Front Porch Fredericksburg December 2013

YOUR GUIDE TO THE LOCAL GOOD LIFE

front porch T H E R E G I O N ' S free C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E

L o c a l G o o d N e w s S i n c e 1 9 97 YEAR 17 • ISSUE 198 • DECEMBER 2013

Frontporchfredericksburg.com

La Beauté Par La Conception

Jessica Renault 3

Dan Finnegan

Design Inspiration 6

Some Assembly Required

Blood Sport 7

Stafford 350

First in Near Flight 10

The Twelve Days Secret Lessons 18

Like a 7th Grader

Jay Flaherty’s Tip 20

Santa A Senior

Gifting Our Greatest 22

Window Wonderland

Whittingham Magic 30

contents

closeups 6

20

31

Into the woods ...Dan Finnegan Jay Flaherty ... Makes Connections

31

Slices of FXBG Life ... Chris Limbriik

porch talk 4 ..5 7

18

Our Heritage history’s stories.: 12 days of christmas

21

autoknown better: tonka envy

22

Senior Care: be a santa to a senior

23

santa joanna: gift ideas from nature

24

Art in the ‘burg: let there be art in your joy

25

scene & heard...in the ‘burg!

26

1st night fxbg music scene poetryman: holiday gift

27

community link: .........year in review

28

my own path Sol Sistere celebration

29

porchlight: season of the wish

30

Christmas in the usa

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

Un Vieux Favori Refait Une Beauté

SPRUCE

10

retired on the back porch: cat can do stafford co almost birthplace of flight

11

FXBG Blues Society

12

Vino: Justify mid-week drinking Cooking with kyle

13

season’s bounty: cookie xmas

3

Un Vieux Favori Refait Une Beaut…

14

hop & wine

8

On the Verge of Set C stafford drama students

15

will power: craft beer

16-17

Calendar of Events

26

...And more! magic of a whittingham christmas

Cover Photo by Archer Dipeppe

Raymond and Jessica Renault

Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose?

Have A Hot Drink where warm hearts wish you Happy Holidays

2

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

$70

By mary lynn powers

Quiet Moments: Between the MAgi & M&M’s

30

Snead’s Farm

An Old favorite gets a facelift

11

Small Screen Christmas

CHRISTMAS TREES GALORE

La Petite Auberge is located directly in the middle of what can only be viewed as Fredericksburg’s restaurant wars.

New and old spots are adding, changing, and redecorating in attempts to stay on top of the latest wave of eateries on William Street. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jessica Renault and her ten month old daughter Giselle, as we talked about her involvement with the renovation of the thirty-year-old French restaurant. Her husband Raymond has recently taken over the majority of the operation of the business, with his father Christian still onboard in an advisory position. Jessica began working for the business after working in a variety of interior design positions, and she and Raymond took the apartment over the restaurant. Most restaurant owners put in at least a twelve-hour day, and this only made sense that they live close to the shop, especially with a newborn baby girl.

And what a sweetie, who would want to be away from her for too long!

Jessica seems to be the all around person at La Petite, running the office, doing errands, typing menus, handling marketing and public relations – all the things that happen behind the scenes. She also has a degree in interior design and worked for furniture stores doing visual merchandising. This proved useful when they decided to make interior changes to the restaurant. The first thing I noticed besides the front façade, which looks

WHITE PINE $40

Those familiar with La Petite’s décor will remember the wood lattice that covered half of the walls in the dining room. They opted to replace that with local artwork, and the main dining room is now the home of Joelle Cathleen’s mystical trees and clouds. Two other local artists, John Bice and Larry Altaffer adorn the front lobby and private dining room. The carpeting throughout La Petite is new, and gives the wide-open space a warm feel. Of special interest is a new corner booth table. This booth can seat 8-10 people, and is a great spot for celebrating with a group.

Lastly, for those attached to the bar area with its Rock and Roll memorabilia, and red checkered table cloths, all remains the same. I guess the Renaults were not quite ready to give that little piece of their identity a facelift, and sometimes you do have to hold on to the old things. Wayne was still standing at the bar with his welcoming smile, as were the Beatles on the wall, and all was well in the world of La Petite Auberge.

CUT OR DIG YOUR OWN Saws Available; Bring Your Own Shovel 10 mi. S.E. of downtown on Rt. 17 .

Open 9-6 Daily sneadsfarm.com Farm Info Line: 540/371-1070

Where Fredericksburg Gets Engaged quaint and sophisticated at the same time, (and incorporates their logo on the front sign) is the lighting. When you walk in, there is a soft feel to the dining room, and Jessica explained that all the lighting is new. They used copper and faux copper on the fixtures and centerpiece chandelier.

The vaulted ceiling is a faux copper that gives the room a spacious feel and combined with the center chandelier lends to a modern yet rustic aura.

Mary Lynn Powers breask the inside story on emerging businesses exclusively in Front Porch Magazine.

606 Caroline Street 373-7847 www.gemstonecreations.org

Call for Special Holiday Hours

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

3

contents

closeups 6

20

31

Into the woods ...Dan Finnegan Jay Flaherty ... Makes Connections

31

Slices of FXBG Life ... Chris Limbriik

porch talk 4 ..5 7

18

Our Heritage history’s stories.: 12 days of christmas

21

autoknown better: tonka envy

22

Senior Care: be a santa to a senior

23

santa joanna: gift ideas from nature

24

Art in the ‘burg: let there be art in your joy

25

scene & heard...in the ‘burg!

26

1st night fxbg music scene poetryman: holiday gift

27

community link: .........year in review

28

my own path Sol Sistere celebration

29

porchlight: season of the wish

30

Christmas in the usa

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

Un Vieux Favori Refait Une Beauté

SPRUCE

10

retired on the back porch: cat can do stafford co almost birthplace of flight

11

FXBG Blues Society

12

Vino: Justify mid-week drinking Cooking with kyle

13

season’s bounty: cookie xmas

3

Un Vieux Favori Refait Une Beaut…

14

hop & wine

8

On the Verge of Set C stafford drama students

15

will power: craft beer

16-17

Calendar of Events

26

...And more! magic of a whittingham christmas

Cover Photo by Archer Dipeppe

Raymond and Jessica Renault

Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose?

Have A Hot Drink where warm hearts wish you Happy Holidays

2

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

$70

By mary lynn powers

Quiet Moments: Between the MAgi & M&M’s

30

Snead’s Farm

An Old favorite gets a facelift

11

Small Screen Christmas

CHRISTMAS TREES GALORE

La Petite Auberge is located directly in the middle of what can only be viewed as Fredericksburg’s restaurant wars.

New and old spots are adding, changing, and redecorating in attempts to stay on top of the latest wave of eateries on William Street. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jessica Renault and her ten month old daughter Giselle, as we talked about her involvement with the renovation of the thirty-year-old French restaurant. Her husband Raymond has recently taken over the majority of the operation of the business, with his father Christian still onboard in an advisory position. Jessica began working for the business after working in a variety of interior design positions, and she and Raymond took the apartment over the restaurant. Most restaurant owners put in at least a twelve-hour day, and this only made sense that they live close to the shop, especially with a newborn baby girl.

And what a sweetie, who would want to be away from her for too long!

Jessica seems to be the all around person at La Petite, running the office, doing errands, typing menus, handling marketing and public relations – all the things that happen behind the scenes. She also has a degree in interior design and worked for furniture stores doing visual merchandising. This proved useful when they decided to make interior changes to the restaurant. The first thing I noticed besides the front façade, which looks

WHITE PINE $40

Those familiar with La Petite’s décor will remember the wood lattice that covered half of the walls in the dining room. They opted to replace that with local artwork, and the main dining room is now the home of Joelle Cathleen’s mystical trees and clouds. Two other local artists, John Bice and Larry Altaffer adorn the front lobby and private dining room. The carpeting throughout La Petite is new, and gives the wide-open space a warm feel. Of special interest is a new corner booth table. This booth can seat 8-10 people, and is a great spot for celebrating with a group.

Lastly, for those attached to the bar area with its Rock and Roll memorabilia, and red checkered table cloths, all remains the same. I guess the Renaults were not quite ready to give that little piece of their identity a facelift, and sometimes you do have to hold on to the old things. Wayne was still standing at the bar with his welcoming smile, as were the Beatles on the wall, and all was well in the world of La Petite Auberge.

CUT OR DIG YOUR OWN Saws Available; Bring Your Own Shovel 10 mi. S.E. of downtown on Rt. 17 .

Open 9-6 Daily sneadsfarm.com Farm Info Line: 540/371-1070

Where Fredericksburg Gets Engaged quaint and sophisticated at the same time, (and incorporates their logo on the front sign) is the lighting. When you walk in, there is a soft feel to the dining room, and Jessica explained that all the lighting is new. They used copper and faux copper on the fixtures and centerpiece chandelier.

The vaulted ceiling is a faux copper that gives the room a spacious feel and combined with the center chandelier lends to a modern yet rustic aura.

Mary Lynn Powers breask the inside story on emerging businesses exclusively in Front Porch Magazine.

606 Caroline Street 373-7847 www.gemstonecreations.org

Call for Special Holiday Hours

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

3

ON THE PORCH Rob Grogan

Editor

Photographer Archer Di Peppe Contributing Writers & Artists A.E.Bayne

Diane Beyer JoAnna Cassidy-Farrell Megan Byrnes Collette Caprara C.Ruth Cassell Lezlie Cheryl Ashleigh Chevalier Arch Di Peppe Fran k Fratoe William Garnett Renee Gavin Sue Henderson Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Katie Hornung Rob Huffman Xavier Jenerette Karl Karch David S. Kerr Will Loring Jo Middleton Susan Carroll Morgan Stuart Perkins M.L.Powers Vanessa Moncure Scott Richards James Kyle Snyder Jeremy Sutton Matt Thomas Christine Thompson Rim Vining

Front Porch Fredericksburg is a free circulation magazine published monthly by Olde Towne Publishing Co., Inc. Virginia Bigenwald Grogan, Publisher.

The mission of Front Porch Fredericksburg is to connect the diverse citizenry of Fredericksburg with lively features and informative columns of interest to our community’s greatest resource, its people.

Messages from our readers are welcome. All submissions must be received by e-mail by the 19th of the month preceding publication.

Writers are welcome to request Writer’s Guidelines and query the Editor by e-mail.

Front Porch Fredericksburg PO Box 9203 Fredericksburg, VA 22403 Phone: 540-220-1922 E-Mail: frntprch@aol.com Web Site: www.frontporchfredericksburg.com The opinions expressed in Front Porch Fredericksburg are those of the contributing writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Front Porch Fredericksburg or its advertisers.

Copyright 2013 Olde Towne Publishing Co., LLC All rights reserved.

A Little Christmas “Haul out the holly; put up the tree before my spirit falls again. Fill up the stocking, I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now… For we need a little Christmas right this very minute, candles in the window, carols at the spinet... Yes, we need a little Christmas right this very minute… Need a little Christmas now...”

– from Mame Some years, our December slant has been seriously all-inclusive and politically correct.

We mention every conceivable celebration and meaning of this extraordinary season of the year. But not this year. This year, it seems to me, we need a little Christmas NOW. Christmas, child-style, simple and basic, good cheer, visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads. It’s been that kind of year and none other than Auntie Mame has the answer to it – we need a little Christmas now!

Christmas as a child was all mystery and wonder, all dazzle and awe. I may have told this tale before – when my brother, Ken, on the cusp of me becoming a non-believer, woke me from my slumber to declare he had just seen Santa’s sled race across the moonscape on a bright and starry eve in Shrewsbury, NJ. He wanted me to continue being a kid and to not see that awe and joy ever end for me. It worked at least another year or two.

messages Hi there! Just wanted to let you know I saw my little story, “What Man?” (Porch Light, November) in Front Porch and was very excited! Thank you again for including something from me, I sincerely mean that! I just wanted to send a note. Hope you’re doing well!

Thank you again, Stuart Perkins Dear Editor: I enjoy it when you highlight the writers’ comments on a holiday or other topics (Our Thanksgivings, November).

As a reader, I like getting to know the regulars who write for Front Porch. It makes me feel connected to them. Thank you.

Chelsea Brigade Hartwood Hello

Robgwrites 4

Small Screen Christmas

December 2013

Keep on honoring our area’s teachers! Thank you, A. E. Bayne (“One Teacher”, November).

Chris Hayes, Fredericksburg Front porch fredericksburg

And now it has returned.

Well, not in the full-on kid-friendly way, but in perhaps a far more meaningful and joyous way for me.

I feel the Christmas spirit as though I were young again. My chimney is primed for a slide-down visitor who magically – despite the soot and high temperature – will appear. He will sip the Scotch I leave him and eat the cookies Alexis bakes. He’ll stuff our stockings and leave us presents under the tree – a modest tree because time and energy are at a premium – and he’ll wink as he ascends the chimney to go!

It will be a Mame kind of Christmas, a boy meets joy affair, and it will lift us higher and higher above the pitfalls of what has been a difficult year for so many people in so many places.

It will also be very grownup in that Christmas this year will evoke prayer and gratitude, overt showings of love deep from the heart, and statements of caring for the people I love and feel blessed to know and cross paths with in my life.

By David S. Kerr

Coming up in January: “Lobby Stops” follows Jenny McGee on her visits with senior citizens as she delivers books from the CRRL… Our Deadline for Advertisements, Calendar submissions (follow the link: http://frontporchfredericksburg.com/ho w-tto-ssubmit-o online/), and stories is the 20 th of the month preceding

can’t. For instance, does anyone out there remember “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians?” I do, and I regret having to admit that I went to see it. Fortunately though, most films have done a lot better.

Perhaps my favorite is Jimmy Stewart in the classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. Sappy, slow, and melodramatic, what with Mr. Potter, Zu Zu and her petals, and of course, the angel to be, Clarence, it’s still one of my favorites.

And it seems everyone, in every medium, does his or her version of a “Christmas Carol.” This Charles Dickens classic about Scrooge and his three ghosts was perhaps the first modern Christmas story. Published in newspapers in 1843 its been given credit for making the Christmas Holiday, which in the early 19th

So raise your glasses, be they eggnog, tea, or Scotch. Go out on the porch to gaze at the stars in the sky, or stay inside to capture the fire in the hearth. And shout out, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

Savor the moment, then pick up this paper and read aloud with a child’s joy, “And we need a little snappy ‘Happy ever after,’ need a little Christmas now.”

Merry Christmas everyone! Peace on Earth, and goodwill toward all mankind

Christmas this year will be fulfilling on many levels and I hope for our community as well, which I have no doubt will share its compassion with those who also need a little Christmas now.

About The Cover: A stitch of a Santa evokes oldtime Christmas, a homey feeling to the holiday, as photographed by Archer Di Peppe.

Starring Rudolph, Charlie Brown, and Zu-Zu’s Petals

Dedication: We dedicate this issue to the memory of Emma Grogan, Rob’s paternal grandmother, whose Thanksgiving legacy of “rice cakes” lived on in his family’s kitchens around the country last month… and to our Troops everywhere!

Welcome home, Christine Kaila, and thank you for your service…

Prediction: One big snowfall between Christmas and the State of the Union Address…

I remember the first year it aired.

At the time, I didn’t know it was the show’s

Allow Us To Extend Our Warmest Wishes for the Holiday Season from All of Us here at

publication. After the 20th, we are in production… Act early to get into the next issue!

Advertising rates are available upon request. Email your request to frntprch@aol.com

374-0443 www.shopwhittingham.com 1021 Caroline Street

premiere, or that would start a Holiday tradition. I just knew that I wanted to see it. My parents, who were going out that particular Saturday just before Christmas in 1964 told my babysitter to make sure I got to see the show. It was the NBC version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” which premiered on the General Electric “Fantasy Hour.” The show was the familiar story about a reindeer whose nose was so bright that it could serve as a headlight for Santa’s sleigh. This story, by the way, was written back in 1939 as a Christmas promotion for Montgomery Ward. But that didn’t matter, it was about Rudolph, and the story was perfect for a six year old who was totally enamored with Christmas.

Since that first airing NBC has shown Rudolph every year for the past 46 years. Just like the other networks have done with a host of TV and movie Christmas treasures.

In fact, there is probably no holiday that prompts as many TV specials, holiday themed episodes of popular shows, or movies as Christmas.

No sitcom can run for very long without a Christmas episode and all those TV specials, done way back when, just like Rudolph, keep running year after year. A Charlie Brown Christmas first debuted in 1965, and like Rudolph, is shown, without fail each year.

The same is true for “Frosty the Snowman,” complete with the voices of Jimmy Durante and Fred Astaire.

When it comes to movies shown on the small screen, Christmas has been a theme that no producer seems able to resist.

Alas, some are distinctly forgettable. Thing is, they’re so bad you

century had fallen out of favor, into the modern day celebration we know so well.

A Christmas Carol has prompted at least six motion pictures, several stage plays, a

host of TV specials, and in some strange twists, even Donald Duck, Mr. Magoo, and Fred Flintstone have taken on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

You might think that with the hundreds of TV episodes and specials year after year, and the long list of movies, that perhaps Christmas as a theme for modern media is nearly exhausted. But, thank goodness, so far, I don’t see any indication of that, which suits me just fine. I enjoy all of these. But please, my only request is to keep showing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

Christmas is incomplete without it.

David S. Kerr is a local free-lance writer, and a jolly good kid at heart.

Days Gone By Courtesy of the William T. Garnett Collection

Horse and Buggy days back in the Burg. Substitute a car and you remember 2010’s Snowmagedon!

Winter on Princess Anne, by W.L. Bond

Reach William T. Garnett Antiques at 540-424-2448. front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

5

ON THE PORCH Rob Grogan

Editor

Photographer Archer Di Peppe Contributing Writers & Artists A.E.Bayne

Diane Beyer JoAnna Cassidy-Farrell Megan Byrnes Collette Caprara C.Ruth Cassell Lezlie Cheryl Ashleigh Chevalier Arch Di Peppe Fran k Fratoe William Garnett Renee Gavin Sue Henderson Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Katie Hornung Rob Huffman Xavier Jenerette Karl Karch David S. Kerr Will Loring Jo Middleton Susan Carroll Morgan Stuart Perkins M.L.Powers Vanessa Moncure Scott Richards James Kyle Snyder Jeremy Sutton Matt Thomas Christine Thompson Rim Vining

Front Porch Fredericksburg is a free circulation magazine published monthly by Olde Towne Publishing Co., Inc. Virginia Bigenwald Grogan, Publisher.

The mission of Front Porch Fredericksburg is to connect the diverse citizenry of Fredericksburg with lively features and informative columns of interest to our community’s greatest resource, its people.

Messages from our readers are welcome. All submissions must be received by e-mail by the 19th of the month preceding publication.

Writers are welcome to request Writer’s Guidelines and query the Editor by e-mail.

Front Porch Fredericksburg PO Box 9203 Fredericksburg, VA 22403 Phone: 540-220-1922 E-Mail: frntprch@aol.com Web Site: www.frontporchfredericksburg.com The opinions expressed in Front Porch Fredericksburg are those of the contributing writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Front Porch Fredericksburg or its advertisers.

Copyright 2013 Olde Towne Publishing Co., LLC All rights reserved.

A Little Christmas “Haul out the holly; put up the tree before my spirit falls again. Fill up the stocking, I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now… For we need a little Christmas right this very minute, candles in the window, carols at the spinet... Yes, we need a little Christmas right this very minute… Need a little Christmas now...”

– from Mame Some years, our December slant has been seriously all-inclusive and politically correct.

We mention every conceivable celebration and meaning of this extraordinary season of the year. But not this year. This year, it seems to me, we need a little Christmas NOW. Christmas, child-style, simple and basic, good cheer, visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads. It’s been that kind of year and none other than Auntie Mame has the answer to it – we need a little Christmas now!

Christmas as a child was all mystery and wonder, all dazzle and awe. I may have told this tale before – when my brother, Ken, on the cusp of me becoming a non-believer, woke me from my slumber to declare he had just seen Santa’s sled race across the moonscape on a bright and starry eve in Shrewsbury, NJ. He wanted me to continue being a kid and to not see that awe and joy ever end for me. It worked at least another year or two.

messages Hi there! Just wanted to let you know I saw my little story, “What Man?” (Porch Light, November) in Front Porch and was very excited! Thank you again for including something from me, I sincerely mean that! I just wanted to send a note. Hope you’re doing well!

Thank you again, Stuart Perkins Dear Editor: I enjoy it when you highlight the writers’ comments on a holiday or other topics (Our Thanksgivings, November).

As a reader, I like getting to know the regulars who write for Front Porch. It makes me feel connected to them. Thank you.

Chelsea Brigade Hartwood Hello

Robgwrites 4

Small Screen Christmas

December 2013

Keep on honoring our area’s teachers! Thank you, A. E. Bayne (“One Teacher”, November).

Chris Hayes, Fredericksburg Front porch fredericksburg

And now it has returned.

Well, not in the full-on kid-friendly way, but in perhaps a far more meaningful and joyous way for me.

I feel the Christmas spirit as though I were young again. My chimney is primed for a slide-down visitor who magically – despite the soot and high temperature – will appear. He will sip the Scotch I leave him and eat the cookies Alexis bakes. He’ll stuff our stockings and leave us presents under the tree – a modest tree because time and energy are at a premium – and he’ll wink as he ascends the chimney to go!

It will be a Mame kind of Christmas, a boy meets joy affair, and it will lift us higher and higher above the pitfalls of what has been a difficult year for so many people in so many places.

It will also be very grownup in that Christmas this year will evoke prayer and gratitude, overt showings of love deep from the heart, and statements of caring for the people I love and feel blessed to know and cross paths with in my life.

By David S. Kerr

Coming up in January: “Lobby Stops” follows Jenny McGee on her visits with senior citizens as she delivers books from the CRRL… Our Deadline for Advertisements, Calendar submissions (follow the link: http://frontporchfredericksburg.com/ho w-tto-ssubmit-o online/), and stories is the 20 th of the month preceding

can’t. For instance, does anyone out there remember “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians?” I do, and I regret having to admit that I went to see it. Fortunately though, most films have done a lot better.

Perhaps my favorite is Jimmy Stewart in the classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. Sappy, slow, and melodramatic, what with Mr. Potter, Zu Zu and her petals, and of course, the angel to be, Clarence, it’s still one of my favorites.

And it seems everyone, in every medium, does his or her version of a “Christmas Carol.” This Charles Dickens classic about Scrooge and his three ghosts was perhaps the first modern Christmas story. Published in newspapers in 1843 its been given credit for making the Christmas Holiday, which in the early 19th

So raise your glasses, be they eggnog, tea, or Scotch. Go out on the porch to gaze at the stars in the sky, or stay inside to capture the fire in the hearth. And shout out, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

Savor the moment, then pick up this paper and read aloud with a child’s joy, “And we need a little snappy ‘Happy ever after,’ need a little Christmas now.”

Merry Christmas everyone! Peace on Earth, and goodwill toward all mankind

Christmas this year will be fulfilling on many levels and I hope for our community as well, which I have no doubt will share its compassion with those who also need a little Christmas now.

About The Cover: A stitch of a Santa evokes oldtime Christmas, a homey feeling to the holiday, as photographed by Archer Di Peppe.

Starring Rudolph, Charlie Brown, and Zu-Zu’s Petals

Dedication: We dedicate this issue to the memory of Emma Grogan, Rob’s paternal grandmother, whose Thanksgiving legacy of “rice cakes” lived on in his family’s kitchens around the country last month… and to our Troops everywhere!

Welcome home, Christine Kaila, and thank you for your service…

Prediction: One big snowfall between Christmas and the State of the Union Address…

I remember the first year it aired.

At the time, I didn’t know it was the show’s

Allow Us To Extend Our Warmest Wishes for the Holiday Season from All of Us here at

publication. After the 20th, we are in production… Act early to get into the next issue!

Advertising rates are available upon request. Email your request to frntprch@aol.com

374-0443 www.shopwhittingham.com 1021 Caroline Street

premiere, or that would start a Holiday tradition. I just knew that I wanted to see it. My parents, who were going out that particular Saturday just before Christmas in 1964 told my babysitter to make sure I got to see the show. It was the NBC version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” which premiered on the General Electric “Fantasy Hour.” The show was the familiar story about a reindeer whose nose was so bright that it could serve as a headlight for Santa’s sleigh. This story, by the way, was written back in 1939 as a Christmas promotion for Montgomery Ward. But that didn’t matter, it was about Rudolph, and the story was perfect for a six year old who was totally enamored with Christmas.

Since that first airing NBC has shown Rudolph every year for the past 46 years. Just like the other networks have done with a host of TV and movie Christmas treasures.

In fact, there is probably no holiday that prompts as many TV specials, holiday themed episodes of popular shows, or movies as Christmas.

No sitcom can run for very long without a Christmas episode and all those TV specials, done way back when, just like Rudolph, keep running year after year. A Charlie Brown Christmas first debuted in 1965, and like Rudolph, is shown, without fail each year.

The same is true for “Frosty the Snowman,” complete with the voices of Jimmy Durante and Fred Astaire.

When it comes to movies shown on the small screen, Christmas has been a theme that no producer seems able to resist.

Alas, some are distinctly forgettable. Thing is, they’re so bad you

century had fallen out of favor, into the modern day celebration we know so well.

A Christmas Carol has prompted at least six motion pictures, several stage plays, a

host of TV specials, and in some strange twists, even Donald Duck, Mr. Magoo, and Fred Flintstone have taken on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

You might think that with the hundreds of TV episodes and specials year after year, and the long list of movies, that perhaps Christmas as a theme for modern media is nearly exhausted. But, thank goodness, so far, I don’t see any indication of that, which suits me just fine. I enjoy all of these. But please, my only request is to keep showing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

Christmas is incomplete without it.

David S. Kerr is a local free-lance writer, and a jolly good kid at heart.

Days Gone By Courtesy of the William T. Garnett Collection

Horse and Buggy days back in the Burg. Substitute a car and you remember 2010’s Snowmagedon!

