C-VILLE Weekly | February 12 - 18, 2025

12 – 18, 2025

Seniors at Morningside of Charlottesville take on podcasting

Friday, February 14th & Saturday, February 15th, 5 to 9pm

Treat your sweetheart to a special à la carte menu at Restoration Crozet. Call 434-823-1841 or scan the QR code to make reservations on RESY. View Menu at www.oldtrailclub.com/restoration

Thursday, February 27th, 7 to 9pm Wines from France & Italy | $60 per guest

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Reservations

Call 434-823-1841 for reservations or scan the QR code

ESCAPE THE COLD

TEE OFF INDOORS THIS

WINTER

Hello, Charlottesville.

Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly.

2.12.25

There are many things I remember about my grandfather: He’d eat a Pinwheel cookie with his coffee in the morning and take a napkin full of kettle chips back to the TV room in the afternoons. He taught me how to whistle, and taught himself how to play the piano and the accordion. But there are a lot of things I don’t remember, like his war stories (he was a forward observer and lost his leg in World War II) or anything he’d try to teach me about cars (as a young man, he built a Model T from found parts). Now an adult, I regret tuning out, preferring instead to follow the whims of childhood, oblivious to the value his wisdom might hold for me later in life.

It’s the reason I was interested in this week’s cover story (p.18), a look at the work of DJ Josh Urban and a group of senior citizens who podcast from Morningside of Charlottesville. Urban collaborates with the assisted living community’s activities director to provide an outlet for residents to share stories from their younger days— benefiting listeners with their insight and giving the storytellers a sense of purpose and connection. Their stories bridge the generational gap in a way that feels both meaningful and necessary. As I listened to them, I thought about my Pop—how much of him lives in the memories I do have, and how much more I wish I had taken the time to learn. This week’s feature is a reminder to listen while we can—to ask the questions, hear the answers, and advance the narrative. Even if we don’t realize it in the moment, the stories of those who came before us shape the stories we are living now.

Page-turners

The C-VILLE staff is always thinking ahead. Here’s a quick look at a few stories we’re working on. Know someone that might be a fit? Email editor@c-ville.com.

Howdy, neighbor!

We’ll dig deep into the city’s liveliest areas—and we need your help finding each neighborhood’s Ned Flanders, Mr. Heckles, Gladys Kravitz, and Wilson. Tell us about your favorite neighbor.

Get out(doors)!

When it’s time to emerge from hibernation, what gets you outside?

We want to know what you look forward to as the weather warms up. Recreation? Outdoor dining? Wearing shorts? Please share every hot detail.

This week’s contributors

Every person has a story

C-VILLE wants to explore the beating heart of the city—you!

Our new profile series will tell the stories of everyday locals living their lives. Know someone with a great story? Reach out.

Matthew Stoss made his C-VILLE debut romanticizing hotel bars. A former reporter at the Harrisonburg Daily NewsRecord, he’s been a university magazine editor for the past 10 years and an occasional pencil for hire. He’s profiled an Oscar winner, an Olympic bobsledder, a National Book Award winner, a Batman artist, a Michelin-star chef, a submarine commander, and the Smithsonian secretary, among other people you might have heard of. He lives in Richmond.

Julia Stumbaugh has worked with C-VILLE since 2017. She developed her love for writing while growing up in Albemarle County, and her passion for sports journalism while attending William & Mary. When she’s not contributing to C-VILLE’s art and sports coverage, you can probably find her at an art museum or watching hockey.

FEATURE

IN FEBRUARY, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST: Buy one Radiesse syringe ($800) & receive the second with a donation of $140 to support Service Dogs of Virginia and/or Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry. Together, we can make a beautiful difference

NEWS

State employees push for collective bargaining.

LAJC works with local Afghan immigrants.

UVA hosts Deaf literature fest.

Real Estate Weekly: Flurry of activity since new zoning code went into effect.

CULTURE 25

27 Tried it in C’ville: A sweet time at Gearharts Fine Chocolates 28 Stages: Sweetheart of the Rodeo dance at Fry’s Spring.

ED I TORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Caite Hamilton editor@c-ville.com

ART DIRECTOR

Max March max@c-ville.com

CULTURE EDITOR

Tami Keaveny tami@c-ville.com

NEWS REPORTER

Catie Ratliff reporter@c-ville.com

ASSOCIATE CULTURE EDITOR

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

29 Extra: Live Arts stages Virginia premiere of Marys Seacole

Haikus from the heart

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BUSINESS

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C-VILLE Weekly is Charlottesville, Virginia's award-winning alternative newspaper. Through our distinctive coverage, we work to spark curiosity and enable readers to engage meaningfully with their community.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13

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02-21 | DOGWOOD TALES/DEAU EYES WITH BABE LEWIS

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02-25 | ARTS FISHING CLUB WITH ZG SMITH 02-27 | KSC PRESENTS: KENDALL STREET IS FOR LOVERS TOUR- FEB RESIDENCY WITH SISTERS AND BROTHERS 02-28 | CHATHAM RABBITS WITH SARAH KATE MORGAN

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— Preconcert talk by Dominic Giardino 30 minutes before each performance — Fri., Feb 14, 7:30p @Trinity Episcopal, Staunton Sat., Feb 15, 4:00p @Emmanuel Episcopal, Greenwood (Crozet) Sun., Feb 16, 4:00p @Grace Episcopal, Keswick (C’ville)

Join Three Notch’d Road this Valentine’s Day weekend for a program that celebrates love in its many forms through passionate laments, transcendent airs, and joyous dances. Vocal and instrumental chamber works blend Italian pastoral drama with songs from the British Isles, including selections from Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans, Handel’s Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, Caldara’s Eurestio, and song settings by Henry Purcell.

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Work to right

UCWVA calls for legislature to restore state employees’ collective bargaining rights

BY CATIE RATLIFF

Organizers across Virginia are again asking the General Assembly to pass legislation that would expand collective bargaining rights to include state employees.

While a worker’s right to collectively bargain in Virginia was partially restored in 2021, the bill included a number of limitations and exceptions. State employees, including those employed by public institutions like the University of Virginia, were barred entirely from collective bargaining.

“In 2020, when the first law to restore some public sector collective bargaining rights was passed … it was really gutted,” says Cecelia Parks, an organizer for the Political Coalition and Policy Committee of the United Campus Workers chapter at UVA. “It initially started out as a very

strong law … but then was really gutted by Democrats in the [state] Senate.”

State employees can still organize and join unions like UCWVA under current Virginia law, but the ban on collective bargaining constrains the unions’ ability to meaningfully improve conditions for members.

“Right now, every contract at the university is negotiated with an individual,” says Parks, who works as an academic librarian at UVA. “A union-negotiated contract would make everything a lot more clear. There would be a really clear grievance process within the union if the contract is not being followed. … This current legislation would create a public employee relations board that would add an external layer around grievances.”

Even in localities with ordinances allowing collective bargaining, like Charlottesville and Albemarle County, state employers have no requirement to meet with employee organizers—something Ben Doherty, the face of UCW’s anti-retaliation campaign at UVA, can attest to.

“Since last summer, we’ve done three different delegations to different university administrator offices,” says Doherty. “When we went to President [Jim] Ryan’s office, they literally locked the doors to the president’s office on us—the president’s office of a public university. … In none of those circumstances were we being disruptive or rowdy or anything like that. We were simply asking to talk. In all three circumstances, they refused to speak to us as union members.”

“A union-negotiated contract would make everything a lot more clear. There would be a really clear grievance process within the union if the contract is not being followed.” CECELIA PARKS, UCWVA MEMBER AND ACADEMIC LIBRARIAN

Organizers for United Campus Workers of Virginia rallied in support of legislation expanding collective bargaining rights on January 17.

NEWS UVA

On May 4, 2024, Doherty was arrested while participating in the pro-Palestine encampment at UVA. After the arrest, Doherty received a “letter of counseling”—which they describe as “basically a written threat of termination”—and was told they would likely be terminated if they protested again at UVA.

UCWVA’s anti-retaliation campaign has focused on the university’s response to the pro-Palestine encampment last May and actions taken against employees like Doherty. Doherty has worked at the UVA law school for more than 20 years and first received a letter of counseling for protesting in 2018. To their knowledge, there is no way to appeal the decision and they are the only UVA employee to receive a letter of counseling in connection with the encampment.

“There’s no good way to know who has received letters of counseling for what they’re supposed to be used for: employment problems,” says Doherty. “For me, [UVA is] using them for protest activity that I engaged in outside the context of my job on a Saturday, which is not during my working hours.”

Organizers calling for increased and accurate payment for graduate student workers are also rallying behind the call for collective bargaining. By getting agreements in writing, Gabriel Costello says UCWVA can more effectively enforce promises from the administration.

“We’ve made progress on the [Cut the Checks, a UCWVA movement to address late payments to graduate students] campaign with bringing the administration to the table and getting them to make certain promises, but we have no legal recourse, or nothing in writing,” says Costello. “We would love to be able to take the administration’s word for it, but they’ve shown time and again that … we can’t trust them, and we feel very strongly that a union contract would guarantee better working conditions for not only our members, but campus workers across both UVA and the rest of the state universities here in Virginia.”

While UVA has told the union it has fulfilled its agreement to hire additional employees to ensure timely and accurate payments, UCWVA continues to report issues. UVA has responded to the union’s complaint by indicating that it had not received any formal reports of payment issues, despite what union members were sharing.

“We feel very strongly that a university that has a $13 billion endowment, a university that puts itself forward as one of the top universities in the country, should be able to pay its workers a living wage,” says Costello. “It’s not a question of if they’re able to; it’s a question of where their priorities are.”

