Front Porch Fredericksburg - March 2018 by Virginia Grogan

contents

closeups

history’s stories.: dennis cox’s relic our heritage: chatham bridge

seeking web designer

Tanya Richey ...inspired, innovative, intrepid

Senior Care: shingles

emancipated Patients: placebo

zolo ...byron glaser & sandra higashi

#fredstrong: winning a gold medal @62 It’s all energy: heart health

end of life doula

Downtown Dewey his life in the fast lane

mYSTERY hOUSE STORIES OF FXBG: joanie

art for park ponshop skatedeck exhibit

companions: look who’s talking

fredericksburg sketches

from my porch: Kindness ....good for your health

porch talk .

fort: playing with a passion

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

master gardeners: history worth repeating

I have a friend: beyond the classroom

wild & scenic film fest

Poetryman: spring migration

Vino: zinfandel’s identity

season’s bounty: march hare

cooking with kyle: avocado mayo dawn whitmore photos@eileen”s

billikens smoke house who says bbq can’t be fancy

16-17

Calendar of events

“Fort”... FXbg pure play place by meg sneed

...And more! 7

James “Jay” harrison 111 .nice guys finish first

concert of hope.....umw philharmonic all about color....carol iglesias

Cover: “Fredericskburg Awakens” By Pete Morelewicz

CARIBBEAN TEX-MEX RESTAURANT Fresh Made-To-Order Food Family Friendly Meeting Rooms/Private Parties Happy Hour/ 3 bars, 2 inside, 1 outside Outdoor Seating Overlooking Rappahannock River Catering/Take-Out www.donmoncho.com 1101 Sophia St, Fxbg, 373-0870 10151 Jefferson Davis Highway, Spotsy, 642-4204 2

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

you enter the first of their three spaces, otherwise known as their “Small World.” This first floor is devoted to “small world, sensory objects.” In Jodie’s own words, if you’ve ever wanted to crack open a snow globe and be able to play with the miniature world inside it – that is what she has created here; play scenarios that are

P LAYING W ITH A P ASSION

Fort may be the newest play space in town for local children, but its conception and growth has been as natural as the play it promotes. Tucked in a charming little building on Herndon Street in Downtown Fredericksburg, over by the Old Silk Mill, Jodie Vaughn (right) has been slowly and carefully creating Fort as a “place where play is offered in the setting that’s very accessible and beautiful and back to basic format” for children ages 3-8 to explore and play. Her attention to detail, thoughtfulness, and inherent understanding of a child’s desire for open, creative play has created a space like no other in town. Her mission, as she states it, is “Honoring the child, honoring their occupation of play, and wanting there to be something in Fredericksburg like this, because we really didn’t have anything.” Fort has certainly achieve this – the space welcomes you in, invites you to stay, and begs you to play – regardless of your age! When you first enter Fort (if you’ve managed to pass by the giant metal rings kids can’t help but swing between…and the actual porch swing!),

decorated by joyful toddlers during our visit there, and big wooden blocks and objects being enjoyed by kids of all ages as they worked together to create whatever they imagined. Jodie has picked every piece out and says that “all of our parts are very loose and layered, so there’s no one way to use the parts. They’re just making it their own – which is our hallmark here. We want the parts to be inspiring and provocative for children.” An enclosed yard encapsulates Fort’s third play-space, and while Jodie has big plans to add a “mud kitchen” and water tables this Spring, it is already a magical world all its own. A few pint-sized chairs and some logs are transformed into a campfire for an avid group of Kindergarten campers, while the nearby “Thicket” (which is woven from willow branches and resembles a friendly beehive perched on its stump) is buzzing with

realistic as well. She has very deliberately curated items for specific themes and changes them up every two weeks – “just often enough to allow repetition, which kids this age crave, but also keep it fresh.” This past week was a Valentine’s Themed week, complete with homemade playdoh scented with essential oils, cardboard confetti that just begged you to dig your hands into it, and hearts of every size and design. Climb the stairs to the second floor, and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the top of a treehouse. The space is filled with light, its very own “tree” installation that was repeatedly re-

activity as preschoolers and older are busy climbing in and out, exploring their environment, and using their discoveries to fuel their imaginations. These three spaces encapsulate the world of play that is Fort, a “sensory rich, fine-motor experiences in a setting that is very welcoming, comfortable, and beautiful,” and its roots are growing further out into the community. Fort hasn’t done a single bit of advertising since they opened four months ago, but word of mouth has already filled many of their play sessions each week. Jodie caps these “Pure Play” sessions (which happen Tuesday-Thursday) at 10 children each – a number which allows their space to be fully enjoyed without being crowded. Families can choose to register online at fortpureplay.com in advance for a 75 minute play session ($20/session), or they can purchase a monthly membership that allows them unlimited play sessions each month. They also have “Baby Yoga” each Tuesday, and are adding a new “Baby Band” class to run for 10 weeks starting in April. Jodie’s vision is, ultimately, to grow organically – following the needs of the community she’s growing. Fort 202 Herndon St, Downtown forpureplay.com

Meg is the practice manager at Old Dominion Osteopathic Medicine, community outreach coordinator for Fredericksburg Area CSA Project, a mom of 3 kids, and an ardent lover of all foods local, natural, and un-messed-with.

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

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

March 2018

contents

closeups

history’s stories.: dennis cox’s relic our heritage: chatham bridge

seeking web designer

Tanya Richey ...inspired, innovative, intrepid

Senior Care: shingles

emancipated Patients: placebo

zolo ...byron glaser & sandra higashi

#fredstrong: winning a gold medal @62 It’s all energy: heart health

end of life doula

Downtown Dewey his life in the fast lane

mYSTERY hOUSE STORIES OF FXBG: joanie

art for park ponshop skatedeck exhibit

companions: look who’s talking

fredericksburg sketches

from my porch: Kindness ....good for your health

porch talk .

fort: playing with a passion

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

master gardeners: history worth repeating

I have a friend: beyond the classroom

wild & scenic film fest

Poetryman: spring migration

Vino: zinfandel’s identity

season’s bounty: march hare

cooking with kyle: avocado mayo dawn whitmore photos@eileen”s

billikens smoke house who says bbq can’t be fancy

16-17

Calendar of events

“Fort”... FXbg pure play place by meg sneed

...And more! 7

James “Jay” harrison 111 .nice guys finish first

concert of hope.....umw philharmonic all about color....carol iglesias

Cover: “Fredericskburg Awakens” By Pete Morelewicz

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

P LAYING W ITH A P ASSION

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

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

March 2018

Sue Henderson

ON THE PORCH Guest Porch Editorial

Contributing Writers & Artists Rita Allen Audra Bielke Kevin Brown Alison Carlin Renee Dunn Frank Fratoe Rich Gaudio Alexis Grogan Ralph “Tuffy”Hicks Karl Karch Jo Loving Pete Morelewicz Patrick Neustatter Owen Seely Casey Alan Shaw Meg Sneed

A.E. Bayne Laurie Black Nick Cadwallendar Collette Caprara Christina Ferber K. Jeanne Frazer Joan M. Geisler Sue Henderson Anita Holle David C. Kennedy Nancy Moore Vanessa Moncure M.L. Powers Suzanne Scherr Sue Stone Georgia Strentz James Kyle Synder

Christine Thompson Carolyn Van der Jagt Laura Westermeier Tina Will Suzy Woollam

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 / Artists / Photographers are welcome to request Guidelines and query the Publisher by e-mail. Front Porch Fredericksburg PO Box 9203 Fredericksburg, VA 22403 Ad Sales: E-Mail: frntprch@aol.com Web Site: www.frontporchfredericksburg.com Facebook: @Front Porch Fredericksburg 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 2018 Olde Towne Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

Tanya Richey

March 2018

inspired, innovative, intrepid & indefatigable

celebrate me home

By collette caprara

by Sue Henderson I’m a come-here. Like an adopted child who understands how valuable being a part of the family can be, I appreciate everything about claiming Stafford as home. After a literal lifetime of military moves and never living anyplace longer than 4 years, my husband Rick and I chose to live here twenty-two years ago and have been rewarded in almost too many ways to enumerate. Over the years, I have been blessed to work as a Recreation Supervisor in King George meeting so many wonderful people and learning about life in a small county. I spent years working for Historic Fredericksburg Foundation learning the deep history of the region. Time spent on stage with Stage Door Productions and Riverside Performing Arts Center and in art galleries connected us deeply to the arts community. And working as the Program Manger to celebrating my adopted home’s 350+ years of history was a real joy. I have learned all sorts of tidbits and trivia which have created a solid foundation of who we are in our region today. So, in this quiet of winter before spring blasts in and we all start spilling out into gardens and river sports, I find myself reflecting on our collective community journey so far. So why am I celebrating our community? It’s the people I’ve met who have taught me about Wildcat Corner, Lake Anna, the hidden tunnels under Fredericksburg, the Judyville stretch, French and Indian War skirmishes and the journals of Jane Beale. It’s the passion they have brought to their little corner of the world and interests. It’s the quirky little inside jokes about famous people who have populated our region. It’s the talents of all these people eager to share what they love. It’s the facts I will use for the rest of my life to win at family trivia like Stafford was once the Pickle Capital of the country or what the heck is the Cornstalk & Beanpole Bridge? It’s meeting and getting to know truly inspirational people like Johnny Johnson and Mary Katherine Greenlaw and Frank White and Rob and Virginia Grogan. It’s how I have been informed and challenged to find new ways of respecting our native heritage and diversity. We can all use the politically correct buzzwords of creating a sense of community or celebrating our heritage. But literally hundreds of people have taught and shown me the actual definition of those phrases as I use my talents and

Front porch fredericksburg

have grown to know Rick and I are where we have always been meant to be. When I was leaving high school in Germany (as a military brat) and coming back to college in a country I barely remembered, Kenny Loggins was writing Celebrate Me Home. I was impressionable and lonely and missing everything about the home we’d left and the people we knew. It wasn’t just going away to college, it was never having that home to return to as my class scattered like dandelions in the wind. And while we stay in touch through modern technology, we can’t go back to a home that no longer exists. And along came Kenny singing about turning on “the love light in the place.” “Totally surrounded in your circles, whoa, my friends.” It remains an anthem in my soundtrack. And I’m regularly reminded, here in Fredericksburg, of the way to “sing me home” surrounded by the songs of friends and events and fundraisers and laughter in the place we call home. This community of wonderful people working together and sharing the best of us is so important to appreciate. Do we take enough time to pause, maybe on our own front porch, and meet the neighbors? It’s especially important to welcome newcomers, help them connect with your favorite plumber (because, goodness knows that’s the first thing they discover they need after they’ve moved into a new house) or the name of the mailperson. Bring them a cup of coffee and the next issue of Front Porch Magazine and help them get to know this

quirky, wonderful, historic neck of the woods we call home. Turns out I’m like another favorite lyricist, Nancy Griffith, who needs a “hometown street where a friend is still a friend. I need a hometown street where the love you're given surely comes back 'round again.” I see it walking down Caroline Street and running into friends or people I haven’t seen in a while and falling right into the conversation like we’d never left it. I hear it at open mic nights at new breweries and lectures about famous people at UMW. And I see it in every issue of Front Porch Magazine that we read cover to cover. That love you give surely comes back around again and again.

Sue Henderson sings, paints, writes, takes photos and still has time to volunteer in the city she calls home.

March 24 Washington, DC

Until 2016, the little gallery at 817 Caroline Street was a hub of creativity and exploration—the domain of Tanya Richey, world traveler and internationally acclaimed artist. Both Tanya’s interest in art and her resilience are rooted in childhood experiences. When she was just in elementary school, a picture of El Greco’s painting Toledo attracted her attention (quite an unusual source of inspiration for a little girl). “I don’t know what it was,” she muses, “but that image made me pay attention to art.” Tanya reminisces about growing up with her brother and their single-mom after her dad died when she was five, and she attributes her resilience and ability to bounce back and keep going from experiences in the days of her girlhood. “My mother was a free-spirit, long before it was ‘a thing’,” she said. “I would come back from school and she’d say ‘We’re going to Miami,’ and we’d get on a Greyhound Bus and head out.” Once there, (or wherever the destination of the time may have been) her mother would pull out a newspaper and find a place for them to stay and find a job. Then,

remarkably, Tanya recounts, “She would tell me and my brother to find a school!” “I learned that you had to take things as they came and make the best of it. I was always going to a new school in a new town.” Later, that ability to adapt, coupled with a natural sense of curiosity and observation, led Tanya to explore and embrace cultures across America and throughout the world. Throughout the years, she has painted and taught classes in China, Germany, Great Britain, Egypt, the former Soviet Union, and Japan. Tanya’s travels to Germany included serving in the role of a visiting cultural ambassador artist/ to Fredericksburg’s sister city Schwetzingen, at the mayor’s request. Experiences in China resulted in a series of Panda paintings that once graced the walls and windows of her Caroline Street gallery and delighted viewers near and far. Three years ago, her decision to move to Japan with her daughter’s family when her husband was stationed there, meant closing the door of her Fredericksburg gallery for the last time.

Tanya took some of her basic art supplies with her to Japan, and spent days touring the sites, reading about the art, history, and culture of the country, and taking in the “Spirit of Japan,” which became the title of the collection of her new works. In addition to paintings with Japanese paper and brushes, Tanya trained with a Japanese master and tried her hand at the culture’s revered calligraphy and the Kanji symbols that it incorporates. She was then inspired to write haiku’s, the Japanese poetry form that incorporates a 5-7-5 sequence of syllables. When someone told Tanya that it had once been said that women couldn’t write haikus because they were “too emotional,” she replied with her hallmark determination, “Well, these are MyKus!”

returned to the Fredericksburg area. Undaunted, Tanya has bounced back to pursue work on her book series. Her second book debuted in February with a book-signing at Manarc (a store dedicated to benefit veterans). Book Three will be released this month, with enchanting and transporting visual and poetic images on every page. With resilient humor, Tanya quips, “It seems I have a three-month shelf life, but that has been said again and again. I am thinking maybe I’ll get another three.” Her advice to others beginning on a new venture or facing a personal challenge, inspired by a quote attributed to Goethe, is “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in itself. Begin it now.”

