Ashburn Magazine | November/December 2023 by InsideNoVa

EN GARDE! MEET OLYMPIC FENCER ED DONOFRIO

THE HISTORY OF THE BEAVERDAM RESERVOIR

GREETING CARDS FOR A GOOD CAUSE

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023

THE LEGACY OF AOL

As the campus is razed, we look back at the company’s impact on our area

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The Brambleton community is located within and subject to the Airport Impact Overlay District, Ldn 60-65 aircraft noise impact area and within one (1) mile of Ldn 60 aircraft noise impact area, under the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The subject property is located within an area that has close proximity to Washington Dulles International Airport and will be impacted by aircraft overflights and aircraft noise.

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PUBLISHER

Bruce Potter publisher@ashburnmagazine.com 571-333-1538 EDITOR

Chris Wadsworth editor@ashburnmagazine.com ADVERTISING

Sales Leader: Connie Fields cfields@insidenova.com

Account Executives: Judy Harbin jharbin@ashburnmagazine.com Suzanne Otwell sotwell@ashburnmagazine.com ART DIRECTOR

Kara Thorpe

CONTRIBUTORS

Paul Anthony Arco • Jonathan Hunley Bill Kent • Paul McCray Tracy Owens • Andrew Sample PUBLISHED BY

Rappahannock Media LLC • InsideNoVa 1360 Old Bridge Road Woodbridge, VA 22192 (703) 318-1386 PRESIDENT

Dennis Brack BUSINESS OFFICE

Carina Richard-Wheat cwheat@insidenova.com ON THE WEB www.ashburnmagazine.com Facebook and Twitter: @ashburnmagazine

Ashburn Magazine is published every other month and distributed to over 13,000 selected addresses. While reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to Ashburn Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to any such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. While ensuring that all published information is accurate, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any mistakes or omissions. Reproduction in whole or part of any of the text, illustrations or photographs is strictly forbidden. ©2023 Rappahannock Media LLC.

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ASHBURN ONLINE

y mom is nearly 90, but she’s not afraid of technology. In the 1990s, she discovered Web TV, which, for those who remember, was a device that let you use your TV like a computer. But in the early 2000s, when some of the websites my mom liked to visit stopped supporting Web TV, my brother and I decided to buy her a real computer for Christmas. I spotted a promotion from America Online that seemed to fit our holiday budget – AOL would send us a free computer if we signed up for its dial-up online service for a certain period of time. Needless to say, the free computer was not top of the line. But it served my mom’s purposes just fine, and my brother – the IT expert in the family – managed to keep it going way beyond its expected life. In fact, my mom only stopped using her AOL email address a couple of years ago. Indeed, there was little more emblematic of the go-go early Internet days than AOL’s ubiquitous disks, “You’ve Got Mail” catchline and “running man” icon. And all of that originated right here in our backyard, where AOL was based for more than a decade and at one time employed over 5,000 people. Today, the former AOL headquarters off Waxpool Road is being razed to make room for – what else? – a data center. But the impact of AOL can still be felt far and wide in our community. In our cover story this issue, starting on Page 22, writer Jonathan Hunley explores the local legacy of this one-time Internet giant. On the other side of Ashburn, another longtime local landmark – Beaverdam Reservoir – is changing for the better with the addition of a park and related amenities. Starting on Page 52, local historian Paul McCray traces the history of the reservoir, which, as it turns out, was created to provide water not for Loudoun – but for the city of Fairfax.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

BY AS T R I WE E

Ashbur

VO LU M E 5, I SS U E 5

From the Publisher

Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll meet Belmont Green resident Ed Donofrio, who represented the United States in the 1976 Summer Olympics – as a fencer. His story starts on Page 30. You’ll learn about Hammerhead Construction (starting on Page 14), a local firm whose work is evident all over our community. And starting on Page 8, you’ll read about Stone Bridge High School graduate Roya Habibi, who has taken her optometry skills to Costa Rica. All those stories demonstrate – as I’ve said many times – the thriving, diverse nature of our community. Is that all due to AOL? No, there are many other factors. But did AOL play a role? Absolutely. And for that, along with many other blessings, we can be truly thankful this holiday season.

BRUCE POTTER, PUBLISHER PUBLISHER@ASHBURNMAGAZINE.COM

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CONTENTS 22

08 OUR NEIGHBORS

A New View Ashburn native opens optometry practice in Costa Rica BY

TRACY

OWENS

14 BUSINESS BOOM

Building Dreams Hammerhead Construction is busy all over Ashburn BY CHRIS WADSWORTH

COVER STORY

The Legacy of AOL As the campus is razed, we look back at the company’s impact on Ashburn BY

JONATHAN

HUNLE Y

TIME OF OUR LIVES FEATURE

En Garde! Local Olympic fencer looks back on his sporting life BILL

KENT

36 DOING GOOD FEATURE

MORE BUSINESS BOOM

Updates from the Ashburn business community

REAL ESTATE ROUND-UP

The latest facts and figures about home sales in Ashburn

A Brighter Day Local charity uses greeting cards to spread love and support BY PAUL ANTHONY

ARCO

GREAT ESCAPES

Park Place ‘Occasionally Faithful’ geyser and more highlight trip to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons BY CHRIS WADSWORTH

52 TIME TRAVEL

About Dam Time New park on the Beaverdam Reservoir is 60 years in the making BY

PAUL

MCCRAY

WORTH A PEEK

THE BURN

Some fun activities around our region

The latest restaurant, retail, and other cool news

O N

T H E

C O V E R

The complex off Waxpool Road where America Online had its headquarters for over a decade is being razed. Its impact on Ashburn continues, though. Campus photo courtesy of David Rothbard. Photo illustration by Kara Thorpe.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

OUR NEIGHBORS and donate eye exams and glasses to residents in need. Earlier this year, the couple and their staff inaugurated the practice’s Eye to Eye Program, in which one free eye exam is given to someone in need in the community for every paid eye exam the clinic does. By providing screenings for local residents, the clinic has become more approachable for those who had been reluctant to correct their eyesight or even admit it needed correcting. Ojos del Mar (“Eyes of the Sea”) has donated more than 1,000 eye exams and provided almost 100 pairs of eyeglasses so far. The clinic also reserves a certain number of “pay-whatyou-can” appointments each month. “We really care about making the community visually sound, to see all the beautiful things there are here to see,” Habibi said. Her parents back in Ashburn are rightfully proud of the commitment their daughter and son-in-law have made to their new community. “They’ve done a lot to become part of the community. Roya has brought a lot of who she is to this place,” said Jo Habibi, an ESL teacher retired from Loudoun

A New View Ashburn native opens optometry practice in Costa Rica BY

TRACY

OWENS

oya Habibi goes to the beach almost every day with her trusty pooch – a Vizsla named Mickey. She’s still learning to surf, but Mickey is already a master of the waves. “He has become a full-blown salty dog,” Habibi said. “He is living his best life.” Habibi is living her best life too – a life full of adventure and helping others. You see, the beach they’re going to is in Costa Rica. That’s where the Ashburn native, who grew up in Ashburn Farm and went to Stone Bridge High School, has settled with her husband and opened an optometry practice. “It’s such a charming country. It’s a small place, yet so interesting,” Habibi said. “It feels like we’ve stepped back in time.” Habibi and her husband, Patrick Allen, moved to Tamarindo, on the west coast of Costa Rica, in spring 2022 and opened their Ojos Del Mar clinic that November. Allen, whose background is in technology and commercial real estate, handles business logistics, and Habibi provides the clinical expertise, including fellowship training for licensed Costa Rican optometrists. Becoming more fluent in Spanish while also untangling business start-up issues and absorbing the culture has been a welcome challenge for the couple. They serve a growing expat community

ASHBURN MAGAZINE

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Right: Ashburn native Roya Habibi presents a pair of glasses to a child and his mother in Costa Rica. Below: Roya Habibi and her husband, Patrick Allen, on the beach near their home in Costa Rica.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

One Loudoun’s Annual

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ASHBURN MAGAZINE

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Join Us for a Season of Giving! We're the bank for that. The Ojos del Mar (Eyes of the Sea) optometry clinic in Costa Rica, owned by Roya Habibi and her husband, Patrick Allen.

