Stafford Magazine | June/July 2023

A Positive Tune

Bike accident didn’t deter North Stafford graduate

THIS DOG KNOWS ALL THE TRICKS

3D FOR ‘THREE-LETTER AGENCIES’

HOW THE CIVIL WAR CHANGED STAFFORD

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VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3

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CONTRIBUTORS

Eric Althoff

Tracy Bell

David S. Kerr

Doug Stroud

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Stafford in 3D

Printing firm delivers for businesses and ‘three-letter agencies’

BY ERIC ALTHOFF

Bruce LeMaster wasn’t looking for a corporate overseer for his 3D printing firm, Applied Rapid Technologies, or ART – but opportunity, as it sometimes literally does, came knocking in the form of Obsidian Solutions Group, a defense contractor based in Fredericksburg.

LeMaster relates that Obsidian, which contracts with the State Department, was seeking to get into “additive manufacturing.” And rather than start from scratch, it wanted to acquire a company such as ART that was already involved in 3D printing.

Obsidian co-founder and CEO Tyrone Logan and president Jim Wiley popped by LeMaster’s office for what he assumed was a social visit. But they soon inquired whether Lemaster would be willing to sell. At first, LeMaster said, he wasn’t interested in selling the business he’d started in 1996.

“We stayed in touch,” LeMaster said recently. “This was all in 2019, and then COVID happened.” He eventually decided in the summer of 2020 to sell, and the deal closed that October.

With ART now a subsidiary of Obsidian, LeMaster continues to function as its vice president of manufacturing. Little has changed since the sale, he says, and the company continues to 3D print parts for the automotive, medical, consumer appliances and aerospace industries – as well as for the government.

LeMaster, who lives in the Hartwood District of Stafford County, explains that 3D printing is simply another name for the term “additive manufacturing.” Before 3D printing, most manufacturing involved subtracting from a block of material to “remove what you don’t need.”

Additive production “starts with nothing,” in LeMaster’s words. A printer fires lasers into a vat of

Bruce LeMaster, founder of Applied Rapid Technologies.

A look inside one of Applied Rapid Technologies’ 3D printers.

liquid to turn a portion into a solid. Layers and layers are subsequently added on top of one another in a technique known as stereolithography.

The laser essentially draws “one cross-section of a part,” LeMaster explained. “An elevator would drop down into the vat of liquid, and fresh resin would coat the layer that was just created. We would draw the next layer and bond it to the previous. And when the part is done, it rises up out of the vat of liquid, and there is a 3D solid model there.”

The technology has been around since the 1980s, LeMaster said, but thanks to a proliferation of inexpensive 3D printers during the 2010s, the process of stereolithography was essentially replaced by another technique called fused deposition modeling, or FDM. LeMaster likens FDM to the application of a hot-glue gun.

“You feed a filament of plastic into a hot nozzle, melt it and you extrude the cross-section that you’re trying to create,” he said. “It keeps drawing successive layers until the part is complete.”

If that all sounds a bit technical, what isn’t is the relationship ART continues to enjoy with “a lot of those three-letter agencies,” as LeMaster puts it. While he can’t reveal certain aspects of his company’s defense contracting work, LeMaster said his firm does indeed 3D-print missile and tank parts. However, it also makes such ordinary items as blenders, toasters and coffee pots. From those liquid vats, ART also pops out all manner of medical appliances, from liposuction devices to DNA “sorting equipment.”

Among ART’s local customers, Al Erkert, owner of Web Equipment in Fredericksburg, said he has frequently called upon LeMaster’s expertise to construct out-of-stock parts for older forklifts. Many of those machines are decades old and often require specific pieces that are difficult to source.

“When I can’t get enough of those used parts that are salvageable and repairable, then I have to go looking for other sources,” Erkert said. “I was able to

get parts that were fully functional and indispensable from the factory OEM.”

He added that LeMaster’s customer service ensured that Web Equipment would continue to work with ART.

“When the quality wasn’t right, they took it back and either fixed it or remade parts,” Erkert said. “I pay him on time and he makes the parts on time.”

John McQuiddy, president of McQ Inc. in Fredericksburg, has worked with LeMaster for three decades. McQuiddy praised ART’s ability to “accurately manufacture a product package” for McQ’s prototype security sensors, which are sold to commercial customers as well as to the Department of Defense, the Secret Service and the Department of Energy.

ART takes the McQ 3D design and turns it into a prototype that is identical to the final product for testing purposes, McQuiddy said. “McQ products are very advanced technology, and therefore require the latest mechanical design and fabrication.”

Among the services ART provides are supplying the mechanical structure for McQ’s electronic sensors so that they aren’t damaged when they hit the ground.

“Bruce keeps advancing ART mechanical design and fabrication technology to match the very latest 3D materials printing,” McQuiddy said. “He has always been a joy to work with.”

