Old Town Crier - June 2017 Issue

Since 1988 • Priceless

June 2017

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

Road Trip

CAMP RUNAWAY High View, West Virginia Business Profile

WAXING THE CITY Smooth Operators Dining Out

MYRON MIXON’S PITMASTER BBQ A Treat for Dad Personality Profile

JAMEY TURNER King of the Glass Harp Grapevine

VIRGINIA WINE SUMMIT 2017

JUNE IS

Adopt a Cat Month

oldtowncrier.com

june’17 A Division of Crier Media Group OTC Media LLC PO Box 320386 Alexandria, VA 22320 703. 836. 0132

4

17

20

office@oldtowncrier.com oldtowncrier.com Published the first week of every month.

Worth waiting for!

PUBLISHER Bob Tagert MARKETING & ADVERTISING Lani Gering Bob Tagert SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE Ashley Schultz DESIGN & PRODUCTION Electronic Ink 9 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, VA 20175 703. 669. 5502 Chris Anderson Peggie Arvidson Sarah Becker F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Doug Coleman Jimmy Deaton Doug Fabbioli Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Miriam Kramer

CONTRIBUTORS Sarah Liu Jeff McCord Kim Putens Julie Reardon Ashley Schultz Chester Simpson Bob Tagert Carl Trevisan Ryan Unverzagt Lori Welch Brown Molly Winans

A Bit of History................................................................ 8

Dining Out.......................................................................28

Open Space.....................................................................46

A Father Figure............................................................. 39

Exploring Virginia Wines............................................36

Personality Profile.............................................................4

About the Cover............................................................. 1

Financial Focus.................................................................. 6

Pets of the Month.........................................................17

After Hours.......................................................................14

First Blush.........................................................................42

Points on Pets.................................................................16

Alexandria Events............................................................ 3

Fitness................................................................................40

Publisher’s Notes.............................................................. 2

Art & Antiques................................................................13

From the Bay….............................................................22

Road Trip...........................................................................20

Behind the Bar................................................................30

From the Trainer............................................................41

Social Media Message....................................................2

Business Profile................................................................. 5

Gallery Beat.....................................................................12

Spiritual Renaissance...................................................43

Caribbean Connection...............................................18

Go Fish...............................................................................44

The Last Word.................................................................10

Carson, the Wonder Cat ............................................17

High Notes.......................................................................11

To the Blue RIdge..........................................................25

Chef’s Special .................................................................33

Music Festivals ..............................................................14

Urban Garden.................................................................15

Civil Discourse................................................................... 9

National Harbor.............................................................47

Virginia Wine Trails........................................................38

Dining Guide...................................................................32

On the Road with OTC................................................... 1

© 2017 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.

about the cover Please turn to page 17 to learn about this month's cover model, Carson. photo: Chris Usher

on the road with OTC Long time Old Town Crier reader and On the Road

contributor, Charlie Lanman, sent this great image from Reykjavik, Iceland. He is standing in front of Hallgrimskirja church and next to the statue of Leif Eiriksson. Charlie says that the tower offers a fantastic view of the city.

If you would like to see your picture here, take the OTC with you on your next trip, snap a high resolution photo and send it along with information for the caption to office@oldtowncrier.com. Happy Trails!

OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 1

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS

PUBLISHER’S NOTES

BOB TAGERT

OLD TOWN FARMERS MARKET

MARKET SQUARE • 301 KING ST. SATURDAY 7 A.M. – NOON, YEAR ROUND Free parking in Market Square garage during market hours People who come to Alexandria on Saturday mornings find themselves in a busy plaza where local farmers and artists have been selling their products since 1753. Old Town Alexandria’s Market Square is thought to be one of the nation’s oldest continually operating farmers markets, serving as a primary source of meat, dairy, fish, fruits and vegetables for Alexandrians. George Washington sent his produce from Mount Vernon to be sold here.

Today, the market offers folks a way to reconnect to the past, while participating in an ongoing local and national tradition.

DEL RAY FARMERS MARKET

CORNER OF E. OXFORD & MT. VERNON AVES SATURDAY 8 A.M. – NOON, YEAR ROUND The Del Ray Market is producer grown, with fresh vegetables and fruits in season. All year round, this market offers meats, eggs, fresh pasta and sauces, Amish cheese, yogurt, bakery goods, eggs, jams and jellies, fancy nuts and bakery goods.

NORTH MONTGOMERY PARK FARMERS MARKET

NORTH MONTGOMERY PARK 901 N. ROYAL ST. THURSDAY 3 – 7 P.M., YEAR ROUND, WEATHER PERMITTING The market will feature local growers, bakers, and other area providers of wholesome foods including Twin Springs, Grace's Pastries, Bread & Water, and Relay Foods.

W

Camp Runaway registration

ell, we made it through a topsy-turvey weather month in May. From the 90s and breaking out the shorts to the 60s and finding the fleece. Those two days in the 90s were a taste of what is to come. It is a good time to head to the cool mountains, and that is just what we did for our road trip this month.

Memories of going to camp as a kid came crashing back as we attended the first Camp Runaway for adults. We ventured to Camp Tall Timbers in High View, W. Va. along with 25 other adults. Just as much fun as kid camp only with cocktails and cigars and we could swear! Check it out in Road Trip.

Douglas Coleman takes us back to 1861 in Civil Discourse when the Union Forces occupied Alexandria and constructed Fort Ellsworth for defense against the Confederates.

Old Town has gained a new celebrity chef with Myron Mixon and his Pitmaster Barbeque restaurant at 220 North Lee Street.

Read about it in Dining Out. I interviewed Jamey Turner for the second time in our almost 30 years in business for Personality Profile. Many of you know him as the King of the Glass Harp who entertains all who walk through the corridor of the Torpedo Factory.

Hard to believe he has been around longer than we have!

Check out the piece on the North Beach American Film Festival

in the From the Bay section. The festival is sure to be interesting and entertaining.

If you are thinking about a winery to visit, check out our friends in Northern Fauquier County and their new brewpub at Barrel Oak Winery. I’m sticking around to try a brew when I do distribution in that neck of the woods.

Don’t forget to celebrate dad on Father’s Day on the 18th. You might even want to consider taking him to the 7th Annual Beer Fest in St. Mary’s County on the 24th (see their ad in the Bay Section). My dad has been gone several years, but I still think of him often. If he were alive today I might just take him to the fest!

SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE ASHLEY SCHULTZ

Animal Organizations and Social Media

S

ince June is Adopt a Cat Month, I decided to focus this month’s message on how social Media has helped animal organizations with donations, adoptions, volunteer help, and awareness.

In the past, in order to find the perfect pets for your family, you would frequent the “Pet of the Week” section of the newspaper; ask friends to keep an eye and ear out; and physically stop by the vet, animal shelter, or pet store to inquire.

Nowadays, someone interested in adopting or helping in any way can simply go online and search Petfinder or log into Facebook or Twitter and

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

2 | June 2017

check the latest posts by different animal organizations. The rise of social media has enabled animal shelters and organizations to broaden their influence in the community and reach audiences that may have otherwise looked the other way.

Since animal shelters are nonprofit organizations, they rely heavily on fundraising and donations to help keep them afloat and keep the animals healthy and safe.

Animal organizations are constantly accepting donations for food, supplies, vet bill assistance, and are not shy about asking for help on social media.

Animal organizations also use

social media to educate the public and raise awareness. A common piece of advice is to spay or neuter your pet. Other posts I have seen discuss summer exercise safety for your pet, deaf pet awareness, vaccinations, puppy housetraining, and animal cruelty.

These are just some of the ways animal shelters utilize social media.

Others include sharing heartfelt rescue stories and updates on their progress and reuniting pets with their owners.

Social media has also helped with the relocation of lost pets. One post of a picture of your pet, will often be shared over and over, increasing the

possibility of your pet being found.

So next time you are looking to add a furry member to your family, check out some of your local animal organizations social media pages, you might find the perfect addition to your life. You can also check our “Pets of the Month” in the Points on Pets section of the Old Town Crier.

Ashley Schultz holds a Master’s in Public Relations from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla. You will find her social media pages filled with her three cats: Jesse, Walter, and Hank, and of course any viral cat video!

OldTownCrier

Alexandria

JUNE TOURS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS

9TH ANNUAL TASTE OF DEL RAY FOOD FESTIVAL June 4, 1-3 p.m.

Admission: $10 adults; $5 children Mt. Vernon Avenue visitdelray.com Mark your calendars, clean your palates and prepare to taste some of the yummiest flavors ever at the 9th Annual Taste of Del Ray, sponsored by the Del Ray Business Association.

Top neighborhood restaurants will participate in this delicious competition taking place at the Pat Miller Neighborhood Square and the adjacent United Bank parking lot, located at the intersection of Mount Vernon Avenue and Oxford Avenue. For ticket information, visit visitdelray.com.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT 150TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION PICNIC SERIES & MORE June 8, July 12 and August 27 Admission: Varies Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House 9000 Richmond Highway woodlawnpopeleighey.org Celebrate world-renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday at the only Frank Lloyd Wright house open to visitors in the D.C. region— the Pope-Leighey House! Located just 10 miles from Old Town Alexandria, the Pope-Leighey House is the perfect showcase of one of Wright’s “Usonian” style modest homes that he began designing in the 1930s. Visitors are invited to celebrate the anniversary all year long. First up, on Wright’s birthday on June 8, visitors can enjoy Cupcake tours during the day and a special 150th Birthday Picnic & Party fundraiser in the evening, which will include birthday cake from some of the region’s best cake makers, cocktails, music, a unique auction and much more. On July 12, the hilarious cocktail theater troupe Picnic Theater Company will present their version of Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” in front of the house (picnic dinner available), and on August 27, the PopeLeighey Picnic Series ends with a mid-century modern, familystyle back-to-school picnic (Loren Pope was an education reporter and author) on the grounds of the house. Stay tuned for other events throughout the year, from in-depth architectural tours to Twilight & Tipple Tours with beverages and bites.

OldTownCrier

SUMMER ESCAPE AT MOUNT VERNON June 9 & 10, 6-9 p.m.

Admission: $25 George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway 703-780-2000 mountvernon.org Sip craft beer and taste local and historic culinary treats while watching the sun set at the first president’s home!

Relax to live bluegrass music from Bud’s Collective, play colonial games, and unwind against the backdrop of the Potomac River.

Mount Vernon’s chocolatiers will demonstrate the process of making chocolate while serving up chocolate martini samples.

The event also offers foodies a chance to talk with a 18thcentury herbalist and sample flavorful herb-infused dips and teas. After sampling culinary treats and libations, stroll the lanternlit grounds and immerse yourself in the 18th century as you mingle with costumed residents. Enjoy 18th-century music, dancing, ice cream making demonstrations, and more historic fun.

FORT WARD CIVIL WAR CAMP DAY June 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Admission: Free $5 suggested donation Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site 4301 W. Braddock Road 703-746-4848 AlexandriaVA.gov/FortWard Union and Confederate reenactors interpret Civil War military activities in camp settings, present drills, infantry and artillery demonstrations, and civilian impressions.

THE OLD TOWN ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR June 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Admission: Free Waterfront Park 1A Prince St. 703-836-2176 visitalexandriava.com/summer Now celebrating its 37th year in operation, the Old Town Arts & Crafts Fair features more than 80 arts and crafts vendors. Visitors can browse artisan stalls and purchase handmade pieces in the heart of Old Town at Market Square.

50% OFF* one service at first visit

2727 Mt. Vernon Avenue Alexandria, VA 22301

703.548.8888 WTCAlexandria waxingthecityalexandria

book online: studios.waxingthecity.com/Alexandria-va *New clients only, first visit. If used on combo services, discount applied to highest priced service only.

Not valid with other offers. ©2017 Waxing the City Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

ALEXANDRIA CALENDAR> PAGE 7

June 2017 | 3

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

PERSONALITY PROFILE

I

f you are ever walking along King Street and Union Street you might hear beautiful music in the air. If you follow this unique sound it will bring you to Jamey Turner as he plays his “Glass Harp” in front of Vola’s High Tide Lounge. You will be amazed at the music that is created by rubbing the rim of a glass with slightly wetted fingertips. We have all, at one time or another, rubbed a wine glass while sitting at a table, but Jamey plays a table full of glasses, each revealing its own note.

Jamey grew up in Montana and Colorado where he learned to play the clarinet and played it professionally in military bands. He is also accomplished on the piano, musical saw and his own invention: the wrench harp, wrenches of various sizes suspended on a frame and stuck with hammers. He has appeared on the old Johnny Carson Show playing his saw as well as his glass harp.

Over the years Jamey has performed at such recognizable venues as The Kennedy Center, Disney World, National Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Washington National Cathedral, Today Show,

BOB TAGERT

Good Morning America, Busch Gardens, Wolf Trap National Park and the opening of Universal Studios in Tampa, Florida and many more.

Jamey attributes a lot of his success to his wife Mary of 44 years. “Mary was all around music and her dad, Dr. Harry Fletcher lived in the Virginia area and had an incredible music collection, so we moved out here to be around him about 30 years ago,” he tells me. Today the 77 year old Jamey Turner and Mary live in nearby Mount Vernon. Although he performs at corporate events, schools and a variety of venues, he particularly likes to perform outside in Old Town Alexandria.

The table that his glasses sit on is 25 years old and is made of juniper wood from Florida. “We discovered that Juniper made for a great sounding board but soon discovered that it was prone to cracking,” he says. “We added Oak strips around the edges to encase the Juniper.” The glasses are secured to the table by thick rubber bands and I was surprised to learn that they will last for a couple of months before being replaced. As it turns out, he had to replace the rubber band for

a glass right in the middle of the board while doing this interview.

Although you don’t see the glass harp played in many places, it does have a long history. Jamey told me of an early player, Georg Philipp Harsdorffer (1607-1658) a Baroqueperiod poet and translator, who tuned his glasses with wine, then passed them out to his friends and had them all play together. “I imagine he had trouble keeping his glasses in tune,” says Jamey. It takes about an hour for Jamey to set his tables up and get his glasses tuned each time he performs.

This requires a lot of love and patience.

To keep his fingers moist he keeps rewetting them with distilled water from two bowls at his side. The distilled water creates more friction and makes the playing a little easier.

If you are in Old Town, take a walk down King Street toward the water and you will find Jamey entertaining the crowds. He is a true talent and performer and loves to engage with the audience. We first wrote about him a little after we started the Old Town Crier in 1988 and the man is still in tune. It has been a pleasure to have known him for all these years.

Jamey Turner

An orchestra in a suitcase

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

4 | June 2017

OldTownCrier

BUSINESS PROFILE

I

have to begin with a confession: I have never had any portion of my body waxed — either professionally or trying myself. I did buy a kit for my legs when it first became popular but after hearing several friends’ horror stories I decided I would just chalk the purchase up to one of those “let’s not and say we did” events.

However, after meeting and talking with Laura Robinson, proprietor of the recently opened Waxing the City in Del Ray, I may just give it a whirl. It seems that the world of waxing is much different these days than it was in the mid-80s. I doubt that the experience Steve Carrell had in the movie 40 Year Old Virgin is something that would happen here.

I asked Laura what gave her the inspiration to become “the waxing girl” and she said after several years as an aesthetician specializing in facials, waxing and skin care in area salons, she decided that she wanted to branch out on her own. After looking at several options she decided it would be a wise decision to look at a franchise. Enter Waxing the City.

She tells me that their philosophy and the quality of their products impressed her. She is very concerned with customer satisfaction and service.

What sets Waxing the City apart from other salon methods? I delved in to some of the story behind WTC and found the following.

At Waxing the City, their licensed estheticians are not only waxing specialists, they are the ultimate professionals at their craft. This led them to create their very

Waxing the City Smooth operators

own title of Cerologist™ technicians, which combines “cera” (Latin for wax) with “ologist” (to indicate their level of education and expertise). After a week-long, hands-on training course at the Waxing University® in Denver, Col., these professionals become certified Cerologist™. Only Waxing the City studios have Cerologist™, so don’t look for them at other salons!

Their passion is to create an environment where you have full confidence in their professionalism, one where you can’t imagine going anywhere else for your Cerology® waxing services!

LANI GERING

At Waxing the City, your goods are in good hands! Waxing is not entirely painfree, but they make it as comfortable as possible — some clients even doze off during their service! Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran, or even a bit shy, the Cerologist™ will make your waxing experience a positive one.

They take cleanliness and sanitation to the extreme. Cerologists wouldn’t double dip on a double dare! The treatment rooms area cleaned and sterilized between every service. That’s the way they would want it, and that’s the way you get it!

While I didn’t ask Laura about the demographics of their clientele, I did ask another member of the staff when I was there a few weeks ago. He told me that I would be amazed at the number of men they have on their list. It seems that some women have high standards when it comes to excessive back hair on their man. That being said, maybe a gift certificate for the Dad in your life might just be the ticket for Father’s Day this month!

Laura told me that they want their clients to feel like part of the family. I was lucky enough to observe a few clients while I was at the shop and it is clear that Laura and her staff are living up to the WTC credo.

The shop has a welcoming and calming feel and the professionalism of everyone I met during the interview was exceptional.

In fact, I actually think I may take a deep breath and schedule an appointment to see what she can do about my “mustache”!

WAXING THE CITY 2727 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria 703.548.8888 waxingthecityalexandria.com

Proprietor Laura Robinson, top center, and the Waxing the City staff

OldTownCrier

photo: Buligaphotography

ALEXANDRIA ROTARY DONATES $108,000 TO LOCAL NONPROFITS On Tuesday, June 6, the Rotary Club of Alexandria together with its affiliate, the Alexandria Day Nursery & Children’s Home, will hold their Annual Contributions Day luncheon at Belle Haven Country Club.

On that day, checks will be presented to 44 nonprofit organizations serving the Alexandria community for a total of $108,000. These Rotary grants support programs as diverse as the Campagna Center, Rebuilding Together Alexandria, Child & Family Network Center, ALIVE!, Neighborhood Health Clinic, and Volunteer Alexandria (connecting volunteers with nonprofits).

Rebuilding Together Alexandria, for example, will be awarded a grant to fund the Safe ad Healthy Homes year round program focusing on stabilizing potential hazards that when corrected, have been found to dramatically improve living conditions for a home’s residents.

In addition to honoring the contributions that these nonprofits make to the local community, the annual Rotary luncheon provides a time for the leadership of these organizations meet, talk and find opportunities to collaborate.

June 2017 | 5

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

CARL TREVISAN, CFP© & STEPHEN BEARCE

FINANCIAL FOCUS

1. 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 investors face.

There are plenty of others that aren’t so easy to understand or measure. For example, there’s: Market risk. While investment risk has to do

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.

2. 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 lowrisk investment, you should probably expect lower returns.

• If you choose a higher-risk 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.

Our goal is to make a difference in each member’s life.

of 65 so you have longer to invest.

➤

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, 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.

RISK

W

hether you’re already investing or are just thinking about it, you should understand risk and the role it plays 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:

➤

Four Things to Know about Risk 4. Help is available.

In general, as an investment’s return potential increases, so does it risks

RETURN

➤

3. 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

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.

Our firm does not provide tax or legal advice. However, we would be happy to work with your chosen legal and tax advisors to create a strategy that’s right for you. This article was written by/for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Carl M. Trevisan, Managing Director-Investments and Stephen M. Bearce, First Vice President- Investments in Alexandria, Va. at 800-2478602. Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/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. © 2016 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. 111504020 [99585-v1BDC]

Coleman Law Group Attorneys at Law Serving Virginia and DC for over 20 years

Experience the Signature difference We’re here for you and your family through every life stage with accounts for every generation. We invite you to join our family and see how we can make a difference in your financial life.

(703) 739-4200 coleman-lawyers.com 602 Cameron Street Alexandria, VA 22314

Join today at bit.ly/signaturefcu-apply-now (use promo code OTC2017), and visit www.signaturefcu.org/products to view all our products. You can also contact us at (800) 336.0284 to speak with a member care team representative.