Winter on Princess Anne, by W.L. Bond

Reach William T. Garnett Antiques at 540-424-2448. front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

5

Design Inspiration

Quiet Moments

into the woods with dan

Somewhere Between the Magi and the M & M’s

By rob grogan don’t think that ‘this is it’ for me. I have lots of new directions to explore in life... I am promoting an annual show in D.C now, I have a new kiln in the works, and I am teaching and exhibiting more.”

After a career that has primarily centered on working and selling in our hometown, Dan Finnegan has some wonderful opportunities to expand his market nationally, which means ‘no regrets.’

“I don’t believe in regrets... I am happy with where I’ve been and excited about where I am going. No doubt I have made some mistakes, but every choice I’ve made has led me to where I am today, and that’s a mighty good place to be!”

Seeing Dan in a good place is good to see, having followed his progress for all of these years. Seeing success not spoil but enrich the artist is a lesson for us all. If you get the chance, follow Dan into the woods and watch his life as a human being unfold as he does what he loves, inspired by historical pottery and happily refocused on this phase of his career and life.

—RG

“All of my work is rooted in historical pottery,” says potter Dan Finnegan at his kiln in Caroline County.

The birds are inspired by the Martin Brothers, four brothers who worked together in London about 100 years ago. They made a body of work that came to be known as ‘Wally Birds’.

“I don’t make reproductions, but I use old ideas as a starting point to discover new ones,” Dan explains. “I have always spent long hours alone in my studio and I’m never happier than when I am there. I don’t think that I’ve ever felt lonely...and I’ve NEVER been bored!”

6

December 2013

Good thing. It is rather remote – and bucolic there – but a focused artist such as Dan welcomes that. He is not there to waste time: “I am enormously happy to refocus on my own creative work after 12 years of LibertyTown responsibilities, but I can’t say I am content. I think that most creative people are driven... I certainly am.”

Dan says there are always new avenues to explore and never enough time.

“So, content, no, but fulfilled, always.”

Is this “it” for Dan as far as what he wants to do with the rest of his life? “I

Front porch fredericksburg

By archer Dipeppe

Every year the day before Christmas vacation I would read O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi to my freshmen and sophomore English students. It is a sentimental Christmas Eve story of how a young wife secretly cuts off her long hair and sells it to buy her husband a platinum watch chain for his treasured pocket watch. He, in turn, pawned the watch to buy her a set of tortoise shell combs. My students hated the story. I should have just provided copious amounts of peanut M & M’s.

The following Christmas Eve story is true and falls somewhere between the Magi and the M & M’s. It was our second Christmas as a married couple and a few weeks before Christmas, I saw a matching pair of ten speed bikes. I talked my wife into getting them for Christmas.

For an extra ten dollars each, they would assemble them.

This would be the end of the story if I had had any sense, but, after all, I had a flat head screw driver, a pair of pliers, and a hammer at home. How hard could it be to put together two ten speeds? At this point I should admit that I am the son of a machinist, and he could fix anything. He could listen to a car engine and tell you if there was anything wrong. At the plant where he worked, he kept machinery running that was bigger than our house. If anything went wrong in the middle of the night, he was the guy they always called to fix it. Even if it only took fifteen minutes, they had to pay him four hours of overtime.

Now, it was a good thing my dad could fix anything because I could break anything. He did try to teach me to fix things, but it never went well. I didn’t have the talent, the patience, or the interest. Sometimes he would just look at me and shake his head. I do not know why

I didn’t think about this when I loaded the large narrow boxes into my car. I was thinking about saving the twenty dollars.

I started trying to assemble the bikes after dinner on Christmas Eve. Everything that could go wrong did. The directions were written in small type and assumed you could recognize the parts in the diagrams. They were wrong. A flat head screwdriver was only good for flat head screws and drawing your own blood.

Pliers were no substitute for a set of socket wrenches.

The hammer wasn’t good for anything except suicidal fantasies.

The second bike was easier because I had made every mistake you could possibly make on the first one. All of my knuckles were already bleeding, and I had given up putting long strings of curse words together. I was also soaking wet from my own perspiration. I had just one last step. It was after two in the morning. I set the last pair of handlebars on the post, put the little sombreroshaped nut on the post, took the hammer, and tapped the nut. The nut snapped perfectly into place. I smiled. I sat back on the couch. I gazed lovingly at my masterpiece. Sure I was half-blind, bloody, and exhausted, but I was triumphant.

That was when I realized I had placed the handlebars on backwards. I picked up the bike, turned it over with one hand, and pounded the stubborn nut for twenty minutes before it finally came loose and rolled under the couch. Sometimes there just aren’t enough M & M’s.

Merry Christmas!

FREDERICKSBURG

Archer Di Peppe has a bushel of M&M’s ready for his grand children’s “some assembly-required” gifts.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

7

Design Inspiration

Quiet Moments

into the woods with dan

Somewhere Between the Magi and the M & M’s

By rob grogan don’t think that ‘this is it’ for me. I have lots of new directions to explore in life... I am promoting an annual show in D.C now, I have a new kiln in the works, and I am teaching and exhibiting more.”

After a career that has primarily centered on working and selling in our hometown, Dan Finnegan has some wonderful opportunities to expand his market nationally, which means ‘no regrets.’

“I don’t believe in regrets... I am happy with where I’ve been and excited about where I am going. No doubt I have made some mistakes, but every choice I’ve made has led me to where I am today, and that’s a mighty good place to be!”

Seeing Dan in a good place is good to see, having followed his progress for all of these years. Seeing success not spoil but enrich the artist is a lesson for us all. If you get the chance, follow Dan into the woods and watch his life as a human being unfold as he does what he loves, inspired by historical pottery and happily refocused on this phase of his career and life.

—RG

“All of my work is rooted in historical pottery,” says potter Dan Finnegan at his kiln in Caroline County.

The birds are inspired by the Martin Brothers, four brothers who worked together in London about 100 years ago. They made a body of work that came to be known as ‘Wally Birds’.

“I don’t make reproductions, but I use old ideas as a starting point to discover new ones,” Dan explains. “I have always spent long hours alone in my studio and I’m never happier than when I am there. I don’t think that I’ve ever felt lonely...and I’ve NEVER been bored!”

6

December 2013

Good thing. It is rather remote – and bucolic there – but a focused artist such as Dan welcomes that. He is not there to waste time: “I am enormously happy to refocus on my own creative work after 12 years of LibertyTown responsibilities, but I can’t say I am content. I think that most creative people are driven... I certainly am.”

Dan says there are always new avenues to explore and never enough time.

“So, content, no, but fulfilled, always.”

Is this “it” for Dan as far as what he wants to do with the rest of his life? “I

Front porch fredericksburg

By archer Dipeppe

Every year the day before Christmas vacation I would read O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi to my freshmen and sophomore English students. It is a sentimental Christmas Eve story of how a young wife secretly cuts off her long hair and sells it to buy her husband a platinum watch chain for his treasured pocket watch. He, in turn, pawned the watch to buy her a set of tortoise shell combs. My students hated the story. I should have just provided copious amounts of peanut M & M’s.

The following Christmas Eve story is true and falls somewhere between the Magi and the M & M’s. It was our second Christmas as a married couple and a few weeks before Christmas, I saw a matching pair of ten speed bikes. I talked my wife into getting them for Christmas.

For an extra ten dollars each, they would assemble them.

This would be the end of the story if I had had any sense, but, after all, I had a flat head screw driver, a pair of pliers, and a hammer at home. How hard could it be to put together two ten speeds? At this point I should admit that I am the son of a machinist, and he could fix anything. He could listen to a car engine and tell you if there was anything wrong. At the plant where he worked, he kept machinery running that was bigger than our house. If anything went wrong in the middle of the night, he was the guy they always called to fix it. Even if it only took fifteen minutes, they had to pay him four hours of overtime.

Now, it was a good thing my dad could fix anything because I could break anything. He did try to teach me to fix things, but it never went well. I didn’t have the talent, the patience, or the interest. Sometimes he would just look at me and shake his head. I do not know why

I didn’t think about this when I loaded the large narrow boxes into my car. I was thinking about saving the twenty dollars.

I started trying to assemble the bikes after dinner on Christmas Eve. Everything that could go wrong did. The directions were written in small type and assumed you could recognize the parts in the diagrams. They were wrong. A flat head screwdriver was only good for flat head screws and drawing your own blood.

Pliers were no substitute for a set of socket wrenches.

The hammer wasn’t good for anything except suicidal fantasies.

The second bike was easier because I had made every mistake you could possibly make on the first one. All of my knuckles were already bleeding, and I had given up putting long strings of curse words together. I was also soaking wet from my own perspiration. I had just one last step. It was after two in the morning. I set the last pair of handlebars on the post, put the little sombreroshaped nut on the post, took the hammer, and tapped the nut. The nut snapped perfectly into place. I smiled. I sat back on the couch. I gazed lovingly at my masterpiece. Sure I was half-blind, bloody, and exhausted, but I was triumphant.

That was when I realized I had placed the handlebars on backwards. I picked up the bike, turned it over with one hand, and pounded the stubborn nut for twenty minutes before it finally came loose and rolled under the couch. Sometimes there just aren’t enough M & M’s.

Merry Christmas!

FREDERICKSBURG

Archer Di Peppe has a bushel of M&M’s ready for his grand children’s “some assembly-required” gifts.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

7

On The Verge of SET C

Got History?

Follow in the Steps of the Founding Fathers in the Age of Enlightenment and beyond.

Stafford Drama Students Win Big at VTA

By Xaviar Jenerette

Success!

Stafford High School once again brings it all to the stage with their one-act competitive play On the Verge. For a second time in recent years, Stafford’sclean house at the Virginia Theater Association’s yearly competition, claiming first place in the state of Virginia.

“It was like a great weight had been lifted off our shoulders,” stated crewmember Courtney Mears, recounting the event. In turn, this affords Stafford’s performers the unique opportunity to further their skills with college level workshops at the South Eastern Theatre Conference in Alabama in the spring.

SETC is a distinctly special opportunity for high school level actors who are awarded top honors in their state theater competitions. It gives them a chance to speak with professional actors and directors to gain experience and build much needed connections within the theater, as well as giving them firsthand familiarity with workshops and activities aimed at helping them improve their skills.

When asked what she was looking forward

8

December 2013

to most, actress L i n d s a y Earnhardt said, “I’m really looking forward to the cool workshops taught by professional actors and professors, as it is a really u n i q u e experience.”

On the Verge follows the travels of three girls (Lindsay Earnhardt, Erin Lottes, and Elise Andrew - in photo by Rachel Dreistadt) as they explore the last undiscovered land, Terra Incognito. Upon their travels, they meet many strange and interesting characters (Domenic Romanello – in photo by Rachel Dreistadt - and Esther Sebarenzi) that impart their own wisdom upon the troop. The further the girls travel the more they realize this is not ordinary journey; they begin to unravel the mystery, discovering something about themselves in the progress.

While these talented young actors are front and center, they alone do not make the play. It also takes a hard working crew, and Stafford High has one of the best.

In addition to Assistant Director Edward Smith and Stage Manager Ryan Hurley, the crew consists Olivia Haynes, Max Walton, and Ben Earnhardt as the lighting crew, Scenic Designer Erin Lottes, and Michelle Bair, Liam Davis, James Esler, Christian Humphrey, Zach Jarrett, Hannah Leonard, Brandon Lock, Chris McMillen, Courtney Mears, Leila Rayyan, John Romanello, Miranda Shelton, Kylee Sorenson, and Naomi Williams as stage crew members.

These drama students will gain valuable knowledge through workshops and sessions with skilled professionals in their various technical areas.

The funding for this trip will come from other performances throughout the year, as well as donations to the department.

Upcoming events include: A Christmas Carol on Thursday, December 12, 2013 and Friday, December 13, 2013 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Cost is $5 for students/children/seniors and $7 for adults.

The SETC group will present On the Verge to the public for one night only on Saturday, January 4, 2014 at 7 p.m.

Front porch fredericksburg

Cost for tickets is $5 for all ages.

The Stafford County Improv Fest happens on Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 7 p.m and will cost $3 for students/children/seniors and $5 for adults.

This is an extraordinary chance for the Stafford Drama students. If you are unable to make it to enjoy their exceptional talents, you can donate to help fund expenses and transportation to Alabama by mailing in to: Stafford H.S. Drama Boosters Stafford High School, Attn: M. D’Addario 33 Stafford Indians Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22405 For more information regarding events or donations, contact Michael D’Addario, Theatre Director, Stafford High School Drama Department by calling (540) 371-7200 Extension 1247 or by emailing daddariomd@staffordschools.net.

15318 James Madison Parkway "White Plains Farm". Circa 1720. Gentleman's Farm of 38 acres in King George County. A stately Colonial house that speaks to Preservationists and transports you to the era when George was King.

D L SO

$495,000..

211 Caroline Street "The Goolrick-Caldwell House". Circa 1787. always a fashionable address over the centuries. Freedom rings out from this three-story Federal house that is spacious yet comfortable and intimate. Two of our city mayors, Peter Goolrick and John Caldwell, have resided here and enjoyed the river view.

$895,000.

Xaviar Jenerette is a recent graduate and former participant in Stafford High’s award-winning drama department.

1107 Princess Anne Street "The Charles Dick House".

Circa 1750. A Patriotic Salute to this residence steeped in the early history of Fredericksburg. Spacious 5bedroom house with carriage house apartment and garage. Dine where President George Washington "supped" in 1771.

2010 Fall Hill Avenue "Elmhurst". Circa 1871. Reconstruction of the Good Life by Washington Elms of Saratoga Springs, New York. This lovely Italianate house with its own tower was completely rehabbed in 2006 and placed on the National Register.

It boasts the biggest FRONT PORCH in town.

$1,090,000.

$1,250,000.

709 Caroline Street One of John Tayloe's "Seven Sisters" buildings in the heart of the Downtown Historic business district. Circa 1782.

Revolutionary Idea - Stop commuting.

Live upstairs and work downstairs in this stylish building located across from the Visitors Center.

$650,000.

g n i nd

e P t rac

t n o C

Selling or Buying?

PLEASE CONTACT THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER TEAM, SUSAN AND ANNE MORGAN PATES SUSAN, 540.809.9443, susanpates@aol.com ANNE MORGAN, 540.836.5700; ampates88@aol.com

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

9

On The Verge of SET C

Got History?

Follow in the Steps of the Founding Fathers in the Age of Enlightenment and beyond.

Stafford Drama Students Win Big at VTA

By Xaviar Jenerette

Success!

Stafford High School once again brings it all to the stage with their one-act competitive play On the Verge. For a second time in recent years, Stafford’sclean house at the Virginia Theater Association’s yearly competition, claiming first place in the state of Virginia.

“It was like a great weight had been lifted off our shoulders,” stated crewmember Courtney Mears, recounting the event. In turn, this affords Stafford’s performers the unique opportunity to further their skills with college level workshops at the South Eastern Theatre Conference in Alabama in the spring.

SETC is a distinctly special opportunity for high school level actors who are awarded top honors in their state theater competitions. It gives them a chance to speak with professional actors and directors to gain experience and build much needed connections within the theater, as well as giving them firsthand familiarity with workshops and activities aimed at helping them improve their skills.

When asked what she was looking forward

8

December 2013

to most, actress L i n d s a y Earnhardt said, “I’m really looking forward to the cool workshops taught by professional actors and professors, as it is a really u n i q u e experience.”

On the Verge follows the travels of three girls (Lindsay Earnhardt, Erin Lottes, and Elise Andrew - in photo by Rachel Dreistadt) as they explore the last undiscovered land, Terra Incognito. Upon their travels, they meet many strange and interesting characters (Domenic Romanello – in photo by Rachel Dreistadt - and Esther Sebarenzi) that impart their own wisdom upon the troop. The further the girls travel the more they realize this is not ordinary journey; they begin to unravel the mystery, discovering something about themselves in the progress.

While these talented young actors are front and center, they alone do not make the play. It also takes a hard working crew, and Stafford High has one of the best.

In addition to Assistant Director Edward Smith and Stage Manager Ryan Hurley, the crew consists Olivia Haynes, Max Walton, and Ben Earnhardt as the lighting crew, Scenic Designer Erin Lottes, and Michelle Bair, Liam Davis, James Esler, Christian Humphrey, Zach Jarrett, Hannah Leonard, Brandon Lock, Chris McMillen, Courtney Mears, Leila Rayyan, John Romanello, Miranda Shelton, Kylee Sorenson, and Naomi Williams as stage crew members.

These drama students will gain valuable knowledge through workshops and sessions with skilled professionals in their various technical areas.

The funding for this trip will come from other performances throughout the year, as well as donations to the department.

Upcoming events include: A Christmas Carol on Thursday, December 12, 2013 and Friday, December 13, 2013 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Cost is $5 for students/children/seniors and $7 for adults.

The SETC group will present On the Verge to the public for one night only on Saturday, January 4, 2014 at 7 p.m.

Front porch fredericksburg

Cost for tickets is $5 for all ages.

The Stafford County Improv Fest happens on Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 7 p.m and will cost $3 for students/children/seniors and $5 for adults.

This is an extraordinary chance for the Stafford Drama students. If you are unable to make it to enjoy their exceptional talents, you can donate to help fund expenses and transportation to Alabama by mailing in to: Stafford H.S. Drama Boosters Stafford High School, Attn: M. D’Addario 33 Stafford Indians Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22405 For more information regarding events or donations, contact Michael D’Addario, Theatre Director, Stafford High School Drama Department by calling (540) 371-7200 Extension 1247 or by emailing daddariomd@staffordschools.net.

15318 James Madison Parkway "White Plains Farm". Circa 1720. Gentleman's Farm of 38 acres in King George County. A stately Colonial house that speaks to Preservationists and transports you to the era when George was King.

D L SO

$495,000..

211 Caroline Street "The Goolrick-Caldwell House". Circa 1787. always a fashionable address over the centuries. Freedom rings out from this three-story Federal house that is spacious yet comfortable and intimate. Two of our city mayors, Peter Goolrick and John Caldwell, have resided here and enjoyed the river view.

$895,000.

Xaviar Jenerette is a recent graduate and former participant in Stafford High’s award-winning drama department.

1107 Princess Anne Street "The Charles Dick House".

Circa 1750. A Patriotic Salute to this residence steeped in the early history of Fredericksburg. Spacious 5bedroom house with carriage house apartment and garage. Dine where President George Washington "supped" in 1771.

2010 Fall Hill Avenue "Elmhurst". Circa 1871. Reconstruction of the Good Life by Washington Elms of Saratoga Springs, New York. This lovely Italianate house with its own tower was completely rehabbed in 2006 and placed on the National Register.

It boasts the biggest FRONT PORCH in town.

$1,090,000.

$1,250,000.

709 Caroline Street One of John Tayloe's "Seven Sisters" buildings in the heart of the Downtown Historic business district. Circa 1782.

Revolutionary Idea - Stop commuting.

Live upstairs and work downstairs in this stylish building located across from the Visitors Center.

$650,000.

g n i nd

e P t rac

t n o C

Selling or Buying?

PLEASE CONTACT THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER TEAM, SUSAN AND ANNE MORGAN PATES SUSAN, 540.809.9443, susanpates@aol.com ANNE MORGAN, 540.836.5700; ampates88@aol.com

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

9

It Almost Happened Here... Retired & Buck Naked By david s. kerr

...Stafford County was “almost” the birthplace of powered flight 110 years ago this month on a windswept beach in North Carolina the Wright Brothers launched the first airplane. But, did you know that Stafford County was almost the birthplace of powered flight? It was in the fall of that same year when an all-star team headed

by Samuel Langley, the Director of the Smithsonian Institution, with the help of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, tried to launch their own aircraft off Stafford’s Widewater Peninsula.

This story had its beginnings when Langley, working with a government grant (the Wright brothers were self financed) started testing aircraft models in 1896.

While the Wright brothers counted on the strong winds of North Carolina’s Outer Banks to help give their craft the additional lift needed for takeoff Langley had something else in mind. It was an innovative concept. He was going to use a catapult and making this experiment even more forward thinking he was going to launch his aircraft from a boat. That is one of the reasons the Navy’s first aircraft carrier was named USS Langley. But, that’s getting ahead of the story.

The Langley aircraft and its waterborne catapult were ready for testing by October of 1903. It looked like a large houseboat with an airplane on top.

He decided on a spot south of the capitol

off Widewater Peninsula in Stafford.

On Oct. 8, Langley prepared for the big event.

Alexander Graham Bell was there too. The pilot was Charles Manley and along with being gutsy enough to try and fly this questionable aircraft he had also helped design the aircraft’s innovative aluminum engine.

The first test didn’t go well. The catapult worked, but during takeoff, the aircraft’s wing hit a part of the launch platform and fell into the river. Fortunately, Manley survived the crash with no major injuries.

Langley, undeterred, decided to make another try. His next experiment was Dec. 8, 1903. That was just nine days before the Wright Brothers took to the air.

However, this time the force of the catapult was too much for the aircraft and once again the unlucky Charles Manly crashed into the river. With the Wright Brothers success a few days later and with Langley still unable to fix the aircraft’s structural design faults the project was shelved.

However, there is a footnote. In 1914, Glenn Curtis, founder of the Curtis Aircraft Company, challenged the Wright brother’s patent. He claimed they didn’t build the first successful aircraft. Rather he said Langley did. Curtis even rebuilt the Langley 1903 airplane and flew it on a couple of short flights. The Smithsonian, probably in deference to their now deceased former director, accepted his claim and for a while even displayed the Langley aircraft as “the first man-carrying aeroplane.” This wasn’t the case, but it took several years for the argument to be resolved.

Stafford isn’t known as the birthplace of aviation, but while not taking to the air, that almost first flight, 110 years ago made its contribution to aviation history.

David S. Kerr is a member of the Stafford 350 Committee and frequent contributor to this magazine.

On The Back Porch Cat Can Do

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

expanding its reach by ryan davis

by jo middleton

This Christmas my old Bear and I have THE CAT. His name is Sidney. He is a true tabby cat, with the requisite “M” upon his forehead, and he came from the SPCA where he was, as Southerners declare, “spoiled rotten.” In planning our Christmas decorations for this retirement apartment here in Fredericksburg — where the hum of I-95 is a constant reminder of our erstwhile life on the Slab fro and to Washington, DC. — we forgot the penchant of THE CAT to bat dangling things. He is extremely happy to bat my hanging maker of rainbow prisms so they might fly colorfully to the floor. They can be found hanging, rather than strewn hither and thither, at the Natural Path shop of Barbara Berquist, who can explain their benefit to mind, body, and spirit.

Better yet, place them on windows reachable by cat paws, where you can be feline instructed on how prisms batted by velvet soft paws can cause swirling colors around your vision making you right with the world.

But, prisms aside, we must rethink our decorating plans all of which involve hanging things, from Fundamentals Toy Store Barbara Brock’s gift of Noel letters, to our youngest son’s present of the little Nutcracker and his lovely ballerina, which he got from the gone but not forgotten Pavillion, place for a gift for everyone. All of these and many other dangling decorations we traditionally put on the little simulated trees we got from the once here and now not, Ben Franklin Craft Store. Of course, if we were true cat people, we would let Sweet Sid soft paw these trinkets to his heart’s content, and call that we and THE CAT’s Christmas joy. Sir Philip Sidney is joyful after paw batting, and multiple rejection and selection of various cans of cat food. Yes, he was named for the great 16th century poet-warrior, Sir Phillip Sidney, whom you know, no doubt, from Monty Python’s Flying Circus Episode “E. Henry Trishaw’s Disease” which featured a police officer, disguised as Sir Philip Sidney, finding himself transported to the Tudor era after raiding a pornography shop.

I, on the other hand, know him by his poetry studied within Chandler Hall, now toppled by those of the MW

10

FXBG Blues Society

University tawdry behemoth brick persuasion. However, much as we do cater to Sir Sidney, I don’t think Christmas ornaments scattered hither and thither is our notion of Christmas, even while enjoying our traditional elegant Virginia oyster stew, made with half milk, half cream, salt and pepper, and a Julia Child portion of butter. Most things go well with oyster stew Christmas Eve, but not, I am sad to say, Sir Sidney batting the little trees bare. The solution to this THE CAT dilemma I don’t know yet.

Perhaps feeding him Christmas cat fare until he is Christmas meal catatonic, after which he will then join me, while I visit with a volume by Mr. Samuel Pepys, out here retired and buck naked on the back porch.

Jo Middleton is a cat fancier and a feline problem solver.

Rob Powers

It may seem like a musical incongruity to endorse a strategic plan for growth while still celebrating the freedom and creativity of playing live venues, but that is exactly what’s been put into place The to help develop and grow Fredericksburg Blues Society.

The passion to promote and play Blues music in Fredericksburg was carried

along by its original founder, Sonny Bell (photo top). After putting on many shows and doing work in the community, Bell had to pull back his involvement due to health issues. It was soon realized that if this group was going to succeed, there needed to be a team of members using their talents in specific roles. As Vice President of The Fredericksburg Blues Society, John Freund stated, “we greatly appreciated the work and involvement of Sonny, but we knew we needed change, because logistically speaking, there’s only so much one man can do.” Early in 2013, The Fredericksburg Blues Society held elections and a Board of Directors was put into place, which included President, VP, Treasurer and Secretary, along with Committee Chair positions.

The group’s emphasis on having a network of support and creating a strategic plan was not an end in itself, but it was installed so that tangible goals could be met. One of their first goals was to lead a music workshop open to ‘Blues society’ members and the general public, which they did by securing local resident and renowned artist, Gaye Adebalola.

The

Fredericksburg Blues Society didn’t stop there, though, they wanted to have a forum where Blues music enthusiasts could learn and play. As a result, they have set up two venue locations for artists: they host an electric jam session at Colonial Tavern at 8:00 p.m. on the last Thursday of every month and an acoustic jam session at the Blarney Stone at 2:00 p.m. on the second Saturday of every month.

In addition to providing outlets for musical expression, The Fredericksburg Blues Society wanted to create, as Freund puts it, “value for membership.” One way this is achieved is by partnering with local music stores such as Picker’s Supply to provide discounts for ‘Blues Society’ members.

