C-VILLE Weekly | August 2 - 8, 2023

Dairy Market expansion draws criticism and leads to community organizing PAGE 11

Our columnist stands up to her fear of water at Beaver Creek Reservoir PAGE 28

After an HOA board member claims Satan is behind LGBTQ pride, residents mount an historic campaign to oust him

29 Screens: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a literal blockbuster.

31 Galleries: What’s on view this

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EDITORIAL

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Hello, Charlottesville! Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly. Social media is a strange thing (for many reasons). Before social media—before the internet, really—you took your hot takes and raw opinions to the dinner table or the local bar, or you called into a radio station or something. Even if you were privileged enough to publish what you were thinking in a book or a magazine, you still had to take a moment to really consider it. These days, you can think it up and hit “post” immediately. The filter has largely been eradicated. Needless to say, that can quickly get you in hot water.

T his week’s feature story (p. 22), written by news reporter Catie Ratliff, is partially a tale about the pitfalls of posting online. When a member of the Lake Monticello Owners Association board of directors shared an anti-LGBTQ “meme” in a public Facebook group, his controversial views were circulated among residents. Outrage ensued—along with doxxing, doubling down, and blaming Satan. Now, the residents who want the director out are faced with the seemingly impossible task of amassing a truly historic number of votes in a recall election.

It’s interesting to have a quintessentially small town news story begin on Facebook, but in a way it’s also emblematic of how communities operate in the 21st century. Every neighborhood has a Nextdoor forum, every rec sports league a Facebook page, every local news reporter a Twitter (or X, or Threads, or Bluesky, or Mastodon…). We live in the hybrid physical-digital age, and what you say online can hold as much—if not more—weight than it would in person.—

Richard DiCicco

Fentanyl

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Rep. Bob Good, speaking to press outside the U.S. Capitol

NEWS

IN BRIEF

Dousing the flames

On July 29, Albemarle County Fire Rescue responded to and extinguished a fire in a duplex on the 5000 block of Browns Gap Turnpike. Although fire was contained to one room and quickly put out, the fire marshal’s office reminds residents to safely dispose of lit cigarettes, as it currently believes this blaze was sparked by improperly discarded smoking materials. Best fire-safety practices when smoking include smoking outside, using an ashtray, only smoking when alert, and never smoking near medical oxygen.

Indict the Right

On July 26, Peter Cytanovic and Jacob Joseph Dix were indicted in connection with the 2017 Unite the Right tiki-torch march on the University of Virginia Lawn. Cytanovic, a 26-year-old from Reno, Nevada, is especially infamous for a photo in which he is shown holding a torch while mid-chant. Both men surrendered to authorities following the indictments, with Dix, from Clarksville, Ohio, currently out on a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Wipe out

Residents are being told to stay out of the water at Lake Monticello’s Beach #4 and Jackson Cove after July 24 tests revealed high levels of E. coli contamination. Lake Monticello officials blame the recurring water issues on service provider Aqua America. In a letter expressing frustration with the ongoing problems, the Lake Monticello Owners Association said Aqua has “failed to manage its infrastructure in the … LMOA community resulting in health hazards to our residents and polluting our lake environment.” Further water testing is currently being conducted at all Lake Monticello beaches.

Name changers

The Albemarle County School Board will hold a meeting on August 10 to decide if four schools should keep their names. The public is invited to attend via an Albemarle schools livestream and make comments on the school board website.

At a July 13 meeting, research was presented on the names of six schools: Agnor-Hurt, Baker-Butler, and Stone-Robinson elementaries and Walton, Jackson P. Burley, and Joseph T. Henley middle schools.

While the history of Agnor-Hurt’s and Walton’s namesakes is still being investigated, ACPS staff recommended the other four schools retain their current names.

Piping hot

The name-changing process began in 2018 when the district began an investigation of the names of 14 schools to determine if they had negative connotations.

Board member Kate Acuff told Charlottesville Tomorrow, “Even if you name something after an exemplary individual, it shouldn’t necessarily be in perpetuity. Whatever the exemplary people meant to the population in 1950 is not as silent now. Maybe we should just be forward-looking and adopt a value or a place name that is unambiguously timely whenever it is applied.”

Most recently, the school board voted to change the name of Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, which is now named Ivy Elementary.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on July 27 that construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline could resume. The justices lifted a lower court’s ruling that stopped construction and put the project on hold.

Environmental groups oppose the $6.6 billion, 300-mile-long pipeline, which will pull natural gas from prehistoric Marcellus Shale deposits underneath West Virginia and carry fuel to southern Virginia. When completed, the MVP will produce around 90 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses each year, according to Oil Change International. For reference, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that the entire state of Virginia produced 105 million metric tons of carbon emissions in 2016.

“Allowing construction of this destructive and unnecessary fracked gas pipeline to proceed puts the profits of a few corporations ahead of the health and safety of Appalachian communities,” said Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society. “The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a threat to our water, our air, and our climate. We will continue to argue that Congress’ greenlight of this dangerous pipeline was unconstitutional, and will exhaust every effort to stop it.”

“We should not fear a government shutdown. …

Most of the American people won’t even miss it if the government is shut down temporarily.”

—

Albemarle County schools staff has recommended that Burley Middle School keep its name.

Construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline will resume, thanks to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Planning for people

10th and Page residents are concerned about proposed Dairy Market expansion

By Catie Ratliff reporter@c-ville.com

The July 27 community meeting about the proposed Dairy Market expansion quickly turned heated when residents of the 10th and Page neighborhood expressed their concerns and frustrations about the project.

Held at Old Trinity Church on the corner of Grady Avenue and 10th Street, the meeting included several easels, set up by Stony Point Development Group, with project plans. And while the plans did provide sufficient project visuals, they did not give 10th and Page neighbors the answers they wanted.

In Charlottesville, developers are required to hold a community meeting before applying for city permits, and they must notify residents within 500 feet of the proposed new development. The current expansion plans would triple the size of Dairy Market, resulting in the removal of several beloved community businesses, including the Twice is Nice thrift shops, Preston Suds laundromat, and Fifth Season Gardening.

While the potential loss of each of these businesses is troubling for the community, the forced closing of the laundromat is particularly problematic. Many of the houses in the 10th and Page neighborhood do not have washers and dryers, and the next closest laundry service is located on Hydraulic Road. For residents without reliable transportation, removing Preston Suds would make laundry expensive and inaccessible.

“They gonna have to walk all the way to Hydraulic Road just to wash their clothes,” said Vizena Howard, president of the 10th and Page Neighborhood Association, at the meeting. “You gonna give them bus fare?

Are you going to give them a shuttle?”

Responding to concern about removing Preston Suds, SPDG President Chris Henry said plans for a new laundromat could potentially be added to the project plans. How-

ever, replacing the business with a new laundry facility would be complicated, especially given tensions between residents of Dairy Market apartments and the surrounding neighborhoods. Following up on Henry’s response, Howard asked, “Is it going to be for the [apartment] residents, are you going to need a key to get in?”

Residents are also worried about worsening the current parking situation in the neighborhood. While Dairy Market does have a payto-park lot, many people are parking along the streets of 10th and Page to avoid fees. Area Garlend, who lives close to Dairy Market, reported that people have left trash in her mailbox, and employees have been rude when parking in front of her house.

“You are coming into our space—and I do understand that if something is for sale or for rent, you guys have every right to come in and purchase—but I do think that it is important to include [the] neighborhood in that, and create community. And it’s been very separate,” said Garlend. “It seems like the only thing I’ve gotten is higher taxes.”

Beyond the proposed expansion, residents of the 10th and Page neighborhood

report that developers have reneged on previous commitments to the community. From promises of a community center at Old Trinity Church to a lack of affordable housing in the new apartment complexes, many said they felt betrayed by developers. Of the 180 apartments at 10th and Dairy, only 15 are affordable units adjusted for those who are low income, based on the U.S. Housing and Urban Development guidelines. (The lowincome 10th and Dairy apartments run between $300 and $600 less than their market-price equivalents, which start at $2,066 a month for a one-bedroom.)

At the core of the 10th and Page neighborhood’s concerns was the lack of a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant or a community engagement leader. Leading the conversation, Zyahna Bryant, a local student-activist and Howard’s granddaughter, expressed her frustration about the lack of DEI consideration given to a project that’s located in a historically Black neighborhood that’s experiencing rapid gentrification—a project that uses images of Black women on the outside of its building, despite a lack of Black business owners inside the complex.

While the Dairy Market project is not located at the site of Vinegar Hill, many people drew connections between the current development and the Black neighborhood that was destroyed in the name of urban renewal in 1964.

“All this was Vinegar Hill at one point in time,” said activist Rosia Parker.

Responding to frustrations at the lack of DEI oversight or community consideration, Henry said the group will take it into consideration. “I’ll tell you I also know that I’m not the right person to put that together. I’m happy to provide all the help and connections and support,” he said. “It needs a different leader, it can’t be me.”

“I agree,” said Bryant. “But you’ve gotta hire for it. Nobody [is] gonna keep doing free labor and having people’s forums in the middle of your gallery walks for free. You’re gonna have to do some paying, some salaries, something.”

“You’re asking the residents to meet you where they’re at,” Bryant said. “But you’re not meeting them where they are.”

While Stony Point Development Group has indicated that it will delay going to the Planning Commission on August 8, as originally scheduled, the neighbors will continue to organize. Speaking toward the end of the meeting, activist Tanesha Hudson urged the 10th and Page community to show up at City Council meetings and any Planning Commission meetings about the project.

“You are coming into our space—and … you guys have every right to come in and purchase—but I do think that it is important to include [the] neighborhood in that, and create community.”