For now, UCWVA remains unable to negotiate on behalf of its members, and likely won’t be able to even if legislation restoring collective bargaining rights passes the General Assembly. Similar legislation that passed during previous sessions has been vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is expected to once again kill the bill.

Still, Parks says this session provides an opportunity to get representatives on the record supporting the amendment ahead of November’s state elections.

“United Campus Workers are still going to be out here. We’re still going to be fighting for workers to the extent that we can,” says Parks. “But that is not going to happen over a bargaining table until the law changes.”

Local Afghans and LAJC lobby for exception to refugee pause

A GROUP OF AFGHAN IMMIGRANTS that resettled in Charlottesville visited Washington, D.C., with the Legal Aid Justice Center on February 6, calling for an exception to an executive order stopping all refugee admissions to the United States.

The January 20 order called for a pause of admissions for at least 90 days, with section four of the document stating the pause will continue until President Donald Trump “determine[s] that resumption of the [United States Refugee Admissions Program] is in the interest of the United States.”

While thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.S. government were

promised Special Immigrant Visas, the rapid takeover of Afghanistan’s government by the Taliban in August 2021 created a backlog in SIV processing.

“The SIV process has been incredibly challenging and time consuming,” says Kristin Clarens with the LAJC. For many Afghans, the SIV process is still ongoing more than three years after the U.S. exit from Afghanistan, which has delayed admission of their family members into the United States.

“When it was starting to look like SIV processes were going to get terminated or were just not making progress, they applied for asylum and were granted asylum,” says Clarens. “Because they were granted

asylum, their family members are considered refugees and are paused indefinitely under these executive orders.”

Under the EO, all work toward reuniting Afghan asylum seekers who collaborated with the American government with their families has been stopped.

A coalition of refugee advocacy organizations filed suit against the Trump administration on February 10 in Seattle, calling for the resumption of resettlement programs and release of appropriated funding for refugees. Trump has not indicated any exemptions to the EO as of press time.—Catie Ratliff

IN BRIEF

All the news you missed last week (in one sentence or less) Southern Living announces the return of its Idea House to Charlottesville in 2025. Blue Ridge Poison Center sees decline in opioid-related calls in 2024. More than 30,000 people in the region lose power February 6 following ice storm. Albemarle County breaks ground on Mountain View Upper Elementary School. A sold-out crowd watches UVA men’s basketball defeat Georgia Tech 75-61 February 8 on Tony Bennett Day, when a banner was raised to the rafters of the JPJ to honor the university’s all-time winningest coach. Virginia Festival of the Book announces headline authors, including Emma Donoghue, for the March 20-23 fest. Albemarle police make arrest February 7 following chase of a man driving a stolen vehicle on the John Warner Parkway. Jefferson Trust awards $1.5 million in grants for lunar robots and dark matter telescopes. UVA Wise history professor Donald Leech receives pushback after suggesting Elon Musk’s DOGE staffers be doxxed. Blue Ridge Area Food Bank extends annual school drive to Shenandoah Valley. Take It Away owner Tom Bowe sells shop to new owner after 32 years.

Gabriel Costello

Loud and clear

Deaf Literature Festival offers stories beyond sound

BY MERRILL HART

Eighty attendees gathered to celebrate Deaf literature at the University of Virginia on February 8. The festival, which started as a student project for fourthyear Molly Rathbun, brought attention not only to the vibrant Deaf literature community, but the importance of accessibility.

The festival first took shape last spring, as an independent project under Rathbun’s advisor, Gregory Propp. While working at New Dominion Bookshop, which often hosts events with the UVA English department, Rathbun refined her vision. Months of outreach, fundraising, and logistics followed.

Multiple interpreters translated the diverse perspectives of six authors who gathered in Nau Hall for the festival. For Deafblind audience members, tactile interpreters signed directly into their hands.

This attention to accessibility was central to Rathbun’s mission.

“I wanted to use my privilege as a UVA student, and someone that loves literature and has worked folk festivals before, to bring together really notable authors for the community and give them a space to all come together,” says Rathbun, who does not have an auditory impairment. “I fell in love with the Deaf community the second I saw one of these events happen—it’s one of those things you will never forget.”

While American Sign Language interpreters are increasingly utilized at major events, including the Super Bowl halftime show, the practice has been scaled back by the Trump administration.

The National Association for the Deaf has called for the White House to bring back ASL interpreters at press briefings. The White House ASL policy, which was estab-

lished after the first Trump administration failed to provide interpreters at briefings at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, was created in 2021 and led to the White House hiring its first full-time ASL interpreters.

Interpreters have been absent at briefings since Inauguration Day, and the accessibility section of the White House website—including White House ASL videos—has been removed.

Other executive actions, including the removal of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs and jobs, have also raised concerns for the National Association for the Deaf and other organizations, including the National Black Deaf Advocates.

According to a 2022 proclamation from Gov. Glenn Youngkin that recognized Deaf Awareness Week, “approximately 863,000 Deaf, Deafblind, and hard-of-hearing individuals reside in Virginia.”

For most of her life, author and activist Terry Galloway relied on hearing aids. A cochlear implant changed that, introducing her to a new world of sound—along with the complexities of being “cured.”

At the event, Galloway read a chapter from her memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, which is being reissued this year with an afterword addressing Galloway’s cochlear implant—something she compares to unlocking a sixth sense.

“I used to watch people talk, and I couldn’t hear, but I would watch these exchanges in the air, and watch what it did to their faces and their relationships,” Galloway says. “And I thought, ‘What is that?’ And now I know.” She had long resisted the technology, wary of the idea that disabled individuals need to be “cured.” Even now, she feels conflicted about her book’s original audiobook, narrated by another speaker because of Galloway’s deaf-accented speech—which has changed significantly since the implant.

“I think we’re always going to wind up, if we’re interested in storytelling, telling our own stories and involving other people’s stories. But how can we go about that in a way that is respectful and humble?”

LEAH HAGER COHEN, AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR AT THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS

“Now I’m narrating for this re-release, which I think is very cool,” she says. “At the same time, it makes me a little angry, because I think they should have let me do it in my own voice back then. It’s not that I was unintelligible, because I was not, but they would have understood what deaf speak could be.”

Leah Hager Cohen, author and Barrett Professor of Creative Writing at the College of the Holy Cross, grew up surrounded by sign language. Raised by parents who taught at the Lexington School for the Deaf, she once wished she were deaf herself and could join the students around her.

For her part, Cohen planned to spend her time at the festival exploring who has a right to tell a story. As a hearing person and former journalist, she wrote Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World by blending reporting on Deaf students with her own family’s experiences.

“We couldn’t possibly tell only our own story, because our lives intersect with other people, other communities,” Cohen says. “I think we’re always going to wind up, if we’re interested in storytelling, telling our own stories and involving other people’s stories. But how can we go about that in a way that is respectful and humble?” Cohen says.

While Rathbun designed the event with the Deaf community in mind, she also hopes hearing attendees gained a deeper appreciation for different ways of communicating.

“I think [it taught] them a lot and maybe [encouraged] them to have interpreters at their future events, and invite the Deaf community and have a Deaf author and consider Deaf literature as something that is as significant as it is,” Rathbun says. “If anyone [learned] anything at all from the event, I think [it was] a success.”

Deaf literature was celebrated at the University of Virginia during a February 8 festival that featured several authors and storytelling.

REAL ESTATE NEWS

Zoning in

Charlottesville’s new Development Code turns a year old BY SEAN TUBBS

Almost a year has passed since Charlottesville’s new zoning code went into effect and staff in the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services continue to process applications despite a pending lawsuit.

At least 107 different types of plans have been filed since February 19, 2024, when the new system was put in place. This includes around a dozen “major development plans,” which would have been treated as rezoning applications under the old zoning rules.

On January 30, 2025, city staff approved a plan to replace a five-unit building at 1609 Gordon Ave. with a nine-unit building. If the developer had wanted to build a 10th unit, it would have been required to be provided at below-market rate, per the city’s affordability rules.

NDS staff have not yet approved a plan at 303 Alderman Rd. that would see a singlefamily home replaced with six townhouses, only because all of the technical requirements have not yet been met. Other plans under review include a classroom addition at Pilgrim Baptist Church, a dozen townhouses on Hillcrest Road, and six units on St. Clair Avenue. Half the units in the latter project would need to be affordable in order to trigger the bonus density allowed in the new code.

Other projects have sought special exceptions from various requirements in the Development Code. These permits require a public meeting before appointed and elected officials, but not a public hearing.

On February 11, the Planning Commission reviewed an exception that would allow Cumbre Coffee & Bakery to build a railing on a new deck at its Jefferson Street café. That would be considered a fence, which is not allowed on side yards in the city’s Node Mixed Use 10 zoning district unless City Council issues an approval.

The Planning Commission also reviewed an exception requested by the Piedmont Housing Alliance for the third phase of the redevelopment of Friendship Court into Kindlewood Apartments. The nonprofit wants to modify requirements for “street-facing entries” that code said is necessary in a multifamily residential building.

“Direct exterior unit access along busier streets like Second Street SE and Monticello Avenue creates concern among residents about a child or dependent getting outside without proper supervision,” reads a January 28, 2025, letter from architects with Grimm + Parker, a lead consultant on the project.

Another special exception permit filed in late January is the first official submission from Heirloom Development to replace the Downtown Mall’s Violet Crown Cinema with a 184-foot-tall apartment building. The Board of Architectural Review has had three discussions for the space at 200 W. Main St., but those were preliminary reviews with no official vote.

