C-VILLE Weekly | November 30 - December 6, 2022

A celebration of dark beers and Winter brews presented by Crozet Park & Starr Hill Brewery

Order on the court

Coach Mox’s undefeated UVA women’s basketball team is on a roll.

Charlottesville’s News & Arts

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EDITORIAL

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CONTRIBUTORS

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Quirk Charlottesville Holiday Happenings

Cookies with Santa

Holiday Music Series

Gallery Workshops

Réveillon Dinners

Réveillon (pronounced Rev-eeon) is a celebratory multi-course meal during the holiday season. All month our restaurant, Pink Grouse, offers a special Réveillon four-course prix fixe menu.

Quirk Gallery exhibits a collection of Elizabeth Graeber works beginning December 17. Graeber will also offer a series of portrait sessions - which make a perfect holiday gift!

Quirk Gallery hosts a variety of workshops, markets, and shopping events throughout December.

Elizabeth Graeber

Hello, Charlottesville! Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly. I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving. And, if you didn’t, I hope the rest of the season treats you better. The holidays can be stressful, for sure. I traveled up to northern Virginia over the break to visit my sister, and while I had a great time, the drive back in foggy darkness wasn’t a highlight. (I know the Thanksgiving cliché is arguing with family at the dinner table, but we all seem to be on the same page.)

Speaking of together ness, this week’s feature (p. 16) is about the new head coach of UVA’s women’s basketball team, Amaka Agugua-Hamilton—aka Coach Mox—and how she’s led the team to an undefeated start to the season. Agugua-Hamilton began her career with dreams of playing for the WNBA, but injuries kept her on the sidelines. However, her time spent off the court introduced her to the world of coaching, and she worked her way up the ladder to eventually become a head coach, first as an interim at Michigan State, then as head coach of Missouri State. Now at UVA, she continues to climb with a great team under her wing.

I’ll admit it: For the longest time, I didn’t have any interest in watching sports. I didn’t understand how people could get invested in watching other people play a game. But everything changed for me with the 2014 World Cup, when, while I worked at a university writing center, a whole room of nerdy writing consultants crowded around a computer to watch each nation compete. I was enthralled with the beautiful game, and since then I can’t keep my eyes off the wide, wide world of sports. Richard DiCicco

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Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO and PFFS organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.. At Humana, it is important you are treated fairly. Humana Inc. and its subsidiaries comply with applicable federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ancestry, ethnicity, marital status, religion or language.

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Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO and PFFS organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal. . At Humana, it is important you are treated fairly. subsidiaries comply with applicable federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ancestry, ethnicity, marital status, religion or language. English: of charge, are available to you. Call ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 繁體中文 ，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務

IN BRIEF

Laid to rest

The New England Patriots loaned a plane to the University of Virginia football team for players to travel together to the funerals of their three teammates who were shot and killed on November 13. The team attended D’Sean Perry’s funeral service in Florida on November 26, and Devin Chandler’s memori al service in Virginia Beach the following day. A celebration of life for Lavel Davis, Jr. will be held on November 30 in South Carolina.

BOS bid

Democrat Mike Pruitt is running to repre sent the Scottsville District on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. During a No vember 26 campaign rally, Pruitt, a Navy vet eran and UVA law student, said he planned to prioritize affordable housing, reports In formation Charlottesville. “We need to in vest in our nonprofit partners [and] fight for stronger inclusionary zoning and proffers. … The folks who actually work in our schools and our transit system and our police force often have to commute … because they can’t afford to live here,” said Pruitt, who grew up in a small town in Anderson County, South Carolina. Current Scottsville representative and board chair Donna Price is not running for re-election, and has made a bid for the Democratic nomination for the new 55th District House of Delegates seat.

Person of interest

The Charlottesville Police Department has asked the public to help identify a person of interest associated with a larceny that occurred on East Jefferson Street on No vember 27. The department has provided no further details about the crime. Anyone with information can contact Detective Nathan Stein at 970-3374.

Youngkin announces mental health reforms following shootings

A day after a manager shot and killed six people and injured several at a Walmart in Chesapeake before killing himself on November 23, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced his administration will pro pose legislation to the Gen eral Assembly this winter that would increase mental health resources and address staff ing shortages, reports the Virginia Mercury.

“It is really a moment to reflect on the state of mind of the nation and Virginia and this mental health crisis we know we are in the middle of,” Youngkin told reporters during a Thanksgiving ceremony, “and to work together to chart a path forward to address it.”

However, Youngkin refused to say if he would support leg islation restricting gun access. In response to the Walmart and UVA shootings, Virginia House Democratic legislators said they would push for more gun control reforms—in cluding adding age restrictions on certain weap ons, creating limits on high-capacity magazines, and banning ghost guns—during the 2023 legis lative session.

Hudson vs. Deeds

Democratic Del. Sally Hudson is running again to represent Charlottes ville in the General Assembly—this time, in the Virginia state Senate. Hudson, who was first elected in 2019, will face off against incumbent Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds, who has represented the former 25th District since 2001, for the newly redrawn 11th District seat, which includes Charlottesville and Albemarle, Nelson, and Amherst counties, along with the western part of Louisa County. Thanks to redistricting, every state House and Senate seat will be up for election next year. Republican Sen. Amanda Chase currently represents the 11th District—but under the new maps, the district leans strongly Democratic, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

“I fundamentally believe that there is going to be a moment to talk about these things,” said Young kin, a self-described lifelong NRA member, of gun control. “Today’s not the time. Today’s the time to support families and bring people together.”

The governor will outline his budget priorities on December 15.

In the senate, Hudson, a UVA professor and economist, wants to work on bigger, longer-term projects, reports The Daily Progress.

“From investing in strong schools to protecting the planet that we call home,” said Hudson in a November 21 announcement, “my priorities will always start with the top concerns I hear from voters every day.”

“The progress we’ve made since I’ve been elected is incredible,” Deeds told the Progress. “With just one Senate seat away from a Republican trifecta, and with so much on the line, we cannot take any chances. I’m running for re-election to continue to be the voice that Albemarle, Charlottesville, and central Virginia have come to rely and count on.”

A Democratic primary date has yet to be announced.

“For those throughout our community who suffered emotional wounds: We see you. We love you. We are here for you.”

— Chesapeake City Councilman Don J. Carey III, honoring the victims of the shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, during a candlelight vigil

Creigh Deeds Sally Hudson

SUPPLIED PHOTO

In the wake of recent mass shootings in Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin refused to say if he’d support restricting gun access.

Experience the Magic!

The beauty of light and the whimsy of nature intertwine harmoniously at the Boar’s Head Resort Winter Wander Trail of Lights. Experience the nature of our rolling landscape during this illuminated lakeside stroll as an extraordinary palette of colors blanket the natural surroundings for a magical show of lights like no other. Visit our website to learn about new light displays for the 2022 season.

Select nights: Nov. 18, 2022 - Jan. 7, 2023.

Next top cop

Police chief candidates share priorities in forum

www.WinterWander.com

By Brielle Entzminger reporter@c-ville.com

Since former Charlottesville police chief RaShall Brackney’s controver sial firing last fall, Captain Latroy “Tito” Durrette has acted as the CPD’s in terim chief, while the city searches for the department’s next official leader.

At noon on November 28, the city an nounced the final three police chief candi dates: Warrenton Police Department Chief Michael Kochis, Loudoun County Sheriff ‘s Office Commander Easton McDonald, and Durrette. Six hours later, the Police Civilian Oversight Board hosted a forum, asking the candidates questions submitted by community members covering a wide range of topics, including community po licing, gun violence, and mental health.

This summer, the city hired POLIHIRE to lead the police chief search. The D.C.based firm used feedback from more than 40 meetings with community stakeholders and residents, as well as an online com munity survey, to develop a recruitment brochure, and published it nationwide.

After receiving 19 applications, acting City Manager Michael Rogers formed an ex ecutive screening committee to interview the top five candidates. The committee eliminated one candidate and another de clined to move forward, leaving Durrette, Kochis, and McDonald as the finalists.

Durrette touted his 30 years at the CPD. “I care about this community. … We all have had trauma and I want to be a part of that healing process,” he said.

McDonald, who has worked in law en forcement for 25 years, shared that he was attracted to Charlottesville’s desire for 21stcentury policing, while Kochis, who has more than 20 years of policing experience, simi larly appreciated calls for community involve ment in policing, pointing to the PCOB.

Durrette stressed that policing is more than just enforcing laws—it’s building con nections with the community, listening to their concerns, and taking action. “We have to recognize [that] in 2017, we failed. We have to change that perception,” he said.

“We haven’t always been on the right side of justice,” added Kochis, who has led the WPD since 2020. “We’re going to be hiring officers who aren’t going to remember 2017, and shame on us if we don’t teach them [and] learn from that.”

Discussing visions and ideas for com munity policing, McDonald, who has worked for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office since 2001, shared that he expects officers to get to know people living in the areas they’re assigned to patrol and help improve the neighborhood.

In Warrenton, Kochis explained, the department formed a community action team including residents, faith leaders, business owners, and other stakeholders. Over the past two years, the team has met monthly to review department policies.

Regarding the PCOB, Kochis said he was a “fan” of the board, but was “not convinced it’s been sold [or] communicated directly to the rank and file because it doesn’t have to be a negative thing—we have the same goal in mind.”

Warrenton Police Department Chief Michael Kochis, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Commander Easton McDonald, and acting Charlottesville Police Chief Latroy “Tito” Durrette are the three candidates for CPD chief.

