Get Out Loudoun for February 2023

Discover Loudoun's Black History Through its Artists and Entrepreneurs

BY VISIT LOUDOUN

Walk west down Leesburg’s Market Steet from the bustling King Street intersection and an incredible sight comes into view on the wall of the Loudoun Museum: a giant, brightly colored mural depicting Bazil Newman, a Black 19th century Loudoun landowner and ferry business operator, taking a young Black boy across the Potomac River to Maryland on a moonlit night, Newman’s brother looking on. Revered Loudoun abolitionist Leonard Grimes observes from the riverbank.

Titled “The Journey to Freedom” and officially unveiled on Jan. 16 in time for Black History Month, the work by celebrated Washington, DC, artist Shawn Perkins is the latest in a series of recent murals and historical markers depicting the rich Black history of Loudoun.

“I’m a native of Loudoun and growing up I never saw any artwork that showed Black history,” said Carmen Felder, co-founder and director of the nonprofit 89 Ways to Give that helped commission and fund the piece. “This is one of many Black history murals we want to work on.”

These days visitors and residents hoping to celebrate Loudoun’s Black history have a lot more to see.

A short walk east of the museum, on the walls of the public garage on Lassiter Way, murals by local artist Kim P. Kim depict two beloved Black Leesburg business owners: Robinson’s Barbershop proprietor and U.S. Marine Nelson “Mutt” Lassiter who passed away in 2020 at age 83, and Marie Medley-Howard, said to be the first African American woman to own a business in town, a beauty salon.

Lassiter and Medley-Howard are pioneering forerunners to the many Black-owned businesses now in Loudoun—everything from bakeries and boutiques to sneaker stores and five-star resorts—that make the county such a welcoming and diverse place to live today. It's not only murals in Loudoun that are honoring Black heritage.

In September, on Loudoun’s eastern border, the historic Oak Grove community built and developed by African Americans in the late 19th Century after they purchased their own land following emancipation, received the first commemorative sign on the new “Journey to Freedom Heritage Trails.”

The trail is set to incorporate other Black Loudoun landmarks including the Settle-Dean Cabin in Chantilly and the African American Cemetery for the Enslaved at Belmont (the largest cemetery for enslaved people in Loudoun), ultimately creating a countywide African American heritage trail.

In the meantime, make sure to see Loudoun’s public art, support its many Black-owned businesses and get out and discover Oak Grove and other sites and landmarks that commemorate the county’s rich African American history.

Photo by Norman K. Styer

The Journey to Freedom mural on the wall of the Loudoun Museum in Leesburg was dedicated last month.

Loudoun’s Attractions

LOUDOUN HERITAGE FARM MUSEUM

Travel through time to meet the 10 generations of Loudoun County residents who built this county and left their mark on the land. Exhibits include a schoolhouse, general store, Native American artifact display and the American Workhorse Museum Collection.

21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling, VA 20164 (571) 258-3800 • heritagefarmmuseum.org

LOUDOUN MUSEUM

With a collection of more than 8,000 artifacts, the Museum tells Loudoun’s story from pre-1600 up until today, with a selection of special exhibits featuring the history of Virginia Wine, the Early Republic era, and the County’s role in the US Civil War, along with a timeline of Loudoun County history. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for upcoming events and public programs!

16 Loudoun Street SW Leesburg, Virginia 20175 (703) 777-7427 • loudounmuseum.org

MORVEN PARK

Morven Park is a 1,000-acre historic estate on the edge of Leesburg that was home to Virginia governor and agricultural pioneer Westmoreland Davis. Tours of the Greek Revival mansion include 16th century Belgian tapestries, Spanish cassones, hundreds of silver pieces, Hudson River Valley paintings, and Asian treasures. The estate also features the Winmill Carriage Museum, the Museum of Hounds and Hunting of North America, formal boxwood gardens, miles of hiking and riding trails, and athletic elds.

17195 Southern Planter Lane Leesburg, VA 20176 703-777-2414 • morvenpark.org

OATLANDS HISTORIC HOUSE & GARDENS

The 415-acre Oatlands estate, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers tours of the historic mansion, extensive gardens and outbuildings that include the oldest standing greenhouse in the South. Exhibits focus on the lives of the Carter and Eustis families who building the estate, as well as the lives of enslaved people who lived and worked there.