That unique name not only made her poetry unassailable by critics but also became the title of a whole new venture of creations, including Kanji cards and a plan for a 12-part series of MyKu books that comprise all three of Tanya’s talents: calligraphy, painting, and poetry. With her son-in-law’s tour complete, the family headed to Germany. Then tragedy struck. Tanya was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and was medivacked back to the US. After spending five months receiving treatment at Walter Reed Hospital, she and her daughter’s family

Tanya’s MyKu series is available for purchase on Amazon, at tmrart.com, and on Facebook /mykubook.

Collette Caprara is a local writer & artist.

Accessorize Your Style 723 Caroline St

899.8077

Daily 10-5:30; Sunday 12-5

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Sue Henderson

ON THE PORCH Guest Porch Editorial

Christine Thompson Carolyn Van der Jagt Laura Westermeier Tina Will Suzy Woollam

Tanya Richey

March 2018

inspired, innovative, intrepid & indefatigable

celebrate me home

By collette caprara

Front porch fredericksburg

Sue Henderson sings, paints, writes, takes photos and still has time to volunteer in the city she calls home.

March 24 Washington, DC

Tanya’s MyKu series is available for purchase on Amazon, at tmrart.com, and on Facebook /mykubook.

Collette Caprara is a local writer & artist.

Accessorize Your Style 723 Caroline St

899.8077

Daily 10-5:30; Sunday 12-5

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

How Does A Master Gardener Grow?

On the Trails

history worth repeating

nice guys finish first

By Tina Will

By Kevin Brown

Inspiration and inclination to start improving your gardens and landscapes this year arrives on April 7, 2018 at Gari Melcher’s Home and Studio where Master Gardeners will host the 6th “Living in the Garden” Spring Symposium from 8:30 to 4:30 P.M. The historic theme will feature Virginia’s notable and majestic trees that we might take for granted, except that when we see them through Nancy Ross Hugo’s eyes, we will want them in our landscapes, not just away over there in the forests. The carefully kept records of vegetable and flower gardens left by Gari and Corinne Melcher at Belmont, and by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, will also be topics at this Symposium, as will heirloom roses that testify to generations of love, care, and preservation. Beate Ankjaer-JJensen is the Cultural Resource Manager at Gari Melcher’s Home and Studio in Falmouth, VA. She has spent almost 20 years restoring the gardens and landscape there

thanks to the records kept by him and his wife, Corinne. Beate will be sharing about all that’s been done to achieve this restoration. She has published many papers on the topics of landscape preservation, native grassland creation, and historic landscape maintenance. Tours of the house and art gallery will also be part of the day’s program. Key note speaker, Nancy Ross Hugo, is the author of “Remarkable Trees of Virginia,” a four-year project, which she co-authored with Dr. Jeffrey Kirwan and fine arts photographer Robert Llewellyn and published in 2004. She also published, with photographer Llewellyn, “Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Lives of Everyday Trees.” Their work, photographing the often overlooked but marvelous details of trees in bud, flower, and seed, celebrates these beautiful features. She has spent decades planting and observing trees and will talk about what that has taught her to consider when

choosing trees for the landscape. Thomas Jefferson won’t be there, but Peggy Cornett has been working at his Monticello home for 35 years, and is the qualified spokesperson for him and his amazing gardening records which he kept for the last 20 years of his life. She is the Curator of Plants at Monticello and will share wonderful details of Jefferson’s records that are still being implemented at Monticello. Connie Hilker, a life-long rose gardener, lives in Stafford County and is the owner of Hartwood Roses which is now an educational display and preservation garden of more than 600 varieties of roses. She manages the documentation, preservation, and restoration of the historic roses at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, and assists with the rose collections at the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants in Charlottesville, VA. Her talk, “Antique Roses for Modern Gardens,” will encourage us to realize that these roses have longevity in their genes, and we

should not shy away from incorporating them into our gardens. History this good is worth repeating. The records kept serve as testimony and teacher. Come learn from those who have made new records, and those who left lasting records of all that is historically significant and beautiful in our natural world. Information and registration form can be found on our Master Gardener website: mgacra.org/springsymposium-2 2018.html. Registration is required and is on-going until March 31, 2018. Further questions: Laura.westermeier@gmail.com.

Tina Will has volunteered with MGACRA for 13 years and lives near Ferry Farm in Stafford County. Photo by Laura Westermeier

This month we feature a wellknown Fredericksburg native, James “Jay” G. Harrison III. Always on the move, Jay serves as the Community Programs Assistant at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, acts as 5th United States President James Monroe (among other roles) at historic functions, and in his spare time among several side jobs, is a highly-successful, competitive long-d distance runner. Jay is also one of the nicest, kindest people you could ever meet. We asked him to share his passion for our local trails, and he graciously agreed. “My interest in historic trails stretches back to my childhood growing up in Fredericksburg - as a 7thgeneration native. My late parents, the Shirley Heflin Harrison and James “Jimmy” Gardner Harrison, Jr., and my late paternal aunts, Elizabeth Chinn and Pauline Harrison, took me and my brother, Scot Harrison, on history-related day or weekend trips and summer vacations throughout Virginia beginning in the mid-1960s. It’s all they could

afford, but it was priceless in its lasting impact on us, and subsequently led me to The College of William & Mary, where I majored in Anthropology with a Concentration in Historical Archaeology. After graduating from college, I served in Fredericksburg as an archaeologist and historic preservation (cultural resource management or CRM) consultant from 1982 to 1999. During that period, I founded the first CRM firm, Harrison & Associates, in the city, and completed a number of archaeological investigations of water-powered grist mill and merchant mill sites. Also during this period, I served on the FredericksburgStafford Park Authority (F-SPA), where I authored trail grants, to include one that led to the construction of the first phase Ferry Farm Trail system, a of the Belmont-F pedestrian/bicycle trail winding through Pratt Park, Saint Clair Brooks Park and the Historic Port of Falmouth Park. From 1999 to 2006, I served as the Executive Director of the Orange Downtown Alliance, Inc., where I coauthored grant applications that led to

the development of a “rails-to-trails” program concept for development and recreational use of the abandoned Virginia Central Railway bed. Our vision was to connect the Town of Orange (and nearby James Madison’s Montpelier) with the City of Fredericksburg via the VCR trail. This vision remains a work in progress, with the first phase being completed in the City of Fredericksburg. Here in Fredericksburg, runners, walkers, bikers, and history lovers continue to dream of a region-wide unified railroad, canal and river trail system. This system will include the existing Virginia Central Railway and the Canal Path/Heritage Trails in Fredericksburg, connected to Stafford County’s Belmont-Ferry Farm trail via the Chatham and Falmouth bridges. We look forward to the day when Spotsylvania County and Orange County develop connecting trails within their respective boundaries. Just think about it a roughly 50-mile, recreational trail system connecting Tidewater and Piedmont Virginia a unique resource and, potentially, a huge economic draw in terms of cultural, environmental, heritage and recreational tourism! While training for 15 half marathons and 21 marathons (to date), I have been a daily user of our Fredericksburg and Stafford trails systems. I was overjoyed that the 2017 Blue & Gray Half Marathon route included a portion of the Fredericksburg trails. That is a dream come true for local trail-running enthusiasts! Perhaps someday we will have a full marathon in

the Fredericksburg region across a widely-extended trail system! I hope and pray for that wonderful day!” Kevin Brown shares up-to-date local trail news as administrator of the "On the Fredericksburg Va Trails" FB Group Photo courtesy of the Marine Corps Marathon Office

601 LAFAYETTE BLVD

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

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

donatelifevirginia.org dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#organs.asp 6

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

How Does A Master Gardener Grow?

On the Trails

history worth repeating

nice guys finish first

By Tina Will

By Kevin Brown

Tina Will has volunteered with MGACRA for 13 years and lives near Ferry Farm in Stafford County. Photo by Laura Westermeier

601 LAFAYETTE BLVD

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

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

donatelifevirginia.org dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#organs.asp 6

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

“I Have A Friend”

FREDERICKSBURG LAMP Only Available At

Beyond the classroom By Laurie Black

Much of life is about learning, so it naturally follows that teachers are important people in our lives. Teachers encourage and inspire us, often, long after we have left the classroom. This certainly is true of teachers, Robin Coppock and May Jane. May Jane completed her Bachelor’s degree in 1949 and her Master’s degree in 1959. She taught in Maury School, James Monroe High School, and Battlefield Middle School for a combined 44 years before she retired in 1993. May Jane taught many students over the years who are now prominent lawyers, real estate developers, and business owners here in our community. Robin taught at Courtland High School and currently teaches at Germanna Community College. Robin has been teaching for 34 years.

These two teachers get together for a few hours each week. They go out to lunch, run errands, and regularly share their teaching experiences over a cup of tea. Robin and May Jane met through the Senior Visitors Program. Robin read about the Senior Visitors Program in the Free Lance Star. May Jane heard about the Senior Visitors Program from someone at her church. Since they started visiting almost a year ago, they have become fast friends. Robin says, “I love visiting May Jane. She has a great sense of humor. We have teaching in common so we ‘understand” each other.’ May Jane says of Robin, “I enjoy visiting with someone who is pleasant and knowledgeable.” As they have gotten to know each other, they have found many things that they have in common. Both Robin and May Jane are members of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and enjoy talking about their ancestors. They also enjoy serving their community beyond the classroom. Though May Jane is retired, she continues to volunteer for the Mary Washington Hospital Auxiliary by making baby caps. She also makes lap quilts for abused children which are distributed by the local police. When asked about her volunteer work with the Senior Visitors Program, Robin states, “I have always enjoyed visiting with senior citizens – including family. When I was a teenager I volunteered in a nursing home. Seniors have a wealth of knowledge and experience and the best stories!” Robin encourages those considering community volunteer work, “Volunteering is fun. You meet wonderful people.” Robin goes on to say, “May Jane

Concert of Hope

THE

is an extremely independent woman. She appreciates any help she receives, but I really admire her desire to do things on her own. She will be 90 this year and she is on social media! She enjoys reading, playing bridge, sewing, knitting, and crocheting. On one visit together, she taught me how to crochet.” May Jane and Robin are great examples of how we can always be learning and how we can have a positive impact in our community. If you feel inspired to learn more, call the Senior Visitors Program at (540) 371-2704 or visit our website at mhafred.org. Refer a senior or sign up to be a volunteer! The Senior Visitors Program is a free community service program of Mental Health America of Fredericksburg.

Laurie Black is the Administrative Assistant for the Senior Visitors Program She can be reached at mhafaa@mhafred.org

The Copper Shop

UMW Philharmonic concert for Hope House By Audra Bielke

371-4455 1707R Princess Anne

Behind Silk Mill Like Us on facebook

Supporting The Non-Profits Since 1997

Loisann's Hope House is the Fredericksburg region's first and largest family homeless shelter. With a mission to quickly move children and their families from homelessness to housing, Loisann's Hope House has been helping families in our region for over 30 years. The organization bears the name of Loisann Silver Chacon, a social worker who began her life in Fredericksburg. Loisann's Hope House placed 41 homeless families into permanent housing last year. Nevertheless, homelessness continues within our community. Did you know that within one year of becoming

homeless, school-aged homeless children will attend two or more schools? Having to travel hours to and from distant schools, and not having a place to live fosters instability in the life of a child. Missed meals, separation from friends and family and constantly moving have a negative impact, both physically and mentally. The program at Loisann's Hope House is designed to improve the quality of life for families by helping them move from homelessness to permanent housing. Loisann's Hope House offers educational opportunities and support services which include: intensive case management, tutoring, employment or vocational training, placement and referrals, life skills and social skills courses, stress management, as well as financial management, wellness, and nutrition. Loisann's Hope House works 95% of families that move from Loisann's Hope House to permanent housing remain in stable housing. That's why this year, the shelter hopes to move 50 families from homelessness to permanent housing. As a fundraiser to achieve this goal, Loisann's Hope House is teaming up with the University of Mary Washington Philharmonic Orchestra to hold a "Concert of Hope." The concert will take place at Dodd Auditorium on the UMW campus at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 24th and will feature the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra accompanying acclaimed singer and actress Deborah Silver. Deborah Silver's talents as vocalist and actress have been featured on the stages of theater, television and film. Blending the Great American Songbook with jazz, blues, country and Broadway classics, Deborah's performances delight audiences nationwide. Her 2016 album, The Gold Standards, debuted at #1 on two billboard charts and her music is played on jazz and easy listening stations across the country.