The new code requires something called “active depth” on lower floors, which is intended to limit blank walls and encourage a robust streetscape. In the request, Heirloom’s Jeffrey Levien argues that the requirement will prevent him from being able to provide parking for the building.

In response, the city said he had yet not filled out a complete application for the project. That would likely take the form of a major development plan to allow staff to conduct a full review.

On February 6, 2025, Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell said he would not recuse himself from a lawsuit filed in January 2024 seeking to overturn the case. An attorney for the plaintiffs argued Worrell had the appearance of conflict of interest due to being a Charlottesville homeowner and because his wife is active in local politics. Worrell said he was offended by the motion, and said he would remain on the case. The next court hearing is on March 26, 2025.

Annie Gould Gallery

Under the new zoning code, City Council has the final say over some items, like whether an exception should be allowed for Cumbre Coffee & Bakery to build a railing along East High Street for an expanded deck. The new rules would classify the railing as a fence, which isn’t technically allowed at that location.

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SILVER LININGS playback

At Morningside assisted-living,

senior residents are taking back the mic

Every week, Josh Urban motors around Virginia, bopping between 20 or so retirement communities from the hinterlands of the southwest, to the overstuffed stroads of NoVa, and the state capital’s strip-malled suburbs.

It’s unclear if there’s a name for what Urban does, and it’s less clear if it has a tax designation, but we’re going to call him a professional retirement community entertainer. He DJs with his robust vinyl collection, plays the Great American Songbook on one of his many, many guitars and hosts backyard stargazing with one of his many, many telescopes.

STORY BY Matthew Stoss

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Tristan Williams

“This is an idea of: No, your role in society now is you’re an elder. You have knowledge to share,” says DJ Josh Urban to participants like John Aldredge, a Navy vet who joins the conversation each week.

SILVER LININGS playback

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

He calls himself a “storyteller.” In another time, though, he would have made a fine wandering bard.

“Instead of a crazy cat lady, I’m a crazy guitar guy and a crazy telescope guy,” Urban says. As of last summer at Morningside of Charlottesville, an assisted-living community with about 80 residents, Urban’s also a crazy retirement community podcast host guy.

“I work closely with Lisa [Duquette]. She’s the activities director over there,” Urban says. “She came to me one day and she’s like, ‘Look, you have any ideas? We have this men’s group going on and they’re all there, but what can we do with all these guys in this room?’ It was a cool opportunity.”

Urban, who’d dabbled in podcasting, suggested making a podcast. “One of the things that’s really interesting about this phase of life is all these guys are retired, right? So they’re not out there making stuff, but they’ve learned so much and it’s really hard for people to share what they learned, and we have some crazy stories in there, so I thought it would be a really neat way—and not only fun for the guys to do but also a really nice way for them to give back to the community and share what they’ve learned. … It’s a way to document front porch talk. ‘Hey! You remember that time?’”

The C’Dogs of Charlottesville launched in July 2024 and to date has 14 episodes, each about 45 minutes long and all recorded in a comfortable Morningside conference room where five to 10 men convene twice a month to tell stories and weigh in on world events. Food and military service are reliable topics. A recent episode veered into a banana shortage, and a holiday episode furthered the dialectic on whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

More serious topics are also addressed. One Navy vet witnessed a nuclear bomb test.

“He held up his arms and across over his face and he saw his bones,” says Duquette, the life-enrichment program director at Morningside, where she’s worked for three years. “And that man has conquered cancer of the larynx because of the inhalation. He’s 85 years old and he’s still here. These are stories that these men are not going to tell. They talk to each other, but to get these stories out—I feel like it’s just the purpose [the podcast is] serving.

“Recall at their age is so important, not just for the cognitive aspect but also the emotional. Keeping your mental health and bringing back those memories is a joy to a lot of them.”

Charismatic, lively eyed, and frequently wearing a stylish hat, the 39-year-old Urban acts as mastermind, emcee, and producer. He supplies the recording equipment and edits the episodes, posting them on SoundCloud at Soundcloud.com/the-cdogs. The podcast’s name is a riff on “seadogs,” a colloquial term for sailors and appropriate given the multiple Navy vets on the podcast.

“He kind of inspires the conversation and leads it in a good direction,” says John Trippel, a Morningside resident for the past year and a C’Dog. A graduate of America’s oldest art school, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, he is an oil painter—you can find his work at JohnJTeeee.blogspot.com—and a former teaching assistant with Albemarle County Public Schools.

“I think it’s great for the other guys in here who have a hard time talking in public,” Trippel says. “I think it’s really excellent that they have an opportunity to talk about their time in Vietnam, their time living a life of family, what they got into during their lifetimes.

“It’s a long period of time people here have, and a lot of events people have taken part in go unsung. They sit around—we have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a dining hall but we don’t really talk about important events, family, moving, going through hurricanes. You know, difficulties in life that people found a way to get through that don’t really come up much in dining conversation. Guys are pretty quiet about themselves here. But with a formal event like a podcast there’s more time for people to expand on their experiences.”

A podcast recording starts off the air with an Urban-led, small-talk warmup. He asks questions unanswerable with “yeses” and “nos” to help everyone get chatty. He also doesn’t ask about favorite times, events, or things.

“I try to avoid stuff like that because one of the problems of getting older is they’re faced with a lot of these questions,” Urban says. “‘What’s your favorite memory?’ And they already feel like they’re checked out of society and that just makes it worse. So this is an idea of: No, your role in society now is you’re an elder. You have knowledge to share.”

Urban ended up with his bespoke career after offering to give guitar lessons at a retirement community about 10 years ago. The lessons weren’t that popular but his Frank Sinatra covers were. That expanded into giving music history lectures and eventually this podcast, each episode of which starts with a prompt. Urban says his first batch had stuff like, “Have you been skiing?”

“My list was kind of dumb,” he says, his voice subdued by self-awareness. “Good thing is we got to the second topic and it went off—boom!—on a tangent and people were talking about God, aliens, philosophy, and all this crazy stuff and we went over an hour.”

Now, Urban comes up with themes, often holidays. The episode editing, he says, is light. He plays the acoustic guitar intros and outros, and episodes are recorded in one take. If a podcaster wants something cut, it’s cut, but that doesn’t happen much. The option, though, helps the residents relax.

Urban’s goal is to keep the conversation moving. “The first maybe two or three episodes, people didn’t know what was happening,” he says. “I explained what a podcast was. Everyone’s sitting there. No one wants to say anything dumb—no one wants to say anything dumb on tape. We were working on getting things going. Sometimes a couple of guys would share stories. A couple of guys would just listen. Then we made a good move. Lisa had the idea of moving it so we’re all just sitting around a table and that seemed to really make a difference. Props are strange, you know? So we all sat around a table and then the idea of just, ‘Hey, we’re just sitting around having a conversation.’ This started happening after we got the hang of that.”

It seems the retirement community podcast is a novel thing, but the usual podcast apps—Spotify, Apple Music, etc.—offer a bunch of senior-centered shows. Duquette didn’t know of another assisted living community that had one, and Urban says none of the other communities on his circuit podcast.

Laurie Archbald-Pannone, a geriatric physician at UVA Health, says she hadn’t heard of such a podcast, either. Though she wishes she had—and that others existed.

“I thought it was fantastic,” says Archbald-Pannone, who’s also the medical director of Virginia Impact, a program created to help older adults with telehealth. “It really reflects one of the reasons I went into geriatric medicine to begin with, which is to get to know people—my patients. Get to know who they are now, the lives they’ve lived before, the lives they plan on living in the future.

“I just think it’s so important in medicine, specifically that we don’t just know somebody’s blood pressure or kidney function, but that we really understand who they are and what’s important in their life, and this podcast, I think, is a great way to share that, not just with a medical team but with the community. I think it’s important as a community that we understand the treasures and resources we have through people’s lived experiences.”

Officially, this means the C’Dogs of Charlottesville are doing narrative medicine, a treatment philosophy that came about in recent decades.

Its origins are attributed to various physicians, often employed by Ivy League schools, with the modern iteration dating to the second half of the 20th century and the essence of it going all the way back to Hippocrates.

Now, Archbald-Pannone says, physicians are trained in narrative medicine, especially to treat elderly patients, who historically have been underrepresented in clinical studies for many reasons, but one of the biggest is that patients 65 and older tend to be lumped together. That means there are fewer specific treatment guidelines for them, particularly when it comes to prescription medication, even though that age group is responsible for about a third of all U.S. prescription drug use.

“A theme I sometimes hear from my patients, who are all older adults is, if they’re retired or they’re not functioning physically how they used to, they feel like, ‘Am I contributing to the community? What am I doing for my community?’” ArchbaldPannone says. “... Having a purpose, having a reason and contributing to the community, which is what this podcast does by people sharing their stories, really has lots of health benefits. It could basically combat social isolation.”

Urban says he’s not opposed to podcasting at other places, but for now he’s happy podcasting monogamously. Custom entertainment is a hallmark of his business model. He’s even learning to play the banjo because residents of a Roanoke retirement community asked to learn about Appalachian music.

“I tell people I’m their quirky neighbor stopping by with his rather extensive record collection,” Urban says. “We sit around and we listen to what they want to hear. We talk about things. We get curious about things. … There’s so many interesting things and there’s so much to be engaged with, and in a lot of these places, everybody’s watching TV all the time, so it’s nice to say, ‘Hey, have you considered this or have you considered that?’ And to watch people come alive, it’s really a cool thing.”

Led by Urban, the C’dogs podcasters touch on topics from food and pop culture to God, aliens, and their own military service.

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.

