C-VILLE Weekly | August 16 - 22, 2023

Another one off the bus: Transportation problems plague city and county schools PAGE 9

This summer's new deep-sea creature feature Meg 2 is all shark and no bite PAGE 35

Home grown

Rod Walker helps fight the spread of invasive plants in Virginia National

Day | August 17th

PAGES 21-29

FEATURE 18

Root of the matter

Virginia’s

NEWS 7

8 Dairy Market neighbors organize to protest phase three.

9 City and county still struggling with school bus driver shortage

10 Real Estate Weekly: An update on area development projects.

CULTURE 31

33 Feedback: Baaba Seth reunites for a show at T he Southern

35 Screens: Meg 2: The Trench gets lost at sea.

40 Sudoku

41 Crossword

43 Free Will Astrology

CLASSIFIED 44

P.S. 46

The Big Picture Berlin Wall falls at UVA.

CLARIFICATION

Last week’s feature on Champion Hospitality Group incorrectly implied that Gordonsville Ice House had closed. In truth, “we’re doing better than ever,” says Michael Rosen.

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HAPPENINGS

AUG 16

4PM | South & Central $15 STEAK NIGHT

7PM | Starr Hill TRIVIA NIGHT

AUG 17

6PM | Dairy Market

KARAOKE NIGHT W/ THUNDER MUSIC

AUG 18

6PM | Starr Hill

LIVE MUSIC: MATTHEW O'DONNELL

7PM | South & Central TIKI NIGHT

AUG 20

11 AM | Starr Hill STARR HILL RUN CLUB

12 PM | Brigid & Bess MINI MAKERS MARKET

AUG 21

7PM | South & Central MUSIC & BURGER NIGHT

AUG 22

4PM | Starr Hill

VINYL NIGHT

4PM | South & Central

TACO TUESDAY

SCAN QR CODE FOR EVENT

DETAILS

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946 Grady Ave Charlottesville, VA 22903

tree farmer of the year on his fight against invasive plants’ hostile takeover.

Hello, Charlottesville! Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly. I wasn’t much interested in science growing up. I briefly wanted to be a paleontologist, but the dream died in elementary school, and high school biology just confused me further. Physics was about the only thing that clicked for me, specifically the flow of electricity, because it seemed to be more strictly logical than the world of plants and animals. I know now that biology can be just as straightforward and mathematical, but at the time, looking at a closed circuit made more sense to me than trying to suss out how a rabbit respirates.

Despite my public school struggles in the sciences, at C-VILLE we’ve had the opportunity to feature many cover stories and news pieces on health, computer engineering, and the environment. And this week’s feature story (p. 18), written by Carol Diggs, is right in that vein. Meet Rod Walker: Virginia’s tree farmer of the year and a key player in the commonwealth’s fight against invasive species. Walker helped organize Blue Ridge PRISM—the Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management—a nonprofit that covers a dozen counties around Shenandoah National Park. The piece also includes some advice and information that can help you identify and combat invasive species.

8.16.23

I’ve always been nervous about planting a garden of my own. I definitely don’t have a green thumb. But the thought of planting native species to help the bugs and birds trying to survive out there in the heat is pretty exciting.—Richard

DiCicco

WEDNESDAY,

TRASH

NEWS IN BRIEF

Downstream

In the wake of major water damage to Charlottesville City Hall, several offices have been relocated for the duration of the extensive repair process. The offices of the City Treasurer, Commissioner of the Revenue, and Neighborhood Development Services are among those that have been temporarily moved. For information about other relocated offices, the city recommends visiting the Ambassador Kiosk in front of City Hall.

Slam-dunk summer

Sky-high temps didn’t deter area basketball players and fans, who braved the heat for the Tonsler League AllStar Weekend August 12 and 13.

On Saturday, the self-described “#1 Premier Summer Basketball League in Virginia” hosted three-point and dunk contests and an all-star game. They cranked the heat up even higher on the “concrete jungle” on Sunday for a series of junior, peewee, and women’s games, all leading up to the much-anticipated finals face-off between Takeover and Supreme Skillz.

Although it was close, Supreme Skillz came out on top. Tae “MealzzzOnWheelzzz” Mealy was named the most valuable player of the finals, putting up an impressive 21 points, 14 rebounds, and two assists during the second round.

Off the beaten path

The City of Charlottesville recently announced two major sidewalk closures, one of which will be in effect until early next summer. The Eighth Street NE sidewalk between East Jefferson and West High streets will be shut down until June 2, 2024. In addition, the southern stretch of 400 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall will be closed until August 31.

Sanders appoints two

On August 8, new Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders announced his appointment of Michael Thomas as fire chief and Steven Hicks as interim deputy city manager for operations. In addition to more than 30 years of experience in fire and emergency services, Sanders says Thomas’ handling of the department during his time as Charlottesville’s interim fire chief proved that he was the right person for the job. Prior to his appointment as interim deputy city manager of operations, Hicks served as the senior transportation project manager in the engineering division of the Public Works department.

Started in 2010 as the Banks College Basketball Association, the Tonsler League has exploded since Wes Bellamy took over in 2022. Bellamy renamed the league after Benjamin Tonsler, a local entrepreneur, leader, and former principal of the first Black school in Charlottesville.

Following tryouts and a draft, the league hosts games three nights a week throughout the summer. This year’s men’s roster had plenty of talent on a dozen teams with clever names like Team Splikak, U-Train, Ballywood, and Sweetlick.

Despite the seriousness of the competition, the Tonsler League boasts an “infectious, family-like atmosphere” that keeps fans and players returning year after year.

Move-in madness

The season of slightly less traffic in Charlottesville comes to an end this weekend when students return to Grounds for move-in days, which run from Thursday, August 17, to Sunday, August 20.

Expect busier-than-usual roads all four days, with the bulk of the traffic jams likely to occur on August 17 and 18, when first-year students move into dorms.

To dodge some of the chaos, avoid Route 29, Emmet Street, McCormick and Alderman roads, Jefferson Park Avenue, and

especially the Corner. (And maybe stay away from Barracks Road, Target, and Walmart.) While Wertland, 14th, 15th, and 16th streets NW may not be too crowded during the day, stay off those roads at night—unless you want to inadvertently be part of the pandemonium that is UVA’s back-to-school block party.

Oh, and a word to the wise: If you’re going out this weekend, allow extra time and watch for clueless pedestrians and out-oftown drivers.

“We must out-organize the right in majority white communities to prevent more Unite the Right Rallies or January 6’s from happening.”

Erin Heaney, executive director of Showing Up for Racial Justice, on the sixth anniversary of A12

STEVE MORRIS

They cranked the heat up even higher on the “concrete jungle.”

Tae

“MealzzzOnWheelzzz” Mealy, the championship game’s MVP, contests a shot during the Tonsler League All-Star Weekend.

Several City Hall offices have been relocated while repairs are made following damage from a water leak.

Out... Hang

Respect the neighbors

10th and Page residents organize against the proposed expansion of Dairy Market

By Catie Ratliff reporter@c-ville.com

After a tense community meeting this July, Stony Point Development Group President Chris Henry has temporarily paused plans to meet with the Charlottesville Planning Commission about phase 3 of the Dairy Market expansion. The proposed project would encroach on the location of several local businesses, bring in new high-rise apartments, and triple the size of Dairy Market’s footprint.

With more eyes on the development proposal than ever before, community members are highlighting the project’s potentially harmful impact on their neighborhood by organizing groups like Respect the Neighbors.

Vizena Howard, president of the 10th and Page Neighborhood Association, has lived in Charlottesville for most of her life. Following a string of broken promises during phase 1 of the project, Howard is critical of Dairy Market’s impact on her neighborhood, and hesitant to believe promises from developers.

“I would like to see it not being as large as they say it’s going to be because we already have a problem with parking ... adding more apartments is gonna be worse,” says Howard. “My concern is … if they’re doing this project, they take away the laundromat … what are [we] gonna get? Are they putting anything back? Are you just taking over the whole area the way you want?”

“I think we’re gonna have some meetings and get everybody’s ideas and put it together and fight for our rights,” she says.

“That’s what we can do. I mean, we all know

what the outcome will be, but I think we’re gonna have enough voices to go ahead.”

Howard’s granddaughter, activist Zyahna Bryant, has been heavily involved in the organizing effort. “I think they have no one reminding them of these things on the inside,” she says. “The expectation is that the neighborhood association, my grandmother, other neighbors will come to [Henry] and spoon-feed him, these things that your DEI or your professional development would tell you on the inside. … Their business model is not built around engaging in the community at its very core. And so since they don’t have that perspective, it’s just an afterthought every single time.”

The feeling of dismissal by developers contributed to the creation of Respect the Neighbors. Since the initial required community meeting held by developers in July, the group has been meeting and leading efforts to increase community engagement at meetings, including Planning Commission and City Council meetings.

While no part of the development is yet in front of City Council, Mayor Lloyd Snook says city leadership, including new City Manager Sam Sanders, is stepping up to help moderate the conversation between residents and developers.

“Matters of the community are important matters to me,” said Sanders at the August 7 City Council meeting ahead of the public comment window. “As I watched the [SPDG community] meeting I became alarmed … there were a number of things that did not sit well with me as well.”

Sanders also mentioned that he has met with Henry and “stressed to him that I do believe it is important for a community benefits agreement to be considered.”

Concerned community members showed up in force to the City Council meeting, with several people using the opportunity to explain their concerns. “I see the future of this city going in a direction that prioritizes incoming new residents that are wealthy white professional workers instead of marginalized community members who have been living in this town for decades,” said Anna Malo. “Stony Point has shown they are … not equipped to listen or fulfill the needs of community members in Charlottesville.”

Despite a strong neighborhood organizing effort, many residents are still skeptical that their actions won’t have an impact on the development. “I have no confidence in City Council,” says Ralph Brown, reverend at CH Brown Christian Center. “They’re gonna be there and do what’s best for them, and then they move on.”

