium. Winning the mile was my number one goal. It was extra special having two of my teammates make the podium with me,” Witt said, referring to Clay and to sophomore Alyssa Santoro-Adijian, who placed seventh to join Witt and Clay in the medal ceremony. These three speedsters, along
with sophomore runner Caroline McGahren and freshman jumper Katia Amos, earned the opportunity to extend their season another two weeks to compete at the next level: New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina on June 16-18. Witt, who often has had to lead the pack or run on her own in local races, got to be part of the elite pack in the mile. Cherie Witt, Western’s distance coach, who also happens to be Averi’s mom, was happy with how Averi handled the pressure of being boxed in and found a way to maneuver out and move up in the second half of the race. She crossed the finish line in a time of 5:00.33, which converts to personal best of 4:58.59 for a 1600m. The excellent time earned her a 12th place finish overall. The feat becomes even more remarkable in the light of Witt’s past injuries. Two years ago, she had to undergo surgery to fix a genetic anomaly in her knee cap that suddenly left her unable to run. After a lengthy recovery and copious cross-training, much of her junior year was spent rebuilding her strength, working hard in the weight room to correct the deficit in her injured leg. The work clearly paid off, as all these state championships prove. This fall, Witt
continued on page 32
For the past three years, the 3A boys tennis state tournament has ended with a match-up between Hidden Valley and Blacksburg, because for the past three years, one of those two teams has knocked Western Albemarle out in the semi-finals. But this year, things were different. This year, the Warriors didn’t just make it to the finals. This year, they won. The finals, held at Salem Civic Center on Saturday, June 10, had been the goal for a long time. The team knew it had the potential to be state champion, as their play in the regular season proved. They came into the final match of the year with a record of 21-1, their only loss coming at the hands of Woodberry Forest in late April. After that loss, which came amid a tough stretch of fierce competition, the team changed their line-up for doubles and re-committed themselves to a single, common goal: get through Hidden Valley and Blacksburg, win the state title. The post-season shaped up exactly as expected. The Warriors met Hidden Valley in the conference semi-finals, ending the Titans’ 39-game win streak, and avenging a loss to them in a scrimmage earlier in the season. They then faced Blacksburg in the conference championship and won again. But those wins, while fortifying, weren’t the goal. The goal was still to get through these teams to win not merely the conference, but the state. That mission propelled the Western boys as they dispatched Riverside in the state semi-finals, winning 5-0 on their home courts, and headed to the state finals for the first time since 2012. As predicted, they’d face Blacksburg yet again. The big day didn’t start auspiciously. After the top four singles matches wrapped up, Western trailed the Bruins 3-1, their one win coming courtesy of freshman Alex Ix at the No. 2 position. Western’s No. 5, junior Nicholas Hagspiel, and No. 6, sopho-
more Simon Rader, took the courts for their matches knowing that they had to win to give their team a chance at the victory going into doubles. Hagspiel, who couldn’t play due to injury in the conference contest with Blacksburg, delivered now, winning in straight sets. Rader did too, completing his perfect streak in the post-season. Thanks to these singles wins, the Warriors went into doubles play tied with the Bruins. Coach Seth Heller, in his fourth year with the team, said that splitting the singles didn’t worry them. In fact, it assured them: “We knew that singles would be a toss up and if we could split singles we would be able to overpower any team if it came down to doubles.” Heller was right. The No. 1 doubles pair, made up of Ix and junior Daniel Thomas, the team’s No. 1, won 6-0, 6-3. At the No. 2 doubles spot, Hagspiel won a set with his partner, Ben Masselli, the team’s No. 4 man and its only starting senior. The match that clinched the win came in the No. 3 doubles spot, where Rader and his partner, sophomore Jack Tribble, the team’s No. 3, defeated their opponents 6-1, 6-2. Western came home with the title. The win may harbinger a resurgence of the Western boys tennis dynasty, which reigned supreme for the better part of a decade, appearing in six straight state finals and winning most recently in 2012. Coach Heller says that this year’s squad is “an echo of past great teams,” which featured older brothers or playing partners of some of this year’s boys. But because this year’s team is so young, central Virginia can look forward to hearing their echo for years to come.
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Girls Soccer Wins States By Margaret Marshall
margaret@crozetgazette.com
The Western Albemarle girls soccer team entered the finals of the 3A State Tournament at Roanoke College with a record of 21-2. The next day, on June 11, they put their final tally in the win column with a 2-0 victory over Brentsville, bringing home the state crown for the first time since 2002. Having lost only to crosstown rival Albemarle during the regular season, the Western girls were confident but not cocky going into the big game. Some of the juniors and seniors on the squad were there two years ago when Western fell in the finals to Blacksburg, and they were determined not to lose their second chance at the title now. As junior Shannon Moore, one of the team’s stars and an All-State defender, said, “Each person had the state title as an individual goal from the beginning of the year, so when we got to the final game we were ready!” Brentsville was a largely unknown opponent, one whom the girls had not faced before, and they put up a good fight. Western played well and got several good shots, but just struggled to finish their chances on goal for the first fifty minutes. After a half-time pep talk from head coach Jake Desch and associate head coach Robert Crickenberger, things changed, though. Senior captain Emma Ratcliffe recalled, “Our coaches told us now it’s up to us to finish using our own knowledge and skill. It was a big turning point in the game. We came out strong in the second half.” Junior Elizabeth Fabiano provided the spark the Warriors had been looking for, taking a pass from junior Savannah Wilson and tapping it into
Afton Author —continued from page 7
lege, dropped out for a while, then graduated in the mid-60s. Inspired by a creative writing class, he wrote what he calls a typical first novel, full of freeform thought and edgy prose. “It was brilliant and intended to completely revise existing
Brentsville’s goal. Ratcliffe said that goal “got the confidence high and the momentum rolling.” Ten minutes later, freshman Erin Meier scored on an impressive shot nearly 30 yards from the goal. The second score sealed the deal for the Warriors. For the closing minutes of the game, with their victory in sight, the girls didn’t let up. Moore, who suffered a high ankle sprain the day before in the semi-finals, couldn’t play, but the girls were relentless on defense even without her. Crickenberger praised the girls for their tenacity: “The fact that we were able to remain so dominant on defense was a testament to our girls.” Junior Jane Romness, recently named the 3A All-State Player of the Year, dominated the midfield, and Crickenberger also commended sophomore Jane Berg and senior Nichole Heon for leading the defense, rising fearlessly to the challenge of playing without Moore. The win truly was a team effort. Because so many of the girls have played together for so long, the camaraderie among them added to the sweetness of the final whistle confirming the win. Ratcliffe, for instance, plays on the wing side of Heon, one her best friends and another captain. She credited the championship not just to the girls’ collective talent and experience, but to the fact that the team this year was “more like a family. We were closer as teammates and friends.” Crickenberger, who has been at Western for six years, said this is also the most talented team he’s coached so far, and added, “We expect much of the same from our returners next year.” The rest of the soccer world should consider themselves warned. notions of language,” he said. “Naturally, it didn’t sell.” He bounced back to New England for a while, then at a suggestion from an old friend, bought a bus ticket to Staunton. Coming over Afton Mountain, he had his second glimpse of the Rockfish Valley, and found it just as appealing. It was the late ’70s but “it was like the ’60s continued on page 41
