Since 1988 • Priceless
From the Bay to the Blue Ridge
March 2021
oldtowncrier oldtowncrier.com
Setting the Standard In Old Town Since 1979
march’21 A Division of Crier Media Group OTC Media LLC PO Box 320386 Alexandria, VA 22320 571-257-5437 office@oldtowncrier.com oldtowncrier.com Published the first week of every month. Worth waiting for! PUBLISHER Bob Tagert MARKETING & ADVERTISING Lani Gering Bob Tagert Meg Mullery SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE Ashley Schultz DESIGN & PRODUCTION Electronic Ink 9 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, VA 20175 703. 669. 5502 Sarah Becker Cheryl Burns F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Scott Dicken Doug Fabbioli Matt Fitzsimmons Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Jane Koska Miriam Kramer Genevieve LeFranc Sarah Liu
CONTRIBUTORS Cindy McGovern Meg Mullery Melinda Myers Billy Phibbs Ron Powers Kim Putens Julie Reardon Ashley Schultz Bob Tagert Aaron Tallent Carl Trevisan Ryan Unverzagt Lori Welch Brown
18
26
36
A Bit of History................................................................ 9
From the Bay...................................................................24
Pets of the Month.........................................................21
After Hours.......................................................................13
From the Trainer............................................................40
Points on Pets.................................................................20
Alexandria Events............................................................ 3
Gallery Beat.....................................................................14
Arts & Antiques..............................................................15
Go Fish...............................................................................42
Business Profile................................................................. 4
Grapevine.........................................................................36
Caribbean Connection...............................................22
High Notes.......................................................................12
Social Media Message................................................... 2
Dining Guide...................................................................34
Let’s Eat..............................................................................32
St. Patrick’s Day Special Feature..............................30
Dining Out.......................................................................31
Local Farmers Markets................................................... 3
Exploring Virginia Wines............................................37
National Harbor.............................................................44
Financial Focus.................................................................. 8
On the Road with OTC................................................... 1
First Blush.........................................................................41
Open Space.....................................................................43
To the Blue Ridge......................................................... 28
Fitness................................................................................39
Personality Profile............................................................ 6
Urban Garden.................................................................16
Publisher’s Notes.............................................................. 2 Road Trip...........................................................................26
Take Photos, Leave Footprints.................................18 The Last Word.................................................................11
© 2020 Crier Media Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The Old Town Crier is published monthly and distributed to select Alexandria residents, hotels, restaurants and retail shops. Also distributed in the Annapolis, Fredericksburg, Blue Ridge and Washington, DC areas and St. John, USVI.
On the road with OTC Jennifer (Reardon) MacGill, her sister Julie Reardon - who is also a contributing writer to the OTC - and the December issue of Old Town Crier were in Naples, Florida for New Year's Eve 2021. They rang in the New Year and soaked up some sun at their family condo. Jennifer and Julie both grew up in Alexandria. Jennifer lives in Woodbridge and Julie is in Fauquier County.
about the cover It's Cherry Blossom time! Photo by Ольга Бочкарева
Old Town Crier
With the travel restrictions in force due to the pandemic we haven't had many current submissions from our readers with their OTC's in hand while they are "On the Road". Until things get better, we would like you to send a photo of you and yours (including your furry family members) checking out the publication in the comfort of your own home/patio/pool or man cave or doing something fun and submitting it for publication. We can always create some fun captions! If you would like to see your photo in this space, take a high resolution shot and email it with a description for the caption to office@oldtowncrier.com.
March 2021 | 1
PUBLISHER’S NOTES
BOB TAGERT
Although February wasn’t brutal this winter we did have snowy and rainy weather for a good part of the month. As I write these notes it is 53 degrees and sunny outside with a high today of 61. Feels like spring. I hope this is a precursor to the entire month. Cherry Blossom time is just around the corner so we want to be sure the weather holds for them. While there won’t be all of the “normal” Cherry Blossom Festival activities this year, a drive around the tidal basin is always a welcome treat. If you are tired of being stuck at home, this month would be a good time to take a drive to Historic Ellicott City near Baltimore, MD. Read more about it in this month’s Road Trip. If Ellicott City isn’t far enough away, check out Scott Dicken’s Take Photos, Leave Footprints column, where he highlights five less travelled destinations. In Gallery Beat, Lenny Campello gives us another online art review, although he would rather be there in person. This month we returned to one of our favorite destinations, Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville to interview Sean McCaskey for the Personality Profile - whiskey with a melody. In her The Last Word column, Miriam Kramer gives us some insight into skin tones in The Vanishing Half. In Grapevine, Matt Fitzsimmons reveals the important role of the Vineyard Manager. Lori Welch Brown gives us some tips on how to “Quiet Our Worrying Machine in her Open Space column. In Business Profile read about Old Town’s one-stop-shop at the corner of King and Alfred Streets. If you plan to stay in on St. Patrick’s Day, check out the recipe for Irish Stew in Dining Out. The beer is your choice. We encourage you to patronize all of our local retail stores and restaurants as we are still muddling through the pandemic. Keeping them open for business is imperative to our community. If you do head for wine country this month, be sure to visit Barrel Oak, Vint Hill and Effingham Wineries, Fabbioli, Rappahannock and Pearmund Cellars. Great wines and great history at all of these locations. We have made it through one year of COVID-19. Even though the end is not in sight, we are headed in the right direction. I am still waiting for my vaccine shot and will hopefully receive it soon. Until then and after then, I will continue to wear my mask. I don’t like it either, but it has worked so far. Treat yourself to a pint or two on St. Patrick’s Day, don’t forget to turn your clocks forward on the 14th and welcome in spring on the 20th!
SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE
S
o many of us are guilty of having our faces glued to our phones, tablets, or computers constantly checking one or all of our social media sites on a daily basis. Yet, has it ever crossed your mind that this constant exposure to social media can be affecting your health? As a social media “guru” I don’t want to convince you that social media can be a health concern to you mentally and physically, I would be putting myself out of a job, but I want to let you know that it is ok to take a break and bring yourself back to the “real world” every once in awhile! Recently there have been studies that have linked social media use to depression, anxiety, and isolation. Users, both young and old, 2 | March 2021
May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields. – Irish Blessing
ASHLEY ROSSON
f o s t se c e f f E dia U h t l Hea cial Me So
e m i x? T t i Is a Deto for
are viewing profiles and pages of certain people and breaking under the pressure of unattainable standards of
beauty and success that they see on others pages. Although sites such as Facebook and Twitter are supposed
to enhance our sense of connectedness with other people, research has found that they actually have the
opposite effect; they render dedicated users lonelier and more isolated. Only using social media to connect to people lacks major elements of communication, such as eye contact, body language, the changes in voice, and physical touch. All these elements are key in human mental stability. Social Media can also have an effect on relationships with family, friends, and our significant others. Things that we post on our personal pages can have unintended consequences. Comments or jokes can all be taken out of context, especially in a medium that encourages quick sharing and rushed reading. Nels Oscar, who conducted a study on how SOCIAL MEDIA > PAGE 5
Old Town Crier
COVID-19 UPDATE With the current situation with the COVID-19 virus all schedules events have been cancelled. We will post as we get information, in the meantime we encourage you to connect with the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association at:
VisitAlexandriaVA.com Blog.VisitAlexandriaVA.com Facebook.com/VisitAlexandriaVA Twitter.com/AlexandriaVA Instagram.com/VisitAlexVA Hashtags: #visitALX
Alexandria `
Ramsey House Visitors Center at the corner of King and Fairfax is now open.
EVENTS & INFORMATION
LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS OLD TOWN FARMERS MARKET
ANNUAL ST. PATS DAY PARADE CANCELLED FOR 2021 MARCH 13TH – APRIL 3RD 11th Annual March150: Special Exhibition and Art Sale Torpedo Factory Art Center Studio 2 – Target Gallery 703-746-4590 Torpedofactory.org
Theater Movie Series 2021 Returns
CALENDAR > PAGE 7
Connect with us!
VisitAlexandriaVA.com • #visitALX • #ALXRestaurantWeek Blog: blog.VisitAlexandriaVA.com
VisitAlexandriaVA
AlexandriaVA
VisitAlexVA
Corner of Mt. Vernon and Oxford Avenues Saturdays, 8 am to Noon Year Round This market is strictly a producer grown market. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and salmon, fresh mushrooms, baked goods, hard cider. Farmers are within a 150 mile radius of Alexandria. A non-profit is featured each weekend.
OLD TOWN NORTH FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET Montgomery Park 901 North Royal Street Thursdays, 3 pm – 7 pm Year Round
5001 Eisenhower Avenue Tickets Purchased Online Alexandriadrivein.com
The very successful Alexandria Drive-In Theatre Movie series returns this month. Proceeds from the movie series will benefit local Alexandria charity, ATHENA Rapid Response Innovation Lab. Because of the 2020 season, ATHENA has been able to help build desks for hundreds of
Old Town Crier
The Old Town Market is thought to be the one of nation’s oldest continuing markets operating since 1753. It is said that George Washington sent his products from Mount Vernon to be sold here. Today the plaza is a mecca for farmers and artists to sell their wares. The Market is a primary source for meats, dairy, fish, fruits, vegetables and flowers for all those who visit.
DEL RAY FARMERS MARKET
March150, Target Gallery’s annual special exhibition and art sale, returns with a VIP viewing on Saturday, March 13! All proceeds will support new exhibitions and programs at Target Gallery and Torpedo Factory Art Center. These timed-entry VIP tickets will provide an exclusive opportunity to collectors and art lovers to get first pick of the work on sale in the exhibition this year. Tickets are timed in 30 minute increments, with 5 people permitted in the gallery at a time for safe and private viewing. We will be having a sneak peek viewing on Friday, March 12, for patrons to view the available work first. Art sales exclusively start for VIPs on Saturday, March13, and then open to the general public on Sunday, March 14. Masks are required in the Torpedo Factory Art Center and in the Target Gallery for the duration of your visit. http://torpedofactory.org/ event/11th-annual-march150-special-exhibition-and-art-sale/
Alexandria Drive-in
Market Square 301 King Street Saturdays, 7 am – 12 Noon Year Round
Alexandria’s favorite dog friendly market! The Old Town North Thursday Market is a growers only market with a focus on produce from small family farms and local artisans. Products sold at the market include fresh fruits and veggies from Virginia’s Northern Neck, Micro Greens from an urban farm, Empanadas, Fresh baked pastries with a European flair and much more.
FOUR MILE RUN FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET 4109 Mount Vernon Avenue Sundays, 9 am – 1 pm Year Round This market offers fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels and strives to reflect the diversity of Alexandria’s community. Local artisans display their arts and crafts as well Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, all guidelines suggested by the CDC, the Virginia Department of Health and the City of Alexandria are followed by the market managers and the vendors at these markets. March 2021 | 3
BUSINESS PROFILE LANI GERING
~ Old Town Shoe & Luggage ~ ~ Old Town Pack & Ship ~ ~ Old Town Mini-Mart ~
R
odrigo and Jenny Restrepo opened the doors to Old Town Shoe and Luggage in 1996 at their original location at 726 King Street. A few years went by and they decided that Old Town could probably use a place for its residents to take items to be packed and shipped and a place for mailing services so Old Town Pack & Ship AKA TOP Services opened its doors in 1999 at 615 King Street. Fast forward to 2006 when they incorporated both businesses into the current space on the corner of King and South Alfred Streets - 822 & 824 King. One would think that owning and managing two successful businesses would be enough to keep them busy but Rodrigo felt that there was a need for a place for locals to pick up food items and staples in Old Town without having to go to the mainstream grocery store. Hence, Old Town Mini-Mart opened its doors in January of this year. The Mart and TOP Services now operate out of the same space at 822 King. The Shoe & Luggage “division” of the Restrepo Enterprise have maintained 4-5 star ratings for years. The quality of the shoe and luggage repair is stellar and they take great pride in their work. They pride themselves not only on their work but on their customer service. I have had them repair several pairs of shoes and purses over the years and I can vouch for both. The store also has a large inventory of luggage and travel
4 | March 2021
accessories with every size you can imagine. They also carry a nice line of shoe maintenance products, shoe laces, etc. Probably one of my favorite things about this store is the fact that they have in-store feline “ambassadors” that can be seen lounging in the windows or among the many pieces of luggage throughout the store. I always stop and check the windows when I walk by. The Pack & Ship “division” is multifunctional to say the least and is known as TOP Services to many. Not only do they handle all of your packing and shipping needs, they provide a vast array of “services” - check cashing, faxing, money wiring, mail boxing and selling winning lottery tickets among them. The Old Town Crier has used TOP’s as their go to place for mailing subscriptions and shipping bundles to outlying distribution locations for well over 15 years. The Mini-Mart is the new kid on the block. Having only been open for a little over a month, it was bustling when I was conducting this interview. The inventory is growing by the day as they are figuring out the needs of their customers. Most recently they have added beer and wine to their shelves and are looking to expand that inventory. In addition to groceries and sundries, they also carry cell phone accessories and other electronic necessities. Next time you are in Old Town, stop in and check it out! Old Town Crier
SOCIAL MEDIA | FROM PAGE 3
social networking websites perpetuate stereotypes stated, “A point many people don’t understand when using social media is that their intent is often irrelevant. All people eventually see is the comment, without and other context, and have to deal with the pain it can cause.” Social Media can also affect our sleeping habits. A study of U.S. adults ages 19-32 found that the participants checked their preferred social media accounts for over an hour per day, on average, and about 30 times per week. 57% of these users reported sleep disturbances. Researchers suggested that the reason why social media users experience poor sleep include, that they feel compelled to be active on the site at all hours, including late night and the fact that exposure to bright screens before bedtime has been linked to disturbed sleep. Social Media can also affect productivity. Reports suggest that even when we are at work, we still succumb to the need to check out the newest “likes” and comments,
although we know we are not supposed to. Employees spend an average of 2.35 hours per day, accessing their social media accounts in the workplace. This leads to multi-tasking between work and keeping up with comments and the newest posts. When one multitasks, you lose the ability to focus on any one task at a time. This causes tasks that would usually take 10 minutes to take much longer. Maybe, this is why it is sometimes difficult to meet deadlines. If you were not able to make it through reading this column without checking your social media sites, maybe it is time to take a detox. Give yourself a few days, a week or a month simply just to disconnect, you might be surprised with the result! Ashley Rosson has her Master’s in Public Relations from Full Sail University. She also has her Bachelor’s in Entertainment Business, and Associate’s in Show Production and Touring. She is a self proclaimed “geek” and “cat lover” and wouldn’t have it any other way!