Indeed, LeMaster’s reputation is so established that his LinkedIn profile boasts the image of a dinosaur next to his name. It’s not a reflection of his age, he insists, but rather indicates membership in the Additive Manufacturing Users Group, an industry trade group that recognizes innovators such as LeMaster with its “Dino” icon.

“That’s our little special thing,” said LeMaster, who also serves on the organization’s board of directors.

LeMaster has been working in the Stafford area since 1987. In those simpler times (“There were two traffic lights on Route 17,” he recollects.), while living in a hotel, he worked installing a production line. After various moves away, he has called Fredericksburg home since 1992. He appreciates the area’s wineries, food scene and its proximity to Washington.

“Stafford County is very pro-business, and very much on the technology spectrum,” he said, adding that the location makes the county a natural fit for his type of work. “I can be in Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina all within a few hours.”

LeMaster hopes ART will expand beyond the prototyping sector and continue growing in additive manufacturing.

“We’ve got some customers [for whom] we build 25 to 50 parts a month. So it’s not high volume, but we’re very competitive – and in fact we’re cheaper than most other processes when it comes to those kinds of numbers,” he said.

“With my high-speed printers…I can print a month to two months of production in 17 minutes. So it’s a very cost-effective solution.”

Eric Althoff is a freelance writer who lives in Stafford County.

Top: Workers in Applied Rapid Technologies apply finishing touches to 3D printed parts;

Right: ART’s new showroom.

Old Dog, New Tricks

A YouTube star and her human family call Stafford home

BY ERIC ALTHOFF

When Christina Jones first discovered Chloe, a mixed terrier, at an animal shelter cage in San Antonio, the creature was in pretty rough shape.

That was in November 2018. Chloe was all of 4 pounds, her hair was falling off and she was infested with fleas and ticks. However, her sweet eyes projected a warmth that Jones immediately recognized.

“When I took her out, it was like touching bone,” Jones said at her home in Embrey Mill. “We didn’t know she had a curly tail because … her muscles had atrophied so much she couldn’t hold her tail

With some goading from Jones – and treats – Chloe will wave, pray, “play” piano and jump through a circle made by her human mother’s arms. She can also tackle more complicated tasks such as “Order up!”, which requires her, on command, to drop a plastic donut into a dish and then strike a bell.

Jones and her family moved to Stafford in February 2021, when her husband was transferred to the Pentagon by the Air Force.

Jones said that shortly after her family adopted Chloe, she researched on YouTube how to train her to sit and lie down. Although Jones had owned dogs before, Chloe was the fastest learner she’d encountered.

“One or two times I’d show her, and she had it. It didn’t take any effort whatsoever,” she said. She soon signed up Chloe for agility course training. “I’m not very fast, so I was the one holding us back in the agility courses.”

The agility courses led to trick training, at which Chloe was also a quick study. The trophies from the AKC came rolling in, as did the accolades as a “Stunt Dog” grand champion, which required Chloe, whose extended handle is Flopdoodle Chloe Bean, to perform in a skit in front of at least five judges.

The family joined Canines for Christ in San Antonio, a therapy dog organization that does skits for organizations such as the police, Boys and Girls Clubs and nursing homes. Through that program, Jones became friends with Jill Powell, who encouraged her to get Chloe into these skits.

“Chloe has a special gift of learning lots of tricks – and her mom facilitating that,” Powell said. “She has a real passion for the next generation coupled with dogs, and then her love for God is just a really neat fit.”

up. She was shaky all the time because she was so weak.”

Today Chloe is healthy, spry and inquisitive. Whether it’s sniffing the fingers of a new human or watching birds outside the window of her home, she enjoys a much better life than when she was found on the streets of San Antonio.

Oh, and she does tricks, too. Lots of them. On the second floor of Jones’ home is a room devoted almost exclusively to Chloe’s trophies, ribbons and various other awards from the American Kennel Club (AKC), where Chloe competes as an “elite performer.”

How does she do it?

For more complicated tricks, such as “Order up!”, Jones uses a behavior-training regimen called “shaping.” This requires positively reinforcing several individual actions before successfully linking them together into one continuous operation.

“For things like basketball, where she has to retrieve the ball and then put it in the hoop, you’re going to teach her first to do the retrieval, and then, as she gets closer to the hoop, you’ll say ‘yes,’” Jones explained.

“You keep asking for more and more until you’ve shaped the behavior to the way that

you’d like it to be.”

Jones and Chloe also work with an organization called Do More With Your Dog!, an international titling program for dog tricks, fitness, shows and animal actor certification – making Chloe eligible for hire if “Madam Secretary” is ever revived.

“Christina and Chloe have a very close relationship built on a foundation

of positive, reward-based training,” said Kyra Sundance, CEO of Do More With Your Dog! “This trust in their relationship is evident by the ease in which Chloe performs in new and unfamiliar places. She knows that only good things will happen.”

