The Virginia Film Festival draws thousands to town for panel discussions, movie premieres, celebrity sightings, parties, and more.
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A new way to decorate your porch.
An activist org for busy people.
Paper for plastic at the store.
13 We already knew
Food & Wine says C’ville’s good for food.
17 Beautiful music
Brian Lindgren’s reinventing the viola.
A local pro puzzler goes international.
Kelli Palmer on DEI at WillowTree.
The Voice of the Cavaliers’ first year.
Truth and lies of Charlottesville lore.
Delegate Hudson says out with the old.
Cheers to the Crozet Winter Brews Festival, which promises "mountain views, craft brews, and wonderful people."
308 E. Main St. Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 373-0073 n c-ville.com c-ville.com/434
434, a supplement to C-VILLE Weekly, is distributed in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the Shenandoah Valley. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. 434 Editor Caite Hamilton. Copy Editor Susan Sorensen. Art Director Max March. Graphic Designer Tracy Federico. Account Executives Chloe Heimer, Lisa C. Hurdle, Gabby Kirk, Stephanie Vogtman, Beth Wood. Production Coordinator Faith Gibson. Publisher Anna Harrison. Chief Financial Officer Debbie Miller. A/R Specialist Nanci Winter. Circulation Manager Billy Dempsey. ©2022 C-VILLE Weekly
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LATE LAST SUMMER, FOUR Crozet-based friends found themselves discussing the upcoming fall season—prepping for a new school year, planning autumnal activities, and cozying up their home décor. For Alexis Macias, Kristen Craig, Kathleen Ross, and Marilyn
Speight, the latter always starts with the porch.
“We had seen on Instagram a mom out of Texas who started offering a fall porch-decorating service for her neighborhood,” Speight says. And then they wondered: Why couldn’t they do the same thing in Charlottes ville? A morning meeting at Mudhouse, and Porch Patch was launched shortly thereafter.
Here’s how it works: The group has three packages (petite for $200, classic for $300, and grand for $450) that
offer varying numbers and types of pumpkins, scaled to the size of your porch. Plus, you can add on other items like mums, kale, and hay bales, and the ladies will work with your own décor to mix in pieces you already have.
Since launching, Porch Patch has made connections with local farms and nurseries like Highbrighton and Middle River, and Speight says they sold out of their limited number of spots last season—more than 40 homes in the Crozet, Charlottesville, and Richmond areas.
“People are incredibly busy and may not have the time to procure pumpkins for their porches personally, or perhaps they love the look but prefer to outsource to someone who has an eye for styling,” Speight says. “Our goal with this project was to offer any area resident the chance to bring the patch right to their front door.”
Preorders are underway (find them on Instagram @porchpatch), and installations will run through the month of October.—Caite Hamilton
BREAKFAST IS ONE OF THE HAVEN’S LARGEST expenses, so Bellamy Shoffner coordinated the collection and donation of thousands of eggs and gallons of coffee for the Charlottesville day shelter.
Like crafting a pop-up children’s library at the Wildrock nature playscape in Crozet, or buying out a theater for free community showings of The Hate U Give, this was one of the many initiatives Shoffner has led in Charlottesville through her activism platform, Revolutionary Humans.
“I’ve learned that overall, the Charlottesville community is tight-knit, fiery, and selflessly committed to being and raising a generation of revolutionary citizens,” says Shoffner.
This summer, Revolutionary Humans is launching When We Gather, a virtual collective of parent activists helping each other avoid burnout while creating change.
The collective is the culmination of an activism career that began with Shoffner’s Hold the Line, a digital magazine exploring the intersection between parenthood and social justice.
Originally an effort to stand against hate, the publication connected Shoffner with friends and allies across Charlottesville.
“I didn’t expect a digital publication to turn into years-long relationships, but the strength of Revolutionary Humans supporters has made endless opportunities to evolve,” says Shoffner.
Like many Revolutionary Humans programs, Shoffner designed When We Gather so participants can fit activism into their family schedule. That’s why membership includes everything from a book club “paced for busy people,” to family-friendly activity ideas, to an annual virtual retreat for those who can’t get away from home. —Julia Stumbaugh EZE AMOS
Stock up on your reusable tote bags—Charlottesville City Council has expressed support for a 5-cent tax per bag on disposable plastic grocery bags at grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies, which would take effect on January 1. Revenue from the tax would go toward mitigating climate change, as well as providing reusable bags to people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Albemarle County passed a similar tax in May. While climate activists have long advocated for the tax—already instituted in eight Virginia localities—food justice advocates worry it will put an undue burden on low-income families, reports Charlottesville Tomorrow. Council will hold a public hearing on the tax during its August 1 meeting.
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If you’re reading this in Charlottesville, welcome to the next great food city! Food & Wine magazine included C’ville on a list of 11 American cities with up-and-coming food and drink scenes, along with Cincinnati, Ohio, and Boise, Idaho, among others. “Charlottesville has emerged as a vibrant dining destination,” writes Katie Chang, calling out Dairy Market (and Angelic’s Kitchen and South and Central), saying the food hall brings together “some of the area’s brightest talent.” The article also gives a shout-out to The Wool Factory, In Vino Veritas, MarieBette, Conmole, and Luce.—Will Ham
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positions, all about building electronic musical instruments. That first semester, he hacked together the first prototype of his new instrument. It was an a heavily modded acoustic viola, all black, with heavy white cables snaking out from the fingerboard and the new pickups he had constructed. Orange, green, blue, and white wires tangled around the tuning pegs. Lindgren describes it as “Borg-like.” This was EV 1, and it worked.
