Middleburg Life | March 2021

Volume 38 Issue 3 | March 2021 | middleburglife.com

MIDDLEBURG

LI F E HORSE RACING

THE FIGHT FOR THE LOVE OF A HISTORIC SPORT

Best Hunt Country Restaurants with Unique, Private, Heated Outdoor Dining Spaces

NEIL MORRIS Top VA Trainer Shares All

Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon and working for the Kennedys

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MIDDLEBURG

LI F E MAR. 2021 middleburglife.com

PUBLISHER: Greenhill Media LLC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jennifer Gray | editor@middleburglife.com COPY EDITOR: Chelsea Rose Moore ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Christian Bentley | christian@middleburglife.com ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES Rebekah Greenhill | info@middleburglife.com Vicky Mashaw | vmashaw@middleburglife.com Jennifer Richards | jennifer@middleburglife.com Andrea Ryder | andrea@middleburglife.com ACCOUNTS ADMINISTRATOR: Joanne Maisano DIGITAL SALES & MARKETING SPECIALIST: Laura Luck DIGITAL CONTENT CREATOR: Laticia Headings DESIGNER: Elisa Hernandez PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Nicky Marshok ON THE COVER Early on a February morning, we met top Virginia trainer Neil Morris on the track at The Middleburg Training Center to find out about life in horse racing. Photo by Ronda Ann Gregorio, Gregorio Photo. See the full story on page 8.

ON THIS PAGE In March, after the snow melts in Virginia, we often find ourselves covered in mud and hay, and looking forward to warm days ahead. This adorable mini, spotted in Loudoun County, captures the season’s mood for many living in the Piedmont countryside.

Photo by Lauren Murphy, Handcrafted In Virginia.

CONTRIBUTORS Heidi Baumstark, Chelsea Moore, Kaitlin Hill, Laticia Headings, Victoria Peace, Shayda Windle, and Sarah Hickner ADVERTISE IN MIDDLEBURG LIFE Greenhill Media, LLC P.O. Box 328 | Middleburg VA 20118-0328 540.687.5950 | info@middleburglife.com All editorial matter is fully protected and may not be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. All unsolicited manuscripts and photos must be accompanied by return postage; the publisher assumes no responsibility. Middleburg Life reserves the right to reject any advertising. Distributed in Aldie, Alexandria, Ashburn, Boyce, Delaplane, Dulles, Front Royal, Gainesville, Haymarket, Leesburg, Manassas, Marshall, Middleburg, Millwood, Paris, Purcellville, The Plains, Rectortown, Reston, Tysons, Upperville, Warrenton, Washington, D.C., and Winchester.

FIND US ON: Instagram @middleburglife Twitter @middleburglife Facebook.com/middleburglife LOOKING FOR MORE?

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Meet Your Neighbors:

PATRICK STEFFENS AND NATALIE FEMIA OF LOST BARREL BREWING Written by Kaitlin Hill

I

nspired by the idea of lost treasure, Lost Barrel Brewing is a gem in Middleburg worth discovering. In addition to craft beer, hard seltzer, and a chef-curated menu, the brewery offers stunning views of the surrounding horse farm, private event spaces, and expert hospitality from the friendly team.

With just over a year on the property under their belts, general manager and head brewer Patrick Steffens and marketing and events manager Natalie Femia share how Lost Barrel got its start, what guests can expect, and what their plans are for the future.

“Our brewery is situated on a 70acre farm that is actually a working horse farm,” Steffens says. The current owners, which Steffens calls an “ownership team,” bought the land in December 2019 with the idea that it would serve as a multi-functional property.

“The two families that are involved in the operations wanted to make a place where we could be owner-operators of a business and provide some value to the surrounding area,” Steffens says. “Part of the idea for using the land here, aside from restoring and revitalizing the horse farm, was to put together a brewery for producing craft beer, hard seltzers, and fresh food.”

For Steffens, bringing the business of brewing to the farm was a logical next step that played to his interests and professional background. “I got into the beer business like a lot of folks do,” he says. “I started off as a hobbyist, making beer out of my basement 10 years ago while working in the IT industry. Early into my beer making, I made the decision that this was something I wanted to pursue professional-

ly. In 2015, I opened a small brewery in Leesburg called Loudoun Brewing Company and that was my entry into the beer business. I sold that business in 2017 and shortly thereafter got together with the owners of this operation to talk about opening Lost Barrel Brewing.”

With an affinity for Middleburg and a skill set that lends itself to branding and events, Femia was a natural fit for the business. “My sister is a horseback rider, so we would go out to Middleburg a lot,” she says. “My family is one of the families that own the property, so I have a great knowledge of the history of the farm. I have a background in graphic design and photography. And I really like the planning aspects of [the job]. It started with me managing the social media and then it turned into managing events as well.

Now I do all the intake for our reservations, I help plan events, I do all the media and the website.”

Creativity and sterling customer service are big drivers for the team at Lost Barrel Brewing, and are manifest in the diverse beer offerings, hard seltzer flavors, extensive food menu, and unique events.

“One of the main attractions to being in the beer business is that it is a creative pursuit,” Steffens says. “We can really exercise a lot of creativity with the recipes we go through and the products we deliver to our customers.”

The beer menu has a little something for everyone with beers ranging from light lager to amber ale, IPA, and oatmeal stout.

“When it came to putting together a lineup, the focus was to cater to a wide variety of interests and preferBarrel | Page 5

Top: Natalie Femia and Patrick Steffens in the brewing room. Bottom: Growler and glass of beer in the taproom. Photos by Kaitlin Hill.

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Barrel | From page 4 ences,” Steffens says. “We have beers that are on the lighter side, the heavier side. We’ve got hoppy things, we’ve got fruity things. We wanted to have a menu where folks felt like if they came out there was something for them.”

That thought process of providing something for everyone factored into the decision to feature hard seltzers. “We thought [hard seltzers] were an important offering for a few reasons,” Steffens says. “It’s generally a lighter offering for folks looking for lower calorie options. Also, it is a gluten-free option. We didn’t want anyone with a gluten intolerance to feel that we don’t have anything for them.”

For hard seltzer fans, Lost Barrel has a list of fruit-focused flavors including wild cherry, lemon-lime, blood orange, and grapefruit.

Each is made with only natural flavors and no added sugar.

Attention to customer preferences extends to the food menu as well. More than pretzels and peanuts, Lost Barrel has a chef-crafted menu with gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. “We take a lot of pride in the fact that we have a full menu of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, and we’ve partnered with a professional chef in our commercial kitchen to help with menu development,” Steffens says.

From bacon pops and crush puppies (crab fritters with Cajun remoulade) to a meat lovers flatbread and brewhouse Caesar salad, Lost Barrel has a well thought-out menu designed to pair with their beverages.

“Since day one, a huge focus has been how do we provide really farm-fresh food to our customers,” Steffens says. “We wanted to do it in a way where we are not outsourcing to a food truck, for example, but something that we could have creative control over, and control over the quality of food that’s coming out. Because we are handling this in-house, we also have the flexibility to do specials and seasonal items.”

Steffens’ creative control includes desserts, like banana bread pudding, the brewhouse brownie, and a s’mores kit intended to be enjoyed around one the brewery’s fire pits. And they offer take-out.

In addition to unique brews and chef ’s kitchen cooking, Lost Barrel boasts a gorgeous setting with multiple private event spaces and weekly on-site activities. The main taproom is drenched in natural light from floor-to-ceiling garage door windows that open to the outside wrap-around patio. A

mix of dark wood furniture, exposed beams, and stainless steel give the airy space a rustic yet chic feel, complete with horse prints and a grand fireplace.

The refined farm aesthetic stretches to the private event spaces. “We have three rental spaces called the loft, the saloon, and the studio,” Femia shares. “These spaces can be booked during our business hours and are great for your casual group gatherings, date nights, or events such as baby showers, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and many other events.”

And Lost Barrel has its share of weekly events planned that are a mix of great drinks, delicious food, and musical fun. “We have a few in-house events that we are doing,” Femia says. “On Thursdays, we are about to start music trivia. On Saturdays, we have something called ‘Saturday Mix,’ which will be anywhere from two to four DJs that will play from 1 – 8 p.m. And Sundays, we have Omar’s Brunch where Omar plays music from the DJ booth.”

With so much going on, Steffens and Femia are laser-focused on customer experience and community involvement, especially as we all continue to grapple with COVID-19. “[The brewery] is very open, it’s very clean,” Femia says. “We take COVID-19 safety very seriously. Everything gets sanitized, we wear gloves, masks, all those things.”

“We take our responsibility as stewards of public health very seriously,” Steffens says.

“We have had to dial back some of our operations to keep the public safe. And we have to make sure folks are spaced out with adequate distance, make sure everyone has a mask, and access to lots and lots of sanitizer, and we do a really stringent cleaning process.

We have been able to execute on those items effectively.”

More than extra cleaning and masks, COVID has challenged the friendly staff members who are eager to engage with customers. “I would say COVID is definitely challenging because, as managers, owners, and employees, we really like to meet the customers and talk with them, get to know them,” Femia says. “It’s a little difficult during COVID because we are sensitive to prolonged conversations and we want our guests to feel comfortable. So that has been the hardest part.”

Although undeniably challenging, COVID has created an opportunity to focus

“Part of the idea for using the land here, aside from restoring and revitalizing the horse farm, was to put together a brewery for producing craft beer, hard seltzers, and fresh food.” - Steffens

Barrel | Page 7

Top: Patrick Steffens in the taproom. Photo by Kaitlin Hill. Middle and bottom: Photos by Natalie Femia.

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Barrel | From page 5 on community support, which goes both ways. “We are still in the middle of COVID, which creates really tough challenges for an operation like ours,” Steffens says. “However, I’ve been very pleased with the response from the community. There is no doubt that if we didn’t have local support we wouldn’t be here.

And we are very proud to be able to contribute to the local tourism. We very much see ourselves as part of agricultural tourism and we want to be a driver for economic success in the area. There is definitely a ‘rising tide raises all ships’ mentality when it comes to agricultural tourism and the more people attracted to the area as a whole the more everyone benefits.”

As Femia and Steffens look toward a post-COVID future, their priorities remain grounded in community involvement and superb guest experience. “I am in the process of reaching out to local charities we can host events for, something to really get the community involved,” Femia says.

“As we anticipate COVID restrictions rolling back, we plan to get involved with local philanthropy, the Middleburg Film Festival, you know, local initiatives that are synonymous to the area,” Steffens says. “These are all things on our radar, really valuable things, that we feel we can contribute to.”

Steffens wants to continue encouraging people to make the trip to Middleburg by dis-

tributing his beer more broadly and welcoming people to the brewery with open arms.

“We are planning and preparing to package our product and get it out to the regional market as an additional way to help draw people to the area and show them that there are high quality local products that are being produced here,” he says. “I feel like an important part of growing our brand is drawing more people and more tourism to the area in general.”

For those who do make the trip to Lost Barrel Brewing, Steffens and Femia offer an experience similar to that namesake inspiration of finding lost treasure. “We have a very beautiful, very comfortable space where we produce our own products on-site and take a lot of pride in the production of those products,” Steffens says. “There is a lot of love that goes into what we offer our customers. That’s kind of our promise to our customers, that we will continue this pursuit of high-quality offerings and memorable experiences.” ML Learn more at lostbarrel.com.

