C-VILLE Weekly | November 6 - 12, 2024

Refreshing the memory

Local veterans work toward an expansion of the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial

and

to sheltering unhoused

LOCAL. WEAR LOCAL.

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EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Caite Hamilton editor@c-ville.com

CULTURE EDITOR

Tami Keaveny tami@c-ville.com

NEWS REPORTER

Catie Ratliff reporter@c-ville.com

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CM Turner arts@c-ville.com

COPY EDITOR

Susan Sorensen

NEWS INTERN

Merrill Hart

CONTRIBUTORS

Rob Brezsny, Dave Cantor, Matt Dhillon, Carol Diggs, Shea Gibbs, Claudia Gohn, Mary Jane Gore, Maeve Hayden, Andrew Hollins, Erika Howsare, Justin Humphreys, Matt Jones, Sarah Lawson, Erin Martin, Kristin O’Donoghue, Lisa Provence, Sarah Sargent, Kristie Smeltzer, Jen Sorensen, Julia Stumbaugh, Courteney Stuart, Paul Ting, Sean Tubbs

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THIS WEEK

Hello, Charlottesville. Thanks for reading C-VILLE Weekly.

I’m writing this on Monday morning. Election Day hasn’t come yet and I’m still feeling nauseously optimistic (a phrase coined in a meme I saw over the weekend). But whatever the outcome on November 5 or, more likely, in the coming days or weeks, what I really hope wins—if I may be so trite—is empathy. The ability to see the pain or the need in someone else and work to lighten it.

10.23.24

There’s a moment in this week’s cover story on the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial where author Matt Deegan recounts the story of the memorial’s inception. Its creators were discussing the death of soldier Champ Lawson, the first local casualty of the war, and they knew that, with more to come, there should be a place where fellow soldiers and families of the fallen could grieve, remember, and pay their respects.

I was struck by the forethought of these men. The war had barely begun—and the national memorial in Washington, D.C., was still 16 years away—and already they saw a need for a kind of sanctuary. What a beautiful thought, and an admirable example of empathy. Read the story on page 18, and be good.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 KASH’D OUT WITH DALE & THE Z’DUBS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 WILLIAM HINSON AND NOLEN DURHAM WITH BEHINDTHESUN

APRIL 10-ON SALE NOW (NEW DATE!) STRFKR

DEGREASER 11-16 | SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE WITH SPECIAL GUEST TASHI DORI 11-19 | RATBOYS WITH YOUBET 11-22 | DRAG BONANZA (16+) WITH YOUR HOST CHERRY POSSUMS 11-23 | BILL FRISELL TRIO FT. THOMAS MORGAN & RUDY ROYSTON EARLY SHOW (SOLD OUT) LATE SHOW (LOW TICKET WARNING) PRESENTED BY WTJU 11-27 | “REALLY GOOD FRIENDS” FT. WINSTON HODGES & CHRIS ALAN 11-29 | PALMYRA + RAMONA & THE HOLY SMOKES WITH CHARLIE SHEA PRESENTED BY 106.1 THE CORNER

12-06 | LA LOM

12-07 | WILLIE WATSON WITH VIV & RILEY 12-13 | THE WILSON SPRINGS HOTEL WITH HOLLER CHOIR

12-14 | ANDREW MARTIN STRINGBAND

12-21 | MAYDAY WITH PAXTON HENDERSON AND THE MISFIT TOYS

12-27 | LIVE AT THE FILLMORE ‘THE WORLD’S GREATEST ALLMAN BROTHERS TRIBUTE BAND’ 01-17 | EMO NIGHT KARAOKE

01-21 | CHUCK PROPHET & HIS CUMBIA SHOES JUST ANNOUNCED!

speaklanguagecenter.com/teachwithspeak 300 East Main Street in Vault Virginia on the DTM!

MITCHELL

“You voted for me to be one heartbeat away from the Oval Office in an election more recent than the release of Zootopia. What’s my name?”

—Sen. Tim Kaine during a November 2 appearance in a “Saturday Night Live” election­themed

NEWS IN BRIEF

Clean sweep

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Virginia to strike roughly 1,600 voter registrations in a program that targeted noncitizens but actually removed several U.S. citizens from the rolls. The ruling came on October 30, less than a week before Election Day. The case could return to the court, but only after the election. There is no evidence of non-citizens voting in Virginia.

Up in the air

All eyes are on UVA men’s basketball this week as the team opens its season following former head coach Tony Bennett’s retirement. In the wake of Bennett’s announcement, Charlottesville native Chance Mallory decommitted and Jalen Warley confirmed his transfer. The team’s first game is at home on November 6 against Campbell State. Things will get tougher for the Hoos later in the month when they face No. 12 Tennessee on November 21.

Making moves

Charlottesville Area Transit begins updated routes on Saturday, November 9, after years of community calls for more frequent and accessible service. Route 4, between Cherry Avenue and Harris Road, and Route 6, including Ridge Street and Prospect Avenue, will both see weekday buses running every 30 minutes from 6:30am to 7pm, with additional evening options. These changes stem from CAT’s 10-year strategic plan to improve the bus system. For more information on the route changes, visit charlottesville.gov.

Culture of care

Plan of action

City Council mulls proposals to support unhoused people

By Catie Ratliff

It’s been just over a year since tents popped up in Market Street Park, and at the October 21 City Council meeting, City Manager Sam Sanders presented an array of proposals to better support not only the area’s unhoused population, but the entire community. Potential projects and services include the creation of a year-round, low-barrier shelter; the launch of a street outreach initiative; and public restrooms on the Downtown Mall.

While cold-weather shelter is available through nonprofit organizations like People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry, there is no year-round, low-barrier shelter in the Charlottesville area. At present, the Salvation Army is the only organization providing year-round shelter services for unhoused people, but space is limited, and it is considered a high-barrier shelter due to requirements for participants, including random drug and alcohol tests.

A rising unhoused population has resulted in an increased demand for shelter beds, exceeding the capacity available at PACEM and the Salvation Army. Estimates for the number of unhoused people in Charlottesville and surrounding areas vary, with a 2023 Point-in-Time count identifying 191 unhoused individuals, though this number is not considered comprehensive.

The Women’s Initiative received a grant of $50,000 from Sentara Health, according to an October 31 press release. The grant will support the organization’s culturally responsive mental health care offerings, including Sister Circle, Bienestar, and LGBTQ+ programs.

Founded in 2007, The Women’s Initiative is a Charlottesville­based nonprofit supporting women and others affected by gender­related trauma. In addition to traditional counseling and support groups, the WI also offers culturally responsive programming.

One such program, Sister Circle, focuses on supporting and building community for Black women and other BIPOC

CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE

“I’m standing in front of you [City Council] today saying to you that we can do all the things that are on this list if you are so inclined, but again, reminding you that that means other things won’t necessarily be able to get done or become a little more challenging for us to try to do, and we’ll have to be creative and or wait on some other things,” said Sanders at the council meeting. “Ultimately, this is about defining and taking some bold action. But I also want to point out that this is really about setting new standards and managing expectations. We can’t do everything.”

Under the plan introduced by Sanders, the city would support the Charlottesville Salvation Army in the conversion of its

people. In addition to culturally focused counseling, Sister Circle hosts regular events for Chihamba West African dance, yoga, and writing.

“I am so grateful for the renewed investment from and longtime partnership with Sentara and their recognition of the vital need for culturally responsive mental health care,” said Elizabeth Irvin, executive director of The Women’s Initiative, in the release. “Through our programs and their support, we continue to work to address health disparity, so that all members of our community have an opportunity to heal and thrive.”

For more information on The Women’s Initiative and its programming, visit thewomensinitiative.org.

Cherry Avenue thrift store into a low-barrier shelter, as well as the renovation and expansion of its existing high-barrier shelter on Ridge Street. Upon completion, the lowbarrier shelter would have a 50-bed capacity, and the Ridge Street Center of Hope would have more than 100 beds.

Part of Sanders’ proposal would include a major contribution to the Salvation Army’s capital campaign, with $1.25 million currently slated for the thrift store conversion. The city manager also suggested an annual contribution of $200,000 for five years to the nonprofit to help offset the cost of closing

STEPHEN BARLING

Elizabeth Irvin

A rendering of Center of Hope, the Salvation Army’s high-barrier shelter on Ridge Street.

Drawing lines Charlottesville City Schools present redistricting plan

By Andrew Hollins

For the first time in more than 50 years, Charlottesville City Schools is undergoing comprehensive redistricting, hoping to address issues regarding disparities in capacity and to anticipate ones that may arise in the coming years.

The redistricting process is part of CCS’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, an initiative to improve the city’s education system with upgrades to infrastructure, technology, transportation, nutrition, and community engagement. The redistricting elements of CCS’s five-year plan aim to fix current enrollment imbalances, as well as those that may arise from future housing developments, such as additional affordable housing units to be built on South First Street, and the University of Virginia’s policy change requiring that second-year students live on Grounds. The redistricting also coincides with Albemarle County Public School’s own redistricting efforts, which have rezoned students in Crozet and the 29 North corridor.

The timing of the city’s proposed redistricting plans would coincide with changes already slated for the 2026-27 school year, when pre-kindergarten classes will be moved to a pre-K center in what is now

Walker Upper Elementary School, and all fifth-grade classes will return to elementary schools.

Woolpert, a consulting firm hired by CCS, is examining the current data regarding K-5 school capacity and enrollment, as well as population growth and housing development, and will provide a recommendation on whether redistricting is needed and where.

“Over time, populations have shifted within the community, causing imbalanced enrollments throughout the division,” says the firm on its website dedicated to the CCS redistricting. “In addition, there are residential developments throughout the city that have the potential to produce a significant number of students, most of which fall within the current Summit Elementary and Jackson-Via Elementary school boundaries. Neither Summit Elementary nor Jackson-Via Elementary are able to support modular classrooms on their site, and there is capacity to take in more students at other schools.”

