SPORTS: Highland boys win state hoops title; boys lacrosse previews; state track results. PAGES 17, 18, 19 March 8, 2023
Our 206th year | Vol. 206, No. 10 | www.Fauquier.com | $1.50 VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION: BEST SMALL NEWSPAPER IN VIRGINIA 2017-2021
‘Parklets’ to return to downtown Warrenton Outside seating begins in early April By Shannon Clark
Fauquier Times Staff Writer
As warmer weather returns in the coming weeks, downtown Warrenton will once again see the return of parklets outside restaurants and shops on Main Street. But this year, the parklets will come at an extra price, as businesses will be required to pay rent on the public space their parklets utilize. In previous years, the Main Street parklets were funded by the Warrenton Town Council and provided to businesses by the town’s public works department. This year, businesses are responsible for paying for building materials,
as well as paying rent for square footage used. “(Rent is) going to be $1.20 per square foot,” said Casey Ward, owner of Molly’s Irish Pub and chair of the board of directors of Experience Old Town Warrenton. “We are using public space, and we are making money on it.” Not including rent, Ward estimates he will spend $5,000 to rebuild his parklets. On Jan. 10, the Warrenton Town Council unanimously passed a resolution to allow the “Roll out Warrenton” program to become a permanent fixture. See PARKLETS, page 8
FAUQUIER TIMES STAFF PHOTO
People eat outside on tables set up in “parklets” on Main Street in Warrenton.
Security concerns briefly close bakery after coffee mixup Police called for dustup following accusations from All Lives Matter demonstrator By Colleen LaMay
FAUQUIER TIMES STAFF PHOTO
Fauquier Times Staff Writer
The Red Truck Rural Bakery, a Warrenton go-to for baked goods and more, was closed Monday morning after a “misunderstanding” over free coffee led to a dustup at the shop and ongoing security concerns. The Warrenton bakery, along with its counterpart in Marshall, was set to reopen with normal hours Tuesday morning. The clash involved an All Lives Matter counterprotester who went to the bakery Saturday, Feb. 25, to ask for free coffee but was denied. The bakery’s owner called that a misunderstanding. Police were called, but no charges were filed, and there is no ongoing investigation. “Regrettably, due to ongoing security threats, we are closing both our re-
Fauquier County Public Library on Winchester Street in Warrenton.
FAUQUIER TIMES STAFF PHOTO/COLLEEN LAMAY
All Lives Matter supporters hold a counterprotest across the street from the Black Lives Matter vigil on Saturday, March 4. tail stores this morning until a more robust security plan can be put in place,” stated a note posted on the door of the bakery Monday, March 6. The note was signed “Team Red Truck.” Monday’s closure extended to the Red Truck bakery in Marshall. The Warrenton store also was closed Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5, because of the Feb. 25 incident.
County budget resurrects new libraries By Shannon Clark
Fauquier Times Staff Writer
The Black Lives Matter Vigil for Action has been holding protests every Saturday morning in Courthouse Square since police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020. The number of protesters has ranged from fewer than a dozen to more than 100.
After more than 16 years of discussion, Fauquier County officials are once again revisiting two new county libraries – one for the Vint Hill area and another to replace the aging Warrenton Central Branch Library on Winchester Street.
See DUSTUP, page 8
See LIBRARIES, page 8
New winery, Crimson Lane Vineyard, opens in Linden, page 6
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