For the rest of 2023, our branches have chosen a charity to support through the #GiveWithBoC campaign. Show your support and consider giving at your local branch!

#GiveWithBoC www.bankofclarke.bank

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

County Public Schools. “Roya loves new people, and she loves new adventures. She’s very driven, but also loves to have fun.” After graduating from Clemson University in 2009, Roya Habibi headed to University of California at Berkeley, where she completed a four-year Doctor of Optometry degree. She gained practical, on-the-job experience working at a clinic in Seattle for several years. And she also worked as a fellow at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Ore., becoming an authority on medically necessary contact lenses and other eye conditions. The fellowship training she provides to Costa Rican optometrists at Ojos Del Mar is a way of passing on all that she’s learned. “I’m essentially the teacher in the room,” Habibi said. She and Allen married in 2018 with the idea that they would eventually live abroad, at least for a few years. Habibi won plane tickets at a Seattle hospital fundraiser in December 2019, but the two frequent travelers were stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic until heading for Costa Rica in April 2021. The place immediately

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Left to right: Patrick Allen at an eyesight fair in Costa Rica; Roya Habibi performing an eye exam; Roya Habibi (right) with her mother.

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captured their imaginations. “There is truly something special here. I call it a frequency. Others may call it a ‘vibe.’ But Costa Rica … has taught me so many things,” Allen said. “I can confidently say I have never felt more connected with the world.” Habibi still does telehealth consultations for patients in the United States and for the past five years, she has also co-hosted a podcast, “Try Not to Blink,” focusing on continuing education for optometrists. She does that “in my spare time,” she joked. On their days off, she and Allen enjoy walking to a nearby hotel to drink chiliguaros – a spicy beverage made with a sugar cane-distilled liquor – and eat dishes of beans, rice, plantains, fish and fruit. Habibi said that for her – the kind of person who would schedule six or seven meetings on her day off – adjusting to the slower pace of life in Costa Rica has been a gift. “It’s like growing up in the country 20 years ago,” she said. “Things don't happen very quickly here” A

Special Events

Holiday

Cabin Fever Film Fest

Outdoor Winter Lights Walk: Sweet Adventures

Jan 26 7:00 pm & Jan 27 10:00 am

Featuring short films by residents of Loudoun County or those with ties to the community.

December 7-23 AND

Family & Scouts Nights

December 8, 17 and 21

Holiday Tea & Snowflake Bentley Puppet Show December 17

CHINESE NEW YEAR January 27

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Tracy Owens is a former magazine editor who writes about arts, businesses and people in the Southeast. Her work has appeared in Salon, Gulfshore Life, Islandia Journal, and many other publications. ASHBURN MAGAZINE

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

BUSINESS BOOM

like they were the construction group that I could have that relationship with.” Hammerhead must be doing something right, because the company is busy all over Ashburn. In addition to X-Golf, its team is handling construction for the new Lacrosse Unlimited store in Lansdowne. And it’s under contract to build the Celebree School childcare center planned for the Kincora development near Routes 7 and 28. The company is the brainchild of Craig Carlson, a longtime resident of Brambleton, and his business partner, Tom Nicholson, who lives in Purcellville. The two have spent their entire careers in construction, and their paths often crossed as they worked on various projects in Northern Virginia. In 2005, they decided to start Hammerhead. “We were sitting around drinking beer one day and trying to figure out what to call the company. There are a lot of companies with last names, or just initials – and a day later, you just can’t remember it,”

Building Dreams

Hammerhead Construction is busy all over Ashburn BY

CHRIS

WADSWORTH

Left: Hammerhead Construction owners Craig Carlson (left) and Tom Nicholson (right). Right: Work underway on the Loudoun School for Advanced Studies building in Ashburn and the finished school campus (lower right).

shburn is growing – of that there is no doubt. New residential communities, new schools, new shopping centers and office parks. Every time you turn around, it seems another “coming soon” banner is hanging on a building or storefront. Another sign you might see next to the banner is one featuring a shark – a hammerhead shark, to be precise. It’s a sign, pardon the pun, that Hammerhead Construction has landed another contract to help bring a new business to life. One of those signs can be found in the window of the future X-Golf indoor golf facility under construction in the Broadlands Village Center. Shane Sloden is an owner and managing partner of the new X-Golf. He already owns several other X-Golf locations around the country, but opening one in Ashburn has been a goal for this longtime Brambleton resident. “I’ve been looking at Ashburn for quite some time,” Sloden said. “And I really wanted to have a local general contractor that I could work with and build a relationship with because I have plans for other locations here in Northern Virginia. Hammerhead was specifically chosen because I felt

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Nicholson said. “And then I said something, and Craig looked at me and said, ‘You’re a fricking hammerhead,’ and we looked at each other and said, ‘That’s it.’ We’re not fishermen. We’re not sharks. But we wanted a name that people would remember, and it seems to work.” If you’re not familiar with the world of GCs – or general contractors – it’s highly competitive. Scores of firms chase every project, using every tool at their disposal – from privately whispered tips to national websites – to find out about new business coming to the area. They try to build relationships and make competitive bids to win a contract. The bidding can be cutthroat. “The general contracting market can be very competitive, especially when times get lean,” Carlson said. “Because this area always seems to have work, it attracts a lot of GCs from other areas [of ] the country. Many times, they come to the area and take jobs for no profit so that they can break into the market, which isn’t sustainable. But it happens and has cost us work.” The team at Hammerhead says they

Far left: Crews from Hammerhead Construction work on the new X-Golf venue in the Broadlands Village Center. Left: The Hammerhead Construction logo. Above: Putting the roof together at a construction project in Purcellville.

are often able to win bids by following a conservative approach when it comes to the costs associated with a project. “We keep our overhead low, and our people know that we don’t ask them to do anything that we wouldn’t also do,” Carlson said. “For a very long time, our office only consisted of the two of us along with our field superintendents.” Hammerhead’s first big project was the Oak Grove Center, a strip mall off Old Ox Road in Sterling. They built some restaurants in the area that longtime residents may recall, including Callaloo Cuisine and the Spicy Pickle in Ashburn. They’ve also had a longtime relationship with the folks at the Loudoun School for Advanced Studies and built the school’s landmark new facility on Ashburn Road. Today, Hammerhead, which has offices in downtown Leesburg, has grown to 13 employees in addition to Carlson and Nicholson. This team works as project managers and site superintendents and subcontracts out most of the actual construction work, including drywall, paint, flooring, plumbing and electrical.

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Text or Email Preferred for a quicker response. Free Estimates. Hiring Skilled Craftsmen ASHBURN MAGAZINE

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Assisted Living • Skilled Nursing • Short-Term Rehabilitation • Memory Care

Hammerhead Construction built the building housing Starbucks and other businesses at the Ashburn Crossroads retail center.