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Western Albemarle High School Class of 2017 Abounader, Raymond *• Adam, Hannah Sibel *•◊∆ Adams, Catherine Ann *•◊∆+ Adcock, Ryan William + Albee, Ryan Lewis + Alexander, Casey Denise *< Alkateeb, Zain Noah *•◊∆ # Allard, Claire Adelaide *•◊∆ Anderson II, Robert Samuel *•◊+∆ Atuaia, Alema Viselia * Balber, Megan Marie *•◊∆ Barbour, Kiara Elizabeth • Becerra-Garcia,Victor Manuel Berry, Courtney Ann *•◊∆ # Bethke, Davis John *•∆ Bishop, Caitlin Marie *•◊∆+# Bland, Adriana Alicia *•◊∆ Bollmeier, Greta Rose *•◊∆ Bourne, Victoria Rose *+ Bowen, Eleanor Elizabeth *•◊∆ Bragaw, John Marshall *•◊∆ Bright, Eleanor Jo *•◊∆ Brock, Peyton Alexandra *•◊∆ Bryerton, Abigail Loraine *•◊∆ Buetow, James Ward *•◊∆ Cadieux, Samantha Michelle *•◊∆ Campbell, Christopher Chase *•◊+∆ Campos-Amador, Alan Francisco * Capshaw, Matthew Richmond *•∆ Carmichael, Catherine Ann *•◊∆ Carroll, Emily Meredith *• Clark, Hanna Riopel * Coffman, Joshua James Coleman, Dylan Melton * Coles, Ava Louise *•◊∆# Collins, Madison Elizabeth *•◊∆ Colomes, Avery Scout Conklin, Baylee Shea + Conrad, Michael Andrew •+ Cornell, Stephanie Leigh Correll, Roy Chapman *•◊∆ Cress, Austin Karl *•◊∆# Crissey, Benjamin Merton *•◊∆+ Crotteau, Charles Louis *•◊∆+ Crutchfield, Noah Khalil Daffern, Megan Frances *• ∆ Davis, William Joseph *•∆+ Dell, Frances Victoria Brooks *•◊∆+ Derby, Christopher Chayton + DeSimone, Timothy Lewis *•◊∆ Dillard, Connor Fitz-Hugh •+ Donley, Jessica Elizabeth * Donovan, Alexander James *•◊∆# Dougherty, Maggie Riggs *•◊∆# Dowd, Katie Tara * Eanes, Rebecca Claire *•∆ Eckhart, Eric Lewis *•◊∆+ Evans, Connor Michael *•◊∆+ Fagerli, Anna Elizabeth *•◊∆ Flanders, Gabriella Anne *•◊∆+
Flynn, Shelby Marie *•◊∆ Fortson, James Camp *•∆ Foster, Grace Carter *•∆+ Fountain, Nell Anne *•◊∆# Fowler, Alexander Warren + Freeauf, Emma Carson *•∆ Funk, Joie Page *•◊∆ Gangle, Lauren Taylor * Garrison, Trey Thomas George, Zachary Earl Gibson, Bryce Allen Dee + Gibson, Taylor Lee * Gillespie, Leah Elizabeth *•∆ Gomez, Jabari Ishmael Goolsby, April Lee * Goolsby, Melissa Lynn * Grant, Alexander Anton *•∆+ Green, Nicholas Xavier *+ Grice, Laura Mae *•◊∆ Grover, Anna Rebecca *•◊∆ Hahn, Dylan Joseph * Hajek, Valerie Eileen *•◊∆# Hale, Holland Spencer Hamer, Madeline Beyer *•◊∆ Harris, Anna Jean *•◊∆ Harris, Esther Kim *•◊∆ Hass, Dixon Vienne *•◊∆ Hass, Haakin Vienne *•◊∆ Haxter, Daniel Jacob *+ Hayden, Eleri Summer *•◊∆ Hayyawi, Tabarek Qadri * Heneghan, Saoirse Frances *•◊∆ Henley, Marc Andrew *+ Henson, Raeanne Jeanne Heon, Nichole Louise *•◊∆# Hexter, Thomas Jonathan *•◊∆# Hilker, Emma Grace *•◊∆ Hilker, Jacob Brian *•◊∆+ Hilker, Mary Haden *•◊∆ Hill, Catherine Elizabeth * Hoffman, Caleb Ray *•◊∆ Houghton, Henry Cullen • Hull, Bennett Michael *•◊∆ Hurt, Sophia Catherine *•◊∆ Huseboe, Ashley Dawn Inge, Jacqueline Owen *•◊∆ Ingersoll, Tristan Walker *•∆ Ingram, Ryan Berdan *•◊∆+# Irvin, Samuel Cole * Ix, Rosemary LeBert *•◊∆# James, Morgan Alyssa James, Samuel Robert *•◊∆ Jefferson, Brynn Victoria *•◊∆+ Jessee, Benjamin Jacob *•◊∆ Johnson, Anna Elizabeth Johnson, Shelby Ann Kidd, Liam Matthew *+ Kilmer, Aimee Grace *•◊∆ Kimata, Celine Carr *•◊∆# Krese, Katherine Eleanor *•◊∆
• Advanced Studies Diploma + Career and Technical Ed. Completers
* 3.0 Grade Point Average or Above # AP Scholars
Kunkel, Andrew Michael *•◊∆+# Robinson, Matayo Antonio + Lantz, Dylan Andrew Roesch, Catherine Brooks *•◊∆ Lavis, Vivian Amanda + Rogers, Eric Steely *•◊∆+ Lehmbeck, Alexander Christian *•◊∆ Ross, Wesley Danielle Letteri, Benjamin Michael Phuc Van Hoang *•∆ Rothenberger, Jay Calder *•◊∆+# Lohr, Abby Eileen *•◊∆ Russell, Genevieve Sophia *•◊∆# Lowe, Kelsie Elizabeth *•∆ Sawyer, Lauren Elizabeth C. *•◊∆ Lucas, Joshua George *•◊∆ Schill, Stuart Michael *•◊∆ Magnus, Kristoff Alexander Mulrine *•◊∆# Schuckert, Kaytlin Elizabeth *• Mahara, Sreya *•◊∆ Schuler, Hanna Marie * Mandell, Matthew Noah *•◊∆# Scott, Emma Claire *•◊∆ Marks, Regina Marie + Scott, Sarah Virginia Kegley Marshall, Seth Aaron •+ Seeley, Caeleb Owen *+ Martin, Alec Parker *•◊∆# Sheehy, Ryann Laura *•◊∆# Martin III, Wiley Robert *•◊∆+ Shifflett, Kelsie Dakota Masloff, Madison Anne *•◊∆# Shin, Asa Kalli *•◊∆ Masselli, Benjamin John *•◊∆# Simcic, Alexis Marie * Maupin, Hannah Danielle * Sims, Corey Michael McCullough, Andreas William *•◊∆ Sims, Makenzie Alana *• McCullough, Kyle Wolfgang *•◊∆ Slaughter, Dylan Matthew McGill, Mark David *+ Slechta, Peter Owen •+ McGlothlin, Hannah Elizabeth *+ Smith, Carrie Kallander *•◊∆# McLean, Anna Elizabeth *•◊∆# Smith, Jarrett Cutrer *•◊∆# McManus, Ryan Nash *•◊∆ Spencer, Mary Campbell *•◊∆ Meeks, Jessica Taylor *•◊∆ Stan, Gabriel Sebastian *•◊∆# Meng, Sarah Lili *•◊∆# Stewart, William Copland Miller, Reese Avery Stimson, Jason Christopher *•◊∆+ Monge, Jasmine Lucia *•◊∆# Sukovich, Ryan William *•◊∆ Montiel, Max Luis *•◊∆ Sullivan, Theodore Nelson *+ Moore, Dylan Lee *•◊∆ Swales, Benjamin Robert *•◊∆ Morales, Christopher Luis + Talmadge, Lillian Jane *•◊∆ Moriconi, Isabella Rose *•◊∆ Tarleton, Kelsey Grace *•◊∆ Murchland, Samantha Kay Tatem, Katelyn Alexandra *•◊∆ Nemergut, Spencer Joseph *•◊∆ Taylor, Emily Marie *•+ Newton-Grant, Deja Rose •+ Thomas, Christiana Rose *•∆ Nichols, Thedra Olivia *•◊∆ Thompson, Whitney Carrington *•∆ Norris, Charlotte Grace *•◊∆# Tolman, Sarah Alaine *•◊∆# O’Shea, Kevin James *•◊∆# Torres-Contreras, Christian + Pappalardo, Natalie Carolyn Trayanov, Lyubomir Atanasov *•◊∆+# Park, Dorothy Paige *•◊∆ Trundle, Margaret Ashby *•◊∆ Parrish, Dylan Robert Turner, Taylor Deja Pastorfield, Emilie Woods *•◊∆ Valente, Christopher Albert *•◊∆ Perrone, Julia Catherine *•◊∆ VanHall, Lauren Rose *•◊∆ Petersen, Max Christopher *•◊∆+ Vial, Andrea Lynn *•◊∆ Petri, Andrew Arman Vidal, Magdalene Elaine *•◊∆# Poulter-Martinez, Aaron Ross *•◊∆+ von Elten, Grace Kellie *•◊∆ Pressley, Mary Grace •◊∆ von Hemert, William Jay *•◊∆ Pyle, Texil Cole *•◊∆ Walton, Grace Leann *•◊∆ Rainey, Virginia Grace *•◊∆ Ward, Makayla Renee • Ralston, Courtney Lynn Waters, Julian Dulles *•◊∆ Ramazani, Anthony Kaveh *•◊∆ Weakley, Calin RaSean Ratcliffe, Emma Lovell *•◊∆# Weyher, Hannah Madison *•◊∆ Reid, Faith Elisabeth *•◊∆# White, Luke Dutton *•◊∆ Resco, Kayla Ashe * Whyte, Rachel Victoria *•◊∆ Reynolds, Sierra Nicole *• Williams, Rebecca Suzanne *•◊ Rhea, Austin Grace *•◊∆ Winkler, Sarah Emily Richardson, Corey James *•◊∆+# Witt, Averi Jane *•◊∆+ Rider, Lauren Gayle * Wood, Caleb Michael *•◊∆ Rike, Nicholas James + Yourkavitch, Megan Rose *•◊∆ Riley, Nathaniel Ian *•◊∆+ Yourkavitch, Noah Patrick *•◊∆ Zambrana Ocasio, Justin *•◊ ◊ Early College Scholars ∆ Governor’s Seal < AVID Scholars
CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
WAHS Graduation Awards 2017 For excellence in Art For excellence in Orchestra LAURA GRICE REBECCA EANES For excellence in Band For excellence in Photography TIMOTHY DESIMONE SPENCER HALE For excellence in Choir For excellence in Science MARY HILKER JAY ROTHENBERGER For excellence in For excellence in Computer Aided Drafting Social Studies COREY RICHARDSON ANNA MCLEAN For excellence in For excellence in Spanish Digital Imaging RYAN INGRAM ERIC ECKHART Paul G. McIntire Award For excellence in Drama MADISON MASLOFF RYANN SHEEHY Connie Y. Fix For excellence in English Memorial Award MAGGIE DOUGHERTY ELERI HAYDEN For excellence in Joe McDowell Fix II Information Technology Memorial Award MAX PETERSEN MAKAYLA WARD For excellence in Latin Fran Witt Memorial Scholarship MAGGIE DOUGHERTY HANNAH WEYHER For excellence in Charles S. Armstrong Awards Manufacturing Technology KEVIN O’SHEA CATHERINE ADAMS COURTNEY BERRY For excellence in Mathematics The Principal’s Award TOMMY HEXTER JULIAN WATERS
Art Fest
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ceeds were distributed to three western district schools for items such as a table for mixing ceramics glazes, frames for artwork, and instrument storage cabinets. (See full list below.) A nonprofit that has a unique scope and mission, AWE is making a concrete difference for the arts programs out west. The following grants were made with the $12,800 raised by the 2017 ArtFest in the West event (source: Arts in Western Education): • Western Albemarle High School (WAHS) Ceramics:
Junior Zoe Clay decorates a face at ArtFest in the West.
stainless steel table for mixing ceramics glazes • WAHS Band: concert dresses • WAHS Music: director’s stand • WAHS Creative Writing: Myriad publication printing costs • WAHS Creative Writing: guest speaker on graphic novels • WAHS Digital Imaging: DSLR camera and accessories • WAHS Fine Arts: frames for display of student art in hallways • WAHS Fine Arts: DSLR camera and accessories • Henley Middle School Band: instrument storage cabinets • Crozet Elementary: color printer/scanner and color ink cartridges In addition, AWE will purchase a display case for the WAHS Choir to display awards and announcements in the hallway. The case will be dedicated to the memory of Eric Betthauser, beloved Henley M.S. and WAHS choir director who was killed in an accident in 2016. Finally, AWE will purchase risers to be used for WAHS choir and instrumental music performances.
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For over 35 years, the Green Olive Tree, Inc. has gladly accepted donations of toys, shoes, clothing, household goods, books, linens, and kitchen items that are available to the community at low prices. Please visit us anytime! The third full week of every month is an $8 bag sale. Looking forward to your visit!
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8U Peachtree Softball All-star Team. Left to right, back row: Coach Cisco DelCarmen, Coach Nicole Richardson, Coach Dustin Hux, Coach Shawn Bird. Middle Row: Samia Bird, Kylie Birkhead, Emelia DelCarmen, Lillie Boyle, Abby Evans. Front Row: Sunny McFadden, Louisa Pesch, Kacie Walker, Mary Lauren Kumer, Addison Hux. Not pictured: Bella Glorius.