With this concert, Deborah returns to her husband's hometown of Fredericksburg to provide support to Loisann's Hope House, the organization that bears the name of her late sister-inlaw. She is excited to donate the proceeds of this concert to help homeless Fredericksburg-area children and families. Please join Loisann's Hope House, the University of Mary Washington Philharmonic Orchestra, and guest star Deborah Silver to raise money for this worthy cause. To purchase tickets, beginning at $20, go online to umwphilharmonic.com 1324. Tickets & general or call 540/654-1 seating.info To inquire about becoming a concert sponsor, contact Loisann's Hope 0831. House at 540/371-0

Audra Bielke is the Event Administrator for the Concert of Hope

Concert of Hope UMW Philharmonic Orchestra March 24, 7:30pm Dodd Auditorium

Donate to a Cancer Organization

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 9-4 jewelboxfredericksburgva.webs.com jewelbox14k@yahoo.com

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

“I Have A Friend”

FREDERICKSBURG LAMP Only Available At

Beyond the classroom By Laurie Black

Concert of Hope

THE

Laurie Black is the Administrative Assistant for the Senior Visitors Program She can be reached at mhafaa@mhafred.org

The Copper Shop

UMW Philharmonic concert for Hope House By Audra Bielke

371-4455 1707R Princess Anne

Behind Silk Mill Like Us on facebook

Supporting The Non-Profits Since 1997

Audra Bielke is the Event Administrator for the Concert of Hope

Concert of Hope UMW Philharmonic Orchestra March 24, 7:30pm Dodd Auditorium

Donate to a Cancer Organization

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 9-4 jewelboxfredericksburgva.webs.com jewelbox14k@yahoo.com

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Wild & Scenic Film Fest A Wild Time

The Makers District THE POETRY MAN

meet Byron Glaser, Sandra Higashi & ZoLO

- By Frank Fratoe

BY Collette Caprara

By Nick Cadwallender

Where Customer Service and Title Insurance Become One

Jewell Wolterman 12225 Amos Lane, Ste 204 Fredericksburg, VA 22407 540-907-0574 www.elitetitleva.com jwolterman@elitetitleva.com

Wills and Trusts Provide for Incapacity Trusts for Minor Children Wealth Preservation Trusts Avoid Probate AhearnEstateLaw.com 10

March 2018

540/371-9890

Front porch fredericksburg

Fredericksburg was getting slammed with the coldest days of January when Jeanette and I decided to get out of town and head to Nevada City, California for an environmental film festival and then on to Yosemite National Park to do some hiking. Nevada City, birthed in the California gold rush became a mecca for people looking for a simpler lifestyle in the 1970’s. Today the town of 2,800 is an easygoing, laid back place with organic food stores, restaurants, art galleries and museums. 93 buildings of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also the home of 2 world class film festival; the Nevada City Film Festival in September and the Wild & Scenic Films Festival in January. We joined 7,000 movie goers who packed the tiny town for 4 days. A brewery, a winery, the Odd Fellows Hall and a host of other places showed 140 environmental, nature and adventure films. By going our separate ways we managed to take in about 30 of the films. We vicariously canoed wild back country of British Columbia, rooted for indigenous fishermen creating marine sanctuaries in Madagascar and hiked the Appalachian Trail with locals fighting mountain top removal. We visited high mountain deserts, tropical rainforests, coral reefs and deep caves. We met the animals and plants that inhabit those places and the adventurous, passionate people working to protect them. Inspired by the films and the need to get outside we drove south to Yosemite National Park. The 1,200 square mile wilderness of waterfalls, canyons, valleys and meadows became our country’s 5th National Park in 1890. It’s a place where you can walk among ancient sequoias and hike alongside clear mountain streams. For 3 days we roamed the valley floor and up into the canyons. At every turn the mountains of El Capitan, Half Dome and Cathedral Rock loomed above us; changing by the minute as sun, cloud, rain and snow played on the their stark, glacial sheered faces. We met mule deer on the trail and watched golden eagles soaring in the mists of falling waters. We gave thanks to John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt whose vision

Spring Migrations Oh glance up beyond ourselves in the immensity we call space where our sun glides each year, just as bird-flocks ride north going onward through headwinds to bring awe with their flight. It is what some ancient people said was the melody of spheres that circle inside one another, and if anyone has fascination to compare sun-flyer and birds they will hear wings of light.

Frank Fratoe lives & writes in the city. He has written poems from the heart for Front Porch for the past 10 years.

100 years ago preserved this place for you and for me. Revived in body and soul we returned home to plan Friends of the Rappahannock’s 8th Wild & Scenic Film Festival. On March 31 we’re bringing 12 of the films Jeanette and I selected from Nevada City program to UMW’s Dodd Auditorium. Come and join us. Shake off the winter bluesget and inspired to preserve and protect the river and all the wild places that make you whole. Students are free of charge and adult tickets can be purchased at riverfriends.org/events.

Nick Cadwallender is the Development Coordinator for Friends of the Rappahannock. He can be reached at nick.cadwallender@gmail.com or540-850-2196

Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Friends of the Rappahannock March 31, Dodd Auditorium riverfriends.org/events.

Open Monday – Friday at 6am Open Saturday – Sunday at 7am Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner $5.00 Weekly Lunch Specials

Check Out Our NEW Bistro Menu! 540-373-8300 www.marriott.com/fkrcy 620 Caroline St. FXBG, VA

THE MAKERS' DISTRICT A magical realm within the Burg, the neighborhood near the intersection of Wolfe and Jackson Streets might appear to be quiet from the outside but it is bustling with activity, creativity, and innovation within, as artists and artisans (some acclaimed nationally and internationally) go about their work. Behind the inconspicuous front door of 524 Wolfe Street, marked with the single word ZoLO, lies a realm of creativity and innovation of Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi who have made a lasting impression on the toy industry and applied their magical designing touch to enhance many of the key cultural and community-service organizations of Fredericksburg. The dynamic design duo met years ago when they were both students at the Art Center School of Design in California. Eventually they each made their way to New York, where they each worked with different design corporations and Sandra applied her talent at the legendary FAO Schwartz toy store. “We started looking at the toys and thought, ‘This environment is fantastic, but the toys aren’t that great,” said Byron. Thus, in 1986, with markers, colored pencils and paper, Byron and Sandra created the idea for ZoLO®, a “toy” set with pieces inspired by nature and abstract art that could be used to create endless varieties of imaginative objects when linked by connectors and various appendages. The pieces were to be handcarved and Byron, who had traveled the world after college, immediately thought of Indonesia, which was well-known for its intricate woodworking, as their manufacturing site. The day before he was to leave for Indonesia, it dawned on Sandra that they should have introduced their product to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. Emboldened by their confidence in their creation, they cold-called the museum to make an appointment with its head buyer (a process that typically requires an in-depth plan including costs and delivery.) “The buyer’s assistant said she could get us in for ten minutes. Our studio was in Manhattan so we ran down for the meeting,” Byron said. The buyer was impressed and declared that she wanted an exclusive on the distribution of ZoLO.. Six months later, at the NY International Gift Show, ZoLO® was rated as the “Best New Product” in the Accent on Design section. Byron and Sandra were

barraged with questions from the trade: Was it for boys or girls? What age is it for? “We said, well we both like it!” said Byron, and ZoLO® paved the way for an entirely new designation of toys— “gender neutral and open-ended.” More than 20 years later, ZoLO® was featured in the Toy Industry of A m e r i c a ’ s commemorative book, “100 Years of the Power of Play,” alongside many of the

classic and most beloved toys of the century. In 1986, Sandra and Byron established Higashi Glaser Design to focus on corporate design, with ZoLO, Inc. as a propriety product design, licensing and distribution business. Since that time, ZoLO has expanded its line of products to include BONZ toys, baby toys, a spectrum of illustrated books and coloring books, home décor, jewelry and accessories, and even phone aps (all of which can be viewed and ordered at ZoLO.com) and George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic became its licensing agent. MOMA received orders for ZoLO from the Guggenheim and Whitney museums and others at a pace that was hard to keep up with, and Sandra and Byron decided to do their own distribution, choosing as a site the farm of Byron’s friend in King George. To that venture, the Burg owes the presence of the

designing duo that has added their special touch to many wellknown pillars of our community. Higashi Glaser Design’s creativity resulted in the transformation of the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence to the Empower House as well as the rebranding of the Fredericksburg Museum and Cultural Center to the more recognizable FAM, with inviting signage to lead visitors through highlights of its displays. In addition, Sandra and Byron designed the signage for Fredericksburg Main Street that now highlighst key aspects of the city in the banners that give new vitality and interest to the alley leading to Market Square. Even the whimsical designs of the By George! And Little George products displayed at our Visitors’ Center were designed by Byron and Sandra. “I instantly fell in love with Fredericksburg. It is big enough and small enough” said Byron. “I am very involved with nonprofits here and have a wonderful circle of supportive friends. It feels unique and fresh to me and I feel very fortunate to be here.” Collette Caprara is a local writer and artist. Higashi Glaser Design 524 Wolfe Street (540) 372-6 6440 higashiglaserdesign.com; facebook Photo by Owen Seely

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Wild & Scenic Film Fest A Wild Time

The Makers District THE POETRY MAN

meet Byron Glaser, Sandra Higashi & ZoLO

- By Frank Fratoe

BY Collette Caprara

By Nick Cadwallender

Where Customer Service and Title Insurance Become One

Jewell Wolterman 12225 Amos Lane, Ste 204 Fredericksburg, VA 22407 540-907-0574 www.elitetitleva.com jwolterman@elitetitleva.com

Wills and Trusts Provide for Incapacity Trusts for Minor Children Wealth Preservation Trusts Avoid Probate AhearnEstateLaw.com 10

March 2018

540/371-9890

Front porch fredericksburg

Frank Fratoe lives & writes in the city. He has written poems from the heart for Front Porch for the past 10 years.

Nick Cadwallender is the Development Coordinator for Friends of the Rappahannock. He can be reached at nick.cadwallender@gmail.com or540-850-2196

Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Friends of the Rappahannock March 31, Dodd Auditorium riverfriends.org/events.

Open Monday – Friday at 6am Open Saturday – Sunday at 7am Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner $5.00 Weekly Lunch Specials

Check Out Our NEW Bistro Menu! 540-373-8300 www.marriott.com/fkrcy 620 Caroline St. FXBG, VA

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Season’s Bounty

Vino DNA testing reveals the truth behind Zinfandel's identity

the march hare & tea party too! By vanessa moncure

by City Vino Zinfandel arrived in California during the gold rush of the 1850s. During Prohibition in the 1920s, many Zinfandel vines were ripped out or abandoned and their history was largely forgotten. As California wine started to gain more attention in the 1970s and 1980s, Zinfandel was touted as a uniquely Californian grape, grown nowhere else in the world. However, some Italian winemakers noted how similar Zinfandel was to their Primitivo. In the early 1990s, as DNA testing of wine grapes was getting started, scientists discovered that Zinfandel and Primitivo are genetically the same grape. In the early 2000s, scientists further discovered that both Zinfandel and Primitivo are genetically identical to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, also known as Tribidrag. Zinfandel tends to have flavors The process of DNA testing wine of raspberry, black cherry, blackberry, grapes is a little over 30 years old. Using licorice, black pepper, cinnamon and other modern DNA testing, scientists have been backing spices. Zinfandels from warmer able to determine the parentage and climates may also have notes of fig or migration history of many of the world's date. Oak aging may add secondary flavors most popular wine grapes. of vanilla and For example, they were Zinfandel and Primitivo are additional spices. able to determine that genetically the same grape. ... Carol The Cabernet Sauvignon is the Wild both Zinfandel and Primitivo are Shelton child of Cabernet Franc Thing is from genetically identical to the and Sauvignon Blanc. Mendocino, Croatian grape Crljenak Additionally, DNA testing California-a Kaštelanski, also known as helped to identify cooler climate-so California's "mystery Tribidrag the flavors grape." include more of the red fruits. The Cantele Salento Primitivo from Puglia, Italy-a warmer climate-has more of the fig notes coming through on the palate. Compare Zinfandel and Primitivo for yourself and decide which one you prefer!

City Vino is located at 810 Caroline St. You can find owners Renee Dunn & Rita Allen on-site to provide answers to all your wine questions.

March 2018

Fredericksburg’s Hometown Irish Pub & Restaurant Since 1961

Front porch fredericksburg

“Have some wine,” the March Hare said in an encouraging tone. Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. “I don’t see any wine,” she remarked. “There isn't any,” said the March Hare.

Olde Towne BUTCHER Corner of William & Charles Streets Downtown Fredericksburg 540.370.4105 www.oldetownebutcher.com Hours Monday - Saturday, 9am to 9pm; Sunday, 11am to 6pm Keith Lebor Proprietor

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ~ Lewis Carroll Curiouser and curiouser. European hares are a cousin to the American rabbit, with many varieties of each found on either side of the Pond. Although the name rabbit and hare are often used interchangeably, genuine hares are not found in the US. Hares are born furred, with their eyes open, are larger than rabbits with longer ears and feet and some hares are huge, like the domesticated Belgian hare weighing in at up to fifteen pounds. These are raised primarily for show, while the Flemish hare is raised for utility purposes (check in at your local butcher shop, or not…) Vegetarians, don't stop reading now! Although a nice, young leveret tastes like chicken ( I know, you've heard that before), the older or wild hares should be cooked like any game meat, slowly, after being marinated. All this talk of hare doesn't mean I'm sending you recipes to sauté Thumper, but leads us right to Alice’s Tea Party. Spring and summer are the best times of the year to serve a light and refreshing tea party in your garden (garden in England - yard to us - but doesn't “Garden Party” evoke roses, linen tablecloths and your best china? The “back yard” is where we grill the dogs on the Fourth.) I have a stained and spotted list of “Tea Party” refreshments tucked away in one of my mother’s old cookbooks, with traditional favorites right alongside onebite country ham biscuits - a nod to the South. Cheese wafers are a perennial favorite, and keep well if stored airtight. White iced petits fours (small ovens Fr.) topped with a fresh raspberry, assorted tea sandwiches, lemon tarts, cucumber sandwiches and of course scones with lemon curd are all traditional favorites. One three-tiered dessert rack per table, with alternating plates of sweets and savories, makes a beautiful centerpiece. Count on three servings of sweets per person and three of savory. Nut cups are a nice addition for a nibble - I inherited a set of small fluted glass bowls, too small for soup or dessert, and remembered my mother letting me fill them with a “bridge mix” of nuts, one for each place at the four-person folding bridge tables. check local thrift stores for vintage glass or china cups. Serve hot tea from an urn, set

the table with a small dessert plate at each setting - and make sure all of your teatime treats are bitesized and don’t require any finger licking! CHEESE WAFERS Grate or shred on pound of room temperature extra sharp cheddar cheese (Cabot’s is by far the best) and mix with one cup of softened butter until smooth. Mix in four cups of flour, one teaspoon salt and one-half teaspoon (or more to taste) of cayenne pepper. Either push through cookie press, using disk with serrated edges) and place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 350F 10 minutes or until golden brown Cool them on racks and store airtight. TEA SANDWICH FILLINGS Classic fillings can also be used a a dip with crudités. To assemble, cut crusts off bread (use a firm bread, like Pepperidge Farm) and cut into circles, approximately the size of a cucumber round, or into squares which can then be cut into triangles or other shapes for filling. Keep covered until ready to fill. BENEDICTINE This traditional filling can be jazzed up with the addition of fresh dill, minced jalapeño, a tablespoon of finely minced chives or grated lemon zest. Peel and remove seeds from one large cucumber and finely grate. Mix with one 8-oz. block of cream cheese, two teaspoons of mayonnaise and one-half teaspoon of Benedictine. Spread thinly on bread round and top with a slice of seedless cucumber. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to eat. SMOKED SALMON Mix together until smooth minced smoked salmon and cream cheese. Spread on bread round, top with sliced seedless cucumber and a bit of fresh dill. CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD Grind together one cooked chicken breast with one celery rib, add salt, white pepper and one or two teaspoons of curry powder along with one-half teaspoon of lemon juice and enough mayonnaise to bind. Spread on bread round, top with another slice of bread and a bit of toasted almonds. PIMIENTO CHEESE Finely shred 8 ounces of good-quality sharp cheddar cheese and mix with just enough mayonnaise to bind. Completely drain and rinse one four-ounce container of chopped pimientos, then add to the cheese mixture along with a dash of salt and Tabasco to taste. Spread on a bread round, then top with another, or fill a 2inch slice of celery with the mixture.