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Old Town Crier
March 2021 | 5
PERSONALITY PROFILE
I
f you have read the Old Town Crier in the past you have probably seen one of our articles featuring Rick Wasmund, founder of Copper Fox Distillery. This month we spotlight his business partner, Sean McCaskey. Sean is the Art Garfunkel to Rick’s Paul Simon, his Phil Everly to Rick’s Don Everly and Roger Maris to Rick’s Mickey Mantle. They compliment each other like smooth harmony and always hit it out of the park! In talking with McCaskey you begin to realize how laid back and thoughtful he really is. He speaks in measured tones and never gets overly excited...it is always that even, calculated, steady pace that brings his thoughts into clear view. Before he moved to Virginia, McCaskey worked with his uncles as a family crew of electricians working on power plants, the football stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and a couple of ethanol plants. He was also trying to carry on a long distance relation with Susan, his future wife, who he had met earlier in Austin, Texas. “Yeah, he begins, “she was travelling across country and went to school at the Hill School in Middleburg which was where my guitar 6 | March 2021
BOB TAGERT
SEAN MCCASKEY Rocker, Dreamer, Whiskey Maker player went to school.” At that time McCaskey had a band in Texas and he says, “yeah, I had a band, and basically, when I should have been in college I was playing music to those students.” Our band went down to a place called Hooteroll which was also the name of a Jerry Garcia album. We would just jam down, occasionally doing some original stuff, but mostly jammin.” McCaskey kept a band intact when he moved to the Commonwealth. The band was called Farhouse which was actually the name of the house he lived in. “It was incredible, we had bonfires and sometimes re-enacters would walk by and hang with us.” For one year he and Susan wrote love letters back and forth while only seeing each other twice during that year. One day after being up on a 250-foot high catwalk McCaskey thought, “I have had enough of this” and called Susan. They agreed that as soon as Susan could find a house he would travel to Virginia to begin the next
chapter. Susan found a house, with the help of artist Jay Burch, on Welbourne Farm and the journey began. Their neighbor was Rick Wasmund who was taking care of a farm across the way. The farm the McCaskey’s lived on was actually a retirement farm for horses as well as a Bed & Breakfast on the property. “It was great,” McCaskey says, “there would be these jazz parties with bands from New Orleans and New York.” As it turned out, there was no fence between the horses and the house so they would constantly have visitors. “We would hear something and look out to see a horse rubbing his butt against the window. We actually got to know the horses by name.” It was about this time that Rick Wasmund asked McCaskey if he wanted to be his partner in developing a distillery. Neither had any experience but after a few cocktails they decided... sure. Wasmund did travel to Scotland for a six week internship at Bowmore Distillery while McCaskey
began to put the plan together. They got into the current building in Sperryville in 2005 and renovations began. McCaskey’s electrician skill became a great asset as the old apple packing house was renovated. They started the malting process early on to get a step ahead. New equipment arrived and was installed. They had already malted the barley before they ran the stills. On January first they got the letter from treasury that they were approved and could begin to operate the distillery. As they say, the rest is history. Although McCaskey is no longer with a band he still takes the time to jam with others. He plays a number of instruments including standup bass, guitar, drums, saxophone and soon hopes to get a steel pedal guitar. He occasionally plays with employees Matt, a drummer, and Alex who is a keyboard player. “We sort of have a Copper Fox house band going,” he says. “My dream”, McCaskey says, “is to have my own recording studio at the distillery, and
Rick knows that.” The second floor of the distillery has been built out as living quarters and would be perfect for a studio. He also wants to get recording and video equipment and create a You Tube channel. “That way, when musicians are passing through they have a place to stay,” he laments. It appears to me that McCaskey is looking to give back! When asked what the future holds he says, “It is all about the time. I never make enough time, but when I do...it is so rewarding,” as I begin to see his vision. “I learned to play the sax in high school and then corrects himself...no, no, it was middle school...I was too cool in high school, too cool!” In addition to quality control at the distillery, he does everything else as well. Sean helps with the recipes for their single malts, ryes, bourbon and gin. He also contributes to the new special projects like the new, limited Inaugural series, which Sean hopes will save the country. As the saying goes... you’ve come a long way baby! Susan teaches at the Hill School in Middleburg and their daughter Caitlin is now ten years old. It is clear this troubadour has been successful on many fronts. As for the future at Copper Fox... the beat goes on... Old Town Crier
students in need in the DMV, and help provide custom made PPE for our local healthcare workers. In addition, ATHENA has been working with The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria in order to provide financial assistance for local students to attend college. B e sure to have your ticket out and ready at check-in. We will be scanning it to check you in! For the safety of our staff and other movie-goers, please be wearing a mask when checking in and any time you must step out of your car. Food trucks will be on-site each night providing delish, savory, and sweet concessions with online ordering through Goodfynd at goodfynd.com. ore show titles for April and May will be M announced in the coming weeks!
$40 Entry Fee per vehicle Gates will open exactly one hour before show time. Gates will close exactly 10 minutes before show time.
OLD TOWN Mini-Mart
March Lineup: 5th – Jurassic Park 7 pm 6th – Double Feature Despicable Me 6:30 pm Fast & Furious 9:30 pm 12th – Back to the Future 7 pm 13th – Double Feature Minions 6:30 pm Get Out 9:30 pm 19th – Hidden Figures 7:30 pm 20th – Princess Bride 7:30 pm 26th – Greatest Showman 7:30 pm 27th – Remember the Titans 7:30 pm
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F or tickets and more information: https://www. alexandriadrivein.com/movies
For all Movies:
office@oldtowncrier.com
CALENDAR | FROM PAGE 3
NOW OPEN! 822 King Street Old Town Alexandria, Virginia 703.549.7167 Open 5:00 am-Midnight
MARCH 20TH – APRIL 11TH Cherry Blossom Festival 2021 We’re excited to announce that the 2021 Festival will bloom this spring, with an innovative format that honors the tradition of the Festival, while prioritizing the health and safety of participants amidst the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s Festival is designed to incorporate both virtual and personal experiences for everyone to enjoy this spring! There will be events in Old Town Alexandria and National Harbor as well as in DC. For a list of both in-person and virtual events log on to the official Cherry Blossom Website at NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org
ABOUT ALEXANDRIA, VA Named a Top 5 Best Small City in the U.S. 2020 for three consecutive years by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards and one of the South’s Best Cities 2020 by Southern Living, Alexandria hums with a cosmopolitan feel and a walkable lifestyle—a welcoming weekend escape next to our nation’s capital. A nationally designated historic district founded in 1749, Old Town Alexandria is home to more than 200 independent restaurants and boutiques alongside intimate historic museums and new happenings at the waterfront. At the heart of it all is bustling King Street, a walkable mile recognized as one of the “Great Streets” of America. New restaurants tucked into 18th- and 19th-century architecture still intact from the city’s days as George Washington’s hometown ignite historic and off-the-beatenpath neighborhoods as the waterfront district evolves with new energy. Learn more at VisitAlexandriaVA.com.
Old Town Crier
March 2021 | 7
FINANCIAL FOCUS
CARL TREVISAN, CFP© & STEPHEN BEARCE
Four Things
W
hether you’re already investing or are just thinking about it, you should understand risk and the role it can play in a portfolio. And although it may seem simple enough on the surface, risk can be one of the most difficult concepts to grasp – especially for new investors. To help clear things up, here are four things you should know:
Risk has many faces. Usually when people talk about risk, they’re referring to investment risk: You purchase a stock at $50 a share, for example, and a year later it’s worth only $25. Investment risk is relatively easy to understand, and it’s measureable based on the ups and downs in an investment’s price. The more volatile it’s been, the more risky the investment is considered to be. Unfortunately, investment risk is only one type of risk that investors face. There are plenty of others that may not be as easy to understand or measure. For example, there’s: • Market risk. While investment risk has 8 | March 2021
to Know About Risk to do with a specific investment, there’s also the risk that the entire market will decline – remember what happened to stocks during the Great Recession – and pull your investment down with it. That’s market risk. • Inflation risk. Inflation is the overall increase in prices in an economy. It creates the risk that an investment’s return won’t be enough to overcome its impact. For example, if inflation runs 2% a year and your investment returns only 1%. That means you have lost “purchasing power.” As a result, even with your returns, it would buy less at the end of the year than at the beginning. • Opportunity risk. Some investors believe you can avoid risk by investing conservatively. However, there’s opportunity risk, which is the possibility of missing out on the chance to earn better returns by being more aggressive. This is just a small
sampling. There are other risks, including some specific to certain types of investments. For example, bond investors face default risk – the risk the issuer will fail to make interest payments or repay the bond’s par value at maturity.
It’s usually linked with return. Possibly the most important thing to understand about risk is its relationship with return. The two generally go hand-inhand: • If you put money into a low-risk investment, you should probably expect lower returns. • If you choose a higherrisk investment, you possibly could anticipate better returns. Of course, things don’t always work out that way. When you put money into a high-risk investment, you may not get better returns. In fact, you could end up losing your entire investment. But many investors continue to include riskier investments in their portfolios, often for higher return potential.
You should determine your tolerance. Your risk tolerance is simply how much risk you can comfortably live with in your portfolio. It sounds simple enough, but determining your risk tolerance can be challenging. There are tools, like questionnaires, available to assist you. In addition, one indicator that you’ve exceeded your risk tolerance is when you find your investments’ performance is keeping you awake at night – especially when there’s market volatility. You may have a relatively low risk tolerance, and that’s OK. However, staying within it and having a reasonable chance of reaching your goals may mean you need to adjust your objectives (having, say, $750,000 at retirement instead of $1 million). You may also need to lengthen your time horizon, which is how long you have until you need to tap into your investments. For example, you may decide you need to work until 68 instead of 65 so you have longer to invest.
Help is available. Because risk is complicated,
and it’s only one aspect of investing, you may need a professional Financial Advisor to help with building your portfolio. Look for one who will take the time to get to know you, including your risk tolerance, before recommending an investment plan. This article was written by/ for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Carl M. Trevisan, Managing DirectorInvestments and Stephen M. Bearce, First Vice PresidentInvestments in Alexandria, VA at 800-247-8602. Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANKGUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2020 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. Old Town Crier
A BIT OF HISTORY
©2021 SARAH BECKER
VA Civil Rights Memorial in Richmond. Photo courtesy of Richmond on the James
“I
am absolutely convinced that the forces of ill will in our nation, the people on the wrong side in our nation— the extreme rightists of our nation, have often used time more effectively than the people of good will,” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in 1967 in The Future of Integration . “And it may well be that this generation has to repent, not merely for the vitriolic words and violent action of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say ‘wait on time.’” After more than 110 years, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s statue has been removed from the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol. If Virginia’s Lost Cause advocates are riled others are quietly rejoicing. March is Women’s History Month and the Commonwealth has chosen to honor sixteen year-old, black student activist Barbara Rose Johns (1935-1991) instead. “It was time that Negroes were treated equally with whites, time that they had a decent school, time for students themselves to do something about it,” Johns explained. “There wasn’t any fear. I just thought—this is your moment. Seize it!” Barbara Johns 1951 “plan was daring, even risky: Convince the entire all-black student body to walk out of [Farmville, Virginia’s, Robert Russa Moton High School] and not return until the government gave them a bigger, better building—one like the white students had,” The New York Times noted in 2019. “The case Johns would join, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, would not only have the largest group of plaintiffs; it would also be the only one that was led by students.” The Davis case was one of five consolidated cases known as Brown v. Board of Education of
Old Town Crier
Celebrating Women’s History Month Topeka (347 US 483). On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. Virginia’s Byrd machine resisted. “Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability,” Dr. King continued. “It comes through the tireless effort and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God. Without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation.” “We all know the history of the system of segregation,” Dr. King made clear. “It had its legal beginning in 1896 when the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a decision [known] as the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision. This established the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ as the law of the land. Of course, we all know what happened as a result of the Plessy doctrine. There was always a strict enforcement of the ‘separate,’ without the slightest intention to abide by the ‘equal.’” With Plessy v. Ferguson
Drawing of Barbara Rose Johns from the Morton Museum in Farmville, Va.
(WNVMorton Museum.)
black newspaper editors like Alexandria’s Colored Republican Magnus L. Robinson denounced racial discrimination. On May 14, 1896, Robinson convened “a conference of colored delegates from the South…to arrange a plan of action in order that [blacks] may get full justice.” Until the mid-1930s enterprising Alexandria
blacks traveled to the District of Columbia for high school: to attend either Armstrong or Dunbar High Schools. Samuel W. Tucker—born in 1913—bootlegged his Armstrong High School education. Yet there was a white segregated public high school within sight of his home. “Justice requires us to remember that when any citizen denies his fellow, saying, ‘His color is not mine’ or ‘His beliefs are strange and different,’ in that moment he betrays America,” President Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX) said in his 1965 Inaugural Address. President Johnson signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 on July 2. “President Johnson’s highest priority legislative request— the Civil Rights bill—is lodged these days in the tiny, midVictorian chambers of the House Rules Committee in the southeast corner of the Capitol,” The New York Times wrote on January 12, 1964. “There amid antique mahogany and fading velvet, the 80-year old House Rules Committee Chairman,
Representative Howard W. Smith of Alexandria, Virginia, rocks back and forth in his swivel chair…This seems ever so quaint but it isn’t…A dedicated conservative, a Southern Democrat, Smith has killed, watered down or postponed more progressive legislation than any other Congressman in modern times.” “It comes back to the old question of the differences in philosophy between the liberals and the conservatives,” The New York Times continued. All ten Virginia members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted against the 1964 Act. In 1966 Gov. Mills Godwin threw “a blinding searchlight on one of Virginia’s sorest spots, education.” We have “nowhere to go but up” the Alexandria Gazette concluded. “[The fact] is inescapable,” the 1966 editorial explained. “Our education trails the nation – 38th place among the 50 states in almost every aspect. This must seem incomprehensible to the outsider since we are near the top of the heap in the matter of per capita income.” “There were many experiences in Barbara Johns’ life that had led her to organize the [1951] protest, but the catalyst came one morning when she had a particularly difficult time getting to school,” The New York Times recounted in 2019. “She had just finished helping her four younger siblings get dressed, shuffled them out the door and left for school herself when she realized that she had forgotten her lunch and ran back home to retrieve it. By then she had missed her school bus and wound up stranded on the side of the road trying to hitchhike a ride to make it to class on time.” “An hour passed, no luck,” The New York Times said. A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 10
March 2021 | 9
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A BIT OF HISTORY | FROM PAGE 9
“Then Barbara saw the ‘white bus’ go by; unlike her usual bus, a segregated one for black students that was always overcrowded, this one was half empty. ‘Right then and there,’ she later wrote in an unpublished diary, ‘I decided that indeed something had to be done about this inequality.’’’ “And so it was argued that the Negro was inferior by nature because of Noah’s curse upon the children of Ham,” Dr. King recalled. “The Apostle Paul’s dictum became a watchword: ‘Servants be obedient to them that are your masters.’” “The plan I felt was divinely inspired because I hadn’t been able to think of anything until then,” Johns admitted. Barbara’s “small, single-story school building, with more than 450 students, was so crowded that tarpaper shacks had been built outside to handle the overflow.” “Cold winter days made it especially difficult for the students there to concentrate,” Farmville’s Moton Museum added. “The school had shabby equipment, no science laboratories; no gym and no cafeteria…‘It wasn’t fair that we had such a poor facility, equipment, etc.,’ Johns wrote in her diary…‘From this we would formulate plans to go on strike…I would give a speech stating our dissatisfaction and we would march out of the school.’” The Robert Russa Moton High School strike preceded the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott by four years. The Greensboro, North Carolina, lunch counter sit-ins by nine years. Student leader Barbara Johns “hopes were high.” “People would hear us and see us and understand our difficulty and would sympathize with our plight and would grant us our new school building,” teen Johns thought. “The students would learn more and it would be grand….” The students boycotted Moton; then two weeks later the principal ordered their return. The teens were threatened upon arrival. Plan B followed: a hastily called meeting with the NAACP’s legal team. “Initially, nobody dared to dream beyond a separate facility with proper equipment and good buildings,” Johns told the Richmond Times Dispatch in 1988. “But once the lawyers explained that integration would be the best way for us to accomplish our goals, I said, ‘Certainly. Let’s go for it all.’” “We have seen an absolute crumbling of the system of legal segregation which pervaded