EZE AMOS

New! Longer Tunnel

To reduce and eliminate disparate polic ing, McDonald encouraged the commu nity to call in both compliments and com plaints about officers, so the department can identify where it needs additional training and education. Kochis emphasized the importance of training including com munity members, so officers can under stand the significant impact of implicit bias. Durrette pointed to community events like the forum as a way to “change that behav ior and culture.”

Two candidates have previously stirred up controversy. In 2014, McDonald acci dentally shot his teenage daughter when she came home after sneaking out and he mistook her for an intruder. He was not charged with a crime. According to Brack ney, Durrette, a former SWAT team com mander, was on a “performance improve ment plan” under her leadership—last year, the former chief disbanded the team for severe misconduct.

Later in the forum, all three candidates expressed support for the Marcus Alert sys tem, which allows behavioral health experts, instead of law enforcement, to respond to certain calls related to mental health, sub stance use, and developmental disabilities. (It remains unclear when the system will be fully implemented in Charlottesville due to legislative setbacks.) They also stressed the need for community partnerships and pro grams to end gun violence, such as activities for youth.

Kochis explained how he’s brought down gun violence in Warrenton by meet

Murky Waters

County removes stream from map—then puts it back

By Lisa Provence

Eric Schmitz came back from the holidays last December and found a letter about plans to develop 17.5 acres on two parcels in front of Western Ridge in Crozet. “I know it well,” he says. “The future development was on top of a stream.” But on the Albemarle County map, the stream was no longer there

He attended a Crozet Community Advi sory Committee meeting about Montclair, the proposed 157-unit development off Route 240, where he was told that when county officials went out there, there was no stream, says Schmitz. “My eyes weren’t lying.”

Why a county stream, which has been on maps for 170 years and is presumably pro tected by Albemarle’s Water Protection Or dinance, was removed—along with its 100foot buffers on each side—from county GIS maps shortly before the Board of Supervi sors approved the Crozet Master Plan in October 2021, and before a developer asked for a rezoning to build on the stream site, is not crystal clear.

“We don’t have a good sense of why that happened,” says Joe Fore, chair of the Crozet Community Advisory Committee, which had been reviewing the master plan. “The first thing that seemed strange was that it was very late in the process. People felt blind sided. There was no chance to review.”

ing with community stakeholders and members, and utilizing procedural justice, which is “giving people a voice, explaining the why,” he said.

For months, the CPD has had a severe staffing shortage. To recruit and retain more officers, McDonald emphasized providing adequate training and equipment, while Kochis pointed to his leadership in Warren ton—by involving the rank and file in the department’s strategic plan, he was able to fill every vacancy.

The candidates also vowed to recruit more officers of color. McDonald suggest ed meeting with Black organizations at colleges and universities, and talking with people who may have never have consid ered joining law enforcement. Durrette recommended building relationships with young people, and getting them interested in the profession. Kochis cited his efforts to recruit more women, too—the WPD is now 24 percent female.

Finally, the candidates advocated for building relationships with unhoused people, showing empathy, and connecting them with critical services.

Rogers will evaluate the candidates’ forum responses and “determine the best selection for our community,” he said.

The plans to rezone the site sans stream, originally reported by Crozet Gazette, drew widespread opposition among Crozetians, who formed Crozet United and filed a citizen suit under the Clean Water Act against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The basis of the complaint, says Schmitz, is that the devel oper piped a stream under an invalid permit.

On March 20, 2021, county engineer Frank Pohl and the Army Corps’ Vinny Pero found a stream on the property, according to an email from Pohl obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. By August 31, 2021, Pohl says the map will change because the owner of the parcel—Highlands West LP—had piped a section of the stream.

During summer 2021, Montclair’s engineer, Justin Shimp, buried a 203-foot portion of the stream, says an email from Shimp Engi neering. The county did not require a permit because Shimp said he was moving under 10,000 square feet of earth, explains Pohl in a January 21, 2022, email to Schmitz and Al bemarle County Supervisor Ann Mallek.

Shimp received a verbal okay from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under its Non-Reporting Nationwide 18 permit, says the email. Once the stream was under ground, the segment no longer required a 100-foot buffer.

Through the course of 168 pages of FOIAed emails, county officials began to say the Army Corps had designated the remain ing segments of the stream “ephemeral,” making them eligible to be removed from the map as well.

Not true, say three Corps officials, who denied ever reclassifying the stream as ephemeral in a July 22 email. Nor does the group determine whether to remove a stream from the map, says the Corps’ Pero. “We just determine whether it’s a ‘water of the United States.’” And he confirmed that the Montclair stream was, indeed, a “water of the U.S.”

Schmitz calls the ability to pipe streams without county oversight a huge loophole, and he believes a developer could bury an entire stream by doing it in segments. He worries that the same dodging of the Water Protection Ordinance could happen again. “Everyone understands it’s broken,” he says.

Even Mallek, whose White Hall District includes Crozet, had a hard time getting a straight answer about the “stream era sure.” In a September 5 memo to her fellow supes, she writes, “Despite repeated re quests from me since January and again March 2022, and from residents at CCAC and to County staff by community mem bers, the only documentation presented for erasure of the stream in the last days of adoption of the Crozet Master Plan is a reported word of mouth declaration by the [Corps] of non-stream status. Now we learn that report is not accurate.”

er the two unpiped segments of the stream were, in fact, intermittent streams that re quired 100-foot stream buffers under the county’s Water Protection Ordinance.

Filardo noted a “conflict of interest” with county engineer Pohl, who used to work for developer Vito Cetta. County spokesperson Emily Kilroy clarifies that Filardo used “con flict of interest“ in a “colloquial sense,” not a legal one implying financial interest. “There was a concern there may be the perception of a conflict because over a decade ago he worked for the applicant.”

On October 13, Ecosystem Services de termined both stream segments were inter mittent, and Pohl agreed, saying in an Oc tober 19 letter to the property owner that they would be added back to the county GIS stream buffer mapping.

Highlands West hired its own consultant, Wetland Studies and Solutions, which deter mined part of Segment 2 and all of Segment 3 are ephemeral. On November 18, Shimp filed a notice of appeal with the county.

With the stream buffers back—at least at the moment, Cetta says he plans to resubmit a smaller, 77-unit project in the next month or so. The revised Montclair will have 20 villas in the $625,000 to $700,000 range, and town houses for $425K to $475K, with 12 carved out as affordable units for Habitat for Humanity.

Asked if he had any insights about why a stream was removed from the GIS map of a parcel he planned to build on, Cetta says, “That’s a county question.”

November 30 –December 6, 2022 c-ville.com @cville_weekly facebook.com/cville.weekly

November 17, 2021 – Developer submits a proposal to rezone Included in the developer’s request is a detailed plan for 150+ the stream was digitally erased by County staff just a few weeks

The Montclair streams that disappeared from county maps are shown in blue, and with Albemarle’s 100-foot buffer on each side, would have made much of the smaller five-acre parcel unbuildable. The red line shows a stream that was undergrounded in the ’90s. Segment 1, shown in green, was piped in summer 2021.

Eric Schmitz calls the ability to pipe streams without county oversight a huge loophole, and he believes a developer could bury an entire stream by doing it in segments.

“We have to recognize [that] in 2017, we failed. We have to change that perception.”

TITO DURRETTE, ACTING CPD CHIEF

her way to coaching Virginia women’s basketball

O X

By Julia Stumbaugh

WHEN A MAKA AGUGUA-HAMILTON WAS growing up in Herndon, Virginia, she didn’t want to be a coach

Long before she earned the nickname “Coach Mox” as an assistant coach at VCU, or recorded a historic inaugural season as head coach at Missouri State, or was named the sixth head coach of UVA’s women’s basketball in March, Agugua-Hamilton did not plan to be on the sidelines.

She wanted to be the first woman to play in the NBA.

Agugua-Hamilton saw herself in Charles Barkley, who muscled his way past players six inches taller to become one of the best rebounders in basketball history. At 5-foot11-inches tall, she needed similar tenacity to earn a spot on a college roster. When she was accepted at Hofstra in the early 2000s, her dream—especially since the WNBA was founded—felt within reach.

Then, her knee gave out.

The injury sidelined her for the majority of her freshman season. She was considering transferring by the time Felisha Legette-Jack, now head coach at Syracuse, took over and shocked Agugua-Hamilton by naming her team captain as a sophomore.

“At first, I was like, ‘Are you sure? Me?’” says AguguaHamilton. “But she saw something in me, and it’s something that a lot of people had already brought to my attention, but I just didn’t really tap into it yet.”

Agugua-Hamilton’s injury troubles persisted throughout college. She fought through everything from stress fractures

in her feet to sciatica in her back. One of her six knee surger ies forced Agugua-Hamilton to redshirt her senior year, so she spent it on the sidelines with the coaching staff.

“I started seeing how my teammates reacted to me,” says Agugua-Hamilton. “I got a lot of gratitude, and it filled me up, helping others and being a mentor to others. That’s where I started falling in love with coaching.”

Agugua-Hamilton received offers to play professionally overseas, but when her surgeon mother looked at scans of her daughter’s knees, she turned to Agugua-Hamilton and warned her she had to stop playing basketball if she ever wanted to be able to play with her kids.