AREA GARLEND, 10TH AND PAGE RESIDENT

The proposed Dairy Market expansion may include buildings five to seven stories tall, according to developers.

STONY POINT

“Disease severity and quality of life demonstrated marked and sustained improvements following a homeopathic treatment period.”from “Homeopathic medical practice: long-term results of a cohort study with 3981 patients” (BMC Public Health 2005 Nov 3;5:115)

Starting strong

Mike Hollins on his recovery and preparing for the upcoming football season

By Catie Ratliff reporter@c-ville.com

During a July 28 media event ahead of the fall football camp, University of Virginia running back Mike Hollins talked about how he’s getting ready for the season physically, emotionally, and mentally.

“Training wise, it’s been hot, fun. I see my body returning to where I used to be,” said Hollins, who was injured during the November 13 Culbreth Parking Garage shooting on a bus that had returned from a field trip. “Even if my weight isn’t there, I feel like I don’t really think that that matters as much now. Because my mindset is different, and my motivation is different.”

On top of hitting the weight room this summer, Hollins has used the summer season to process last fall’s shooting, which resulted in the death of his teammates Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry. “It’s been a lot more time to think,” he said. “I feel like I’ve come to understand my emotions a lot more.”

Hollins credits his faith, family, and friends for supporting him as he continues to recover from the tragedy. “Without God, I wouldn’t be here today. And that’s as clear to me now as it’s ever been.”

Emi, his rottweiler puppy, has also been a big help. “She’s truly emotional support,” he said. “She’s there just for the loving, and I just love having a responsibility besides school and football to really take my mind off of things. Someone who doesn’t judge.” Hollins named the dog after Perry, whose middle name is Emir. “It’s just a constant reminder of the calm and loving person [Perry] was. Raising her, it’s been a blessing for me.”

Looking toward the fall, Hollins said, “It’s going to be an emotional season, but I

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think I see this team moving forward. … I’m excited for what this season holds. Not just for this team, but for the city, the university. Because we need football right now. I feel … it does something to the atmosphere. Just the whole camaraderie of the university or campus or Grounds. It’ll uplift the three we lost just by seeing them up on the big screen or being in a football game. People will be remembering them.”

“We don’t have to go out and try to overdo ourselves or overwork or go undefeated or win a championship just to justify their legacy,” said Hollins. “I think just showing up, waking every day, and returning to practice, returning to the field and locker rooms, and just continuing to be a team in their honor is doing their legacy really well in itself.”

The Cavaliers are likely in for a challenging 2023 season, when they’ll face six teams that went to bowl games in 2022. First up for the Hoos is a September 2 away game at the University of Tennessee, which upset No. 1-ranked Alabama last year, followed by UVA’s home opener against James Madison University on September 9.

While he anticipates that being back on the field will be emotional, Hollins said he’s “excited for just the opportunity to add a little gas to their flame at the start of the season and then come right back for the home game in [Chandler, Davis, and Perry’s] honor. I don’t see a way that this season can be a failure, no matter the record, no matter the ending, no matter anything, as long as we go out there and play.”

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“I’m excited for what this season holds. Not just for this team, but for the city, the university.”

MIKE HOLLINS, UVA RUNNING BACK

UVA running back Mike Hollins said the team’s 2023 football season won’t be

failure, “as long as we go out there and play.”

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Newly Finished Albemarle County Home on 5 Acres with Stream and level private yard. ALL NEW: Roof, Kitchen Appliances, Stack Washer & Dryer, Pella Double Hung Windows, Open Kitchen with gorgeous Wood Counters, Beautiful cabinets & open wood shelving; with mounted microwave. Laundry area off rear covered Deck leads to beautiful private yard. Your 5+ Acres consists of level grassy area leading to wooded private acreage which continues to a natural stream. You cannot beat this property and located just a few miles from Scottsville, North Garden & Walnut Creek Park. Come see today!

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A central corner

Two buildings up for sale at West Main/Ridge intersection

By Sean Tubbs

With a new zoning code on the horizon, Charlottesville’s built environment is poised to continue its transformation into a slightly larger urban community. There are many corners that could change in the near future due to the possibility of new ownership, as well as public investment.

Consider the intersection of Ridge and West Main streets, where two high-profile buildings are up for sale and where the Virginia Department of Transportation has funded future infrastructure improvements that could make it safer to walk or bicycle.

For many years, the former Mount Zion Baptist Church at 105 Ridge Rd. has been home to the Music Resource Center. The building is on the market with an asking price of $1.875 million. A flier put together by sales agent Cushman & Wakefield / Thalhimer describes it as a “charming and beautiful historic” building that’s “prime for restaurant, event space, or office space” and “highly accessible and visible.”

The cost to renovate the late 19th-century structure could be partially covered by the use of historic tax credits.

The president of Preservation Piedmont says she could envision many potential adaptive reuses of the structure, and pointed out that the former church is an impor-

tant part of the cultural heritage of the Black community.

“Those adaptive uses could complement continued regeneration of Ridge/West,” says Genevieve Keller. “It is an important visual point of identity that warrants a use that continues to honor and respect its historic role in local history and generations of local African American families.”

Potential buyers might also want to take a look at what’s slated nearby.

In January, a national firm called Twenty Lakes Management LLC purchased the former Greyhound station on West Main St. for $2.42 million. The property is now on the market again with the price listed as negotiable.

Around 22,000 vehicles a day travel past this corner, according to city traffic engineer Brennen Duncan.

To the south, city transportation officials are combining two separate projects to make both Ridge Street and the Fifth Street corridor safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

The now-canceled West Main Streetscape included plans to alter the intersection at Ridge Street. There are also no plans to remove the plinth where the Lewis & Clark statue stood until two years ago.

There are no major placemaking initiatives for that corner. The property is on the southern edge of the Starr Hill Vision Plan, an initiative of the New Hill Development Corporation. However, that project suggests more focus on City Yard, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, and the residential neighborhoods tucked off of West Main Street.

Potential buyers should also note that the future zoning code will be different from what was revealed in February. The initial map designated this property as something called CX-8, which would have allowed buildings between eight and 10 stories. But the new zoning map that comes out this week will reportedly reduce that to CX-5, which allows between five and seven stories.

There’s likely to be one new building nearby—City Council will consider a request from the Salvation Army for a special use permit to expand its building at 205 Ridge St. The Planning Commission recommended approval last month.

FOX RUN

Keswick Estate Exquisite Albemarle County Country Estate set on 10 wooded acres. Gracious Manor Home offers peace and quiet! Home features 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, multiple wood burning fireplaces and a spacious 2.5 car garage. Fabulous kitchen features custom Jaeger & Ernst cabinets, Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, expansive island, corner wet bar and a built-in Miele coffee maker. Beautiful primary suite with granite fireplace, custom walk-in closet and ensuite spa bathroom with a walk-in shower and marble tile floor with radiant heat. Extensive outdoor living area; gated courtyard, patio with wood burning fireplace and a 30’x15’ screened in porch with audio/visual hookup. Property features a stunning heated pool. Additional property available. $1,750,000

MAGNOLIA DRIVE

Dramatic, light-filled Contemporary home. Set on 2 peaceful acres at the end of a quiet lane. Great for entertaining! A gardeners delight with a 4000 gallon water system. Large gourmet kitchen is suited for a farm to table lifestyle. The dining room opens to a sunken living room. Terrace level has a family/game room and gym. A 2 story 4 car garage and much more! $1,250,000

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“[The former church] is an important visual point of identity that warrants a use that continues to honor and respect its historic role in local history and generations of local African American families.” GENEVIEVE KELLER, PRESERVATION PIEDMONT PRESIDENT

The church that’s housed the Music Resource Center for nearly two decades is on the market for $1.875 million.

RUNNING DEER DRIVE

One-level brick home on 3.25 acres. Convenient one level floor plan with 3-BR and 2-BA. Total kitchen update, hardwood floors, new roof, and oversized deck. Level, partially fenced lot. Easy access to Charlottesville, UVA, I-64. MLS#643033

$489,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

HIDDEN FOX FARM

Absolutely breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountain views! 12 miles to the University of Virginia. One of the few remaining farms in NW Albemarle County with over 100 acres that has division rights - no conservation easement. Land is predominantly in fenced pastures with great water sources throughout. Several perfect homesites with big views, numerous improvements for a farming operation, circa 1890 farmhouse, eleven stall stable and more! MLS#638858 $4,400,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

LAFAYETTE

Beautifully appointed Keswick estate on 92 acres with first floor suite and 5 additional BR. Gourmet kitchen, great room, home theater, and covered porch with fireplace. Oversized garage with guest suite. The land is not under conservation easement. MLS#643578

$3,195,000 Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

BELMONT LOFTS

This 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath condo features extra high ceilings, a modern and open floor plan with huge windows and doors, and a large rooftop terrace with views of the Downtown Mall all the way around to Monticello. MLS#634149 $1,790,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

MILL HOUSE

Former house of noted local architect Floyd E. Johnson, on the banks of Totier Creek. Thoughtfully renovated and expanded, 5 bedroom, 3 full and 2 half bath. Guest house, 2-bay garage, pool, equipment shed plus 130 acres of open and wooded land. MLS#639196

$2,745,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

WOODLANDS ROAD

Stunning 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath home with 4,115 fin.sq.ft. of immaculate living space situated on over 2 pristine & landscaped acres only 5 miles west of the City of Charlottesville. MLS#641366

$1,295,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076 or Will Faulconer, 434.987.9455

GREENFIELDS FARM

1904 manor home on 753 acres. Grand center hall floor plan. Great land, streams, and ponds. 48-stall horse barn, indoor riding, paddocks, and trails. 25 miles from the University of Virginia. MLS#638899 $6,295,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863 or Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