While Brown is not confident in city leadership, he sees other routes for developers to engage the community, including hiring local Black builders and putting promises to the community in writing.

“A very real document has to be put to paper,” says Brown. “You’ve got to make a commitment as a developer, to either identify someone in the African American community to operate a store or get a memorandum of understanding of somebody that you’re putting in there that they will keep prices or have prices as what we call affordable for the poor people that are living nearby.”

“Whenever you have people feeling like they don’t matter, you have a problem. And they consider it an insult,” says Brown. “When you start to affect the lives of people, it’s a throwback to Vinegar Hill.”

At press time, SPDG has not rescheduled its meeting with the Planning Commission.

Phase three of the Dairy Market expansion has 10th and Page residents worried that the project will negatively impact their neighborhood.

OF CHARLOTTESVILLE

Stopping short

Hundreds of ACPS and CCS students won’t have a seat on a bus this year

By Catie Ratliff reporter@c-ville.com

With the start of a new school year just days away, hundreds of students in Charlottesville City and Albemarle County Public Schools will be without bus seats on August 23, the first day of school.

For CCS students, the transportation situation largely mirrors last year’s, with the same walk zones and creative solutions like walking school buses. Though some families may be waitlisted at the start of the year, Community Relations Liaison Amanda Korman says more students will be assigned seats on buses soon. “The city is taking a conservative approach to assigning bus seats for the beginning of the school year to ensure that all high-need students are covered,” says Korman. “Within the first month of school, we expect to be able to significantly increase the number of students who have a seat on the bus.”

In early August, nearly 900 ACPS families received notice that their students would not have bus seats this year. “I am writing to inform you that we cannot assign [your student] to a bus route for the 2023-24 school year,” the letter said. “You must provide transportation for [your student] to and from school or seek alternative transportation arrangements, such as carpooling.”

While the district currently employs around 148 bus drivers, ACPS needs approximately 160 drivers to meet the high demand, according to Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Officer Phil Giaramita.

“As a result of the shortage, there are about 1,000 children for whom there’s no driver assigned to the route,” says Giaramita. “Since there’s not a driver assigned to the route, that bus won’t operate.” How-

ever, Giaramita is hopeful that the gap in service will be temporary for most, if not all, impacted families.

“We have historically had [bus service requests] for about 10,000 students, but actually only 6,000 show up on a regular basis,” he says. “After the first couple of weeks of school when things stabilize a little bit, we’ll have closer to what the actual number of riders [is] going to be. … That will allow us to redeploy drivers and that’ll help us restore service to even more kids who are now on the waitlist.”

Despite Giaramita’s optimism about restoring service, many families without bus service are currently struggling to sort out transportation for the fast-approaching start of school.

“Being at the school board meeting last week and giving public comments, one of the things that became very clear was that distance was not considered … for the families that were going to lose bus service,” says ACPS School Board candidate Allison Spillman. “The majority of people that lost bus service for their children are not in walking zones and don’t have a safe route to school. So their only option is to drive their kids to school.”

“We live 6.5 miles from Walton Middle School,” says ACPS mother Amy Foster. For working parents like Foster and her husband, dropping students off by 9am and picking them up at 4:05pm is difficult. Though the Fosters are currently coordinat ing a carpool to help out other nearby families, that solution has complications.

“I’m going to try to take as many kids as I can and also work with my work schedule … which means taking work calls in the car,” says Foster. “The signal down the road to Walton is not very [good], so we’re just going to have to do the best we can because there are no other options.”

With a dozen drivers currently on staff, CCS needs six to 10 more bus drivers, while ACPS needs at least 12 more.

STAFF PHOTO

3614 MOFFAT STREET 17 JONQUIL ROAD

UNDER CONTRACT IN 4 DAYS!

take in the view of Carter Mountain. As youenter you are greeted by a foyer to welcome your guests. Around the corner you will see your open floorplan with 10’ ceiling & tons of natural light cascading througha wall of windows. The kitchen has an abundance of cabinetry, an oversized island, tile backsplash, and quartz countertops. Don’t miss the big pantry. The open diningarea and living room gives flexibility to layout your furniture. Step through the sliding glass doors to your private patio. Don’t stress, because the lawncare is covered.Downstairs also includes your primary suite with spa-like bathroom and large closet. The laundry room completes the main level. Head upstairs to find two bigbedrooms each with a walk-in closet and a full bath. The upstairs loft is a perfect family room or home office. The two-car garage and driveway give ample privateparking. The Avinity community includes a dog park, playground, full gym, clubhouse, weekly food trucks along with wine socials & neighborhood BBQs. All this justminutes from Downtown, UVA, two hospitals, and I-64. Come see your new home! $525,000

172 GLEBE LANE

SOLD!

The Antioch Glen neighborhood is one of the best kept secrets with large lots and a neighborhood feel! As you approach the home, you will see a lovely covered front porch perfect for relaxing as you greet your guests. The two story foyer creates an impactful entrance. You can follow the beautiful hardwood floors into the living room and wrap around to the dining room. As you go into the kitchen you will see great cabinet storage and countertop space. The kitchen overlooks a breakfast area and the family room with a gas fireplace and built in cabinetry. Off the family room is a back deck. A fenced portion of the backyard keeps children and pets safe and close while still giving the option of utilizing the rest of the yard.

$440,000

SOLD IN 5 DAYS!

This wonderful single level home is ready for you!

The first thing you will notice is the wonderful curb appeal with beautiful landscaping. As you enter, you are greeted by an open floorplan with a vaulted ceiling to create a wonderful great room. Sit in the living room to enjoy your fireplace or go into the updated eat-in kitchen with gorgeous quartz countertops, great cabinet space including an additional built-in pantry. Down the hall you will find your large master bedroom with attached bath and gigantic closet. There are two more bedrooms, one of which has another walk-in closet. At the end of the hall is a spacious laundry room with storage space plus counterspace for sorting and folding. Outside you’ll find a back patio giving you a wonderful place to BBQ.

$325,000

If You Are Thinking of Selling Your House, Call Sharon!

ARROWHEAD VALLEY ROAD

Charming cottage set on 5 acres. Gourmet kitchen with gas range. Family room features hardwood floors, wood beams and a stone fireplace. Property offers lots of outdoor space, beautiful stone wall and mature trees. Convenient to downtown and UVA.

SEMINOLE TRAIL

This property is currently zoned R-1. However, Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan projects this land to be Urban Density. A 12” water line runs along Rt. 29. Currently being used for Agriculture.County says best use would be multi-family housing as property is adjacent to Forest Lakes South and Hollymead. Part of this Property fronts Derby Lane in Hollymead.

VILLA DESTE

Fabulous, nearly level building lot in the heart of Ivy. A beautiful, private 5 acres with mature oak trees. Murray Elementary school district. $375,000

7 BR | 9.5 BA | 88.86ACRES | 11605SQ. FT

Quintessential Brick Georgian sited on over 88 Acres near the Heart of Charlottesville, in Albemarle County.

Upon entry you are met with the stunning visual of rolling hills, Impressive Brick Manor Home & All expectations of the views of the Blue Ridge. Property features Miles of Trails touring the estate; 6/10ths of a mile along the South Fork of the Rivanna. Enjoy your private outdoors. Natural Beaches, a Campsite Area, Hunting, Fishing and Entertaining in your Saline Infinity Pool, Pickleball Court, Impressive garden, Stocked Pond & endless possibilities. Sprawling Main Level Living at its finest. 7 Bedrooms, 9.5 Bathrooms, Sauna,Dual Master Baths & Cedar Closet, Game Room, Sun Drenched Gym with Sunning Patio. Enjoy the Mountain Views in this Must See Gem only 4 Miles to Downtown

8901 CHESTNUT GROVE RD

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

3203 COMMUNITY HOUSE RD

30 mins to Pantops & 30 mins to Short Pump! IDEAL LOCATION!

Renovated & Move in Ready Ranch on 4 Acres. HUGE 24 X 31 Garage with LIFT;s teel exterior, concrete foundation 8” deep under lift & 5” deep elsewhere. Separate 120 AMP to garage... sufficient for welding or other workshop needs. Creek runs through the property from a natural spring. Triple Osmosis Water Filtration System. Water Heater

122 JEFFERSON HWY

Timber Oaks Subdivision is a shovel ready Mixed-Use Development with a Variety of Housing types as well as 2 Commercial Blocks on Route 33.Conceptual Plans include 2 Entrances; 2 Phases & 3 Blocks. From Route 33 the Commercial block is located at the entrance followed by a Higher Density Residential Block and then Lower Density Single Family Block at Pine Ridge Dr Entrance. This also includes almost 4 acres for Green Space (IE: Park; Playground; Tree Preservation Area). Opportunity Awaits!

Taking stock

A snapshot of local development projects

By Sean Tubbs

At press time, we’re still waiting for the final details of how Charlottesville’s future zoning rules will enable construction of more dwelling units on every single lot across the city. A public hearing and vote on the development code is expected before the end of the year. In the meantime, larger projects on larger plots of land are making their way through the existing system.

Earlier this month, the Charlottesville Planning Commission recommended approval of a special use permit for Woodard Properties to allow additional density at 501 Cherry Ave. for a total of 118 dwelling units. As part of that project, Piedmont Housing Alliance is expected to partner to build at least 60 affordable units.

The developer has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Fifeville Neighborhood Association to govern how neighbors might benefit from the project, including space for two nonprofits. Twice is Nice has announced it will move there when the project is complete.

However, the Planning Commission on the same evening put an obstacle in the way of the development of 245 units on land along the Rivanna River that would be elevated out of the floodplain. The five commissioners present voted unanimously that the city’s acceptance of land from the project for public purposes would not be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. How that affects the project’s future remains to be seen.