20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, VA 20175 703.777.3174 • oatlands.org

LOUDOUN TUNES

In 2018, Zach Jones and his band at the time, NBTF, opened for Bon Jovi in DC's Capital One Arena.

VISIONS OF THE FUTURE (AND PAST ) WITH SHALLOW PLANET’S ZACH JONES

BY DANA ARMSTRONG

“Walking out there and seeing all those people—I think it was around 20,000 people—it doesn’t even really register that it’s that many. You’re nervous until it’s time to go, and then I guess your brain switches into another mode. It’s just game time after that.”

That is how Zach Jones, then a Tuscarora High School senior, described his experience opening for Bon Jovi at DC’s Capital One Arena in 2018.

Jones was the lead singer and guitarist of the five-piece rock band Never Born to Follow. The band of high school friends formed in 2015 for Ashburn’s YouthFest, won Loudoun Battle of the Bands in 2017, and recorded two EPs of original music.

In 2018, the band won a contest hosted by Live Nation and DC radio station Big 100.3 to open for an arena date of Bon Jovi’s This House is Not for Sale tour.

NBTF’s 20-minute set and the sheer volume of the crowd as the band led them in a singalong imprinted in Jones’s mind. This surreal opportunity would become just the beginning of Jones’s journey in music.

Now, the Lucketts-based musician is 23 and onto

being the frontman of his third band.

Jones’s musical experience started in sixth grade playing the trumpet. But it wasn’t until the following year when he started taking guitar lessons, performing with a small school jazz band, and singing in his seventh-grade talent show that he’d discover his passion for music.

After NBTF and graduating high school in 2018, he started another band, Rose Hollow, with two of his best friends. Though the band fizzled out two years later, it allowed Jones to continue building up experience.

By early 2021, Jones was ready for another venture. Reuniting with former NBTF member Allan Fogelson and bass player Diles Morst, they started writing songs together and created the band Shallow Planet.

After months of songwriting and recording sessions with local musician, songwriter and producer Todd Wright, Shallow Planet released their debut EP—"Visions of the Future”—in October.

The five-track EP is an alternative rock time capsule exploring the emotions and existentialism of navigating a pandemic, frustrating political landscape, human-caused climate change crisis, and more in your early twenties.

“Most of the songs on the EP are about a time in my life when I was very confused, scared, and apprehensive of things to come because there was a lot of weird stuff going on in the world on a whole bunch of different fronts,” Jones said.

“Every time I thought about where the world would go and where the future would go, it was always a very grim or doom and gloom outlook.”

“Visions of the Future” opens with a mellow instrumental track titled “2:03 am, 5/2/20” before jolting awake into the intense and accusatory “Anti.” Moments of bright pop guitar contrast the brooding lyrics of “Expect the Worst,” and a staccato, bass-driven metal bridge stands out from the EP’s title track.

Jones wrote all of the songs, apart from “Vapid”—a hard rock, pointed critique of modern materialism—which was written by Morst.

“A lot of songs really hit hard, and then there are a lot of songs that are very subdued and melodic, quiet. That’s something that’s always been somewhat important to me, but in this band, it’s paramount to have that kind of variety and dynamic,” Jones said.

“It helps make listening to an EP or an album less of song [after song] and more about an actual experience. It brings you up in certain places and down in certain places, and it tells a story as well.”

The EP’s resolution is “Beautiful Fall,” a more acoustic ballad featuring Jones’ falsetto. This was the final song he wrote for the EP, and the lyrics show his transitional headspace.

“The theme of that one is more accepting that things are how they are, but it doesn’t have to be that way forever. It was symbolizing the whole change in my mindset of instead of being scared that things aren’t going to change, go out and be that change that you want to see,” Jones said.

“The way I look at that EP now, it was almost like expressing all of that pent-up anxiety and frustration and expelling it in the process. Not too long after the writing and recording of those songs, I underwent a pretty significant worldview shift.”

Jones hints that Shallow Planet is finishing up writing songs for another EP they hope to release next year. He said the next work will explore completely different messages than their debut. And that’s not the only change for the band.