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THE ONLY WAY FORWARD WAS OVER, UNDER, OR THROUGH NEIL MORRIS, TOP VIRGINIA TRAINER, SHARES ALL Written by Victoria Peace | Photos by Gregorio Photography

“W

hen preparation meets opportunity is when you will be the most success-

ful.”

This is the philosophy that Neil Morris lives and trains by. When we visited Morris at his state-of-the-art barn at the Middleburg Training Center, he explained how the evolution of racing has

made preparation just as important as luck.

The early days of point-to-point racing were unplanned, unstructured, and totally exhilarating free-for-alls through the English countryside from one village church steeple to another.

There was no set course or route — no matter what you encountered, the

only way forward was over, under, or through.

While today’s riders and trainers can expect course walks and groomed turf, it hasn’t diminished the excitement — racing is still a sport of chance. However, the additional structure and predictability allows for more precise and Forward | Page 9

Neil Morris at Middleburg Training Center with jockey Guillermo Rodriguez on Ritzy AP, owned by Bryce Lingo and Leslie Kopp. Photo by Gregorio Photography.

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Forward | From page 8 intentional training plans. Middleburg-based trainer Neil Morris has become a master of this science, amassing close to 6 million dollars of earnings on the track, continually bringing home impressive wins for his owners, and earning the title of top Virginia-based trainer of the year in 2019.

Raised in Hertfordshire, England, Morris started riding ponies at the age of seven. He made his show-jumping debut three years later and quickly moved up the levels. But it was fox hunting that gave Morris his first in-per-

son exposure to racehorses, who were often ridden on the hunt trail in order to qualify for point-to-point races.

His family wasn’t involved with horses or the racing industry. However, Morris told us that racing in England is a culture, much like baseball in the United States. People are frequently exposed to it through media and television — despite the fact that his mother didn’t follow racing, she could tell you who won the Grand National and the Gold Cup any given year.

After secondary school, Morris attended an agricultural college and began working

for Philip Newton who owned a stud farm and trained both flat and steeplechase horses. Newton recognized Morris’ talent, and following the completion of his degree, immediately offered the new graduate a position. However, Morris wasn’t ready to settle down in one place just yet. Newton agreed to send him to Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington, Kentucky for a year to learn about their commercial yearling production and breeding operations. And, upon his return to England, he raced Newton’s steeplechase horses as an amateur.

ing to go back to Virginia. After a year, he followed his heart and moved to Middleburg, ready to make it his home.

Morris initially dabbled in three-day eventing, but soon realized it was time to get what he called “a grown-up job.” Shortly thereafter, he landed a position working as a restricted private trainer for Zohar and Lisa Ben-Dov. Avid fox hunters, the Ben-Dovs owned Kinross Farm where they also kept a few steeplechase horses. With Morris’ guidance, they started to purchase more horses and soon developed a robust training pro-

But Morris wasn’t done with America yet.

During the summer of 1988, he decided to come to Middleburg to spend three months working for the Olympic gold medalist and three-day event rider Torrance Watkins.

During this time he fell in love with the area, describing it as “magical” and “God’s gift to anybody who wants to be in the horse business.” The rolling hills reminded him of England, and he was amazed by the sheer variety of horse sports available.

Once again, he returned to England where he accepted a position as an assistant trainer at Newmarket. But deep down, he felt a call-

gram and 200-acre facility. Throughout their partnership, Morris and the Ben-Dovs grew together. They won over 25 championship titles, while Morris was consistently recognized as one of the top ten trainers by the Virginia Steeplechase Association, and Zohar Ben-Dov was awarded the title of the leading owner in the country.

After 25 years with the Ben-Dovs, Morris decided it was time to launch the next phase of his career. In 2015, he started working as a public trainer, meaning that he was available to partner with owners that wanted to work Forward | Page 10

Left: Racehorse in training, ridden by Zoe Valvo. Right: Neil Morris with Jump to Juneau, owned by Zohar and Lisa Ben-Dov of Kinross Farm.

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Forward | From page 9 with him. He usually has between 30 and 40 horses in training. Typically, about 65 percent of these horses are flat horses and 35 percent are steeplechasers.

According to Morris, flat racing is more of an industry, whereas steeplechasing is a passion. It is easier to make a profit racing horses on the flat because there are more opportunities to compete. In contrast, steeplechase races are seasonal and much fewer in number. While flat horses can often make enough money on the track to cover their training expenses for an entire year, steeplechase horses need a trust fund — “you can’t do it on a nickel.”

Morris currently leases two barns at the Middleburg Training Center. However, he also has full use of a 100-acre property that adjoins the Training Center with hilly gallops, hurdles, timber jumps, and another 8-stall barn. This gives his horses reprieve from daily track training and allows them to reap the benefits of cross training and hill work.

In addition to training on the track and at the farm, Morris frequently takes his timber horses out fox hunting in order to build their fitness and conditioning. As the joint master of the Orange County Hunt, he tries to get out on the hunt trail at least two or three times a week during the season. For him, “it’s a great passion.”

When working with his horses, Morris stresses the importance of training their head instead of their legs. “Thoroughbreds are easy to over-train.

Anybody can go fast on a Thoroughbred, but you have to look into the future. You can’t blow a fuse when you ride them.” There are so many things besides speed that are important — for in-

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stance, footwork. He likes to be on the ground when the steeplechase horses are learning to jump, ensuring that they are being taught the proper technique and timing.

And, as the head of an operation that trains horses that run distances ranging from four and a half furlongs to four miles, Morris has to be very versatile. Every horse begins with the same training regimen when they’re young — “it’s like learning the ABCs.” However, as they get older, Morris and his team uncover their strengths and weaknesses and then develop customized training plans. According to Morris, horses aren’t very good talkers. But, “they will give you all the information you need — it’s up to us as trainers to listen and interpret it,” he said.

Morris learns a lot by talking with the riders he employs, likening himself to the cog at the center of a wheel. His flat jockey, Guillermo Rodriguez, knows everything about his horses, ranging from their style to how they run. Morris can always count on him to help put the horses in places where they can be successful. Of course, success is not always immediate, and sometimes mistakes are made. But according to Morris, one of the most important parts of being a trainer is being able to pivot and continually make small adjustments in a practical manner.

When asked what’s next for him, Morris simply said he wants to win bigger and better races. He currently has lots of nice young

prospects in the barn and is about to welcome an additional five horses into his program. In his words, “we like to stay busy.” This spring, be on the lookout for Morris’ horses at the Virginia Gold Cup Races and the Middleburg Spring Races.

Morris also talked briefly about the ways the U.S. racing industry has changed in recent decades. The golden age of racing stretched from the 1960s to the 1970s. Since then, the industry has struggled with negative attention in the press, declining public interest, and a shortage of individuals willing to finance horses competing at the upper levels of the sport. However, Morris asserts that he is not focused on restoring racing to “what it used to be.” He is focused on “getting it better going forward.” He feels that it is important to accept when things change and evolve with them to there is no going back. Nowadays, Morris tries to make himself more available, spending time on the phone doing business and putting partnerships together on horses.

He sees the role of partnerships and syndicates as being extremely important and beneficial for the future of the sport. “It doesn’t matter if two people share a horse — it’s just as exciting when it wins,” he said.

Morris said he feels lucky to be in the position he is in. He works with supportive and loyal owners, trains at a beautiful facility, and has incredible horses. But even though he feels lucky, he didn’t stumble upon any of this by chance. It is the result of decades of hard work and preparation. Whether on the hunt trail, at the track, or in the barn, Morris is constantly searching for new opportunities for success and growth. And we’re excited to see what he’ll achieve next. ML

Captured by: Aerial Path Photography

SAVING LOUDOUN’S HISTORIC TREES Story by Aprille Hunter

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s a tree service company, it is a rare and special privilege to work on older trees, and we were so excited to have the opportunity with Oatlands Historic House & Gardens.

On September 24, 2020, Regan Reedy, Manager of Archives & Operations, reached out to us looking for a professional arborist to assess Oatlands’ historic trees and recommend a plan of action to care for them. The following Monday, Jim Donegan went out to meet her and the CEO, Caleb Schutz. It was immediately clear that Oatlands was lacking adequate funds to properly care for all of their trees. Then Jim had an idea, what if he could create a Tree Inventory and customize a 6-Year Plan for the estate.

Our goal at Oatlands was to make a tree inventory of the mature and serviceable trees to assess their health and develop a plan of action to bring them back to excellent condition. In October and November of last year, 313 trees were inventoried for Oatlands, 17 of which were classified as historic and estimat-

ed to be over 150 years old. A lot of the trees were in need of care that Oatlands simply didn’t have the funds for. Donegan’s Tree Service donated their time and put together the Tree Inventory and 6-Year Plan for free. The first phase of the recommended maintenance included the removal of 4 hazardous trees and trimming almost 100 trees lining the main entrance to the grounds.

Donegan’s Tree Service can create a Tree Inventory and customized 3-5 Year Plan for estate owners in Loudoun County, Marshall, and the Plains with 50 or more serviceable trees. We look out for hazards and stay on top of regular maintenance by breaking it up into seasonal or yearly phases with a budget laid out. We can be flexible to meet your needs and help you prioritize work with the guidance of an expert in the field. All of our inventories are conducted by an ISA Certified Arborist and an assistant using state-of-theart GIS mapping software. For the month of March we are running a 30% discount on our rates, so give us a call to find out more and set up a free consultation!

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BEST HUNT COUNTRY RESTAURANTS WITH

UNIQUE, PRIVATE, & HEATED OUTDOOR DINING SPACES Written by Kaitlin Hill

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etween navigating COVID-19 and dealing with freezing temperatures, local restaurants are getting creative in their outdoor dining options. From Parisian-inspired greenhouses to cozy cabanas, there are some unique and COVID-conscious culinary experiences across Hunt Country waiting to be explored.

Petite Loulou’s Greenhouses In Purcellville, Petite Loulou offers a taste of Paris with its menu of crêpes, croissants, quiches, coffee creations, and more. In January, the crêperie added a new Parisian-inspired experience: private outdoor dining in its enchanting greenhouses.

“Our goal as a business is to provide a transportive experience,” Petite Loulou founder, Dusty Lockhart, says. “With the greenhouses, when I first saw them, it just seemed like they could really evoke that winter Parisian village, you know, the ‘Christmas Market’ vibe. So, when we were looking at how to create a safe and special dining expe-

rience, they were the best fit for our goal of being transportive.”

The transparent structures with café-style flooring and hanging greenery are more than adorably European. They are kept cozy with guest-controlled heaters and given the highest levels of sanitation for guests to feel safe.

“In terms of the protocols we have in place, we use fine mist sanitizing spray, and we fine mist the entire greenhouse before and after each use,” Lockhart says. “We also use sanitizing wipes to wipe everything down.

Everything that has been touched or even breathed on has been thoroughly sanitized.

And venting is extremely important, not just for the release of chemicals, but also for air circulation. And our greenhouses are vented.”