The August 8 Planning Commission meeting as well as the City Council meeting the night before was attended in force by people representing the new Respect the Neighbors movement, a group formed

FOX RUN

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

MONTE SERENO

13.68 ACRE PARCEL. Five approved lots ranging from 2 to 51/2 acres. All surveying, engineering, plots, and paved road completed. Stunning Blue Ridge views to the west. Far reaching vistas define this property, Monte Sereno. Perfect for building a spectacular estate home on a total of 13.68 acres or a unique subdivision, with your own covenants and restrictions. High speed internet available. Located in Northern Albemarle. Less than 10 minutes to all conveniences. One owner is a Virginia licensed real estate broker. $1,500,000

to protest additional development at Dairy Market by the Stony Point Development Group (see story on page 8). In his first meeting as City Manager, Sam Sanders announced he has begun negotiations with Chris Henry, the firm’s president.

“As he decides to move forward on his project, I stress to him that I do believe it is important for a community benefits agreement to be considered,” Sanders says.

Stony Point Development Group has not yet filed any applications with the city for the expansion.

Council could soon see rezonings for a nine-story building at 2117 Ivy Rd. and a 10-story building at 104 Stadium Rd. What has been requested in both projects comes close to the maximum amount allowed under the draft zoning.

In the past year, council has approved rezonings for 170 units at 240 Stribling Ave., 119 units at 2005 Jefferson Park Ave., and 72 units at Mount View Baptist Church.

Council also continues to spend at least $10 million a year to subsidize construction of new units.

The first 20 households recently moved in to the first homes built as part of the newly rebranded Kindlewood (formerly known as Friendship Court). The overall project will see 150 townhouse units expanded to more than 400 apartments and townhomes. This initial phase includes 46 replacement units as well as 60 units that will be rented to households with incomes between 30 and 60 percent of the area median. Residents are also returning to Crescent Halls after its renovation by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. In addition, that agency has completed its purchase of dozens of affordable rental units from Woodard Properties.

Larger projects on larger plots of land are making their way through the existing system.

Annie Gould Gallery

Families have begun moving in at Kindlewood, which, when complete, will have more than 400 apartments and townhomes.

STAFF PHOTO

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

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

MEADOWLARK FARM

22-acre equestrian property with renovated 8,575± fin. sf home overlooking pool and Mechums River. Views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and only 12 miles from Charlottesville. MLS#640137 $3,195,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863 or Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

STONY POINTE

A spacious and meticulously maintained home on 57+ private and protected acres, 5 miles northeast of Charlottesville. Residence features 4-6 bedroom, 5 full and 2 half bath, large open floor plan on the main level, plus a deluxe gourmet kitchen and generous master suite. Other interior features include 3 bedroom and home office upstairs, plus 3,000 finished sq. ft. on the walkout terrace level. Panoramic views of the Southwest Mountains and to the west are winter views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. MLS#638292 $2,395,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

GREENFIELDS FARM

1904 manor home on 753 acres. Grand center hall floor plan. Great land, streams, and ponds. 48-stall horse barn, indoor riding, paddocks, and trails. 25 miles from the University of Virginia.

MLS#638899 $6,295,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863 or Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

HIDDEN FOX FARM

10 miles from town, near Free Union, 100+ acres, division rights, NO CONSERVATION EASEMENT! Spectacular Blue Ridge views from many homesites, several barns, stable, 2 ponds, creeks, FANTASTIC offering! MLS#638858 $4,400,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

NORTHWOODS

Magnificent 16.5 acre estate with stately circa 1860 main house. Renovated in 2017 with stunning kitchen remodel. Complemented by cottages and 5-bay carriage house. Gracious porches, terraces, and retaining walls. MLS#642190 $4,950,000 Court Nexsen 646.660.0700

WOODLANDS ROAD

Stunning 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath home with 4,115 fin.sq.ft. of immaculate living space situated on over 2 pristine and landscaped acres only 5 miles west of the City of Charlottesville. MLS#641366 $1,295,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076 or Will Faulconer, 434.987.9455

RED HILL

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

LAFAYETTE

Private estate on 92 acres in the heart of Keswick. Beautifully appointed and meticulously cared for house with primary suite on the first floor and five additional bedrooms. Gourmet kitchen with cast stone hood and cherry cabinets, sunken great room with Honduran Mahogany coffered ceiling, home theater, and covered porch with stone fireplace. Oversized three bay garage with guest suite above. The land is not under conservation easement. MLS#643578 $3,195,000 Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

BELMONT LOFTS

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

GREEN ACRES

Pastoral views from this 3 BR brick home on 159 acres in Southern Albemarle. Gently rolling meadows, fields and woodland, ideal for farming with fenced pastures, ample water sources, equipment shed & barn. Not under easement and has 4 division rights. MLS#630428 $1,685,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

10 acres of mature woods. Property has long road frontage and consists of two parcels being combined and sold as one. No HOA! Design and build your dream residence on this very well-priced parcel. MLS#621178 $189,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

1 level brick home on 3.25 acres. Convenient one level floor plan with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Total kitchen update, hardwood floors, new roof, and oversized deck. Level, partially fenced lot. Easy access to Charlottesville, UVA, I-64. MLS#643033 $489,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

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

LYNX FARM LANE

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

Murray Elementary School District. MLS#634897

$165,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

SUNNYSIDE

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

EDNAM FOREST

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

MEADOW FARM

436+ acres in Southern Albemarle! 4 division rights; complete privacy; gently rolling terrain; long road frontage; stream; 3 acre lake; mature hardwood forests. Under conservation easement. Owner/ agent. MLS#634139 $2,985,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863 or Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

CROZET AREA

Beautiful building lot of 3.3 acres, less than a mile to Crozet shopping. Mostly in pasture, creek, and elevated homesite with panoramic views of mountains, pond, and surrounding pastoral area. MLS#636349 $450,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

GREENTREES

94+ acres 20 minutes from Charlottesville. Originally part of a 188 acre tract, two parcels may be purchased separately or together, with 2 developmental rights each. Mostly maturing pine and very long public road frontage. MLS#635861 $700,000 Tim Michel, 434.960.1124

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

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

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

RUNNING DEER DRIVE

SIMMONS GAP ROAD

SIMMONS GAP/ ESTES RIDGE

GIBSON’S HOLLOW

FAIRWAY DRIVE

FRAYS MILL

The forest for the trees

Rod Walker and Blue Ridge PRISM lead the battle against invasive plants

By Carol Diggs

R

od Walker has always loved the natural world. Throughout his career as an IT consultant, the avid hunter and fisherman owned forested land where he and his family could get away for a quieter life, if only for a weekend. But now retired to a western Albemarle County farm, his quiet life has inspired a new crusade: He’s one of the generals in the war against invasive plants that threaten our forests and fields.

In the mid-1990s, planning ahead for retirement, Midwesterners Walker and his wife Maggie went looking for land. “We had this theory—buy now and be ahead of the baby boomer rush,” he recalls. They had four musthaves: at least 50 acres, close to culture, good health care, and an airport. After two years of searching, the Walkers found their place—1,500 acres near Sugar Hollow. Over the next few years, the couple designed and built a new home on a ridge overlooking their valley, using stone from their mountainside and wood from their own trees. They moved in for good in 2012.

With a large chuck of forest to care for—“never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d end up with 1,500 acres”—Walker hired a forestry consultant to develop a management plan. His priorities included a healthy forest with plenty of wildlife, and careful harvesting to maintain forest health and generate money to help cover the costs.

During that process, Walker enrolled to be certified as a tree farmer. (Certification under the American Tree Farm System is open to anyone who owns 10 to 10,000 acres of forested land). The ATFS encourages landowners to apply the best management practices to their forests, and creates a network of common-minded conservationists. According to an ATFS member survey, “The top three objectives of family forest owners in the program are conserving wildlife hab-

Identifying invaders

itat, having a place to enjoy with their friends and families, and leaving the land better for the next generations.”

The forest management survey of the Walkers’ land found many beauties—and lots of threats. Walker recalls early on, when they saw “these little vines with red berries, we thought they were native. Fast forward 15 years, and we found 15 acres close to Shenan-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Non-native plants have been arriving for centuries, and many of them have become part of the landscape—think tiger daylilies, forsythia, and daffodils. Non-native species only become invasive when they are both rampant propagators (e.g., put out huge amounts of seeds or send out large root networks) and hard to contain, usually because there are no natural control mechanisms like predators, diseases, or insects. As a result, native species are out-competed—or overwhelmed. Oriental bittersweet and porcelain berry, for example, climb over trees and shut out access to sunlight, and their added weight can cause trees to crack or fall.

Some native species, like wild grape and poison ivy, can be categorized as aggressive. But usually there are native creatures that help keep them under control. (In many areas, for example, deer prefer browsing on poison ivy.)

As for the idea that invasive plants are only a problem on land that has been disturbed, Walker points out “almost none of Virginia is undisturbed” due to centuries of farming and development.

Blue Ridge PRISM’s list of the biggest threats in our area

Vines: Oriental (Asiatic) bittersweet, kudzu, porcelain berry, Japanese honeysuckle, mile-a-minute

Trees: Callery (Bradford) pear, tree-of-heaven/ ailanthus

Shrubs: autumn olive, multiflora rose, Chinese privet, burning bush, wineberry

Grasses: Japanese stiltgrass, wavyleaf grass, garlic mustard, lesser celandine, Sericea lespedeza (Chinese bushclover)

EZE AMOS

Rod Walker, who owns 1,500 acres of forestland near Sugar Hollow, was named the American Tree Farm System’s 2023 Virginia Tree Farmer of the Year.

doah National Park that were just a wall of these vines. We had to use a bulldozer to get into that area and start clearing it.” That was his introduction to Oriental bittersweet, one of the area’s most common invasive species.