Federally insured by NCUA

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

6 | June 2017

OldTownCrier

Alexandria

JUNE TOURS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS

CALENDAR FROM PG 3

LECTURE: MARGARET IRWIN: “THE JOURNAL OF ANNE READING” June 13, 7 p.m.

Admission: $10 The Lyceum 201 S. Washington Street 703-746-4994 shop.alexandriava.gov Margaret Irwin had long heard family stories about an ancestor who had learned nursing from Florence Nightingale. In 1955, her mother showed her Anne Reading’s handwritten journal for the first time and, 50 years later, she had it published. “The Journal of Anne Reading” documents this amazing woman’s early training and work in the Crimea with Nightingale, her later service in the Mansion House Hospital here in Alexandria during the Civil War, and some aspects of her life after the war. Margaret Irwin will discuss Anne’s life dressed as a Civil War nurse, and will sign copies of her book following the program. Anne Reading inspired the character Anne Hastings featured on the PBS Civil War-era drama MERCY STREET. LECTURE: MARGARET WAGNER: “AMERICA AND THE GREAT WAR” June 15, 7:30 p.m.

Admission: $10 The Lyceum 201 S. Washington Street 703-746-4994 shop.alexandriava.gov In partnership with Hooray for Books, author Margaret Wagner will lecture and sign books following her remarks. America and the Great War chronicles the United States in neutrality and in conflict, it presents events and arguments, political and military battles, bitter tragedies and epic achievements that marked U.S. involvement in the first modern war. Drawing on the matchless resources of the Library of Congress, the book includes many eyewitness accounts and more than 250 color and blackand-white images, many never before published.

FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND AT MOUNT VERNON June 17 & 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission: Included in site fee; $20 for adults; $9 ages 6-11; free children ages 0-5 George Washington’s OldTownCrier

Mount Vernon Estate 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway 703-780-2000 mountvernon.org General Washington greets visitors and poses for photographs on Father’s Day weekend. Listen as Washington discusses his role as husband, stepfather, and Father of Our Country in the program “Father to the First Family.”

FATHER’S DAY OPEN HOUSES IN HISTORIC ALEXANDRIA June 18, 1-5 p.m.

Admission: Free for visiting fathers; prices vary by location Friendship Firehouse Museum, 107 S. Alfred St. Gadsby’s Tavern Museum 134 N. Royal St. Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax St. visitalexandriava.com/summer In honor of Father’s Day, visiting dads will receive free admission to some of Alexandria’s premier historic sites and have the opportunity to peruse the grounds once frequented by America’s founding fathers.

ALEXANDRIA’S HISTORIC BREWERIES GUIDED TOUR AND TASTING June 18, 2 p.m.

Admission: $25 Old Town Alexandria portnerbrewhouse.com/events-tours Join Alexandria’s Historic Breweries author, Garrett Peck, and Portner Brewhouse cofounder, Catherine Portner, on a guided walking tour around Old Town Alexandria exploring the foundations of local brewing.

The tour includes highlights from the print brochure, a Portner Brewhouse sponsored beer sampling, and culminates at one of Alexandria’s current Hop Stops. Each tour will feature local homebrewers that are interested in your feedback as part of Portner Brewhouse’s Craft Beer Test Kitchen™.

4TH ANNUAL WELL RAY FESTIVAL June 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Admission: Free Mt. Vernon Avenue Alexandria visitdelray.com Well Ray is a community-wide effort to highlight resources for living healthily and happily.

Browse health and lifestyle inspired tents, take free exercise

classes, and enjoy therapeutic massages, acupuncture, physical therapy consultations, chiropractic adjustments, nutritional counseling, blood pressure screenings, and more. Check out wellness-inspired fashion from local fitness clothing designers, jewelers, and boutiques.

VINE ON THE WATERFRONT FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL June 24, Noon-6 p.m.

Oronoco Bay Park 100 Madison Street 703-746-5592 Admission: Free; tickets required for food and wine samples www.vineonthewaterfront.com Vine on the Waterfront Food & Wine Festival is a one-day community-based event focused on showcasing the numerous diverse restaurants of Alexandria and Virginia wineries combined with the opportunity to give back to the community through local non-profit organizations. This is a lively, family-oriented festival offering food and wine tasting along with live entertainment, children’s activities and arts and crafts vendors.

INDEPENDENCE FIREWORKS AT MOUNT VERNON June 30 & July 1, 6-9:45 p.m.

Admission: Fireworks with mansion tour: $34 for adults; $24 for youth; no mansion tour: $30 for adults; $20 for youth George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway 703-780-2000 mountvernon.org Enjoy a patriotic evening filled with dazzling nighttime fireworks, mansion tours, musical performances, and games on George Washington’s beloved estate. Greet General and Mrs. Washington in the historic area before trying your hand at bocce ball. Dust off your dancing shoes for 18th-century dancing demonstrations. Mount Vernon’s colonial artisans will reveal how 18th-century ice cream was made in the days before freezers. Think you can strike a pose better than George Washington?

Take your photo posing like the president and tag your photo on social media with #PoseLikeThePrez. Visit Washington’s Tomb at night– this event is one of the few times this area is open in the evening.

Sparks will be flying at blacksmith shop, which will also be open.

Additional food and drink from the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant will be available for purchase.

Find more events at visitalexandriava.com/spring.

Old TOwn Shoe & luggage Repair • Serving Alexandria for over 17 years • Shoe & Luggage Repair • New Luggage

824 King Street Old Town Alexandria, Virginia 703.299.0655 Mon-Fri 7:30 am-7 pm • Sat 9 am-5 pm June 2017 | 7

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

A BIT OF HISTORY

SARAH BECKER©

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House

A

rchitect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian master work, the PopeLeighey House, is situated in a wooded hollow, an accepted part of historic Woodlawn’s 19th century landscape.

Built for journalist Loren B. Pope, in 1940, the 1200 square feet house was moved to Woodlawn in 1964-1965 for preservation purposes. The PopeLeighey House was originally built on a 1½ acre lot in East Falls Church, Va. Wright, born 150 years ago, on June 8, 1867, in Richland, Wisc., is widely remembered. The American Institute of Architects describes him as “the greatest American architect of his time.” In 1914 The Washington Post “credited [Wright] with being among the first in this country to design a bungalow.”

Wright, who survived the Great Depression and two World Wars, found Americans want for moderately priced houses fascinating. His goal: “to reduce the actual cost of residential building and at the same time give the family whose income is perhaps $2,000 a year a modern comfortable home.” Like many of today’s millenials Pope, a $50 per week copy editor with The Washington Evening Star, could June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

8 | June 2017

not afford a costly Northern Virginia dwelling.

Undeterred Pope wrote architect Frank Lloyd Wright an appealing

six page request. Wright responded favorably recommending a “classic of the Usonian type of architecture;” a functional, inexpensive, 1800 square feet, one story house. Pope approved the plans in October 1939.

Pope’s contractor, cabinet-maker Howard Rickert, proclaimed Wright’s scaled down two bedroom one bath, L-shaped design “the most logical house he had ever seen.” The cost: $7,000.

In 1939 Frank Lloyd Wright was considered a great, if not over-the-hill architect. At age 72, his critics thought him well past his prime. “Wright’s surge of creativity after two decades of frustration was one of the most dramatic resuscitations in American art history,” biographer Robert Twombly wrote.

quiet the whole and make it graciously one with external nature.”

“Wright’s style is one of verticals and horizontals, compression and expansion,” Tuminaro continued. “He thought people were too noble to live in hot boxes.”

To cool the house in the summer Wright relied on natural air currents.

Architect Wright’s Usonian homes were the smallest of his structures.

Among the Pope-Leighey House’s innovative features: a central brick or stone chimney with fireplace core; radiant heating [hot water pipes installed in gravel beneath the concrete floor]; prefabricated walls [a cheap and efficient building technique]; an open floor plan; a carport [a new design] and a cantilevered, hard gravel roof.

“The Pope-Leighey House is an outstanding example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic [inside to out] architecture,” Craig Tuminaro said. A garden “hemi-cycle” surrounds the house.

“A house, we like to believe, can be a noble consort to man and the trees,” Frank Lloyd Wright wrote in his book The Natural House. “The house should have repose and such texture as will

Rectangular clerestory windows are hinged such warm air can escape while drawing cooler air in underneath.

Clerestory, plate-glass and largepatterned windows were used to facilitate both natural light and airflow.

The living room and library are the largest and highest spaces in the house. Banks of single-pane glass doors give both the living and dining rooms a spacious look. The reverse board-and-batten “sandwich” walls, his space saving fabricated exterior and interior walls were built as units: Wright’s unit system of design. The long hallway, or gallery, is the width of a Pullman car.

In 1939 women mostly prepared the family’s meals at home. Wright’s center placement of the undersized kitchen A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 13

OldTownCrier

DOUG COLEMAN

CIVIL DISCOURSE

Fort Ellsworth

I

n May of 1861, the Yankees occupied Alexandria. The Confederates were not far off and were gathering in force at Manassas Junction, just 30 miles away. It was imperative that they throw up fortifications to hold their bridgehead into Virginia, the port city of Alexandria, to guard against any onslaught to push them out.

Anyone who lives in Alexandria is familiar with the Masonic Temple, which crowns the high ground just west of the city. These heights, known as Shuter’s Hill, were situated such as to command the two main roads into Alexandria, the Little River Turnpike and the Leesburg Turnpike. Their occupation and fortification would block these routes and additionally deny any Confederate counteroffensive the high ground to force evacuation of the city through the placement of batteries. Keep in mind that Alexandria was open ground back then, with long vistas from the hill and largely unobstructed fields of fire.

Construction of the fort began on the heights on May 25, 1861, just a day after the invasion. It was named after Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, who had stormed into a local hotel to tear down a large Stars and Bars flying on the roof. The proprietor, James Jackson, gave Ellsworth a barrel-full of sic semper tyrannis to the chest as he descended the stairs with his trophy.

Jackson was then instantly dispatched by a zouave named Brown, who was later awarded the Medal of Honor for murdering Jackson in his home.

Jackson and Ellsworth were the only casualties of the invasion on that day.

The fort was one of the larger and more important of the 68 which would eventually ring Washington and Alexandria. It was listed as having a perimeter of 618 yards, with emplacements for almost thirty guns, including a 100 pounder Parrott which could sweep the valley of Hunting Creek and the heights beyond. A month from the invasion, Col. J. Howard Kitching of the 6th New York Artillery arrived to find OldTownCrier

the fort substantially completed, with some four hundred sailors putting the finishing touches on the place; Kitching would later die of wounds right as the war ended. He notes that the fort already contained comfortable quarters within the work; later there would be additional barracks built to the east on the opposite slope, meaning that Fort Ellsworth would be an oft-visited campsite mentioned frequently in regimental histories and letters home. The fort also contained the subterranean magazines and bombproofs standard to the forts around Washington.

To give one an idea of this fort as a landmark, when the time came to hang a Yankee who had been convicted of the rape and murder of a free black woman, so as to impress the whole army that this was not okay, the miscreant was hanged on the ramparts of Fort Ellsworth, with a large portion of the Army of Potomac observing from the hillside to the east.

It was not always a comfortable campsite. One commander complained that he had to bury a number of rotting horses before the hill could be inhabited without retching. And the winters were hard — nearby was the convalescent camp, which contained thousands of soldiers too sick for the hospital, but not ready to return to their units. There is one story of a convalescent ranging as far as Fort Worth scavenging stumps of their roots to burn to keep warm. The commander of the fort complained that he could not maintain the fort’s abatis (interwoven tree branches which served as a perimeter barrier like modern barbed-wire) because troops were stealing it for firewood.

A year later, in June of 1862, the New York Times reported that the field works on the hill were nearly complete. These field works included supporting rifle trenches east of the fort (still evident) and Battery Dahlgren northeast of the fort overlooking King Street at the crest of the hill. The article also mentions detached artillery defending the roads

and fully thirty 10 pounder rifled guns on the hill, which the Times opined made the fort sufficient to withstand 10,000 Confederates. Maybe (see Fort Pillow massacre). The attached image of Battery Dahlgren’s construction right after First Manassas is instructive in showing Alexandria in the distance and demonstrating just how much the grade of the hill has changed as it was developed for housing.

It was ultimately this development for housing which destroyed Fort Ellsworth and Battery Dahlgren.

Battery Dahlgren is simply gone. The rifle trenches on the hill behind the Masonic Temple have had a hard time, but one can still discern their trace.

Fort Ellsworth itself has been scraped flat, with half of it under the Fort Ellsworth condominiums now. But in the field to the west of the Temple, if one ascends the observation deck of the Masonic Temple or zooms in on Google Maps, the outline of the other half is still evident. The archaeological record obliterated is a real loss.

Nonetheless, the trace which is left is clear enough to guide reconstruction if anyone had a mind to restore the fort along the lines of Fort Ward.

Famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne visited Alexandria and mused on the significance of these forts in our time: We paid a visit to Fort Ellsworth, and from its ramparts (which have been heaped up out of the muddy soil within the last few months, and will require still a year or two to make them verdant) we had a beautiful view of the Potomac, a truly majestic river, and the surrounding country.

The fortifications, so numerous in all this region, and now so unsightly

with their bare, precipitous sides will remain as historic monuments, grassgrown and picturesque memorials of an epoch of terror and suffering: they will serve to make our country dearer and more interesting to us, and afford fit soil for poetry to root itself in: for this is a plant which thrives best in spots where blood has been spilt long ago, and grows in abundant clusters in old ditches, such as the moat around Fort Ellsworth will be a century hence. It may seem to be paying dear for what many will reckon but a worthless weed; but the more historical associations we can link with our localities, the richer will be the daily life that feeds upon the past, and the more valuable the things that have been long established: so that our children will be less prodigal than their fathers in sacrificing good institutions to passionate impulses and impracticable theories. This herb of grace, let us hope, may be found in the old footprints of the war.

No one has said it better than Hawthorne: these old moats and mounds are worth preserving because they remind us that those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. In this divided time, isn’t this just what we are doing?

Sources

• Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Atlantic, “Chiefly About War Matters” • The New York Times, June 26, 1862; J. Howard Kitching, “More than a Conqueror.”

Doug Coleman is an attorney and amateur historian in Alexandria; comments and corrections are welcome at dcoleman@coleman-lawyers.com.

June 2017 | 9

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

THE LAST WORD

MIRIAM R. KRAMER

Waiting for the Winds of Winter

D

o we currently need “prequels” and “successor series” to the television juggernaut Game of Thrones? HBO and most viewers would say yes. George R.R. Martin, author of the wildly successful fantasy series of books A Song of Ice and Fire and inspiration for the worldwide hit HBO series Game of Thrones, has announced at least four and possibly five pilot scripts set in the world he has created. While not penning them outright, he plans to collaborate with the writers assigned to each.

The last book in his series,

A Dance With Dragons, was as absorbing as its predecessors.

Published to great fanfare in late 2011, it shot to #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. In the meantime, the television series, which has released a season every year since it began in 2013, has chronologically passed the books.

Both Martin and the showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have carefully stated that parts of the show are now different from those in the books. Fine.

Translating books to TV or film can make them separate but equally binge-worthy. All things considered, Weiss and Benioff do an excellent job:

MYSTERY READING AT ITS BEST

by Virginia author Jeffrey Roswell McCord

CARIBBEAN MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE A dead Marine washed ashore on a Caribbean island leads investigators to otherworldly perpetrators in historic pirate waters and high level abuses in Washington. An intrepid maritime historian working the case for U.S. Naval Intelligence discovers a 60-year record of extraterrestrial activity in the Caribbean basin. History and national security politics meet science fiction in this mystery based on exhaustive factual research and informed conjecture.

CARIBBEAN hISToRY AND ADvENTURE Where did the villain General Santa Anna of Alamo infamy retire? Is time travel possible?

What was it like on the ground in the worst hurricane of the 19th century? Can a band of rogue sailors from Coral Bay, St. John, defeat ruthless corporate mercenaries? These questions and more are answered in Jeffrey Roswell McCord’s new fact-based novel “Santa Anna’s Gold in a Pirate Sea.”

Available from Amazon or as a Kindle download

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

10 | June 2017

they have to adapt the series while dealing with Martin’s time-management issues, so I can’t fault them. The series is a smashing success: the theme music is perfect for the books, the actors are well-cast, the blood and guts satisfy, and many of the computerized visuals, such as the graphic of the Wall, are spectacular.

So far the two diverge well.

Yet from knowing the books thoroughly and watching the series I’m sure I can accurately guess a number of the developments true for both, in particular one concerning Jon Snow. So the series has revealed and potentially spoiled plot points that may or may not be in the novels. As a reader first and foremost, I want to read Martin’s generously plotted, complicated but compelling stories first, not snack on simplified small-screen versions before I eat the rich, multi-course meal.

The books are better, equally thrilling, and much more complex characterwise than even this fun and addictive series. Therefore I don’t know whether to skip the upcoming half-season premiering on July 16. Since I’m on social media and don’t live under a boulder, how do I avoid hearing spoilers?

George! Get cracking!

As he splashes around happily in his pool of projects, Martin continues to encounter praise and critiques from TV, literary, and pop culture commentators. It seems that he also continually struggles with J.R.R. Tolkien’s ghost, since they are often compared but rarely contrasted.

To say that Martin is the American Tolkien is a facile comparison frequently tossed around by pop culture writers who have a surface knowledge of both writers. In his comments, Martin is obviously awed and deeply influenced by

Tolkien and his epoch The Lord of the Rings, but he is not fundamentally like him. In fact, he often tries to distance himself and get out from under Tolkien’s gravitas, subtly devaluing Tolkien’s mythological high fantasy in favor of a so-called “realism” within his fantasy series.

Martin is a cynical, funny story teller with a dark outlook on human nature and a realistic knowledge of political machinations and medieval warfare. Yet his writing, while justifiably popular and full of intriguing cliffhangers, is not generally beautiful, bone-deep, and profound in the same way as Tolkien. It doesn’t have to be for his books to be classics in their own right.

Martin can also occasionally show profundity, abstraction, dreamlike images, and the ability to strike a fundamental chord. It’s just that the two writers operate very differently. Picaresque novels generally focus on the adventures of one charismatic rogue. While not following this exact format, Martin has a picaresque approach like Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales, telling bawdy, earthy stories about fascinating, flawed travelers more worldly than spiritual, despite their joint purpose of completing a pilgrimage to Canterbury.

Chaucer also occupied various positions at the court

of King Edward III. As he moved up the ranks as a courtier, he served as a keen, ironic observer of foibles, strengths, and corruption among the most powerful people in the land.

So comparing A Song of Ice and Fire to The Canterbury Tales may be more appropriate. It’s hard to judge this point easily from watching Game of Thrones, because it’s streamlined and thus paced differently than the books. The actors and screenwriters have transformed A Song of Ice and Fire to the point that I even have different favorite characters from the books and from the TV series.

Tolkien, on the other hand, has such depth that everything he wrote was the mere tip of a mammoth iceberg of myth, its nobility and purity affecting the reader seeking spiritual satisfaction on a visceral level. He worked out complete languages for his books, only some of which were ever quoted in his stories.

In contrast, when asked about words in his Dothraki language, Martin laughed and said he just made them up when necessary. As of now the linguist David J. Peterson has created the Dothraki language with his blessing. Perhaps that’s not such a blessing, unless you want to dress up as Khal Drogo for Halloween or a comic con.

Tolkien’s poems and songs are gorgeous or humorous standing on their own, whether they’re homespun tales, riddles, and hobbit songs; or briefly quoted saga snatches of longer tales written in languages he created based on Old English, Welsh, and Nordic tongues. Tolkien was also THE LAST WORD > PAGE 27

OldTownCrier

HIGH NOTES

T

his year marks 55 years since Bob Dylan released his first album, a lowkey self-titled affair that consisted mostly of folk standards, with a couple of original songs sprinkled in, just enough to give the world a taste of what was to come.

What came next was a slew of albums full of poetic songs, clever songs, some of the greatest songs ever written, songs that people will be discussing for hundreds of years. Many of his 38 studio albums feature that kind of magic; I’d say probably the majority of them. He hit a few stumbling blocks over the years, whether it was a rash of uninspired albums or brief detours into unfamiliar territory, but Bob usually bounces back from those weird spells with some stroke of genius.