POUNDING CREEK ROAD

104 Woodland Acres in the heart of Batesville. Located under 25 minutes to Charlottesville and 12 minutes to Crozet. The land leans Northwest offering views of the Blue Ridge with wider views yet uncovered. Two wells on property, and power run underground to the house make this is an opportunity to build one’s home or occupy and find recreation in uncommon seclusion for Western Albemarle. MLS#644102 $1,290,000. Will Carr, 434. 981.3065

GREEN ACRES

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

MEADOWLARK FARM

22-acre equestrian property, 12 miles from Charlottesville, features completely renovated 8,575± fin. sf residence nestled on a knoll overlooking the pool and the Mechums River and captures a magnificent view of the Blue Ridge Mtns. MLS#640137

$3,195,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

10 miles south of Charlottesville, a beautiful parklike 283 acres, rolling to hilly, mostly wooded tract, borders Walnut Creek Park, with miles of hiking and bike trails, a large lake with beach and fishing. Many homesites. NO EASEMENTS. MLS#634310

$1,995,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

WEST MAIN STREET CORRIDOR

Investment/Assemblage opportunity between University of Virginia and Charlottesville’s dynamic Downtown Mall. Property is being targeted to be classified to RX-5 in the new city zoning ordinance. MLS#30850340 $875,000 Tim Michel, 434.960.1124

Wonderful 3.5 acre waterfront parcel behind Keswick Hall in gated, picturesque Keswick Estate. Bring your own architect, builder. Located 5 miles from Martha Jefferson Hospital and 10 miles from UVA. MLS#641712 $540,000 Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

FRAYS MILL

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

$995,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

NORTH GARDEN

Lovely, partially open 2-acre lot with 3-bedroom ranch style home. Attached 2-car carport, spacious family room, DR, large kitchen and baths. A large creek runs across the back, plus a storage building. MLS #641330 $315,000 Steve McLean 434.981.1863 or Court Nexsen 646.660.0700

SIMMONS GAP ROAD

5-acre lot with mature hardwoods. Great opportunity to build with no HOA. Private building site amongst beautiful woods. Located between Free Union and Earlysville but so convenient to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. MLS#621177 $119,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

SUNNYSIDE

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

$4,400,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

MILLINGTON ROAD

Free Union home features living room, open kitchen, mud room, 3 BR, full BA, and laundry room. Basement with family room, full BA, and utility room. Oversized garage, 3 smaller outbuildings. 5 acres in Western school district. MLS#643158

$399,000 Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

GIBSON’S HOLLOW

Ivy area! A 249 + acre hidden, private Arcadia controlling its own little valley up to the mountain ridge top building sites. Multiple parcels and subdivision rights make it a conservation easement candidate. MLS#634183 $3,250,000 Tim Michel, 434.960.1124 or Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

GREENTREES

94+ acres 20 minutes from Charlottesville. Originally part of a 188-acre tract, two parcels may be purchased separately or together, with 2 developmental rights each. Mostly maturing pine and very long public road frontage. MLS#635861

$700,000 Tim Michel, 434.960.1124

LYNX FARM LANE

Great building lot in Ivy! Over 2.5 acres less than 6 miles to Charlottesville and UVA. Your future dream home could sit on this beautiful, wooded land, the perfect combination of country and city access. Murray Elementary School District. MLS#634897 $165,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

Wonderfully large 1.5+ acre building lot in Ednam Forest. Build your dream home on this elevated, wooded lot located in a single family community, minutes from UVA and within walking distance to Boar’s Head Resort. MLS#598537 $289,500 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

FAIRWAY DRIVE

RED HILL

EDNAM FOREST

couragingandacceptingdiversityinyourcommunity willpromoteagreatersenseofengagement,betterprepareyour childrenfortheglobalcommunitytheywillinhabit... giveusallaricherlife.Tobetterunderstandhowneighborhooddiversitywillbenefityouandyourfamily,pleaselogonto www.ARicherLife.org

Majestic Blue Ridge Mountain views in highly sought-after Somerset, Virginia. Come see this four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home that is move-in ready and sitting on 6.786 Acres just 6 miles to Orange and 20 miles to Charlottesville Airport. Main-level living features include the primary bedroom and bath, a spacious walk-in closet with a storage organizing system; a home office or hobby room; a great room for formal dining, and a living room area with a brick hearth, wood-burning fireplace and panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains; a half bath conveniently located off the great room; eat-in kitchen perfect for gatherings; laundry room/ mud room; and large pantry area. Upstairs offers a second ensuite bedroom and bath with a walk-in closet plus two additional spacious bedrooms and a third full bath. The full-size, walkout basement has a fourth full bathroom and plenty of room for storage or future space for a family rec room/bonus living area. Loads of outdoor space for gardening and entertaining. Enjoy a coffee and a good book on your covered front porch in the mornings and off your back patio relax as you soak in the sun setting on the Blue Ridge Mountains in the evenings. Total sq footage including the basement is 5,257. $950,000

540-661-2263

donna@dewrmedia.com

Welcome to Village Oaks! This spacious 4 Bedroom, 3 full bathroom home boasts main-level living, with an open -concept design, and includes additional living space or an in-law suite apartment on the lower level. The main level offers you 3 carpeted bedrooms, and 2 full bathrooms, including the spacious owner’s suite with a walk-in closet, living/dining great room with a gourmet kitchen area, island, maple cabinetry, GE stainless steel appliances, granite counters, and luxury vinyl plank flooring, beautiful Trex deck built off the kitchen with steps leading down to the fenced backyard. The attached 2 -car garage is also located on the main level and is wired to charge your car. The fully finished lower level is a one-bedroom, one-fullbathroom space with a large family room, full kitchen, laundry room, and home office. The family room opens to a covered patio. There is also a hobby room located in the basement. Need extra space for your family, don’t miss out. Tired of mowing your grass? The HOA takes care of it, including the grass inside the fence. You’ll love walking down the street to the private clubhouse and pool. Village Oaks is just minutes from I-64, shopping, medical facilities and more. $419,000

John Faulconer 540-661-7923

johnfaulconer65@yahoo.com

Donna Waugh-Robinson

552 MOWBRAY ARCH $1,300,000 NORFOLK, GHENT LAUREN CONNER (757) 407-2722

138 BISHOPGATE LN $934,900 CROZET SUSAN CAMERON RERES (434) 953-5552

7252 WILDON GROVE RD $754,400 GORDONSVILLE DUKE & SHARON MERRICK (540) 406-7373

5270 TANAGER WOODS DR $825,000 EARLYSVILLE VIRGINIA GARDNER (434) 981-0871

1550 DAIRY RD $750,000 CHARLOTTESVILLE DAVE & SIMONE ALLEY (434) 760-0077

LOT 7A RIVERS EDGE TRL E $648,500 SMITHFIELD RAY DEPLATCHETT (757)

4682 MAURY RIVER RD $525,000 ROCKBRIDGE BATHS TONY GIRARD (434) 249-1674

8138 S BLUE RIDGE TPK $850,000 ROCHELLE GERRI RUSSELL (434) 531-9581

FOREST GLEN LN $539,584 PALMYRA SUSAN

Dev il in the details D

on Polonis has opinions. Some may consider them divisive. So on June 2, Polonis did what anyone with a controversial opinion might do: He posted his thoughts on the internet.

“Imagine that!” Polonis wrote in a public Facebook group. “Satan fuc*ed up when he stole Noah’s covenant to create LGBTQ+ pride flag.”

Alongside his thoughts, he shared an image with a rainbow background that read, “DID YOU KNOW? The official rainbow—the Lord’s creation—has 7 colors while the official LGBT flag only uses 6? In the scriptures, 7 represents, completion and perfection, while 6 represents falling short, imitation, and Satan. The LGBT flag skips indigo (blue color). Indigo is a color of royalty, and of spiritual knowledge and wisdom, often connecting heaven and earth. The LGBT ultimately do not want to be connected to God.”

“God Creates,” the post said. “Satan Imitates.”

Polonis’ post soon spread beyond Facebook, and was circulated among residents of Lake Monticello, a vacation-turned-bedroom community 30 minutes southeast of Charlottesville in Fluvanna County. Jennifer Richardson was one of many residents who were appalled at what they’d read—Polonis, after all, is an elected member of Lake Monticello’s Owners Association Board of Directors.

“A mutual friend who lives in the Lake … sent an email to everybody with the screenshot of [him] sharing that meme about how the LGBTQIA+ community stole the rainbow from God and they’re Satanic and everything,” says Richardson. “Some of us decided to write the entire board and say, ‘Hey, this is offensive, this is unacceptable.’ … I was not one of them, [but] my really good friend Kelsey was.”

Kelsey Cowger issued a complaint to the board over the post. In response, Polonis posted a screenshot of her email to a public,

By Catie Ratliff

Things are heating up at leafy Lake Monticello, where an HOA director’s anti-LGBTQ social media posts have spurred neighbors into organizing, and prompted the largest political campaign in the community’s history

If the recall is unsuccessful, Don Polonis can remain on the Lake Monticello Owners Association Board of Directors until the end of his term in two years.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

right-wing social media group with the caption, “The hatred that goes with pride knows no bounds. Satan at work!!!”

The post also contained Cowger’s name, address, and contact information.

“I have a pretty thick skin about these things. I think of myself as decently unshockable, but we also have a 2-year-old,” says Cowger. “We were nervous … that our house would be vandalized. We had to go away for a couple days, we were worried about that. We were worried that we would get mail or that people would drive by and say threatening things. I’m very grateful to say that none of that happened.”