Because their land abuts Shenandoah National Park, the Walkers contacted Jake Hughes, a park biologist specializing in invasive plant management and forest restoration. From Hughes, they learned about Cooperative Weed Management Areas, a collaboration of government agencies, groups, and private landowners working together to control invasive species. There were plenty of CWMAs around the country, but none in Virginia. In 2013, Walker began talking with other agencies and groups, and

the Shenandoah National Park Trust agreed to be the new organization’s 501(c)(3) sponsor and provide administrative support.

That was the start of Blue Ridge PRISM— the Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management. “We started with the western half of Albemarle County,” Walker recalls, “and then we figured, hey, go big or go home.” PRISM expanded to cover the 10 counties surrounding the national park, and last year it added Loudoun and Fauquier counties. In 2020, it set up its own NGO independent of the SNP Trust.

Hughes, who is still actively involved with PRISM’s leadership team and its advisory council, says, “The bulk of interest [in starting PRISM] came from private landowners. They really drove it. And PRISM has done a fantastic job on landowner education, and on helping with [public] awareness.”

Walker says PRISM is “unusual [among CWMAs] in that we don’t just work on the land of our members—we focus on the education of everyone.” While large landowners and commercial operations like farms, orchards, and wineries pay attention to the threat of invasive plants because of its economic impact, managing the problem area-wide requires the participation of landowners of all sizes. As Walker points out, invasives do not respect boundaries.

Walt Morgan, who bought eight acres along the north Rivanna River in 2019, is one of the local small landholders who has benefited from PRISM’s efforts. A transplant from the West Coast, Morgan was used to a much drier climate. At first, he was delighted by how green his property was—until he realized all that green was actually vines pulling his trees down.

PRISM’s resources and activities helped him get educated about his invasives and how to manage them. “I’m learning to see the whole ecology here,” Morgan says. “This has been a really positive experience; there are a lot of people in this area really working to be stewards of the land.”

Jennifer Gagnon, coordinator of the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program, calls Blue Ridge PRISM “a fantastic resource” for landowners large and small across the state, adding that “we rely on them in the Shenandoah area.” She finds invasives to be “the number one concern” among the landowners she works with, so there’s a link to the PRISM website in her program’s monthly newsletter. In fact, it was Gagnon who nominated Walker for his recent recognition as ATFS’s 2023 Virginia Tree Farmer of the Year.

While education was and is PRISM’s primary focus, Walker says, “Soon we saw we needed a second thrust on policy, with Richmond and the state agencies.” One of its first efforts was expanding the state’s noxious weed list, developed by Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The list now includes 14 species: “Half of [them] we worked to have added, and 12 more are in the regulatory approval process.”

When PRISM first started focusing on policy, Virginia law said plants that were “widely disseminated” (i.e., occurring in many places around the state) couldn’t be added to the state’s noxious weeds list. PRISM and its partners worked out a compromise with the nursery industry, says Walker, and got the law changed so that only plants commercially propagated in Virginia could be exempted.

PRISM’s most recent success was pushing for a bill stipulating that the state’s invasive plant species list, published by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (not the same as the noxious weeds list), must be updated every four years. It also requires landscape architects, landscape designers, and landscapers to inform landowners if any plants they are specifying are on the list. “Most of the plants grown in Virginia nurseries are sold wholesale,” Walker says, so getting to landscaping professionals is another way of educating homeowners and giving them a choice before something is planted on their property.

Walker says that PRISM’s efforts have gotten a huge boost from the native plants movement, which encourages people to plant flowers, shrubs, grasses, and trees that have evolved to fit our area’s climate, soil types, and wildlife. Local herbivores—like deer and rabbits—may steer clear of non-na-

tives, so the native plants get overgrazed, which allows the invasives to take over. The fruits of non-native species may not provide local birds with the nutrition they need for migrating or wintering over. And many non-native species aren’t good hosts or food sources for local beneficial insects, affecting everything from pollinators to caterpillars.

One of PRISM’s current efforts is trying to get the state to enact incentives for clearing invasives and planting native species. North Carolina, Walker notes, enacted a Bradford pear bounty: Remove one of these invasive trees, get a native replacement free. PRISM also has proposals under consideration at Virginia Tech for studies quantifying the economic cost of controlling invasives and forecasting their impact in the state— useful data for shaping policy in Richmond.

Another effort is the statewide conference PRISM will hold in December, inviting government agencies and nonprofits from around the commonwealth to identify the biggest problem areas in the state and develop proposals to suppress invasives there. Walker hopes that Blue Ridge PRISM’s example will spur the formation of other CWMAs around the state, in conjunction with the efforts of nonprofits like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Virginia Native Plant Society as well as the state agencies that deal with land and wildlife.

Walker is heartened by the increasing public awareness about invasive species—PRISM’s email newsletter’s circulation has increased fivefold since 2018. “The word is getting out,” he says, “in part because the problem is getting worse. If climate change wasn’t happening, we’d still have this problem—but it does make [the impact of invasives] worse.”

That’s why PRISM concentrates on education of the general public, of large landowners, and of anyone who has a yard. “If you have an acre, you can keep it clear of invasives on your own,” Walker says—with the help of PRISM and a little sweat equity.

Among other ways to support PRISM’s work, you can raise a glass to its efforts, on September 23, with an educational session and fundraiser at Devils Backbone Base Camp in Nelson County. Every glass of Vienna Lager sold supports PRISM’s war against invasive plants.

Joining the fight

Get educated. Find out what’s growing on your property. There are plenty of resources—government agencies, universities, and nonprofits like PRISM—that provide fact sheets, online resources, and educational sessions to help you identify problem plants.

Report what you find. PRISM participates in the Virginia Invasive Mapping Initiative, a state-wide effort to collect data on species occurrence and spread to aid in policy-making and control efforts. Anyone can support the initiative by using an app called EDDMapS to document where invasives are on the rise.

Fight invasives. Resources like PRISM, Virginia Tech’s Cooperative Extension Service, and the Virginia Department of Forestry can provide information on the best way to attack specific problem plants: how and when to prune, how and when to safely use pesticides when necessary. Many invasives, once established, are almost impossible to eradicate, but they can be controlled.

Plant native species. We all have favorite plants (native or not), but choosing species that have evolved to flourish in this area not only helps control invasives, but also benefits native birds, beneficial insects, and pollinators—and your neighbors. After all, many invasives are garden plants that escaped. Learn more about our environment. The forests that make us love living here are under attack by other factors— climate change, new diseases, invasive insects. Native wildlife too is also threatened by these factors, as well as by development and human overuse. This area is getting more popular— and more populous—every year. Each one of us has an impact, and we all can do something to protect this place.

“We started with the western half of Albemarle County, and then we figured, hey, go big or go home.”

ROD WALKER ON THE EXPANSION OF THE BLUE RIDGE PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT (PRISM)

The Walkers grow hybridized chestnut trees on their property through partnership with the American Chestnut Foundation. The foundation’s breeding program crossbreeds American and Chinese chestnut trees, combining the Chinese chestnut’s blight resistance and the American tree’s “timber-type form.”

from

Throughthegenerosityofvolunteertutorsand financialsupporters,LiteracyVolunteersof Charlottesville/Albemarleprovidesfree, one-to-oneEnglishandCitizenshiptutoring foradultlearnersinourcommunity.

City Schoolyard Garden

Urban Agriculture Collective Food Justice Network

Cultivate Charlottesville engages with youth and community to build a healthy and just food system.

Food is a human right, and we aim to create food equity—personally, in community, and across systems and structures.

Our 2023 Community Engagement Cohort is currently amplifying the voices of their neighbors and advocating for increased urban agriculture land in Charlottesville.

Charlottesville's Booker T. Washington Park has a legacy as a thriving hub of the African American community. For decades, Black Charlottesville residents played a key role in transforming the land from a history of injustice to a history of reclamation. Let’ s come together to build an urban farm, bring back land lost, and move food justice forward!

Donate and learn more at www.cultivatecharlottesville.org

Piedmont CASA

Kate Duvall, President and CEO

Piedmont CASA provides best-interest advocacy for children in the courts of the 16th Judicial District of Virginia. We strive to make sure that every child experiencing possible abuse and/or neglect is safe, has a permanent home, and has the opportunity to thrive.

What is the best way for community members to become more involved in your cause?

Become a Piedmont CASA Volunteer, or support the work they do. No special background, work experience, or education is required to become a CASA. We encourage individuals from all cultures, professions, and educational backgrounds to volunteer.

League of Women Voters of the Charlottesville Area

Meg Heubeck, President

The League of Women Voters of the Charlottesville Area is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to inform, educate, and advocate for the voters of Virginia. We do not endorse nor oppose any political party or candidate. Our positions on issues are seen through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our service area includes the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson and Charlottesville City.

How does your nonprofit represent and support the Charlottesville area?

The Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is a growing community resource bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together to celebrate and nurture our native flora and fauna. BGP embraces inclusion by inviting everyone to participate in the Garden to further our goal of being a place that promotes human and environmental well-being. In nature and in society, diversity matters—we welcome and celebrate it!

Foothills Child Advocacy Center

Hannah Hoffman, Executive Director and Team

Foothills Child Advocacy Center provides a coordinated system of effective response and intervention to children who have been victimized. Our goals are to minimize trauma, promote healing, and ensure child safety by offering forensic interviews, family advocacy, medical exams and mental health therapy. What’s your most successful program and how has it made an impact in your field?

Our forensic interviewers open the door for children to share their stories and disclose abuse without judgement. Children can also have a trauma-informed medical exam with our Medical Director where they receive assurance that their body can be healthy despite what has happened to them.

Solutions start in the South.

We are the Southern Environmental Law Center, one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted right here in the South. As lawyers, policy and issue experts, and community advocates and partners, we take on the toughest challenges to protect our air, water, land, wildlife and the people who live here. Together, we can solve the most complex environmental challenges right here in Virginia.