But he wasn’t satisfied, and he spent several semesters more in independent study with Geers, refining the concept. Another of his teachers challenged him: The music he was creating with his new instrument sounded just like something he could have created without the instru ment, he said. What was he really trying to do here? (That teacher was Morton Subotnick, a pioneer in the world of elec tronic music and a co-inventor of one of the earliest analog synthesizers, so the challenge was one to take seriously.) He re-envisioned the instrument from the ground up. He learned CAD and circuit design. He experimented with ways of combining analog and digital sounds. He joined a long line of composers who in vented instruments to achieve a sound no existing instrument could produce. In a mad dash at the end of his degree program, he finished EV 2, a sleek black wedge, like a viola’s fingerboard without a body, built from scratch on a 3D printer.
Two years ago, Brian Lind gren got hit by a car. He broke several bones, but the most important was his left pinky. Lindgren is a violist. He needs his left pinky.
This was the summer of 2020, the height of the pandemic shutdown. Mu sicians were already struggling. Lind gren was heading into the final year of an M.F.A. at Brooklyn College in New York, and he wasn’t sure what would be waiting for him on the other side. In some desperation, he took a step he never thought he’d take: He applied to Ph.D. programs.
As a master’s student, Lindgren’s main project was to design and build an elec tronic viola. He’d first had the idea as an undergraduate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, but it had lain forgotten for over a decade, as Lind
gren made a life for himself writing, per forming, and producing music in New York City. He grew up playing the viola; he studied viola at Eastman; he loved the viola. But Eastman also introduced him to the world of electronic music. With electronic music, he says, you get to work with an “infinite sonic palette.” The world of electronic music also seemed more accessible, more open to experi mentation, than the sometimes rarefied world of classical strings. But back then, he didn’t yet know how to combine these things he loved.
At Brooklyn College, he found a way. “I was a hybrid person,” Lindgren says, “which can be very challenging in our as sembly-line kind of world. But this pro gram”—an M.F.A. in Sonic Arts—“was really geared towards musical explorers.” He took a class with Doug Geers, famous for his own technologically charged com
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As a master's student in Brooklyn College's M.F.A. program, Brian Lindgren's main project was to design and build an electronic viola.
With electronic music, he says, you get to work with an “infinite sonic palette.”
Then he put it in a drawer. As he began his Ph.D. in composition and computer technologies at the University of Virgin ia last fall, he wanted to start with a blank slate. It was time to figure out what was next, and he wanted to open himself up to the opportunities the new environ ment would offer. But his passion for the instrument has continued to smolder.
Lindgren’s pinky healed, thankfully, though it now has a permanent bend to it. The Telemetry Music Series, which showcases experimental sounds, provid ed Lindgren a few opportunities to per form this year—at The Bridge, at Old Cabell Hall, and even outside on the Downtown Mall. He’s slated to play this fall at a conference in North Carolina and a festival in Connecticut. He’s burst ing with new ideas for composition.
As we talked, Lindgren sat in one of UVA’s makerspaces and the 3D printer hummed away behind him. EV 2.5 would be ready in three more days.
TRISTAN WILLIAMSHow a Charlottesville local became one of the world’s fastest jigsaw puzzlers
By Julia Stumbaugh
Down the street from the medieval cathedral at the stony heart of Vall adolid, Spain, sits the Millennium Dome, a geodesic igloo made out of neon-edged hexagons that slot together like jigsaw puzzle pieces.
Inside the dome, thousands more jig saw puzzle pieces wait in sealed boxes. Contestants from 40 different countries sit at white tables, poised to rip open their box when the timer starts the qual ifying round of the 2022 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships.
A Spanish competitor readies his puz zling fingers. A Turkish puzzler eyes the timer. A Ukrainian contestant nods to her blue-and-yellow supporters.
“I think something about the atmosphere and the pressure of it pushes me to think less, and take less time on things, and make faster decisions.
Knowing that I’m competing against other people, not just myself, gives me a thrill.”
STEPHANIE OWENBehind her Ameri can flag, Charlottes ville preschool teacher Stephanie Owen waits. She has traveled al most 4,000 miles from Virginia to race against the fastest jigsaw puz zlers in the world.
As a child, when she was home sick from middle school, Owen used to spend her days putting together jig saw puzzles. As an adult, a positive COVID-19 test renewed her childhood puzzling habits.
“Our family has always been a jigsaw puzzle family,” Owen says. “My grand parents always have a puzzle out on the table when we go. We always do a puzzle with our friends on New Year’s Eve.”
One pandemic night, out of curiosity, Owen set up a clock and time-lapse camera, then watched herself move through a 500-piece puzzle in under one and a half hours.
That’s when she began to wonder if there was such a thing as a jigsaw puz zle race.
