Old Town Crier- October Full Issue 2018

Since 1988 • Priceless

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

October 2018

Road Trip ...with a purpose!

TAKE A TREK TO SOME VA WINERIES Personality Profile

HOWARD ROGERS Maritime Artist and Renaissance Man Business Profile

RANDOM HARVEST HOME FURNISHINGS An Old Town Icon Dining Out

OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN GRILL Authentic German Cuisine in Old Town Grapevine

THE WINE COUNTRY OF VIRGINIA Unique and Evolving

Celebrate

VIRGINIA WINE

Month

!

october’18 A Division of Crier Media Group OTC Media LLC PO Box 320386 Alexandria, VA 22320 703. 836. 0132 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 CONTRIBUTORS Peggie Arvidson Nancy Bauer Sarah Becker F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Doug Fabbioli Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Miriam Kramer Genevieve LeFranc Sarah Liu

Melinda Myers Ron Powers Kim Putens Julie Reardon Ashley Schultz Bob Tagert Carl Trevisan Ryan Unverzagt Lori Welch Brown Molly Winans

© 2018 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.

16

26

36

A Bit of History............................................................. 16

First Blush.........................................................................43

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

After Hours.......................................................................11

Fitness................................................................................42

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

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

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

Pets of the Month.........................................................19

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra 18-19 Season....11

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

Arts & Antiques..............................................................13

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

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

Go Fish...............................................................................45

Business Profile................................................................. 6

Grapevine.........................................................................36

Caribbean Connection...............................................20

High Notes.......................................................................10

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

Local Farmers Markets.................................................. 3

Dining Out.......................................................................29

Masters of Cuisine.........................................................34

Exploring Virginia Wines............................................37

Music Festivals '18........................................................11

To the Blue Ridge..........................................................26

Fall Art Tour......................................................................28

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

Urban Garden.................................................................14

Financial Focus.................................................................. 8

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

Virginia Heritage Wine................................................39

Points on Pets.................................................................18 Publisher’s Notes.............................................................. 2 Road Trip...........................................................................24 Social Media Message....................................................2 Spiritual Renaissance...................................................44 The Last Word.................................................................... 9

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

Since 1988 • Priceless

October 2018

Road Trip ...with a purpose!

TAKE A TREK TO SOME VA WINERIES Personality Profile

HOWARD ROGERS Maritime Artist and Renaissance Man Business Profile

RANDOM HARVEST HOME FURNISHINGS An Old Town Icon

Celebrate

VIRGINIA WINE

Month

!

Dining Out

OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN GRILL Authentic German Cuisine in Old Town Grapevine

THE WINE COUNTRY OF VIRGINIA Unique and Evolving

about the cover Celebrate VA Wine Month.

Information about the celebration can be found in the Grapevine section of this issue.

Photographer: unknown

on the road with OTC The Old Town Crier is truly "on the road" for the next several months with former Chief Butch Leonhard (Prince Georges County Fire Department) and his wife Marcia as they traverse the USA in their motor home. They took the time to snap a couple of pics while they were touring the great state of Michigan with a stop for a cold brew in the "Motor City" and a stop for a little culture in Grand Rapids.

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

Old Town Crier

October 2018 | 1

PUBLISHER’S NOTES

BOB TAGERT

As I write this we are bracing for the last rain storm of September. I am sure that we are all tired of the rain, but none more so than our Virginia winery friends. As they are getting ready to celebrate Virginia Wine Month, the wineries are hopeful that October will bring some relief from the weather.

They have been devastated by rain thru all of 2018. Doug Fabbioli discusses the effects it has had this year in his Exploring VA Wine column in this issue. I encourage you to read about what too much rain can do to the grapes. The rain has not only damaged some of the fruit but has kept attendance down and in some cases, floods have closed wineries numerous times. As Philip Strother of Philip Carter Winery stated, “This season will certainly put a number of wineries out of business. Thankfully, we have built up an inventory over the past 10 years which will enable us to continue forward without any problems.” He went on to say, “We are down close to 10% this year in gross sales, when we should be growing. I just lost my entire crop, which is another $60,000 in grapes. We could use some love now.”