For example, his disastrous 1970 double album, Self Portrait, quickly gave way to that same year’s beautiful New Morning, or when he emerged from his controversial Christian period with the exquisite, Mark Knopflerproduced Infidels. Or when Oh Mercy followed those really awful albums he did in the mid-80’s. It’s just one of those things that happens in Dylan’s world.

Currently, it seems, we are in one of those weird spells – the detour kind. For the last several years, Dylan has been focusing more on his singing than anything else, and released a couple of albums of his interpretations of classic standards, most of which had been popularized by Frank Sinatra. When the first one, 2015’s Shadows In The Night came out, we thought it was cute – well, actually, at first we were terrified, but then we heard it and thought it was a bit adorable. Bob was trying something out and, despite the world’s initial reservations,

OldTownCrier

BOB

DYLAN TRIPLICATE

it wasn’t half bad. Then, in 2016, he released Fallen Angels, which was more of the same. “Sure, Bob, go ahead, get it out of your system”. Like its predecessor, it was pretty decent. I mean, nothing on that album was ever going to elevate him to the stature of those he was trying to emulate, but it was still kind of cool. Surely that would be it, and he would get back to writing awesome songs again soon – in the mid-90’s he took a similar detour, releasing two albums of folk standards before triumphantly returning with Time Out Of Mind, one of his greatest albums ever.

But no, he’s still not done.

Whether this really is Bob’s trip now, or if he is just trying to stick it to the world, it’s anyone’s guess, but this year he released Triplicate, a TRIPLE album, again of all standards. Packaged as a whole, these are thematically divided into three albums – ‘Til The Sun Goes Down, Devil Dolls, and Comin’ Home Late. The thing is, these records are not terrible. The arrangements follow Dylan’s recent forays into haunting old-time country styles and often sound like the aural

CHRIS ANDERSON

equivalent of a David Lynch film. I always appreciate when jazz and country come together and it does come together well on these records.

Bob is not in bad voice either.

It’s not as smooth as it was, say, in the Nashville Skyline era, and there are times when he does sound a bit like a drunk Muppet, but there are other times when he really kind of nails it, sounding completely unlike anyone else in the world. And he sounds sincere too. There really is nothing about these records that sound like a put-on. He was recently quoted as saying that these sessions were some of the most satisfying he’s ever

had. So that’s good.

The question I have now, more than any other is, how necessary is all this?

Triplicate, to me, comes across as the kind of set that would come out posthumously. The first two, sure, take a detour and do something different.

But then to turn around and drop three more albums, all at the same time, it’s kind of overkill. Even his good buddy, the amazing Willie Nelson, who has cut over a dozen albums of standards over his career, has had the good sense to space them out a bit.

I do want to reiterate that HIGH NOTES > PAGE 27

WASHINGTONIAN’S TOP 100

SPECTACULAR SEAFOOD • CREOLE & CAJUN SPECIALTIES Alexandria’s Renowned Neighborhood Restaurant & Bar

3804 Mt. Vernon Avenue • Alexandria 703-684-6010 • rtsrestaurant.net

June 2017 | 11

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

GALLERY BEAT

F. LENNOX CAMPELLO

Photos: F. Lennox Campello

TO BASEL OR NOT TO BASEL

F

or years now I’ve been preaching to the wind — or more directly to DC area art galleries and nonprofit art spaces, and artists’ organizations — about the importance of participating in international art fairs such as the ones held in New York, Chicago, etc., but key amongst them, the 26 or so art fairs held during the first week of December in the Greater Miami area and now known worldwide as “Art Basel Week.”

Right about now galleries all over the world are in the process of applying to the Miami art fairs; many have already been accepted. The more that I talk art fairs to gallerists and art dealers, the more that it makes sense why a good gallery should do at least 3-4 art fairs a year. Many Mid Atlantic area gallerists note that they could not exist if it wasn’t for the art fairs.

“About 80 percent of my yearly sales now come from the three art fairs that I do each year,” related to me an Old City Philly gallerist. “Next year I am going to apply to double that number.”

I hear a similar story from DC area gallerists, some of which are now even exploring art fairs in Europe and Latin America, as the sales continue to climb more and more at the fairs, and June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

12 | June 2017

the appetite for the European Euro is discovered.

Galleries such as Connersmith, Morton Fine Art, Adah Rose, our own Alida Anderson Art Projects, and others all work very hard and do fairs all over — the fact that they keep coming back to fairs is indicative of the success of their attendance to the fair; it costs a truckload of money to do an art fair... in other words, since most art galleries are run on a very tight budget, if you blow a couple of fairs in a row, you may be out of business, or worse, forever disinclined to do another fair (instead of reexamining the gallery’s approach to the art fair, as art fairs are not “art shows” in the sense that a gallery puts a show in their spaces).

There is that financial risk.

But as I’ve noted before (mostly on deaf ears), many of the art fairs now offer special packages to nonprofits arts organizations; Why isn’t the Art League doing art fairs? Why isn’t the Washington Project for the Arts (WPA), now in turmoil over its support of local DC are artists, do art fairs? Why isn’t the Greater Reston Arts Center? Arlington Arts Center?

McLean?

Some non-profits have the economic stability to play consistently in the art

fair game; and I will repeat myself: to make it easier for them, many art fairs have special, lower pricing for nonprofits. So they are also a special case, I think, because in most cases, the financial risk is absorbed by the state of their income-gathering to stay afloat as a non-profit.

It is and has been for years, a mystery to me why not more DMV area non-profits go to the art fairs.

Hamiltonian was a notable exception, as was Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia.

And Ok, Ok, the WPA did participate in the now defunct (e)merge art fairs here in DC. Could it be fear of the unknown? Or more likely, a bureaucratic response to continue to do things the way they’ve always been done, rather than explore something “new.”

Let me open another can of worms: We have some of the top notch (certainly some of the more expensive) art schools in the nation here: American, George Mason, George Washington, Catholic, Maryland — even the community colleges — such as Northern Virginia Community College and Montgomery Community College have outstanding art programs … why aren’t you participating in art fairs?

Let me submit once again that

there are several area non-profits and Universities/Colleges that could, and should participate in Miami and New York art fairs as part of their business/ student development model(s). If a local non-profit can afford to pay $70$80,000 a year to its executive director (and several DMV non-profits are in that range), then it can certainly afford to budget $12-18K to participate in an art fair outside of the DMV. I’m not saying that all visual arts non-profits should do this — I am sure that the mission of some of them are strictly focused on “local” only, rather than expanding their artistic presentations outside the capital region.

This is not all about sales: This is about “exposure” of artists to the planet’s top notch set of art collectors, curators, critics, etc. You will see more of those creatures in one art fair than you will in two decades of presence in the DMV. Why? Mostly because most DMV museum directors and curators would rather take a cab to National to fly to Miami in order to see some emerging artists at a Miami fair, than take a cab down to the Gateway arts district to see a dozen artists’ studios.

OldTownCrier

Elegant & Versatile

Quite simply, our new Angelrox Collection is perfect— flattering, elegant, soft, easy, and ideal for all seasons.

Easy care, sustainable plant based bamboo rayon and cotton. Come and see all the new clothing and accessories arriving every day—all crafted just for you in America.

Come see our entire line of amazing American-made clothing, jewelry and crafts.

The Obsessions of F.Lennox Campello 1124 King Street | Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (703) 548-1461 | www.imagineartwear.com Mon – Sat 10 am – 7 pm

•

Sunday 11 am – 5 pm

A BIT OF HISTORY FROM PG 8

“liberated housewives.” Their workspace was “no longer confined to the back of the house.”

Wright’s furniture, made of cypress veneered plywood to match the cypress trim, was either modular or built-in. His decorating scheme was limited to four colors: blue, green, yellow and Cherokee red. The concrete floor, scored in a grid pattern, is tinted Cherokee red.

In 1946, after six years, the Pope family sold the house. He traded journalism for hog farming. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Leighey purchased the intact house for $17,000. It was not location that guaranteed the price increase.

Rather it was the Leigheys’ understanding of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture and the construction materials used. [Cypress, brick, concrete and glass] In 1961 the Virginia Department of Highways “notified Marjorie Leighey of its plans to use the property in the construction of Interstate Highway 66.” Stopping the house from being leveled by bulldozers “has nothing to do with me,” Mrs. Leighey said. “My house was saved because it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.” The Pope-Leighey House is one of 27 Wright-designed Usonian houses.

“The home’s uniqueness was in the act of saving it,” The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation explained. “It is the first preservation example of a national 20th century house. It is also the first time a major political leader [thenU.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall] objected to an intruding highway.” It was Secretary Udall who brokered the transfer agreement with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and, in turn, Woodlawn.

“Unfortunately Wright’s persona now overpowers his designs,” Tuminaro concluded.

“A deeper architectural appreciation is needed especially his vision for affordable housing.”

Frank Lloyd Wright, “a great man for firsts,” had devised “nine different cost saving construction methods” by 1932.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation now celebrates Frank Lloyd Wright’s sesquicentennial year. Flamboyant, a thrice married father, Wright designed more than 1,000 works 532 of which were built. Architect Louis Sullivan, of the firm Adler and Sullivan, was a mentor [Form Follows Function] and Thomas Jefferson an achetype. “Our democracy OldTownCrier

was Thomas Jefferson’s idea,” Wright declared.

Frank Lloyd Wright did not fear death. “Walt Whitman is the guide on that,” Wright said. “If you want to talk, to consult him—read Leaves of Grass!” When asked if he went “to any specific church” Wright replied “I put a capital N on nature and go there.” Wright died April 9, 1959, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the productive age of 91.

“It will take time, even in a preliminary way, to evaluate Wright’s greatness wisely and well, to gauge his true influence and perhaps even understand and appreciate him with full profundity,” The New York Times reported in 1959. “His deepest regret was that so very, very few understood—and even fewer practiced— the principle which may ultimately turn out to have been his most significant contribution: the reiterated principle of organic architecture.”

“Though Wright is justly famous for his monumental industrial structures, it was in the beauty of his private homes that his architectural genius flowered,” The New York Times concluded in 1963. Tokyo’s Hotel Imperial (1916), New York City’s Guggenheim Museum (1943-1959) and Mill Run’s Fallingwater (1935-1937) are other outstanding examples of his work.

The NTHP’s Pope-Leighey House is located at Woodlawn, 9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Virginia, 22309.

For more information, including June 8 Cupcake Tours and related events visit www. woodlawnpopeleighey.org.

Lawrence and Nelly Custis Lewis’ Woodlawn was designed in 1805 by architect William Thornton, the first architect of the U.S. Capitol.

Sarah Becker wrote 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, Sarah received Alexandria’s Salute to Women Award in 2007. Email: abitofhistory53@gmail.com.

“FRIDA KAHLO IN A CROSS OF CLOUDS” 2017 , 6x6x3”, mixed media on bisque

A solo exhibition covering more than 40 years of artistic obsessions Opening Reception: Friday, June 2, 2017 6-9pm Exhibition: Runs through June 29, free and open to the public

ARTISTS AND MAKERS STUDIOS 2 MAIN GALLERY 12276 Wilkins Avenue | Rockville, MD 20852 o: 240-437-9573 | m: 240-481-5034 artistsandmakersstudios.com

ART&ANTIQUES ANTIQUES

GALLERIES

Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques 112 N. Columbus Street

Torpedo Factory Art Center 105 N. Union Street

BW Art, Antiques & Collectibles 108 N. Fayette Street

Principle Gallery 208 King Street

Imperfections Antiques 1210 King Street

Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery 105 N. Union Street

The Antique Guild 113 N. Fairfax Street

St. George Gallery 105 N. Alfred Street

Silverman Galleries 110 N. St. Asaph Street

The Art League 105 Union Street

Red Barn Mercantile 1117 King Street

Local Colour Old Town 218 N. Lee Street

Washington Square Antiques 425 S. Washington Street

Icon Galleria 101 N. Union Street

Susquehanna Antique Co. 608 Cameron Street

B&B Art Gallery 215 King Street

Old Town Antiques 222 S. Washington Street

Gallery West 1213 King Street

Verdigris Vintage 1215 King Street

Enamelist’s Gallery 105 N. Union Street

Cavalier Antiques 400 Prince Street

Printmakers, Inc. 105 N. Union Street

Sumpter Priddy III 323 S. Washington Street

Kelly’s Art & Frame 510 N. Washington Street

Henry Street Antiques 115 S. Henry Street

Oerth Gallery 420 S. Washington Street

Curzon Hill Antiques 108 S. Columbus Street

Jeffrey Winter Fine Arts 110A S. Columbus Street

The Hour 1015 King Street

Johnston Matthew 105 N. Union Street

A Galerie 315 Cameron Street

Huddy Studio 105 N. Union Street

Random Harvest 810 King Street

Mezzanine Multiples 105 N. Union Street

Acme Mid-Century + Modern 128 S. Royal Street

Silverman Galleries 110 N. St. Asaph Street

Van Bommel Antiek Hous 1007 King Street

Cochran David 105 N. Union Street

Lloyd’s Row 119 S. Henry Street

Betty Grisham Studio 105 N. Union Street Imagine Artwear 112 King Street

June 2017 | 13

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

music festivals 1' 7 AFTER HOURS Birchmere 703.549.7500 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave. birchmere.com The Blackwall Hitch 571-982-3577 5 Cameron St. theblackwallhitch.com Carlyle Club 411 John Carlyle Dr. 703-549-8957 thecarlyleclub.com Chadwicks 203 S. Strand St. 703.836.4442 Evening Star Cafe 703.549.5051 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave.

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

The Fish Market 703.836.5676 105 King St. fishmarketoldtown.com King Street Blues 703.836.8800 112 N. St. Asaph St. La Portas 703.683.6313 1600 Duke St. Las Tapas 703.836.4000 710-714 King St. lastapas.us The Light Horse 703.549.0533 715 King St. lighthorserestaurant.com

14 | June 2017

If you like music and the outdoors, these festivals are the best for you, your family and friends to attend. Come for the day or camp the weekend. Support local and international artists performing around our area.

June 2-4 Graves Mountain Festival of Music Syria, VA gravesmountain.com/events-calendar/ festival-of-music/ June 10-17 Mountains of Music Homecoming Abingdon, VA mtnsofmusic.com June 16-19 Firefly Music Festival Dover, DE fireflyfestival.com June 23-25 River & Roots Festival Berryville, VA riverandroots.com July 6-9 DoahFest Luray, VA doahfest.com

Murphys Irish Pub 703.548.1717 713 King St. murphyspub.com O’Connell’s 703.739.1124 112 King St. Rock It Grill 703.739.2274 1319 King St. Shooter McGees 703.751.9266 5239 Duke St. shootermcgees.com Southside 815 703.836.6222 815 S. Washington St. St. Elmos 703.739.9268 2300 Mt. Vernon Ave.

July 13-15 Pasture Palooza Music & Arts Festival Berryville, VA pasturepalooza.com July 14-16 Red Wing Roots Music Festival redwingroots.com July 20-22 Deep Roots Mountain Revival Mason Town, WV mountainrevival.com July 26-30 FloydFest Floyd, VA floydfest.com August 8-13 Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention Galax, VA oldfiddlersconvention.com

August 12-13 Moonrise Festival Baltimore, MD moonrisefestival.com August 17-20 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival Gettysburg, PA gettysburgbluegrass.com August 24-27 Lockn Festival Arrington, VA locknfestival.com September 21-24 Watermelon Park Festival Berryville, VA watermelonparkfest.com October 5-8 Festy Experience Arrington, VA thefesty.com photos: © Chester Simpson

Taverna Cretekou 703.548.8688 818 King St. TJ Stones 703.548.1004 608 Montgomery St. tjstones.com Trattoria da Franco 703-548-9338 305 S. Washington St. Two Nineteen 703.549.1141 219 King St. These establishments offer live entertainment.

Call to confirm show times, dates and cover charges. Check our advertisers’ websites

OldTownCrier

URBAN GARDEN

W

hen you’ve spent hours cutting, trimming, and planting to ensure your yard looks beautiful and relaxing, the site of weeds cropping up is enough to make one crazy. If you’re having a hard time getting rid of these pesky yard design killers, check out a few of the best ways to take them out for good.

After checking out these tips make sure to let us know if you’ve used any of these tactics for clearing out the unwelcome guests from your garden.

WEEDS! of vinegar, a bit of dish soap and some citrus oil. Spray the mixture on the weeds.

5. Prevent them from showing up

You can make it much harder for weeds to grow by spreading a bit of cornmeal in your desired area. The cornmeal makes it harder for weed seeds to reproduce. The corn meal doesn’t actually kill anything, but it’s a good preventative measure.

Baking soda is a safe option that will keep weeds out of the cracks in your sidewalks and patio surfaces, without introducing toxins to the environment.

Simply sprinkle a few handfuls onto the sidewalk and sweep it into the cracks.

2. Salt em’

7. Grow your lawn

Boil two parts water with 1 part salt.

Pour the mixture directly on weeds.

You can also sprinkle salt directly onto the weeds in your sidewalk and spray a bit of water on top.

3. Get em’ drunk

Alcohol can be dehydrating (which may explain why you’re really thirsty after downing one too many). This dehydration effect works great for snuffing out weeds. Combining 1-ounce of vodka with 2 cups of water and a little dish soap. Mix in a spray bottle and apply the mixture directly on the leaves. Douse them well. Make sure to hit the weeds in the middle of the day when the sun is high for the best effect. The only problem I have with this method is that Angie would kill me if I touched her bottle of vodka.

4. Add a bit of flavor

Crisp your weeds into submission by mixing 1 cup of salt with 1 gallon

OldTownCrier

Feel free to send me any other remedies that you find work and are good for the rest of the environment!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jimmy, also known as Farmer D, is a native of the DMV and has resided

in Del Ray, Alexandria, Va. for 24 years. He and Angie currently share their home with their three cats — Jax, Scooby and Wilson the feral. Questions or comments about Urban Garden or a garden question for Jimmy can be directed to: office@oldtowncrier.com.

Write “Urban Garden” in the subject line.

6. Suffocate the suckers

It doesn’t sound humane, but weeds cropping up and ruining your beautiful garden get what’s coming to them. To nix weeds naturally, layer the desired area with at least 4 sheets of newspaper. The paper keeps sunlight from feeding the pesky weeds. You can add mulch on top to help the newspaper breakdown.

1. Use baking soda

risk the chance of killing them as well.

JIMMY DEATON

Oddly, one of the best ways to keep weeds at bay is to keep your lawn fertilized. Thick healthy grass takes up tons of space on the ground and blocks weeds from sprouting. Just be careful, too much fertilizer (even the natural kind) can kill your grass.

8. Hand weed

It’s not fun, but it’s effective. The best way to kill weeds and stop them from taking over your yard is to do it by hand. You’ll want to catch the weeds in their infancy. Use a sharp tool and yank the entire weed (root included).

Make sure to reseed the area with grass as soon as you pull the weed to encourage grass growth and block out weeds.

9. Boiling water

It’s safe. It’s simple. It works. Just pour a pan of boiling water over a weed and watch it wither and die. Just make sure it is a solitary weed. If you have grass and/or plants nearby you June 2017 | 15

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

POINTS ON PETS

KING STREET CATS ADOPTION CALENDAR JUNE 2017 FOR DETAILS & MORE INFO website: www.kingstreetcats.org email: contact@kingstreetcats.org King Street Cats is looking for foster homes! You provide the spare room and TLC and we provide food, litter and all vetting. Please email for our Kitten Fostering FAQ at: contact@kingstreetcats.org KING STREET CATS 25 Dove Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Every Saturday & Sunday 1:30 - 4:30 pm PETVALU Bradlee Shopping Center 3652 King Street Alexandria, VA 22302 Saturday, June 3 Sunday, June 4 Saturday, June 17 Sunday, June 18 1:00 - 4:00 pm PETCO UNLEASHED 1101 S. Joyce Street Arlington, VA 22202 Saturday, June 3 Saturday, June 17 Sunday, June 18 1:00 - 4:00 pm PETCO UNLEASHED 1855 Wisconsin Avenue Washington, DC 20007 Saturday, June 24 Sunday, June 25 12:00 - 3:00 pm THE DOG PARK 705 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Saturday, June 10 1:00 - 4:00 pm NATURE NIBBLES 2601 Mt. Vernon Avenue Alexandria, VA 22314 Saturday, June 10 Saturday June 24 1:00 - 4:00 pm

CAROLYN COCKROFT

I

t’s summer — time for vacations!

