Front Porch Fredericksburg - August 2016 by Virginia Grogan

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 20 • ISSUE 229 • AUGUST 2016

Frontporchfredericksburg.com

contents

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bEHIND hISTORY’S sTORIES tUFFY hICKS bARBARA bERGQUIST ...tHE nATURAL pATH MOSS fREE cLINIC’S ...DR. dONNA gAMACHE

porch talk .3

bEHIND sEASON’S bOUNTY: vANESSA mONCURE

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

On the trails:: wHO DO YOU CALL? pKS & rEC cREW

qUIETLY IN THE gARDEN

downtown buzz: FIND GEORGE & JAMES

homeschooling 101: It’s Academic

vino: GRAY GHOST VINEYARDS

season’s bounty: LIGHT IN AUGUST

Cooking with Kyle...CORN & TOMATO sALAD sPIRITS: bOWMAN WINS gOLD

WALNUT HOLLOW @ FXBG FARMERS MARKET

16-17

Calendar of events

Behind “Season’s Bounty”

history’s stories.: AQUIA LANDING our heritage: IT’S COUNTY FAIR TIME

THEN & NOW: GLORY DAYS ALONG RTE 1

companions: ‘PUPPY PATIENCE

emancipated patients: IS HEALTHCARE PROMOTION OK? Renew: 10 REASONS TO EXERCISE

Senior Care: SET LIMITS

WELLNESS: THE ADVENT OF PROCESSED FOODS

WILD THINGS: NEW EXHIBIT BY ROBYN RYAN

stories of fredericksburg: TOM SELLARS mYSTERY hOUSE

art in the ‘burg: kATHLEEN wILLINGHAM

FXBG MUSIC SCENE: fAST HEART MART & ACOUSTIC FIRE

PORCHLIGHT: LEMON PIE poetryman: JOIN A CELEBRATION

mind your mind: BOSOM BUDDIES

fredericksburg sketches

from my porch: GATHERING ART ATTACK NEEDS RECRUITS

By Emily Hollingsworth

...And more! 8

cRITTERS, eTC....eD kING & cATHY hERDON eXHIBIT

NOTES ON NOTES: TRES SEAVER

FREDERICKSBURG THEATRE ENSEMBLE Cover “FXBG Door Knockers”, By David C.Kennedy

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Vanessa Moncure’s Career in Food Food and cooking have been present in nearly every aspect of Vanessa Moncure’s life, showing up in the spiced pecans she makes as a snack, in the variable gardens she has in both her backyard and family farm in Madison County, and in the decades she has crafted food in the Fredericksburg area, owning a restaurant (Bistro 309 on William Street) and catering business (Chez V on Fall Hill Avenue). What had first propelled her ability and love of cooking was spending summers with her grandparents in Culpeper while growing up in New Jersey. Her grandmother had taught her how to cook, and Moncure often helped tend the garden her grandmother kept. It was when Moncure was 13 that she got to test her ability for the first time, cooking a chicken for her father and his boss in New York. Moncure carried her love of cooking through boarding school in Atlanta and college at Mary Washington College, now the University of Mary Washington, getting a degree in fine arts. The elegant and personalized catering

displays Moncure had created through Chez V, with the help of Fredericksburg florist and friend Jan Williams, were inspired in part through her experience at MWC learning art history. “I had to have my love of [cooking] and to be able to style my food,” Moncure said. “I used my college education to combine my two loves.” As a chef, and restaurant and catering owner for more than two decades, she served meals for state leaders, national and international sporting events, countless grand openings for Fredericksburg businesses and was the subject of a cooking show for Fredericksburg’s local television network. She remembered that former Virginia governor George Allen was particularly fond of one recipe. “He loved the ham biscuits,” Moncure said. She remembered his team would sometimes land a helicopter near the field around James Monroe High School to visit the area, and after visiting would take a box of Moncure’s biscuits before leaving. Moncure has also been able to

combine her ability and passion as a writer to pen articles and provide quotes about food and cooking for The Washington Post, travel magazines and Front Porch Fredericksburg, weaving personal stories with recipes and food advice in her column “Season’s Bounty.” Moncure first heard about Front Porch after hiring Rob Grogan as a part time bartender for Bistro 309. “Rob was really able to make the Front Porch a staple in Fredericksburg by being such a part of downtown himself,” Moncure said. “We all miss him!” Writing has allowed Moncure to stay involved in the world of cooking after illness prompted her to sell Chez V and Bistro 309 in 2002 and 2004. Another way Moncure has remained active is through growing food, either in her home garden or her gardens at their farm in Madison County, where they raise fruit and vegetables, and raise grass-fed cattle. Now, with her husband, Buzzy,

three children and six grandchildren, Moncure shares her talent and skills in the same way her grandmother had first taught her. “I think it has really come full circle,” Moncure said. “I learned with my grandmother, and now I teach my own grandchildren how to cook.” Emily Hollingsworth is a recent graduate of the University of Mary Washington and profiles artists, photographers and members of the Fredericksburg community.

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

contents

closeups 11

bEHIND hISTORY’S sTORIES tUFFY hICKS bARBARA bERGQUIST ...tHE nATURAL pATH MOSS fREE cLINIC’S ...DR. dONNA gAMACHE

porch talk .3

bEHIND sEASON’S bOUNTY: vANESSA mONCURE

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

On the trails:: wHO DO YOU CALL? pKS & rEC cREW

qUIETLY IN THE gARDEN

downtown buzz: FIND GEORGE & JAMES

homeschooling 101: It’s Academic

vino: GRAY GHOST VINEYARDS

season’s bounty: LIGHT IN AUGUST

Cooking with Kyle...CORN & TOMATO sALAD sPIRITS: bOWMAN WINS gOLD

WALNUT HOLLOW @ FXBG FARMERS MARKET

16-17

Calendar of events

Behind “Season’s Bounty”

history’s stories.: AQUIA LANDING our heritage: IT’S COUNTY FAIR TIME

THEN & NOW: GLORY DAYS ALONG RTE 1

companions: ‘PUPPY PATIENCE

emancipated patients: IS HEALTHCARE PROMOTION OK? Renew: 10 REASONS TO EXERCISE

Senior Care: SET LIMITS

WELLNESS: THE ADVENT OF PROCESSED FOODS

WILD THINGS: NEW EXHIBIT BY ROBYN RYAN

stories of fredericksburg: TOM SELLARS mYSTERY hOUSE

art in the ‘burg: kATHLEEN wILLINGHAM

FXBG MUSIC SCENE: fAST HEART MART & ACOUSTIC FIRE

PORCHLIGHT: LEMON PIE poetryman: JOIN A CELEBRATION

mind your mind: BOSOM BUDDIES

fredericksburg sketches

from my porch: GATHERING ART ATTACK NEEDS RECRUITS

By Emily Hollingsworth

...And more! 8

cRITTERS, eTC....eD kING & cATHY hERDON eXHIBIT

NOTES ON NOTES: TRES SEAVER

FREDERICKSBURG THEATRE ENSEMBLE Cover “FXBG Door Knockers”, By David C.Kennedy

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Christina Ferber

ON THE PORCH Guest Porch Editorial

Contributing Writers & Artists A.E.Bayne Kevin Brown Collette Caprara Tom Conway Barbara Deal Danielle Eckert Christina Ferber Frank Fratoe Joan M. Geisler Ann Glave Alexis Grogan Ralph “Tuffy”Hicks Emily Hollingsworth Bill Harris Karl Karch David C. Kennedy Jo Loving Vanessa Moncure Patrick Neustatter Ryan Poe Wanda Reitemeyer Wendy Schmitz Gabe Pons M.L. Powers Scott Richards Suzanne Scherr Casey Alan Shaw Meg Sneed Georgia Strentz James Kyle Synder Christine Thompson Kathry Willis Dawn Whitmore Norma Woodward Kristie Woolridge Front Porch Fredericksburg is a free circulation magazine published monthly by Olde Towne Publishing Co. 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 Ad Sales: 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 2016 Olde Towne Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

reconnect

August 2016

Who You Gonna Call? The Parks & Rec Maintenance Crew!

BY christina ferber With all that’s been going on in the world these days, the thought of moving to a deserted island may have crossed your mind; I know it’s crossed mine. Each day it seems like a new incident happens, and conflict is fast becoming the norm. Sometimes our first instinct is to close off from one another as a protection mechanism, but disconnecting isn’t the answerreconnecting is. Once upon a time, kids roamed the streets and the woods without any fear and neighbors sat on their front porch waving and talking to anyone who passed, but somewhere along the line that stopped, and we became a disconnected world. Our relationship with nature is one example of this detachment. We are lucky to live in a community that cherishes nature and offers many chances to get out into it, but there are many who don’t take advantage of the opportunities out there. Some of us have even developed a fear of nature when we hear about wildlife encounters gone wrong or the rising incidents of Lyme disease, but nature offers us a beauty and a chance to reconnect with ourselves that outweighs all of those worries. When I was a child, I was outside until dark most days in the summer without a worry in the world. Now, it’s a rare instance when I hear the sounds of children outside playing in the woods behind my house or even in the yard.

We’re not only disconnected from our surroundings though, we have become detached from each other. A recent study showed that 1/3 of all Americans had never interacted with their neighbors, which is a stark difference to the world that I remember as a child. As a mother and teacher, that number bothers me and I see it often in the way students interact with adults and even each other. The latest statistics show that there are over 422 million Linked In users and the number of Facebook friends that an average user has is 155. But, these numbers are all connections in cyberspace, and I think we are growing a generation who doesn’t know how to interact in other ways. We text and message, and rarely talk to each other. In fact among most age groups, texting outranks phone calls by a pretty wide margin. This texting world is growing a generation that does not know how to properly carry on a conversation or even look a person in the eyes when they do have one.

messages

FPF:

I Love The Front Porch!! Christopher Wilson, FXBG

Front porch fredericksburg

By Kevin Brown

Stanford researchers recently found a link between nature and mental health, and realized that there was a decrease in anxiety and mood disorders among those who were more exposed to nature type settings. Fredericksburg has multiple paths that wind through the river and woods of the area, and the city and surrounding counties have a wide variety of parks available to us for free. I sense our community’s mood lifting just by utilizing these opportunities.

The amazing trend of Pokémon Go has brought more people out recently, and is certainly a step in the right direction, but we need to get more of that reconnection with nature. To make those connections matter, we need to start getting more of our Vitamin D from the sun than one that we pop in our mouths each morning.

Front Porch: Awesome cover photo! (July 2016, Gulls & Bridge, by David c Kennedy) Michael Bigenwald, Chicago, I'll.

On the Trails

What a treasure Downtown Greens is....thanks for the article that lets more people know that it is “More Than a Pretty Space” (Downtown Greens, by Rim Vining, July, 2016). Elizabeth Parry, Spotsylvania Publisher note We had so many comments on Tristan Chapman article (Veteran Artist & Business Owner, By Emily Hollingsworth,

Own The Movie A 40-minute film with aerial and underwater photography that tells the story of the Rappahannock River from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay.

DVD $14.95; Members $11.96 www.riverfriends.org 540-373-3448 3219 Fall Hill Ave. No wonder we have such conflict in the world- people are learning about human interaction through video games, computers, and texting. Technology has positive impacts as well, but in my opinion, in order to fix this, we need to find a balance so we can reconnect and actually interact with each other face-to-face. Fredericksburg is a prime place to do that with a wide variety of events and activities for all ages. I hope you take advantage of the place we live-it’s pretty awesome in my opinion. I might sound preachy and Pollyanna-ish, but I believe that every one of us has an opportunity now, more than ever, to heal what is happening in the world. If we make a choice to open up to our neighbors and connect with each other as a community, change can happen. Look through this month’s issue and visit one of the people or places mentioned in person, make that connection, and find even more ways to reconnect as you read the Front Porch from cover to cover. June, 2016) that we are just going to list names of some who loved the article & told us so: Franksimonsa Gothzy, Jo Richardson, Lynn Ackerman, Kevin Rodrigue, Jay Downy, Susan Wright, Mignon Garrett Osmer, Katherine Baker, Sue Henderson, Carol Tumbarello, Pat Green, Serena Seay, Kathy Hryckiewicz, Brandon Newton, Kenneth Lecky, Ruth Golden, Unita Walburn, Donna Dertinger, Tina Marie Harris, Pat Gren, Vikki Harraden, Patricia Buck Hammer

When our parks and trails are flooded or a tree has fallen across our city trails, who you gonna call? When you see trash along our trails or the natural beauty of our parks are impacted by graffiti, who you gonna call? The Parks and Recreation Maintenance Crew, that’s who! Meet the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Crew, a close-knit team of guys who perform the behind-the-scenes work that results in the pristine parks and trails that we appreciate every day. This team is led by Sammy Walker and John Kongquee, with a combined 21 years of experience, and also includes Peter Martin, Jordan Sanders, Travis Irvine, and Dequan Lucas with backgrounds of military training, carpentry, landscaping, and industrial engineering. The team collaborates with Turf Grass Specialist Randy Myers and his Front row L to R = John Kongquee, Sammy Walker, Devin Pruitt. Back row L to R = Randy crewmembers Devin Pruitt, Myers, Peter Martin, Travis Irvine, Jordan Sanders, Dequan Lucas Stephanie Snellings and Jamey Pruitt, as well as Head Gardener What does this crew can help. Volunteer opportunities abound Robin Saunders, and her crewmembers do on a regular basis? in various parks and trailside cleanup Denise Sanders and Brandi Thompson. Hours and hours of mowing, tree efforts led by organizations like Friends of the Rappahannock. If unable to volunteer trimming, tree removal, and trash pickup. What city areas does this crew maintain? After floods, a multi-day cleanup must be you can help by following the rules posted Old Mill Park, Dixon Park/trails, accomplished in the nastiest of conditions. at the park entrances and trail sides. Kenmore Park, Alum Spring Park/trails, There is graffiti cleanup, sometimes in Simply picking up after yourself and your the River Heritage Trail/ Canal Path, the remote areas and inaccessible by trucks, dogs can go a long way! (All of our trails VCR Trail, Motts Run Reservoir/trails and which involves using a grinder, wire have doggie bags receptacles.) Also, please many other areas. Special events covered brushes, power washers, and a lot of elbow watch out for children, and remember include Earth Day, the Special Olympics, grease. dogs must be on a leash. Finally, if areas the Soapbox Derby, the Christmas are not up to standard please be patient as Parade, and countless races on the trails. What makes the job meaningful our dedicated Parks and Recreation and interesting? Maintenance Crew is most assuredly on its The most meaningful thing is way! For comments/concerns about parks personal satisfaction that comes from and trails issues, or if you have lost an maintaining natural beauty for the public item while using the parks and trails, the to enjoy. As for interesting things, driving public can contact Michael Ward, the Parks around the trails in the snow on ATVs is Division Manager, or Aaron Simmons, the pretty cool. They come across some crazy Superintendent of Park, at 540-372-1086. sights, like picnic tables at Kenmore Park stacked three stories high (which have subsequently been chained down). They see wacky folks walking the trails like the Kevin Brown shares up-to-date local trail guy with a basketball cut open/flaps over news and photos as administrator of the his head. "On the Fredericksburg Va Trails" Facebook Group What is the main challenge facing the crew? Staffing! This is a lot of work for just a few people. This is where the public

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Christina Ferber

ON THE PORCH Guest Porch Editorial

reconnect

August 2016

Who You Gonna Call? The Parks & Rec Maintenance Crew!

messages

FPF:

I Love The Front Porch!! Christopher Wilson, FXBG

Front porch fredericksburg

By Kevin Brown

Front Porch: Awesome cover photo! (July 2016, Gulls & Bridge, by David c Kennedy) Michael Bigenwald, Chicago, I'll.

On the Trails

Own The Movie A 40-minute film with aerial and underwater photography that tells the story of the Rappahannock River from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay.

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Downtown Buzz

Quietly in the Garden master gardeners at chatham

Do you know where George & James are located?

By Dawn Whitmore

By Ann Glave & Danielle Eckert

Introducing Benchmark ...The Distinctive Wedding Rings.