Into the thick of it

After honing her leadership skills with assistant coaching jobs at VCU, Indiana, and Old Dominion, Agugua-Hamilton worked her way up to associate head coach at Michigan State. Then, in early 2017, head coach Suzy Merchant fainted on the sidelines during a game and took time off to recover. Suddenly, Agugua-Hamilton was an interim Big Ten coach in charge of everything from game planning to radio inter views. “My head was spinning for the first couple of weeks,” she says. “And then, I found a rhythm.”

This trial by fire ensured Agugua-Hamilton was ready two years later, when she was offered her first full-time head coaching position at Missouri State.

“People there told me, ‘You know, as a first-time head coach, it seems like this isn’t your first rodeo,’” she says. “And I think it’s all because of those experiences I had at Michigan State, so I’m grateful for that. I’m also grateful that Suzy’s in better health.”

Merchant, who still coaches Michigan State today, recov ered and was able to attend Agugua-Hamilton’s wedding that May, when Agugua-Hamilton tied the knot on a romance that, like her career, blossomed beside a basketball court. She met her husband, Billy, at the San Antonio Final Four, while she was an assistant coach at Indiana and he was an assistant at Savannah State. The two now have a son—and with every lingering twinge of old injuries, Agugua-Hamil ton remembers how close she came to not meeting him.

As Agugua-Hamilton prepared her family to move to Spring field in 2019, she knew she was headed for more than just her first head coaching gig. She was also getting ready to be the first African American woman coach in Missouri State history.

Some would have seen it as pressure. She saw it as an opportunity.

Her 26-4 record in 2019-20 marked the best inaugural season by a head coach in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference. “I’m a believer and a God-fearing woman, and I truly believe I was called there,” says Agugua-Hamilton. “It’s a community that’s more of a conservative community, and maybe I was able to open some closed eyes.”

Despite the heartbreak of that first promising postseason being lost to COVID-19, Agugua-Hamilton returned to lead the Lady Bears to a 16-0 conference record and the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2020-21. She hopes her legacy will not be just that she broke racial barriers, but that she excelled at her job while doing so.

“At the end of the day, I do want to represent my com munity, and I want to make sure women of color have a platform and get more opportunities to get jobs, and to lead, and to help grow the next generation,” says Agugua-Ham ilton. “But at some point, I just want to be known as a great coach, no matter what my skin color is.”

Coming home

UVA athletic director Carla Williams was part of the coach ing staff that took Georgia to two Final Fours and the 1996 NCAA championship, so she knows what a good coach looks like. And she knew she’d found one in Agugua-Hamilton during their first Zoom call.

“Coach Mox talked about academics first, and developing young ladies off the court first,” says Williams. “Once I real ized how passionate she was about their lives outside of basketball, I already knew she was a great coach.”

When Williams extended the offer to coach at UVA, Agu gua-Hamilton jumped at the chance to move her son and husband closer to extended family—and also to make the leap from mid-majors to the ACC.

It took her just two weeks to secure a high-profile com mitment from Notre Dame transfer Sam Brunelle. After leading ACC freshman in scoring in 2019-20, Brunelle’s next two seasons were cut short by injuries, the last of which required intensive surgery last summer. Agugua-Hamilton and her staff have helped Brunelle through the agonizing process of relearning how to use her healing shoulder.

“I’m one of those coaches that holds kids out a little bit to make sure that they’re prepared to come back physically, but also mentally,” says Agugua-Hamilton. “Coming back from

injuries is really taxing on the mental side, and that some times is overlooked.”

This guidance is part of why Brunelle, who first met AguguaHamilton as the former No. 1 overall high school recruit out of Greene County’s William Monroe High School, says Vir ginia’s new coach played a major role in her transfer decision. “Coach Mox has been through it as well, with her knee injuries, and she really understands where I’m coming from with the adversity I’ve had to face,” says Brunelle. “It’s really nice to have someone who understands that in the forefront of help ing you with rehab.”

Last year, Virginia women’s basketball missed the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year after winning just five of 27 games.

That’s not the UVA Agugua-Hamilton remembers while watching coach Debbie Ryan and Dawn Staley, Wendy Palmer, and Tammi Reiss play in orange and navy blue.

“I understand the program kind of went on a downward spiral the last couple of years, but my vision of this program is the Final Fours, the Elite Eights, because that’s what I grew up knowing about UVA,” says Agugua-Hamilton.

The first thing she wanted to do to jolt the Cavaliers out of this spiral was change the team culture, which she found was easier than expected. “I think I was a little bit surprised with how hard we work, and how competitive we have been from day one of getting on the court with them,” says Agu gua-Hamilton. “I thought that was going to be something that I was going to have to change a little bit, just based on last year. But our kids want to win, and they work hard.”

With family culture in place, Agugua-Hamilton can focus on emphasizing her players’ versatility and athleticism with uptempo basketball. Alongside the bulk of her Missouri State coaching staff, she pushes her seven returnees, two transfers, and two first-years through energetic practices.

Shooters rotate briskly around the floor. Defensive drills are frenetic. Agugua-Hamilton is readying her players to push the ball.

Whenever Williams stops by practice, she sees joy in ev eryone’s face, even through the pain. “We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ve come a long way,” says Williams. “I think that she is exactly what college athletics, women’s basketball, and UVA athletics needs, and that’s a coach who cares about the student athlete outside of their sport and is truly in vested in their development as people.”

The undefeated UVA women’s basketball team, led by Ruckersville’s Sam Brunelle, has uplifted the university community during a heartbreaking time.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

Giving isn’t only good, it’s good for you.

Numerous studies have shown that volunteering in later life can improve your health and happiness, and it is perhaps the most effective and satisfying way to have an im pact on your community. However, you also can make an impact with your charitable giving, and you don’t have to be super-rich to do it.

In fact, like volunteering, giving money actually might improve your health and well-being, too.

Studies highlighted by the Nation al Institutes of Health have found that receiving money lights up pleasure centers in the brain. Of course, that’s really no surprise. However, they also discovered that giving away money, especially to a good cause, lights up those same pleasure centers. What’s more, when giving is voluntary and doesn’t feel like an obligation, the pleasure is even greater.

And that’s especially true among seniors. A 2015 study by Merrill Lynch showed that older Americans overwhelmingly define success by how much they’ve given, not by how much they’ve made. Those who give more also reported higher levels of happiness and a sense of purpose. Perhaps that’s why, according to Giv ing USA, almost half of the volunteer hours given, and more than 40 per cent of the money given to charities, comes from older Americans.

So, now that you know that giving makes you feel good, and is likely good for you, what next?

Decide what causes are important to you. Experts suggest choosing up to five charities and focus on those. And bring a sense of com mitment to the task, no matter what percentage of your income you plan to give. You’ll feel more invested in the causes you are supporting.

Perhaps there’s a cause close to your heart, like supporting research on a type of cancer a friend or fam ily member struggled with, or a lo cal organization whose good work you have seen firsthand. Or maybe you’ve always felt strongly about helping homeless, battered women, or children around the world suffer ing from malnutrition. Experts say it’s actually a good idea to write down a personal mission statement about what is important to you and

how you would like to help.

Now do a little research. Check out Guidestar.org, where you can look at the financials of nonprofits. Or the Better Business Bureau’s Give.org, which ranks charities. At Givewell.org and Myphilanthropedia.org, you can find actual reviews of charities.

Next, choose your charities, how much you want to donate and how often, setting aside a little bit for impulse giving for a new cause that moves you. Also, look for opportu nities to simplify your giving by signing up for recurring donations that automatically charge your deb it card or bank account.

If you really want to get serious, think about setting up a charitable gift annuity, a donor-advised fund or a family foundation. Some non profits will contract with you for what’s called a charitable gift annu ity, in which you hand over substan tial cash or property to a nonprofit and in return you get a set amount of annual income for life. Not a bad idea for those on fixed incomes, and there are some good tax benefits as well. Plus, you can leave a legacy that will work for the nonprofit after you’re gone.

A donor-advised fund is an ac count you set up with a financial services firm or community founda tion. The distributions are then al located and directed to the charities you choose. And you don’t have to be rich to do this. Most of these ac counts, even at big firms, are less than $25,000 and as little as $5,000.

Finally, why not get the whole family in on the action? Starting a family foundation dedicated to a cause, or causes, can be a great way to have a lasting impact on the things you care about. Again, you don’t have to be wealthy to start a family foundation, and, over time, family foundations can become a powerful force for giving that no one in your family could have done alone. What’s more, you can leave a legacy of charitable giving that will continue into the future.

See? Now, don’t you feel better already? David McNair handles communica tions, media relations, and social media efforts for JABA.

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY 11/30

SOUNDS

LIKE FUN

The streets of Charlottesville are alive with the sound of music at Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night, an interactive soundscape designed specifically to be heard outside during December. Bring your walking shoes and a speaker (phone, bluetooth, boombox) for a luminous promenade through downtown Charlottesville. Each participant will play one of four tracks, creating a moving sound sculpture that’s different from every listener’s perspective. Free (registration required), 7pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. wtju.net

81 REASONS TO STEP OUT THIS WEEK

SATURDAY 12/3

ROLL THE CREDITS

FRIDAY 12/2 & SATURDAY 12/3

FLOCK TOGETHER

Psychedelic funk band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong has played more than a thousand shows across 44 states since its inception at the University of Maryland over a decade ago. “When touring shut down in 2020, we gained immense perspective,” says guitarist and vocalist Greg Ormont. “Now more than ever, we recognize that you only get one life, so you might as well live it to the fullest and lift people up in the process.” The group’s sixth album, aptly titled Perspective, translates these joyous realizations into 12 groove-filled songs, including the easy-flowing “Sir Real,” and “Elephante,” an energetic, horn-filled tune that’s overflowing with catchy songwriting. $29.50-55, 7:30pm. Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

The Indie Short Film Series returns with the Women in Film edition, bringing a new slate of stellar flicks to the big screen. This installment features up to seven domestic and international shorts, written or directed by women from a variety of genres. Stick around after the credits for a panel discussion with the filmmakers as they share their processes and stories, and cast your vote for the Audience Choice Award. $20, 7pm. Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lifeviewmarketingandvisuals.com

Flour garden

Chris Martin gets inventive with Charlottesville’s best ingredients

Wednesday 11/30 music

Beleza Duo. Funkalicious samba soul. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Down town Mall. thebebedero.com Karaoke with Jenn DeVille. Sign up to sing or just enjoy the tunes. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Open Mic Night. Charlottesville’s longest running open mic night. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St. 234-4436.