Their vision of value also extends to the community at large.” As membership grows and we’re able to participate in things like charity events, our venues will increase and hopefully these businesses become sponsors. Our relationship together will provide exposure for both the venue and the band,” Freund said.

With a strategy for growth

already in place and a concern for the community at the heart of their mission, the group’s end goal is to spread the word about Blues music so that enthusiasts, who love it, can find it here.”

Fredericksburg is very transient with many D.C. commuters, so the challenge is not only providing music people are interested in, but providing them a place where they can feel welcomed and like they belong,” Freud said.

For inquiries on future events and membership options with The Fredericksburg Blues Society, visit fredblues.org.

Ryan Davis currently resides in Fredericksburg. He is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington where he majored in English focused on creative writing. He has future aspirations as a published author.

Jewel Box Since 1940 Your Hometown Jeweler On-Premise Jewelry Repair Watch Batteries Gold Buying Engraving 212 William Street,Fredericksburg 540-373-5513 Mon-Fri 9-5:30; Sat 9-5 front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

11

It Almost Happened Here... Retired & Buck Naked By david s. kerr

...Stafford County was “almost” the birthplace of powered flight 110 years ago this month on a windswept beach in North Carolina the Wright Brothers launched the first airplane. But, did you know that Stafford County was almost the birthplace of powered flight? It was in the fall of that same year when an all-star team headed

by Samuel Langley, the Director of the Smithsonian Institution, with the help of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, tried to launch their own aircraft off Stafford’s Widewater Peninsula.

This story had its beginnings when Langley, working with a government grant (the Wright brothers were self financed) started testing aircraft models in 1896.

While the Wright brothers counted on the strong winds of North Carolina’s Outer Banks to help give their craft the additional lift needed for takeoff Langley had something else in mind. It was an innovative concept. He was going to use a catapult and making this experiment even more forward thinking he was going to launch his aircraft from a boat. That is one of the reasons the Navy’s first aircraft carrier was named USS Langley. But, that’s getting ahead of the story.

The Langley aircraft and its waterborne catapult were ready for testing by October of 1903. It looked like a large houseboat with an airplane on top.

He decided on a spot south of the capitol

off Widewater Peninsula in Stafford.

On Oct. 8, Langley prepared for the big event.

Alexander Graham Bell was there too. The pilot was Charles Manley and along with being gutsy enough to try and fly this questionable aircraft he had also helped design the aircraft’s innovative aluminum engine.

The first test didn’t go well. The catapult worked, but during takeoff, the aircraft’s wing hit a part of the launch platform and fell into the river. Fortunately, Manley survived the crash with no major injuries.

Langley, undeterred, decided to make another try. His next experiment was Dec. 8, 1903. That was just nine days before the Wright Brothers took to the air.

However, this time the force of the catapult was too much for the aircraft and once again the unlucky Charles Manly crashed into the river. With the Wright Brothers success a few days later and with Langley still unable to fix the aircraft’s structural design faults the project was shelved.

However, there is a footnote. In 1914, Glenn Curtis, founder of the Curtis Aircraft Company, challenged the Wright brother’s patent. He claimed they didn’t build the first successful aircraft. Rather he said Langley did. Curtis even rebuilt the Langley 1903 airplane and flew it on a couple of short flights. The Smithsonian, probably in deference to their now deceased former director, accepted his claim and for a while even displayed the Langley aircraft as “the first man-carrying aeroplane.” This wasn’t the case, but it took several years for the argument to be resolved.

Stafford isn’t known as the birthplace of aviation, but while not taking to the air, that almost first flight, 110 years ago made its contribution to aviation history.

David S. Kerr is a member of the Stafford 350 Committee and frequent contributor to this magazine.

On The Back Porch Cat Can Do

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

expanding its reach by ryan davis

by jo middleton

This Christmas my old Bear and I have THE CAT. His name is Sidney. He is a true tabby cat, with the requisite “M” upon his forehead, and he came from the SPCA where he was, as Southerners declare, “spoiled rotten.” In planning our Christmas decorations for this retirement apartment here in Fredericksburg — where the hum of I-95 is a constant reminder of our erstwhile life on the Slab fro and to Washington, DC. — we forgot the penchant of THE CAT to bat dangling things. He is extremely happy to bat my hanging maker of rainbow prisms so they might fly colorfully to the floor. They can be found hanging, rather than strewn hither and thither, at the Natural Path shop of Barbara Berquist, who can explain their benefit to mind, body, and spirit.

Better yet, place them on windows reachable by cat paws, where you can be feline instructed on how prisms batted by velvet soft paws can cause swirling colors around your vision making you right with the world.

But, prisms aside, we must rethink our decorating plans all of which involve hanging things, from Fundamentals Toy Store Barbara Brock’s gift of Noel letters, to our youngest son’s present of the little Nutcracker and his lovely ballerina, which he got from the gone but not forgotten Pavillion, place for a gift for everyone. All of these and many other dangling decorations we traditionally put on the little simulated trees we got from the once here and now not, Ben Franklin Craft Store. Of course, if we were true cat people, we would let Sweet Sid soft paw these trinkets to his heart’s content, and call that we and THE CAT’s Christmas joy. Sir Philip Sidney is joyful after paw batting, and multiple rejection and selection of various cans of cat food. Yes, he was named for the great 16th century poet-warrior, Sir Phillip Sidney, whom you know, no doubt, from Monty Python’s Flying Circus Episode “E. Henry Trishaw’s Disease” which featured a police officer, disguised as Sir Philip Sidney, finding himself transported to the Tudor era after raiding a pornography shop.

I, on the other hand, know him by his poetry studied within Chandler Hall, now toppled by those of the MW

10

FXBG Blues Society

University tawdry behemoth brick persuasion. However, much as we do cater to Sir Sidney, I don’t think Christmas ornaments scattered hither and thither is our notion of Christmas, even while enjoying our traditional elegant Virginia oyster stew, made with half milk, half cream, salt and pepper, and a Julia Child portion of butter. Most things go well with oyster stew Christmas Eve, but not, I am sad to say, Sir Sidney batting the little trees bare. The solution to this THE CAT dilemma I don’t know yet.

Perhaps feeding him Christmas cat fare until he is Christmas meal catatonic, after which he will then join me, while I visit with a volume by Mr. Samuel Pepys, out here retired and buck naked on the back porch.

Jo Middleton is a cat fancier and a feline problem solver.

Rob Powers

It may seem like a musical incongruity to endorse a strategic plan for growth while still celebrating the freedom and creativity of playing live venues, but that is exactly what’s been put into place The to help develop and grow Fredericksburg Blues Society.

The passion to promote and play Blues music in Fredericksburg was carried

along by its original founder, Sonny Bell (photo top). After putting on many shows and doing work in the community, Bell had to pull back his involvement due to health issues. It was soon realized that if this group was going to succeed, there needed to be a team of members using their talents in specific roles. As Vice President of The Fredericksburg Blues Society, John Freund stated, “we greatly appreciated the work and involvement of Sonny, but we knew we needed change, because logistically speaking, there’s only so much one man can do.” Early in 2013, The Fredericksburg Blues Society held elections and a Board of Directors was put into place, which included President, VP, Treasurer and Secretary, along with Committee Chair positions.

The group’s emphasis on having a network of support and creating a strategic plan was not an end in itself, but it was installed so that tangible goals could be met. One of their first goals was to lead a music workshop open to ‘Blues society’ members and the general public, which they did by securing local resident and renowned artist, Gaye Adebalola.

The

Fredericksburg Blues Society didn’t stop there, though, they wanted to have a forum where Blues music enthusiasts could learn and play. As a result, they have set up two venue locations for artists: they host an electric jam session at Colonial Tavern at 8:00 p.m. on the last Thursday of every month and an acoustic jam session at the Blarney Stone at 2:00 p.m. on the second Saturday of every month.

In addition to providing outlets for musical expression, The Fredericksburg Blues Society wanted to create, as Freund puts it, “value for membership.” One way this is achieved is by partnering with local music stores such as Picker’s Supply to provide discounts for ‘Blues Society’ members.

Their vision of value also extends to the community at large.” As membership grows and we’re able to participate in things like charity events, our venues will increase and hopefully these businesses become sponsors. Our relationship together will provide exposure for both the venue and the band,” Freund said.

With a strategy for growth

already in place and a concern for the community at the heart of their mission, the group’s end goal is to spread the word about Blues music so that enthusiasts, who love it, can find it here.”

Fredericksburg is very transient with many D.C. commuters, so the challenge is not only providing music people are interested in, but providing them a place where they can feel welcomed and like they belong,” Freud said.

For inquiries on future events and membership options with The Fredericksburg Blues Society, visit fredblues.org.

Ryan Davis currently resides in Fredericksburg. He is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington where he majored in English focused on creative writing. He has future aspirations as a published author.

Jewel Box Since 1940 Your Hometown Jeweler On-Premise Jewelry Repair Watch Batteries Gold Buying Engraving 212 William Street,Fredericksburg 540-373-5513 Mon-Fri 9-5:30; Sat 9-5 front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

11

Cooking With Kyle

Vino the one where we justify mid-week drinking

Simple, easy, delicious by james kyle snyder

that st between the dates of November 1 and December 31st the East Coast of the

Finally! The time has come to warm the house with an all-day-hot oven and the smell of braising meat. No one likes the kitchen hot when the temperatures top 90 degrees. Everyone enjoys the radiant warmth the odiferous kitchen provides during the chilliest part of the year. The process of the “Braise” means to “fry (food) lightly and then stew it slowly in a closed container.” So, what does that really mean?

First, “food” generally means meat, and since the braise is a particularly good way to break down connective tissue (grizzle), the cheapest, most gnarly cuts (short ribs, shanks, shoulders) turn into the most sought after seasonal treats.

First we must “fry (food) lightly.” Uh...

Why? Generally, meat is seasoned, floured, (rice flour or corn starch is fine for the gluten free enthusiast), and then lightly browned before being introduced to the braise. This both ensures the final product is attractive and the gravy produced is thick and creamy. If, you choose not to brown the meat, the final product might taste great but will resemble the grayish product contained in canned meat. Definitely not for company.

I love adding vegetables to the bottom of the braise pan. Carrots, celery, onions, shallots, or any others you love, add flavor and act as a heat barrier on the bottom of the pan. There is always room for vegetables!

Step one is to pick the toughest cut of meat you can find. I will discuss lamb shanks, as I am particularly fond of them. I usually try to cook an entire pan (30-ish) of them and then wrap and freeze the extras for later. Shanks, in particular, reheat from frozen to table in a braise jus (fancy word for warm beef broth) in 8 minutes. One day of cooking for the same

12

December 2013

amount of time for 30 meals. You do the math.

Shanks are easy. First, cover the bottom of your lidded braising pan(s) with an 1 1/2 inches of equally portioned braising vegetable that have been coated with olive oil and S&P (salt & pepper; see previous articles) and place them in a 550 degree oven covered for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid for 15 minutes-ish to caramelize the vegetables.

Although braising is a slow and low cooking process, nothing prevents us from getting “to temp” in the fastest method possible. The braise liquid will only get so hot.

While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the shanks by dredging them in S&P and dusting with flour. Brown the shanks in olive oil over medium heat, usually 3 minutes per side, and set aside while the vegetables are finishing.

Pull the braise pans from the oven and arrange the shanks in them as tightly as possible. Add 1/3 red wine to 2/3 beef stock until the meat is covered.

Throw in herbs you love (thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, cilantro, parsley, chilies) in proportions you like.

I do handfuls of each for a large pan. Don’t hate flavor!

Place tin foil wrapped sheet pans in the bottom of your oven to make the boil-over oven cleanup easy.

Nothing easier. Lid and reintroduce the full braise pans to the 550-degree inferno.

The mixture will begin to boil within 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300. Total cook time should be about 2-2:15 instead of 4 hours like other recipes.

Remove, serve with your favorite vegetables and starch on Zolo-ware!

Double plastic wrap the leftovers and freeze for the future.

Simple, easy, delicious. Wish you were here. Be well!

Kyle Snyder is a chef for all seasons.

Front porch fredericksburg

cookie christmas

By vanessa moncure

By jeremy sutton Your

The Braise

Season’s Bounty

author

believes

United States of America is the single greatest place on earth. The air that falls down from Canada is cool and clean, the sunshine still warms but begins to take on its sallow winter slant, the fall colors pile on curbs. There’s college football on TV on Saturday afternoon, it feels good to wear a coat, and the many tasks, errands and chores of the holidays force us out of our summer sedation and into the fray.

Most of us will make two treks during this time period, about 30 days apart, via car, to see friends and family somewhere within a 6-hour drive. The holiday season is always going to focus on the last Thursday of November, those 8 crazy nights and 12/25, but it’s at least as much about the cashier at the gas station, your friend who just had a baby you saw at the grocery store, the shops, the bar, the view out the car window, your grandparents wallpaper and their old couch. We interact this time of year, in big ways and small ways. On the East Coast for the holiday season, we’re all in this together, and that is a special thing.

Most people have a “special bottle” squirreled away somewhere. It was a gift from “someone who really knows their wine,” or a bought a few years ago on a trip through northern Italy. It gets moved around every year or so, you try to keep it in the dark, you may or may not have remembered to keep it somewhere cool (quick brass tacks tip: the cabinet over your refrigerator may be out of the way but it is NOT cool). This bottle has been waiting for a “special occasion” to be opened. That special occasion is

undefined, but it’s out there, waiting in the ether, you’re sure of it.

Here’s the deal, and why we’ve gone to such overwrought poetic lengths to set this up: that bottle IS a special occasion. It doesn’t need some stamped and approved event or happening to warrant its consumption.

It needs a Tuesday. It needs the kids in bed early, it needs you’re about to watch Nashville, it needs friends who live less than 20 minutes away that you don’t see nearly as often as you used to and you both finally found a night to get together. That bottle needs an empty stage from which to shine all on its own. Open your wine and drink it, quit waiting for something special and MAKE something special.

This is the beauty of wine, and it’ll make for a D e c e m b e r 17th you’ll never forget.

And it would be my hope that the non-sequitor at the beginning of this wine column and the advice to go ahead and pull that long-awaited cork this year would spark in you an appreciation for the fact that pleasure and life and good times are what and where you make them. And that wine is like the salt for these experiences, enhancing the already beautiful.

Besides, it’s the holidays, you can get a little drunk on Tuesday.

Jeremy Sutton represents Kysela Pere et Fils ( cel: 540-538-2710, work email: jeremy@kysela.comwww.kysela.com

Years ago, when my 30something children were in school, they had cousins in almost every grade, a greatuncle as vice-principal, and a sort-of close much older cousin as school librarian.

You could hardly step into Grafton Village Elementary without tripping over a relative here, friend there… a lot of the children lived close by, and they would often be in and out of each others’ houses after school or on weekends.

It seemed like birthday parties were a weekly affair - but what to do for the holidays?

So many children and adults, and who was to get gifts? One very enterprising cousin-mom came up with an annual party all the other moms looked forward to - right after Thanksgiving, an invitation would arrive for a cookie exchange. We often had perhaps 25 or 30 participants bringing 10 dozen each Christmas or holiday cookie treats. The hostess provided coffee, tea, delicious hot cider and an eggnog probably best imbibed by non-drivers. We sampled old recipes of Moravian ginger cookies, pecan tassies, mud hens, rolled sugar cookies, small fruitcake slices, rolled walnut kisses Toll House chocolate chip squares, spiced mincemeat bars, beautifully decorated tin soldier or Santa cookies, slices of walnut bread and chocolate fudge drops.

Even the Moms who only had time to bake brownie boxes or pre-rolled and refrigerated cookies were as welcome as the Mom who constructed an elaborate Santa train with cars filled with iced gingerbread reindeer. One Mom brought small fabric bags filled with M&Ms and tied with a long string of strawberry licorice - guess what the children at home ate first… So deck the halls with your holiday finery and host a great cookie exchange. The hostess also provided large plates so everyone could take samples of everything to share - this was great!

Really cut down on the number of holiday goodies coming from your kitchen, and gave everyone at home a sampling, too one Mom dipped pretzel twists into dark and white chocolate, then tied a ribbon on them. I think they were meant for the Christmas tree, but by the time I’d hung them and turned around, limp plaid

ribbons were all that remained. Along with dark and white chocolate moustaches on my young “helpers” and a dachshund licking crumbs from under the tree.

BUTTER BALLS Also known as Italian or Mexican wedding cookies, these are great keepers if stored airtight. When ready to serve, re-roll in confectioner’s sugar if needed… Mix together 1 c. softened butter, ½ c. sugar, 1 T. vanilla, add 2 c. flour, dash of salt, 1 c. finely chopped walnuts.

Mix thoroughly, chill at least 2 hours. Roll into large marble-size balls, place 1-in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake 325F until very lightly brown, 20-25 minutes.

Roll in confectioner’s sugar while warm, but do not pack until cool.

FRUITCAKE COOKIES These were made for the 1988 Christmas Candlelight Tour, when the Junior Board of the HFFI was still active and members still made all the refreshments.

This makes about 5 dozen. Cream together 1 c. butter, ¾ each white and light brown sugar, and two eggs. Add 2 ½ c. flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 c. mixed candied fruit, 8 oz. finely chopped dates and 1 c. minced pecans or walnuts. Preheat oven to 300F. Roll into small balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Dip a small glass into a bowl of white sugar, flatten each ball.

Bake 15 min. or lightly browned. Decorate each top w/a red- or green-colored preserved cherry. These are VERY good keepers - surprising even those who cringe at the thought of fruitcake.

CHOCOLATE BARS Grease 9x13” pan. Preheat oven 350F. Cream together 1 c. butter, ½ c. each sugar, light brown sugar, beat in 1 egg yolk, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 ¾ c. flour. Spread into pan. Bake 20 min., place 9-oz Hershey chocolate bar atop - spread melted all over, top w/½ c. slivered almonds. Cool, cut into 3 dozen bars...

CHRISTMAS GINGER COOKIES Compliments of NC Tryon Palace - I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks, scribbled on Tryon Palace notepaper - I think my Mom found it - the best ginger cookies EVER… Mix together ? c. canola oil, 1 c. sugar - mix in 1 egg, 4 T. molasses.

Combine dry 2 c. flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. cinnamon. Stir in dry ingredients w/¼ to ½ minced sugared candied ginger. Roll by teaspoonfuls in bowl of white sugar, form into balls, space 3-inches apart on parchment-covered baking sheet.

Bake preheated 350F 15 min., remove from pan, cool on wire rack.

Vanessa Moncure wishes Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

Olde Towne BUTCHER Get All Your Holiday Meats at the Corner of William & Charles Street Fredericksburg, VA 22401 540.370.4105 www.oldetownebutcher.com

Open: 9am - 9pm Monday through Saturday 11am - 6pm Sunday Lee Russell Proprietor

~ Daily Specials ~ Mom’s Mondays: Free dessert for all moms Two For One Tuesdays: All beverages & appetizers are two-for-one.

Washington Wednesdays: All food 50% off with Mary Washington University id Throwback Thursdays: Burgers any way $5.00.

Dine in Only ~ Limited Time ~ Subject to Change

801 Caroline Street

(540) 371-2008

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

13

Cooking With Kyle

Vino the one where we justify mid-week drinking

Simple, easy, delicious by james kyle snyder

that st between the dates of November 1 and December 31st the East Coast of the

Finally! The time has come to warm the house with an all-day-hot oven and the smell of braising meat. No one likes the kitchen hot when the temperatures top 90 degrees. Everyone enjoys the radiant warmth the odiferous kitchen provides during the chilliest part of the year. The process of the “Braise” means to “fry (food) lightly and then stew it slowly in a closed container.” So, what does that really mean?

First, “food” generally means meat, and since the braise is a particularly good way to break down connective tissue (grizzle), the cheapest, most gnarly cuts (short ribs, shanks, shoulders) turn into the most sought after seasonal treats.

First we must “fry (food) lightly.” Uh...

Why? Generally, meat is seasoned, floured, (rice flour or corn starch is fine for the gluten free enthusiast), and then lightly browned before being introduced to the braise. This both ensures the final product is attractive and the gravy produced is thick and creamy. If, you choose not to brown the meat, the final product might taste great but will resemble the grayish product contained in canned meat. Definitely not for company.

I love adding vegetables to the bottom of the braise pan. Carrots, celery, onions, shallots, or any others you love, add flavor and act as a heat barrier on the bottom of the pan. There is always room for vegetables!

Step one is to pick the toughest cut of meat you can find. I will discuss lamb shanks, as I am particularly fond of them. I usually try to cook an entire pan (30-ish) of them and then wrap and freeze the extras for later. Shanks, in particular, reheat from frozen to table in a braise jus (fancy word for warm beef broth) in 8 minutes. One day of cooking for the same

12

December 2013

amount of time for 30 meals. You do the math.

Shanks are easy. First, cover the bottom of your lidded braising pan(s) with an 1 1/2 inches of equally portioned braising vegetable that have been coated with olive oil and S&P (salt & pepper; see previous articles) and place them in a 550 degree oven covered for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid for 15 minutes-ish to caramelize the vegetables.

Although braising is a slow and low cooking process, nothing prevents us from getting “to temp” in the fastest method possible. The braise liquid will only get so hot.

While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the shanks by dredging them in S&P and dusting with flour. Brown the shanks in olive oil over medium heat, usually 3 minutes per side, and set aside while the vegetables are finishing.

Pull the braise pans from the oven and arrange the shanks in them as tightly as possible. Add 1/3 red wine to 2/3 beef stock until the meat is covered.

Throw in herbs you love (thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, cilantro, parsley, chilies) in proportions you like.

I do handfuls of each for a large pan. Don’t hate flavor!

Place tin foil wrapped sheet pans in the bottom of your oven to make the boil-over oven cleanup easy.

Nothing easier. Lid and reintroduce the full braise pans to the 550-degree inferno.

The mixture will begin to boil within 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300. Total cook time should be about 2-2:15 instead of 4 hours like other recipes.

Remove, serve with your favorite vegetables and starch on Zolo-ware!

Double plastic wrap the leftovers and freeze for the future.

Simple, easy, delicious. Wish you were here. Be well!

Kyle Snyder is a chef for all seasons.

Front porch fredericksburg

cookie christmas

By vanessa moncure

By jeremy sutton Your

The Braise

Season’s Bounty

author

believes

United States of America is the single greatest place on earth. The air that falls down from Canada is cool and clean, the sunshine still warms but begins to take on its sallow winter slant, the fall colors pile on curbs. There’s college football on TV on Saturday afternoon, it feels good to wear a coat, and the many tasks, errands and chores of the holidays force us out of our summer sedation and into the fray.

Most of us will make two treks during this time period, about 30 days apart, via car, to see friends and family somewhere within a 6-hour drive. The holiday season is always going to focus on the last Thursday of November, those 8 crazy nights and 12/25, but it’s at least as much about the cashier at the gas station, your friend who just had a baby you saw at the grocery store, the shops, the bar, the view out the car window, your grandparents wallpaper and their old couch. We interact this time of year, in big ways and small ways. On the East Coast for the holiday season, we’re all in this together, and that is a special thing.

Most people have a “special bottle” squirreled away somewhere. It was a gift from “someone who really knows their wine,” or a bought a few years ago on a trip through northern Italy. It gets moved around every year or so, you try to keep it in the dark, you may or may not have remembered to keep it somewhere cool (quick brass tacks tip: the cabinet over your refrigerator may be out of the way but it is NOT cool). This bottle has been waiting for a “special occasion” to be opened. That special occasion is

undefined, but it’s out there, waiting in the ether, you’re sure of it.

Here’s the deal, and why we’ve gone to such overwrought poetic lengths to set this up: that bottle IS a special occasion. It doesn’t need some stamped and approved event or happening to warrant its consumption.

It needs a Tuesday. It needs the kids in bed early, it needs you’re about to watch Nashville, it needs friends who live less than 20 minutes away that you don’t see nearly as often as you used to and you both finally found a night to get together. That bottle needs an empty stage from which to shine all on its own. Open your wine and drink it, quit waiting for something special and MAKE something special.

This is the beauty of wine, and it’ll make for a D e c e m b e r 17th you’ll never forget.

And it would be my hope that the non-sequitor at the beginning of this wine column and the advice to go ahead and pull that long-awaited cork this year would spark in you an appreciation for the fact that pleasure and life and good times are what and where you make them. And that wine is like the salt for these experiences, enhancing the already beautiful.

Besides, it’s the holidays, you can get a little drunk on Tuesday.

Jeremy Sutton represents Kysela Pere et Fils ( cel: 540-538-2710, work email: jeremy@kysela.comwww.kysela.com

Years ago, when my 30something children were in school, they had cousins in almost every grade, a greatuncle as vice-principal, and a sort-of close much older cousin as school librarian.

You could hardly step into Grafton Village Elementary without tripping over a relative here, friend there… a lot of the children lived close by, and they would often be in and out of each others’ houses after school or on weekends.

It seemed like birthday parties were a weekly affair - but what to do for the holidays?

So many children and adults, and who was to get gifts? One very enterprising cousin-mom came up with an annual party all the other moms looked forward to - right after Thanksgiving, an invitation would arrive for a cookie exchange. We often had perhaps 25 or 30 participants bringing 10 dozen each Christmas or holiday cookie treats. The hostess provided coffee, tea, delicious hot cider and an eggnog probably best imbibed by non-drivers. We sampled old recipes of Moravian ginger cookies, pecan tassies, mud hens, rolled sugar cookies, small fruitcake slices, rolled walnut kisses Toll House chocolate chip squares, spiced mincemeat bars, beautifully decorated tin soldier or Santa cookies, slices of walnut bread and chocolate fudge drops.

Even the Moms who only had time to bake brownie boxes or pre-rolled and refrigerated cookies were as welcome as the Mom who constructed an elaborate Santa train with cars filled with iced gingerbread reindeer. One Mom brought small fabric bags filled with M&Ms and tied with a long string of strawberry licorice - guess what the children at home ate first… So deck the halls with your holiday finery and host a great cookie exchange. The hostess also provided large plates so everyone could take samples of everything to share - this was great!