Inaugural Peachtree Softball Program Sends Two Teams to States By Allie Pesch
allie@crozetgazette.com
—continued from page 28
given curriculum.” Other pet therapies in use around Albemarle County involve animals such as cats, baby goats, miniature horses, and even llamas, but the Crozet Elementary students love their lab. When asked how they feel about reading with Lucy, they gave answers such as, “She makes me feel special,” “She’s helped me be a faster reader,” and “I like the way she looks at me.” One student expressed plainly what she liked best: “Well, she’s a DOG!” Braun says that for some kids it’s all about the reading, while for others the session might help a child who is struggling to get through a tough day, and both are heart-warming. “It’s nice to see my beloved pet in a situation where she can make a difference, but it’s also nice to see teachers, who do a really hard job, getting some support from community members,” she said. “Kids’ literacy is so important, and it’s on all of us to support the teachers as they do this work.”
will join the cross country and track teams at James Madison University, where she hopes to be able to make an immediate impact. She was impressed by her soon-to-be coach there, as well as by the professors she met in anthropology, her intended major. The national race in Greensboro was a fun culmination of such a successful year for Witt and her teammates. In addition to her individual 12th place finish in the mile, Witt anchored her teammates Clay, Santoro-Adijian, and McGahren in the 4xmile relay race. They were pleased with their 18th place finish. They also got to cheer on Amos to her personal best in the triple jump, 32-07.00, which earned her 29th in the freshman event. After the competition, the girls got to go to the Greensboro Science Center, visit the Wet-n-Wild Water Park, and see Wonder Woman in the theater, a fitting end for wonder woman Witt and the Western squad.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Peachtree League of Albemarle, founded in Crozet in 1956, launched its first softball program last fall with a developmental “fall ball” season that fielded one 12U team and two 10U teams for mostly intraleague play. This spring, the program expanded to two 8U teams and three 10U teams. The Peachtree girls played Madison, Greene and Waynesboro during the regular season, and the league sent both an 8U and a 10U all-star team to the Babe Ruth State Tournament, which was held in Varina June 12-14. The 10U all-stars were awarded the tournament sportsmanship award.
“Peachtree Baseball has built a reputation in the state of Virginia for strong athletics and sportsmanship. It is so exciting to see the start of softball for our league,” coach Kristen Hardy said. “The coaches were so proud of how the 8U and 10U teams represented Crozet in the state tournament.” Lance Hoover, vice president of Peachtree Softball, remarked, “We had a fantastic first year; the girls had a blast and showed remarkable development. We are looking forward to even more players coming out in the fall.” Registration for fall ball will begin later this summer. No experience is necessary. For more information find Peachtree on Facebook or visit peachtreebaseball.com.
—continued from page 20
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
ALLIE PESCH
Therapy Dog Witt
Let’s Go, Pride!
10U Peachtree Softball All-star Team. Left to right, back row: Coach Tracy Via, Coach Shawn Gentry. Middle Row: Rachel Frazier, Jailynn Ross, Peyton Abell, Hillian Clark, Kassidy Keyton, Kendall Via, Alexis Bryan, Madison Kelly, Caylee Strickler. Front Row: Coach Kristen Hardy, Kelsey Breeden, Summer Jones, Ava Hardy, Madden Hoover, Coach Jessica Holmes.
After taking the District V championship, the Peachtree 12-year-olds Baseball Allstars went on to finish runner-up to Glen Allen in the state Babe Ruth tournament in Arlington on July 2. The team was selected to be one of eight teams move on to the Southeast Regionals double-elimination tournmanet in Clemmons, North Carolina and will play the Atlantic Beach, Florida team on July 12. The winner of the regional tournament will go to the Babe Ruth World Series. To help with travel expenses for these determined boys and their dedicated parents, visit www.gofundme.com/peachtree-12u-baseball-regionals Pictured here at the District V Championship, from left to right are, back row: Coach Jeff Waldbillig, Coach John Thomas, Coach Ned Hardy, Coach Kevin Murray; middle row: Sam Waldbillig, Tommy Williams, Kainan Miller, Will Ferguson, Noah Murray; front row: Zack Thacker, Eli Scarborough, Anthony Garono, Ross Hardy, Brayden Ross, Brandon Thomas. Not pictured is Jonathan Kumer, who was out with a broken hand the day of the District championship game.
rgical family h.
tients.
CROZETgazette
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JOHN ANDERSEN
By John Andersen, DVM gazettevet@crozetgazette.com
Camping with Dogs Summer in the Blue Ridge! Living in this amazing area, many of us in Crozet will wisely retreat into the mountains for some outdoor time. When it’s 95 degrees and humid down here, it is often 10-15 degrees cooler and a lot less humid up in the mountains, and it cools off a lot more at night. One of the best ways to get away and reconnect with the outdoors is to go camping. Whether doing a multi-day hike on the Appalachian Trail or car camping with the family at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, camping is a great way to relax and live a much more simple life, even if for just a day. And naturally, many of us will bring our dogs! Dogs love being outdoors. If they could talk, they’d also say, “I just love
reconnecting with nature!” as they sniff and explore their new surroundings. The combination of hiking and then sleeping outside must be recharging for them, awaking their inner wolves just a little. Camping with your dog does take a little planning to keep it fun and safe while you give them a great outdoor experience. Where will they sleep? When we camp with the family, we all pile into one big tent— dogs, child, and parents. It’s fun, but the sleep is pretty terrible! Most dogs tend to stay on alert for threats, whether in your home or in your tent. Thus, the occasional wild animal walking by may cause a sudden barking from your dog in the middle of the night. We embrace this craziness and just realize we won’t get good sleep.
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Happy Birthday, America! by Clover Carroll | clover@crozetgazette.com
If you attended an Independence Day celebration anywhere in the U.S. this year, including that held at Claudius Crozet Park on July 1, you probably heard or even sang along with “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie (19121967). Written in 1940 and first recorded in 1944, this iconic folk song has become a standard part of American patriotic celebrations, performed over the years by the Weavers, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul, & Mary, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few. Also translated into multiple languages, it was sung at Barack Obama’s inauguration by Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger, and Lady Gaga included a verse in her 2017 Super Bowl performance! How did this beloved American folk anthem come into being? One of the song’s primary strengths is its simplicity and directness. The down-toearth diction is appropriate to the audience addressed. The singer allies himself with the common man with the repetition of “you and me,” emphasizing that we both belong to the same humble, plain-spoken, cashstrapped, working class, who share the same American dream. This Everyman character is neither driving a car nor riding a horse: he is walking, strolling, and rambling. This “you and me” makes no distinctions—it is inclusive of all races, classes, genders, and ethnicities. The simple, jaunty tune—originally inspired by a Carter Family song— adds to the song’s mood of celebration and
welcoming acceptance. This message of inclusion is expressed in terms with which we can all agree. In all of his songs, Guthrie strove to give voice to those who had been disenfranchised. Guthrie paints an inspiring portrait of America’s beauty and vastness. From west to east, from north to south—the whole shebang, he proclaims in colorful, specific images—belongs to the people to be shared, not hoarded by a select few. Its “diamond deserts” and “golden valleys,” topped by an “endless skyway,” represent riches that belong to all of us, not just to large landowners and wealthy corporations. The national park movement grew out of the same spirit. Guthrie also conjures the quintessential American character—a strong and independent laborer who “roams and rambles” free of limits or constraints. The rolling dust clouds are surely an allusion to the devastating Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which Guthrie had experienced in Oklahoma, and “the fog was lifting” may symbolize the New Deal and other social programs that were being established to protect workers. Can the chanting “voice” be interpreted as any other than God’s? Who is also the one, by implication, who “made” the land “for you and me”? As originally written, “This Land is Your Land” was more political than it eventually became and is remembered today. Guthrie wrote the song in 1940 as a critical response to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” which was being sung everywhere by Kate Smith and others. His original, sarcastic chorus was “God Blessed America for Me.” On paper, Guthrie included the following two verses, which may be seen as a reaction to the severe This Land Is Your Land income inequality in America at the By Woody Guthrie time, and the widespread suffering of the Great Depression. Chorus: “There was a big high wall there This land is your land, this land is my land that tried to stop me./ The sign was From California to the New York Island painted, said ‘Private Property.’/ But From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters on the backside, it didn’t say nothThis land was made for you and me ing./ God blessed America for me.” “One bright sunny morning in the As I went walking that ribbon of highway shadow of the steeple,/ By the relief I saw above me that endless skyway office I saw my people. As they stood I saw below me the golden valley hungry, I stood there wondering/ If This land was made for you and me God Blessed America for me.” Chorus But these verses were omitted from Guthrie’s 1944 recording, I roamed and rambled and followed my footsteps perhaps deemed too dangerous in To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts the anti-communist atmosphere of All around me a voice was sounding that time. Guthrie replaced “God This land was made for you and me Blessed America” with the more Chorus subtle, and less personal, “This Land is Your Land” as the chorus, When the sun came shining, then I was strolling and a classic was born. In wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling Born in Okemah, Oklahoma, in The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting 1912 and named after progressive, This land was made for you and me Democratic candidate and soon-toChorus
Woody Guthrie
be-president Woodrow Wilson, Guthrie had a difficult childhood. At the age of 14, his mother was institutionalized with Huntington’s disease—an hereditary neurological disorder that was not understood at the time—and his father moved to Texas to pay off debts, leaving Woody and his brothers on their own. He showed an early affinity for music and his father taught him Western songs, Indian songs, and Scottish folk tunes; he also learned to play blues and folk music from family friends. As Guthrie describes in Pastures of Plenty: a Self Portrait (a collection of his stories, poems, and other writings edited by Dave Marsh and published posthumously in 1990), “Okemah was one of the singingest, square dancingest, drinkingest, yellingest, preachingest, walkingest, talkingest, laughingest, cryingest, shootingest, fist fightingest, bleedingest, gamblingest, gun, club and razor carryingest of our ranch towns and farm towns, because it blossomed out into one of our first Oil Boom Towns”—a shortlived golden age. Married at 19, Guthrie had to leave his wife and three children during the Dust Bowl to seek migrant farm work out west with other “Okies.” “Moneyless and hungry, Woody hitchhiked, rode freight trains, and even walked his way to California, ….developing a love for traveling the open road” that stayed with him all his life (www. woodyguthrie.org). In Los Angeles, he found a job playing “old time” traditional songs on a radio station and became friends with John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath (1939). In 1940, he moved to New York City and kept writing, eventually earning enough to bring his family there. Recording for the influential Folkways Records, Guthrie also joined Lead Belly, Burl Ives, Pete Seeger, Will Geer, and others to form the Almanac Singers, which took up social causes such as union organizing, anti-Fascism, peace, and singing songs of political protest and activism. “The Almanacs helped to establish folk music as a viable commercial genre within the popular music industry” (ibid.). In the 1950s, they re-formed as the Weavers, who helped to popularize Woody’s songs and became leaders of the folk music revival of the next two decades. During World War II, Guthrie served in the Army and Merchant Marine. He married twice more and fathered eight