For guests wishing to avoid interaction, the team at Petite Loulou has a contactless service. “We do have two options for how you dine in them,” Lockhart says. “If you want to be completely isolated and don’t want to interact with other guests or our team, we have the greenhouse concierge. For every reserva-

Petite Loulou’s Greenhouses. Photographed by Kaitlin Hill.

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tion, guests can select whether they want contactless service or standard counter service.

For the guests who choose contactless, the concierge calls them, they order their meal and pay through the concierge. Then, when they arrive and check-in to their greenhouse, we’ll bring everything out in a bag and leave it on the table next to the greenhouse.”

Special care is given to the bags too.

“When we bring the bags out, everything is done gloved. We sit the bag down and then sanitize the handle,” she says.

For Lockhart, the extra effort to ensure customer safety is part of good hospitality.

“What hospitality is at its core is making guests feel comfortable,” she says. “That is all it is, we are just able to apply that in this different scenario.”

Beyond the thorough sanitation practices, Lockhart’s vision of hospitality includes a warm welcome and her hope that Petite Loulou newcomers and loyalists will view Dining | Page 13

Dining | From page 12 the greenhouses as an extension of their own homes and workspaces.

“The greenhouses are available for use by the guests any time,” she says. “And, we would love to have more guests that come and use them during the week. Just set up your work and get out of the house a little bit. I think they are a great spot to do that. On the weekends they book up really fast, but come during the week. Bring your laptop and have a change of scenery, we have Wi-Fi.” If, like many, you miss the opportunity to cozy up in a coffee shop on a chilly day with your laptop or a good book, Petite Loulou’s greenhouses have you sorted. Reserve online and don’t forget to browse the tasty crêpes and tempting drinks to get you excited for your visit.

713 E Main St, Purcellville, Va. 540-441-3135 | lapetiteloulou.com Salamander Resort and Spa’s Dining Domes The Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburg is synonymous with excellence to guests who come and stay for a while or dine for a night. And the experience of refined service extends to the outdoor dining domes the resort installed this November. They were designed as a creative solution for cold weather dining while adhering to COVID-19 safety measures.

“In November, as the weather started to get colder, we knew we needed more dining options for guests,” resort manager Jose Curci says. The dining domes are perhaps best described as similar to snow globes, but with creature comforts and guest safety in mind.

“Each Dining Dome has a personal heater and feels very private,” he says.“Guests are able to dine under the stars in a temperature-controlled environment.”

Though more than just reliable warmth, the dining domes have the ambiance of indoor dining with bistro lights and squashy rugs, and special touches like baskets of blankets and hanging greenery for décor. The domes boast sweeping views of the property to be enjoyed through their transparent walls as well.

Guests who can take their eyes off the stunning grounds and focus on the food are in for a treat. Curci explains the menu offering as, “exclusive four-course prix-fixe menu with an equally exclusive dining experience.

The prix fixe dinner menu rotates seasonally, and we also have a unique menu for each holiday.”

Just as important as the menu offerings are the procedures put in place to make sure the dining dome experience isn’t only delicious, it’s safe. “Hand sanitizer is available at the entrance of the dining domes and all the staff wear masks,” Curci says. “Each dining dome is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each reservation.”

With exquisite food and attention to guest comfort, two staples of the Salamander Resort and Spa experience, it is no surprise that the dining domes book quickly. “[Our] guests have really enjoyed the dining domes

and they are booked every evening,” Curci says. “We suggest making your reservation a few weeks in advance.”

If you do manage to get a reservation, the only thing left to do is make memories, which is the inspiration behind the dining domes.

“We are always looking for out-of-the-box ways to create memorable experiences for our guests,” Curci says. “When we found the dining domes, we knew this would be an opportunity to create a unique dining option while maintaining a safe environment.”

500 N Pendleton St, Middleburg, Va. 20117 540-326-4000 | salamanderresort.com Dining | Page 14

Top: Field & Main Cabanas. Bottom left: Petite Loulou’s Greenhouses. Bottom right: Salamander Dining Domes. Photos by Kaitlin Hill.

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Dining | From page 13 Field & Main’s Cabanas Much loved for its refined food and comfortable atmosphere, Field & Main in Marshall offers the same excellence in its outdoor cabanas. Chef and owner, Neal Wavra, explains that the inspiration for Field & Main’s cabanas resulted from a summer trip to Colorado.

“On the way back from Colorado, my wife and I intentionally stopped at a few restaurants just to see how people were responding to dining out,” he says. “Nobody ate inside. It struck me that we were going to have to find a viable option for people to eat outside.”

For Wavra, outdoor dining presented its fair share of challenges in his pursuit of offering the ideal guest experience.

“Outdoor dining is difficult,” he says.

“There are too many factors outside of your control that you’re responsible for. If it rains, if it’s cold, if it’s windy, all those things become a problem when you invite people to

sit outside. So, I wanted something that was really structurally sound.”

Field & Main’s initial rendition of outdoor dining took the form of tents. “We built platforms and put tents up starting July 22,” Wavra says. “They were wildly successful.

People really loved them and thought they worked really well.”

However, a September windstorm required Wavra to rebuild, this time opting for something permanent. “We had a proven concept for dining outside but had one big windstorm in September, and that form of structure, I realized, wasn’t going to do it,” Wavra says. “So, we closed at the end of October and took four weeks to build permanent structures that are very COVID-safe.”

Six of the seven cabanas can seat six guests with one larger model that can accommodate a group of 10. “For people who really want to be socially distant and have a space that is unto themselves, that is what the cabana offers: private dining,” he says. “They are separate.”

But more than just physical distance, Field & Main has implemented stringent sanitization procedures as well.

“Our staff wears masks and, of course, we sanitize in between guests,” he says. “In fact, we offer these sanitizing towelettes that expand with a sanitizing solution before we even begin [service]. So, we’ve taken a number of measures to ensure that this environment is as safe as possible, and it is a fun way to dine too. We don’t feel as if you’re settling for a COVID-worthy solution to dining only, but are treated to something special regardless of the circumstances.”

For those interested in the Field & Main cabana experience, reservations can be made online.

“They do book up a couple of weeks in advance on the weekends,” he says. But don’t worry, the structures aren’t going anywhere, and Wavra hopes guests will enjoy them for years to come. ML 8369 W Main St, Marshall, Va. 540-364-8166 | fieldandmainrestaurant.com

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“The story of racing is so special and unique — how could one person tell it? You need to meet the people involved in it and see it for yourself.” — Pearson

A JOCKEY, TRAINER, BREEDER, STEWARD, TURNED LOBBYIST

FIGHTS FOR THE LOVE OF A HISTORIC SPORT

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ver the course of his 56-year-long career in horse racing, Michael Pearson has confronted his fair share of challenges — from personal tragedies to problems that have impacted the entire racing industry.

Others might have chosen to step away. But not Pearson. For him, “It’s about the horses and always has been. There’s nothing I’d rather do.” This dedication and perseverance has made him not only a successful trainer and breeder, but also a fierce advocate for horse racing in the Commonwealth. While the road hasn’t always been easy, Pearson has continuously found ways to support and serve the sport that he loves.

Growing up, Pearson’s father was a professional huntsman and farm manager in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the tender age of 11, Pearson started exercising racehorses on his father’s farm and his love affair with the sport began. When his family moved back to their farm in Hume, Virginia, Pearson was not ready to give up his racing ambitions — as soon as he could get his driver’s license, he left for the track.

Pearson worked as an exercise rider and occasionally as a jockey. To keep up with the demanding race schedule, he spent a lot of time on the road traveling between New York, New Jersey, and Florida. However, he soon had an epiphany that would change the course of his career. One day, Pearson was discussing retirement plans with his friend Bowles Bond, an 84-year-old trainer and future Racing Hall of Fame inductee. Bond said that when he was finished, he wanted to go back to his family farm in Monkton, Maryland. At that moment, Pearson realized he didn’t want to wait that long to put down roots someplace and build something.

The track may have been where his career got started but, according to Pearson, “Virginia is a place to live.” He added that the “history, heritage, and tradition of horse racing in the Commonwealth” makes the state particularly desirable for people involved in the racing industry. When he looks out over the rolling land that surrounds his farm, one thought that always brings him joy is that he has “forever in these hills.”

When Pearson returned to Virginia, he initially rode in some point-to-point races.

Then, aided by the contacts established during his time at the track and in the steeplechasing world, he commenced his training career. His first win as a trainer under rules came in 1971 with a horse named Run Ruler. While he was based out of Virginia, he still travelled back and forth to the track seasonally.

For the next few decades, Pearson focused on expanding his training and breeding operation. However, in 1993, tragedy struck when an arsonist burned down his barn, killing all but two of his horses. While Pearson acknowledged that “most people who lose their entire livelihood give up,” he was “particularly proud that he was able to keep going.” In what seemed like a small miracle, after rest, recovery, and conditioning, the two horses that survived the fire both won their next start on the track. Following this success, Pearson, who asserts that he is “not afraid of anything or anyone,” began the slow process of rebuilding.

Historic | Page 17

Mike Pearson riding Jolly’s Clump in 1975 during his preparation for his 1976 Grand National campaign.

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(540) 347-4313

Historic | From page 15 In addition to his work as a trainer, Pearson has served as the state steward at racetracks in five states. In this position, he enforced the rules of the track and settled disputes ranging from smoking in the shed row to stealing. Pearson stressed that he never based his decisions on who the people involved in the disputes were, but operated by the guiding principle “you have to do what is right and believe in what you do.”

For the past 20 years, Pearson has also sponsored a steeplechase series in Virginia geared toward amateur jump riders who are trying to break into the sport. The series addresses the current shortage of jump riders by helping up-and-comers gain experience on seasoned horses without having to ride against hardened professionals. To date, three riders who have participated in the series have gone on to make a name for themselves nationally.

And, as if Pearson does not have enough things on his plate, he is currently lobbying the Virginia General Assembly on behalf of the Virginia Harness Horse Association.

While his schedule is demanding, he said he has always been “about helping racing” and is devoted to doing anything he possibly can to get the word out about the sport.

Today, one of his biggest concerns is that racing has lost the media. “You don’t see anything published about racing unless it’s critical.” In order to get racing back on the upswing with the public, Pearson believes that people need first-hand exposure to the sport.

“The story of racing is so special and unique — how could one person tell it? You need to meet the people involved in it and see it for yourself.” Every chance he gets, he takes politicians and other state leaders behind the scenes to meet the horses and the jockeys at events such as the Gold Cup and the Virginia Fall Races.

In recent years, Pearson has kept his horses at his own property, Hume Stables. Currently, he has six horses in training. When asked what is next for him, Pearson simply expressed the wish that all of his horses stay healthy and are able to keep running this season. At the time of his interview, his most recent win was on February 4 at Charles Town.

He raced two full sisters and they came in first and third.

When asked about horses that have stood out to him over his long career, two came to mind. The first is Jolly’s Clump. Imported from England to train with Pearson, he returned to run in point-to-point races on the English circuit. He won six races in a row and started as the favorite for winning the English Grand National in 1976. Pearson remembers him as a courageous and brave horse — he bowed a tendon during the race but still managed to finish. His owner had bet so much money on him in prior races that he had trouble getting it all out of the country and back to the states. He had to purchase cars, art, whiskey, and more horses to avoid the losses he would incur when exchanging the money back to dollars!