Jones and Chloe work with the local chapter of Canines for Christ, and they’ve also performed skits at a nursing home in

Alexandria. In addition to being a certified AKC evaluator and dog instructor, Jones directs Canines for Christ’s Junior Handler program. One person she has been shepherding is her own teenage daughter, Hannah. During skits, Hannah often serves as propmaster, setting up ring towers for Chloe to jump through, much to the delight of audiences.

Christina Jones and her daughter, Hannah, with Chloe.

“Our personal favorite is I’ll get down on my hands and knees, and Chloe will ride on my back,” Hannah enthused. “The little kids love that kind of thing.”

“They like selfies,” her mother said of children wanting to take photos with

Hannah and Chloe.

Hannah will also have Chloe jump on a pedestal behind her, as if the two are posing for a portrait. The gag is invariably a crowd pleaser.

Jones admits that asking the dog to

perform on command can be a wild card. Sometimes Chloe wanders off script, but such oopsies are often the most fun part of the show.

“People’s favorite thing is when she does her own thing,” Jones said. “It’s like, whoops, but they all get the biggest kick out of it.”

Fun videos and more

Hannah makes videos for Chloe’s YouTube channel, where fans can watch mother and daughter explain how to train your dog to perform tricks. Hannah has also used editing software for such amusing videos as timing various images of Chloe to the familiar opening beats of “Eye of the Tiger.” The family has won additional praise for sketches with names such as “The Life of a Military Pet” and “If Chloe Could Be Teacher for a Day.”

However, even performers as capable as Chloe sometimes get stage fright, especially around larger groups.

“There’s a homeschool convention in Richmond we worked at last year. There was a group of 30 to 50 volunteers, and Chloe can be shy sometimes,” Jones said. “If there’s 20 people on Chloe, she’ll be like, ‘OK, this is too much.’”

The life of a military family can be

challenging, particularly as it requires frequent moves. Jones is still building a local network.

“I would really like to have a bigger group here. I would love to go to the USO and things like that, but I would love to have other dogs with me,” Jones said, adding that she has taken Chloe to Girl Scout events and children’s birthdays.

Still, she looks forward to making more Stafford connections.

“I actually posted [online] in Stafford saying this is what we do, this is our ministry, your dog needs to pass these tests to join as a therapy dog,” she said. “And I got so many hits of people wanting to have

us” come to them to be entertained, but “I’m like, I need help first before I can reach out and do that.”

She encourages interested parties who want their dogs to serve as therapy animals to take “good canine citizen” tests offered by the AKC and Canines for Christ.

Chloe was a finalist in the AKC’s 2022 Trick Dog National Competition. Dr. Mary Burch, director of the program, praised both Chloe and Jones for fostering a jolly experience whenever they perform.

“Christina is a highly skilled trainer who has demonstrated her extraordinary ability to take a dog with problems, and by using a positive reinforcement approach, transform that dog into a confident little superstar,” said Burch. “What is remarkable about Chloe is her joyful and extremely eager-towork attitude.”

Jones believes Chloe is about 6 years old. Is that too old to learn new tricks?

“I have books of tricks. There’s some we’ve tried that, no matter what we do, we can’t get,” she said. “I feel like we need more ideas.”

Eric Althoff is a freelance writer who lives in Stafford.

To enjoy Chloe’s adventures online, follow her on...

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A Positive Tune

bikes to go to Publix to pick up cinnamon rolls. He was listening to music when he took a wrong turn. Suddenly, he was hit by an oncoming truck – and life quickly changed.

Last month, the 18-year-old received his high school diploma – and realized he was lucky to be there.

Bike accident didn’t deter North Stafford graduate

BY TRACY BELL

North Stafford High School graduate Karl Rice will always remember his high school days.

He’ll remember a kaleidoscope of friends, swim team, prom and chorus.

And although one memory won’t be as fond, he’ll take with him the silver linings that followed.

It was March 11, 2021, right after school and the day before spring break.

Rice and two friends hopped on their

“They called me a miracle,” Rice said, referring to his doctors.

The truck was traveling about 35 mph in Embrey Mill near Ebenezer United Methodist Church. His friends were unharmed.

The bike ride – a quick trip from his North Stafford home near Eustace Road –resulted in devastating injuries, including fractures of the spine, a traumatic brain injury with bleeding spots on the brain, broken ribs, deafness in one ear and damaged vocal chords.

After 5½ days in the neurological Intensive Care Unit, Rice went home.

Somehow, he didn’t miss any school days because it was spring break and virtual school was still being held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He survived, but it wasn’t easy. At first, he struggled to speak, and couldn’t bathe himself or even walk. Rice said he was told that with just a quarter-inch difference in damage to his spine, the result could have been even more tragic.

He underwent occupational, physical and speech therapy. Rice said his father helped him learn to walk again.

Telling his story

Later, at a Jostens Renaissance Global Leadership Conference he was invited to speak at in Florida, Rice told his story – that he was born in Hanover, Md., but first had the chance to experience different cultures and people when he moved to Singapore and Malaysia with his family.