Really cut down on the number of holiday goodies coming from your kitchen, and gave everyone at home a sampling, too one Mom dipped pretzel twists into dark and white chocolate, then tied a ribbon on them. I think they were meant for the Christmas tree, but by the time I’d hung them and turned around, limp plaid

ribbons were all that remained. Along with dark and white chocolate moustaches on my young “helpers” and a dachshund licking crumbs from under the tree.

BUTTER BALLS Also known as Italian or Mexican wedding cookies, these are great keepers if stored airtight. When ready to serve, re-roll in confectioner’s sugar if needed… Mix together 1 c. softened butter, ½ c. sugar, 1 T. vanilla, add 2 c. flour, dash of salt, 1 c. finely chopped walnuts.

Mix thoroughly, chill at least 2 hours. Roll into large marble-size balls, place 1-in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake 325F until very lightly brown, 20-25 minutes.

Roll in confectioner’s sugar while warm, but do not pack until cool.

FRUITCAKE COOKIES These were made for the 1988 Christmas Candlelight Tour, when the Junior Board of the HFFI was still active and members still made all the refreshments.

This makes about 5 dozen. Cream together 1 c. butter, ¾ each white and light brown sugar, and two eggs. Add 2 ½ c. flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 c. mixed candied fruit, 8 oz. finely chopped dates and 1 c. minced pecans or walnuts. Preheat oven to 300F. Roll into small balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Dip a small glass into a bowl of white sugar, flatten each ball.

Bake 15 min. or lightly browned. Decorate each top w/a red- or green-colored preserved cherry. These are VERY good keepers - surprising even those who cringe at the thought of fruitcake.

CHOCOLATE BARS Grease 9x13” pan. Preheat oven 350F. Cream together 1 c. butter, ½ c. each sugar, light brown sugar, beat in 1 egg yolk, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 ¾ c. flour. Spread into pan. Bake 20 min., place 9-oz Hershey chocolate bar atop - spread melted all over, top w/½ c. slivered almonds. Cool, cut into 3 dozen bars...

CHRISTMAS GINGER COOKIES Compliments of NC Tryon Palace - I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks, scribbled on Tryon Palace notepaper - I think my Mom found it - the best ginger cookies EVER… Mix together ? c. canola oil, 1 c. sugar - mix in 1 egg, 4 T. molasses.

Combine dry 2 c. flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. cinnamon. Stir in dry ingredients w/¼ to ½ minced sugared candied ginger. Roll by teaspoonfuls in bowl of white sugar, form into balls, space 3-inches apart on parchment-covered baking sheet.

Bake preheated 350F 15 min., remove from pan, cool on wire rack.

Vanessa Moncure wishes Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

Olde Towne BUTCHER Get All Your Holiday Meats at the Corner of William & Charles Street Fredericksburg, VA 22401 540.370.4105 www.oldetownebutcher.com

Open: 9am - 9pm Monday through Saturday 11am - 6pm Sunday Lee Russell Proprietor

~ Daily Specials ~ Mom’s Mondays: Free dessert for all moms Two For One Tuesdays: All beverages & appetizers are two-for-one.

Washington Wednesdays: All food 50% off with Mary Washington University id Throwback Thursdays: Burgers any way $5.00.

Dine in Only ~ Limited Time ~ Subject to Change

801 Caroline Street

(540) 371-2008

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

13

Hop & Wine

The Soup & Taco, Etc.

The Independent Entrepreneurial Spirit Born Of Passion

Jack Burke Pouring Wine for Happy Customers

14

December 2013

the big business of craft beer

813 Caroline St. Fredericksburg, VA

By renee gauvin

You may know them as The Virginia Wine Experience, and in heart and soul, they still are, but with a new location and new name — HOP & WINE (1223 Jefferson Davis Hwy) — comes a new focus.

Born from their natural interest in specialty beers comes the expansion of the shop’s craft beer section.

Richard Britt (store manager) and Jack Burke (right hand man and assistant manager) have brought this section of the store to life with their own passion and knowledge of the subject. In talking with Jack about the beer selection, he was proud to say that the store carries over 75 different brewers beers! Thursday night is beer night, when the tastings begin! Jack is happy to open more than a few beers and ciders to offer tastes to interested visitors.

Discussions are vibrant and fun. Jack loves to ‘talk beer’, noting the histories of the brewing process

Will Power

and the qualities of each beer.

When the store first opened 9 years ago on Princess Anne Street, Edwin Wyant had a wonderful vision of bringing the many great Virginia wines to one location, for the buyer to taste and to purchase.

Today The Virginia Wine Experience is the ‘WINE’ part of HOP & WINE. Over 80 different wineries are represented here, showcasing the many varietals, from Linden to Peaks of Otter, to Blenheim and Ingleside.

Every EVERY! Friday evening and Saturday afternoon the store brings in the experts to do professional wine tastings.

These are free and open to the public, no reservations needed. But you can always find a wine expert in the store who is happy to share knowledge and offer suggestions. Owner Mary Wyant is in the shop Monday through Saturday. After being a top chef in Northern California for

Front porch fredericksburg

many years, she knows her wines! Her refined and experienced palate makes her expert at wine pairing.

Speaking with longtime customer, Travis Alexander, about the shop, he says that an important reason he keeps coming back is that Mary and Rick make him feel welcome.

As a small business owner himself (owner and instructor at KARDIOKICK), Travis says he wants to support the local small businessman as much as he can. Carl Lawson, Jr. and his wife come into the store often, and love the wine tastings.

They truly are part of the family. He says that the reason he loves coming to the store is because of the warm & friendly staff and because no one is putting on airs.

There are no wine snobs here!

Another regular, George Rumney, a busy NASA engineer, says with a sigh of relief, “Rick makes it easy.” George recently was at a restaurant in Annapolis MD with his wife. They both enjoyed the wine they had with dinner and called Rick to see if he

could order it. BOOM! Within the week, he had three bottles in hand. “As the holidays approach, a phone call can have wines sent directly to relatives, with a personalized note or wrapping.”

Under one roof, two classes of beverage that grew from the same sort of independent entrepreneurial spirit make HOP & WINE a unique shop. Crafters of beer and wine have stories about their product and their businesses. Learning just a bit about these folks has grown my respect and admiration of them. Brewing a fine beer or making an excellent wine is a delicate science... art.

Thankfully, though, you are NOT required to take beer or wine 101 to enjoy finding the libation of your choice. Whatever your level of knowledge of wine or beer, you will feel welcome and be eager to explore the offerings.

Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food and Something More!!

Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm

Phone: 540-899-0969 E-mail: soupntaco@yahoo.com

Renee Gauvin is employed at Hop & Wine. She is also an artist and curator for art shows. Renee periodically contributes to Front Porch.

The Sunken Well Tavern

720 Littlepage sunkenwelltavern.com 540-370-0911 Eat Well Drink Well Live Well

by will loring Tis the season for a glass of a nicely spiced belgian style quadruple !

However, there is a much more pressing issue I would like to address in this issue...buyouts.

As you may (or may not) know, Goose Island was purchased by AB-InBev (Budweiser) back in March of 2011. The announcement was not met with open arms in the craft beer community. Many even swore off ever drinking Goose Island again. While it has only been a little over 2 years since the acquisition, I think the consensus is overall positive. For Goose Island, it took away the stress of having to produce 312 Wheat and other year round offerings at their Chicago brewery and allow the brewers to focus on their more creative offerings and barrel aging projects.

Bourbon County Brand Stout and its variants are still met with the same fervor as they were before the takeover. Why? Because it’s still an amazing beer. As long as Goose Island keeps putting out amazing beer, there will be a legion of fans clamoring to drink it.

Fast forward to October 17th, 2013. Duvel Moortgat announces plans to buy Boulevard Brewing. While a large corporation is buying a small local craft brewery, the reaction was much different.

Why? Well, for beer nerds, Duvel Moortgat is still family owned, but more importantly, they still make great beer and have a history of buying smaller operations and making them better. You may be familiar with some of Duvels other brands: Ommegang, Brasserie d’Achouffe, Liefmans and Maredsous.

With the location of Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, Duvel will have access to the vast distribution network that Boulevard has set up through the midwest. There will also be an expansion to the brewery, creating new jobs and giving Boulevard the ability to brew more beer.

In the craft beer world, there is a sentiment of “Us vs. Them” in regards to big beer. Bud, Miller and Coors are only in it for the bottom line in a race to the bottom of flavor. While aspects of that are true, what many craft beer nerds forget to realize is that every small brewery they love and want kept small are still businesses. These people did not open up a brewery to lose money.

Unfortunately, opening and running a brewery is expensive with a large amount of risk. Breweries like Starr Hill and Devils Backbone didn’t magically show up at every bar and convenience

store from dumb luck. They decided to choose a distributor with a ton of “Points of Sale” in this area. That distributor also happens to sell Bud Light to those same bars and convenience stores. While some purists think that is a bad thing, I simply see it as a smart business move.

In between these two scenarios is a company called Tenth and Blake Beer Company. You may have never heard of them, but some of the products the Blue Moon, “brew” may be familiar.

Crispin Cider, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Leinenkugels and George Killians Irish Red among others. From there you can guess who owns Tenth and Blake; MillerCoors. What Tenth and Blake do is find emerging trends in craft beer and help finance companies to bring them to a regional or national market.

One brewery in particular they have a vested interest in is Terrapin, from Athens Georgia. A few years ago, Terrapin desperately needed to expand in order to fill all the orders for its delicious beer.

Tenth and Blake offered to help finance the expansion in return for a small stake in the company. While the stake is less than 50%, there were many in craft beer that were weary of what it would mean for Terrapin down the road. Well, it’s been a couple of years and Terrapin can now make more beer, they have installed a canning line, distribute farther, and have been able to expand limited releases to all of their territories.

So, while the times are achangin’, and the big players are trying to find new ways to cash in on the craft beer movement, one important thing to remember is this: Does it taste good?

Will Loring is resident beer nerd at Olde Towne Butcher.

The General Store

Restaurant

Since 1978

Italian/American Food Monday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm

371-4075 2018 College Ave. Fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

15

Hop & Wine

The Soup & Taco, Etc.

The Independent Entrepreneurial Spirit Born Of Passion

Jack Burke Pouring Wine for Happy Customers

14

December 2013

the big business of craft beer

813 Caroline St. Fredericksburg, VA

By renee gauvin

You may know them as The Virginia Wine Experience, and in heart and soul, they still are, but with a new location and new name — HOP & WINE (1223 Jefferson Davis Hwy) — comes a new focus.

Born from their natural interest in specialty beers comes the expansion of the shop’s craft beer section.

Richard Britt (store manager) and Jack Burke (right hand man and assistant manager) have brought this section of the store to life with their own passion and knowledge of the subject. In talking with Jack about the beer selection, he was proud to say that the store carries over 75 different brewers beers! Thursday night is beer night, when the tastings begin! Jack is happy to open more than a few beers and ciders to offer tastes to interested visitors.

Discussions are vibrant and fun. Jack loves to ‘talk beer’, noting the histories of the brewing process

Will Power

and the qualities of each beer.

When the store first opened 9 years ago on Princess Anne Street, Edwin Wyant had a wonderful vision of bringing the many great Virginia wines to one location, for the buyer to taste and to purchase.

Today The Virginia Wine Experience is the ‘WINE’ part of HOP & WINE. Over 80 different wineries are represented here, showcasing the many varietals, from Linden to Peaks of Otter, to Blenheim and Ingleside.

Every EVERY! Friday evening and Saturday afternoon the store brings in the experts to do professional wine tastings.

These are free and open to the public, no reservations needed. But you can always find a wine expert in the store who is happy to share knowledge and offer suggestions. Owner Mary Wyant is in the shop Monday through Saturday. After being a top chef in Northern California for

Front porch fredericksburg

many years, she knows her wines! Her refined and experienced palate makes her expert at wine pairing.

Speaking with longtime customer, Travis Alexander, about the shop, he says that an important reason he keeps coming back is that Mary and Rick make him feel welcome.

As a small business owner himself (owner and instructor at KARDIOKICK), Travis says he wants to support the local small businessman as much as he can. Carl Lawson, Jr. and his wife come into the store often, and love the wine tastings.

They truly are part of the family. He says that the reason he loves coming to the store is because of the warm & friendly staff and because no one is putting on airs.

There are no wine snobs here!

Another regular, George Rumney, a busy NASA engineer, says with a sigh of relief, “Rick makes it easy.” George recently was at a restaurant in Annapolis MD with his wife. They both enjoyed the wine they had with dinner and called Rick to see if he

could order it. BOOM! Within the week, he had three bottles in hand. “As the holidays approach, a phone call can have wines sent directly to relatives, with a personalized note or wrapping.”

Under one roof, two classes of beverage that grew from the same sort of independent entrepreneurial spirit make HOP & WINE a unique shop. Crafters of beer and wine have stories about their product and their businesses. Learning just a bit about these folks has grown my respect and admiration of them. Brewing a fine beer or making an excellent wine is a delicate science... art.

Thankfully, though, you are NOT required to take beer or wine 101 to enjoy finding the libation of your choice. Whatever your level of knowledge of wine or beer, you will feel welcome and be eager to explore the offerings.

Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food and Something More!!

Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm

Phone: 540-899-0969 E-mail: soupntaco@yahoo.com

Renee Gauvin is employed at Hop & Wine. She is also an artist and curator for art shows. Renee periodically contributes to Front Porch.

The Sunken Well Tavern

720 Littlepage sunkenwelltavern.com 540-370-0911 Eat Well Drink Well Live Well

by will loring Tis the season for a glass of a nicely spiced belgian style quadruple !

However, there is a much more pressing issue I would like to address in this issue...buyouts.

As you may (or may not) know, Goose Island was purchased by AB-InBev (Budweiser) back in March of 2011. The announcement was not met with open arms in the craft beer community. Many even swore off ever drinking Goose Island again. While it has only been a little over 2 years since the acquisition, I think the consensus is overall positive. For Goose Island, it took away the stress of having to produce 312 Wheat and other year round offerings at their Chicago brewery and allow the brewers to focus on their more creative offerings and barrel aging projects.

Bourbon County Brand Stout and its variants are still met with the same fervor as they were before the takeover. Why? Because it’s still an amazing beer. As long as Goose Island keeps putting out amazing beer, there will be a legion of fans clamoring to drink it.

Fast forward to October 17th, 2013. Duvel Moortgat announces plans to buy Boulevard Brewing. While a large corporation is buying a small local craft brewery, the reaction was much different.

Why? Well, for beer nerds, Duvel Moortgat is still family owned, but more importantly, they still make great beer and have a history of buying smaller operations and making them better. You may be familiar with some of Duvels other brands: Ommegang, Brasserie d’Achouffe, Liefmans and Maredsous.

With the location of Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, Duvel will have access to the vast distribution network that Boulevard has set up through the midwest. There will also be an expansion to the brewery, creating new jobs and giving Boulevard the ability to brew more beer.

In the craft beer world, there is a sentiment of “Us vs. Them” in regards to big beer. Bud, Miller and Coors are only in it for the bottom line in a race to the bottom of flavor. While aspects of that are true, what many craft beer nerds forget to realize is that every small brewery they love and want kept small are still businesses. These people did not open up a brewery to lose money.

Unfortunately, opening and running a brewery is expensive with a large amount of risk. Breweries like Starr Hill and Devils Backbone didn’t magically show up at every bar and convenience

store from dumb luck. They decided to choose a distributor with a ton of “Points of Sale” in this area. That distributor also happens to sell Bud Light to those same bars and convenience stores. While some purists think that is a bad thing, I simply see it as a smart business move.

In between these two scenarios is a company called Tenth and Blake Beer Company. You may have never heard of them, but some of the products the Blue Moon, “brew” may be familiar.

Crispin Cider, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Leinenkugels and George Killians Irish Red among others. From there you can guess who owns Tenth and Blake; MillerCoors. What Tenth and Blake do is find emerging trends in craft beer and help finance companies to bring them to a regional or national market.

One brewery in particular they have a vested interest in is Terrapin, from Athens Georgia. A few years ago, Terrapin desperately needed to expand in order to fill all the orders for its delicious beer.

Tenth and Blake offered to help finance the expansion in return for a small stake in the company. While the stake is less than 50%, there were many in craft beer that were weary of what it would mean for Terrapin down the road. Well, it’s been a couple of years and Terrapin can now make more beer, they have installed a canning line, distribute farther, and have been able to expand limited releases to all of their territories.

So, while the times are achangin’, and the big players are trying to find new ways to cash in on the craft beer movement, one important thing to remember is this: Does it taste good?

Will Loring is resident beer nerd at Olde Towne Butcher.

The General Store

Restaurant

Since 1978

Italian/American Food Monday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm

371-4075 2018 College Ave. Fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

15

december 2013… We need a little Christmas – now! *Some events run same day weekly or more than one day.

monday, december 2 Snead Farm Christmas Trees! Spruce $70, White Pine $40: Very good selection of Trees this year!

Cut or Dig your own; Saws available; Bring your own shovel. Open Daily 9 to 6; Farm Info Line: 540-371-1070 *Riverside Dinner Theater through Jan. 4 presents White Christmas.

This fresh, award-winning Broadway rendition of the familiar film story follows two WWII Army buddies, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who team up to form a night club act and move to the Broadway stage. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye starred in the 1954 film, making famous the Irving Berlin standards Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, Blue Skies, How Deep Is the Ocean, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, and the title song. riversidedt.com *PONSHOP Studio and Gallery in “Live in Art” Showcase at Amelia Square throughout Dec. Reinforces the residential nature of the project through professionally crafted artwork and features locally-made fine art, ceramics, furniture where it resides once acquired – in the home.

Gabriel and Scarlett Pons, furniture designer Kaleo Kala; Leslie Brier, Daniel Christie, Adam Desio, Ashleigh Dueker, Betsy Glassie, Bill Harris, Kaleo Kala, Rob Landeck, Patte Ormsby, Carol Phifer, Scarlett Pons, Gabriel Pons, Ana Rendich, Crystal Rodrigue, Kevin Rodrigue, James Walker

CALENDAR of events

wednesday, december 4

*La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. Featuring Chris, Phil, Andy & Harry. No cover charge

*Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William Westmoreland County Museum & The Inn at Montross 10th “Art and Wine” opens through Jan. 11.

Featuring artwork of Katharina Bergdoll.

Exhibit will include both landscape and still life oil paintings first friday, december 6 *“It’s Small” Regional Juried Exhibition ongoing through Jan 31 at Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, 813 Sophia. Juror: Rob McAdams of Los Angeles holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude, in Painting and Printmaking from VCU and a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the U of So. Carolina *December in the Members’ Gallery at FCCA features an All Members show through Dec. 31.

813 Sophia *Art First Gallery’s December Exhibition featuring an All Members show. Original artwork from 33 local member artists will also be on display.

Opening is free to the public. Come meet and speak w/ the artists and see what is new at Art First Gallery. 6P-9P. Exhibit through Dec. 31 daily 11A to 5P

tuesday, december 3

thursday, december 5

PFLAG meets: Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays - 1st Tue Monthly, 1-hr Support Group, 1-hr Education.

630P-830P. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church

*Music every Thurs Live at Kenmore Inn 730-11P. Tonight: 1200 Princess Anne

*Rachel Zello: Live at Bistro Bethem. $3 beer, wine, cocktail specials. All ages. No cover. 7-10P Preschool Palette: Squid Fun 10A–12N. Introduces children ages 2-5 to art and art museums through developmentally appropriate activities; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 10 a.m.; $8. $5/members of Friends of Belmont; classes limited to 12 children; (540) 654-1851

Celebration, Kwanzaa: Partake in the rituals of Kwanzaa and enjoy a feast; Seacobeck Hall, Faculty/Staff Dining room; 6P, Free. (540) 6541044 Concert, UMW Philharmonic Holiday POPS! Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy, featuring the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 7:30P. $10. Purchase tix at philharmonic.umw.edu; (540) 654-1324

U.S. Foreign Policy Interests in Syria and National Security Implications, by David Waldner, associate professor of politics at the University of Virginia; part of the National Security Lecture Series; Dahlgren Campus, University Hall; 8-10A. Free.

Registration: http://dahlgren.umw.edu/upcomingevents/

friday, december 6

sunday, december 8

saturday, december 21

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Dr. Chris Lillis discusses the Affordable Care Act with host Ted Schubel. Listen at newstalk1230.net

*Free Vegetarian Cooking class every 3rd Sat. 2330P. Meditation 4-5P. Porter Library

monday, december 9 Lecture, U.S. Foreign Policy Interests in Syria and N a t i o n a l

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Rob Grogan, Front Porch Magazine, discusses 2013 -

thursday, december 12 *Live Music every Thursday at the Kenmore Inn. 1200 Princess Anne.

730P

Probably a Parade…

Second Saturdays at the Museum!

1-3P. jkennedy@famcc.org, 540-3713037, ext. 142

“Deck the Halls” and “A Monroe Christmas” at the James Monroe Museum, Charles Street

*La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. Featuring Chris, Phil, Andy & Harry. No cover charge

Conclusion” FXBG Area Museum & Cultural Center Evening with an Expert Lecture Series will newest exhibition, Woman Adorned: Transcending Time, Transforming Culture.

Lecture by FXBG entrepreneur, Gloria Bohan, founder/CEO of Omega World Travel

saturday, december 7

Event, “A Monroe Christmas” Open House, will include holiday punch and cookies; a pianist will play carols on Eliza Monroe’s Astor pianoforte and harpist Mary Triola will contribute music; James Monroe Museum, 908 Charles St.; 4-6P. Free.

(540) 654-1123

sunday, december 15

*Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William

Concert, UMW Philharmonic Holiday POPS! Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy, featuring the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 730P. $10.

Purchase tix at philharmonic.umw.edu; (540) 6541324

Workshop, “Deck the Halls” Holiday Floral Decorating Presentation, with floral consultant Jan Williams of Jan Williams Florals; workshop discusses how to craft unique decorations from local evergreens and flora and includes breakfast; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 930A Noon; $25 or $22 for Friends of the James Monroe Museum; reservations required: (540) 654-1123

wednesday, december 11

*North Stafford MOPS Moms CLub 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month (Sept-May). Open to all moms of children birth - Kindergarten. Please join us for fellowship, food, friendship, and encouragement from other moms, mentors, and local speakers.

We offer childcare during the meetings

Security Implications, by David Waldner, associate professor of politics at the University of Virginia; part of the National Security Lecture Series; Dahlgren Campus, University Hall; 8-10A. Free.Registration requested: http://dahlgren.umw.edu/upcoming-events/

tuesday, december 10 *Karen Jonas live @ Bistro Bethem. $3 beer, wine, cocktail specials. All ages. No cover. 7-10P

FJC Open Jazz Jam at The Colonial Tavern: Join us on the 2nd Thursday of every month for live bebop, swing, and Latin standards. Musicians, bring your axes! Event is free and open to the public

saturday, december 14 17th Rappahannock Model Railroaders Model Train Display & Show featuring displays of operating model trains in all scales and the Rapp.

Model Railroaders modular railroad project. For the hobbyist, vendors representing all scales will sell new and used trains, replacement parts.

Adults: $7, Children: 4-12 $1

The Arts in FXBG in Review with host Ted Schubel.

Listen at newstalk1230.net Presentation, Laud to the Nativity: Images of Christ’s Birth through the Ages, Joanna Catron, curator of Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 2P. Free.

(540) 654-1015

tuesday, december 17 *The Skiffle Lounge Sound plays Bistro Bethem 811P, 309 William. No cover. All ages.

Spotsylvania County Neighborhood Watch Meeting, 7-8P. 3rd Tue monthly. All County Residents welcome. Stay informed of trends/law enforcement activity. Sheriff’s Sub-Station, Spotsy Towne Centre

sunday, december 22 *AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Kurt Erickson, Washington Regional Alcohol Program, talks with host Ted Schubel.

Listen at newstalk1230.net Civil War Santa to Visit Chatham 1-4P. Old Saint Nick will be taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with children at Chatham. In addition to a visit from Santa Claus, children will learn what Christmas was like in the 1860s, will be invited to make decorations for Chatham, and can participate in a scavenger hunt. Members of the Friends of Chatham will serve punch and cookies in the kitchen building

tuesday, december 24 Christmas Eve

wednesday , december 25 Christmas Day

wednesday, december 18 *La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. Featuring Chris, Phil, Andy & Harry. No cover charge

sunday, december 29

*Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William

Tour, Woodland Hikes, by members of Central Rappahannock Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist program; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 2P Free. 654-1839

thursday, december 19 *FXBG Jazz Collective’s open jazz jam twice monthly: 1st & 3rd Thurs. Live bebop, Latin jazz, fine cocktails. Musicians, bring instruments (no large amps). fredericksburgjazzcollective.org *Live Music every Thursday at the Kenmore Inn. 1200 Princess Anne. 730P

friday, december 20 3rd Fri, 830A business ladies’ free networking “TIPS.” Ellen Baptist, 548-0652

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Sue Henderson, Stafford 350 Celebration, talks with host Ted Schubel. Listen at newstalk1230.net

tuesday, december 31 New Year’s Eve

If you are reading this 198th issue of FP, thank an advertiser as we celebrate the Holidays.

If you are an advertiser, list your event.

Deadline for January 2014’s issue is Dec. 20 .

To submit events, follow link: http://frontporchfredericksburg.com/howto-ssubmit-o online/

~ Peggy Wickham Art ~ Companionship Meal Preparation Medication Reminders Laundry

Light Housekeeping Shopping/Errands Personal Care Flexible Hours

540.899.1422 Each HomeInstead Franchise Office is Independently Owned & Operated

16

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

Peggy Wickham Art at Brush Strokes Contact Peggy at 2191 Sebastian Road Fredericksburg, VA 22405 540-446-5639

Call for a free, no-obligation appointment

2015 Fans (& Growing) Want You to Join

Front Porch on

homeinstead.com front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

17

december 2013… We need a little Christmas – now! *Some events run same day weekly or more than one day.

monday, december 2 Snead Farm Christmas Trees! Spruce $70, White Pine $40: Very good selection of Trees this year!