The second horse that holds a special

place in Pearson’s memory is Crowning Prospect, who ran on the very first day that Colonial Downs opened. Despite poor conformation and a lousy temperament, he won many races for Pearson, bringing home over $50,000 in earnings. After his racing days were over, Pearson knew it would be very difficult to find Crowning Prospect a second career. So, in keeping with his belief of always putting the horses first, he retired the gelding at his farm. Now, 30 years later, the horse’s sole job is to bring up the foals after they are weaned. When asked if his temperament had mellowed over time to make him a suitable candidate for this job, Pearson just chuckled.

“I wouldn’t say that necessarily,” he said. “The weanlings do however learn to pay attention to what’s going on around them and be respectful.”

Over his long career Pearson has held many different titles, including jockey, trainer, breeder, steward, sponsor, and lobbyist.

However, one thing has been consistent: his passion and love for the sport, and for the horses that make it possible. It is people like Pearson whom we have to thank for preserving the history, heritage, and tradition of horse racing in the Commonwealth for future generations. Even when faced with the latest challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pearson is finding ways to continue spreading the word about the sport, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “You’re never going to find people that are more optimistic than people that breed and race their own horses,” he said. ML

Left: Woods Winants aboard Keoni at the Blue Ridge Point-to-Point Races in 2019. Keoni is the first steeplechase horse that Pearson has trained in 25 years.

Right: Mike Pearson, Cathy Belotti, Woods Winants, and John Belotti. Photos

by Joanne Maisano.

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LOCAL AUTHOR CAPTURES

BUNNY MELLON’S LEGACY Written by Shayda Windle

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hite House garden historian Linda Jane Holden learned of Rachel “Bunny” Mellon during her time as a staffer in the Reagan administration.

A lifelong garden enthusiast, Holden befriended White House gardener Irvin Williams, who shared stories of how the gardens evolved. A central figure in these stories was the fascinating Bunny Mellon, a good friend of the Kennedys who redesigned the East and Rose Gardens.

Holden spent days admiring the gardens and discussing the history behind them with Williams. She enjoyed “the mix of seasonal plantings, the diamond-shaped patterns of the santolina, and the way the boxwood wound like a shiny green ribbon through the tapestry of flowers,” she says. “As those gardens grew, so did my admiration for Mrs. Mellon.”

Her admiration led her to contact Mrs. Mellon’s Oak Spring estate in Upperville, Va. in 2009 for permission to research the Rose Garden archives. To her amazement, Mrs. Mellon’s staff not only gave her permission,

but arranged a meeting between Holden and the icon of American horticulture.

“I was in shock,” she says. “Mrs. Mellon wanted to meet me and [I] wasn’t sure what to expect. She was, of course, the kindest, most warm soul you could imagine, and straightaway, said to me, ‘Linda, you worked in the White House. Which president did you work for?’ I knew she was friends with the Kennedys, so somewhat nervously responded that I had worked under Reagan. To my surprise, she clasped my hand with a smile and said, ‘Oh! Ronnie was my second favorite president and Jack was my first!’” Holden quickly breathed a sigh of relief and they moved into a deep discussion about gardening — with “Mrs. Mellon doing most of the talking,” she says.

This encounter with Mrs. Mellon “became the first of many visits to her library — a magical place filled with her hand-chosen collection of rare books, manuscripts, paintings, and many other objects of art.” Holden was so fascinated with Mrs. Mellon’s contributions to horticulture that she published her

Left: Linda Holden. Photo by Joanne Maisano. Right: Oak Spring. Courtesy of Roger Foley.

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first book, “The Gardens of Bunny Mellon,” in 2018, which details some of Mrs. Mellon’s most important work, including her role in the White House gardens.

Mrs. Mellon, wife of philanthropist Paul Mellon, was an heiress to the Listerine fortune, a self-taught gardener, horticulturist, and designer. Of all these things, however, she is most known and revered for her brilliance in garden design, a talent nurtured by her father from a young age.

“Bunny’s earliest memory of the outside world was of a garden,” Holden writes in “The Gardens of Bunny Mellon.” “[Bunny] recalls … ‘being very small near a bed of white phlox in my godmother’s garden. This towering forest of scent and white flowers was the beginning of ceaseless interest, passion, and pleasure in gardens and books.’” And ceaseless it was. Throughout her life, Mrs. Mellon designed gardens for all of her family’s properties, which included estates in Antigua, Paris, New York, as well as her primary residence in Legacy | Page 19

Legacy | From page 18 Upperville, Virginia.

The book describes how Mrs. Mellon was already designing gardens for “wealthy and influential patrons” by the time she reached her twenties. An affluent socialite, her inner circle of friends included politicians, celebrities, and other elite members of society, including the Kennedys. Her impeccable taste was recognized even by the tastemakers: she designed the gardens at both the Paris home and the château of her close friend, the couturier Hubert de Givenchy.

The assignment she was most known for was her redesign of the White House gardens. Inspired by his visit to the Gardens of Versailles, President John F. Kennedy decided that he wanted a White House garden that would “position the United States in a positive light on the world stage,” Holden writes in “The Gardens of Bunny Mellon.” “He wanted an American garden, open, and expansive, designed for function and beauty in the traditions established by two of America’s founding fathers — Washington and Jefferson.” In the summer of 1961 during a picnic in Cape Cod, JFK asked Mrs. Mellon if she would spearhead the redesign.

The President wanted a stately backdrop, a sweeping lawn flanked by colorful flowers, suited for gatherings of a thousand people.

Mrs. Mellon was enthusiastic but unsure she was up to the task, until spotting magnolia trees in front of the Frick Collection. She immediately knew that they would form the cornerstones of the design, and soon presented JFK with sketches and plans for the gardens that took into account “climate, exposure to sunlight, the dimensions of the space, and how much time could be given to maintenance when it was finished.”

Holden amusingly relays how Mrs. Mellon and White House gardener Irvin Williams subverted the National Park Service in order to carry out her vision, secretly widening the garden by eighteen inches one day while the “G men” were at lunch and having unapproved trees delivered in “the dead of night.” JFK was so pleased with the Rose Garden that he asked Mrs. Mellon to redesign the East Garden as a sanctuary for the First Lady and their family. He would not live to see it completed.

Mrs. Mellon was in Antigua when JFK

was assassinated. She was summoned home

by Mrs. Kennedy, who requested that she arrange the flowers for the Capitol, the church, and the cemetery. For his grave, Mrs. Kennedy asked for “a straw basket with just the flowers he had in the Rose Garden. Only those flowers, and nothing else.” Mrs. Mellon was enlisted to complete the redesign of the East Garden by Lady Bird Johnson, who “reviewed lovingly every detail of the story of the Rose Garden” and wanted “excellence to be applauded and preserved.” She later designed the landscape at JFK’s gravesite and the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.

Mrs. Mellon passed away in 2014, but her legacy survives in the Oak Spring Library, which she established to preserve and share her extensive collection of books and other artifacts on plants, gardens, and landscapes.

Despite her love of books, Mrs. Mellon never wrote one of her own. She once journaled, “I want to write a garden book but haven’t had time. It would be short. A few suggestions that would encourage beginners and a few warnings not to overdo.”

Last fall, Holden released her second book, “Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon,” a guide for beginner gardeners in the timeless aesthetic of Bunny Mellon.

Admirers of Mrs. Mellon’s work will be happy to hear that Holden is working on her third book, “Bunny Mellon Style,” available for pre-order now on Amazon. “Bunny Mellon Style” gives readers a look inside her exquisite style, including the family homes she designed, so they get a “flavor of her collaborations with French designers of fashion and jewelry, and begin to understand her vast and lasting influence on the world of design.”

Holden is hosting a two-day book signing at Crème de la Crème in Middleburg, where visitors may purchase copies of “The Gardens of Bunny Mellon,” “Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon,” and the Bunny Mellon Garden Journal, a beautiful notebook for journalists and garden designers that includes inspirational quotes and sketches from Mrs. Mellon. The book signing will take place during Historic Garden Week from April 23–24 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Stop by for a chance to meet the author and purchase her books in person. ML

Top: JFK and Mrs. Mellon discussing the redesign in Cape Cod. Courtesy of Sotheby’s. Middle: Bunny’s watercolor sketch of the Rose Garden. Courtesy of the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation and the Oak Spring Garden Library. Bottom: Linda Holden with a hearty orange tree at the Trinity Church designed by Bunny Mellon in Upperville, Va. Photo by Joanne Maisano.

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Hunt Country Estate

Deerfield Farm

Windsor Farm

181 acres $4,500,000 Upperville – Impeccably restored brick manor house, ca. 1844. Perennial gardens and orchard, guest house with theatre, guest/pool house, pool, 2 tenant houses, 5 bay garage, workshop, 2 ponds, fenced fields and paddocks.

115 acres $4,500,000 Upperville – Horse property specializing in the training of Grand Prix horses. The Manor House dates to the 1700’s and has been expanded through the years. A gracious home with formal gardens and expansive views. 3 tenant houses, 3 apts.

410+ acres $4,310,000 This spectacular 410 acres of land consist of rolling fields, lush woodlands, streams, a small pond, and mountain land. The 6 tax parcels which comprise the 410 acres are protected under a conservation easement which allows for a maximum of 4 divisions.

Mary Ann McGowan | 540-270-1124

John Coles | 540-270-0094

John Coles | 540-270-0094

Will Driskill | 540-454-7522

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Rock Ridge

Orchard Manor

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Fort Valley Rd

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Spring Hill

94+ acres $3,674,999 The Plains – Magnificent views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 5 BR / 6 BA. 5 fireplaces.

1st floor luxury primary suite. 22-stall barn, fenced paddocks and riding ring. 2 tenant houses. Income producing farm. Easy access to I-66 & Dulles Int. Airport.

33+ acres $3,250,000 Leesburg – Native-stone manor house, over 7,200 finished square feet. 4/5 BRs, 4 BAs & 2 half baths. King Construction Stable: 11 box stalls, wash & grooming stalls, office, bath, tack & feed rooms. 3 large foaling stalls in the Carriage House.

148+ acres $2,964,000 Two lots of land for sale in the heart of Rappahannock county. The smaller parcel (Tax ID 54-28C) sits on 49.6 acres and the larger lot (Tax ID 54-29) encompasses 98.6 acres. This land offers privacy and is located minutes from Sperryville.

20 Acres $2,250,000 The Plains – A charming setting for its main residence, accessory dwelling and it’s office/gathering house, with stone walls, gardens, pastures, pond and pool. Below the guesthouse is a 4 stall stable with it’s own parking area and driveway.

Cricket Bedford | 540-229-3201

Susie Ashcom | 540-729-1478

John Coles | 540-270-0094

John Coles | 540-270-0094

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16+ acres $1,195,000 Warrenton – Horse property with history dating back to land grants, the main home, ca. 1790. 10 stall barn, 5 bay machine shed, 2 car garage, 4 paddocks and grass riding ring, making this an ideal property for a horse enthusiast.