His father’s job with the U.S. Marine Corps took the family to far-off places where Rice played with tigers, rode camels and elephants, climbed the steps of temples and experienced amazing adventures.

Then in the sixth grade, he moved to Stafford with his family – parents Barbara and Caryll and two older sisters, Ahissa and Crystan.

He spoke about his accident and about change: from self-consciousness over a changing voice in middle school to the change that almost took his life.

You can’t choose what happens to you, but you can choose how change affects you, he explained, and change can be a miracle.

In tough times, he said, “You have the chance to become someone else’s miracle.”

He noted the many supporters on his road to recovery – family, friends, students and teachers – and even comforting family pets, including his Daschund “wiener dog,” Fritzie.

“I was the boy who didn’t know how much he needed people,” Rice said in his speech. “I’m not the same person I was before the accident.”

Karl Rice’s bike wound up under a truck after his accident on March 11, 2021.

Karl Rice spoke at the Jostens Renaissance Global Leadership Conference and at North Stafford High School’s graduation ceremony in May.

PHOTO BY DOUG STROUD

A return to singing

Before the accident, Rice could be found at the pool or auditioning for choral roles in school productions. After all, the self-described “shower singer” always had a passion for singing. It was a struggle to return to singing though, when the pastime reminded him of what he lost.

His vocal chords were damaged, along with his confidence.

North Stafford choral director Lindsay Long said that despite the accident, Rice’s commitment was “unwavering.” Long – one of the teachers who Rice said left the biggest impact on him – encouraged him to prevail and return to singing.

“She changed how I saw myself,” said Rice, who fought to overcome what he lost.

Long said Rice wound up having “a very successful high school singing career that I hope he takes with him to college and beyond.”

But also, she added, “He has an incredible gift for leadership and an ability to inspire and encourage others that I have not seen from another student in my career as a teacher. He is a remarkable young man and I am so excited to see what the future will hold for him.”

During high school, Rice volunteered at Stafford Junction – a nonprofit that helps local children and their families facing poverty. He has worked at Chick-fil-A for almost a year and was promoted to team leader within six months.

North Stafford’s principal, Dashan Turner, said that Rice was one of the first students he met when he became principal last summer.

“I was already impressed,” Turner said after hearing about him.

But then, “I watched him all year long be a consistent leader, building relationships and motivating others,” he added.

Rice is “outspoken, with an ability to persevere, still a kid but not afraid to have fun and make people laugh,” and “what we want to see in a student,” Turner described.

There are still remnants of the accident.

Rice said he experienced “a deaf ear” for a year and a half and still endures nerve and hip pain, headaches and trouble with shortterm memory and “processing things.”

This fall, Rice will head to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, with plans to study architecture.

And he’ll look back with fondness to his time at North Stafford, where he gained great mentors and friends. The best part of high school, Rice said, was the people he met there – and that he could talk to anyone.

“I never felt looked down upon or different there,” Rice said. “We’re all here for each other.”

Tracy Bell is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.

Left: Karl Rice with North Stafford’s choral director, Lindsay Long, whom he credits with helping to rebuild his confidence; (below) Rice with (from left) his sister, Crystan; his mother, Barbara, and his oldest sister, Ahissa, as well as their dogs.

Karl Rice (left) with some of his swimming teammates at North Stafford High School.

Serving Up Love

Hartwood woman with heart for homeless leads Kimz Kitchen

BY TRACY BELL

It may take “one spoon at a time” to feed the homeless, but Kim Halford’s passion is to do just that.

Halford, who lives in the Hartwood area of Stafford County, has been feeding the homeless for nearly 15 years, after she first recognized a need in her hometown Detroit and joined a committee on her church’s ministry team.

After moving to Virginia in 2009 – first Loudoun County and later Stafford – she continued her mission, Kimz Kitchen, because homelessness exists everywhere. The organization officially became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in November.

Today, Kimz Kitchen consists of Halford and a handful of volunteers in Stafford and Loudoun counties who self-fund the fresh, homemade food they prepare to help the homeless and working poor.

“I’m a foodie,” Halford explained. “I pride myself on my food and I love to eat.”

The crews make “real food,” she said, everything from fried chicken and macaroni and cheese to green beans, corn, salad, brownies and all other desserts imaginable.

Sandwiches aren’t typically on the menu,

though.

Not that there’s anything wrong with them, but Halford prefers to focus on comfort food and homemade cuisine she and her volunteers would likely eat.

Sometimes, they make the food in their own kitchens then unite the dishes to prepare a feast. Other times, they get together to cook, laughing, talking and building friendships along the way.

The Stafford crew typically has as many as five volunteers pitching in to help Halford, and the Loudoun group five to six.

“I would love to have more volunteers,”

Halford said, “especially local.”

South Stafford resident Sara Roth started volunteering with Kimz Kitchen because she wanted to help the community and give back

Kim Halford had her minivan wrapped with the Kimz Kitchen logo so she and her volunteers can take food to people in need.

in a way that would benefit those in need.