Their original drummer, Fogelson, will relocate

to San Antonio, TX, to continue his four-year commission as a guitarist in the United States Air Force Band of the West. Alex Vasquez will take over drums, with the hope Fogelson will later return to the band in some capacity.

Another change: bass player Morst is returning to Loudoun following his December graduation from Grove City College in Pennsylvania. With this new phase of the band, Jones hopes that 2023 will be the year to grow their presence and book more shows.

In the meantime, Jones will continue acoustic solo gigs around Loudoun. In the past couple of years, he has been a regular performer at Spanky’s Shenanigans in Leesburg, Social House Kitchen & Tap in South Riding, Barn House Brewery in Lucketts, and Flying Ace Brewery in Lovettsville.

Jones performs acoustic covers of ’80/’90s rock artists including Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Jimmy Eat World.

But Jones’s greatest aspirations are to move on from covers, make it back to main concert stages, and perform more original material with Shallow Planet.

“Even before I knew how to play a single instrument or play a single note, I was writing all the time. I definitely view myself even more as a writer. And now that I do it with music, there’s nothing that feels better than when you have written a new song that you’re super excited about,” he said.

“You know that you’ve pushed yourself. You know it’s how it should sound and how you wanted it to sound, and it conveys the messages and feelings you wanted it to convey.”

“Those are the things that make [music] feel just the best. And that’s why I want to take this as far as I can go.”

Listen to Shallow Planet’s EP Visions of the Future on Spotify, and follow the band for more updates on their Instagram @ shallowplanet.

Happenings

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, to the Old Stone School and The Gap Bar, with artwork on display, providing attendees the opportunity to place a bid or purchase works. The Eat, Drink & Be Literary! presentation—Art of War, begins a 7 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $15 at HillsboroPreservation.org., or at the door for $20.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Art of War exhibit and silent auction begins at noon and ends at 5 p.m., with an artist reception starting at 3 p.m. Admission to the exhibit and the auction is free.

For more details, include a preview of the art, go to oldstoneschool.org

THE ART OF WAR: UKRAINE SUPPORT FUNDRAISER

The Town of Hillsboro and Hillsboro Preservation Foundation are teaming up to raise awareness—and money—for international efforts in support of Ukraine.

UkraineAid23, to be held Feb. 10-11 at Hillsboro’s Old Stone School, will bring in Blacksmiths Without Borders, whose exhibitions and events held in Europe featuring Ukrainian artists, blacksmiths, and children have raised funds for emergency vehicles and protective equipment for communities in Ukraine.

Swedish artist and blacksmith Ludvig Ödman, whose political cartoons on the war have won acclaim across Europe, will be the featured speaker at an Eat, Drink & Be Literary! lecture on the Art of War, on Friday, Feb. 10. An exclusive “American Edition” of his celebrated Ukraine drawings will be on display and will be auctioned after an artist reception on Saturday, Feb. 11, along with an array of works from award-winning political cartoonists.

Last year, just five weeks after the invasion began, Hillsboro’s UkraineAid concert and art auction raised $20,000 to support Ukrainian war refugees.

VALENTUNES: A DATE AND SKATE NIGHT

BENEFIT and Ion Arena are teaming up to present ValenTUNES Date and Skate Night—a Valentine’s Day event for ages 21 and over featuring an evening of dining, dancing, live music, and ice skating with your special someone.

Check out

Loudoun’s Dining

FORDS FISH SHACK

Consistently voted Loudoun residents’ favorite place for seafood, Ford’s offers fresh seafood in a family-dining atmosphere at three locations, as well as a catering arm and a food truck operation.

Ashburn-44260 Ice Rink Plaza, Ashburn, VA 20147 (571) 918-4092 • fords shshack.com

Lansdowne-19308 Promenade Dr., Leesburg, VA 20176 (571) 333-1301 • fords shshack.com

South Riding 25031 Riding Plaza, Chantilly, VA 20152 (703) 542-7520 • fords shshack.com

SPANKY’S SHENANIGANS

Known as one of the Loudoun’s favorite bars, Spanky’s Shenanigans is a popular destination from its morning breakfast menu to its ample roster of live music performers.