WILD HARE PATE Just kidding, although I do have a recipe for a game pate that is delicious! You can purchase prepared pate (Les Trois Petits Cochons is a good brand) - Spread a very thin layer of whole-grain mustard on a pumpernickel or whole-grain bread round, then pate, and finally top with a thin slice of Brie cheese and sprinkle with minced chives. Enjoy!

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

200 Hanover St. ~ 373-0738

Vanessa Moncure has a recipe for every occasion.

The Sunken Well Tavern

The Soup & Taco, Etc. 813 Caroline St. Fredericksburg, VA

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

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

11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm

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

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Season’s Bounty

Vino DNA testing reveals the truth behind Zinfandel's identity

the march hare & tea party too! By vanessa moncure

City Vino is located at 810 Caroline St. You can find owners Renee Dunn & Rita Allen on-site to provide answers to all your wine questions.

March 2018

Fredericksburg’s Hometown Irish Pub & Restaurant Since 1961

Front porch fredericksburg

Olde Towne BUTCHER Corner of William & Charles Streets Downtown Fredericksburg 540.370.4105 www.oldetownebutcher.com Hours Monday - Saturday, 9am to 9pm; Sunday, 11am to 6pm Keith Lebor Proprietor

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

200 Hanover St. ~ 373-0738

Vanessa Moncure has a recipe for every occasion.

The Sunken Well Tavern

The Soup & Taco, Etc. 813 Caroline St. Fredericksburg, VA

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

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

11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm

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

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Cooking With Kyle homemade avocado mayo

Artwork @ Eileens Bakery

Billikens Smoke House

“The Old Barn Lady”

Who says BBQ Can’t Be Fancy ? Mary Lynn Powers

by james kyle snyder

"Chancellor Green" Let’s talk about mayonnaise ~ one of my favorite ingredients for other things: sandwiches, salads, sauces, and the list goes on. You can use it instead of butter to make the perfectly crisp crust or to season and dip your French fries. In the northwest they use it as a base for “frysauce.” Yum – but maybe not the healthiest of choices or maybe not so bad. Especially when you make it at home. Nancy Farrell says with a smile, “mayo is OK” during a lunch conversation we had. “I remember making mayonnaise in one of my first college nutrition science labs.” I approached Nancy to help me with this month’s article. I have been reading about weight, diet, diverticulosis, and heart health. Why? I recently discovered that 30% of us in the U.S. at 40 have diverticulosis, which could lead to diverticulitis – a serious condition that frequently results in hospitalization. The occurrence rises to 66% on a linear path by the time we are 80. Wow! I wanted to make a heart-healthy higher fiber dish for this group. Enter the dietitian; different than a nutritionist. (I know! Right! Aren’t they the same?) Nope! Anyone can be a nutritionist, with no medical training – food bloggers, store employees, or even me – and without governmental oversight. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN)-(in the name is our confusion) have a 4-6 year college degree, complete a medical internship, pass a national board exam, and have a lifetime continuing education requirement. When in doubt, go for the RDN. (Disclaimer – I am not a physician, dietitian, or nutritionist. I am sharing my confusion and experience on the matter.) Consult the professionals. Ask your doctor how much nutrition training they have – you might be surprised (some only a semester 20 years ago). Nancy is one of only 30 Food and Nutrition national spokespersons for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

March 2018

(eatright.org). She has served on two different Governor’s (Kaine; McAuliffe) Nutrition councils/boards. Best of all, she is here, in Fredericksburg, in her own Farrell Dietitian Services practice, (FarrellDietitian.com). She is an endless source of evidence-based food and nutrition information. What does this have to do with mayo or my meal idea? Debunking that mayo is “bad” and confirming I need more education. Mayo is easy: whisk a pasteurized egg yolk for 30 seconds. In a small dish, combine 2 ¼ tsp white vinegar, 1 tsp water, ¼ rounded tsp of salt, ¼ rounded tsp sugar, and ¼ tsp lemon juice, and stir until sugar is dissolved Whisk this into the yolk for another 30 seconds. Add a few drops of 1 C of canola oil. Continually whisk, adding a few drops of the canola oil at a time until the mixture is lightly colored and all combined. Mash 1 ½ avocados until smooth and whisk into mayo. Voilà - two+ cups of Avocado Mayo! For the meal, I added 2 TBS of smashed white beans [1 C dried beans covered and brought to a boil then left to sit overnight – the next day, rinse and cover with 1 inch of water, bring to a boil and simmer till soft ? two hours] to 2 tsp of the mayo, place cooked chicken, tomato, and spinach on toasted 12-grain bread. Holy Yum! Lean protein from the chicken and, according to Nancy, ”[h]eart healthy monosaturated fat in the avocado; folate, and [oh-so-good] fiber in the spinach and beans (latter also protein source); tomatoes – low-carb fiber, [and] vitamin C.” TA-DA!! The mayo will keep in the fridge for four days ~ never freeze fresh mayo. Our simple, easy, and delicious condiment never lasts that long. Be well! Kyle Snyder appeals to your palate and your other senses when it comes to good, simple, healthy eating Edited by the protector of the well-read eye K. Jeanne Fraser

Front porch fredericksburg

Dew Photography VA’s, Dawn Whitmore, recently became one of the artists displaying artwork at Eileen’s Bakery. Whitmore’s art showcases old barns and agricultural landscapes. “Through my photographic artwork, I desire to share the history of the barns and their families,” shares Whitmore, “It is a great honor to be trusted with each family’s story.” A personal experience sparked Whitmore’s interest in documenting the history of the barns and their families. Her journey has expanded into a work-inprogress book titled "Century Barns: History, Heritage and their Humans." Whitmore’s journey caught the attention of Arts Business Institute, who did an Artist profile on her last October. “To be able to share my photography and preserve the history of barns for future generations has always been a part of the plan,” explains Whitmore, “Century Barns, the book, birthed from talking to the families and caretakers of the properties.” Whitmore’s artwork has been represented in various exhibits, galleries and businesses in the local Fredericksburg Arts community. Her artwork has graced walls in other regions of Virginia, along with the states of California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Maryland. “We are pleased to add our artwork to the walls of Eileen’s Bakery,” shares Whitmore, "The Fredericksburg area has a special place with me, it is here where The 'Old Barn Lady' came to life." You can learn more about Dew Photography VA’s Dawn Whitmore (The Old Barn Lady) be visiting www.dewphotographyva.com or on FB: @DewPhotographyPage.

Dew Photography VA’s focus on ‘barnscapes’ has a specific vision “to assist farmers and their families to create and preserve the history of their farmland for future generations.” We plan to complete this vision by photographing the property for the owners. Dawn Whitmore of Dew Photography VA can be reached at dewphotographyva@gmail.com or 252. 349.9866

C L THE HAPPY M The Only Thing We “Overlook” is the Rappahannock! Monday ~ Saturday: 11am ~ 9pm Sunday: 12-8pm 1017 Sophia Street

540-899-0140 (ph)

540-899-0141 (fax)

Rand Sompayrac & Richard Moncure, Proprietors

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

If one lives in the South, which we technically do, one should know of a good barbecue spot. Well, Fredericksburg has just about everything, but there wasn’t a BBQ spot downtown until December 2017 when the newly refurbished Chimneys building on Caroline St. reopened. Billikens Smoke House is located at 623 Caroline St. The building is an historic landmark, an example of Georgian architecture, and one of the many treasures in the ‘burg. Billikens is a fmily run business. Greg and Sharon Shalawylo are the owners and Ashlie, (all above) the youngest of four children is the general manager. The Shalawylos sat down with me and talked about the work on the late 1700s building, which Ashlie explained was the original draw to the Fredericksburg area. They were in town and saw the “For Lease” sign, and just had the feeling they could make the building shine again. Greg was a building contractor for many years, and was able to do most of the work himself. Sharon and Ashlie talked about the paint jobs and the need to keep it somewhat historically correct. It has taken about six months, but the end product is definitely worth seeing. Their logo - “Who says BBQ Can’t Be Fancy” is very appropriate for the feel of the dining rooms. Even the bar has an old time regal feel. They are nowhere near finished though, and the work goes on in the upstairs where they will have rooms for events, and outside where there are plans for music and movie nights. Depending on the event, the building has approximately a 130 seat capacity, and eventually 100 seats outside. Sharon explained they would also hold Wine and Design functions on the first Sundays of the month. She is excited to be a part of the vibrant art community as she is also an artist. This will be their second store, having opened a similar spot in Lake Anna in 2010 which does a lot of catering, and of course a hardy summer business.

Besides being the general contractor and handyman, Greg is the “pit boss” of the smoker. He puts out a tasty brisket sandwich and a fine looking plate of ribs. I watched my other half devour these as the meat literally fell off the bone. He is also a fan of the wings which were smoked with a chipotle rub that had just the right bite. Their menu is loaded with all the usual BBQ fare, but they also plan on having daily and seasonal specials. They talked about a smoked deep fried chicken which sounded unusually southern. They are soon adding a smoked 3 meat platter for the true carnivores. All their dishes come with choices of homemade sides - potato salad that is their grandmother in Detroit’s recipe. A Macaroni and cheese, which is also a passed down recipe, was another. The sides look as interesting as the entrees. Check out their website to see the full menu and other fun tidbits, like where the name came from. (Hint: The doll is a mythical good luck charm.) www.billikensbbqcompany.net.

Mary Lynn enjoys meeting and writing about interesting people in the 'burg. Photo courtesy of FXBG Economic Development & Tourism

Become a Member

fxbgfoodcoop@gmail.com fredericksburgfoodcoop.com

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Cooking With Kyle homemade avocado mayo

Artwork @ Eileens Bakery

Billikens Smoke House

“The Old Barn Lady”

Who says BBQ Can’t Be Fancy ? Mary Lynn Powers

by james kyle snyder

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

C L THE HAPPY M The Only Thing We “Overlook” is the Rappahannock! Monday ~ Saturday: 11am ~ 9pm Sunday: 12-8pm 1017 Sophia Street

540-899-0140 (ph)

540-899-0141 (fax)

Rand Sompayrac & Richard Moncure, Proprietors

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

Mary Lynn enjoys meeting and writing about interesting people in the 'burg. Photo courtesy of FXBG Economic Development & Tourism

Become a Member

fxbgfoodcoop@gmail.com fredericksburgfoodcoop.com

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

CALENDAR of events

march 2018….St. Pat’s Day, Daylight Savings, One More Snow?

FXBG RV Show @ FXBG Expo Center,

Thursday, March1

Downtown Greens Garden Hours 3:00pm til 6:00pm Help us work the soil, pick weeds, plant saplings or bulbs, move mulch, and so much more! Fredericksburg City schools is excited to announce our first city wide march madness event. Staff and parents from each school will play against each other. Proceeds from admission will benefit Fredericksburg City schools James Monroe vs Walker Grant @James Monroe HS, 6pm

Music Fridays @ Legume, Adwela & The Uprising, 810p, 715 Caroline St

Saturday, March 3

FXBG RV Show @ FXBG Expo Center, ArtsLIVE! will hold its 2018 Annual Benefit Gala, Blues Gaye-la, featuring Gaye Adegbalola & The Wild Rutz, FXBG Country Club, 7-10p $

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

Thursday, March 8

Downtown Greens Garden Hours 3:00pm til 6:00pm Help us work the soil, pick weeds, plant saplings or bulbs, move mulch, and so much more Open Mic with Larry Hinkle Highmark Brewery!, 390 Kings HWY, Happy hour -6:30-10p

Friday, March 9

Godspell presented by CYT @ River of Life Worship Center, 7408 Jeff Davis Hwy, 22551, 7p

Open Mic with Larry Hinkle every Thursday at Highmark Brewery!, 390 Kings HWY, Happy hour 6:30-10p

FREE Tax Preparation by Rappahannock United Way if your 2017 household income was $66,000 or less. See website for what to bring, 9-5pm

Black Light Dance Part @ The Bourbon Room, 218 William St., Downtown. 9p

First Friday, March 2

Music @ Legume, The Transmitters 8-10p, 715 Caroline St

Music Fridays @ Legume, Marc Allred, 8-10p, 715 Caroline St

Sunday, March 4

Saturday, March 10

Meet the artists, Chesapeake

Community

Bank

the

"Wave on Wave' Gina Clark and Doyle Green playing all your favorites and some you haven't heard in years. Full bar, great food, TV's, kid friendly. Courtyard Mariott Historic Disteict, 620 Caroline St, 6-9pm

Sunken Well Brunch from 9am-2pm, $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Bluegrass night from 7-9pm. Usually a good idea to reserve a table

FCCA "unique Viewpoint", and Nancy Brittle in the Members Gallery, 813 Sophia St.