Over the past 18 years, the firm has completed some 300 projects, with annual revenue rising from $8 million a year to nearly $20 million.

“We have doubled our volume over the past couple of years,” Carlson said. “We intend to continue growing to a point, [but] we never want to get so large that we can’t be personal-

ly involved in our projects. This company and our reputation mean too much to us.” Running their own successful company, making bids, fighting for deals – it’s a lot of work, but it’s also living a dream for a couple of guys who have construction in their veins. And they’re not the only ones whose dreams are coming true. “Being a general contractor allows us to see an entire construction process from the conception of an idea all the way through to the day the owner takes over the property,” Carlson said. “There are times when the [project] may be a longtime dream for the client, so helping them get to their dream is great.” For Shane Sloden and X-Golf, collaborating with Hammerhead is a perfect match. “We sat down with their team and talked about our vision,” he said. “They were on board in every single category – helping us deliver on the vision and even making the vision better in the process.” A

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oudoun Hunger Relief held a ribbon-cutting Sept. 29 to celebrate the opening of its new Community Services Center. The center includes an expanded grocery-style food market that lets families and individuals in need shop the aisles themselves instead of having to ask for items. The free grocery market includes increased warehouse storage (dry, refrigerated and frozen), truck bays and volunteer workspace. It also serves as a distribution center for the Loudoun Pet Pantry, a joint effort of Loudoun Hunger Relief, Loudoun County Animal Services and the Humane Society of Loudoun County. The market is centered around a nonprofit hub offering essential services to the community. Nonprofits on site include Loudoun Literacy, Crossroads Jobs and Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers. The project was funded through a $3 million capital campaign, with The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation providing the lead gift. Merritt Construction contributed the architecture, building plans and general contracting. Loudoun Hunger Relief and the new Community Services Center is at 750 Miller Drive, Suite 110, in Leesburg.

Inova Unveils New Logo to Represent Compassionate Care

ocal hospital and health system Inova has unveiled a new logo that will soon be familiar to residents in Ashburn and beyond. “The logo, which depicts two figures coming together, represents the fact that every step of the healthcare journey is taken together: whether it’s a provider comforting a patient, a doctor collaborating with a nurse or family member supporting a loved one,” a press release on the new design read. “The logo evokes a warm, compassionate and welcoming environment where patients feel supported and valued.” The blue color of the previous logo was maintained, but additional vibrant tones were added as a mark of a modern health system. The new branding will be rolled out to all Inova locations over the coming months and also will begin appearing in print and other visual marketing. A

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HUNLE Y

I N S E T P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F LO U D O U N C O U N T Y D E PA R T M E N T O F E C O N O M I C D E V E LO P M E N T

buildings and parking garages at the former AOL campus.

P H OTO BY AN D R EW SAM P L E P H OTO G RAP H Y

THE LEGACY OF AOL

As the campus is razed, we look back at the company’s impact on our area

or Steve Gaitten, it all started with some tears. In 1996, America Online announced that it would move its headquarters from Tysons to the former British Aerospace building, just east of the Broad Run creek that often acts as the border between Ashburn and Sterling. Gaitten, an AOL employee, was one of the first to drive to the new site to take a look. He wasn’t impressed. Once he passed Reston, all he could see were cedar trees and open farmland. He pulled over, put his face in his hands and wept. His office would soon be in the middle of nowhere. But that, of course, didn’t last. “I could never imagine what it’s become today,” said Gaitten, who now lives in Round Hill and runs a digital marketing company. Back then, few could have envisioned the bustling suburban community that is Ashburn and Sterling and Dulles and beyond. Neighborhoods as far as the eye can see. Office buildings. Shopping centers. Restaurants and stores. High-end car dealerships. Heck, there are even a couple of Metrorail stops. And the data centers. The old chestnut that a majority of the world’s online traffic flows through the area each day Work crews with heavy is true. machinery have started And all this happened – in large part – tearing down the because America Online came to town.

END OF AN ERA

The campus that was America Online – now commonly known as just AOL – is kitty-corner across Waxpool Road from the Wegmans grocery store and Target department store where many Ashburn residents shop. Currently, the abandoned campus is being demolished, making way for even more data centers. The insides of the buildings that once made up the company’s headquarters have been stripped, and heavy equipment like backhoes and bulldozers are methodically tearing down the structures and reducing them to rubble. Although AOL’s footprint in Loudoun may soon be erased, the company’s legacy and impact on the community – and especially Ashburn – live on. “It’s really hard to tell the story of Loudoun’s success without talking about AOL,” said Buddy Rizer, executive director of Loudoun County’s Department of Economic Development. Rizer says when AOL arrived in Ashburn, the company basically was the internet because everyone used its dial-up connections to get online. The internet service provider’s email notification, “You’ve got mail,” was so much a part of the culture that it inspired a hit movie with those three words as the title. AOL would go on to employ about 5,300 workers in Ashburn at its largest point, in 2004. Many of them lived in Ashburn, creating a population of wealthy, educated, tech-savvy residents who made the area a coveted place to live and a new hub for the rising digital world. After AOL moved to Loudoun, something called the Metropolitan Area Exchange, East, a major internet exchange or traffic hub, was moved from Tysons and Reston to be closer to AOL. That eventually led to the area’s so-called “Data Center Alley,” which

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But the work environment changed after AOL agreed to merge with Time Warner in 2000, said Alex Korab, a photo editor at the time. “I started right as the merger was happening,” Korab said. “It was very interesting – AOL merging with this giant of traditional media. There was a lot of friction.” The merger was one of the largest in American history, but it has also been called one of the worst. In 2010, the New York Times published a story about it under the headline, “How the AOLTime Warner Merger Went So Wrong.” Korab describes it as the free-wheeling culture of a tech start-up running up against a more formal, old-school company. “It was a little like the Wild West before – just do whatever you want – and now there were new rules and policies. And there was resistance from the AOL’ers,” she said. Today, Korab is co-owner of Transition Tri Sports in Leesburg. She recalls one other very personal way she was able to measure the impact AOL had locally – skyrocketing home values. She

PHOTO COURTESY OF C ARLEIGH GAVIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN CORCORAN

is the world’s largest cluster of data centers, totaling 31 million square feet spread over roughly 165 buildings. “Every technology company wanted to be connected to that [exchange],” Rizer said. “So they started laying miles and miles of fiber in the ground that benefited everything that came after. It was a domino effect – with all the other companies and technologies that have followed.” That domino effect continues right into the pocketbooks of Ashburn residents today. That’s because data centers – for all the grumbling about them – account for about three-quarters of a billion dollars in tax revenue each year, or a third of the county’s overall budget. Over the past 15 years, according to estimates, these new technology companies have helped the county lower the real estate tax rate by 40 cents per $100 of assessed value. “What started with AOL became an economic success story unlike anything seen before – we became a place that technology workers and technology companies wanted to relocate to,” Rizer said. “Sure, there were the soft benefits of bringing in highly