But that doesn’t mean a break from protecting our pets. While safety is a year-round concern, warmer months present hazards that come with fun in and on the water, fireworks, outdoor sports, and cookouts. If pets are not carefully supervised, sun, heat, insects, plants, and water can turn a summer’s day into an emergency trip to the veterinarian.

Prevention plays a major part in enjoying summer with our pets. Here are some precautions to keep in mind.

Limit sun exposure

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in dogs and the second most common in cats. Apply a pet sunblock recommended by your veterinarian every 3 hours to areas sparsely covered by hair, such as bellies, ears, and around eyes (ingredients in human sunscreens can be toxic to pets).

Never leave your pet in your car

Just don’t do it, not even briefly. Even if you leave your car windows open, the temperature inside can still rise by 19°F in as little as 7 minutes, creating a deadly environment on a hot day.Avoid the hottest parts of the day, and treat heat stress. Outdoor temperatures peak between 1 and 4 p.m. Dogs with short snouts and windpipes are especially at risk, because these features restrict their panting in humid weather. Take walks during early morning hours. Avoid hot pavements and keep to grassy or shaded areas. Keep your home cool, and run the air conditioning even when you are not home. Signs of heat exhaustion are heavy panting, dry or bright red gums, thick drool, vomiting, diarrhea, or wobbly legs.

If these symptoms appear, don’t place your pet in ice-cold water, which can induce shock. Instead, move her to a cool place, drape a damp towel over her body, rewet the cloth frequently, and get her to the vet immediately. A dog’s normal temperature is 100°–103°F; 106°F or higher can be fatal.

Provide shade and plenty of clean water

Outdoor pets need a shady, dry resting area. Access to clean, cool water that is changed frequently is critical for avoiding dehydration. Lack of potable water will make an animal more likely to drink whatever is available from puddles or in a yard—water that may be contaminated with antifreeze or other toxic chemicals.

Prevent bites and parasites

Flea bites can cause anemia; tick bites can cause diseases like Lyme, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Hookworms

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

16 | June 2017

Summertime Pet Perils

Summer means extra safety precautions for our pets and heartworms thrive in summer and can infect animals through their paw pads. Heartworm disease is caused by mosquito bites and can cause permanent damage to the heart and lungs, or even death. Only one bite can infect your pet. Your veterinarian can recommend medications that protect pets against these parasites.

Be aware of potentially poisonous household items and foods

Outdoor parties and cookouts can expose your pet to many dangers. Warn your guests about the following: • CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES grabbed by a dog from the grill can easily get stuck in the stomach, causing vomiting and requiring surgery.

• TABLE SCRAPS can give your pet pancreatitis, causing severe abdominal pain or death. Corn on the cob and peach pits are also a huge no-no, because they can lodge in an animal’s intestines.

• LILIES (including daylilies and Asiatic, Easter, or stargazer varieties) and their pollen cause acute kidney failure in cats. If your cat is allowed outdoors, remove these plants from your yard, and never bring these plants inside.

“Lilies are often part of a bouquet brought into the home,” says Dr. Allison Mayo of Dale City Hospital.

“Sadly, just a leaf from such a gift can be fatal, in a short time, to your cat.”

Other common yard shrubs, such as azaleas, are poisonous for both dogs and cats if eaten.

• XYLITOL — an artificial sweetener found in many sugar-free products including gum and candies — can be fatal when ingested by dogs.

• PLANT FOOD OR SOILS that contain insecticides can cause diarrhea, profuse vomiting, shock, seizures, and even death. Instead, practice composting — a safer alternative for your plants and your pet.

• HIDE ALCOHOL from curious pets who may get thirsty. Keep your pet’s bowl filled with fresh water.

Leave your pets home during fireworks

July 5 is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.

Noisy Fourth of July fireworks and sudden sounds often frighten pets so much they escape from their homes. A 30-percent increase in lost pets is reported each year between July 4 and 6; sadly, only 14 percent are reunited with their families.

Keep your pet inside and calm when celebrations begin. Have your veterinarian microchip your furry friend before July 4 so that your pet has a better best chance of coming back home should she run away. (In fact, microchipping is a good idea if you plan any outdoor activities throughout the year.) Clear the yard of any debris afterwards to prevent your pet from ingesting toxic chemicals from the fireworks.Exercise water safety. Never leave your pet unsupervised near a pool or body of water. Use a brightly colored life vest to help your pet stay afloat and ensure she can be seen by swimmers and boaters.

Be especially aware of sometimes invisible currents and riptides, which can sweep your pet downstream or out to sea in minutes.Taking some preventative steps is the best way to keep your pet safe during the summer months. Accidents can still happen. Be sure to have your veterinarian’s phone number and the phone number and address of the closest emergency veterinarian programmed into your phone. And enjoy a safe, happy summer with your pet!

Resources

• American Animal Hospital Association www.aaha.org • ASPCA, www.aspca.org • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, 888-426-4435 • Prevention magazine, prevention.com An avid cat lover since childhood, Carolyn volunteers at King Street Cats in Alexandria. Her two cats, Marigold and Butterbean, run the household in Woodbridge.

OldTownCrier

Carson, the Wonder Cat!

treatment day takes inordinate planning to catch him; no one can give him meds, not even the vet.

Carson is a lynx-point Siamese, and his feelings get hurt very easily. He’s fiercely protective of his siblings, and hates it when the other cats fight.

He doesn’t like change, and when he’s “in,” he’s “all in.” For example, when we added BOB to the clowder, Carson was very upset. Nothing BOB could do would convince Carson that this was a good thing. Slowly, over time, he came around, and now, Carson and BOB are BFFs. If you’re ever at Bokeh Ridge Farm, and you see Carson by himself, I assure you, it’s a short-term situation, not of Carson’s choosing.

Publisher’s note: Adrienne has been a champion of animals her whole life. She and her husband Chris currently have five rescued felines, three equine types and a one-eyed donkey in their farm menagerie.

Remember that June is Adopt a Cat Month. If you have room in your heart and home for a furry friend, think about a kitty.

Adrienne and Luke

BY ADRIENNE USHER

W

hen the ladies at E&E Rescue asked me if I would consider taking on a feral barn cat at our new farm in West Virginia, I said sure — feral cats are really low maintenance, right?

Within three days, Carson (this month’s OTC cover model) was watching me (with those Paul Newman blue eyes!) from the loft in the barn, looking hungry, so I added him to the feeding routine. Within 30 days, Carson was on the patio, sitting in the kitchen window, and most surprisingly, Luke (OTC cover model, June 2015) was not chasing him away! So, I brought out a can of yummy smelly cat food, and within seconds,

the “feral barn cat” was in my lap, purring like a motorboat, wanting his belly rubbed!

That was four years ago and since then, Carson has become the most important member of our clowder! Prior to his arrival, we had a group of “only cats” — think of adopting “only children” and asking them to adjust to having siblings, something that wasn’t exactly working. Enter Carson. He exudes love, friendship, and wants the same back.

He plays with everyone, snuggles with almost everyone, and never leaves my side if I don’t feel well.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there was a reason they thought Carson was feral. He is terrified of going to the vet, so we never take him alone (our cat BOB is Carson’s vet-buddy); nail clipping/flea

Carson and BOB

PETS OF THE MONTH

HOPE (A066509) Hope is one of the lucky dogs rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm in December 2015.

She is an extra large 2 year old spayed Tosa Inu mix. She spent over six months in a foster home where she began to open up and trust people. Hope has made incredible progress but still has a long road ahead of her to learn what it means to be a dog and a member of the family. Hope loves other dogs and would benefit from having a canine brother/sister in her new home.

JASMINE (A070132) Lovely Jasmine is a bit shy but loves to play once she warms up. She is a spayed Domestic Shorthair, about 2 years old. She enjoys keeping people company while they watch TV. Her foster family also discovered she can be quite the contortionist — she often flips her back legs all the way over her own head! If you’re looking for a Tortie Queen Jasmine might be for you! She is currently in foster care. Please contact us at 703-746-4774 or email at adoptions@alexandriaanimals.org to arrange to visit her.

HARVEY (A070560) You’re not having visions, this adorable rabbit is real and he’s available for adoption! Harvey is well-socialized and loves getting attention from people (and sometimes other rabbits, too!). While he hasn’t had his big movie break yet, Harvey is quite the celebrity around the shelter and gets inspiration from Jimmy Stewart films. If his lopsided ears haven’t already won you over, come meet him and find out how endearing his personality is!

4101 Eisenhower Avenue • Alexandria, VA 703-746-4774alexandriaanimals.org Mon-Fri, 1-8 pm • Closed Wed • Sat & Sun, 12-5 pm OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 17

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION JEFF McCORD

Author Jeff McCord with his son, Jeffrey, and family dog Molly

“S

he’s a West Indian sled dog,” I would explain to bewildered island children. “You know, the kind of dog that pulls sleds in the snow and lives with Eskimos.”

These were kids who had never seen snow, however. My white Siberian husky, whom I walked daily in their neighborhood, was nearly as exotic to them as a polar bear hunting on the banks of the Potomac River would be to you.

All they really needed to understand, though, was that the dog loved children and had the softest, fluffiest fur imaginable for petting and hugging.

Molly the husky had moved with us to the island of St. John from Fauquier County more than seven years ago. Far from being disoriented by the alien, otherworldly tropical fauna and flora, this dog- who had been born on a Spotsylvania farm and spent her first six years in the Virginia Piedmont - thrived from day one on the island. Whether chasing (and occasionally catching and dispatching) iguanas, wild chickens or confronting wandering cows and pigs, she adapted

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

18 | June 2017

Dog (and Cat) Days in the Virgin Islands seamlessly to her new life. At the ripe old age (for a big dog) of 13, she recently passed on to a presumably better place -- leaving behind our earthly paradise of palm trees and coral beaches.

On the laid back Virgin Islands Molly left behind, most humans take good care of their dogs and cats.

They are prized members of small, somewhat isolated American and British communities vulnerable to the vagaries of nature and buffeted by seasonal population changes.

With all the coming and going, and the sad reality that not all humans are as animal loving as we would wish, there is a need on each island for animal rescue groups. On St. John, the non-profit Animal Care Center (ACC) fills that role.

The ACC accepts virtually all dogs and cats it has room for and will not euthanize animals for whom it cannot find a home. Sometimes they care for animals for years before placing them with a new family.

Although operating on a small island with a permanent population of only about 4,500, ACC’s accomplishments are impressive. Last year, of 92 dogs taken in, 72 were

placed in new homes. My family had adopted a Yorkshire terrier pup to keep the then aging husky young at heart.

And, ACC has a very active cat care program, providing shelter and seeking homes for an average of 50 each year. (My family took in two kittens.) The group also provides and maintains several feral cat feeding stations as part of its “trap, neuter, release” program. Each year, the group humanely catches, neuters, vaccinates and releases about 250 cats that cannot otherwise be cared for. (With ACC’s help, we provided a home to one young cat that arrived on our porch and needed doctoring.)

While the departure of seasonal workers and residents can lead to abandoned pets, the thousands of tourists who visit each year are an invaluable resource for ACC. Hundreds of visitors take part in ACC’s “VolunTourist” program. While dog walking is the most popular tourist activity, they also clean cages and perform other necessary care tasks. Tourists also bring down supplies such as pet collars and leashes, flea medicines and water bowls.

Some tourists even adopt animals and take them back home at the end of their vacation. Others volunteer to act as airplane escorts to help deliver pets to adoptive families in their home town or region.

Volunteer pet escorts are critical to ACC’s very active off-island placement program. While the adopters pay for transportation, the ACC handles all the paperwork and provides logistical help. Most dogs adopted by off-island families relocate to the East Coast of the U.S. Homes have also been found for dogs as far away as Seattle, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.

Beyond providing shelter and facilitating adoption, the ACC offers other important services. Islanders can take advantage of free spaying and neutering for their pets. Owners can also purchase pet food at cost from the group.

Importantly, the ACC also plays an informational and educational role for pet owners and the wider community. In the West Indies, cock and dog fighting is part of the culture, though illegal. Change in how animals are viewed comes slowly, although CARIBBEAN CONNECTION > PAGE 19

OldTownCrier

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION FROM PAGE 18

progress is being made.

All of this is costly.

Heart worm, for instance, is a rampant problem for sheltered dogs in our tropical environment. Treatment costs about $700 per dog and at any one time ACC may be caring for several afflicted animals.

With growth in St. John’s hospitality industry (and with it, a rise in transient resident workers), the need for the shelter has never been greater.

ACC is growing out of the building it currently rents from the local government in Cruz Bay, the island’s largest town.

To keep pace, ACC recently purchased three acres in St. John’s Coral Bay community.

Arrangements and plans for a larger building with bigger dog runs and other stateof-the-art facilities are in progress. Those familiar with St. John will be interested to learn the shelter will be located on very rural, flat land behind the popular deli Pickles in Paradise.

Beyond already adopting three pets, my family helps in other ways. My son volunteers to help care for

animals in the shelter and, with the loss of our beloved husky, we may want to adopt another dog before too long.

In addition to good hearted volunteers and adopters, however, the ACC needs money. With plans for construction of a new, permanent home crystallizing, financial donations have never been more important.

Readers interested in contributing to the cause — including volunteering when visiting St. John or pet adoption — should contact Ryan Moore, ACC’s shelter

manager, at 340-774-1625 or stjacc@islands.VI. Jeffrey R. McCord is a freelance journalist whose work on international economics and consumer protection has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Gannett newspapers and Truthout. org. He is the author of two fact-based Caribbean novels: “Undocumented Visitors in a Pirate Sea,” and, “Santa Anna’s Gold in a Pirate Sea.” He divides his time between Virginia and St. John, USVI.

Escape

THE COLD WINTER WEATHER

Hillcrest Guest House is located within a residential area, rising two stories above Cruz Bay, on the crest of a hill and minutes from the beach and the US National Park, Virgin Islands.

Six suites available, $185-$235/day Call 340-776-6774 or 340-998-8388 hillcreststjohn.com

HH HILLCREST GUEST HOUSE

You Could Be Swimming in Warm Waters Right Now

Park Place

Apartment on St. John. $170/Night, no minimum stay. Pets allowed with some restrictions. Pool, kitchenette, private bathroom, screened porch overlooking tropical forest with banana and papaya trees, double bed, and separate living area.

Perfect for a couple or young family. Amenities include kayaks, snorkel gear, and bamboo walking sticks.

More than 60 percent of this spectacular Caribbean island is Virgin Island National Park, offering hiking, snorkeling, and unbelievable views.

Get out of traffic and come to paradise.

Reservations: mjtoomey1995@yahoo.com Listed on VRBO, #829001

CLIFFHANGER SEE OUR AY HOMEAW 5 AT #28629 LISTING AY.COM HOMEAW

k

Ann Street Gardens

y

ey west getawa

As featured on HGTV and winner of “Bang For Your Buck” in St. Thomas. This recently renovated villa resides on the edge of a cliff 200 feet above the Atlantic Ocean crashing onto the rocks below. The best location on the island—a private, secure, gated community of luxury villas—the villa offers spectacular views of the Atlantic and various islands including St. John, Jost Van Dyke and Tortola. The main house has 3 bedrooms with a detached cottage with its’ own queen size bed. Large deck, pool and spa.

Phone 703 628-9005 • Fax 703 765-5900

Key West Getaway One Block from Sloppy Joe’s Contact: historichideaways.com • 1-800-654-5131 OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 19

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

ROAD TRIP

BOB TAGERT

D

o you remember those days long ago when your mom and dad would drop you off for summer camp? I do, whether it was boy scout camp or safety patrol school camp. It was always a wonderful adventure.

Always came home with cuts and bruises and memories. I thought that those days were gone, until our friend Shannon Koprivich told us about a camp for adults that she and a friend were organizing…Camp Runaway… how appropriate.

Shannon and her business partner and friend Cristin Moor were campers at Tall Timbers Campground in West Virginia when they were in the 5th grade. The two of them and other campers have remained in contact to

The magic bonfire

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

20 | June 2017

this day. Current owner, Glenn Smith, was the camp director back in those days as well. His father had established the camp in 1970. Last month these organizers brought to fruition the first Camp Runaway at Camp Tall Timbers in High View, West Virginia.

At 70 years old I thought that I might be biting off more than I could chew and may not be up to those physically challenging days of yesteryear. I was right. Although the desire was there, immobility is not a strength in dodge ball. The average age of the 25 campers was probably in the mid to late 30’s and all in good shape. As I mention earlier, some were former kid campers who came back from as far as California, Colorado and Florida. Old friendships were

OldTownCrier

Saying goodbye on Sunday

rekindled and new ones made.

After registering on Friday we all just kind of hung out, introduced ourselves and had a few adult beverages — this is a huge benefit of “adult” camp — until someone brought up the idea of dodge ball in the Pavilion. The weather didn’t really cooperate with us — rained off and on the whole time so events that would normally be held outdoors were taken to the Pavilion. This didn’t stop the fun, several of the guys and gals headed up the hill to to arrange the benches in a circle for a tame game of dodge ball. Soon the ladies emerged heading back to their cabin and I resigned myself to the fact that they had enough. How wrong I was!

They all emerged a few minutes later changed into their workout/fitness attire and double-timed it back to the pavilion. I grabbed my camera and followed along.

The benches were back along the walls of the pavilion and co-ed dodge ball was in full fury. All of these campers were not only fit, but also fiercely competitive. How I longed to be on that floor. Soon the camp bell rang out that dinner was on the grill.

The first night dinner was perfect … hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill with potato salad and fixins. With plenty of picnic tables around it was a great opportunity to talk with new friends. Unlike those camps long ago, there was beer and wine to accompany the food and create a mellow mood.

The group decided to walk down to the lake for a bonfire and some guitar OldTownCrier

music provided by the campers. I opted out because the hill back could have been a challenge. I retired to the boys cabin – did I mention that the boys stayed in one cabin and the girls in another just like back in the day — and retired in my boy’s bunk bed with one vinyl lined mattress, a sheet and a blanket. It wasn’t a four star hotel but I quickly fell asleep.

The next morning there was 7:30 yoga scheduled by the lake, but because of the cool and damp weather it was cancelled. Breakfast began at 8:00 am. Coffee and pancakes with lots of syrup as well as cereal and plenty of fruit. Not a large variety but very filling, after all, it was camp.

Camp Runaway was organized yet flexible. I was amazed at the effort that went in to pulling this weekend together! After breakfast there were a large array of physical activities including a rousing game of kickball but there were also art and craft sessions and more. I chose the Creative Writing session that was held by Cristin Terrill Moor. It turns out that Cristin has written a few books with some considered for movies and Terill is her pen name. It was an informative hour, and then we broke for lunch.

There was no problem getting campers to the table as the line filled quickly. This is still one of my favorites…grilled cheese sandwiches with fresh tomato slices, tomato soup and watermelon. As a treat there were mimosas after lunch. There was also a break to challenge each other in a new ROAD TRIP > PAGE 35

Shannon and Cristin making mimosas

Camp owner Glenn Smith

June 2017 | 21

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

FROM THE BAY ‌

North Beach American Film Festival

For those of you who read the Crier on a regular basis you will remember the piece about the Rappahannock County Film Festival a few months ago. It was the first film festival I have ever attended and it was a very good time. I learned a lot and met some really special people.

If you didn’t make it, here is your chance to enjoy the experience.