Despite his public claims otherwise, Cowger says Polonis has not apologized to her for doxxing her, and refused to remove the post. “We initially asked him to take it down, he refused. The board asked him to take it down, he refused again,” she says. “The community where he posted it went from being a public group to a private group, and the moderators of that group have said that they went in and proactively took it down … although there’s no way for me to verify it because it’s a private group.”

For his part, Polonis continues to assert that he has apologized for posting Cowger’s information. “When I posted that letter unedited I was merely citing an example of how Satan works to intimidate those who oppose his activity. I apologized for listing the authors,” he says. “I didn’t know people these days are allowed to write secret letters calling for the resignation of an elected representative. I grew up with the words of President John F. Kennedy who in 1961 said ‘The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society.’”

But Polonis’ doxxing of Cowger was the final straw for the Lake Monticello Owners Association board and many in the community. The board censured Polonis, while residents began kick-starting attempts to remove him as a director. According to the censure, Polonis has repeatedly violated the board’s social media policy and previously received numerous warnings for conduct.

Ousting Polonis won’t be easy. While the LMOA policy states that a director can be removed by a board vote, Polonis is protected by Virginia corporate law, which classifies homeowner associations as non-stock corporations. As a result, more than 50 percent of all Lake Monticello homeowners—2,301 people—must vote to remove Polonis through a special election.

Since its founding in the 1960s, Lake Monticello has rapidly expanded. As of 2020, more than 10,000 people live in the traditionally conservative gated community. While there has historically been a large number of retirees, the demographics of the neighborhood have shifted significantly in recent years.

Lake Monticello has never had 2,000 people vote in an LMOA election, let alone 2,301. But that daunting figure hasn’t stopped Cowger from leading a campaign to recall Polonis.

From yard signs to postcards to fliers, Cowger and her group, Polonis Must Go!, are taking the Lake Monticello community by storm. “It’s been a really big group effort,”

she says. “Lots of people who don’t get involved in politics and kind of moved out here to golf and to just be retired were just like, ‘Well I don’t normally do this, but I’d love to put fliers in cubbies.’”

Both Jennifer Richardson and her husband Jonathan have been involved in the recall campaign.

“There are so many people, like more people than I imagined lived at the lake, that are coming out and stuffing cubbies and writing postcards and wanting to participate in this,” says Jennifer. For his part, Jonathan is coordinating the yard sign distribution.

Beyond volunteering, there has been a tremendous amount of fundraising for the recall effort, with almost $7,000 raised in two weeks.

“We had a pool party fundraiser about a week after this all happened just to raise money for signs and things, and we had close to 200 people come on very little notice,” says Cowger. “It can be extremely motivating for people when it’s something that really feels sort of close to their backyard, it feels like they’ve got very specific stakes in.”

Despite calls for his resignation and the ongoing recall effort, Polonis continues to stand by his statements. “The newspapers and social media are abuzz these days because I, a Christian, expressed the opinion that the Pride movement has been influenced by Satan. I believe that this is true. My

comments referred to the Pride Flag, a symbol not an individual,” he says.

Beyond defending the post that originally got him in hot water, the director views the movement to remove him as demonic. “I believe Satan was responsible for the vitriolic response letter to that initial post,” says Polonis. “The action by the LMOA Board to initiate a separate expensive recall election based on a petition that most likely includes many non-members is a further infringement on my Constitutional First Amendment rights.”

While the recall election is impacting operations for the LMOA, the cost is not bur-

densome, according to Communications Director Marieke Henry. “There’s a lot involved in holding a special election. … It does affect us, it affects our schedules, and it affects us financially, but not significantly,” she says. “It is very clear that it is important to our members that it’s held.”

With voting starting on August 7 and running until September 5 (results will be announced September 12), Cowger remains cautiously optimistic about the outcome. “There’s a lot of people who don’t have a problem, necessarily, with the kind of stuff that Director Polonis was initially posting,” she says. “But, they worry about their property values, and they worry about the privacy aspects, they worry about the idea that you could have a director acting in a basically unregulated way, without any mechanism to remove them. So we’ve got a weird coalition.”

If Polonis is successfully removed, “board members will [likely] appoint someone to take his place until the official elections occur next year in June,” says Henry. However, if the recall is unsuccessful the LMOA Board of Directors will need to find a way to function with Polonis on the board for the remainder of his term.

Regardless of the outcome, Cowger and her coalition are hopeful about the future of Lake Monticello. “Even if we don’t successfully remove him from the board, we now have a rather large organized group of people who aren’t going to suddenly disappear after the vote,” says Jonathon Richardson.

For Jennifer Richardson, the recall effort has reinvigorated her love of her neighborhood. “Up until this point, we were considering trying to move back to Charlottesville and move back to Albemarle, because Fluvanna as a whole can be kind of right leaning and dismissive of people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community and just not accommodating anyway,” she says. “But after this experience, and meeting so many more people than I thought existed in this community that are just accepting. I really want to stay now. … Even if Polonis does stay another three years, there’s three more seats on the board that open up next year, and younger and more progressive people are going to take those seats. And it’s just going to continue in that direction. Whether he likes it or not.”

“There are so many people, like more people than I imagined lived at the lake, that are coming out and stuffing cubbies and writing postcards and wanting to participate in this.”

KELSEY COWGER, LAKE MONTICELLO RESIDENT

While Kelsey Cowger initially feared for her family’s safety after being doxxed, she says the Lake Monticello community has been incredibly supportive.

Made up of seven elected members, the LMOA Board of Directors holds its elections each June.

WINE DOWN

WHAT’S DELISH AT LOCAL WINERIES?

CHISWELL FARM WINERY 2022 Sauvignon Blanc

Newly released is our 2022 Sauvignon Blanc! Bright and zippy, this wine has a crisp and clean palate to help beat the summer heat. Enjoy notes of lychee, grapefruit, star fruit, and kiwi while sipping in one of our Adirondack chairs overlooking the vineyard. Pair with a seafood boil, grilled chicken, or strawberry shortcake!

With a glass of one of our award winning wines, enjoy the beautiful scenery from our lawn, or a cozy chair inside, where you’ll discover a variety of inviting spaces. There are many options for outdoor seating, including rocking chairs on the covered porch and dining tables on the lawn for small groups. You’re also welcome to bring your own folding chairs and blankets to sit further out on the hill. All seating is first-come, first-served. Ages 21+, no dogs or other pets permitted on the property. For a family-friendly experience, visit our wine shops at Chiles Peach Orchard or Carter Mountain Orchard. Make sure to check out our exciting events calendar online to stay up-to-date on all things happening at Chiswell!

Wine is currently available by the glass, flight, or bottle. We have a full menu of seasonal boards, paninis, small bites and snacks to pair well with any of our wines (outside food is not permitted). Wine sales stop 30 minutes prior to closing.

Fridays - Summer Sundowns with live music, special food & wine menus, and sunsets!

Sundays - Brunch featuring mimosas with juices from our farmgrown fruit.

August 20th - Corks & Collage Series (advanced ticket purchase required)

Hours: Wed-Sun 11 am – 5:30 pm 430 Greenwood Rd, Greenwood, VA 22943 434.252.2947 • www.chilesfamilyorchards.com/chiswell

53RD WINERY AND VINEYARD

2022 Shannon Hill White

Its that time of summer where you just need an everyday, easy going, slightly chilled white wine that says “take it easyl”. Our 2022 Shannon Hill White will fill that and not break the bank either. A blend of 74 % Vidal Blanc, 23% Viognier and 3% Chardonnay is medium bodied with crisp acidity and notes of yellow peaches, apple blossom and orange. Aged in stainless, 151 cases made, it is the perfect summer wine enjoyed with light snacks and friends!

A few notes from winegrower and owner, Dave Drillock:

If you are planning a visit, come for the wine and enjoy the chill. We are down to earth and love to share our enthusiasm for wine. We just revel in what we do, growing, making and selling wine! Open 7 days a week, 11am to 5pm, we offer our 100% Virginia wine by the bottle, glass, flight or tasting. Enjoy your visit at our meadow-like setting in rural Louisa County. We offer wellspaced indoor and outdoor seating and customers are welcome to bring their own picnic baskets, chairs and blankets. Children and pets are welcome, but pets must always remain outside of buildings and on a leash. Our friendly staff focuses on serving quality wine at a great escape! For more

information, visit our website, www.53rdwinery.com.

August 18th – open till 8pm with awesome Blue Ridge Pizza food truck and live music.

Open 7 days a week, 11 am – 5 pm

13372 Shannon Hill Rd Louisa, VA 23093 (540) 894-5474 • 53rdwinery.com

CASTLE HILL FARM CIDERY

Cider Cocktails!

Enjoy our perfect option for brunch- our Cider cocktails on these warm weekends and afternoons! Pair with our featured burrata with fresh fig, peach, grilled bread, blackberry, mint, and a balsamic glaze

Visiting Castle Hill Cider

Our expansive cider barn features a variety of ample seating including Adirondack chairs overlooking the rolling countryside

KESWICK VINEYARDS

EASTWOOD FARM AND WINERY

and lake; farm tables for larger parties; as well as bistro seating and cozy couches for smaller groups. Inside the Tasting Room, you’ll find bistro seating and a roaring fireplace. Outdoors, there are a variety of options including patio and firepit seating available year-round (weather permitting), and plenty of green space to walk the grounds or throw a football. Come check out our new food and cider cocktail menu!

Castle Hill Cider welcomes all guests! We offer non-alcoholic beverage options and a delicious food menu. Well-behaved dogs on a leash are also welcome both indoors and outside. Dogs must remain leashed and with their owners at all times.

Thursdays - Live Music from 5-8 with Travis Elliott and Friends!

Sundays – Live music every Sunday! Check our calendar for the weekend lineup.