39+ acres $1,100,000 Woodville – Charming home with log walls and exposed beams. Convenient to Culpeper, Warrenton, Little Washington, Shenandoah National Park, Sperryville and Luray. Nature lovers paradise. 8 stall barn and a small guest house.

Madison & Federal

REDUCED $699,000 Middleburg – Zoned for mixed use with Retail & Office spaces. Includes 7 rare parking spaces off Federal Street! Long time, active retail business in one building.

Seller desires to rent back. Priced well below appraised value. Has 4 entrances.

Ashby Gap Trading Post

John Coles | 540-270-0094

John Coles | 540-270-0094

Cricket Bedford | 540-229-3201

Emily Ristau | 540-454-9083

Stonehouse Stables

MAR 2021

Carrington Land

104 acres $4,900,000 Bluemont – Estate includes lush pastures with spectacular mountain views. Features 9000 sq ft of elegant living space, a pond, pool & spa, guest house, an apartment over the 4 bay garage, 6 stall stable & paddocks, all in an idyllic setting!

Five Forks Farm

10 acres $849,000 Amazing opportunity! 3,170 sq. ft. building with 2 BR apt. Commercial use (service/ retail)permitted. Frontage on Route 50.

High visibility, ample parking. Includes 4 bedroom house and cleared building site. 3 DURs. May be divided. Work where you live.

Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so w

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list with the team that has the best local service and global reach.

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Fieldstone Farm

Dunnottar

94 acres $4,300,000 Stone residence, 4 BR, 6 BA, completely updated, located just north of Upperville.

Views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Includes: 3 BR barn apt., 1 BR cottage, 60’ X 20’ pool, 2 ponds, 2 barns and paddocks.

Additional 140 acres available.

400+ acres $4,125,000 Warrenton – Historic farm with 6 BR / 3 BA main house. Panoramic mountain views, Great Run creek flows the length of farm and there are two ponds. Conservation Easement with The Virginia Outdoors Foundation gives permission to divide.

Jim McGowan | 703-927-0233

Susie Ashcom | 540-729-1478

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Bloomfield Estate

The Orchard

95+ acres $2,100,000 Unison – Private and secluded, with views of the Blue Ridge and Bull Run Mountains.

Open fields, lush pastures and beautiful woodlands. Protected in easement, it is the perfect site for a fabulous estate. ideal for anyone seeking the country lifestyle.

4.82 acres $1,950,000 Middleburg – Largest residential parcel “in town!” Built by late master builder WJ Hanback. 3/4 BRs, 3 full BAs. Includes spiral staircase, built-ins, hardwood floors and fireplaces. Fenced garden, extensive landscaping, pond and mature trees.

Jim McGowan | 703-927-0233

Cricket Bedford | 540-229-3201

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HEROES of TOMORROW WITNESSING THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH ON A THOROUGHBRED FARM Written by Sarah Hickner

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efore I wound up here in Northern Virginia, I was a horse-hungry college kid. It had been a year and a half since I moved to Louisville, and my hunger had only grown. I wanted to experience everything in the world of horse racing. When an email hit my inbox from the University of Louisville Equine Department advisor, stating that a local Thoroughbred breeding farm was seeking an intern, I filled out and returned the application within the hour.

I had been on the backside of the track plenty since coming to Louisville, and had even galloped some. The reverence with which those horsemen spoke about certain stallions, broodmares, and foals created an

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allure that pulled me in.

Two weeks later, I was bumping along the asphalt drive of Hermitage Farm with its imposing mansion and trademark red trimmed black barns. Big-bellied mares grazed in the fields, not even glancing at the newcomer.

The vet, Dr. John, squinted and grinned politely under his bushy mustache as I jumped down from the truck. It was foaling season, and he was ready to get to work.

We climbed into his hunter green Suburban and set out to check the mares. Hermitage Farm stretched across nearly 700 acres.

We had a lot of ground to cover. At each barn we got out, he grabbed his ultrasound supplies, I had the wooden twitch, and we went

in. Some mares were large with foals, irritable and ready to be left alone. Others were checked for heat cycles to see if it was time to be bred.

With arms extended out, my left hand held the handle of the twitch twisted around her nose, and my right hand held her tail to keep it out of the way. The vet donned a fresh plastic glove that went all the way to his shoulder, and he went to work. At this point in life, I was seriously considering veterinary school, but it didn’t take too many times of watching Dr. John bury his arm up to the shoulder for me to decide reproductive work would not be my specialty — even if the vet spent half the Tomorrow | Page 23

Tomorrow | From page 22 year playing polo and vacationing.

Soon the foals started to drop. Some arrived perfectly and easily as expected. A couple literally dropped — not just the slang term. The mare was walking down the aisle of the barn when the foal just came out! One mare was let out to graze for an hour, because she was on heavy foal watch, and when the grooms went to grab her there was a wobbly legged addition. Then there were the mares who were “waxed over” for what seemed like weeks. Surely the baby was coming today! But the mare or baby was stubborn and held out until eve r yone ne arly gave up.

I marveled at how, no matter how much money they spent and how well monitored the broodmares were, birth still happened in its own unique way and time.

I had the privilege of being present for a couple births. My whole life I had heard people tell sappy stories about the miracle of birth. I thought this might be the event that changed my life. I may never be the same after witnessing a baby Thoroughbred be born. Just like the movies, the mare was laying down with her head up, pushing and stressed. The guys had their supply boxes and air tanks in preparation. As the foal started to emerge, the farm manager helped pull the newborn out onto the straw bedding. It’s eyes seemed squeezed shut. It wasn’t ready to come out. It was so not ready, that it was refusing to take its first gulp of sweet air.

“Air tank!” the barn manager yelled. The guys quickly helped him attach the cone to the oxygen tank over the foal’s nose and massaged its neck. A few very long seconds later, and he began to breathe and opened his eyes to greet the world. No one seemed particularly stressed.

The next birth I saw was similar. Oxygen was administered, her throat was massaged, and the foal opened her eyes. The men grabbed the bloody placenta with no qualms and tossed it in a bucket.

Back at the vet building, Dr. John stretched it out and checked for holes or pieces missing. There never were any.

It would make someone with a weaker stomach sick. Good thing none of us had weak stomachs.

Within a couple of days, the knobby-kneed newborns were rearing and attempting to play with me in the stall, as I stood defenseless. My arms were outstretched holding the twitch in one hand and the tail in the other, while Dr. John checked on the momma, and I giggled to assuage the fear.

Defending myself with a single foot while the vet moved as fast as possible, I finally got it. These little cocky foals were the Thoroughbred heroes of tomorrow. Maybe they would be stakes champions, possibly a Derby contender or winner, and eventually, hopefully, the sires and dams of heroes to come. If they failed on the track, they would find their way to riders like me who love to take horses from the track and find them a new career. ML

“Air tank!” the barn manager yelled. The guys quickly helped him attach the cone to the oxygen tank over the foal’s nose and massaged its neck. A few very long seconds later, and he began to breathe and opened his eyes to greet the world.

Photos courtesy of Hermitage Farm.

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Tonalist Artist Offers a Place to Rest Your Eyes Written by Shayda Windle

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aura Hopkins, a local artist and innovator, is above all a Tonalist at heart. Her landscape paintings portray a sense of mood and atmosphere that convey poetic tranquility. Her paintings offer the viewer a place to rest, and a respite from the hectic onslaught of digital daily life. She recently won first place (tying with another artist) at the Artists of Middleburg (AiM’s) latest exhibit, Reset, Refresh, Restart. The exhibit ran from early February to Sunday, March 7.

The exhibition, judged by Susan Byrne of The Byrne Gallery in Middleburg, included 95 submissions from 34 artists. Hopkins’ first place piece, “A Country Day, Remembered,” “began with a loose gestural application of dark paint, and makes use of memory, happenstance, and unexpected mark making to evoke memory of a day in the Virginia countryside,” Hopkins says. The piece is currently hanging in the gallery with a ribbon on it.

Last month, Hopkins did a painting demonstration at the Goodstone Inn and Restaurant. With social distancing measures in place, she had the opportunity to share her work at a tasting and wine pairing event. Currently, twelve of Hopkins’ paintings are hanging in the Goodstone’s lobby and conservatory, and will be on display through the end of

March, as a part of an ongoing program featuring local artists.

In addition to exhibits and events, Hopkins was looking for other ways to connect with her collectors and supporters through art. When she stumbled upon Seattle artist Lisa McShane’s “pandemic project” on Instagram, she knew she had to learn more.

“Lisa and I had a great conversation about her project and I decided that I would do something similar and send out small charcoal drawings to my collectors,” Hopkins says.

Hopkins began creating and sending out “small charcoal drawings to collectors, friends, and neighbors as a way to lift their spirits and just stay in touch during such a difficult time,” she says. “I took an online charcoal drawing class last October with the Landscape Atelier that really helped me to explore additional techniques [in charcoal]. I have had so much fun learning charcoal and sharing the drawings with collectors, friends, and supporters. The little drawings have helped maintain a deeper connection with them during a time when we’re unable to see each other in person as we used to.”

In addition, these drawings have helped Hopkins understand what works when creating larger sized pieces, which is something

Laura Hopkins with her art on display at Goodstone Inn. Photo by Jennifer Gray.

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she’s also been focused on lately. “Larger paintings require bigger brushes, more paint, and technique changes to remain exciting and dynamic,” she says. “There’s a temptation to include too much detail and over-render, but it turns out a delightful synergy has developed between my small charcoal drawings and my larger works.”

She says she uses her smaller works to “explore composition ideas,” and “often creates an intermediate size painting that helps determine if a particular composition will work larger.”

“Something I am just now starting to work on is taking a little charcoal drawing and creating multiple small color studies using the same composition but different color harmonies,” she says. “It’s a process that helps me determine which are most appealing to go larger.”

Just one of the silver linings from the events of the past year has been a “reduced pressure to create work for sale,” Hopkins says. “I have taken this time to focus on drawing with charcoal, conte, and pen and ink, and on becoming familiar with other media, like watercolor and gouache. I am spending Rest | Page 25

Rest | From page 24 more time in the field drawing, painting, and just walking and looking. I am studying historic painters and pursuing online studies with contemporary painters. And just generally reflecting on what kind of artist I want to be and what I want to say through my work.”

Her plans for the future? “I am currently creating paintings with the hopes that local events like Art of the Piedmont, Art in the ‘Burg, and Art at the Mill will move forward as planned,” she says. “I have a series planned that will focus on fields and farms in our local area. Although much of my work is from imagination and memory, I am relishing the idea of creating a series tied to a specific place.” ML You can learn more about Hopkins’ work at laurahopkinsfineart.com.

Left column: Charcoal drawings. Top right: “February Twilight,” oil on canvas, 24”x36” on display at Goodstone Inn. Photo by Jennifer Gray. Bottom right: “A Country Afternoon,” oil on canvas, 16x20 on display at Goodstone Inn. Photo by Jennifer Gray.