According to an October 22 press release, CCS has also sought the guidance of staff and the community in the redistricting process.

“The schools have formed two advisory groups,” CCS Community Relations Supervisor Beth Cheuk said in the release.

“The Staff Work Group for Rezoning includes staff executive leadership and department representatives including pupil transportation and family and community engagement. The Superintendent’s Advisory Committee for Rezoning includes Charlottesville Education Association representatives, Board members, elementary [school] PTO parents, and executive leadership.”

Woolpert’s consultants and the two advisory groups will collaborate on redistricting options that are being presented to the public. The four draft recommendations would then be revised according to input from the public, and finalized for a presentation to the school board before going to a vote, which is expected in January or February 2025. Implementation for changes would likely begin in August 2026, coinciding with the return of fifth graders to elementary schools.

According to CCS’s website, the new proposals “will try to respect the city’s current ‘neighborhood’ boundaries,” and will take issues like diversity into account.

The city identifies its other priorities as maximizing walkability, maximizing bus route efficiency, adhering to recognized neighborhood boundaries (whenever possible), maintaining or improving diversity and demographic balance across schools, and maximizing zone sustainability.

Woolpert’s current presentation, posted in a YouTube video, presented data that shows Summit Elementary, formerly Clark, is the school most at risk for overcrowding, according to the firm’s analysis of its current enrollment and capacity, as well as the predicted fluctuations in the next five years.

Depending on the redistricting option chosen, between 14 and 28 percent of the 2,772 students enrolled in CCS schools would be affected by the redistricting plan. One downside to the proposed changes would be a drop in the number of students who can walk to school. Walkability is currently 47 percent across the city, according to Woolpert’s presentation, none of the redistricting proposals would increase the number of students with walkable school access, and some of them would reduce that figure, largely due to having to move students out of Summit’s primarily walkable district because of overcrowding.

In-person community input meetings were held October 28, 29, and 30 at Greenbrier, Jackson-Via, and Summit elementary schools, respectively. The final meetings will be a doubleheader, held via Zoom on November 6, from noon-1:30pm and 6-7:30pm. For more information, go to charlottesvilleschools.org.

The 2026-27 school year will see a pre-K center in what is now Walker Upper Elementary School, and fifth graders returning to elementary schools.

the store, with an additional $500,000 each year to support the shelter’s operation.

No organization or collective of nonprofits has committed to running the lowbarrier shelter yet, though the Salvation Army indicated it would be willing to handle operations dependent on future conversations with the city.

Most of the money for the shelter and other suggested initiatives would come from American Rescue Plan funds, interest on that money, and an anticipated budget surplus, according to Sanders. The city has until the end of the year to allocate ARP funds, otherwise they will be returned to the federal government.

Other recommendations from Sanders included increasing annual capacity support for the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, filling an already funded homeless services coordinator position. Several pilot initiatives were also proposed.

“We need restrooms on the Mall that are available, period. And we know that,” said Sanders. He, along with other city officials, have been testing public restroom options, and suggested obtaining three Green Flush Restrooms. The units can be moved with a forklift and serviced like a standard portable toilet, but do not require utilities to be flushable.

“I don’t wanna be here five years from now and not know that we’ve solved this bathroom problem,” Sanders said. “No one wants it next to them, but that’s what they say about everything.”

Increasing city official presence, especially on and around the Mall, has been a recurrent topic at City Council meetings. As part of that effort, Sanders recommended two dedicated street outreach personnel be introduced on a two-year trial basis through existing grant funding. The creation of these positions would also support the work and capacity of BRACH, which

is the continuum of care coordinator for homeless services for not only Charlottesville, but the entire region.

According to Sanders, BRACH’s staff is currently “one and a half people.”

For transitional housing, the city manager suggested purchasing six pallet homes, which are being used for the creation of micro communities around the country.

On that topic, Sanders also announced that “the reason you haven’t heard from me on the Avon Levy site, … [is] there is no plan for that site because there’s no need for us to have a plan for that site just yet. Once Premier Circle actually comes live, the shelter is in place, the Center of Hope is up and running, we will know a lot more about what’s going on, and then we can actually tailor that project to the needs that we may have.”

City Council is expected to allocate American Rescue Plan funds and advance other projects by the end of the month.

“Ultimately, this is about defining and taking some bold action. But I also want to point out that this is really about setting new standards and managing expectations. We can’t do everything.”

SAM SANDERS, CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY MANAGER

City Manager Sam Sanders formed a work group in October 2023 to address the homelessness crisis after tents were set up in Market Street Park.

City Council has until the end of the year to allocate remaining American Rescue Plan funds.

Meet Mochinut

Upfitting a West Main building for new kind of donut shop

By Sean Tubbs

While the city may have recently abandoned an expensive plan to upgrade West Main Street to be more of a destination, those who want to take a risk on business continue to make investments.

At least that’s what a Chesterfield-based firm did when it purchased 917 W. Main St. for $1.3 million in August 2022.

The city’s Neighborhood Development Services office issued a commercial building permit on July 30 for a tenant upfit. The cost of construction is at least $400,000, according to various permits. Los Angelesbased company Mochinut is listed as one of the contacts.

According to Mochinut’s website, it offers a unique product.

“Mochi donut is a donut that originated from Hawaii which is a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi,” reads a description.

Mochi is a Japanese sweet rice cake; a mochi donut appears to be eight balls of this substance arranged in a circle.

So far, the company has no outlets in Virginia where one can buy the donuts. It also serves Korean-style hot dogs, which are breaded with a variety of different materials.

A request for confirmation and a timeline for opening was not answered at press time. At the moment, the site is still under construction and the sidewalk is blocked.

Such a store could benefit from the foot traffic of University of Virginia students who live in the apartment buildings in the neighborhood.

That’s also a reason there is now a 7 Day Junior franchise right across 10th Street on the lower floor of 1001 W. Main St. In the last 15 years, that entire building has been transformed from an auto repair shop into one that has served as multiple restaurants.

The building at 917 W. Main St. was constructed in 1950, and the current renovation of the facade unveiled an old sign for Charlottesville Office Machine Company. At one point, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville had an office at the location but it has been vacant for at least three years since the nonprofit relocated in 2021.

Both buildings, as well as five others, are within the West Main Architectural Design Control District and any future demolition would have to be approved by the Board of Architectural Review. City Council added that protection in December 2013, when the construction of several large buildings in the neighborhood were proposed.

In the years that followed, council approved The Flats at West Village, The Standard, and Lark on Main. Special use permits for those mixed-use projects came with conditions that retail space be included on the ground floor, but all three of them have spaces that have never been utilized.

At the same time, the city had begun work on a project to widen sidewalks, add bike lanes, and add other amenities to West Main Street to improve the urban fabric of what was planned as one of the city’s most dense corridors. In 2022, council agreed to transfer the millions that had been committed to the project to instead expand Buford Middle School.

While the overall streetscape is desolate, the city is aware of the need to make improvements at a cost much lower than the defunct project’s $50 million estimate.

“The city does not presently have plans developed for this intersection, but will be kicking off a project looking at the West Main Street corridor [next year] and opportunities to improve safety through lowcost interventions and restriping,” says Afton Schneider, the city’s director of communications and public engagement.

Annie Gould Gallery

A company is renovating 917 W. Main St. to be a franchise called Mochinut, which sells Japanese and Korean food.

SPOTTSWOOD ROAD

Designed by renowned architect Milton Grigg, this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of Charlottesville’s architectural history on over an acre of land in a coveted residential City neighborhood. Timeless elegance but comfortable living in 4,436 fin. sf. MLS#658170

$2,900,000 Charlotte Dammann 434.981.1250

NEWLISTING

GONE AWAY FARM

A pristine & stately 153.85 acres 6 miles from Charlottesville. Custom brick residence with 7,300 finished sq. ft. of living space, 4 bedrooms, 5 full baths & 2 half baths, top quality craftsmanship & finishes. 2 streams, a 6,000 sq. ft. barn, and fenced garden. Jim Faulconer 434.981.0076 or Will Faulconer 434.987.9455 MLS#658352 $3,450,000

NEWLISTING

CHEVAL NOIR

Exceptional small horse farm on 15 acres in Albemarle. 4-bedroomas, 3.5-baths, bonus room, a stunning light-filled great room with storybook views, and first-floor primary suite. Farm: 3-stall barn, paddocks, run-in, trails, and pasture. MLS# 657379 $1,274,000 Bridget Archer, 434.981.4149 or Pam Dent, 434.960.0161

CHERRY HILL TOWNHOME

Exceptional brick, end-unit home in popular Cherry Hill! Walk to UVA Hospital & Grounds. This 3-level townhome features a beautiful gardener’s fenced yard. Elegant hardwood entry, open floor plan, owner’s suite, and 2 additional guest bedrooms. First-floor bonus room and garage! MLS#655503 $499,950 Katherine Leddington, 646.593.0333

BENTIVAR MANOR

Exquisite brick home on 88 private acres less than 5 miles from town. Excellent quality throughout, spacious, over 11,00 sf. Beautiful views, tranquil setting, trails, long frontage on the Rivanna River. MLS#652353 $4,875,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076 or Will Faulconer, 434.987.9455

MEADOW FARM

436+ acre parcel of land in Southern Albemarle! 4 division rights; complete privacy; lush, gently rolling terrain; long road frontage; stream; 3-acre lake; 125-135 acres of open land; mature hardwood forests. Under conservation easement. MLS#651411 $2,985,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

NEWLISTING

ENDWYKE

This stunning 3-bedroom 2.5-bath replica of an 1800s Federal-style home in Appomattox captures the elegance and timeless design of early American architecture while offering the conveniences of modern construction. $1,150,000 MLS#658395 Bridget Archer, 434.981.4149 or Pam Dent, 434.960.0161