“Nothing changed Loudoun County more than AOL did,” said former employee Jim Simpson. Simpson, who lives in Centreville, is one of the many workers who still rave about their time with the company. He joined AOL in 1994, starting on the call center floor at the Tysons location, and found himself being promoted. He eventually left in 2002. Like Gaitten, Simpson remembers that there was little in the area when AOL came to town. “It was empty,” Simpson said. “There was nothing out there.” Brian Corcoran, today a business consultant and fractional CFO for small companies in Richmond, recalls lots of open fields and sod farms. There was a Walmart and a Best Products department store – and that was it. He lived 3 miles from the office, and the commute took only 3½ minutes. He says the same commute today would take at least 15 minutes. But he and Simpson say AOL was a fun, exciting place to work. “There were so many new technologies coming out,” Simpson said. Corcoran was a payroll manager when AOL brought its headquarters to the area. He says the company paid its employees well and offered great benefits, such as stock options. And the company was hiring as many people as possible, which meant there was little in the way of red tape. “We were growing so fast we didn’t have time for bureaucracy,” Corcoran said. The company was growing fast because its subscriber base was increasing. Parties were thrown every time it passed a benchmark number of customers: 1 million, 5 million, 10 million. “We celebrated every milestone,” he said. There was a lot of work to be done, however. Employees sometimes logged 60- or 70-hour weeks. “I slept there many weekends,” said Eddie McGlamery, an Ashburn resident who started at AOL in 1997 as a temporary worker and ended up staying for 11 years. Workers also became lifelong friends because they spent so much time together. Many employees didn’t mind working late because the company often provided food and other perks for them. And then there were the parties – some of which are legendary among the old guard. One time, executives rented out the entire National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. A conveyor belt was set up around an airplane. In the middle was a sushi chef who put his creations on the belt for distribution to the partygoers. The grandeur of the event “was just beyond comprehension,” said

ALL GOOD THINGS...

Then an AOL exec, John McKinley speaks to assembled employees at a 2004 "all hands" meeting. Below: Former AOL employee Quan Luu stands with the company's famous Running Man mascot at the 25th anniversary celebration in 2005. Below right: The team at AOL gathers on the Loudoun campus' lawn wearing ponchos and forms the Running Man. P H OTO CO U R T E S Y O F Q U A N LU U

GOOD TIMES, GREAT MEMORIES

Carleigh Gavin. The 39-year-old, who lives in Ashburn, started working for AOL in 2006, following in the footsteps of her mother, who also worked at the company. Believe it or not, Gavin still (sort of) works there today – employed by the AOL’s now-parent company, Yahoo. At another Christmas gathering, Corcoran recalls go-go-style dancers who were painted gold and gyrating in what looked like human-sized bird cages. And another time, the company rented out Union Station in Washington for a soirée.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID ROTHBARD

From top: A celebration in 1996 to introduce AOL staffers to the new campus in Loudoun County; AOL employees compete in a pedestal jousting match at the 1996 event; old photo showing former AOL employee Brian Corcoran sitting at his desk at the Loudoun campus.

educated people. But there were hard benefits, too, such as billions spent on roads, attracting the Metro, building 31 new schools and lowering the tax rates. Those are significant things that really started with the arrival of AOL in the late 1990s.” But alas, all good things must come to an end. AOL moved its headquarters to New York in 2007. Today, the brand is owned largely by private equity firm Apollo Global Management and falls under the Yahoo umbrella of companies. Needless to say, AOL is nowhere near as popular as it used to be. Among Millennials and Gen Z, saying you once used AOL to access the internet is tantamount to saying you’re a senior citizen. But despite its fall from the pinnacle of the tech world, the AOL website and smartphone apps still exist and include news stories, weather information and email.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID ROTHBARD

Steve Case, then the CEO of AOL, signs an autograph for an employee at a 2005 event at the Loudoun campus.

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Left: AOL staffers celebrate the company's 25th anniversary in 2005 with a party on the lawn. Below: The AOL team enjoys a chocolate fountain at a Taste of AOL event in 2005.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID ROTHBARD

P H OTO CO U R T E S Y O F Q U A N LU U

paid $165,000 for a townhouse in Ashburn when she went to work for AOL in 2000 and sold it five years later for $400,000. The residential and commercial development “happened really fast,” Korab said. Just because the campus of AOL’s former Loudoun County home is being razed doesn’t mean this historic spot will fade away. The 43acre property was sold for $136 million in December 2021. According to a report from Data Center Dynamics, a new data center complex called PowerHouse Pacific will be built on the site. Demolition of the AOL buildings should wrap up early next year, including the removal of two parking garages, three office buildings and an old pedestrian bridge across Pacific Boulevard. This work will be followed by construction of a new power substation. Then

AOL was such a great company. We were so far ahead of our times... work on the first of three PowerHouse Pacific buildings is scheduled to start next fall with completion expected in 2026. For Steve Gaitten – who shed tears when he first saw the rural, isolated landscape that would become AOL and his future home – looking back brings a mixture of pride and some bitterness. “I ended up writing an email to a couple of friends about what I found [while scouting the new AOL location],” Gaitten said. “I had a line in there – ‘I can see a future where all the broken-down pickups are replaced with Porsches.’ And it was prophetic. AOL fulfilled the dream of growth for an area that was amazingly undeveloped just 30 miles west of the capital of the free world.” Gaitten said he remains proud of the fact that more than 70% of the world’s internet traffic goes through the area. “But at the same time, there is a tinge of sadness,” he added. “AOL was such a great company. We were so far ahead of our times that you felt like you were living five years in the future. We were using text messaging and video chats that you knew would be mainstream in a matter of years. But the missed opportunity. AOL should have gone on to become Facebook. It should have been Google, not been replaced by Google. I think it’s a tragic business story – like Kodak – it just missed the market. I have a little bit of sadness about that.” A Jonathan Hunley is a career journalist and lifelong Virginian who has written for publications around the state.

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TIME OF OUR LIVES

F E AT U R E

Local Olympic fencer looks back on his sporting life

I BY

BILL

KENT

t’s one of the first things people notice. Anyone who shakes Ed Donofrio’s hand encounters “The Grip.” When he folds his hand around yours, he has you until he wants to let go. “My right hand’s bigger than my left,” said Donofrio, spry and energetic for his 72 years. “In fencing, you have to have just the right grip. Not too loose. Not too tight. The rest of you stays loose so you can parry and lunge. But the grip has to be just right.” For more than 50 years, Donofrio has been a titan of the sport of fencing. And for all that time, this Olympian, two-time national champion and USA Fencing Hall of Fame member hasn’t gone a day without

using that grip. But these days, his oversized right hand is more likely to clamp down on a leash when his dog wants to chase a squirrel around his Belmont Green neighborhood in Ashburn. “Her name is Happy and she’s a rescue,” Donofrio said. “She just turned 11 and she gets walked incessantly – probably more than she wants. Dogs are great animals. I just love ’em.”

Learning The Sport

Although swordplay is nearly as old as the use of weapons, modern fencing has its roots in the late Renaissance, when instructors developed distinct training styles to teach poise, balance, strategy and agility while keeping students alive and unhurt. The epee, foil and saber swords used in

today’s fencing are not sharp and the ends are blunted. Fencers say “En garde” as a match begins. Points are scored when the blade touches (“Touché!”) an opponent. Of course, Donofrio had no idea about any of this when he first heard about fencing. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised on Long Island, his inspiration came from the silver screen. “I was 14. My best friend heard about it, and I thought I’d be like Zorro,” he said. He joined the fencing club at his junior high school and continued to fence in high school. He found it less like the adventures of the famous swashbuckling Zorro, more like a group of really “great people” who connected him to other fencing teams and other players. One of those fellow fencers was a young Neil Diamond.

A photo of Ed Donofrio wearing two gold medals he won during National Championship competitions.

Donofrio says he and the “Sweet Caroline” singer/songwriter still keep in touch. “We didn’t fence against each other, but we went to the same club in New York,” Donofrio recalled. “He fenced saber, I fenced foil. Every Christmas, a group of us still get together, and every year he comes. He wouldn’t miss it.”