Unless you visit Chatham Manor on a Wednesday morning, you may never see them. They descend on Chatham every Wednesday for 3-4 hours, there can be anywhere from 2-10 depending on their schedules. Who are they? They are volunteers from the Master Gardener Association of the Central Rappahannock Area (MGACRA). The MGACRA volunteers can be found on Wednesdays busily weeding, mulching, planting, and pruning the floral found in the garden. Along with the gardening, the volunteers answer visitor’s questions about the garden while they are there. MGACRA is one of three groups, who help keep the historic garden at Chatham blooming with loveliness. The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club also has workdays and provides plants. They provided dwarf boxwoods this year. Friends of Chatham fund a part-time independent contracted gardener through a special fund, in honor of Liz Thompson. Thompson was a member of Friends of Chatham and a long time member of the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club. Leslie Bird, until recently, was that gardener. Bird recently accepted a position at the Mount Vernon historic garden. With Bird’s departure, it appears there will be an opening for her position. Carol Hyland, Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator shared people not associated with any particular organization volunteer their time to assist in the garden. Hyland stresses the Chatham Manor garden is not only pretty, but the garden has historic importance. Ellen Biddle Shipman, a landscape architect was hired by the Devore’s to design and create a Colonial-style garden. “The objective is not to only keep the garden looking neat and attractive. We want to keep the garden

August 2016

as close to Shipman’s original design, created for the Devore’s as funds and resources will allow,” says Hyland. People travel specifically to see gardens designed by Shipman, including the Chatham garden on their itinerary. It is important to understand keeping a garden ‘neat and attractive’ is a continuous effort, not a one-time affair. Hyland keeps a magnet on her refrigerator stating, “A garden is never finished.” On your next stroll at Chatham Manor garden, whether viewing tulips or roses, remember even if you don’t see them…there is a small army of volunteers keeping the garden both gorgeous and historic for us. “Stay reverential of fact, not just a pretty garden but, a historic garden,” shares Hyland. Want to know more about joining or donating to one of the three groups volunteering to keep Chatham Manor picturesque and gorgeous? Here it is: MGACRA: www.mgacra.org or FB: www.facebook.com/MGACRA/ Rappahannock Valley Garden Club: www.gcvirginia.org/main/clubdetails/rappahannock Friends of Chatham: friendsofchatham.org or FB: www.facebook.com/ChathamManor

200 William Street Downtown Fredericksburg 540.373.4421 Mon-Sat: 9-5:30 CrownJewelersFredericksburg.com

THE

FREDERICKSBURG LAMP Only Available At

The Copper Shop 371-4455 1707R Princess Anne

Behind Silk Mill thefredericksburglamp.com

Fredericksburg Main Street contest for the Water Line Improvement project is underway. The new contest, Find George and James, resulted from conversations with Julie Perry and Danielle Rose from the Fredericksburg Visitor Center and the office of Economic Development & Tourism and Ann Glave, Executive Director for Main Street. “We wanted to design something fun that would bring shoppers and visitors to Downtown while the Caroline Street Water Line Improvement Project was underway.”, Ann Glave said. This is an eighteen month project replacing the main water lines in the 1000 block of Caroline Street to the residential section of lower Caroline Street. The goal of the contest is to find the life-ssized cutouts of George Washington and James Monroe hidden in the Caroline Street businesses. They are hiding Downtown for a chance to win prizes from Caroline Street’s coolest businesses. When you find one, simply, place your name in the ballot box. Take and post a picture with George and James with the tag #FindGeorgeandJames for more chances to win. As a mainly volunteer organization with one paid staff person, this project is another example of collaboration between the City’s Department of Public Works, the Economic Development & Tourism office and others, including a wonderful volunteer named Mallory Baker, who make this all come about together with the goal of improved communication. The Central Rappahannock Regional Library Headquarters staff, Sean Bonney and Anna Lowry, were instrumental in the development of the “Businesses are Open” orange flags for this project. Additionally, research from CRRL’s staff, Nancy Moore

and the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center have been helpful in gathering trivia and images used in the Trivia Tuesdays and Flashback Fridays social media posts to engage the public during this project. Updates for this project and a

video about this contest can be found on the Facebook page/CarolineWaterLine. You can also sign up for weekly updates at info@fredericksburgmainstreet.org Who is Open Late this Summer? Understanding the way small businesses work, every shop is to some degree reliant on the others in their community. For businesses to properly flourish, they must work together. This summer, the businesses under the Fredericksburg Main Street Initiative are coming together, and collaborating to

partake in “Open Late Fridays”, in which many businesses are staying open until 8 or later for the summer crowds. This tradition began in November of 2014, and has been continuing under the camaraderie of the downtown businesses. The businesses downtown and others interested members in the community are working to make nights in downtown Fredericksburg an enjoyable experience. Everyone is very intent on providing opportunities for later night shopping, dining and entertainment for both tourists and Fredericksburg locals, ensuring that everyone can enjoy this historic town to the fullest. From concerts, performing arts shows, and tours, there is usually something to do Downtown in the summer evenings after grabbing a bite to eat or visiting one of the unique shops. There are 31 restaurants and 18 retail businesses open to 8pm or later for your Friday evening shopping. These include Olde Town Butcher, Sammy T’s Frozen Yogurt, Wally’s Ice Cream, Fredericksburg Brew Exchange, Riverby Books, The Bowery Tattoo Company, Skin+Touch Therapy, The Card Cellar, East Coast Vapors, Latitudes Fair Trade, Natural Mystics, Olde Town Tobacconist, Pons Shop, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Pots & Palettes, Rocking Horse Gallery, Whittingham, and The Kitchen at Whittingham. For a full list of who is Open Late on Fridays and Saturdays visit the www.fredericksburgmainstreet.org. Ann Glave and Danielle Eckert worked together on this article for Fredericksburg Main Street. Both enjoy shopping and dining Downtown after 6pm.

Large or Small, I Sell Them All! Dreaming of Fabulous City Living? Let s Make It Happen!

601 LAFAYETTE BLVD

Dawn Whitmore is a landscape photographer and writer who lives in Spotsylvania. Learn more by visiting her own FB: facebook.com/dewphotographypage or her website at www.dewphotographyva.com. Photo by Dawn Whitmore

Front porch fredericksburg

roxburyfarmgarden.com MAIN: (540) 373-9124 NURSERY: (540) 371-8802 SUZY STONE

We Have All Your Gardening Needs Since 1929 Come Shop With Us!

Mobile:540.847.0630 Office: 540-898-2900 suzystone22@gmail.com C21redwood.com front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Downtown Buzz

Quietly in the Garden master gardeners at chatham

Do you know where George & James are located?

By Dawn Whitmore

By Ann Glave & Danielle Eckert

Introducing Benchmark ...The Distinctive Wedding Rings.

August 2016

200 William Street Downtown Fredericksburg 540.373.4421 Mon-Sat: 9-5:30 CrownJewelersFredericksburg.com

THE

FREDERICKSBURG LAMP Only Available At

The Copper Shop 371-4455 1707R Princess Anne

Behind Silk Mill thefredericksburglamp.com

Large or Small, I Sell Them All! Dreaming of Fabulous City Living? Let s Make It Happen!

601 LAFAYETTE BLVD

Front porch fredericksburg

roxburyfarmgarden.com MAIN: (540) 373-9124 NURSERY: (540) 371-8802 SUZY STONE

We Have All Your Gardening Needs Since 1929 Come Shop With Us!

Mobile:540.847.0630 Office: 540-898-2900 suzystone22@gmail.com C21redwood.com front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Critter, Etc the wild side of herndon & king By A.E.Bayne and playful molding of form. Dragons eating pizza, anyone?

Enjoy the Holidays with Us!

Two of Fredericksburg’s celebrated artists have teamed up to bring us an art show with a wild side. Ed King and Cathy Herndon are known for their affinity with animals and both focus on them as subjects for their work. Here, they bring us paintings and sculptures of our favorite furry and feathered friends using their signature styles. The show opens on Sunday, August 7th, between

Book your Holiday Party by August 25th & receive Complimentary Room Rental… plus other special incentives! Call our Sales Department today! 540-369-9338

King says his father and grandfather were both avid nature conservationists. “Maybe it came from having Cherokee blood,” King ponders. In fact, at the age of five King’s father had taught him how to identify most of the birds in the trees outside their home. With this deep appreciation, King says he has always navigated toward nature and the outdoors for his inspiration, eschewing noisy social functions and banter for the meditative solitude of the woods. Cathy Herndon is a fellow animal lover, specifically of the pooch persuasion. She says over the years she has had many a canine companion: a Dalmatian (Beauty), a German Shepherd (Rinty), a Beagle (Tracker), and two Doberman Pinchers (Bridgett and Lady Buck), to name a few. She started painting dogs about 20 years ago, mostly from photos. She continues to take photos to this day when she sees dogs with great character sauntering around town. Of this body of work, Herndon says, “I see all these adds and commercials on TV that have the best dog expressions and I decided to create a body of work about dogs but with a play

620 Caroline St. FXBG, VA

11:30 and 1:30 at the UUFF Gallery, located at 25 Chalice Circle, behind the office park in Chatham.

Supporting Local Artists Since 1997 8

August 2016

Ed King’s work with animals is favored by patrons and audiences both in Fredericksburg and afar. He says it used to frustrate him as a child when he would try to capture the animals he so loved without much luck, but he has found that as an adult he finally has the skill to create what he sees in his mind. Working in acrylic, oil, wood and clay, King captures each animal’s natural posture and expression with quick, bold brushstrokes

Front porch fredericksburg

on patterns; theirs and mine. I wanted to combine backgrounds with some abstract, non representational color expressions and use them behind the dogs of my choice, using their textures, size, colors and eye expressions. I hope, as the viewer, you will smile and

“TacoBell”, Cathy Herndon remember your associations with man and woman’s best friend.” See King’s and Herndon’s work together at the UUFF Gallery, located inside the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg, during August and September of 2016. Visit the UUFF Gallery Facebook page for more information about the venue. A.E. Bayne is a writer, visual artist and educator. She publishes the Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review.

“Cows”, Ed King

Homeschooling 101 It’s all academic By meg sneed For most parents, once they’ve jumped through the mental and legal hoops of deciding to homeschool, two questions remain: What about socialization? We’ll look into that next month. Which leaves us with the second, but most pressing, question of WHAT do you actually teach?? The answer to the academic side of homeschooling can be, quite frankly, as varied as the reasons for choosing to homeschool in the first place. Most of us start with the broad strokes of academic theory – Unschooling, Montessori, Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, Classical, and more traditional “School at Home” are some of the main theories. Unschooling is a broad-spectrum theory in and of itself, with some parents choosing to be completely guided by their children’s interests, teaching subjects like math and language arts within these larger interests; while others use this approach for some subjects, such as science, while also teaching a structured math curriculum alongside it. On the other end of the homeschooling spectrum are those who follow a School At Home theory, in essence recreating the curriculum and even experience of a traditional classroom at home. This is the blessing and the curse of homeschooling in the age of the internet – your options are limited only by your resources, your own teaching style, and how your child learns best. Fortunately, the Fredericksburg area has quite a few options for academic help and resources for homeschoolers of all varieties. The best place to start is probably Facebook (FB). There are quite a few support groups for homeschoolers in Fredericksburg Fred. and Virginia. Homeschool Exchange is a FB group that primarily is used to sell used curriculum, but is full of parents more than happy to help answer your questions and act as a sounding board as you figure things out; the King George/Fredericksburg Area Home-sschool Families group is specifically designed to do both. Virginia Homeschool Moms does not allow the selling of curriculum, and so is strictly a brainstorming and support group on FB. Homeschooling in Virginia is run by HEAV, a Christian-based state-wide organization, and is a great resource for your legal and technical “how-to” questions.You can also find a number of secular groups on Facebook, both those that sell curriculum and serve as a support group, such as Secular Homeschool Families, along with theory-specific groups and religiously specific groups. While you always want to verify any legal or technical information you get on FB, these are great places for hashing out what you want to try.

If you love the idea of homeschooling, but don’t want to go it Ops may be a great entirely alone, Co-O option for you. These programs usually meet weekly or daily from September-May, with a set schedule of classes for student members to attend, and usually utilize parents as teachers for each subject. Grace Church in Fredericksburg hosts the Op religiously-based Grace Homeschool Co-O www.gracechurchcoop.com for PreK – 12th grade. Christian Heritage Home

Helping You Heal Naturally

Educators is another religiously based coop that meets at Choice Baptist Church for grades PreK-12th www.homeschoollife.com/va/chhe. Classical Conversations www.classicalconversations.com/communi ty-iinfo/3170/Fredericksburg/VA has weekly classes at Stafford Crossing Community Church for those following the Classical theory of teaching, and the Fredericksburg Area Homeschoolers Association (FAHA) is a secular social group formed on Meetup.com and FB that also hosts a weekly co-op program for elementary age children, a little less formal than the former co-ops but still academically focused. If co-ops aren’t your thing, or you’re looking for more secular options, you may want to try local organizations that straddle the line between academic and social. These groups, such as FAHA , Spotsylvania Regional Christian Homeschoolers, REACH and www.reachhomeschoolgroupva.com, have a wide variety of events, gatherings, and field trips that are open to all members and usually have a specific academic focus. Finally, the county school systems also offer some resources to local homeschool students. Spotsylvania County has a Parent Resource Center located at 7565 Courthouse Rd in Spotsylvania that has staff, resources, and even educational games to assist parents of both public and homeschooled students. Many high school homeschool students also utilize the dual enrollment program with local community colleges, allowing them to earn college credits while still completing their high school education – sometimes even graduating with an Associates Degree at the same time they graduate from high school! Whatever path you take, whichever resources you utilize, just keep in mind that homeschooling allows you to find the best options for your student and family – even if that changes from one year to another. Meg is the practice manager at Old Dominion Osteopathic Medicine, community outreach coordinator for Fredericksburg Area CSA Project, and a homeschooling mom of 3 kids.

The Way Your Body Was Meant To Dr. Jason Sneed, D.O. 540-322-5040 www.odomedicine.com Where Customer Service and Title Insurance Become One

Jewell Wolterman 1320 Central Park Blvd, Ste 200, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 540-907-0574 www.elitetitleva.com jwolterman@elitetitleva.com front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Critter, Etc the wild side of herndon & king By A.E.Bayne and playful molding of form. Dragons eating pizza, anyone?

Enjoy the Holidays with Us!

Book your Holiday Party by August 25th & receive Complimentary Room Rental… plus other special incentives! Call our Sales Department today! 540-369-9338

620 Caroline St. FXBG, VA

11:30 and 1:30 at the UUFF Gallery, located at 25 Chalice Circle, behind the office park in Chatham.

Supporting Local Artists Since 1997 8

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

“Cows”, Ed King

Helping You Heal Naturally

The Way Your Body Was Meant To Dr. Jason Sneed, D.O. 540-322-5040 www.odomedicine.com Where Customer Service and Title Insurance Become One

Jewell Wolterman 1320 Central Park Blvd, Ste 200, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 540-907-0574 www.elitetitleva.com jwolterman@elitetitleva.com front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Notes on Notes

Behind “History’s Stories” Tuffy Hicks Unearths Little known Facts about FXBG

songwriter’s workshop for local musicans

By emily hollingsworth

By A.E. Bayne On the last Thursday of the month in the spacious wood lined room above Picker’s Supply, you’ll find a small group of songwriters working out melodies, jiving about bridges and diminished chords, rhythms and rhymes. This amiable bunch of troubadours has made a routine of meeting monthly to listen to and critique each other’s work, an opportunity that is open and free to songwriters in Fredericksburg. Tres Seaver, organizer of Picker’s Songwriter’s Showcase, has been facilitating the group for the past six years. Initially, he was looking for a place to share his ever-expanding selection of songs and to give and receive feedback from fellow musicians. Much like a poetry workshop, the song sharing sessions require only participation and a willingness to listen. Each musician brings five or six copies of a song they are working on and plays it for the group. Group members take turns giving their opinions about the best parts of the song and some constructive critique about ways to improve things rhythmically, lyrically, or melodically.