MILL CREEK

This lovely 3-BR, 3-BA residence is situated on a quiet cul-de-sac in the desirable Mill Creek neighborhood, and just a few short minutes to Downtown Charlottesville! Offering one level living, this property is in great condition and features numerous upgrades & improvements by the current owner. MLS#657969 $499,000 Will Faulconer, 434.987.9455

FIELDS OF BOAZ

A country French estate on 24 acres 6 miles from the University of Virginia. Timeless charm and modern luxury with soaring ceilings, spacious primary suite, home office, wine cellar, guest quarters, and private pond. MLS#652608

$3,995,000 Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

GRASSMERE

Spectacular contemporary home privately situated atop nearly 17 serene park-like acres in the highly desirable Ivy area with Blue Ridge Mtn. views! Truly a special & unique offering with a wealth of opportunities to enjoy! This 4-5 BR home with spacious rooms is an entertainer’s dream! MLS#657960 $2,235,000 Will Faulconer, 434.987.9455

NEWLISTING

WHITE HALL

In Albemarle County, near Nortonsville, two adjacent lots total 16 acres with a house sold “as is” on 2 acres. This prime land, serene and scenic, is perfect for a family home or vineyard. Near Charlottesville’s conveniences yet quietly nestled in nature. MLS#658420 $559,500 Didier Simonin, 434.400.7255

YEAR ROUND VIEWS

22-acre lot in Western Albemarle! Wooded, private, and offers the ideal location for an elevated building site with the potential for year-round views. A nature lover’s paradise with complete serenity in Emerald Ridge neighborhood. Enjoy nearby Mint Springs. MLS#657062 $367,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076 or Will Faulconer, 434.987.9455

WAR VETERAN BRUCE

WALKED

BY MATT DEEGAN

UVA MUSIC EVENTS

Date/Time/Place Event

Friday, 11/8, 8pm

Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 11/9, 8pm

Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 11/10, 8pm

Rotunda Dome Room

Sunday, 11/10, 8pm

Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 11/16, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 11/16, 7:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 11/17, 3:30pm MLK PAC at CHS

Sunday, 11/17, 7pm Old Cabell Hall

Monday, 11/18, 5:30pm UVA Chapel

Monday, 11/18, 7:30pm Hunter Smith Band Bldg.

Tuesday, 11/19, 8pm Old Cabell Hall

Friday, 11/22, 1pm Music Library in OCH

* denotes free events

UVA University Singers Fall Concert

Directed by Michael Slon

UVA Jazz Ensemble - New Beginnings Directed by John D’earth

UVA Flute Ensemble * Directed by Kelly Sulick

Free Bridge Quintet with Nicole Mitchell, flute

String & Piano Chamber Music * Directed by David Sariti

Charlottesville Symphony Masterworks 2: Dvořák Symphony No. 8

Charlottesville Symphony Masterworks 2: Dvořák Symphony No. 8

Jazz Small Groups * four student jazz groups

Aeolus Quartet Masterclass * with pre-selected student performers

UVA Wind Ensemble * directed by Elliott Tackitt

Aeolus Quartet * presenting “Homeward”

Corey Harris * Making Noise in the Library

To find out about all our events, subscribe to our weekly “Music at UVA”

uvamusic

All artists, programs and venues are subject to change. 434.924.3052 | music@virginia.edu | https://music.virginia.edu Arts Box Office: 434.924.3376 | artsboxoffice.virginia.edu

The beauty of light and the whimsy of nature intertwine harmoniously at Virginia’s premier holiday light show at Boar’s Head Resort. Experience the nature of our rolling landscape during this illuminated lakeside stroll as an extraordinary palette of colors blanket the natural surroundings.

ON THE HILL THAT HEALS

“I HAD TO FACE MY DEMONS,” SAYS Eades, who saw combat as a rifleman and interpreter in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, but had never talked openly about it until that moment, 27 years later. He had not even shared his stories with his wife Joan and their daughters. In fact, when Eades first returned from Vietnam, he consciously chose to distance himself from his identity as a Vietnam War soldier. He grew his hair out, bought a Volkswagen van with tie-dye curtains, and moved to Miami, living like a “weekend hippie,” as he described it.

But on that April day at the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial, Eades spoke out, addressing a feeling of being slighted that he had not fully confronted until that moment.

“Because of the stigma associated with the Vietnam veteran,” Eades said to an audience of local veterans and their families, “I, like many others, rarely spoke of my experience in Vietnam and I kept those memories sealed inside me, not revealing them to anyone. I hid my tears when I remembered my fallen friends.”

Since that speech in 1995, Eades has returned often to the Dogwood Memorial. He’s mowed its grass. His wife would embarrass him and snap photos as he tended it. He would pray at the memorial, too, sometimes in the rain.

“I’d cry a lot,” Eades says, remembering his early visits to the site that helped soothe his mind and settle his soul.

Now, every April, he takes part in a ceremony of remembrance at the memorial. Since 2016, he has been president of the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial Foundation. He nicknamed the spot “the hill that heals.”

“Once I [spoke], I realized that I owed those guys a lot,” says Eades, referring to the 28 men from the Charlottesville area who were killed in Vietnam and whose stories are told with plaques at the memorial.

As America prepares in 2025 to recognize the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon that ended the Vietnam War, the Charlottesville-based group that maintains the country’s first Vietnam memorial is seeking support to continue its mission as a destination for individual and communal healing.

The Dogwood Foundation plans to expand the memorial with a two-part project: a brick plaza that will include 26 more Vietnam veterans’ stories and an Access Project that would make the space more accessible by adding a parking area and a pedestrian bridge.

The new parking area will fit alongside the trail that hugs the John Warner Parkway. The bridge—which will be 110-feet long and 14-feet wide—would stretch

over the roadway and connect the parking area to the memorial. It would comply with guidelines set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Currently, the memorial’s configuration makes it challenging for older veterans and residents to access. The expansion project is aiming for completion in 2026.

BORN IN A BARBERSHOP

On a fall day in 1965, a barber chatted with two friends at his Charlottesville shop. The conversation centered on national news that was starting to have a local impact. Eighteen-year-old Earlysville native Champ Lawson had died November 4 in a mid-air helicopter collision over South Vietnam after three months there. Lawson’s wife was pregnant with their first child. Because of the combat accident, Lawson never met his son, CJ III. Earlier that year in March, President Lyndon Johnson had ordered America’s first combat troops to Da Nang in Central Vietnam. Lawson had received his assignment in July.

So Ken Staples, owner of Staples Barber Shop, brainstormed with local real estate agent Bill Gentry and engineer Jim Shisler. Lawson’s death was central Virginia’s first casualty of the war, but surely more would come, the trio thought.

And in that moment, their idea was born: Build a memorial that showcased the spirit of sacrifice represented in residents like Lawson.

Sixty years later, this historic showcase endures. The 28 soldiers honored there represent a diverse snapshot of central Virginia life in the 1960s: young men born in the Charlottesville area, and those who arrived later because of a parent’s job or because they enrolled at the University of Virginia. The memorial is home to graduates of the all-Black Burley and Jefferson high schools, to students from the newly integrated Lane High School, and also to University of Virginia student-athletes and ROTC trainees.

Their backgrounds vary, but the men are united in their fate and their purpose: They all died in Southeast Asia while serving the U.S., their lives cut short by war. Their absences were felt by family and friends who had hoped for their return.

“What I always think,” says Peggy Wharam, Champ Lawson’s older sister, “they were so young. They really didn’t get to live their life. I thought, ‘Here we are, doing picnics and parties and having babies and building houses, and they missed it.’”

Three days after the barbershop epiphany, Staples, Gentry, and Shisler met on a grassy knoll at the southeastern edge

The Dogwood Vietnam Memorial was constructed in 1966, 16 years before the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

ON THE HILL THAT HEALS

of McIntire Park. They agreed that this spot, dangling majestically over Route 250, would be the site of the memorial.

Then Shisler made the vision a reality. In short order, he convinced Charlottesville’s city manager to approve the plan, and construction on the memorial finished in January 1966. It became the first civic/public memorial in the U.S. dedicated to soldiers from the Vietnam War, built 16 years before the national memorial in Washington was christened.

The Vietnam War ended in 1975, but the importance of the memorial was just beginning. For the next six decades, it has become a site of healing for friends and family of the 28—like Wharam—as well as for veterans like Eades who seek a way to confront their war memories and to share war stories with family and friends.

For Wharam, healing from the loss of her brother Champ has taken time.

“I took all the pictures down,” she says. “I put everything away for maybe 10 years.”

She now visits the Dogwood Memorial often, especially on Wreaths Across America Day in December, when holiday wreaths are laid at more than 4,000 memorials and grave sites nationwide and abroad.

CAUSE OF THE SOLDIER

One summer day in 1994, Shisler saw Eades mowing the grass around the memorial and invited him to share his story. After a period of soul-searching, he agreed to deliver the speech that began his healing.

For too long, American society deprived Vietnam War veterans of an outlet for their grief, for their pain, for their bewilderment over what exactly happened in Southeast Asia. The Vietnam veteran stereotype became that of a homeless, drug-addicted man, troubled and adrift. How do you rewrite the narrative and jolt people into understanding your plight, without sounding preachy or resentful?

For Eades, he wants to change the narrative of the Vietnam soldier by sharing how veterans such as himself returned from the war to build their own businesses and contribute meaningfully to their communities. After his 13-month tour of duty, Eades used the GI Bill to earn a college degree in Miami. When he returned to Charlottesville, he bought a crane and started a steel company, studying construction management at Piedmont Virginia Community College as he expanded the business. His career in welding spanned 25 years and two companies, building churches, firehouses, and shopping centers.