The Climb

Above: Donofrio is seen on the right during a 1976 National Championship match. Lower left: Donofrio (on the right) attacking his opponent in the 1976 Olympic quarterfinals. Lower right: Donofrio at the 1976 Olympics.

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For Donofrio, who wanted to be an engineer, fencing was just something cool to do as an extracurricular activity. “For years, I lost just about every match I entered,” he said. “One of the first things fencing taught me was not to take losing seriously. You learn from your mistakes and move on.” And learn he did. He began to study the fencers who had bested him. And to his surprise, he started to win. “I was in my senior year, and everything I learned from making mistakes began to come together. I still lost matches, but I started winning more.” Donofrio went to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he joined the fencing team. And just like in high school, he continued to distinguish himself. Still, he never could have guessed that he would soon become a national champion, compete in the Olympics, and play poker with a member of the Rolling Stones.

Becoming An Olympian

At a competition in Cherry Hill, N.J., that would crown the national champion and determine who would represent the United States at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Donofrio found himself on a winning streak. “I was doing so well in points that at the semifinals, people started to come up and congratulate me … I couldn’t figure out why,” he said. “Then I saw I had more points than anyone else. I was going to the Olympics.” Three weeks later, he was in Montreal at the Olympic Village. “I was wearing the United States team uniform, and people were coming up to me asking for my autograph. I saw President Gerald Ford there, George Foreman and Mike Spinks. Mick Jagger played poker with our team. He got a pass to be in the village and he was around the whole time. Good guy.” Donofrio doesn’t remember who won the card game, but he knows he won many of the fencing matches he entered, finishing as a semifinalist out of some 140 Olympic fencers from around the world.

New Coach In Town

After graduating from the Naval Academy, Donofrio did a tour of duty in Vietnam and then left the Navy to take a series of manufacturing design jobs. But he kept on pursuing competitive fencing – a passion that took him to France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Argentina, where, coincidentally, he met actor Guy Williams, who once played Zorro on television. Donofrio eventually moved to Ashburn with his wife, marketing executive Donna Seeker, and their six children. Wanting to be his own boss, he started a commercial and residential property inspection company with his son, Joey. In his free time, he polished up his golf game and started volunteering as a fencing coach at his beloved Naval Academy. He also coaches aspiring fencers right here in Ashburn. “When Ed walked into our club, I had no idea who he was,” said Dr. Amy Papadopoulos, the founder of the Loudoun International Fencing Club. “But I knew he was somebody. He has a presence.” She remembers Donofrio observing one of the club’s instructors. “He stood there for a long time and said nothing, but I could tell Ed didn’t like what he saw,” Papado-

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Left: Donofrio with his wife, Donna Seeker, and their dog, Happy. Below: Donofrio stands between his sons, Jason (left) and Joey (right).

poulos said. “He came to me and said that if I fired that teacher, he would teach that class, and continue to teach – and coach – for free.” She did, and Donofrio taught and coached at the club until it closed due to the pandemic in 2020. “Ed was the best,” Papadopoulos said. “He could relate perfectly to teenagers.”

‘Not Just Fencing’

The word got out that one of the best American fencers was living in Ashburn, and Ed began to get requests from parents to coach their kids. One student he took on was Ryan Rodriguez, son of Dr. K. Michael Rodriguez, a physician with Broadlands Family Practice. “I used to sit and watch him coach the kids,” Rodriguez said. “There were a lot of life lessons about tenacity, competing, striving to improve, sportsmanship, but also friendship and – through example – giving back to your community. All these things add up to helping kids gain confidence in themselves – not just in fencing.” This summer, Donofrio and his family

flew to Phoenix, where he was inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame. Donofrio’s son, Joey, who now lives in Brambleton, teared up when he introduced his father to the audience. “My father is my hero,” he said. Preparing for the speech had helped this son, who never caught the fencing bug, realize just how focused and dedicated his father was to his chosen sport. “All my life, my father had just kept telling me whatever you want to do you can accomplish if you put your mind to it,” the younger Donofrio said. “You learn that no one is born great. Becoming great takes a tremendous amount of work.” Ed Donofrio is as surprised as anyone by his success and the accompanying accolades. In addition to the USA Fencing Hall of Fame, he has also been inducted into the Naval Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame. And there are other honors, too. “I’ll tell you when I knew I had finally made it big,” Donofrio said with a chuckle. “A sweatsuit I wore to a competition – I don’t know what happened to it or how

Above: Donofrio (right) spars with a student he is coaching at the U.S. Naval Academy. Below: Donofrio (right) with his son, Joey, after his induction into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in Phoenix.

they got it – is now hanging in the Museum of American Fencing in Shreveport, Louisiana. Honestly, how can you top that?” A Bill Kent is a prolific writer and author whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kirkus Reviews and elsewhere.

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ADAY DOING GOOD

F E AT U R E

Local charity uses greeting cards to spread love and support BY

PAUL

ANTHONY

ARCO

BRIGHTER K

imberly Baker lives in Toledo, Ohio. That’s 450 miles from Ashburn – a seven-hour drive. But something that started right here in our community has touched Baker’s heart – and thousands of other hearts too. “I’ve had some teary-eyed days in the past few months and when I checked the mail and saw a card – the timing was so perfect,” said Baker, who has struggled with bouts of depression and even homelessness. The simple greeting cards offering encouragement were from an Ashburn-based nonprofit, A Bright Spot, and they really made a difference. “I call it a God-timing thing,” she said. “The words were perfect, and the stickers always brighten my day.” A Bright Spot was started in 2022 by Dee Schrader, who lives in One Loudoun. Its goal is straightforward – to help ease the pain and hurt people are experiencing in life. The organization provides cards, letters or notes of encouragement to people needing a lift. Volunteers make or buy cards for seniors, military personnel far from home, children in the hospital or anyone needing a positive message in their day. The project was inspired by Schrader’s grandmother, Bernadine Dorney, who Schrader says never missed an opportunity to brighten the day of someone going through a tough time. Dorney did this by sending them

a card. In fact, she’d spend hours browsing in stores, picking out special cards for people about whom she cared deeply. “She acknowledged every special or difficult moment in our lives,” Schrader said. “Whether it was finals coming up or the loss of a pet, she’d always send a card that read ‘Thinking of you’ or ‘I believe in you.’ She always made people feel like they mattered in this world.” And now Schrader – who moved to Ashburn this summer after many years living in Chantilly and Bethesda, Md. – is “paying it forward,” so to speak, with A Bright Spot, continuing to let people know they matter. Schrader’s passion project has caught on both near and far. She has 700 volunteers across the country who send out about 1,800 cards a month. Last year, A Bright Spot delivered more than 16,000 cards. In Ashburn, volunteers gather in community rooms, libraries and other public spaces to make cards. People can also request

Left to right: A Bright Spot board members Marg Schulenberg and Steve Schrader and A Bright Spot founder Dee Schrader.

A group of local volunteers for A Bright Spot gathers to design and write greeting cards and encouraging notes for people going through a tough time.