Cut or Dig your own; Saws available; Bring your own shovel. Open Daily 9 to 6; Farm Info Line: 540-371-1070 *Riverside Dinner Theater through Jan. 4 presents White Christmas.

This fresh, award-winning Broadway rendition of the familiar film story follows two WWII Army buddies, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who team up to form a night club act and move to the Broadway stage. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye starred in the 1954 film, making famous the Irving Berlin standards Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, Blue Skies, How Deep Is the Ocean, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, and the title song. riversidedt.com *PONSHOP Studio and Gallery in “Live in Art” Showcase at Amelia Square throughout Dec. Reinforces the residential nature of the project through professionally crafted artwork and features locally-made fine art, ceramics, furniture where it resides once acquired – in the home.

Gabriel and Scarlett Pons, furniture designer Kaleo Kala; Leslie Brier, Daniel Christie, Adam Desio, Ashleigh Dueker, Betsy Glassie, Bill Harris, Kaleo Kala, Rob Landeck, Patte Ormsby, Carol Phifer, Scarlett Pons, Gabriel Pons, Ana Rendich, Crystal Rodrigue, Kevin Rodrigue, James Walker

CALENDAR of events

wednesday, december 4

*La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. Featuring Chris, Phil, Andy & Harry. No cover charge

*Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William Westmoreland County Museum & The Inn at Montross 10th “Art and Wine” opens through Jan. 11.

Featuring artwork of Katharina Bergdoll.

Exhibit will include both landscape and still life oil paintings first friday, december 6 *“It’s Small” Regional Juried Exhibition ongoing through Jan 31 at Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, 813 Sophia. Juror: Rob McAdams of Los Angeles holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude, in Painting and Printmaking from VCU and a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the U of So. Carolina *December in the Members’ Gallery at FCCA features an All Members show through Dec. 31.

813 Sophia *Art First Gallery’s December Exhibition featuring an All Members show. Original artwork from 33 local member artists will also be on display.

Opening is free to the public. Come meet and speak w/ the artists and see what is new at Art First Gallery. 6P-9P. Exhibit through Dec. 31 daily 11A to 5P

tuesday, december 3

thursday, december 5

PFLAG meets: Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays - 1st Tue Monthly, 1-hr Support Group, 1-hr Education.

630P-830P. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church

*Music every Thurs Live at Kenmore Inn 730-11P. Tonight: 1200 Princess Anne

*Rachel Zello: Live at Bistro Bethem. $3 beer, wine, cocktail specials. All ages. No cover. 7-10P Preschool Palette: Squid Fun 10A–12N. Introduces children ages 2-5 to art and art museums through developmentally appropriate activities; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 10 a.m.; $8. $5/members of Friends of Belmont; classes limited to 12 children; (540) 654-1851

Celebration, Kwanzaa: Partake in the rituals of Kwanzaa and enjoy a feast; Seacobeck Hall, Faculty/Staff Dining room; 6P, Free. (540) 6541044 Concert, UMW Philharmonic Holiday POPS! Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy, featuring the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 7:30P. $10. Purchase tix at philharmonic.umw.edu; (540) 654-1324

U.S. Foreign Policy Interests in Syria and National Security Implications, by David Waldner, associate professor of politics at the University of Virginia; part of the National Security Lecture Series; Dahlgren Campus, University Hall; 8-10A. Free.

Registration: http://dahlgren.umw.edu/upcomingevents/

friday, december 6

sunday, december 8

saturday, december 21

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Dr. Chris Lillis discusses the Affordable Care Act with host Ted Schubel. Listen at newstalk1230.net

*Free Vegetarian Cooking class every 3rd Sat. 2330P. Meditation 4-5P. Porter Library

monday, december 9 Lecture, U.S. Foreign Policy Interests in Syria and N a t i o n a l

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Rob Grogan, Front Porch Magazine, discusses 2013 -

thursday, december 12 *Live Music every Thursday at the Kenmore Inn. 1200 Princess Anne.

730P

Probably a Parade…

Second Saturdays at the Museum!

1-3P. jkennedy@famcc.org, 540-3713037, ext. 142

“Deck the Halls” and “A Monroe Christmas” at the James Monroe Museum, Charles Street

*La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. Featuring Chris, Phil, Andy & Harry. No cover charge

Conclusion” FXBG Area Museum & Cultural Center Evening with an Expert Lecture Series will newest exhibition, Woman Adorned: Transcending Time, Transforming Culture.

Lecture by FXBG entrepreneur, Gloria Bohan, founder/CEO of Omega World Travel

saturday, december 7

Event, “A Monroe Christmas” Open House, will include holiday punch and cookies; a pianist will play carols on Eliza Monroe’s Astor pianoforte and harpist Mary Triola will contribute music; James Monroe Museum, 908 Charles St.; 4-6P. Free.

(540) 654-1123

sunday, december 15

*Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William

Concert, UMW Philharmonic Holiday POPS! Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy, featuring the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 730P. $10.

Purchase tix at philharmonic.umw.edu; (540) 6541324

Workshop, “Deck the Halls” Holiday Floral Decorating Presentation, with floral consultant Jan Williams of Jan Williams Florals; workshop discusses how to craft unique decorations from local evergreens and flora and includes breakfast; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 930A Noon; $25 or $22 for Friends of the James Monroe Museum; reservations required: (540) 654-1123

wednesday, december 11

*North Stafford MOPS Moms CLub 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month (Sept-May). Open to all moms of children birth - Kindergarten. Please join us for fellowship, food, friendship, and encouragement from other moms, mentors, and local speakers.

We offer childcare during the meetings

Security Implications, by David Waldner, associate professor of politics at the University of Virginia; part of the National Security Lecture Series; Dahlgren Campus, University Hall; 8-10A. Free.Registration requested: http://dahlgren.umw.edu/upcoming-events/

tuesday, december 10 *Karen Jonas live @ Bistro Bethem. $3 beer, wine, cocktail specials. All ages. No cover. 7-10P

FJC Open Jazz Jam at The Colonial Tavern: Join us on the 2nd Thursday of every month for live bebop, swing, and Latin standards. Musicians, bring your axes! Event is free and open to the public

saturday, december 14 17th Rappahannock Model Railroaders Model Train Display & Show featuring displays of operating model trains in all scales and the Rapp.

Model Railroaders modular railroad project. For the hobbyist, vendors representing all scales will sell new and used trains, replacement parts.

Adults: $7, Children: 4-12 $1

The Arts in FXBG in Review with host Ted Schubel.

Listen at newstalk1230.net Presentation, Laud to the Nativity: Images of Christ’s Birth through the Ages, Joanna Catron, curator of Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 2P. Free.

(540) 654-1015

tuesday, december 17 *The Skiffle Lounge Sound plays Bistro Bethem 811P, 309 William. No cover. All ages.

Spotsylvania County Neighborhood Watch Meeting, 7-8P. 3rd Tue monthly. All County Residents welcome. Stay informed of trends/law enforcement activity. Sheriff’s Sub-Station, Spotsy Towne Centre

sunday, december 22 *AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Kurt Erickson, Washington Regional Alcohol Program, talks with host Ted Schubel.

Listen at newstalk1230.net Civil War Santa to Visit Chatham 1-4P. Old Saint Nick will be taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with children at Chatham. In addition to a visit from Santa Claus, children will learn what Christmas was like in the 1860s, will be invited to make decorations for Chatham, and can participate in a scavenger hunt. Members of the Friends of Chatham will serve punch and cookies in the kitchen building

tuesday, december 24 Christmas Eve

wednesday , december 25 Christmas Day

wednesday, december 18 *La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. Featuring Chris, Phil, Andy & Harry. No cover charge

sunday, december 29

*Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William

Tour, Woodland Hikes, by members of Central Rappahannock Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist program; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 2P Free. 654-1839

thursday, december 19 *FXBG Jazz Collective’s open jazz jam twice monthly: 1st & 3rd Thurs. Live bebop, Latin jazz, fine cocktails. Musicians, bring instruments (no large amps). fredericksburgjazzcollective.org *Live Music every Thursday at the Kenmore Inn. 1200 Princess Anne. 730P

friday, december 20 3rd Fri, 830A business ladies’ free networking “TIPS.” Ellen Baptist, 548-0652

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Sue Henderson, Stafford 350 Celebration, talks with host Ted Schubel. Listen at newstalk1230.net

tuesday, december 31 New Year’s Eve

If you are reading this 198th issue of FP, thank an advertiser as we celebrate the Holidays.

If you are an advertiser, list your event.

Deadline for January 2014’s issue is Dec. 20 .

To submit events, follow link: http://frontporchfredericksburg.com/howto-ssubmit-o online/

~ Peggy Wickham Art ~ Companionship Meal Preparation Medication Reminders Laundry

Light Housekeeping Shopping/Errands Personal Care Flexible Hours

540.899.1422 Each HomeInstead Franchise Office is Independently Owned & Operated

16

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

Peggy Wickham Art at Brush Strokes Contact Peggy at 2191 Sebastian Road Fredericksburg, VA 22405 540-446-5639

Call for a free, no-obligation appointment

2015 Fans (& Growing) Want You to Join

Front Porch on

homeinstead.com front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

17

history’s stories

OUR HERITAGE

Twelve Days

By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (December 25). This period is also known as Twelvetide and Christmastide. The evening of January 5th is the twelfth night

A monthly look at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center collection

tony kent’s fredericksburg

of Christmas.

One interesting point I wish to note is that the traditional Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” was written as a secret teaching technique to instruct children in the meaning of the Christian faith, as from around 1558 until 1829, Catholics in England were not allowed to openly practice religion. The Priests used the carol to get out the message without the Protestants knowing the meanings.

Here are the meanings: My true love = God Me = The Christian Partridge in a pear tree = Jesus Two Turtle Doves = Old & New Testaments Three French hens = Faith Hope & love Four calling birds = The four gospels Five gold rings = First 5 books of the bible Six geese a laying = 6 days of creation 7 swans a swimming = 7 gifts of Holy Spirit Eight maids a milking = The beatitudes 9 ladies dancing = 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit 10 lords a leaping = 10 commandments 11 pipers piping = 11 disciples of Christ Twelve drummers drumming = 12 points of the apostle creed

The Virginia colonists brought their version of the Twelve Days over from England and added their own variations over the years.

The Christmas wreath originated being fashioned from local holly trees and greenery and available fruits being made on Christmas Eve and hung on the front of the home for the Twelve days.

All decorations were removed by the twelfth night as it was considered to bring bad luck to leave decoration up after this time.

Tony Kent’s book, Fredericksburg enters its third year of sales this Christmas season and remains a thoughtful gift for friends, colleagues, and family members who are interested in local heritage. Mr. Kent is retired from his volunteer work at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, of which he was one of its founders back in 1997 [the same year this magazine started], and he has been on its Board of Directors.

Much of his research for photos for the book was done here at the Center, and much of his writing was done here as well.

In Fredericksburg, Tony Kent mixes vintage images and modern photographs to tell the history of America’s most historic city. His book is Arcadia Publishing’s newest addition to its popular Then and Now Series. Boasting over 200 images, Fredericksburg showcases vintage images alongside modern photographs to tell the story of our prized community and its heralded place in our nation’s history.

Comparing our present to our past to better understand our history is Arcadia’s approach in its Then & Now series. Kent’s book achieves that. It offers a special view of American life by placing historical images side by side with contemporary photographs.

In Fredericksburg, you will find images from public and private collections, featuring many of the early businesses around town, some of which are no longer here, including a depiction of the building that was once used as the United State Post Office but now serves as City Hall.

Tony Kent’s Fredericksburg is available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com [888-313-

2665]. It retails for $21.99 and is 128 pages in soft cover.

This Christmas or Hanukah, give your favorite Fredophile or local history buff – or, for that matter, any U.S. history buff – a copy of this great book. It will compel both the giver and the receiver to explore the shelves and archives of this outstanding local treasure that we call the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center.

There, you will find our community’s past, and better understand it as it relates to our present and future here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. — RG

Tuffy Hicks wishes you all a happy and healthy holiday season, and “May God Bless you all.”

Central Rappahannock

HERITAGE CENTER Volunteers needed to process historical documents and aid researchers.

Training provided.

Phone 540-373-3704 or email crhc@verizon.net Open to the public for scholarly research

The Heritage Center 18

December 2013

Maury Commons

900 Barton St

Front porch fredericksburg

Fredericksburg front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

19

history’s stories

OUR HERITAGE

Twelve Days

By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (December 25). This period is also known as Twelvetide and Christmastide. The evening of January 5th is the twelfth night

A monthly look at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center collection

tony kent’s fredericksburg

of Christmas.

One interesting point I wish to note is that the traditional Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” was written as a secret teaching technique to instruct children in the meaning of the Christian faith, as from around 1558 until 1829, Catholics in England were not allowed to openly practice religion. The Priests used the carol to get out the message without the Protestants knowing the meanings.

Here are the meanings: My true love = God Me = The Christian Partridge in a pear tree = Jesus Two Turtle Doves = Old & New Testaments Three French hens = Faith Hope & love Four calling birds = The four gospels Five gold rings = First 5 books of the bible Six geese a laying = 6 days of creation 7 swans a swimming = 7 gifts of Holy Spirit Eight maids a milking = The beatitudes 9 ladies dancing = 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit 10 lords a leaping = 10 commandments 11 pipers piping = 11 disciples of Christ Twelve drummers drumming = 12 points of the apostle creed

The Virginia colonists brought their version of the Twelve Days over from England and added their own variations over the years.

The Christmas wreath originated being fashioned from local holly trees and greenery and available fruits being made on Christmas Eve and hung on the front of the home for the Twelve days.

All decorations were removed by the twelfth night as it was considered to bring bad luck to leave decoration up after this time.

Tony Kent’s book, Fredericksburg enters its third year of sales this Christmas season and remains a thoughtful gift for friends, colleagues, and family members who are interested in local heritage. Mr. Kent is retired from his volunteer work at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, of which he was one of its founders back in 1997 [the same year this magazine started], and he has been on its Board of Directors.

Much of his research for photos for the book was done here at the Center, and much of his writing was done here as well.

In Fredericksburg, Tony Kent mixes vintage images and modern photographs to tell the history of America’s most historic city. His book is Arcadia Publishing’s newest addition to its popular Then and Now Series. Boasting over 200 images, Fredericksburg showcases vintage images alongside modern photographs to tell the story of our prized community and its heralded place in our nation’s history.

Comparing our present to our past to better understand our history is Arcadia’s approach in its Then & Now series. Kent’s book achieves that. It offers a special view of American life by placing historical images side by side with contemporary photographs.

In Fredericksburg, you will find images from public and private collections, featuring many of the early businesses around town, some of which are no longer here, including a depiction of the building that was once used as the United State Post Office but now serves as City Hall.

Tony Kent’s Fredericksburg is available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com [888-313-

2665]. It retails for $21.99 and is 128 pages in soft cover.

This Christmas or Hanukah, give your favorite Fredophile or local history buff – or, for that matter, any U.S. history buff – a copy of this great book. It will compel both the giver and the receiver to explore the shelves and archives of this outstanding local treasure that we call the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center.

There, you will find our community’s past, and better understand it as it relates to our present and future here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. — RG

Tuffy Hicks wishes you all a happy and healthy holiday season, and “May God Bless you all.”

Central Rappahannock

HERITAGE CENTER Volunteers needed to process historical documents and aid researchers.

Training provided.

Phone 540-373-3704 or email crhc@verizon.net Open to the public for scholarly research

The Heritage Center 18

December 2013

Maury Commons

900 Barton St

Front porch fredericksburg

Fredericksburg front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

19

When in Doubt, Act Like a 7th Grader Jay Flaherty Makes Connections

Tonka Envy… you know what I’m talking about

by A.E.Bayne

It’s tough to reach students, especially middle school students. With the noisy spectacle of our world today, making connections has become one of the most difficult challenges for teachers.

They must be adept at engaging students in a technology driven environment, where games become the norm and success is measured by reward alone. So, when Jay Flaherty, a 7th grade civics teacher at Dixon-Smith Middle School in Stafford County, was nominated by a student last December for B101.5’s A+ Teacher of the Month and received a surprise visit from the DJs during lunch, he was humbled and honored. You see, Mr. Flaherty is all about making connections with the kids, and they know it.

Students and staff enjoy Flaherty’s down-to-earth demeanor, and he describes himself as “a little goofy,” but that just makes him all the more approachable. He says, “I can still identify with my 7th graders. I just try to put myself out there, and I think they

appreciate that I’m trying to reach them.”

While he feels comfortable with this teaching style, Flaherty adds, “I think you can be completely effective teaching from a different perspective; ultimately, the kids want to know you care about them. That’s what bridges the gap toward respect.”

Teachers with these qualities earned Flaherty’s admiration in school. He explains, “I liked teachers who were accessible, who were human, those who made mistakes and took them in stride. I had respect for teachers who were fun and enjoyable in class, but who also set boundaries so that when it was time to do work, it was time to do work. Some of the best classes were those where we felt like we were going to have fun, but when it was time to produce we were going to come through for ourselves and our teacher.

During the nine years he has been teaching for Stafford County, Flaherty has taught math, geography, and now civics. He has enjoyed the variety these subjects have offered, saying that it has influenced his decision to stay in the

Home of great Food & great Art! 720 Littlepage Sunkenwelltavern.com

profession. Civics, especially, has given him a chance to see students think critically.

He says, “I feel fortunate, because civics is current. Even though these kids are still 12 or 13, they can appreciate that politics is something that affects them now, and will continue to be on their radar later. Students get excited, even when they won’t admit it. Some kids might not be strong academically, but they know something about politics or they see something going on in the world of sports that connects to the First Amendment, and they gain confidence.

Sometimes getting that buy-in is enough to help them grow.”

Another way that Flaherty has connected with students over the years has been through coaching track and football. For him, the decision was a nobrainer. He explains, “Any time you can make a connection outside of the physical classroom there’s just no comparison. It goes a long way.” He says that teaching and coaching for the same school over the past seven years has helped him connect with families, “Whole families come through the school. You get to know the

parents, and it gets to be easier when you are more established. The community knows you.”

Currently, Flaherty spends many of his off hours working toward a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. He feels that his classes have given him a wider perspective on education. He explains, “The program has helped me embrace a philosophy of considering where punishments will ultimately end up. You learn to pick your battles a little bit better. I’d like to think that is a comfort level gained through years teaching experience.”

Do you know an exceptional teacher?

Please send nominations to baynefrontporch@gmail.com

Full Service Hospital featuring: Grooming Salon Canine Boarding in Our Indoor/Outdoor Runs Dog Training & Behavioral Consults with certified dog trainer Feline Boarding in Our Spacious Multi-room Condos

Serving you & your companion animals for 16 years Stacy L. Horner, DVM; Gary B. Dunn, DVM; Melanie Bell, DVM; Sandi L. Pepper, DVM; Melissa A. DeLauter, DVM ; Arlene Evans, DVM; Jennnifer Skarbek, DVM

20

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

www.woahvets.com

10 Walsh Lane

There was that kid in your neighborhood who had all the cool Tonka trucks. He had enough construction equipment to develop his own subdivision. We’re not talking those Dinky and Matchbox sized wimbly, wambly pitifully small toys either. We are talking heavy steel quarter-ton bruisers. There is enough steel in a 1950’s Tonka dump truck to re-roll into a new Honda.

You envied his fleet of trucks. You bought Tonkas at Western Auto not at McCrory’s… they sold this new stuff called plastic. Not the same. You can’t get dents, scratches and scraped-up paint on the fender of a plastic truck. Tonkas showed real scars from real work. Ever wonder who is writing the ad copy for Dodge Ram trucks? Obviously someone still dealing with Tonka envy. Those trucks were also fairly expensive but every year you held out hope that you might see one under the tree on Christmas morning or maybe for your birthday.

And ladies…I am pretty sure Barbie envy was just as much an issue and is expressed just as strongly in today’s fashion ad writing. We’re not talking about Barbie’s attributes either. We are talking about her stuff. You might have had a Barbie doll and a few outfits but somewhere in your neighborhood there was that girl who had all the Barbie accessories. The beach stuff and the ski stuff and the “Barbie Rocks Rio” stuff. They had the house, the pool, the Corvette and even a Ken or two for fantasy dates. Envy is envy regardless.

ARM

MAIN: (540) 373-9124 NURSERY: (540) 371-8802

& GARDEN CENTER

Since 1929

601 LAFAYETTE BLVD

roxburyfarmgarden.com

Thank You, Fredericksburg, for Our 84th Year of Serving You! Come Shop With Us This Month, and in 2013

By Rim Vining

A.E. Bayne is a teacher, writer, and artist from Fredericksburg, VA.

540/374-0462 EAT WELL DRINK WELL LIVE WELL

AutoKnown Better

ROXBURY F

Now here we come to another Christmas and holiday season and we’re no longer kids.

That doesn’t mean we’re not still holding out hope that we’ll wake up and find Barbie behind the wheel of the latest Tonka Tractor Trailer but we’re not expecting it to be there.

With years of therapy we have moved on but the effects linger.

My mother often told the story of their Christmas in Leipsic Delaware during the depression. It was cold and the clapboard house only had a chunk stove and they had lived there for some time without electricity because the power had not been run that far. No poles. Finally on Christmas Eve the power company hooked up the lights very exciting! Primrose also told the story of how she dropped the platter with the roast in the kitchen slop bucket. Food for the family for a week, ruined. Her mother cried. Mom was maybe ten.

I was eight. My birthday was coming up and I wanted a Tonka like that kid up the street who had so many he could leave them scattered about and outside in the rain. I would build a garage for mine if I had one. Mother always did her best for her family in good times and lean times. She got me a big dump truck. The plastic kind. To this day I don’t know whether I actually said it or just thought…”I wanted a Tonka.” My mother cried.

So put away the envy.

Seek therapy and get help. Make the holiday memories good ones. Do your best for others and you will do the best for yourself and never make the ones you love cry. It sticks with you forever.

Primrose passed away in October and it was a joyous passing. Thank you all for your support, thoughtful comments, and prayers. Great lady, wonderful soul.

Now... on Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Peugeot and Porches! on, Comets! on, Falcons! parked by your Front Porches!....

“Happy Christmas to all… autoknown says... goodnight!”

Merry Christmas to All, and To All a Good Night!

Front Porch Fredericksburg

online: www.save7lives.org in person: Dept. of Motor Vehicles

Supporting Local Artists Since 1997

You autoknown that Rim Vining would find cars in T’was The Night Before Christmas.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

21

When in Doubt, Act Like a 7th Grader Jay Flaherty Makes Connections

Tonka Envy… you know what I’m talking about

by A.E.Bayne

It’s tough to reach students, especially middle school students. With the noisy spectacle of our world today, making connections has become one of the most difficult challenges for teachers.

They must be adept at engaging students in a technology driven environment, where games become the norm and success is measured by reward alone. So, when Jay Flaherty, a 7th grade civics teacher at Dixon-Smith Middle School in Stafford County, was nominated by a student last December for B101.5’s A+ Teacher of the Month and received a surprise visit from the DJs during lunch, he was humbled and honored. You see, Mr. Flaherty is all about making connections with the kids, and they know it.

Students and staff enjoy Flaherty’s down-to-earth demeanor, and he describes himself as “a little goofy,” but that just makes him all the more approachable. He says, “I can still identify with my 7th graders. I just try to put myself out there, and I think they

appreciate that I’m trying to reach them.”

While he feels comfortable with this teaching style, Flaherty adds, “I think you can be completely effective teaching from a different perspective; ultimately, the kids want to know you care about them. That’s what bridges the gap toward respect.”

Teachers with these qualities earned Flaherty’s admiration in school. He explains, “I liked teachers who were accessible, who were human, those who made mistakes and took them in stride. I had respect for teachers who were fun and enjoyable in class, but who also set boundaries so that when it was time to do work, it was time to do work. Some of the best classes were those where we felt like we were going to have fun, but when it was time to produce we were going to come through for ourselves and our teacher.

During the nine years he has been teaching for Stafford County, Flaherty has taught math, geography, and now civics. He has enjoyed the variety these subjects have offered, saying that it has influenced his decision to stay in the

Home of great Food & great Art! 720 Littlepage Sunkenwelltavern.com

profession. Civics, especially, has given him a chance to see students think critically.

He says, “I feel fortunate, because civics is current. Even though these kids are still 12 or 13, they can appreciate that politics is something that affects them now, and will continue to be on their radar later. Students get excited, even when they won’t admit it. Some kids might not be strong academically, but they know something about politics or they see something going on in the world of sports that connects to the First Amendment, and they gain confidence.

Sometimes getting that buy-in is enough to help them grow.”

Another way that Flaherty has connected with students over the years has been through coaching track and football. For him, the decision was a nobrainer. He explains, “Any time you can make a connection outside of the physical classroom there’s just no comparison. It goes a long way.” He says that teaching and coaching for the same school over the past seven years has helped him connect with families, “Whole families come through the school. You get to know the

parents, and it gets to be easier when you are more established. The community knows you.”

Currently, Flaherty spends many of his off hours working toward a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. He feels that his classes have given him a wider perspective on education. He explains, “The program has helped me embrace a philosophy of considering where punishments will ultimately end up. You learn to pick your battles a little bit better. I’d like to think that is a comfort level gained through years teaching experience.”

Do you know an exceptional teacher?

Please send nominations to baynefrontporch@gmail.com

Full Service Hospital featuring: Grooming Salon Canine Boarding in Our Indoor/Outdoor Runs Dog Training & Behavioral Consults with certified dog trainer Feline Boarding in Our Spacious Multi-room Condos

Serving you & your companion animals for 16 years Stacy L. Horner, DVM; Gary B. Dunn, DVM; Melanie Bell, DVM; Sandi L. Pepper, DVM; Melissa A. DeLauter, DVM ; Arlene Evans, DVM; Jennnifer Skarbek, DVM

20

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

www.woahvets.com

10 Walsh Lane

There was that kid in your neighborhood who had all the cool Tonka trucks. He had enough construction equipment to develop his own subdivision. We’re not talking those Dinky and Matchbox sized wimbly, wambly pitifully small toys either. We are talking heavy steel quarter-ton bruisers. There is enough steel in a 1950’s Tonka dump truck to re-roll into a new Honda.