SUPPORT OUR WORK

UVA MUSIC EVENTS

Date/Time/Place Event

Friday, 2/14, 8:00pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 2/16, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 2/22, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 2/22, 8pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 2/23, 3:30pm Brooks Hall

Saturday, 3/1, 3:30pm Brooks Hall

Saturday, 3/1, 8pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 3/2, 8pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 3/22, 7:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 3/23, 3:30pm MLK Performing Arts Center

uvamusic

* denotes free events

LiNÜ, guitarists Gulli Bjornsson & Jiji Kim * works by UVA Graduate Composers

Ayn Balija, viola part of the UVA Chamber Music Series

Amanda Yo *

Distinguished Major Flute Recital

Ivo Kaltchev Piano Recital * Debussy & Beyond

Ivo Kaltchev Piano Masterclass * with pre-selected piano students

Francesca Hurst, solo piano recital * Reflections

Julia Totten, flute *

Distinguished Major Recital

Faculty Chamber Ensembles part of the UVA Chamber Music Series

Charlottesville Symphony Mozart Requiem

Charlottesville Symphony Mozart Requiem

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

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

Jack & Wendy Brown • Patti Cary & Todd Stansbury • Pam & Frank Edmonds • Janna & David Gies

Montross

CULTURE

MUSIC | ART | BOOKS | FOOD | DRINK

TUESDAY 2/18

KITCHEN EXPONENTIAL

Learn how Colonial culinary tastes were shaped and American cuisine started to define itself at the screening of James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen. This 2022 documentary explores the life, contributions, and eventual erasure of perhaps the most influential American chef of all time. Credited with introducing staples such as ice cream, French fries, and macaroni and cheese to American palates, Hemings was both a relative and the property of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello before traveling to Paris with Jefferson. Hear from chef Ashbell McElveen and a host of historians, chefs, and experts on race and the African American diaspora as the true story of Hemings’ life in servitude and culinary service unfolds. Free, 6pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

CULTURE TO-DO LIST

FRIDAY 2/14

SPREAD THE GOSPEL

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Todd Dulaney and Amber Bullock, former winner of BET’s “Sunday Best,” headline the Black History Month Gospel Concert. Chicago native Dulaney was drafted by the New York Mets at age 18, but left professional baseball behind to serve the Lord through singing. With four albums to his credit, Dulaney is a Stellar Award winner and Billboard-charting artist. Celebrated for her soulful voice, Bullock works to inspire and uplift with her singular brand of American urban contemporary gospel. A preshow event featuring UVA’s Black Voices Gospel Choir kicks off the evening. Free, 6pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Wednesday 2/12

music

Berto Sales and Matt Wyatt. Brazilian and Latin jazz treasures to make you smile from the inside out. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

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

Weekly Swing Dance. Beginner-friendly swing dance lessons followed by a social dance. Teaching the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and Blues. No partner needed. $10, 7pm. The Front Porch , 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com classes

Paint + Sip: Van Gogh Vista. Paint, sip, snack, repeat. Learn a variety of techniques and skills to render a van Gogh-inspired vista. $38, 6pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. blueridgebrushes.com etc.

Adult Crafting. Stop by for an afternoon of crafts. Bring your own project or work on the craft provided by the maker space. Registration is encouraged but not required. Free, 5:30–6:30pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org Lunch Time Library Events: Crochet and Slay. Bring your project, grab a cup of tea, and

hang out in the library with other hookers. Free, noon. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Thursday 2/13 music

Berto Sales and Vincent Zorn. Join Berto and Vincent for a night of wild flamenco rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

FarAway. The singer-songwriter duo of Sara Davenport and Brian Franke play covers and originals. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

John D’earth & Friends. Live jazz with a rotating cast of local and national jazz musicians. Free, 10pm. Miller’s Downtown, 109 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. millersdowntown.com

Kendall Street Company. A genre-fluid, eclectic rock ensemble with elements of crowd participation, off-the-cuff comedic bits, haphazard choreography, musical improvisation, and surprise musical guests. $15–22, 8pm. The Southern Cafe & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com words

One Mic Stand. A spoken-word open mic night with comedy promoter and filmmaker Ty Cooper, offering both seasoned artists and up-and-comers a platform to share stories, poetry, comedy, satire and more. Free, 7pm. Piedmont Virginia Community College, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

classes

Galentine’s Day Craft Party. Craft with the girls you love and laugh until your sides hurt. Design heart-shaped jewelry boxes decorated with whipped cream clay to look like adorable mini cakes, and create unique charm bracelets. $40, 7pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

Paint + Sip: Evergreen Aurora. Learn a variety of techniques and skills to render an evergreen aurora scene. One beverage included in ticket price. $42, 6pm. Oakhurst Inn, 100 Oakhurst Cir. blueridgebrushes.com

etc.

Bent Theatre Improv. A hilarious evening of improv comedy where you make the show by suggesting scenes for the players to act out. Free, 7pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. An escape room meets a pub crawl. Visit the Preston Avenue breweries, crack codes, unravel riddles, and sample Charlottesville’s best brews. Players get $1-off pints at each brewery. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Piedmont Landscape Association 40th Annual Seminar. A diverse lineup of lectures from nationally renowned landscaping and horticultural experts. $77–87, 8:45am. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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 2/14

music

Acoustic Soul. Local vocal/guitar duo of Richelle Claiborne and Tucker Rogers weave music and poetry into a diverse song catalog full of soul and spontaneous musical moments. Free, 8pm. Vision BBQ & Catering, 247 Ridge McIntire Rd. vision bbqcville.com

Black History Month Gospel Concert. Featuring Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Todd Dulaney and Amber Bullock, former contestant and winner of BET’s “Sunday Best.” Free, 6:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Graduate Composers Concert. Featuring a collaboration between LINÜ (guitarists Gulli Bjornsson and Jiji Kim) and graduate composers in the composition and computer technologies program debuting new compositions. Free, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu

Ken Farmer & the Authenticators. Boogiewoogie blues, country, classic blues, and original music. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com Lina Sarosa. Unique and sophisticated takes on pop songs accompanied by enchanting jazzy saxophone. Free, 4pm. Fallen Tree Vineyard and Farm, 4593 Clark Rd., Crozet. fallentreevineyard.com

Matthew O’Donnell. The Blue Ridge Bard performs with energy and wit. Free, 6pm. Decipher Brewing, 1740 Broadway St.

Mighty Joshua. Celebrate the enduring legacy of reggae legend Bob Marley at the eighth annual Mighty Marley Celebration, with special guests Jaewar and Vibe Riot. $20–25, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

TRIED IT IN C’VILLE CULTURE

Gearharts desire

There is something magical about chocolate. I used to spend every Sunday with my Nana, and these visits included a chocolate treat or two from her sweets jar on the gold-speckled white Formica counter. In my youth, my dad was my best Valentine (yes, I’ve been to therapy)—he bought Mom, my sister, and me fancy red Valentine’s heart boxes decorated with lace and ribbons each year. The gift made me feel special and grown up.

When I moved to Charlottesville, I graduated from my basic milk chocolate tastes after discovering Gearharts Fine Chocolates. Actually, my cousin gave me those initial eye-opening treats as a Valentine’s Day gift, I think.

Now, Gearharts chocolates are one of my gift-giving staples, so my interest was piqued when I had the opportunity to learn how they’re created. Kristie Smeltzer

WHAT

A tasting tour that includes truffle-making at Gearharts Fine Chocolates.

WHY

Watching experts make beautiful, scrumptious chocolates felt like a good idea.

HOW IT WENT

I have lots more appreciation for the highquality ingredients and artistry that go into the creation of every Gearharts chocolate now.

My visit felt pretty dang magical from the start. I was the first to arrive at the McIntire Road shop when it opened. My tour guide began my education in all things chocolate whilst another wonderful human made me the best hot chocolate I’ve had in my nearly five decades on this planet. Bless them—I’d skipped breakfast, which meant everyone needed to deal with my sugared-up 5-yearold energy by the end of the tour.

Gearharts’ team of chocolate wizards plied their trade with focused intention as we looked on through the café windows into the production area. Honestly, I could’ve watched the wizard working a guitar cutter—an apparatus with taut wires spaced out equally within a metal frame—all day as he cut perfect chocolate squares destined to become the heart of delicious offerings. We also dipped into the climate-controlled room where chocolates and truffles get finished and boxed, because my guide wanted to ensure I saw the enrobing crew and machine at work.

The maestro himself, Tim Gearhart, fed square bases through the chocolate enrober. A conveyor took the bases into the machine through a cascading melted-chocolate curtain that dressed them in an even coating of additional deliciousness. When the still-glistening, warm chocolates emerged, two divas of decoration pressed small squares of acetate on top that bore the special Valentine’s design to be transferred onto the beauties. Honestly, the experience of watching them work bordered on spiritual.

butter she uses for the pastry, cradling it to her chest like a beloved newborn. Other ingredients come from closer to home, with local honey, syrup, and spirits in play.

Gearharts Fine Chocolates gearhartschocolates.com

After that we went to the back room where the chocolatemaking process began. Mind you, throughout the tour I snacked on different types of chocolate (milk, dark, tempered), in addition to the memorable hot chocolate. While a base-mixing master prepared perfectly filled sheet trays of chocolate to set, my guide told me about the European butter they use for most everything but croissants. Gearharts’ croissant expert then proudly showed me the French

Returning to the room where the enrober lives, the chocolatier showed me more of the equipment as she described their processes. Several of the workstations held an unexpected trick of the trade: hairdryers. Apparently, a garden variety hairdryer is a multipurpose tool in the chocolatiering world. Something setting too quickly? Hit it with a hairdryer. Machine gummed up with chocolate? …You guessed it.