WHAT WE DO

The League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

We do not endorse or oppose candidates for a political office or for a political party.

We are committed to applying the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of our operations and activities.

We support government policies that apply these principles in addressing social, environmental and economic problems in our communities.

We hold government officials accountable for decision-making that promotes widespread informed and civic participation.

Learn more about what we do at our website lwv-cva.org and Facebook page.

JOIN US IN OUR MISSION! Contact us: lwv@lwv-cva.org

United Way

Ravi Respeto, President & CEO

At United Way of Greater Charlottesville, we envision a strong, equitable community where every person can thrive. Through direct services, grantmaking, and partnerships with businesses, local government, and nonprofits, we work to connect our community, so individuals and families can achieve their potential.

What is the best way for community members to become more involved in your cause?

Community members can support our efforts by volunteering, donating, or simply spreading the word about what we do. We have one-time, ongoing, and event-based volunteer opportunities on our website. Our largest volunteer event is Day of Caring, which will take place on Wednesday, September 20 this year. Please visit our website for more information!

www.pcasa.org

Cultivate Charlottesville

Aleen Carey, Co-Executive Director

Cultivate Charlottesville engages youth and community in building an equitable, sustainable food system through garden-based experiential learning, growing and sharing healthy food, amplifying community leaders, and advocating for food justice.

What is the best way for community members to become more involved in your cause?

Community members are welcome to volunteer at our community gardens or as part of our Harvest of the Month program in the city schools! We also send out a monthly newsletter that highlights different events and opportunities for folks to get involved with our work. And, of course, we rely on donations to do this work and are grateful for any contributions.

cultivatecharlottesville.org

Botanical Garden of the Peidmont

Executive Director Jill Trischman-Marks

The mission of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is to welcome all community members and visitors to engage in nature, to inspire learning through the beauty and importance of plants, to advance sustainability, and to promote human and environmental well-being. How does your nonprofit represent and support the Charlottesville area?

The Botanical Garden of the Piedmont is a growing community resource bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together to celebrate and nurture our native flora and fauna. BGP embraces inclusion by inviting everyone to participate in the Garden to further our goal of being a place that promotes human and environmental well-being. In nature and in society, diversity matters—we welcome and celebrate it!

WE NEED CASA VOLUNTEERS!

Kids with CASA Volunteers receive more medical, therapeutic, and educational support. They spend less time in foster care because they find safe, permanent homes faster. Plus they have more hope, and kids with hope are more likely to thrive.

Volunteer Donate

“As a dad myself, I was looking for a way to give back to the community and have a real impact on a child’s life. CASA has been a perfect fit.”

Casey Werderman CASA Volunteer

Serving children in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Greene, Louisa, and Fluvanna. Coming soon to Madison and Orange.

IX Art Park

Lisa Capraro, Executive Director Ix Art Park Foundation

Our mission is to spark creativity and inspiration in people’s everyday lives. We seek to empower the community through curating accessible art opportunities and welcoming experiences that provide all community members an inclusive space to thrive creatively.

How does your nonprofit represent and support the Charlottesville area?

Our vision is to continue to build a creative ecosystem that fosters artistic opportunity and accessible art. We do so by managing a 24-hour free mural and sculpture art park as well as the Looking Glass, Virginia’s first permanent immersive art experience, and community-driven event series including weekly markets supporting women and minority entrepreneurs, arts education programs for underserved youth, and creative empowerment programs for the community at large.

Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/ Albemarle

Ellen Osborne, Executive Director

Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle promotes adult literacy through equitable, inclusive, free, confidential English and Citizenship tutoring. Our vision is that all adults will be able to understand, speak, read, write, and communicate in English to fully participate in our community. To that end, we recruit and train volunteers in the community to work one-on-one with adults interested in learning.

How does your nonprofit represent and support the Charlottesville area?

Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle primarily supports our community by helping adults learn to read, write, and speak the English language so that they may fully participate in our society. Also, LVCA provides a rewarding outlet for volunteers to find meaningful work in helping new arrivals to our country adjust to their new community.

Living Earth School

Hub Knott, Co-Founder and Executive Director

The Living Earth School fosters deeper connections to self, community, and the world around us through meaningful experiences with nature and highly skilled mentorship.

What’s your most successful program and how has it made an impact in your field?

Our summer camps have been the most successful because they open the doors to long-term relationships. We’ve seen kids come for a week one summer, then return year after year, growing into overnight camps and participating in our year-round programs. We’ve even seen parents of campers join us for our adult workshops, building community and their own nature connection. We’ve created programs for those 5 to 85 so that participants can grow with us as they deepen their understanding of the world around them.

YOU

Signs of an Opioid Overdose:

Unresponsiveness

Slowed or stopped breathing

Blue/gray lips and/or fingernails

Choking Sounds, or snore-like gurgling

Slowed or no heart rate/pulse

If You Suspect an Overdose:

Check for Responsiveness: Yell their Name or gently try to wake them (Sternum rub/earlobe pinch).

Call 911: Ask someone to call if available.

Give 2 Rescue Breaths: if not breathing, tilt head back, pinch nose, and give breaths.

Administer Narcan: spray into nostril. Give 2nd dose in other nostril if no response after 3 minutes.

Give Rescue Breaths (give CPR if instructed) Give 1 breath every 5 seconds. After Care: Prevent further opioid use and stay with the person until help arrives.

is odorless, tasteless, and can be used to make fake pills that are deadly.

Free Narcan, harm reduction kits and narcan training are available!

TUESDAY 8/22

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

The Virginia Film Festival presents Fremont, a tale of insomnia, fortune cookies, and yearning for something more. Newcomer and real-life refugee Anaita Wali Zada (above) gives a powerful performance as Donya, a 20-something Afghan translator whose routine changes when she’s promoted to writing fortunes at a fortune cookie factory. Shot in black and white, the film includes a cast of unforgettable characters played by supporting actors Jeremy Allen White and Gregg Turkington. Stick around after the screening for an in-person conversation with Zada. $11–13, 7pm. Violet Crown Cinema, 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. virginiafilmfestival.org

WEDNESDAY 8/16

FOR YOUR SOUL

Formed in 2015 by songwriter Patrick Taylor, Trash Panda (below) draws on elements of neo-psychedelia, soul, indie rock, and pop on crowd-favorites “Aging Out of the 20th Century,” “Off,” and “Check Please.” Best friends Jade Long and Jessica Thompson of coheadliner Hotel Fiction blend dynamic vocals and piano with guitar and soft harmonies on Soft Focus, its 2021 debut record release. With Trout Baseline. $17–22, 7:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

SUNDAY 8/20

BEST IN BLUEGRASS

At age 84, Del McCoury is still in the business of bluegrass. An award-winning singer and guitarist, McCoury entered the music scene in the ‘60s, when he joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys before going on to found the Del McCoury Band. The ensemble, which includes McCoury’s sons Ronnie and Rob on mandolin and banjo, pays homage to bluegrass history and tradition in its free-wheeling live shows. “We don’t have a setlist,” says McCoury. “A lot of times it’s just requests from the audience. It’s more interesting for the band, for me, and for the audience because nobody knows what’s coming next.” $30–65, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Wednesday 8/16 music

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

Karaoke. Tunes, drinks, and food. Free, 4pm. Keswick Vineyards, 1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick. keswickvineyards.com

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

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

Trash Panda / Hotel Fiction. A night of neopsychedelia, soul, indie rock, and pop music. $17-60, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

Wavelength. Vintage rock and jazzy bluesy vibrations. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskey jarcville.com

classes

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

Tour The Paramount Theater. Dig into the historic theater’s history on a backstage tour. Free, 11am and 5:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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

Valley Girl Despite being from two different area codes, teens Deborah Foreman and Nicolas Cage fall in love. $10, 7pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

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

Thursday 8/17 music

A Night of Metal. Ektöplasm / The Panic Broadcast / Ugabüga. Free, 9:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapture restaurant.com

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

Cartwheels. Jam-fusion. Free, 10pm. Crozet Pizza at Buddhist Biker Bar, 20 Elliewood Ave. crozetpizzacville.com

Monsters Under the Bed: The Lymans Crawl Out from Under. There’s nothing to be frightened of, unless your greatest fear is watching a family band perform covers of tunes. Free, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Tailgate Thursdays with Gallatin Canyon. Bring chairs, blankets, and food to grill, and enjoy line music. Free, 6pm. Stinson Vineyards, 4744 Sugar Hollow Rd., Crozet. stinsonvineyards.com

Theocles Herrin. The singer-songwriter performs everything from ballads to pop bangers. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

Slow play

Baaba Seth stays relevant on its own terms

By Shea Gibbs arts@c-ville.com

When local musician Jay Pun watched worldbeat band Baaba Seth take the stage decades ago, it was one of the few times he saw someone who looked like him making music that audiences loved.

“Standing at the front of the … Pavilion and seeing Mike on stage, it was cool to see another Asian guy playing music in Charlottesville,” Pun says. “I didn’t really know how much it meant to me at the time. But it really did mean a lot.

It’s been at least 25 years since Pun would’ve first seen “Mike,” aka Michael Chang, play with Baaba Seth. And it’s been more than 30 years since the band formed in 1991.

Back in those days, Pun says he thought Baaba Seth was destined to be bigger than Dave Matthews Band. He wasn’t alone. The band’s combination of improvisational sensibility and global grooves made it a prime candidate to storm the jam scene—and even cross over into pop stardom.

As they say, the rest is history. DMB went on to become the only band ever to have seven consecutive studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Baaba Seth had some success, gaining renown in central Virginia, touring the East Coast extensively, and catching the eye of major record labels. But the band essentially broke up in 2000, and its eight members went their separate ways.