August 19th- Croquet for a Cure in benefit of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Hours:

Thursday 1-8pm

Friday 1-7pm

Saturday 11am-5pm Sunday 11am-5pm

6065 Turkey Sag Rd. Keswick, VA 22947 Tasting Room Text/Call: 434.365.9429 www.castlehillcider.com

CROSSKEYS WINERY

Letizia

Letizia is made from 10 0% Chambourcin which was picked, processed and fermented specifically for sparkling wine. Chambourcin’s great acidity and fruit flavors are well suited to sparkling rosé; and unique to Letizia is the ripeness at which the grapes are picked. The riper fruit yields bright raspberry aromas along with notes pineapple and guava. Refreshing acidity is balanced by natural residual sugar, which further contributes to tropical fruit flavors on the palate.

Vividly pink, vigorously bubbly, and vibrantly fruity.

CrossKeys Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery located in the heart of beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Our approach is to grow, by hand, the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management and yield balance to achieve 100% estate-grown wines that are truly expressive of the varietal and soils here at CrossKeys. Our first vines were planted in 2001 and we have only grown since then. Our 125-acre estate currently houses more than 30 acres of vines with plans for more planting in the future. We currently grow 12 varietals of grapes all used to produce our one of a kind award-winning wines. We offer wine tastings throughout the day. Our knowledgeable tasting room associates will guide you through tasting our wines whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran. We love large groups and want to make sure your experience at CrossKeys Vineyards is extraordinary. We request that large groups call the vineyard 48 hours in advance to set up a reserved group tasting. The group will have a reserved table, staffing, and a cheese plate included with price.

Mon-Thurs - Winery Tours (by reservation only) at 12:30 pm

Sundays - Brunch with live music!

Fridays- Finally Friday! With light fare and plenty of wine from our bistro.

August 26th- Australian Wine Dinner!

Open Daily from 11- 7pm

6011 E Timber Ridge Rd, Mt Crawford, VA 22841 (540) 234-0505

https://crosskeysvineyards.com/

DUCARD VINEYARDS

2022 Pet gNat

Fun, with fizz! This Pétillant Naturel, a wilder version of sparkling wine, is crisp, refreshing, full of citrus notes, and yeasty.

We’ve given the name a tongue-incheek twist and are sure it’s going to be a summertime favorite!

Live music every weekend! Including a special Christmas in July concert July 22nd! Also available are our new Wine Education & Exploration Classes starting July 16th. We also have started Massage Above the Vines: a chance to relax among the vines at DuCard Vineyards with fresh air, views of the hills, and bodywork tailored to relax and release. Check out our website for more details and info!

Weekends - Live music all weekend long! Check out our lineup on our website!

Friday Nights - Friday Night Out with half-priced wine flights, $20 kebab plates, and grills for those who wish to BYO dinners!

August 13th - Wine Education and Exploration class, Tasting 101

August 20th - Farm to Table Harvest dinner (advanced ticket purchase required)

Open daily – Mon-Thurs. 12-5 pm Fri. 12-9 pm Sat/Sun. 12-6 pm

40 Gibson Hollow Ln • Etlan, VA 22719 (540) 923-4206 www.ducardvineyards.com

EASTWOOD FARM AND WINERY

Petit Rosé

Never heard of Petit Rosé before?  Neither had we until our Rosé blending workshop earlier this year.  Sitting at a table covered with beakers and flasks, one team, having measured one too many milliliters and tasted one (or a few?) too many blends, decided to throw in the towel and just blend half Rosé with half Petit Manseng.  In a stroke of genius (think “your peanut butter in my chocolate”), these workshop participants inadvertently created the winning blend and now a fan favorite. With notes of honey, strawberry and lemon, it is the perfect summer wine.

For more information or to join one of our Fall blending workshops, check out the details on our website or join our mailing list.

SUMMER AT EASTWOOD

Thursdays: $5 Glasses (wine, cider and beer), Live Music, Chip Pairings With Beer Flights

Fridays: Virginia Oyster & Wine Celebration With Live Music

Saturdays: Live Music

Sundays: Music Bingo, Paint & Sip (see calendar on website for specifics)

FOOD AND OTHER SPECIALS:

It’s blueberry season on the farm.  Enjoy specials like Blueberry & Pistachio Baked Brie and Blueberry Lemonade Chardonnay Slushies.

Enjoy our House-Made Flatbreads, Sandwiches, Bruschetta, Soups, Salads, Sugarbear Ice Cream, Curated Picnics and more!

Weekday lunch specials Monday through Friday.

10% off bottles on Wednesdays What about the kids?

Kids can share in the experience with their own juice tasting flights and cheese boards!

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

Winery Hours: WednesdaySaturday (12-8 PM); Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (12-5 PM)

Pet friendly and large groups are welcome.  Ample indoor and outdoor seating.

Rt 20 near the intersection with Avon Extended (5 mi from Downtown Mall) Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 264-6727 www.eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

HARK VINEYARDS

2022 Ené

Just in time for summer, we’re proud to announce the release of our first non-alcoholic wine. Perhaps a first for the Monticello Wine Trail? Made from 100% estate grown Vidal Blanc, the 2022 Ené features the same zesty citrus and floral notes as our popular Virginia Verde. Enjoy it on its own, or as a freshly-made lime spritzer available upon request in our tasting room.

Visiting Hark:

Hark Vineyards is a family-owned winery focused on the belief that beautiful views and delicious wine can bring people together. Children and well-behaved four-legged friends are welcome. We welcome — and encourage — you to bring a picnic and enjoy the experience our estate offers.  Some picnic foods such as cheese, charcuterie, jams, crackers, and chocolate are available for purchase. Food trucks and live music most Saturdays from March-November; check our website and social media for details. Our grapes love it here. We think you will, too.

Upcoming events

August 5th – Salty Bottom Blue Oyster Truck + Anthony Semiao

Music

August 12th: Crustworthy Pizza

+ Sincerely, Iris Music

Hours

Friday – Sunday / 12 noon – 6pm

434-964-9463 (WINE) 1465 Davis Shop Rd, Earlysville, VA 22936 www.harkvineyards.com

HORTON VINEYARDS

Red, White, and PinkBubbly!

Suil white sparkling wine is made from 100% Viognier done in the traditional methode Champagnoise, with notes of green apple. Erotes is our rosé sparkling made of 100% Touriga Nacional with flavors of fresh summer berries, and a crisp finish. Knots and Shuttles is our first red sparkling made from Tannat grapes, with deep red fruit flavors and a dry effervescent finish.

New: Team Building Events!

Horton will work with your organization to create a unique Wine Experience for your next team building event! Build your work team’s bonds by creating your own wine, bottling and labeling it together. There are different tiers of the experience to completely customize your day. Inquire by

calling 540-832-7440 or email info@ hortonwine.com.

WE ARE HIRING!

Want to work in a fun and unique industry? Come visit us at Horton! We’re looking for tasting room staff to help make memorable experiences for our guests, build our local wine club, and so much more. Give us a call or email for more information: info@ hortonwine.com

August 12th - Laughing for a Purpose! Live comedy including dinner with all of our wines available with proceeds going to A Place of Rest nonprofit. Advanced ticket purchase suggested!

Open Daily from 10 am – 5 pm

6399 Spotswood Trail, Gordonsville, Virginia (540) 832-7440 • www.hortonwine.com

KESWICK VINEYARDS

2021 Chardonnay

The nose is quite pronounced with an abundance of wet rock, slate, chalk, and stone fruit character. With aeration the wine shows a

touch more tropical tones, but this is a focused and mineral driven wine. The palate is dry with bracing initial acidity before stone and mineral characters come to the fore. Vibrant flavors of green apple, meyer lemon with crystalline acidity and just a touch of baking spices and doughy bread on the palate.

Tasting Room Hours

We look forward to continuing to serve all of our wonderful guests this winter during our daily hours of 10am-5pm (last pour at 4:45). We offer first come, first served seating under our tent or open seating in our outdoor courtyard. Wine is available by the flight, glass and bottle at our inside or outside service bars, with bar service inside on the weekends! A selection of pre-packaged meats, cheeses, crackers, and spreads are available for purchase as well as our new food truck which is currently open Wednesday- Sunday from 12p-4p

Bring the family or friends and enjoy live music every Saturday from 124p or play a fun 9 hole of miniature golf on our new course!

Every other Wednesday- Wine Down Wednesday with live music from 5-8:30, check out our website for updates on who’s playing!

1575 Keswick Winery Drive Keswick, Virginia 22947 Tasting Room: (434) 244-3341 ext 105 tastingroom@keswickvineyards.com www.keswickvineyards.com

REVALATION VINEYARDS

2020 Vidal Blanc

Just released. A perfect summer wine. Full of zest with notes of apricot, peach, orange, papaya, hazelnut and caramel. Perfect for a summer picnic or an evening on the porch night! Savor it as a part of our tasting flights or by the bottle.

August Hours: Friday 12pm to Sunset; Saturday 12pm to 6pm; Monday + Sunday 12pm to 5pm

August 4th - Join us for our Book World meets Wine World Series from 4:30-7:30pm with local author, Andi Cumbo-Floyd, who will be discussing her new series, Magic People.

August 12th - Yoga at the Vineyard will take place from 9:1510:15 am with Instructor Briana (Registration required via our website or Tock page)

August 12-13th - Arts & Vines @ Revalation. We will be continuing our monthly weekend artist pop-ups at the vineyard. Stop by the vineyard and enjoy a bottle of wine while perusing handcrafted goods from local vendors.