Gearharts offers guided tours with hands-on truffle-making as an add-on. The café space is also available for special events, such as customized wine/beer and chocolate pairings.

AYN BALIJA

CULTURE TO-DO LIST

Eli Cook. Solo acoustic blues, rock, and grunge. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Charlottesville Opera Duets Concert. Real life operatic couples and partners share their favorite duets and solos. Featuring Peter Kendall Clark, baritone and Molly Mustonen, soprano. $10–75, 7pm. Grisham Hall, St. Anne’s-Belfield School, 2132 Ivy Rd. charlottesvilleopera.org

Based on the real-life Mary Seacole, 19th century Jamaican nurse, adventurer and entrepreneur, this play sets sail on a kaleidoscopic voyage across oceans, time-shifting through the centuries. $25–28, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St.

Valentine’s Day Burlesque. Immodest Opulence Burlesque presents an evening of glamour, comedy, and sultry entertainment in celebration of love, lust, and everything in between. Ages 18+.

$20–30, 9pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Paint + Sip: Cozy Cabin. Partner painting is offered for this class that teaches you techniques and skills to render a cozy cabin scene. No experience necessary and solo painting available as well.

$38, 6pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. blueridgebrushes.com

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, February 13. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Lunch Time Library Events: Stitch and Bitch. Bring your project, grab a cup of tea, and hang out in the library with other stitchers. Free, noon. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappy elephant.com

Mario Kart Tournament + Treats. A cupcakes and conquest after-hours library program with a cupcake decorating bar and karting tourney for patrons aged 11–18. Registration requested. Free, 5:30pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org Naughty & Nice Drag Bingo. Expect outrageous drag performances, x-rated prizes, and hilarious bingo games. Hosted by You’Neek Nu’York, a Richmond-based drag sensation who graced the stage of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season six. $30, 8pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, February 13. $15, available noon–8pm. Please confirm Eastwood Winery and Potter’s Cider hours beforehand. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Saturday 2/15 music

Acoustic Aubrey. Covers of classic R&B, jazz, acoustic rock, and more. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducard vineyards.com

Almost Queen: A Tribute to Queen. They don’t just pay tribute to the legendary band, Almost Queen transports you back in time to experience the magic and essence of Queen themselves. $34–64, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Cake Fight. Covers of the best modern pop, classic rock, and a little of everything in between. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Creedence Clearwater Recital. The premier CCR tribute experience. $10, 7pm. Pro Re Nata Brewpub & Music Hall, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Jim O’Ferrell. Alternative rock with an infusion of blues and Americana. Free, 12:30pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Keel Duo. Larry Keel on acoustic guitar and Jared Pool on mandolin and acoustic guitar are soulful singers drawing heavily from Keel’s catalog of original music and imaginative interpretations of choice covers. $20, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Nick McNally. A unique blend of Americana, folk, and modern country with heartfelt lyrics and soulful melodies to transport you to another place. Free, noon. Keswick Vineyards, 1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick. keswickvineyards.com

Performance Review. The psych-kraut improvisational brainchild of Matt Datesman, Dave Gibson, Brian Knox, and Renee Reighart. See the live show, or listen on-air or online. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

Scuffletown. From Virginia to Nashville to Ireland, Scuffletown has been entertaining audiences for the past 25 years with high energy, genre bending, eclectic music. $10–15, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

The Longway x Hash. Alternative, funk, jam, metal, R&B, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll. With Charlottesville’s next-gen rock band Hash. $17–20, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

The Michael Elswick Gathering. Jazz, blues, ballads, and Latin tunes. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com

The Queen City Porch Swingers. Staunton’s favorite traditional jazz group takes you back in time with the infectious melodies of songs from the 1910s through the 1940s. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Three Notch’d Road: The Virginia Baroque Ensemble. Celebrate love in all its forms through early Italian pastoral drama and songs from the British Isles with “If Music Be the Food of Love,” featuring mezzo soprano Kim Leeds and soprano Sheila Dietrich. $30, 4pm. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 7599 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Greenwood. tnrbaroque.org stage

Marys Seacole See listing for Friday, February 14. $25–28, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

The Nettle Shirts. Part fairy tale, part fiber arts tutorial, and part deaf lesbian romance, this new shadow puppet show features live ASL performance, live music, analog captioning, and puppets made from real nettles. Free, 7pm. Good Shepherd/Hickory Hill, 960 Monacan Trail Rd. nettleshirts.net

Valentine’s Drag Show. Featuring Jackie of All Trades, Queen Ronnie, and more. Ages 18+. $15, 9pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com classes

Mending Workshop. Learn some simple clothing repair techniques such as fixing a hem, sewing on a button, repairing split seams, and patching holes with visible or invisible mending. Ages 15+. $15, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Traditional Screen Printing Workshop. Learn the entire screen printing process, from start to finish, using a transparency film carving method instead of photo emulsion. Ages 16+. $50, 1pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappy elephant.com

STAGES CULTURE

Sweetheart of the Rodeo Valentine’s Day Dance

Got any clothing in your wardrobe with musical notes on it? How about a handkerchief you like wearing around your neck? A partner who loves to try new things? No plans for Valentine’s Day? If you’ve answered yes to any or all of the above, this event could be your perfect night. Apparently, a growing interest in countrywestern two-step dance in central Virginia has served as the impetus for a Valentine’s Day bonanza at Fry’s Spring Beach Club. While most concert calendars in our neck of the woods stay hot for alt-country, jam bands, and retro ’80s parties, this one promises to dip back in romanticization of a time and place long gone: the honky-tonkin’, big hat-wearin’ 1950s community center.

Fry’s Spring Beach Club hosts weekly folk waltz lessons for beginners on Wednesdays, and its spacious, woodsy ballroom is ready for whatever shuffle-induced scuff marks might besmirch its fine floors by both the young and shameless and nostalgic and mature alike.

To help the Valentine’s dancers along, Charlottesville’s Charlie Davis of honkytonk traditionalists Charlie & the 45s opens the evening with two-step lessons. (One imagines the 30 minutes reserved for public education means that executing the

choreography will require less skill than tango or breaking—let’s hope so for the sake of limbs and joints.)

Headlining the dance party is Nashville singer Eliza Thorn, a smoky-voiced, bluesleaning country artist who dropped her debut record Somebody New last September. An acoustic guitar strummer who harkens back to another age—a pre-electronic music one where instrumentation and actual talent mattered a hell of a lot more than they do in the 21st century—Thorn’s wellcrafted country tunes may come across as mimicry to those in the business of sniffing out authenticity. But honestly, who couldn’t raise the same questions about classical, punk, or even synth-driven pop that’s newly written and performed in 2025?

Friday 2/14

Fry’s Spring Beach Club

Thorn shares the stage with C’ville’s Ramona & the Holy Smokes, another act keeping the past alive with a commitment to musical stylings perfected years ago. You can’t blame the musicians for trying to meet market demands, and you shouldn’t guilt those looking to bust some really unhip moves, so whatever increasing desire for old-school country dancing is out there, this sweetheart of an evening ought to serve up enough serious bootscootin’ to satisfy the enthusiasts among us.—CM Gorey

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, February 13. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

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

The Last Improv Show on Earth. Don’t miss Big Blue Door’s two-performance-only, star-studded improv comedy spectacular. $10–15, 7pm. Light House Studio: Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lighthousestudio.org

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, February 13. $15, available noon–8pm. Please confirm hours beforehand. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

SUMMER CAMPGuide

Sunday 2/16 music

An Lár Traditional Irish Band. Great music for a rousing show. Fast-paced jigs and reels, lyrical waltzes, melancholy airs, and folk ballads of love and adventure. Free, 2pm. Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Benjamin Weimer. Covers and originals. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Bennie Dodd and Scott. A diverse mix of soulful Motown hits, classic country tunes, and much more. Free, noon. Keswick Vineyards, 1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick. keswickvineyards.com

Chris Van Cleave and Gary Green. Actor, singer, and songwriter Chris Van Cleave is joined by harmonica wizard Gary Green for an afternoon of live music. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Erynn McLeod. A powerful yet soothing acoustic set from a singer-songwriter coming from the crossroad of folk and musical theater. Free, 2pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Music Open Mic. Sign up in advance to guarantee your slot. Two songs or 10 minutes per performer, whichever comes first. P.A. and microphone provided. Hosted by Theocles with featured artist Jason Burke. Free, 5pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Sunday Jazz Jam. Live jazz featuring local, regional, and national musicians improvising with friends and strangers. Free, 6pm. Miller’s Downtown, 109 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. millers downtown.com

Three Notch’d Road: The Virginia Baroque Ensemble. Celebrate love in all its forms through early Italian pastoral drama and songs from the British Isles with “If Music Be the Food of Love,” featuring mezzo soprano Kim Leeds and soprano Sheila Dietrich. $30, 4pm. Grace Episcopal Church, 5607 Gordonsville Rd., Keswick. tnrbaroque.org

UVA Chamber Music Series #4. Featuring violist Ayn Balija alongside pianist Shelby Sender in a program inspired by the intimacy and richness of family and folk traditions. $15, 3:30pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu dance

Salsa & Bachata Lessons. Come for great community and a strong foundation in the connection between partners. Ideal for all levels. $10, 4pm. DMR Studio D, 109 Second St. SE. classes