“It’s an amazing group of women volunteers with the most beautiful hearts,” Roth said. “It’s a very rewarding experience each time we serve together and are able to help provide assistance.”

Halford, who works full time from home for American Express as an executive assistant, also gets help from her family, including her husband, Emmett. Their children, Kameron, 9, and Kayden, 7, also love to help when asked.

Woodbridge resident Keisha Carter, a part of the Stafford crew, said she most enjoys working with Halford, who has “just as big of a heart to give” as her own. She also appreciates the “satisfied look” of a person she serves when their need has been met.

“As I continue to be blessed in my life, I

make it a point to be a blessing to someone else,” Carter said.

Kimz Kitchen serves food at two shelters monthly: the Thurman Brisben Homeless Shelter in Fredericksburg and the Loudoun Homeless Services Center in Leesburg. But Halford saw homeless people outside of the shelters too, and wanted to find a way

to take them food – so she went mobile. She had her minivan wrapped with the Kimz Kitchen logo and took her mission on the road last summer.

She can now reach people in need in motels, tent cities and homeless camps and on the streets – not just in area shelters. Although most people think of helping

Kim Halford

the homeless in cold weather, there is a need year-round. Halford plans to use the van to deliver food this summer, too.

She’d love help making food, delivering meals and helping at shelters, but in the meantime, area residents may catch a glimpse of her hitting the streets with the organization’s motto, “Feeding the homeless one spoon at a time,” splashed across the van.

On May 20, Kimz Kitchen held its first Sneaker Ball outside Halford’s home as a fundraiser. The event, which she hopes to make annual, featured music, a cash bar and a full buffet. Tents and tables peppered the spacious property, offering games like bingo, blackjack and roulette.

Guests wore red carpet attire, along with comfortable sneakers to finish the look.

Halford said she hopes to offer more initiatives like the Sneaker Ball to build her nonprofit so she doesn’t have to rely solely on the volunteers. She envisions setting up at parks or spreading the word at community events.

And while Halford acknowledged that there’s still a stigma and even occasionally distrust surrounding homelessness, she sees past it to help those in need. She often recognizes and occasionally even befriends the people she assists.

She recalled one older homeless couple she helped years ago and their visit to her home. They ultimately were able to obtain housing and are still friends with the Halford family to this day.

Halford, with the hope that she can do even more to ease any struggle the homeless face, will do so led by the Bible scripture (Acts 20:35): “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Tracy Bell is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.

Staying in the Moment

Big decision draws near for Colonial Forge’s Zyhir Hope

BY DAVID FAWCETT

MoreHope

Zyhir Hope stepped back a few paces to his right as he waited for the big rubber ball rolling toward him.

Then with his right foot, he blasted the ball between second and third base before arriving safely at first. Hope, who volunteered to lead off the batting order, eventually scored as the high fives and clapping ensued in a pick-up game of kickball between the Colonial Forge baseball and softball teams.

Technically, this was a light practice day for Hope and his teammates. The night before, Colonial Forge had won the Commonwealth District tournament title. But with the team off for a week before a

region quarterfinal, Eagles’ head coach David Colangelo gave his players some down time to relax. Hope, for one, soaked up opportunities like this to take a break as he dealt with and planned for a packed schedule.

He attended graduation practice in the morning in preparation for the actual ceremony two days later. The high school baseball season was still going on. A family vacation was scheduled for the Bahamas. Participation in the Major League Baseball Draft Combine awaited. As did a report date of June 26 to the University of North Carolina for freshman orientation.

But overshadowing all this is the prospect of being selected in the 2023 Major League Draft July 9-11. It’s a lot for anyone –let alone an 18-year-old.

“My time will come to make that decision,” Hope said about going pro out of high school or attending UNC. “I’m focusing on baseball and being happy for my team and my senior year.”

INCREASED INTEREST

Hope said both options (college or pro baseball) remain on the table. MLB teams keep their specific plans private, but there’s no doubt interest is rising.

“You don’t ask too much, but it sounds like he’s trending into the earlier rounds,” Colangelo said.

Hope, who is ranked No. 267 overall in Baseball America’s

latest 2023 draft prospect list, offers a tantalizing mix of speed and power. He plays right field for Colonial Forge but has the quickness to move to center. His left-handed power has been on display all season. The Commonwealth District Player of the Year finished the season with nine home runs, 38 RBI, 35 runs, 29 stolen bases, a .663 on-base percentage and a .530 batting average in 24 games. Besides his hitting and running ability, Hope is an intriguing option as a pitcher. Used primarily as the Eagles’ closer, Hope had three saves, 23 strikeouts, a 1-1 record and a 1.25 ERA in 14 innings. All of this earned him an invitation to the draft combine June 20-25 in Phoenix.

“It’s his athleticism and explosiveness,” Colangelo said. “His arm. His bat. The tools he has in every aspect of the game.”