Eades has dedicated himself fully to the cause of the soldier, volunteering for many veterans’ support groups. He has also examined his mind and soul for what he and his country did in Vietnam, and he’s reached some conclusions about the conflict in Southeast Asia and about war in general.

“Even a good day in Vietnam was pretty sickening,” Eades says. “War is ugly, and if I don’t get any other point across, I think that people in our country need to know that war is not a good solution. You think it’s going to be short, but it never turns out that way. People take war too lightly. The saving grace for this country right now is our veterans, because our veterans understand that. Nobody hates war more than a warrior.”

Eades also offered guidance on how to meaningfully support veterans,

A PLANNED EXPANSION

aside from the requisite “thank you” at a barbecue or at the grocery store.

“We thank the veterans, but we don’t ask them questions about how it was being away from their families,” he says. “The conversation ends often with, ‘Thank you.’ That should be where the conversation starts. You learn a lot more listening than you do talking.”

Eades’ wife Joan has done much listening, whether it’s when dishing food to veterans at American Legion meetings or during rides on the back of her husband’s motorcycle in the Dogwood Festival parade. She lived a block away from him growing up, on Forest Hills Avenue in the Fifeville neighborhood. He would often see her playing at Forest Hills Park. Fast forward to Eades’ return from Vietnam when he moved back in with his parents, and was soon pricked by cupid’s arrow.

As Eades tells it, on their first date, he escorted Joan on one of his motorcycles. Joan was so scared by the experience that she refused to go out with him for the next three months. Eventually, the courtship commenced, and they danced at a local club called The Second Sizzle.

“She sizzled a lot, so I married her,” Eades says. “She changed my life. She gave me a reason to want to be a better person and to start caring again. When I came back, I knew I needed a balanced life. I knew I needed a relationship.”

The Dogwood Vietnam Memorial Foundation is currently planning a Brick Plaza Project to honor any veteran who served in the U.S. military at any time, in any place, and in any conflict. The funds from the project will go toward the memorial’s expansion costs.

To support the Brick Plaza Project, veterans and their families can buy a brick and inscribe messages that honor service and sacrifice, in keeping with the spirit that Staples, Gentry, and Shisler originally hoped to capture. The bricks will be featured on a new plaza that is part of the expansion and will include

Like her husband, Joan sees the need to continue to find ways to make Vietnam veterans feel welcome and appreciated in American life. In 2018, Charlottesville’s Dogwood Festival parade invited local Vietnam War veterans to march as honorary grand marshals. On that April day, Joan spoke to the honor’s symbolism. After all, Vietnam soldiers didn’t receive the same victory celebration that their fathers enjoyed after World War II. America didn’t “win” the Vietnam War like it decisively “won” the Second World War, if war stories should even be told using the frame of victories and defeats.

“It is very important to have a welcome-home parade,” Joan says. “These men finally feel like they did something honorable for their country, and they’re just a very special breed of people who love their country, fought for their country, and they did what was asked of them.”

As the Eadeses continue to encourage individual and collective healing, Wharam’s mind turns to remembrance. Who will tell the stories?

“[Champ] told me one time, ‘I just want to do something to be remembered by,’” she says. “I just realize that in a couple generations, no one is going to know who he was.”

So long as the keeper of the stories— the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial— stands, the story of Lawson’s contribution, and many others like it, will endure.

26 additional biographical plaques honoring University of Virginia students who fought in Vietnam. The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society will host a free discussion at 6pm November 14 at The Center at Belvedere to address the question, how does a community heal from war, especially one as divisive as the Vietnam War? Eades and other Dogwood Vietnam Memorial leaders will share their thoughts and continue their mission as local healers.

For more information on the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial and its expansion project, go to dogwoodvietnammemorial.org.—MD

Bruce and Joan Eades continue to find ways to make Vietnam veterans feel welcome and appreciated in American life.

The death of Vietnam soldier Champ Lawson inspired three locals to initiate plans for a memorial.

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Joan M Carlson Financial Advisor 1010 Ednam Center Suite 102 Charlottesville, VA 22903 434-984-0345

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CULTURE

FRIDAY 11/8 - SATURDAY 11/16

A-MAZING THEATER

The UVA Drama season wanders open with Love is the Greater Labyrinth, a retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The show features a new translation of the final work written by revolutionary 17th-century Mexican playwright Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Guest director Anna Rebek draws a mixture of comedy, tragedy, adventure, and romance from a cast of student actors. Conquering the Minotaur is just the beginning for the character of Tesio, as he navigates a maze of mistaken identities, dueling affections, and the wrath of King Minos. $8–14, Showtimes vary. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama.virginia.edu

FRIDAY 11/8

BEAMING THROUGH

If you’ve listened to Illiterate Light, you know it can be hard to pin down the band’s sound. The task hasn’t gotten any easier with new album Arches, the third LP from singerguitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer Jake Cochran. Moving between easy indie rock, kaleidoscopic neo-psychedelia, and electro-embellished Americana, the duo weaves together a sonic world full of enigmatic energy. Celebrate the official release of the new album as Illiterate Light returns to the region that gave birth to its singular Shenandoah Valley sound. $25–50, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

SUNDAY 11/10

LONG STORY SHORT

It’s a mad dash to the finish line of dramatic excellence with the 20th annual Adrenaline Film Project. In just 72 hours, groups of three will write, film, edit, and screen original stories with the aid of industry experts. Teams can draw from a professional actor database, or cast friends, family, and neighbors as the stars of their three- to five-minute short films. The entire process takes place at Light House Studio, including screenings of the final cuts, where cash prizes are offered for the Judges Choice, Mentor Selection, Audience, and Actors awards. $15, 8pm. Light House Studio at Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lighthousestudio.org

CELEBRATING JOHN’S FORTY PLUS YEARS AT THE HELM OF UVA JAZZ

with special return guests: alto sax, Pureum Jin | bass, Lisa Mezzacappa ‘96 bari sax, Kathy Olson ’02 | piano, Kait Dunton ‘05 | tenor sax, John Petrucelli ’10

SATURDAY 11/9 | 8PM | OLD

Wednesday 11/6 music

Berto & Matt. Latin guitar night. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Kash’d Out. Florida-based reggae-rock. With Dale & The Z Dubs. $15–18, 8pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Mike Rosensky Trio. Live jazz every Wednesday. Free, 8:30pm. Miller’s Downtown, 109 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. millersdowntown.com

Open Mic Night. Open to all musicians, poets, and everyone in between. Hosted by Nicole Giordano. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St.

The Wavelength. Vintage rock, blues, and original tunes for your mid-week music boost. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com

classes

Needle Felted Opossums. Learn how to make a soft little opossum figure using a specialized notched needle to sculpt dyed wool. Beginner friendly. Ages 14+. $40, 5pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Scrabble Fundamentals. Come and learn Scrabble strategy to up your game. Suitable for all levels of players. Free, 5:30pm. Jefferson Madison Central Library., 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

Writer’s Eye Workshop. Writing With Art, a free creative writing workshop inspired by art on view at The Fralin Museum of Art. Open to ages 16+. Free, 6:30pm. Northside Library, 705 W. Rio Rd. jmrl.org etc.

Bent Theatre Improv. A hilarious evening of improv comedy where you make the show by sharing suggestions for the players to act out. Free, 7pm. Decipher Brewing, 1740 Broadway St. decipherbrewingco.com

Exhibition on Screen Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers Focusing on Van Gogh’s unique creative process, this film explores the artist’s years in the south of France, where he revolutionized his style. $13–17, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Family-friendly Bingo. Free to play with prizes after each round. Four rounds total. Free, 6pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. firefly cville.com

Fiorano’s Karaoke. Sing your heart out at Fiorano’s Karaoke. Easy sign up and a booming sound system. Free, 9pm. Fiorano Restaurant and Bar, 5924 Seminole Trail, Ste. 101, Barboursville. fioranomediterranean.com

Rapture Karaoke. Downtown C’ville’s longestrunning karaoke party. Hosted by Jenn Deville. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

SuperFly Run Club. Run around the city, then enjoy $5 pints. Raffles and exclusive merchandise to be earned. Free, 6pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com

Trivia with Olivia. Olivia and Maggie bring you all your trivia needs. Come prepared to win with a team or meet folks here. First place winners get a $50 Starr Hill gift card and second place winners get $25. Free, 7pm. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. starrhill.com

Thursday 11/7

music

Ark Of Mark. The latest project from Mark Coffman, former frontman of the rock band From Here On Blue. Free, 8pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com

Berto and Vincent. Join Berto and Vincent for a night of wild flamenco rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Jam with Steve Lanza. Steve hosts a gathering where you are invited to play along. Free, 8pm. Fiorano Restaurant and Bar, 5924 Seminole Trail, Ste. 101, Barboursville. fioranomediterranean.com

John D’earth and Friends. Join us each week for live jazz with John D’earth and a rotating cast of local and national jazz musicians. Free, 10pm. Miller’s Downtown, 109 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. millers downtown.com

Matthew O’Donnell. The Blue Ridge Bard is a cornerstone of the C’ville music scene. Free, 7:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com

Michael Clem. Local singer-songwriter with a musical palette including bluegrass and roots rock. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

stage

Red Viewed through the lens of his new assistant, Ken, witness artist Mark Rothko at the pinnacle of his creativity, but struggling through the creation of a series of large paintings. Free, 6pm. The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA, 155 Rugby Rd. virginia.edu

words

Author Event: Kelly Corrigan. Q&A with a successful journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and podcast host. Free, 7pm. St. Anne’s Belfield School, 2132 Ivy Rd. stab.org etc.