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Crozet
Weather Almanac
JUNE 2017
HEIDI SONEN/ROSCOE SHAW
By Heidi Sonen & Roscoe Shaw | weather@crozetgazette.com
s e h c a e P n w o pick your Thunderstorms... How Many Seconds Do I Count? You may have heard that you can determine how far away a lightning strike is simply by counting the seconds it takes between the flash and the sound. This is true and a fun thing to do in the summer, especially with kids. It combines observation with math and other skills. Scientifically, you are computing the difference in the speed of light and the speed of sound and then converting that into a distance. Heidi and I starting thinking about this when we watched fireworks in Crozet Park on July 1. We were on a hilltop that is a mile and a half from the park. The sound takes a very noticeable seven seconds to travel that far. But we see the flash from the fireworks almost instantly. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. Therefore, the flash from lighting or fireworks can travel around the earth 52 times before the sound can even get part way across Crozet! The speed of sound is a brisk 767 mph, faster than almost any human has ever travelled, but that pales in comparison to to the speed of light. So, when you see a flash of lightening, start counting “One Mississippi, Two Mississippi.” Or, if you are like me, you prefer “One thousand one, one thousand two” etc. If you get to five, then the strike was a mile away. Ten seconds is two miles
and so on. Thunder can sometimes be heard from as far away as 20 miles but often less. The distance depends on topography and acoustics. Counting for a storm 20 miles away would take a minute and a half, which is a lot of Mississippis. This can get confusing, too, because if there are lots of lightning strikes around, you can’t tell which thunder clap came from which lightning strike. Thunder is simply the sound generated by lightning, which is a sudden expansion of super-heated air in and along the electrical discharge path. The intensity and type of sound depends upon atmospheric conditions and distance between lightning and the listener. If the lightning and thunder come at the same moment, you are lucky to be alive because the distance is near-zero. I was in a friend’s house watching TV once when a simultaneous flash and boom made us all jump 10 feet high. The front door blew wide open, all the power went out for blocks around and their TV never worked again. “Heat lightning” is the same as regular lightning; it is just too far away to hear the thunder. This is common on hot summer nights. Sometimes I see constant flashing in the distant eastern sky and when I check
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Annual Peach Homemade Days Ice Cream 6 August 5t L&ions Club e Croze
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Syrian Refugee Cr sis The
a christian response
Dr. Vasilea Digidiki, visiting scholar at Harvard University, will speak of her personal experience serving refugees on the gateway island of Lesvos.
Friday, July 14, 6:00–8:45pm A prayer service for all refugees will be followed by refreshments and fellowship, a presentation by Dr. Digidiki, and then questions. More info: www.33-ad.org • rsvp appreciated: tinyurl.com/yd546vfl
A Presentation in the East/West series, co-sponsored by St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church 7581 Rockfish Gap Turnpike (US 250 W) Greenwood, VA • (434) 973-2500
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Community This Land Orchestra Fund —continued from page 34 children, including noted folk Drive On musician Arlo Guthrie. He was
McGrath with girlfriend Audrey Tompkins stand before the Squadron VQ-1 logo.
Navy Air Medal for McGrath Lt. Raymond Joseph (Joe) McGrath (USN) was recently commended by the United States Navy for meritorious achievement in flights supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and awarded the Navy Air Medal. McGrath was cited for flying 26 combat missions totaling 254.7 hours in the summer of 2014, demonstrating “superior airmanship, perseverance and loyal devotion to duty in the face of hazardous flying conditions.” At the time McGrath was attached to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (VQ-1) based at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington state. During his three years with the World Watchers group he was
deployed around the world four times, serving as Mission Commander during the last two. McGrath is currently serving with the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) outside Honolulu, HI. USPACO, the largest of six such unified command centers encompassing the world, is responsible for all armed forces combatant operations in the Asia-Pacific region. McGrath is a 2011 Navy ROTC graduate of Georgetown University and a 2007 graduate of Western Albemarle High School. He is the son of Ray and Beth McGrath of White Hall.
The 2nd Annual WAHS Student Art Sale held at Crozet Artisan Depot was a monthlong event in May and was a great success! 18 student artists participated and all proceeds were donated to the WAHS Visual Art Department and the students. Pictured L to R are artists Laura Grice (Class of 2017) and Laura Chatterson (WAHS Art Department Chair) who organized the event.
The Crozet Community Orchestra’s Second Annual Fund Drive is underway for the upcoming 2017-2018 orchestra season. Their goal is $5,000 to help with the purchase of timpani drums for the orchestra as well as expanded programming, soloists, music purchases, performance licensing, need-based scholarships, insurances, printing and other general expenses related to operating a non-profit community orchestra. The orchestra wants to continue its tradition of offering free public concerts and other low or no-cost programs. Registration is now open via the CCO’s website for musicians for the 2017-18 orchestra season, which opens September 6, under the music direction of Philip Clark. The CCO has openings for string players, clarinet, bassoon, trombone, trumpet, percussion, and others ages 14 and up. Auditions are generally not required. Additional info is available at crozetcommunityorchestra.org. The Crozet Community Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) Virginia non-profit corporation. Tax deductible donations are gratefully accepted via their website or by mail: P. O. Box 762, Crozet, VA 22932. Email for questions/comments/feedback: crozetorchestra@gmail.com. A Summer Workshop for String Musicians led by Philip Clark, CCO Director of Music, will be held Saturday, August 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at a location in Crozet to be announced. The workshop, titled “Orchestra Manners and Technical Spanners,” will give tips to make participants’ orchestral experience easier and happier, and demonstrate shortcuts to better string playing. The workshop is open orchestra members and non members to musicians age 14 and up. Cost is $15. Preregistration is required: crozetcommunityorchestra.org/orchestra-registration-form/Please specify Summer Workshop in the comments section.
diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease in 1952 at age 40, which rendered him unable to perform, and died in 1967. Woody Guthrie’s influence on 20th century folk and rock music cannot be exaggerated. In addition to writing thousands of song lyrics—including “Pretty Boy Floyd,” “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Ya,” and “Frog Went A-Courtin”— he was one of the first to popularize many traditional folk songs such as “House of the Rising Sun” and “Wildwood Flower.” Considered an American folk hero, his music has inspired generations of performers including Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Phil Ochs, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Harry Chapin, Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Jerry Garcia, and Tom Paxton. Folk festivals and other events are still held around the country in his honor. If you were lucky enough to have tickets to Woody Guthrie’s American Song at Heritage Theater this week, you got to hear this and many more of his songs performed live. Besides its historical significance, this song is just plain fun to sing!
Wildrock
—continued from page 13
advances confidently in the direction of his [or her] dreams, and endeavours to live the life which [s/]he has imagined, [s/] he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Wildrock has a magical feel to it, like a recreated fairyland or a trip back in time. It reminds me of my favorite family outing as a child, the Enchanted Forest in Maryland, which featured storybook settings and fairy tale recreations—a place outside of time, where children could just be children and let their imaginations run wild. Memberships are available, and donations, interns, and volunteers are always needed. If anything can save our troubled world, Wildrock is an inspiring example of what can!
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BY DR. ROBERT C. REISER
crozetannals@crozetgazette.com
Another June in the E.D. “So, if May is your favorite month in the hospital what month is your least favorite?” David asked me slyly as we were puttering around in the resuscitation bay. David is a respiratory therapist who likes to kid me about my Crozet Gazette columns. We were setting up for an incoming cardiac arrest, making sure all the airway tools we would need were close at hand. I had mentioned in last month’s column that May was my favorite month in the hospital due to the high experience level the residents and interns all had. Now it was June. My most experienced residents were gone, the new interns hadn’t started yet, and a critically ill patient was about to arrive. “My least favorite month?” I glanced at the nervous residents milling about outside the resuscitation bay. They were avoiding eye contact, hoping to avoid getting picked to run the code. “I like them all,” I said diplomatically. The nurses rolled their eyes. I picked a resident to run the code, but he politely declined, citing obligations elsewhere. I picked a second resident who also had compelling reasons why a more senior person should be picked this early in the year. The senior pointed out that he was now too senior to run it and what a good learning opportunity it was for the juniors. I began to daydream about my upcoming vacation. Well, things flow downhill and eventually someone was found who couldn’t decline and we were in business. The patient arrived in full cardiac arrest, no pulse, no cardiac activity. Now that we had a resident on the hook for running the show we had no shortage of extra hands to help and the other residents jumped in to
assist with procedures. Big IVs, central lines, were placed to reach directly into the heart. Arteries were threaded with transducers to record blood pressures, although there was no blood pressure absent the chest compressions the medical students were energetically performing. Ultrasounds were done to look for oddball diagnoses that might be amenable to therapy. Every drug in the Advanced Cardiac Life Support textbook was pushed and there was absolutely no response. It was obvious to me after 30 seconds that this effort was futile. I had done this a thousand times or more. But this was the first time for the resident running the code and I did not have the heart to call it off. It was too early in his career to reveal the reality of the odds we face in this work. And really, from a medical standpoint it was a rather compelling problem and exercise for the team to work through. You see, this patient had arrived from the field with no identification. We did not know who she was, how old she was, what her medical problems might have been or what medicines she was taking. We did not know the circumstances leading up to her cardiac arrest. Was there an occult traumatic injury we had missed? Was this an overdose? Heat stroke? Infection? This scenario is surprisingly common in the ER, treating John and Jane Does, unidentified patients. In fact we have registration and medical record keeping systems worked out for just these events. Most importantly we have dedicated social workers assigned to the ER who track down family and friends, working through the police, EMS, bystanders and anyone else who can help. We usually figure out who they are or were.