2710 Hebron Valley Road, Madison, VA 22727 540-407-1236

www.revalationvineyards.com

CULTURE

THROUGH 8/20

URINE LUCK

When you gotta go, you gotta go—unless a 20-year drought has led to a government ban on private toilets and a proliferation of paid public toilets owned and operated by a single megalomaniac company: the Urine Good Company. Such is life in Four County Players’ Urinetown: The Musical, a fast-paced comedic romp that follows a brave, young hero who fights for the right to urinate freely. Anna Grey Hogan directs actors Ken Wayne, Tiffany Smith, Ethan Mitchell, Emma Harrison, and Tim Carlson. $10–20, times vary. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St. fourcp.org

THURSDAY 8/3– SUNDAY 8/6

SOLO SONGSTRESS

Following her show-stopping success last summer as Nina Simone in No Fear and Blues Long Gone, Yolanda Rabun returns to the Virginia Theatre Festival for a special evening of stories and song. Backed by her band, Rabun takes audience members on a musical journey through jazz, blues, folk, pop, gospel, and more. The powerhouse vocalist, who is also a practicing attorney, effortlessly slides between eras and genres on her records So Real, Christmastime, and her recent eponymous release. $15–35, times vary. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd., UVA Grounds. virginiatheatrefestival.org

THURSDAY 8/3

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Jam out with fellow local rockers at a record release party for Ark Of Mark, the latest project of Charlottesville native Mark Coffman. The full-length record, Still Defined By You, fuses alternative rock, folk, and jazz, resulting in a unique sound that combines classical composure with improvised instrumental intermezzos. The songs, which were recorded inside The Jefferson Theater, cover everything from love and loss, to separation and unity. Coffman is joined by Eric Hendrickson of Julius Hangman, Kevin Johnson from Richmond-based Jouwala Collective, and openers Choose Your Own Adventure. $10, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

CHRIS CHARLES

LISA HOGAN PHOTOGRPHY

CULTURE TRIED IT IN C’VILLE

STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF: ON BOARD WITH ELEMENTAL EXPERIENCES

I DIDN’T SEE the ocean until I was in seventh grade, when my friend Sallie (future homecoming queen) invited me (congenital nerd) to Amelia Island with her family over spring break. It was freezing and windy, and I had no idea how to get in or out of the ocean, so I just tripped along behind Sallie, a jangle of goosebumps, bones, and frizzy hair. Suddenly I was scraping the ocean floor in a spluttering swirl of shells, sand, and bubbles. I came up, crashed down, and crawled back to shore, where I forced a shivering smile as I watched two-piece Sallie and her little sister frolic in the surf like mermaids.

So that was the ocean. No thanks!

Give me a calm body of water, and I’ll wade in (right up to my ankles, reluctantly). I love water. It’s just the staying alive part that gives me pause: “Oh, look at the Rivanna River, so pretty. (Still full of E. coli?) Oh, lovely Chris Greene Lake. (Has that blooming algae stuff gone away?)”

So when I saw the fliers for Elemental Experiences, offering excursions at Beaver Creek Reservoir that combined stand-up paddle boarding with mindfulness, I thought, “Hey, maybe this is my kind of water thing,” where I’m pretty sure I won’t die and maybe I’ll even learn to love it.

WHAT

Finding balance and bliss on a paddle board in Beaver Creek Reservoir.

WHY

Because I needed a gentle, guided, revengeof-the-nerds water adventure.

HOW IT WENT

We arrived just before 9am on an overcast Saturday and met Jessica Miles of Elemental Experiences.

A personal trainer and paddle board instructor with an easygoing, confident style, Jess had everything ready to go—boards, paddles, water, waivers, sunblock, and a choice between an overstuffed, old-school, zip-up life preserver or a barely-there buoyant belt. Guess which one I chose?

My fit husband and graceful friend, lithe in their life belts, popped right up into standing on the wide, sturdy boards, while I, look-

Wednesday 8/2 music

Berto and Matt. Latin guitar night. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Jim Waive. Classic country tunes from the man with a velvet voice and impressive beard. Free, 7pm. Blue Moon Diner, 606 W. Main St. bluemoondiner.net

Karaoke. Karaoke, wine, beer, cider, and food. Free, 4pm. Keswick Vineyards, 1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick. keswickvineyards.com

Karaoke. Have a drink—it will sound better. Free, 9:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

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

words

Pictures & Pages. Gordon Avenue children’s librarian Glynis Welte delivers arts-related storytimes. Free, 11am. The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA, 155 Rugby Rd. uvafralinart museum.virginia.edu

classes

The Art Of Cocktails. An afternoon of mixology, education, and, most importantly, tasting. $25, 4pm. Quirk Hotel, 499 W. Main St. quirkhotels.com

etc.

Trivia. Show off your trivia knowledge and win prizes, including gift cards, merch, and free drinks. Free, 7pm. Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. dairymarketcville.com

Wind Down Wednesdays. Unwind with acoustic music and a stunning view of the sunset. Free, 6pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl. chilesfamily orchards.com

Thursday 8/3 music

ing like an orange Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, opted to sit. Aside from a couple of kayakers and a small group of paddlers, we were the only ones on the reservoir, gliding toward the mountains.

The breeze, the lapping water, the herons overhead—it was peaceful, yes, but actively fun. We chatted and joked, and when Jess showed me how to get standing, I wobbled my way up. It was easy! I was standing and paddling on a (pseudo) lake, on a summer Saturday, with my husband and sporty friends.

Take that, two-piece Sallie!

At a shady spot by the shore, we anchored the boards, and Jess led us through simple stretches and breathing exercises. Bobbing gently on our boards, we did a body scan, feeling the water tickle our fingers and feet (or was that a snake?), listening to the sunwarmed hush all around. By the time we lifted anchor I felt like a water baby, born to paddle (though I still looked like a Teletubby, born to terrorize toddlers).

Mary Esselman

As we explored the far end of the reservoir, I realized how restorative this experience had been for my inner seventh-grader, giving me the soothing beauty of nature, the company of friends, and the accomplishment of getting my feet under me on the water. More than two hours after we’d launched, we returned

Elemental Experiences

elementalexperiences.net

to shore feeling exhilarated, relaxed, and the best kind of tired.

What’s next for this newly brave nerd? Maybe Jess’ outdoor Bollywood dancing (but my bad hip…) or her yoga hike (but the ticks…). Or another Beaver Creek paddle, where I can “come into the peace of wild things,” as Wendell Berry says, and “rest in the grace of the world,” and be free.

An Evening with Yolanda Rabun. An evening of stories and songs, presented by the Virginia Theatre Festival. $15-30, 7:30pm. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginia theatrefestival.org

Ark of Mark Record Release Show. With Choose Your Own Adventure. $10, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

Berto & Vincent. Good times and tunes. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Eli Cook. Blues, rock, and country. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Silas Frayser Trio. Silas, Rob and Ben hit the stage. Free, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd. batesvillemarket.com

classes

Paint & Sip. Create a one-of-a-kind acrylic painting. $35, 7pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

etc.

Tailgate Thursdays. Bring your chairs and blankets, and enjoy live music by Paulien. Free, 6pm. Stinson Vineyards, 4744 Sugar Hollow Rd., Crozet. stinsonvineyards.com

Thursday Evening Sunset Series. Bring lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy live music, food trucks, drinks, and a stunning view of the sunset. $10, 6pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl. chiles familyorchards.com

“Bobbing gently on our boards, we did a body scan, feeling the water tickle our fingers and feet (or was that a snake?), listening to the sun-warmed hush all around.”

The SUP becomes a meditation mat in Elemental Experiences’ nature-appreciation paddles.

Friday 8/4 music

An Evening with Alligator. Playing early vintage Grateful Dead. $18-60, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

An Evening with Yolanda Rabun. See listing for Thursday, August 3. $15-30, 7:30pm. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginia theatrefestival.org

Billy Brockman. On the guitar. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Chickenhead Blues Band. Boogie-woogie, upbeat, rhythm and blues. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St. 234-4436

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

Fridays After Five: Abbey Road. Everyone loves The Beatles, With Boomerang. Free, 5:30pm. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tingpavilion.com

The Barons with Films On Song. Ethereal, booty shakin’ rock ‘n’ roll. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

words

Artist Talk with Kiara Pelissier. Pelisser discusses “House On Fire,” a glass exhibit that illustrates how rising sea temperatures have destroyed our planet’s coral. Free, 5:30pm. Quirk Hotel, 499 W. Main St. quirkhotels.com

Friday Night Writes: A Reading Series for Emerging Writers. Performing short stories, poetry, and music. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

etc.

Big Blue Door. Longform improv comedy. $10, 8pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. bigbluedoor.org

Ix Flix Summer Film Series: Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Movie night under the stars. Free, 8pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org

Sunset Soirée. Live music by Scuffletown and food by Twisted Biscuits. Free, 6pm. Chisholm Vineyards at Adventure Farm, 1135 Clan Chisholm Ln., Earlysville. chisholmvineyards.com

Saturday 8/5 music

An Evening with Yolanda Rabun. See listing for Thursday, August 3. $15-30, 7:30pm. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginia theatrefestival.org

Berto Sales and Vincent Zorn. Spicy rhythms, zesty beats, and sizzling sounds. Free, 2:30pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Brisk. ‘90s tributes. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Cartwheels. Funk you up. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Drag Bonanza. With hosts Bebe Gunn and Cherry Possums. $12-15, 8:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Dwight Yoakam. With The Mavericks and 49 Winchester. $49-89, 7pm. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tingpavilion.com

Destroyer of worlds

Oppenheimer is respectable but no masterpiece

By Justin Humphreys arts@c-ville.com

Based on Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus, writer/director Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer follows physicist Robert Oppenheimer as he develops and detonates the first atomic bomb, then spends his life regretting it. The subject is fascinating, but, despite Nolan’s visual razzle-dazzle, the film only works sporadically.