You envied his fleet of trucks. You bought Tonkas at Western Auto not at McCrory’s… they sold this new stuff called plastic. Not the same. You can’t get dents, scratches and scraped-up paint on the fender of a plastic truck. Tonkas showed real scars from real work. Ever wonder who is writing the ad copy for Dodge Ram trucks? Obviously someone still dealing with Tonka envy. Those trucks were also fairly expensive but every year you held out hope that you might see one under the tree on Christmas morning or maybe for your birthday.

And ladies…I am pretty sure Barbie envy was just as much an issue and is expressed just as strongly in today’s fashion ad writing. We’re not talking about Barbie’s attributes either. We are talking about her stuff. You might have had a Barbie doll and a few outfits but somewhere in your neighborhood there was that girl who had all the Barbie accessories. The beach stuff and the ski stuff and the “Barbie Rocks Rio” stuff. They had the house, the pool, the Corvette and even a Ken or two for fantasy dates. Envy is envy regardless.

ARM

MAIN: (540) 373-9124 NURSERY: (540) 371-8802

& GARDEN CENTER

Since 1929

601 LAFAYETTE BLVD

roxburyfarmgarden.com

Thank You, Fredericksburg, for Our 84th Year of Serving You! Come Shop With Us This Month, and in 2013

By Rim Vining

A.E. Bayne is a teacher, writer, and artist from Fredericksburg, VA.

540/374-0462 EAT WELL DRINK WELL LIVE WELL

AutoKnown Better

ROXBURY F

Now here we come to another Christmas and holiday season and we’re no longer kids.

That doesn’t mean we’re not still holding out hope that we’ll wake up and find Barbie behind the wheel of the latest Tonka Tractor Trailer but we’re not expecting it to be there.

With years of therapy we have moved on but the effects linger.

My mother often told the story of their Christmas in Leipsic Delaware during the depression. It was cold and the clapboard house only had a chunk stove and they had lived there for some time without electricity because the power had not been run that far. No poles. Finally on Christmas Eve the power company hooked up the lights very exciting! Primrose also told the story of how she dropped the platter with the roast in the kitchen slop bucket. Food for the family for a week, ruined. Her mother cried. Mom was maybe ten.

I was eight. My birthday was coming up and I wanted a Tonka like that kid up the street who had so many he could leave them scattered about and outside in the rain. I would build a garage for mine if I had one. Mother always did her best for her family in good times and lean times. She got me a big dump truck. The plastic kind. To this day I don’t know whether I actually said it or just thought…”I wanted a Tonka.” My mother cried.

So put away the envy.

Seek therapy and get help. Make the holiday memories good ones. Do your best for others and you will do the best for yourself and never make the ones you love cry. It sticks with you forever.

Primrose passed away in October and it was a joyous passing. Thank you all for your support, thoughtful comments, and prayers. Great lady, wonderful soul.

Now... on Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Peugeot and Porches! on, Comets! on, Falcons! parked by your Front Porches!....

“Happy Christmas to all… autoknown says... goodnight!”

Merry Christmas to All, and To All a Good Night!

Front Porch Fredericksburg

online: www.save7lives.org in person: Dept. of Motor Vehicles

Supporting Local Artists Since 1997

You autoknown that Rim Vining would find cars in T’was The Night Before Christmas.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

21

Santa JoAnna

Senior Care be a santa to a senior

Two Gift Ideas from nature

By Karl Karch

I always have mixed feelings at the end of a year, joy that I made it through another year and sadness about those that have struggled during the year.

That’s why our company, Home Instead Senior Care, embraced a corporate nationwide program in 2006 called “Be A Santa To A Senior”. This program is similar to the angel tree program except it focuses on lonely, needy seniors over the age of 65 who are often overlooked this time of year. This can be a difficult time for many, especially those who live alone or have lost spouses and loved ones. For some, this program provides their only gift.

An estimated 27 percent of people 65 and older (10.8 million people) are widowed according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Further, the Administration on Aging reports about 28 percent (11.8 million) non-institutionalized people 65 and older live alone.

We connect with numerous agencies that work with needy seniors in the community, specifically: Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging, all local Department of Social Services, Mental Health America’s Senior Visitor Program, SERVE, and low income senior housing.

We then partner with local retailers, businesses, and organizations that either adopt seniors and/or agree to place trees with ornaments in their facilities that have the senior’s first name and two requested modest gifts. People in the community pull off the ornament, purchase gifts, and then return them preferably wrapped to the sites for volunteers to pick up and ultimately distribute to the seniors.

Some local elementary school students volunteer to write cards to attach to the gifts.

I remember that first year we collected 120 gifts for 60 seniors. Over the years it has grown to almost 3,500 gifts for 1,700 seniors. We all know that

22

December 2013

By JoAnna Cassidy-Farrell the greater Fredericksburg area is a very g i v i n g community and we are thrilled that our community has embraced this program. I also remember one Christmas Eve when I delivered two gifts to a woman in Spotsylvania living near Lake Anna. She lived in a rather old trailer that had rags stuffed in cracks to prevent wind blowing into the trailer. She was sitting in an old worn easy chair with a blanket wrapped around her and a kerosene heater next to her. What a wonderful and warm tearyeyed thank you I received that someone actually thought enough of her to give her those gifts.

So, if you are moved to participate in this program, Be a Santa to a Senior trees will be at the following locations for seniors to be adopted through December 13th: Home Instead Senior Care, 111 Olde Greenwich Dr., Ste. 101, Fredericksburg.

Mary Washington Hospital at 1100 Sam Perry Blvd., Fredericksburg.

2300 Fall Hill Ave., Fredericksburg, Lobby Stafford Hospital, 101 Center Blvd, Stafford Chancellor’s Village Senior Living, 12100 Chancellors Village Lane, Fredericksburg.

The Crossings at Falls Run, 60 Brimley Dr., Fredericksburg.

Greenfield Senior Living of Spotsylvania, 9300 Onyx Ct., Fredericksburg Belk Department Store, Spotsylvania Towne Center Chick-Fil-A, Central Park, Fredericksburg For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com or call Deborah Franks, our Director of Operations at 540-899-1422.

Karl Karch is a local franchise owner of Home Instead Senior Care, a licensed home care organization providing personal care, companionship and home helper services. Please go to www.homeinstead.com/614.

Front porch fredericksburg

I’m Dreaming Of A Green Christmas (created by nature) As I clean up my yard and take everything to the compost for the winter, I started to think of creative ideas to bring some of the outdoors inside for a little season’s greeting charm. There are so many things in nature I can collect and use to bring the old traditional Christmas back to life.

Of course the familiar traditional popcorn and cranberry stringing are classics.

The grapevine is nature’s twine for the base of a wreath, garland or a homemade basket to hold Christmas cookies. The wreath can be filled with evergreen clippings of pine, fir, cedars, spruce and holly if you dare. The small blue seeds on a blue cedar tree make a beautiful wreath. The blue seeds come alive against the evergreen especially when you just add a simple blue ribbon.

Nature offered me rosehips to attach to the grapevine for a homemade garland with some added ivy that needed trimming back anyway. If you are lucky

Healthcare For the Whole Person SPECIALIZING IN: ` Gentle, Individualized Chiropractic Care ` Cranio-Sacral Balancing (Sacro Occipital Technique - SOT) ` Addressing Your Total Health Needs with Natural, Holistic Treatment Methods ` Detoxification/Weight Loss Nutritional Programs

Dr. Christine Thompson

you may even come across an old bird’s nest that may be nestled into your grapevine ivy decorated garland or even the Christmas tree. The grapevine can be wrapped around pinecones every few inches along with adding dried apples slices for a great scent.

Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons or limes with cloves inserted in the peel like a pincushion add more holiday fragrance.

Acorns, dried flowers, seed pods, berries, bird feathers and odd shape twigs make a creative garland for the mantle or the tree. Ivy or honeysuckle vines are strong enough to wrap around and hold dried herbs like rosemary, lavender, lemon balm, thyme and peppermint for a table ring centerpiece with a cinnamon candle.

My favorite traditional Christmas creation is using an old piece of burlap cut in small doll shapes sewn together and stuffed with ginger for some gingerbread men ornaments.

The burlap may be converted into a rustic tree skirt, stockings to hang from the fireplace mantle, or glued to a piece of cardboard with holly attached for a Christmas party invitation.

All these free ideas take us out into nature and keep our creative fire burning. It would not hurt for us to put a wet blanket on the idea of running to the store just to buy more stuff.

Apply lid and a label. Set it in a place of convenience so you have easy access to shake jar once everyday for two weeks.

If you are using dried herbs you want to top the jar off again the next day with the oil or vinegar because the dried herb will absorb some of the liquid leaving unwanted air pockets. After two weeks, you may strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a coffee filter.

Some good fresh herb vinegars are: Peppercorn, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and parsley, or a spiced vinegar mixture of cloves, allspice, celery seed, mustard seed, turmeric and dried ginger root. Single herb vinegars could be garlic, basil, or oregano. Here’s a decorating idea — you may add a dried piece of herb to the bow placed around the lid and enjoy the gift of giving.

Herbal Gifts (Grown up presents grown by you or an herbalist)

The Natural Path

Herbal oils and vinegars make great homemade Christmas presents. The flavors of many fresh herbs can be preserved in oils and vinegars. This is simple to do, and will enhance salad dressings and marinades. Culinary herbs may be used singularly or in a combination.

Loosely fill a canning jar with the fresh or dried herb(s). Cover the herb and fill jar to the rim with either extra virgin olive oil or apple cider vinegar, preferably Bragg’s apple cider vinegar since it is a good daily tonic for the body anyway.

JoAnna Cassidy-Farrell MH, CNHP wishes everyone a creative holiday season with Mother Nature.

Holistic Health Center

~Nature’s Sunshine Products ~ Biological Terrain Assessment ~VoiceBio Analysis ~Aura Photography ~Body Cleanse Foot Detox We Carry Home Brewing Supplies !

Barbara Bergquist, CTN Board Certified Traditional Naturopath

891-6200

www.thenaturalpath.us

4413 Lafayette Blvd. Fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

23

Santa JoAnna

Senior Care be a santa to a senior

Two Gift Ideas from nature

By Karl Karch

I always have mixed feelings at the end of a year, joy that I made it through another year and sadness about those that have struggled during the year.

That’s why our company, Home Instead Senior Care, embraced a corporate nationwide program in 2006 called “Be A Santa To A Senior”. This program is similar to the angel tree program except it focuses on lonely, needy seniors over the age of 65 who are often overlooked this time of year. This can be a difficult time for many, especially those who live alone or have lost spouses and loved ones. For some, this program provides their only gift.

An estimated 27 percent of people 65 and older (10.8 million people) are widowed according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Further, the Administration on Aging reports about 28 percent (11.8 million) non-institutionalized people 65 and older live alone.

We connect with numerous agencies that work with needy seniors in the community, specifically: Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging, all local Department of Social Services, Mental Health America’s Senior Visitor Program, SERVE, and low income senior housing.

We then partner with local retailers, businesses, and organizations that either adopt seniors and/or agree to place trees with ornaments in their facilities that have the senior’s first name and two requested modest gifts. People in the community pull off the ornament, purchase gifts, and then return them preferably wrapped to the sites for volunteers to pick up and ultimately distribute to the seniors.

Some local elementary school students volunteer to write cards to attach to the gifts.

I remember that first year we collected 120 gifts for 60 seniors. Over the years it has grown to almost 3,500 gifts for 1,700 seniors. We all know that

22

December 2013

By JoAnna Cassidy-Farrell the greater Fredericksburg area is a very g i v i n g community and we are thrilled that our community has embraced this program. I also remember one Christmas Eve when I delivered two gifts to a woman in Spotsylvania living near Lake Anna. She lived in a rather old trailer that had rags stuffed in cracks to prevent wind blowing into the trailer. She was sitting in an old worn easy chair with a blanket wrapped around her and a kerosene heater next to her. What a wonderful and warm tearyeyed thank you I received that someone actually thought enough of her to give her those gifts.

So, if you are moved to participate in this program, Be a Santa to a Senior trees will be at the following locations for seniors to be adopted through December 13th: Home Instead Senior Care, 111 Olde Greenwich Dr., Ste. 101, Fredericksburg.

Mary Washington Hospital at 1100 Sam Perry Blvd., Fredericksburg.

2300 Fall Hill Ave., Fredericksburg, Lobby Stafford Hospital, 101 Center Blvd, Stafford Chancellor’s Village Senior Living, 12100 Chancellors Village Lane, Fredericksburg.

The Crossings at Falls Run, 60 Brimley Dr., Fredericksburg.

Greenfield Senior Living of Spotsylvania, 9300 Onyx Ct., Fredericksburg Belk Department Store, Spotsylvania Towne Center Chick-Fil-A, Central Park, Fredericksburg For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com or call Deborah Franks, our Director of Operations at 540-899-1422.

Karl Karch is a local franchise owner of Home Instead Senior Care, a licensed home care organization providing personal care, companionship and home helper services. Please go to www.homeinstead.com/614.

Front porch fredericksburg

I’m Dreaming Of A Green Christmas (created by nature) As I clean up my yard and take everything to the compost for the winter, I started to think of creative ideas to bring some of the outdoors inside for a little season’s greeting charm. There are so many things in nature I can collect and use to bring the old traditional Christmas back to life.

Of course the familiar traditional popcorn and cranberry stringing are classics.

The grapevine is nature’s twine for the base of a wreath, garland or a homemade basket to hold Christmas cookies. The wreath can be filled with evergreen clippings of pine, fir, cedars, spruce and holly if you dare. The small blue seeds on a blue cedar tree make a beautiful wreath. The blue seeds come alive against the evergreen especially when you just add a simple blue ribbon.

Nature offered me rosehips to attach to the grapevine for a homemade garland with some added ivy that needed trimming back anyway. If you are lucky

Healthcare For the Whole Person SPECIALIZING IN: ` Gentle, Individualized Chiropractic Care ` Cranio-Sacral Balancing (Sacro Occipital Technique - SOT) ` Addressing Your Total Health Needs with Natural, Holistic Treatment Methods ` Detoxification/Weight Loss Nutritional Programs

Dr. Christine Thompson

you may even come across an old bird’s nest that may be nestled into your grapevine ivy decorated garland or even the Christmas tree. The grapevine can be wrapped around pinecones every few inches along with adding dried apples slices for a great scent.

Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons or limes with cloves inserted in the peel like a pincushion add more holiday fragrance.

Acorns, dried flowers, seed pods, berries, bird feathers and odd shape twigs make a creative garland for the mantle or the tree. Ivy or honeysuckle vines are strong enough to wrap around and hold dried herbs like rosemary, lavender, lemon balm, thyme and peppermint for a table ring centerpiece with a cinnamon candle.

My favorite traditional Christmas creation is using an old piece of burlap cut in small doll shapes sewn together and stuffed with ginger for some gingerbread men ornaments.

The burlap may be converted into a rustic tree skirt, stockings to hang from the fireplace mantle, or glued to a piece of cardboard with holly attached for a Christmas party invitation.

All these free ideas take us out into nature and keep our creative fire burning. It would not hurt for us to put a wet blanket on the idea of running to the store just to buy more stuff.

Apply lid and a label. Set it in a place of convenience so you have easy access to shake jar once everyday for two weeks.

If you are using dried herbs you want to top the jar off again the next day with the oil or vinegar because the dried herb will absorb some of the liquid leaving unwanted air pockets. After two weeks, you may strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a coffee filter.

Some good fresh herb vinegars are: Peppercorn, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and parsley, or a spiced vinegar mixture of cloves, allspice, celery seed, mustard seed, turmeric and dried ginger root. Single herb vinegars could be garlic, basil, or oregano. Here’s a decorating idea — you may add a dried piece of herb to the bow placed around the lid and enjoy the gift of giving.

Herbal Gifts (Grown up presents grown by you or an herbalist)

The Natural Path

Herbal oils and vinegars make great homemade Christmas presents. The flavors of many fresh herbs can be preserved in oils and vinegars. This is simple to do, and will enhance salad dressings and marinades. Culinary herbs may be used singularly or in a combination.

Loosely fill a canning jar with the fresh or dried herb(s). Cover the herb and fill jar to the rim with either extra virgin olive oil or apple cider vinegar, preferably Bragg’s apple cider vinegar since it is a good daily tonic for the body anyway.

JoAnna Cassidy-Farrell MH, CNHP wishes everyone a creative holiday season with Mother Nature.

Holistic Health Center

~Nature’s Sunshine Products ~ Biological Terrain Assessment ~VoiceBio Analysis ~Aura Photography ~Body Cleanse Foot Detox We Carry Home Brewing Supplies !

Barbara Bergquist, CTN Board Certified Traditional Naturopath

891-6200

www.thenaturalpath.us

4413 Lafayette Blvd. Fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

23

Art in the ‘Burg let there be art in your joy By lezlie cheryl

For months now we’ve seen early signs of Christmas popping up in displays of red, green, gold & silver at all our favorite big box retailers. Yet somehow their premature enthusiasm rarely translates to shoppers as the warm embrace of a cherished holiday but instead as a calculated move toward your wallet (and sanity). After the first startling chill when faced with a small army of 2’ plastic Santas in mid-August, you kind of stop noticing and they just blend into the scenery – and into your subconscious. A lot of us don’t start holiday planning till Thanksgiving rolls around and things get real. Suddenly so much to do in so little time and stress hits an all time high. So take a break from the harried hustle.

Regain peace of mind, soothe your senses, and soak up all the holiday spirit and joy the downtown art scene has to offer.

Whether relaxing, sightseeing or looking for unique gifts, your holidays just got better by adding art.

Start with a doubleheader at 824 Caroline – Art First Gallery and Brush

Strokes Gallery. Art First presents an AllMembers Group Show through 12/30 featuring originals by 30 artists, including jewelry, paintings, prints, plus smaller paintings ideal for holiday gift giving.

Open: Daily 11am-5pm. artfirstgallery.com Adjoining Art First, Brush Strokes shows a broad spectrum of media through 12/29: paintings, glassworks, photography, and fabric arts, all in the unique style of the artist.

A special holiday table features smaller artworks, greeting cards, jewelry, ornaments and great stocking stuffers. brushstrokesfredericksburg.com Around the corner at 813 Sophia is the area’s oldest gallery, the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, established 1963 and housed in the historic Silversmith House (circa 1785).

Home to two galleries, the Members’ Gallery presents the Annual Holiday Show & Sale through 12/28; the Frederick Gallery features “It’s Small” National Juried Exhibition through 1/31. All works

for sale. Open: Wed.-Mon. 12-4pm, Sat. 11am-4pm. fccava.org The new Water Street Studio at 915 Sophia is haven to a community of creatives supporting writing, arts and conversation.

Featuring new artworks, gift shop, and special events including: Handmade Cards for the Holidays 12/8; Holiday Open House 12/14. Every third Tuesday is Writing Workout, and every Wednesday is “Our Words” women’s writing circle. waterstreetstudio.org At 1104 Sophia is working studio and gallery, Sophia Street Studios, featuring pottery, home decor, art, scarves, jewelry, cards, and such holiday gift items as festive Dr. Seuss (photo) themed works. The Studios offer wish lists and layaway options.

Open: Tues.-Sat. 11am-6pm, Sun. 1-5pm. sophiastreetstudios.com Artful Dimensions Gallery presents a monthly All Members Show and has filled the gallery with unique ornaments and many smaller gift-giving pieces. This non-profit co-op supports 3dimensional artists and their works through exhibits and workshops; 911 Charles. artfuldimensionsgallery.com The Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center (FAMCC) partners with Central Rappahannock Regional Library to present a Colonial Christmas program 12/11, 6:30-7:30pm, at 1201 Caroline.

Free program gathers local historical institutions to share crafts and games with visitors of all ages. FAMCC presents Santa in The Museum Store 12/13, 6-8pm, 1001 Princess Anne, featuring Story-telling with Santa, free photos (frames extra), and no cost. Opens 12/14: the Museum’s 25th Anniversary. famcc.org Downtown’s galleries host regular receptions and open houses on First Friday each month, but this month First Friday (12/6) promises to be a showstopper: The Last First Friday of the Year.

Happy Holidays!

Lezlie Cheryl is a regular FP contributor. lezliecheryl@gmail.com

Beverly Coates Brush Strokes Gallery 824 Caroline St. Downtown Fredericksburg 368-0560

and additional works by

Beverly Coates at

810 Weekend Gallery

810 Caroline St. Downtown 371-4099

by megan byrnes

OH on William Street: One young dude (OYD) to his friend (F): “…..and then I heard Tim Bray was playing!!” F: “wait….who is Tim Bray?” OYD (with more incredulity in his voice than previously humanly possible): “You don’t know who TIM BRAY is??? He’s, like, the best guitar player in Fredericksburg.” Duh. When my college roommate and subsequent bff, maid of honor, etc., Maggie Lindsay, made the trek down 95 from dc to Fredericksburg last month, we took her UMW freshman cousin, Sarah Thornton, out for lattes and bagels at Blackstone Coffee on a foggy fall Sunday morning. While asking (grilling? no.)

Sarah about boys, parties and classes, she mentioned her favorite professor was “Mackintosh.” I said ”Will Mackintosh?” and she said, “yep that’s him!” It was both a proud (I’m friends with someone’s favorite professor!) and scary (I’m old enough to be friends with someone’s favorite professor!) moment for me.

the burg for a Bistro brunch (how’s that for alliteration?); Blaize Rai indulging in a little retail therapy at Spotsylvania Town Center.

Happy birthday

Seen:

Big congrats

Scene: Lisa Olsson sharing wine

to longtime

couple Chris Limbrick and Crista Wren (above) Fore on their marriage! Err – strike that – their “intertwinement” (digging the label, guys). The pair had a small ceremony (by none other than our own Papa G!) amongst close family and friends and later partied it up with Missy everyone, bonfire style.

Colombo, Marcey Fetterrolf Dunk, Cristy Reeder, Joan Limbrick, Christopher Limbrick and Cameron Limbrick were all there to toast the newly intertwined couple!

Scene: with girlfriends at Kybecca; Drew Fristoe (above) at the Montpelier horse races; Marianna Bedway and Kevin Hyde capping off an evening out with a shake at Vivify; Hap Connors at J. Brian’s, Will grabbing a sub at Jimmy Johns; Brian Norton back in

to Cedric

Rucker, Joelle Gilbert, Hap Connors, Matt Paxson, Bill Freehling, Mirinda Reynolds, and Wayne Gootee!

Scene:

Bistro Bethem’s art shows

will now be on Sunday afternoons (rather than the previous Monday evening soirees). The first show to usher in the new day/time change? Brandon Newton (could it get any better??)! His show will be on Sunday, December 8th and will run through January. Hope to see you there!

(BN painting, right)

Bruce Day Fine Art Always From Life Only The Best Original Oils Giclee Print City Scenes

Amanda Miller workin

on her fitness at BodyWorks Gym – Celebrating 25 Years of Fit! And offering great deals on membership); Travis Jarrells walking downtown, cup of Hyperion coffee in hand; Tommy Manuel and Laura Eubanks at Vivify; Beth Black and Joy Crump of Foode fame running errands downtown on a Tuesday morning; Jen Rowe walking her new puppy on Franklin St; Joan Bellefield Davis at Sammy T’s; Robert Davis (vice president of Aspetto) in line at the dry cleaners (maybe to pick up some freshly cleaned bespoke suits?).

Jeremy Harrison hanging

holiday lights on the downtown street lamp posts as part of the Fredericksburg Main Street Initiative project to light up the downtown streets.

Seen:

Christie Carver walking

with husband Chris Schmidt to take a Friday evening couples yoga class at Pitaiyo, Foode’s new soul-balancing neighbor.

Heard:

Andrew

Hellier

at

Kenmore Inn breaking it down solo-style on a Thursday night.

Scene:

Dragonfly Yoga studio

hosted its open house last month. Kit Mcfarland, Steve Watkins and Stacey McLaughlin welcomed visitors with food, drinks, clothes, free yoga-y goodies and Crystal Rodrigue’s (above) artwork! Many congrats to the new studio!

Heard:

Bistro Bethem

and Peter Chang’s were named as two of the top northern Virginia restaurants by Northern Virginia Magazine last month.

Betsy Glassie STUDIO: LIBERTYTOWN 916 LIBERTY ST. FREDERICKSBURG, VA

BETSYGLASSIE.COM

brucedaystudio.com thefigureblog.blogspot.com

BGLASSIE@AOL.COM

540-899-6556

540 376-1676 24

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

25

Art in the ‘Burg let there be art in your joy By lezlie cheryl

For months now we’ve seen early signs of Christmas popping up in displays of red, green, gold & silver at all our favorite big box retailers. Yet somehow their premature enthusiasm rarely translates to shoppers as the warm embrace of a cherished holiday but instead as a calculated move toward your wallet (and sanity). After the first startling chill when faced with a small army of 2’ plastic Santas in mid-August, you kind of stop noticing and they just blend into the scenery – and into your subconscious. A lot of us don’t start holiday planning till Thanksgiving rolls around and things get real. Suddenly so much to do in so little time and stress hits an all time high. So take a break from the harried hustle.

Regain peace of mind, soothe your senses, and soak up all the holiday spirit and joy the downtown art scene has to offer.

Whether relaxing, sightseeing or looking for unique gifts, your holidays just got better by adding art.

Start with a doubleheader at 824 Caroline – Art First Gallery and Brush

Strokes Gallery. Art First presents an AllMembers Group Show through 12/30 featuring originals by 30 artists, including jewelry, paintings, prints, plus smaller paintings ideal for holiday gift giving.