When the timer starts, the 60 contes tants in Owen’s qualifying round unwrap an image of black dog sitting before a wall of paintings of black dogs.
The sound of cardboard on plastic reverberates through the quiet dome as contestants begin sorting pieces. Each one wants to be the fastest to put all 500 into place.
Some competitors flip over each piece before categorization. Others create col or-based piles. The bravest start assem bly with most pieces still untouched. Owen begins shaping the border. Offi cials patrol the aisles in bright yellow World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation vests with cameras and watchful eyes.
Owen methodically spirals inward until all that is left is every puzzler’s nightmare: A wide expanse of fur, one of the most difficult textures in jigsaw.
Her mouth is dry. She cannot waste the moment it would take to sip water, nor can she spare a glance upward when a burst of audience applause sig nals the first puzzle has been complet ed. She can only stare intently at her remaining pieces.
“I tried to just stay in the moment, doing the thing that I was there to do, which is putting the pieces together,” Owen says.
With one hand she shoves the 500th piece of black fur into place. With the other, she slams her palm upon the table, signaling her victory to the judge.
Owen is the second American and 15th competitor to finish her qualifier. She has registered the best time of her puz zling career, and earned a spot in the final round of the 2022 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship.
Day one is over, and for the first time in 58 minutes and 41 seconds, Owen has enough time to unscrew the cap of her water bottle.
In late 2021, Owen’s Google search for jigsaw puzzle races turned up an upcom ing Zoom-based competition. She won dered if it could possibly be real.
Days after she signed up, a puzzle wrapped in unmarked paper arrived in Owen’s mailbox. A sticker warned her not to open the package until the timer started for her first-ever speed puzzling competition.
Under the watchful gaze of her laptop camera, Owen crushes her previous times when she completes the 500-piece puzzle in one hour and 30 seconds, giving her a win and the confidence to register for the world championships.
“I think something about the atmo sphere and the pressure of it pushes me to think less, and take less time on things, and make faster decisions,” Owen says. “Know ing that I’m competing against other peo ple, not just myself, gives me a thrill.”
Owen’s friends are fascinated by her home puzzle library. They’re stunned when they learn she has an official JPAR score, the puzzling statistic based on the difficulty of competitors’ puzzles.
In contrast, by day two, Valladolid is no stranger to puzzle fever. In cafés and bars around the dome, patrons ignore drinks in favor of practice jigsaws.
A visitor can find puzzles everywhere, from the stones of the cathedral to the hexagons of the Millennium Dome to the rows of white tables where Owen and her nearly 200 fellow competitors wait for the final round to begin.
After setting up a time-lapse camera one evening and seeing herself master a 500-piece puzzle in under 90 minutes, speed puzzler Stephanie Owen began to wonder if she should enter a competition.
Ravensburger, the German company that manufactures the puzzles used by World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships, pres ents finalists with the world premiere of a brand-new puzzle. When the timer starts and Owen opens her bag, she is greeted with a never-before-seen 500-piece ren dition of a row of pastel-colored doors.
As always, Owen begins with the border.
When Owen slots her final piece into place, just over one hour has passed. She has officially ranked among the top 50 fastest jigsaw puzzlers in the world.
When she first began competing, Owen worried too much puzzling would burn out her love for her favorite hobby.
But it only took one day after her re turn to Charlottesville before she was back at Shenanigans, selecting her next jigsaw puzzle.
“I would love to do more competi tions,” Owen says. “I don’t have any more on my schedule at the moment, but I’m hoping to find more in-person competi tions, along with virtual ones. … It’s a mental exercise for me. It’s meditative. It makes me feel good about myself.”
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WillowTree has al ways been sort of an enigma: It used to have a reputa tion for being what Kelli Palmer calls “this tech firm in the Downtown Mall where everyone wore matching hoodies.” But the 14-year-old, rapidly expanding tech company is ac tually “a digital consultancy” that “works with businesses to strategize around and to build their digital landscape,” includ ing apps, software, and websites.
Since starting her new job as Wil lowTree’s chief diversity officer, Palmer has begun developing a North Star pro gram for diversity, equity, and inclusion, which she hopes will set an example for other companies.
“That means doing this work in ways that not just impact the way we think about talent and the people who work here, but also how we live in community,” she says.
Palmer aims to look at everything through the lens of ESG—environmen tal, social, and governance—with a strong emphasis on WillowTree’s en vironmental impact. She believes busi nesses have an obligation to protect and conserve the environment, and plans to expand sustainability efforts at the tech firm, which is a member of the Community Climate Collaborative.
“If we’re thinking like a business, we want to have employees, and they need to have an earth that they can exist on,” she says. “If you and I and our neighbor down the street and other people recycle, and the business recycles, then we’re in a space where we can make an impact.
Palmer earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Elon University (where she now serves on the board of trustees), a master’s degree in counselor education from Wake Forest
University, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from UVA. She’s also re ceived graduate certificates from Boston College and Harvard University, and has studied at Oxford University.