Seaver says, “Songwriting is a bit like poetry and the other arts, except it’s even more ephemeral. You kind of abandon a poem when you think it’s done in some written form, such as after you’ve published it. The thing with a song that’s really different is that the written song isn’t the thing; it’s the performance. So everything gets even more ephemeral. For instance, one of the very common things for me is I don’t sing it the way it’s written on the paper. Either I don’t remember what I wrote on the paper, or I’ve changed my mind, or I’m trying to find the phrasing to make it fit. It’s a different process than bringing in something for people to look at. I mean, poetry should be read aloud, really, but normally the poet doesn’t change the poem while she’s reading it aloud. In that way songwriting is more like a spoken word performance than a poem written on a page for publication.” Jim Ramsbotham, a frequent attendee of the workshops, says he enjoys bringing songs that are older so he can rework them with the group. He enjoys hearing other people’s songs, too. He says,

“It makes a huge difference. A couple of the best songs that I’ve ever heard have been right here at this workshop.” Another regular, songwriter Robbie Keelin, was on the Board of Directors for the Songwriters Association of Washington for four years and offered a similar critique group up in Northern Virginia before moving to Fredericksburg. He says the input he receives from this type of group is important, because the group will hear things and see things that he doesn’t while he is writing and signing. He adds, “I think the more the merrier. I’m welcoming of comments. I don’t always take all the suggestions, but I thank people for them. If I’m not open to hearing people telling me where my songs need improvement then I should stay home.” Seaver considers the benefits of a critique group, saying, “One of the important things you can get out of a session like this is knowing if the song is done. You may have a sense that something’s missing, but you don’t really know what it is. Then somebody will say

no, reassuring you that you’re fine. You abandon a song and don’t play it anymore because the song exists as a thing performed rather than a thing said, so you have to get it to the place where you’re comfortable with it and would be willing to go out and play it for a group who are not as supportive and warm as a group like this is supposed to be. Yet, you have to get there, and getting feedback can really help.” Want to go? Bring your instrument and five copies of your latest song to Picker’s Supply on Thursday, August 25th at 7 p.m.. The workshop is located in the open space above Picker’s Supply. Call Tres Seaver at (540) 4290999 for more information. A.E. Bayne is a writer, visual artist and educator. She publishes the Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review.

Tuffy Hicks primarily looks for Fredericksburg history that is less visible. His interest in history began as early as Elementary school. What drove his aim to look below the surface for stories about Fredericksburg began in 1956, when Hicks was 12 or 13 years old. According to Hicks, he started to walk through Civil War battlefields in the area, searching for arrowheads or Civil War artifacts. A few of his friends shared his interests and often scouted the area with him. His mother had also purchased a metal detector for him, something that fueled his search. “I’ve always been interested in Fredericksburg history. All different parts, even back to Colonial times,” Hicks said. His love of studying and writing about Fredericksburg history eventually led him to write for The Fredericksburg Times Magazine, formerly on Williams Street starting between 1975 and 1980, penning Civil War trivia. After continuing to write for Fredericksburg Times and becoming Town Manager in Colonial Beach, Hicks returned to Fredericksburg in 2010, where he met Rob Grogan at a coffee shop and agreed to write a column about Fredericksburg

history for Front Porch. After approximately 5 years with Front Porch and having written more than 400 articles in his career, Hicks continues to revisit material he has written in the past, and search for new material for his column “History’s Stories.” Hicks hopes to keep area residents and visitors informed and pique their interest in Fredericksburg history. “I try to be a little unique in what I talk about and it keeps local people involved,” Hicks said. Though sometimes challenging to find material each month, Hicks said the search makes it worthwhile. “I like the challenge and it keeps me busy,” Hicks said. Some of his favorite articles have included an investigation of underground tunnels below downtown Fredericksburg streets and the grave of a soldier killed during the Vietnam War who was buried in the Confederate Cemetery. The tunnels, approximately five feet high and tall, lining George Street, William Street, even to Hurkamp Park, remain much of a mystery, according to Hicks, with little written documentation about it outside of the research Hicks and

Roy Fredericksburg resident Butler, now deceased, conducted. Hicks says he still gets questions from residents about the phenomenon. “Not a week goes by without someone asking ‘Hey Tuffy, what are the tunnels?’” Hicks said. The soldier buried in the Confederate Cemetery, named Vorin Whan, had written and published a book about the Fredericksburg area called “Fiasco at Fredericksburg.” He was killed in Vietnam in 1968 and buried with a white gravestone in the Confederate Cemetery, close to the statue of the confederate soldier. His wife, who had died a few years ago, was buried with him. Whan is also featured in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Arlington. Hicks hopes to draw attention to little-known facts and other aspects of Fredericksburg history through writing, something he encourages writers to do as well. “Just bring it to people’s attention. There is a mantra I [definitely] hold that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it,” Hicks said.

He also encourages historian to make use of all of the resources in the area as well, through archives at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Chatham Manor, the Civil War Battlefields and White Oak Museum. Emily Hollingsworth is a recent graduate of the University of Mary Washington and profiles artists, photographers and members of the Fredericksburg community.

PUT IT TOGETHER ALL IN YOUR ORBIT

Your Hometown Jeweler Since 1940

On-Premise Jewelry Repair Large Selection of ESTATE JEWELRY 212 William Street,Fredericksburg 540-373-5513 Mon-Fri 9-5:30; Sat 9-5 jewelboxfredericksburgva.webs.com jewelbox14k@yahoo.com

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Notes on Notes

Behind “History’s Stories” Tuffy Hicks Unearths Little known Facts about FXBG

songwriter’s workshop for local musicans

By emily hollingsworth

PUT IT TOGETHER ALL IN YOUR ORBIT

Your Hometown Jeweler Since 1940

On-Premise Jewelry Repair Large Selection of ESTATE JEWELRY 212 William Street,Fredericksburg 540-373-5513 Mon-Fri 9-5:30; Sat 9-5 jewelboxfredericksburgva.webs.com jewelbox14k@yahoo.com

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Vino Gray Ghost Vineyards “Adieu” by scott richards

Serving Up Local “Good” News Since 1997

Front Porch Fredericksburg

In the past I have been a bit leery of sweet wines, a throwback to the days when I first started investigating different varietals, most of which were either overly sweet, or overly oaked, or both. The process of acceptance of dessert wines began with the taste of a wine that was more than just sugar water. In August 2013, I visited Gray Ghost Vineyards, located in Amissville, where, while sitting on a patio with founders Al and Cheryl Kellert, I was given a taste of their award winning dessert wine, Adieu. The 2012 vintage of this wine woke up something inside of me, giving me a taste I knew was different from anything I had previously had. Adieu is made from the grape Vidal Blanc, harvested late in the year, usually November, and having an unusual distinction. It is made from rotten grapes. Known as boytrised grapes, the fruit is left on the vine and allowed to develop a parasitic fungus known as boytritis cinerea, which The shelf life on this bottle is absorbs the water in the grape, concentrating the flavors. The fungus strong. At my visit to Gray Ghost in 2013, begins to overtake the cluster in I purchased a bottle of the 2012 vintage Adieu and promptly forgot September, and completes the ...Adieu is not about it. Here it is 2016 and process by mid-November. suddenly I run across it your everyday sweet The appearance of an tucked back in my cellar. wine but offers a infected cluster is not very pretty, but the wine made taste that is not only Fearing the worst, I opened the bottle, and to the from the clusters is amazing. rich, but elegant. As a result of the fungal ...Obviously an apertif, amazement of both myself and my wife, we found it to infection, the concentration it is wonderful solo, or be wonderful. We added of the sugars in the fruit are with a dessert that is shortbread cookies and so great that fermentation able to play a simply enjoyed. does not use them all and the The next generation of secondary part. resulting wine has a high Adieu, the 2014 vintage, is level of residual sugar. In the Adieu vintages from Gray Ghost out and promises to pick up where the Vineyards, they are around 11.5%, making 2012 vintage left off and go even further for a very sweet wine. Using boytritis to in culinary delight. The year 2015 saw process sweet wines is not an exact the 2014 Adieu winning no less than science, so there is no guarantee of an twenty-one awards from California to annual vintage, making this wine Indianapolis (the Indy put on by Purdue University is said to be the largest somewhat of a rarity. It should be noted Adieu is not international competition worldwide) to your everyday sweet wine but offers a the Finger Lakes and down the Eastern taste that is not only rich, but elegant. Seaboard. The Kellerts have brought to The taste of stone fruits and honey give one's palate the sensation of purity of Virginia excellence in the wines they have taste, begging to be sipped, with the made. Here's to that tradition continuing! Cheers! understanding that anything other than savoring the taste on the palate would be wasting the experience. A lingering finish invites one to close their eyes to understand the delight offered. Obviously an apertif, it is wonderful solo, or with a dessert that is able to play a secondary part.

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Scott Richards is owner of Loch Haven Vineyards, and a free lance writer Read his blog at fromthevine.wordpress.com or Contact him at bgmeadowswine@yahoo.com

Season’s Bounty

Olde Towne BUTCHER

a light in august

Corner of William & Charles Streets Downtown Fredericksburg

By vanessa moncure

540.370.4105

The men worked in the kitchen. All the men worked in the kitchen. It was a kitchen, a hot and a suffering job, heavy feet stamping between the loud and hot machinery, back and forth, making the numbing circle as if a large hand kept them moving. It was a job of slicing and dicing and chopping with glittering knife edges, of frying in bubbling vats of oil, of choking sheets of smoke pouring off the high heat flattop, as the men work in concert in a line, sautéing, braising, flaming, stirring, transforming raw ingredients through culinary wizardry, then plated for the hungry diners. (With apologies to William Faulkner). As a college English class of mine wound its way through his works, sometimes we counted commas in a random paragraph, just for fun, to see who could find the greatest number in his evocative Southern gothic prose. Once someone reached 23 before the bell rang - quite the prolific comma-er. His home in Oxford, Mississippi and The University of Mississippi are inextricably bound with the Nobel Laureate whose “Light in August” has earned a place on the list of 100 greatest English novels of the 20th century. I feel an affinity toward the Faulkners, being born in Mississippi, like all my paternal relatives, and that my dad was a football player, avid KA and president of the Inter-Fraternity Council and honors graduate of the business school at Ole Miss, besides being voted “Most Handsome” in his senior year. And one of Dad’s frequent dates? Faulkner’s niece Dean, whom WF adopted after the death of her father, his brother Dean. And hey, I'm in with only three degrees of William Faulkner! Kevin Bacon would be proud. Speaking of bacon, lights and August have me thinking about the grill. And let's head down to Jackson and the Gulf Coast and get our grill fired up, ALIGHT in August. BARBECUED BILOXI SHRIMP I love using my deep cast iron pans right on top of the grill grates,Start with 5 pounds large fresh Gulf shrimp, head on if you can find them, and leave all the shell on for this recipe. Why Gulf shrimp? SO much more flavor than Asian farmed shrimp. Mix the following together: one pound melted butter, 6 cloves finely minced garlic, ¼ c. Worcestershire sauce, 1T. Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper and paprika, juice of 2 small or 1 large lemon and toss together until the shrimp are well-coated. Turn into a Dutch oven or deep cast iron pan, allow to sauté at low temperature for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Great with some crusty bread for dipping. And just like with crayfish, head-on shrimp should be eaten thus: pull the tail and suck the head.

GRILLED PORK CHOPS and DIRTY RICE Have your butcher cut 1 ¼ inch thick center cut pork chops. Mix together 4 T. melted butter, 2T. Worcestershire sauce, 2T. lemon juice, ½ tsp. salt, 2 tsp. paprika, ½ tsp. garlic powder and ¼ c. ketchup. Place chops on preheated grill and baste occasionally with this sauce while grilling - should take about 7 minutes per side. Serve with DIRTY RICE which goes in the Dutch oven to cook alongside pork. In skillet, sauté one pound of garlic sausage or breakfast sausage, casings removed and stir well to break up any chunks. Stir in 1 tsp. dry mustard powder, ¼ tsp. thyme, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 2 tsp. finely minced garlic and ½ c. each of the “holy trinity “ diced onion, celery and green pepper. Add 3T. butter and one bay leaf. Stir in ¾ c. Uncle Ben’s rice, scraping up loose bits from the bottom - cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until rice is glistening but not browned. Pour in 2 c. chicken stock, add S&P to taste, cover and place on indirect heat in grill. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the stock. Don't stir until ready to eat, then fluff with a fork before serving. COME-B BACK SAUCE I love this, slathered on meats, vegetables,salads and as a sandwich spread. I call it a Mississippi version of French remoulade. Stir together 1c. mayonnaise, ¼ c. each chili sauce and ketchup, 1 tsp. each dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper, 1T. each finely minced onion and garlic, ¼ c. canola oil and juice of one lemon. Store in refrigerator. MISSISSIPPI MUD BARS Makes my teeth hurt thinking about them, so rich, so easy and SO good. Pecans should be called the state nut of MS - I don't think I've ever had a Mississippi cookie, cake or dessert using any other kind of nut - Grease a 9”x9” baking dish. Preheat oven to 350F - beat together 2 eggs, ½ c. melted butter, 1 c. sugar,1 c. chopped pecans and 2 tsp. vanilla. Sift into mixture 3T. cocoa powder and ¾ c. self-rising flour (make sure it's fresh or bars won't rise). Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cut 2 c. marshmallows in half and put on top of cake while still warm, then pour icing atop. ICING - in saucepan, melt ¼ c. butter with 3 T. evaporated milk and 1 tsp. vanilla over low heat. Stir in ½ pound of confectioner’s sugar sifted with 3T. cocoa powder. Add more milk by teaspoonfuls if too thick to pour. Pour while hot over hot cake and marshmallows, and do not spread around or you will have gummy marshmallow swirl. Store covered in refrigerator. I could have given you the recipe for a Mississippi Cow Patty but will save that for a future column.

www.oldetownebutcher.com Hours Monday - Saturday, 9am to 9pm; Sunday, 11am to 6pm Keith Lebor Proprietor

Serving Breakfast Sandwiches 10am ~ 11:30am Lunch 10am ~ 4pm Open Monday ~ Saturday 10am - 4pm 540.371.2233 www.thevirginiadeli.com 826 Caroline corner of Caroline & George Streets

S ammy T’ s DOWNTOWN FREDERICKSBURG’S

Serving Great Food Since 1981

Home of the “Camper Special” & the Best Burger in Town 801 Caroline Street

(540) 371-2008

Try Our Self-Serve Yogurt open 11:30 am Daily Still Owned by the Emory Family front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Vino Gray Ghost Vineyards “Adieu” by scott richards

Serving Up Local “Good” News Since 1997

Front Porch Fredericksburg

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Scott Richards is owner of Loch Haven Vineyards, and a free lance writer Read his blog at fromthevine.wordpress.com or Contact him at bgmeadowswine@yahoo.com

Season’s Bounty

Olde Towne BUTCHER

a light in august

Corner of William & Charles Streets Downtown Fredericksburg

By vanessa moncure

540.370.4105

www.oldetownebutcher.com Hours Monday - Saturday, 9am to 9pm; Sunday, 11am to 6pm Keith Lebor Proprietor

Serving Breakfast Sandwiches 10am ~ 11:30am Lunch 10am ~ 4pm Open Monday ~ Saturday 10am - 4pm 540.371.2233 www.thevirginiadeli.com 826 Caroline corner of Caroline & George Streets

S ammy T’ s DOWNTOWN FREDERICKSBURG’S

Serving Great Food Since 1981

Home of the “Camper Special” & the Best Burger in Town 801 Caroline Street

(540) 371-2008

Try Our Self-Serve Yogurt open 11:30 am Daily Still Owned by the Emory Family front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Cooking With Kyle corn & tomato salad

SpiritS A. Smith Bowman distillery wins gold

WELCOME TO OUR GREAT OUTDOORS It’s Beautiful ~ Night and Day!