Road Trip this month is about heading to the mountains and visiting some of these wineries. The air will hopefully be cooler and crisper and that makes for clear skies to better see the foliage and view the mountains. Taking it south, in the Caribbean Connection we have a great interview with the owner of the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the BVI’s and their new rums - Soggy Dollar Old Dark and Soggy Dollar Island Spiced. The Dollar is owned and operated by a DMV local. We revisited one of Old Town Alexandria’s longstanding retail stores, Random Harvest Home Furnishings in Business Profile. Dining Out features the fairly newly opened Old House Cosmopolitan Grill in Old Town. If you crave German food and exceptional service this is the place for you.

I would like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Liz Mandros and Mystique – they are celebrating 27 years in business and have moved to a new location. Check out their ad in this issue.

Also a very Happy 5th Anniversary to Caroline and Bill Ross at River Bend Bistro. Can’t believe it has been 5 years already. They are celebrating with a “Pig & Oyster Roast” – see the ad in this issue for more info.

With a little bit of luck and some help from the weather Gods, let’s hope we have a dry and crystalclear October. Everyone I know is looking forward to some much anticipated sunshine to bring them out of their rainy day funk. Once old Sol is in the sky, get out there and soak up some Vitamin D! Oh…..don’t forget to have a very Happy Halloween and check out Union Street Public House’s party! It’s spooky out there these days.

SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE

The Publisher enjoys a glass of some of Virginia's finest on the riverside deck at 29 Main Street Cottage in Sperryville, VA.

ASHLEY SCHULTZ

Dangerous Challenges Spread by Social Media

T

he internet has brought us many great things that have advanced us as a society, but it has also enabled the extreme stupidity in much of our society. This is evident when looking back over the stupid and dangerous, and often potentially deadly challenges that have spread like wildfire online through social media outlets like YouTube. Teenagers can be very impressionable and see these challenges and try them to look “cool” or to fit in. Often, they are placing themselves at a serious risk by attempting these challenges as they may not fully understand the dangers they are exposing themselves to. Unfortunately, it is not only teens who are succumbing to the pressure and attempting the challenges below. Many adults have been severely injured and hospitalized as well because of this phenomenon.

Here are some of the more infamous “challenges” to date: Tide Pod Challenge: For whatever reason, someone thought it would be cool to see what happened if they ate one of those brightly colored Tide Pod packets. This arose as people thought these colored packets looked much like 2 | October 2018

candy or a multicolored peppermint swirl. As if that was not bad enough, they challenged others to do it and many have ended up with permanent damage to their throat, stomach, intestines, and other organs, and some have even died.

Cinnamon Challenge: This challenge was from a year or so ago and involved people trying to eat a spoonful of pure, straight ground cinnamon. Most could not even get it swallowed and ended up inhaling much of it which caused massive coughing fits and irritation to the lungs. Those who did manage to swallow most of it had a similar reaction with major stomach cramps and bleeding. The concentrated power of the cinnamon sent many to the hospital and killed many as well.

Salt and Ice Challenge: This internet challenge involved sprinkling salt on a part of your body - like the back of the hand - and then laying an ice cube on the salt. The salt melts the ice and refreezes it against the skin. The goal of the challenge was to see who could keep the ice in place the longest. Many people ended up in the emergency room with third degree burns from this challenge and most who went too far with it ended

up being permanently scarred from it.

Sour Warheads Challenge: For those who like candy, especially sour types, this is a popular challenge that many tried but very few got very far with. It basically involved seeing who could eat the most Sour Warhead candies one after another with no breaks. Most didn’t get very far but those who did push it to extreme limits ended up burning off their taste buds and many had bleeding sores, blisters, and scarred tongues because of this challenge.

The Choking Game Challenge: One of the more dangerous of the games the internet spread, this game involved choking yourself or allowing yourself to be choked. The goal was to get as close as possible to passing out before stopping in order to get a ‘high’ feeling from the oxygen deprivation. Many kids ended up dying from this challenge as they would have friends choke them for too long or they would get more creative with how they choked themselves and would end up accidently hanging themselves.