Open: Daily 11am-5pm. artfirstgallery.com Adjoining Art First, Brush Strokes shows a broad spectrum of media through 12/29: paintings, glassworks, photography, and fabric arts, all in the unique style of the artist.

A special holiday table features smaller artworks, greeting cards, jewelry, ornaments and great stocking stuffers. brushstrokesfredericksburg.com Around the corner at 813 Sophia is the area’s oldest gallery, the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, established 1963 and housed in the historic Silversmith House (circa 1785).

Home to two galleries, the Members’ Gallery presents the Annual Holiday Show & Sale through 12/28; the Frederick Gallery features “It’s Small” National Juried Exhibition through 1/31. All works

for sale. Open: Wed.-Mon. 12-4pm, Sat. 11am-4pm. fccava.org The new Water Street Studio at 915 Sophia is haven to a community of creatives supporting writing, arts and conversation.

Featuring new artworks, gift shop, and special events including: Handmade Cards for the Holidays 12/8; Holiday Open House 12/14. Every third Tuesday is Writing Workout, and every Wednesday is “Our Words” women’s writing circle. waterstreetstudio.org At 1104 Sophia is working studio and gallery, Sophia Street Studios, featuring pottery, home decor, art, scarves, jewelry, cards, and such holiday gift items as festive Dr. Seuss (photo) themed works. The Studios offer wish lists and layaway options.

Open: Tues.-Sat. 11am-6pm, Sun. 1-5pm. sophiastreetstudios.com Artful Dimensions Gallery presents a monthly All Members Show and has filled the gallery with unique ornaments and many smaller gift-giving pieces. This non-profit co-op supports 3dimensional artists and their works through exhibits and workshops; 911 Charles. artfuldimensionsgallery.com The Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center (FAMCC) partners with Central Rappahannock Regional Library to present a Colonial Christmas program 12/11, 6:30-7:30pm, at 1201 Caroline.

Free program gathers local historical institutions to share crafts and games with visitors of all ages. FAMCC presents Santa in The Museum Store 12/13, 6-8pm, 1001 Princess Anne, featuring Story-telling with Santa, free photos (frames extra), and no cost. Opens 12/14: the Museum’s 25th Anniversary. famcc.org Downtown’s galleries host regular receptions and open houses on First Friday each month, but this month First Friday (12/6) promises to be a showstopper: The Last First Friday of the Year.

Happy Holidays!

Lezlie Cheryl is a regular FP contributor. lezliecheryl@gmail.com

Beverly Coates Brush Strokes Gallery 824 Caroline St. Downtown Fredericksburg 368-0560

and additional works by

Beverly Coates at

810 Weekend Gallery

810 Caroline St. Downtown 371-4099

by megan byrnes

OH on William Street: One young dude (OYD) to his friend (F): “…..and then I heard Tim Bray was playing!!” F: “wait….who is Tim Bray?” OYD (with more incredulity in his voice than previously humanly possible): “You don’t know who TIM BRAY is??? He’s, like, the best guitar player in Fredericksburg.” Duh. When my college roommate and subsequent bff, maid of honor, etc., Maggie Lindsay, made the trek down 95 from dc to Fredericksburg last month, we took her UMW freshman cousin, Sarah Thornton, out for lattes and bagels at Blackstone Coffee on a foggy fall Sunday morning. While asking (grilling? no.)

Sarah about boys, parties and classes, she mentioned her favorite professor was “Mackintosh.” I said ”Will Mackintosh?” and she said, “yep that’s him!” It was both a proud (I’m friends with someone’s favorite professor!) and scary (I’m old enough to be friends with someone’s favorite professor!) moment for me.

the burg for a Bistro brunch (how’s that for alliteration?); Blaize Rai indulging in a little retail therapy at Spotsylvania Town Center.

Happy birthday

Seen:

Big congrats

Scene: Lisa Olsson sharing wine

to longtime

couple Chris Limbrick and Crista Wren (above) Fore on their marriage! Err – strike that – their “intertwinement” (digging the label, guys). The pair had a small ceremony (by none other than our own Papa G!) amongst close family and friends and later partied it up with Missy everyone, bonfire style.

Colombo, Marcey Fetterrolf Dunk, Cristy Reeder, Joan Limbrick, Christopher Limbrick and Cameron Limbrick were all there to toast the newly intertwined couple!

Scene: with girlfriends at Kybecca; Drew Fristoe (above) at the Montpelier horse races; Marianna Bedway and Kevin Hyde capping off an evening out with a shake at Vivify; Hap Connors at J. Brian’s, Will grabbing a sub at Jimmy Johns; Brian Norton back in

to Cedric

Rucker, Joelle Gilbert, Hap Connors, Matt Paxson, Bill Freehling, Mirinda Reynolds, and Wayne Gootee!

Scene:

Bistro Bethem’s art shows

will now be on Sunday afternoons (rather than the previous Monday evening soirees). The first show to usher in the new day/time change? Brandon Newton (could it get any better??)! His show will be on Sunday, December 8th and will run through January. Hope to see you there!

(BN painting, right)

Bruce Day Fine Art Always From Life Only The Best Original Oils Giclee Print City Scenes

Amanda Miller workin

on her fitness at BodyWorks Gym – Celebrating 25 Years of Fit! And offering great deals on membership); Travis Jarrells walking downtown, cup of Hyperion coffee in hand; Tommy Manuel and Laura Eubanks at Vivify; Beth Black and Joy Crump of Foode fame running errands downtown on a Tuesday morning; Jen Rowe walking her new puppy on Franklin St; Joan Bellefield Davis at Sammy T’s; Robert Davis (vice president of Aspetto) in line at the dry cleaners (maybe to pick up some freshly cleaned bespoke suits?).

Jeremy Harrison hanging

holiday lights on the downtown street lamp posts as part of the Fredericksburg Main Street Initiative project to light up the downtown streets.

Seen:

Christie Carver walking

with husband Chris Schmidt to take a Friday evening couples yoga class at Pitaiyo, Foode’s new soul-balancing neighbor.

Heard:

Andrew

Hellier

at

Kenmore Inn breaking it down solo-style on a Thursday night.

Scene:

Dragonfly Yoga studio

hosted its open house last month. Kit Mcfarland, Steve Watkins and Stacey McLaughlin welcomed visitors with food, drinks, clothes, free yoga-y goodies and Crystal Rodrigue’s (above) artwork! Many congrats to the new studio!

Heard:

Bistro Bethem

and Peter Chang’s were named as two of the top northern Virginia restaurants by Northern Virginia Magazine last month.

Betsy Glassie STUDIO: LIBERTYTOWN 916 LIBERTY ST. FREDERICKSBURG, VA

BETSYGLASSIE.COM

brucedaystudio.com thefigureblog.blogspot.com

BGLASSIE@AOL.COM

540-899-6556

540 376-1676 24

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

25

FIRST NIGHT

COMMUNITY LINK Courtesy of WFVA and Front Porch

FXBG Music scene ends 2013, opens 2014

the year of events in review Byrob grogan

by ashleigh chevalier

It is an old tradition a brand new way on New Year’s Eve with Pohanka’s First Night in Downtown Fredericksburg.

Bring in 2014 with art, kids games, and of course, some of the area’s best musical talent.

“It will be definitely be event to remember for sure,” Wil Gravatt states.

“We have totally revamped First Night with new activities for kids, top talent, a more affordable ticket price.” Gravatt, Travis Bullock and his son Jeremy, are excited and reared up to produce this year’s First Night, making it fresh and enjoyable.

Up and coming country artist, SaraBeth will be performing on the

main stage at Riverfront Park. Sarabeth brings a kick to contemporary country, with sweet attitude and determination. Dean Sams (keys player and backup vocals for Country Supergroup, Lonestar) produced her debut EP Kickin’ & Screamin’ through Circle S Records. Soon enough, First Night attendees will say, “Wow. I saw Sarabeth when…”

New Year’s Eve talent spans the musical spectrum.

Groove to the funky Zydeco sounds of the Dixie Power Trio or I&I Riddim reggae band. Moch Pryderi will jam their Celtic rock at Liberty Town Arts Center. Fredericksburg’s favorite son Steve Jarrell will bring the soulful beach music and Island Gerry brings the surfside tunes. Ashleigh Chevalier sings the blues. And of course, Fredericksburg would not be Fredericksburg without its own roots music: bluegrass and Americana! Joshua Road, Karen Jonas, and Fredericksburg’s favorite couple, Pete & Laurie, will all be at different venues throughout the First Night Festival. Last but not least, Crown Vic, fronted by Fritz Beer and supported by Tim Bray on guitar, reunites to bring rock and roll into the New Year!

Fredericksburg’s First Night festival begins at 6p. Other performances and activities include The Monkey Man, PRISM Dancers, magicians, face painting, puppet shows, kids games, and of course, wonderful food. The Globe Drop will begin at 11:40 p.m., Sophia and George Street.

Old Town’s Greatest Tour 35 Monuments, Markers, & Attractions AND the Fredericksburg Battlefields Weddings Reunions Shuttles Parties Group Outings Fredericksburgtrolley.com 26

December 2013

540-898-0737

Front porch fredericksburg

This is an all ages, non-alcoholic, family friendly event.

There is ample parking; extraordinary efforts have been made to keep Caroline Street traffic flowing.

Tickets (buttons) are available online at FredericksburgFirstNight.com and at the Fredericksburg Visitor’s Center located at the Corner of Charlotte Street and Caroline Street downtown. $5ADV $8 at the gate!

Ashleigh Chevalier loves music and enjoys sharing it with her daughter and the Fredericksburg community.

Serving Up Local “Good” News Since 1997

THE POETRY MAN - BY FRANK FRATOE

Holiday Gif t (F OR JANE )

Advanced Dental Care of Fredericksburg 540-891-9911

I bought a lavaliere and offered it to her as my humble present, a love-knot pendant done round in silver to grace her neck,

Front Porch Fredericksburg

overlapping circles embodied the union which could not end, and for me that was a symbol of passion to continue unbroken, though it meant less than the elegant ring she flashed at friends, because the necklace was put in a drawer and seemed forgotten, but when she wore it on chosen occasions we truly became one.

12/13 Frank Fratoe lives and writes in the city

$79

$650

New Patient Special Includes Exam, X-Rays and Cleaning

Per Arch Full AcrylicDenture or Partial

With this Coupon only for non-insured patients. Not valid with other offers or prior services. Offer Expires 1/1/14 A $239.00 Value

With this Coupon only for non-insured patients. Not valid with other offers or prior services. Offer Expires 1/1/14 A $1100.00 Value

Because we care for you!

10524 Spotsylvania Ave. Ste #104 Fredericksburg, VA

Fredericksburg is full of events year-round; some have become positively memorable and anticipated. Here are ones I found most worthwhile and meaningful in 2013, and two in need of a tweak or two: 2013 was the year that really put the Arts in Fredericksburg on the Calendar and Fredericksburg on a broader map.

Several signature events took the spotlight and established the arts as the main attraction in town. History still is the leading draw but culture is, or is becoming, the frontrunner overall. The events that make this so are First Fridays – the signature art event in town that encompasses all of the galleries in all media of art, as well as the music scene on First Friday every month. The growth in popularity of the monthly galley tour has enhanced the restaurant and music venue scenes, too.

For a single event, Art Attack (September) is the pre-eminent art event – rich in its home-grown organic roots and the “localness” of the event in its every aspect.

Musically, the choices year-round run the range of genres and venues. Live Music on Tuesdays at Bistro Bethem and Thursdays at Kenmore Inn have become the primo evenings and places to hear live, local music. Weekly Open Mics at the Recreation Center and the Colonial Tavern are also hot tickets year-round. As a general event venue, the Old Silk Mill is the rage of 2013, with some of the most successful and well-attended events being held there this past year.

Outside Downtown, Ten Thousand Viilages has become an excellent resource for craft-making demonstrations and special events that benefit contributing artists from around the world. Located in Spotsylvania Towne Centre, this is a colorful, creative place to stop and shop for gifts of unique origins.

Returning to our history and heritage, events surrounding Memorial Day are eclectic, attractive, and

informational.

Visit Fredericksburg.gov in May for Memorial weekend activities for all ages.

Gaining widespread notoriety nationwide is the Riverside Center, home of the regional dinner theater’s rave reviews and now considered one of the nation’s best regional theaters east coast gems.

Personally, my two favorite local happenings are the weekly Trivia Night at the Sunken Well Tavern (Wednesdays year-round), and the annual unveiling of the holiday Windows at Whittingham each Thanksgiving Day at Noon; Mr. Whittingham’s gift to the community.

And what child or child-at-heart doesn’t look forward every holiday season to the Rappahannock Model Railroad Show at Eagles Lodge on Cool Spring Road? This classic stirs the imagination and evokes marvel and memories in all goers. (December 14 this year) Two events that could use a makeover are the annual Heritage Festival on July 4th and the Jaycee’s Christmas Parade (this year, December 7). The 4th of July should focus on our nation’s Independence and our local Revolutionary period and emphasize uniquely Fredericksburg crafts and vendors, and of course a good old-fashioned all-American parade complete with fire trucks and a marching band. Tacky balloon vendors and carnival type attractions diminish this potentially great slice of Americana. As for Christmas, every entry should be entertaining (not groups of people with a sign promoting their business, or an RV taking up space) and of holiday theme.

Think marching bands – the more the merrier; festive floats; oh, yes – food from the eateries along the parade route.

Social consciousness, too – people should not be trashing the parade route as they have in the past. Both of these annuals should be signature events!

Here’s to an eventful holiday season and a festive 2014 !

Rob Grogan co-hosts one show per month with host Ted Schubel in a partnership between WFVA and Front Porch Magazine. This month, on Dec 15 at 8 a.m. on NewsTalk1230.net and AM 1230 WFVA, listen in as Rob and Ted review 2013’s finest cultural events in Fredericksburg.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

27

FIRST NIGHT

COMMUNITY LINK Courtesy of WFVA and Front Porch

FXBG Music scene ends 2013, opens 2014

the year of events in review Byrob grogan

by ashleigh chevalier

It is an old tradition a brand new way on New Year’s Eve with Pohanka’s First Night in Downtown Fredericksburg.

Bring in 2014 with art, kids games, and of course, some of the area’s best musical talent.

“It will be definitely be event to remember for sure,” Wil Gravatt states.

“We have totally revamped First Night with new activities for kids, top talent, a more affordable ticket price.” Gravatt, Travis Bullock and his son Jeremy, are excited and reared up to produce this year’s First Night, making it fresh and enjoyable.

Up and coming country artist, SaraBeth will be performing on the

main stage at Riverfront Park. Sarabeth brings a kick to contemporary country, with sweet attitude and determination. Dean Sams (keys player and backup vocals for Country Supergroup, Lonestar) produced her debut EP Kickin’ & Screamin’ through Circle S Records. Soon enough, First Night attendees will say, “Wow. I saw Sarabeth when…”

New Year’s Eve talent spans the musical spectrum.

Groove to the funky Zydeco sounds of the Dixie Power Trio or I&I Riddim reggae band. Moch Pryderi will jam their Celtic rock at Liberty Town Arts Center. Fredericksburg’s favorite son Steve Jarrell will bring the soulful beach music and Island Gerry brings the surfside tunes. Ashleigh Chevalier sings the blues. And of course, Fredericksburg would not be Fredericksburg without its own roots music: bluegrass and Americana! Joshua Road, Karen Jonas, and Fredericksburg’s favorite couple, Pete & Laurie, will all be at different venues throughout the First Night Festival. Last but not least, Crown Vic, fronted by Fritz Beer and supported by Tim Bray on guitar, reunites to bring rock and roll into the New Year!

Fredericksburg’s First Night festival begins at 6p. Other performances and activities include The Monkey Man, PRISM Dancers, magicians, face painting, puppet shows, kids games, and of course, wonderful food. The Globe Drop will begin at 11:40 p.m., Sophia and George Street.

Old Town’s Greatest Tour 35 Monuments, Markers, & Attractions AND the Fredericksburg Battlefields Weddings Reunions Shuttles Parties Group Outings Fredericksburgtrolley.com 26

December 2013

540-898-0737

Front porch fredericksburg

This is an all ages, non-alcoholic, family friendly event.

There is ample parking; extraordinary efforts have been made to keep Caroline Street traffic flowing.

Tickets (buttons) are available online at FredericksburgFirstNight.com and at the Fredericksburg Visitor’s Center located at the Corner of Charlotte Street and Caroline Street downtown. $5ADV $8 at the gate!

Ashleigh Chevalier loves music and enjoys sharing it with her daughter and the Fredericksburg community.

Serving Up Local “Good” News Since 1997

THE POETRY MAN - BY FRANK FRATOE

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Advanced Dental Care of Fredericksburg 540-891-9911

I bought a lavaliere and offered it to her as my humble present, a love-knot pendant done round in silver to grace her neck,

Front Porch Fredericksburg

overlapping circles embodied the union which could not end, and for me that was a symbol of passion to continue unbroken, though it meant less than the elegant ring she flashed at friends, because the necklace was put in a drawer and seemed forgotten, but when she wore it on chosen occasions we truly became one.

12/13 Frank Fratoe lives and writes in the city

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Because we care for you!

10524 Spotsylvania Ave. Ste #104 Fredericksburg, VA

Fredericksburg is full of events year-round; some have become positively memorable and anticipated. Here are ones I found most worthwhile and meaningful in 2013, and two in need of a tweak or two: 2013 was the year that really put the Arts in Fredericksburg on the Calendar and Fredericksburg on a broader map.

Several signature events took the spotlight and established the arts as the main attraction in town. History still is the leading draw but culture is, or is becoming, the frontrunner overall. The events that make this so are First Fridays – the signature art event in town that encompasses all of the galleries in all media of art, as well as the music scene on First Friday every month. The growth in popularity of the monthly galley tour has enhanced the restaurant and music venue scenes, too.

For a single event, Art Attack (September) is the pre-eminent art event – rich in its home-grown organic roots and the “localness” of the event in its every aspect.

Musically, the choices year-round run the range of genres and venues. Live Music on Tuesdays at Bistro Bethem and Thursdays at Kenmore Inn have become the primo evenings and places to hear live, local music. Weekly Open Mics at the Recreation Center and the Colonial Tavern are also hot tickets year-round. As a general event venue, the Old Silk Mill is the rage of 2013, with some of the most successful and well-attended events being held there this past year.

Outside Downtown, Ten Thousand Viilages has become an excellent resource for craft-making demonstrations and special events that benefit contributing artists from around the world. Located in Spotsylvania Towne Centre, this is a colorful, creative place to stop and shop for gifts of unique origins.

Returning to our history and heritage, events surrounding Memorial Day are eclectic, attractive, and

informational.

Visit Fredericksburg.gov in May for Memorial weekend activities for all ages.

Gaining widespread notoriety nationwide is the Riverside Center, home of the regional dinner theater’s rave reviews and now considered one of the nation’s best regional theaters east coast gems.

Personally, my two favorite local happenings are the weekly Trivia Night at the Sunken Well Tavern (Wednesdays year-round), and the annual unveiling of the holiday Windows at Whittingham each Thanksgiving Day at Noon; Mr. Whittingham’s gift to the community.

And what child or child-at-heart doesn’t look forward every holiday season to the Rappahannock Model Railroad Show at Eagles Lodge on Cool Spring Road? This classic stirs the imagination and evokes marvel and memories in all goers. (December 14 this year) Two events that could use a makeover are the annual Heritage Festival on July 4th and the Jaycee’s Christmas Parade (this year, December 7). The 4th of July should focus on our nation’s Independence and our local Revolutionary period and emphasize uniquely Fredericksburg crafts and vendors, and of course a good old-fashioned all-American parade complete with fire trucks and a marching band. Tacky balloon vendors and carnival type attractions diminish this potentially great slice of Americana. As for Christmas, every entry should be entertaining (not groups of people with a sign promoting their business, or an RV taking up space) and of holiday theme.

Think marching bands – the more the merrier; festive floats; oh, yes – food from the eateries along the parade route.

Social consciousness, too – people should not be trashing the parade route as they have in the past. Both of these annuals should be signature events!

Here’s to an eventful holiday season and a festive 2014 !

Rob Grogan co-hosts one show per month with host Ted Schubel in a partnership between WFVA and Front Porch Magazine. This month, on Dec 15 at 8 a.m. on NewsTalk1230.net and AM 1230 WFVA, listen in as Rob and Ted review 2013’s finest cultural events in Fredericksburg.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

27

My Own Path A Why Statement: Defining My Purpose

Sol (sun) & Sistere (to stand still) A Celebration of Light

By c. ruth cassell I am a writer.

Being a writer allows me to be vulnerable.

Vulnerability means openness, empathy, and emotional availability.

Managing those inherent tendencies has been an important part of my recovery. As a woman who depended on others to identify me—who they thought I was or said I was or wanted me to be—I work to stay true to my inherent self, without allowing anyone to define or take advantage of my openness, empathy and availability.

I share my thoughts with the world, particularly in the context of this column and Attention Anonymous, the blog I launched in May 2012. Below is what I wrote when the blog first went online: I Seek Attention.

I Struggle.

I Apologize.

The little voice I’ve developed to coach me when I’m unsure how to act says apologies are unnecessary. Unproductive.

Untrue. If apologizing intends to placate or pacify, I am denying myself the opportunity to admit how the situation affects me and seeking attention from unhealthy situations and relationships.

Though each differs, there is a common concoction for those who unintentionally apologize, take responsibility for other people’s actions, love too much, and lose themselves in others.

My recipe: A rich cocktail of women who give too much, love too much and ignore themselves too much are the reigning matriarchs in my family.

An alcoholic brother who remained on the edge of sanity long enough to provide consistent bouts of attempted suicide, dangerous accidents, and visits to jail until he ultimately succeeded in ending his own pain. (This has long kept the mixture of my recovery at a steady simmer.)

My young son, always ready to add the dash that boils my attempts at self-restraint and healthy love right over the edge. The desire to protect him, shield him, speak for him takes over in my weaker moments.

A base of tendencies to please and seek attention and approval from men and authority figures.

To perfect my concoction, I must either separate myself from these life ingredients. I am oil; they are water. Or, I must work with all the elements in an attempt to find an alkaline solution—one that will not burn me and that I can stomach as part of a newly recovered me.

I seek Attention Anonymous.

As I examine the last year and the opportunities and challenges it presented, and look forward to changes in the coming months, I review this concoction and realize nothing has changed. Except me.

I depend on others, looking for support either because I need it or would prefer it. I remain open to others, inviting them into my life and revealing myself to them. I desire to assist others through their own struggles, by being empathetic and available.

This is why I am a writer. Why I am a good mother. Why I am a true friend. Why I am a loyal employee.

I’ve learned to balance support of others with sustenance of self. Putting myself first, setting limits and sticking to them, not apologizing for my feelings or actions, and realizing my worth.

These continue to be daily decisions and ones well worth the effort.

Ruth Cassell plans to spend some downtime over Christmas break committed the calling that pulls her together—writing and sharing—as she prepares for whatever may be next in her hectic life in Roanoke, VA. Learning from what of the greatest empaths she knows, Rob Grogan, and his ability to balance support of others with sustenance of self, she sends greetings and love to all in Fredericksburg who she will not be able to see for the holidays.

Dearly Wanted: Fredericksburg's Oldest Residents For Our Oral History -A Fredericksburg Treasure Front Porch is calling for Our Town's Ageless Citizens to let us know who they are so our writers can sit and hear their wonderful stories.

We treasure your lives and memories.

28

December 2013

online: www.save7lives.org in person: Dept. of Motor Vehicles

Front porch fredericksburg

Porch Light

For Sale Now at Amazon.com

Stories that shine a light on life

By diane beyer

season of the wish By rob huffman

Imagine yourself living in prehistoric times. Each day you hunt for the food to feed your family. You know that as you wake, you wake with the sun. Much of the year, you can hunt for long periods and travel far a field of where your tribe is camped. But as the days wear on, you notice that you cannot travel as far as you could before until the sun’s light wanes and the darkness begins to envelope you.

This alarms you! You travel back to the tribe and discuss this with the other hunters. You all fear that the sun will eventually disappear for good, leaving you in permanent darkness and extreme cold.

Hunting will become more difficult, as will keeping the tribe warm! As the days pass, you notice that you can again go a bit farther a field with each hunt. The sun isn’t disappearing! The days again grow longer. You share this with the tribe. It is time to celebrate!!

Thus begins the celebration of Winter Solstice for one people of the world.

We now know a lot more about Winter Solstice… that on December 21 (at 12:12 p.m., to be exact this year), we will experience the least amount of sunlight for that calendar year.

The word “solstice,” roughly translated, means “sun stands still.” The sun actually seems to rise and set in the same two places for several days, thus indicating to the ancients that it “stands still.”

To combat this darkest time of year, people of all beliefs and religions have adopted some sort of “lights” as part of their celebrations. The lights simulate the light lost from the sun, and serve to cheer the people through the darkest times.

Many peoples hold celebrations in the days just after the solstice to celebrate the suns lengthening arc and the increasing amount of light each day, although not necessarily warmth.

Celebrations began in most areas to celebrate the return or “rebirth” of the sun.

Part of the celebrations commemorated the pending return of the growing season and the lengthening light of the sun by using plants to symbolize fertility and new growth.

Evergreens are a traditional “solstice” celebration plant. Because they are the only plants that remain green throughout the cold, dark winter, they were once, and still are, considered magical!

There are many ways to celebrate this wonderful time of the year. Open your heart to the messages of Mother Earth and let your creativity flow. As the fires burn brightly and we sing of the Sun rising, victorious again over the darkness, the beauty and hope of new growth and rebirth swells our hearts and is born in the seeds we plant with our words and actions.

Shut off the lights!

Winter solstice is a wonderful time to gather together as a family and enjoy the dark winter night. Have a candlelit dinner, enjoy time talking by the fire or bathed in candlelight and enjoy one another. Tell stories, play games. Embrace the dark of the season and celebrate the time tucked in a cozy house together.

I still feel the innocent joy of these ancient beliefs. They are irrational, but that is their strength. They satisfy the heart, not the head. They bind us to a past that brings us comfort and hope for new life.