so much of the South and the border states for so many, many years,” Dr. King concluded. “But something else happened in 1954. “After examining the legal body of segregation, the United States Supreme Court pronounced [segregation] constitutionally dead. It said in substance that the old Plessy doctrine must go…that to segregate a child on the basis of his race is to deny that child equal protection of the law. After [the Brown decision] we noticed the psychological turning point where people by the thousands began to act. They started engaging in direct actions to fulfill the real ends… the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956; the sit-in movement in 1960.” “Truth,” Dr. King argued, “is the relatedness of facts… All over the country young Negro students are forced to attend inadequate, overcrowded schools, segregated schools. That is not only still true of the South, but it is still true all over the country.” Today’s resegregated schools also. Not until lawyer Samuel W. Tucker’s 1968 Green v. School Board of New Kent County, VA—a case argued one day before Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, assassination; the U.S. Supreme Court’s extension of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka—did Virginia School Districts implement full desegregation. Barbara Rose Johns was born in New York City, the daughter of Violet and Robert Johns, and moved to Prince Edward County, Virginia, during World War II. She led “a quiet life,” until the Moton strike. Miss Johns attended Spellman College; graduated from Philadelphia’s Drexel University and became a librarian in the Philadelphia Public Schools. Farmville dedicated its Library “to her in 2017.” Johns sculpture was unveiled on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol in 2008, as part of the Commonwealth’s Civil Rights Memorial. So many American women have impacted the course of history. But still they fight for equality; black women, white women, and women of color. It seems civil rights and equal rights are not always one and the same. In January 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. “The required 38 states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment [ERA],” U.S. Senator Ben Cardin [D-MD] wrote in January 2021. “The states have done their job to make this happen. Now Congress must finally do its job
and remove any legal obstacles to certifying the ERA.” The ERA’s so-called deadline was June 30, 1982. Senators Ben Cardin and Lisa Murkowski [R-AK]; Congresswoman Jackie Speier [D-CA] and Congressman Tom Reed [R-NY]—in bipartisan fashion—are making every effort “to remove the deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment.” S.J. Res. 1, 2021: “Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That notwithstanding any time limit contained in House Joint Resolution 208, 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972, the article of amendment proposed to the States in that joint resolution shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of threefourths of the several States.” “Since our country’s founding, women have been left out of the Constitution— intentionally,” Congresswoman Speier noted. “We were secondclass citizens deprived of basic rights to vote, enter most jobs, or own property. To this day, we are paid less for our work, violated with impunity, and disproportionately suffer the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enough is enough.” To paraphrase Barbara Rose Johns: It is time that women are treated equally with men, time that they have decent pay, time for Congress to do something to ensure women’s equality. There isn’t any fear. This is your moment. Seize it!” Certification of the Equal Rights Amendment is on life support. The 117th Congress has yet to schedule a vote regarding deadline removal. All those in favor of the timely passage of the 2021 House and Senate ERA resolutions say “aye!” Loudly! Sarah Becker started writing for The Economist while a graduate student in England. Similar publications followed. She joined the Crier in 1996 while serving on the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board. Her interest in antiquities began as a World Bank hire, with Indonesia’s need to generate hard currency. Balinese history, i.e. tourism provided the means. The New York Times describes Becker’s book, Off Your Duffs & Up the Assets, as “a blueprint for thousands of nonprofit managers.” A former museum director, SLAM’s saving grace Sarah received Alexandria’s Salute to Women Award in 2007. Email: abitofhistory53@ gmail.com Old Town Crier
THE LAST WORD
P
resident Barack Obama put Brit Bennett’s thoughtful, complex novel about identity, The Vanishing Half, on his list of favorite books from 2020. Her book follows the lives of Stella and Desiree Vignes, identical lightskinned African-American twins growing up in a small, self-segregating Louisiana community, from the 1950s to the 1980s. One chooses to retain her heritage, while the other decides to pass for white and leave her roots behind. After the past summer’s “Black Lives Matter” movement exploded, The Vanishing Half came out at the right time to become an instant bestseller. Its most prevalent theme is the ridiculous yet constant impact of racial identity on our lives, and how it defines us and limits or expands our futures in America. Mallard, an insular, closeknit hamlet not labeled on any map, discriminates against those with darker complexions. As an AfricanAmerican community, it was founded by the twins’ ancestor, a freed slave with a white father. As the creator he desired it to become whiter and whiter over time as lightskinned people married and had children, even if it was never known as being white by the outside world. It would become as white, and therefore as acceptable within America and a Black community that cherished lighter skin, as possible. Within the book, it feels symbolically as though the town cannot be identified on a map because it has become pale enough to disappear amidst the melting pot of Louisiana. Both twins are scarred indelibly by the lynching death of their father, a man seen by those outside their community as Black
Old Town Crier
MIRIAM R. KRAMER
regardless of his light coloring. At sixteen they secretly leave home one day for New Orleans, looking for a better future outside the strictures of a small town, leaving behind the memories of race-based cruelty. When the twins live together in New Orleans in the 1950s, the quiet, orderly Stella takes a job in New Orleans as a secretary, first deciding to pass as white because she would never be hired as a Black woman. After she becomes close to her boss, Blake, a white Yale graduate, he falls in love with her and asks her to marry him. The twins’ paths diverge completely in New Orleans. Having dropped her idea of attending a HBUC (Historically Black College or University) because she had no money, Stella disappears into the wider world of white America. If she cannot attend college, she decides to look for an easier future in which she does not have to be a maid or a nanny, a future devoid of the restrictions of being Black. To do so she breaks all ties with her twin and family, leaving her sister a brief note before disappearing and pretending to her husband and in-laws that her relatives are dead. She is haunted by her father’s death from racial violence, fears that cause her to sleep with a baseball bat near her bed. The more restless, rebellious Desiree accepts her Black heritage, moving from New Orleans to Washington, DC, and marrying a darker man. Her husband abuses her out of jealousy and the need to control her, concerned that she will leave him for someone else and accusing her of being uppity because she is so much lighter than him. Her child, Jude, is as dark as she is light. When they escape him, returning to Mallard to live with her
mother, Jude is treated at school as the Black “Tarbaby” among the whiter children, discriminated against by her peers. While Desiree finds happiness back in Mallard with an African-American bounty hunter originally hired by her husband to find her, Stella settles into the life of a well-todo housewife and hostess. Her young blonde daughter seems as white as Jude is Black. Stella is an unlikely rebel, but a rebel nonetheless: one afraid both of life as a Black woman and of being discovered not to be white. Like those around her rejects the idea of a Black family moving into her ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood, afraid of her own racial identity coming to the fore. Her ambivalence comes out as she tentatively makes friends with the wife, who is rejected by the community. The Vanishing Half is a wonderful book club selection for many reasons. Taking a deep dive into the book is as easy as falling. It is very well-written and easy to read. Bennett presents complex layers and facets of AfricanAmerican reality, but her story can be understood on the most human level by members of any dysfunctional family hiding secrets and struggling with alienation. It includes an African-American character transitioning from a woman to a man, thus adding to that character’s intersecting
identities, while sympathizing with and accepting his desire to become who he was meant to be. The author seems to validate his desire to be a man more than Stella’s urge to disappear into a calm, idyllic mainstream. We live in a country that is only now coming to terms with the idea of different levels of racial identity, such as being biracial. How fluid is racial identity? Which aspects of identity can we choose, and which are thrust upon us? How white does one have to be to be white? How Black to be Black? How can you be intimate with your family when you lie about your roots because you fear rejection for having Black ancestry? Is it worth abandoning one’s family for the ease of being white in a world that sees complexion as a value
judgment? How fluid is other kinds of identity, such as gender? The twins, the two halves that separate, do not remain completely apart as the book progresses. Their legacies are their children, and their children are released into a changing America that is not changing fast enough to answer questions of identities. Both are, according to America, “Black.” Stella and Desiree collide for the author’s sense of completion, and she keeps us on tenterhooks as the story progresses. Yet we are left with unanswered questions about the twins’ life choices and no simple resolutions. Nor are there meant to be. This is the thorny, tangled question of race in America, presented with beauty and empathy. March 2021 | 11
HIGH NOTES
I
was so excited when I heard the news that G.H. Hat–one of my all-time favorite artists– was coming out with a new single called “Piano Jam 3 (Ode to Kygo)”. We haven’t heard new material from this twice-Billboardcharting artist since 2018, so I was very excited to see what he has been cooking up. After a long wait for new music, I’m happy to report that “Piano Jam 3” does not disappoint. In fact, it exceeds all my expectations. This song creates a feeling that is simultaneously new and timeless. From the very beginning of the song, I was struck by the fact that it doesn’t remind me of anything I have ever heard before. It has such a pristine originality to it, and yet, at the same time, offers something so familiar. The song begins with a mysterious sounding melody played out on the piano. This is then followed by hammering piano chords accompanied by glimmering synth sounds dripping with a lovely delay effect. As the energy of the song picks up, we hear piano chords playing a steady straight rhythm along with melody lines provided by both piano and Rhodes-style keys. The Rhodesstyle keys add a feeling of hustle and bustle to the arrangement and couples nicely with the more emotive feeling that the piano melody emits. The different musical elements of the song come together in such a way as to create a feeling that shimmers with a mix of emotion. It’s this multidimensional characteristic of “Piano Jam 3” that gives the song its original feel. There’s something hopeful and happy about the song but at the same time there’s a somber “reflecting-on-life” kind of feeling in it. “Piano Jam 3 (Ode to Kygo)” is the sort of song that you can get lost in. It’s best enjoyed by letting go and letting the music take you for a ride. G.H. Hat does not follow a standard song structure so there are surprises throughout the listening experience. It’s not really a song you can predict but at the same time everything flows effortlessly. There’s nothing about this song that isn’t easy to listen to. I also appreciate the production 12 | March 2021
RON POWERS
decisions G.H. Hat made for this track. The sound of the piano struck me in particular. It has such a full and dramatic sound quality to it. While listening, it’s easy to forget that the arrangement is rather sparce. This effect is realized largely through a recording style
third addition to G.H. Hat’s Piano Jam series. You can find all three songs on his latest EP titled “Piano Jams”. If you’d like to learn more about G.H. Hat, you can find him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to listen to his impressive catalog of music, you can find it on
and performance that accentuates the full power of the piano’s sound. The more aggressive edges of the piano are rounded off nicely by the addition of mellow synth tones along with dreamy reverb effects. This combination of textures and tones come together to give “Piano Jam 3” its distinctive and enjoyable personality. “Piano Jam 3 (Ode to Kygo)” is the
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and most other places music is streamed or sold.
Ron Powers is an independent A&R specialist and music industry consultant, and is constantly searching for, discovering and writing about new talent. Old Town Crier
SPECIAL FEATURE
CAROL BAINBRIDGE
More Than Just St. Patrick’s Day March Holidays and Observances
M
arch is the month when spring officially begins and Daylight Savings takes root typically the second Sunday in the month. It can be a dramatic month with sometimes wild and shifting weather as Mother Nature tries to shed her winter coat. But as the seasons change from winter to spring, it’s the perfect time to review the special days, holidays, awareness weeks, and observances for March. You and your family can use March as an inspiration for learning more about health challenges and healthy habits. This is also a great month of the year to explore historical facts, interesting people, new concepts, hobbies, and all the things that make teenagers so awesome. And, of course, Easter and Passover sometimes occur in March and other times they don’t.
31 REASONS TO CELEBRATE IN MARCH Here are all the special days and observances you can celebrate in March, from silly to serious and everything in between. • March 1: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, Fun Facts About Names Day • March 2: Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, National Read Across America Day • March 3: World Wildlife Day • March 4: National Hug a G.I. Day, National Grammar Day, World Obesity Day, World Book Day • March 5: Employee Appreciation Day, National Day of Unplugging* (first Friday of every March) • March 6: National Dentist’s Day • March 7: National Cereal Day • March 8: International Women’s Day • March 10: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, National Old Town Crier
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Oreo Cookie Day • March 11: Johnny Appleseed Day • March 12: Plant a Flower Day • March 13: National K-9 Veterans Day, Genealogy Day • March 14: National Pi Day, Learn About Butterflies Day, National Potato Chip Day • March 15: The Ides of March • March 16: Freedom of Information Day, National Artichoke Day, National Panda Day • March 17: St. Patrick’s Day • March 18: Supreme Sacrifice Day, National Biodiesel Day, Absolutely Incredible Kid Day* (third Thursday of every March)
March’s Birthstones March has two birthstones, not unlike some of other months. Aquamarine is the first birthstone for the month, which symbolizes youth, health, and hope. Bloodstone, which looks very different from aquamarine, is a type of quartz known for its fiery flecks of red, representing strength and stealth.
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Publishers Note: This column courtesy of TheSpruce.com
• March 19: National Poultry Day • March 20: Equinox Earth Day, First Day of Spring*, International Day of Happiness • March 21: National Teenager Day, International Day of Forests, World Down Syndrome Day, World Poetry Day • March 22: World Water Day • March 23: World Meteorology Day, National Puppy Day, American Diabetes Alert Day • March 24: World Tuberculosis Day, National Cocktail Day • March 25: Tolkien Reading Day, International Waffle Day • March 26: Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, National Spinach Day • March 28: Respect Your Cat Day • March 29: National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day • March 30: I am in Control Day, Take a Walk in the Park Day, National Doctors’ Day • March 31: World Backup Day
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March 2021 | 13
GALLERY BEAT
F. LENNOX CAMPELLO
O
Top: Manon Cleary (1942-2011), Ramon After Lunch. Center: Allen Carter (1947-2008), Duck, c. 1979. Bottom: Franklin White (b. 1943), Ashtray, 1973. Photos by Greg Staley
14 | March 2021
COVID CASUALTIES CONTINUE
ne of the art casualties of the Covidian Age has been a good and proper art review. After all, reviewing an art show strictly online, while saving gas and also apparently saving the planet, is just not the same. But as of the writing of this article, the Covidian monster is still killing people, the Communist dictators who brutalize the Chinese people are still saying “nuthin’ to see here folks…”, the President is now wearing two masks at once, and art galleries are still mostly online… thus here we go… again. Beginningless Endless: Works by Shanthi Chandrasekar (at the McLean Project for the Arts) is the title of the show by this wildly talented artist, and Chandrasekar scores points right away with perhaps the best title ever to describe her work! She writes about her work: “Ever since I can remember, curiosity has been my driving force, leading me to ask questions about everything around me. This has led to my constant explorations and experimentation of ideas and thoughts based on scientific and philosophical inquiry. Combining scientific fact and theories with my wild imagination has been fruitful in creating artwork that questions our known reality and seeking to learn more about the unknown.” I struggled over the years in finding words to describe her immensely unique
work – but perhaps because online you get to see them all at once in an elongated, scroll-down mode, it came to me: they are timeless. And I don’t mean that in the egghead interpretation of that description. I mean that in the sense that if someone dropped those spectacular works of art into a time-traveling ship and dropped them into an art gallery of the year 50,000… no one would blink an eye. And yes… painting will still be around 48,000 years from now, and art lovers would still be mesmerized and hypnotized by the timeless beauty of Shanthi Chandrasekar’s art. We just went forward 48,000 years now let’s go back a few decades. Over at American University’s gorgeous museum, Jack Rasmussen continues to showcase his immense curatorial muscles and deep commitment to being the main DMV museum to pay attention to its back garden of artists (I’m looking at you Hirshhorn) and the DMV’s precious art history. “The Long Sixties: Washington Paintings in the Watkins and Corcoran Legacy Collections, 1957-1982” is a survey of paintings by Washington artists that “tells the story of political engagement (or lack thereof) in the arts during the “long” 1960s.”
GALLERY BEAT > `PAGE 15
Old Town Crier
GALLERY BEAT | FROM PAGE 14
Lisa Montag Brotman (b. 1947), Playing for Keeps, 1980.
M In arc W ter h 8 om na t en tio h is ’s na Da l y
Jeff Donaldson (1932-2004), Patriot, 1975.
Courtesy Kravets Wehby Gallery.
Carol Brown Goldberg (b. 1940), Blue Bricks, 1968-1978.
Curated by AU Museum Director and Curator Jack Rasmussen, the exhibit contains selected paintings that draw upon memories of what Rasmussen calls “a formative time” in his life. AU tells me that “the narrative addresses the history of systemic racism and sexism in the arts, and its enduring impact on the art shown in museums today. It also emphasizes the need for politically engaged art through the present day.” “My perspective includes the acknowledgement of persistent, systemic gender and racial injustice, bias, and violence that was present in the ‘50s, laid bare in the ‘60s, and continues to the present day,” Rasmussen said. “It is clear to me that the defining characteristic of most white mainstream art made between 1957 and 1982 in Washington was an adherence to aesthetic and commercial constraints that encouraged artists to remain silent when their voices are most needed. What pushback there was against this tendency was led by Black and women artists, whose work has been systematically underrepresented in the collections of Washington museums.” The paintings are selected from the museum’s collection of works in its Corcoran Legacy Collection and Watkins Collection, both of which contain exceptional works by regional Washington, D.C. artists (none better than one of my works… cough… cough). Also on view are selected borrowed works that present some of the many artists too often omitted in museum collections.