Alcohol Chugging Challenge: Even adults fall victim to stupid internet challenges. There are many names for

this challenge but basically it worked like this: challenge your friends to drink more alcohol than you in a sitting. Most started with beer but it quickly got moved to harder alcohol drinks. Many people ended up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning and some people died as a result.

The Fire Challenge: The final example of “stupid internet challenges” is one of the stupidest for sure – the fire challenge. In this challenge, you would spray some sort of flammable liquid on yourself or your clothes - oil, gas, perfume, or something else highly flammable - and then light it on fire.

The goal was to see how long you could stand the fire before patting yourself out. Needless to say, many people were severely injured with burns from this challenge.

Common sense goes a long way and when challenges like these come around. We need to be watchful and mindful and step in when we think someone is engaging in any of these risky behaviors. Speaking with children and loved ones about the dangers of these “challenges” is key to stopping them once and for all.

Someone’s life may be on the line!

Alexandria OCTOBER TOURS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS

Photo by E. Michio for Visit Alexandria

Festivals

OCTOBER 5TH – 7TH Mount Vernon Fall Wine Festival and Sunset Tour 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Admission: Friday, October 5: $42; Saturday, October 6: $48; Sunday, October 7: $38 George Washington’s Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. 703-780-2000 www.MountVernon.org Celebrate the history of wine in Virginia with exclusive evening tours of the Mansion and cellar, appearances by George and Martha Washington, and a live blues band. Bring a blanket, relax on the east lawn overlooking the scenic Potomac River, and sample wines made in Virginia. During tours of the Mansion, visit the cellar where Washington stored his wine and learn about the successes and failures of our Founding Father’s endeavors with wine.

OCTOBER 6TH 23rd Annual Art on the Avenue 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission: Free Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301 www.artontheavenue.org Art on the Avenue is a multicultural arts festival celebrating our community’s diversity through the arts in the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia. This festival is held on the first Saturday in October, rain or shine. People are greeted by more than 300 artists (jewelers to silversmith and beaders, woodworkers, pottery makers, soap crafters, glass makers, unique painters, sculptures, and fabric artists), musicians (Irish, folk, rock n’ roll, country and more), and food vendors (hot dogs, BBQ, Indian, crab cakes, chocolate bananas dipped on a stick, and homemade cider donuts). Activities for children include stuff-your-own scarecrow, paint-apumpkin, lotus flower design and weave screen art to name a few.

OCTOBER 12TH – 14TH Portside in Old Town Festival Old Town Alexandria Waterfront 1 King Street

Old Town Crier

Free admission; $ for food and drink PortsideInOldTown.com In celebration of Old Town Alexandria’s new waterfront experience with the opening of a greatly expanded new park area at the foot of King Street and launch of the Portside in Old Town waterfront programming series, the Portside in Old Town Festival kicks off the fun with activities along the Potomac River. Festival-goers will enjoy free tours of the tall ship Godspeed, a waterfront beer garden from Port City Brewing Company, a pop-up Pizzeria Paradiso, plus live music and history, art and fitness activities.

The tall ship Godspeed will be accompanied by special exhibits highlighting Jamestown’s history as well as Virginia’s 1619 American Evolution commemoration. The festival also includes a preview of ongoing Portside in Old Town programming including Portside History from the Office of Historic Alexandria, Portside Arts from the Torpedo Factory Art Center and the Mobile Art Lab, Portside Fitness from local fitness studios, and Portside Kids activities for families.

The weekend also includes two special events happening inside the Torpedo Factory Art Center: The Late Shift on Friday night and the annual kids’ Art Safari on Saturday afternoon.