The movie occurs mainly in flashbacks: Oppenheimer’s unorthodox theoretical physics studies lead the Army to choose him to design a supremely powerful bomb before the Nazis can. A post-World War II wraparound story woven throughout the film finds Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) being professionally undone by his former boss, Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey, Jr.).

Supervised by General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon), Oppenheimer builds a small scientific community in Los Alamos, Mexico, and races to finish the “gadget,” as he calls it. Meanwhile, his intimate relationships with his wife Kitty (Emily Blunt), and his occasional mistress, Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), remain turbulent.

Murphy almost supernaturally resembles Oppenheimer, and captures his haunted look and physicality as well as any actor probably

can. Damon shines as the hard-nosed Strauss. But Downey’s performance is just a variation on the same uptight jerk he’s played countless times before.

Most of the cast’s recreations of historical figures are fine, particularly Tom Conti as Albert Einstein, Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr, and James Remar as Harry Stimson. Gary Oldman is outstanding in his single scene as Harry S. Truman, where the president shifts from being a backslapping good old boy into nearly demonic nastiness.

Nolan’s visual storytelling is at its tightest, most focused, and least talky during the construction and testing of the bomb at the Trinity Site. But the film is definitely a mixed bag. Nolan’s script is dialogue heavy, but his tin ear for 1940s speech shows virtually no feel for the era’s phrasing or slang. The anachronistic soundtrack also diminishes the overall period flavor.

But Nolan’s biggest mistake is dancing around the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The audience sees Oppenheimer’s guilt and horror at his complicity in the destruction, but no images of the leveled cities and the bombs’ victims. The unspeakable should be spoken—and seen— here, not hinted at.

With nuclear saber-rattling still a very current concern, viewers should be reminded of how devastating these weapons are, even the smallest, earliest ones. Nolan

attempts to convey the bomb’s hellish power in a lame vision Oppenheimer has of an atomic attack. Those criticisms aside, the film’s final sequence has an intense potency that makes up for what the preceding scenes lack.

Oppenheimer

R, 180 minutes

Alamo Cinema Drafthouse, Regal Stonefield

Technically the production design and costumes are very good. The variable cinematography includes some visually stunning sequences, particularly several key aerial shots. But Nolan’s occasional use of a jiggling, handheld camera for the gigantic 70mm IMAX screen was a colossal creative error, and enough to induce seasickness. Subjective scenes of Oppenheimer’s imagination working through particle physics are interesting, but not spectacular.

Overall, Oppenheimer is worthwhile, but it’s unnecessarily flashy and could have benefited from a more intimate approach. The Oppenheimer documentary The Day After Trinity is much better, partly because of its straightforwardness. Oppenheimer is a respectable effort at telling this earth-shaking story, but, despite all its hype, it isn’t the multi-megaton cinematic explosion it’s marketed as.

Murphy almost supernaturally resembles Oppenheimer, and captures the doctor’s haunted look and physicality as well as any actor probably can.

Cillian Murphy stars as the titular lead in the highly anticipated biopic Oppenheimer, about the “father of the atomic bomb.”

CULTURE THIS WEEK

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

Saturday 8/5

FarAway Songs. Folk pop. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Goth Takeover Presents: Masquerade with This Hollow Machine and DJ AudioRapture. Late night dancing and music. Free, 9pm.

Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St. 234-4436

Jimmy O with Sam Morris. Hear the greatest, the frequently unexpected, and the most loved classics. Free, 2pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

The Sweet Potatoes. Smooth jazz is in the forecast. $10, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd. batesvillemarket.com

Vincent Zorn. Performing at the Saturday Summer Music Series. Free, 4pm. Tasting Room and Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve, 5600 Moonlight Dr., Scottsville. mountidareserve.com

stage

Disney’s Newsies JR An hour-long adaption of the smash Broadway musical. $15-25, 2 and 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

words

Storytime. Readings of recent favorites and classics. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

classes

Aisling Flower Farm Floral Workshop. Design a bouquet while sipping cider. $75, noon. Castle Hill Cider, 6065 Turkey Sag Rd., Keswick. castlehillcider.com

Paint & Sip: Sunset Lake. Learn a variety of techniques and skills, then practice on a canvas. $35, 1pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl. catelyn kelseydesigns.com

etc.

Charlottesville City Market. Shop seasonal local produce, homemade baked goods, authentic cultural foods, wares from artisans of various disciplines, and more. Free, 9am. Charlottesville City Market, 100 Water St. E. charlottesville.gov

Chess. All ages and skills welcome. Free, 10am. The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Blvd. thecentercville.org

Block Party. Check out Siller Pollinator Co.’s new space, enjoy a kid-friendly pollinator education class, adoptable animals, a food truck, and grab drinks from Decipher. Free, 10am. Siller Pollinator Co., 1740 Broadway St. sillerpollinatorcompany.com

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Fledgling wizard Harry begins his education at Hogwarts, finding new friends and old enemies. $10, 11am. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Sunday 8/6 music

An Evening with Yolanda Rabun. See listing for Thursday, August 3. $15-30, 2pm. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginia theatrefestival.org

Bluegrass Brunch. Bluegrass and tacos. Free, noon. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Lyle Lovett and his Large Band. A singer, composer, and actor, Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. $49-99, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

The Pollocks. Acoustic sounds. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Vincent Zorn. Join Vincent on the veranda. Free, noon. Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, 5022 Plank Rd., North Garden. pippinhill farm.com

The Barons with Films On Song

classes

Paint & Sip. Create a one-of-a-kind acrylic painting at this family-friendly class. $35, 11am. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

Paint & Sip: Streamside Serenity. Paint, sip, and repeat. $35, 1pm. Hazy Mountain Vineyards & Brewery, 8736 Dick Woods Rd., Afton. catelynkelseydesigns.com etc.

Interstellar As the Earth becomes inhabitable, astronauts Matthew McConnaughey and Anne Hathaway journey to another galaxy in the hopes of saving humanity. $10, 7pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Legally Blonde Movie Party. Celebrate Elle Woods’ journey from fashionista to Harvard law student. $13, 3pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Spirited Away (Dubbed). Plunged into a strange world of witches and dragons, a young girl tries to save her parents and return home. $10, 11:15am. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Monday 8/7

music

Berto & Vincent. Fiesta. Free, 7pm. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. south andcentralgrill.com

Gin & Jazz. The Brian Caputo Trio performs in the Château Lobby Bar. Free, 5:30pm. Oakhurst Inn, 100 Oakhurst Cir. oakhurstinn.com

Tuesday 8/8

music

Josh Mayo & The House Sauce. Tunesday Tuesday. Free, 9:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Thunder Music Karaoke. Show off your singing skills or just enjoy the show. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St. 234-4436

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

Vinyl Night. BYO record to play and get $1 off pints. Free, 4pm. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. dairymarket cville.com

classes

Paint & Sip: Lakeside Twilight. Paint, sip, and repeat. $35, 6pm. Starr Hill Brewery, 946 Grady Ave. catelynkelseydesigns.com

outside

Three Notch’d Run Club. Log some miles and enjoy a $5 post-run beer. Free, 6pm. Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen & Brewery, 520 Second St. SE. threenotchdbrewing.com etc.

Cade: The Tortured Crossing Neil Breen’s sequel to Twisted Pair is set in a mental institution where the patients are given superpowers. $12, 7:30pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Family Game Night. Games for all ages, including corn hole, Jenga, and board games. Free, 5pm. Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. dairymarketcville.com

Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night. Teams of two to six people play for prizes and bragging rights. Free, 8pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Go for Beginners. Learn about and play the ancient strategic Chinese board game, Go. Free, 2pm. The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Blvd. thecentercville.org

August exhibitions

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library 2450 Old Ivy Rd. Permanent exhibitions include “Flowerdew Hundred: Unearthing Virginia’s History” and “Declaring Independence: Creating and Recreating America’s Document.”

Botanical Fare 421 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “Familiar Scenes: Recent Landscapes in Oil” by Randy Baskerville. Through September 4.

Chroma Projects Inside Vault Virginia, Third St. SE. An installation of nature studies paintings by Richmond artist Emma Knight. Through August 25. First Fridays opening.

Create Gallery InBio, 700 Harris St. “One Man’s World,” oils on canvas and mixed-media by John S. Lynch. Through August.

Crozet Artisan Depot 5791 Three Notch’d Rd., Crozet. “Capturing Nature’s Beauty in Natural Gemstones,” jewelry by Rachel Dunn, and “Chromatic Conversations,” paintings by Ellyn Wenzler. Through August. Meet the artists August 12 from 1–3pm.

C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery 118 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “The Textures of Time,” handmade stoneware by clay artist Laura Vik. Through August. First Fridays opening.

The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA 155 Rugby Rd., UVA Grounds. Exhibitions include “Look Three Ways: Maya Painted Pottery,” “Processing Abstraction,” and “N’Dakinna Landscapes Acknowledged.”

The Greencroft Club 575 Rodes Dr. “Flowers and Barns,” watercolors and oils by Linda Abbey.

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA 400 Worrell Dr. “Performing Country,” an exhibition highlighting never-before-seen works, and other permanent exhibitions.

Les Yeux du Monde 841 Wolf Trap Rd. “Organic Matter,” new works by Monica Angle, Heather Beardsley, Michelle Gagliano, and Kris Iden. Through August 27.

Live Arts 123 E. Water St. “Colors of the World,” watercolor paintings by Karen Knierim. Through August.

McGuffey Art Center 201 Second St. NW. In the Smith Gallery, “Flotsam, Discarded Materials Transformed,” an immersive installation of oceanic artwork by L. Michelle Geiger. In the hallway galleries, the summer members show. Through August 13.