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March 2021 | 15
URBAN GARDEN
I
n the spirit of the month of March and one of the Old Town Crier’s favorite celebration days – St. Patrick’s Day – we thought you would like to know the secret to growing these lucky plants! Stories have it that shamrocks won’t grow any place other than in Irish dirt. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. The word, “shamrock” is the English form of the Irish word “seamrog,” which means “little clover” and clover is something that grows just about everywhere. If you’d like to grow shamrock, also known as “white clover,” you’ll find it to be a fun and flowering, low maintenance plant. Read on to learn how to grow shamrock: 1. Select a good plant by looking for one with new growth, a few flower buds just opening and more ready to bloom. You can grow shamrock from seed, but starting with a plant is much more reliable. 2. While it can be grown outside, it does best indoors. Shamrock needs bright light (not full sun) and moist, well drained soil until its two- or three-month dormancy period in the winter. That’s when you’ll need to keep the plant in a cool, dry area and the soil barely moist until spring when watering should resume.
to 65 F and don’t let them get any warmer than 70 to 75 F during the day. Plants habitually exposed to warmer environments will go dormant quicker. 5. Fertilize your shamrock once a month during the winter and spring growing periods. A liquid or water soluble fertilizer works best. When the plant stops growing, fertilize every other month until it goes dormant. 6. Protect your shamrock against the occasional attack of aphids or whitefly. A natural and safe insecticidal spray can be made at home by chopping up onions and
chilies, simmering them together. Shamrock is fairly disease free, susceptible only to root rot if you keep them too wet. WARNING: Be careful where you place your shamrock plant because if it is ingested by pets, it can cause them to suffer kidney failure or worse. Publishers Note: Credit for this article is given to contributors from ehow.com. To read more on “How to Grow a Shamrock” log on to www.ehow.com!
3. Place plants in trays or flower boxes for best results. Shamrock grows from the tip by sending out runners that take root. Being in containers allow the tips to make contact with the soil to produce the runners. 4. Keep your plants cool at night, about 50
16 | March 2021
Old Town Crier
DO YOUR PART TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
KEEP YOUR DISTANCE • WASH YOUR HANDS THROW PROTECTIVE ITEMS AWAY IN THE TRASH YOURSELF! AND PLEASE... WEAR THAT MASK! Old Town Crier
March 2021 | 17
TAKE PHOTOS, LEAVE FOOTPRINTS
SCOTT DICKENS
Photos: Scott Dickens
These Countries Need Love Too!
T
ravel bucket lists are my ultimate clickbait. camping to 5-star luxury. So what Nothing is more likely to have me feverishly are Namibia’s highlights? reaching for my mouse than ‘The Top Etosha National Park: Spanning 8,600 square destinations to Visit in 2021’ or ‘The Most miles, and dominated by the Etosha Salt Pan, Surprising Must-Visit Locations’. I’m also a Etosha National Park in the north of Nambia is an hard numbers man - which naturally attracts me wildlife-lovers paradise. The park hosts big cats, the to hard data rather than the subjective travel lists endangered black rhino and is a breeding ground and personal preferences you so often see. From for flamingoes on the park’s salt pan in January and an unapologetically British perspective that means February. all roads lead me to the masters of British data; the Soussusvlei: In case you were wondering, a vlei, , Office of National Statistics (or the ONS for those is the Afrikaans word for a marsh. Namibia’s vleis are in the know). By now you might well be thinking salt and clay pans surrounded by high red sand dunes that you don’t like the sounds of where this article is and they represent one of the country’s key tourist going, but stick with me, it gets more interesting, I attractions. Most notably they are a photographers promise. You see, the ONS, in addition to publishing dream; the contrast of the dead blackened camel its more traditional (and mind-numbing) labor thorn trees against the red dunes and white pan floor market and economic analyses, also publishes an provide a postcard picture every time. annual travel trends analysis which delves deep in Damaraland: Damaraland is probably one of the to the travel proclivities of the British populous. In most scenic areas of Namibia and isn’t exactly your addition to highlighting the obvious (for example, typical safari destination. It’s a vast wilderness area that the British like to holiday in Spain) the data that plays host to populations of desert-adapted also highlights those countries least visited by the elephant and Rhino. good people of the UK. At no time in history is that Swakopmund: Namibia’s capital of extreme sports kind of information more useful than right now, provides ample opportunity to try your hand at when avoiding mass tourist destinations for the sandboarding; sea kayaking with seals and dolphins; foreseeable future is highly advisable! In sky diving; dune buggying; quad biking through the this article I’ve picked five previously listed desert; and shark fishing. ■ ONS destinations that I’ve visited and that Seek ou t wildlif e in Beli definitely deserve more attention from ze my tourist brethren at this time of social distancing. ■ lei ia’s Dead V s of Namib e n u d e th Scale
NAMIBIA If you visit my website (takephotosleavefootprints.com) with any regularity, then you’ll have noticed my affinity for Namibia. As a result, you could hardly expect me to ignore the fact that it has consistently been a least visited destination. Stunning scenery, abundant wildlife, and plenty of adventure; Namibia has it all. Having spent around three months there I can still say I haven’t seen even half of what Namibia has to offer. It’s also one of the easiest and safest of the African safari destinations to self-drive; meaning that companies catering to visitors who want to ‘go it alone’ are becoming ever more prevalent and cater to everything from budget 18 | March 2021
from 300 to 900 AD and despite their age a number of large Mayan temples remain largely intact and ready to explore in their jungle setting. Ocean Habitats: Where to start?! Belize is one of the best spots on earth to be a scuba diver or snorkeling fanatic. With sites such as the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, the Blue Hole and Turneffe Islands Atoll it’s no wonder that divers from around the world visit Belize. The Belize Barrier Reef spans an incredible 185 miles of the country’s coastline and the world-famous “Blue Hole” is visible from space. Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Reserve: Recognized as the World’s first jaguar preserve, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS) is a stunning place for a day of hiking amongst crystal-clear waterfalls, mountain rainforests and an abundance of wildlife. Although the jaguars are predictably difficult to spot (they’re nocturnal after all) you’ll stand a chance of spotting puma, margay, jaguarundi, ocelot, wildcats, tapir and deer. ■
rough Canoe th ess ern the wild ana in Botsw
BELIZE Sitting wedged between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize is fast becoming one of the most popular ecotourism destinations in Central America alongside Costa Rica. Together with its pristine white-sand beaches and tropical jungles Belize offers some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities in the world; largely thanks to it being the home of longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. Throw in a whole host of Mayan archeological sites and Belize has a fascinating allure for anyone with a sense for adventure. Archeological Sites: For budding Indiana Jones’ Belize has an abundance of Mayan archeological sites including Lamanai archeological Reserve, San Ignacio, Altun Ha and Caracol Natural Monument Reservation. Belize’s Mayan culture was at its height
A N A W S T BO As I was writing this article, and trying to whittle down the list of destinations to five that I wanted to write about I found myself making tough choices between Botswana, Rwanda and Swaziland; all of which offer world-class wildlife opportunities. In the end it all came down to my shock that Botswana was on the list in the first place. With both Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta within its borders I found it impossible not to write about Botswana. Both parks also offer a unique water-based safari experience that can be Old Town Crier
offered barely anywhere else on earth. So, what does Botswana have to offer I hear you ask: The Okavanga Delta: The Delta provided me with one of the most memorable ‘get your hands dirty’ safaris I’ve ever been on. Joining the safari from Maun, we took (led by a local guide) a dug-out tree canoe three hours in to the delta for a three day safari experience (including digging out our own toilet) in the wilderness on one of the thousands of ‘islands’ that grow and then shrink (or disappear) across the delta during the wet and dry seasons. It truly is one of the best safari destinations in Africa. Chobe National Park: One of my favorite safari destinations is Chobe. Located in the north of Botswana with the north-eastern section of the park bordering Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia, it is probably best known for having one of the highest concentrations of African Elephant anywhere on the continent. With easy access from Kasane International Airport and Livingstone Airport, it’s one of the most accessible wilderness areas in Africa. The park also offers a great chance for ‘multi-modal’ safari by land, boat or houseboat. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: The Park is a vast wildlife preserve in the Kalahari Desert region of Botswana and South Africa, bordering Namibia to the west. Its stunning red dunes and dry rivers support a diverse array of wildlife including migrating herds of wildebeest and springbok, as well as predators like raptors and black-maned Kalahari lions. ■
Hike th rolling larough Kyrgyzs tan’s ndscap es
KYRGYZS
TAN
One of the biggest benefits of visiting
the Ganvie, Explore ” of Africa “Venice Kyrgyzstan is that as a destination it still isn’t really in the eye line of most tourists. Now whilst this might mean you won’t reap the ‘benefits’ of an established tourist trail and infrastructure, it does mean that your experience is more likely to be genuine, immersive and representative of life in the country. I spent two weeks hiking in the country’s Tien Shan mountain range and soon found myself being invited into yurts to sample the family’s fermented sheep milk balls (otherwise known as Kurut and not as ominous a story as it initially sounds). So what exactly does Kyrgyzstan have to offer tourists? Lake Issyk Kul: This lake is by far the most popular tourist attraction in Kyrgyzstan. Located slap bang in the middle of the Tien Shan mountains it’s also the world’s 2nd largest saline lake (the largest being the Caspian Sea) and the 2nd largest alpine lake (the largest being Lake Titicaca). In addition to lounging on the lake’s many beaches the area is a gateway for hiking and skiing in the spectacular surrounding mountains. Karakol: Hot springs (Ak-Suu and Altyn Arashan), trekking, mountain climbing, horseback riding and skiing (Karakol Ski Base) are all on offer in Karakol, which is located at the far end of Lake Issy Kul. Of all of the hotspots in Kyrgyzstan Karakol is probably the town with the most tourist appeal. Once all of the adventure activities have you tired out Karakol offers a wealth of cultural attractions such as the Karakol Historical Museum, Dungan Mosque and Slavyonski Bazar. Adventure Sports and Activities: A somewhat ridiculous 94% of Kyrgyzstan is covered in mountains, so it’s no wonder that the country has been given the slogan “the Switzerland of Central Asia” (admittedly, I never said that it was a particularly catchy slogan). Anyhow, with so much undulation and stunning scenery it’s hardly a surprise that adventure activities play a prominent role in the country’s fledgling tourism industry. In addition to an abundance of trekking companies you’ll find plenty of options for white water rafting, skiing, mountain biking and horse riding. It’s an adventure lovers paradise! ■
BENIN
Benin probably isn’t at the top of your bucket list! For myself, having visited too many times to count for work, I’ve had the chance to dig a little deeper into what the country has to offer. I can say with certainty that this tiny francophone country, sandwiched between Togo (west), Nigeria (east), Burkina Faso and Niger (north), is well worth a visit – particularly for the experienced Africa traveler looking to get off the beaten track. Benin’s highlights include: Cotonou and Ganvié: Cotonou is Benin’s largest city, economic capital and seat of government (although the official capital is Porto-Novo). It’s also home to the country’s only international airport. Cotonou is also a great base from which to explore Ganvié, lovingly referred to as the ‘Venice of Africa’, which is the largest stilted water settlement in Africa and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Pendjari and ‘W’ National Parks: They may not have the tourism infrastructure (or indeed the ease of access) of the big east or southern African national parks, but if you’re looking for a high-adventure safari in West Africa then you should look no further than Pendjari and W which support healthy populations of elephant, West African lions, African leopards, spotted hyena and North-West African cheetah as well as a similarly healthy dose of savannah-dwelling herbivores. Ouidah: Ouidah is central to the history and culture of Benin for two reasons. The first is its central role in the slave trade between the 17th and 19th centuries. Over the course of that time it has been estimated that over 1,000,000 people were transported across the Atlantic originating from Oudiah beach. Ouidah is also notorious as the center of the Vodun (Voodoo) religion; making it the perfect place to visit for the annual Festival of Vodun every January. In summary, if you want to visit a voodoo temple filled with pythons then this is the place to do it! ■
Want to learn more about the countries featured in this month’s article? Be sure to head on over to takephotosleavefootprints.com! Old Town Crier
March 2021 | 19
POINTS ON PETS
E
verybody’s heard that the reason there are no snakes in Ireland is because St. Patrick chased them into the sea. In reality, Ireland wasn’t a good place back then to practice herding snakes, and it still isn’t today. Scientists believe there were never any snakes in Ireland to begin with. That’s because if any snakes had ever lived there, they would have perished during the Ice Age. Subsequently, Ireland’s separation from the European mainland kept new snakes from recolonizing the island. Ireland reported its first venomous snake bite – ever – in March 2020, when a man
was bitten by his “pet” puff adder, a large, dangerous species native to Africa. While we don’t know much about this incident, it certainly illustrates the danger of keeping a snake
Snakes are a polarizing group of animals! It seems that people fall at the ends of the lovehate spectrum, rather than in the middle. Snake fans
Snakes the Myth, the Legend, the Pet!
capable of a venomous bite. It’s safe to say that venomous animals of any sort should be approached with caution and not kept as pets.
appreciate the animals’ beauty, uniqueness, and interesting behaviors. Fans know that, contrary to some misconceptions, snakes are not slimy. They’re smooth and
Guides and advice for prospective snake (and other reptile) owners: avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/selecting-pet-reptile separc.org/buyer-guide u.osu.edu/pets4life/pet-care-basics/reptiles/ vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/reptiles---choosing vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/snakes-owning www.thesprucepets.com/snake-species-1239472 www.reptilesmagazine.com/
Wild snakes in the U.S.: www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/ www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/default.html
St. Patrick and snakes in Ireland: www.mentalfloss.com/article/93417/why-are-there-no-snakes-ireland www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/03/05/ireland-snake-bite-saint-patrick/ www.irishpost.com/news/dublin-man-falls-victim-first-recorded-venomous-snakebite-ireland-180658
20 | March 2021
shiny and muscular. Snake lovers also understand that snakes are an important part of the ecosystem, and their presence benefits humans as well. A single snake, depending on its size and species, can eat dozens of rats and mice in a year. Many of us can satisfy our interest in snakes by visiting an accredited zoo or aquarium where we can safely view
them from a distance. Also, some local nature centers exhibit snakes, and are a great place to see native species up close. Some snake aficionados, though, choose to keep snakes as pets so that they can enjoy watching the snake at home and even handling it (after proper instruction). Prospective snake owners can consult a myriad of sources providing advice on acquiring and keeping snakes, such as the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Pets 4 Life at The Ohio State University, and Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (SEPARC). (See references below.) Some general things a snake keeper needs to be prepared for include: Investing in a habitat that
JANE KOSKA
meets the snake’s needs and provides it a stimulating environment. A good habitat includes places to hide, to climb, to drink and soak, and to explore. Snakes must have a source of heat, usually a heat lamp or pad, but also need a cool spot in their space. Habitats should be big enough for the snake to stretch out, and definitely have to be escape-proof! Feeding the snake the food it needs. There’s no “snake chow.” All snakes are carnivores, that is, they eat other animals. For safety reasons, snake owners typically don’t feed live prey, but condition their pets to accept dead prey, often frozen/thawed or freshlykilled rodents. This can be difficult for some people. Learning to safely handle the snake – and what to expect. Snakes, like all reptiles, are ectothermic. This means that their body temperature depends on the environment, and so in turn does their metabolism and activity level. Put simply, cold snakes are slow snakes. This also means that snakes seek heat sources. While they’re not exactly cuddly, snakes that are used to being handled will get close to humans for warmth, sometimes crawling into unexpected places. Also, snakes can’t be house-trained, so it’s pretty likely you’ll be pooped on if you handle enough snakes. And of course, non-venomous pet snakes are capable of biting, and may do so when startled or if they feel threatened. Ensuring proper veterinary care for the duration of POINTS ON PETS > PAGE 21
Old Town Crier
POINTS ON PETS | FROM PAGE 20
the snake’s life. Snakes are lower maintenance than dogs or cats, but they are not maintenance-free. They require medical care just like any pet and may need to see a vet who specializes in reptiles. Moreover, snakes can live as long as 20 years. Complying with ordinances and regulations that pertain to keeping snakes. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, and can typically be found on the jurisdiction’s website. Owners should be sure to check state, county, city, and even
apartment building rules. Once a prospective snake owner understands what is involved with keeping a snake and is prepared to welcome one home, it’s time to choose the species. Experienced reptile keepers recommend corn snakes, milk snakes, and king snakes, which are easily raised in captivity and have the reputation of being calm and gentle. A more experienced owner might want to choose one of the tropical constrictors. Experts recommend the ball python, which doesn’t get too large and tends to be fairly placid. Large constrictors, like
the reticulated python and Burmese python, which can grow up to 20 feet long and 200 pounds, are dangerous and make poor pets. Their size and temperament can become too much to handle, and irresponsible owners have released these nonnative snakes into the wild, where they have devastating, disruptive effects on the ecosystem. Pet snakes are best acquired from knowledgeable, reputable breeders, frequently at reptile shows. Animals raised in captivity are likely to be healthier and live longer than those in the wild.