538 E Market St, Leesburg, VA 20176 (703) 777-2454 • spankyspub.com

LIGHTFOOT RESTAURANT

Inside an historic bank building in downtown Leesburg, the Zagat-rated Lightfoot provides both a ne-dining experience and a gathering place for locals. Executive Chef Ingrid Gustavson serves up American cuisine with southern and ethnic accents.

11 North King Street Leesburg, VA 20176 703-771-2233 • lightfootrestaurant.com

TUSCARORA MILL

Known by locals as Tuskies, the restaurant is located inside a restored 19th century grain mill in Leesburg’s historic district. Offering everything from locally sourced ne dining to a casual bar experience, it’s been a dining destination for more than three decades.

203 Harrison St SE, Leesburg, VA 20175 (703) 771-9300 • tuskies.com

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31 Maggie Malick Wine Caves

12138 Harpers Ferry Rd., Hillsboro maggiemalickwinecaves.com

32 October One Vineyard

7 Loudoun St., SW, Leesburg Octoberonevineyard.com

33 Old Farm Winery

23583 Fleetwood Road, Aldie oldfarmwineryhartland.com

34 Otium Cellars

18050 Tranquility Rd., Purcellville otiumcellars.com

35 Stone Tower Winery 19925 Hogback Mountain Rd., L’burg stonetowerwinery.com

36 Stonehouse Meadery

36580 Shoemaker School Rd., Purcellville stonehousemeadery.com

1 Adroit Theory Brewing 404 Browning Ct., Purcellville adroit-theory.com

2 B Chord Brewing Company 34266 Williams Gap Rd., Round Hill bchordbrewing.com

3 Barnhouse Brewery 43271 Spinks Ferry Rd., Leesburg barnhousebrewery.com

4 Bear Chase Brewing 33665 Bear Chase Ln., Bluemont bearchasebrew.com

5 Belly Love Brewing Company 725 E. Main St., Purcellville bellylovebrewing.com

6 Black Hoof Brewing Company 11 South King St., Leesburg blackhoofbrewing.com

7 Black Walnut Brewery 210 S. King St., Leesburg blackwalnutbrewery.com

8 Crooked Run Fermentations Central 22455 Davis Dr., Sterling crookedrunbrewing.com

9 Crooked Run Fermentations Market Station, Leesburg crookedrunbrewing.com

37 Sunset Hills Vineyard 38295 Fremont Overlook Ln, Purcellville sunsethillsvineyard.com

38 Terra Nebulo 39892 Old Wheatland Rd., Waterford terranebulo.com

39 Three Creeks Winery 18548 Harmony Church Road, Hamilton 3creekswinery.com

40 Two Twisted Posts Winery 12944 Harpers Ferry Rd., Hillsboro twotwistedposts.com

41 Village Winery 40405 Browns Lane, Waterford villagewineryandvineyards.com

42 Willowcroft Farm Vineyards 38906 Mount Gilead Rd., Leesburg willowcroftwine.com

BREWERIES

10 Dirt Farm Brewing 18701 Foggy Bottom Rd., Bluemont dirtfarmbrewing.com

11 Dynasty Brewing Company 21140 Ashburn Crossing Drive, Ashburn 101 Loudoun St, SE, Leesburg dynastybrewing.com

12 Flying Ace Farm 40950 Flying Ace Ln, Lovettsville flyingacefarm.com

13 Harper’s Ferry Brewing 37412 Adventure Ctr. Lane, Hillsboro harpersferrybrewing.com

14 Harvest Gap Brewery 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro facebook.com/HarvestGap

15 House 6 Brewing 4427 Atwater Dr., Ashburn house6brewing.com

43 The Wine Reserve at Waterford 38516 Charles Town Pike, Waterford waterfordwinereserve.com

44 Walsh Family Wine 16031 Hillsboro Rd., Purcellville northgatevineyard.com

45 Williams Gap Vineyards 35785 Sexton Farm Lane, Round Hill williamsgavineyard.com

46 Zephaniah Farm Vineyard 19381 Dunlop Mill Rd., Leesburg zephwine.com

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22 Old Ox Brewery Middleburg 14 S Madison St, Middleburg, VA