Dart Night. Weekly luck-of-the-draw doubleelimination games. Throwers get $1-off pints during play. Free, 6pm. Decipher Brewing, 1740 Broadway St. Role Playing Game Hangout. Wizards and warriors unite. Jump into many RPG games including the ever popular D&D 5th edition. All experience levels are welcome. DM program available to earn store credit while running a game. Free, 3pm. The End Games, 390 Hillsdale Dr. theendgames.co

What’s the Buzz? An adult spelling bee. Come out to see if you’ve got what it takes to be crowned a champion. Ages 18+. Free, 6:30pm. Northside Library, 705 W. Rio Rd. jmrl.org

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. Like an escape room but at a winery. Crack codes and unravel riddles while sampling Charlottesville’s best wine, beer, and cider. Play when you want and go at your own pace. $15, available noon–8pm. Please confirm Eastwood Winery and Potter’s Cider hours beforehand. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Friday 11/8

music

Atomic Light Orchestra. Join us for a night of electrifying music as we pay tribute to ELO. $10–15, 7pm. Pro Re Nata Brewpub & Music Hall, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Don’t Look Up. Awesome Americana music that’s deeply rooted in the blues. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Illiterate Light. The official Arches album release show. With Twen. $25–80, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Jen Tal Band. A collaborative of versatile and creative musicians plays classic soul and R&B, rock, funk, reggae, and jazz. Free, 10pm. Miller’s Downtown, 109 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. millersdowntown.com

CULTURE THIS WEEK

John Kelly. Singer-songwriter with more than two decades of solo acoustic performing experience. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

Josh Mayo and Alex Bragg. Josh Mayo and his group of great musicians provide music to help you enjoy the sunset. Free, 6pm. Högwaller Brewing, 1518 E. High St. hogwallerbrewing.com

Lama and the Hound. Americana, bluegrass, outlaw country, and classic rock. Free, 6pm. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. starrhill.com

Live at Five. Jams and pizza. All 6th–12th graders are welcome to perform. Everyone is welcome to attend. Free, 5pm. Music Resource Center, 105 Ridge St. music resourcecenter.org

LockJaw. This four-piece blues-rock band plays ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s classic rock covers plus a few R&B and country songs for variety. The final Nelly’s gig for 2024, so don’t miss it. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscville.com

The Currys. Folk-rock outfit with tight harmonies and infectious songwriting. $10, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

University Singers. The UVA Department of Music presents a preview of the 2025 concert tour program. $5–15, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu

William Hinson. Soundscapes at the confluence of indie-pop and singer-songwriter genres. With Nolan Durham and Behind the Sun. $12–15, 8pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

classes

Paint + Sip: Rainy Fall Drive. Learn a variety of techniques and skills to render a rainy fall drive scene. No experience necessary. $38, 6pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. blueridgebrushes.com

stage

King Lear Shakespeare on the Lawn’s corporate-inspired performance of King Lear is sure to fascinate. Directed by Cannon Slayton. Free, 7pm. Student Activities Building, UVA Grounds. virginia.edu

Love is the Greater Labyrinth The story of Theseus and the Minotaur presented in the Spanish Comedia tradition of freely mixing tragedy and comedy for surprising results. $8–14, 8pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama.virginia.edu

words

Author Event: Miller Oberman. Join us for a reading with poet Miller Oberman, author of Impossible Things. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. This puzzle crawl takes you to the breweries on Preston Avenue. Crack codes, solve puzzles, and enjoy some of Charlottesville’s best beers along the way. $18, all day. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Fiorano’s Karaoke. See listing for Wednesday, November 6. Free, 9pm. Fiorano Restaurant and Bar, 5924 Seminole Trail, Ste. 101, Barboursville. fioranomediterranean.com

James & The Giant Peach The cidery’s cinema presents the Roald Dahl classic adapted for the screen by director Tim Burton. Admission includes popcorn. $10, 6pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Trivia with Olivia. Get the weekend started. Prizes to be won and fun to be had. Free, 6pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 7. $15, available noon–8pm. Please confirm Eastwood Winery and Potter’s Cider hours beforehand. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Saturday 11/9 music

Berto Sales. Come enjoy the sounds of Brazil, Spain, and Latin America with Berto Sales. His unique fingerpicking style and contagious energy will have you tapping your feet. Free, 11am. Tavern & Grocery, 333 W. Main St. tavernandgrocery.com

Berto & Vincent. Turn up the heat on your Saturday plans with the spicy rhythms, zesty beats, and sizzling sounds of this Latin and flamenco rumba guitar duo. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Bob Bennetta Blues Revue. Charlottesville jazz legend gets back to his roots in the blues. Free, 5pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

C’ville Band. Join us as we welcome the Charlottesville Municipal Band Brass Quintet. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

Porch Dogs. Rock, pop, oldies, country. You name it, they play it. Come bark with the Dogs. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Ramona Martinez. A honky-tonk heroine whose music recalls classic country from the 1950s and ‘60s. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Stolen Gin. High-energy music from New York City with a lot of improvisation. With Wim Tapley & The Cannons. $17–20, 8pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

The ’77z. A local staple among the Grateful Dead tribute bands of the region. $15–20, 8pm. Fry’s Spring Beach Club, 2512 Jefferson Park Ave. frysspring.org

Three Notch’d Road: The Virginia Baroque Ensemble. Requiem Æternam, a program abounding in memory and hope, features requiem-themed early music of Germany, England, and America with selections from Bach, Purcell, Hughes, and Walker. $30, 4pm. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 7599 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Greenwood. tnrbaroque.org Tycho. A signature blend of electronic dance music and melody-driven instrumental postrock. $45–50, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jefferson theater.com

UVA Jazz Ensemble. Classic repertoire from across the spectrum of jazz history, jazz arrangements of music from diverse genres, and original compositions and arrangements by the students and director. $5–10, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu

We Are Star Children. This nine-piece adventure-pop band veers in and out of conventional rock/pop arrangement. With special guests Dropping Julia. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata Brewpub & Music Hall, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Zuzu’s Hot 5. A hot and sweet mixture of tunes that still sound exciting 90 years after they were written. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

dance

Salute Join PVCC and Charlottesville Ballet for a salute to veterans with an afternoon of honor, remembrance, music, and dance. Free, 3pm. Piedmont Virginia Community College, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

Saturday 11/9

stage

King Lear See listing for Friday, November 8. Free, 7pm. Student Activities Building, UVA Grounds. virginia.edu

Love is the Greater Labyrinth See listing for Friday, November 8. $8–14, 8pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama.virginia.edu

words

Author Event: Maya Boutaghou. Join us for a book talk with Maya Boutaghou, author of White Tongue, Brown Skin. Free, 4pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. newdominionbookshop.com

Author Visit: Allison K. Garcia. Meet author Allison K. García, a licensed professional counselor and member of Shenandoah Valley Writers, Virginia Writers Club, and the author of Transformation Alliance. Free, 1pm. Northside Library, 705 W. Rio Rd. jmrl.org

Book Talk. The Central Virginia Genealogical Association hosts Darius Brown’s lecture about his Wheatley Award-winning book, At the Feet of the Elders. Free, 10am. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1275 Timberwood. cvga.avenue.org

classes

Crafty Date Night. An instructor leads you and your partner through a fun and easy craft, designed to inspire and entertain. This week: string art. $50, 7pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

Writer’s Eye Workshop. See listing for Wednesday, November 6. Free, 10am. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Friday, November 8. $18, all day. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Green Gathering Book Club. Connect with fellow nature-lovers over a good book. The first book covered is Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than–Human World, by science journalist Brandon Keim. Free, 10am. James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Pkwy. highland.org Ronny Chieng. This actor and “The Daily Show” correspondent is one of the most exciting voices in standup comedy today. $49–59, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Storytime. Featuring readings from recent storybooks and the classics kids know and love. Rain or shine. All ages welcome. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. newdominionbookshop.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 7. $15, Available noon–8pm. Please confirm Eastwood Winery and Potter’s Cider hours beforehand. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Sunday 11/10

music

Anthony Semiao. Taking classics from any genre and stripping them down for acoustic guitar. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmand winery.com

Free Bridge Quintet. Faculty jazz quintet of the University of Virginia Department of Music. $5–15, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu Jazz Connection. Jazz quartet plays standards and originals with occasional guest performers. Free, 6pm. Kardinal Hall, 722 Preston Ave. kardinalhall.com

CULTURE TRIED IT IN C'VILLE

Pull! A tale of sporting clays

Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated with the idea of shooting skeet. I must’ve seen it in a Bugs Bunny cartoon or something. My father liked hunting, and to varying degrees, family members enjoyed the venison from his efforts. I grew up around guns and, therefore, grew up with a healthy respect for them.

During grad school, I frequented a gun range, learning to fire just about everything it had. The unfortunate context for my interest at that time was that someone in my life had made threats with a firearm, and my thinking was that if I had to take a gun away from someone, I’d better know how to use it. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed learning about the different weapons and firing them under safe conditions at a gun range using paper targets.

With stationary targets, I’m a decent shot. Still, I longed to try something like skeet, with moving targets. After not shooting for 20 years, I decided to cross skeet off the ol’ bucket list. I called Central Virginia Sporting Clays, and my education began. There are several popular shotgun sports: trap, skeet, and sporting clays. The main difference is how the clays move. With sporting clays, they can go in any direction. I scheduled a group lesson and donned my Elmer Fudd hat. Kristie Smeltzer

What

Shooting sporting clays.

Why

Because I’ve always wanted to yell “Pull!” and shoot a moving inanimate target.

How it went

Many clays exploded that day.

From Charlottesville, it’s a bit of a trek to get to Central Virginia Sporting Clays in Palmyra, but IMO it’s well worth the effort. The CVSC site says map apps may not get you there, but friends joining me used their apps with no problem.