As a Black woman in tech, Palmer is in an extremely underrepresented mi nority: Black women account for only 3 percent of all women in tech. When she graduated from college and entered the professional space, Palmer “didn’t often question whether I should be there,” but did wonder “how effective I was going to be able to be if other peo ple didn’t want me there.” Palmer soon realized she had to be “willing to be the
person that walks up and extends my hand, even if the other person is not walking towards me with that same gesture.”
“It’s hard at first,” she acknowledges. “Then over time, it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re gon na underestimate me too? Here I come.’”
Palmer encourages women interest ed in STEM to “do it all, go to a hack athon and code, try it even if you don’t know how to do it.” Citing Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours thesis, she em phasizes that nobody becomes an ex pert overnight—consistency is key.
“If you’re the only girl, so what?” she says. “If it’s interesting to you, keep showing up.”
Kelli Palmer becomes WillowTree’s first diversity officer By Eshaan Sarup
“If you’re the only girl, so what?”
KELLI PALMER, WILLOWTREE
↑ Kelli Palmer hopes the diversity, equity, and inclusion program at WillowTree will be an example for other companies.
John Freeman has found his home in the booth.
The career play-by-play announcer and UVA grad returned to Charlottesville to become the “voice of the Cavaliers” for the men’s football and basketball teams last November. He’d been the pri mary commentator for several univer sity sports—lacrosse and even some men’s basketball—years ago, but he’d never spoken for the football team.
Before coming back to Charlottesville, Freeman spent five years calling games for Nashville’s pro soccer club. This year will mark his first full season as UVA sports’ top broadcaster. Freeman recently talked to 434 about the move and what’s next.
434: How did you find out you’d got ten the biggest broadcasting gig at your alma mater?
John Freeman: It started rather chaot ically. I got a call from my predecessor, Dave Koehn, on a Tuesday, and that Sat urday I was calling a football game. I grew up in Crozet and listened to the Virginia Sports Radio Network my whole life, and in a four-day span, I would be calling a game on the network at Louisville. It all started with a one-game contract.
You’ve called a lot of sports over the years but not much football. Is it a challenge going to a new sport? I guess. My career philosophy has been to never say no to anything. I called the Charlottesville Ten Miler one time from the back of a moving vehicle. We were just trying not to fall out. You really do learn broadcasting best when you’re do ing it under pressure.
Do you have a favorite sport to call?
I always say my favorite sport to call is the one in front of me. When I’m in foot
ball mode, my favorite sport is football.
I just love broadcasting. If UVA wanted me to call tiddlywinks, I would enjoy it.
As far as football and basketball, they are distinct. Football is a marathon—almost six hours of broadcasting when it’s said and done. And the booth for football is outdoors; if it’s going to be 95 degrees for the first game, that’s a physical toll when you‘re sitting there and talking
loudly for five hours. Basketball, you can really lock in and get lost.
But football is a little slower, right? You’d be surprised. There’s more to describe. If I have downtime, I talk about what song the band is playing, what color the sky is, what the cheer leaders are doing, the smell of grilled hot dogs in the air.
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Voice of the Cavaliers John Freeman says he's been listening to Virginia Sports Radio broadcasts since he was a kid.
New UVA football, basket ball play-by-play man fulfills boyhood dreamEZE AMOS
Growing up here, we would go to games and listen to the broadcast on the way home, so I’ve been listening to the Vir ginia Sports Radio Network ever since I was kid. I used to call games off friends’ video game systems. I would make little prep boards. Then in high school, I in terned with [former “voice of the Cava liers”] Mac McDonald the second I got my driver’s license. I went to Western Albemarle, and I would get up at 5 in the morning, when Mac hosted the sports report. I would be cutting audio by 6am.
What’s made you successful in this line of work?
I wasn’t born with golden pipes—nor do I have them now—and I’ve always been jealous of people that just have them. I would like to think my voice is palatable enough, but I think it’s meant I’ve had to rely more on vocabulary and pace, de scription and inflection. I‘ve had to work harder at those things.
Is there another step up for your ca reer after this?
I don’t see anything that would be better than this. I get to call a national cham pionship-caliber basketball team and an FBS football team. I don’t need another rung—I’m not sure if there is another rung. I’m not going to go to the Com manders in the NFL. This job is reward ing, and I’m part of the community. I get to represent a school that my parents went to, and the reward to me personal ly is so much greater.
What’s the outlook for the football and basketball teams this year?
Man, I’m completely biased. Two nation al championships and a Heisman Tro phy? Honestly, I think for football, there are a lot of unknowns and a lot of knowns. The offense is going to be record-break ing when it comes to our quarterback [Brennan Armstrong]. If they can find themselves 2-0 or 3-0 and get some mo mentum under Tony Elliott, it could be a surprise season. The basketball team should be much-improved. I see no rea son why they shouldn’t make the NCAA tournament. After growing up watching 15 and 15 UVA basketball teams, I’m still in a state of shock that we are now con sistently ranked in the top 10.
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What does being the “voice of the Cavaliers” mean to you?
Steeplechase Racing in Charlottesville since 1978
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Join Foxfield at our bi-annual races that celebrate and foster the traditions of Virginia steeplechase racing, while also placing a year-round focus on the conservation of our beautiful countryside.