23 Phase 2 Brewing 19382 Diamond Lake Dr, Lansdowne Phase2Brewing.com

24 Solace Brewing Company 42615 Trade West Dr., Sterling solacebrewing.com

25 Sweetwater Tavern 45980 Waterview Plaza, Sterling greatamericanrestaurants.com

26 The Craft of Brewing 21140 Ashburn Crossing Dr., Ashburn thecraftob.com

27 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery 42245 Black Hops Ln., Lucketts vanishbeer.com

28 Wheatland Springs Farm + Brewery 38454 John Wolford Rd., Waterford wheatlandspring.com

BREWERIES & WINERIES

1 Bluemont Station Brewery and Winery 18301 Whitehall Estate Lane, Bluemont bluemontstation.com

2 Hillsborough Brewery & Vineyards 36716 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro hillsboroughwine.com

3 Notaviva Brewery and Winery 13274 Sagle Rd., Hillsboro notavivavineyards.com

4 Quattro Goomba’s Brewery & Winery 22860 James Monroe Hwy., Aldie goombawine.com

Taste

New Downtown Venue Has Deep Historic District Roots

BY NORMAN K. STYER

Industry statistics put the median life of a restaurant at under three years; less than half will still be in business a decade after opening their doors. Leesburg restauranter Fabian Saeidi certainly has beaten those odds, celebrating 50 years of serving diners on King Street.

And he’s marking the anniversary with a bold refresh of the restaurant he opened in 1973. The Green Tree Tavern at that time was a rare fine-dining option in a still-rural county. It became a destination for diners from DC who enjoyed the 30-minute drive to the country. Leesburg was on the cusp of its first growth spurt and Saeidi recalls strong support he received from then-mayor Kenny Rollins and the town staff to bring that dining to the downtown area. In ensuing years, he opened additional

restaurants downtown and continues to operate the Colonial Inn and King’s Tavern and Wine Bar.

The original Green Tree restaurant was built on Leesburg’s reputation as a colonial town, with a themed menu featuring 18th century fare. In 2010, the restaurant was rebranded as the Old Town Grill, focused on steaks and seafood. The restaurant closed at the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

During the ensuing two years, the space underwent its most significant renovation and reopened late last summer as the Green Tree Tavern Sports Bar and Grill. The restaurant features a large wraparound bar as its centerpiece, surrounded by 16 beer taps and 11 televisions screening sporting events from football to horse racing. There’s also on TASTE CONTINUED ON 11

Photo by Norman K. Styer

Chef Rick Renzi prepares a plate of Philadelphia-inspired steak and cheese eggrolls, a patron favorite at the Green Tree Tavern Sports Bar and Grill.

TASTE FROM PAGE 10

emphasis on serving high-quality food, with Chef Rick Renzi creating sports bar favorites with the elevated flavors of a gastropub. For Renzi the venture is a return home after following his passion for cooking to The Culinary Institute of America and restaurants in New York City and Philadelphia. His influences include the diverse cultures of his Flushing Meadows neighborhood in New York City as a youth, the favors of his Italian family and Asian fusions learned from working with Chef Patrick Dihn at Tuscarora Mill. Time spent working at the CoOp Restaurant in Philadelphia’s University City resulted in the creation of what now is one of the new Green Tree’s signature treats—a steak and cheese eggroll.

Renzi recalls entering the culinary institute with a class of 180 students. That roster quickly was whittled down to about 40 survivors.

“It’s a hard industry. We don’t get a lot of fame. We don’t get a lot of accolades. But if you love what you’re doing and have a passion for it, you’ll succeed in it. I always knew that was my outlet,” Renzi said. “It just escalated for me and I really do love this stuff of creating food.”

Renzi’s return to Loudoun came with through a personal connection to the Saeidi family. At Loudoun County High School, he played on the football team with Cyrus Saeidi, one of Fabian’s sons, who after a stint in software sales returned to help with the family businesses and manage the new Green Tree.

The former teammates hadn’t seen each other for more than five years when Cyrus called Renzi to see if he would be interested in the new project.