Watercolor Workshop Series: Color Brush Techniques and Texture Creation. Develop skills in using different brush techniques to create texture and effects in watercolor. Learn clever ways to preserve highlights and add drama with masking and lifting. $35, 2pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Watercolor Workshop Series: Color Mixing and Application. Understand color-mixing techniques and their application in watercolor painting. Practice mixing a range of colors and creating your own color charts. Ages 15+. $35, 2pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, February 13. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Galentine’s Market. Featuring 40+ women artists and makers, with live music and food and drink offerings. Free, noon. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

FRIDAY 2/14–SUNDAY 2/16

BAROQUE’N HEARTS

Three Notch’d Road: The Virginia Baroque Ensemble presents its Saint Valentine’s Day program, If Music Be the Food of Love, at three regional venues. Celebrating love in its varied forms, these vocal and instrumental chamber works offer passionate laments, transcendent airs, and joyous dances. Blending Italian pastoral drama with songs from the British Isles, the performances include works by Handel, Purcell, and Vivaldi, and features soprano Sheila Dietrich and mezzo soprano Kim Leeds. A preconcert talk by guest artistic director and performer Dominic Giardino will take place 30 minutes before each performance. $30, times and locations vary. tnrbaroque.org

EXTRA CULTURE

Loop de ‘Ville Monthly Walks. A guided walk from Charlottesville High School to the Lochlyn Bridge (Megan Court) along Meadow Creek. Free, 10am. Charlottesville High School football field, 1400 Melbourne Rd. loopdeville.org

Sip & Self-Care: A Mini Wellness Pop-Up. Kick off those winter blues with a curated selection of wellness activities, workshops, and treats. Free, noon. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, February 13. $15, available noon–8pm. Please confirm Eastwood Winery and Potter’s Cider hours beforehand. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Monday 2/17

words

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, 7pm. The Southern Cafe & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com etc.

Lunchtime Library Event: Sit and Knit. Bring your project, grab a cup of tea, and hang out in the library with other knitters. Free, noon. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.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

Tuesday 2/18

music

Max McNown. This Oregon-bred, Nashville-based musician shares emotionally potent yet nuanced lyrics that perfectly soundtrack our most intimate moments. $29, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Vincent Zorn. Lively flamenco rumba with a unique percussive technique that incorporates a diverse range of strumming styles, rhythms, and taps. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

words

African Safari Insights: A Travel Pro’s Guide to the Wild. Speak! Language Center’s Tea and Travel series brings guest speakers Rochelle and Christian DeBaun to share their safari insights. RSVP required. Free, 5:30pm. Vault Virgina, 300 E. Main St. speaklanguagecenter.com

classes

Paint + Sip: Sunset Pines. Paint, sip, snack, repeat. Learn a variety of techniques and skills to render a sunset pines scene. One beverage included in ticket price. $42, 6pm. Ellie’s Country Club, 16 Elliewood Ave. blueridgebrushes.com etc.

James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen. This documentary outlines the life and legacy of the first American chef to be trained classically in France, the chef to Thomas Jefferson, and the founding father of what we know as American food. Free, 6pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

The Run Club. Do a 5K run, then drink beer. $1-off pints for runners. Free, 6pm. Decipher Brewing, 1740 Broadway St. decipherbrewingco.com

Tuesday Trivia: Geeks Who Drink. Good trivia, good times. Teams of two to six people can compete to win prizes like gift certificates and pint glasses, plus bragging rights. Free, 7pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Mirror up

Aiyana Straughn walks audiences through history in her Live Arts directing debut BY

JULIA STUMBAUGH

Aiyana Straughn will be challenged to take audiences from a Manhattan playground to a Crimean battleground in the Virginia premiere of Jackie Drury’s Marys Seacole, a play based on the real-life story of a Jamaican-born nurse who cared for British soldiers during the Crimean War.

Staged at Live Arts February 14 through March 2, the play connects the story of Seacole with modern times by linking her to other caregivers between the 19th and 21st centuries.

It’s Straughn’s Live Arts directing debut, but it’s not her only experience using theater to connect audiences with Black women’s history.

In 2021, the Charlottesville Players Guild performed She Echoes on the Vine, a play written and directed by Straughn and based on the life of her grandmother, at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.

Straughn also included her mother, aunts, and herself in her original play, an interweaving of the past and present that reminds her of the stories told in Marys Seacole

“There are some similar themes for me in using actual oral histories and historical narrative of women of color as the basis for writing a piece, but interweaving vignettes of modern-day scenes,” she says.

Straughn, who lived in Charlottesville before moving to Atlanta, worked as an actress in multiple local shows, taking on the roles of Black Mary Wilks in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean with the Charlottesville Players Guild and Nya in Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline at Live Arts.

She says she drew on these plays to help actors connect with the intricate Black and African history in Marys Seacole

“Accumulation of those experiences, not just directing, helped me be able to dive right into such a complex piece,” Straughn says.

A movie buff throughout childhood and a high school theater participant, Straughn says she was first inspired to use theater to reflect her identity as a dark-skinned Black woman while working with a writing group during her undergraduate years at Ohio State.

“I began to see the vision of wanting to elevate the stories of people that looked like me, and it continued to evolve from there,” she says. “I very much believe in theater as holding the lens up to society, a mirror up to ourselves.”

In addition to providing a reflection of society’s relationship with caregivers, and especially Black women caregivers, Straughn is hoping the play’s local cast

will help Marys Seacole resonate with Charlottesville audiences.

“One of the things that we talk about as a cast is, why this show? Why now? Why are we telling this show in Charlottesville?” she asks.

According to Straughn, the Live Arts production team has made an effort to answer that question by incorporating small, visual elements local to the area throughout the play.

“I’m really excited for the people locally today, for the themes to resonate with them, to see Charlottesville and the surrounding areas in this, and walk away with a different perspective,” Straughn says. She is most

excited for audiences to see the second act of Marys Seacole, which she compared to the overlapping timelines in Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once

“The actors are just doing such a brilliant job with playing multiple characters throughout this show, and then having to play multiple characters even within a single scene, I think it is just going to be such a joy to watch,” Straughn says.

Following its 2019 New York City premiere, Marys Seacole was produced in Washington, D.C., London, Chicago, and Connecticut prior to its Virginia debut.

Christiana Mitchell, Simona J. Holloway, and Cadessa Davis star in Marys Seacole, the extraordinary journey of a 19th-century Jamaican nurse, adventurer, and entrepreneur opening at Live Arts on Friday.

FOR FUN PUZZLES

SUDOKU

#1

#1

ACROSS

57. On a grand scale

60. Squishy space shuttle propeller?

63. Lean and tall

64. Former Missouri Congresswoman Bush

65. Company behind “Space Invaders” and “Bubble Bobble”

66. Remote button

67. Reunion attendee

68. Acquired relative

19. Mister, in M¸unster

Pail exclusively for celebrities? 22. Mad Libs prompt

Denver clock reading 24. Kong, e.g.

25. Tournament seeding

27. Pond dwellers

29. Encompassed by

33. Roll up

36. “Nick at ___”

38. More wintry

39. German attack craft of WWII

41. Swanson on “Parks & Recreation”

42. Play in the NHL

43. Metronome measurement

44. Italian beach resort

46. “What ___ can I do?”

47. Sneaky kind of horse?

49. One of Santa’s reindeer

51. Savage of “MythBusters”

53. Office machine still used by some businesses

54. Text messaging letters

69. Coin-op opening

70. Intense fury

71. Honeycomb units

DOWN

1. Twitch

2. Pushes to the limit

3. Held another meetin

4. Affirm with certainty

5. Home beverage center

6. Baby, for instance

7. Walrus feature

8. Add to a website, as a video

9. Repeated phrase

10. The average cricket player?

11. Cookie with a limited-edition Post Malone flavor

12. Grayish ear th tone

13. Knitting store supply

21. Fairy tale’s second word

26. Author Kingsley

27. Cold-weather wear that’ll help you get off the ground?

FOR FUN FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

By Rob Brezsny Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): Have you been struggling to summon the motivation to start anew in some area of your life? I predict that sometime in the coming weeks, you will find all the motivation you need. Have you been wishing you could shed the weight of the past and glide into a fresh project with unburdened mind and heart? I believe that destiny will soon conspire to assist you in this noble hope. Are you finally ready to exorcise a pesky ghost and dash jubilantly toward the horizon, eager to embrace your future? I think you are.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): The Hindu holiday of Maha Shivaratri is dedicated to overcoming ignorance and darkness in celebrants’ own lives and in the world. This year it falls on February 26. Even if you’re not Hindu, I recommend you observe your own personal version of it. To do so would be in accordance with astrological omens. They suggest that the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to be introspective, study your life and history, and initiate changes that will dispel any emotional or spiritual blindness you might be suffering from. P.S.: Remember that not all darkness is bad! But some is unhealthy and demoralizing, and that’s the kind you should banish and transmute.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): The blue whale is the most massive animal that has ever lived. You could swim through its arteries. Its heart is five feet high and weighs 400 pounds. And yet, when diving, its pulse slows to four to eight beats per minute. I propose we choose the blue whale to be your spirit creature in the coming weeks. May this magnificent beast inspire you to cultivate slow, potent rhythms that serve you better than hyperactivity. Let’s assume you will accomplish all you need by maintaining a steady, measured pace—by focusing on projects that require depth and diligence rather than speed. Your natural persistence will enable you to tackle tasks that might overwhelm those who lack your patience.

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): Over 10,000 years ago, someone walked for a mile through what’s now White Sands National Park in New Mexico. We know they did because they left footprints that were fossilized. Scientists believe it was probably a woman who mostly carried a child and sometimes let the child walk under its own power. Like those ancient footprints, your actions in the coming weeks may carry lasting significance—more than may be immediately apparent. I encourage you to proceed as if you are making a more substantial impact and having a bigger influence than you imagine.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the coming days, playing games could be good practice for life. Breezy exchanges and fun activities could stimulate clues and insights that will be useful in making important decisions. What appears to be ordinary entertainment or social engagement may provide you with profound lessons about strategy and timing. How you manage cooperation and competition in those lighter moments could yield useful guidance about more serious matters.