UUFF Gallery presents, "All About Color", Carol Iglesias opening reception 11:45a, 25 Chalice Circle, 22405

Brush Strokes Gallery, Carol Waite "America", opening reception, 824 Caroline St.

Monday, March 5

"Art for Park"Skatedeck Exhibit to benefit FXBG Skate Park Project @ Brooks Park on display at Ponshop, 712 Caroline St. openings 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 540-656-2215. exhibit on display through April. March into Spring @ Artful Dimensions Gallery. All new Member Show, opening reception, 6-9p "On Edge" - Abstractions by Adam DeSio @ Art First Gallery, opening reception 6-9p. painter and photographer DeSio'S brightly colored, sharp edged abstractions will also be on display throughout the month of March. Metal & Punk Night @The UFO Truck/Adventure Brewing Co

FXBG RV Show @ FXBG Expo Center,

Trivia @ J Brian's Tap Room, 7p

Tuesday, March 6

Grateful Dead Night with a live performance by the Brokedown Boys Sunken Well Tavern Red Dragon Brewery Beer & Trivia night hosted by Donald Heinlein 5 rounds of mind-numbing movies, tv, history, pop culture trivia questions.

Wednesday, March 7

Beth Sholom Temple Sisterhood will sponsor "Planning for College: It's Not Too Soon or Too Late", 6:30 p.m., at 805 Lyons Blvd., 22406 Sunken Well Trivia tonight starting at 7:45pm ~ Come and match wits against the finest minds in Fredericksburg! Compete for Honor, Glory, and Prizes!!

Free Virginia Housing Development Authority Homeownership Education Class, FXBG Branch CRRL, 10a-4p. info Yolanda, (800) 460-4284, Ext 836 or register at vhda.com/freeclass. Godspell presented by CYT @ River of Life Worship Center, 7408 Jeff Davis Hwy, 22551, 2p Music @ Legume, Megan Jean & the KFB, 8-10p, 715 Caroline St

Cardinal Institute for Health Careers & Cardinal Testing Center are co-sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive, 150 Riverside Pkwy, 22406, 9a1p redcrossblood.org Triva Night @ Legume, 6:30p, 715 Caroline St Sunken Well Trivia tonight starting at 7:45pm ~ Come and match wits against the finest minds in Fredericksburg! Compete for Honor, Glory, and Prizes!! Live Music @LaPetite Auberge, 311 William St, 8midnight. . No cover. lapetiteaubergefred.com

Thursday, March 15

Downtown Greens Garden Hours 3:00pm til 6:00pm Help us work the soil, pick weeds, plant saplings or bulbs, move mulch, and so much more Fredericksburg City first city wide March Madness event. Staff & parents will play against each other. Proceeds benefit Fredericksburg City schools Hugh Mercer vs Lafayette@James Monroe HS, 6pm FXBG Fine Arts Show & Sale @ Dorothy Hart Community Center, 10a-7p Open Mic with Larry HinkleHighmark Brewery!, 390 Kings HWY, Happy hour -6:30-10p

Friday, March 16

Sunday, March 11

Daylight SavingsTime Begins Sunken Well Brunch from 9am-2pm, $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Bluegrass night from 7-9pm.

Monday, March 12

work. @duPont Gallery. Exhibit through April 8. Free, 10a-4p

Wednesday, March 14

Champagne Reception, 6-8pm for 67th FXBG Fine Arts Show & Sale, Dorothy Hart Community Center, 408 Canal St. More than 80 local artists exhibiting/selling . Free Admission.10a-8p Sale proceeds benefiting Thurman Brisben Center. Info FredParks.com

WINGS Annual Daffodil Luncheon featuring Dr. Claire Curcio, Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus, author of "THE Death Law" and "Voices of Women of the Cloth". All proceeds from the luncheon will benefit MICAH Ministries Community Cafe. , FXBG Country Club, 11:30A 34th Annual Oyster Roast @ FXBG Agricultural Center 3-6p. Annual benefit for a local family with catastrophic medical diagnosis. This year our recipient is Juliana Johnson, a one year old, diagnosed with a rate condition, Emanuel Syndrome. contact 540-373-7755 Arturo Sandoval - Unearthing America's Musical Treasures: The Library of Congress Project Concert @ Dodd Auditorium, 7:30p St. Pats Punkstravaganza @ Fat Boy's. Hang out, ride the Fred Vegas Brew Tours bus around town all day and then finish your night here at Fat Boys' with this rad lineup of rocking bands.

Sunday, March 18

Trivia @ J Brian's Tap Room, 7p

Godspell presented by CYT @ River of Life Worship Center, 7408 Jeff Davis Hwy, 22551, 7p

Summer Camp Registration Community Center, 9a

Saturday, March 17

Red Dragon Brewery Beer & Trivia night hosted by Donald Heinlein mind-numbing movies, tv, history, and pop culture trivia questions.

Happy St. Pat's Day…get your Irish On! 67th FXBG Fine Arts Show & Sale, Dorothy Hart Community Center, 408 Canal St. local artists exhibiting/selling . Free Admission. 10a-8p FredParks.com

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

Thursday, March 22

Thursday, March 29

Annual Children's Art Show! Dorothy Hart Community Center, information, call 540-3721086 or visit www.FredParksRec.com Downtown Greens Garden Hours 3pm til 6pm Help us work the soil, pick weeds, plant saplings or bulbs, move mulch, and so much more

Tuesday, March 20

Wednesday, March 21

Friday, March 23

Saturday, March 24

Central Station Art & Craft Market @ Central Station & JP's. Come out to OUR NEW monthly Flea Market! 1917 Princess Anne St Annual Children's Art Show! Dorothy Hart Community Center, For information, call 540-3721086 or visit www.FredParksRec.com

Nerd Nite @ Red Dragon Brewry,

@Dorothy

Hart

Annual Student Art Exhibition features a guestcurated exhibition of UMW studio art students'

Red Dragon Brewery Beer & Trivia night h

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

Annual Children's Art Show! Dorothy Hart Community Center, For information, call 540-3721086 or visit www.FredParksRec.com

Monday, March 19

Tuesday, March 27

Wednesday, March 28

67th FXBG Fine Arts Show & Sale, Dorothy Hart Community Center, 408 Canal St. local artists exhibiting/selling . Free 10a-4p proceeds benefit Thurman Brisben Center. Info FredParks.com Empowered Communication Workshop @Unity of FXBG, 2217 Princess Anne St #101, 11:45a.

Belmont Woodland Tours 2 PM. ,Conducted by Virginia Master Naturalists, these informative walks cover a mile of trails in both woodlands and fields and also touch on the historic ruins of Belmont's past. Please wear sturdy footwear. Meet outside the Visitor Center. Free.

Sunken Well Trivia tonight starting at 7:45pm ~ Compete for Honor, Glory, and Prizes!!

Open Mic with Larry Hinkle Highmark Brewery!, 390 Kings HWY, Happy hour -6:30-10p

Spring Home Show @ FXBG Expo Center

Learn about becoming a foster parent @ Salem Church Library. Info at 540-613-5120 or gretchen.rusden@embracetfc.com

Free Seminar on Non-Surgical Solutions to Pain @ Truong Rehabilitation Center, 10340 Spotsylvania Ave, Fredericksburg, VA 22408

Sunken Well Brunch from 9am-2pm, $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Bluegrass night from 7-9pm. Usually a good idea to reserve a table

Trivia @ J Brian's Tap Room, 7p

Tuesday, March 13

Motion is Life: Keep your joints healthy, Whole Health Solutions, 7-8:30 pm, 434 Bridgewater Ave, 540-899-9421

Sunday, March 25

Annual Dog Easter Egg Hunt @ Memorial (Kenmore) Park. Come dressed to enter our doggie costume contest to compete for prizes!! Bring your dogs and come join the fun . info 540-372-1086 or visit www.FredParksRec.com Concert of Hope for Loisann's Hope House, UMW Philharmonic Orchestra, Dodd Auditorium, 7;30pm. tickets, umwphilharmonic.com or call 540/654-1324.

Sunken Well Trivia tonight starting at 7:45pm

Downtown Greens Garden Hours 3pm til 6pm Help us work the soil, pick weeds, plant saplings or bulbs, move mulch, and so much more Open Mic with Larry Hinkle Highmark Brewery!, 390 Kings HWY, Happy hour -6:30-10p

Saturday, March 31

Sunken Well Brunch from 9am-2pm, $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Bluegrass night from 7-9pm. Usually a good idea to reserve a table Friends of the Rappahannock's 8th Wild & Scenic Film Festival. UMW's Dodd Auditorium. Students are free of charge and adult tickets can be purchased at riverfriends.org/events. Go-Far -Go Together 5k race @Old Mill Park, Shelter#1. 8:30aRun or walk the Canal Path Heritage Trail with the Fredericksburg Food Co-op. No need to be a marathon walker or runner. All are welcome to participate in this fun community event.

If you are reading this 248th issue of FPF, thank an advertiser as we celebrate our 21st year of continuous publication! If you are an advertiser, list your events. Deadline for April 2018 issue is March 20th. To submit events go to frontporchfredericksburg.com/submit

Become a Friend Advocate ~ Donate ~ Volunteer

3268 Fans (& Growing) Want You to Join

Front Porch on 540~479~4116 1013 Princess Anne St , FXBG 16

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

540-8 899-6 6787

fortemusicstudios.com front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

CALENDAR of events

march 2018….St. Pat’s Day, Daylight Savings, One More Snow?

FXBG RV Show @ FXBG Expo Center,

Thursday, March1

Music Fridays @ Legume, Adwela & The Uprising, 810p, 715 Caroline St

Saturday, March 3

FXBG RV Show @ FXBG Expo Center, ArtsLIVE! will hold its 2018 Annual Benefit Gala, Blues Gaye-la, featuring Gaye Adegbalola & The Wild Rutz, FXBG Country Club, 7-10p $

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

Thursday, March 8

Friday, March 9

Godspell presented by CYT @ River of Life Worship Center, 7408 Jeff Davis Hwy, 22551, 7p

Open Mic with Larry Hinkle every Thursday at Highmark Brewery!, 390 Kings HWY, Happy hour 6:30-10p

FREE Tax Preparation by Rappahannock United Way if your 2017 household income was $66,000 or less. See website for what to bring, 9-5pm

Black Light Dance Part @ The Bourbon Room, 218 William St., Downtown. 9p

First Friday, March 2

Music @ Legume, The Transmitters 8-10p, 715 Caroline St

Music Fridays @ Legume, Marc Allred, 8-10p, 715 Caroline St

Sunday, March 4

Saturday, March 10

Meet the artists, Chesapeake

Community

Bank

the

Sunken Well Brunch from 9am-2pm, $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Bluegrass night from 7-9pm. Usually a good idea to reserve a table

FCCA "unique Viewpoint", and Nancy Brittle in the Members Gallery, 813 Sophia St.

UUFF Gallery presents, "All About Color", Carol Iglesias opening reception 11:45a, 25 Chalice Circle, 22405

Brush Strokes Gallery, Carol Waite "America", opening reception, 824 Caroline St.

Monday, March 5

FXBG RV Show @ FXBG Expo Center,

Trivia @ J Brian's Tap Room, 7p

Tuesday, March 6

Wednesday, March 7

Thursday, March 15

Friday, March 16

Sunday, March 11

Daylight SavingsTime Begins Sunken Well Brunch from 9am-2pm, $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Bluegrass night from 7-9pm.

Monday, March 12

work. @duPont Gallery. Exhibit through April 8. Free, 10a-4p

Wednesday, March 14

Sunday, March 18

Trivia @ J Brian's Tap Room, 7p

Godspell presented by CYT @ River of Life Worship Center, 7408 Jeff Davis Hwy, 22551, 7p

Summer Camp Registration Community Center, 9a

Saturday, March 17

Red Dragon Brewery Beer & Trivia night hosted by Donald Heinlein mind-numbing movies, tv, history, and pop culture trivia questions.

Happy St. Pat's Day…get your Irish On! 67th FXBG Fine Arts Show & Sale, Dorothy Hart Community Center, 408 Canal St. local artists exhibiting/selling . Free Admission. 10a-8p FredParks.com

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

Thursday, March 22

Thursday, March 29

Tuesday, March 20

Wednesday, March 21

Friday, March 23

Saturday, March 24

Nerd Nite @ Red Dragon Brewry,

@Dorothy

Hart

Annual Student Art Exhibition features a guestcurated exhibition of UMW studio art students'

Red Dragon Brewery Beer & Trivia night h

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

Annual Children's Art Show! Dorothy Hart Community Center, For information, call 540-3721086 or visit www.FredParksRec.com

Monday, March 19

Tuesday, March 27

Wednesday, March 28

Sunken Well Trivia tonight starting at 7:45pm ~ Compete for Honor, Glory, and Prizes!!

Open Mic with Larry Hinkle Highmark Brewery!, 390 Kings HWY, Happy hour -6:30-10p

Spring Home Show @ FXBG Expo Center

Learn about becoming a foster parent @ Salem Church Library. Info at 540-613-5120 or gretchen.rusden@embracetfc.com

Free Seminar on Non-Surgical Solutions to Pain @ Truong Rehabilitation Center, 10340 Spotsylvania Ave, Fredericksburg, VA 22408

Sunken Well Brunch from 9am-2pm, $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Bluegrass night from 7-9pm. Usually a good idea to reserve a table

Trivia @ J Brian's Tap Room, 7p

Tuesday, March 13

Motion is Life: Keep your joints healthy, Whole Health Solutions, 7-8:30 pm, 434 Bridgewater Ave, 540-899-9421

Sunday, March 25

Sunken Well Trivia tonight starting at 7:45pm

Saturday, March 31

Become a Friend Advocate ~ Donate ~ Volunteer

3268 Fans (& Growing) Want You to Join

Front Porch on 540~479~4116 1013 Princess Anne St , FXBG 16

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

540-8 899-6 6787

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March 2018

history’s stories

RELIC'S AMAZING STORY By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Dennis Cox and I share a hobby that at one time when we both started out in the 1950’s, had less than fifty diggers, however, today there are several thousand individuals throughout the USA. I slowed up many years ago , having fewer places too search. He continues traveling out of state searching for other areas to continue his ventures into the hobby we love. Recently he found one of the most amazing relics, just a few miles north of Fredericksburg, in a Union Army camp that many relic hunters have searched for over fifty years.