OCTOBER 13TH & 14TH Godspeed Tall Ship Tours and History Exhibits Free admission Alexandria City Marina, 0 Cameron Street PortsideInOldTown.com Part of the Portside in Old Town Festival, take a free tour of the tall ship Godspeed, a re-creation of one of the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607. The Godspeed is visiting Alexandria from the Jamestown Settlement living-history museum in Virginia’s JamestownWilliamsburg-Yorktown “Historic Triangle.” Enjoy dockside exhibits highlighting Jamestown’s history and Virginia’s 1619 American Evolution commemoration as well as an exhibit about Alexandria’s history presented by the Office of Historic Alexandria. Tours are first-come-first-served and not ticketed.

CALENDAR > PAGE 7

bubbles

RING $,,,,,

PENDANT $,,,,,

BRACELET $,,,,,

KingsJewelry.NET 609 King Street Old Town Alexandria 703-549-0011 Family owned and operated for over 60 years.

Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Open Thurs 10am-8pm Closed Sundays

LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS 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 & MOUNT 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.

October 2018 | 3

PERSONALITY PROFILE

BOB TAGERT

Howard

Rogers

Maritime Artist and Renaissance Man

H

oward Rogers – Maritime Artist and Renaissance Man Twenty-one years ago, the bridge over Spa Creek that connects Annapolis to Eastport, Maryland was closed for needed repairs. The bridge is

the main connection between Annapolis and Eastport and having it closed insured that an economic loss was certain.

A group of sailors and such all got together and decided to secede from Annapolis and the Maritime Republic of Eastport was born. (Google it

for more information about the MRE). It was about this time that we first met Howard Rogers and learned of his colorful Raven Maritime Studio in Eastport. Progress claimed his studio years ago and Howard moved his residence and studio to 278 Hillsmere Drive just outside of Eastport but not far enough that he can’t ride is bike to his favorite mid-week happy hour at Davis Pub in Eastport.

Recently we caught up with Howard at his weekend retreat, Ebb Tide Tavern, a short distance from his new digs…and yes, he came by bicycle. There are some people that you meet in life that are actually larger than life, and Howard, standing at 5’3 ½’’ and weighing 118 pounds, is larger than life.

Howard is from Kent, a small town south of London.

He had learned the trade of ship joiner, but work was hard to find so he decided to migrate to the USA. “It is a good trade, but nobody wanted me, so I developed an overwhelming desire to get the hell out of England,” he tells me. He arrived in the waterfront town of Urbana, Virginia and found work at a local boatyard. “I put my trade to use and started building boats,” he says.

In 1971 Howard returned to England and got married PERSONALITY PROFILE > PAGE 5

4 | October 2018

PERSONALITY PROFILE | FROM PAGE 4

at the ripe old age of 26. “She was old”, he says, “she was 19.” In 1972 the newlyweds returned to Deltaville and Howard resumed his boat building career and braving the cold winters with his new bride. In 1976 the couple divorced, and his wife returned to England.

From 1975 to 1977 Howard found himself living on a 60foot boat along the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. “I have slept many a night on a boat,” he tells me. “The winters can be pretty cold.”

“I once had a snowmobile suit that was so warm you could sleep naked in the suit and still be warm.” From Washington, D.C. Howard found his way to Annapolis, Maryland.

Looking for a place to stay he discovered the now deserted Trumpy boatyard where the world class wooden yachts were built. “I found a 23’ Seafarer sailboat to live on,” he says. “it was an egg shell of a boat… I froze my ass off that first winter.”

The Chart House restaurant began construction of their Annapolis property soon after

and Howard had to move. “I found a rooming house where the Boatyard Bar & Grill is today and secured a room for $50 a month,” he says.

About this time Howard returned to his natural talent of drawing and painting and turning his boat building skills into Incise and BasRelief carving. “I have always had the ability to draw and paint,” he tells me. “I enjoy it, especially on a cold rainy day.”

You can tell the quality and skill in his pen and ink and watercolor pieces. “You know,” he says, “a painting is never done…you just stop.” He also crafts his frames by hand. If you have a piece of his art, you truly have a work done from the heart.

Fleming Yachts noticed the quality of Howard’s work and hired him to do all the main boards and quarter boards for their yachts. Quarter boards are handsomely carved and gilded ornamental sign boards, originally made for the ships whose names they bore. They are sometimes referred to as sternboards, the difference being the location on the ship.