Scouts from six Major League Baseball organizations attended the district tournament final May 17 against Riverbend. Hope went

2 for 3 with two runs scored and one RBI. He also struck out two in the final inning, while hitting 95 mph on the radar gun in the 8-2 victory.

The day before the tournament final, a videographer from the Major League Scouting Bureau came to Colonial Forge to film Hope hitting and throwing for at least an hour. Hope is one of just four Virginia high school seniors who have been filmed by the scouting bureau.

STRONG FOLLOWING

MLB teams have followed Hope all season. Colangelo said nine scouts attended Colonial Forge’s first scrimmage against Gainesville.

Interest, though, picked up after Hope’s pitching performance April 21 at North Stafford. The actual reading varies, but Hope recorded at least 96 mph on the radar gun, if not 97.

For Colonial Forge’s next game April 24 against visiting Patriot, a season-high 14 scouts showed up.

Zyhir Hope was profiled in the February/March issue of Stafford Magazine. To read that article online, scan the QR code.

Hope has handled all the attention with poise. He knows the scouts are there. He and his family met a number of them during the offseason when the scouts made home visits. Hope chatted with them before the game when they came to watch batting practice. Hope’s mother, Tiffany, said the scouts talked to her at games as well.

“I love that part of it,” Tiffany said. “It takes away the pressure. There’s no tension.”

Tiffany said as of late May there had been no discussions between MLB teams and the family regarding what it would take financially for Hope to bypass North Carolina and sign a pro contract. The family has discussed it among themselves with the help of Hope’s advisors, Jake Rosner and Adam Rosenthal from Octagon, a sports agency based in Tysons.

It will take a strong offer to sway Hope from attending North Carolina. With a select number of picks available in the 20-round draft, MLB teams typically avoid selecting players they don’t think they can sign.

“We have an idea of what we’re not going to take,” Tiffany said about bonus parameters.

“We feel like we’re in a win-win situation. We’re not desperate.”

Hope shares the same view.

“I ask myself, ‘What if it

can turn into something better than I can imagine and the right things fall into place?’” Hope said. “I’m so blessed to be in this position not only for me, but for my teammates. It gives them a great opportunity to be seen by scouts and colleges.”

UNC head baseball coach Scott Forbes keeps checking in with Hope, having done this long enough to know he might lose him to the draft. Hope has nothing but good things to say about North Carolina. He wore a Tar Heel backpack to school and raves about the UNC bucket hat he bought at the campus bookstore during his official visit.

Hope said he feels no pressure to make a decision.

“Yes I want to go to UNC,” Hope said. “But at the same time, this is both my dreams.” No one around him is pressuring him either.

“It’s ultimately what he wants to do,” Tiffany said.

Back on the softball field, Hope helps his teammates chant “D.C United” while he runs past each player standing in a line near home plate. He said there’s no reason for the chant other than to have fun. Hope is savoring every moment.

After graduation May 20, he and his senior teammates posed for photos on the baseball field. Hope even did one of his famous backflips in his graduation gown.

Time has moved fast since Hope arrived at Colonial Forge as an unknown junior. Now, he’s one of the most-liked and familiar faces there.

“It’s sad to see his [high school] journey coming to an end, but look at the memories it has created,” Tiffany said.

David Fawcett is sports editor of InsideNoVa. He can be reached at dfawcett@insidenova.com

The Rappahannock Area YMCA and Ainsley’s Angels are coming together to host an all-inclusive field day! Join us for a fun filled day of family activities as you spectate our charity kickball tournament! FREE admission to attend! SCAN THE QR CODE FOR MORE INFO ON TEAMS AND SPONSORSHIP!

PHOTO BY JENNIFER MUHLENBRUCK

Zyhir Hope with his mother, Tiffany; brother, Joshua (left), and sister, Jordyn.

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Summer Fun

From festivals to fireworks, there’s plenty to do around the region this summer. And for even more events, visit InsideNoVa.com/calendar

FREDNATS FIREWORKS

Following all Friday summer games and the 4th of July

Virginia Credit Union Stadium, 42 Jackie Robinson Way, Fredericksburg milb.com for tickets

SUMMER ARTISAN MARKET

June 10, Noon to 5 p.m.

www.rappahannockareacsb.org

Full Distance Brewing at Quantico Corporate Center

650 Corporate Dr., Suite 101, Stafford

STAFFORD SOAP BOX DERBY

June 10, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Rocky Run Elementary School 95 Reservoir Road, Fredericksburg

SIPPING UNDER THE STARS

June 10 (“Dirty Dancing) & July 15

(“Bad Moms”), 7 to 10:30 p.m.

Potomac Point Vineyard & Winery, Stafford potomacpointwinery.com

FREDERICKSBURG

SPCA RESCUE RUN 5K

June 11, 7 to 9 a.m.

1201 Caroline St., Fredericksburg fredspca.org

VIRGINIA RENAISSANCE FAIRE

June 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lake Anna Winery, Spotsylvania varf.org

ARCHAEOLOGY CAMP

June 12, 9 a.m. to noon

George Washington’s Ferry Farm, Stafford kenmore.org

MOBILE PANTRY

June 12, 10 to 11 a.m.