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For such a small city, Char lottesville sure has an in sane amount of celebrity connections. Ask any town ie and you’ll hear so many conflicting tales it can be hard to sort fact from fiction. Take the late playwright Sam Shepard, who lived in Scottsville with Jessica Lange in the mid-’80s. Ru mor has it he did his writing at The Vir ginian, got banned from Miller’s, and had a standing squad car ride home from Dürty Nelly’s. Here’s a breakdown of some more of our favorite celeb rumors buzzing around town.
Does Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson live in Charlottesville?
Well, not quite. The wrestler-turned-ac tor actually owns a large farm in Orange County, about 30 minutes outside the city—and he’s there more often than you’d think. In 2019, Johnson tweeted that “the great state of Virginia has qui etly become my home for years now,” and he and his family frequently visit the farm to “recharge, recalibrate, and re set.” Social media posts show Johnson fishing for bass, hanging with thorough breds, and working out in perhaps the greatest home gym to ever exist—talk about a staycation. Back in 2017, before Johnson’s home gym, aka the Iron Par adise, was built, he could be found pump ing iron at the old Gold’s Gym, where he recorded a viral video of himself chatting with a few lucky fans who spotted him post-workout.
Did Jennifer Aniston get married at Pippin Hill?
In 2013, rumors began swirling on celeb gossip sites that Jennifer Aniston got married on the DL to then-fiancé Justin Theroux in a quickie wedding at Pippin Hill Farm & Winery. An elusive com ment from a Pippin Hill employee at the time that neither confirmed nor
denied the claim fueled gossip, and the unnamed tipster even claimed to know who the caterer was. Though the pic turesque vineyard is certainly the per fect place for a private and exclusive celebrity wedding, turns out there’s no truth to this rumor. Jen and Justin ac tually tied the knot two years later in an intimate Malibu ceremony ordained by Jimmy Kimmel.
Does the name Anastasia Romanov sound familiar? You probably know the Russian Grand Duchess from the Disne yfied version of her story, as told in the 1997 film, Anastasia. Her real life is far more tragic. The youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Imperial Russia, Anastasia was murdered, along with her entire family, by a group of Bol shevik revolutionaries in 1918. Rumors immediately began circulating that An astasia had actually escaped the murder attempt and was in hiding. Two years later, a woman now known by the name Anna Anderson came forward and de clared herself the lost grand duchess. Long story short, Anderson was actual ly a Polish woman who was institution alized in a mental hospital in Berlin at the time she made her claims, and she
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Was Mean Girls based on Western Albemarle? We may never know...
would go on to become the world’s most notorious Anastasia imposter. With the help of her supporters, Anderson made her way to America, and in 1968 settled down in Charlottesville, where she mar ried history professor J.E. “Jack” Mana han, and lived until her death in 1984. You can still visit her grave at the Uni versity of Virginia Cemetery and Colum barium—just look for the tombstone labeled H.I.H. Anastasia of Russia.
Did Tina Fey write Mean Girls about Western Albemarle High School? It’s common knowledge that the come dian and actress was at least partly in spired by her alma mater, UVA, when she wrote the Mean Girls script—the name Cady comes from her college roommate, Cady Garey. There’s also a lesser-known rumor that one of Fey’s old roommates (who still lives in Char lottesville) went to Western Albemarle, and the roommate’s tales of cliques at the local school are what partly inspired Fey. We’re not sure how well this wordof-mouth whisper holds up, especially when Fey has admitted to drawing from her own experiences as a mean girl, and from the nonfiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes. It would be so fetch if it were true, though.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES“I’ve lived in both very red and very blue places,” says Sally Hudson. “But I never felt my vote re ally mattered—until 2016.” Donald Trump’s election spurred Hudson into politics—and to being elect ed the first woman to represent Charlot tesville in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Public service came naturally to Hud son. Her father had a law degree but became a Unitarian minister, moving from assignment to assignment around the Midwest and Plains states; her jour nalist mother worked with community education programs. “I grew up very oriented to community service—helping at soup kitchens and shelters,” Hudson says. “But I wasn’t politically engaged until post-Trump. I was 27, I had always voted, but for the first time I thought my vote could be pivotal.”
By this time, Hudson, who earned an economics degree from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from MIT, had accepted a teaching post at UVA’s Bat ten School of Leadership and Public Policy. The Trump backlash, the events of August 2017, and the growing push for racial reckoning led many people who hadn’t been politically active into the fray.
“I wasn’t part of that first anti-Trump wave,” Hudson says. “I was just becoming politically awakened. But a whole new wave of people got active, and changed the face of politics in Virginia.” In her view, the old guard “didn’t know how to use all that young energy—classic party politics didn’t find a home for them.”
The result was a surge in grassroots activist groups advocating for single-is sue changes or a more progressive agen da. Redistricting reform became Hud son’s launching pad. “I’m a sincere believer in small-‘d’ democracy,” she says, “and that only works if we have real elections and real races.” Gerrymander ing’s negative impact isn’t only racial or party segmentation, in her view. “It cre
ates confusion [about who represents who], and lack of accountability. And when people don’t feel their vote matters, they stop voting.”