What is "Simple Food Done Well" and why is it so important? I am going to use this article to give a quick perspective for both. Importance first. I have fond memories of this time of year: Penetrating thoughts of eating baby carrots right out of the garden, shucking a fresh ear of corn and gnawing the sweet milk out of the kernels, and peeling the thin skin off of new potatoes with my finger to enjoy the young spud's unique taste remind me of how healthy and vibrant life can be. In 2013 I found myself tired, 6'6" tall, and 299 pounds. At a BMI of 34.5 I was the face of obesity. How did this happen? I was a Marine Corps Drill instructor; I was a swim instructor; I WAS healthy. Like many of us, I allowed life and its activities, all the noise that distracts us from the important things, to take control and made excuses for why I was the way I was: Too busy, cooking is too hard or too expensive to name a few. We have turned into a nation of "a pill for every ill." Many doctors are not nutritionists. I needed to allow the words from the father of medicine, Hippocrates, " Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" guide my actions. I needed to get back to my roots my grandmother had instilled. Once I was ale to look in the mirror and take responsibility saying, "Kyle, you are obese" was I able to take the initial step toward recovery. Simple healthy food is part of that recovery. I was not alone. I lost 70 pounds since then.. At a health and wellness seminar in Florida in July 2013, I heard Blake Mallen state the following statistics: 70% of Americans are obese or overweight, 30% of our children are overweight with 17% being obese, childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years, for the first

August 2016

time ever, there are more obese people in the world than suffer from malnutrition. 2.8 million obese and overweight deaths occur every year, obesity impacts every organ system in the body and is considered more damaging than smoking or drinking. The AMA has designated obesity as a disease. Fear not. There is a solution within our own grasp. So what is Simple Food Done Well? In a nutshell, it is being conscious of what we eat and making sure that it is fresh, clean, healthy, and most importantly tasty! Here is one of my favorite recipes that is cheap, delicious, easy, and exemplifies the concept. It looks great too in this bowl from Trista Chapman at Sophia Street Studios! Shuck six ears of corn, wrap them in moist paper towels and place them in the microwave for five minutes. While the corn is cooking, dice 2 large beefsteak (or any "meaty" tomato). Make a dressing of 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper (I will be writing an entire article of why making your own dressing is easier, cheaper, and better.) Cut the kernels off the stalk while still hot. In a large bowl, gently mix the corn and tomatoes. Slowly drizzle the dressing into the salad while folding the mixture together. Voila! Simple, healthy, and delicious! Kyle Snyder appeals to your palate and your other senses when it comes to good, simple, healthy eating

Front porch fredericksburg

Two spirits from A. Smith Bowman Distillery were awarded Gold Medals at the 2016 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. Bowman Brothers Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey and John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey each received this honor. These spirits were ranked among 401 spirits that were submitted from a total of 29 countries. The Los Angeles International Spirits Competition was formed in 2007, with an esteemed panel of judges using a blind-tasting method to award medals to the best distilled spirits from around the world. The awardwinning entries will be displayed during the Los Angeles County Fair, Sept. 2 - 25, in "The Wine, Beer & Spirits Marketplace." Complete results of the 2016 LAISC are available at www.laspiritscomp.com. A. Smith Bowman's distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition when the Bowman family had a granary and dairy farm in Sunset Hills, Virginia. They used excess grain from the family estate to distill spirits. In 1934, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition and built a more modern distillery in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm. In response to the rapid rise of taxes in Northern Virginia, the Distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location. As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a microdistillery by today's standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of handcrafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia's first settlers. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit www.asmithbowman.com.

Kristie Wooldridge is the PR Associate Manager for A.Smith Bowman

Soup & Taco, Etc.

WALNUT HOLLOW @the fxbg farmers market

813 Caroline St.

by Kristie Wooldridge

by james kyle snyder

The

Fredericksburg, VA

Mon-Thurs 11am-9pm Fri & Sat 11am-10pm Sun 11am - 9pm Bar open until 2am everyday

Locally Owned Irish Pub and Restaurant

By M.L. Powers

Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food and Something More!! Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm

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

200 Hanover St. ~ 373-0738

Kid’s Cooking Camp Aug 16, 17 & 18 11am to 1pm ages 11 & up $90/child

Serving Up Local “Good” News Since 1997

The Sunken Well Tavern

Front Porch Fredericksburg

The General Store

Restaurant

Since 1978

374-0443 www.shopwhittingham.com 1021 Caroline Street

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

371-4075 2018 College Ave. Fredericksburg

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

Rachael and Sy Jarvis operate the Walnut Hollow stand that sits on the corner of Prince Edward and George St. at the Fredericksburg Farmer’s Market. This stand has been a cornerstone for 15 years, and they have been witness to the amazing growth of the market and the city. One can walk by on a Saturday morning and watch Sy industriously carving cherry wood bowls and cutting boards of various sizes and dimensions. His craftsmanship his well known in the Fredericksburg community. Rachel and her daughters work the table selling cut flowers, herbs, both fresh and dried, baked goods, fresh eggs, honey and beeswax products. All of these items are homemade and use as much local ingredients as possible. The business started small, mainly cut flowers. The main goal was to stay home with the girls when they were young. This was Rachel’s passion, and she seems to have succeeded well with it. I talked with Rachel for a short time, and she has very strong feelings about the Fredericksburg Market and community. As many of the long time vendors say, and Rachel agrees, the market has the feeling of a family. She told me the story of Horace, an elderly single man who came to the market mainly for camaraderie. He did not have a family, and when Rachel let him hold her newborn daughter, it was the first time he had ever held a baby. She spoke of the many kind hearted, caring people that her family has gotten to know over the years. Rachel said her girls grew up at the market. She explained that they learned so many skills

helping each week at the stall. Not just adding, subtracting, money exchange, basic entrepreneurship, but the skills of personal interaction in the real world. The Jarvis stand is definitely a family affair. They are one of those creative families where everyone is always making something or trying something new. Selene, the oldest of four girls is often with Rachel at the table. She will leave in the fall to study fiber dying at an art school in Tennessee. For this, she works with alpaca and sheep’s wool, and plans to use local products to dye the wool. Phoebe, the next in line is working this summer with Gloria who runs the crab and oyster stand. The two younger daughters, Josie and Nora are often around, doing needlework, crocheting or just generally assisting their mother. We talked a little about the history of their honey. She inherited hives from her grandfather, and began working with the beeswax. She created candles, soaps, salves and lip balms. Eventually she began to learn about the collection process for the honey. She now has 13 hives, and the honey sells out very quickly, once it is ready. She said this can be a sticky day for the kids! The fresh chicken eggs are also well liked, and there are people who come to the market from quite a distance for these eggs. We have some fabulously interesting people in Fredericksburg. I always comment of how it is a Mecca for creativity, and the Jarvis clan is a perfect example of this. ML covers the interesting & creative folks of FXBG community for FP

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Cooking With Kyle corn & tomato salad

SpiritS A. Smith Bowman distillery wins gold

WELCOME TO OUR GREAT OUTDOORS It’s Beautiful ~ Night and Day!

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Kristie Wooldridge is the PR Associate Manager for A.Smith Bowman

Soup & Taco, Etc.

WALNUT HOLLOW @the fxbg farmers market

813 Caroline St.

by Kristie Wooldridge

by james kyle snyder

The

Fredericksburg, VA

Mon-Thurs 11am-9pm Fri & Sat 11am-10pm Sun 11am - 9pm Bar open until 2am everyday

Locally Owned Irish Pub and Restaurant

By M.L. Powers

Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food and Something More!! Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm

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

200 Hanover St. ~ 373-0738

Kid’s Cooking Camp Aug 16, 17 & 18 11am to 1pm ages 11 & up $90/child

Serving Up Local “Good” News Since 1997

The Sunken Well Tavern

Front Porch Fredericksburg

The General Store

Restaurant

Since 1978

374-0443 www.shopwhittingham.com 1021 Caroline Street

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

371-4075 2018 College Ave. Fredericksburg

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

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

CALENDAR of events

august 2016â&#x20AC;Ś Dog days of summer, Back to school shopping Monday, August 1

Jeni & Billy, Appalachian folk & bluegrass. Music on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 7-8pm

Tuesday, August 2

The Adaptations Music Tuesdays Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

@Bistro

Wednesday, August 3

"War Comes to Church", Explore the roles the church played and the events that shaped the church's life with National Park Service ranger and lecturer Steward Henderson at 7-8pm Sponsored by St. George's Docents. 905 Princess Anne St. Contact (540) 373-4133 ben.hicks@stgeorgesepiscopal.net Open Mic at the Rec Center 8 pm .Scott Wagner hosts the coziest and best sounding open mic in Fredericksburg. Sign up starts at 7, music at 8. 213 William St. Trivia Night w/quizmaster Josh Cameli @Sunken Well Tavern. 7:30pm. Get there early to get a seat! 720 Littlepage St. Live Music @LaPetite Auberge, 311 William St, 8midnight. . No cover. lapetiteaubergefred.com

Thursday, August 4

The Life and Films of Martin Scorsese: An examination of this current famous Hollywood director who has directed such films as Taxi Driver, Good Fellas and The Departed. Film clips showing Scorsese's full body of work will be shown as well as fascinating commentary by veteran film lecturer Gary Olsen. 6:30-8:30pm, CRRL Red Light Rodeo Live Music at 7:30 Kenmore Inn. featuring drink specials at the copper top bar

First Friday August 5

Summer Sizzle Show. Artful Dimensions Gallery, 911 Charles St. "Beyond the Skyline" features new works by artist, Kathleen Willingham throughout August., Brush Strokes Gallery

810 Weekend Gallery 6-8:30 pm. new works by Beverley Coates (watercolors), Penny A Parrish (photography) and Lynn Abbott (acrylics and oils). 810 Caroline Street open from 10-5 daily. An artist is on site every Saturday. The Embassy Cigar Lounge presents Maryann & Anthony live This fabulous duo will be performing as part of our first Friday Live Music series. No cover charge. Join us for a premium cigar and some outstanding music. The lounge opens at 2PM on Fridays and the music starts at 6. 3987 Jefferson Davis Hwy Fredericksburg, VA 22554 History at Sunset @ Chatham Manor an annual program held by the park during the summer season. Every Friday evening at 7 p.m., park historians will lead a tour or special program in the park or the surrounding area. tours focus on areas rarely visited or stories rarely told.7pm, Colonial Tavern present JoJo Bayliss & Fast Heart Mart

Saturday, August 6

Bluemont Concert Series, at Maury School Stadium, 7:30pm $ The Flaming Shillelaghs tradition celtic music

Monday, August 8

Moch Pryderi, Celtic music of Wales, Music on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 78pm

Tuesday, August 9

Open Mic Music Tuesdays @Bistro Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

Wednesday, August 10

Open Mic at the Rec Center 8 pm .Scott Wagner hosts the coziest and best sounding open mic in Fredericksburg. Sign up starts at 7, music at 8. 213 William St. Trivia Night w/quizmaster Josh Cameli @Sunken Well Tavern. 7:30pm. Get there early to get a seat! 720 Littlepage St. Live Music @LaPetite Auberge, 311 William St, 8midnight. . No cover. lapetiteaubergefred.com

Thursday, August 11

Brandon Snellings, Live Music at 7:30 Kenmore Inn. featuring drink specials at the copper top bar

Friday, August 12

History at Sunset @ Chatham Manor is an annual program held by the park during the summer season. Every Friday evening at 7 p.m., park historians will lead a tour or special program in the park or the surrounding area. These tours focus on areas rarely visited or stories rarely told.7pm

Saturday, August 13

Farmers Market, Hurkamp Park, 9am-2pm

Sunday, August 14

Critters, Etc: Ed King and Cathy Herndon Art Show @ UUFF Gallery 25 Chalice Circle Fredericksburg, VA 22405 10am-12pm , 10am-3pm

Trolley Winery Tour,visit local wineries Eden Try Estate & Winery, Lake Anna Winery, Mattaponi Winery, Wilderness Run Vineyard, and enjoy a day of fun, wine & a little history. Reservations required @ Fredericksburg Trolley.com, or 800979-3370 Sunday Funday Blugrass Jam @ The Sunken Well Tavern, 72 Littlepage, 7-9pm

Bluemont Concert Series, at Maury School Stadium, 7:30pm $ Dixie Power Trio - New Orleans funk and jazz

Monday, August 15

Join Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) for a Marsh Madness Paddle, Your ticket includes a kayak, PFD and paddle.8-12pm. (540) 373-3448. Please pre-register at www.riverfriends.org.

Tuesday, August 16

Workhouse Art Center is presenting its inaugural BrewFest. The event will feature nearly 100 craft brews by 30 breweries.The day will feature a dozen bands performing on three stages, numerous food trucks, lawn games, and of course, our artists will be in their galleries, which will be open for you to explore. 10am-6pm. 9518 Lorton Rd Lorton, VA 703-584-2900 Silk Painting Workshop @ Kingdom Inspiration Studio. This workshop will teach you how to build a stretching frame for your silk, what silk I recommend and why, how to apply silk dye in layers to obtain a variety of effects and how to apply several different techniques to make it more interesting. 11am-1pm. $ 1008 Sophia St The Fredericksburg Community Concert Band will be performing a concert of popular movie themes including The Music Man, Captain America March and other fan favorites at 7:30pm as part of the Vakos Live! @ the Pavilion concert series. Join us at the Merchants Square Pavilion at Spotsylvania Courthouse Village, 9010 Old Battlefield Blvd in Spotsylvania.

High School at Home: The Path to Success! @ HEAV Office and Resource Center, Teaching high school at home can seem like a daunting task-but the benefits of homeschooling during the high school years far outweigh the challenges! 10am -1pm, 2100 W Laburnum Ave Richmond, VA 23227, 804-278-9200. $ @Bistro

Wednesday, August 17

Thursday, August 18

Saturday, August 20

Farmers Market, Hurkamp Park, 9am-2pm

FXBG Jazz CollectiveMusic on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 7-8pm

The Kingbolts, Music Tuesdays Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

Friday, August 19

Harry Wilsin, Live Music at 7:30 Kenmore Inn. featuring drink specials at the copper top bar

Bluemont Concert Series, at Maury School Stadium, 7:30pm $ Matuto - Appalachian Brazilian funk Botanical Portrait Class @ Kingdom Inspiration Studio, n this five hour class, you will learn ways to improve your flower photos and have fun in the process, 1008 Sophia St.

Sunday, August 21

Critters, Etc: Ed King and Cathy Herndon Art Show @ UUFF Gallery 25 Chalice Circle Fredericksburg, VA 22405 10am-12pm Trolley Winery Tour,visit local wineries Eden Try Estate & Winery, Lake Anna Winery, Mattaponi Winery, Wilderness Run Vineyard, and enjoy a day of fun, wine & a little history. Reservations @ Fredericksburg Trolley.com, or 800-979-3370 Songfest Sundays: Red Light Rodeo @ John Lee Pratt Memorial Park. 120 River Rd Fredericksburg, VA 22405. 5-7pm $ Sunday Funday Blugrass Jam @ The Sunken Well Tavern, 72 Littlepage, 7-9pm

Monday, August 22

Wylder, Indie Folk Trio, Music on the Steps.Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 7-8pm

Tuesday, August 23

Tonya Lazenby-Jackson Trio Music Tuesdays @Bistro Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

Wednesday, August 24

Open Mic at the Rec Center 8 pm .Scott Wagner hosts the coziest and best sounding open mic in Fredericksburg. Sign up starts at 7, music at 8. 213 William St.

Saturday, August 26

Farmers Market, Hurkamp Park, 9am-2pm

Sunday, August 27

Trivia Night w/quizmaster Josh Cameli @Sunken Well Tavern. 7:30pm. Get there early to get a seat! 720 Littlepage St.