Shirley Heim Middle School

320 Telegraph Road, Stafford

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE

June 15, 12:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Porter Library, Stafford redcrossblood.org

WILD STORIES: WILDLIFE CENTER OF VIRGINIA

June 16, 1 to 1:45 p.m. and 3 to 3:45 p.m.

Porter Library, Stafford Elementary-age animal meet and greet librarypoint.org

JUNETEENTH WITH THE NAACP

June 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Colonial Forge High School, Stafford staffordhistorical.org

610 CRUISE-IN CAR MEET

June 17, 4 to 8 p.m.

Outside Burger King

269 Garrisonville Road, Stafford

SUMMER CONCERT: U.S. NAVY SEA BAND CHANTERS

June 22, 7 p.m.

National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle (outdoors) marineheritage.org

BRISBEN CENTER BENEFIT CONCERT

June 24, 7 to 9 p.m.

Free; Christian Blues Project performs

Cornerstone Church

56 McWhirt Loop, Fredericksburg

INTERNATIONAL

WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

June 23, 4 to 8 p.m.

The Clubs at Quantico

3017 Russell Road, Quantico HONEY FESTIVAL

June 24, Noon

Haley’s Honey Meadery, FXBG

1600 Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg

PICNIC IN THE PARK: BEACH DAY

June 27, 11:30 a.m.

Riverfront Park

600 Sophia St., Fredericksburg

SOUNDS OF SUMMER

June 30, 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Fredericksburg Area Museum

907 Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg

FESTIVAL AND ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW

July 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Riverfront Park and along Sophia, Charlotte & Hanover streets, Fredericksburg

fredericksburgva.gov

FOURTH AT FERRY FARM

July 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bus/trolly from downtown or Eagles Lodge, Cool Spring Road kenmore.org

FOURTH OF JULY SPECTACULAR

July 4, 6 p.m. with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

John Lee Pratt Memorial Park

120 River Road, Stafford

CARS & COFFEE

July 8, 9 to 11 a.m.

Coffee Bar 1010

1010 Corporate Dr., Stafford

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS & PREVENTION SEMINAR

July 22, 10 a.m. to noon

150 Susa Drive, Stafford h4tci.org

FREDERICKSBURG AGRICULTURAL FAIR

July 28 to Aug. 6, Noon to 10 p.m.

2400 Airport Dr., Fredericksburg fredericksburgfair.org

REPTILE WORLD

Aug. 3, 10:30 a.m.

Jean C. Smith Amphitheater

Locust Shade Park, Triangle

FUN FEST COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

Aug. 4, 10:30 a.m. to noon Porter Library, Stafford librarypoint.org

SEMPER FI 5K, 10K & 1-MILER

Aug. 5, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

St. Clair Brooks Park, Falmouth bishopsevents.com

STAFFORD AIR FEST

Aug. 5 and 6

Stafford Regional Airport staffordairport.com

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

Aug. 8, 5 to 8 p.m.

1150 Stafford Marketplace

Target parking lot, North Stafford

Stafford schools honor top staff members

Stafford County Public Schools recognized and announced the 2022-2023 Staff of the Year in instructional and service positions at a ceremony in early May.

During the ceremony, divisionwide recipients were announced from 112 finalists across all schools and departments in the school division. The division-wide honorees were:

• Allen Hicks, Principal of the Year, Stafford High

• Alissa Fraser, Assistant Principal of the Year, Hartwood Elementary

• Katrina Palyo, Counselor of the Year, Brooke Point High

• Jennifer “Jenni”McCall, Teacher of the Year, North Stafford High

• Avery Tully, First Class Teacher of the Year, Stafford Middle

• Sharon “Shari” Miller, Administrative Support Service Employee of the Year, Edward E. Drew Middle

• Cathleen Fillis, Instructional Support Service Employee of the Year, Widewater Elementary

• Carmen Rugg, Professional and Technical Support Service Employee of the Year, Hampton Oaks Elementary

• Michael Heflin, Service Support Service Employee of the Year, H.H. Poole Middle

• Cassandra Wickline, Bandy Service Employee of the Year, Technology

• Deputy Glenn Lum, School Resource Officer of the Year, based at Colonial Forge High

Ultimate Endgamers League announces $100,000 championship

Ultimate Endgamers League, a Staffordbased multi-game esports organization, will hold a $100,000 Championship on Aug. 6, featuring players from around the world. The event will be live-streamed on Twitch.tv/UELEsports, and locally spectators can watch at UEL Arena at 10 Center St. in Stafford. Teams and players from various gaming genres will compete for the ultimate title. For more information, visit www.uelesports.com.

(Ultimate Endgamers League was featured in an article in the October/November 2022 issue of Stafford Magazine.)

Barley Naked Brewing takes top Yelp honor

Stafford’s Barley Naked Brewing Company has been named Best Brewery in Virginia, according to Yelp Reviews by Insider.com.