It was a hot day back in June 2017 Dennis was on a shaded hillside off Route 1 in Stafford where several thousand Union troops camped before and after the battle in December 1862. Some of these camps the troops were in for over a year. He had found several bullets when he heard a faint signal that sounded like a bullet deep, however, as he proceeded to dig the signal became much louder. Dennis said that at about two feet he hit a large rock, which was unusual as no rocks are common to the area. He found two other rocks next to the first and as he removed one which he estimated at twenty pounds there was in his sight a non-commissioned officer’s sword lying under it. He had to remove the other two stones for the blade to come out of the deep hole. Dennis took it home and lightly cleaned it up. He had no idea that this was just the beginning of a fascinating story. A few weeks later as he was showing the sword to some friends, one noticed that the sword guard has some letters crudely inscribed into the brass, 91PV (Pennsylvania Volunteer’s) and Co C on the other side. Dennis said that with the help of Historic Artifact Archivist Blane Piper of the Pickett Post a long time local Civil War artifacts business owned by Bill Henderson and Tim Garrett. With the help of Blane along with Historian, Ken Hamilton, Dennis was able to complete the amazing following story after 155 years. William Henry Brown of Co C 91st Pennsylvania Volunteer’s was the only noncommissioned officer from the 91st Pennsylvania killed in the assault on Marye’s Heights on December 13, 1862. He was born in Philadelphia in 1836 and married to Sara Christine in 1857. He joined the 91st in September 1861 for a three-year enlistment period. He was quickly promoted to the rank of Sergeant. On December 13,1862 he would lead his regiment in the battle as a member of the Color Guard on the far right of the Union attack. This area is what is known as today’s Kenmore park. He was found on the battlefield seriously wounded with his little pet dog that refused to leave Brown, until he was loaded on a wagon that would carry him back to camp where he would die. Many soldiers had pets with them. It is said that Brown’s dog ran off and was never again found. His body would not be removed from the camp grave until 1866 when most Union soldiers were removed from the camp graves and carried either home or National Cemeteries for reburial.

OUR HERITAGE chatham bridge By Sue Stone & Nancy Moore Rappahannock River Goes 38Feet Above Normal Large Section Is Damaged; Free Bridge Washed Out “With two main bridges blocked, highway traffic was seriously disrupted most of the day but hasty repairs had put the principal span, that at Falmouth on Route One, back into service this afternoon. The Free Bridge at the foot of William Street is hopelessly wrecked and many months will elapse before it can be replaced.” Free Lance-Star, Tuesday, April 27, 1937 The irreparable damage to its predecessor by the Flood of 1937 led to the building of today’s Chatham Bridge.(bridge above circa 1912) Recently, Fredericksburg City Council voted to allow closure of the bridge to traffic so badly needed repairs can be made as quickly as possible. There is a long history of floodwaters destroying crossings on the Rappahannock River. Today’s Chatham Bridge is simply the most recent crossing, and it is more than 75 years old. But what is the history of Chatham Bridge? After the 1937 flood destroyed the Free Bridge across the Rappahannock River, City Council vowed to replace it, calling it, “…the most convenient and important connection between the City of Fredericksburg and the Northern Neck of Virginia.” In the days immediately following the flood, travel to the Northern Neck from Fredericksburg was redirected south on U.S. 1 to Massaponax and east to Port Royal, where drivers could finally cross the Rappahannock River and rejoin State Route 3 east. When the present bridge is closed for repairs, the detour along the Blue and Gray Parkway will be much shorter. In discussing the need for a new bridge in 1937, City Council recognized the necessity for a flood-proof replacement. Still considering the options,

in 1939, the Council decided “it would be possible to get a proper bridge at the William Street site by raising William Street slightly and by making minor changes on Sophia Street near the bridge.” At a meeting later that year, the council talked about building a bridge with a 34foot-wide roadway and four-foot-wide sidewalks on either side. The elevation of the bridge at its center would be three feet above the high-water mark. William Street would be raised to the flood level— five or six feet higher than before. More than four long years after the flood, the new, improved bridge was completed in August 1941. In October of the following year, it withstood the devastating Flood of 1942, thanks to the foresight of city and highway officials. According to VDOT, the current bridge will be widened somewhat and the pedestrian walkways made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. VDOT does not plan to advertise the project to potential bidders until fall 2020 with work to begin in 2021. However, with the improvements, the Chatham Bridge should continue to provide an important link between Fredericksburg and Stafford County.

Seeking Web Designer ACCR Request for Proposal By Carolyn Van Der Jagt On January 30, The Arts & Cultural Council of the Rappahannock (ACCR) was awarded the 20th Anniversary Visionary Grant for the Arts from the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region to upgrade our existing www.fredericksburgarts.org website. This upgrade will permit ACCR to expand the existing calendar of events as well as to create a robust directory of artists, arts organizations, and cultural resources. In addition, ACCR plans to initiate an annual neighborhood-based arts and music festival entitled Fredericksburg PorchFest. The enhanced calendar will include upcoming arts and culture events as well as classes and workshops. The calendar will also list opportunities for artists such as calls for art projects and upcoming auditions. ACCR envisions the Directory including cultural resources as well as artists and art offerings from multiple genres. With the support and participation of the local arts and cultural community, the Directory will be multifaceted, diverse and inclusive with visual artists, performing artists, bands, theater groups, authors, public art, recurring festivals and events, and museum opportunities.

ACCR issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a website designer and webmaster for this project. ACCR has a preliminary online form to start collecting information from the arts community for the Directory. More information about the overall project, the RFP, and the online form to submit your Directory entry can be found at www.fxbgarts.org It is important that the arts community assist with this immense project by completing the entry form and including all the requested information. To encourage the submission of the information, ACCR will be placing "Get Listed" reminder cards in various locations throughout the region. The new and improved website will highlight and promote our vast number of regional arts and cultural assets and resources. Establishing the Central Rappahannock region as a premier arts destination on the east coast is the goal! So, make sure you "Get Listed" as soon as possible! Carolyn Van Der Jagt is the President of The Arts & Cultural Council of the Rappahannock and a local fiber artist

Nancy Moore is a retired Free LanceStar managing editor & current manager of the library's Virginana Room. Sue Stone is a volunteer with the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. and the Virginiana Room.

Records indicate that his crudely hand engraved sword was buried by his fellow soldiers as a memento to his bravery. His widow Sara applied for and received a widow’s pension of eight dollars per month in 1863. At her death in 1924 Sara Brown was still receiving a pension of thirty dollars per month, as she never remarried. Without the ongoing research and hunt for Civil War relics lost during the War Between the States, especially with all the land development. Stories like this would not be possible, as the items would remain lost forever. Thank you, Dennis Cox, for your story and may you and others continue their search. I also would like to thank the many property owners and developers that allow relic hunters permission to search for these lost accouterments In memory of: Ray Carpenter, Stanley Phillips, Bob Younce, Jim Moser, Wally Mann and Danny Elkins Tuffy Hicks unearths little known facts about FXBG each month in this space.

March 2018

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front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

history’s stories

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Senior Care Shingles By Karl Karch debilitating pain that can last for months or even years. There is no treatment or cure from this pain. The older a person is, the more likely the pain will be severe. The Zostavax vaccine has only been found to be about 51 percent effective against shingles risk and I was surprised to learn that protection only lasts 5 years. CDC now The recommends that healthy adults age 50 years and older receive two doses (two to six months apart) of the new shingles vaccine called Shingrix even if, in the past you: had shingles; received Ten years ago, one of our Zostavax; or are not sure if you had caregivers returned from a lengthy chickenpox. Shingrix provides strong absence resulting from shingles. She protection and is proven to be anywhere explained in excruciating detail how from 91 to 97 percent effective. While it painful it was saying shingles is something is now the preferred vaccine over she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Zostavax, the CDC still recommends Shingles symptoms can last for up to Zostavax for healthy adults 60 years and several months. While some have older when a person is allergic to Shingrix reported only mild symptoms of feeling or prefers Zostavax. And, either vaccine sick and itchy, others have reported reduces the chance of having long-term shingles causing so much pain that they pain should you get shingles. One cannot put on their clothes downside is that the or have sheets touch their Shingles is a vaccine is costly. skin. Prior to this Medicare Part B painful skin rash caused conversation, shingles was does not cover the cost by the same virus that something I hadn’t causes chickenpox...After of shingles vaccines. considered. However, soon Medicare Part D does you have chickenpox, the afterward, Roberta and I cover the cost, but virus stays inactive in the there may be a copay. Zostavax received the body and can reactivate Shingles Vaccine. It’s now Many private health years later causing been over ten years since we plans will cover the were vaccinated. I recently shingles. cost. learned about a new shingles You should check with vaccine called Shingrix so I went on the your healthcare provider about the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website vaccination, especially if you have any to learn what they now recommend. questions about potential side effects. For those who may not know, And while you are at it, also check on shingles is a painful skin rash caused by other immunizations. After conducting the same virus that causes chickenpox. this research, Roberta and I will get the Studies show that more than 99% of Shingrix vaccination. Remember the old Americans 40 years and older had the expression “An ounce of prevention is chickenpox, even if they don’t remember worth a pound of cure”. And, the current having the disease. After you have expression “Don’t wait, vaccinate!” chickenpox, the virus stays inactive in the body and can reactivate years later causing shingles. Vaccination is the only Karl Karch is a local franchise owner of way to reduce your risk of shingles and Home Instead Senior Care, a licensed postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a home care organization providing complication from shingles. Currently 1 personal care, companionship and home helper services in the Fredericksburg and million people in the U.S. get shingles Culpeper region. every year and one-third of those 60 and older will get it in their lifetime. If you are unfortunate to contract shingles, there is a one in six chance you will have severe

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

Lexi Grogan’s Pet Sitting Service

Emancipated Patients

“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”

placebo

Prices: Dogs - $15 per canine per visit Cats - $12 per feline per visit

Are You...

By Patrick Neustatter, MD

Sick & tired of being sick & tired?

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

Having sleep problems? Constantly clearing your throat? Hypersensitive? Panicky? Sore Neck & Back? Anxious? Depressed? Fatigued? Morning Brain Fog? Oral System Balancing –OSBcould be just what you need

Here’s an ethical one for you to chew on. In a clinical update on arthritis the speakers noted that “there’s no convincing evidence supports the use of chondroitin and glucosamine” but, because it had a placebo effect that helped relieve pain, the speaker said that he would still recommend it. So, is that OK? To give something you know has been proven to have no pharmacological efficacy? Or is this a wicked deception that the doctor is putting over on his patients?

A Powerfully Inert Medicine The placebo effect – a benefit derived from some medicine or intervention that is apparently inert – crops up a lot in medicine. It causes all sorts of problems to drug companies especially, in drug trials when the real medicine is being compared to “an inert substance” in the form of a placebo. In the old days, the Eli Lilly rep would come by with glossy brochures about Prozac, with bar graphs and smiling patients who were taking their happy pills. But, they couldn’t hide the fact that the placebos in the trial were over 70 per cent as effective as their expensive drug (Prozac was 40 percent effective and placebo 30 per cent). I would quip that “the placebo’s pretty effective” (not to mention cheap and free of side effects). The reps would glower at me. Harvard professor Ted Kaptchuk, whose a bit of a guru when it comes to placebos, notes “placebo effects rely on complex neurobiological mechanisms involving neurotransmitters and activation of specific, quantifiable, and relevant areas of the brain.” Also, this apparent voodoomedicine effect of placebos isn’t just

Visit www.drwaynewhitley.com & watch amazing video testimonies Call for a FREE consultation Dr. Wayne Whitley 540-847-1935

reliant on deception however. In a trial reported by Kaptchuk, on patients with irritable bowel disease (IBS – a condition famous for being considered to have a significant psychosomatic element), one cohort was given placebo, but were told they were taking placebos. And still it had a beneficial placebo effect. More than just medicine can have a placebo effect. It may sound a little hokey, but people have tried “sham surgery” for its placebo effect. Vertibro-p plasty is a procedure where you inject cement into a broken/collapsed vertebra to provide pain relief. The joke is, if you just stick the needle in without injecting the cement, it’s just as effective. Then your doctor or therapist can also have a placebo effect if you believe they are doing you good.

Bring a little sunshine to a senior’s life! Too many seniors feel lonely and isolated. YOU can make a difference by volunteering to visit a senior in the Fredericksburg area.

Placebo’s Evil Cousin In the same way placebos can have a beneficial effect, so medicines and interventions can have a negative effect. The so called “nocebo” effect. I always think that list, as long as your arm, of potential adverse effects the pharmacist gives you when you fill a prescription are liable to have a nocebo effect. Be a sort of self-fulfilling-prophesy. So? The idea of the emancipated patient is that you should be fully informed. So is it OK for your doctor to use a placebo, which has no disease modifying properties, but merely relieves symptoms? Your answers, on a post card please 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

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

Volunteer training is provided & no special skills are required. The Senior Visitors Program is a FREE community service program of Mental Health America of Fredericksburg. Visit mhafred.org or call 540-371-2704

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

Lexi Grogan’s Pet Sitting Service

Emancipated Patients

“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”

placebo

Prices: Dogs - $15 per canine per visit Cats - $12 per feline per visit

Are You...

By Patrick Neustatter, MD

Sick & tired of being sick & tired?

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

Visit www.drwaynewhitley.com & watch amazing video testimonies Call for a FREE consultation Dr. Wayne Whitley 540-847-1935

Bring a little sunshine to a senior’s life! Too many seniors feel lonely and isolated. YOU can make a difference by volunteering to visit a senior in the Fredericksburg area.