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
inthegarden@crozetgazette.com
Susan and Her Black Eye Many times in this column we’ve taken a look at unusual plants that you’ve possibly never heard of, in the hopes you might find them to worthy of consideration for your garden. This month, however, we’ll talk about a plant that almost every one is familiar with, the blackeyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta. Rudbeckias get their name from Olaus Olai Rudbeck, a Swedish physician with a botanical interest. The genus Rudbeckia is native exclusively to North America, although the black-eyed Susan has naturalized in China. Although Rudbeckia hirta is indeed a common wildflower, there are many other species and varieties that are less well known. First, a closer look at R. hirta. It’s commonly referred to as the black-eyed Susan, even while other members of this genus may also be called by that name. To add to the confusion, the Rudbeckias are also sometimes referred to as coneflowers, although I prefer to apply that name to the Echinaceas, especially the purple coneflower, E. purpurea. In hopes of avoiding even more confusion, I’ll refer to species by their scientific names, as well as by their common names. If you’re thinking about buying a R. hirta plant, you might want to reconsider. According to various sources, it’s referred to as an annual, a biennial, or a perennial. Take your pick, although most people come down on the side of annual. Allan Armitage, retired from the University of Georgia and author of Herbaceous Perennial
Plants, opines, “regardless of claims to the contrary, they should be treated as annuals.” Which certainly doesn’t mean that they won’t come back from seed in your garden. If you want something more colorful than the ordinary R. hirta, the Gloriosa Daisies are definitely flashier. Sometimes considered to be varieties of R. hirta, they may actually be hybrids of uncertain ancestry. Their larger flowers typically have splotches of orange or russet toward the center. One source touts them as the “perennial form of black-eyed Susan,” but, hey, you have been warned. (See Armitage, above.) Notwithstanding all these caveats, there are truly perennial Rudbeckias out there. Native to the eastern and central U.S., the Orange Coneflower (R. fulgida) grows to about 30”; flowers are really more a golden yellow than the orange that the name implies. Most commonly seen is the cultivar ‘Goldsturm’, with thick dark green leaves and 3-4” deep yellow flowers that appear from late July well into September. Reportedly deer-resistant, ‘Goldsturm’ spreads by both rhizomes and seed. Dividing the clump every few years will keep the plant healthy and prevent a hostile takeover of your garden. Being inordinately fond of tall perennials, there are a couple of vertically-enhanced Rudbeckias that have found a place in my garden. (And tall perennials do have a place in the garden, serving as exclamation points in what could otherwise be a monotonous swath of shorter plants.) Cutleaf coneflower (R. laciniata) is clothed with deeply incised leaves that are reminiscent of those on a
scarlet oak. The species may grow only to about three feet, but the cultivar ‘Herbstonne’ can reach seven feet. The light green, very faintly striped stems are topped with 3” flowers with drooping yellow petals; the central disk is green, rather than the typical brown or black eye of other Rudbeckias. Another tall Rudbeckia is the Giant Coneflower, R. maxima. In addition to its seven foot height, the Giant Coneflower— which could be referred to as Ru d b e c k i a - O n - a - St i c k — i s known for its distinctive powder-blue-green foliage. The basal clump’s paddle-shaped leaves can be up to a foot long and eight inches wide, but become increasingly smaller and sparse toward the top of the stem. The yellow flowers develop a two-inch tall “cone” at their center as they ripen. The other day I noticed a couple of goldfinches checking them out. Tall Rudbeckias can flop somewhat in strong winds or heavy downpours. You can counteract this by staking, a somewhat tedious process, or by using grow-through supports. (I hope to try those next year. By this time of year it’s too late to install them.) Alternatively, planting your Rudbeckias or other tall perennials near sturdy shrubs can give them some friends to lean on. In the last few years some interesting Rudbeckia x Echinacea hybrids have come to market. Called EchibeckiasTM, they purportedly provide the color and fast growth of the former genus and the hardiness of
Weather
—continued from page 35
radar, the storms are on the other side of Richmond, a full 100+ miles away. Lightning is a dangerous killer but not nearly as bad as it used to be. Humans are indoor creatures now compared to 100 years ago when we were outside much of the day. Also, these days, most of us carry around a portable radar, also known as a phone. A good radar app can keep you safe. June Recap Temperatures in June were
Rudbeckia maxima
the latter. They’re available in cultivars such as Summerina Brown, really more of a russet color, and Summerina Yellow. I’ve had mine in the ground only a few weeks, so the jury is still out. The rabbits seem to like them, however. Rudbeckias as a group prefer full sun and average to moist soil conditions, but generally tolerate drought. The foliage on R. laciniata in my garden droops in mid-day heat, even with abundant soil moisture, then perks up when the sun moves on. From a design perspective, Rudbeckias—as well as many other wildflowers—show best in a bed mimicking a prairie, with native grasses inter-planted. Cultivars of Panicum virgatum, namely ‘Shenandoah Red’, ‘Northwind’ or ‘Cloud Nine’ would be good choices. To take in such a planting might give a hint of the pre-European American tall-grass prairie in its high-summer glory.
almost exactly average. We started the month cool and finished with cool, dry Canadian air. The middle of the month was hot, but not terrible. Rainfall was just 2.88,” which is below the long-term average of 4.08”. Coming on the heels of a very wet May, we hardly noticed the dryness until late month. July is now here and it is usually the hottest month of the year. The worst part is the humidity. We like to watch the dewpoints. When the dewpoint gets above 70, the humidity is oppressive. If we are lucky in July, dry air will push the dewpoint into the 50s, like we had some of the time in June.
CROZETgazette
Medicine —continued from page 37
As I was contemplating all this and watching the increasingly confident resident team run all of the possible solutions, our social worker informed me who the patient was. Her husband had been located and was in the “quiet room.” Every ER has a quiet room. No one wants to go there. Quiet. Dim lights. Chairs arranged in a semi-circle. Tissue boxes close by. Security is close by as well. Sometimes these things don’t go too well. I gathered up the social worker and the chaplain. Best not to go alone. I knew what to expect. An elderly man, alone, hunched tightly, clenching the arms of the chair in nervous dread. His face worriedly scanned mine looking for clues, wanting to ask, not wanting to know. He waited. I explained to this man what we had done so far, the lack of response, the grim prognosis. I told him the team was still
Gazette Vet —continued from page 33
At least no bears will be coming into our tent! Also, consider the expected evening temps. I’ve had more than a few camping experiences where it really didn’t cool down very much at night. With all the humans and the dogs in the tent, it got a bit warm. We were woken up by panting dogs several times, which made for a rough night’s sleep. Pro tip: camp somewhere where it will cool down at night! We often consider other sleeping arrangements for the dogs. If we are car camping and it’s cool, we will have them sleep in the car so we all get good sleep! We have also brought two tents and had the dogs and one person sleep in the second tent so we weren’t so cramped. The last option would be to attach them to a tie or let them loose outside of a tent, but you have to balance this with the risk of their getting away in the middle of the night. Water! There are a lot of wonderful trails and camping
JULY 2017
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working on her. “We’ve been married for 41 years,” he offered. The chaplain offered tissues and a touch on the shoulder. Eventually we go to see her together, the husband to say goodbye, me to pronounce her HOURS: dead. Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. New Arriving at the resuscitation Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. room, I was surprised to find Patients X-Ray Services Available On Site the room quiet. The medical Welcome! Mark Keeley, MD • Russ Sawyer, MD students looked tired and sweaty, but they were no longer • Amie Munson, MD Anne Boyland, NP doing compressions. The residents had lost the frantic energy 434-823-4567 • 1646 Park Ridge Drive • Crozet they had when I left. They appeared much more confident and competent. Their patient had regained her pulses while I was gone. Never underestimate the optimistic energy of young doctors. Of course I knew that they had really only bought her a little time, but sometimes that Ages SUMMER PRESCHOOL SummerCamp Camp Preschool Summer 2 1/2 - CAMP 5 Ages 3 6 Ages ½ -several 5 is a great gift. Sign up2 for days or for the A gentle, safe & loving Sign up by the A gentle, safe & loving Creative weekly Her husband moved to her, for young whole summer. atmosphere children weekor for the whole atmosphere for young Creative themes. Private, in-ground wading grasped her hand and tobent to begin to beginover exploring summer. thethemes. world & toweekly children Private, explore the world & pool for daily swimming. LOCAL MUSIC to whisper into her ear. Shefor kindergarten. in-ground wading pool prepare to prepare for for daily swimming. LOCAL FOOD kindergarten. looked peaceful. They would be LOCAL VIBE together for a little while longer. HALF DAY & FULL DAY NUMEROUS OPTIONS NUMEROUSSCHEDULE SCHEDULE OPTIONS I guess June has its moments. Close to Crozet, Charlottesville & UVa 979-2111 www.millstoneofi vy.com www.millstoneofivy.com But I am going on vacation any-(434)434.979.2111 way. areas that are flush with streams. This is great. You don’t have to worry about bringing water for the dogs and they can also keep cool by getting wet. However, with Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway being along the ridgelines at the top of the mountain, there is not much water up there. Bringing water is easy if you are car camping, but it takes extra thought if you’re doing a backpacking trip. Be sure to plan for where you will get water, and also be sure to have a bowl for them, especially if it’s warm outside! Leashes. Many of us have dogs who are really good off leash, meaning they won’t run away and they generally stay close. However, in a crowded campground, don’t assume they can be off leash. Besides finding strict leash policies at a lot of campgrounds, you will also find a lot of other campers with food right next to your campsite. Our dogs are great off leash, but if I let them off leash up at Big Meadows for example, they would soon start rummaging through other people’s campsites looking for food and steal-
continued on page 47
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
MARLENE A. CONDON
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Some Very Unnatural Bird Behavior This Year Many species of birds have behaved very strangely this year in my yard. Of course, the weather has been atypical (we hardly had a winter), which could certainly have an effect upon wildlife behavior. Still, the reason for the abundance of unusual but fascinating occurrences that I have witnessed thus far in 2017 remains a mystery. On March 4, as my husband and I returned from an early morning walk, we heard a Wood Duck call from the forest about halfway down our driveway. We had never before seen a Wood Duck in our woods, but we quickly spotted a female and a male perched fairly near my newest box for Eastern Screech Owls. As we watched, the female duck flew to the box and went inside! By March 23, the ducks were using the box for their nest, which was truly remarkable. While it is common for them to use screech owl boxes, they typically nest inside of boxes deliberately placed for their use near or within a body of water. Despite the name, Wood Duck parents need to raise their family in water. My box, on the other hand, was about a quarter of a mile as the crow (duck?) flies to the nearby river—quite a long trek for newly hatched ducklings to make. They cannot fly and must run on the ground to follow their mother. Why would the parents decide to nest in this box when there are plenty of dead trees with cavities along the river that they surely could have used instead? It is very puzzling. While the choice of nesting location made by this pair is really quite surprising, I see it as proof positive that wildlife can recognize where the welcome
mat is out for them. I cannot help but wonder if the ducks chose to nest here because they sensed that our yard must be a safe haven. After all, every day the ducks could hear a large variety of birds chattering and singing, and they could see that Gray Squirrels and Eastern Cottontail Rabbits “hung out” in the driveway below their box. If such an abundance of critters had already chosen to reside in The Nature-friendly Garden, then why shouldn’t the Wood Ducks also start their family here? Although a pair of screech owls had chosen to nest last year in the box claimed by the Wood Ducks, they had four other boxes around my yard that they could still choose from. However, even though I normally know just what is going on with these little owls (I have been documenting their behavior in my yard for a long time), they did not follow the usual script this year. We typically hear screech owl vocalizations (via microphones I have outside the house) almost every evening from late winter to mid-spring, depending upon when the owls start to nest. But this year, for the first time since setting up my microphones more than two decades ago, we heard screech owls so rarely that we wondered if they were even around. They apparently engaged in a rather unconventionally silent courtship as nesting season approached. Yet by March 10, we were indeed hosting two screech owls (each in separate but nearby boxes), which indicated a pair was interested in nesting here—and they did. Perhaps even stranger is that throughout the incubation period and then feeding of the owlets, we never heard the titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, and wrens complaining about the owls, as they normally do.