Through her organizing work with FairVote and OneVirginia, Hudson got to know a lot of politically committed and activist locals—especially women. “I started nudging these women to run for office, but many couldn’t.” A Dele gate’s $17,640 salary isn’t much if it’s your only income, she notes, and the job requires attending the two-month leg islative session full-time. “So they began urging me to run.”
Hudson’s announcement in Decem ber 2018 that she was challenging longtime incumbent David Toscano for the 57th District’s Democratic candidacy
surprised (and put off) some people. When Toscano decided to retire, Hudson ended up running against two-term city councilor Kathy Galvin and winning with 65 percent of the vote.
As a political novice, why didn’t she start with a run for a city or county of fice? “Much of what inspired me was deep democracy work, and that’s [ad dressed] at the state level,” Hudson says. “Politics is not a ladder—you don’t have to work your way up. Each of the roles has a very different job to do, so you go where your skills are the best fit.”
Hudson’s first term just happened to be a Democratic “trifecta”—the party held the governor’s office and majorities in both legislatures for the first time in 28 years. Those were heady times. “We
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Delegate Sally Hudson says "schools, housing, and health care" are local constituents' biggest concerns.
EZE AMOSmade progress in rolling back a lot of bad laws,” from abortion restrictions to vot er suppression measures. “What we passed [gun safety measures; a higher minimum wage; Medicaid expansion; pay increases for teachers; clean energy measures] was popular with many Vir ginians, but had been [held back] due to gerrymandering.”
Her first legislative session ended in February 2020—and then the pandemic hit. Hudson’s reaction was “to grab an oar” and make sure her constituents got what they needed in this upended world, whether that meant PPE for health care works or unemployment checks for the newly out of work. Getting their unem ployment insurance was “the No. 1 rea son people called my office,” she says.
As a workforce economist, Hudson’s skills were an asset in taking on the state’s archaic unemployment compen sation system—something she cites as one of her major accomplishments. But, with the House’s new Republican ma jority, she lost her seat on the Commis sion on Unemployment Compensation, set up to oversee system reforms. In an August article on richmond.com, the oversight panel’s chair, Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), commented: “That’s too bad, [Hudson’s] the one with the most knowledge on this stuff.”
Another issue Hudson pushed hard was a bill she sponsored to allow local governments to vote on tax increases to fund school improvements. The bill passed the Senate, but died in the House
Finance Committee. “It’s one of those issues where I knew there was no more that I could have done,” she admits, vow ing to keep working on loosening the Dillon Rule restricting the autonomy of localities like Charlottesville.
This term, Hudson sees “protecting the progress we made” as a top priority— which is not to say she doesn’t see more work that needs to be done. Before the recent teacher pay increases, she notes, “Virginia was dead last [nationwide] on teacher salaries, and we’re really behind on school construction and upgrades. The Medicaid reimbursement is still too low, and we’re in a maternity health cri sis, especially for women of color.”
How does this agenda fit with what she hears from her constituents? “Schools, housing, and health care—those are their concerns,” Hudson says—even in a district she describes as having deep inequalities. On a positive note, she thinks recent is sues ranging from reproductive rights to voting access and education have raised awareness of the importance of represen tation at the state level.
“More people are coming to see how much state government matters,” she says. “The Federal government can [fund initiatives], but it’s the state that makes sure that [help] gets to your door at a price you can afford.”
Well into her second term, how does Hudson feel about this new career she’s taken on? “It’s really fulfilling work,” she says emphatically. She sees a huge part of her job as “triage—connecting con stituents with the people who can solve their problem.” An example she cites was the threatened evictions at Mallside Forest Apartments this past summer— not a state issue, but when a constituent facing eviction called Hudson’s office, she connected them with both the ap propriate county supervisor and with Legal Aid Justice Center.
“A big part of the job is to be visible and accessible,” Hudson says. “There’s no substitute for showing up in person—it gives people a chance to talk to you. I can be on any constituent’s doorstep in 15 minutes.”
To Hudson, her two jobs are comple mentary: “As a teacher and as a public servant, I believe government works better when people know how govern ment works.” And then she heads off to yet another constituent meeting.
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Here’s a look at 11 autumn events that are sure to keep you going until the temps plummet.
Okay, so this one won’t get you outside. But the 30-year-old Virginia Film Fes tival, to be held from November 2 to 6, has become a premier destination for filmmakers and filmtakers alike. The fest draws thousands to venues around town for film premieres, panel discussions, parties, and more. VAFF has yet to re lease a screening schedule for this year’s event, but notes that last year’s films earned 33 Academy Award nominations. Past festival speakers have included Ethan Hawke, Martha Plimpton, and Danny Strong.
VAFF says its mission is to offer di verse films of all genres, including com edies, dramas, documentaries, and shorts. It also features a regional focus on Virginia, bringing the festival home for Charlottesvillians, and drawing on UVA academics and cultural experts for film discussions.