While the Commonwealth of Virginia allows residents to catch and keep certain native snakes, there are distinct downsides to doing this: you could put yourself and the snake at risk of injury; a wild snake is more likely to have health problems and parasites; and capturing it would remove an important component of the ecosystem.
Jane Koska is an animal lover who appreciates all creatures, from ants to whales, although she’s a little creeped out by hyenas and is still looking for something good to say about cockroaches. She lives in Washington, DC, with two adorably fluffy young cats.
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PETS
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JESSIE
Adult, Female, Brown Rabbit
4101 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria, VA 703-746-4774 alexandriaanimals.org Mon-Fri, 1-8 pm Closed Wed Sat & Sun, 12-5 pm
Old Town Crier
Hi there! My name is Jessie, and I am a cute little female bunny who really wants to find a home of my own. I love being around people and am not shy at all. If you pet me, I will be your friend forever! I am very soft and cuddly and even come with a built-in lucky rabbit’s foot. And you will never have to worry about me making too much noise -- a big benefit to adopting a rabbit! So schedule an appointment today to come and see me. You will be glad you did! Jessie’s Photo courtesy of Dirty Paw Photography
RIZZO
Adult, Male, Gray and White Domestic Short Hair Looking for a spunky little cat who will keep you entertained for hours? Well look no further! My name is Rizzo, and I am an adorable gray and white two year old kitty who is looking for a loving person or family to spend my life with. As I am still young of course I like to play with toys, but what I like even better is playing with my person. Once you start to pet me I will roll over on my back and grab you with my little paws -- it is actually quite cute! You will frequently see my paw playfully peeking out of my kennel trying to get the attention of anyone passing by. I am also a big talker -- I give a big meow to everyone who walks by. So make an appointment to come see me today. I think you will find me quite entertaining!
BEN
Adult, Male, Black and White Terrier Mix Meet Ben! Ben is 1 year old, and while we do not know anything about Ben’s past, we have learned he is friendly, energetic and smart! Ben loves toys and treats and would love to show you how well he knows “Sit.” Ben wants nothing more than to find a family to hike, play, learn new tricks with and even relax and watch Netflix before bed! Is the pup for you?
Adopt by appointment at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Schedule an in-person or virtual appointment at AlexandriaAnimals.org/ Adopt-By-Appointment.
March 2021 | 21
CARIBBEAN CONNECTION BILLY PHIBBS
H
ow I wish to write about something other than the New “Covid” World we live in but unfortunately this invisible predator still lingers amidst our society much like a flatulent, still stinking. Spring is a time of rebirth. A time to shed the old dead skin of winter and frolic about in the sun, the joy of new life and new beginnings in the air. Instead we still skulk about, panting behind our sweaty masks, arguing over vaccines and the old days when we only had things like the flu or cholera to worry about. For those in the states the burden of a snowy winter has made cabin fever all the more frigid and unbearable. Now eager to flee to someplace warm, many locations are still toting a hefty amount of hurdles for travel or still not allowing travelers to visit at all. But Hark! Rumor has it that with merely a test and a ticket you can travel to the Virgin Islands! Airfares are ridiculously low and deals are popping up on VRBO and AIrBNB daily! This is true. Unfortunately many who have been visiting lately have forgotten that we are in fact a home to many, not just a tourism turnstile designed for partying and debauchery. Even though our islands may seem to be comparable in size to some popular theme parks, that is not the 22 | March 2021
atmosphere that we wish to promote. Every March, St. John usually plays host to the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s day parade. This holiday event is unfortunately cancelled this year due to Covid but there is a reason why it was designed to be the smallest of celebrations. For an island that is 19 miles square, it is scaled to a size that is accommodating to the community. Recently, our guests have taken on a new form of traits as well. A new breed of travelers more akin to the resorts of Cancun or Lake Havasu. Here are some imaginary situations that might help one understand what I mean: Earlier this month an inebriated party of 7 visiting from the Rutger University Alpha Chi Phi fraternity forgot what sidewalks were used for and caused a major traffic buildup in Cruz Bay. When questioned they drunkenly repeated “We can’t find Brother Todd?! Have you seen Todd?” They were cited for jaywalking and one member had urinated in his pants. Since this was
technically conducted in public he was cited for public urination as well. Just last week the Mitchell’s family reunion was mistaken for an impromptu rally near town square. This was met with harsh words after the unmasked ringleader of the group, a fourth generation Aunt Karen, told onlookers to “mind their own damn business” and began randomly filming innocent bystanders. Starfish market employees have reported mask wearing has become less of an issue but some seem to be getting mask placement confused. A female patron appeared to have been wearing a series of linked together masks to cover her breasts and as a bikini bottom only. Commended for her valiant efforts to keep the community safe, she was still angry when asked to cover herself more appropriately when entering a public market. As a tourist area we are quite used to an influx of guests at varying times throughout the year, but this February, the end of winter/ spring fever spike has been unbelievably high, constant, and wild, so to speak.
Vacation is vacation and everyone is welcome to a good time but when your actions seem to create a stir amidst a usually mild mannered community, you may find St. John is not the place for certain antics. The Virgin Islands are a great spring retreat when used properly. Miles of pristine beaches, hiking trails and adventures at sea along with great dining, bars and overall atmosphere are just some of the highlights that make the USVI an amazing place to visit year round. Just imagine how the residents of Florida would feel if Sturgis Bike Week suddenly relocated to Disney World. Fairly certain Mickey and Minnie wouldn’t be whistling “zippity-do-dah” with the same passion as usual either. This is not to say that all visitors have come with the intent of reckless abandon. Many are seasoned island veterans who have come to get the much needed reprieve from their stateside homes or first timers who have come for a taste of paradise and the freedoms that the island life has to offer. Also a notable attribute of
some visitors that is uncalled for is serial entitlement. A rather baneful traveler remarked “it is best not to bite the hand that feeds!” to a fellow service industry worker this past week. This awful slogan is one only spoken by the foulest of guests, those that bleed privilege and feel as if they are doing us a favor of sorts with their company. Our economy was hurt by the pandemic yet our pride stands firm. Although many of us work in the service based industry, this prerogative leaves a lasting impact, one that leaves a nasty blemish for future guests to unknowingly have to erase. If this is your outlook while visiting the Virgin Islands you might want to rethink your spring travel plans or travel altogether, for your own safety at the least. St. John is quite welcoming but does not consider anyone persons visit a charity or commodity. So as you sit and stare out your frost covered windows and dream of turquoise water and swimming with turtles, take into account not only the ambiance you seek for your spring break vacation spectacular but the atmosphere. If wet t-shirt contests, conga lines, all-inclusive resorts and body shots seems to be your fancy, you might want to keep searching. If you want somewhere CARRIBEAN CONNECTION PAGE 23
Old Town Crier
CARIBBEAN CONNECTION FROM PAGE 20
calm to unwind, relax, and regenerate your soul with some sun on a socially distanced beach sipping a can (no bottles on beaches) of Corona (beer not virus), then the Virgin Islands might just be what you need.
About the Author: Phibbs is a Rutgers Graduate originally hailing from NJ. He now lives in St. John with his island wife Cory Emerson and Renfield.his nefarious cat. An English Major during college and an avid dabbler in the black art of creative writing over the last 20 years, Billy and Cory also run a grocery provisioning service, Landlubber Logistics. Having spawned this service amidst the Covid 19 pandemic, it was designed to help community members and flourished into a luxury service for villas. Using social media as his platform, he seeks to educate himself as well as adventurers to all the magic St. John has to offer...and bring them groceries.
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March 2021 | 23
FROM THE BAY
Celebrate the Inaugural Annapolis Oyster Fest
T
he Downtown Annapolis Partnership has launched a new event called the Annapolis Oyster Fest to help boost sales for local restaurants, Maryland’s Waterman, and a Maryland-based brewery this March 1st to 21st. This event has also partnered with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to raise funds for Chesapeake Bay restoration projects, shell recycling, and oyster restoration efforts. The restaurants in the downtown Annapolis area will feature a wide variety of oyster dishes, oyster stew, oyster po’boys, oyster shooters, and raw and grilled oysters on the half shell. A few of the restaurants are already announcing some of their menu items including Luna Blu Ristorante Italiano will be serving baked oysters with leeks, parmesan & bacon with a dash of cayenne, the Annapolis Market House will have a Tall Timbers Oyster Stew, Federal House is offering four different oyster dishes including the BOLT Sandwich: bacon, fried oysters, lettuce and tomato on wheat with spicy remoulade, and both McGarvey’s and Buddy’s Crabs will
have local oysters for $1 each. Expect to find another dozen or two more restaurants posting their oyster special menu items on the website. The oyster dishes will be available through participating restaurants for both dine-in and carry-out. Eastern Shore Brewing Company is partnering with the restaurants to create Maryland craft beer specials during the event that will complement their oyster dishes. Most restaurants will have these specials available for both dine-in and carryout. Oysters have been a local favorite for centuries and with modern oyster farms, you can now have fresh oysters year-round in Annapolis. With most oysters consumed in restaurants, this past year has been particularly tough for local oyster farms as restaurants had to cut back indoor capacity. The slowdown in sales has not only impacted the restaurants and waterman, but it also affects the Chesapeake Bay. Most oyster shells from restaurants are recycled and used for establishing new oyster beds in the bay and its tributaries. The event is hoping to also raise funds on
its website for the Chesapeake Bay Foundations oyster restoration efforts. “This event supports our local restaurants, suppliers, waterman, and the environment,” says Erik Evans, the Executive Director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership who partnered with the Maryland Department of Agriculture and others in creating the event to safely help several local industries recover from the past year of dealing with shutdowns and limited capacities. At the end of this event, the Downtown Annapolis Partnership will be launching Annapolis Restaurant Week (March 20-28) which will offer both dine-in and carryout options this year. These events will also coincide with Maryland Day Weekend (March 19-21) which will have several local historical and cultural sites along with the tall ship Pride of Baltimore II open for socially
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
ANNAPOLIS OYSTER FEST
MAR. 1-21 distanced tours and virtual events for free or $1. Annapolis Oyster Fest Restaurants will be posting their oyster dishes and their Eastern Shore Brewing Company beer specials for dine-in and carryout at www.AnnapolisOysterFest.com
To add some fun to the event, the Downtown Annapolis Partnership will be giving away 100 dozen oysters during the promotion. To enter for a chance to win a dozen oysters just post a picture with you and oysters on Facebook or Instagram, tagged with #AnnapolisOysterFest
24 | March 2021
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Historic Ellicott City
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St. Paul's Catholic Church 26 | March 2021
Photo courtesy of mapio.net
A Pleasant Surprise!
his month’s Road Trip took us to Ellicott City, Maryland. Unfortunately, over the last five years the biggest publicity that Historic Ellicott City has gotten has been the devastating news of the floods of 2016 and 2018 but one would never know it was so severely affected by the looks of this quaint little town today. Ellicott City was founded in 1772 and built along the Patapsco River. It is located 10 miles west of Baltimore and at the site of the Tiber River, along with other connected tributaries, causing it to be vulnerable to severe flooding. Before the 2018 flood, Ellicott City was pretty much submerged during the 2016 Maryland flood on July 30th. That flooding was considered an oddity, likely only occurring once every 1,000 years. When we recently drove to Ellicott City we did not notice any residual problems from the floods. The town is nestled in a small valley that lies along the Patapsco River. It is what you could call a “vertical” town. Walking is the best form of transportation as street parking is minimal but the town does have large free parking lots. This quaint city is a picture perfect little place with many shops, restaurants, galleries, salons and museums. Most of the shops are situated on Main Street which runs through the center of town. There are also many shops, etc. located on the side streets that intersect Main Street and they are walkable as well.
On the snow covered day that we were there the town had a vibe of a ski resort nestled at the bottom of the mountain. Indeed, on snowy days the 150 foot elevation from the town can make for a nice short ski run. The city is a five block historic district. Ellicott City is also home to the oldest surviving railroad station in America and was the original terminus of the first 13 miles of commercial railroad in the country. Today that train station is a museum that was made from the abundance of granite from the surrounding hills. The museum is known for its living history exhibits and volunteer re-enactors, including “The Civil War: A Maryland Story,” “Roads to Rails,” “World War II, the Home Front,” and the annual Holiday Model Train Exhibit. The last grist mill to be operation in Maryland is located at the bottom of Main Street on River Road on the Patapsco River. Ellicott City is also home to the first federally funded highway. Also of interest to the baseball fan – the historical St. Paul’s Catholic Church that Babe Ruth was married in is located just off of Main Street and for you Davy Crockett fans, he was known to have spent some time in the City. Stop in at the Visitors Center and ask for more information about these two. Guess by now you can tell that this is a great place for a history buff to visit, but don’t
ROAD TRIP > PAGE 26
Old Town Crier
Train Station Museum
The Phoenix Brewery & Pub Left: Photo courtesy Bob Tagert Below: Historic Ellicott City
Cute Tonge Row
ROAD TRIP | FROM PAGE 26
discount those who just want to stroll, shop and eat in a very unique setting. There is something for everyone. Unfortunately, shopping wasn’t on the agenda due to the time constraint, but eating was and there are some fun eateries along Main Street. We walked by quite a few and decided to go with some hearty bar food on the chilly day. We chose Phoenix Brewery on Upper Main for our lunch destination. This is my kind of place. A converted old lumber yard is now a very comfortable restaurant and bar. All of the old wood is indicative of the old buildings heritage and two large beer vats behind a glass partition provide the libations for the restaurant. We sat at the classic bar (pandemic protocols all in place) and were served by a very personable young woman. She was a wealth of information for sure. All of the available draft beers are house made so……for the beer drinker, this place rocks. Old Town Crier
While the alcohol selection was somewhat lacking, I was still able to get a Myers Rum but my partner was out of luck with the Bloody Mary she was craving. They do have some “craft” cocktails on the menu that looked pretty tasty but we were on a timeline so couldn’t test them out this trip. Lunch was excellent for sure. The next time we are in town, we are told we need to check out some of the best Mexican fare in area at La Palapas. Turns out it is right across the street from where we were. We did notice places catering to all of you wine drinkers, coffee addicts and “healthy” food cravers as well. Historic Ellicott City is only a little over an hour drive from Alexandria (depending on traffic) and various routes are available as you head NNW from the Beltway. We normally try to find the less traveled backroads to our Road Trip destinations but we went the direct route both there and back. No matter which road you take, it will be worth the trip.
Ellicott City Railroad March 2021 | 27
TO THE BLUE RIDGE
JULIE REARDON
Well....she got me something that isn't even 500 words so we can make the pics big! I am attaching a Mud Bogging image she sent - it has an odd extension so I copied the link she sent below - but we need a steeplechase and maybe a Horse/Dog Show image. The March 2019 issue has a couple of nice steeplechase images on page 26 & 27 (I don't have the images in my files so I am assuming you got it from stock pics somewhere).
Piedmont Point to Point
Photo by Nancy Milburn
A
spate of relatively mild winters lacking any newsworthy snow or ice events (despite the networks’ best efforts to invent them) have also left us with mild mud seasons. None worthy of mention. But come on out to our sodden dirt roads and swollen creek beds in western Loudoun and Fauquier counties, we’re making up for lost time. Still, it is the COVID 19 pandemic, not the mud, that is putting the brakes on this year’s outdoor activities.
Dog and Pony Shows & Mud Bogging As pandemic quarantine 28 | March 2021
and restrictions continue to affect what and how events can be held, some organizers are getting creative. Certain horse and dog shows are now holding online competitions with contestants videoing themselves and sending it in to be judged against other entrants in that division. The cyber judging is no different than at an actual event. And, you need not worry about getting a truck and/or trailer stuck in spring mud. Now, if you happen to think getting muddy is fun, mud bog racing really is a thing and you can find them at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.,
on the middle peninsula of the Rappahannock and York rivers). They offer six classes of racing, all run in an elimination format of pairs of drivers advancing toward a final. Other venues offer races for ATVs and even shoe leather runners can find extreme cross country events that incorporate mud into the course.
Racing over fences— Point to Points and Steeplechasing Once the surest harbinger of spring in Virginia, last year most spring race meets were either cancelled or run with limited to no spectators. An
abundance of caution dictated that hunt meets cancel or reschedule their March events again this year. The larger, late spring steeplechases are postponing theirs, with the hope later dates will allow some or their normal amount of spectators. Horse racing as a national spectator sport fared better than many sporting events last year, since much of its revenue comes from parimutuel and online betting. But the small local point to points derive most of their income from admissions sales and without spectators, it costs too much to put these races on for no audience.