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Premier Middleburg estate | Main house of stone and frame construction circa 1740 w/addition in 1820. 6 BR, 3 1/2 BA, 5 FP, high ceilings, moldings & detailed woodwork throughout | Equestrian facilities are unmatched | 113 lush acres. 5 barns totaling 35 stalls | 19 paddocks | Derby field | 218 x 80 indoor arena | 250 x 150 all-weather outdoor arena | 80’ lunging arena | Polo field (or 2 grand prix fields) | 4 board, double fencing & automated nelson waterers | Other improvements include 3 BR, 2 1/2 BA guest house | Farm office w/ attached housing | Machine shed | Carriage house w/apartment | Stone spring house/office | 3 BR apartment | Pond w/gazebo

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Prime Fauquier County location minutes from Middleburg | Unbelievable finishes throughout | Antique floors and mantels, vaulted ceilings | 6 BR, 5 full BA, 2 half BA | 6 FP, gourmet kitchen | Improvements include office/studio, stone cottage with office, spa, guest house, pool and lighted tennis court | Landscaped grounds with stream, waterfalls, boxwood and special plantings | 61 acres

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181 acres | Brick manor house c. 1844 | 4 bedrooms, lovely kitchen, multiple porches, pine floors, 7 fireplaces, original mantels, large windows, detailed millwork | c. 1810 log cabin/pool house, guest house with theater, 2 tenant houses, 5-bay garage and workshop | Sizable pond

SALEM HILL

$4,500,000 MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

Helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

French Country home, with renovations in 1999 $6,490,000 Well protected Fauquier location | 6 bedrooms | $8,000,000 Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 & 2017 | 4 BR, 5 full & 2 half BA, 5 FP, hardwood 4 full and 2 half baths | 3 fireplaces | Great views Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 Sandra Bravo Greenberg 202.308.3813 floors, flagstone terrace | Beautiful drive to hilltop | Pool with large flagstone terrace | Large county stetting overlooking pond, lake & mountains | Imkitchen | 4-car detached garage with apartment/ provements include pool, 2-car garage, 2 BR guest office | 9-stall barn | Covered arena | Outdoor house & apartment | Lovely boxwood gardens | ring | 4 stall shed row barn | 51 fenced acres Kitchen allowance to be provided | 79.89 acres

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$3,900,000 Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 elen MOSBY MacM ahon 540.454.1930 hJOHN 39060 HIGHWAY MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

Existing farm winery established in 2015 | 38.47 acres recorded in two parcels | Hilltop setting with magnificent views | 2,500 sq ft wine tasting room, main level consist of tasting room, seating areas, kitchen, restrooms, 2nd story more seating areas and bathroom | Club House of 5,100 sq ft contemporary style, wine tasting bar, seating areas, bathrooms, large deck, terrace & pool | 40 x 60 Butler building, large parking area | Unique opportunity.

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Original portion of house built in 1790 in Preston City, CT | House was dismantled and rebuilt at current site | Detail of work is museum quality | Log wing moved to site from Western Virginia circa 1830 | 4 BR, 4 full BA, 2 half BA, 9 FP & detached 2-car garage | Historic stone bank barn and log shed moved from Leesburg, VA | Private, minutes from town | Frontage on Goose Creek | 37.65 acres

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Lovely brick home on hilltop setting, completely redone by current owners | Wood floors, high ceilings, lots of light | 6 BR, 5 1/2 BA, 5 FP, sweeping stair case in foyer | Basement level finished for family enjoyment w/ media room, office, gym, billiard room, full bar w/ kitchenette, full bath & outside entrance leading to pool and spa | Improvements include 3-car garage, heated 4-car garage w/car lift | Potting shed/studio w/ attached heated green house | 20 car barn for serious collector | Swimming pool with spa | 5-stall barn | Property fenced and cross fenced | 68.23 acres

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A remarkable property located within a private 17 acres of rolling pasture land in the village LONG BRANCH BUST HEAD ROAD HALFWAY ROAD enclave just minutes from town | Stone and stucco of Rectortown | Convenient to both Routes 50 THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA manor main | acres 7 | Mostly wooded, mountain & 66views, | Newly renovated | Private setting with Gorgeous 71 house acre parcel inwith a wonderful locationlevel master suite 82.69 Hard to find parcel | 13.37 acres between Middleburg and The Plains | 1/2 between Middleburg and The Plains | Rolling land bold stream in very protected area | Conservation open, 1/2 wooded with a spring fed pond - easily expandable | Wonderful additional 5 stone FP| | Beautiful gardens, magnificent mountain views | inside 4 bedrooms, with stone walls andBR 2 ponds| | Enchanting property easement | Can not be subdivided | Prime elevated building site just the wood line with a level building Driveway installed | Property is in conservation Orange& County Hunt location 4 | Halfway area among2large old growth trees and substantial rock out cropping terraces, salt water pool, cabana, carriage house full bath, 1 half bath, fireplaces | Heated easement and may not be divided further between Middleburg and The Plains |Impressive mountain views to the southwest. stable with 2$1,950,000 paddocks | Lovely finishes throughout $1,100,000 pool & spa | 2 bedroom guest house | $925,000 & sweeping lawn to private trails to Goose Creek | Large shed & 2-car Helen MacMahon 540.454.1930 Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 Helen garage MacMahon 540.454.1930 31 acres | Private, elegant & convenient

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CLINGS TO HOPE Written by Chelsea Rose Moore | Photos by Joanne Maisano

F

ar more than just a place to eat pancakes and eggs, small town diners are the heartbeat of local communities.

They serve as the town’s hub, a place where news is shared and early morning Bible studies are held. Bridging the gap between young and old, neighborhood diners are where the town’s elderly residents rely on conversations over black coffee, and families feel comfortable taking their young children out for a meal.

Almost like the town parents, diner owners know their customers by name and celebrate their milestones, raise money for the community, and dedicate their lives to making their customers’ days brighter. For most owners, the diner is the embodiment of a lifelong dream, and seeing happy customers is all the recognition they need.

Yet diners, whose owners have invested so much time and energy in the community over the years, are struggling to keep their doors open. It’s now the community’s turn to lift their neighborhood diners up.

Tammy’s Diner | Round Hill, Va. The iconic Tammy’s Diner sits at the end of Round Hill’s Main Street.

“People say, ‘This is our home away from home,’” owner Tammy Hines said. “They get up out of bed and come to Tammy’s for breakfast; they go back home and watch a TV show and come back for lunch. [But] it’s not like that anymore.”

Since March 2020, the diner has struggled to stay on its feet.

“Everybody is struggling right now,” Hines said. “There are so many restaurants that have closed. And that’s my biggest fear.”

March marks 15 years of Tammy’s Diner.

“This has always been my dream to have my own restaurant,” she said.

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January and February were slow months for the diner, both due to COVID and the constant barrage of snow and ice storms.

During a normal year, the winter months are the busiest, but this year is different. The diner’s soda machine has gone from using 10 bags of ice per day down to just one.

And Hines is worried.

“I am down 75-80%,” she said. “My accountant said, ‘You are OK, but you are sinking. Just keep your head above the water. It doesn’t take long to sink. You’re strong; you can do this.’”

Hines wants to make sure she stays open to serve the Round Hill community, particularly its elderly residents.

“I am the only restaurant in Round Hill that these elderly people have,” she said. “[But] I am flat broke. I am living day to day.

It’s hard. This is very hard. There are some days you feel like it’s the end.”

As the sole provider for her household with a sick husband and daughter, Hines feels the pressure of working to provide for her family in an unstable environment.

In the fall, Matthew Speer, a customer, reached out to help her. “He said, ‘I could see in your eyes: You’re struggling; you are tired; you look worn out. With your permission, can I help you?’ she said.

Speer began a GoFundMe page for the restaurant and raised over $12,000. The fundraiser was picked up by the Loudoun-Times Mirror, Loudoun Now and Channel 7 news.

“Matthew has been an angel for me,” Hines said. “Had it not been for him at that point, I don’t know where I would have been.

I had bills to pay by the end of the year.”

The GoFundMe enabled Hines to pay off the debts she had accumulated in 2020. And while the extra attention initially drew more people to her restaurant, it has worn off as

time has passed. “When you don’t do enough that you can see the numbers coming up, then you start to worry,” she said.

Tammy’s Diner serves homestyle breakfasts all day and classic lunch fare. Hines can’t afford to offer weekly specials right now. “If you don’t sell it, you’re throwing it away,” she said. “[Then] you spent more money on the food to have a special.”

Over the last year, food prices have increased too. And since nothing on her menu is over $10, Hines has had to get creative about where she sources her food. Lately, purchasing some products from Walmart and Martin’s has been cheaper for her.

She commutes from Stephens City each day but says she wouldn’t want to be anywhere other than Loudoun County.

She often serves Round Hill kids who walk to her restaurant on their school lunch break. “They say, ‘Miss Tammy, can I eat? My mom will come by later, and she’ll give you a check.’ I don’t tell anyone no,” she said. “I don’t want you to go away hungry.”

Open from 6 a.m.–2 p.m. daily, Tammy’s Diner is located at 2 E Loudoun St, Round Hill, Va. Boyd’s Nest Restaurant | Berryville, Va. Boyd’s Nest Restaurant, a small diner with a big heart, closed permanently in December after serving the Berryville community for nine years. Owner Kim Ragland measured the inside of the building and realized the new COVID regulations meant the restaurant could only seat nine guests at a time— not enough to keep the business going.

“It was hard to let it go,” she said. “It’s still weird to me to drive down and not go in there. It was just an extension of my life.

We saw people get married who met in the restaurant. We held brand new babies. We Culture | Page 29

Culture | From page 28 watched kids go from being in the cradle to starting school. It was hard to [close] it. I got a phone call Saturday morning wanting a takeout order.”

Last spring, after closing for the first few months of the pandemic, Ragland began looking for ways to pivot her business model. She saw other restaurants offering family takeout meals, and she wanted to offer something different.

“I’m looking at what they are offering as takeout, and it’s all comfort food,” she said.

“Everybody was playing that family meal thing, but that’s what people are already making at home.”

As an alternative, Ragland dreamed up “Date Night Friday Night.” Her idea was for families to buy a pizza for their kids and then treat themselves to a romantic dinner at home. Designed as a meal kit, the first dinner featured crab cakes, mushroom risotto, a salad and heart-shaped votive candles. Next came a Mother’s Day brunch kit and then a Smokin’ Hot Father’s Day kit, where everything was smoked, down to the pecans on the turtle cheesecake and the blue cheese in the salad.

“We weren’t making money,” Ragland said. “We were covering the expenses of the building. We weren’t going backwards, but we couldn’t go forwards.”

Eventually, after months of working hard to keep the restaurant afloat, they had to shut the doors.

The team at Boyd’s Nest has always been dedicated to serving the Clarke County community. Even after closing the doors, it’s still something Ragland is wholeheartedly pursuing.

“We wanted a restaurant where you could come to eat every day and could afford,” Ragland said. “And there would be specials that always made it different. We had someone who ate every day at our restaurant, except on Fridays, she ate at Mario’s with her great-grandson. We had groups of people every day of the week. Tuesday morning was a group that came in and met for breakfast.

Wednesday was the Lion’s Club. Thursday was the men’s Bible study group. Friday was the ladies’ group. We wanted it to be like ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name.”

At Boyd’s Nest, customers enjoyed the laidback vibe, scooting tables together, chatting with other patrons, and shooting the breeze with Ragland.