The North Beach American Film Festival will showcase the best in American independent film, spotlighting films that exhibit the multi-cultural and diverse aspects of American life. The festival will have its inaugural opening June 22-25 in the beautiful town of North Beach, Md. The event will hold seven screening blocks, complete with two special presentation waterfront screenings at sunset, as well as educational seminars and an awards ceremony. Part of the proceeds from the event will go to the Town of North Beach and the twin Beach Players.

If you have never been to North Beach this is a great opportunity to visit this beautiful town along the Chesapeake Bay. Enjoy the boardwalk, pier and the protected beach. There is also shopping along the waterfront.

coastal kitchen & bar

41655 fenwick street ~ leonardtown MD 301-997-0500 ~ larivebreton.net photos: Angel Beil (top) and CM Photography (bottom)

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

22 | June 2017

OldTownCrier

Paradise DISCOVER

DISCOVER SOUTHERN MARYLAND

WHEN IT COMES TO A GOOD TIME ON THE ISLAND, NOTHING TOPS THE STRIPED ROCK! Casual Dress First-Come, First-Served Seating Room Rentals and Event Planning Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday Catering Available (On- and Off-Site) Amazing Panoramic Views of the Patuxent River Open for Lunch, Happy Hour, Dinner, or a Night Cap

14470 SOLOMONS ISLAND ROAD SOUTH 410-326-2424 STONEYSSEAFOODHOUSE.COM/THESTRIPEDROCK Hours: Mon-Thu 11 am-9 pm • Fri 11 am-10 pm Sat 8:30 am-10 pm • Sun 8:30 am-9 pm

VOTED BEST CRAB CAKES IN SOUTHERN MARYLAND 2012 Maryland Life

DEEP WATER AND COVERED SLIPS AVAILABLE 14485 Dowell Road Solomons, MD 20629 410.326.4251 calvertmarina.com

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS

LIVE ACOUSTIC MUSIC • CRAB CAKE SHIPPING DOG FRIENDLY OUTDOOR PATIO • SUNDAY BRUNCH • HALF PRICE WINE WEDNESDAY OUTDOOR DECK SEATING • TAKE OUT & CATERING • TRANSIENT SLIPS

STONEY’S KINGFISHERS SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL 14442 Solomons Island Road Solomons, Maryland 20688 SolomonsKingfisher@gmail.com

410.394.0236 EVERY WEDNESDAY JAZZ AND HALF PRICE WINE

Enjoy the water all summer long!

Calvert Marine Museum Open Daily: 10am - 5pm l

Dee of St. Mary’s Sails

l

Lighthouse Adventure Cruises

l

Historic Sunset Supper Cruises

www.calvertmarinemuseum.com OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 23

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

Visit Leonardtown ...

Southern Maryland's Finest Historic Town!

We've got a great line up!

Boat, bike or paddle an in-town water trail. Dine, shop and sample great local wines.

Leonardtown is conveniently located in the heart of St. Mary's County, just a short drive south of D.C. and Baltimore.

visitstmarysmd.com

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

24 | June 2017

OldTownCrier

TO THE BLUE RIDGE

JULIE REARDON

N

ot long ago, polo was virtually nonexistent in Northern Virginia, even in the horse country in Loudoun, Fauquier and surrounding counties. There were a few small clubs and private fields, but no place where the average person could go and watch a game and stomp a few divots between chukkars. In a region famous for horses and horse sports, it seemed a glaring omission. In the mid-1990s, Great Meadow introduced summer twilight arena games under the lights. Arena, or indoor polo as it’s also called, is very spectator friendly: it’s easier to follow the action since it’s played in an enclosed, smaller area, and fans can get closer to the action.

POLO TIME Games to watch, places to play

Field, or outdoor polo, pits two teams of four players each against each other on a grass field on about 10 acres, or three times the size of a football field. Arena teams are three players each, playing in a much smaller, enclosed area, making it easier to follow even if you’d never seen a

game. Twilight polo was an immediate hit and a good fit for the area’s residents, who love any sport with horse and/or hound.

Friends invited friends, and the popularity spread quickly. For the players, the management and facility attracted nationally ranked tournaments and the best indoor players in the country to the Virginia countryside, ensuring top quality sport. Fans loved being close to the pounding hooves and resounding thwack of a mallet hitting a ball, the games featured plenty of fast paced action in a social setting. That many of the players were wealthy and/or professionals from different countries did not escape the notice of young singles and professionals from the metro area, who braved Friday rush hour on I66 to get to the games. Attendance swelled, tailgate picnic spots sold briskly and sponsors lined up; parties after the games allowed fans to meet and mingle with the players.

The indoor format attracted new players as well. While high goal field polo still attracts the top echelon of the sport, the area already had a ready supply of riders. Many were drawn to the sport starting out in the arena.

Even novices could learn quickly enough to play in arena student leagues. And for many, the

photo: Banbury Cross

photo: Banbury Cross

BLUE RIDGE > PAGE 26

photo: Doug Barnes

photo: Doug Barnes

OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 25

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

BLUE RIDGE FROM PG 25

smaller arena meant the initial outlay for horseflesh, tack and equipment was less daunting—you didn’t need to be uber rich to play. Lesson programs and clubs sprang up around the area.

Polo’s burgeoning popularity led to more options for spectators as well as players. Private clubs proliferated with many new fields and lesson options in Loudoun and Fauquier counties. For the fans, Great Meadow remains the biggest club, holding twilight games most Saturdays in summer beginning in May, but the admission, now $40, put it out of reach of many locals. In an attempt to broaden its appeal, the series switched emphasis from young professionals and singles to families.

But according to some fans, Great Meadow’s series now feels more like day care as meet the players parties and wine tastings gave way to moon bounces and face painting. “Don’t get me wrong, people have always brought their kids to the games,” explained one.

“But now, it’s so expensive I think one set of parents packs 8 or 10 kids into the minivan and they all get turned loose when they get there.”

The child-centric flavor has extended into the games, as well. “The polo there has changed in the past few years,” said another fan, a former season pass holder at Great Meadow for over 15 years. “It’s all students and kids, at a walk, swinging and missing the ball.

I guess, if you don’t watch the actual games, you don’t notice. But we went to

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

26 | June 2017

watch good polo.” The addition of more clubs has meant more players, more games and more competition for the area’s elite players, so there are plenty of options to suit any taste.

One venue that’s been getting rave reviews from fans and locals is Banbury Cross Polo in Middleburg. Ideally located east of town just 38 miles from Washington D.C., Banbury Cross has both evening and field games open to the public. Friday arena games under the lights, and Sunday afternoon field games, have a variety of admission options available beginning at $10.

There are five different polo fields plus the arena and a club pavilion.

Social memberships can be purchased for a month or a season and include admission to the Friday evening arena games, Sunday field games or both, plus admission to other club events. Friday games start at 6 pm, Sunday afternoon field games at 3 pm. Reserved tailgate and/or party spaces can be purchased for the season, for special events or for one event. This club makes a point of taking care of guests and making them feel welcome. Children and well behaved leashed dogs are welcomed.

The spectacular grounds at Banbury Cross are available to rent for private parties, weddings and other events; they opened on May 21 for the season. For more information, visit BanburyCrossPoloClub.com for details.

On July 1st, a brand new venue will open to the public at Morven Park in Leesburg. This will be a Saturday

evening arena series, dubbed “Polo in the Park”. Morven Park is the former estate of Gen. Westmoreland Davis, and boasts a mansion and 3 museums and an international equestrian center on over 1,000 lush, parklike acres right in Leesburg. The equestrian center holds events year round, everything from hunter/jumper shows, horse trials, pony club rallies, carriage driving and steeplechase races and starting this summer, polo. “Polo was a good fit,” said Juan SalinasBentley, who will run the program. He formerly managed Great Meadow’s polo club and was instrumental in building its popularity that first decade. Twilight games will be held Saturday nights beginning July 1 in a newly built facility designed for top quality sport. Plans are in the works to add field polo, but the inaugural series will be Saturday evening arena games throughout July and August, starting at 7 pm. At press time, admission and reserved space prices had not yet been firmed up, but we’ll provide them and a link next month. Meanwhile these games are listed on their calendar of events at MorvenPark.org.

If you’ve hankered to play, the area has several lesson programs where you can learn. The oldest and best known is Destination Polo, owned and run by Doug Barnes.

He said this year, Destination is holding lessons at several locations: Morven Park in Leesburg, Banbury Cross in Middleburg, and at Beverly

Farm in The Plains. Everything a budding player needs is included: horses, tack, all equipment, including protective headgear, and mallets.

Destination Polo is well known for quality of horses and top notch instruction. “Even someone who’s never ridden, we teach them, get them on a horse and hitting a ball and we can have them playing games by the end of the summer,” he said.

Competent riders, said Barnes, could be playing in just a few weeks. One of his teaching locations at Beverly Farms in The Plains is a full service equestrian center, and some of his students started because their wives already rode there. “Rather than waiting around while the wife rides her jumper, the husband learns to play polo and has a blast,” explained Barnes. To learn more, visit DestinationPolo.com or give Barnes a call on 540-229-7656; also BeverlyEquestrian.org.

Other places to take private or group lessons: Chilean professional player German Noguera owns and operates Willow Run Polo School in The Plains, offering lessons for beginner to advanced. He also buys and sells polo ponies. He can be reached at admin@ willowrunpolo or 540-454-3168; Willow Run also has a Facebook page.

In Charles Town, W.Va., a little further out, Mountain View Polo offers polo lessons; visit their Facebook page or MountainViewPolo.com.

OldTownCrier

THE LAST WORD FROM PG 10

an enthralling and accessible storyteller, not just a brilliant academic. His mythology extends so far beyond the usual fantasy genre that he occupies his own category.

Martin, a former TV writer, has made fantasy approachable and telegenic in part because A Song of Ice and Fire reflects real medieval history, Machiavellian intrigue, and the power struggles of today. It translates well to the screen and even serves as a counterpart to a contemporary political series such as the wonderful House of Cards.

Luckily, he often smashes convention and successfully creates tension by killing off popular characters and letting the wicked flourish. He does not create a mythology in the same vein as Tolkien. He also always seems to feel the heft and weight of Middle Earth above his head. Such pressure may add to his reluctance to finish his own very intriguing collection of tales.

Unfortunately for the general reader, he also remains a diehard science fiction and fantasy writer with fingers in many pies. He continues editing works for readers completely steeped in these genres, and zooms around the world to schmooze with fans at comic cons. He also often blogs about the Jets, his arts theater in Santa Fe, and contesting science fiction and fantasy factions lobbying for

awards such as the Hugo or the Nebula. George, The Winds of Winter please! Come on now!

Martin, already a notoriously slow writer, is so popular now that his publishers cannot keep him to a schedule. To create his complex character-driven world, he certainly needs enough head space and time to do it well. Ironically, he may also turn to side projects to avoid our clamor for him to finish the series, pressure that has come with worldwide popularity beyond his core fantasy fan base.

Martin has stated that writing is not a democracy, and we can’t disagree with that. He is entitled to do what he wants. Admittedly, I speak for the selfish reader. Yet those of us who love and buy his books can argue that if he is writing to be read, he has at least some obligation to finish what he starts. We have not invested this much time in his writing to wait for Godot.

As a busy courtier absorbed in medieval royal intrigues, Chaucer never finished his sprawling magnum opus.

While we readers focus on other worthwhile books, I hope Martin will find some way to prioritize the remaining two novels in the series and to wrap up his complicated storylines and characters to his and our satisfaction.

HIGH NOTES FROM PG 11

Triplicate is quite good. All of these “American Songbook” albums are quite good. I am not here to belittle the actual music on these discs. I very much enjoy his fragile old voice set against a shadowy pedal steel on songs like “These Foolish Things” and “Sentimental Journey”, or fronting an eerie big band on “The Best Is Yet To Come”.

These records are perfect for relaxing on a rainy day, or to have in the background while reading or perhaps at a dinner party. This is one of the most inventive interpretations of this sort of material that has ever seen the light and the world is most definitely a far better place for these recordings being in it.

But still, c’mon Bob, get with it. It’s been five years since an original Bob Dylan song has been released, and the world needs him now more than ever. If you count OldTownCrier

Triplicate as three separate albums, as I do, then this decade has brought forth six Bob Dylan albums, only one of which containing any original material (2012’s excellent, but slightly longwinded Tempest). At the time of this writing, the modern bard turns 75 years old tomorrow. Who knows how much longer he will around, or how much longer he will be at it. The last thing any artist of his caliber needs to do is go out on five albums of interesting-but-not-exactlyamazing Sinatra tributes. That is just too weird, even for Bob. The times have certainly changed and the hard rain is most definitely falling, but the chimes of freedom are no longer flashing and there is no answer blowing in the wind, at least not a clear one right now. So Bob, for the love of mud, pick up your pen, my good man. We need you now, more than ever.

LOCATED IN OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA Over the years, Solid Kitchen & Bath has remodeled 100s of houses in Old Town Alexandria neighborhood.

SCHEDULE FREE ESTIMATE:

SOLID KITCHEN & BATH

P: (703) 299-4444 VISIT OUR SHOWROOM: 315 S. Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314

PRIVATE

YACHT CHARTER

potomac belle

docked in old town alexandria

Cruise the waters of the Potomac River with its postcard views of the DC skyline.

Business entertainment, private parties, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries are our specialties. We take the art of entertaining to a whole new level, no matter what the occasion. You and your guests will remember the cruise for years to come. Quality service begins with custom planning to suit your needs.

www.potomacbelle.com | 703-868-5566 | gstevens@potomacbelle.com June 2017 | 27

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

LANI GERING

DINING OUT

THAT’S GOOD ’QUE! MYRON MIXON’S PITMASTER BBQ 220 NORTH LEE ST OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-535-3340

F

our months ago Pitmaster Barbeque opened in Old Town Alexandria. The restaurant is a collaboration of Myron Mixon and local restaurateurs Joe Coury and Bill McFadden. Coury is a well-known Alexandria restaurateur with his anchor restaurant, Faccia Luna, in the 800 block of South Washington Street here in Old Town. Mixon came to the mix by route as an American celebrity chef and competitor on the barbeque circuit. He is a fourtime barbeque World Champion and appears as a judge on Destination America reality television show BBQ Pitmasters. Due to the number of accolades he has achieved during his BBQ career, he has the nickname of “the winningest man in barbeque.”

Myron started in competitive barbeque in 1996 at a competition in Atlanta Georgia. He won his first place in whole hog and third place in the pork shoulder competition. He originally only took up competitive BBQ in order to promote his family’s BBQ sauce, which his parents Gaye and Jack, had created. His father taught him how to barbeque, and Myron named his BBQ Company after him, calling it Jack’s Old South.

Coury’s expertise is not only in restaurant management but he has been a judge on the competitive barbeque circuit for years.

Upon entering the restaurant the

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

28 | June 2017

first thing that you will notice is that delicious sweet smell of smoking meats. The aroma is not over powering, but just enough to get saliva flowing in your mouth … it is time for barbeque! The front room of booths and some two and four tops appears rather small but a short divider hides the other half of this room as well as the bar. Two other adjoining rooms help provide space for over 190 seats in the restaurant. The bar is comfortable with about 8 bar stools and a few tables for friends to gather.

There are flat screen TV’s throughout the front room as well as in each side room, making this a great place for watching your favorite sports team.

The menu is straight forward offering snacks, salads, ribs & chicken, barbeque plates, sandwiches as well as family meals for eating in or taking out. The main courses feature baby back ribs and a smoked ½ chicken while the BBQ plates offer pulled pork, rubbed pulled chicken, Black Angus brisket, pork belly and smoked sausage links. Mixon’s Fixins (sides) are plentiful and from the south…

Brunswick stew, his signature peach barbeque baked beans, coleslaw, mac and cheese, collard greens, loaded baked potato salad and seasoned cut French fries. The fixins come in their own cardboard serving vessel and all is laid out on a paper lined jellyroll tray.

This is down home comfortable!

We started out with an order of the popular Pimento Cheese Spread served with crisp Ritz Crackers. The spread is a combo of Duke’s Mayo, three cheddars and chopped pimento.

We now know why this is so popular – it is pretty darn tasty and is enough for two people! During a previous visit we had the Hog Sauce Chicken Wings.

They are worth another try! Next time I think my partner is going to check out their BBQ’s Deviled Eggs.

Moving on to the main course … being a sausage lover, I ordered the 2-meat plate offering of pulled pork and sausage. All of the plates are served with two fixin’s and house pickles - these are made in house and are a delicious take on bread and butter style). My fixin’s choices were coleslaw and the loaded baked potato salad. The pork was tender and juicy and flavored enough so that extra barbeque sauce was not necessary.

Smoked for 7 to 8 hours this meat was stand alone good. The sausage was a sizable portion, cooked through but not over cooked. The casing revealed the grill marks and had a little pop to it as I bit in…nice touch. The fixin’s are sizable and very good. The coleslaw was finely chopped and so creamy you could use a spoon. The potato salad was a scoop of “loaded baked potato” –so named because it has bacon, cheese, etc. – the same things you would order on an actual “loaded”

baked potato. It was good but only soso as far as my taste in potato salad goes, but in a support cast for the main attraction, it was a good addition.

My partner made an attempt to take a more heart healthy route and ordered the smoked ½ chicken accompanied by the collard greens and the peach BBQ baked beans. This was a good move. The dry rub on the chicken was just right and it was cooked enough that the outside was crispy while the inside stayed nice and moist. The greens were as they should be, flavored with bacon, onion and butter. I detected a bit of vinegar as well. The addition of peaches to the baked beans is a great flavor and is something we may try next time we make them at home.

The portions are good sized and we were already getting ready to pack up our leftovers when Joe decided that we needed to try a few more things. I couldn’t let him down so I gave them all a whirl. Out came the ribs, some brisket, the mac and cheese (it is baked so had some of the “burned” edges, yum) and one of the rolls that they use for their sandwiches (nice and soft almost like a potato roll). The ribs are the type that remain firm, not the kind that fall off of the bone, and the brisket was mighty tasty as well. All of the meats are seasoned with dry rubs – no sauce slathered on anything. You DINING OUT > PAGE 29

OldTownCrier

DINING OUT FROM PAGE 28

can choose from one of the three offered at the table and concoct your own. Joe sent us home with a slice of chocolate pecan pie and a side of ice cream so I am saving that for tomorrow.

The bar seems to be taking on a regular customer base and has just about anything you want to drink. There are several craft beer options and good old Bud Light on tap for those of us who don’t go the craft route and there are enough wines on the list to appease the recreational wine drinker. The prices at Pitmaster are very reasonable for this area. Something that caught my eye was The Family Meal. It looks like a great value.

For $59 you get ½ smoked chicken, ½ lb of pulled pork, ½ lb of beef brisket, 2 sausage links, ½ rack of baby back ribs.

This option is also available for carry out as is the Office Pack that feeds 12-14 for $199.

Since Father’s Day is fast approaching, you may want to put Pitmaster on your list of “have to take Dad to’s”!

Everything is available in bulk carry out so if he just wants to stay home in his T-Shirt and Shorts for the day, you can bring the BBQ to him!

It’s JUNE... It Must Be

FATHER’S DAY & BOURBON DAY NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER

®

JOIN US FOR STEAK NIGHT Thursdays 5-9 PM Starting at $15.95

Tuesday, June 13, 6:30-8:30 pm

BOuRBOn TasTInG

4 Kentucky Craft Bourbons paired with assorted River Bend snacks $35 per person

sunday, June 18

FaTheR’s day!

dad speCIaLs for Brunch and dinner Call for Reservations!

7966 Fort Hunt Road

703-347-7545 RiverBendBistro.com

LIVE MUSIC 7 NIGHTS A WEEK WITH NO COVER IRISH HAPPY HOUR 4-7 PM MONDAY-FRIDAY Featuring all draft beers, rail liquor plus half price on select appetizers 713 King Street • Old Town Alexandria 703.548.1717 • murphyspub.com

Alexandria’s Finest Dining • Veteran-Owned Brunch • Weddings • Private Events

214 King Street • Old Town Alexandria 703.683.6868 • warehousebarandgrill.com OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 29

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

BEHIND THE BAR

KAKOU MARC KOMENAN IS BEHIND THE BAR AT VOLA’S DOCKSIDE GRILL & HI TIDE LOUNGE 101 NORTH UNION STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-935-8890 VOLASDOCKSIDE.COM

Marc conjures up a Don’s Mix — Irish whiskey, grapefruit and lime juices, cinnamon syrup, mint and basil.