Locally, most of the small meets had to cancel last year as did the early meets this year. Without a clear policy direction on numbers and social distancing logistics for large outdoor gatherings, a few of the larger spring meets have been postponed and are hoping the later dates will accommodate spectators, too. Foxfield Races near Charlottesville in April are cancelled for 2021, but the Middleburg Spring Races and Virginia Gold Cup have both been set for later dates. Middleburg Spring to May 1 and the Gold Cup, moves from the first Saturday in May to the 29th of that month. Old Town Crier
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Old Town Crier
March 2021 | 29
ST. PAT’S DAY FEATURE
Stained-glass window of St. Patrick from Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Junction City, Ohio
S
t. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
The First Parade The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Over the next thirtyfive years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called “Irish Aid” societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums. In 1848, several New York Irish aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world ‘s oldest civilian 30 | March 2021
2013 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland.
parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly three million people line the oneand-a-half mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Savannah also celebrate the day with parades including between 10,000 to 20,000 participants.
moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.
Wearing of the Green Goes Global Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North
Women in green. Photo by William Murphy
America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia. In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish
Photo: Garry Knight
government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland ‘s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.
No Irish Need Apply Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country’s cities took to the streets on St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys. However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the “green machine,” became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick’s Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City ‘s St. Patrick’s Day parade, a proud
Barstool Sports Taps Old Town’s Fish Market Congratulations to The Fish Market on receiving a Grant from Barstool Sports. This past year has been very difficult for most all businesses. I know that we have felt the decline in revenue here at the Old Town Crier. State and Federal governments have stepped up to the plate with Payroll Protection money that, depending on use, will hopefully be considered a grant as opposed to a loan that needs to be repaid. Dave Portnoy, Founder of Barstool Sports, began a program of helping businesses during this pandemic. Jesse Maas, Director of Operations at the Fish Market Restaurant got together with Managing Director and CEO of the Landini Restaurants, Noe Landini, and put together a video of the Fish Market operations and sent it to Portnoy. One afternoon Maas’ phone rang and there was Portnoy on a Facetime call to let him know that their application had been approved. After gathering and providing other necessary information, the Fish Market awaits receiving their first check. We at the Old Town Crier would like to congratulate Noe and Jesse on their hard work and also for their continued support of our publication. It is good to see that the Fish Market, one of the oldest restaurants in Old Town, was so kindly rewarded!
Old Town Crier
DINING OUT
T
THE GASTRONOMES
his month’s column is going to take on a little different vent. March is the month of all things Irish in the USA and Old Town used to do their part with one of the best St. Patrick’s Day parades along the east coast. Alas, the “Rona” has put the squelch on this year’s parade and all of the fun activities that went along with it. However, this won’t prevent our local dining establishments from celebrating with corned beef and cabbage
specials and maybe a green beer or two. You can bet the farm that O’Connell’s and Murphy’s will be taking the lead in celebrating the wearing of the green on the 17th and a good portion of our other eateries in the area will follow suit. We encourage you all to partake in the celebration by patronizing our local establishments any way you can. They are bending over backwards to follow pandemic protocol to make sure your experience is “safe”
There isn’t just one recipe for Irish stew (Irish: stobhach or stobhach Gaelach). Recipes can vary from home to home or region to region, but all are agreed that the meat must be lamb—mutton can be used, but this is meat from an older sheep and is less tender, fattier and has a stronger flavor. Another point of agreement is that the dish must include at least onions and potatoes. Many are adamant that carrots and celery are a must. The purist will insist it must also contain pearl barley, which acts as a thickening agent. The meat used is not the best cuts of lamb, but the cheaper ones such as shoulder, leg or shank. This famous meat stew is different than most in that the meat is not browned. In French culinary parlance, it can be cooked blanquette style. Pretty much the only difference between Irish stew and the beef stew Americans are familiar with is the meat itself.
and satisfying. In the meantime, we also realize that there are many of you who have still opted to shy away from dining out and may be a little tired of carry-out so we decided to share Charles Oppman’s Irish Stew recipe for you to make at home. Looking forward to next year when things should be back to “normal” if we all get our vaccines, keep masked up and remember to wash those hands.
Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces 1/2 salt 1/2 ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 1 large onion, diced 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch sections 1/2 cup pearl barley (optional) 4 cups beef broth, canned is acceptable 3 large red potatoes, peeled and quartered 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary ½ cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Directions Heat oil over high heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add lamb pieces and cook over medium heat, stirring gently, but do not allow to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add onions, bay leaves and beef broth. Cover and simmer over low heat until meat is slightly tender, but still undone—approximately 20-30 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes and barley. Cover all ingredients with beef broth. Replace lid and cook until meat and veggies are fork tender—approximately 20-30 minutes. Stir in parsley and rosemary. Taste again for salt and pepper; adjust as necessary. Serve piping hot in bowls garnished with sprig of fresh parsley or rosemary. Serve with hearty brown bread and butter. Best consumed with a pint of Guinness.
Old Town Crier
March 2021 | 31
LET’S EAT
CHARLES OPPMAN
W
ith Easter coming early in April this year, I think it’s time to break out the lamb recipes. When we think spring lamb, most of us think of that boneless roast or a bone-in leg, but let’s try something different. Of course, French cut lamb chops are wonderful, but expensive and lack flavor. Why not do lamb shanks? This is a great cut of lamb for several reasons—fairly inexpensive, bursting with flavor, soft texture and high collagen (when heated, collagen dissolves to provide flavor and gelatinous texture). A meat shank or shin is the portion of meat around the tibia of the animal, the leg bone beneath the knee. Since the leg muscles are well developed they tend to be tough must be braised or slow-baked in the oven. This recipe calls for the braising in the oven. As with any cut of lamb, the shanks are delicious with mint sauce. Please don’t resort to mint jelly. Fresh mint sauce is a snap to make. You just add mint leaves and a pinch of sugar to the natural juices. This is an easy recipe that you’ll love. One caveat, the bone in lamb shanks can be large (this is a good thing because this means more flavor) so compensate for this when judging how many shanks to cook. A nice Grenache blend is a good wine to pair with this entrée.
Ingredients:
Method:
3-4 pounds of lamb shanks ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon table salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup onion, diced 1 cup celery, diced 2 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped 4 bay leaves 1 teaspoon thyme leaves 2 cups beef broth, canned is fine 1 tablespoon Worstershire sauce 6 sprigs fresh mint, finely chopped
• In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven heat the oil over a high flame. Salt and pepper the shanks and sear in hot oil on all sides to form a brown crust. • Remove and set aside browned shanks. Add the garlic, onion, celery, thyme leaves and bay leaves to the hot skillet. Cook over medium to high flame for 3 minutes. • Add shanks back to the skillet. Add beef broth and Worstershire sauce. Either place covered skillet in a preheated 300ºF oven or simmer over low fire. Cook until shanks are fork tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. • Remove shanks from skillet and set aside. Strain sauce into a separate container. Skim any oil from surface and discard. • Return sauce to skillet and reheat. Add chopped mint leaves, salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Reduce sauce until desired consistency is achieved. If too thick add a small amount of canned beef broth. Adjust seasoning to taste. • Serve with oven-roasted potatoes or couscous and asparagus. Serve sauce in a separate container as desired. Garnish plates with sprigs of fresh mint.
32 | March 2021
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March 2021 | 33
DINING GUIDE AMERICAN
ADA'S ON THE RIVER 3 Pioneer Mill Way 703-638-1400 AUGIE’S MUSSEL HOUSE 1106 King Street 703.721.3970
LORI'S TABLE 1028 King Street 703-549-5545 LOST DOG CAFE 808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511
BLACKWALL HITCH 5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090
MACKIE’S BAR AND GRILL 907 King St. 703-684-3288 mackiesbarandgrill.com
CAFE 44 44 Canal Center 571-800-6644 CHADWICKS 203 Strand St. 703-836-4442 CHART HOUSE One Cameron St. 703-684-5080 CITY KITCHEN 330 South Pickett St. 703-685-9172 fatcitykitchen.com COLUMBIA FIREHOUSE 109 S. St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776 EVENING STAR CAFÉ 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051 EXECUTIVE DINER & CAFE 1400 Duke Street 703-299-0894 FIVE GUYS 725 King St. 703-549-7991 FOSTERS GRILLE 2004 Eisenhower Ave. 703-725-1342 GADSBYS TAVERN 138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288 GRATEFUL KITCHEN 727 N. Henry Street HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050 HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969 HOPS 'N SHINE 3410 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-566-1509 HUMMINGBIRD 220 South Union Street 703-566-1355 JACKS PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372 JOE THEISMANNS 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777 JUNCTION BAKERY & BISTRO 1508 Mount Vernon Avenue Alexandria 703-436-0025 LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313 THE LIGHT HORSE 715 King Street 703-549-0533
34 | March 2021
MAGNOLIA’S ON KING 703 King St. 703-838-9090 MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117 MASON SOCIAL 728 Henry Street 703-548-8800 mason-social.com MURPHYS IRISH PUB 713 King St. 703-548-1717 murphyspub.com NORTHSIDE 1O 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-888-0032 OAK STEAKHOUSE 901 N. St. Asaph St. 703-840-3395 OCONNELLS RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 PORK BARREL BBQ 2312 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-822-5699 THE PEOPLES DRUG 103 N. Alfred Street 571-257-8851 RAMPARTS 1700 Fern St. 703-998-6616 rampartstavern.com RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. Hollin Hall Shopping Center 703-347-7545 riverbendbistro.com ROCK IT GRILL 1319 King St. 703-739-2274 RT's RESTAURANT 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-684-6010 rtsrestaurant.com SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266 SLATERS MARKET 1552 Potomac Greens Dr. 703-548-3807 SMOKING KOW BBQ 3250 Duke Sttreet 703-888-2649 SONOMA CELLAR 207 King St. 703-966-3550 SOUTH BLOCK 106 N. Lee Street 703-465-8423 SOUTHSIDE 815 815 S. Washington St. 703-836-6222
Please Contact your favorite restaurants for updates on their "Social Distancing" policies. SWEETGREEN 823 King St. 571-319-0192 SWEET FIRE DONNA'S BBQ & HOPS 510 John Carlyle Street 571-312-7960 T.J. STONES GRILL HOUSE & TAP ROOM 608 Montgomery St. 703-548-1004 tjstones.com TOASTIQUE GOURMET TOAST & JUICE BAR 1605 King Street 571-312-1909 UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com VERMILLION 1120 King St. 703-684-9669 VIRTUE GRAIN & FEED 106 South Union St. 571-970-3669 VOLA’S DOCKSIDE GRILL & THE HI-TIDE LOUNGE 101 North Union St. 703-935-8890 THE WAREHOUSE BAR & GRILL 214 King St. 703-683-6868 warehouseoldtown.com ASIAN
ASIAN BISTRO 809 King St. 703-836-1515 KINGS RANSOM 728 King Street 571-319-0794 KISSO ASIAN BISTRO 300 King Street 703-888-1513 MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710 MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600 NASIME 1209 King St. 703-548-1848 SIGNATURE THAI 722 King Street 707-888-2458 STREETS MARKET AND CAFE 3108 Mt. Vernon Ave. 571-431-6810 THAILAND ROYAL 801 N. Fairfax St. 703 535-6622 TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 Canal Center Plaza 703-683-8878 CAPHE BANH MI VIETNAMESE 407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800 KAI ZEN TAVERN 1901 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-836-1212 SISTERS THAI 503 Montgomery St. 571-777-8154
THE SUSHI BAR 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue 571-257-3232 CONTINENTAL
BRABO by Robert Weidmaier 1600 King St. 703-894-3440 CEDAR KNOLL GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-780-3665 OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN 1024 Cameron Street 703-717-9361 TEMPO 4231 Duke St. 703-370-7900 temporestaurant.com VILLAGE BRAUHAUS 710 King Street 703-888-1951 villagebrauhaus.com FRENCH
BASTILLE 606 N. Fayette St. 703-519-3776 bastillerestaurant.com BISTRO SANCERRE FRENCH 1755 Duke Street LE REFUGE 127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661 FONTAINES CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151 LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854 TWO NINETEEN RESTAURANT 219 King St. 703-549-1141 ITALIAN
BUGSYS PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313 FACCIA LUNA 823 S. Washington St. 703-838-5998 HANK & MIMI'S PIZZA AND PASTA 600 Montgomery Ave. 571-312-4117 IL PORTO RESTAURANT 121 King St. 703-836-8833 LANDINI BROTHERS 115 King St. 703-836-8404 landinibrothers.com LENA’S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA & TAP 401 East Braddock Rd. 703-960-1086 MIA'S ITALIAN KITCHEN 100 King Street 703-997-5300 MICHAEL’S LITTLE ITALY 305 S. Washington St. 703-548-9338 RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873
MEDITERRANEAN
TAVERNA CRETEKOU 818 King St. 703-548-8688 tavernacretekou.com PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194 DELIAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. 703-329-0006 VASO'S MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO 1118 King Street 703-566-2720 VASO'S KITCHEN 1225 Powhatan Street 703-548-2747 SEAFOOD
HANKS OYSTER BAR 1026 King St. 703-739-HANK FISH MARKET-OLD TOWN 105 King St. 703-836-5676 fishmarketoldva.com ERNIES ORGINIAL CRABHOUSE 1743 King St. 703-836-0046 THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834 WHISKEY & OYSTER 301 John Carlyle 703-567-1533 INDIAN
DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd. 703-660-6085 DIYA 218 North Lee, 2nd Floor 703-706-5338 NAMASTE 1504 King St. 703-970-0615 MEXICAN LATIN SOUTHWESTERN
CASA TEQUILA (next to Crate & Barrel) 1701 Duke 703-518-5312 CHOP SHOP TACO 1008 Madison Street 571-970-6438 DON TACO TEQUILA BAR 808 King St. 703-988-3144 LOS CUATES RESTAURANT 1116 King Street 703-548-2918 LOS TIOS GRILL 2615 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-299-9290 LOS TOLTECOS 4111 Duke St. 703-823-1167 TAQUERIA POBLANO 2400-B Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-TACO (8226) TEQUILA & TACO 540 John Carlyle Street 703-721-3203 URBANO 116 116 King Street 571-970-5148 Old Town Crier
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Who Said March Was
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March 2021 | 35
GRAPEVINE
MATT FITZSIMMONS
Left: Early Mountain Vineyards grapes and vines. Top: Sharon Horton of Horton Vineyards. Bottom: Maya Hood White at Early Mountain Vineyards.
“G
reat wine is made in the vineyard” is a common cliché in the wine industry. Yet no matter how repetitive this statement seems, that doesn’t make it any less accurate. While winemakers are often the public face for most wineries, the vineyard managers who plant, cultivate and harvest 36 | March 2021
grapes play an equally crucial - if less famous - role. Winegrowers make a host of decisions long before the grapes are made into wine. What vines make the best sense in the vineyard? On which blocks should they be planted? What sprays should be used to protect against insects and disease? Should the grape clusters hang an extra week for optimal
ripening, or should they be picked before rot, bad weather, and pests take their toll? The list seems endless. This role is underappreciated because most consumers don’t understand how difficult it is to grow wine in Virginia. While California benefits from near-optimal growing conditions, Virginia winegrowers must contend
with the occasional lateseason frost, high humidity, and the threat of early hurricanes. It’s also a relatively young wine region, still learning what practices and vines work best for its terroir. Katie Henley of Casanel Vineyards once bragged that if you really want to learn how to make wine, come to Virginia, because that’s where the real challenge is.
Fortunately for me, I was able to speak with two experts in the field of viticulture; Sharon Horton of Horton Vineyards, and Maya Hood White of Early Mountain Vineyards. Both shared their opinion on how far Virginia’s viticulture has come and the direction it should go next.