Diane Beyer wishes her readers the magic of winter and the promise of spring. And, as Steve Martin said, “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”

Author: J Robert Du Bois Edited by Rob Grogan

The holiday season, despite its placement in the depressingly cold and shortened days of winter, is all about hope. Just as our national mythology is constructed around an American history of outrageous dreams and preposterous hopes - Westward Expansion. What’s the last thing we do before getting up from the Thanksgiving table? Why, break that wishbone, of course, and grant the winner a wish.

And Christmas is all about fervently wishing for this or that (remember those huge SearsWish Books?), stockings carefully hung in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would…” And finally, what is New Year’s Eve but a chance to make another slew of resolutions and begin hoping and wishing that this coming year – this year! – you’ll become the person you’ve always wanted to be.

Hoping and wishing are part of

Give a Child Something to Think About Books, Games, Amusing Novelties M-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 1pm-4pm

810 Caroline Street (540) 371-5684

our human makeup. In the gloomy depths of winter, we start looking forward to Spring. It’s cold; we want warm. It gets dark too early; please, we want more sunlight. And what’s the first thing we start looking forward to when that alarm clock blares us awake Monday morning?

When I was younger, the approach of New Year’s Eve filled me with conflicting feelings. Dreadful a n t i c i p a t i o n perhaps? Because New Year’s Eve meant a New Year’s Eve party and that meant I’d need to start figuring out which one to attend. And the search for the right party – on a night when the whole world was supposed to be partying - could be quite stressful. Even in the best cases, New Year’s Eve parties are filled with a ticking clock kind of pressure.

There’s that literally ticking clock, of course, slowly sweeping its way towards midnight and the start of another year.

But then there’s that other, maybe even more anxiety-provoking, internal clock that, while it ticks and tocks through all the months, seems to tick-tock louder and faster and more ominously as December winds down.

Because on New Year’s Eve you are forced to self-assess. Even if you don’t share the results with anyone else, you still perform the critique. You compare your current and actual life with some secret, idealized, and romanticized version you harbor inside.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? If not, why not? If so, is he/she “it” or just a time-killer or stepping stone: Mr./Miss Right or Mr./Miss Right Now? (Hey, we romanticize our lives, not the supporting cast.) And then we make our resolutions.

Now if we had our lives in order, resolutions would be superfluous and unnecessary.

Resolutions imply imperfection and things needing fixing. Since we’re all a little short of perfection – I hate to be the one to break it to you - well, you do the math. We

imperfect creatures make our promises and swear our oaths.

We earnestly resolve to mean it this time despite woeful personal histories of irresolution. It’s grand. And it’s human. And I mean that without an ounce of irony.

When you’re young, your life is an open book. Maybe a handful of introductory chapters have been written, but you are a long way from the story’s climax (at least I hope you are). Main themes are yet to be introduced.

Heck, the cast of characters isn’t even set. And as for a plot? Who can even guess? Many of us are, to put it charitably, adrift. A little lost. Confused, despite this being the season of life that features so much bluster and selfimportance.

What romantic trajectory will our lives reveal? What careers? Hard to imagine since many of us are slogging through days as laborers or fast food employees. All while, you guessed it hoping and dreaming about better days ahead.

Then comes that Cinderella stroke of midnight, the awkward hoisting of unfamiliar champagne glasses in a rather strained emulation of a high society soiree.(Did anyone other than Scott and Zelda ever drink champagne with the requisite debauched élan and sophisticated carelessness?)

That desperate moment where you alone seem to have no one to hug.

But then, gratefully, you find yourself swept into a couch-emptying and youthful scrum, friends muttering “Happy New Year!” and “Love you, man!” and “Wow, can’t believe it’s 2013!” and “Damn, I have to work in six hours” and “Is it okay if I crash on your couch?” And then it’s over. And you’re left holding the bag. The one full of resolutions. Good luck keeping them.

Rob Huffman is a frequent contributor to Porch Light and the source of much of our laughter.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

29

My Own Path A Why Statement: Defining My Purpose

Sol (sun) & Sistere (to stand still) A Celebration of Light

By c. ruth cassell I am a writer.

Being a writer allows me to be vulnerable.

Vulnerability means openness, empathy, and emotional availability.

Managing those inherent tendencies has been an important part of my recovery. As a woman who depended on others to identify me—who they thought I was or said I was or wanted me to be—I work to stay true to my inherent self, without allowing anyone to define or take advantage of my openness, empathy and availability.

I share my thoughts with the world, particularly in the context of this column and Attention Anonymous, the blog I launched in May 2012. Below is what I wrote when the blog first went online: I Seek Attention.

I Struggle.

I Apologize.

The little voice I’ve developed to coach me when I’m unsure how to act says apologies are unnecessary. Unproductive.

Untrue. If apologizing intends to placate or pacify, I am denying myself the opportunity to admit how the situation affects me and seeking attention from unhealthy situations and relationships.

Though each differs, there is a common concoction for those who unintentionally apologize, take responsibility for other people’s actions, love too much, and lose themselves in others.

My recipe: A rich cocktail of women who give too much, love too much and ignore themselves too much are the reigning matriarchs in my family.

An alcoholic brother who remained on the edge of sanity long enough to provide consistent bouts of attempted suicide, dangerous accidents, and visits to jail until he ultimately succeeded in ending his own pain. (This has long kept the mixture of my recovery at a steady simmer.)

My young son, always ready to add the dash that boils my attempts at self-restraint and healthy love right over the edge. The desire to protect him, shield him, speak for him takes over in my weaker moments.

A base of tendencies to please and seek attention and approval from men and authority figures.

To perfect my concoction, I must either separate myself from these life ingredients. I am oil; they are water. Or, I must work with all the elements in an attempt to find an alkaline solution—one that will not burn me and that I can stomach as part of a newly recovered me.

I seek Attention Anonymous.

As I examine the last year and the opportunities and challenges it presented, and look forward to changes in the coming months, I review this concoction and realize nothing has changed. Except me.

I depend on others, looking for support either because I need it or would prefer it. I remain open to others, inviting them into my life and revealing myself to them. I desire to assist others through their own struggles, by being empathetic and available.

This is why I am a writer. Why I am a good mother. Why I am a true friend. Why I am a loyal employee.

I’ve learned to balance support of others with sustenance of self. Putting myself first, setting limits and sticking to them, not apologizing for my feelings or actions, and realizing my worth.

These continue to be daily decisions and ones well worth the effort.

Ruth Cassell plans to spend some downtime over Christmas break committed the calling that pulls her together—writing and sharing—as she prepares for whatever may be next in her hectic life in Roanoke, VA. Learning from what of the greatest empaths she knows, Rob Grogan, and his ability to balance support of others with sustenance of self, she sends greetings and love to all in Fredericksburg who she will not be able to see for the holidays.

Dearly Wanted: Fredericksburg's Oldest Residents For Our Oral History -A Fredericksburg Treasure Front Porch is calling for Our Town's Ageless Citizens to let us know who they are so our writers can sit and hear their wonderful stories.

We treasure your lives and memories.

28

December 2013

online: www.save7lives.org in person: Dept. of Motor Vehicles

Front porch fredericksburg

Porch Light

For Sale Now at Amazon.com

Stories that shine a light on life

By diane beyer

season of the wish By rob huffman

Imagine yourself living in prehistoric times. Each day you hunt for the food to feed your family. You know that as you wake, you wake with the sun. Much of the year, you can hunt for long periods and travel far a field of where your tribe is camped. But as the days wear on, you notice that you cannot travel as far as you could before until the sun’s light wanes and the darkness begins to envelope you.

This alarms you! You travel back to the tribe and discuss this with the other hunters. You all fear that the sun will eventually disappear for good, leaving you in permanent darkness and extreme cold.

Hunting will become more difficult, as will keeping the tribe warm! As the days pass, you notice that you can again go a bit farther a field with each hunt. The sun isn’t disappearing! The days again grow longer. You share this with the tribe. It is time to celebrate!!

Thus begins the celebration of Winter Solstice for one people of the world.

We now know a lot more about Winter Solstice… that on December 21 (at 12:12 p.m., to be exact this year), we will experience the least amount of sunlight for that calendar year.

The word “solstice,” roughly translated, means “sun stands still.” The sun actually seems to rise and set in the same two places for several days, thus indicating to the ancients that it “stands still.”

To combat this darkest time of year, people of all beliefs and religions have adopted some sort of “lights” as part of their celebrations. The lights simulate the light lost from the sun, and serve to cheer the people through the darkest times.

Many peoples hold celebrations in the days just after the solstice to celebrate the suns lengthening arc and the increasing amount of light each day, although not necessarily warmth.

Celebrations began in most areas to celebrate the return or “rebirth” of the sun.

Part of the celebrations commemorated the pending return of the growing season and the lengthening light of the sun by using plants to symbolize fertility and new growth.

Evergreens are a traditional “solstice” celebration plant. Because they are the only plants that remain green throughout the cold, dark winter, they were once, and still are, considered magical!

There are many ways to celebrate this wonderful time of the year. Open your heart to the messages of Mother Earth and let your creativity flow. As the fires burn brightly and we sing of the Sun rising, victorious again over the darkness, the beauty and hope of new growth and rebirth swells our hearts and is born in the seeds we plant with our words and actions.

Shut off the lights!

Winter solstice is a wonderful time to gather together as a family and enjoy the dark winter night. Have a candlelit dinner, enjoy time talking by the fire or bathed in candlelight and enjoy one another. Tell stories, play games. Embrace the dark of the season and celebrate the time tucked in a cozy house together.

I still feel the innocent joy of these ancient beliefs. They are irrational, but that is their strength. They satisfy the heart, not the head. They bind us to a past that brings us comfort and hope for new life.

Diane Beyer wishes her readers the magic of winter and the promise of spring. And, as Steve Martin said, “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”

Author: J Robert Du Bois Edited by Rob Grogan

The holiday season, despite its placement in the depressingly cold and shortened days of winter, is all about hope. Just as our national mythology is constructed around an American history of outrageous dreams and preposterous hopes - Westward Expansion. What’s the last thing we do before getting up from the Thanksgiving table? Why, break that wishbone, of course, and grant the winner a wish.

And Christmas is all about fervently wishing for this or that (remember those huge SearsWish Books?), stockings carefully hung in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would…” And finally, what is New Year’s Eve but a chance to make another slew of resolutions and begin hoping and wishing that this coming year – this year! – you’ll become the person you’ve always wanted to be.

Hoping and wishing are part of

Give a Child Something to Think About Books, Games, Amusing Novelties M-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 1pm-4pm

810 Caroline Street (540) 371-5684

our human makeup. In the gloomy depths of winter, we start looking forward to Spring. It’s cold; we want warm. It gets dark too early; please, we want more sunlight. And what’s the first thing we start looking forward to when that alarm clock blares us awake Monday morning?

When I was younger, the approach of New Year’s Eve filled me with conflicting feelings. Dreadful a n t i c i p a t i o n perhaps? Because New Year’s Eve meant a New Year’s Eve party and that meant I’d need to start figuring out which one to attend. And the search for the right party – on a night when the whole world was supposed to be partying - could be quite stressful. Even in the best cases, New Year’s Eve parties are filled with a ticking clock kind of pressure.

There’s that literally ticking clock, of course, slowly sweeping its way towards midnight and the start of another year.

But then there’s that other, maybe even more anxiety-provoking, internal clock that, while it ticks and tocks through all the months, seems to tick-tock louder and faster and more ominously as December winds down.

Because on New Year’s Eve you are forced to self-assess. Even if you don’t share the results with anyone else, you still perform the critique. You compare your current and actual life with some secret, idealized, and romanticized version you harbor inside.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? If not, why not? If so, is he/she “it” or just a time-killer or stepping stone: Mr./Miss Right or Mr./Miss Right Now? (Hey, we romanticize our lives, not the supporting cast.) And then we make our resolutions.

Now if we had our lives in order, resolutions would be superfluous and unnecessary.

Resolutions imply imperfection and things needing fixing. Since we’re all a little short of perfection – I hate to be the one to break it to you - well, you do the math. We

imperfect creatures make our promises and swear our oaths.

We earnestly resolve to mean it this time despite woeful personal histories of irresolution. It’s grand. And it’s human. And I mean that without an ounce of irony.

When you’re young, your life is an open book. Maybe a handful of introductory chapters have been written, but you are a long way from the story’s climax (at least I hope you are). Main themes are yet to be introduced.

Heck, the cast of characters isn’t even set. And as for a plot? Who can even guess? Many of us are, to put it charitably, adrift. A little lost. Confused, despite this being the season of life that features so much bluster and selfimportance.

What romantic trajectory will our lives reveal? What careers? Hard to imagine since many of us are slogging through days as laborers or fast food employees. All while, you guessed it hoping and dreaming about better days ahead.

Then comes that Cinderella stroke of midnight, the awkward hoisting of unfamiliar champagne glasses in a rather strained emulation of a high society soiree.(Did anyone other than Scott and Zelda ever drink champagne with the requisite debauched élan and sophisticated carelessness?)

That desperate moment where you alone seem to have no one to hug.

But then, gratefully, you find yourself swept into a couch-emptying and youthful scrum, friends muttering “Happy New Year!” and “Love you, man!” and “Wow, can’t believe it’s 2013!” and “Damn, I have to work in six hours” and “Is it okay if I crash on your couch?” And then it’s over. And you’re left holding the bag. The one full of resolutions. Good luck keeping them.

Rob Huffman is a frequent contributor to Porch Light and the source of much of our laughter.

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

29

Window Wonderland

Christmas in the U.S.A.

By Sara Mattingly

Magic of a whittingham christmas Bob Whittingham provided the concept, Tom Rainey the carpentry, and Linda Silk Sviland the character designs.

The result is 2013’s Windows at Whittingham holiday gift to the community.

This year’s display of a medieval holiday focuses on the amazingly detailed characters in both windows.

The outside columns add new dimension to the display.

Look at the stained glass and the damsel at the window, or the dancing couple and the singers, some bespectacled and all fashionable.

As we observed from across the street before taking the photos (Alexis Grogan), passersby loved it and destination shoppers were ready to see it all then go inside where the magic of a Whittingham Christmas continues…

30

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

Not all Christmases in the USA involve Black Friday in November. There are as many variations on how Christmas is celebrated here as there are choices in gift giving. Our celebrations vary greatly between regions of the United States because of the variety of nationalities that have settled here. In Pennsylvania, the Moravians build a landscape, called a putz, under the tree, while Belsnickle, taps them with his switch if they misbehaved, and gives them Germans gifts if they’ve been good boys and girls.

In Hawaii, greetings are sent to distant neighbors by shooting firearms and letting off fireworks as Santa Claus arrives by boat and Christmas dinner is eaten outdoors.

In Washington D.C., a huge, spectacular tree is lit ceremoniously when the President presses a button that turns on the tree lights.

In New Orleans, an ox is paraded around the streets decorated with holly and ribbons tied to its horns.

In Arizona, the Mexican ritual called Las Posadas and a play represent the search of Mary and Joseph for a room at the inn. Families play roles and visit each other’s homes, re-enacting the drama and having a look at each family’s crib.

In California, Santa Claus sweeps in on a surfboard.

In Colorado, an enormous star placed on the mountain can be seen for many kilometers (I shall see for myself this year), while in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a star is lit in early December.

In Fredericksburg, VA they light the official tree the day after Thanksgiving, hold a parade the first Saturday in December, and illuminate the commercial streets with lights and other decoratives in the trees and on the poles.

“Where are you goin’ to What are you gonna do Do you think that it will be easy Do you think that it will be pleasin’, hey Stand back, what’d you say Stand back, I won’t pay Stand back, I’d rather play Stand back It’s my freedom Ah, don’t worry ‘bout me, babe I got to be free, babe Hey “ -Steve Miller Livin’ in the USA “Well, the lyrics sum it up — what makes America great: Freedom, Cheeseburgers, Stock Cars, etc. As great of a song as ‘We’re An American Band’ by Grand Funk Railroad.” – Joe Simi, 2006

Sara Mattingly will be at the Royal Flush House in Steamboat Springs, CO. this Christmas.

Slices ...of FXBG life!

Christopher limbrick

Catching up with Christopher Limbrick is catching up with a lot of human being. His interests are eclectic, his talents uncontainable. Narrowing this man and friend down to one topic limits me from all I desire to know from him, but space requires that I bite that bullet, and my curiosity about the EDA takes center stage… Recently, at my home over a glass of Scotch, the newlywed (or “intertwined”) husband to Crista Wren Fore Limbrick obliged me with some answers: How long and when were you on the city’s Economic Development Authority? I served two four-year terms, so 8 years total.

When did IDA become EDA and why?

This change of name happened during my first year of service. We felt that the term “Industrial” was outdated for the City of Fredericksburg; that is was more beneficial to seek and promote Economic Development rather than Industrial Development; that the word ‘Industrial’ was too narrow in scope to reach a greater audience and create opportunities to build business development rather than just industrial.

Other counties began to follow our lead.

What does the business community see as the value of investing in the Arts?

The Arts are a significant business generator. Just take a look at the box office returns!, high-end art auctions

by Christie’s and Sotheby’s, the record setting triptych by Bacon!

Cirque De Soleil employs thousands around the world, companies that produce art products contribute to GDP. Beyond value, the triumph is that “art is priceless.” As a community grows and transforms from tiny town to city, to urban destination, the Arts play a larger role — hiring qualified, educated talent from its local pool of workers that economic development enhances through education, training, and attraction.

A qualified worker will be more attracted to a community that has substantial arts. It

is the power of the Arts enhancing the labor pool.

How does it do so? Art supported by business and government thrives; supported in a human appreciation sense, but also monetarily with grants, endowments, contribution. The EDA’s Jumpstart! provides grants to assist that.

This program was one of the first tasks I participated in as an EDA member. We then created a subsection called - JumpsART! - earmarking a percentage of monies for the Arts.

JumpsART! has received solid recognition

by EDA boards in Virginia and beyond as a wonderful economic development tool and has even been modeled after by certain communities.

How does the EDA make revenue?

The EDA board consists of community leaders appointed by City Council to promote business development by searching for opportunities to promote and assist local business, both existing and the effort to attract new ones; it underwrites financing bonds and charges a small percentage fee for this service — the board’s source of revenue.

Are the counties doing the same thing? I hope so! Each county has a board of its own, independently. While to my knowledge only city has Jumpstart!, counties have a variety of grant programs available.

Who is on city EDA now? A group of fine, fine helping people currently sit on the board: P. Christopher Hornung, Chairman; Thomas Crimmins, Vice-Chair; Robert Carter, Treasurer; Amy L. LaMarca, Secretary; Joe R. Wilson; Michael Colangelo; Steve D’Lugos.

What is your current involvement in the Arts? I am focusing on my own artwork — abstract expressionist photography and painting, the second volume of the “Departure Collection” of photographs and the inaugural “Abstractia” collection of paintings.

I recently completed a show in New York and am preparing for one at Bistro Bethem (February). I enjoy the work of my peers by attending openings or just having a relaxing dinner — food is Art and we have wonderful chefs in town! I am very excited about the future of LibertyTown, have ideas about taking our Burg up a level, and like to envision a city arts center a reality.

Care for another Balvenie?

-RG

Wills and Trusts Provide for Incapacity Trusts for Minor Children Wealth Preservation Trusts Avoid Probate AhearnEstateLaw.com

540/371-9890

FREDERICKSBURGCOLLABORATIVE

ARCHER DI PEPPE CAGA

CERTIFIED APPRAISER

Insurance Riders Estate Settlements Divorce Cases Damage Claims Oral or Written Appraisals SPECIALIZING IN ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES

Certified Appraiser Certified Appraiser’s Guild of America

adipeppe@aol.com

(540) 373-9636

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

31

Window Wonderland

Christmas in the U.S.A.

By Sara Mattingly

Magic of a whittingham christmas Bob Whittingham provided the concept, Tom Rainey the carpentry, and Linda Silk Sviland the character designs.

The result is 2013’s Windows at Whittingham holiday gift to the community.

This year’s display of a medieval holiday focuses on the amazingly detailed characters in both windows.

The outside columns add new dimension to the display.

Look at the stained glass and the damsel at the window, or the dancing couple and the singers, some bespectacled and all fashionable.

As we observed from across the street before taking the photos (Alexis Grogan), passersby loved it and destination shoppers were ready to see it all then go inside where the magic of a Whittingham Christmas continues…

30

December 2013

Front porch fredericksburg

Not all Christmases in the USA involve Black Friday in November. There are as many variations on how Christmas is celebrated here as there are choices in gift giving. Our celebrations vary greatly between regions of the United States because of the variety of nationalities that have settled here. In Pennsylvania, the Moravians build a landscape, called a putz, under the tree, while Belsnickle, taps them with his switch if they misbehaved, and gives them Germans gifts if they’ve been good boys and girls.

In Hawaii, greetings are sent to distant neighbors by shooting firearms and letting off fireworks as Santa Claus arrives by boat and Christmas dinner is eaten outdoors.

In Washington D.C., a huge, spectacular tree is lit ceremoniously when the President presses a button that turns on the tree lights.

In New Orleans, an ox is paraded around the streets decorated with holly and ribbons tied to its horns.

In Arizona, the Mexican ritual called Las Posadas and a play represent the search of Mary and Joseph for a room at the inn. Families play roles and visit each other’s homes, re-enacting the drama and having a look at each family’s crib.

In California, Santa Claus sweeps in on a surfboard.

In Colorado, an enormous star placed on the mountain can be seen for many kilometers (I shall see for myself this year), while in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a star is lit in early December.

In Fredericksburg, VA they light the official tree the day after Thanksgiving, hold a parade the first Saturday in December, and illuminate the commercial streets with lights and other decoratives in the trees and on the poles.

“Where are you goin’ to What are you gonna do Do you think that it will be easy Do you think that it will be pleasin’, hey Stand back, what’d you say Stand back, I won’t pay Stand back, I’d rather play Stand back It’s my freedom Ah, don’t worry ‘bout me, babe I got to be free, babe Hey “ -Steve Miller Livin’ in the USA “Well, the lyrics sum it up — what makes America great: Freedom, Cheeseburgers, Stock Cars, etc. As great of a song as ‘We’re An American Band’ by Grand Funk Railroad.” – Joe Simi, 2006

Sara Mattingly will be at the Royal Flush House in Steamboat Springs, CO. this Christmas.

Slices ...of FXBG life!

Christopher limbrick

Catching up with Christopher Limbrick is catching up with a lot of human being. His interests are eclectic, his talents uncontainable. Narrowing this man and friend down to one topic limits me from all I desire to know from him, but space requires that I bite that bullet, and my curiosity about the EDA takes center stage… Recently, at my home over a glass of Scotch, the newlywed (or “intertwined”) husband to Crista Wren Fore Limbrick obliged me with some answers: How long and when were you on the city’s Economic Development Authority? I served two four-year terms, so 8 years total.

When did IDA become EDA and why?

This change of name happened during my first year of service. We felt that the term “Industrial” was outdated for the City of Fredericksburg; that is was more beneficial to seek and promote Economic Development rather than Industrial Development; that the word ‘Industrial’ was too narrow in scope to reach a greater audience and create opportunities to build business development rather than just industrial.

Other counties began to follow our lead.

What does the business community see as the value of investing in the Arts?

The Arts are a significant business generator. Just take a look at the box office returns!, high-end art auctions

by Christie’s and Sotheby’s, the record setting triptych by Bacon!

Cirque De Soleil employs thousands around the world, companies that produce art products contribute to GDP. Beyond value, the triumph is that “art is priceless.” As a community grows and transforms from tiny town to city, to urban destination, the Arts play a larger role — hiring qualified, educated talent from its local pool of workers that economic development enhances through education, training, and attraction.

A qualified worker will be more attracted to a community that has substantial arts. It

is the power of the Arts enhancing the labor pool.

How does it do so? Art supported by business and government thrives; supported in a human appreciation sense, but also monetarily with grants, endowments, contribution. The EDA’s Jumpstart! provides grants to assist that.

This program was one of the first tasks I participated in as an EDA member. We then created a subsection called - JumpsART! - earmarking a percentage of monies for the Arts.

JumpsART! has received solid recognition

by EDA boards in Virginia and beyond as a wonderful economic development tool and has even been modeled after by certain communities.

How does the EDA make revenue?

The EDA board consists of community leaders appointed by City Council to promote business development by searching for opportunities to promote and assist local business, both existing and the effort to attract new ones; it underwrites financing bonds and charges a small percentage fee for this service — the board’s source of revenue.

Are the counties doing the same thing? I hope so! Each county has a board of its own, independently. While to my knowledge only city has Jumpstart!, counties have a variety of grant programs available.

Who is on city EDA now? A group of fine, fine helping people currently sit on the board: P. Christopher Hornung, Chairman; Thomas Crimmins, Vice-Chair; Robert Carter, Treasurer; Amy L. LaMarca, Secretary; Joe R. Wilson; Michael Colangelo; Steve D’Lugos.

What is your current involvement in the Arts? I am focusing on my own artwork — abstract expressionist photography and painting, the second volume of the “Departure Collection” of photographs and the inaugural “Abstractia” collection of paintings.

I recently completed a show in New York and am preparing for one at Bistro Bethem (February). I enjoy the work of my peers by attending openings or just having a relaxing dinner — food is Art and we have wonderful chefs in town! I am very excited about the future of LibertyTown, have ideas about taking our Burg up a level, and like to envision a city arts center a reality.

Care for another Balvenie?

-RG

Wills and Trusts Provide for Incapacity Trusts for Minor Children Wealth Preservation Trusts Avoid Probate AhearnEstateLaw.com

540/371-9890

FREDERICKSBURGCOLLABORATIVE

ARCHER DI PEPPE CAGA

CERTIFIED APPRAISER

Insurance Riders Estate Settlements Divorce Cases Damage Claims Oral or Written Appraisals SPECIALIZING IN ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES

Certified Appraiser Certified Appraiser’s Guild of America

adipeppe@aol.com

(540) 373-9636

front porch fredericksburg

December 2013

31