On August 18, the Baaba Seth bandmates will do what they’ve done almost every year since just a few years after their breakup. They’ll get back together to play one show, this one at The Southern Cafe & Music Hall, with their original lineup.

“It’s a different kind of band, unlike any others I had been in as far as our approach and style,” Chang says. “For me, and I think

a lot of my bandmates would agree, that’s what keeps us coming back. It’s just fun to play with everyone, and the other part is people still give a crap—they want to hear our music.”

In addition to Chang on lead guitar and backing vocals, Baaba Seth features Dirk Lind on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Hope Clayburn on sax, flute, and vocals, Dylan Locke on bass, Jim Ralson behind the drums, Len Wishart providing more percussion, Mark Maynard playing trombone, and Tim Lett on trumpet. That’s eight players with unique musical backgrounds, still playing together 32 years after finding one other in the electric, early-1990s Charlottesville music scene. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the biggest setback for the band—essentially frozen in time and thawed out annually—over the past two decades was COVID-19. From 2003 to 2018, the annual Baaba Seth reunion shows marched forward in 4/4 time. But when the octet decided to take a short break in 2019, they found themselves offbeat for the next four years.

The 2023 show will essentially be the band’s third coming, and Chang expects it to be big.

“I don’t know that Baaba Seth is going to try to reinvent itself—it is not a going concern,” Chang says. “But since we’re doing more rehearsals, maybe we’ll try to bust out something we haven’t done in a while or a new composition. There might be a few surprises.”

Indeed, Baaba Seth hasn’t been in complete cryogenic stasis for the last 20-plus years. They have a handful of songs written and arranged after they officially broke up, Chang says. And each band member is still involved in the music industry in some capacity. Clayburn, for example, plays regular solo shows with her backing band. Accordingly, Baaba Seth will occasionally mix in a Clayburn composition, Chang says. “As long as we follow her lead, it ends up being a party,” he says.

Recently, there’s even been talk of Baaba Seth returning to the studio for the first time in two decades. “It doesn’t take anything but getting together,” Chang says. “But even that is difficult with such a large band.”

Fans might think the biggest concern for a band more than three decades in, with eight members doing their own thing 364 days of the year, would be finding its groove on that 365th day. Aren’t there times when they take the stage and find they’re just out of synch? Times when their own experiences, both musical and otherwise, have broken the wavelength they all once shared?

“We’ve never had that problem. We’ve played so many times in that configuration on the stage, and it feels like no time has passed,” Chang says. “When we have some preparation and line up in that configuration, it’s like a muscle memory thing. Even if we go to far-flung places … we drove around in a van together for so long, those memories don’t go away.”

Opening for Baaba Seth on August 18 will be another band featuring Chang, Afro Asia. Founded by Pun, the five-piece fuses traditional Thai music with funk and soul. Pun conjured the project after buying a stringed Thai instrument known as a phin on a trip to his mother country. In addition to Pun on phin and Chang on guitar, bassist Houston Ross, keyboardist Ivan Orr, and drummer Kofi Shepsu round out the band.

For Chang, Afro Asia’s vibe isn’t all that different from Baaba Seth’s. It’s “a reunion of old friends playing heady music,” he says. And for Pun, it’s a chance to come full circle and play with a bunch of guys who look like him.

“At first, it was intentional to have Black and brown members—if not really a rule,” Pun says. “And in bringing some of this traditional yet modern Asian music to America, it works because it is heavily influenced by Black American funk and jazz.”

Legendary Charlottesville band Baaba Seth resumes its annual reunion tradition following a COVID pause.

A little told us...

CULTURE THIS WEEK

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

Thursday 8/17

classes

Baby Buds. Meet other new parents and caregivers as newborns, infants, and toddlers explore, interact, and play. Free, 10:30am. Virginia Discovery Museum, 524 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. vadm.org Paint & Sip. Create a one-of-a-kind acrylic painting. $35, 7pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

etc.

Improv Comedy with Bent Theatre. A night of improv comedy so unplanned, they won’t even know what they’re doing until they blindly draw it from the infamous hat. Free, 7pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Sunset Market. Explore local vendors’ fresh produce, enjoy artisan goods, make art at the Outdoor Art Room, relax with a craft cocktail in the Looking Glass, and more. Free, 5pm. Ix Art Park, 255 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org

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

Friday 8/18 music

Baaba Seth. With Afro Asia. $20, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

Batesville Sessions: Stories and Song with the Sisters & Brothers Trio. Hear the stories behind the songs, ask questions, and experience this dynamic trio in a way you’ve never heard before. Free, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Boxed Lunch. The indie pop-rock band is led by the melodic songwriting duo of Justin Storer and Joel Streeter, alongside Emily Gardiner and Zack Beamer. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Chickenhead Blues Band. Live music, food by Two Brothers Southwestern Grill, drinks, and Blue Ridge Mountain sunset views. Free, 6pm. Chisholm Vineyards at Adventure Farm, 1135 Clan Chisholm Ln., Earlysville. chisholm vineyards.com

Fridays After Five: Ramona and the Holy Smokes. Original honky-tonk, with John Shanesy & The Accommodation. Free, 5:30pm. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tingpavilion.com

Hard Swimmin’ Fish. Vintage roots music. Free, 5pm. The Grill at Meadowcreek, 1400 Pen Park Rd. thegrillatmeadowcreek.com

Maria and Mallory of The Hot Mama’s. The Hot Mama’s are an all-female singer-songwriter collective in the Shenandoah Valley. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Seven Teller. Baltimore’s newest grooverock outfit. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Travis Elliott. Singer-songwriter. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

dance

Silent Disco. Featuring all your favorite songs and a live DJ. $15–20, 8pm. Quirk Hotel, 499 W. Main St. goodtimesonlyva.com

stage

Urinetown: The Musical In the not-sodistant future, a water shortage caused by a 20-year drought has led to a government ban on private toilets and a proliferation of paid public toilets. $10-20, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

classes

Sober Cville No Blackout Night Out. Music and crafts. $40, 6:30pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

outside

Explore the Habitat Hike. Learn about our native plants, animals, and ecosystems. Free, 9am. Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic River View Farm, 1780 Earlysville Rd. ivycreekfoundation.org

etc.

The Birdcage Can Armand and Albert transform themselves into Mr. and Mrs. Family Values in time? It’ll take the performance of their lives. $8, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

The Pied Piper A wood-carved stop-motion masterpiece with striking visuals and no discernible human language. Free, 7:30pm. The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, 306 E. Main St. thebridgepai.org

Saturday 8/19

music

An Evening With Rumours: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac. Stage scorching renditions of Fleetwood Mac songs. $25-28, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Brass In Pocket. Featuring the music of Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Eli Cook Band. Blues Americana. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Empty Bottles. Yacht rock. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Erynn Legna McLeod. The singer-songwriter writes at the crossroads of folk and musical theater. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

Neon Angels: Amplify Female Voices. A showcase featuring female voices and songwriting talent. $10, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Saturday Special—Richelle Claiborne. Live music and food from 434th Street Catering. Free, 6pm. Chisholm Vineyards at Adventure Farm, 1135 Clan Chisholm Ln., Earlysville. chisholmvineyards.com

The Michael Elswick Gathering. Jazz, blues, ballads, and Latin tunes. Free, 5pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Vincent Zorn. Rumba guitar. Free, 11am. Tavern & Grocery, 333 W. Main St. tavernand grocery.com

Yarn. Americana from New York. $20, 8:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

stage

Urinetown: The Musical See listing for Friday, August 18. $10-20, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

words

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

outside

Croquet for a Cure. Sip cider and play croquet to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. $75, 1pm. Castle Hill Cider, 6065 Turkey Sag Rd., Keswick. castlehillcider.com

Little Naturalists. Bring the little ones out to start exploring nature. Free, 10am. Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic River View Farm, 1780 Earlysville Rd. ivycreekfoundation.org etc.

Big Blue Door. Summer improv finale. $10, 7pm. Cardinal Point Winery, 9423 Batesville Rd., Afton. bigbluedoor.org

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

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

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon An epic set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China. $6-8, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

As Hogwarts celebrates Halloween, Harry is stalked by an escaped convict from Azkaban prison. $10, 11am. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Indie Short Film Series. Screenings of short films, followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers. $20, 7pm. Light House Studio: Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lighthousestudio.org

Sunday 8/20 music

Arcy Drive. With time to kill and an attic to jam in, four buds from Northport, New York began forming their scratchy but spirited “attic rock” sound. $18-20, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

An Lár. An afternoon of traditional Irish music on the patio. Free, 1pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Magic City Hippies. Music influenced by everything from AM radio rock and poolside pop to nimble raps and salsa. $25, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Sunday Session—Josh Rogan. Dark, bluesy rock. Free, 1pm. Chisholm Vineyards at Adventure Farm, 1135 Clan Chisholm Ln., Earlysville. chisholmvineyards.com

Tara Mills Band. Folk, bluegrass, and Americana with Tara Mills, Gabe Robey, and Luke Neer. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

The Del McCoury Band. Del and the boys perform traditional bluegrass music. $29-64, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

WTJU Vinyl Takeover. WTJU Radio DJs Rick Clark, KendaLL, Uncle Dave Lewis, and Ciclamino spin records in the tasting room. Free, 1pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

a whole bunch of news you’re missing! Follow @cville_weekly, and @cville_culture to get the latest scoop on what’s going down in Charlottesville.

stage

Urinetown: The Musical See listing for Friday, August 18. $10-20, 2:30pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

etc.

Dune David Lynch’s wildly controversial 1984 adaptation of the epic novel. $10, 7pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Shrek 2 Brunch. Shrek and Fiona realize happily ever after might be more challenging than it sounds in this lively sequel. $10, 11:30am. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Monday 8/21

music

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

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

words

Storytime. Songs, movement, stories, and bubbles. Free, 10:30am. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. vadm.org

etc.