Marc is behind the bar Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 3 pm -11 pm; Fridays and Saturdays, Noon - 1 am.

KaKou ‘Marc’ Komenan How did you get started in the bartending business?

First of all, I started as a customer.

I've always loved life: good food and good drink. Later, I became a waiter in a restaurant with no bartender, so we had to improvise! I finally, started working at Vola's Dockside Grill as a waiter, then bartender and now in the Hi-Tide Lounge.

What is your biggest bartender pet peeve?

Other than rude people, fighting to

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

30 | June 2017

get my attention during a rush, only to sample four different wines before you pick the first one you sampled.

What is a clever line someone has used to get you to give them a free drink?

Asking for a tall thinking you get more alcohol is common, but I think I caught someone faking their birthday.

Bad karma?

What is the best/worst pick-up line you have overheard at the bar?

“I lost my phone number, can I have yours?” was clever, even though I don’t believe in pick-up lines. However, the most used and corny pickup line has to be “Is it hot in here or is it you?”

Gentleman, please. Stop.

Tell us an interesting encounter you have had with a customer(s).

I went to high school in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, and one day one of my classmates, with whom I had lost

contact with for years, just strolled in to my bar. It really is a small world!

If you could sit down and have a drink with anyone in the world, past or present, who would that be?

I think it would be great to sit down and have a glass of wine with Jesus!

If you would like to see your favorite bartender featured in this space, send contact information to office@ oldtowncrier.com.

OldTownCrier

“The Finest Lebanese Cuisine” –Washington Post, 2001 Family Owned & Operated Come and Enjoy a Cozy Candlelit Dinner Carry-Out Available • Free Delivery Open 7 Days for Lunch & Dinner

719 King St. Old Town Alexandria 703.684.9194 • thepitahouse.com

Now open for BRUNCH Saturdays & Sundays at 10AM 121 South Union Street, Old Town Alexandria 703.548.1785  unionstreetpublichouse.com

G GERANIO RISTORANTE Redefining Italian Cuisine in Old Town Alexandria Dinner Entrees from $14 722 King Street Old Town Alexandria 703.548.0088 www.geranio.net

OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 31

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

INDIGO LANDING #1 Marina Dr. Washington Sailing Marina 703-548-0001

AMERICAN ASHAR RESTAURANT AND BAR 116 South Alfred St. 703-739-6090

JACKS PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372

BILBO BAGGINS 208 Queen St. 703-683-0300

JACKSON 20 480 King St. 703-842-2790

BLACKWALL HITCH 5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090

JOE THEISMANNS 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777

BURGER FI 111 N. Pitt St. 703-746-9242

KING STREET BLUES 112 N. St. Asaph St. 703-836-8800

CARLYLE CLUB 411 John Carlyle St. 703-549-8957 CHADWICKS 203 Strand St. 703-836-4442 chadwicksrestaurants.com An Old Town tradition since 1979 and an original Georgetown pub and restaurant since 1967.

CHART HOUSE One Cameron St. 703-684-5080 CITY KITCHEN 330 South Pickett St. 703-685-9172 fatcitykitchen.com USA City inspired menu choices that bring together traditional American and global cuisine with their own personal touch. Casual dress. $30 and under. Lots of free parking. Open 7 days a week with brunch on Sat & Sun 11-3. AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313 LIVE OAK 1603 Commonwealth Ave. 571-312-0402 LOST DOG CAFE 808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511 MACKIE’S BAR AND GRILL 907 King St. 703-684-3288 MAGNOLIA’S ON KING 703 King St. 703-838-9090 MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117 MASON SOCIAL 728 Henry Street Old Town Alexandria 703-548-8800 mason-social.com

PORK BARREL BBQ 2312 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-822-5699

THE WAREHOUSE BAR & GRILL 214 King St. 703-683-6868

LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854

RAMPARTS 1700 Fern St. 703-998-6616 rampartstavern.com

ASIAN ASIAN BISTRO 809 King St. 703-836-1515

TWO NINETEEN RESTAURANT 219 King St. 703-549-1141

REYNOLDS STREET CAFÉ 34 S. Reynolds St. 703-751-0830

MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710

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 SAMUEL BECKETTS IRISH GASTRO PUB 2800 S. Randolph St. Villages of Shirlington 703-379-0122 SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266

MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600 NASIME 1209 King St. 703-548-1848 RED MEI 602 King St. 703-837-0094 STREETS MARKET AND CAFE 3108 Mt. Vernon Ave. 571-431-6810

FACCIA LUNA 823 S. Washington St. 703-838-5998

THAILAND ROYAL 801 N. Fairfax St. 703 535-6622

THE ITALIAN PLACE 621Wythe St. 571-777-8981

TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 Canal Center Plaza 703-683-8878

SOCIETY FAIR 277 S. Washington St. 703-683-3247

CAPHE BANH MI VIETNAMESE 407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800

SONOMA CELLAR 207 King St. 703-966-3550

SANG JUN THAI 300 King Street 571-312-3377

SOUTHSIDE 815 815 S. Washington St. 703-836-6222

KAI ZEN TAVERN 1901 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-836-1212

MOUNT VERNON INN Mount Vernon, Va 703-780-0011

sweetgreen 823 King St. 571-319-0192

THE SUSHI BAR 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue 571-257-3232

EVENING STAR CAFÉ 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051

MURPHYS IRISH PUB 713 King St. 703-548-1717 murphyspub.com Old-world Irish pub featuring a roaring fireplace, serving a variety of imported, domestic and non-alcoholic beers in a friendly atmosphere. Serving robust American-Irish meals at fair prices. Favorites include fish and chips and Irish stew.

Irish-style entertainment nightly.

T.J. STONES GRILL HOUSE & TAP ROOM 608 Montgomery St. 703-548-1004 tjstones.com American cuisine with libations from around the world. Bar specials Mon-Fri, 4-7 pm. Brunch served Sat & Sun.

CONTINENTAL BRABO

by Robert Weidmaier 1600 King St. 703-894-3440

FIRE FLIES 1501 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-7200 FIVE GUYS 725 King St. 703-549-7991 FLAT TOP BURGER 529 East Howell Ave. 571-970-1006

MYRON MIXON PITMASTER BBQ 220 North Lee St. 703-535-3340

FOSTERS GRILLE 2004 Eisenhower Ave. 703-725-1342

NICKELLS AND SCHIFFLER 1028 King St. 703-684-5922

GADSBYS TAVERN 138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288

NINAS DANDY Potomac Party Cruises Zero Prince St. 703-683-6076 dandydinnerboat.com

HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050

NORTHSIDE 1O 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-888-0032

HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969 HUNTING CREEK STATION 801 King St. 703-836-5126

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

OCONNELLS RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 danieloconnellsrestaurant.com

32 | June 2017

TRADEMARK 2800 Jamieson Ave. 703-253-8640 UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com Old Town’s favorite neighborhood tap and grill.

Southern style menu, fine steaks, fresh seafood. Sunday brunch, private parties, happy hour.

VERMILLION 1120 King St. 703-684-9669

LA BERGERIE 218 N. Lee St. 703-683-1007 labergerie.com ITALIAN

BUGSYS PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313 bugsyspizza.com

COLUMBIA FIREHOUSE 109 S. St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776

FIN & HOOF 801 N. Saint Asaph St. 703-836-4700

YVES BISTRO 235 Swamp Fox Rd. (in Hoffman Ctr.) 703-329-1010

BRABO TASTING ROOM 1600 King St. 703-894-5252 CEDAR KNOLL INN GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-799-1501 RESTAURANT EVE 110 S. Pitt St. 703-706-0450 TEMPO 4231 Duke St. 703-370-7900 temporestaurant.com Northern Italian, French provincial & American cuisine featuring fresh seafood, meats and pasta served in a contemporary, romantic atmosphere.

FRENCH

VIRTUE GRAIN & FEED 106 South Union St. 571-970-3669

BASTILLE 606 N. Fayette St. 703-519-3776 bastillerestaurant.com

VOLA’S DOCKSIDE GRILL & THE HI-TIDE LOUNGE 101 North Union St. 703-935-8890

LE REFUGE 127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661 FONTAINES CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151

GERANIO RISTORANTE 722 King St. 703-548-0088 geranio.net Still Old Towns highest-rated Italian restaurant (Zagat).

Discerning Old Towners flock here for refined cuisine in this comfortable, yet sophisticated restaurant. With entrees from $14, there is no reason not to enjoy a selection from their Wine Spectator award-winning list, while being attended by the friendly staff of seasoned professionals. Reservations recommended and casual attire welcomed.

HANKS PASTA BAR 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 Elegant, classical Italian cuisine served in a lovely historical setting. Fresh veal, homemade pastas, and fresh fish are some of the daily choices.

An extensive list of wines and champagnes served in a sophisticated and friendly atmosphere.

LENA’S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA & TAP 401 East Braddock Rd. 703-960-1086 PARADISO 124 King St. 703-683-5330 PINES OF FLORENCE 1300 King St. 703-549-1796

MEDITERRANEAN LA TASCA 607 King St. 703-299-9810 TAVERNA CRETEKOU 818 King St. 703-548-8688 tavernacretekou.com PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194 thepitahouse.com Family owned and operated; carry out available and free delivery.

DELIAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. Alexandria, VA 703-329-0006 SEAFOOD HANKS OYSTER BAR 1026 King St. 703-739-HANK FISH MARKET-OLD TOWN 105 King St. 703-836-5676 fishmarketoldva.com Internationally known and locally owned! We serve shrimps, a few crabs, tall people and lots of nice people, too! Live music and lively food!

ERNIES ORGINIAL CRABHOUSE 1743 King St. 703-836-0046 THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834 wharfrestaurant.com "Its All About the Seafood," traditional and creative coastal cuisine.

FISH MARKET-CLINTON 7611Old Branch Ave. Clinton, MD 301-599-7900 INDIAN BOMBAY CURRY COMPANY 2607 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-836-6363 DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd.

703-660-6085 NAMASTE 1504 King St. 703-970-0615 MEXICAN LATIN SOUTHWESTERN DON TACO TEQUILA BAR 808 King St. 703-988-3144 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)

RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873 TRATTORIA DA FRANCO 305 S. Washington St. 703-548-9338

OldTownCrier

CHESTER SIMPSON

CHEF’S SPECIAL

MEGG BAROODY

When did you first become interested in cooking and what made you choose a culinary career?

Cooking has always been a hobby of mine. When I was a kid, I used to stand on a chair in the kitchen and help my dad cook dinner. Both of my parents shared time making dinner for me and my five older siblings. Mom has more of a comfort foodstyle — when it comes to Thanksgiving, she’s the boss!

The little details are what still make her dishes so tasty and memorable. My dad’s style is a bit more refined. He gets a kick out of building the flavors in a gumbo or making the perfect risotto. I’ve definitely learned a lot from them both.

To be honest, Meggrolls came about as a happy accident. I used to make latenight snacks and bring them to my bartender boyfriend, and he’d share them with his regular guests. One night, I made traditional Chinese egg rolls, and as he was eating one he suggested I wrap his favorite chicken parmesan dish that I make in a wonton.

Needless to say, I took that idea and ran with it!

I never would have thought that my most creative outlet would be realized through food, but now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Who or what has been your biggest inspiration during your career?

I appreciate a good risktaker — someone who chooses to dream, no matter the consequence. When I read a story or hear someone speak about their idea for a business and I get that initial twinge in my gut that tells me there are all sorts of risks involved, I immediately admire that person. It’s hard to make progress with a vision or an idea that other folks need to see proof of before they

can believe in it. To have a vision and stay focused, even through its awkward stages (of which there can be many) takes a lot of courage and patience.

Which dish on the menu are you most curious to see how it’s received?

I’m very excited to share our tasty “Meggs” with the Old Town neighborhood! Our menu is on the smaller side, but it’s set up so that you can custom-build your favorite snack or meal. Add one of our three slaws or our hearty, zesty white bean chicken chili to your order to round out your meal. Or, if Meggrolls are all you crave at the moment, feel free to order a “triple play” sampler, which is perfect for a pair of indecisive eaters to enjoy. I’m also looking forward to seeing how many “Old Town Tubs” will be going out of the kitchen, which is an 83 oz. bucket of our hand-cut, crispy boardwalk fries. We offer plenty of self-serve malt vinegar, so you can douse your tub, sit back and enjoy some tasty fries Delmarva beach-style.

What do you do to ensure the quality of the food going out to customers?

Being in the thick of it during the first fledgling months will allow me and my staff to directly observe the production and execution

photo: ©2017 Chester Simpson

M

eghan is a native Alexandrian and graduate of TC Williams High School. She was a student-athlete at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art.

After college, she stayed in Alexandria and worked as a bartender at Tallula/ Eat Bar in Arlington. She then moved to Chadwick’s in Old Town, where she served and entertained guests from behind the bar while pursuing multiple creative outlets, including voice acting and freelance portrait and mural painting. It was during her time at Chadwick’s that she ramped up her love of cooking and turned a fun hobby into the unique and creative concept that Meggrolls is today.

MEGG BAROODY IS THE CHEF & OWNER OF MEGGROLLS 107 N. FAYETTE STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 571-312-0399 WWW.MEGGROLLS.COM

Chef Meg Baroody holding a sampler pack.

process, and will allow me to be as accessible as possible to my staff and customers.

I think we’ll learn a lot very quickly about what we are doing right and what needs work, and I look forward to getting the kinks out quickly!

If any chef in the world could prepare a meal for you, who would you want that to be?

I’d have to go with Anthony Bourdain. I find his arrogance and wit sort of endearing. He

also has no problem making fun of himself, which is a quality I admire.

What’s your guilty food pleasure?

I love to dip things.

If you would like to see your favorite chef featured here, send contact info to chester@ chestersimpson.com.

Left to right:The Bigg Megg, The Buffalo Wing, The Chorizo Poblano, Side Slaws, and Boardwalk Fries

OldTownCrier

photo: ©2017 Chester Simpson

June 2017 | 33

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

$10 LUNCH SPECIALS

FOR CONNOISSEURS OF GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS AND THE PERFECT STEAK, MACKIE’S IS WHERE YOU’LL FIND ALL THREE AT THEIR UNCOMPLICATED BEST

[

[

HAPPY HOUR 3-7 PM AT THE BAR BRUNCH SAT & SUN 11-3 MIMOSA & BLOODY MARY SPECIALS

ED YELP’S #1 RATSE STEAKHOU ACE & BURGER PLWN IN OLD TO

907 KING STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703.684.3288 MACKIESBARANDGRILL.COM

To

O’Connell’s

Eat Drink & Be Irish Open Sun–Sat 11am – Late

Kids Eat Free Mon–Wed 5-8pm Sunday Jazz 12:30-2:30pm

Brunch 11 to 3

Sat & Sun

HAPPY HOUR 3 to 7

Mon thru Fri

Live Music Fri–Sun

Best Irish Sessions

a SEASONAL sserk your ver SELECTIONS

Daily Food Specials Tuesday Pub Trivia Nights 7pm Photographer: K Summerer for Visit Alexandria

112 King Street Alexandria | 703.739.1124 DanielOConnells.com

dine out!

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

34 | June 2017

OldTownCrier

Let the Color War begin!

ROAD TRIP FROM PG 21

“adult” camp game…beer pong. I never knew that a ping-pong ball could be so challenging.

The main event took place Saturday afternoon. The Color War! This was a lot of fun! The Color War worked something like this. The campers were divided into two teams — The Red Team and The White Team with each being “Captained” by one of the “counselors” (I use that word loosely in this case). The first task at hand was the capturing of the opposing teams flag. The two “armies” were provisioned with laser tag guns and the object being to capture the hidden flag of the opposing group. As the attacks began, if you were “tagged” by an opponents laser gun, you were out of the game. With campers running everywhere, the action was intense and in short, speed prevailed as the white team captured the red flag of the opposition.

After the capture, the rest of the afternoon was spent by the teams participating in multiple competitions. Said competitions included a water balloon toss, a three-legged race, scissors/paper/rock and a relay race that pretty much covered most of the camp. It began with a race of filling a small tub from a larger tub of water with a half-gallon bottle with holes. From there it was a race to break open a block of ice and find the five coins, run to the next team who were to do bat spins and run around an object. This led to several other legs that included a song contest (email me and I will tell you about that), friendship bracelet making, a basketball shot challenge, eating a pudding cup and a cup of ice cream and chugging a club soda all without hands and then another small relay from the tennis courts to the horse stalls. The physical last leg of the race was each teams best runner (turns out both were women) had to run down the hill to the lake and retrieve a cup of water. The grand finale was building a balloon tower in the mess hall until it touched the ceiling and then OldTownCrier

popping all the balloons. It appears that these games of competition were designed to create camaraderie and they certainly delivered.

The Red Team took the prize but it was a close call!

The night ended with another bonfire at the lake with ‘smores and spiked hot chocolate and some bubbly. I made this trip and it was a fitting fire for a great day. Back at the canteen there were a few more beers and a viewing of a very B class 1980’s circa horror movie — Sleepaway Camp! Google it!

Good byes were said at breakfast on Sunday morning as campers went on their way; some to drive home while others went to catch their flights. It is easy to hang around at times like this because you never want camp to end, and besides, I didn’t have to go when my mom showed up…I was on my own!

This was the first Camp Runaway but they are planning for another but no dates yet. Look to the Old Town Crier for any announcement or check out their face book page or website at camprunaway.com.

Note: Camp Runaway was held at Camp Tall Timbers in High View, W.Va. At Camp Tall Timbers they have been serving up fun and rewarding camp experiences every summer for over 45 years. Located in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Camp Tall Timbers is convenient from throughout the DMV. Their camp offers a wide variety of entertaining, engaging and inspiring activities for boys and girls from ages 7 to 16. Their camp experience promotes independence, decision-making, socialization, skill building, confidence, creativity, and self-discovery in a safe d nurturing environment. Campers are encouraged to be themselves, try something new, unplug and have fun.

June 2017 | 35

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

EXPLORING VA WINES

DOUG FABBIOLI

Can You Associate?

I

was driving home from a Virginia Wine Board meeting the other day thinking about what to write for this month’s column. I found myself thinking of all the groups I have been involved with over the years including the current ones.

It started with running the church youth group and went from there.

The employee committee at the Syracuse University bookstore, the condominium association in California, and the California Enological Research Association were a few more of my efforts over the years.

Currently, I realize I am stretched rather thin with all of the boards, associations, and organizations competing for my attention. I should say “no” to a few of these, and I have.

But it is difficult to step out of a group you believe in and have been

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

36 | June 2017

committed to, especially if there is no one behind you to step into the spot you are vacating.

This brings me to our homework from the Virginia Wine Board. Each board member is asked to bring a potential board member to its next meeting to show them the ropes a bit.

The meeting is public, and we have plenty of industry members to choose from, but getting someone who has the skills, time and passion to serve can be a bit challenging. The idea of mentoring a potential new member is important for any organization that wants to continue its structure and entity for the long term.

The good part about this process is that it also helps the wine board show others how it works and what we do. By bringing someone to the meeting, we expose them, and those they talk with, to a bit of what we do

as board members. There have been some concerns in the industry about who we are, who we serve and what we do. We do not produce newsletters or have a presence on Facebook, so people have to hunt around to find us.

At each industry event, I announce my presence and role on the board so others can approach me with concerns or issues about our ever-changing industry.

The takeaway message that I am trying to send is back to mentoring, leadership and service. We each have causes or concerns that we see need improvement. Stepping up, learning more about an organization and finding where you can be of service is part of the process. Some groups may be more closed than others. Some may be more dysfunctional than others. Some may have requirements from the volunteers in order to get

involved. These efforts are not to just get something benevolent on your resume, they are giving back to the industry or community that you are a part of.

In closing, I offer a word of advice: try not to over commit. Usually you know when that is after you have done it, but that is what learning, giving and growing is all about. The world can be better when each of us gives just a little bit more.