Critters, Etc: Ed King and Cathy Herndon Art Show @ UUFF Gallery 25 Chalice Circle Fredericksburg, VA 22405 10am-12pm , 10am-3pm

Live Music @LaPetite Auberge, 311 William St, 8midnight. . No cover. lapetiteaubergefred.com

Sunday Funday Blugrass Jam @ The Sunken Well Tavern, 72 Littlepage, 7-9pm

Thurday, August 25

Monday, August 20

Pickers Songwriters Workshop, Pickers Supply Upstairs, 7pm. Bring your instrument, 5 copies of your song. Call Tres @540-429-0999 for more info. Dangerous Kitchen, Live Music at 7:30 Kenmore Inn. featuring drink specials at the copper top bar

Friday, August 26

Cat Point Creek Kayak Krawl, 10am-3pm, Friends of the Rappahannock is partnering with Menokin Foundation to host a tour of the new Cat Point Creek Water Trail. Your ticket includes a kayak, PFD and paddle. 540) 373-3448, x. 117. Please preregister at www.riverfriends.org/events. $ History at Sunset @ Chatham Manor is an annual program held by the park during the summer season. 7 p.m., park historians will lead a tour or special program in the park or the surrounding area. These tours focus on areas rarely visited or stories rarely told.7pm Martina McBride at Celebrate Virginia After Hours @ Marks & Harrison Amphitheater, 7pm. www.CelebrateVirginiaAfterHours.com, or by phone at 804-423-1911. Marks and Harrison Amphitheater, 8030 Gordon W. Shelton Blvd. Silk Painting Workshop @ Kingdom Inspiration Studio. This workshop will teach you how to build a stretching frame for your silk, what silk I recommend and why, how to apply silk dye in layers to obtain a variety of effects and how to apply several different techniques to make it more interesting. 11am-1pm. $ 1008 Sophia St

Davis Bradley, Bluegrss, Music on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 78pm

Tuesday, August 30

3-Act Showcase, Music Tuesdays Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

@Bistro

If you are reading this 229th issue of FPF, thank an advertiser as we celebrate our 20th year of continuous publication! If you are an advertiser, list your events. Deadline for September 2016 issue is August 20th. To submit events go to frontporchfredericksburg.com/submit

2938 Fans (& Growing) Want You to Join

Front Porch on www.riverfriends.org 16

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

540-373-3448 front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

CALENDAR of events

august 2016â&#x20AC;Ś Dog days of summer, Back to school shopping Monday, August 1

Jeni & Billy, Appalachian folk & bluegrass. Music on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 7-8pm

Tuesday, August 2

The Adaptations Music Tuesdays Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

@Bistro

Wednesday, August 3

Thursday, August 4

First Friday August 5

Summer Sizzle Show. Artful Dimensions Gallery, 911 Charles St. "Beyond the Skyline" features new works by artist, Kathleen Willingham throughout August., Brush Strokes Gallery

Saturday, August 6

Bluemont Concert Series, at Maury School Stadium, 7:30pm $ The Flaming Shillelaghs tradition celtic music

Monday, August 8

Moch Pryderi, Celtic music of Wales, Music on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 78pm

Tuesday, August 9

Open Mic Music Tuesdays @Bistro Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

Wednesday, August 10

Thursday, August 11

Brandon Snellings, Live Music at 7:30 Kenmore Inn. featuring drink specials at the copper top bar

Friday, August 12

Saturday, August 13

Farmers Market, Hurkamp Park, 9am-2pm

Sunday, August 14

Critters, Etc: Ed King and Cathy Herndon Art Show @ UUFF Gallery 25 Chalice Circle Fredericksburg, VA 22405 10am-12pm , 10am-3pm

Bluemont Concert Series, at Maury School Stadium, 7:30pm $ Dixie Power Trio - New Orleans funk and jazz

Monday, August 15

Join Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) for a Marsh Madness Paddle, Your ticket includes a kayak, PFD and paddle.8-12pm. (540) 373-3448. Please pre-register at www.riverfriends.org.

Tuesday, August 16

Wednesday, August 17

Thursday, August 18

Saturday, August 20

Farmers Market, Hurkamp Park, 9am-2pm

FXBG Jazz CollectiveMusic on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 7-8pm

The Kingbolts, Music Tuesdays Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

Friday, August 19

Harry Wilsin, Live Music at 7:30 Kenmore Inn. featuring drink specials at the copper top bar

Sunday, August 21

Monday, August 22

Wylder, Indie Folk Trio, Music on the Steps.Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 7-8pm

Tuesday, August 23

Tonya Lazenby-Jackson Trio Music Tuesdays @Bistro Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

Wednesday, August 24

Open Mic at the Rec Center 8 pm .Scott Wagner hosts the coziest and best sounding open mic in Fredericksburg. Sign up starts at 7, music at 8. 213 William St.

Saturday, August 26

Farmers Market, Hurkamp Park, 9am-2pm

Sunday, August 27

Trivia Night w/quizmaster Josh Cameli @Sunken Well Tavern. 7:30pm. Get there early to get a seat! 720 Littlepage St.

Critters, Etc: Ed King and Cathy Herndon Art Show @ UUFF Gallery 25 Chalice Circle Fredericksburg, VA 22405 10am-12pm , 10am-3pm

Live Music @LaPetite Auberge, 311 William St, 8midnight. . No cover. lapetiteaubergefred.com

Sunday Funday Blugrass Jam @ The Sunken Well Tavern, 72 Littlepage, 7-9pm

Thurday, August 25

Monday, August 20

Friday, August 26

Davis Bradley, Bluegrss, Music on the Steps.Summer Concert Series at Hdqrtrs Library 78pm

Tuesday, August 30

3-Act Showcase, Music Tuesdays Bethem309 William St. 7-11pm

@Bistro

2938 Fans (& Growing) Want You to Join

Front Porch on www.riverfriends.org 16

August 2016

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540-373-3448 front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

history’s stories

OUR HERITAGE

AQUIA LANDING By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Located at the junction of the Potomac River and Aquia Creek is a beautiful quiet shallow water area known since the early 1800’s as Aquia Landing. Aquia Landing was an important docking area for boats coming in from Washington and further north. The transfer of goods to wagons for travel south as well as passengers made the trips much shorter. As the Richmond Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad expanded it would terminate at Aquia Landing. A trip from Richmond to Washington that normally took 38 hours overland could be completed by rail and steamboat transfer at Aquia in just 9 hours. As the clouds of war hung over Virginia Confederate guns fired on Union boats in May of 1861 at Aquia. The Southern Army abandoned the Aquia area in 1862, which allowed the Union army to take over the area and expand the wharves and build a storage area for supplies. The area was destroyed and rebuilt by both North and South several times during the Civil War which demonstrated how important it was to both sides. The landing was of primary importance to General Ambrose Burnside during the Fredericksburg battle as a main supply depot

Aquia Landing was known to be one of the “Early Freedom Routes” for slaves, one of the more famous being Henry “Box” Brown. A slave who packed himself in a large crate and mailed himself too freedom by train. Steamship and finally wagon for over twenty-seven hours. He finally reached Philadelphia a free man. Several thousand made their way to freedom by way of Aquia Landing during the Civil War.

Aquia Landing 1860 The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad was extended across Aquia Creek in 1872 that completed the trip from Richmond to Washington. Today Aquia Landing is a serene place for boating activities where you can go and let your imagination vision all the many historical activities that took place there. In memory of Freeman Funk. and Jerry Slivinski Tuffy Hicks unearths little known facts about FXBG each month in this space.

A monthly look at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center collection

Glory Days Along Route 1 it’s county fair time! By Wanda Deitemeyer It’s county fair time! Let’s play a trivia game about fairs!: Where can you find a Grand Stand Badge for the Fredericksburg Fair from 1920? What famous performer’s parents met at the Fredericksburg Fair? Where can you find an exhibition badge from 1926?

Going to the county fair when I was growing up in Northwest Ohio was a BIG deal! My Dad would never take a day off work even when there were ten foot snow drifts. When it was time for the county fair he would take the entire week off! There were the livestock exhibits including the years when my brother and I had cattle to show and exhibit. There were also flower arranging, canning and cooking awards, and sewing awards. And of course the carnival games and rides. The ice cream shop in town used to have a cart at the fair that sold chocolate covered ice cream on a stick. If you bit into your ice cream and it was pink inside you got another one free. One year my Dad got three pink ones in a row! And there was the lemon shake truck. This was run by our school band boosters. They’d put ice, sugar, water and lemon halves in a big paper cup, shake it up until it was lemonade. It was very refreshing on a hot summer day. Our county fair was the week of Labor Day and school started the day after Labor Day. Many of the boys wouldn’t start school until the fair was over if they had livestock to take care of at the fair. A local hamburger joint would always buy the grand champion cattle. The 4-H clubs in the area were invited to

the restaurant for free hamburgers and milk shakes. One of the favorite entertainments at the fair was the greased pig event. This is exactly what it sounds like. Pigs were greased with something very slippery and people ran around trying to catch them. Tractor pulls were and are very popular. My sister lives about 3 miles from the fairgrounds but can clearly here the engine roar and the shouts of “Full Pull!” There are many fairs in our area. The Fredericksburg Fair is one of the oldest in the nation. It was established by the House of Burgess in 1738. It was originally a time to sell cattle, provisions, goods, wares, and other kinds of merchandise. The nearby Prince William County Fair is one of the largest in Virginia. It was begun in 1949 by veterans of World War II. We are so lucky to be close to the Virginia State Fair-only 30-45 minutes away! This is all the local and county fairs on steroids and held at Meadow Event Park which is the birthplace of super horse, Secretariat. So where can you find the answers to the trivia questions? They are all at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center on Barton Street in Fredericksburg. The Grand Stand Badge from 1920 is in Emeline Stearn’s scrapbook, the exhibition badge is in the Lucy Kendall Hearn collection and Wayne Newton’s parents met at the Fredericksburg Fair.

Wanda Deitemeyer is a Heritage Center volunteer.

Old Town’s Greatest Tour

Central Rappahannock Heritage Center

35 Monuments, Markers, & Attractions AND the Fredericksburg Battlefields Weddings Reunions Shuttles Parties Group Outings

Virginia’s only Regional Archive The Heritage Center

August 2016

Maury Commons 900 Barton St 540-373-3704; crhc@verizon.net Front porch fredericksburg

Then & Now

Fredericksburg

Fredericksburgtrolley.com

540-898-0737

By Tom Conway on the right stands the Battlefield Restaurant, formerly known as Bonnie’s Grill, built in 1953. Just beyond that, Mr. Dee’s operates in what was once a Hardee’s. As you turn left onto Princess Anne, after noting the Purina Tower and train station on your right, you’ll see Dixie’s Hair Studio, which was once a gas Princess Anne Street back in the day. station and convenience store. A few blocks Driving north on I-95 through further along stands the once elegant Spotsylvania County, people can’t help but Princess Anne Hotel, where Davenport and notice when the Fredericksburg skyline Associates now has its offices. A bit comes into view. further along, you’ll see the “Wow,” they say. “That’s really Fredericksburg Museum on the right, in an ugly.” A few minutes later, they pass the ornate brick building that was once the Planter’s Bank, and if you look down huge sign for Central Park, bigger than William Street from there the Recreation any signs for the other Central Park in Center will be in view, offering chili dogs New York City, which has no big box and pool since 1940. retailers or convenient parking. A bit further on, you’ll pass the The best part of our beautiful former home of the Otter House, once the city, though, is invisible from the

The modern-d day Fredericksburg skyline, as seen from I-9 95 interstate, and if you do choose to exit on to Route 1 after seeing that landscape of signs for hotels, gas stations, and fast food, you will continue to be unimpressed. Route 1 through Fredericksburg is a busy stretch of traffic lights, strip malls, car dealerships, and clutter. But it hasn’t always been that way. Once upon a time, Route One passed through the heart of our city, down Lafayette Boulevard and Princess Anne Street. Back then, Route 1 connected all of the major cities on the east coast, and was the only route from Maine to Florida, and all of those drivers were routed straight through town. As a result, Route 1 had a huge impact on the landscape. In fact, it could be argued that Route 1 created more local landmarks than any previous historic era. For example, as you enter town, then as now, you pass the Fredericksburg battlefield and cemetery on the left, and

Palm Grill, a fine dining establishment that had a large room upstairs offering big band music and dancing. Next door, now a store called Hooked, was the Occidental Restaurant. As you continue through town, other sites roll by. The Inn at the Old Silk Mill and the Stratford Hotel, which is now the General Washington Executive Center, were both common stops. The 2400 Diner, built in 1955, also hailed travelers along old Route 1. And, of course, on the left, stands Carl’s Frozen Custard, the Route 1 era landmark that every Fredericksburg visitor since 1947 seems to know and love. It’s also the perfect place to end this tour.

Tom Conway is a local writer who teaches 7th grade English at Thornburg Middle School.

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

history’s stories

OUR HERITAGE

A monthly look at the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center collection

Wanda Deitemeyer is a Heritage Center volunteer.

Old Town’s Greatest Tour

Central Rappahannock Heritage Center

35 Monuments, Markers, & Attractions AND the Fredericksburg Battlefields Weddings Reunions Shuttles Parties Group Outings

Virginia’s only Regional Archive The Heritage Center

August 2016

Maury Commons 900 Barton St 540-373-3704; crhc@verizon.net Front porch fredericksburg

Then & Now

Fredericksburg

Fredericksburgtrolley.com

540-898-0737

Tom Conway is a local writer who teaches 7th grade English at Thornburg Middle School.

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Companions

Emancipated Patients

Patience, Puppy Dog

is healthcare promotion ok?

By wendy schmitz

by patrick neustatter, MD

I have always credited my first dog with teaching me patience. Cody was very frustrating when I rescued him as a pup, and more than once I thought about returning him to the shelter. In the end, we ended up sharing 14 years together that I wouldn't trade for anything. He turned out to be the best dog I have ever known and the best friend a person could ask for, but I always considered his greatest accomplishment teaching me patience. I'm not sure if I lost the patience when he died or I just became a busier adult stretched in many directions, but it is apparent to me that whatever patience I had is all but gone and I long for Cody to come back from the spirit world to guide me back to safer waters. I am about to have a second baby; we already share our home with 4 big dogs and our 16 month old son. So to say I don't have time is an understatement. Between working full time, kissing boo boos, cooking dinner, and doing everything else, my poor dogs have taken somewhat of a back seat. None more than my youngest boy, Backup. This dim-witted dog is young and in need of more training and more patience from me. Every day he is kind enough to remind me of this fact as he harasses my son into sharing food, stands on my feet for attention, and eats carpet when he is bored. I finally understand what all my dog-training clients were talking about when they told me they just didn't have time for training. I remember foolishly thinking, "Well make time, this is important", and while I was right, so were they. So instead of Backup getting the extra time he needs to become a good boy, all he gets are my grumpy looks, loud words, and excessive time outs. It isn't his fault he didn't get all the training he

August 2016

needed. It isn't his fault I work a lot. It isn't his fault all our lives changed with the arrival of our son. Nope, none of it is his fault, yet he has to suffer the consequences. This is the sad plight of many dogs, and my own advice over the year's rings in my ears constantly, "it isn't their fault, you need to be more patient". So I am setting out to find patience this month, patience with my dogs, my sons, my husband, and my life in general. The dogs are probably the easiest place to start. Here is a good plan for busy folks. I suggest you can make change by doing pretty much the same things, in the same time, but by acting more deliberately and thoughtfully. For example, we feed the dogs twice a day. We have them sit and wait for their food, now they will sit, down, and wait. The extra command increases contact, training, and results in better responses to commands going forward, and it only took 5 more seconds. Another example would be instead of just letting them in the house I will have them sit and down before coming in. Again, this increases awareness of words, slows down the stampede of dogs, and results in less frustration for all of us. This method isn't quick. I'm not going to lie to you and say you'll see results over night. What I am saying is if you slow down just a little bit and be patient you will see change. In the end I realized that losing my patience with Backup actually took more time and energy than it would have to just teach him my expectations to being with. Now if someone has advice for patience with husbands, I'm all ears * wink wink*. Wendy Schmitz and family now live in Colorado. She writes for us periodically.