Strange Assembly: A Concert of Impro vised Music. UVA graduate music students Kristin Hauge, Molly Joyce, Varun Kishore, Brian Lindgren, Nicole Mitchell, and Matias Vilaplana Stark showcase their work. Free, 8pm. Visible Records, 1740 Broadway St. music.virginia.edu

stage

Violet A soaring musical pilgrimage that follows a young woman hoping to trans form her life on a 1964 Greyhound bus journey from North Carolina to Oklahoma. $30-33, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

classes

Paint & Sip. Learn to paint while sipping a complimentary beverage. $40, 6pm. Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. catelynkelseydesigns.com

outside

Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night. A luminous soundscape played by the audience on mobile devices and bluetooth speakers. Free, 7pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. wtju.net

etc.

By Julia Stumbaugh living@c-ville.com

Chris Martin has baked in cities from Chicago to San Francisco, but she has rarely found local in gredients like those in central Virginia.

That’s one reason bakernobakery, her popup bakeshop, boasts one of the most unique menus at the City Market.

“Sourcing ingredients is really a delight here in Charlottesville,” says Martin, creator of delicacies such as raspberry and bay leaf tres leches and whisky ginger blondies, among others. “The climate and the location are really incredible for growing a lot of produce.”

Not only do locals find inventive methods of growing non-native produce—one of Martin’s vendors keeps a greenhouse hot enough to grow citrus year-round—but the woods around Charlottesville are thick with treasures like the paw-paw fruit, recogniz able by its tropical-looking vines.

The paw-paw has a flavor Martin de scribes as a mixture of banana, mango, and pineapple. Her version of a bostock—typi cally a slice of brioche soaked in simple syrup and covered with almonds—is filled with paw-paw pastry cream and paw-paw purée, then topped with crunchy nutmeg. She also gives the French pastry a Southern twist by substituting a slice of pound cake.

After sharing a city market tent with local company SoSS, Martin decided to incorpo rate SoSS’s small-batch hot sauce into a pas try. She folded charred onions into cream cheese filling, then added soy sauce, lemon grass and SoSS’s Burger Venom to create an explosively flavorful Danish.

Martin is currently prepping fall ingredi ents for holiday cookie orders. She jellies persimmons by soaking them in simple syrup for weeks. She purées regional kabo cha, a light, almost floral-tasting winter squash, which pairs well with white choco late and candied ginger. And the creamy paw-paw purée is a perfect match to the white chocolate ganache inside her hand-painted bonbons.

When customers are intimidated by these new flavors, Martin suggests starting with her apple fritters, and that’s usually enough to convince them to try more.

“Since my background is in fine dining, I’ve had a lot of exposure to different tech niques and different flavors,” she says. “It allows me to expand and build a level of trust with a lot of my customers.”

Learn more about Martin’s creative baking at bakernobakery.com.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. Explore the only museum in the U.S. devoted to Indigenous Australian art. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aborig inal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Exhibition on Screen—Cézanne: Portraits of a Life Filmed at the National Portrait Gallery in London, with additional interviews from experts and curators, the film takes audiences to the places Cézanne lived and worked and sheds light on the Impression ist artist. $11-15, 7pm. The Paramount The ater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Thursday 12/1 music

Augusta Health Hospice of the Shenan doah Christmas Benefit Concert. Musicians include Faithful Men, The Men in Grey of VMI, vocalist Melissa Swisher, and harpist Addie Tocci. Free, 7pm. Waynesboro Sev enth-day Adventist Church, 1700 Lyndhurst Rd., Waynesboro. (540) 943-9452

Berto & Vincent. Wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. the bebedero.com

Blackberry Smoke with Brit Taylor. The Whippoorwill 10-year anniversary tour. $3942, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Consider the Source. A blend of progressive rock and improvisatory jazz, soaked in Indian and Middle Eastern styles. $15-18, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Tea Time Recitals. UVA musicians perform pieces from their semester of training and practice. Free, 1pm. Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds. music.virginia.edu

stage

Violet See listing for Wednesday, Novem ber 30. $30-33, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

words

MFA Reading Series. Fiction and poetry students from the University of Virginia’s MFA program in creative writing read from their work. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Book shop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. nd bookshop.com

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 30. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Friday 12/2 music

Bobby Thompson Acoustic Trio. Blues tunes. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

MercyMe and Chris Tomlin. A one-of-a-kind co-headlined tour from the Christian musicians. $23.75 and up, 7pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. johnpauljonesarena.com

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. With Yim Yam. $29-35, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Virginia Women’s Chorus: Candlelight Concert. Featuring song selections such as “Snow Angels,” “Deck the Hall,” and “Eat nemen Vuelie” from Disney’s Frozen. $7-20, 8pm. University Chapel, UVA Grounds. virginiawomenschorus.org

dance

Kizomba Fridays. A bimonthly social in Ki zomba and related dance. Free, 8pm. Ashtan ga Yoga of Charlottesville, 906 Monticello Rd. core4kizomba@gmail.com

stage

Elf: The Musical Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. $10-20, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

Matilda: The Musical The story of an ex traordinary girl who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. $15-25, 7pm. Bel mont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. dmradventures.com

Violet See listing for Wednesday, Novem ber 30. $30-33, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

outside

Playdates at the Playscape. BYO buddies and snacks and enjoy nature play. $20, 9:30am. Wildrock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org

Veritas Illuminated. The grove and vines of Veritas winery come alive with sparkling holiday lights and decorations. $10-15, 5:15pm. Veritas Vineyards and Winery, 151 Veritas Ln., Afton. veritaswines.com

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 30. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Chris Martin’s bakernobakery selections, including her paw-paw bonbons, are a huge hit at the City Market.

“Sourcing ingredients is really a delight here in Charlottesville.”

CHRIS MARTIN

Saturday 12/3

music

Berto and Vincent. Wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com

Berto’s Latin Guitar Brunch. Enjoy the sounds of Brazil, Spain, and Latin America. Free, 11am. Tavern & Grocery, 333 W. Main St. tavernandgrocery.com

Chamber Music Seminar Recital. Student musicians perform select pieces from the semester. Free, 1pm. Brooks Hall, UVA Grounds. music.virginia.edu

Family Holiday Concert. With the Charlot tesville Symphony and UVA University Sing ers. $11-47, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds. music.virginia.edu

FarAway. Live music, wine, and food from the Eastwood food truck. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

Mojo Pie. Local songwriters Susan Munson and Frank Bechter perform live. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. With Dogs In A Pile. $29-35, 8pm. The Jefferson The ater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jefferson theater.com

Three Notch’d Road: Western Noël. A program of carols, wassails, and dances from Western Europe, with a selection from Handel’s Messi ah. $10-25, 4pm. Grace Episcopal Church, 5607 Gordonsville Rd., Keswick. tnrbaroque.org

Virginia Women’s Chorus: Candlelight Concert. See listing for Friday, December 2. $7-20, 3:30pm. University Chapel, UVA Grounds. virginiawomenschorus.org

dance

Albemarle Ballet Theatre—Step Into the Story: The Nutcracker A miniature version of The Nutcracker created specially for young audience members. $10, 3 and 5pm. Albe marle Ballet Theatre, 5798 Three Notch’d Rd. Crozet. abtdance.org

stage

Elf: The Musical See listing for Friday, De cember 2. $10-20, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

Matilda: The Musical See listing for Friday, December 2. $15-25, 2 and 7pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. dmradventures.com

Violet See listing for Wednesday, Novem ber 30. $30-33, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

words

Storytime. Featuring recent storybooks and classics kids know and love. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Down town Mall. ndbookshop.com

classes

Tutor Training: Help Adults Learn English. Support adult learners through one-to-one instruction. Free, 10:30am. JMRL: Northside Library, 705 W. Rio Rd. literacyforall.org

outside

Arts and Crafts Sale and Stroll. Start at one of the Greenbrier neighborhood houses and view a variety of art, woodcrafts, toys, jew elry, and more. Free, 10am. Greenbrier Neigh borhood, 1412 Kenwood Ln.