“We were looking for a chef and I knew he had a great background as a chef. He went to Culinary Institute of America, worked in some great kitchens and things like that,” Cyrus said. “My dad was really impressed by him. We brought him on board pretty quickly. That was in June, and then from there it took us another about three months to get the restaurant open. Aug. 11 was our first day that we reopened to the public.”

“He’s worked in some really impressive kitchens. When we originally drew up our menu, we had a lot of great upscale options on there. We

rolled those out to the public a little bit, but we just noticed more people were kind of going for a few cold drinks and the fried foods like the chicken tenders, the pretzel bites, things like that,” he added.

They backed off the fancier stuff for a bit, but are planning to roll out an expanded menu in the weeks ahead.

“We’ve been experimenting with our specials and things like that to see what people are enjoying, or what has been selling well, and different things like that. And that’s kind of given us some information to see, hey, maybe we can put this on our big menu,” Cyrus said.

While the sports bar vision is to fill the place with cheering fans on game day, the staff is seeing strong patronage from young families looking for an affordable food and drink experience outside the brewery scene. And, late night, you’ll likely find a large gathering of servers, bartenders and staff from other Leesburg restaurants who have adopted the Green Tree for their coming-off-shift wind down.

“We’re in the people industry at the end of the day. I’ve realized this industry purely based around people,” Renzi said. “The better you can make somebody feel if they’re choosing to spend their hard-earned money on us and we better make it as good as we possibly can. Because you want to leave a place feeling good. You want to leave with a smile, and that’s our main goal, is to make sure people are happy leaving here. If they’re not happy coming in, we’re gonna make sure they leave happy. That’s for sure.”

Photo by Norman K. Styer

Fabian Saeidi is celebrating his 50th year of running restaurants along King Steet in the heart of Leesburg’s historic district.

HAPPENINGS FROM PAGE 6

ValenTUNES will take place from 5:30 to 10 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14, at Ion Arena in Leesburg. Tickets are $200 per couple and include a gourmet buffet dinner, an assortment of desserts, wine or champagne, and ice skate rental. The event also will feature live music by Jumptown.

Proceeds from ValenTUNES will be combined with proceeds of BENEFIT’s 2022 Crossroads Music Festival, which was held in September, to fund grants awarded to nonprofit organizations in spring through an application process.

Established in 2017, BENEFIT is a coalition of musicians and community leaders with the mission of uniting people with music to raise funds and awareness for nonprofit organizations serving children in Loudoun County. Learn more at benefit.live.

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GO Best Bets

2.9.23

DRIFTING ROOTS

Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. (doors) Crooked Run Fermentation facebook.com/CrookedRunFermentation

Drifting Roots is an original 3-piece reggae band based out of Central Florida adds this Sterling stop to their Winter Madness Tour.

2.10.23

DANGER BIRD

Friday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m. (doors) Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

Veterans of the DVM music scene perform the full scope of Neil Young’s songwriting catalog.

2.12.23

ROBERT MABE

Sunday, Feb. 12, 5 p.m. Flying Ace Farm flyingacefarm.com

The unique style of this stellar banjo player covers a wide range of music from straight ahead bluegrass to jazz, Irish, and roots music.

2.17.23

JOHN COWEN & THE NEW GRASS ALL-STARS

Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. Franklin Park Arts Center franklinparkartscenter.org

The Bluegrass Hall of Fame member and innovator of the New Grass sound is hailed as one of the most admired vocal artists of his generation.

2.18.23

PICTROLA

Saturday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m.

Monk’s BBQ monksq.com

Pictrola fuses bluegrass with rock, jazz, and pop, performing a mixture of both originals and fun takes on old favorites.

2.25.23

CARBON LEAF

Saturday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. (doors)

Tally Ho Theater

tallyhotheater.com

This Virginia quintet’s well-hewn live show and musical style drift in and out of Americana, bluegrass, rock, folk, Celtic and pop traditions.

Find more best bets online at getoutloudoun.com

Whether it’s with your friends, family or significant other, there are plenty of ways to show your love this Valentine’s Day. Looking for inspiration? Scan the QR code!

Grab a drink with your girlfriends

Escape

The Branch

at Lansdowne Resort The Conche

Lost Barrel Brewing