Given a choice between nesting in a box or an open area, Carolina Wrens usually choose an open area, such as this shelf on the author’s porch. Such a preference makes sense because these wrens make a domed nest that already includes a protective “roof.”
In fact, their vocalizing is often what alerts me to the presence of an owl in one of my boxes. Why had none of these birds ever made a fuss as they usually do? I have no idea why neither the screech owls nor the songbirds ever vocalized much this year, but I do know that the Great Horned Owls had hardly vocalized either! These big owls typically start hooting quite a bit by December because they nest early—usually by February in this area. But we hardly heard them until that month rolled around, and even then we did not hear them much at all. Why were all of these birds so quiet this year? Another perplexing bird situation occurred in April when a pair of Tree Swallows decided to nest in my yard. Just as is the case for the Wood Ducks, my yard is hardly the best Tree Swallow habitat. You usually spot these birds nesting in a box placed within a field, often one with some type of body of water nearby. Because they feed mostly upon flying insects, Tree Swallows can more easily fly around in an open area to catch them. In fact, Tree Swallows very much resemble bats as they swoop and glide over the ground. However, my yard is not particularly open, as a field is, because it consists of huge numbers of flowers, shrubs, and small trees with paths separating the garden beds. Additionally, mature forest surrounds it. So, why did the swallows nest here? Were these birds desperate? They certainly could have
found plenty of natural cavities in the woods around my house or even in the local area. Amazingly, yet another mated pair of birds—Eastern Phoebes—behaved as if determined to nest in my yard in spite of a less-than-ideal situation. The two decided to nest on a shelf on my porch that was only four feet from where a Carolina Wren female was already incubating her eggs. While the wren was on eggs, there was not much of a problem. But once the eggs hatched and the two parent wrens had chicks to feed, they did not want the female phoebe around! The male wren would chase both phoebes away (the male phoebe stays close by to keep an eye on his mate and their eggs) and he would keep them away until his mate had fed their chicks. So many altercations took place that I worried the female phoebe would abandon her nest and eggs. But she persisted and the story ended well. The five wren chicks fledged and the wren family moved away, leaving the female phoebe to incubate her eggs in peace. The eggs hatched, producing four chicks that she raised with help from her mate. Although I have told you only about some of the nesting birds around my house, I have also observed unusual behavior this year by many other kinds of animals as well. If you noticed any odd wildlife behavior this year, I would love to hear about it. You can contact me at marlenecondon@aol.com.
CROZETgazette
Afton Author —continued from page 29
all over again,” he remembers. He met the wave of young people flooding into rural Virginia and challenging traditional models of life, work and culture. “Most of the people I met are still around,” he said in an e-mail. “Some died. Some got old and moved from Nelson to Charlottesville to enjoy the city while they can. Some scattered to other loony places or just vanished. The rest of us fell in love with one of the world’s most beautiful valleys and can’t contemplate living anywhere else, even though the wild early days are four decades in the past.” In those early days, Hornig found work in information technology at U.Va. Always prolific in his literary output, the young Hornig was watching veteran author John MacDonald as well as Sue Grafton, who was just beginning the alphabet with her Kinsey Milhone series. Both cranked out a new mystery every few years or so, built around an interesting main character. “I thought, ‘I could do that,’” he said. In fact, he had already done it. In response to a call by Scribner’s for unpublished authors, he submitted a book he’d already written and titled “Roundball.” His idea was to have “ball” in every title, along the lines of Grafton’s alphabet-themed titles and MacDonald’s colors. To his consternation, he noticed that the editor seeking manuscripts was one who’d already rejected it. Undaunted, “I changed a few things,” he said.” It was accepted and ultimately published under the name Foul Shot. To his mind, a lot went wrong in his first encounter with book publishing. For one thing, the title was changed, ending his hopes for a series of catchy titles. “Even worse, the ending––a carefully thoughtout resolution of three unrelated murders––was completely changed.” Still, the series, starring an offbeat detective, and set in rural Virginia, had quite a run. Foul Shot reached enough read-
JULY 2017 ers for Hornig to write one every year for several years. By his mid-40s, he had written seven books, the mystery series and a few others, all the while dabbling in other genres. He’d also become very comfortable with rural Virginia and loved the peace of the mountains. He raised two boys, Derek and Brian, who also loved rural life. For a while, “I was happily unemployed,” he said. But he had an idea for a project, one he really wanted to do, a book that ended up being his favorite. Hornig is a life-long baseball and die-hard Red Sox fan. Like other fans, he believed that the 1975 World Series that pitted the Red Sox against the Cincinnati Reds was the finest ever played. As luck would have it, Hornig––at that time, driving a cab in Boston long before his move to Nelson––won tickets through a kind of lottery. More than two decades later, with dozens of published pieces under his belt, he proposed that he track down the aging team members and interview them. His idea was accepted, and he happily traveled across the country, interviewing the men who’d been his youthful heroes. “Some were doing great, some had struggled with drugs and alcohol, a couple refused to see me,” he said, “but I ended up talking to most of them.” The results of the interviews, with references to personal and national context in the ’70s, were published in The Boys of October in 2003, with the subtitle “How the 1975 Red Sox Embodied Baseball’s Ideals and Restored our Spirits.” These days, his writing is mostly in the public interest, although he always has a couple of other projects in the works. Besides his writing for the Friends of Nelson County, he’s the campaign manager for Justin Shimp, who’s running for the Board of Supervisors and opposes the pipeline. “I guess you could say I’m a single-issue man.” However, he said later, it’s all part of a larger issue: “Nelson County is booming, changing daily. With the distilleries, wineries and breweries, we’re kind of an alcohol alley. We need to really look at the overall plans for the county. We need some voices trying to protect this vulnerable and beautiful place.”
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
Mary Catherine Banton Flora Mary Catherine Banton Flora, 67, of Crozet, was born July 30, 1949 in Richmond, and passed away Monday, June 26. She was the beloved wife of Stephen L. Flora; and mother to Stephanie Flora Boynton, and Elizabeth Crystal Newell Flora. She had three grandsons, Ethan Newell, Benjamin Boynton and Samuel Newell. Graveside services were held at
Antioch Church of the Brethren Cemetery June 29. There will be a memorial at Crozet United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. on July 22. In lieu of flowers please send donations to either Hospice of the Piedmont or the Alzheimer’s Association. Flora Funeral Service and Cremation Center in Rocky Mount is in charge of arrangements.
John Charles Juliano John Charles Juliano, 91, formerly of Toms River, NJ, passed away peacefully on May 31 at Mountainside Senior Living, Crozet. He was a loving husband and father. He was preceded in death by his wife Bernice and survived by his daughter Lynn of Blacksburg, formerly of Nellysford. John served in the Navy during WWII on the USS Ticonderoga and survived the attack of 2 kamikaze planes in 1945. He was very proud of his service in the Navy and was an active member of VFW Post 8352 in Toms River, NJ. He was a devoted employee
of Westinghouse Lamp division in Bloomfield NJ and retired as Personnel Relations Manager after 41 years of service. Above all, John was a good and kind man who was loved by many. His smile will be missed as will his twinkle in his eyes. His daughter would like to thank the kind and loving staff of Mountainside Senior Living and Hospice of the Piedmont. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Mountainside Senior Living. A funeral service will be held in Union, NJ. Anderson Funeral home wass in charge of local arrangements.