Doug is the proprietor and winemaker of Fabbioli Cellars in Loudoun County and has been penning this column for several years. He has been instrumental in the success of many of the Commonwealth’s vineyards and wineries.

OldTownCrier

OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 37

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

VIRGINIA WINE TRAIL PROFILES BEDFORD COUNTY WINE TRAIL bedfordwinetrail.com The Bedford Wine Trail in the Central Virginia region includes five vineyards and wineries surrounding Bedford.

n THREE FOX VINEYARDS JUNE EVENTS n

n 3: TALK OF THE MOUNTAIN SEAFOOD n 4: PAINT NITE! n n 10: 5TH ANNUAL RUBBER DUCK RACE n 17: FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND n n 24-25: ROLLING BRICK AND DOUGH n

BLUE RIDGE WINE WAY www.blueridgewineway.com The Blue Ridge Wine Way features eight wineries and vineyards in the spectacular mountains of the Northern Virginia region.

BOTETOURT COUNTY WINE TRAIL botetourtwinetrail.com The Wine Trail of Botetourt Country features three wineries in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

EASTERN SHORE WINE TRAIL esvatourism.org The Eastern Shore of Virginia Wine Trail hosts three wineries along the Land Between Two Waters.

This area is a unique rural coastal environment.

Hundreds of miles of Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay shoreline provide a wealth of recreational opportunities for beach-lovers, fishermen, and boaters in addition to wine lovers.

Tasting Room Hours - Open Year Round Thursday-Saturday, & Monday 11-5 pm • Sunday 12 pm (noon)- 5 pm

Mention or bring this ad for a complimentary tasting for two through 12/23/2010 10100 Three Fox Ln. • Delaplane, VA • 540-364-6073

FAUQUIER COUNTY WINE TRAIL fauquiertourism.com/wineries.html Fauquier County is home to 16 wineries and vineyards — each with its own unique flavors. Enjoy awardwinning Virginia wines, wine tastings and tours.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY WINE TRAIL svwga.org The Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail is an association of six vineyards and wineries.

LOUDOUN WINE TRAIL visitloudoun.org Loudouns Wine Trail in Northern Virginia takes you through Virginias hunt country to 23 participating wineries.

CHESAPEAKE BAY WINE TRAIL chesapeakebaywinetrail.com The Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail, in the Chesapeake Bay region, highlights six different wineries.

HEART OF VIRGINIA WINE TRAIL www.hovawinetrail.com The Heart of Virginia Wine Trail in Central Virginia presents several events throughout the year at four wineries located in the central region of the state.

BLUE RIDGE WINE TRAIL blueridgewinetrail.com The Blue Ridge Wine Trail features five wineries and vineyards in the spectacular mountains all within minutes of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

GENERALS WINE & HISTORY TRAIL thegeneralswinetrail.com In 2009, 10 wineries banded together to form a new type wine trail experience. The new wine trail experience was to tie our rich wine heritage with our rich historical heritage and thus the Generals Wine & History Trail was born.

MONTICELLO WINE TRAIL monticellowinetrail.com The Monticello Wine Trail leads to 24 wineries from its hub in Charlottesville.

Source: Virginia Wine Marketing Office

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

38 | June 2017

real people. earth friendly. fabulous wines.

HOLD YOUR ‘FABB’ EVENT AT FABBIOLI CELLARS! WEDDINGS • CORPORATE OUTINGS • GRADUATIONS • CELEBRATIONS

email us at info@fabbioliwines.com 15669 Limestone School Rd • Leesburg, VA 20176 703.771.1197 • fabbioliwines.com

VISITING VIRGINIA WINE COUNTRY It’s always a good idea to call before visiting. Many Virginia wineries are small, family-owned operations and may be closed during the time you are planning to visit. If you are a group of eight or more, call ahead to help the winery prepare for your visit and to make sure they can accept groups. Most of our wineries have grape cluster highway signs within a ten-mile radius pointing the way to the winery. Many of these signs also tell you how many miles to go before reaching the winery.

OldTownCrier

BY CAROLINE SIMPSON

T

here is a myriad of females in my family.

Starting with my Mom; she has three sisters. Out of my ten cousins, there are only two boys, and I am one of two daughters. I love being from a femalefull family. The girl power factor is unbeatable. There was always an opportunity for late night girl talks on the phone, not to mention the neverending understanding associated with female companionship, and, of course, the ability to cathartically cry for absolutely no reason. I am one very lucky girl, and during this time of year, I am forced to think…my poor father!

I frequently wondered if the fathers of all these females: my dad, my uncles, and my grandfather, ever truly wished for sons. Even if they never outright said it, isn’t it is common knowledge that a father wants a son?

Playing ball, burping, and getting dirty are all elements of that fatherson relationship that my dad never experienced. Does he regret it? Is a

prerequisite to feeling like a successful father the ability to share a love of bugs?

I think not! Sure, daughters are different, more challenging, even.

Playing ball was not my thing, but my dad made it a point to figure out what my thing was. One of my favorite memories is our visit to the Museum of Natural History. I loved rocks, and Dad spent a small fortune on a preorganized rock collection from the gift shop that I still have. Then there was the time when Mom had a morning meeting and Dad helped me get ready for school. He was not prepared for the drama that was my hair, but he gave it his all. Five barrettes and a can of hairspray later, I walked to the bus stop with a bumpy helmet head of ponytails.

Growing up, I didn’t go to dad with typical female needs…When is it time for me to wear a bra? Can I wear lipstick? My boyfriend dumped me.

I dumped my boyfriend, etc…thank goodness I have Mom for the ins and outs of being a girl! Although, I may have spared Dad from some of the

minutiae, I was always able to turn to him for the big stuff. He taught me to be strong and independent. He showed me how to stand up for myself and give everything I do my all. He showed me the value of working hard and the necessity of playing hard.

Our time is not spent playing catch or talking stats; instead, we have deep conversations about applying for a promotion or buying a house.

The male point of view is an interesting and essential one. For example, I remember the time I complained about PMS; Dad shared that he didn’t want to hear me complain, because between myself, my sister, and my mom, he experienced PMS three times a month. That put it in perspective for me. My dad is clever, too. Although I don’t like to admit it, there was a time when I was not perfect. For example, I got in trouble and lost phone privileges. The element of gab is required when you are a teenager, and I was sure I stumped my parents when I told them that the phone in my room was a gift from my grandparents and they couldn’t take

it! Ha! Well, Dad countered with the point that the phone jack in my room is his, and he could take it. Needless to say, I didn’t chat on the phone for the next two weeks.

Bottom line up front (a true Dadism,) my dad is the reason that I am who I am today. He may not have had sons to raise, but he has two daughters who look to him as their role model for the male species, in general. He may have wished we could have bonded over bugs, but instead, we bonded over life. A father, if he does it right, is a figure for sons and daughters, alike. My dad did it right, and I am proud to say to him — Happy Father’s Day! Publisher’s note: Caroline wrote this for the June 2009 issue and we feel that it is just as appropriate this year as it was last! Since then she has had a beautiful daughter (another girl in the family) and most recently a baby boy - finally.

Enjoy the read and remember to treat you father as if every day were Father’s Day!

A Father Figure OldTownCrier

June 2017 | 39

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

NICOLE FLANAGAN

FITNESS

Get Fit for Summer

W

hether you are an exercise pro or a beginner to the gym chances are you have a few questions about your workout.

With summer just around the corner everyone is stepping up the workout to get ultimate results. Here are a few tips to keep that workout moving in the right direction.

DO …

… work out every day

You don’t need to be at the gym seven days in a row, but try for at least five days. To get a good habit started you must be consistent. Doing something every day even if it is just a little is all you need to keep up the motivation.

For the best results, don’t

overwhelm yourself. You should aim for 30 minutes of cardio every day and strength training twice a week for the first month or two. Once this workout has become a part of your regular routine you are ready to increase your intensity.

… set new goals

It’s easy for gym regulars to hit a slump and stop seeing the benefits or having the fun that kept them motivated in the past. Before you start dodging gym dates, find a new challenge: Sign up for a 5K, or plan an active vacation like hiking or kayaking. Keeping your workouts interesting and goal oriented will make it more fun and also give you something to work toward.

… breathe better

To improve your performance, focus on your breathing. Next time you are jogging on the treadmill or out on the path try inhaling to a count of three and exhaling to a count of three.

Steady your breathing with your pace and you will feel more energized during your workout.

… something new

Many advanced exercisers can get stuck in a workout rut. Some exercisers will stick to the same workouts because they are familiar with it. Try new exercises that are completely different from what you normally do. Those are the moves that help build a stronger, more balanced body

and prevent overuse injuries.

By changing up your routine you are challenging your body in a different way and forcing your body to adjust. This will help create a more balanced workout.

… work out with someone slower

Once a week, exercise with a buddy who moves at a more leisurely pace. You’ll give your body a chance to regenerate, and maybe you’ll even have a bit more fun. It’s good to be competitive but every once in a while it’s nice to give your body a break and change up the normal routine.

DON’T …

… get stuck on the treadmill New exercisers often do the same routine for the same duration and at the same intensity every time they work out. First of all, this is a really good way to make exercise become a task instead of a release. This bad habit gets reinforced because, as your workouts get easier, you’re fooled into thinking you’ve become more fit. In reality, your muscles have just grown accustomed to the challenge. Be sure to mix up your routine by varying your time and intensity and by cross-training on the bike or elliptical machine, or by going for a jog outside.

… be a slouch

Whether you’re leafing through the latest gossip rag on the elliptical or curling dumbbells on a bench, straighten up. Slumping causes you to check out of

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

40 | June 2017

your workout both mentally and physically. Focus on sitting or standing up straight, since most people spend a lot of time sitting at a computer give your shoulders a break and pay attention to posture.

Slouching also keeps you from breathing deeply, which is necessary for delivering the oxygen your muscles need to work at full capacity.

… be unbalanced

Most regular exercisers are diligent about including cardio, strength, and flexibility in their routines, but they forget about balance. This critical skill allows you to move fluidly and avoid injuries. At the end of your workout, stand on one leg and lift the other out in front of you. Try to hold this for 20 to 30 seconds, then, repeat with the other leg. If this maneuver seems too easy for you try adding a BOSU ball to your workout. Stand on the BOSU while doing bicep curls or shoulder presses.

… focus on the numbers

Tracking your running time or calorie count provides instant feedback on your workout. Try not to get too hung up on the numbers.

When you have a goal whether it be time, distance or calories it feels great to reach it. If it becomes an obsession it takes the joy out of the workout. Be sure not to push yourself to your limits all the time. Take a day and run just for fun.

OldTownCrier

RYAN UNVERZAGT

FROM THE TRAINER

WATCH YOURSELF!

T

his month officially marks the start of the summer season. I hope all of you have cool vacations planned that include lots of physical activity. As the temperatures rise through the summer, it becomes extremely important to monitor when, where and how much exercise you are doing as well as hydrating properly.

Did you know that water accounts for more than 60 percent of the human body’s volume? Water is so vital to life that we can survive only about three days without it depending upon climate conditions. The hotter and more humid the environment, the faster we become dehydrated. It takes as little as a two percent change in body weight to negatively affect exercise performance. For a 150 lb. person, that equates to only 3 lbs.! There are many factors that affect your hydration status, such as: • Ambient air temperature (outside) • Humidity • Individual sweat rates • Body temperature (internal) • Exercise intensity and duration

OldTownCrier

• Fitness level • Individual body fat percentage • Existing health conditions such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, kidney failure, etc.

Dehydration can have several negative effects during exercise such as decreased muscle strength & endurance, coordination, mental acuity, and impaired thermoregulation. One of the most important functions of water within the body is to help regulate body heat. When the body is properly hydrated, exercise will feel easier and you will typically have a lower heart rate at the same intensity than you would if you were in a dehydrated state. This is due to optimal blood volume and cardiac output to deliver nutrients and oxygen to your working muscles.

There is no single “Gold Standard” for measuring hydration levels because too many factors play into how your body stores water. However, here are some general exercise and hydration guidelines to follow this summer: ✔ Try to workout during the coolest part of the day if outside (usually mornings) ✔ Weigh yourself before and

after your workout ✔ Drink about 10 ounces of fluid 1 hour before your workout ✔ Drink 8 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes during exercise ✔ Drink 20 ounces of fluid per pound of weight lost through sweat after exercise ✔ Always finish a workout with a cool-down by gradually decreasing intensity ✔ Use a cool, damp towel on the neck to help bring body temperature down ✔ It’s better to have a

sports drink (Gatorade, PowerAde, Propel) to replace electrolytes (mainly sodium) after a prolonged workout over 60 minutes.

Unverzagt holds a BS in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University.

He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), and a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).

Old TOwn denTisTry FrinetKasper,DDS Family & Cosmetic Dentistry Crowns & Bridges Invisalign • Sealants Fillings • Whitening

1203 Prince Street Alexandria, Va. 22314

703.683.0800

www.oldtowndentistry.com Hablamos Español • Same Day Appointments

June 2017 | 41

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

KIM PUTENS

FIRST BLUSH

Transitioning to Summer

W

ith the change in weather comes adjustments in the way we care for and dress our skin.

For men, the changes may actually mean more work.

They may actually have to consider caring for their skin before heading out into the bright sun. While, for women, these changes might mean less work — lighter skin care products and less make-up.

For women, the result may be a quicker routine. So, what

must you do to get ready for summer?

Get a good sunscreen.

Consider two different types of sunscreen products.

One that is for maximum protection. This would be a typical sunscreen product that you would use when playing sports and going to the pool or beach. Another sunscreen product would be for every day. This would be a light moisturizer with sunscreen.

A tinted moisturizer with

Experience the Difference

sunscreen would be a good choice to add a little color, even out skin tone, and provide protection from the sun.

Review your skin care regimen.

Even the driest of skin types need to lighten up on skin care products in the summer.

I have dry — like the Sahara desert — skin in the winter, but in the summer my skin is much more moist due to the natural humidity in the air. Be sure to switch up your skin care regimen to products that are more appropriate for the current climate. Many products used during the winter months can be pore clogging in the summer. Even though my skin is dry in the winter, I reach for much lighter moisturizers in the summer.

If you have combination skin, consider only using moisturizer at night. Your skin may be naturally moist

enough during the day that you may not need one. Try it out, play with your rourtine.

If you are oily, consider more oil absorbing and mattifying products for summer.

SASE Skincare Hydra-Purifying Cleanser 3 IN 1

JUNE SPECIAL FOR DADS ONLY! RECEIVE 15% OFF ANY NAIL SERVICE WHEN SCHEDULED WITH YOUR HAIRCUT OR 15% OFF A MANICURE & PEDICURE

LULU SAGE SALON & SPA 610 Madison Street, Suite100 • Old Town Alexandria, Virginia 703.894.0709 • LuluSageSalonAndSpa.com

First-time Customers Enjoy 15% Off Don’t forget about our rewards program!

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

42 | June 2017

Cleanser, exfoliator and hydrating mask in one, helps clarify and smooth uneven skin tone and texture while nourishing oils recharge lost hydration. And when the product is used without water it is also a natural non-abrasive exfoliator and hydrating mask.

MSRP: $45 5 oz.

Rethink your cleanser.

The humid summers of DC are ripe with opportunities to clog pores allowing bacteria to prevent skin from breathing.

FIRST BLUSH > PAGE 45

STUFF WE DIG!

Advanced Hydra-Illuminating Skin Therapy 4 IN 1 Anti-aging serum, firming treatment, dark spot corrector, eye cream and lifting neck cream in one deeply hydrates and contains powerful antioxidants, peptides, probiotics, brightening ingredients and nourishing oils, and helps deliver collagen building benefits. Skin will be rejuvenated, repaired and protected against environmental damage, dehydration and dullness.

MSRP: $110 1.7 oz.

Our Take: We used both products pretty much religiously for three weeks and think they make a bit of a difference.

Using only two products that perform multiple functions is very convenient. The only drawback we experienced is although SASE claims their products are “foundation friendly,” we didn’t find that quite true.

Available: These products can be purchased via fiafini.com and are available in travel sizes as well.

OldTownCrier

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE PEGGY ARVIDSON

A

fter 13 years of reading hands professionally the biggest question I hear is about Life Lines. The horrible mistruth that your life line is only about how long you’re going to live is, ironically enough, is dying a slow death.

Doing my part to nip the myth in bud, here’s the down low on Life Lines, and some of my own beliefs about life in general. You’re welcome.

1. Life lines could just as easily be called “earth” lines or “grounded” lines. Life lines really help a reader see how grounded you are in your physical body at the time of your reading. (What?! You didn’t know your lines can change?)

2. Life lines should be reflective of all the other lines in your hands. If your heart and head lines are wispy with lots of other little lines cutting in and out, so too will your life line. That doesn’t mean you have a wispy life, it does meant that you may tend to be more “in dreamworld” when it comes ot your dayto-day life. Conversely, if your lines are all deep and well-etched that can show you may be very grounded, but really hate it when things change!

3. Life lines also show how you show up in your dayto-life. So a short life line doesn’t mean anything about the lenghth of your life, but it could mean that you’re quick to jump from one thing to another, often without much forethought.

This isn’t a bad thing, it just means that you may want to do a quick assessment of how things are going in your life right now. Are you meeting your goals or do you feel like you’re constantly spinning your wheels because nothing seems to get finished?

Now a few thoughts about life in general Who is to say what “long”

OldTownCrier

What’s the Big Deal about Life Lines? and “short” life is? Losing someone you love (human or pet) is never easy. I’ve wished that my people and pets were still here on this side of the veil so that I could see them and hug them more times than I can count. In the grand scheme of things, spiritually speaking - What if we actually had a tete-a-tete with the Creator before we were born and decided on the paramaters of what we would do, who we would meet and what pain and suffering, as well as joy and happiness we’d encounter, including a few possible ways for us to check out of the whole Earth plane? Then we arrive in Earth University and forget about the chat with the Creator and suddenly it’s time to check-out.

Has anyone every told you, after a loved one died unexpectedly, “You know it’s weird, it’s like they said their goodbyes before they left on that hike. No, really, when they said good-bye, they looked at me in such a way and, I don’t know, it just felt so different.”

That’s the soul’s way of acknowledging that their work is done. That their time is coming and they are consciously or unconsciously saying their goodbyes. It is still sad and devastating to be left behind after they’ve crossed over! That doesn’t mean that their life was short though. It might mean it was the perfect length of time.

Conversely, have you ever watched a loved one suffer for years with an ailment?

They go through treatments, they suffer indiginities and generally are not enjoying the quality of life we wish they could – as much as we want them to stay with us, the knowledge of their deep physical suffering can be overwhelming. You may watch them for months or years. You may be called to the hospital or hospice to be with them when you believe it’s their time. Yet they heroically hang on. Until everyone is gone.

There are countless family members and friend who regret heading home for a quick shower, or out for a cup of coffee, only to come back and find that their loved one has crossed over. They worry that they were alone or longing for them. The soul was ready to leave but the human with that soul couldn’t do it with their loved one/s right there, so they waited until they were alone.

Do you remember Mattie Stepanek? (If you don’t, please look him up right now!) That boy changed lives around the world during his very short life. Here was someone who knew he wasn’t going to be on the planet long, and he did everything in his power to change the world for the better.

When it comes to reflecting on a long or a short life, and when people call me in fear that their life line is short and therefore they are going to have short life, I remind them that they have the choice to have a meaningful life in every minute that they are here. I also gently insist that every minute they are worrying about the length of their life, they are missing the

The

opportunity to live it.

So, how will you ensure you’re life is well-lived, no matter how long it lasts?

Peggie Arvidson is a mentor

who uses ancient and modern tools to help people clear blocks that keep them stuck so they can truly live in prosperity, joy, and peace.

Pragmatic Palmist PEGGIE ARVIDSON

Are you ready to use the wisdom in your hands to manifest the business of your dreams? Would you like to find out once and for all how to get out of your own way and attract love and money, using the gifts of your own DNA? Private readings, group sessions, classes and workshops are NOW available by appointment at:

Phone and Skype appointments are also available!