Upon arrival, we met up with our instructor who grabbed shotguns before we headed to the five-stand area. Our knowledgeable teacher explained how sporting clay shooting works, shared safety information, and

distributed hearing and eye protection. The most Yoda thing he conveyed to us was that shooting sporting clays is more about relying on one’s intuition than aiming.

My friends encouraged me to go first, because they’re kind and I coordinated the outing—but probably more so because the older I get, the less I care about embarrassing myself. The five-stand area has—as you might assume—five wooden shooting stands in a row. After sidling up to a stand, the instructor demonstrated how to load the shotgun properly and coached me on my form. A remote control launched targets from clay throwers in different positions around a clearing in front of the stands. Some clays launched toward the stands while others moved away. Some crossed from the sides, and one thrower skipped clays across the ground to mimic landbound animals (sorry, bunnies!).

My goal was to hit one clay. If I did that, mission accomplished—everything else was

gravy. The first clay launched, and I clipped it. I hit three out of four clays in my first round and felt like the queen of the world. But I had just been hitting the edge of clays, making small bits pop off, and I wanted to make a target explode. The instructor repeated the initial training process with each of us, adjusting for our different dominant

Central Virginia Sporting Clays

eyes, body types, stances, and firing quirks. After he finished, we were all breaking clays. I learned that I really enjoy shooting clays— at least trying to—and that I have a proclivity to double tap. Sometimes crossing something off your bucket list results in a new hobby. I know I’ll be back.

Central Virginia Sporting Clays combines skill and intuition in its group lessons. STEPHEN

Love is the Greater Labyrinth

by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Translated by Diversifying the Classics

Directed by Anna Rebek, Guest Director

November 8 – 10 & 14 – 16, 2024

Ruth Caplin Theatre

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is a celebrated 17th century Mexican playwright, philosopher, poet, and nun. This new translation of her final play tells the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, but the dangers of the Labyrinth are nothing compared to the intricate maze of suitors, lovers, and rivals who are vying for one another’s affection and threatening one another’s lives. Sor Juana’s play follows the Spanish Comedia tradition of freely mixing tragedy and comedy for surprising results that will keep audiences on their toes as they follow the twists and turns.

Sunday 11/10

Jazz Jam. Join a rotating crew of local, regional, and national jazz musicians inviting guests to “join the jam.” Free, 6pm. Miller’s Downtown, 109 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. millersdowntown.com

Lafayette’s Fiddlers. Early Music Access Project commemorates the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s visit to Charlottesville and Monticello with French songs that Lafayette and Jefferson admired. Free, 7pm. The Rotunda, UVA, 1826 University Ave. rotunda.virginia.edu La Tramontane. The music of the Mediterranean and Latin America with vocal-driven acoustic guitar and cello renditions of French, Spanish, and Portuguese songs. With cellist Catherine Monnes. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Michael Johnson. Dinner as usual with some live music. Michael Johnson has been playing country, worship, rock, and a range of music for the last 20 years. Free, 1pm. Fiorano Restaurant and Bar, 5924 Seminole Trail, Ste. 101, Barboursville. fiorano mediterranean.com

Patrick & Aaron Olwell and friends. An energetic and eclectic Irish jam session featuring fine renditions of traditional tunes all afternoon. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Ramona Martinez x Momma Molasses. SuperFly goes country with two fantastic acts. Free, 5pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com

Ron Gentry. A variety of great music influenced by the sounds of Motown, The Beatles, CCR, and more. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

Three Notch’d Road: The Virginia Baroque Ensemble. Requiem Æternam, a program abounding in memory and hope, features requiem-themed early music of Germany, England, and America with selections from Bach, Purcell, Hughes, and Walker. $30, 4pm. Grace Episcopal Church, 5607 Gordonsville Rd., Keswick. tnrbaroque.org

UVA Flute Ensemble. Fall 2024 recital featuring music from all eras and styles, including pieces for larger flute ensemble and smaller chamber works. Free, 1pm. University of Virginia Rotunda Dome Room, 1826 University Ave. rotunda.virginia.edu

stage

King Lear. See listing for Friday, November 8. Free, 2pm. Student Activities Building, UVA Grounds. virginia.edu

Love is the Greater Labyrinth. See listing for Friday, November 8. $8–14, 2pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama. virginia.edu

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Friday, November 8. $18, all day. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Role Playing Game Hangout. See listing for Thursday, November 7. Free, 4–8pm. The End Games, 390 Hillsdale Dr. theendgames.co

The Little Mermaid Venture under the sea where Ariel, a free-spirited mermaid princess, longs to be part of the human world. $7–9, 2pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 7. $15, available noon–8pm. Please confirm Eastwood Winery and Potter’s Cider hours beforehand. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Monday 11/11 music

DG3. Gin and jazz series welcomes trio playing modern takes on classics and standards. Free, 5:30pm. Oakhurst Inn, 100 Oakhurst Cir. oakhurstinn.com

dance

Salsa Dance Night. DJ Rafa spins the latest in salsa and Latin-inspired dance cuts in the dance floor area of the bar. Come feel the heat and move. Free, 9pm. Fiorano Restaurant and Bar, 5924 Seminole Trail, Ste. 101, Barboursville. fioranomediterranean.com

words

Languages of Invisibility and Devaluation. A dialogue with artist Veronica Jackson and Andrea Douglas, director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Free, 5pm. Campbell Hall 153: School of Architecture at UVA, 110 Bayly Dr. arch.virginia.edu

Live Debate. Join us for a heated debate on the American neutrality act during WW2 and a country divided. Free, 6:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com etc.

Comedy Open Mic. Showcase your talent, try out new material, and take in the best local comedy that C’ville has to offer. Hosted by Chris Alan. Ages 18+. Free, 8pm. The Southern Cafe & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Game Night. Meet up with others at the brewery, play a game, and have a chance to win prizes. Bring your favorite games from home. All board, card, puzzle games, and ages welcome. Free, 5pm. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. starrhill.com

Geeks Who Drink Trivia. Seven rounds of audio, visual, and live trivia for teams of up to six with prizes for answering bonus questions and gift cards for top teams. Hosted by Audrey. Free, 6:30pm. Decipher Brewing, 1740 Broadway St.

This Is Spinal Tap Chronicled by a filmmakerfan, This Is Spinal Tap shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts. $9, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Trivia Night. Hosted by Geeks Who Drink. Maximum of six players per team. Free, 7pm. Selvedge Brewing, 2415 Ivy Rd., Ste. 190. selvedgebrewing.com

Trivia on Tap. Five rounds of themed trivia for teams of up to six competitors. Hosted by Olivia. Reservations recommended. Free, 7pm. Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen & Brewery - Charlottesville, 520 Second St. SE. threenotchdbrewing.com

Veterans Day at Highland. A day of learning to honor those who have served our country. Free, 9:30am. James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Pkwy. highland.org

Tuesday 11/12

music

Tuesday Evening Concert Series. The Danish String Quartet presents a program featuring Haydn, Stravinsky, and Schubert. $5–45, 7:30pm. Old Cabell Hall Auditorium. virginia.edu

Vincent Zorn. Solo wild flamenco rumba. Must say “olé!” Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

dance

Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet

Celebrate America’s favorite Christmas tradition with an international all-star cast that blends world class ballet with whim-

CULTURE STAGES

Danish String Quartet

Universally hailed for its instrumental prowess, emotive performances, and wideranging repertoire, the Danish String Quartet kicks off a series of seven eastern U.S. dates at UVA’s Old Cabell Hall. The Grammynominated foursome, who have been tearing it up for more than 20 years, will perform a program rich in traditional classical bangers, eschewing their inclination to include Scandinavian composers or folk numbers from their home region.

Schubert’s final quartet from 1826, No. 15 in G Major, D. 887

The set begins with high drama, Quartet in G minor Op. 20/3 (1773) from Haydn, prime mover of the quartet form. Noted for its dramatic use of pauses and other creative choices, the innovative and enigmatic piece was revered by Haydn’s pupil Beethoven, and later by Brahms, who kept an autographed manuscript of it.

Stravinksy’s Three Pieces for String Quartet (1922) follows, flaunting its unsettling early 20th-century inventiveness by rushing out in blunt stabs and dark, languid turns—in a very succinct seven minutes. Next, O’Carolan’s Three Melodies from the blind Irish harpist whose “Mabel Kelly” kicks off DSQ’s latest record, Keel Road. O’Carolan seems the outlier among the genre’s biggest marquee names. The evening is rounded out with teenage Mozart’s cheerful Divertimento in F Major, K. 138 (1772) and

Old Cabell Hall Tuesday 11/12

sical puppets, lavish costumes, and stunning acrobatics. $33–182, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

words

Animal Book Club. Meet at Central Library to discuss books about animals. This week: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. Free, 5:30pm. JMRL: Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

Design for All Ages: Equity and the Built Environment. Can inclusive design lead to more livable communities for all? Join architecture and entrepreneurship professors for a conversation on the built environment, aging, and vitality. Free, 5:30pm. The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Blvd. thecentercville.org

Pursuits of Knowledge. Connect with authors and hear how they engage the past in the present through genres of biography, political history, and young adult fiction. $10–30, 6pm. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. home.monticello.org

classes

Paint + Sip: Moonlit Flowers. Learn a variety of techniques and skills to render a moonlit flowers scene. No experience necessary. $45, 6pm. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. blueridgebrushes.com

There’s no disputing the serious talent and dedication of the DSQ, Danish boyhood friends Frederik Øland (violin), Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (violin), and Asbjørn Nørgaard (viola), who were joined by Norwegian Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin (cello) in 2009. Yet it’s refreshing to discover that they handle the whole endeavor without the life-sucking stoicism of many of their robotic contemporaries. On their website they joke about being compared to Vikings (“We are only pillaging the English coastline occasionally”), and mention that while playing string quartets is a difficult job, the pleasure they get from playing together keeps them performing—and exudes a palpable joy shared by their audiences: “Music is a way to hang out with friends, and we hope we can continue to hang out for many, many years.”—CM Gorey

etc.