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): What’s the oldest known recipe? What ancient food product did our ancestors write down instructions about how to make? It was beer! The 4,000-year-old Sumerian text included a hymn to Ninkasi, the goddess of beer. It tells how to use the right ingredients and employ careful fermentation to concoct a beverage that lowers inhibitions and brings people together in convivial celebration. In that spirit, Cancerian, I encourage you to meditate on the elements you can call on to create merrymaking and connection. Now is a good time to approach this holy task with extra focus and purposefulness.

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): In November 1963, the captain of a sardine boat sailing near Iceland noticed a column of dark smoke rising out of the water. Was it another boat on fire? No, it was the beginning of a volcanic eruption. A few days later, steady explosions had created a new island, Surtsey, which still exists today. I suspect you will have a metaphorically comparable power in the coming weeks, Leo: an ability to generate a new creation out of fervent energies rising out of the hot depths. Be alert! And be ready to harness and make constructive use of the primal force.

Virgo

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson was a 10th-century Danish king. He united the tribes of Denmark into a single kingdom. His nickname originated in the fact that he had a prominent dead tooth that turned bluish-gray. More than 10 centuries later, engineers who created a new shortrange wireless technology decided to call their invention “bluetooth.” Why? Because

they imagined it would serve a variety of electronic devices, just as the king once blended the many tribes. In the spirit of these bluetooth phenomena, I’m urging you Virgos to be a uniter in the coming weeks and months. You will have an enhanced capacity to bridge different worlds and link disparate groups. P.S.: An aspect that could be construed as an imperfection, like Harald’s tooth, could conceal or signify a strength.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran author Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, “Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake.” I know from experience there’s truth in that idea. But I’m happy to tell you that in 2025, freedom will be less heavy and less burdensome than maybe ever before in your life. In fact, I suspect liberation will be relatively smooth and straightforward for you. It won’t be rife with complications and demands, but will be mostly fun and pleasurable. Having said that, I do foresee a brief phase when working on freedom will be a bit more arduous: the next few weeks. The good news is that your emancipatory efforts will set the stage for more ease during the rest of 2025.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov.21): Always and forever, the world is a delicate balance of seemingly opposing forces that are in fact interwoven and complementary: light and shadow, determination and surrender, ascent and descent, fullness and emptiness, progress and integration, yes and no. The apparent polarities need and feed each other. In the coming weeks, I invite you to meditate on these themes. Are there areas of your life where you have been overly focused on one

side of the scale while neglecting the other? If so, consider the possibility of recalibrating. Whether you are balancing emotion with logic, rest with work, or connection with independence, take time to adjust. If you honor both halves of each whole, you will generate fertile harmonies.

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec.21): The ancient stands of cedar trees on Japan’s Yakushima Island have a special power. They create weather patterns for themselves, generating rain clouds from the water vapor they release through their leaves. This ingenious stroke of self-nurturing provides them with the exact rainfall they require. I propose that we make these cedar trees your power symbol in the coming weeks. It’s an excellent time for you to dream up and implement more of the conditions you need to flourish.

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Tardigrades are tiny, eightlegged animals colloquially known as water bears or moss piglets. Their resilience is legendary. They can thrive anywhere, from mountaintops to the deep sea, from Antarctica to tropical rainforests. They can withstand extreme temperatures, live a long time without water, and even survive in outer space. I propose we make the tardigrade your power creature for the coming weeks, dear Capricorn. Your flexibility and fluidity will be at a peak. You will be hardy, supple, and durable. It will be a favorable time to leave your comfort zone and test your mettle in new environments. Seemingly improbable challenges may be well within your range of adaptability.

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

JOIN US!

Join the Team at C-VILLE Weekly as an Account Executive! For over 35 years, C-VILLE Weekly has been the go-to source for news, arts, culture, food, and events that make our city one of the best places to live. Now, we’re looking for a driven and dynamic Account Executive to join our advertising sales team!

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a powerful local brand that connects with every aspect of life in our vibrant city.

• Work in a fast-paced, creative environment alongside a hardworking and supportive team.

• Enjoy a hybrid, full-time role with competitive salary, great perks, and excellent benefits.

What We’re Looking For:

• A fearless self-starter ready to manage established client accounts and develop new business opportunities.

• Sales experience is a big plus (bonus points if you’re familiar with the local real estate scene!).

• Someone who thrives in a collaborative online and print publishing environment.

If you’re ready to help grow one of the most trusted and beloved local media brands, we’d love to hear from you!

Apply Today and take your next career step with C-VILLE Weekly. Send your resume to anna@c-ville.com

EOE

classifieds.c-ville.com

We’re eager to hear from candidates who share our passion for serving the community for the following positions.

$16-$18 per hour

each

Legals

LEGAL NOTICE

CASE NO. PUR-2024-00211

On August 7, 2024, the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) issued an Order Directing Evidentiary Proceeding, Pilot and Improvements to the Interconnection Process (“Order”) in Case No. PUR-2022-00073. This Order, among other things, directed that a separate evidentiary proceeding be convened on Virginia Electric and Power Company’s (“Dominion” or “Company”) requirements surrounding the use of dark fiber-optic cables for direct transfer trip (“DTT”). In Case No. PUR-2022-00073, parties raised concerns surrounding the costs of DTT as well as concerns regarding maintaining grid safety and reliability with the addition of significant levels of utility distributed energy resources (“DER”). As such, in its Order the Commission found that DTT-related issues raised in Case No. PUR-2022-00073 warranted a formal evidentiary proceeding, which would allow parties to establish a robust factual record on the use of DTT by Dominion to interconnect generation facilities subject to the Regulations Governing Interconnection of Small Electrical Generators and Storage, and the Regulations Governing Net Energy Metering, and to establish a record on possible related alternatives which are not unduly burdensome and expensive. The Order directed Dominion to make a filing in a new docket, on or before November 15, 2024, that: (i) proposes revisions to its terms and conditions applicable to interconnection customers and net metering customers and (ii) addresses certain issues specified in the Order.

On November 15, 2024, Dominion filed its petition (“Petition”) in the instant docket. In its Petition, the Company proposes criteria for interconnections requiring fiber based DTT. To determine if a generation site requires DTT, the Company proposes to use a load to generation ratio (“LTGR”) screen. Dominion asserts that the LTGR screen would be done on a threephase interrupting device upline from the proposed generator, where the total light loading realized by the interrupting device would be divided by the aggregate generation of each protective device. According to the Company, if the ratio is less than 3:1, the DER developer or customer would be required to install DTT from the upline device to the proposed site. The Company claims that the LTGR screen would ensure that all electrical sources connected to the distribution system without DTT would experience a minimum of three times more load than generation during a fault event when disconnected from the distribution system, which would ensure that the generator would promptly disconnect during fault conditions.

As part of its Petition, in compliance with a directive in the Order, Dominion presents potential alternatives to DTT, specifically: (i) minimum import protection and (ii) ground switch. In addition to these two alternatives, the Company states that it is currently piloting dual carrier cellular as an alternative to fiber as the primary communication medium to transmit a DTT signal for midsized net metering projects ranging from 250 kilowatts to 1 megawatt.

Dominion states that, while various alternatives currently exist, DTT remains a viable, responsible, and dependable protection solution that: (i) provides grid safety and reliability; (ii) provides Dominion with a dependable tool to ensure public and personnel safety during fault and islanding conditions; (iii) directly signals the DER to disconnect in the event of a fault and/ or an island, making it highly reliable for system protection; and (iv) has several advantages, including providing a nearinstantaneous response by directly commanding DER to trip, remaining effective regardless of loadgeneration balance or system conditions, and minimizing nuisance trips and avoiding unnecessary disconnection of DER.

Interested persons are encouraged to review Dominion’s Petition and supporting documents in full for additional details of the Company’s proposals in this case.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing in this proceeding that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on Dominion’s Petition. A hearing for the receipt of testimony from public witnesses on the Company’s Petition shall be convened telephonically at 10 a.m. on September 30, 2025. On or before September 23, 2025, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission: (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Commission to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by filling out a form on the Commission’s website at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or (iii) by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting.

Beginning at 10 a.m. on September 30, 2025, the Commission will telephone sequentially each person who has signed up to testify as provided above.

On September 30, 2025, at 10 a.m., or at the conclusion of the public witness portion of the hearing, whichever is later, in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, the Commission will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence related to the Petition from the Company, any respondents, and the Staff of the Commission (“Staff”).

To promote administrative efficiency and timely service of filings upon participants, the

Commission has directed the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings, unless they contain confidential information, and required electronic service on parties to this proceeding.

An electronic copy of the Company’s Petition may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company: Jontille D. Ray, Esquire, McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or jray@mcguirewoods.com Interested persons may also download unofficial copies of the Petition and the public version of other documents filed in this case from the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/pages/ Case-Information.

On or before September 23, 2025, any interested person may submit comments on the Petition by following the instructions found on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia. gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to submit comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00211.