Drop Dead Gorgeous What goes on behind the scenes of a teen beauty pageant is damn unpretty in this 1999 satire. $10, 7pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Tuesday 8/22

music

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

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

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

outside

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

etc.

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

Fremont The VAFF at Violet Crown series continues with a screening of Fremont, featuring a post-screening conversation with actress Anaita Wali Zada. $13, 7pm. Violet Crown Cinema, 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. violetcrown.com

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

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

Getting chummy

Meg 2: The Trench is a big, stupid monster movie

By Justin Humphreys arts@c-ville.com

Horror specialist Ben Wheatley’s Meg 2: The Trench is essentially a rehash of the giant monster shenanigans in 2018’s The Meg. It is exactly what its trailer leads you to expect: The prehistoric megalodon shark is back—along with its kinfolk—and they wreak havoc and devour a lot of people. It’s the definition of a big, dumb summer popcorn movie.

Jason Statham returns as rescue diver Jonas (get it?), now working as a “green James Bond,” who exposes environmental criminals at sea. Working with entrepreneur Jiuming (Wu Jing), Jonas joins a team headed into the titular Mariana Trench, where they discover not only enormous Meg sharks and other prehistoric monsters, but an illicit mining operation. When an explosion damages their submersibles, they must don high-tech diving suits and wind their way through shark-infested waters to the mining facility. From there, double-crosses, kung fu fights, and giant creature attacks steadily ensue, culminating in gargantuan sharks chowing down at a comically cheerful island resort.

There is nothing new here. Meg 2 is a mélange of Jaws, The Abyss, Jurassic Park,

Alien, and The Land That Time Forgot, and isn’t remotely as good as any of them. Its tone is somewhere between a milder Chuck Norris actioner and a Japanese kaiju movie. It could pass for a live-action version of a 1980s action figure tie-in cartoon series that never existed. Wheatley directs Meg 2 as it was intended to be: As smoothly, cleanly manufactured as a Hostess Twinkie and about as nourishing. But Twinkies have their place and, for what it is, Meg 2 is innocuous enough.

It’s hard to actively praise a hollow, impersonal movie like this. The characters are two-dimensional and the dialogue is mostly at a coloring-book level. There are a few striking moments, and some genuinely funny bits, mostly involving comic relief technician D.J. (Page Kennedy). The movie’s real stars are its cast of CG creatures: the Megs, “Snapper” lizards, man-eating eels, and a giant squid. These hungry beasts and some intriguing bioluminescent deep-sea plants steal the show, along with Pippin the dog, returning from the first Meg Decades ago, ludicrous movies like this would have been made by the Shaw Brothers or Toho at a tiny fraction of Meg 2’s budget, and would have far excelled it in both silliness and charm. And, more importantly,

they would lack self-awareness. Meg 2 has a dull, assembly-line feeling, devoid of spontaneity, because every frame of it has been calculated to maximize profits and minimize the filmmaker’s individuality. It’s a cynical approach to moviemaking, and a major reason why so many current movies are homogeneous and predictable.

For viewers familiar with Wheatley’s earlier work, Meg 2 is considerably less

Meg 2: The Trench

PG-13, 116 minutes

Alamo Cinema Drafthouse, Regal Stonefield, Violet Crown Cinema

graphic than his Kill List and A Field in England. The accent here is on silly, somewhat gruesome thrills, not skin-crawling viciousness. The fact that it is so CG-driven also muffles most scares.

If viewers want simple-minded, passable summer fare, they won’t be disappointed by Meg 2. But there are plenty of man-eating fish and prehistoric monster movies that far outclass this one. Meg 2 may be the shallowest movie ever made about the planet’s lowest depths.

The movie’s real stars are its cast of CG creatures: the Megs, “Snapper” lizards, man-eating eels, and a giant squid.

Meg 2: The Trench is an over-the-top, undersea adventure.

WARNER BROS.

Compare our CD Rates

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Call or visit your local financial advisor today.

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Advisor 2020 Bond St Suite 140 Charlottesville, VA 22901 434-977-6802

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rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor c insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissi distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrift sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC).

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* Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective 08/08/2023. CDs offered by Edward Jones are bank-issued and FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (principal and interest accrued but not yet paid) per depositor, per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your financial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC).

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WINE DOWN

WHAT’S DELISH AT LOCAL WINERIES?

CHISWELL FARM WINERY 2022 Sauvignon Blanc

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

53RD WINERY AND VINEYARD

2022 Shannon Hill White

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

WINERY Guide Map

A few notes from winegrower and owner, Dave Drillock:

If you are planning a visit, come for the wine and enjoy the chill. We are down to earth and love to share our enthusiasm for wine.

We just revel in what we do, growing, making and selling wine! Open 7 days a week, 11am to 5pm, we offer our 100% Virginia wine by the bottle, glass, flight or tasting. Enjoy your visit at our meadow-like setting in rural Louisa County. We offer wellspaced indoor and outdoor seating and customers are welcome to bring their own picnic baskets, chairs and blankets. Children and pets are welcome, but pets must always remain outside of buildings and on a leash. Our friendly staff focuses on serving quality wine at a great escape! For more information, visit our website, www.53rdwinery.com.

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

August 19th - Live music by Sue Harlow and Hibachi Mobile Food Truck!

August 26th- Live music by Paulo Franco

Open 7 days a week, 11 am – 5 pm

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

CASTLE HILL FARM CIDERY

Cider Cocktails!

Enjoy our perfect option for brunch- our Cider cocktails on these warm weekends and afternoons! Pair with our featured

KESWICK VINEYARDS EASTWOOD FARM AND WINERY

burrata with fresh fig, peach, grilled bread, blackberry, mint, and a balsamic glaze

Visiting Castle Hill Cider

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

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

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

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

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

Hours:

Thursday 1-8pm

Friday 1-7pm

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

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

CROSSKEYS WINERY

Letizia

Letizia is made from 10 0% Chambourcin which was picked, processed and fermented specifically for sparkling wine. Chambourcin’s great acidity and fruit flavors are well suited to sparkling rosé; and unique to Letizia is the ripeness at which the grapes are picked. The riper fruit yields bright raspberry aromas along with notes pineapple

and guava. Refreshing acidity is balanced by natural residual sugar, which further contributes to tropical fruit flavors on the palate. Vividly pink, vigorously bubbly, and vibrantly fruity.

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

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

Sundays - Brunch with live music!

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

August 29th- Australian Wine Dinner!

Open Daily from 11- 7pm

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

https://crosskeysvineyards.com/

DUCARD VINEYARDS

2022 Pet gNat Fun, with fizz! This Pétillant Naturel, a wilder version of sparkling wine, is crisp, refreshing, full of citrus notes, and yeasty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EASTWOOD FARM AND WINERY

Petit Rosé

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

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

SUMMER AT EASTWOOD

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

Fridays: Virginia Oyster & Wine

Celebration With Live Music

Saturdays: Live Music

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

FOOD AND OTHER SPECIALS:

It’s blueberry season on the farm.  Enjoy specials like Blueberry & Pistachio Baked Brie and Blueberry Lemonade Chardonnay Slushies. Enjoy our House-Made Flatbreads, Sandwiches, Bruschetta, Soups, Salads, Sugarbear Ice Cream, Curated Picnics and more!

Weekday lunch specials Monday through Friday.

10% off bottles on Wednesdays

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

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

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

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

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

HARK VINEYARDS

2022 Ené

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

Visiting Hark:

Hark Vineyards is a family-owned winery focused on the belief that beautiful views and delicious wine can bring people together. Children and well-behaved four-legged friends are welcome. We welcome — and encourage — you to bring a picnic and enjoy the experience our

estate offers.  Some picnic foods such as cheese, charcuterie, jams, crackers, and chocolate are available for purchase. Food trucks and live music most Saturdays from MarchNovember; check our website and social media for details. Our grapes love it here. We think you will, too.

Upcoming events

August 19th – Khegan McLane Music

August 26th - Josh Rogan Music

Hours

Friday – Sunday / 12 noon – 6pm 434-964-9463 (WINE) 1465 Davis Shop Rd, Earlysville, VA 22936 www.harkvineyards.com

HORTON VINEYARDS

Red, White, and PinkBubbly!

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

New: Team Building Events!

Horton will work with your organization to create a unique Wine Experience for your next team building event! Build your work team’s bonds by creating your own wine, bottling and labeling it together. There are different tiers of the experience to completely customize your day. Inquire by calling 540-832-7440 or email info@ hortonwine.com.

WE ARE HIRING!

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

Open Daily from 10 am – 5 pm

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

KESWICK VINEYARDS

2021 Chardonnay

The nose is quite pronounced with an abundance of wet rock, slate, chalk, and stone fruit character. With aeration the wine shows a touch more tropical tones, but this is a focused and mineral driven wine. The palate is dry with bracing initial acidity before stone and mineral characters come to the fore. Vibrant flavors of green apple, meyer lemon with crystalline acidity and just a touch of baking spices and doughy bread on the palate.

Tasting Room Hours

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

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

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

1575 Keswick Winery Drive

Keswick, Virginia 22947

Tasting Room: (434) 244-3341 ext 105 tastingroom@keswickvineyards.com www.keswickvineyards.com

REVALATION VINEYARDS

2020 Vidal Blanc

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

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

August 18 - Book Club @ The Vineyard starting at 6pm: Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister.

August 20 - 629 Firehouse food truck from 12:30 to 5:00 pm.

August 24 - Sip & Learn: Andrew Hoehn’s presentation, Keeping America Safe, will start at 5:30. Come and mingle at 5:00!

August 26 - Yoga at the Vineyard will take place from 9:15-10:15 am with Instructor

Briana (Registration required via our website or Tock page)

Saturday August 26 – Hog and Hooch pop-up at 3:00 until 6:00.