Front porch fredericksburg

Wills and Trusts Provide for Incapacity Trusts for Minor Children Wealth Preservation Trusts Avoid Probate AhearnEstateLaw.com

540/371-9890

Those fuddy-duddys at JAMA Of course this was just a “free Internal Medicine are pouring cold water lunch” to us. We are hard-headed, on one of the few perks we doctors get objective men of science. We aren’t going these days – the Drug Dinner. to prescribe some mediocre medicine just Until 2008 you could get all sorts because someone bought us a pork chop – of perks from the drug reps (those sirens are we? that come to visit you in the office all too Coercible Doctors and Patients frequently) – even trips to ski resorts or tropical venues in the name of continuing Well that’s where I may be medical education, where they plugged wrong. their product. The study reported in June 20th Then in 2008 most of the drug 2016 JAMA Internal Medicine shows that companies signed on to an agreement to doctors preferentially prescribed blood cut back on these junkets. The exception pressure medicines Bystolic and Benicar, was the continued to wine and dining drug cholesterol medicine dinners - which I hasten to Crestor and point out are about Pristique antidepressant The study reported in drugs, and do not involve rather than equivalent June 20th 2016 the consumption of same. cheaper drugs in those One of the more JAMA Internal Medicine shows categories if they were notable dinners, that doctors preferentially treated to a meal from sponsored by Novartis, the drug company prescribed blood pressure was about Zelnorm a promoting those medicines Bystolic and claimed miracle treatment products. Benicar, cholesterol medicine for irritable bowel And a meal Crestor and antidepressant syndrome (that has since costing as little as $20 Pristique rather than been withdrawn or less (if the meal cost equivalent cheaper drugs in more or there were incidentally). We were at some those categories if they were multiple meals, doctors shi shi restaurant in treated to a meal from the were even more likely to Fredericksburg and the preferentially prescribe drug company promoting speaker was passing these medicines). those products. round glossy pamphlets And a New York Times illustrating the Bristol Stool report claims, nearly two thirds of doctors Scale. (showing the whole range from accept routine gifts of food – so a lot of “sausage with cracks” through “no solid coercive schmoozing. pieces”) You might wonder at combining Advertising Cancer Care this with dinner, but it’s a skill you learn Then in the Philadelphia Inquirer at medical school. To contemplate the on July 12th there was a report noting vilest of subjects while eating. It’s a that countrywide, advertising by cancer tradition. centers has more than tripled from $54 We took it all in stride and ate million in 2004 to $173 million in 2014. heartily - while our flagrantly gay, Top-of-the-pops was Cancer Centers of irreverent, physician assistant cracked America who spent $101.7 million. jokes about “pictures of your children.” Incidentally, 7 of the 10 hospitals

ble at Availa n.com Amazo

they cited are nonprofits – who don’t pay taxes of course. I leave you to ruminate on the implications of this sort of virtual use of your tax dollars. You might not see the connection, but both of these forms of promotion are normal practice in any other industry. Drumming up as much business as possible is OK – or even commendable. My question is, is there something fundamentally different about the healthcare market that makes this kind of behavior not OK? Patrick Neustatter is the Medical Director of the Moss Free Clinic. Read his book, "Managing Your Doctor, The Smart Patient's Guide to Getting Effective, Affordable Healthcare", available at Amazon.com

Renew

10 reasons to work out by Joan M. Geisler Even when you have the best intentions, sometimes, it can be really, really hard to drag yourself to go workout. It is all too easy when you’re feeling tired, stressed, and your willpower is running dangerously low. 1. Here’s something to smile about: Exercise is a happiness booster! Endorphins. The link between exercise and happiness has been well-studied, and the results are very positive. One study from the University of Vermont found that just 20 minutes of exercise can boost your mood for 12 hours according to the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 2. Feeling fit can help you be your most confident self. Completing a tough workout, especially the ones you do when you’d much rather stay in bed, can give you a serious confidence boost. Sticking to your exercise plan can make you feel like you can take on the world. 3. Exercise can energize you. If you struggle with a touch of fatigue, exercise might be just what the doctor ordered. According to a study from the University of Georgia, the blood flow benefits from exercise help carry oxygen and nutrients to muscles, which helps them produce more energy. They found that even low-to-moderate intensity exercise for just 20 minutes a day, three days a week for six weeks can help with that can’t-keep-my-eyes-open feeling. 4. Working out reduces day-tto-d day stress. Sweating it out in the gym or anywhere is a known de-stressor. Harvard Medical School has shown that aerobic exercise helps curb stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline while also flooding your system with feel-good endorphins. It also ups the calming, good-mood brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine. 5. Exercise can also help manage anxiety and depression. When stress isn’t just stress, exercise can work wonders, too. There’s a host of research proving that people with anxiety

and depression can find major help in working out. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, regular exercise has been found to help with various anxiety disorders, including panic disorder and OCD. 6. Working out also keeps your immune system up and running, According to the American Council on Exercise, keeping up a steady fitness regimen can protect you from getting sick by keeping your immune system in tip-top shape. 7. Exercise can mean better sleep. Getting your workout in can also improve your sleep. In one study of 2,600 subjects, people who exercised at least 150 minutes a week (30 min x 5 days) reported a 65% improvement in sleep quality as well as better energy levels during the day, according to the National Sleep Foundation. 8. Fitness is a form of self-rrespect—show your body a little love! No matter what your reasons for getting your fitness on, there’s no doubt that working out is a way to respect your body. Hey, it does a lot for you! And you’ve only have one–so treat it like the amazing thing it is! 9. It might actually make you smarter While there’s no magic bullet that will turn you into a regular Einstein, there’s tons of research out there supporting the notion that exercise can make you smarter. Studies have shown that exercising can help you focus, improve your memory, and ward off dementia. 10. And most importantly, keeping up with a fitness routine can make you proud. Nothing beats that post-workout pride high—you came, you saw, you conquered. Only you can be empowered to take control of your health. If you need help starting or restarting, come to my website and I’ll give you some motivation with a free no obligation health coach consultation. www.8020lifefitacademy.com ~Joan

It’s always more fun in the Scenter of Town!

Essential Oils Liquid Herbs Reiki Reflexology Aromatherapy Custom Blending Aroma-Therapeutic Massage Harmonic Resonance Therapy Products ~ Services ~ Classes 907 Charles Street, Downtown thescenteroftown.com front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Companions

Emancipated Patients

Patience, Puppy Dog

is healthcare promotion ok?

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by patrick neustatter, MD

August 2016

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Wills and Trusts Provide for Incapacity Trusts for Minor Children Wealth Preservation Trusts Avoid Probate AhearnEstateLaw.com

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Renew

It’s always more fun in the Scenter of Town!

August 2016

Senior Care set limits By Karl Karch

The Natural Path Holistic Health Center

~Nature’s Sunshine Products ~Quantitative Fluid Analysis ~VoiceBio Analysis ~ionSpa Foot Detox ~Zyto Bioscan Compass Natural Products for Health & Wellness

NATURAL PATH treating the cause, not the effect

BY christina ferber

Barbara Bergquist, CTN Board Certified Traditional Naturopath

891-6200

www.thenaturalpath.us

4413 Lafayette Blvd. Fredericksburg

Becoming a family caregiver can caregivers over time become overwhelmed occur suddenly and without warning. Or, and experience some level of burnout it can evolve slowly over time. Regardless before admitting they need help. Some of how it occurs, it is often a life changing signs of stress or burnout are: anger, event that is emotionally, physically, fatigue, avoiding a loved one, irritability, spiritually, socially, financially, and changing sleep patterns, and depression. psychologically draining. The number of Only the caregiver can determine what people providing care for a loved one are they can or cannot handle, where to draw staggering. It is estimated that there are the line, and what boundary limits to set more than 43 million American caregivers in their caregiving relationships. It is also providing unpaid care exceeding $470 important to take breaks from caregiving If a billion annually and growing. by seeking regular support help or respite caregiver is not careful, he or she can put care. themselves at risk for serious health Open communications are key to problems. According to the Centers for setting boundaries with a loved one. One Disease Control, more than half of all simple, but effective way to caregivers say their personal express feelings is to use health worsens while caring the “I” word. For example: for a loved one. A recent It is important to take “I wish I was able to do study by the University of breaks from caregiving that for you, but by seeking regular Alabama at Birmingham unfortunately I’m not.” A found that a husband or wife support help daughter of one of our caring for a disabled spouse or respite care. clients said it best when has a 95 percent higher risk her mother resisted our of stroke due to being a services: “Mom, I want to be your caregiver compared to a non-caregiver. daughter again, not your caregiver. I Other health problems experienced think it’s time to hire Home Instead Senior include high blood pressure, diabetes, high Care to do the routine tasks of shopping cholesterol, heart disease, and weight and running errands. After the errands, I gain. On a personal level, my aunt died of can take you out to lunch so we can have a massive stroke while caring for my uncle some quality mother/daughter time who had Alzheimer’s disease. So, how does together.” Remember that caregiving is a a caregiver know when he or she can no marathon and not a sprint. The caregiver longer manage the caregiving tasks and has to identify how to not only care for still have a life of their own? their loved one but also how to balance It is important that family the demands of caregiving with the other caregivers make conscious decisions to parts of their life. This can best be take charge of their lives and make choices accomplished if reasonable limits are set that take into account their needs as well and agreed to by everyone involved. as the needs of their loved ones. Ideally, the time to discuss setting limits is at the Karl Karch is a local franchise owner of beginning of the caregiving process. But, Home Instead Senior Care, a licensed home care organization providing when a loved one’s cognitive or physical personal care, companionship and home health is declining, it is hard to say no helper services in the Fredericksburg and without feeling guilty. As a result, many Culpeper region.

August 2016

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Many of us reach for a pain reliever when we feel a headache coming on and our symptoms are often eased… for a little while. But what if there was a way to relieve those symptoms for good by looking at why they occurred in the first place? For almost 17 years, Doctor of Naturopathy, Barbara Bergquist has been treating the cause of our symptoms by sharing natural techniques and tools at The Natural Path. “People often come to me to help them get rid of a symptom, but that’s not what I do,” says Bergquist. “I help them regain their health by focusing on the cause of the issue. Then, through nutrition and lifestyle changes, our goal is to get the body healthy enough that it no longer expresses symptoms.” She uses a variety of tools to accomplish wellness and comes up with an individual health plan for each patient. When a client comes into The Natural Path for a consultation, Bergquist gets an overall picture of their health with a Quantitative Fluid Analysis and Iridology. The Quantitative Fluid Analysis determines the PH level of the body and any imbalances that may be occurring, while Iridology involves looking at the iris in order to see what is going on in the body. Each person has different discolorations, textures and markings in their eye and by looking at these, Bergquist can determine what they may be predisposed to in regard to their health.

“Iridology is almost like looking into the body with an x-ray machine. All of the organs and systems have been mapped out, and once I know what a person may be predisposed to, we can do maintenance type activities in order to keep them in balance,” says Bergquist. Once she has figured out a plan, that includes nutrition counseling and possible herbal supplements or homeopathic treatments, clients usually receive VoiceBio Analysis at their follow up visit. Bergquist mentions that each of our organs and systems has a specific vibrational frequency and by using the VoiceBio technology, she can determine which systems are not receiving enough energy. “What I often see is many organ systems with little or no energy and it usually has a lot to do with nutrition,” she says. “But once people begin making even small nutritional changes, they start to feel better because their cells are getting the energy that they need.” Along with a store full of herbs, supplements, homeopathic remedies and essential oils, The Natural Path also offers NSP Compass Assessment and IonSpa Foot Detox. Compass Assessment helps people find specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies by measuring stimuli response on the skin, almost like a lie detector test. It is helpful in determining what supplements might be needed for optimal health. IonSpa Foot Detox is a way to pull toxins out of the body by soaking the feet in a solution that produces negative ions. Bergquist mentions that this sometimes can result in lower blood pressure and blood sugar, but the goal is to prevent illness by ridding the body of unwanted free radicals. “There are four things that can make us sick: toxic overload, physical trauma, nutritional deficiencies, and mental and emotional stress. These are the roots of the problems that we experience with health and this is where I treat. Natural health is about living a healthy lifestyle to prevent disease. It’s a whole other way to look at health,” says Bergquist. The Natural Path is located at 4413 Lafayette Boulevard. You can also find out more at http://thenaturalpath.us/

Christina Ferber has been exploring alternative healths options for FP

Wellness The Advent of processed foods By christine H. Thompson, D.C. I feel a swelling of pride when I think of the many innovative and creative inventions and discoveries our country has contributed to the world and the selfless humanitarian efforts of Americans here and abroad. But when I think of how pervasive processed and fast foods have become in our country and America’s responsibility for the infiltration of processed foods around the world, it makes me cringe. Knowing what we know about processed foods, how has this happened? Back in the early 1900’s the general belief of professionals involved in nutrition was that there was little value in fruits and greens and that it generally cost more energy to eat them than was gained nutritionally from them. The first vitamin complex was not isolated from food until 1910 and the revolutionary idea that diseases could be caused by vitamin deficiencies was born. Despite that discovery, by 1920 food processing had become the largest manufacturing industry in the US. With the advent of processed and “enriched” foods, creating an abundance of food-like material laden with a few synthetic vitamins, modern medicine has taken the attitude that vitamin deficiency is no longer a factor in disease. Royal Lee, the founder of Standard Process, a whole food supplement company, saw things differently. By observing the negative health effects of processed foods on indigenous populations around the world he realized that there were constituents of whole foods that we have yet to isolate but that are necessary for health. Dr. Lee believed that we may never be able to discover and isolate all the nutrients in foods that are required for health and vitality and that we need to just eat the whole foods. Frustrated with his efforts to get people to eat whole foods, he invented the next best thing – a supplement made from the most nutrient dense foods he could find. During the 1920’s Dr. Lee revolutionized the supplement industry by inventing the specialized machinery to extract the water from food and convert whole foods to powders and pills without losing the nutrient value or adding any harmful ingredients. The processed food industry was born to satisfy the American desire for convenience and lower cost foods. From

1920 to 1925 the average weekly time devoted to meal preparation decreased by 30 percent. By 1975 the time spent in meal preparation and clean up was 10 hours per week compared to 44 hours per week in 1920. Cost is another subject altogether. There is a general perception that groceries are expensive and that organic foods are unaffordable. According to John Robbins, food industry whistleblower, in 1950 we spent 22% of our disposable income on food and in 2013 that figure was 9%. If you compare the cost of real, whole, organic foods with that of depleted, s y n t h e t i c , preserved and chemical-laden food-like material from the processed food industry, well, hopefully you get my point. The real question is, where do you want to spend your money? On the front end with nutrient-dense, chemicalfree whole foods or on the back end with the healthcare you will need to treat the diseases caused by nutritional deficiency and harmful chemicals? I once did an experiment with fast food. I got a hamburger and French fries from America’s favorite golden arches (no condiments) and set the bag on the kitchen counter for a month. No change. Closed it back up and left it for 6 months. You guessed! No change, aside from dehydration. The fries even still smelled like fries. No bugs ever touched it. There was no rotting, mold or any deterioration. That’s NOT food. Real food rots. My favorite food mantra is, “If it doesn’t rot or sprout, throw it out.” Christine Thompson is the owner of Whole Health Solutions. Contact her at 540-899-9421

Helping homeless children and families in City of Fredericksburg, Counties of Caroline, Stafford & Spotsylvania 540 371 0831

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Senior Care set limits By Karl Karch

The Natural Path Holistic Health Center

~Nature’s Sunshine Products ~Quantitative Fluid Analysis ~VoiceBio Analysis ~ionSpa Foot Detox ~Zyto Bioscan Compass Natural Products for Health & Wellness

NATURAL PATH treating the cause, not the effect

BY christina ferber

Barbara Bergquist, CTN Board Certified Traditional Naturopath

891-6200

www.thenaturalpath.us

4413 Lafayette Blvd. Fredericksburg

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Christina Ferber has been exploring alternative healths options for FP

Helping homeless children and families in City of Fredericksburg, Counties of Caroline, Stafford & Spotsylvania 540 371 0831

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Stories

Wild Things II

Name This House

of fredericksburg

New Exhibit by Robyn Ryan by ryan poe

By Suzanne Scherr Virginia, especially in Fredericksburg, Middleburg and Harrisonburg. Her work appears on local wine labels and festival glasses. This show will feature her acrylic layering technique, collage, mixed media and bronze sculpture. Time permitting, she also teaches and demonstrates her varied techniques throughout the region. How she has time for a "day" job remains a mystery. She explains that a windowless office only increases her appreciation for the magic of unexpected wild life sightings. To experience the wonder and calming effect of her work in person, additional details of the show are available by visiting www.artfirstgallery.com or calling 540371-7107. For more about the artist, please see www.RobynRyanArt.com.

break it. Just look and move on.’”