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cards, volunteer or donate on the nonprofit’s website. In addition to volunteers, A Bright Spot relies on donations of money and postage to help get the cards delivered. The cards come in all forms. For example, volunteers make homemade cards using materials such as card stock and construction paper. Hand-drawn cards and stickers are a nice touch, while others simply buy cards and donate them to the cause. Once the cards are sent to A Bright Spot, Schrader and her volunteers inspect the cards before they are packed and shipped to schools, nursing homes and military units. Some organizations receive a box of cards on a quarterly basis, but if the card is intended for a person suffering from loneliness, for example, it will be delivered quickly. Schrader says she has heard from dozens of people who have been touched by both making and receiving the cards. • There was a little boy hospitalized with a serious illness. He took the monster card he received from A Bright Spot wherever he went in the hospital – for lab work and x-rays – proudly showing it to hospital staff. • There was the woman who was caring for her elderly mother in her home. Creating cards for others gave her a boost and gave her frail mother something to do. Neighbors and the home health

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nurse even pitched in. • Then there was a woman who had been homeless for eight years. When she finally found a place to call her own, she received a congratulations card from A Bright Spot. She sent Schrader a letter saying it was the first piece of mail she received with her name on it. “I’ll keep it forever,” she wrote. “I knew the impact the cards would have on people who received them, but I never realized what it would mean to the volunteers,” Schrader said. “I’ve heard from so many people who say it’s changed their lives.” That includes volunteers like Donna-Rose Dingee, a Centreville resident who has been helping Schrader since the beginning. “When I’m writing cards for children, I hope I’m also giving their parents a boost for the day,” she said. “Children who are hospitalized for any reason leave a crack in my heart. I know it’s nothing I can fix, but if I can ease their pain even for a minute it makes me feel good.” Schrader says her grandmother would be proud of the work she and her volunteers are doing. She dreams of a world where people are no longer hurting, but until that day comes, she knows these simple cards are making a difference. “I wish the world was in a better place,” Schrader said. “But right now, we need to help each other when we can. These cards are a reminder that there are a lot of good people out there.” A Paul Arco is a longtime journalist and freelance writer who has written for publications around the country. For more information about A Bright Spot, visit abrightspot.org.

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R E A L E S TAT E R O U N D U P

The August Details

Ashburn’s TOP TEN The big picture Home sales dropped about 29.5% in the two Ashburn Zip codes combined in August, compared with August 2022. But… Median sales prices continued to rise, according to the latest data from the Dulles Area Association of Realtors. Many houses continue to sell within two weeks of going on the market.

Closed sales: • • •

Down 27% in 20147 Zip code Down 31.7% in 20148 Zip code Combined sales totaled 136, down from 193 a year earlier. That was worse than the overall Loudoun County decline of 15.1%.

Pending sales: • •

Down 22.2% in 20147 Down 15.9% in 20148

• •

Up 9.5% to $679,000 in 20147 Up 8.5% to $765,000 in 20148

• •

15 in 20147 16 in 20148

Median sales price:

Average days on market (homes sold in August):

What they’re saying:

“This summer, we saw many would-be buyers sitting on the sidelines, waiting to see lower mortgage interest rates, lower prices and higher inventory levels. While sales were still down compared to last August, a 15.1% decrease [countywide] is quite a bit less than what we’ve seen throughout the spring and summer, which is a welcomed sign of improvement.” – Ida Dennis, 2023 president of the Realtors group.

Top sales: The five highest-priced homes that sold in each of Ashburn’s two Zip codes between late August and late October. Data and photos from Realtor.com.

20147

20148

43582 OLD KINDERHOOK DRIVE

22369 PASTURE ROSE PLACE

44649 DANVERS TERRACE

41364 UNISON KNOLL CIRCLE

20700 ASHBURN VALLEY COURT

22766 MOUNTVILLE WOODS DRIVE

43838 GRANTNER PLACE

41963 BARNSDALE VIEW COURT

21659 BRONTE PLACE

42720 RIDGEWAY DRIVE

$2,175,000 Sold: Sept. 25 5 bedrooms 6½+ bathrooms 10,489 square feet $1,400,000 Sold: Oct. 6 4 bedrooms 3½ bathrooms 4,326 square feet

$1,930,000 Sold: Aug. 28 7 bedrooms 6½ bathrooms 8,163 square feet

$1,269,000 Sold: Aug. 31 5 bedrooms 4½ bathrooms 5,664 square feet $1,260,000 Sold: Aug. 25 4 bedrooms 4½ bathrooms 5,410 square feet

ASHBURN MAGAZINE

$1,800,000 Sold: Sept. 28 4 bedrooms 4½ bathrooms 7,378 square feet $1,749,000 Sold: Sept. 25 5 bedrooms 5½ bathrooms 7,458 square feet

$1,260,000 Sold: Aug. 30 4 bedrooms 4½ bathrooms 5,363 square feet

$3,000,000 Sold: Sept. 18 7 bedrooms 7½+ bathrooms 10,408 square feet

$1,625,000 Sold: Sept. 29 5 bedrooms 6.5 bathrooms 6,345 square feet •

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

G R E AT E S C A P E S

“While the girls went horseback riding, the boys headed out on Henry’s Lake in Idaho. It was a pretty windy day, and, after the boys made it out a few hundred yards, us dads decided maybe we should join them in case they got into trouble. Despite our confidence, the wind and waves proved too much for our canoe and – instead of showing the boys how to be safe – they came back to find us capsized and soaking wet. We were laughing so hard.”

Park Place

‘Occasionally Faithful’ geyser and more highlight trip to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons BY

CHRIS

WADSWORTH

The Souchack family of Ashburn and the Frese family of Leesburg vacationed together this summer in the great American West. From left to right: Ryan Souchack, Valerie Souchack, Jordan Souchack, Greg Souchack, Ashley Frese, Katelyn Frese, Greg Frese, Kristin Frese, Andrew Frese.

t’s the great American vacation – packing up the family and heading west to take in some national parks. That’s just what Greg and Valerie Souchack from Ashburn’s Village of Waxpool neighborhood did this summer. Along with their son and daughter, they traveled with their good friends Greg and Kristin Frese and their kids from Leesburg. In total, four adults and five kids flew into Bozeman, Mont., in June for four days at Yellowstone, followed by four days near the Grand Tetons. Greg Souchack sat down with Ashburn Magazine and shared some of his favorite memories and moments from a trip they’ll never forget.

“The bison are truly amazing creatures. We were so excited when we passed the first herd on our trip. We soon realized that they were everywhere, but we never got bored with admiring these majestic creatures. We also learned pretty quickly that they don’t really care about humans driving automobiles, and they taught us that we were the ones getting in their way, not the other way around.”“

“When I was 14, my parents took me on an amazing family vacation to Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately for them, I was a miserable teenager missing baseball, basketball camp and my girlfriend. I complained the entire time about how bored I was with looking at water shooting out of the ground and animals you could barely see with binoculars. How could I make it up to my parents? By taking my own 14-yearold and 11-year-old to Yellowstone and letting them complain to me. Lucky for me, they are much better kids than I was at that age.”

“The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was a highlight of the trip. We experienced breathtaking views of the canyon. There were also numerous hiking trails which we explored to get some closer views of the two main waterfalls in the canyon – the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls.” The Sapphire Pool had some of the most vibrant natural colors that we have ever seen. Our kids even enjoyed taking in the view for a few minutes, until they started to debate the depths of the pool and dare each other to jump in and swim to the bottom. At this point, we escorted ourselves away from the pool before the park rangers had to do so.”

“One of the most famous landmarks in Yellowstone is the Old Faithful geyser, which has erupted on a very regular schedule – about every 90 minutes – since the 1870s. Park officials can predict the eruptions within plus or minus 10 minutes with a 95% degree of accuracy. Of course, during our visit, the eruption was 23 minutes off of the predicted schedule. We now call it ‘Occasionally Faithful.’”