Charlottesville Holiday Market. Handcraft ed items from a variety of artisans. Free, 8am. Charlottesville City Market, 100 Water St. E. charlottesville.gov

Crozet Winter Brews Festival. A celebra tion of dark beers and brews from Virginia breweries and cideries. $10-30, noon. Clau dius Crozet Park, 1075 Park Rd. crozetbeer fest.com

Holly Days at Highland. A merry morning of cozy crafts and artisanal activities, with cider and donuts. Free, 10am. James Mon roe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Pkwy. highland.org

Innisfree Village Holiday Open House. Shop handmade crafts and register for a wreath-making workshop. Free, 10am. Inn isfree Village, 5505 Walnut Level Rd., Crozet. innisfreevillage.org

Jolly Holly Trolley. Take a ride down the mall every weekend this holiday season. Free, noon. The Downtown Mall. friendsofcville.org

Playdates at the Playscape. See listing for Friday, December 2. $20, 9:30am. Wil drock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 30. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Holiday Bazaar. Shop a selection of hand made gifts, enjoy storytelling, singalongs, and other activities. Free, 10am. Charlottes ville Waldorf School, 120 Waldorf School Rd. cwaldorf.org

Indie Short Film Series: Women in Film Edition. Screenings of up to seven short films written or directed by women. $20, 7pm. Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lifeviewmarketingandvisuals.com

The Polar Express Late on Christmas Eve, after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him. $6-8, 3pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

The Preacher’s Wife When a preacher asks for divine intervention, he and his gos pel-singing wife are visited by an angel. $6-8, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

PVCC Pottery Club Sale. Featuring hundreds of handmade mugs, bowls, vases, plates, casseroles, pitchers, and works of art. Free, 9am. Piedmont Virginia Community College, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

Santa Claus is Coming. Meet Santa and take photos. Free, 1pm. Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. dairymarketcville.com

Selfies with Santa. Share your wish list with Santa and snap a photo for your holiday card. Free, noon. Central Place, Downtown Mall. friendsofcville.org

Sunday 12/4

music

Family Holiday Concert. See listing for Sat urday, December 3. $11-47, 3:30pm. Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds. music.virginia.edu

Lessons & Carols for Advent. Readings, anthems, hymns, and prayers prepare the way for the joyful Christmas season. Free, 5:30pm. St. Paul’s Memorial Church, 1700 University Ave. spmcuva.org

dance

Albemarle Ballet Theatre—Step Into the Story: The Nutcracker See listing for Sat urday, December 3. $10, 2 and 4pm. Albe marle Ballet Theatre, 5798 Three Notch’d Rd. Crozet. abtdance.org

CULTURE SOUND CHOICES

Renewal, reinvention and tracks for winter months

Mariana Bell

Still Not Sleeping (self-released)

In the 19 years since her debut album, Mariana Bell has matured. On her eighth studio LP, Still Not Sleeping, Bell’s voice, production, and songwriting talent shine as she blurs the lines of vintage pop and country rock in songs that celebrate life. Bell’s new songs evolved as she navigated a journey through trauma and the difficult search for joy that followed. Bell wrote “Heart of Honey’’ for a dear friend who wanted a song in the vein of Otis Redding or John Prine. But when she performed the song for him, he declined it, saying the piece was so beautiful it had to stay with her. This friend died tragically in the spring and Bell says, “He is the im petus and the inspiration of the record.” With only nine songs on the album, undefinable in genre yet distinguished by passion, you’ll want more from Bell (released September 22).

Schuyler Fisk

We Could Be Alright (Cassidy Barks, Inc)

We Could Be Alright begins a new era for Schuyler Fisk. The singer-songwriter launched her music career in her early 20s with a songwriting partnership with Joshua Radin and a contract at Universal Records. She toured across continents with major artists such as Sheryl Crow, and made an appearance on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, but eventually left the label to pursue other interests. (Fisk, the daughter of Academy Award-winner Sissy Spacek and production designer Jack Fisk, is also an actress.)

We Could Be Alright arrives after more than a decade, and it’s laced with hope and heartbreak, melan choly and maybes. Local favorites Sam Wilson and Carl Anderson are featured—on “Take Back Everything,” a powerful song full of regret while wishing an old lover well, Anderson sings and Wilson gets writing credit. The album is poignant and beautiful, filled with the right amount of sadness for the winter solstice. But, if you’re looking for a laugh, Fisk currently stars alongside her mother and Dustin Hoff man and his son, Jake, in Sam & Kate a comedy that recently hit theaters (released November 2022).

Nathan Colberg Dream On, Kid (Reimagined) (Tone Tree Music/ Nathan Colberg)

The cure to seasonal depression can be a lot of things, but one option

comes in the pure pop happiness of Nathan Colberg’s Dream On, Kid (Reimagined). Colberg grew up in Charlottesville, and while a fourthyear at UVA, he started to share his original songs in living rooms and at small parties. In March of 2020, he launched his first headlining tour with a sold-out show at The Jefferson Theater. Unfortunately, when COVID shut everything down, Colberg’s tour was no exception.

The Dream On, Kid EP was re leased earlier this year, but Colberg wanted more for these songs. He says of the new release, “It’s a sibling, reimagined into a different genre.” Colberg transforms “Hold You Tonight’’ by adding strings and giving it an orchestral treatment, which turns the hype power-pop dance anthem into a ballad. If you can’t get enough of Colberg’s infectious pop style, Dream On, Kid is a worthy addition to your music collection (released September 2022).

—Samantha Federico

Sunday 12/4

stage

Elf: The Musical See listing for Friday, December 2. $10-20, 2:30pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barbo ursville. fourcp.org

Matilda: The Musical See listing for Friday, December 2. $15-25, 2pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. dmr adventures.com

Violet See listing for Wednesday, Novem ber 30. $30-33, 2pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Wa ter St. livearts.org

outside

Jolly Holly Trolley. See listing for Saturday, December 3. Free, noon. The Downtown Mall. friendsofcville.org

Veritas Illuminated. See listing for Friday, December 2. $10-15, 5:15pm. Veritas Vine yards and Winery, 151 Veritas Ln., Afton. veritaswines.com etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 30. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

White Christmas Two World War II buddies cross paths with two beautiful sisters fol lowing them to a Vermont inn. $6-8, 2 and 6pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Monday 12/5

music

Baby Jo’s. Tunes from the seven-piece, New Orleans-inspired boogie and blues band. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com Berto & Vincent. Rumba rumba. Free, 7pm. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. southandcentralgrill.com

Gin & Jazz. Brian Caputo Trio performs in the hotel lobby bar. Free, 5:30pm. Oakhurst Hall, 122 Oakhurst Cir. oakhurstinn.com

Jazz Connection. Jazz quartet playing stan dards and originals with occasional guest performers. Free, 5pm. Starr Hill Brewery Tap Room, 5391 Three Notched Rd., Crozet. starrhill.com

Tuesday 12/6 music

Messiah Sing-In. Conducted by Michael Slon. $5-10, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds. music.virginia.edu

Thunder Music Karaoke. Show off your vocal chops, or just come enjoy the evening. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St. 234-4436

Vincent Zorn. Olé. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. the bebedero.com

words

Wintertime De-icing Solutions That Re duce Potential Impacts. Learn about smart choices for dealing with snow and ice that can reduce the impact traditional de-icing chemicals can have on landscapes. Free, 6:30pm. The Center at Belvedere, 540 Bel vedere Blvd. thecentercville.org

classes

Wreath Making Workshop. Horticulturist Diane Burns and garden assistants Celina DeBrito and Carolyn Springett teach partic ipants how to make a 14-inch wreath. $115, 9:30am and 1pm. Pippin Hill Farm & Vine yards, 5022 Plank Rd., North Garden. pippin hillfarm.com

outside

Playdates at the Playscape. See listing for Friday, December 2. $20, 9:30am. Wil drock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 30. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Family Game Night. Enjoy dinner, refresh ing cocktails, mocktails, and beers, and play a variety of games for all ages, includ ing corn hole, jumbo Jenga, cards, and more. Free, 5pm. Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. dairymarketcville.com

Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night. Useless knowledge means everything at this au thentic homegrown trivia quiz. Free, 8pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Stretching the canvas

Diego Sanchez and Mary Scurlock show solo and combined works at Quirk

By Sarah Sargent arts@c-ville.com

“One of the best things about collaborating with another artist is I learn a great deal about the other person’s sensibility to ma terials, aesthetics, and mark making,” says artist Diego Sanchez. His work is currently on view at the Quirk Gallery, together with fellow Richmonder Mary Scurlock.

In “Conversations,” each artist has eight paintings on display, which give the viewer enough information to understand and ap preciate the artists’ individual approach and style, while providing a key, of sorts, to the intricate dance of give and take apparent in the 10 joint pieces. The artists worked in layers, on top of one another’s contribution, exchanging paintings back and forth three to four times, keeping a tally in pencil on the back of each work.

Looking at the individual pieces, you might not put the two artists together. San chez favors bold color and geometric shapes, while Scurlock prefers a more streamlined palette and blurred edges. But spending time with their paintings, you begin to see that both artists employ a similarly diverse selec tion of media, and devote the same attention to developing their surfaces with layers of paint, wax, and paper.

Sanchez’s paintings are hung in the front part of the gallery, where the Quirk’s soaring space can easily accommodate their exuber ance. Scurlock’s are in the back, where the ceilings are lower in a quiet, more meditative area that suits these contemplative pieces.

One marvels at all that’s going on in terms of color, composition, and medium in a work like Sanchez’s “Composition #151.” The easy allure of turquoise and cobalt is tempered and elevated into something much more sophisticated by passages of dun and gray. The rectilinearity of the over lapping planes is subsumed in places by broad brushstrokes. Perfect orbs of blue dance across the surface, encountering

more amorphous circular shapes. Partially obscured targets are “visual representations of ‘centering,’ of being mindful and present in our busy lives,” says Sanchez. They also summon Jasper Johns, an artist Sanchez admires, as does the mini crosshatch rect angle. Sanchez makes this his own by sea soning it with calligraphic scrawls of black and an odd tawny blob. Near the center, a lavender pastel rectangle dotted with burnt-orange dots more than holds its own against the more saturated passages.