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

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

#FREDSTRONG Winning a Gold Medal at Age 62

It’s All Energy

Honoring the Death Experience End of Life Doula

eem for heart health

By Suzy Woollam

by Joan M. Geisler

Dear Reader, I am changing my column to showcase and highlight the inspirational men and women of the ‘burg that help us stay strong through nutrition, fitness and with a positive mindset. Because strong people make for a strong community. ~ Joan When you think of Powerlifting Competitions, you might have in mind someone like Arnold (no last name needed). Hardly does a mild manner, pistol yielding, former trumpet playing extraordinaire come to mind. But that is just who we have in Fredericksburg. Meet Patricia (Pat) Boord. A resident of Fredericksburg since 1990. Like so many people well entrenched into their 6th decade of life, Pat has many layers. First and foremost, she has been married to Rodney for 34 years and has one son who proudly served us in the United States Army. Thank you Adam. In college, Pat earned a BS in music education and holds a masters degree in Training and Learning. After graduation she applied for jobs in the music field. Now…you are not going to believe this but in 1977 only males were considered for the position as Band Directors of high schools. “I went to my first interview,” Pat recalls. “There were 3 men sitting across from me to interview me. One man said, ‘I am not part of the interview committee, I just wanted to see what kind of woman would have the guts to apply for a man’s job!’ Kinda makes you sick to your stomach now huh!? So Pat had to rethink her career choices. As with many paths in life, they ebb and flow until they take you to your destiny.

March 2018

“I applied for a job at the FBI and was hired as the lowest possible pay grade. I worked my way up to Unit Chief and retired 25 years later as a GS 15 at the age of 56. Pat’s foray into fitness began at age 50. “I was tired of being overweight and found a personal trainer and nutritionist and lost 60 pounds. One day at the gym a woman approached me and asked if I had ever thought to compete in a bench press competition. I gave her many excuses, ‘I cannot lift that much weight, I’m too fat, too old and half blind.” Pat is blind in her left eye. Because Pat is not one to back down from a challenge, 6 months later she finds herself in Charlottesville at her first bench pressing competition. “I had no idea, until the drive home with Rodney, that I had set 2 Virginia state records and broke a record in my age bracket! Not bad for an ol’ gal!” With that win, she was bit by the competition bug. 2 years and 5 competitions later she qualified in 2013 for the World Meet in Prague. “I was competing against women who had been benching for 20 years and I came in 5th place!” With most achievements in life, hers was not a linear path. In June 2012, she had her knee replaced and suffered tremendous complications. “I was really sick.” Come November 2012, Pat had to start all over again. When we peel back the layers of Pat’s life we will clearly see the hand of God working, guiding and impressing upon Pat that there was more He had for her. “I heard God say, “Collect Seeds.” It took a while to understand what He meant.”. Pat tells her story of what ‘Collect Seeds’ means through triumph, tragedy and starting over in her book, “Bench Pressing Threads of Faith.” She leads inspiring workshops on faith and has an online show called, “Pressing Up” that can be found on Virginia Living TV.com. You can find her most days at Gold’s Gym training, encouraging others and of course, collecting seeds. You can contact her at BPthreads31@gmail.com

Joan Geisler is a Habit Coach, A Behavioral Change Specialist. Visit her New Website at www.8020healthyhabits

Front porch fredericksburg

by christina ferber Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day and is constantly working to keep you alive. Unfortunately, we sometimes take it for granted, so why not show your heart a little love with Eden Energy Medicine (EEM)? The following simple exercises can help strengthen, support, and balance your heart, so that it can feel a little more loved.

Thank You Fredericksburg for Your Support Since 1997

The Chest Stretch Photo courtesy of Big Tre School of Natural Healing Protocol for the Heart helps to balance the Heart massaging our palms. This helps many meridian (energy pathways in the body) meridians, and if you twist your baby and the organ itself. While sitting on the fingers as you come off your hand, you edge of a chair, place your palms over have also given your Heart meridian an your kidneys on your back. On a deep extra boost. breath in, lift your chest and try to pull An exercise that I have your elbows together. Hold this pose for mentioned before to help relieve anxiety ten to fifteen seconds, and then release can also help lower the heart rate and your breath. Repeat this a few times. blood pressure if done in a slow and Pressing and buzzing acupoints controlled way. The Blow Out or Expelling on the body, can also help balance the the Venom begins with your arms on heart. The Power Point is at the back of either side of your body in fists. Imagine your head at the base of the skull. It is in that all your frustrations and negative the dip you feel in the center where your feelings are in your hands, and on an head meets your neck. Working with this inhale, bring your arms behind you and point, can help calm anxiety, balance then above your head. On an exhale, bring blood pressure, and support heart health. them down and open your fists, using the “shhh” sound. Repeat three times and on The acupoint, Heart 7, can the last movement, bring your hands increase the flow of energy to the heart. down slowly and deliberately and let it all This point is in line with your pinky finger go. where your hand and wrist meet. The Liver 3 (LV 3) point helps to balance the Placing one flat hand over your Liver meridian so that it can help support heart area and the other hand over the the heart. It lies in a dip in the “webbing” area beneath your belly button can also area between the big toe and second toe. help the heart. Breathe peacefully for

131 Park Hill Dr, FXBG, 22401 540-373-0602 fdadental.com

ble at Availa n.com Amazo

about two to five minutes, and you will also feel more centered.

The pericardium is the heart’s protector, and working with this meridian helps the heart too. Holding the Pericardium 6 point aids with the communication between the pericardium and the heart, and can help with heart palpitations. It is located on the inside of the arm near the wrist (see image). Please note that if you are pregnant, this point should not be used as it is a “forbidden point” during pregnancy.

Keeping your body’s energy balanced is the first step to true wellness, and the Daily Energy Routine (DER) can be the gateway to it. View the DER and other easy exercises at www.itsallenergywellness.com and show yourself even more love!

Many, or all of these points, may be tender, so work your way up to using a firmer pressure. If they are sore, then that means they are crying out for some love and balancing.

Christina Ferber is a Certified Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner.

One technique that we often do without even thinking about it is simply

Accepting New Patients Emergency Patients Welcome Participant With Most Major Insurance Plans

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

Let’s play a game, shall we? Imagine for one moment that someone just told you that next week you will be going on a trip, and that you will not be returning. You don’t know exactly where, or when, or even how you will get there. You know only that you are going alone. You know that there will be a party, but not who will attend, or any of the details, and you have absolutely no say in the matter. How are you feeling? Pretty anxious, I’m guessing. Frightened? Confused? Frustrated? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to help sort out all these details, to provide some insight and direction, someone who would listen to your concerns? Welcome the End of Life Doula. An End of Life Doula (EOLD) is much the same as a Birth Doula. Both are trained professionals, enlisted to provide physical, emotional, spiritual and informational support during life transition, and ensure the healthiest, safest and most satisfying experience possible for all. Just as a birth doula works with the medical birth team to assist a mother during pregnancy and labor, an end of life doula works alongside your healthcare providers in a holistic, non-medical role, to ensure the fullest quality of life, right to the end. An EOLD works with you to provide empowering, proactive, community-based support, have the critical conversations, provide the listening ear, be a resource for information, and help you to plan your peaceful life transition experience. Regardless of age or health status, your End of Life Doula can assist you in talking about, and planning for, your end of life. Being an EOLD is about compassion, it’s about active listening- - with our ears, our minds and our hearts. It’s about helping to discover and document your choices and decisions, from finances to pet care, for your life transition.

to their physicians as they think it will give the impression that they have “given up”. These fears can easily become overwhelming, causing them to avoid discussing the subject until it is too late. They deny themselves, and their loved ones, the opportunity to have open and honest conversations that may allay many of their fears, and even help them in planning for their future. And while opening the conversation about end of life planning can be difficult, in the end it may be one of the greatest gifts that you can provide yourself and your family. Death is a meaningful, emotional and natural part of the life experience, and preplanning your end of life care not only eases the burden on your loved ones, but assures that your decisions will be honored. In the end, each of us will experience death; it cannot be escaped. The difference, the beauty, comes in how we choose to embrace it.

You can find Suzy asking all the tough questions at The Scenter of Town, on Charles Street.

One of the greatest fears of death and dying comes simply from the unknowing. We fear death because we’ve never done it before. What will happen to us, to our families and our loved ones? How do we prepare? Many people avoid conversations about death, finding it frightening or morbid, others avoid the topic from superstition. They fear talking front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

#FREDSTRONG Winning a Gold Medal at Age 62

It’s All Energy

Honoring the Death Experience End of Life Doula

eem for heart health

By Suzy Woollam

by Joan M. Geisler

March 2018

Joan Geisler is a Habit Coach, A Behavioral Change Specialist. Visit her New Website at www.8020healthyhabits

Front porch fredericksburg

Thank You Fredericksburg for Your Support Since 1997

131 Park Hill Dr, FXBG, 22401 540-373-0602 fdadental.com

ble at Availa n.com Amazo

about two to five minutes, and you will also feel more centered.

Many, or all of these points, may be tender, so work your way up to using a firmer pressure. If they are sore, then that means they are crying out for some love and balancing.

Christina Ferber is a Certified Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner.

One technique that we often do without even thinking about it is simply

Accepting New Patients Emergency Patients Welcome Participant With Most Major Insurance Plans

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

You can find Suzy asking all the tough questions at The Scenter of Town, on Charles Street.

March 2018

Art in the Burg

Stories

of fredericksburg

All About Color: Carol Iglesias

"All About Color" is a perfect description for UUFF Gallery’s March/April guest artist. Carol Iglesias is a fine art painter whose current media are pastel and oil. While traveling extensively during her adult life, her plein air paintings of local towns and countrysides burst forth in vibrant colors. She has a reverence for the media and painting techniques used by the old masters. Carol loves the intensity of the saturated colors of pastels, which is as close to pure pigment as any art medium. She likes the broken color of the Impressionists, small patches of color laid in a patchwork pattern, which conveys the

“A Story to Tell”, Lynn Abbott

Art is a Gift from the Heart

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. The poem below is a hint of the location of the mystery house. Good Luck!

Last Month’s House: 809 Cornell Street

Artists: Beverley Coates, Lynn Abbott, Penny A Parrish Daily hours 10 to 6. Artist on site Saturdays 540.371.4099

The Winner of a Roxbury Farm & Garden Center Gift Certificate is Susan Barrett Lancaster

810 Caroline Street, Downtown Fredericksburg

“Wine for the Ride” Carol is an award-winning artist, and her paintings are in public and private collections throughout the U.S. as well as internationally. She is a member of The American Impressionist Society, The Pastel Society of America, Fredericksburg Plein Air Painters and a signature member of The Maryland Pastel Society. -Visual Arts Committee

win downtown gift certificate

Joanie

By Anita Holle Born in Montreal, Carol has an art degree from Olympic College in Washington State, and studied at the New School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. Carol has been living near Fredericksburg for a dozen years. She loves plein air painting, taking her easel to various locations at various times of day to capture the immediacy of an image. A passion for travel has been very inspiring and has a strong influence on her subject matter. Throughout her career, she has painted plein air in France, Italy, the Caribbean, and locations throughout the United States. She was an Artist-IIn-R Residence at l'Atelier d'Artiste de Grande Vigne in Dinan, France, in 2012. Carol loves to photograph her experiences during her trips abroad, and often works from these photos in her studio.

Name This House

Joanie first got involved with Micah when she started donating groceries from her church to the center. For over a year and a half she has spent two out of five days of the week working behind the front desk at the Micah's Hospitality Center. Here's what she has to say: "As a Christian we're called to feed the hungry, clothe those who need clothing, and help the sick. [Volunteering at] Micah was a no-brainer for me! When I first started it was very foreign to me. I had never been through what some of these people have been through and it was very heart and mind opening for me to see the level of care people have for the clients. “I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives and our own families that we forget that there are

people who are homeless and hungry and don't have anything. Everybody has a story. Everybody deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. .”I have learned a lot about how the system works. I had no idea what it takes to find a place for someone, or how disability works for someone who is homeless. I truly feel blessed to be able to volunteer here."

Submitted by Micah Ecumenical Ministries, a Christ-Centered Community supporting people experiencing chronic homelessness and identifying pathways to sustainable housing. Contact 540-479-4116; www.dolovewalk.net; facebook

I am the new girl on the block, see how my blue coat glitters, I am in love with myself, as I stand so tall and pretty. My view of the college is up the hill, a wooded and mountainous heap, with the dogs playing in the park, still. I look to my side and see watery ripples, from my white-rail second floor balcony, I see historic sites, as.someone's mother that you studied, lived here long ago. ask to be in your paper, to introduce myself to the Burg. Rhett and Scarlett would truly be proud, to spend some time with me, and gaze upon my beautiful countenance, Bless your hearts, my dears.

Opening reception, Sunday March 4, 11:45 am. Exhibit throughout the month. caroliglesias.com uuffva.org; facebook

“Striped Covered Boat” depth of a colored surface in a given light or shade. She is attracted to the play of reflections in rippling water, the play of sunlight and shadow on building facades, and the textures of a receding landscape.

March 2018

Anita Holle is a local artist.

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Art in the Burg

Stories

of fredericksburg

All About Color: Carol Iglesias

“A Story to Tell”, Lynn Abbott

Art is a Gift from the Heart

Last Month’s House: 809 Cornell Street

Artists: Beverley Coates, Lynn Abbott, Penny A Parrish Daily hours 10 to 6. Artist on site Saturdays 540.371.4099

The Winner of a Roxbury Farm & Garden Center Gift Certificate is Susan Barrett Lancaster

810 Caroline Street, Downtown Fredericksburg

win downtown gift certificate

Joanie

Name This House

Opening reception, Sunday March 4, 11:45 am. Exhibit throughout the month. caroliglesias.com uuffva.org; facebook

March 2018

Anita Holle is a local artist.