S HOP

FOR

G OOD ~ 806 C AR OLINE S T. F REDERICKSB UR G

Motivated to share the reassurance and peace she finds in nature, artist Robyn Ryan paints or sculpts animals glimpsed in the wild. From her studio in Fauquier County, Ryan also challenges herself to express the personalities and energy of the animals she depicts. Gratitude for living where intimate knowledge of nature is possible fills this new show at Art First , 824 Caroline St. Two years ago, "Wild Things I" was featured at the gallery. The artist anticipates this artistic focus to continue for the foreseeable future. At eight years old, Ryan began study with a National Watercolor Society artist. Decades later, she still participates in workshops and art retreats with artists she admires. Ryan's work has been in juried shows and galleries throughout

I recently met with Tom Sellers, a native to the Fredericksburg area. He told me about a visit from family. “It was my cousin, her three daughters, my brother, my sister, my brother-in-law... it was about twelve of us that got together and went down to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that big ice sculpture they have? It’s a huge enclosed building and people from China come and carve the whole thing out of ice. It’s amazing. The art is just amazing.” “We all get together and we went down there to the ice sculptures. You’re waiting in line, and they stop you before you go in the first room, and they show you a big video of how it’s made, where the people came from, how they stayed here, the money that was put into it, how important it was, and how much work it was. Then they give you the spiel, ‘Don’t touch the ice, don’t sit on the ice, don’t lean on the ice, don’t lick the ice. Don’t

“Woods Watcher”, Robyn Ryan

Opening Reception First Friday, August 5, 2016 from 6 pm to 9 pm Exhibit on View: Wednesday, August 3 through Monday, August 29

Suzanne Scherr is the Media Contact for Art First Gallery. She can be reached at: , 717-357-6198,or suzanne.scherr@att.net

“Blue Fox I”, Robyn Ryan

August 2016

“As we walk in, of course the first thing everybody wants to do is… touch the ice! ‘Is this really ice?’ So my brother-in-law, he’s a preacher in Richmond, good guy, always straight-laced, never gets in trouble. He was one of the first ones that reaches over and touches it. So me being the troublemaker that I am, I just screamed really loud, ‘YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH THE ICE! YOU TOUCHED THE ICE! YOU TOUCHED THE ICE!’ Everybody’s looking at him and he’s like, ‘Shut up, man, shut up!’ Of course everybody’s touching it.”

Front porch fredericksburg

Lexi Grogan’s Pet Sitting Service “Your pet becomes my pet while in my care, and I care a lot!” - Lexi (540-903-0437; lexig0892@gmail.com) On facebook as “lexi grogan’s pet sitting service” Prices: Dogs - $15 per canine per visit Cats - $12 per feline per visit

Better value, more love for your pet than if you kennel board him!

“We get about halfway through and everybody keeps saying, ‘Somebody should lick it. I wonder if your tongue would really stick to it?’ Finally my nieces look at me and they’re like, ‘Come on, Uncle Tom, come on. Do it! Do it!’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I’ll do it.’ So I licked a piece of the ice. Nothing happened and we moved on.” “So you get to the end of it and they had a great big nativity scene. It was huge and beautiful. At that section a lot of people were kind of quiet and looking at it. Some of them were praying. My brotherin-law, being a preacher, he was admiring it. He and my sister were sitting there looking at it.”

win downtown gift certificate Identify this mystery house and you could win a gift certificate from a downtown merchant. Here’s how: Email frntprch@aol.com, Subject: mystery house Identify house address Your name, address, email. Last Month’s House: 1205 Prince Edward St Winner of Gift Certificate from Lydia’s: Christopher Wilson, FXBG The poem below is a hint of the location of the mystery house. Good Luck! She Lives I sat with my back to the river,so tall and proud,at the end of town, forgotten for years like an old shoe, discarded and worn, my elegant balcony hidden from view. The vines and bushes started choking my walls, I cried for my long lost family of old, where my children played in the river so warm. Until one day when some sweet young babies,were walking by my river shore, when my elegant porch in the trees appeared. Vines were twisted and horrid,as I tried to call out in warning,"help me" I screamed, "I dream of a past of beauty and love, when Rhett and Scarlett danced on my front porch 'til dawn.". Small voices cried from behind the vines, "oh Mommy, oh Daddy, a house we have found, come see it is magic, so tall and proud, at the end of town." The rest is history you see, as the children now grownup still live with me, lifting me from mildew and ruin, to a life of love and renewal.

“I look over and I see the exits. There’s this young guy there. He’s got the coat on so that you could tell he works there. So I’m looking around, and I look at him, and I walk over to the young guy and I said, ‘Hey, will you do me a favor?’ He said, “What’s that?” I said, ‘See that guy over there?’ and I pointed at my brotherin-law, ‘Just walk over there and grab him by his arm and say, Sir, we have cameras in here and we saw you touch the ice and I need you to come with me.’ And to his credit, this guy played it perfect. He was like, ‘No problem, man. I got you.’ So he walks up to my brother-in-law, grabs his arm, and says, ‘Sir, we saw when you came in that you touched the ice. That’s a big no-no here. You need to come with me.’ Of course my brother-in-law is like, ‘What?! Are you serious?! I mean…really?!’ As he’s walking away he turns around and there I am standing to his left and as soon as his eyes meet mine he goes, ‘He licked it! That guy licked it!’” If you have a Story of Fredericksburg, email storyfburg@gmail.com. Ryan Poe is a father, husband, son, and brother living in Fredericksburg. He brings us "snippets" of real 'Burg folks each month in FP. Photo by Ryan Poe front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Stories

Wild Things II

Name This House

of fredericksburg

New Exhibit by Robyn Ryan by ryan poe

break it. Just look and move on.’”

S HOP

FOR

G OOD ~ 806 C AR OLINE S T. F REDERICKSB UR G

“Woods Watcher”, Robyn Ryan

Opening Reception First Friday, August 5, 2016 from 6 pm to 9 pm Exhibit on View: Wednesday, August 3 through Monday, August 29

Suzanne Scherr is the Media Contact for Art First Gallery. She can be reached at: , 717-357-6198,or suzanne.scherr@att.net

“Blue Fox I”, Robyn Ryan

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Better value, more love for your pet than if you kennel board him!

August 2016

Art in the Burg

FXBG Music Scene Fast heart mart & acoustic fire

Beyond the Skyline

by a.e.bayne

by norma woodward Many know and love her as an inspiring art teacher since she taught art in local public schools for forty years. Kathleen is now retired When she retired, she devoted herself to exploring her own art full-time. She says, "As I look back on my years of teaching art to young people and my efforts as an artist, I recognize that I have always searched for creative and meaningful learning experiences for myself as well as my students. I find that I have many visual statements to make. I constantly search for new outlets of expression and ways to develop my artistic growth. For this reason, I challenge myself by seeking opportunities to move in different directions with my work."

"Going Back to Ol' Virginia"

“Sunday Drive”

THE

FREDERICKSBURG LAMP Only Available At

The Copper Shop 371-4455 1707R Princess Anne

Kathleen Willingham is the Featured Artist at Brush Strokes Gallery for the month of August. She will have a new series of oil paintings on display that will continue to describe her love of nature and the visual surprises that happen every time you look to the sky. In this series of paintings she has focused on and attempted to capture some of the events that go on beyond the skyline/the horizon line and made an artistic interpretation of them. In the past year or so, Kathleen has been working on landscapes using pastel in which the emphasis was on the land and fields but as she surveyed her past work, she noticed that a lot was being said about clouds and dramatic skies. She decided to work in oil again and think more about the mood of the sky. Some of the images she has created are paintings of sunny warm summer bright skies with light cotton ball clouds, calm overcast partly cloudy conditions that almost become gray, early evening, sunsets, sunrises and clouds that may be threatening rain or other weather events. In some of the paintings she has referenced photos that she took and some are from her imagination. Kathleen feels that the skies are truly fascinating in all seasons with a variety of conditions and ever changing colors, cloud formations and activity. The mood and attitude of the landscape that is below the horizon line is affected by what is happening in the sky and in this series of paintings is not quite as important as what is going on in the sky.

Behind Silk Mill thefredericksburglamp.com 26

August 2016

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Kathleen’s fans will find her work not only at home at Brush Strokes but also in extensive juried shows as well as several regional galleries. Kathleen can be knwpaintz@gmail.com www.kathleenwillingham

reached or

Norma Woodward is a photographer and a is a member of Brush Strokes Gallery and FCCA

“Marsh Morning”

at at

Fast Heart Mart’s veins run rich with Virginia narrative. He’s missed his birth state, his family, and the rivers and wide variety of trees, which are scarce in his adopted home of California. It’s been three years since Fast Heart Mart last played the ‘Burg, years that have most recently included two months of touring through Europe. He is psyched to return to his beloved home state to open a show with his friend and celebrated local musician JoJo Bayliss at Colonial Tavern on Friday, August 5, 2016. It’s a line-up not to be missed by traditional and alt music fans alike. Fast Heart Mart and Bayliss have a mutual respect for one another’s music, and their styles are complementary. Fast Heart Mart describes Bayliss as a brilliant musician who creates passionate music with expert finesse. He says Bayliss puts his own spin on traditional rock and blues tunes, adding, “Joe and I have a lot in common in our outlook on life and music, so it's a pleasure to be sharing the bill with him.” Bayliss has similar praise for Fast Heart Mart, describing him as one of the most unique artists he has ever met. “Mart stays true to traditional aspects of bluegrass and folk, yet he maintains a very original style and sound of his own. He's an excellent entertainer with incredible talent, keeping his audience engaged from the very first note until the last.” Fast Heart Mart says his music expresses an immediacy of emotions and describes his songs as folk with punk attitude. He notes, “It’s where humor and beauty meet. I like to question the system a lot in my music, but I also like to make people feel good.” Though Fast Heart Mart’s shows have always incorporated audience involvement, he encourages them even more these days with calls to clap and sing along. He says, “People want to interact with the music. They want to have an

experience. Not everyone likes to dance; not everyone is a musician, but clapping and singing along can give them some musical expression at a live concert.” The most influential musician in Bayliss’s own life has been his father, Joe Bayliss, who has played with such legends as Charlie Daniels, Roy Buchanan, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis. He says his father turned him onto the music he plays today. Bayliss and his band are mainly influenced by music from the 1960s through the 1990s, covering styles as diverse as rock to surf to soul. He says, “The band's motto is 'Rock n Roll with a Whole Lotta Soul’. One of our greatest assets is taking a broad spectrum of wellknown covers and making them our own by adding our own personal twists and touches. ” Of the August 5th show, Bayliss says the audience can expect lightning-fast finger picking with incredible melodies. He adds, “Everyone on this lineup is extremely talented. The show is a special acoustic showcase featuring Fast Heart Mart, followed by my acoustic act, Acoustic Fire, with special guest guitarist Jonathan Wiley (Melodime Band) and Mark Willis on percussion. The audience should expect to hear four decades of their favorite songs played with melodic flair and high energy acoustic rhythms. It'll be a finger-pickin' good show!” Fans can find Fast Heart Mart and Bayliss online prior to the show. Fast Heart Mart’ website is www.fastheartmart.com , and he has music up on Spotify and Bandcamp. He documented his European tour at songsandwhisperstourdiary.blogspot.co m, and he’ll be fresh off the boat from Finland when he plays this show. JoJo Bayliss is on Facebook, ReverbNation

A.E. Bayne is a writer, visual artist and educator. She publishes the Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review.

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Art in the Burg

FXBG Music Scene Fast heart mart & acoustic fire

Beyond the Skyline

by a.e.bayne

"Going Back to Ol' Virginia"

“Sunday Drive”

THE

FREDERICKSBURG LAMP Only Available At

The Copper Shop 371-4455 1707R Princess Anne

Behind Silk Mill thefredericksburglamp.com 26

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

reached or

Norma Woodward is a photographer and a is a member of Brush Strokes Gallery and FCCA

“Marsh Morning”

at at

A.E. Bayne is a writer, visual artist and educator. She publishes the Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review.

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Porch Light

. . . . Stories that shine a light on life

THE POETRY MAN

lemon pie

- By Frank Fratoe

By kathyrn willis When I was young, my mother would make the most exquisite desserts, by hand, from fresh ingredients, with nothing artificial, and also by memory. Among my favorites of these was lemon meringue pie. Thin crust, tart-sweet creamy lemon custard, and peaked meringue, glistening with pearls of lemon essence that had risen to the top in the baking. No recipe, alas. So when she died, I lost the source of this intense culinary happiness. Years later, I am sitting at the table of friends in Frejus France. For dessert, lemon meringue pie. I take one bite of this perfection, and I am seven years old. My friend kindly shares the recipe. Now, I came to that French table because, early on, I discovered that there were other ways of speaking besides the language that I know. There was a floral print on the wall of our living room, inscribed with words I could not pronounce. Mother said it was in French. I was enthralled to learn that not only was there this other way to talk, but also that I myself was descended from French stock, by way of my mother’s Huguenot ancestors from Charleston, South Carolina. I now realize that Mother’s recipes were by rote from generations of women who expressed their creativity in part through their cooking. And that I was their true direct descendent. For me, that early self-awareness was life-changing, and began a life-long happy pursuit of all things French, and by extension, the wider world. Much of that pursuit has been charted by years of involvement with Fredericksburg’s sister city relationships—first with Frejus, France, and more recently with Este, Italy. Small towns near bigger, well known cities—much like Fredericksburg itself. And while that cultural connection brings a lot of joy, it also requires much personal involvement. Why, then, do I simply not just

book a tour? Why sister city? Why invest the effort, if travel is the goal? Because it’s more than that. Anyone with the means to hop on a plane and make a reservation can float down the Danube, and can see the ravens at the Tower of London. When we travel, we leave behind more than our everyday routines and the sight of what is familiar. We leave behind ourselves. In a sense, we also exit our own interiors, our own ordinary rotation of thinking, of accepting unconsciously that “this is how it is done,” of responsibilities to what we possess and to what we must do next, and how we must do it. By encountering the new at every turn, our senses, our thoughts, our very way of moving about in the world, are heightened by the experience. We place ourselves in new relationships with that which surrounds us. And in so extending ourselves in every moment, we gather to ourselves new awareness of what it means to be alive. And this sense of wonder and discovery is certainly present when we tour the world’s great cities. Yet, when we travel with groups of familiars, to international capitols, in transportation that is pre-arranged, in restaurants that are recommended for tourists, and in lodging that is reserved long in advance, in a sense we are still floating along in our own familiar, transparent bubble, looking out. How different it is to be welcomed in a small town, and by a host family. To share intensely rich espresso, small toasts and marmalade, early in the morning, at an intimate kitchen table. To discover what that family treasures about its own town—its cafes and open-air markets, fragrant with flowers and fish; its civic life, festivals and celebrations, its history and monuments and heritage. It is in this way, navigating the currents of their familiar lives—all fresh and new to us—that we begin to develop an appreciation of their own sense of place. When my husband and I were newlyweds and had the luck to spend

several weeks in France—albeit on the cheap—we bought two Guide Michelins: one in English (the smaller edition), and one in French. We compared the two volumes. We based our itinerary largely selecting those places that did NOT appear in the English. We sensed, even then, that the road less traveled rewards those who seek it with the authentic rather than the polished—the essence, the real thing. And therein lies one reward in establishing relationship with one small town, and with the people who live there. Personal friendship, welcoming community, and the sharing of ideas and interests with likeminded people a world apart. Through these relationships, we discover their way of being, their way of doing. And through that discovery, we also re-examine our own ways of being and doing. In the process, we learn a great deal about ourselves and our interior lives. We thus enrich our sense of self by awareness of the similar, and also of the different. The discernment leads to a sharper, clearer insight of our authentic selves. From the reflection, if we’re quiet and listen, may also emerge a conviction for self-actualization—our role in the world, and the invention of what is possible. We may not all sit down to a dinner and discover our past through the taste of lemon meringue pie. But we will discover. We will discover how we became ourselves, as the decades rolled down from our ancestors, or as we explore what draws us to a culture and heritage. We will discover what we already know intuitively through the lens of our own experience. And we will know ourselves all the better for it. As T. S. Eliot wrote, “And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.”