“We took the door off the kitchen,” Ragland said. “People would stand there to yak and talk to me while I was cooking their

breakfast. We wanted it to be the place for widows and widowers who didn’t like to eat alone. I would say, ‘You’re not alone, I’m here.

Come hang out with me.’ And they did. We really got to know so many of them.”

One customer asked Ragland to make all the food for her dad’s funeral, because “you knew what dad loved to eat,” she said.

When another customer was dying of esophageal cancer, Ragland stepped up. “He was in hospice care,” she said. “He couldn’t really eat, but he wasn’t on a feeding tube. I would puree the heck out of stuff and make it so it could slide down. We used to say the restaurant was a front for what we were doing.”

Ragland also worked to drum up support for local fundraisers. She sold birdhouses to raise money for the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. She participated in Toys for Tots and raised funds for the Red Wagon Ministry.

She started the Hungry Backpack program, gathering thousands of dollars in donations from her customers and enlisting volunteers to help portion and pack food, making sure at-risk kids in Clarke County were fed during the summer. Over the course of 10 weeks, over 9,000 meals left Boyd’s Nest for “her kids.” Additionally, other organizations teamed up to help provide for school-aged children, giving every child vouchers for summer camp, school supplies, a new pair of shoes, and a backpack.

“I never met the kids, but I wanted them to know their community valued and loved them,” she said. “If we have the space, we should use it for the community. The restaurant was just a front. We felt like that was why we were put there.”

With the restaurant closed, Ragland, the president of Berryville Main Street, is focused on networking Clarke County businesses.

Together with her board, she’s transforming Berryville Main Street into the Clarke Business Collective. The organization’s focus will be on collective promotion, destination event planning, and creating awareness across surrounding counties of the unique experiences found in Clarke County.

“We will continue to support all the downtown Berryville events we did as Main Street; we will just be more inclusive of our businesses throughout the county,” she said.

“We’re good, and we’re strong, and we’re going to have some fun.” ML Make a plan to visit your neighborhood diner this month! Or plan a diner tour and visit all the local diners to experience a taste of each town.

Top: Tammy Hines. Middle: Tammy’s Diner Outside. Bottom: Boyd’s Nest Sign.

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HEY ALEXA, ADD THIS TO MY LIST ON “ FUN THINGS TO DO THIS SPRING”

Exploring Historic Leesburg For All Ages Written by Heidi Baumstark

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xposure is infectious. That’s a good thing when the experience is a positive one.

For Leesburg resident Carla Mueller, exposure to a variety of cultures put her on a path of exploration and sparked a keen curiosity and appreciation for intricate architecture that mirrors an area’s heritage. This led her to launch a new business in 2020: Historic Leesburg Walking Tours.

“This is my passion,” she says. “I see the tour as an opportunity to combine architecture and history, engage with people, and offer something out of the ordinary.” As with many passions, they’re hard to hold in. For Mueller, this drive steered her to start sharing her zeal with others.

“Growing up in an Air Force family, I was exposed as a child to a myriad of cultures,” she says. “We lived in England and North Africa.

As a young girl, I recall visiting Leptis Magna, a 7th century Roman city on the Mediterranean coast of Libya, and being astounded by what remained of the ancient architecture.”

Her childhood experiences honed her observation skills, fostering a life-long love for the connection between architecture, culture, and history.

Prior to launching her business, Mueller worked for the federal government and a professional services firm. She has lived in Northern Virginia for over 20 years, first in Fairfax, now in Leesburg, and has gained knowledge about the area since boarding her horse in Loudoun.

The experience is a great outing for all ages: families, couples, small groups, and private tours. Tours last about 75 minutes and are roughly a mile long, beginning at Leesburg Town Hall with stops made at over a dozen historic sites in downtown Leesburg.

At each stop, Mueller shares the history and local lore, and points out architectural details from a variety of styles: Romanesque Revival, Georgian, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Federal, Classical, and rustic frontier-like construction of early Leesburg, which has served continuously as the county seat of Loudoun County, established in 1757.

“My first stop? A Leesburg landmark —

the Tally Ho Theater — a circa 1932 art-deco theater/concert hall next to Town Hall,” she says. Then it’s on to the next stop. “I want to keep it moving, since people can only absorb so much. I want to give a flavor of the town and sprinkle in interesting anecdotes.”

For example, lore has it that George Washington briefly used an attraction on the tour as a headquarters when passing between

resident deputies.

Winchester and Alexandria as a militia colonel late in the French and Indian War (17541763), a British victory that culminated in the 1763 Treaty of Paris.

Potomac Ridge Road (VA Rt. 7, Market St. in downtown) and established an ordinary (tavern) there. Records show Minor was born “before 1706” about 115 miles southeast of Loudoun in Westmoreland County in colonial Virginia’s Northern Neck peninsula. As part of the Fairfax Militia, he received letters from George Washington who was then colonel of the Virginia Regiment and commander of all the Virginia forces during the French and Indian War. In 1757, Minor dubbed the small collection of buildings around his tavern “George Town,” in honor of King George II, the reigning monarch of Great Britain. But that name was short lived. Because the following year in

A Little Loudoun History On March 25, 1757, by act of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Loudoun County was established as a breakoff of western Fairfax County named for John Campbell (17051782), the Fourth Earl of Loudoun (also known as “Lord Loudoun”). As a Scottish nobleman, Campbell served as commander-in-chief for all British armed forces in North America and governor-in-chief of the Virginia colony, though never stepped foot on the colony’s soil, so was represented by

Now to Leesburg, But First “George Town” The genesis of Leesburg (originally “George Town”) occurred before 1755 when Nicholas Minor Jr. acquired land around the intersection of the major north-south direction of the Carolina Road (U.S. Rt. 15, King St. in downtown) and the east-west oriented

Left: Lightfoot Restaurant (originally Peoples National Bank). Photo by Joanne Maisano. Right: Carla Mueller. Photo by Joanne Maisano.

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Explore | Page 33

Explore | From page 32 1758, the newly appointed lieutenant governor of Virginia — Francis Fauquier — signed off on the name change from George Town to Leesburg. It was renamed Leesburg to honor Thomas Lee (1690-1750), who was born in Westmoreland County. In 1749, the British Crown bestowed on Thomas Lee the title of acting governor of Virginia, which he held until his death a little more than a year later, Nov. 14, 1750.

As is popular belief, Leesburg was not named for Thomas Lee’s son, Francis Lightfoot Lee, who lived in Loudoun, nor is the town named after Robert E. Lee, his great, grandnephew, who was not even born until 1807.

The 1759 “Plan of Leesburg” Maps Out the Town On Oct. 12, 1758, the Virginia General Assembly officially founded the Town of Leesburg (located approximately in the middle of Loudoun) on Minor’s 60 acres that he had laid out, which included the establishment of the county courthouse at the crossroads, including an office for the county clerk, “gaol” (jail), gallows, and stocks. Leesburg’s Thomas Balch Library online resources include the “Plan of Leesburg” dated 1759 drawn by John Hough. Minor hired Hough to survey and plat his 60 acres subdivided into 70 lots.

This 1759 map shows those 70 lots with a traditional grid-like street design divided by three north-south and four east-west streets.

The town trustees included Minor and two of Thomas Lee’s sons: Philip Ludwell Lee (17261775) and Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734-1797).

With the renaming of the town to Leesburg, a new identity was formed.

HIGHLIGHTS ON MUELLER’S TOUR Loudoun County Courthouse — 10 N. King St. “There is much that could be said about the Loudoun County Courthouse, but I choose to point out the most salient historical points and architectural features,” Mueller says. The original courthouse at the intersection of King and Market streets dates to 1758 when Minor set aside two half-acre lots for the courthouse and jail complex. But court first met at the property of Minor until

construction of the formal courthouse was completed in 1761 on land that was deeded

by Minor to Francis Lightfoot Lee, the appointed lieutenant of the county militia. On Aug. 12, 1776, from the doorway of this first courthouse, the Declaration of Independence was read; one of its signers was Francis Lightfoot Lee. A second, larger courthouse was constructed in 1811 with four large stone pillars.

Barely, it survived the 1861-1865 Civil War. Thanks to local builder Joseph Lafayette Norris (1834-1908) of the famed Leesburg Norris Brothers, he saved several pieces of those four pillars, the remnants of which are in the courtyard of the present structure. The current courthouse is the third one built on the

property erected in 1894. It displays classical design elements including Corinthian columns, semi-circular arched windows, and an octagonal cupola, Mueller noted. Courthouses not only serviced legislative and judicial needs, but were also social and commercial centers, especially on court days. Locals attended court days to watch street entertainers, buy and sell goods, and even view public executions. Slave auctions were regularly held at the courthouse during court days; these auctions continued until the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that abolished slavery in 1865.

The grounds include monuments to soldiers who fought and died in various wars: World Wars I and II, Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as the American Revolution. In 2003, the U.S. National Park Service designated the Loudoun County Courthouse as a site on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom for its role in the struggle for freedom and equality.

In July 2020, a Confederate soldier statue that stood on the courthouse grounds for over a century was taken down. “Workers removed this ‘silent sentinel’ and returned it to the United Daughters of the Confederacy,” Mueller says. Stocks and whipping posts have also been relocated off courthouse grounds, which were vivid images of the time’s harsh law enforcement methods.

Lightfoot Restaurant — 11 N. King St. Directly across the street from the courthouse is Lightfoot Restaurant. Built in 1885 as the People’s National Bank, the building is one of two examples of Romanesque Revival architecture, which includes rusticated stone on the first story, large central front gable, and bold arches over the door and center window on the third story. (The second example in town of Romanesque Revival design is St. James’ Episcopal Church on 14 Cornwall St., N.W. erected in 1895.)

Lightfoot Restaurant is named after Francis Lightfoot Lee, Virginia colony’s representative for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and is sometimes referred to as “Loudoun Lee.” The People’s National Bank building was designed by the same architects who designed the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., which was completed in 1897. In 1905, the Norris Brothers redesigned the bank building, maintaining its essential character, but adding more detail, including Explore | Page 34

From left to right: Stone House c.1760. Photo by Joanne Maisano. Tally Ho Theater. Photo by Heidi Baumstark. Loudoun Museum Log Cabin dates to 1760s, during Leesburg’s earliest days. Photo by Heidi Baumstark.

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Explore | From page 33 the ornate roof over the small dormers. The building was renovated again when it became Lightfoot Restaurant in 1999, but most of the interior was maintained.

Glenfiddich House — 205 N. King St. N.W. When asked if there are any favorite stops, Mueller answered, “I have to say one that rises to the top is the privately owned Glenfiddich House (formerly Harrison Hall), which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s the total package.” The first section of this house was completed in 1780. In the 1850s, the Norris Brothers built the main section of the home for Henry Harrison and his wife. It is the most elaborate example of the Italianate style in Leesburg, featuring a lowpitched hipped roof, ornately carved portico, and deep eaves with paired brackets.

(The Harrisons and their three daughters lived there throughout the Civil War. During that period, Leesburg “frequently changed hands as both armies traversed the area during the Maryland and Gettysburg campaigns,” Mueller explains. Harrison Hall became a hospitality center for Confederate officers passing through the area. After the Oct. 21, 1861 Battle of Ball’s Bluff (two miles from downtown Leesburg), a victory for the south, wounded Confederate soldiers were tended to at Harrison Hall.