2710 Hebron Valley Road, Madison, VA 22727 540-407-1236 www.revalationvineyards.com

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

#1 solution

#1 #4

#2 solution

#3 solution

#2 #5 #4 solution

Metamorphosis

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

1. Animal that goes through 20-/55-Across to become 5-Across?

5. Animal that goes through 20-/55-Across to become 1-Across?

honoree

35. Suffix with million or billion

37. Actor Beatty

38. Paul : U.S. :: ____ : Italy

39. Animal that goes through 20-/55-Across to become 41-Across?

41. Animal that goes through 20-/55-Across to become 39-Across?

42. Etsy’s business

43. 1998 biopic starring Angelina Jolie

45. Enjoy a bath

46. He blasts “Fight the Power” on his boombox in “Do the Right Thing”

48. “A Man Called ____” (2022 Tom Hanks film)

50. Opposite of SSW

51. 1990s tape players

53. Sugar y suffix

55. Type of animal transformation

61. Spelman and Morehouse, for two: Abbr.

63. Got litigious

64. Almond ____ (toffee brand)

65. Dizzying MoMA works

66. Unit of land

67. “The Little Rascals” assent

68. Monte ____

69. Animal that goes through 20-/55-Across to become 70-Across?

70. Animal that goes through 20-/55-Across to become 69-Across?

DOWN

1. Early bird’s prize

2. Andy’s son, on “The Andy Griffith Show”

3. Swan song

4. K9 Advantix II targets

5. Burkina

6. Run faster than

7. All done, as a movie

8. Woodshop tool

9. Wharton degs.

10. Greiner of “Shark Tank”

11. Kardashian matriarch

12. Rocker Cocker

13. Med. caregivers

21. 1981 cable debut

22. Peculiar

25. Printer tray filler

26. Cowboy’s lasso

28. Bank earnings: Abbr.

30. Craft beer letters

31. Drains of strength

32. Zippo 33. Big name in online financial services 34. Radiohead frontman Thom 36. The “E” in HOMES 40. Grand ____ Opr y

“My package arrived!”

Award for a star athlete

“That’s rough”

Labor leader Chavez

Bernhard who founded a brewery in Detroit

ANSWERS 8/9/23

In the loop

Put another dime in the jukebox, baby.

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

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

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

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

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

By Rob Brezsny

Virgo

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Life is not so bad if you have plenty of luck, a good physique, and not too much imagination.” Virgo author Christopher Isherwood said that. I’m offering his thought because I believe life will be spectacularly not bad for you in the coming weeks—whether or not you have a good physique. In fact, I’m guessing life will be downright enjoyable, creative, and fruitful. In part, that’s because you will be the beneficiary of a stream of luck. And in part, your gentle triumphs and graceful productiveness will unfold because you will be exceptionally imaginative.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “You know how crazy love can make you,” write Mary D. Esselman and Elizabeth Ash Vélez in their book Love Poems for Real Life. “On any given day, you’re insanely happy, maniacally miserable, kooky with contentment, or bonkers with boredom—and that’s in a good relationship.” They add, “You have to be a little nuts to commit yourself, body and soul, to one other person—one wonderful, goofy, fallible person—in the hope that happily-ever-after really does exist.” The authors make good points, but their view of togetherness will be less than fully applicable to you in the coming months. I suspect life will bring you boons as you focus your intelligence on creating well-grounded, nourishing, non-melodramatic bonds with trustworthy allies.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I don’t adopt anyone’s ideas—I have my own.” So proclaimed Scorpio author Ivan Turgenev. Really, Ivan? Were you never influenced by someone else’s concepts, principles, art, or opinions? The fact is that all of us live in a world created and shaped by the ideas of others. We should celebrate that wondrous privilege! We should be pleased we don’t have to produce everything from scratch under our own power. As for you Scorpios reading this oracle, I urge you to be the anti-Turgenev in the coming weeks. Rejoice at how interconnected you are—and take full advantage of it. Treasure the teachings that have made you who you are. Sing your gratitude for those who have forged the world you love to live in. You now have the power to be an extraordinary networker.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): Unless you are French, chances are you have never heard of Saint-John Perse. He was a renowned diplomat for the French government and a poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Now he’s virtually unknown outside of his home country. Can we draw useful lessons for your use, Leo? Well, I suspect that in the coming months, you may very well come into greater prominence and wield more clout. But it’s crucial for the longterm health of your soul that during this building time, you are in service to nurturing your soul as much as your ego. The worldly power and pride you achieve will ultimately fade like Perse’s. But the spiritual growth you accomplish will endure forever.

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Tibetan term lenchak is often translated as “karmic debt.” It refers to the unconscious conditioning and bad old habits that attract us to people we would be better off not engaging. I will be bold and declare that sometime soon, you will have fully paid off a lenchak that has caused you relationship problems. Congrats! You are almost free of a long-running delusion. You don’t actually need an influence you thought you needed.

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you’re like many of us, you have a set bathing routine. In the shower or bath, you start your cleansing process with one particular action, like washing your face, and go on to other tasks in the same sequence every time. Some people live most of their lives this way: following well-established patterns in all they do. I’m not criticizing that approach, though it doesn’t work for me. I need more unpredictability and variety. Anyway, Capricorn, I suspect that in the coming weeks, you will benefit from trying my practice. Have fun creating variations on your standard patterns. Enjoy being a novelty freak with the daily details.

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In July 1812, composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a 10-page love letter to a woman he called “My Angel” and “Immortal Beloved.” He never sent it, and scholars are still unsure of the addressee’s identity. The message included lines like “you—my everything, my happiness . . . my solace—my everything” and “forever thine, forever mine, forever us.” I hope you will soon have sound reasons for composing your own version of an “Immortal Beloved” letter. According to

my astrological analysis, it’s time for your tender passion to fully bloom. If there’s not a specific person who warrants such a message, write it to an imaginary lover.

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): At age 32, artist Peter Milton realized the colors he thought he used in his paintings were different from what his viewers saw. He got his eyes tested and discovered he had color blindness. For example, what he regarded as gray with a hint of yellow, others perceived as green. Shocked, he launched an unexpected adjustment. For the next 40 years, all his paintings were black and white only. They made him famous and have been exhibited in major museums. I love how he capitalized on an apparent disability and made it his strength. I invite you to consider a comparable move in the coming months.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): The Lincoln Calibration Sphere 1 is a hollow globe of aluminum launched into Earth orbit in 1965. Fifty-eight years later, it continues to circle the planet—and is still doing the job it was designed to do. It enables ground-based radar devices to perform necessary calibrations. I propose we celebrate and honor the faithfulness of this magic sphere. May it serve as an inspiring symbol for you in the coming months. More than ever before, you have the potential to do what you were made to do—and with exceptional steadiness and potency. I hope you will be a pillar of inspiring stability for those you care about.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): “Live as though you’re living a second time and as though the first time you lived, you did it wrong, and now you’re trying to do things right.” Holocaust survivor and author Viktor Frankl offered

this advice. I wouldn’t want to adhere to such a demanding practice every day of my life. But I think it can be an especially worthwhile exercise for you in the coming weeks. You will have a substantial capacity to learn from your past; to prevent mediocre histories from repeating themselves; to escape the ruts of your habit mind and instigate fresh trends.

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): Gemini author Jamie Zafron wrote an article titled “To Anyone Who Thinks They’re Falling Behind in Life.” She says, “Sometimes you need two more years of life experience before you can make your masterpiece into something that will feel real and true and raw. Sometimes you’re not falling in love because whatever you need to know about yourself is only knowable through solitude. Sometimes you haven’t met your next collaborator. Sometimes your sadness encircles you because, one day, it will be the opus upon which you build your life.” This is excellent advice for you in the coming months, dear Gemini. You’ll be in a phase of incubation, preparing the way for your Next Big Thing. Honor the gritty, unspectacular work you have ahead. It will pay off.

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): You’re entering a phase when you will generate maximum luck if you favor what’s short and sweet instead of what’s long and complicated. You will attract the resources you need if you identify what they are with crisp precision and do not indulge in fuzzy indecision. The world will conspire in your favor to the degree that you avoid equivocating. So please say precisely what you mean. Be a beacon of clear, relaxed focus.

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

Direct Support Professionals

PART-TIME

hours, some weekend hours. Mother of two adult women with disabilities needs a female helper for morning or afternoon driving and other duties. Please respond to barbara.whary@ gmail.com

The University of Virginia School of Law seeks an IT Analyst Sr, Business Intelligence Developer in Charlottesville, VA to design, create, and maintain BI reports & tools in support of education & research ops. Reqs MS in Comp Sci, Info Sys, Comp Eng, or related + 0 yrs or BS in Comp Sci, Info Sys, Comp Eng or related + 2 yrs. Experience may be gained concurrent to attainment of grad degree. Requires most work to be performed in person at the Law School w/ the opportunity to perform a limited amount of work remotely in accordance w/ Law School policy. For full reqs and to apply go to https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs and submit your resume to req R0050756.

Dr.

Group Psychotherapy

It all falls down (again)

Four pieces of the Berlin Wall that called UVA home for nine years were removed last week. The concrete slabs were loaned to the university by Robert and MeiLi Hefner to commemorate the 1989 fall of the wall. A spray-painted mural, titled “Kings of Freedom, by graffiti artist Dennis Kaun adorns the sides that once faced West Germany. The East German sides are blank.

The NUMBER ONE Musical of

the Summer!

URINET URINETOOWN WN

The Musical

Music & Lyrics by Mark Hollmann

Book & Lyrics by Greg Kotis

August 4 - 2O

On the Mainstage

YOU'VE JUST GOTTA GO! BOOK NOW!

Directed by Anna Grey Hogan

Music Direction by Kimberly Souther

Choreographed by Geri Carlson Sauls