Sharon Horton, winegrower and owner of Horton Vineyards Sharon Horton knows plenty about viticulture; she’s been growing grapes GRAPEVINE > PAGE 38
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DOUG FABBIOLI
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inemaking takes a lot of science, a good bit of artistic creativity and, although many don’t like to talk about it, a fair amount of challenging business sense. And it’s all based on the fruit that the winery grows or can buy and turning that into wines that the customers will buy. In an ideal winemaking world customers would buy all the wine the winemaker makes, and the winemaker would be able to grow and use all of the grapes they need. But that’s not realistic. Many times, more grapes grow of a certain variety than the customers are buying, so the winemaker needs to find a home for the grapes they don’t need. Buying and selling grapes at harvest time is an important part of the business of a winemaker. Later in the process, they can sell off excess wine after their own blends are made, or purchase someone else’s excess to use. Sometimes, a winemaker tries to get creative with the extra grapes, making new styles of wines or blends in order to utilize that fruit: what can I make from what I have extra of and can I repeat that style of wine in the future? Chambourcin, for example, is a grape that grows very well in our region and I usually have more grapes than I need for our dry Chambourcin. We sell a fair amount of the grapes to another local winery for their Rosé, I started making our Paco Rojo, a Chambourcinbased blend, about 10 years ago and it is now one of our best selling wines, and recently I started making a sparkling wine out of this grape as well. Having some extra wine in the cellar can add to my creative abilities as a consulting winemaker for other wineries, too. Many wineries start up without an established vineyard to produce enough for their market—having a little extra to play with helps me help them. Some wines are true expressions of the place where the grapes were grown, actually showing the unique soil conditions and climate through the wine characteristics in the glass. Other wines are made to fill a market from the grapes available in a region. They are both important products, but clearly different. Some wineries may sell off anything that does not fit the upper tier for their label. In many cases, though, wineries need both in order to make their business sustainable, and create more approachable wines to utilize all the grapes in a positive way. You might refer to these wines as “Tuesday wines” while winemakers may think of them as “Chateau de Cashflow.” That’s not a bad thing: if a wine is balanced in taste, stable in its science, and fills a place with the consumer, we are glad to see it being made. Hopefully, understanding the winemaker’s goals will help you connect better with the wine, whether it’s one of those beautiful special occasion wines or an easy, any day of the week wine. Remember, your patronage is what makes it possible for wineries to continue making the best they can from their land, so be sure to savor and enjoy each wine you purchase. March 2021 | 37
That seemed especially true given how excited she was when discussing correct vineyard placement and the introduction of new varieties. Those discussions have been ongoing for decades, but climate change is giving them new importance.
GRAPEVINE FROM PAGE 36
since 1983 when she and her husband Dennis founded Horton Vineyards. Sharon also realizes winemaking is a group effort, which is why when Horton won the Virginia’s Governor’s Cup in 2019 she had her team join her on stage to accept the award. Horton’s history tells the story of Virginia wine. There were only a handful of wineries in the entire state when they started. But four decades later, Virginia has almost 4,000 acres of vines planted, making it the 8th largest wine producer in the US. Yet Horton’s impact on Virginia wine isn’t about how much they’ve planted, but rather what they’ve planted. When the Hortons first started, most vineyards were planting popular but fragile vines because that was what the market wanted – despite these grapes often not holding up to Virginia’s climate. Alternatively, many vineyards turned to hybrid grapes that were hardy but lacked the same market appeal. It was Dennis who pioneered a 3rd option. His solution was to experiment in the vineyard until he discovered what varieties worked best and explored new farming practices to improve their longevity. The Hortons were the first to plant Albariño, Norton, Pinotage and Viognier, some of which now rank among the most widely planted grapes in the state. Horton and Chrysalis Vineyards were also the first to plant Petit Manseng, which many experts now herald as one of Virginia’s most promising wines. If that wasn’t enough, the Hortons planted Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Malbec, Marsanne, and a host of other grapes rarely seen here, to the point where they manage one of the most diverse groups of vineyards in Virginia. Although she grew up on a farm, Sharon got into winegrowing the traditional Virginia way... by accident. While she is a trained nurse by profession, operating her vineyard became a full time job once things got rolling. 38 | March 2021
Q: How did you get
involved in viticulture? A: What I love about this industry is everyone ended up here in a less traditional way. I came from Southern California; I never thought I’d stay in Virginia. But Virginia is so interesting and dynamic I ended up staying. Because Virginia is so young we’re like pioneers - always learning.
Q: What is planted at Early Mountain Vineyards? A: I oversee around 50 acres and about a dozen varieties. We do blend some grapes from separate sites, but I try to keep each vineyard separately bottled, including our vineyard at Quaker Run and the fruit we purchase from Capstone Vineyards (near Linden).
Top: Horton Vineyards grapes in bin Right: Sharon Horton of Horton Vineyards. Left: Horton Vineyards red grapes.
Q: How did you get involved in viticulture? A: Although we had a vineyard manager when Dennis and I started, we were having trouble with the vineyard so Dennis asked me to step in. It wasn’t planned! We first started planting in 1983 and went commercial in 1989. I’ve been in the vineyard since almost the very beginning.
Q: What is planted at
Horton Vineyards?
A: We have 67 acres and 18 varieties planted in three locations. Except for Norton and Vidal, all are vinifera (European-style grapes). The Mourvèdre and Syrah are struggling, but I love my Touriga and Viognier!
Q: What’s the
biggest challenge for winegrowing in Virginia? A: Weather is the biggest challenge. But also there’s lack of wine education in the state. There are a lot of customers who want wines like what’s made in California, so we have to explain that Virginia is different. I’ve learned you need to pay attention to your plants and see what they give you. Growing grapes is like raising children – they’re all different!
Maya Hood White, Associate Winemaker and Viticulturist at Early Mountain Vineyard If Sharon Horton is a
pioneer who shaped Virginia wine to what it is today, I expect Maya Hood White of Early Mountain Vineyard (EMV) will raise the bar for Virginia wine in the future. Maya first came to EMV to assist with the 2014 harvest and joined the team a year later. While her titles include ‘Associate Winemaker” and “Viticulturist”, she actually wears many hats. During our chat she emphasized the collaboration between herself, winemaker Ben Jordan, and vineyard manager Dustin Wade as a single wine growing/wine making team. Her path to the vineyard was indirect; Maya started in the wine cellar and only gradually worked her way into viticulture. She initially laughed when asked how she got that job, claiming she previously “couldn’t keep a basil plant alive”. Given Maya now overseas over 50 acres of vines I’m sure that was an exaggeration.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge for winegrowing in Virginia? A: It all ties back to weather. We’re also looking more closely at the plant material we use, specifically the rootstock and the scion which we use for grafting. It’s primarily the weather but other items which are interconnected, like climate and site. Global warming is also having an impact. The earlier that people can conceptualize things are changing, the easier it will be to get on top of this now and thoughtfully plan ahead. We’re already looking at what is going to fit us 20 years down the road, including planting grapes like Petit Manseng.
Author: Matthew Fitzsimmons is a wine blogger well on his way to visiting every one of Virginia’s nearly 300 wineries. Track his progress on https:// winetrailsandwanderlust.com/. Old Town Crier
NICOLE FLANAGAN
FITNESS
START RUNNING INTO SPRING
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pring is in the air and so is the pitter pat of beginning runners hitting the roads and trails across the country. Similar to the masses of new gym goers in January excited by New Year’s resolutions to become fitter, beginning runners often hit the road at the first sign of warmer weather with similar aspirations. Many new runners head out with good intentions and admirable goals, but often find themselves overwhelmed or unenthused with the progress of their new activity. Why is that? Running is often the first choice of new fitness enthusiasts because of the low start-up costs, the fact that you can do it just about anywhere, and there are no long term dues or fees associated with running. Because of the low cost and ease of access, many new runners aren’t prepared mentally or physically for the new demands they’re about to put on their bodies and well as the time investment needed. All good things come in time and running is definitely one of those “good things.” Here are 10 tips to help ensure success with your new adventure into running.
Get Fitted Pay a visit to your local independent running store. Often these smaller stores have more knowledgeable staff than the big box retails stores. Many provide a gait analysis that reveals your foot strike pattern. Knowing this will help in selecting the best shoe for your foot type. Don’t skimp on your shoes. Be prepared to pay $80 to $100 for a good pair of running shoes.
Get Technical Invest a little in some technical fabric running shorts, tops, and socks. Technical fabric can be made of a variety of fibers including natural and synthetic materials. Avoid 100 percent cotton. It tends Old Town Crier
to retain sweat causing chaffing, irritation, and even blisters. Technical fabrics allow the moisture to rise to the surface where it can evaporate. They still get damp, but not nearly as much as 100 percent cotton.
Get a Group Motivation, inspiration, accountability, and commitment increase dramatically when you’re a part of a running group or at least have a running buddy. Everyone experiences times when they don’t want to run, but if you know you have buddies counting on you, it can make all the difference in the world when it comes to rolling over and getting out of bed. Check with your local running store. Many provide beginning running groups or know of running coaches in the area that work with beginning runners. Be sure to follow the pandemic protocols when in groups.
Get a Plan Just getting out the door and running often does not work for many people, especially if you’ve been sedentary or away from exercise for any period of time. Find a beginning running plan to follow. There are beginning running programs online or you can contact your local running store, running club, or running coaches in the area to inquire about beginning running plans. One of the most effective ways to begin is with a run/walk method
Get Acclimated Whenever you begin new exercise your body’s fitness level will actually dip a little while you acclimate to the new demands you’re putting on your body. Understand before you take up running that it takes your body about four to six weeks to acclimate to the new demands. Anticipating that “wiped out feeling” can
actually make it less of a shock. Just know that you’re going to feel the effects of your new activity. Hang in there and before you know it, you’ll pull out of that dip and begin to feel stronger than before you started. Also, start slowly. Many new runners experience shin splints, pulled calf muscles, cramping quads, or sore hips from going out too fast or from doing too much too soon. Take it slow and ease into your new activity.
Get Fueled Fueling your new activity is very important. Timing is key. It’s a good rule of thumb to eat about 1.5 hours prior to your run. This will give your body time to digest the food and provide your body with the needed energy for your activity. Not eating or not eating enough before your run can make your run feel labored or cause your muscles to feel fatigued. Eating too soon can sometimes cause stomach issues.
Get Hydrated Being well-hydrated is just as important as being well fueled. Be sure to drink about 20 oz. of water about two hours prior to running. This will give it time to pass through your system
and be voided before your run. During your run, drinking water is fine. Once you’re running more than 45 to 60 minutes, you’ll need to switch to a sports drink to help replace vital electrolytes which are minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus) that play a major role in helping to maintain proper water balance in your body. Electrolytes can be lost though your perspiration. Sports drinks such as Gatorade contain these important minerals.
Get Warmed-Up Before you head out on your run, be sure to warm-up your muscles with a dynamic stretch. A five-minute walk is a great way to do this. This will help decrease the chance of your muscles feeling tight during your run. Save the traditional stretch-and-hold stretches for after your run.
Get In Tune With Your Body Listen to your body. If you’re feeling something other than regular workout-related muscle soreness, don’t run.
Running through the pain is never a good idea. If you’re experiencing pain along your shin, hip or any area of the body that’s beyond normal muscle soreness, ice it, elevate it, and use your normal choice of anti-inflammatory medication and rest. When you no longer feel any pain, ease back into your running. If the pain persists, don’t let it linger. Go see your doctor.
Get Rest Rest is just as important as your workout. Rest allows your body time to rebuild and recover. When you run or do any type of exercise, you actually create little micro tears in the muscle tissue. Your body then rushes in to rebuild and repair the tears. This is the normal musclebuilding process that makes you stronger. However, if you don’t take the proper rest, your body may not have time to fully repair before your next run causing you to feel sore, tired, and sluggish. When you first start your beginning running program, it’s a good idea to have at least one day of rest in between runs. March 2021 | 39
FROM THE TRAINER RYAN UNVERZAGT
SINGLE-ARM DUMBBELL PRESS
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elcome back to another edition of “From the Trainer!” Let’s keep the fitness momentum rolling into March with another simple but effective exercise called the Single-Arm Dumbbell Press. You might be wondering, “Why use just one dumbbell?” The main reason for only a single DB is to create a balance mismatch which requires your body to automatically activate your spinal and abdominal muscle groups during this exercise. It’s also great for the shoulders, trapezius, rhomboids, and triceps. To start, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the DB palm forward and away from the shoulder with your wrist directly above the elbow (Figure 1). This position alone will unconsciously activate “the core”, however, still focus on keeping the abdominals tight while pressing the DB overhead. Notice the finish position (Figure 2) of the DB. The inside edge should be in line with the top of your head. The pressing motion is like an arc pattern, going from wide at the bottom to more narrow at the top toward the midline of your body. The wrist should always stay aligned above your elbow to prevent possible injury to the elbow, shoulder, or even worse, your head! Slowly lower the DB back to the start position by following the arc pattern. Try at least two sets of 12-15 reps per arm. If the DB is in your left hand, your abdominal and spinal muscles will be working harder on your right side because the resistance is uneven along the spine. The opposite arm (uninvolved one) can be relaxed at your side or the hand can be placed on your hip or abdominals. This will remind you to keep them flexed throughout the exercise. Avoid bending or twisting your torso during the press. The single-arm DB Press is a great exercise to include during any workout routine. The key to a successful fitness program is consistency. You can accomplish this by mixing it up with new exercises to stay motivated. Keep up the hard work and I will see you next month!
OLD TOWN DENTISTRY Frinet Kasper, DDS • Family & Cosmetic Dentistry • Crowns & Bridges • Invisalign • Sealants • Fillings • Whitening • Same Day Appointments 1203 Prince Street • Alexandria, Va. 22314 • 703.683.0800 • www.oldtowndentistry.com Hablamos Español
Unverzagt holds Bachelor of Science degree in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University. He is a certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength & Conditioning Association and a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. 40 | March 2021
Old Town Crier
FIRST BLUSH
B
elieve it or not, less is really more right now! And it’s not just affecting your face! Your skin is one of your best accessories, so it makes sense to treat it well. After all, you wear it every day! The current pandemic has affected people in myriad ways. It has even affected the state of their skin. Even if you are highlydiligent
about the manner in which you take care of your skin, this past year has probably thrown a few curve balls at you that have somewhat derailed your practice. Think of the added elements of our daily lives now that can wreak havoc on your skin: irritation from constant face-mask wearing; increased levels of stress and frequent hand sanitizing. And when you wear a mask, you are
probably touching your face more than usual, as you continually adust it. None of these matters are going to aid in a proper and healthy skincare regimen. More than likely, you have been experiencing stress this past year in one degree or another that perhaps you have not felt in years prior. (Yeah, a global pandemic will do that to a person!) However, stress can manifest itself on your skin and can be attributed to the exacerbation of a variety of skin conditions, such as rosacea and eczema. Because the skin and the brain are connected, stress can cause additional inflammation on the surface of the skin. Thanks to increased cortisol levels, your skin could be taking an unnecessary
Calm your skin. If you are ready to calm your skin, try to resist the temptation to purchase numerous products that claim to mitigate inflammation. Believe it or not, the old adage of “less is more” is the best course of action right now. Opt for skincare products that provide soothing ingredients for added relief. At the same time, these products should help to repair and strengthen the barrier of the skin, making it more resistant to irritants. Avoid products that contain fragrance or alcohol. And stick to products designed with airtight packaging, which helps to prevent contamination.
Change the type of mask you wear. While we appreciate and
Three Ways to Give Your Skin a Little Love During a Pandemic beating now. Time for a strategic skincare regimen!
understand the need to wear masks, they can be a nuisance to our skin. Ever hear of “maskne?” If you wear a mask for an extended period of time, you can subject your face to breakouts caused by increased moisture and heat on your skin. In Haircuts $15 Shampoo, Cut & Blow Dry $18 (extra charge for long hair) Scissors Cut $17+up Color $43+up Permanent $45+up (including haircut & conditioner)
order to combat this issue, use products that contain hydrating ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, which repair the skin barrier. A 100% cotton mask is a good choice, as opposed to synthetic fabrics that are not as breathable and can contribute to increased sweating. Make sure your mask fits well and provides a good seal but is still comfortable. What you don’t want is a mask that creates friction on your face.
Review your handwashing regimen. It’s not just about your face! Frequent handwashing, although important during a pandemic, can strip moisture from our skin and exacerbate conditions such as eczema. Hand sanitizers, heavy in alcohol, will also greatly dry out the skin. You will know you have been affected if you have dryness, itchiness, abrasions and excess flaking. To circumvent this problem, pair your handwashing with frequent moisturizing. Keep hand cream within reach and choose one with nourishing ingredients such as jojoba oil and shea butter. Keep your skin moisturized to avoid drying and cracking that can cause a breakdown in its protective barrier function, leading to potential infection from bacteria and other germs.