“Right outside of the West Yellowstone entrance is a Grizzly Bear Zoo that was very cool. But this wasn’t our most exciting bear encounter. As we were leaving the park one day in our car, I looked to my right and – about 30 yards away – there was a bear on a little wooded ridge staring right at us. I yelled ‘bear,’ and we all looked and immediately recognized by the color and the hump on its back that this was definitely a grizzly. The bear then sauntered away into the woods. Sadly, there was no time to pull out our cameras and snap a picture.”

“After seeing so many cool animals in Yellowstone, our one goal in the Grand Tetons/Jackson Hole area was to see a moose. The first two days, we looked everywhere trying to spot a moose. On Day 3, we were driving down a long road that allegedly was great for seeing moose. At the end of the road, just as we were about to turn around and go home, there was a moose just off the road. We were so excited that we were all screaming.”

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“We went to the Jackson Hole Rodeo – which was a true Western experience. The bull and horseback riding were intense and highly competitive. Most of the cowboys are teenagers or are in their early 20s. As the night went on, they had younger and younger competitors, to the point that they had toddlers riding on the backs of sheep. I guess in the West it’s just like learning to ride a bike.”

I WAS TIRED OF LIVING WITH MY FIBROMYALGIA PAIN

“One day in Jackson Hole, we rented ATVs. We rented a four-passenger and a five-passenger ATV. The guys were in one and the women in the other. As ‘boys will be boys,’ our driving got a little more aggressive, and we were flying around the mountain and hitting as much water as possible. At one point, we saw a huge puddle and the girls pulled ahead and got a great slow-motion video of us flying through the water and getting completely covered in mud. It was an awesome adventure and a great day.” A

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Fibromyalgia has been difficult to treat and even more difficult to understand, UNTIL NOW! Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. provides patients with much needed relief from Fibro symptoms! If you’re suffering from Fibromyalgia And too often, these symptoms are only made worse because you understand this sentiment all practitioners find it difficult to too well. Local resident Elyse K. found herself at a turning point when understand and even more she noticed her diagnosis had started troublesome to treat. It’s characterized by widespread to take a toll on her marriage. pain in muscles, and tissues rather than inflammation of the “I was angry all the time joints, muscles and tissues. because of all the things I couldn’t do anymore Then your primary care doctors because of my Fibromyalgia. suggest dietary changes, pain That anger cycled through liniments and, pharmaceuticals to depression and affected to the point where your life is no everyone around me, longer ruled by Fibromyalgia. my husband more than It’s now ruled by a difficult routine anyone. It made our and pill regimen in order to avoid lives miserable.” flare ups. Fibromyalgia affects the entire body. Elyse put it this way, To make things complicated it affects “My life was no longer everyone’s body a little differently. my own.” To make things even more complicated, those effects can change on a daily basis. Sometimes Eventually Elyse did her own research and discovered that you’re plagued with wide-spread acupuncture can improve the muscle pain and fatigue, and other days it’s a headache and heightened quality of life in Fibro patients. Determined to find the best in the sensitivity to touch. business, she discovered FIREFLY Acupuncture & Wellness lead by “I could barely stand to Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. have the light weight of bedsheets touching Rachal has been successfully me, much less a hug treating difficult to manage, from my husband.” chronic pain cases for over explains Elyse. fifteen years. She uses the time tested science of acupuncture This is what it’s like to suffer from integrated with modern medical Fibromyalgia. Symptoms make advancements in healing and everyday life incredibly difficult. recovery. Mundane, daily tasks are nearly impossible.

Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that is commonly used to reduce various forms of pain. It works by reducing inflammation, stimulating the release of endorphins and offers much needed, effective symptom relief for Fibromyalgia. Then Rachal skillfully layers other non invasive therapies like ATP Resonance BioTherapy™ and other natural therapies for amplified, longlasting results.

“I feel like a new person. My husband comes with me to my appointments. He spends most of it thanking Rachal for giving him back the woman he married. For the first time since we moved here, one of my neighbors told me I looked good! It’s a miracle she treated my Fibro, I don’t know how else to explain it.” If you’re looking for a practitioner and a clinic who understands your diagnosis and has a proven solution for chronic pain, look no further than FIREFLY. Elyse describes FIREFLY almost as enthusiastically as she does their treatments. “I love it here!” Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. is now accepting new patients and offering $40 consultations, but only for a limited time.

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WORTH A PEEK

Call Us Anytime... We’re Always There When You Need Us! A Calendar of Community Events BROAD RUN HIGH SCHOOL BAND HOLIDAY MARKET Broad Run High School 21670 Ashburn Road, Ashburn Saturday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This day of shopping includes more than 50 local vendors, food and fun — with goody bags for the first 100 customers and raffle prizes throughout the day.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA CHRISTMAS MARKET Dulles Expo Center 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly Friday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It’s Northern Virginia’s grand opening celebration of the holiday season. This spectacular holiday show features 225 fine artisans from more than 30 states offering a diverse selection of fine arts, pottery, jewelry, stained glass, wood, photography, fiber arts and vintage re-creations, as well as thousands of one-of-a-kind Christmas collectibles.

“JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT” PRESENTED BY THE PICKWICK PLAYERS Capital Community Church 20430 Ashburn Village Blvd., Ashburn Nov. 11 and 18, 1 p.m. Nov. 10, 11, 17 and 18, 7:30 p.m.

This Biblical story of the dreamer Joseph, his 11 brothers and his coat of many colors is told through music and songs.

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WANT MORE?

For a complete list of events around Northern Virginia, visit InsideNoVa.com/calendar

“ELF – THE MUSICAL” StageCoach Theatre Company 20937 Ashburn Road, Suites 115 & 120 Nov. 11, 12, 18, 19 at 2 p.m. Nov. 10, 11, 17, 18 at 7 p.m.

The whole family will love this musical about Buddy, a young orphan, who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole, where he is raised by the kindly elves. Presented by Infinite Arts.

ENGLISH TEA AT OATLANDS – HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS TEA AND OPEN HOUSE Oatlands Historic House & Gardens 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg Saturday, Nov. 18, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Kick off the holiday season with a traditional English tea in the historic Carriage House at Oatlands. You will enjoy English scones, Devon cream, classic tea sandwiches and sweets, along with Oatlands’ exclusive tea blend.

BRET MICHAELS PARTI-GRAS Ion International Training Center 19201 Compass Creek Parkway SE, Leesburg Saturday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m.

For the first time in Leesburg, Big100 presents Bret Michaels Parti-Gras – a celebration of fans, bands, music and an “all killer, no filler” night of hit songs. Special guests scheduled include Steve Augeri, former lead singer of Journey.

ASHBURN FARM THANKSGIVING DAY RACE Crossroads United Methodist Church 43454 Crossroads Drive, Ashburn Thursday, Nov. 23, 8 a.m.

Get some exercise before your big Thanksgiving Day meal at the 30th annual Ashburn Farm 10K/5K/2K event. The race raises funds for the local, regional and international missions of Crossroads United Methodist Church.

LANSDOWNE RESORT CAROLING Lansdowne Resort 44050 Woodridge Parkway, Leesburg Friday, Dec. 1, 5-7 p.m.

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Get into the holiday spirit in Ashburn’s unofficial downtown. Join friends and neighbors at One Loudoun for Santa’s arrival and the lighting of the One Loudoun holiday tree.

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“JOY” – LOUDOUN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA St. David’s Episcopal Church 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn Saturday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

TIME TRAVEL

A scenic photo showing the Beaverdam Reservoir along Ashburn's western border.