Bingo. Five rounds of family-friendly fun. $20, 6pm. Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen & Brewery - Charlottesville, 520 Second St. SE. threenotchdbrewing.com

Board Game Night. Open to all ages and backgrounds. Come in to play your favorite table top games. Use our board game library and/or bring your own. Free, 5pm. The End Games, 390 Hillsdale Dr. theendgames.co

Charlottesville Run Club. Meet every Tuesday for a leisurely run before heading back to the taproom to hang out and enjoy beer specials. Free, 6pm. Starr Hill Downtown, 946 Grady Ave., Ste. 101. starrhill.com

Geeks Who Drink Trivia. Good trivia, good times. Free, 7pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Music Bingo. SuperFly Music Bingo is back and better than ever. Unique playlists and prizes to be won. Free, 7–9pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com

Poker Night. Test your luck and skill at our hold ’em poker night. Free, 7pm. Fiorano Restaurant and Bar, 5924 Seminole Trail, Ste. 101, Barboursville. fioranomediterranean.com

Role Playing Game Hangout. See listing for Thursday, November 7. Free, 3–7pm. The End Games, 390 Hillsdale Dr. theend games.co

PUZZLES

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

#1

BY MATT JONES

ACROSS

1. Garden pests

7. J. Edgar Hoover’s agency

10. Crocheter’s tool

14. She’s asked to “peel me a grape” in a Mae West film

15. Golfer Ernie

16. Tupac Amaru, for one

17. Keepsakes on VHS, perhaps

19. Innings score or wickets, in cricket

20. Pop singer Rita who appears in “Detective Pikachu”

21. Trip up

22. Language where “crossword book” is “llyfr croesair”

24. Cheese coating

26. How something might be dissolved

28. Night before

31. Out on the water

33. Bear, in Barcelona

34. Black of “Inside Out 2”

36. Sch. with a Shreveport campus

38. Mischievous rascal

40. With 25-Down, “Video Games” singer

41. Head-over-heels comment

46. French friend

47. One of many grains in an “overnight” jar

48. Ambient musician Brian

49. U.S. children’s fitness center chain with a palindromic name

51. Cage component

53. Coffee vessels

56. ___ whisker (narrowly)

57. Satellite (whose name is an abbreviated shortening) from a 1961 NASA program

60. Inauguration Day words

62. Star-giver?

64. “You’ve got mail!” ISP

66. Mrs., in Madrid

67. Salad with bacon and hard-boiled egg

69. TV ad subject mentioned with “And now a word from ...”

72. Hand sanitizer additive

73. Union behind a 2023 Hollywood strike

74. ___ terrible (hellion)

75. Send a quick message

76. 1099 ID

77. Heavy rainfall

DOWN

1. Detest

2. Illinois city of a “Will it play in” phrase

3. Aliens’ enemies, in schlocky sci-fi stories

4. Tahiti, par exemple

5. Wendy’s founder Thomas

6. “UnREAL” star Appleby

7. Charged amount

8. Two-in-one electric hairstyling tool

9. First-generation Japanese-American

10. Annoyed cat noise

11. Soon to arrive

12. Edible Andean tuber

13. Kit ___ (candy bar, or nickname in the movie “About Time”)

18. First Bond film (1962)

23. Cholesterol type, for short

25. See 40-Across

27. Like some elephants

29. Trattoria glassful

30. Person paired with Jacob

32. Words before rule or whole

35. “Bullish” nickname of the late Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela

37. “Orange Is the New Black” actress ___ Aduba

39. Poet whose “A Dream Within a Dream” has been likened to 2010’s “Inception”

41. Poetic meter unit

42. Credit card exp. date format

43. Old container for stogies (or other keepsakes)

44. Small floor coverings that might be crocheted

45. Former Burmese prime minister

50. WY winter hrs.

52. Squeezing snakes

54. Bahamian capital

55. Like dark-roast coffee

58. Comic book shrieks

59. Two-wheeled ride

61. Author Bret who wrote about the California Gold Rush

63. Partner in crime?

65. Word in a Dallas state nickname

67. Olivia Benson, for Taylor Swift

68. Futbol fan’s cheer

70. Sought office, like Kamala Harris

71. Raiders and Vikings group, for short

This beautiful city has kept us up and running through advertising support since 1989, but now we also need you, readers of the free word, to help us keep telling local stories. If free, independent news is important to you, please consider a gift of $35 to keep the lights on—in our office, sure, but also the light we will continue to shine into every corner of Charlottesville. Depending on the size of your gift, you could receive a digital copy of C-VILLE every Tuesday evening (before it hits stands Wednesday), a tote bag, and two invites to the Best of C-VILLE party in August 2025. Support the work of C-VILLE Weekly.

By Rob Brezsny

By Rob Brezsny

Libra

Sagittarius

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Many people living in the Napo province of Ecuador enjoy eating a dish called ukuy, which is a Kichwa word for large ants. This is not an exotic meal for them. They may cook the ukuy or simply eat the creatures alive. If you travel to Napo anytime soon, Libra, I urge you to sample the ukuy. According to my reading of the astrological omens, such an experiment is in alignment with the kinds of experiences you Libras should be seeking: outside your usual habits, beyond your typical expectations, and in amused rebellion against your customary way of doing things.

Scorpio

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): My father was a big fan of the military. As a young man, he served as a lieutenant in the army and for a time considered making that job his career. I’m the opposite of him. I keenly avoided becoming a soldier and have always been passionately anti-war. I bring this subject to your attention because I think now is an excellent time for you to get clearer than ever about how you don’t resemble your parents and don’t want to be like them. Meditate on why your life is better and can get even better by not following their paths and ways. There’s no need to do this with anger and blame. In fact, the healthiest approach is to be lucid, calm, and dispassionate.

Capricorn

Virgo

Scorpio

(877) 873-4888

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): When an infant giraffe leaves its mother’s womb, it falls six feet to the ground. I suspect that when you are reborn sometime soon, Virgo, a milder and more genial jolt will occur. It may even be quite rousing and inspirational— not rudely bumpy at all. By the way, the plunge of the baby giraffe snaps its umbilical cord and stimulates the creature to take its initial breaths—getting it ready to begin its life journey. I suspect your genial jolt will bring comparable benefits.

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You are entering a phase when you can acquire more mastery in the arts of self-care and self-sufficiency. I hope you will become more skillful in giving yourself everything that nurtures your emotional and physical health. Have you gathered all you need to know about that subject? Probably not. Most of us haven’t. But the coming weeks will be a favorable time to make this your main research project. By the way, now is also an excellent time to kick your own ass and unbreak your own heart.

bagel business. They only abandoned that idea when they discovered how expensive the bagel-making equipment was. I suspect that you are near a comparable pivot in your life, Pisces: a time to switch from one decent project to an even better one.

Aries

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): At age 49, James Patterson retired from his job as an advertising writer. Until then, he had produced a few novels in his spare time. But once free of his 9 to 5 gig, he began churning out books at a rapid pace. Now, at age 77, he has published over 305 million copies of 200+ novels, including 67 that have been No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Would you like to make an almost equally memorable transition, Capricorn? The coming weeks and months will be an excellent time to plan it and launch it.

Aquarius

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The theory of karma suggests that all our actions, good and bad and in-between, send ripples out into the world. These ripples eventually circle back to us, ensuring we experience events that mirror our original actions. If we lie and cheat, we will be lied to and cheated on. If we give generously and speak kindly about other people, we will be the recipient of generosity and kind words. I bring this up, Scorpio, because I believe you will soon harvest a slew of good karma that you have set in motion through your generosity and kindness. It may sometimes seem as if you’re getting more benevolence than you deserve, but in my estimation, it’s all well-earned.

Sagittarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Breakfast Club was an iconic 1985 film about teenagers coming of age. Critics liked it. At the box office, it earned 100 times more than it cost to make. Aquarian director John Hughes wrote the screenplay for the 97-minute movie in two days, on July 4 and 5 of 1982. I predict that many of you Aquarians will have a similar level of productivity in the coming weeks. You could create lasting improvements and useful goodies in short bursts of intense effort.

dents. Three years later, he was proficient enough to teach advanced students, and five years later, he was an expert. I am not advising you, Capricorn, to quit your job and launch your own quixotic quest for supremely gratifying work. But if you were ever going to start taking small steps toward that goal, now would be a good time. It’s also a favorable phase to improve the way your current job works for you.

Aquarius

(March 21-April 19): You may be on the verge of the breakthrough I prophesied a while back. Remember? I said you would be searching for the solution to a boring problem, and on the way you would discover a more interesting and useful problem. That exact scenario is about to happen. I also predict that the coming weeks will be a time when you tame an out-of-control aspect of your life and infuse more wildness into an overly tame part of you. I will speculate on one further stroke of good fortune: You will attract an influence that motivates you to be more passionately pragmatic about one of your key dreams.

Taurus

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I encourage you to buy yourself fun presents that give you a feisty boost. Why? Because I want you to bring an innovative, starting-fresh spirit into the ripening projects you are working on. Your attitude and approach could become too serious unless you infuse them with the spunky energy of an excitable kid. Gift suggestions: new music that makes you feel wild; new jewelry or clothes that make you feel daring; new tools that raise your confidence; and new information that stirs your creativity.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Three years ago, an Indonesian man celebrated his marriage to a rice cooker, which is a kitchen accessory. Khoirul Anam wore his finest clothes while his new spouse donned a white veil. In photos posted on social media, the happy couple are shown hugging and kissing. Now might also be a favorable time for you to wed your fortunes more closely with a valuable resource—though there’s no need to perform literal nuptials. What material thing helps bring out the best in you? If there is no such thing, now would be a good time to get it.