Kathleen M. “Kitty” Morris Kathleen M. “Kitty” Morris, resident of Crozet, died May 31 at her home. She was born in Charlottesville on September 8, 1927, and was 89 years old. She was the daughter of the late Charlie Mays and May Wingfield Mays. Her husband was the late Robert Lee Morris. She was also predeceased by her daughter, Linda Gail Morris; and brothers, Preston Mays and Carl Mays. She is survived by her son, Steven Lee Morris and wife, Diep of Petersburg, VA; and daughter, Sheila Claytor (Ralph) of Manakin Sabot, VA. She is also survived by grandchildren Robert Steven Morris, James
Anthony Morris, Robin Bell, and Cynthia Claytor; and great-grandchildren Ryan Morris and Ciara Morris. She was an employee of Acme Visible Records in Crozet. The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to the Hospice of the Piedmont, 675 Peter Jefferson Pkwy, Ste 300, Charlottesville, VA 22911 or the Western Albemarle Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 188, Crozet, VA 22932. A graveside service was held June 3 at Rockgate Cemetary, officiated by the Rev. Adam Phlegar. Anderson Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Gazette obituaries are just $25 for up to 500 words and include a photograph. Email ads@crozetgazette.com or call 434-249-4211
Kenneth Wesley Gibson Kenneth Wesley Gibson, 19, of Crozet, passed away at his home peacefully on Thursday, June 1. He was born on January 14, 1998. Hewas preceded in death by his father, Wesley Gibson, and his grandfather, Kenneth Crawford. He is survived by his mother, Krystal Gibson and his stepfather, Wayne Hayslett of Crozet; and four sisters, Alyssa Gibson, Jordan Gibson, Elizabeth Hayslett, and Brittany Gold.He is also survived by his grandparents, Linda “Nana” Crawford of Crozet, Glen and Patricia Gibson of Crozet, and Melvin and Peggy White of Charlottesville; his aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, numerous cousins and all his “TEAM KENNY” family and his Monroe Bay family. Kenny graduated from WAHS in 2016, where he was loved by all. He loved monster trucks, cars and trucks no matter what condition and Snoopy and the gang. He was also a huge sports fan and loved telling everyone that the Denver Broncos was his favorite team and Peyton Manning his favorite quarterback. Kenny loved his weekend getaways at his happy place and his weekly lunches at Moose’s
by the Creek with his girlfriends and his buddy. Many thanks to Dr. Kimberly Dunsmore and staff at the Battle Building and his 7th floor wives at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Many thanks to Hospice of the Shenandoah and his nurses Pam and Cheri. Many thanks to the community for all their love and support. A funeral service was held at Crozet Baptist Church on June 8, with interment following at Rockgate Cemetery in Crozet. The Rev. David Collyer officiated. Anderson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Helen McCauley Godwin Helen McCauley Godwin, 89, of Crozet died on June 1. She was born on January 26, 1928, in Farmington, Va. Her parents were the late Jesse R. McCauley, Sr., and Margaret M. McCauley. Her husband was the late Rudolph (Rudy) Macon Godwin.Two great-grandchildren, David Oaklee Kennedy and Parker Godwin Daniels also preceded her in death. She is survived by daughters, Debrah G. Kirby of Crozet, and Ginger G. Daniels and husband, Larry of Kingsport, Tenn. She is also survived by sisters, Peggy Guill and Beth Turner, and a brother, Alford McCauley. There are four grandchildren, Jennifer Kirby Kennedy and her husband, David; Randy Kirby and his wife, Brandi; Scott Daniels and his wife, Taylor;
Benjamin T. Daniels and his fiancé, BreAnn Robinson; and six great grandchildren: Kayla and Hunter Kirby; Shamley, Brantley and Paizley Kennedy; and Kennedy Daniels. She was a graduate of Lane High School and retired from Acme Visible Records in January 1989. She was a member of Crozet United Methodist Church. The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Library & Resource Center Dept. for the Blind and Vision Impaired, 395 Azalea Ave., Richmond, VA 23227. A graveside service was held June 5 at Rockgate Cemetery in Crozet with the Rev. Sarah Evancho officiating. Anderson Funeral Home of Crozet was in charge of arrangements.
CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
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Ann Cumbie Stanley Ann Cumbie Stanley (Mrs. Conway Stanley) of Longmont, Crozet, passed away Sunday ,June 18, at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. Mrs. Stanley was predeceased by her husband, Conway Frederick Stanley, her sister Catherine Cumbie Lucas, and her brother Wylie Cumbie. Mrs. Stanley was born in Clover, Virginia, on February 21, 1930. She and her husband, started their life in Crozet that she fondly referred to as “the village” in 1957, moving from Richmond. The Stanleys owned and operated Crozet Drug Co, on the Square for almost 50 years. It was their great honor to be part of the growing Crozet
community. She is survived by her daughter Susan Stanley Sprinkle of Richmond, and her husband, Philip Martin Sprinkle II and their children, Grayson Cameron, Philip Whitlow and Christian Compton; and her daughter Melissa Farina of Crozet, and her husband Louis Farina Jr. and their children Katie and Erin. A graveside service was held on June 21 at Rockgate Cemetery in Crozet, with the Rev. Susie Atkinson officiating. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Western Albemarle Rescue Squad, PO Box 188 Crozet, VA 22932.
community events JULY 8
SK8 Nelson
The skate park and half-pipe at Rockfish Valley Community Center will host the Third Annual “Devils Backbone Presents SK8 Nelson” fundraising event, featuring the “MinPin Skate Jam” Saturday, July 8 from 4 - 9 p.m. The SK8 Nelson party has become the largest summertime event at “The Rock,” attracting hundreds of participants and enthusiasts from around the state. Proceeds from the event help to offset the costs of insuring, maintaining and improving the skate park, as well as supporting the Center’s operations. This year’s “MinPin Skate Jam,” an open skating session named in memory of local skater Daniel “MinPin” Rasnake, will run from 4 – 6 p.m., with competitions from 6 to 8 p.m. In a change from previous years, however, there will be a $5 entry fee for Best Trick Competitions, and a $10 entry fee for the Game of Skate Challenge, with first prize being 50% of game entry fees. Live music for the party will be provided by local bands including Shagwolf, Tara Mills & Jimmy Stelling, Choose Your Own Adventure, Matt Curreri & the ExFriends and Disco Risque Acoustic. There is a $5 entry fee for the party. Paid competitors and kids 12 and under are admitted free.
JULY 18
Blood Drive at King Family King Family Vineyards will be hosting a blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross on Tuesday, July 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. With a simple blood donation, we have the ability to help save the life of someone who could be a coworker, loved one or neighbor. For more information, or to make an appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROS or 1-800733-2767. You may also sign up online at redcrossblood.org with sponsor code KING.
AUGUST 20
Crozet Chorus Workshop
The Crozet Chorus is offering a summer music workshop entitled Music Literacy and Sight Singing, Sunday, August 20, 3:30 - 5 p.m. at Crozet Baptist Church. Sharpen your sight reading and choral skills with Dr. John McCarty, Music Director of the Crozet Chorus. Register at crozetchorus.org, cost is $10. The Crozet Chorus, Fall Season 2017 is welcoming singers for the Dec. 2 performance of “Season of Light.” To register and learn the rehearsal schedule, please visit crozetchorus.org. Join the more than 30 singers currently registered!
Serving Western Albemarle Families Since 1967 Robert S. Anderson & John W. Anderson, Jr., D I R E C T O R S
823-5002 5888 St. George Avenue Crozet, VA 22932
BEREAVEMENTS Jessie Raven Hopkins, 21
March 11, 2017
Kay Arlene Watterson Corradino, 73
May 4, 2017
Daniel Junior Morris, 84
May 19, 2017
Howard Sam Clayborne Sr., 93
May 24, 2017
David Bartholomew, 70
May 27, 2017
Bertha Elizabeth Woodson, 84
May 28, 2017
Autumn Marie Bryant Fortune, 37
May 29, 2017
Vera Gavrilovic, 86
May 29, 2017
John Charles Juliano, 91
May 31, 2017
Kathleen Mays Morris, 89
May 31, 2017
Mildred L. Pennington, 92
May 31, 2017
Oliver Wayne Powers, 70
May 31, 2017
Mark Eugene Fortney, 64
June 1, 2017
Kenneth Wesley Gibson, 19
June 1, 2017
Helen McCauley Godwin, 89
June 1, 2017
C. Gordon Shira, 92
June 7, 2017
Frances Virginia Blood Barham, 81
June 8, 2017
Doris Mae Emery, 93
June 10, 2017
Charles Everette Beverly, 88
June 16, 2017
Mildred Collier, 82
June 16, 2017
Doris M. Murphy, 88
June 16, 2017
Glennis M. Pace, 75
June 16, 2017
Helen Katherine Crawford-Hawley-White, 91
June 17, 2017
Ann Cumbie Stanley, 87
June 18, 2017
Stanley Leigh Morris, 69
June 21, 2017
Shirley Ann Woodson Morris, 72
June 26, 2017
Bradley Howard Joyce, 33
June 30, 2017
Albert George Walker Sr., 102
June 30, 2017
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
© J. Dirk Nies, Ph.D.
dirknies@crozetgazette.com
CRISPR-Cas Corn CRIPSR-Cas is one tool that could help keep pace with the growing demand for more sustainable agricultural solutions. - DuPont Pioneer When Carmen and I were young, we made our home at the foot of the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque. Back then, for a weekend outing on a pleasant summer’s day, we would avoid Interstate 25 and travel the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway, the picturesque backroad that links Albuquerque with Santa Fe through the high country. The Byway is named for the semi-precious, bluegreen mineral deposits of hydrated copper and aluminum phosphate—sought after by Native Americans for more than a millennium—which are found near the northern stretches of the road. Once bustling mining towns, scattered along the way like nuggets of the wild west, may also be discovered and explored; ghost towns such as Golden and Madrid (pronounced MADrid, not Ma-DRID). During one of these trips, we stopped at the Golden General Merchandise Store and struck up a conversation with the proprietors, Vera and Bill Henderson. We learned that in 1962, Bill and Vera purchased the store from her parents. Together they turned the failing store into a thriving arts and
crafts trading post featuring Native American jewelry, rugs, Kachina dolls, and pottery for sale. The Hendersons (both of these dear friends have passed away) were true and devoted connoisseurs and patrons of local and regional artisans. Vera especially wanted customers to share her passion in these handicrafts. If a potential patron showed lackadaisical interest in the artistic qualities of a piece or the artist who made it, she would send them on their way, telling them to take their business to Santa Fe! I admired Vera’s spunk and forthrightness. She cared deeply, and she stood up for what she believed. She inspired me to learn the stories told about everyday Pueblo Indian life by silversmiths such as the Kewa Pueblo artist Vidal Aragon. For example, a silver bracelet we purchased depicted a Pueblo village around which grew stalks of corn. As a kid growing up in the D.C. suburbs, about all I knew of corn was corn flakes. The Henderson’s passion for Native American traditions encouraged me to deepen my cultural appreciation of food and agriculture. The Keresan-speaking tribes of the American Southwest believed in a female corn goddess, whom they called Iyatiku. It is she who led the first people to the surface of the earth from Shipap, her underground realm. To provide for their sustenance and wellbeing, Iyatiku planted pieces of her heart in the fields surrounding their village. These tiny tokens of her body grew into lush fields of life-sustaining corn!