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Art for Park Ponshop Skatedeck Exhibit By A.E. Bayne Mark your calendars in March and April for Ponshop’s first “Art for Park” exhibit, featuring over fifty custom-painted skate decks created by local and national artists. The show’s March First Friday opening will feature over a dozen original works of art, with the April First Friday event including all participating artists. The exhibit will raise money for the Fredericksburg Skate Park Project, with 20 percent of sales going toward the fund. Gabe Pons has been involved with the initiative for the skate park since 2016, but it was well underway at that point. He says, “It was really kicked off in 2013 by Don Patterson, a Marine dad whose teen son was an avid skateboarder at Brooks Park. Don and Mark Eyestone of Magic Bullet Records and Skateboards have been rallying people around the idea of improving the ramps at Saint Clair Brooks Memorial Park since that time. They’ve done fundraisers, both through Magic Bullet and at the park itself, but like any kind of public fundraising project it really needs something sustained.” Skateboarding and skate culture are close to Pons’ heart. Growing up in the ‘80s, he says magazines like Thrasher and TransWorld gave him and his friends exposure to the punk-infused culture surrounding skating, and he attributes his interest in art as being stimulated by that culture. He says, “The graphic design of the decks we used was directly influenced by riders of the day and their pro models. The companies that sponsored them would give riders a signature model, and those images became iconic. Now, design comes from anywhere. It might come from a bootleg of a commercial graphic made personal or parodied, or it might incorporate fine art. Graphic designers and street photographers are collaborating with skateboard companies to design deck graphics now. Today, skateboard graphic design is up for grabs and only limited by one’s imagination.” Pons says that over the past 25 years, skateboarding has been fully recognized as part of the collective pop culture. He says, “Even the MOMA has limited edition decks hanging on their gift store walls.” Pons believes the skate park will be an opportunity for the city to have something that is truly unique to add to its reputation. He says the space the park

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

utilizes can be compact as long as creativity and variety are incorporated into the design of the terrain. He also sees it as a way to connect with the public. Pons explains, “Today, skateboarding is a multi-generational activity. While a large part of skating has always been about the teens - the park rats, which Fredericksburg needs more of, in my opinion - it’s also about older kids in their late teens and 20s, college kids, young professionals in their 30s and older, like me, who have started families and careers but want to share skating with their own kids. The new park will require nearly half a million dollars to fully fund. Reconstruction of the existing skate spot at Brooks Park will make it a safe and friendly public park for the entire community, but the Fredericksburg Skate Park Project is just starting to accumulate funds. Pons says, “The initiative is not going to achieve its goal through benefits and fundraisers alone. It’s going to take a collaboration between the arts community, the municipality, Parks and Rec, and hopefully private sponsorship and donations." "Art for Park" has been a popular draw. Pons laughs, “I’ve had so many inquiries beyond the 50 spots we opened that I’m already thinking about other venues for later in the year where we could hold another fundraiser.” “Art for Park” will be on display at Ponshop in March & April , with openings on First Friday of each month from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For info 540-6 656-2 2215. A.E. Bayne is a writer, visual artist and veteran educator who publishes Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review twice a year. Read it free online at fredericksburgwriters.com.

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Companions Look who’s talking by Alison Carlin

“Cheetato”,1 year old female "Why hello! Cheetato here! Yes, I said Cheetato! I think cheetatos could be the wave of the future so I decided to name myself after them. I am a sweet, loving gal who can be initially a little timid. But that fades super fast with a little TLC! I do get along with other kitties with proper introduction so if you have resident feline friends, I think we could be great pals! I am an affectionate lady and I enjoy being pet and given head and shin scratches. I think I would make the purrfect companion for just about any cat lover so please, won't you come meet me today?!" "Hiya! My name's Merry, pleased

"Hello friends, my name is Thunder! I am here at the shelter with my brother, Lightning. We were brought here to the shelter together when our family moved away and couldn't take us with them. My brother and I are very bonded and I think we really need to go to a home together. But everything is better in twos, right?! I am a quiet, laidback loving lady. I prefer to sit back, relax, and watch my brother, he's the more outgoing of the two of us. I don't need much to be content...just a nice sunny window, some yummy wet food, and a soft bed and I am good! I can be a tad shy with new people but with a little TLC, I am quiet affectionate and I love to be pet. One look in to my stunning green eyes and I am sure you'll fall in love. Come meet me and brother today!"

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!

Old Town’s Greatest Tour 35 Monuments, Markers, & Attractions AND the Fredericksburg Battlefields Weddings Reunions Shuttles Parties Group Outings Fredericksburgtrolley.com

540-898-0737

“Thunder”, 6 year old female

Get Active with the SPCA

“Merry” 3 year old female to meet you! I am a happy-go-lucky, silly gal just looking for my forever family! Could that be you? I'm 4 years young and I love to run and play. Give me a nice big yard and watch me go! I am super snuggly and affectionate! I love to love and be loved in return! I am looking for an active household to join. I want to be a part of the action and join you on walks and runs! I may need a little obedience training but I am smart and food-motivated so I know I can learn fast! So come and visit soon...I can't wait to see you!"

March 2018

The Fredericksburg SPCA found loving homes for more than 1,600 cats and dogs last year. Every pet that enters the care of this shelter is uniquely different and there are some pets need a little more care than their peers, to include underage kittens and adult dogs. We’d love to have you support the programs we have that benefit these pets, such as Adventure Tails and Foster Care. It’s a great way to get involved without having to commit to regularly coming into the shelter to volunteer.

Find out more at fburgspca.org, 898-1500 , or visiting the shelter at 10819 Courthouse Rd, FXBG, 22408.

Alison Carlin is the Community Outreach Coordinator for FREDSPCA

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Companions Look who’s talking by Alison Carlin

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

Old Town’s Greatest Tour 35 Monuments, Markers, & Attractions AND the Fredericksburg Battlefields Weddings Reunions Shuttles Parties Group Outings Fredericksburgtrolley.com

540-898-0737

“Thunder”, 6 year old female

Get Active with the SPCA

March 2018

Find out more at fburgspca.org, 898-1500 , or visiting the shelter at 10819 Courthouse Rd, FXBG, 22408.

Alison Carlin is the Community Outreach Coordinator for FREDSPCA

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Fredericksburg Sketches 606 Caroline Street Old Town Fredericksburg 373-7847

A visual Celebration of our community

By Casey Alan Shaw

www.gemstonecreations.org

Please Come By & Post a Happy Act on Our Wall on March 20th, the International Day of Happiness!

DOWNTOWN DEWEY and his life in the fast lane

From My Porch Kindness: it’s good for your health - really!

by georgia Lee Strentz

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

By Jo Loving

Where Fredericksburg Gets Engaged Meditating on a compassionate approach to others shifts resting brain activation to the left hemisphere, a region associated with happiness, and boosts immune functions. ~ Dacher Keltner, Director, Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory

Give a Child Something to Think About “Two Old Farts”, Dewey & Dave

Books, Games, Amusing Novelties M-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 1pm-4pm

810 Caroline Street (540) 371-5684

SKETCH #41: Rough sketch of “Hyperion Corner” Last month, I had the privilege of visiting Belmont, the estate of artist Gari Melchers, just across the bridge in Falmouth with a local group of fellow artists dubbed Urban Sketchers Fredericksburg. It was an especially inspiring visit because they arranged for us to descend into the archives to get a rare look at Melchers’ many sketchbooks. I love Melchers’ finished paintings, but there was something magic about seeing the pencil lines and unrestrained scribblings that shed a light on his process and the vast preparation done before he ever started a larger piece of art. That got me thinking. So this month, I’m sharing a piece that no one would usually see because it is unfinished. In fact, this particular piece was ultimately abandoned when I decided to head a different direction. But it served an important purpose. I worked out certain visual problems here that led me to a second sketch … and then a third … and then, finally, a more “finished” later piece. With this sketch (if it reproduces well enough on newsprint), you’ll see that part of the sketch was done in black ink, but much of it is still the original pencil lines. If you saw my actual sketchbooks, you’d see that much, if not most, of the drawings are little unfinished experiments that probably did not get finished. And that’s okay. It turns out even a master artist like Gari Melchers worked in a similar fashion in his sketchbooks … and that’s pretty good company to keep.

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.

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

"My name is Dewey Byte Farquarson, and I am a dog. We may have met already, as I hang out and live with Brooke Farquhar, my dad and other 'Townie dogs,' in the cute shops, houses and apartments in downtown Fredericksburg. My mom, who was a Cairn Terrier, was imported from Scotland, and so I am a local guy, born in Chattam Heights, across the river from Fredericksburg. “If you live downtown, you know how great it is to hang out where all the friendly tourists and their dogs walk, talk and eat, buy neat things,visit the river, and hang out with us store dogs,and our friendly shop owners. It is such a great place. Our town is loaded with friendly, furry, doggie love bugs, waiting with a minimum of encouragement, to kiss and hug you,.search your backpack or purse for treats, or even sniff your baby's stroller within a blink of an eye. I know because I am one of them. I have lived here for all of my 15 years with my dad Brooke, at our shop he owns with Dave Minckler, called Raven Hi Fi, at 214 William St..(wonderful home theaters,custom TV installations, stereos,etc.) I know when you meet me after you have seen my picture here, you will say, 'Oh Dewey you can't be 15,' but yep I am. It must be the good food called Earthbornholistic petfood.com food Dad gets from Dog Crazy dog store downtown by our shop. “My dad also has a great motorcycle shop called, Motorworks, at 1103 Lafayette, where he can fix your motorcycle or restore it. I have ridden our motorcycles with him since I was a puppy, as I have a special harness and a rubber mat on the tank, so I can lean into the curves, which I love to do. Dad and I are working on getting me a side-

car for the cycle, now that my birthdays are in the two digits. “I start my day with a massage my dad gives me to loosen up my muscles, and a walk with some great sniffing. My favorite outdoor activity is chasing squirrels at Alum Springs Park. A near- miss catching a squirrel, makes my day! My dad says I am curious, and a laid back guy with lots of friends downtown, I love him so much and he loves me, they say you can see it in our eyes, a great life for sure. “I have alot of friends who come into our store that I want to mention,hoping they see their names in the paper. My buddies are Powell Sale, Mari, Missy, Andy and his dog Jackson, (who is a boxer) Miles, Davis and Trumpet. My favorite things besides catching squirrels,is finding a tennis ball in the snow, and bouncing a tennis ball in the grass. “When I get bored in the shop, I go next door to The Jewel Box, and visit Powell, Vernell and Fran, my best friends, who give me treats and then I like to nap on their floor. (I love necklaces) I might have to admit it,, I may be slowing down just a bit. Crown Jewelers is also my hang out, to get a treat from friends, (also great necklaces). When ya'all see me on my dad's motorcycle, just yell, Dewey.”. Looks like we will be meeting Deweys friends here in our Front Porch, and the sub-culture that I had no idea existed downtown,until I met Dewey! Keep your fireplaces going gang, my 3 wheel bike shivering in the garage! Georgia is our gal about town on the lookout for stories to interest FPF readers. Watch for her on her three wheeler and companion “Bailey”

In watching the Winter Olympics this year, I was again struck by the displays of professional excellence and achievement among competitors from every nation. I always have enjoyed watching the Olympics. As a child, my family rearranged schedules to accommodate the broadcasts of the Olympics. We were spellbound and learned much about the dedication and passion of world-class athletes by reading publications and watching televised interviews of current and former medalists. My parents encouraged us to do our best in whatever we pursued. This family viewing time of the Olympics, and the discussions that followed each performance, reinforced what my parents sought to teach us. While excellence was expected and valued in my family, we also were encouraged to be “good sports.” Good sportsmanship demands more than a singular focus on a goal. It requires compassion, kindness, respect, courtesy, humility, and a ton of other characteristics that we recognize more when they are absent than when they are present. We should, however, celebrate teach, and instill them in our children and one another – not only in sports, but in life. While watching some of the athletes competing in the Olympics this year, I admired the medalists, but found myself observing the competitors for something else: I was drawn to those who cheered on their competitors and teammates, who helped them when they were injured, or offered heartfelt respect, kindness, hugs, and tears, in humility – regardless of medal awards. Those were the athletes that I felt had risen to the heights of being world-class human beings. They deserved a medal of humanity. I was reminded of my son’s first year in sports. He was on a pee-wee soccer team, five years old. He had allergies and

asthma, which required that he use an inhaler. Often, while on the field, he would have to come to the sidelines for a puff of albuterol. He would head back to the field, playing for all he was worth. His teammates, at five, were taught about good sportsmanship, about being part of a team, by their coach. They treated my son no differently than anyone else. Instead, at this tender age, they saw no differences.This team was not stellar in competitive terms, but it was stellar in one way: these kids were taught, were expected, to be kind. While some of them went on to set standards of excellence in sports, all of them were set on a good path towards excellence in life, as people. As scientists like Dacher Keltner, whose quote set the stage for this piece, are finding, “Meditating on a compassionate approach to others shifts resting brain activation to the left hemisphere, a region associated with happiness, and boosts immune functions.” Who wouldn’t want to boost their immune function, especially in this terrible Flu season? Who wouldn’t want to be happy? I know of no one who wouldn’t want either happiness or a good immune system. So, let’s get busy – we have some meditating to do, on a compassionate approach to others.

Jo Loving is on the porch this evening, again wishing that she was a graceful and svelte ice skater, a little unlikely, but she is satisfied that she still can be a kind and compassionate person and is working towards that goal every day.

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018

Fredericksburg Sketches 606 Caroline Street Old Town Fredericksburg 373-7847

A visual Celebration of our community

By Casey Alan Shaw

www.gemstonecreations.org

Please Come By & Post a Happy Act on Our Wall on March 20th, the International Day of Happiness!

DOWNTOWN DEWEY and his life in the fast lane

From My Porch Kindness: it’s good for your health - really!

by georgia Lee Strentz

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

By Jo Loving

Give a Child Something to Think About “Two Old Farts”, Dewey & Dave

Books, Games, Amusing Novelties M-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 1pm-4pm

810 Caroline Street (540) 371-5684

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.

March 2018

Front porch fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

March 2018