Pisces

Pisces

Capricorn

(Feb. 19-March 20): Ben & Jerry’s is a wildly successful ice cream maker that sells it products all over the world. Its founders are two Pisceans who met in seventh grade. Over 45 years since they launched their business, they have become renowned for their wide variety of innovative flavors and their political activism. When they first decided to work together, though, their plans were to start a

(April 20-May 20): It’s time for some friendly warnings that will, if heeded, enable you to avoid problematic developments. 1. An overhaul in your self-image is looming; your persona requires tinkering. 2. Old boundaries are shifting and in some places disappearing. Be brave and draw up new boundaries. 3. Familiar allies may be in a state of flux. Help them find their new centers of gravity. 4. Potential future allies will become actual allies if you are bold in engaging them. 5. Be allergic to easy answers and simplistic solutions. Insist on the wisdom of uncertainty.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): On a Tuesday in August in 2012—one full Jupiter cycle ago—a Capricorn friend of mine called in sick to his job as a marketing specialist. He never returned. Instead, after enjoying a week off to relax, he began working to become a dance instructor. After six months, he was teaching novice stu-

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): To honor and celebrate your melancholy, I’m turning this horoscope over to Gemini author T. H. White and his superb formulation of the redemptive power of sadness. He wrote: “The best thing for be-

(Feb. 19-March 20): For many years, I didn’t earn enough money to pay taxes. I was indigent. Fortunately, social programs provided me with food and some medical care. In recent years, though, I have had a better cash flow. I regularly send the US government a share of my income. I wish they would spend all my tax contributions to help people in need. Alas, just 42 percent of my taxes pay for acts of kindness to my fellow humans, while 24 percent goes to funding the biggest military machine on earth. Maybe someday, there will be an option to allocate my tax donations exactly as I want. In this spirit, Pisces, I invite you to take inventory of the gifts and blessings you dole out. Now is a good time to correct any dubious priorities. Take steps to ensure that your generosity is

going where it’s most needed and appreciated. What kind of giving makes you feel best?

Aries

ing sad is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.”

Cancer

(March 21-April 19): Although there are over 7,000 varieties of apples, your grocery store probably offers no more than 15. But you shouldn’t feel deprived. Having 15 alternatives is magnificent. In fact, most of us do better in dealing with a modicum of choices rather than an extravagant abundance. This is true not just about apples but also about most things. I mention this, Aries, because now is an excellent time to pare your options in regard to all your resources and influences. You will function best if you’re not overwhelmed with possibilities. You will thrive as you experiment with the principle that less is more.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): Taurus comedian Jerry Seinfeld, now 70 years old, has testified, “As a child, the only clear thought I had was ‘get candy.’” I encourage you to be equally single-minded in the near future, Taurus. Not necessarily about candy—but about goodies that appeal to your inner child as well as your inner teenager and inner adult. You are authorized by cosmic forces to go in quest of experiences that tickle your bliss.

(June 21-July 22): A Massachusetts woman named Andrea Martin loves chickens so much she treats them as family. A few years ago, she took pity on one of her favorites, a young bird named Cecily, who had been born with a damaged tendon in one of her legs. Martin arranged to have the limb amputated. Then she made a prosthetic device on a 3-D printer and had it surgically grafted onto Cecily’s body. Success! The $2,500 cost was well worth it, she testified. I propose we make Andrea Martin one of your role models for the coming weeks. May she inspire you to take extra good care of and shower bonus blessings on everyone and everything you love. (PS: This will be really good for your own health.)

Gemini

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): Once a year, the city of Seoul, South Korea, stages a Space-Out Festival. Participants compete to do absolutely nothing for 90 minutes. They are not allowed to fall asleep, talk, or check their phones. To test how well they are banishing stress, burnout, and worries, their heart rates are monitored. The winner is the person who has the slowest and most stable pulse. If there were an event like this in your part of the world sometime soon, Leo, I’d

(May 21-June 20): I’m not saying I would refuse to hire a Gemini person to housesit while I’m on vacation. You folks probably wouldn’t let my houseplants die, allow raccoons to sneak in and steal food, or leave piles of unwashed dishes in the sink. On the other hand, I’m not entirely confident you would take impeccable care of my home in every little way. But wait! Everything I just said does not apply to you now. My analysis of the omens suggests you will have a high aptitude for the domestic arts in the coming weeks. You will

Requiem Æternam

Bach, Purcell, Hughes, Walker

be more likely than usual to take good care of my home—and your own home, too. It’s a good time to redecorate and freshen up the vibe.

Cancer

urge you to join in. I expect the winner would be a member of your astrological tribe, as you Leos now have a high potential for revitalizing relaxation. Even if you don’t compete in a Space-Out Festival, I hope you will fully cash in on this excellent chance to recharge your spiritual batteries.

Virgo

(June 21-July 22): These days, you are even smarter and more perceptive than usual. The deep intelligence of your higher self is pouring into your conscious awareness with extra intensity. That’s a good thing, right? Yes, mostly. But there may be a downside: You could be hyper-aware of people whose thinking is mediocre and whose discernment is substandard. That could be frustrating, though it also puts you in a good position to correct mistakes those people make. As you wield the healing power of your wisdom, heed these words from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Misunderstandings and lethargy produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do.”

Leo

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): My favorite Virgos love to learn. They are eager to add to their knowledge. They have a highly honed curiosity that is always percolating, continually drawing them towards new comprehension. On the other hand, some of my favorite Virgos are inefficient at shedding long-held ideas and information that no longer serve them. As a result, their psyches may get plugged up, interfering with their absorption of fun new input. That’s why I recommend that you Virgos engage in regular purges of your mental debris. Now would be an excellent time for one of these sessions. PS: The futurist Alvin Toffler said that a key to intelligence is the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn. I invite you to act on that counsel.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I endorse Libran tennis star Serena Williams’ approach to self-evaluation—especially for you right now. She testified, “I’m really exciting. I smile a lot, I win a lot, and I’m really sexy.” I’m convinced you have the right to talk like that in the coming weeks—so convinced that I suggest you use it as a mantra and prayer. When you wake up each morning, say what Williams said. When you’re asking life for a sweet breakthrough or big favor, remind life why it should give you what you want. Feel free to add other brags, too, like, “I’m a brilliant thinker, a persuasive negotiator, and a crafty communicator.”

(July 23-Aug. 22): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had an older sister, born under the sign of Leo. Her nickname was Nannerl. During their childhoods, she was as much a musical prodigy as he. Supervised by their father, they toured Europe performing together, playing harpsichord and piano. Nannerl periodically got top billing, and some critics regarded her as the superior talent. But misfortune struck when her parents decided it was unseemly for her, as a female, to continue her development as a genius. She was forcibly retired so she could learn the arts of housekeeping and prepare for marriage and children. Your assignment in the coming months, Leo, is to rebel against any influence that tempts you to tamp down your gifts and specialties. Assert your sovereignty. Identify what you do best, and do it more and better than you ever have before.

Expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes: RealAstrology.com,

Expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes: RealAstrology.com, (877) 873-4888

Fri., Nov 8, 7:30p @Trinity Episcopal, Staunton Sat., Nov 9, 4:00p @Emmanuel Episcopal, Greenwood (Crozet) Sun., Nov 10, 4:00p @Grace Episcopal, Keswick (C’ville)

Themes of memory & hope abound in works by J.S. Bach (the chaconne for violin and cantata Actus Tragicus) alongside English and American hymnody, folksong, and the Virginia premiere of living composer David Hughes’ “May He Support Us All The Day Long.” Soprano Sheila Dietrich, countertenor Daniel Moody, tenor Ben Geier, bass Jared Swope; Anne Timberlake (recorders), Fiona Hughes (violin & soprano), René Schiffer (cello & viola da gamba), Jane Leggiero (gamba), & Joel VanderZee (organist & baritone).

Pure

Preconcert talk by Artistic Director Fiona Hughes 30 minutes before each performance.

Tickets online or at the door: $30, youth/students free 434.409.3424

LEGALS

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CHARLOTTESVILLE

ZION

v. PARTIES UNKNOWN, CLAIMING ANY INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY REFERENCED HEREIN,

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of the above-styled suit involves the heirs of Joseph Thomas Bowles and their interest in a parcel of property known as Parcel ID 260004000, 210 Lankford Avenue, in the City of Charlottesville, Virginia.

The legal description of the property is as follows: All that certain tract or parcel of land, being a strip 50 feet on Lankford Avenue in the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, and running back between parallel lines to the property formerly of Robert A. Potter and Bonnie Jewett on the south, the property hereby conveyed being on the south side of Lankford Avenue.

An affidavit having been filed that due diligence has been used by the Plaintiff to ascertain the identity and address of the all possible defendants, without success; that due diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the location of all known defendants; and that the number of defendants upon whom process has been served exceeds ten and it appears that such defendants represent like interests with the parties not served with process.

Pursuant to Virginia Code Sections 8.01-316 A .1. b.; 8.01-316 A 2; and 8.01-316 A 3, it is hereby ORDERED that all interested parties appear by December 16, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., to do what is necessary to protect his interest.

ENTER Claude V. Worrell, II 11/04/2024 Judge Date

I ASK FOR THIS:

Mary Ann Barnes, Virginia Bar No. 29779

Tucker Griffin Barnes 307 West Rio Road Charlottesville, Virginia 22901 (434) 951-0871 (434) 951-0870 fax MBarnes@tgblaw.com

Get on my Lawn!

A decades-old tradition continued last week as hundreds of families flocked to the University of Virginia for Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn on Halloween. For one night only, “Lawnies” open their doors and deliver unto hungry rugrats as many treats as their stomachs (and their parents’ patience) can handle. Even UVA President Jim Ryan got in on the fun, dressed as a member of the Cavalier Marching Band.