9028 D Prince William Street, Manassas, VA • 703-392-9200 • RisingPhoenixHC.com 703-392-9200 • RisingPhoenixHC.com

June 2017 | 43

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

STEVE CHACONAS

GO FISH

D

OH, NO! NOT ANOTHER TIE!

ude, don’t get Dad another tie!

He might wear it…only when you are in town or when you mention it. He really dreads having to tie one on for you!

It’s Father’s Day, put a bit of thought into the gift for the guy who was always thinking of you! This year, tell Dad to take a hike!

GO FISH > PAGE 45

JUNE

POTOMAC RIVER BASSING

Topwater time! Lucky Craft Gunfish walkers and G-Splash poppers are perfect for clear and calm water with overcast skies!

Walk the dog with the Gunfish. Don’t stop when fish strike! They’ll come back. For poppers, pop and stop, varying retrieves until a cadence produces. Lucky Craft Kelly J prop bait is a great post spawn tease! Also try Mann’s Waker over cover.

Use follow-up Mann’s 5-inch HardNose Freefall weightless stickworms on 10-pound test GAMMA Edge Fluorocarbon line for missed bites!

A steady dose of shallow diving Mann’s Baby 1-Minus crankbaits, in craw

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

44 | June 2017

and baitfish patterns, work over wood and grass. Mann’s Reel N’ Shad is deadly this time of year. For line, 12-14 pound test Edge on a KVD Quantum cranking rod.

Pitch Mizmo tubes on 3/0 Mustad Tube hooks with 14-pound Edge to docks and wood at higher tides, then grass during every tidal phase. Use garlic Jack’s Juice Bait Spray scent.

Also try swimming jigs like Mann’s Stone Jigs with a HardNose Reel ‘N’ Shad around cover.

Beef up tackle for this.

Mann’s Classic ¼ ounce spinnerbaits with white skirts are effective around shallow cover.

Try these and chatterbaits close to grass, wood and rock, bumping cover or snapping free from grass. With high water, cloudy skies and some chop with clear water, try a 3/8-ounce double willow spinnerbait with a firetiger skirt.

OldTownCrier

FIRST BLUSH FROM PG 42

It is even more important than ever to ensure you select cleansers and toners that get your skin clean. If you are not a typical cleanse and tone type of girl or guy, this is the time of year to adopt these habits. The combination of both will ensure that you are getting your skin very clean and ridding it of all the bacteria that is collecting in your pores as a result of the sweat and buildup of the day. After a day of work, I cannot wait to get home and wash my skin. It just feels dirtier in the summer and it is when I am most likely to have breakouts.

Refresh your makeup regimen.

Everyone’s skin — and I do mean everyone — looks better in the summer. Most of us pick up a bit of color in the summer, even though

we are not trying. And, everyone’s skin has a natural glow from the summer heat. So there is no reason to cover up your skin. If anything, it is more important to give your skin the opportunity to breathe. Make minor changes.

Switch from foundation to tinted moisturizers.

Go lighter on your eyes. Choose colors that are lighter, choose textures that wear better in the summer, and choose to wear less make-up altogether.

Try these tips to learn if your skin performs better in the summer. And, trust your instincts when something does not seem to be working.

Best of all, have a great summer!

GO FISH FROM PG 45

The first step begins with comfortable, rugged and stylish footwear. Chaco’s men’s Yonder combines work boot durability with heritage hiker styling. A sturdy ChacoGrip™ block outsole offers performance tread to tred where other treads won’t. Chaco’s LUVSEAT™ footbed guarantees all-day comfort. Full grain leather upper with a rolled collar style, topped off with waxed cotton laces with embossed metal hardware, takes Daddy’s little piggies off road and across town. chacos.com The perfect sock? SmartWool’s Indestructawool technology construction system keeps Dad afoot in comfort. Identifying trouble areas, SmartWool has created the virtually seamless toe, a bi-elastic fit system to keep socks from slipping and bunching up. Unique mesh zones on the top of the foot increase breathability. This sock has a foothold on comfort and durability. Smartwool’s new PhD Hunt Medium Crew socks are as ideal for fishing as for hunting, making them Dad’s sharpest socks in the drawer. smartwool.com Legendary sandal-maker Teva takes Dad back to his foot roots. Teva’s Original Universal Premier sandals are constructed with water ready, durable, and quick drying polyester webbing. A perfect fit is secured with hook and loop Universal Strapping System, allowing easy on and off. Dad will step lightly on a contoured EVA footbed supplying arch support. A rugged Durabrasion Rubber outsole takes what the terrain can dish out.

Perfect for water activities: fishing, canoeing, amphibious hiking. teva.com Keeping feet dry even when submerged, Hanz Extremity Wear calf length and overthe-calf height (15”) Submerge Waterproof Sock. Seamless waterproof technology creates a seal for deep water wading. The wicking and breathable liner keeps feet comfortable and dry. Worn with shoes, boots and sandals for any outdoor activity. hanzusa.com Outer wear or under layer, AFTCO’s Bushido hooded long sleeve performance shirt keeps Dad cool and, when he loses his cool, he’ll be odor free with the antimicrobial treatment. Too nice to be worn just for fishing, this 100% matte polyester shirt makes long hikes or city walks more comfortable by wicking moisture away from the body and drying quickly. Bushido has UPF 50+, blocking 98% of the sun’s harmful UV rays. aftco.com Since 1898, Deuter’s been packing it in for OldTownCrier

every backpack need. New “Walker” supplies lightweight storage for urban, suburban and rural hikes. Laptops in padded security, water bottles accessible, and anything Dad needs on his trek is stowable. Padded shoulder straps, with Airstripes, provide ventilation.

Adjustable chest straps keep it secure. Keys are easily found on the inside detachable key clip.

Buckles, Zippers, Velcro, and cinch straps keep everything in place. 3 sizes and colors. deuter. com A unique phone app, onXMaps ROAM membership, keeps Dad on track turning mobile devices into dedicated GPS devices.

For walks in the woods or exploring new territory, onXMaps will bring Dad home.

It’ll alert him when he’s crossing into private property, with the owner’s name too! Roads and waterways are mapped out, tracing Dad’s every step. Maps can be saved, printed and shared. Whether Dad is on the hunt or a hike, onXMaps keeps Dad on track. huntinggpsmaps.com Toss Dad’s faded jeans! Wrangler Riggs Workwear Cool Vantage jeans, wicking moisture, will keep Dad looking cool while feeling cool. Wrangler’s five-pocket jean has an oversized watch pocket with room for most cell phones. Even if Dad doesn’t have deep pockets, his jeans will with 13” front pockets.

The front right pocket is reinforced for tape measures. Riggs Workwear comes with a lifetime warranty. Perfect for woods, yard or casual Friday. wrangler.com Help Dad see what he’s been missing. Maui Jim PolarizedPlus2 lenses block bright sun and harsh glare without compromising colors that become more vivid with crisper contrast.

When durability and protection against shattering are the priority, Maui Jim’s Ho’okipa rimless Polycarbonate lenses are molded for Dad’s world and style in 4 colors for varying conditions from overcast to direct sun. Show Dad you have class with a gift certificate so he can choose his own Maui Jims. mauijim.comIf you give it, Dad will use it, wear it or eat it … make a good choice so he won’t think of you when he’s in line returning it!

Capt. Steve Chaconas is a Potomac bass fishing guide and contributing writer for BoatU.S. (BoatUS.com) Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/purchase gift certificates: info@NationalBass.com.

June 2017 | 45

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

OPEN SPACE

LORI WELCH BROWN

M

any of you loyal readers may remember that I wrote the Single Space column for the Old Town Crier for about a century. That might be an exaggeration, but trust that it was a long, long time.

Let’s just say that I was the resident dating expert or the ‘how to lose a guy in ten days or less’ guru. It was pretty brutal out there on the front lines, but I took away a lot of valuable lessons about men, relationships and most importantly, lessons about myself. It took awhile, but I finally mastered the art of being content with my own company which may not seem like a big thing, but it is an essential life skill. If you are not finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, ask yourself how much time you spend alone. If you wouldn’t want to be alone with you, why would someone else? Just sayin’ …

My dating journey finally ended when I met my now husband, XXL. I was 44 years old—that’s 308 in dating years. As my dear friend Rock is quick to share with pretty much anyone, I kissed a lot of toads in the process. To my credit, it is not so easy to spot those toads when they walk, talk and dress like Prince Charming. The more charming the prince, the wartier the toad. They’ve mastered Glass Slipper 101 and could charm the pants off Haircuts $15

Good to Great Cruella de Vil. If you’ve been in that situation, you know what I’m talking about, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for letting the fox in the henhouse. Maybe I’m a slow learner, really trusting or was just plain ol’ desperate, but it took me a few cases of Kleenex and truckloads of Ben & Jerry’s before I started being able to wisely discern who deserved my time and attention. It really boiled down to one thing.

The foolproof litmus test to ensure you have a good man sitting across from you is really quite simple. That man will always put you/your happiness first. He shows in his actions that he truly cares and values you—the you that is your feelings, thoughts and emotions. He doesn’t just talk the talk—toads have butter rolling off their tongues, btw.

A Very Good Price!

Shampoo, Cut & Blow Dry $18 (extra charge for long hair) Scissors Cut $17+up Color $43+up Permanent $45+up (including haircut & conditioner)

Good Haircut!

Beautiful Perm!

Long Lasting Color!

Van’s Hairstylists 107 North Washington Street (near corner of King & Washington streets)

703-836-1916

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

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

46 | June 2017

Those actions are consistent, not just when it is convenient or when he thinks there’s a payoff coming in the form of a little something something.

That’s really all there is to it.

It is curious that it took me so long to figure all that out because I was so very fortunate to grow up with a man who showed me what it looks like to value and respect a woman. That man was my dad, and John Welch set the bar pretty high. In my defense, I’ll say that while I put up with a lot of dating B.S., thanks to my dad, I was rock solid in my understanding of who/ what I wanted in my life for the long haul. And, I wasn’t about to settle for anything less. Good enough may be okay for dating, but great is needed for your forever person. Dad showed me what ‘great’ looked like not only in the ways he interacted with my mother, but in the million ways he showed up every day for all of us. Of course, being the great dad that he was, he flat out told me that under no uncertain terms should I ever tolerate a man laying a hand on me or disrespecting me in any way. That was a standard breakfast meeting agenda item in the Welch household.

I grew up with three older brothers, and he was very quick to correct them if they behaved in a manner that didn’t align with those ‘great’ values as well. He was teaching them how to treat not only my mom and me,

but their future girlfriends and wives. One of my earliest memories when I was about five years old is of gathering around the dinner table which was similar to the opening bell at the NYSE. Everyone was passing food around the table, loading up their plates, and my brothers (ages 16, 15 and 10) were rolling through their usual banter, teasing each other, pulling fingers and the like. Sorry to break it to Jeff Foxworthy, but blue collar comedy got its start in 1971 on Culpeper Drive. Barely able to see over the table, I was doing my best to jump into the fray, excited to be a part of the action, but I kept getting cut off and talked over.

No one noticed me, let alone heard my little voice. My dad happened to glance over and see the dejected look on my face as I shrank down lower into my seat holding back tears. In that wave of teen testosterone, at my young age, I felt a glimpse of not being enough. Not being interesting enough or funny enough or smart enough or important enough to matter. Well, John Welch was not having any of that. Forty five years later, I still recall him slamming his meaty hand down on the table and quieting the room to give me the floor, right after he told my brother Marty to take off his baseball hat (hats, no shirts or shoes was a problem). Once I had everyone’s rapt attention, I held them captive with my

dissertation on how Barbie clothes were like origami for kids. You try getting those skin tight jeans on over plastic. And those shoes.

Seriously? No wonder so many Barbies were lying around buck naked with their heads ripped off. It was important stuff that needed to be said. My other take away from that night was ‘know thy audience.’

So, you can have your checklist. He likes puppies and babies. Fantastic! Maybe it’s okay if he doesn’t want to put one through obedience school or college, but he will pet them and coo nonetheless.

P.S. I highly recommend that all children go through some sort of obedience training.

Another plus if he doesn’t make jokes at your expense (see cares about your feelings above). My dad had his good qualities, but he wasn’t perfect. While he was an exemplary role model, he let my brothers continue to call me ‘Cheesie Rider’ during my formative years from seventh grade through my senior year. Fortunately, I have a good therapist who says I am making progress daily.

Those things are all good, but be 100% confident that the person you are sitting across from cares about whether YOU like puppies or babies.

He will listen intently as you share your thoughts, ideas, dreams, passions, and goals.

While he may not agree, he will care—greatly. Even if you didn’t grow up with a male role model who gave you the floor for periodic rants about Barbie fashion design flaws and the fact that Skipper required a totally different wardrobe that your Mom may/may not be willing to purchase, know that you deserve great in your life.

Cheers to all the great dads out there—and to the single moms who are wearing multiple hats. May you all celebrate in style and know that you are doing the most important work of all.

OldTownCrier

NATIONAL HARBOR

RiverView Ballroom Unveiled

The Capital Region’s First Infinity Ballroom Debuts in National Harbor

BY RACHEL DINBOKOWITZ

G

aylord National Resort & Convention Center’s highly anticipated waterfront venue, RiverView Ballroom, was unveiled in mid-May during an intimate opening ceremony in National Harbor. The 16,000 square foot ballroom is set to be the Capital Region’s premiere event venue for weddings, galas, corporate and social functions.

RiverView Ballroom is being dubbed the Washington, DC. area’s first infinity ballroom, as guests will feel as if they are floating on top of the Potomac River. The venue also provides column-free, unobstructed panoramic views from its 270-degree floor-to-ceiling windows.

The contemporary waterfront ballroom in National Harbor is designed to provide event-goers their own private venue outside of Gaylord National’s main meeting hub. The ballroom comes well equipped with cuttingedge technology, impeccable service, custom menu experiences and the best views, bar none, in the Capital Region.

On top of its 16,000 square feet of meeting

OldTownCrier

space, the ballroom also provides two outdoor terraces equaling more than 10,000 square feet of space. These terraces offer even more versatility for guests interested in both indoor and outdoor functions with an equally stunning backdrop.

When it comes to food, planners can choose from new, interactive menu experiences designed around fresh, local fare with a focus on sustainability. Gaylord National’s executive chef curated themed menus that include Penang and Malaysian, Cuban, Southern Barbeque, and Chesapeake Bay flavors – all of which offer expert culinarians and mixologists to assist attendees in making their own dining creations for a more experiential event.

With the addition of RiverView Ballroom, Gaylord National now offers five ballrooms and more than 600,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor flexible meeting space — keeping the hotel as the largest non-gaming resort and convention center on the East Coast.

For additional information about RiverView Ballroom at Gaylord National Resort or to book an event, visit www.GaylordNationalRive rViewBallroom.com or call 301-965-2300.

June 2017 | 47

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

NATIONAL HARBOR CALENDAR JUNE FREE FITNESS CLASSES On the Plaza through October Participate in a free fitness classes on the Plaza brought to you by No Excuse Workout.

All classes run 7- 8 pm except Saturday morning yoga which runs 10-11 am.

Date Night Screenings 1st Dream Girls 8th The Legend of Tarzan (2016) 15th Sully 22nd Passengers 29th Hitch Mondays CardioHIT Tuesdays Kickboxing Wednesdays Zumba Saturdays Yoga Please refer to National Harbor’s Facebook page for any weather-related cancellations.

MOVIES ON THE POTOMAC Through September Nothing says summer like an evening under the stars and there’s no better way to enjoy the season than a date night at National Harbor. Join us on the Plaza every Thursday night, Date Night Style and Sundays, Family Night Style! Please note that movies begin at 6 pm on Sundays and 7 pm on Thursdays and will be shown once, so end times may vary with each movie. Double Features start at 4 pm.

Family Night Screenings 4th Moana 11th The Princess & The Frog 18th Jungle 2 Jungle 25th DOUBLE FEATURE:

Babe and Sing SUMMER FRIDAYS ARE BACK! Through September 29 4 pm - 8 pm Start your weekend right with Summer Fridays at National Harbor! Play Corn hole, Connect Four, Giant Jenga, hula hoop, hopscotch, and more with family and friends.

Enjoy performances by Bobby McKey’s, giveaways, and listen to the DJ spin your favorite summer jams. And of course, joining us means you get front row seats to the best sunset view in the DMV. Get your cameras ready and your flip flops on!

SUNSET CONCERT SERIES Saturdays Through September 23 7 pm World-class performances by bands from the nation’s Armed Forces at National Harbor will stir the hearts and souls of civilians and military personnel alike, while their tuneful stylings in a variety of genres please music lovers of all ages. Don’t miss these FREE shows on the Plaza stage.

10th Air Force Airmen of Note 17th Army Singing Sargeants 24th Air Force Airmen of Note July 1 Concert Band & Singing Sargeants

Please note: times/dates may change or be cancelled due to weather. Updates will be made via social media, so make sure to follow the Harbor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.

FARMERS MARKET RETURNS American Way Saturdays and Sundays

Potomac RiveRboat comPany

Through October 10 am - 5 pm Miller Farms Farmers Market returns with its wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, beautiful flowers and plants, and much more. Located on American Way by the fountain. Miller Farms is a 267-acre farm in Clinton, Md. that has been family owned and operated since 1840.

16th & 17TH BEER, BOURBON & BBQ FESTIVAL On the Plateau Friday, 6 pm – 10 pm Saturday, 12 Noon- 6 pm This is the orginal, premiere, the one that started it all! No other event in the country beats the best. Join us at the festival for a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbecue eatin’. Your admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an all-you-care-to-taste sampling of beer and bourbon. Some of the best barbecue vendors are on-site if you get hungry all while enjoying seminars in the tasting theater and LIVE music all day. Ticket info: beerandbourbon.com/ national-harbor

NATIONAL HARBOR DINING GUIDE

SightSeeing – Private CharterS – Water taxiS

alexandria – national harbor Water taxi

washington by wateR monuments cRuise

National Harbor is a waterfront destination across from Alexandria. Round-trip and One-way service provided.

Enjoy our nation’s monuments and historic landmarks on a narrated cruise between Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown Washington D.C.

george WaShington’S mount veRnon by wateR cRuise

Water taxi to the national Mall

Arrive by boat and spend the afternoon exploring the 45-acre estate, grounds, Museum and Education Center.

Arrive in style at the National Mall to view the Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and more!

For additional information, visit our ticket booth located in the Alexandria City Marina, behind the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

703.684.0580

June is

Adopt a Cat Month!

|

ww ww w . PP o ot to om ma ac c RR ii v v ee RR bb o oa at tc co o. c co om m w

48 | June 2017

AC LOUNGE 156 Waterfront Street 301-749-2299 BOND 45 149 Waterfront Street 301-839-1445 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

GRANITE CITY FOOD & BREWERY 200 American Way 240-493-3900 IRISH WHISPER 177 Fleet Street 301-909-8859 McCORMICK & SCHMICK 145 National Plaza 301-567-6224 McLOONES PIER HOUSE 141 National Harbor Plaza 301-839-0815 NANDO’S PERI-PERI 191 American Way 301-567-8900 NATIONAL PAST TIME SPORTS BAR & GRILLE Gaylord Resort 301-965-4000 gaylordnational.com OLD HICKORY STEAKHOUSE Gaylord Resort 301-965-4000 gaylordnational.com PIENZA ITALIAN MARKET Gaylord Resort 301-965-4000 gaylordnational.com

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

OldTownCrier

Happy Hour Tuesday through Friday 4:00pm to 6:30pm

Lunch Thursday and Friday 11:00am to 2:00pm

Dinner Tuesday though Sunday 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Brunch Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 2:00pm

With seasonal menu changes, a waterfront patio, and a fireplace in each room, Cedar Knoll is the perfect setting for a romantic evening, a gathering of family and friends, or special events small and large.

Ask us about our private event space! Walk-ins Welcome, Reservations Recommended 703.780.3665 reservations@cedarknollva.com 9030 Lucia Lane Alexandria, VA 22308 cedarknollva.com