This worldview—that seeds and plants are sacred gifts available to and shared by all—is common among native peoples around the world. This ancient perspective stands in stark contrast to the modern view corporate ag-science offers us. To illustrate, I will use DuPont Pioneer’s CRISPR-Cas waxy corn as an example. DuPont Pioneer has recently announced its intentions to commercialize waxy corn hybrids developed in the laboratory using a new and powerful gene editing technique called CRISPR-Cas: clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated system. (That’s not a typo. This two-part acronym incorporates its own acronym!) “Waxy corn produces a high amylopectin starch content, which is milled for a number of everyday consumer food and non-food uses including processed foods, adhesives and high-gloss paper.” DuPont Pioneer created this hybrid using CRISPR-Cas advanced gene editing technology to program the plant’s molecular machinery to synthesize amylopectin starch in abnormally high levels. According to DuPont Pioneer’s website and their September 2016 webinar, “CRISPR-Cas is a more efficient and targeted plant breeding technology.” In the past, genetic engineering of plants often has relied upon transgenic techniques, which modifies the host species by adding genetic material from different species (i.e., GMOs). CRISPR-Cas does not incorporate foreign DNA from other species. “It’s a continuation of what people have been doing since plants were first domesticated—selecting plants for their desired characteristics like higher yields, disease resistance, longer shelf life or better nutrition.” CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology is likened to word processing, by which scientist delete, edit, or search and replace specific portions of a plant’s genetic code. CRISPRCas uses molecular scissors to cut a specific section of DNA. After the DNA is cut, either a piece is removed and the loose ends are spliced back together eliminating an undesired trait; or a desired trait is inserted into
the gap and the DNA is stitched together again. DuPont Pioneer seeks to further the science and expand the adoption of CRISPR-Cas across all crops, including soybeans, rice, wheat, canola, sunflowers, fruits and vegetables. “Agricultural products developed with CRISPR-Cas will be like the ones that we have been producing through conventional plant breeding for generations and will be subject to extensive testing prior to commercialization. As with every technology we apply, we hold ourselves accountable to our core values, to our customers and to consumers.” According to DuPont Pioneer, current Food and Drug Administration law will not require labelling of CRISPRCas waxy corn. Even under the newly enacted National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law of 2016, their genetically edited waxy corn will not meet the definition of “bioengineered” as written in the law, and “would therefore not require disclosure as a bioengineered food.” For much of human history, edible plants were cherished as gifts from the gods. Now, they are becoming high-tech, commercial products of industry. Once seeds were available to all. Now they are becoming proprietary, patented, intellectual property, licensed through enduser agreements. Are these trends truly more sustainable agricultural solutions as industry claims they are? Are they empowering farmers? Or are corporate monopolies of engineered seeds leading to “bondage and dependency for farmers who are getting trapped in debt to pay royalties” in the words of Vandana Shiva, philosopher and eco-feminist. On a personal level, I relish the smell of a freshly picked ear of corn. For me, summer would not be complete without a picnic lunch serving up hot cornon-the-cob. I wonder, would my body and soul feel as nourished if I knew I was biting into kernels of CRISPR-Cas corn? If not, should I adapt my aesthetic sensibilities to these new agricultural realities by adopting the attitude “CRISPR-Cas corn, and I don’t care” (sung to the antebellum minstrel tune Jimmy Crack Corn)?
CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
Fitness
removed from the “living off the land” cultures of thousands of years ago. And how lucky we are for it! Humans are living longer, better, easier lives! Amen! But there is a cost, right? Have you lost that human part of you? The part that rises and sets with the sun? The part that goes into the forest and listens? The part that sees spirit in the mountains and our wildlife, not as things that are for occasional viewing only, but as things that are an integral part of our human experience? I suppose my point here is just don’t forget to be human. Trust your instincts and your body and be present with the world around you. Not in a hippy way—in a human way! We are an amazing species, capable of so much. Don’t limit yourself by what some people may say or by how some people limit the human experience. As I often say, THIS is our one time here on this planet. Make it special. Don’t be disconnected from it and let it pass you by. Get outside, don’t limit yourself, and remember to be human!
—continued from page 27
natural resources. But also amazing is their ability to survive in an extremely harsh environment. Take the populations living in Barrow, one of the more northern places in Alaska, well above the arctic circle. Who could live there?! One day while on a run in a town called Hoonah, there was a native ceremonial kayak in the water. I imagined the native Tlingits going out on a similar canoe to hunt whales, often staying on the water for days at a time. Imagine them seeing the northern lights as they patiently tracked down a humpback whale, which their village would subsist on for the winter. Do you think they ever felt separate from their natural world? I wonder what they would think of us working out in a gym. Or spending all day inside an office. Or having a television going all morning and all night. Sometimes we have to remember who we are. Here in Virginia, in 2017, we are far
by Louise Dudley
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ACROSS 3 Car fueled with both gas and electricity 4 Common nickname for Grandmother 7 Fuel for cars 10 Layered cookie with frosting in the middle 12 Black sticky substance used in road construction 13 Toy blue train engine with a face 14 Post Office abbreviation for Alabama 16 Dog’s bark 17 Three-wheeled ride for a tot 20 Short name for a two-wheeler 21 Red cart with a long handle 23 Farmer’s useful vehicle for pulling things 26 Pasta shaped like rice 27 Popular brand of toy trucks 28 Pump this in to inflate a tire 30 In-line ____ are great on a sidewalk 32 Treats thrown from vehicles at the July 4th parade
DOWN 1 Vehicle big enough for four soccer players + driver 2 “____ Enchanted” 3 Chewing fingernails is a bad ____ 5 Tool for Paul Bunyan 6 Engineer who designed the tunnel through the Blue Ridge 7 Automobile model named for a sport at Old Trail 8 Place where train riders get on and off 9 Kind of train that doesn’t carry passengers 11 Organ for hearing 15 Trailways and Greyhound have fleets of these 18 Stretch and pose on a ______ mat 19 Popular scooter brand 20 Press these on a bike or car to slow down 22 Seep out very slowly 24 Cars leave a highway on exit ______ 25 Mother of kittens 29 This is 1/12 of a foot on a ruler 31 Fold this back on a convertible car
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CROZETgazette
JULY 2017
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ADMINISTRATIVE ASST/ BOOKKEEPER NEEDED: Work at our Crozet home 3 hours per week. QuickBooks, bank and credit card reconciliation, and bill paying. Compensation is $20/hour. Premium Business Cards: Most Recent Cards Order History Photo Library Jeanweiss100@gmail.com Caroline Watkins | ROY WHEELER REALTY CO. | 1100 Dryden Lane Ednam Hall Charlottesville VA 22903
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AUTOBIOGRAPHY WRITER: Crozet-based professional ghostwriter available to write personal life stories, family or organizational histories, military memoirs. Preserve memories, inspire others. Call Kevin Quirk 434-242-8417 or Kevin@yourbookghost writer. com.
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McAllister Painting Licensed and Insured Over 20 Years Experience - Free Estimates All aspects of painting Interior and Exterior Gutter Cleaning & Power Washing “No job too small”
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EXPERIENCED SEAMSTRESS with over 30 years of tailoring and garment alterations experience. I work from home in Crozet (Highlands subdivision). Please call for a free consultation. Ruth Gerges: 434-823-5086. LOCAL DAIRY FARM MANURE / FERTILIZER. Cow manure has been pressed, de-watered and composted. Absolutely the best manure for your garden, yard, bushes, flowers, berries etc., you will ever need to make your garden grow better. Very little odor, this all-natural manure is very clean and consistent with no straw, hay, rocks, twigs etc. We will load manure and delivery can be arranged. Up to 4 yards— $15 per yard. Over 4 yards—$10 per yard. early dawndairy@yahoo.com or 434823-5096
Accounting - Bookkeeping Tax Services - Notary Public BY APPOINTMENT
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Phone: 434-823-1420 Fax: 434-823-1610
Interior and Exterior Painting & Deck Staining FREE ESTIMATES
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Puzzle on page 45
LICENSED AND INSURED 16 YEARS EXPERIENCE
E H YB R L NANA L X B C F GA S I R OR EO T AR T HOM A L E A Z AR F T R I CYC L E G O I T R O H G B WA G O N T RAC TOR Z O A A A OR ZO M T ON K A I R E P E N S KA T E S CANDY O H P
M I D N I V A S N B U S I K E S I A
A P P L E
MT. MORIAH UMC VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: July 11, 12 & 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Theme: Galactic Stargazers. We will discover the invisible wonders of God. Join us for dinner, story time, crafts, and music. All ages are welcome. Mt. Moriah is located at 4524 Garth Rd. in White Hall.
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—continued from page 39
ing burgers! It’s good to consider this so you’re not disappointed or frustrated when you have to keep your dog leashed or tied while you are lounging at the campsite. We’ve camped at other places where our dogs could indeed roam free and the dogs had a blast. However, our dog Boone once was sick for many days after a trip like this, presumably from making very poor decisions with what he put in his mouth! So just beware that with more freedom comes more likelihood of finding and eating a dead animal, etc.! First aid. Hopefully, you won’t need any first aid for your dogs, but it’s always good to be prepared. Cut paws, bee stings, and snake bites are not uncommon for this area. Some things, like a snake bite or broken bone from a bad fall, are emergencies that will end your trip, but plenty of other minor things could probably wait until you get back. I recommend having a small human and dog first aid kit that has some bandaging supplies in case of a cut, and also some Benadryl in case of an insect sting (dogs can safely take 1 mg of Benadryl per pound of body weight). Also, I recommend bringing small scissors and some extra water in case you need to clean a wound. One of the first and most important steps in caring for a cut on your dog is to trim the hair around it, otherwise the hair will quickly hold on to dirt, blood, and debris making it impossible to clean the wound. If you haven’t been camping before, get out there this summer and take your dogs! (Don’t take your cats!) Nearby campgrounds include all the campgrounds off Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Sherando Lake just south of Waynesboro, Crabtree Falls and Montebello Campgrounds, and of course Misty Mountain campground right here in Crozet, to name a few. And of course there is endless backcountry camping in Shenandoah National Park as well as primitive campsites in the national forest off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Happy camping!
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Resolving your water concerns water testing water filtration water softeners electric hot water heaters uv sterilization well pumps handy man services
We can service your existing equipment John Moore 434-996-9742; 434-823-1973 Crozet, VA 22932 jbmooreservices@gmail.com
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