Yelp picked the best brewery in every state through multiple factors such as the volume and average rating of reviews. Barley Naked Brewing Co. is listed alongside other major breweries such as Samuel Adams Boston Brewery (Massachusetts) and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Delaware).

Barley Naked Brewing Company has received a number of other accolades, including a Bronze medal from the Great American Beer Festival and a Bronze medal and two Silver medals from the Virginia Craft Beer Cup.

“I was surprised because Barley Naked does not distribute, so I feel like we are making a huge impact on the local community and whoever stops by to grab a beer,” said founder and owner Barry Boyd. “With all of the breweries in Virginia, it’s an honor to be spoken in the same breath and be considered a top brewery. It’s humbling.”

(Barry Boyd and Barley Naked Brewing were featured in an article in the October/November 2022 issue of Stafford Magazine.)

Stafford businesses honored by EDA

At its annual Business Appreciation Reception last month, the Stafford County Economic Development Authority honored three local businesses:

• Aquia Realty (Jo Knight, Owner), Business of the Year Award, honoring a business that exemplifies the quality and standards of business in Stafford

• G3 Community Services, Innovation Award, designed to recognize big-thinkers and creative problem solvers

• Long Family Market, Donald H. Newlin Community Stewardship Award, for a business organization or person who demonstrates selfless community care

The reception also provided attendees with a history of Stafford’s business development and an overview of the authority’s efforts to maintain, diversify and grow the community’s business portfolio.

Census captures changes in Stafford after the Civil War

Fredericksburg and Stafford to its terminus at Aquia Landing. From there, steamboats moved passengers to Washington and Baltimore.

BY DAVID S. KERR

In capturing the “before and after” of the Civil War in Stafford County, nothing quite illustrates the stark differences than the U.S. Census conducted in 1860 and then again in 1870.

In 1860 Stafford was one of the largest and most prosperous communities in Virginia. The population was 8,555 – large by standards of the time. It had a thriving agricultural economy, and the occupations shown in the Census reflected a dynamic community.

There were several doctors, a bank president, a judge, lawyers, storekeepers, dressmakers and seamstresses. There were also ministers, innkeepers, wheelwrights (men who made and repaired wagon wheels), coopers (barrel makers) and blacksmiths. However, by far the most common vocation was farmer. Stafford in 1860, much as it is today, was a major thoroughfare. The Richmond Fredericksburg and Potomac (RF&P) railroad ran from Richmond through

There were some unusual listings in the 1860 Census reports. Edward Piperbring, born in Prussia, was listed as a candy maker. John Cox was a musician and listed himself as a professional fifer. Stafford was also home to a future novelist, Emma Garrison. She was 22 years old in 1860, listed as an “authoress” and already writing for various periodicals. She would later write several popular romance novels.

But, in 1860, Stafford, like the rest of the South, had a sinister side to its character –slavery.

Of that relatively large population listed in 1860, 3,314 were slaves. That’s 38% of the population. Under the U.S. Constitution, slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes in Congress but otherwise weren’t recorded by name in the Census. They were property.

To prove just how intertwined slavery was in Stafford life, well over 30 white men listed their jobs as “overseer.” In other words, their job was to supervise the slaves.

That’s not to say African Americans didn’t leave a mark on the Census report. There were a number of freemen, including a self-employed boatman named Robin Daggs,

an independent wagon driver, Robert Jennings, and others who were farm hands, factory workers and housekeepers. But, what a difference a decade made. Five years after the Civil War, Stafford was devastated. By the time the 1870 Census was computed, the county was a shell of its former self. Its population, thanks in part to the flight of African Americans out of the county after emancipation, as well as many whites looking for a new start somewhere else, had fallen by 25%.

The musician was gone, and so was the candy maker. Emma Garrison had married and moved to Washington. She would keep writing until her death at the turn of the century. Farming was still the principal occupation. However, much of it in the years after the Civil War was subsistence level: People grew what they needed to eat with very little left over.

The eastern part of the county was particularly devastated. The Union Army had a ravenous appetite for wood – for its trains, steamboats and construction – and left few trees standing. Some accounts described the region as a wasteland.

Still, there were bright spots. There were a few mill operators, doctors, plasterers (indicative of new construction) and grocers. Also, several African Americans were listed as owning farms. That was a major change in their status. They were also listed as working as blacksmiths,

wheelwrights and coopers. Stafford, however, was not what it once was. Its economy was broken and stagnant. It would take years for it to revive economically and it wouldn’t recover its pre-war population until the middle of the 20th century.

David Kerr is a Stafford resident and an adjunct professor of political science at VCU. He worked on Capitol Hill and for various federal agencies for many years.

“By the time the 1870 Census was computed, the county was a shell of its former self. Its population, thanks in part to the flight of African Americans out of the county after emancipation, as well as many whites looking for a new start somewhere else, had fallen by 25%.”