The following fall in September 1862, Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) and his Confederate army traveled through Leesburg on their way to invade the north. On Sept. 4, 1862, Lee was treated at Harrison Hall for hand injuries after his horse, “Traveller,” was spooked at Second Manassas five days earlier. The next day on Sept. 5, General Lee held a crucial meeting in the dining room: a council of war with generals Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, James Longstreet, and Lewis A. Armistead to plan the invasion of Maryland that ended with the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, which remains the deadliest, bloodiest one-day battle in American military history.

“It is believed this was the only time when all of these generals were in a room at one time,” Mueller says. With the Union claiming victory at Antietam, it provided Lincoln the opportunity to announce the Emancipation Proclamation issued Jan. 1, 1863 as the nation approached its third year of war. This is one reason Antietam is often referred to as a key turning point of the war. This Proclamation declared that “all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”)

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Mt. Zion United Methodist Church — 12 North St. N.E. Mt. Zion United Methodist Church is a beautiful example of 19th century Gothic Revival architecture. It is distinguished as the oldest-continuing African American Methodist congregation in all of Virginia. But before Mt. Zion was built, African Americans attended the 18th century Old Stone Church, a mixed-race congregation at Liberty and Cornwall streets.

The Old Stone Church was built on one of the original 70 lots owned by Minor. On May 11, 1766, Minor deeded “Lot 50” to Methodist layman Robert Hamilton for “no other use but for a church or meeting house and grave yard,” according to the General Commission on Archives and History for The United Methodist Church. It is the earliest known Methodist-owned property in America located at 110 Cornwall St. N.W. Though this stone church is no longer standing, the Old Stone Church Cemetery remains, which also includes an informational kiosk on what is now called the Old Stone Church Site.

Years before the Civil War started in 1861, the Old Stone Church congregation split in 1848 over the slavery issue. After the Civil War, the African American community raised $250 and built Mt. Zion in 1867.

Southern sympathizers formed Leesburg Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which is today called Leesburg United Methodist Church on 107 W. Market St. Steps away from Mt. Zion, Silas Randall (1873-1957) lived at 108 Church St., N.E.; he operated a horse training stable around the corner on North Street, just west of Mt. Zion.

Shortly after 1900, he moved to Loudoun when fox hunting was becoming popular in the area and began his long career in horse racing and hunting. He trained horses for many prominent residents, including Westmoreland Davis, Virginia’s governor from 1918 to 1922. Prior to his election, Davis served as Loudoun Hunt’s Master of Foxhounds in the early 1900s and Randall worked as groomsman for the Loudoun Hunt. Randall made news when in 1934, he won a steeplechase race at the Virginia State Fair at the age of 63.

He is buried at Mt. Zion Community Cemetery at 209 Old Waterford Rd., N.W. Loudoun Museum’s Log Cabin — 16 Loudoun St. S.W. Loudoun Museum is a rare diamond-notched log cabin, which serves as an example of rustic frontier architecture from the late 1700s. Dr. Joseph Rizzo, executive director of Loudoun Museum, said the town of Leesburg owns the structure that is referred to as the “log cabin,” maintained by

the non-profit museum. “The diamond notch is created by clipping the corners off the log, leaving a diamond shape; and each one is fitted into the ones above and below, eliminating the need for nails or pegs,” Mueller says.

This log cabin was built in the early 1760s and is one of the original “covenant” houses preserved in its original form. Minor included restrictive covenants upon selling his town lots: If the purchaser failed to build a suitable house that met the requirements within three years — as required by the covenants and codified in the deed — the property reverted back to Minor.

In the mid-1970s, the log cabin was slated for demolition. But the Loudoun Restoration and Preservation Society (founded in 1967, but now called Loudoun Preservation Society since 2009) acquired it, shored up the chinking in the logs, and repaired the stone foundation. In 1970, the Leesburg National Register Historic District was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Loudoun Museum operates a second historic structure on the museum property dating to the 19th century, which houses more artifacts and interpretive panels, and offers a space for events and lectures. The museum is open Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

What Others Are Saying “I’ve seen a lot of interest [in the tours]; it’s something that takes people away from their day-to-day routines,” Mueller says. “After one of the tours, a professor from Northern Virginia Community College said how she’s lived here for 20 years and never knew these facts.

It’s one thing to read about it — and another to experience it.”

Another comment Mueller heard was from a young couple looking for something different. The tour triggered their curiosity about the past, and they enjoyed it so much that they plan to return this summer and take it again. Others have shared how the tour made them aware of the many restaurants and coffee shops in town. Especially during these COVID times, this is a safe, healthy activity that gets people out of the house and directs their focus on something interesting and outside of themselves.

After all, anything that has survived generations has stories to tell — to walk where history was made. Maybe it’s time to get exposed. ML To book a tour or find more details, visit historicleesburgwalkingtours.com or call 703-627-2840.

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Combating Homelessness in America’s Richest County One woman’s tenacious fight for the forgotten youth Story and photos by Laticia Headings

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lthough Loudoun County is the wealthiest county in America, it battles many of the same socio-economic problems as the rest of the country.

But these struggles are often invisible to the average resident.

“There are a significant [number] of homeless individuals in Loudoun,” Donna Fortier, the CEO and founder of Mobile Hope, says.

“It’s like any other county, we’ve got drugs, we’ve got abuse and we’ve got human trafficking and homelessness. I think with Loudoun

and any affluent county, if you don’t see it, you don’t think it exists.”

Mobile Hope is a non-profit that provides support and emergency shelter to at-risk youth (up to age 24) who have been precariously housed or homeless and empowers them to become self-sufficient.

Fortier first saw homelessness in Loudoun for herself when she was working for INOVA Hospital as the director of community affairs and mobile health services in 2011. She was in disbelief when a parent liaison in Purcell-

Founder and CEO, Donna Fortier, and Allyson Ruscitella, Director of Marketing and Community Engagement.

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ville asked the hospital to help with dozens of homeless youth in the area. “I said there’s no way in hell that the richest county in the country has homeless kids!” Fortier says.

That same year, Fortier helped develop a successful INOVA program, but quickly realized that the need for services outgrew her capacity at the hospital. Three years later, she branched out on her own and officially made Mobile Hope a 501c3 organization.

Youth | Page 37

Youth | From page 36 Fortier, who grew up wanting to be a surgeon for Operation Smile, quit her full time job, despite having no guaranteed salary and two kids still at home. “It was terrifying, but I realized that nobody was the voice for these kids and there was no program completely dedicated to this 18-24 year old population,” Fortier says.

Ten years later, Mobile Hope has garnered national attention, greatly expanded their list of services, and has a staff of 16 people. “We are a center of excellence for this population,” Fortier says. “We fill the void, whatever the void is for these kids.”

Mobile Hope provides a necessary stop gap for at-risk Loudoun County kids who are homeless, situationally housed, or just couch surfing. The non-profit feeds, clothes, and provides housing to help their clients become self-sufficient members of the community. The program also teaches them basic life skills such as budgeting, cooking, balancing a checkbook, applying to college, and writing a resume.

“One common thread is that these kids have all had trauma of some sort,” Fortier says. “We qualify them more inclusively than exclusively. If they walk through the door, they qualify, because we understand the pride it took to do that. We know they’re serious.”

Mobile Hope receives numerous referrals from law enforcement, probation and parole officers, the school system, and the faith community. “Kids will come in to see us or we’ll meet them where they are, sometimes that’s under a bridge,” Fortier says.

Every client goes through an assessment with a case manager, either Fortier or KC LeBlanc, a registered nurse and director of client support services, when they enter the program. Together, the managers see roughly 50–103 clients each month. “We work to immediately get them off the street, find out what their barriers and deficits are, and then identify both their short-term and long-term priorities in order to get them to the next level of self-sufficiency,” Fortier says.

Housing is usually the primary focus, but the non-profit encompasses the gamut of need, with everything from helping clients get a valid ID or birth certificate, to assisting with legal and mental health issues, to providing professional mentoring and transportation (often from donated vehicles).

For the past 10 years, one of the key components for Mobile Hope has been their big painted bus which delivers hot meals, food, clothes, diapers, and hygienic items to neigh-

borhoods eight times per month.

The “Listen for the Honk” program extended their services last year to help people during the pandemic, lifting the age restriction to serve anyone in need. They make 18 stops a week in Loudon and one each in Herndon and Chantilly. The bus route has also expanded into Fairfax, Prince William,

“One common thread is that these kids have all had trauma of some sort.

We qualify them more inclusively than exclusively. If they walk through the door, they qualify, because we understand the pride it took to do that. We know they’re serious.”

— Donna Fortier and Montgomery Counties, and goes into Washington D.C. on a quarterly basis.

Since last March, Mobile Hope has served 158,084 people with 2.9 million pounds of food, as well as clothes and other vital supplies. They also provided crisis care for 373 youth, 163 of them were homeless and sleeping in cars, stairwells, on rooftops, in tents, and under bridges.

“We are seeing a lot more anxiety, depression, and substance abuse so there’s also a significant need for mental health resources,”

Fortier says. Overall, the non-profit has seen a major uptick in clients since the virus hit.

“We’ve had a 548% increase in visits to our website just since December 1, 2020.”

Mobile Hope prides itself on making each client’s experience a positive one. “They often feel judged and sometimes come off as angry,” Fortier says. “We are that respectful, responsible voice for them. We will do everything in our power to help them reach their goals, but if we start to care more about their future than they do, that’s when we back off. It’s a lot of tough love.”

The organization fuels itself on celebrating the big and small wins with their clients. Almost 90% succeed in finding a job. “A lot of kids have been with us for 10 years and are gainfully employed and stably house,” Fortier says, smiling. “They check in when life blows up or to share a milestone achievement. It’s not a one-size-fits-all with this population.”

This January, Mobile Hope moved into a 10,700-square foot “campus” in the heart of Leesburg. It includes staff offices and room to grow their various client services. Plans for a trade school, teen lounge, gym with boxing ring, outdoor gardens, and a retail training center for their youth employment services program are all in the works. “These kids are missing a sense of community and belonging and we give them that,” Allyson Ruscitella says, the director of marketing and community engagement.

Part of the property includes an empty lot, zoned residential, where Mobile Hope has future plans to build an airstream community. “Clients will have the opportunity to help renovate the trailers, learning valuable trade and construction skills,” Ruscitella says, who holds a master’s degree in social work.

“We involve our kids at every step. It’s about bolstering their confidence and developing a path to self-sufficiency.”

Funding comes mainly from private donors and foundations. “We have truly humbling support from this community and tremendous partnerships, ranging from Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops to Fortune 500 businesses,” Fortier says.

The Mobile Hope team has much to celebrate even in such difficult times. Many of their clients come back to do peer to peer mentoring, helping long after they no longer need services.

“We have kids who are bringing in their friends, and that’s the biggest badge of honor we can receive because it proves they trust us,” Fortier says proudly. ML

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KEEPING UP WITH WELLINGTON MIDDLEBURGers UNDER THE P LMS Photos by Oli Jauretche for Prensa Polo

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