“Composition #141” has a completely dif ferent effect. Here, it appears Sanchez has scraped off the background paint, leaving behind an expanse of fractured lines remi niscent of ceramic crazing. Whether it’s the light hue, or the network of lines that turn this flat expanse into a topographical map, the background appears quite distant with the strange shapes rendered in aqua, gold, and burnt sienna, floating above.

You might think it would be hard to compete with all the bright color and bold

The artists worked in layers, on top of one another’s contribution, exchanging paintings back and forth three to four times, keeping a tally in pencil on the back of each work.

marks at the front of the room, but Scur lock’s paintings have a slow-burn heft and a presence that really gets under your skin. She relies heavily on the use of rubbings in her work. Instead of headstones, she goes after things like manhole covers, signs, and inscriptions, or even natural items. It all depends on her surroundings and what she wants to capture and convey about it, because, as she explains, “The intention of these paintings is to create a feeling—a space that mimics a place.”

Back in the studio, she begins by adhering old paper—letters or clippings she’s saved— onto her panels. She then applies color, fol lowed by the rubbings. These are done on delicate rice paper and are transparent, so when they are embedded in the surface they’re still legible. “The way I work, you put one thing down and something else changes, then you have to change that area so it works with the other area,” says Scurlock. “So, it’s hard to save things. But even though you can’t see them, they’re there. The idea is still there.”

In “Ydra,” your eye is drawn to the graph ically bold Greek lettering, especially the delta and zeta at center right that stand out against the vaporous clouds of pigment. There is the suggestion of houses on a hillside, evok ing a Greek village. But it’s fragmentary, ob scured here and there by blotches and daubs of shimmering paint. Similarly, incised lines and scratches form words or shapes, but they’re disjointed and incomplete. Just as memory does not present a perfect image, Scurlock intentionally renders this Saronic island in indistinct form.

With “Hatteras Village,” Scurlock intro duces faded pink and dull green into the mix. Here, the composition is flatter, reflect ing the topography of the subject. Again, we see bits and pieces, the eaves of a house possibly in the upper left, writing at the right center, and various circular shapes and squiggles scrawled across the surface.

Within the collaborative pieces, you recog nize the distinctive traits of each artist. There’s the color and geometric forms favored by Sanchez, but they’ve been softened, their tones and edges blurred by Scurlock’s hand. In doing so, she disturbs the integrity of those shapes and hues, shifting the timbre of the work to something more tenuous and uncertain.

Many artists would balk at the idea of let ting go of a piece they’ve labored over and offering it unconditionally to another to augment as they wish. But the exercise can be remarkably rewarding, introducing new techniques and approaches, and producing exciting collaborative work.

Diego Sanchez and Mary Scurlock applied their individual styles to create “Composition #151” for “Conversations,” their joint show at Quirk Gallery.

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

By Rob Brezsny

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The bad news: In 1998, Shon Hopwood was sentenced to 12 years in prison for committing bank robberies. The good news: While incarcerated, he studied law and helped a number of his fellow pris oners win their legal cases—including one heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. After his release, he became a full-fledged lawyer, and is now a professor of law at Georgetown Uni versity. Your current trouble isn’t anywhere as severe as Hopwood’s was, Capricorn, but I expect your current kerfuffle could motivate you to accomplish a very fine redemption.

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I stopped going to therapy because I knew my therapist was right, and I wanted to keep being wrong,” writes poet Clementine von Radics. “I wanted to keep my bad habits like charms on a bracelet. I did not want to be brave.” Dear Aquarius, I hope you will do the opposite of her in the coming weeks. You are, I suspect, very near to a major healing. You’re on the verge of at least par tially fixing a problem that has plagued you for a while. So please keep calling on what ever help you’ve been receiving. Maybe ask for even more support and inspiration from the influences that have been contributing to your slow, steady progress.

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): As you have roused your personal power to defeat your fears in the past, what methods and approaches have worked best for you? Are there brave people who have inspired you? Are there stories and symbols that have taught you useful tricks? I urge you to survey all you have learned about the art of summoning extra courage. In the coming weeks, you will be glad you have this information to draw on. I don’t mean to imply that your challenges will be scarier or more daunting than usual. My point is that you will have unprecedent ed opportunities to create vigorous new trends in your life if you are as bold and audacious as you can be.

Sagittarius

FREE WILL

ness?” she asked him. “I ride a lot of horses, and I’m into the bewilderment of the world,” said Shatner. “I open my heart and head into the curiosity of how things work.” I suggest you adopt Shatner’s approach in the coming weeks, Aries. Be intoxicated with the emo tional richness of mysteries and perplexities. Feel the joy of how unknowable and unpre dictable everything is. Bask in the blessings of the beautiful and bountiful questions that life sends your way.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): Of all the objects on earth, which is most likely to be carelessly cast away and turned into litter? Cigarette butts, of course. That’s why an Indian entrepreneur named Naman Guota is such a revolutionary. Thus far, he has recycled and transformed over 300 million butts into mosquito repellent, toys, keyrings, and compost, which he and his company have sold for over a million dol lars. I predict that in the coming weeks, you will have a comparable genius for converting debris and scraps into useful, valuable stuff. You will be skilled at recycling dross. Meditate on how you might accomplish this metaphor ically and psychologically.

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): Tips on how to be the best Gemini you can be in the coming weeks: 1. Think laterally or in spirals rather than straight lines. 2. Gleefully solve problems in your day

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): In my dream, I gathered with my five favorite astrologers to ruminate on your immediate future. After much dis cussion, we decided the following advice would be helpful for you in December. 1. Make the most useful and inspirational errors you’ve dared in a long time. 2. Try experi ments that teach you interesting lessons even if they aren’t completely successful. 3. Iden tify and honor the blessings in every mess.

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): “All possible feelings do not yet exist,” writes Leo novelist Nicole Krauss in her book The History of Love “There are still those that lie beyond our ca pacity and our imagination. From time to time, when a piece of music no one has ever written, or something else impossible to predict, fathom, or yet describe takes place, a new feeling enters the world. And then, for the millionth time in the history of feeling, the heart surges and absorbs the impact.” I suspect that some of these novel moods will soon be welling up in you, Leo. I’m confident your heart will absorb the influx with intel ligence and fascination.

Virgo

perfectly so, but more than in the past. I also suspect you have a greater-than-usual capac ity for belonging. That’s why I invite you to be clear about what or whom you want to belong to and what your belonging will feel like. One more thing: You now have extraordinary pow er to learn more about what it means to be the hero of your own life.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s tempting for you to entertain balanced views about every sub ject. You might prefer to never come to definitive conclusions about anything, be cause it’s so much fun basking in the pret ty glow of prismatic ambiguity. You love there being five sides to every story. I’m not here to scold you about this predilection. As a person with three Libran planets in my chart, I understand the appeal of consider ing all options. But I will advise you to take a brief break from this tendency. If you avoid making decisions in the coming weeks, they will be made for you by others. I don’t recommend that. Be proactive.

Scorpio

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian comedian Margaret Cho dealt with floods of ignorant criticism while growing up. She testifies, “Being called ugly and fat and disgusting from the time I could barely understand what the words meant has scarred me so deep inside that I have learned to hunt, stalk, claim, own, and defend my own loveliness.” You may not have ever experienced such extreme forms of disapproval, Sagittarius, but—like all of us—you have on some occasions been berated or undervalued simply for being who you are. The good news is that the coming months will be a favorable time to do what Cho has done: hunt, stalk, claim, own, and defend your own loveliness. It’s time to intensify your efforts in this noble project. Get to know Follow us on Instagram to view art, schedule a tour, or learn more about our amazing artists

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet David Whyte makes the surprising statement that “anger is the deepest form of compassion.” What does he mean? As long as it doesn’t result in violence, he says, “anger is the purest form of care. The internal living flame of anger always illuminates what we belong to, what we wish to protect,

IT ADMINISTRATION

GIS CONTRACTOR SUPPORT

Skeo Solutions is small, employee-focused consulting firm providing innovative, collaborative and multidisciplinary solutions to complex and pressing issues in environmental stewardship, social equity and economic opportunity. Most Skeo support is provided to the Federal and local governments.

We are seeking a team-oriented person to join Skeo on a full-time basis, with full-time options ranging from 30 to 40 hours per week, with a heavy emphasis on IT and GIS Administrative support. Skeo expects some on the job learning will need to take place. Location is specific to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Elements of this work will include:

•Oversee contractors providing IT and GIS support to Skeo, including managing budgets, communicating areas of improvement, making recommendations about future contracting needs, and onboarding and overseeing new contractors as needed.

•Assess, improve and maintain Skeo’s current hardware and software needs to meet IT requirements, which includes a rapidly growing GIS team and body of work. Many systems are already in place.

•Work closely with contractors, project managers and technical staff to identify IT and GIS requirements, technical issues, and training needs.

•Plan, organize, coordinate, develop and implement GIS systems to meet the organization’s mapping and end-user service objectives.

•Administer Skeo’s ArcGIS Enterprise environment.

•Administer Skeo’s IT environment, which includes administration of Microsoft 365 tenant that utilizes SharePoint Online.

While the position is expected to require 40 hours a week, there are times where it may be necessary to work more than 40 hours per week under tight deadlines.