VAFF managed an in-person fest of sorts last year, and festival director Jody Kielbasa says this year will mark the event “returning to its traditional for mat.” “These past two years have brought significant challenges across the arts world,” he says. “And we are hopeful that the current, declining pandemic trends will continue and allow us to gather in a more traditional way and with fewer restrictions.” virginiafilmfestival.org
The Charlottesville-Albemarle Black Business Expo, “designed to celebrate and encourage the success of Black-owned busi nesses locally and beyond,” has been going strong for six years. This year’s event is slated for September 24 at Ix Art Park. The free festival, which runs from 10am-7pm, allows Blackowned businesses to highlight their wares against a backdrop of DJ sets, live bands, and panel discussions. Expo organizers say more detail on entertainers and speakers is coming soon, but the business pitch contest at 3pm will likely be the can’tmiss spot. blackbusinessexpo.org
The Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival is so hot it’s held twice a year. This year’s fall installment, October 8 and 9 at Claudius Crozet Park, will feature more than 120 artisans, live music, art demos, a children’s area, food trucks, adult beverages, and raffle prizes. Full scheduling and ticket sales went live on September 1. Volunteers are also still welcome to sign up.
“Every CACF is unique because of the incredibly talented artisans who showcase their new work, as well as new musical performances and artist demos,” event director Ewa Harr says. Don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite artists at the show, with winners announced Sunday at 4pm. Event pricing is $6-12. Parking is free. crozetfestival.com
You wasted your summer streaming Netflix. That’s okay. The area’s fall fests are just what you need—they’ll get you outside, where you’ll enjoy some crisp air and boost your vitamin D for the winter months.
The name says it all: The Fall Fiber Festival and Montpelier Sheep Dog Trials is not only a celebration of traditional fiber techniques, but also a thrilling dog show. The family-friendly event, baaa-ck this year on October 1 and 2, teaches folks about the fiber-producing animals and shearing, spinning, and weav ing their wool and other materials.
This year’s Fall Fiber Festival schedule is dotted with animal exhibits, dog demonstrations, fiber arts demos, fleece sales, fiber and crafts vendors, workshops for adults and children, music, food, and more. Day-of festival tix are $10; advanced sales are $8; kids 12 and under get in free. The festival’s advertising vol unteer, Michele Mangham, says more information and updates are coming soon, and she’d like to “thank ewe” in advance for attending. fallfiberfestival.org
Organizers have reimagined Monticello’s Heritage Harvest Festival, a longtime favorite of locals and regional travelers, as a live and virtual series of food, farm, and gardening classes and discussions. The nationally recognized event has tried to hew closely to its traditional format for new programs, with a stat ed mission of “emphasizing the power of place at Monticello.”
For this fall, two events are currently on the docket: The apple and cheese tasting on October 22 promises to be di rectly in the Monticello wheelhouse, and wreathmaking workshops are planned for multiple holiday-adjacent dates. Keep an eye out for more info on the scheduled events and more. heritageharvestfestival.com
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When local beer industry legend Mark Thompson set up his own shop at Brewing Tree Beer Company in Afton, it was a chance for him to brew the beers he loves—trends of the moment be damned. That meant a focus on more traditional lagers and ales, which you often find in European pubs.
Fall, replete with malty brews like Oktoberfests and marzens, is therefore a time for Thompson to shine. And on October 29, droves can descend on his small taproom for the Fall Festival at Brewing Tree Beer Company. In addition to Philinda Vienna Lager and Twice as Weiss, currently on tap, the event will feature pumpkin chucking, apple-focused baked goods, and local vendors. brewingtreebeer.com
If you want to understand the Overland Expo, you must understand the overland er. Trending hard in the last few years, overlanding attracts self-reliant folks who want to jump in their Jeeps, find remote destinations, and camp in the wild, surviving on nothing but their wits.
Overlanding’s premiere festival just happens to light on Arrington, Virginia, for one of its four regional events. This year’s Overland Expo East will attract consumers and industry types to its trade show and 175-plus classes, slide shows, demos, and activities focused on the overland lifestyle. The latest in camping, vehicle, and motorcycle equip ment and services from more than 200 exhibitors will all be on display, and at tendees can take in the October 7 to 9 event while camping overnight in an open, grassy field surrounded by trees.
Organizers expect thousands of attend ees and offer happy hours, a film festival, charity raffles, and parties after the dai ly show closes and the evening descends.
General admission to Overland Expo East is $25 for Friday, $35 for Saturday, $17 for Sunday, or $70 for the weekend. A variety of camping packages are also available. overlandexpo.com
You can do Oktoberfest at Blue Mountain one of two ways. Head out and enjoy malty brews and live Euro-themed music once during the nine-day stretch of celebrations, or go every day for an oompah-fueled, mind-bending roller-coaster ride.
It all starts on September 30, with the addition of live music by Molly Murphy to Blue Mountain’s usual Full Nelson Friday ($3 pale ale pints). Then it’s into the heart of the fest—live oompah music and cloggers on Saturday, more oompah Sunday, a German beer tap takeover on Monday, keg bowling Tuesday, steal the boot and accordion music on Thursday, Fretwell and Full Nelsons on Friday, and two more days of oompah music over the final weekend. German food specials and festive costumes are also on tap. Comfortable dancing shoes and a hollow leg are encouraged. bluemountainbrewery.com
The Crozet Winter Brews Festival says, “Forget you, cold, we’re drinking outside.” Held for the last three years in early December at Claudius Crozet Park from 11am to 5pm, the one-day event, this year on December 3, promises “mountain views, craft brews, and wonderful people.” The festival features dark and wintry beers, with a focus on Virginia brewers. Headed up by Starr
Hill Brewery, the event has featured Rockfish Brewing Co., Random Row Brewing Co., Albemarle CiderWorks, Three Notch’d Brewing Co., Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Selvedge Brewing, and Old Bust Head Brewing Co. in the past.