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Monday-Friday 9 am-7 pm • Saturday 9 am-6 pm We care and will give you only the best! Biolage • Vital Nutrient • Socolor • Matrix Perm • Paul Mitchell • Nexxus Old Town Crier
March 2021 | 41
GO FISH
STEVE CHACONAS
Carpet Burns
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hotos of fish laid out on carpet make a lot of catch & release anglers cringe. While there isn’t a specific scientific study to correlate laying a fish on carpet to fish mortality, common sense with complimentary science makes the case. Slime coat serves as an outer skin to protect fish skin and scales from bacteria, virus, disease, parasites and infections. Slime coat removal might not kill fish immediately but could contribute to delayed mortality. Texas Pro Lake Management fisheries biologist Steven Bardin says, “Once that damage occurs, bacteria transfer can happen from your hands, in the live well, or even once released.” Slime coat becomes damaged or is removed when coming into contact with abrasive surfaces, including carpet. Minimal handling and less air exposure is best when intending to release fish. As more anglers practice catch and release, whether fun fishing or participating in tournaments, proper fish handling becomes paramount to fishery survival. In addition, fish exposed to poor handling are the bigger fish in the system. Not many photograph 6” bass on the carpet. Guides aren’t exempt from lapses in fish care, taking photos with anglers holding 4 or 5 fish to promote business or to commemorate a great day. Every time a fish is handled contributes to its possible delayed demise. While many fish handling aspects, livewells, nets, nonpiercing cull clips, and hooks have been studied, there’s nothing about fish on carpet. As such, many tournament and recreational anglers aren’t on board. However top tournament trails are 42 | March 2021
delivering a message with a penalty. Boyd Duckett, President and MLFLW CEO, says Major League Fishing arrived at their no-carpet rule several years ago. MLF organizers noticed highly pressured lakes had higher delayed mortality rates and fish with sores on their bodies, not so much around their faces where wet hands came into contact with them. The connection was fish handling, and dried white slime coat left behind on carpets provided visible evidence. Science, statistics and common sense contributed to the first nocarpet tournament rule and penalty. While the FLW division isn’t yet enforcing no-carpet rules, many MLF anglers carry over fish care habits when fishing those events. Duckett says as the sport grows, catch and release allows the resource to keep up with increased angling demand. B.A.S.S. set the conservation tone and MLF, looking to expand the sport, took it from there. “If we expand the sport, we need to protect the fisheries.” The MLF media platform brings masses to the sport. “We have additional responsibility. Understanding post weighin mortality, MLF is making an all-out push to enhance fish handling care.” The organization is analyzing weigh in style events to eventually convert to catch, weigh and release at every level. Duckett says viewers from around the world watch and learn about the best fish care. Noting the vast MLF TV coverage, Bass Cat/Mercury pro Kelly Jordon says it’s all about optics. “Boat flipping isn’t good for fish or the sport…acceptance of the responsibility is good for the growth of the sport.” As for
how pros are accepting nocarpet rules Jordon says, “It becomes part of your game and you get used to it. You can train for one way or the other it just sticks with you. It becomes a habit, a great habit so you don’t get a penalty.” B.A.S.S. doesn’t have specific rules about keeping fish off carpet, but tournament directors understand slime loss from handling adds another layer of stress. Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director, says, “We know that stress is cumulative and can increase delayed mortality. So, we
preach all the time to all anglers, Do your best to keep ‘em off the carpet.” He says without definitive studies, it is as much a social issue as biological. Gilliland says a slime coat study would justify fish care improvement, “... if we could find a willing researcher and of course, funding”. The slime coat topic has become a lightning rod since MLF instituted their 2-minute penalty. But whether there’s science to back up the general consensus, the perception of the lapse in fish care puts the public in square opposition
to bass fishing at all levels, especially when events are held on their home waters and tournament anglers abuse fish. Even though anglers have a legal right to take fish home to eat, others see living creatures slung into the boat, hitting the floor and quivering. Release your fish for another day. Keep them off the carpet. Author Capt. Steve Chaconas is Potomac bass fishing guide. Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/ purchase gift certificates: info@ NationalBass.com.
Potomac River Bassing in March Water is reaching 50 degrees and fish are slowly beginning to move into shallow water making them easier to catch. On days with a bit of chop on clear water, tie suspending clown colored jerkbaits to 10 pound test Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon line. Make long casts and work slowly along cover, near docks or rip rap. Use craw or red pattern lipless crankbaits tied to the same line and slowly crawl along gravel points, maintaining bottom contact. Carolina rigs with 24 inch leaders, ¾ ounce weights and a 2/0 Mustad Mega Bite hook with a bulky green pumpkin soft plastics will work. Pitch Mizmo tubes with ¼ ounce Mud Puppy Custom Baits insert heads made with Mustad hooks to penetrate with a load and pull set. Skipping under docks and near cover will also produce along with Neko and Ned rigs. Faster Quantum Smoke spinning reels make it easier to take up slack for hooksets with 15 pound Gamma Torque braid with 8 pound Edge leader. Use the same line system for drop shot and split shot rigs. Small worms can be threaded on 1/0 Mustad Mega Bite hooks with 3/16 ounce Water Gremlin BullShot weights. Keep baits horizontal with slow movements and pauses. Punisher hair jigs are also a good choice with small craws or chunks. Use the same line. Allow jigs to sit so hair opens to stimulate bites.
Old Town Crier
OPEN SPACE
I
don’t know about y’all, but in 2020, unbeknownst to me, I upgraded my internal worry machine to a sleek new turbo model. What a monster machine! It came with auto shut off, but it pretty much ran 24/7 and revved up with the slightest amount of fuel. One little thought, and it’s off to the races. The problem is that it’s extremely loud. The noise and vibrations tune out everything else. All I could hear was its constant hum, “Worry, worry, stress, stress. Worry, worry, stress, stress.” It kept me up at night, left me feeling lethargic during the day, and virtually robbed me of any joy. To make matters worse, the worry machine conveniently has a limitless setting for “Other People.” Yep. You can totally ramp it up to envision bad life scenarios for everyone you care about whether it’s during an important meeting or at 3:00 a.m. It had to be unplugged. Turning off the worry machine is not easy—especially if you happen to be an over-achieving control freak.
Old Town Crier
LORI WELCH BROWN
(Speaking for a friend). For things out of your control, like let’s say a pandemic, it’s tough to fathom how you’ll get out alive. Throw in an elderly yet-to-be vaccinated parent, home schooling kids, a family member with an anxiety problem, and a soaring weekly wine bill, and your worry machine will automatically click into overdrive. When your worry machine is in overdrive mode, it’s tough to do much of anything let alone turn it off. But—a little trick—you can slowly begin to quiet it. I started with some baby steps. First, I committed to a 15 minute morning meditation. You can start with five— start where you are. I allowed myself to sit comfortably just observing my thoughts without opinion, judgement or even acceptance. Merely just observing them. When my mind felt particularly busy/ anxious, I threw in a mantra like “Let go, let God,” to keep my worry machine from interrupting. Next, I started monitoring what I was putting in my body of the non-food variety, aka social media, the news, TV programs that were fueling my anxiety. Instead of binge-
watching suspenseful dramas, I gravitated towards light, happy comedies like Schitt’s Creek and The Good Place. Note: Turbo-charged worry machines often come with a caloric dual intake valve that requires constant feeding— mostly salty carbs and sugary baked goods. It also runs on high alcohol fuel. Feeding it a diet of all three can be dangerous and should come with a warning label. Comfort foods are good in moderation, i.e., like that day you didn’t get the promotion, but not a good long-term strategy for getting through a year-long pandemic. Trust me—I tried that strategy for nine months and all it got me was more lethargy and a bunch of new elastic-waist pants. Note—COVID did not eradicate swim suit season and or jeans. At some point, we’ll have to get back in them so time to rein it in. When your overall energy is in the tank thanks to your worry machine, it’s easy to let self-negativity slip in. Doing something positive is the best defense. I signed up for the weight-loss, healthy mindset app, Noom, to help give me the boost I needed to back away from the fridge and the bakery aisle at Wegmans. I’m only a couple of weeks in, but it’s helping. One day I woke up to the sound of my worry
machine and realized I hadn’t experienced any real joy in what felt like weeks. I had been grinding away at filling out insurance forms and paperwork since Dad died back in December. I was sad, angry, and not allowing myself to come up for air. I was worried about everything and everyone under the sun. It was time for a change. I needed some play time so I put it on the calendar: PAINT. “The opposite of play is not work—the opposite of play is depression.” — Brian Sutton Smith Play is that thing you lose yourself in, where all constructs of time disappear. For me, that is playing with my art supplies; letting myself be a kid; painting, drawing, and cutting things out. When I put on that art smock, I’m five years old. If the bills need to be paid or the dishes need to be washed, those worries get transferred over to the adult department where I am clearly not a member so….. nanny nanny boo boo stick your head in doo doo. Here’s the other thing. I consider myself a very spiritual person. I love going to church with all the rituals, singing and sense of community, but I don’t do it on the reg. In my personal belief system, God is everywhere, but that damn worry machine started to drown even God out. The worry machine caused me to forget that I’m not in charge and that I
don’t need to worry. Once I remembered my faith, the worry machine started to lose power. After Dad died, one of his dear friends sent me a book of daily devotions. That little book - Streams in the Desert - has been such a gift. I start each day with a passage filled with hope and inspiration. Faith and hope cause the worry machine to short circuit. Don’t laugh, but the other thing that has helped stifle my worry machine is a deck of cards—Rumi’s oracle deck. Rumi was a 13th century poet and Sufi mystic whose words have become a spiritual band aid for my heavy heart. The deck includes a guidebook that offers a Rumi poem, a divine message and accompanying ritual for each card. Every morning as I enjoy my coffee, I ask for divine guidance as I select a beautifully illustrated card. Each day I have been provided a message that has felt personally inscribed for me— one that has touched my soul and lifted my spirits—and most importantly, quieted my worry machine.
March 2021 | 43
NATIONAL HARBOR
LANI GERING
Photo: Chris Fukuda
Cherry Blossoms, Day Trips & Marriage Proposals
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pringtime is just around the corner and you know what this means? Cherry Blossom Time! With tourism being at a virtual standstill due to the pandemic, not nearly as many warm bodies will be clamoring and crowding into the area to witness the annual blooming of these coveted blossoms and to attend the annual festival. The sad part is that the major celebrations are going to be “virtual” and there are millions of tourist dollars that aren’t going to be generated into the economy but the happy part is that we won’t be fighting to find a place to sit on the metro and won’t have to walk shoulder to shoulder on the bike paths and sidewalks in order to take in the beauty of the trees. The traffic in the city will be less congested than in past years as well. The Tidal Basin isn’t the only place to “blossom watch”. Three years ago, the Harbor added more than 100 Okame cherry trees to its existing collection bringing the number of trees it has to more than 200, many of which line the Potomac River. The trees were planted en mass along the Harbor waterfront so that you are able to see them from the bridge as you drive over the Woody Bridge from Old Town. The Okame species of cherry trees are early bloomers and should be ready for prime time before their famous counterparts that line the Tidal Basin. This means that you can schedule a day trip to the Harbor to see them and then take a day trip into the city to see those along the Basin. No peak bloom forecasts had been made at the time of this writing (2-24) but are scheduled to be announced early this month. 44 | March 2021
The weather gurus on all of the major television stations will be putting in their two cents the closer it gets but a good place to keep tabs on the best time to check them out is at cherryblossomwatch.com. My suggestion is to pick a nice spring day and head to the Harbor for the afternoon and maybe even the evening. Park the car and map out your day. Take a walk along American Way starting at Fleet Street and look in on the statuary and check out some of the retail stores along the way. Be sure to take in the artwork along the walls of the stairs leading down to the Plaza. Don’t forget to incorporate a stroll along Fleet and Waterfront Streets and snoop the shops as well as take note of the many eateries along the way. After your stroll up top, you should end up down at the waterfront where additional food venues await. You are going to have to eat something while you are here and there is fare for every taste bud. Two of my favorite places are Fiorella’s for fantastic pizza and Bond 45 for the perfect martini! For you Washington Nationals fans out there, there is a team store in the heart of the Plaza. It took over the space where the Peeps (I’m still sad that it is gone) store used to be. This is a good place to pick up some team paraphernalia and get some scoop about your favorite players. Not quite like shopping at the ball park stores but you can get your fix here. If you want a closer look at the blossoms, you can follow the bike path along the water or if you want to see them from up high, grab a beverage from the Flight Deck and treat yourself to a ride on the Capital Wheel. They run all sorts of
specials during the season so be sure to check them out. Speaking of the Capital Wheel….are you thinking about proposing to that special someone this month? You do know that March 20th is National Proposal Day? No? Uh, neither did I until my friend Debbie clued me in. I just thought it was the first day of spring. Anyway, if this is on your radar you might be interested in entering the contest they currently have running. They are giving away a $1500 VIP Love in Lights package on the 20th. All you have to do is visit TheCapitalWheel.com and enter to win. The package is pretty extensive: • 1 Hour of custom lights on The Capital Wheel (heart, favorite color, rainbow, etc.)
• 2 Tickets for the VIP Gondola (enjoy breathtaking views 180feet above the Potomac River) • Champagne Toast including souvenir cups (adult sippy cups that can be taken on The Capital Wheel) • 1 6 x 8” Souvenir Photo with custom background • Private 1hour celebration in the waterfront, outdoor, Flight Deck lounge for up to 10 people including beer, wine and tickets to enjoy The Capital Wheel • Professional Photographer to capture the magic
• Congratulatory social media post via The Capital Wheel social media channels The Washington DC area
has plenty of amazing places to propose including the waterfront at National Harbor. So, it’s time to get planning! The last day to enter is March 14. The winner will be notified, confidentially, on March 20 – they don’t want to give away anyone’s secret but you can bet they will share pictures on the big day. While we are still muddling through the pandemic it does look like there is a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccinations are being given, the numbers are going down and the sunny weather is on its way. In the meantime, let’s just keep our masks on in public and keep washing our hands. Don’t forget to “Spring Forward” your clocks on the 14th and have a happy St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th!
NATIONAL HARBOR DINING GUIDE Log on to NationalHarbor.com/ToGo for curbside & Delivery Options
AC LOUNGE 156 Waterfront Street 301-749-2299 BAR HARBOR 123 Waterfront Street 301-686-1120 BOND 45 149 Waterfront Street 301-839-1445 BRASS TAP 164 Fleet Street 301-965-9116 BROTHER JIMMY’S BBQ 177 Fleet Street 301-909-8860 CADILLAC RANCH 186 Fleet Street 301-839-1100
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL 158 National Plaza 301-749-2016 CRAB CAKE CAFE 140 National Plaza 240-766-2063 ELEVATION BURGER 108 Waterfront Street 301-749-4014 FIORELLA PIZZERIA E CAFFE 152 National Plaza 301-839-1811 GRACES MANDARIN 188 Waterfront Street 301-839-3788
IRISH WHISPER 177 Fleet Street 301-909-8859 MASON'S FAMOUS LOBSTER ROLLS 156 National Plaza 410-298-7850 McCORMICK & SCHMICK 145 National Plaza 301-567-6224 NANDO’S PERI-PERI 191 American Way 301-567-8900 POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS 146 National Plaza 301-686-1160
PUBLIC HOUSE 199 Fleet Street 240-493-6120 REDSTONE AMERICAN GRILL 155 National Plaza 301-839-3330 ROSA MEXICANA 135 Waterfront Street 301-567-1005 SAUCIETY AMERICAN GRILL 171 Waterfront Street 240-766-3640 SUCCOTASH 168 Waterfront Street 301-567-8900 THAI PAVILLION 151 American Way 301-749-2022 WALRUS OYSTER & ALE HOUSE 152 Waterfront Street 301-567-6100 Old Town Crier
BUST OUT! The days are longer, the sun is warmer, and the road beckons. We invite you to visit both of our unique distillery locations for whisky flights and craft cocktails, and of course, bottles of your favorites to bring home. We’ve been waiting for you.
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