Kathryn Willis happily advocates for the local arts and culture

Join a Celebration (To Rob Grogan: In Memoriam) Inmost spirit will never be done conferring art, dance, or music with a rapture we may experience avowed by celebrants who give it.

Frank Fratoe lives & writes in the city. He has written poems from the heart for Front Porch for the past 7 years.

rs avo g l F 30 untin o &C

Lem

ona

Mon-Sat: 10a-6p; Sun: 1-5p 810 Caroline Sr. #104 ~ 540.899.3714 www.juspopn.com

Think About

Books, Games, Amusing Novelties

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

by georgia Lee Strentz

Lifeforce that brings this about will advance to something else in a slow but irreversible way pausing when it renews ourselves.

Something to

M-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 1pm-4pm

Dr. Donna Gamache

No one can see beauty near them if they withdraw from splendor To avoid our regard and impulse The spirit inside could engender.

Give a Child

empowerhouseva.org

FXBG’ERS

810 Caroline Street (540) 371-5684

"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9 Medical "Providers," dedicated, selfless, medical volunteers- along with regularly scheduled medical program students, lay volunteers, and paid staff make it possible for Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic to open its doors Monday through Friday, Tuesday/Thursday evenings since 1993. Paid staff includes Executive Director, Karen Dulaney, a team of Nurses, Pharmacy Department, Clinic and Volunteer Manager, Dental Coordinator, Eligibility Staff, other medical and administrative supports. These "Providers" are doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants medical professionals committed to serving community in an atmosphere of dignity and respect for those across the Fredericksburg region who likely have no other recourse than seek eligibility for medical treatment at Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic. The patients are people in our community from Fredericksburg, Stafford, King George, Caroline and Spotsylvania, our Fredericksburgers. Eligible Clinic patients are 18-65 years old, and have no or low income, and no insurance. Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic’s central feature is volunteerism. The Clinic provided 6,701 on-site general medical visits in 2015. The Clinic needs two (2) volunteer Providers forevery Tuesday

and Thursday evening Primary Care Clinic, every week, every month to treat scheduled patients that may otherwise be left to visit the ER. Without medical professionals giving their time after their own full day of work seeing patients, the Clinic would suffer in meeting its mission; “To improve the health and wellness of low-income, uninsured people through quality healthcare delivered in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.” The opportunity to visit the Clinic, speak with the Clinical Operations Director, and observe volunteer doctors after their own long day was heartwarming. Dr. Daniel Gray and Dr. Donna Gamache were scheduled volunteer Providers that evening. Dr. Gamache and I met for a conversation the next day at her Fredericksburg office. Dr. Gamache was raised on a farm in Maine. Her mother was a school teacher and her father, a principal. The family participated in community activities, grew their own food, stressed family values, and helped others around them. Donna participated in 4-H Club, cross-country track and Latin Club. Her brother is an ER nurse, her sister, a social worker. Donna has a son in college and a daughter heading out into the world. Imprinting family values on children seems to be a tradition in Dr. Gamache's family. Dr. Gamache confessed she enjoys seeing patients’ lives improve with medical services they receive at the Clinic. Why/how do Providers find time to volunteer, and what unique characteristic do they possess that gives them the desire to volunteer at Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic? I believed as I visited with Dr. Donna that if I were in need of a medical diagnosis and treatment I would want Dr. Gamache by my side. The unfortunate stories patients share remind her why she volunteers at Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic. It became instantly clear to me, without asking, why Dr. Gamache volunteers at the Clinic, she cares. Thank you, Dr. Gamache, for your dedication, and for giving gifts of your medial expertise and time to Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic as a volunteer Provider. "There but for the grace of God go I."

Georgia is a Fredericksburger who enjoys reading all about our town news in our "Front Porch

Mind Your Mind Bosom Buddies By Barbara Deal What we do with-our anguish is a manifestation of our selves. Despair or the vacillating undecided. Lifelong, we struggle. Some make art, giving voice to anguish for the rest of us. Mary Jane Bohlen is one, who is transforming her own suffering into self-reflections and universal truths. Sometimes, hope also emerges. Mary Jane had shared with me her plan to “photograph breast cancer survivors doing what they love” which has culminated in her book Bosom Buddies. This seemed the natural course for this nationally recognized multimedia artist. One can clearly see the touch of the artist, the beauty so deep and nearly hidden in her quiet earthy demeanor. Leaving Fredericksburg and her studio at LibertytownArts, Mary Jane moved to be near family after discovering a recurrence of breast cancer, another mastectomy. Time to focus, put it all where it should be. In her new town Mary Jane meandered into thrift shop that changed her, bridged her into the Gloria G e m m a foundation and the family of breast cancer. They became the subjects for her book. “Really it all started with that darned tree” Maryjane told me. She was inspired by that “gnarled and broken ancient oak tree, sacred to the Native American peoples. I saw a one-breasted woman in the trunk” and a “timeless beauty.” Who knew this image was prescient, leading to drawings, musings, aquatint, etchings and the book? Transformation. Superficially, Bosom Buddies seems small, too sparse to address the subject of breast cancer. But true art is as much about what is left out as it is what it includes. The cover dark, then shadows and grays starkly depicting figures, muscular, boney, gesturing, reaching overhead.”. “Archetypally, the onebreasted woman was a giant Amazon woman who purposely maimed herself of a breast to enable more effective bow/arrow shooting, hunting and warring. Strength and decisiveness from the Wound. At first subtle, although startling are these black and white portrayals. The bareness photographically and in words convey the beauty in bodies scarred, celebrated and some reconstructed, often self-redeemed and discovered. Depictions

are poignant, tender, and raw, showing ambivalence, regrets and (tentative or full blown) hopes. Here are meanings found, as they maneuver in and among these words: “lump” mammograms” “breast c a n c e r ” , “mastectomy” “ c h e m o ” radiation” “genetics.” The women talk of surgeries, and sometimes m a n y surgeries. Making hard c h o i c e s . Permanent and irreversible decisions. Relationships ended, altered, and begun. New friends discovered. Bonds formed or disrupted. Changed and not ruined. Proud, in the woods, tattooed, beside rocks, with a horse, and Mary Jane, herself, with boxing gloves, 2 rounds of cancer, later. The history of the breast cancer (the oppressive C-word) is relevant. In another era, was the belief that cancer was contagious. Women were “cautioned” for decades not to reveal the diagnosis. This left Mary Jane and others shamed, overwhelmingly lonely, and isolated. Instead of hiding their bodies, Bosom Buddies has taken these women from cultural mandates, inviting us to look at their bodies and selves to witness and honor their audacity. This is a beautiful, respectful and illuminating work about living, the subject matter that haunt us all. To purchase a copy of Bosom Buddies, contact Mary Jane Bohlen at emjay44@verizon.net or gloriagemma.org Barbara Deal MA, LCSW is a psychotherapist at Mental Health Resources, ( 540 ) 899-9826

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Porch Light

. . . . Stories that shine a light on life

THE POETRY MAN

lemon pie

- By Frank Fratoe

Kathryn Willis happily advocates for the local arts and culture

Join a Celebration (To Rob Grogan: In Memoriam) Inmost spirit will never be done conferring art, dance, or music with a rapture we may experience avowed by celebrants who give it.

Frank Fratoe lives & writes in the city. He has written poems from the heart for Front Porch for the past 7 years.

rs avo g l F 30 untin o &C

Lem

ona

Mon-Sat: 10a-6p; Sun: 1-5p 810 Caroline Sr. #104 ~ 540.899.3714 www.juspopn.com

Think About

Books, Games, Amusing Novelties

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

by georgia Lee Strentz

Lifeforce that brings this about will advance to something else in a slow but irreversible way pausing when it renews ourselves.

Something to

M-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 1pm-4pm

Dr. Donna Gamache

No one can see beauty near them if they withdraw from splendor To avoid our regard and impulse The spirit inside could engender.

Give a Child

empowerhouseva.org

FXBG’ERS

810 Caroline Street (540) 371-5684

Georgia is a Fredericksburger who enjoys reading all about our town news in our "Front Porch

front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Picker’s Alley New Performing Arts Venue in FXBG

Fredericksburg Sketches A visual Celebration of our community

By Casey Alan Shaw

Art Attack Returns for 5th season.... Recruits Needed

From My Porch Gathering Together without a plan

By gabe pons & Bill Harris

An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein @ Picker’s Alley On August 5th and 6th, Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble presents “An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein”at Picker's Alley .August 5 and 6 at 7pm. The play is described as a wildly irreverent and darkly comic collection of shorts.There's a lady with oatmeal in her purse and a father who gives his daughter a pony for her birthday, sorta. A couple explores their priorities and who really comes out on top of the family hierarchy ... when sharks surround the lifeboat. And we finally get even with the guy that makes up all those dumb sayings that assault us from novelty t-shirts. If this were a movie it would be rated R due to adult language and humor. Tickets are $10. Snacks, sodas, beer, and wine will be available for sale. For more information on the schedule of performances, volunteering or auditioning contact Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble (FTE) Executive Kimberly Leone Director. at fredtheatre@gmail.com visit them on facebook or their website at http://www.fredericksburgtheatre.org/

Productions like this are possible in part due to the 30,000 Jumpstart Grant Fredericksburg received from the Economic Development Authority to renovate the 80 seat performance space on the second floor of Picker’s Supply at 902 Caroline Street. .This grant will help FTE create a high-quality performing arts destination in downtown Fredericksburg. The space is the first physical home for FTE but it will also offer live music, performance space to other groups and educational programming. . The funds are being used to lease and upgrade the space on the second floor, improving the bathrooms and ADA accessibility, and generally making Picker’s Alley welcoming to the entire community. The group is also painting, installing seating and updating lights. Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble FTE is a 501c3 nonprofit, which under Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) code means the group may sell alcohol during performances, without having to be a restaurant. The profits from sales will be used to offset operational costs.

SKETCH #21: 1107 Princess Anne Street, The Charles Dick House. One of the great things I love about living in Fredericksburg is that when I'm going through listings to show houses, I not only get traditional new-style neighborhoods, but historic houses like these also show up as available. You might not be able to buy a national landmark like George Washington's mom's house, but you could buy another historic home and live right around the corner. How cool is that? The Charles Dick House on Princess Anne St. is one of the oldest homes in Fredericksburg (mid 1700s). Charles Dick was a merchant who supplied arms to the American Revolution. He was a business partner with George Washington's brother-in-law Fielding Lewis and George was a frequent visitor to the home. Grover Cleveland and Calvin Coolidge have also visited and, I'm told, Cary Grant filmed a few interior scenes here for a movie. Casey Alan Shaw is a local artist and Realtor. He exhibits his original artwork and limited-edition prints at Art First Gallery in downtown Fredericksburg and at www.caseyshaw.com.

606 Caroline Street Old Town Fredericksburg 373-7847 www.gemstonecreations.org

Frontporchfredericksburg.com FB@FrontPorch Magazine 30

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Tuesday - Saturday 10-5 Wednesdays until 6:30 and by appointment

Where Fredericksburg Gets Engaged

Show your support of Art Attack! Wear a limited edition T-sshirt on event day, Sept. 17 We are excited to announce the Fifth Annual “Art Attack” event taking place on Saturday, September 17 from 10am-4pm. For one day, artists of the Fredericksburg region will be demonstrating their creative talent on the sidewalks of Caroline and William Street in the city’s historic district. “Art Attack” is an annual event organized by local artists Bill Harris and Gabriel Pons to encourage the exposure, promotion, and celebration of Fredericksburg’s vibrant art community. Throughout the day, participating artists will take to the streets with live art demonstrations ranging in painting and ceramics to mosaic art and dance. The “recruits” of Art Attack range from students as young as grade school through adults, both professional and amateur, working in their chosen medium. What makes this event special is the inclusivity; participating artists don’t require a gallery affiliation or professional status, simply a willingness to execute their craft in the public realm. Typically artists are confined to their studios, garages, or bedrooms to create, whereas the Art Attack Project turns the city’s streets into the artists’ creative space and allows the public to peek into their world.

It’s part art performance and pop-up street spectacle. There is no fee to participate, however Art Attack Project encourage all participants and fans to support the event by buying a limited edition T-Shirt to wear during the day of the event. Tees ($18) are available at PONSHOP Studio and Gallery (712 Caroline Street) and LibertyTown Arts Workshop (916 Liberty Street). Recruits will be on their tour of duty throughout the Caroline Street corridor between Amelia and Charlotte Street (700 Block thru 1000 Block) and William Street between Sophia and Princess Anne (100 block thru 300 block). To enlist or volunteer in this year’s Art Attack Fredericksburg, simply visit the Art Attack website: www.artattackfred.com. Volunteers are needed to help photograph the event throughout the day as well as assist with staging the After Party. For more info Art Attack Facebook http://on.fb.me/PZ4mTf Bill Harris, billharrisart@comcast.net, 540-424-8157 Gabriel Pons, gpons@ponshopstudio.com 540-656-2215

By Jo Loving Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious. ~ Ruth Reichl I am a hybrid hostess, who enjoys both the well-planned feast and the impromptu gathering. There is one caveat: for a planned gathering, my house must be clean. Really clean. Eat-off-the-floor clean. My house is generally neat and clean, but for planned gatherings, I pull out the stops, and everything is worthy of inspection by a white-glove Downton Abbey type housekeeper. I’m also known as a person who can pull together an informal party within a couple of hours. When I was a single Mom of three teenagers, our home was the ‘neighborhood home,’ which I liked, because I knew where my kids were -important when you work at least two hours from home. I kept the house stocked with food to feed the army of teenagers. So what? What is the point of this discussion? Well, here it is. On Mother’s Day this year, I had an incident that involved me, a pair of ridiculously high, yet wonderfully stylish wedge sandals, a railroad tie, and a gravel parking lot. I emerged from the incident with a shattered wrist requiring surgery, pulmonary emboli, a sprained ankle, a rotator cuff injury, knee injury, four damaged teeth, and at least ten weeks of physical therapy. These injuries have forced me to forego my usual level of household attention. I canceled trips to visit my children and grandchildren. Even with loving expressions of support from family and friends, I felt alone, grounded, and exiled. My girls picked up on my

atypical despair, and both traveled with their families for visits. On the last day of the visit with my youngest daughter and her family, she casually mentioned that she had invited other family members over for the afternoon, that they would probably be hungry, and they were on their way. I love my family and everyone is welcome at my home at any time, but entertaining when I haven’t done my usual level of shopping or cleaning was a challenge. Terror of terrors! Ken wouldn’t be off work for a few hours. I had no idea what was in the pantry, and without the use of my left arm and hand, quick preparation wasn’t going to be easy. I pressed my daughter into service, and in about 40 minutes, we put together a little party with cheese, different types of crackers, veggies and dip, chicken salad on rolls, a little dessert, and a number of beverages. Guess what? No one cared that the house wasn’t inspection worthy. Everyone ate, everyone visited, and everyone had a good time. It was a wonderful reminder of what is really important -the gathering, the togetherness, the love. I wasn’t worried about every detail. Instead, I watched as my nephew was swinging all of the children around in the yard, like my Father once did with us. Cries of “do it again,” and giggly children filled the day in a scene I will never forget. I saw my daughter with her family, thoroughly enjoying her visit with her sweet cousin and his family, and I was filled with happiness. Gather round, folks, you don't need a plan. Jo Loving is working hard to regain her strength, wearing flat shoes, and is looking forward to the next unplanned gathering with friends and family. Come on by – we’ll make it a party.

donatelifevirginia.org dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#organs.asp front porch fredericksburg

August 2016

Picker’s Alley New Performing Arts Venue in FXBG

Fredericksburg Sketches A visual Celebration of our community

By Casey Alan Shaw

Art Attack Returns for 5th season.... Recruits Needed

From My Porch Gathering Together without a plan

By gabe pons & Bill Harris

606 Caroline Street Old Town Fredericksburg 373-7847 www.gemstonecreations.org

Frontporchfredericksburg.com FB@FrontPorch Magazine 30

August 2016

Front porch fredericksburg

Tuesday - Saturday 10-5 Wednesdays until 6:30 and by appointment

Where Fredericksburg Gets Engaged

donatelifevirginia.org dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#organs.asp front porch fredericksburg

August 2016