Organizers award a best in show to the top-rated festival brew, as well as second and third place honors. crozetbeerfest.com
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British carmakers might not bring to mind the sexiness of the Italian Ferrari or the precision of the German BMW. But with Jaguar, Austin-Healey, MG, and Triumph Motor Company all hailing from England, the country certainly has its own style. “It’s a niche,” says this year’s SVBCC British Car Festival chair man Wes Maupin. “Enzo Ferrari once said the Jaguar E-Type XKE was the most beautiful car ever designed.”
The U.K.’s automotive styling is on full display at the SVBCC British Car Festival, coming back to Ridgeview Park in Waynes boro on October 1 for its 41st year. One of the longest-running British car shows on the East Coast, the event invites anyone with an interest in autos to come out for the eye candy. Those owning British cars can enter them into the show. Prizes are given out in a variety of classes, including modern “minis,” British DNA/kit cars (vehicles linked to British styling, engi neering, or manufacture), and British motorcycles.
The festivities, including an on-site food vendor, door priz es, and special car displays, begin with Crullers & Coffee at the Car Show at 9am. Maupin says to register early so he and his team can set the number of classes for which they’ll award trophies.
“We are always surprised with the quality of the cars that come to the show,” Maupin says. “One of the things that makes our show unique is the proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. It’s a windy and beautiful trip to and from the show.” svbcc.net
After a two-year hiatus, the festival where it’s “chic to reek” is back. The 2022 Vir ginia Wine & Garlic Festival will bring garlic-lovers from all over the country to Rebec Vineyards in Amherst County October 8 and 9. Now in its 30th non-consecu tive year, the festival will have garlicky grub galore, four stages for live music, vino from Rebec and 10 guest wineries, and for the kids, a bounce house, petting zoo, face-painting, balloon artists, clowns, and magic shows.
“We have people that have come as kids, and now they bring their families,” says Svet Kanev, Rebec’s current owner and winemaker. “After the festivals, they put it on their calendar for the next year. It has become a tradition.”
Kanev says that this year’s event will feature a number of new vendors and, as a seafood-lover, he’s excited about the shrimp, fish, and—of course—garlic dishes attendees will get to taste. Early-bird entry, available until midnight on October 6, is $20 to $28. Parking is free of charge and ample, Kanev says. rebecwinery.com
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Master goldsmith Mia van Beek established Formia design Jewelry in 2004. A small, full-service jewelry studio located in the heart of Charlottesville, Virginia. Known worldwide for transforming your own child’s artwork into precious metal keepsakes (necklaces, charms, keychains and more). We design, redesign and repair fine jewelry (engagement rings, wedding bands, anniversary gifts and more).
“All our pieces are handmade with the goal of perfection. Providing excellent customer service, fast turn around time and full attention to detail in every stage of the process. Most of all, satisfied customers are our priority.”
va 22902 434-981-8389
Thibaut-Janisson was born from a long friendship that began in a Grand Cru village in the Champagne region of France and continues today in Blue Ridge Mountains of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Thibaut-Janisson Winery | Charlottesville, Virginia | (434) 996-3307 | claude@tjwinery.com
EZE AMOS
Saturday is my favorite day. It’s when I feel most liberated from obligations and expectations, and I still have Sunday to make up for anything I’ve put off. On my best days, I’m up early, I grab my pack, and get out for a long walk toward the Rivanna Trail, which is about half a mile from my front door. I like walking along Moore’s Creek, starting near Azalea Park, continuing through Sunset Drive Trailhead on up by a crossing near Nob Hill. The crossing has rocks laid out to walk across that are usually covered by the stream. If you’re not careful, there’s a good chance you’ll slip in, a thought I enjoy, but it hasn’t happened to me yet. I’m originally from California and on my best days, I have visiting family or friends join me on my hike. They marvel at how green and lush Virginia is, and a quick stop by Michie Tavern or Monticello is a must. The most important thing for me to show them, though, is that Charlottesville isn’t just what they think it is, and that the Latinx community, which I come from, is here too—and growing. In addition to a drive around town, I’m likely to show them where much of my community-building happens, at Sin Barreras’ humble yet welcoming office. Along the way, I’m also sure to visit our friends at El Tio Latin market for some pupusas, or head to Al Carbon for rotisserie chicken, followed by the mandatory (and, I might add, authentic) paletas at La Flor Michoacana. Needing to walk off all that good food, I go to the Downtown Mall to hang out, people watch, and get into something before heading home. If I feel well-rested and have the energy, I get up early the next morning to attend the 7:30am Spanish mass at the Church of the Incarnation for some spiritual fulfillment and the start to another great week in this little city with promise.
Edgar LARA Executive Director of Sin Barreras