All staff are expected to reflect Skeo’s operating principles: dignity, respect, compassion, integrity, and accountability. Applicants should be able to multi-task, collaborate well with teams, be responsive, maintain a positive attitude and have excellent communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

•No less than eight years of experience supporting and demonstrating ingenuity and problem-solving skills associated with meeting small business IT and GIS needs consistent with the bullets above.

•Experience in ArcGIS Enterprise administration and knowledge of ESRI licensing model, or a willingness to learn.

•Experience with Windows and Microsoft 365, or a willingness to learn.

•Experience working with contractors to provide excellent results for outsourced GIS and IT elements.

•Strong project management skills to meet technical needs on time and on budget.

•Strong communication skills with an ability to communicate technical information clearly to a lay audiences and the ability to work with teams to develop infrastructure needed to support projects.

•Willingness to learn new subject matter.

•Candidates that live in or around Charlottesville, VA or willing to relocate.

Please note in your resume or cover letter any familiarity or knowledge of the following: Survey123, Python, WordPress, Azure, or SharePoint Online administrator experience.

Please submit required application materials by December 31st, Interviews are expected to begin mid-January. Decisions will be made based on resumes, performance on skill exercises, and recommendations. Skeo is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status. Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply for this position, please visit https://www.skeo.com/about-us/employment-opportunities/

BY KEN WILSON

CHARLOTTESVILLE ALBEMARLE, FLUVANNA, GREENE, LOUISA, MADISON, NELSON, ORANGE, AUGUSTA

HATTON RIDGE FARM

17 acre grazing farm with 2/3 mile frontage on the James River. Impressive 4-5 bedroom, brick Georgian home, circa 2000 in excellent condition. Fertile James River bottomland for gardens, plus many recreational uses. MLS#632477 $2,670,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

K’DEE FARM

Embodying the essence and pleasure of country life, this farm has mountain and pastoral views, open land and hardwood forests. Privately situated off a country lane, there is a well constructed spacious brick main residence, three car garage with carriage house above, additional dependencies and farm buildings. The land lends itself to any number of productive agricultural enterprises or recreational usage. Orange County FiberLync is available. Easily accessible to Charlottesville, Orange, Fredericksburg, I-95 and DC region. $1,975,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

TURKEY SAG ROAD

33 acre property with beautifully constructed 3-4-bedroom home. Features great room with dra matic stone fireplace and panoramic views and large master suite with private deck. Peace, privacy and tran quility unsurpassed, but close to town. MLS#635341 $1,875,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

Private

BRIDLEWOOD TRAIL

UVA. MLS#634905 $695,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

Pastoral views from this 3-bedroom brick home set on over 159 acres in Southern Albemarle. Ideal for farming with fenced pastures and ample water sources. Property is not under easement and has 4 division rights. MLS#630428 $1,685,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

BLACKBERRY HILL FARM

Attractive, self-sustaining 5,525 fin. sf residence on 38± acres with 3-car garage, barn and Blue Ridge Mountain views. Three car garage and barn with finished upstairs. A peaceful oasis easily accessible to Charlottesville and Washington DC. MLS#634846 $1,550,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

RIVER LAWN FARM

Southern Albemarle estate with 1.5 miles of frontage on the James River with 512 acres of highly fertile, gently rolling land scape. A historic farmhouse dating to the late 1700s is perfectly sited on a knoll offer ing extensive views of the river. The interior exudes character with wood ceilings and beams, heart pine flooring, stone and brick interior walls, and fireplaces with beautiful mantels. The exterior features a large cov ered rear porch overlooking the lawn. The land is open and wooded with a barn and equipment building. Under conservation easement with the VOF. MLS#630470 $4,865,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

OWENSVILLE ROAD

Custom 5-BR, 6.5-BA home built in 2003 and significantly enhanced. Open main floor with heart pine flooring, stone fireplaces, gourmet kitchen, office, covered deck, and guest suite. Lower level with exercise, game, family rooms. MLS#634194 $2,395,000 Court Nexsen 646.660.0700 / Steve McLean 434.981.1863

GREENFIELDS FARM

763 acre country estate approx. 25 miles south of Charlottesville. The property showcases a stately southern residence, c. 1904, extensive equestrian facilities, recreation opportunities, creeks and a pond. Tranquil setting. MLS#623792 $6,295,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863 greenfieldsfarmva.com

Keswick residence on 18.6 acres with views of the Southwest Mountains. 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath with wood floors, screen porch and 2-car garage. Open and wooded land. Easy access to Charlottesville and

ROUND HILL

Panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mtn. and scenic Rivanna Reservoir frontage is offered from this 120 acre Albemarle County estate featuring a 5-BR manor home. Excellent location and close to the city limits and Charlottesville-Albemarle airport! MLS#625402 $5,450,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

GREEN ACRES

GATEWAY CIRCLE

Prime end-unit residence in a quiet Forest Lakes community. Enjoy the outdoors through views from the many windows, miles of walking trails or recreational activities. Private living with easy access to Charlottesville. MLS#635657 $319,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

SOUTHWIND ESTATES

3 separate parcels with commanding Blue Ridge Mtn. views, level building sites 15 minutes from Charlottes ville. Sites have been perked, have wells, and ready for your dream home. MLS#632482 $375,000 (7.8 acres), MLS#632490 $275,000 (2.4 acres), MLS#632487 $175,000 (2.0 acres), Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

820 CONDO

Well-designed corner condo consisting of an excep tionally bright great room with high ceilings, ample space for both relaxed living and dining, 1 bed, 1 bath, and inviting private balcony. Views of the Downtown skyline and mountains. MLS#634496 $285,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

ESTATE PARCEL IN AFTON

Stunning mountain views available on this attractive 14± acre property, possessing lovely streams and woods. This parcel is only 1.5 miles from Route 151 Brew Trail, with easy access to Wintergreen, Charlottesville & UVA. MLS#629702 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

RED HILL

10 miles south of Charlottesville, a beautiful 283 acres, rolling to hilly, mostly wooded tract, borders Walnut Creek Park, with lake and miles of trails. This land has pastures, trails, creeks and a river! Many homesites, NO EASEMENTS. MLS#634310 $1,995,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

CROZET AREA

Beautiful building lot -3.3 acres, fronting on a quiet paved county road. Land is mostly in pasture, some woods, creek and elevated homesite with panoramic views of mountains, pond, and surrounding pastoral area. Less than a mile to Harris Teeter at Crozet. MLS#636349 $450,000 Jim Faulconer,434.981.0076

Mostly wooded preservation tract of 81.395 acres next to Frays Mill Subdivision in highly desirable Northern Albemarle. This beautiful gently rolling land has a great, private homesite with Blue Ridge Mt. views, and creek on property. MLS#608509 $995,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

MURPHY’S CREEK FARM

Wonderful gently rolling parcel of land with just under 26 acres, 18 miles south of Charlottesville. The land is wooded (mostly hardwoods) with an elevated building site, stream/creek, total privacy, and long road frontage. MLS#619394 $229,500 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

BROOMFIELD FARM

29 acres fronting Blenheim Rd. a small agricultural & residential subdivision with CCR’s, but NO HOA. 2 buildable lots, with an historic red barn, silo, & an 8-stall stable. Driveway in place, underground power, well & water, & several building spots with mountain views. MLS#624834 $495,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

DUDLEY MOUNTAIN ROAD

Unique 88-acre property with 4-bedroom home. Property includes two-car garage, storage shed/ shop and 3760-sqft. multipurpose building. Beautiful mountain and lake views just 4 miles from Charlottesville. MLS#635483 $1,275,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

SUNNYSIDE

Remarkably large parcel located convenient to Charlottesville and UVA. Exceptional Blue Ridge views, charming farmhouse (in need of restoration). Under VOF easement but with divisions into already predetermined parcels. MLS#585228 $4,400,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

Great building lot in Ivy! Over 2.5 acres less than 6 miles to Charlottesville and UVA. Your future dream home could sit on this beautiful, wooded land, the perfect combination of country and city access.

Murray Elementary School District. MLS#634897 $165,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

FRAYS MILL

LYNX FARM LANE

So Many Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in 2022

BY KEN WILSON

So here it is that time again. In good years and in bad, whether we’re celebrat ing or just reflecting, the lights in the trees and the delight on the faces of the children make December the most wonderful time of the year.

Where to go, what to see, who to be with . . . options, options, options. We got lots. Don’t we ever! Just look and see.

Holiday Parade and Grand Illumination

The good people at Barracks Road Shopping Center invite you to their Holi day Parade on December 3 at 9:30 a.m. You’ll see Santa Claus, colorful floats, and a whole lot more.

The City of Charlottesville and UVA Community Credit Union will present Charlottesville’s Grand Illumination on that same day, Friday, December 3, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Ting Pavilion on the Downtown Mall.

This spectacular community tree lighting event features music, food, games, prizes, special guests, and plenty of holiday fun for all. Admission is free

and parking is complimentary at the Market and Water Street garages begin ning at 4:00 p.m.

Winter Wander

If you like holiday lights and winter beauty, take a walk on the nearly halfmile path around Heritage Lake at Boar’s Head Resort on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings in December. Thousands of these festive lights will illuminate the rolling land scape at more than ten spots along the trail. Tickets to the Winter Wander are available for all Boar’s Head guests. So invite your friends from out of town—and ask them to take you along!

Holiday Bazaar

All are invited to the annual Holiday Bazaar at Charlottesville Waldorf School on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Hands on activities at the Bazaar will include candle making, jump rope making, wreath making, and more.