New City Arts 114 Third St. NE. “Shade is a place: relief is my form, A Clearing with MaKshya Tolbert.” Exhibition includes poetry, pottery, and interactive Shade Walks along the Downtown Mall. Through August 24. First Fridays opening.

PVCC Gallery V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. In the North and South galleries, the 2023 Student Exhibition. Through September 4.

Quirk Gallery 499 W. Main St. “House on Fire,” glass works by Kiara Pelissier and her team. Through September 29.

Random Row Brewing Co. 608 Preston Ave. #A. “Near and Far: Scenes from Virginia and Tennessee,” oil paintings by Randy Baskerville. Through August 30.

Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital Second floor lab and cancer hallway. Animal portraits by Susan Edginton, florals by Jane Skafte, and photography by Jim Greene. Through August 7.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville 717 Rugby Rd. “Conversing with the Universe,” works by Linda Nacamulli. Through August.

Visible Records 1740 Broadway St. “Entre Nos,” a group exhibition featuring works by artists in the undoc+ spectrum, curated by Erika Hirugami. Through August 19.

Ellyn Wenzler at Crozet Artisan Depot

Emma Knight at Chroma Projects

Randy Baskerville at Random Row Brewing Co.

Kiara Pelissier at Quirk Gallery

Hollyweed

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

1. Crafty website

5. Lip

9. Face-planted

14. Half of seis

15. Trade show

16. Gas-X rival

17. Los Angeles dispensary with a penchant for marijuana and wordplay (and, yes, it really exists)

19. “____!” “Polo!”

20. Prefix with center

21. Largest island in the Bahamas

23. What aspirin can prevent

24. Permissible

26. Denver dispensary with a penchant for marijuana and wordplay (and, yes, it really exists)

28. The “N” of the celeb whose Twitter handle is @ActuallyNPH

31. Neighbor of an Omani

32. Somali-born supermodel

35. Oscar-winning 2020 Pixar film

38. Spooky

39. Gumshoe

40. Washington State dispensary with a penchant for marijuana and wordplay (and, yes, it really exists)

42. Extra WNBA periods

43. “Good thinking!”

45. Actress Polo

46. Obnoxious sort

47. Lose one’s hearing

49. “My Way” memoirist Paul

51. W ith locations in Portland and Bend, dispensary chain with a penchant for marijuana and wordplay (and, yes, it really exists)

54. John who sings “Cold Heart” with Dua Lipa

58. Docile

59. Most festive

62. Regret

63. How checks are written

65. Alaska dispensar y with a penchant for marijuana and wordplay (and, yes, it really exists)

67. 1701, on cornerstones

68. “Night” author Wiesel

69. Adderall target, briefly

70. Grade-boosting class

71. Florida’s Miami-____ County

72. Boeing 747s, e.g.

DOWN

1. Tony winner Merman

2. Familiar theme

3. Former MLB commissioner Bud

4. DKNY rival

5. In stitches?

6. Fired

7. ____ whale

8. “Me too!”

9. SDI weapon

10. “I want to learn!”

11. Closer to the st art

12. How some agents travel

13. Like the widest grin

18. Har vard rival

22. Crafty

25. ____ Taylor Loft

27. Very wide shoe size

29. Mar x follower?

30. Heist haul

32. “Let’s do this!”

33. Office notes

34. Campus figures

36. It’s strummed by Elvis in “Blue Hawaii,” for short

37. Actress ____ Flynn Boyle

40. Headliner

41. Diarist Anais

44. Hyatt hotel line

46. Vulcano of “Impractical Jokers”

48. Sk yline concealer

50. Low-carb diet

52. Tested the waters, say

53. Spiral-horned antelope

55. Line of work

56. “This ____ to do the trick”

57. Requirements

60. Oklahoma cit y

61. ____-Ball (arcade game)

64. Sport age automaker

66. Sheldon’s pal on “The Big Bang Theory”

ANSWERS 7/26/23

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

DEADLINE

SIZES AVAILABLE

We’re hiring!

C-VILLE Weekly is looking for an Operations and Sales Team Manager

Local-owned Publishing/Media Group with brands established over 30+ years and monthly revenue exceeding six figures seeks an operations and sales manager to help write the next chapter as we confirm our investment in the future.

Lead and Assistant Teachers

The Montessori School of Charlottesville has provided Montessori education in the Charlottesville area for over 45 years. We strive to create an ideal environment where children and adults can work with respect and joy to reach their full potential. We are looking for Lead and Assistant Teachers for the 2023-2024 school year.

Lead Teacher candidates should hold Infant/Toddler certification from a MACTE-accredited training center or be willing to begin training before starting work. Salary starts between $33,000 and $37,000 based on experience and training. The Academic calendar runs from mid-August-early June. Schedule M-F, 8-3.

Assistant candidates should hold a high school diploma (college preferred), be able to get up and down off the floor easily, and be punctual. Previous experience in ECE is preferred but not required. Salary starts between $15-17/hour based on experience and education. Schedules vary.

Benefits include health coverage, PTO, holiday pay, and Simple IRA.

The Montessori School of Charlottesville does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender presentation, sexual orientation, or disability in the administration of its educational mission. This policy applies to all aspects of the school, including admissions, employment, and scholarship programs. We are committed to building a diverse community and encourage you to apply.

Administrative Assistant/ Bookkeeper

Mon-Fri, 40 hrs. per week, starting salary, $17 per hr, & up, based on experience.

Health benefits

(accrue as discussed in interview)

Near historic downtown mall, parking included.

Send resumes with references to Stewart Brown, brownslock@gmail.com, or call Stewart, 434-295-2171 Please, no walk-ins.

PART-TIME HELPER

WANTED flexible hours, some weekend hours.

Mother of two adult women with disabilities needs a female helper for morning or afternoon driving and other duties.

Please respond to barbara.whary@ gmail.com

Digital orientation, creativity, leadership experience, budgeting skills and a passion for local journalism could propel you into a top position here. This position would be handling the day to day company business, responsible for ensuring that a high-quality weekly newspaper and our portfolio of magazines hits the stands on time along with managing the sales team and company budget.

This key position will work with a dynamic team of smart, imaginative people, and will always have their finger on the pulse of what’s happening in town. Fluid office arrangement and great company perks provided.

Duties:

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the media company

• Provide leadership and guidance to the sales team

• Manage a list of key clients

• Collaborate with editorial, design and accounting teams to drive operational excellence

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation

Experience:

• Proven experience in operations management, sales management or business development

• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills

• Ability to effectively manage multiple projects and priorities

• Strong leadership and team-building abilities

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills

Job Type: Full-time, hybrid position

Salary: $45,000.00 • $55,000.00 starting salary plus bonuses and benefits

Please email your resume and optional cover letter to Anna Harrison, Publisher: anna@c-ville.com

CIRCA IS HIRING!

Be part of our busy, friendly workplace

Must be able to load, unload, and merchandise all our great inventory

Help with local pickups and deliveries, to include driving

Must be self-directed, Excellent “people skills” a must

Hard work but fun for the right person. Great benefits

Stop by the store Tuesday thru Saturday between 10 and 5 to introduce yourself and fill out a brief application

LEGALS

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

Commonwealth of Virginia VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Albemarle County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re: A.C. (dob 11/16/2018)

The object of this suit is to terminate residual parental rights in A.C. (dob 11/16/2018) and aprove foster care plan with adoption goal.

It is ORDERED that the Unknown father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 9, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.

6/27/2023

Judge Pather DATE JUDGE

Community & MISC. Notices

ESTATE OF STEVEN RAY SHAWLEY

NOTICE OF TAKING OF DEBTS AND DEMANDS

Upon request of the Executors, I will be conducting a hearing for receiving proof of debts and demands against the decedent or the decedent’s estate on August 24, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., at the law office of Scott Kroner, PLC, 418 E. Water Street, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Rebecca C. Hryvniak Commissioner of Accounts

Group Psychotherapy

Groups may be the way to go in trying to deal with the challenges and cost of finding someone for psychotherapy. Groups are affordable. They place you with a trained professional therapist. Groups provide best friends who you only see in group. They will join with you struggling with intimate personal issues. People are surprised how comfortable they are and able to share.

Dr. Lewis Weber and Associates 434 963–0324 ext 2 weberpsychotherapy.com

Who you gonna call?

The City of Charlottesville is attempting to control invasive plant species, and it’s brought in a highly specialized team to help consume the unwanted greens. The Goat Busters, an Afton-based herd of 50 goats, are currently munching away in a wooded area near the pool at Washington Park. The controlled ram-page should take one week, before the herd is moved to its next work zone. After the goats are done removing non-native shrubs, vines, and trees, the city can replant the area with native species. If you’re planning on visiting the park to see what a billy good job the goats are doing, be mindful of the electric fence keeping them contained.

For those about to

Put another dime in the jukebox, baby.

C-VILLE Weekly is amped to celebrate all of Charlottesville’s rockstars: the best people, places, and things in Charlottesville.

Fringe your tank top and grab your leather jacket to party like a rockstar at this year’s Best of C-VILLE blow-out: Four hours of live backbeats, bridges, and bass riffs by DJ Double U and DJ Flatline, plus food, drinks, and unplugged excitement to celebrate our city’s chart-toppers.

This is a private event for winners, runner ups, sponsors,staff and guests—no tickets will be sold in advance orat the gate. No scalpers—you must have an Eventbriteboarding pass with a unique QR code to enter!

A limited number of corporate and individual invite sponsorships are available. Email anna@c-ville.com for details.

21+ event, no dogs or “Freebird” requests allowed.