Interested persons that wish to file written comments or testimony may consider discussing, among any other remarks, the following topics:

• Describe under what circumstances, if any, DTT should be required;

• The operational considerations supporting any proposed use of DTT and/or any alternatives to DTT, including perceived benefits and limitations of those options (such as the feasibility, effectiveness, latency, grid safety and reliability, cybersecurity, availability, location and project size of each alternative);

• Any response to the information provided by Dominion in its Petition;

• Detail any specific projects submitted to Dominion for which, in your view, DTT should not have been required;

• Provide examples of projects constructed in other jurisdictions by a utility with similar operational characteristics (such as similar voltage levels) to Dominion, but where DTT was not required; and

• Provide any additional information that would be useful for the Commission to know in ruling on this issue.

On or before April 15, 2025, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation with the Clerk of the Commission at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel to the Company, any other respondents and Staff electronically as described above. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, 5 VAC 5-20-10 et seq. (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00211. For additional information about participation as a respondent, any person or entity should obtain a copy of the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing.

On or before August 12, 2025, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. Any respondent unable, as a practical matter, to file testimony and exhibits electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. All testimony and exhibits shall be served electronically on the Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with their filing. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Rules of Practice, as modified herein, including, but not limited to: 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR2024-00211.

Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Rules of Practice.

The Company’s Petition, the Commission’s Rules of Practice, the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, and other documents filed in the case may be viewed at: scc.virginia. gov/pages/Case-Information.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR APPROVAL OF ITS 2024 DSM UPDATE PURSUANT TO § 56-585.1 A 5 OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA CASE NO. PUR-2024-00222

• Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to: implement demand-side management (“DSM”) programs, which include one new program, one pilot, five redesigned programs, and a modification to the measure mix of the Phase XI Residential Income and Age Qualifying Bundled energy efficiency (“EE”) Program to supplement the overall DSM Portfolio; and to revise its Riders C1A and C4A, through which Dominion recovers the costs of its DSM programs.

• Dominion requests a total of $96,647,628 for its 2025 Riders C1A and C4A. According to Dominion, this amount would increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatthours of electricity per month by $0.04.

• A Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold the telephonic portion of the hearing in this case on May 19, 2025, at 10 a.m., for the receipt of public witness testimony.

• An evidentiary hearing will be held on May 19, 2025, at 10 a.m., or at the conclusion of the public witness portion of the hearing, whichever is later, in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to receive the testimony and evidence of the Company, any respondents, and Commission Staff.

• Further information about this case is available on the Commission’s website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information

On December 13, 2024, Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion” or “Company”) made a filing pursuant to § 56-585.1 A 5 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”); the Rules Governing Utility Rate Applications and Annual Informational Filings of Investor-Owned Electric Utilities of the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”), 20 VAC 5-204-5 et seq.; the Commission’s Rules Governing Utility Promotional Allowances, 20 VAC 5-303-10 et seq.; the Commission’s Rules Governing Cost/Benefit Measures Required for Demand-Side Management Programs, 20 VAC 5-304-10 et seq.; the Commission’s Rules Governing the Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification of the Effects of Utility Sponsored Demand-Side Management Programs, 20 VAC 5-318-10 et seq.; and the directive contained in Ordering Paragraph (4) of the Commission’s July 26, 2024 Final Order in Case No. PUR-2023-00217. Specifically, Dominion filed with the Commission an application requesting: (1) approval to implement demand-side management programs (individually, “DSM Program” or “Program” and collectively with other DSM Programs, the “DSM Portfolio”) as “Phase XIII,” which includes one new program, one pilot, five redesigned programs, and a modification to the measure mix of the Phase XI Residential Income and Age Qualifying Bundled energy efficiency (“EE”) Program to supplement the overall DSM Portfolio; and (2) approval of an annual update to continue the rate adjustment clauses designated Riders C1A and C4A (collectively, the “Application”).

In its Application, the Company requests approval to implement the following DSM Programs as the Company’s “Phase XIII” programs, which include EE and “demand response” (“DR”) DSM Programs, as these terms are defined by Code § 56-576:

• Residential Smart Thermostat (DR) (Redesigned)

• Non-residential Small Business Improvement (EE) (Redesigned)

• Non-residential Data Center (EE) (Redesigned)

• Non-residential Enhanced Prescriptive (EE) (Redesigned)

• Non-residential Curtailment (DR) (New program)

• Non-residential Distributed Generation (DR) (Redesigned)

• Residential Battery Storage Pilot (DR)

Dominion requests authorization to operate the non-pilot Phase XIII DSM Programs without predetermined closure dates. Dominion proposes an aggregate total cost cap for the Phase XIII programs in the amount of approximately $222.3 million. Additionally, the Company requests the ability to exceed the spending cap by no more than 15%.

The Company asserts that the total amount of spending proposed in this Application on EE programs, when combined with the Company’s prior requests for EE spending since the passage of the 2018 Grid Transformation and Security Act (“GTSA”), consists of approximately $933.9 million compared to the required $870 million, excluding any amount of projected lost revenues. Further, the Company asserts that the total amount of spending proposed in this Application on EE programs targeting low-income individuals, when combined with the Company’s prior requests for EE spending since the passage of the GTSA and the Virginia Clean Economy Act, consists of approximately $110 million of the proposed $933.9 million, excluding any amount of projected lost revenues.

The Company requests, through revised Riders C1A and C4A, recovery of projected costs for September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026 (“2025 Rate Year”), associated with the Phases II through XIII programs.

The two key components of the proposed Riders C1A and C4A are the Projected Revenue Requirement, which incorporates operating expenses for all programs and capital costs (including amortization expense related to the Phase X – Voltage Optimization Program) that are projected to be incurred during the 2025 Rate Year, and a Monthly True-Up Adjustment, which compares actual costs for the calendar year 2023 True-Up period to the actual revenues collected during the same period. In the Application, Dominion requests the following:

Interested persons are encouraged to review the Application and supporting documents for additional details of the Company’s proposals.

TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/ or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Application and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company’s Application and supporting documents.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on Dominion’s Application. On May 19, 2025, at 10 a.m., the Hearing Examiner will hold a telephonic hearing for the purpose of receiving the testimony of public witnesses. On or before May 12, 2025, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission: (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Hearing Examiner to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by filling out a form on the Commission’s website at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or (iii) by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting

Beginning at 10 a.m. on May 19, 2025, the Hearing Examiner will telephone sequentially each person who has signed up to testify as provided above.

On May 19, 2025, at 10 a.m., or at the conclusion of the public witness portion of the hearing, whichever is later, in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, the Hearing Examiner will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence from the Company, any respondents, and the Commission Staff. Should the evidentiary hearing continue past May 19, 2025, the proceedings will thereafter be carried out virtually.

To promote administrative efficiency and timely service of filings upon participants, the Commission has directed the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings, unless they contain confidential information, and required electronic service on parties to this proceeding.

Electronic copies of the public version of the Application may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company, Vishwa B. Link, Esquire, McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or vlink@mcguirewoods.com Interested persons also may download unofficial copies of the public version of the Application and other documents filed in this case from the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/pages/ Case-Information

On or before May 12, 2025, any interested person may submit comments on the Application by following the instructions found on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/ Submit-Public-Comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to submit comments electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00222.

On or before March 17, 2025, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation electronically on counsel to the Company, any other respondents, and Commission Staff as described above. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice, any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by Rule 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00222. For additional information about participation as a respondent, any person or entity should obtain a copy of the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing

If the proposed Riders C1A and C4A for the 2025 Rate Year are approved, the impact on customer bills would depend on the customer’s rate schedule and usage. According to the Company, implementation of the proposed Riders C1A and C4A, and the withdrawal of Rider C2A, on September 1, 2025, would increase the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month by $0.04. The Company represents that it has calculated the revised rates for Riders C1A and C4A in accordance with the same methodology approved in Case No. PUR-2023-00217.

Dominion states that the Company has complied with the Commission directives and filing requirements relevant to this instant filing, specifically the Commission’s directives in its Final Order in the Company’s Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification (“EM&V”) proceeding, Case No. PUR-2020-00156. The Company requests Commission approval of Phase XIII Program EM&V Plans.

On or before March 24, 2025, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, at scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. Any respondent unable, as a practical matter, to file testimony and exhibits electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. All testimony and exhibits shall be served electronically on Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with its filing. In all filings, respondents shall comply with the Commission’s Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service; and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2024-00222.

Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice.

The public version of the Company’s Application and other documents filed in this case, the Commission’s Rules of Practice, and the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing may be viewed at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information

P.S. HAIKUS FROM THE HEART

Love at first write

Again this year, C-VILLE asked readers to capture the beauty, agony, or mystery of love—in just 17 syllables. They signed, sealed, and delivered haikus that both broke our hearts and put them back together. Here’s our winner and 10 runners-up. Happy Valentine’s Day!

FIRST PLACE

The wise wind sighs, time To soar, sweetest butterfly; I’ll never let go.

—Jason Stajduhar

RUNNERS-UP

True lovers are we Of passion, bliss and concord Just not each other.

—Anne Olsson Loebs

A crumb shared with you, golden light warms empty hands— love, a quiet feast.

—Winslow Whiskerby

An aha moment—

“Let love be the path you take; arise, and go forth...”

—James Irving Mann

Sweethearts in high school Dysfunctional marriages Last chapter so sweet

Martha Coates

It’s cold out today, we should heat it up right now. Meet me in the bed.

Tim Parker

Still just friends. Orange embers glow, giving hope, he mouths “elephant shoe.”

Sandy McGinnis

Oh my racing heart Long black hair flies behind him As he bikes past me

Sadie Rementer

You’re the funny one in this family, you said. How you made me shine!

Cynthia Woodring

You and the salt air My one constant memory Just like an anchor

Mary Courts

My roots tell my tale, Melanin rich, bold, and proud, History lives on.

Favor Muriuki