The craft marketplace will host local crafters and small businesses selling a variety of items including Waldorf toys and gifts. The Secret Garden will be open

for children to shop on their own for small handcrafted gifts.

In addition the Bazaar will feature craft demonstrations, music, and puppet shows. Parking is available at the Char lottesville Catholic School with a com plimentary shuttle service. On Friday, December 2 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., there will be an adults-only Preview Evening of the Marketplace, with live music, and adult beverages.

Tinsel Trail

You can shop on your laptop, you can shop on your phone. But how jolly is that? This holiday season the Stonefield Green at The Shops at Stonefield will be illuminated with an anticipated 100 live holiday trees, all sponsored and deco rated by local businesses, organizations, civic groups, and big-hearted families and individuals.

This Tinsel Trail is intended to pro mote community and brighten the holidays. See it daily from dusk until midnight through January 2. Proceeds from Tinsel Trail will benefit the Junior League of Charlottesville, whose mission it is to promote voluntarism, develop

the potential of women, and improve the community through effective action and the leadership of trained volunteers.

The Nutcracker

Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s romantic and heart-lifting Nutcracker is all over the airwaves each December, and genera tions of adults have taken their kids to see the ballet. The Charlottesville Ballet brings this dazzling audience favorite to the stage again in 2022 for 90 enchant ing minutes, as it tells the story of how Clara adventures through the Lands of Snowflakes and Sweets, meeting friends and vanquishing foes.

Hear Tchaikovsky’s treasured score and thrill to a magical snowfall in this dazzling holiday classic as danced by the professional company and over 100 community dancers from across Central Virginia.

You can see this year’s first perfor mance at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center on December 3 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The company will also perform at the V. Earl Dickinson Theater at Piedmont Virginia Commu nity College on December 17 at 11:30

WOOD LANE

Keswick Estate Beautiful, quiet wooded corner lot, with mountain view, overlooking the 8th Tee of the Pete Dye Golf Course. Gently sloping to almost level terrain...One of the very best lots in Keswick Estates. Joining the Keswick is optional. The Club provides a tremendous opportunity for resort style living. $550,000

CHURCH PLAINS DRIVE

Beautiful 2.15 acre lot set in a quiet neighborhood, in the western school districts. A bright open floor plan with vaulted entrance and a turned staircase. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, full unfinished basement plus a large 2 car garage. Hardwood floors throughout the first floor. Large, bright kitchen with island, pantry, and terrific breakfast room. The kitchen looks into the family room that features a wall of windows and a fireplace. The wrap-around front porch takes in the lovely setting.The rear deck overlooks the large yard with room to play and a great place to garden. $625,000

CALL SHARON

Over 25 years of Real Estate experience. email: callsharon.today@yahoo.com cell: 434.981.7200

A unique art gallery located in the heart of historic Gordonsville.

109 S. Main Street, Gordonsville, VA • (540) 832-6352 anniegouldgallery

a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and on December 18 at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Children can also experience the magic of The Nutcracker at home by taking an online ballet class live from their living rooms along with Clara and her friends. Perfect for kids three to eight, the class will teach introductory ballet steps plus choreography from the ballet. Fam ily tickets include digital enrichment activities for kids and adults to enjoy before or after class. Tickets also come with printable gift certificates for the little dancers.

Celebrating at Monticello

What’s the first place we take old friends and relatives when they come to visit? Monticello’s Sneak Peak Holi day Evening Tours offer rare chances to experience Thomas Jefferson’s home after dark, all decorated with the style of holiday greenery found during Jefferson’s era. The tours include public and private rooms and Monticello’s iconic Dome Room and provide intimate looks at how people on the Monticello mountain top—both enslaved and free—celebrated the holidays.

These tours are recommended for Adults and children 7 and older. Several tours will be offered each evening on December 9 and 10, 16 through 19, 21 through 23, and 26 through 30. Each will last approximately 90 minutes. Reserva tions are required and must be made at last 48 hours in advance.

Ask the Gardens and Grounds staff at Monticello to name their favorite thing about Monticello’s annual wreath workshops, now in their 36th year, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: seeing each participants’ beautiful creation. The 2022 workshops will be led by a a talented team of instructors including Monticello Guide and Floral Designer, Lou Hatch and Monticello Curator of Plants, Peggy Cornett. Attendees will create a beautiful door decoration that will last throughout the season.

Three-hour, guided Wreath Work shops are set for Friday, December 2 at 4:00 p.m.; Saturday, December 3 at 9:30 a.m.; and Sunday, December 4 at 2:00 p.m. Natural greens, pods, ornamental grasses, cones, berries and specialty ma terials harvested from gardens at Mon ticello and throughout Virginia will be provided along with a wreath base form, floral spool wire and tape, stem wire, picks, and more.

After Hours at James Monroe’s Highland

Our fifth president, James Monroe owned his Highland estate from 1799 to 1826. What did he do after the candles were lit? The best time and place to imag ine may be at Highland itself, just up the road from Monticello, during “Highland After Hours,” Saturday, December 17; Tuesday, December 27; and Wednesday, December 28, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. James Monroe interpreter Beau Robbins will greet guests with a private viewing of the exhibits in the 1818 Guesthouse and,

Arc of the Piedmont’s Clause for a Cause Run

The mission of Arc of the Piedmont is to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are fully included and able to participate in the community. Be a Claus for a Cause and support the Arc of the Piedmont by reg istering online for its 9th Annual Santa Fun Run and Walk.

The Run/walk will happen on De cember 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., starting and ending in front of the TING Pavilion. Registration ends on December 2 at 12:00 p.m. The course is approxi mately one mile and participants are encouraged to share pictures and videos on social media, (The Arc of the Pied mont #ArcSantaRun).” A virtual option is available for Clauses for the Cause who can’t come to the Mall.

Christmas Bizarre Bazaar

The good folks at the Center (formerly the Senior Center) are planning a bou tique shopping trip to the 47th Christ

family. Donations are welcome.

Everyone is welcome to Wintergreen’s non-denominational Christmas Eve Ser vice, Saturday December 24 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Mountain Inn. And all ages are welcome to ring in 2023 inside Upper Crust Pizza on Saturday, Dec 31 at 9:00 p.m. till 12:30 a.m. Fireworks will launch at 8:30 p.m. and Mad Maxx & The Groove Train Band will play classic hits from the 80s and beyond beginning at 9:00.

Veritas Vineyards and Winery

Veritas Vineyards and Winery in Afton will jump with merriment, joy, and good company when it holds its New Year’s Eve Masked Ball on Saturday, December 31. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served, followed by a five-course dinner at 8:00 p.m. Expect music and dancing till the masquerade masks will come off and the sparkling wine flows at midnight. Everyone sticking around can greet the New Year with a breakfast buffet.

Montpelier

James Madison’s Montpelier is accept ing donations to support the Orange County Love Outreach Food Pantry. The number of families and individuals in need of assistance rises monthly, and especially during this holiday season, help is greatly appreciated. Donations may be made Thursdays through Mon days from 9:00 am. to 3:00 p.m.

Please bring all items to the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center.

The following is a list of items needed: Cereal, Syrup, Pancake mix, Peanut but ter, Jelly, Tuna, Hamburger Helper, Rice, Dry beans, Macaroni & Cheese, Pasta, Pasta sauce, Pork-N-Beans, Beef stew, Tomato sauce/paste/stewed, Cans of veg etables, Soups, Ravioli, Beefaroni, Fruit, Chili, Jello, Pudding, Powdered drinks.

Monetary donations are welcome as well. Please add to the contribution box in the Museum Shop. Montpelier is grateful for all who generously help the community.

Greene County Lights Up

along with a Highland guide, will take questions and participate in discussion.

The Virginia Discovery Museum Comes To Highland

American history buffs, old and young, can enjoy “The Virginia Discov ery Museum at James Monroe’s High land for Holly Days” up at Highland on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Recommended for ages 2 and up, this merry morning will include cozy crafts, artisanal activities, and some very special stories from holidays past.

Warm cider and donuts will be served to fuel the ornament-making, foliageforaging, and candle-dipping, all against the backdrop of Highland’s picturesque views and historic estate. Holly Days is one of the Museum’s annual fundraising events, and proceeds directly support VDM’s educational programs and schol arships, exhibit creation, maintenance, and Sponsored Admission Program.

mas Bizarre Bazaar at the Richmond Raceway on Friday, December 2. Over 475 exhibitors will fill four exhibition buildings with holiday gifts.

Then on Saturday, December 3 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. the Second-Wind and First-Wind Bands will play holiday favor ites at the Center. The concert is free and open to the community, but donations are appreciated. The bands are under the direction of Michael Auman.

Wintergreen

Winter is coming, so Wintergreen’s Trillium House is holding a That’s a Wrap! Open House, a free, special Na ture Foundation Members-Only event to celebrate the year in review.

The fun begins on Saturday, De cember 10 at 4:00 p.m. Expect snacks, cookies, hot cocoa, libations for adults holiday games, information booths, an Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest with prizes, and other activities for the entire

Greene County and the Town of Sta nardsville are always proud to present their annual Drive-Thru Parade of Lights. This year’s colorful celebration is set for Saturday, December 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., rain or shine, at the William Mon roe School Complex. Expect this festive holiday light display on Monroe Drive to include emergency vehicles, floats, and much more.

So go find a party. Pack up the kids, call the neighbors, dress the dog, and put on something red. It’s December 2022— The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.

James Madison’s Montpelier

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