Beaverdam Reservoir

Goose Creek Goose Creek Dam

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Goose Creek Reservoir Old Goose Creek water treatment ASHBURN plant

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ASHBURN VILLAGE

ASHBURN FARM

About Dam Time New park on the Beaverdam Reservoir is 60 years in the making BY

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOUDOUN WATER

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659 Beaverdam Creek 625

BROADLANDS RESERVOIR PARK MOOREFIELD STATION

Paul McCray is a well-known local historian and the 2011 recipient of the Thomas Balch Library’s Loudoun History Award. He has also worked with the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority (NOVA Parks) for nearly five decades. NOVA Parks is partnering with Loudoun Water to develop the new Reservoir Park along the shores of the Beaverdam Reservoir on Ashburn’s western edge, so we thought McCray was the ideal person to share a history of the reservoir with the readers of Ashburn Magazine.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

he story of how Beaverdam Reservoir came to be starts in 1959 when drinking water wells on which the city of Fairfax had relied for 30 years were failing. With no lakes or large streams within the city to draw from, city leaders looked to the west and obtained permission to dam part of Goose Creek as a water supply. The dam was built at a spot just across Belmont Ridge Road from today’s Belmont Greene neighborhood. Treated water from the new Goose Creek Reservoir began

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A photo showing the roughly 60-year-old Goose Creek Dam that was built to form the Goose Creek Reservoir.

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flowing to Fairfax via a pipeline along the W&OD Railroad as far as Hunter Mill Road, then through Oakton to the city. By 1971, the Goose Creek Reservoir was no longer providing enough water, so Fairfax city received approval to build a second reservoir on Beaverdam Creek — a small stream that intersected with Goose Creek at a spot just south of today’s Dulles Greenway. Water could be released from the new Beaverdam Reservoir into Goose Creek as needed during times of high water use in the city or drought. The city of Fairfax decided in 2013 to leave the water business and become part of Fairfax Water, which serves 2 million residents in the Fairfax area. Loudoun Water negotiated the purchase of the two reservoirs and the land around them to boost water resources for the ever-growing population south and east of Leesburg. The Goose Creek Reservoir holds about 300 million gallons of water, but the Bea-

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

verdam Reservoir is much, much larger – holding an additional 1.3 billion gallons to support Loudoun’s water supply. The water level was lowered in 2016 to allow Loudoun Water to make much-needed repairs to the Beaverdam structures. Once that was done, the lake was refilled naturally through rainfall. For many years, the Beaverdam reservoir attracted a small number of people who informally hiked the perimeter and others who carried in kayaks for boating. Because there was considerable public interest in using the reservoir for recreation, Loudoun Water worked with NOVA Parks in 2015 to create a plan for the property. Officials say it made sense for the two agencies to team up. NOVA Parks already owned about 450 acres around the reservoir from its development of the adjacent Brambleton Golf Course, and Loudoun Water runs the reservoir. Since 2019, design teams and construc-

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A diagram from NOVA Parks shows the layout of the future Reservoir Park.

tion crews have been hard at work creating Loudoun’s first waterfront park at the 350acre Beaverdam Reservoir. As part of that process, the water level was lowered again that year and has been gradually refilling. Reservoir Park, which will have its access point by the ballfields at Belmont Ridge Road and Northstar Boulevard, will feature a new entrance road, parking lot, welcome center, restroom building, crew rowing facility, boat rental facility, pavilions, trails, waterfront boardwalks, a bridge, plantings, site utilities and educational exhibits. There will be an “out and back” improved trail for three miles along the east shoreline starting at the visitor center. A natural surface trail will run the remaining four miles around the lake to complete the

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Call us at (571) 946-1640 or visit www.loudounschool.org to schedule a tour. 20577 Ashburn Road, Ashburn, VA 20147

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

full seven-mile loop. All the facilities have been designed with source water protection in mind. Keeping pollutants out of the water before it enters the treatment system will help ensure the best water quality, so no gas boat motors or swimming will be allowed. With 650 acres of public land around the 350-acre reservoir, the area is a valuable habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Hikers, kayakers, crew rowers and fishermen can expect to see birds such as herons, hawks and an occasional bald eagle, along with many of the mammals common to Loudoun – deer, raccoons, skunks, squirrels and more. Park improvements are projected to finish and open to the public by summer 2024. A

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An aerial photo showing the progress of construction on the new Reservoir Park. It's scheduled to open next year.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

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THE BURN A round-up of the latest restaurant, retail, and other cool news from Ashburn and beyond. Check out The Burn at TheBurn.com and follow it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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brewing area, of course, visible through big floorto-ceiling windows. But for the typical customer, the large bar and restaurant is the real attraction. It features 16 beers on tap, a full restaurant menu and seating for some 350 guests inside and outside.

6 MR. SUSHI &

The new Honor Brewing Co. location in Loudoun officially opened in October. The powers-thatbe skipped the planned soft opening and “just went for it.” It’s at 42406 Trade West Drive, No. 170. That’s off Arcola Mills Drive just south of Ashburn’s Brambleton neighborhood. The huge facility includes a huge

SERVING UP BEERS NEAR BRAMBLETON

AN CH RK PA

The new restaurant and sports bar known as Rai’s Rendezvous officially opened in October. It took over the former Bungalow Alehouse location in the Ashburn Cross-

Another new Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich joint apparently has big plans for Northern Virginia – and that includes Ashburn. It’s called The Red Bird, and it specializes in hot chicken sandwiches along with the ever-popular crinkle-cut fries. A first location is in the works for Vienna, and a rep for The Red Bird said they are also pursuing locations in Ashburn, Reston, Falls Church and Arlington. Plans call for the Ashburn store to open sometime in 2024.

5 HONOR BREWING Açai bowls are all the rage in the fast-casual restaurant world right now, and a new brand called Nautical Bowls has opened its first location in Northern Virginia in the Lansdowne Town Center. It has taken over the corner space vacated by Qwench, a juice and smoothie shop that also served açai bowls. The Lansdowne store is the first of two locations announced for Loudoun County so far. A second location is in the works for the Dulles 28 Centre at Waxpool Road and Pacific Boulevard.

RENDEZVOUS OPENS IN ASHBURN CROSSROADS

OPENS FIRST AREA STORE IN LANSDOWNE

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A new upscale laundromat and laundry service will officially launch soon in Ashburn. It’s called Purple Hamper, and this is the brand’s first location. Purple Hamper is taking a roughly 1,300-square-foot space in the Broadlands Village Center at Broadlands Boulevard and Claiborne Parkway. We are told that Purple Hamper will have high-capacity machines to use at the laundromat and will also offer a premium wash, fold and delivery service for laundry.

HAS ITS SIGHTS ON ASHBURN

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LAUNDRY SERVICE COMING TO THE BROADLANDS

4 THE RED BIRD

1 PURPLE HAMPER

roads center at Ashburn Village Boulevard and Farmwell Road. The space includes a large bar area with high-top tables as well as a video golf game and three pinball machines. There are television sets almost anywhere you look, including a huge wall-sized screen in the large dining room – making it a great communal space to watch big sporting events.

MRS. ROLL CLOSER TO OPENING IN ASHBURN VILLAGE

The new Mr. Sushi & Mrs. Roll restaurant coming to the Ashburn Village Shopping Center

has installed its sign. The future restaurant has taken over the 2,800-square-foot space that was previously El Rey Tolteca, a Mexican restaurant. It’s the second area location for the brand. Construction inside the space is underway and, according to the team working at the Mr. Sushi & Mrs. Roll in the Lansdowne Town Center, December is the target to open the new store. A

Ashburn

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