Over time, Howard weaved his way into the fabric that

is Eastport. As most of you know, the Annapolis/Eastport area is famous for its world class sailors and particularly the Wednesday night races and in winter, the frost bite racing. Where Ruth Chris Steakhouse is in Eastport, there once was the famous Marmaduke’s Pub and the home of Wednesday night racing. From the late 80’s to the mid 90’s Howard shot the movies from the camera boat filming the races and then showing them later that evening at Marmaduke’s where all the sailors would go. Today, that footage is shot with Drones.

At age 74 Howard is beginning to slow down a little. He has no plans to retire…” I like what I do, and I like to stay busy.” Living off social security, a modest savings and small jobs, he must stay busy. He has a lot of art stored away and would like to do an art show. We have encouraged him in this endeavor and are on the search for a venue and a time for a viewing of Howard’s classic art. If anyone has any ideas, give us a shout.

Howard is a man of the times looking into the future.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 THROUGH

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14

Celebrate the kick-off of the Portside in Old Town programming series!

FREE TOURS OF THE TALL SHIP GODSPEED WATERFRONT BEER GARDEN FROM PORT CITY BREWING COMPANY POP-UP PIZZERIA PARADISO HISTORY, ART, FITNESS, LIVE MUSIC AND MORE

FREE ADMISSION

PortsideInOldTown.com

Old Town Crier

October 2018 | 5

BUSINESS PROFILE

B

eth Aberg and Random Harvest have been in Old Town Alexandria almost as long as the Old Town Crier has been being published. We are talking almost 30 years.

It is quite a feat for a retail business to be so successful for so many years in this day and age - especially in Old Town. Perhaps Aberg and her staff have created the right combination of quality inventory, talented designers and stellar customer service.

While the Old Town location is her anchor, she also has Random Harvest in two other locations – Georgetown and Bethesda.

When asked what brought her to Old Town those many years ago, she told me it was a classic case of following a spouse who had a promotion.

They were living in New York City and had a store in Manhattan’s Upper West Side before they made the move.

When looking for possible locations for space in the area, Old Town Alexandria captured her attention. She 6 | October 2018

LANI GERING

Random Harvest

HOME FURNISHINGS tells me that she was looking for an urban space that also had an authentic “feel”.

The mix of residential and commercial in Old Town was just what she was looking for and the rest is history.

Let’s talk about the store.

The inventory in the store is unique and ever evolving.

This is a perfect case of “Quality vs Quantity”. The furnishings and accessories are pretty much one of a kind.

Random Harvest does handle

some limited edition pieces but that is as close as they get to carrying commercial lines. They pride themselves

on using small vendors that handle a variety of pieces.

The pricing at the store is such that there are pieces and accessories in every price range. The gorgeous window displays beg you to come in.

It’s hard to walk by without going in to check a price on something in the window.

They always have fabulous wine glasses on display – one of my weaknesses. They also have in-house designers and they custom design and

INSTANT GRATIFICATION TAKES TOO LONG. – CARRIE FISHER

RANDOM HARVEST OLD TOWN 810 KING STREET 703-548-8820

RANDOM HARVEST GEORGETOWN 1313 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202-333-5569

RANDOM HARVEST BETHESDA 7766 WOODMONT AVE. 301-280-2777

build upholstery at a very reasonable price.

You can tell by the photos that accompany this column that they have an array of inventory. This is a place that you have to visit at least seasonally since it changes just that fast. If you prefer to use your hi tech capabilities, you can log on to their website that (in their words “Is meant to be a ‘window’ into our stores, showing samples of the furniture and accessories we carry.” Due to the rotating of their stock, they don’t accept special orders for items that aren’t currently on hand.

Remember you do have access to the inventory in all three stores so, between them, I am sure you will find what you are looking for. Even though you can purchase online they recommend that you visit one of their showrooms to get a personal view of the merchandise before you buy.

RandomHarvestHome.com Like they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words” – enjoy those featured here.

CALENDAR | FROM PAGE 3

More Events OCT. 12TH & NOV. 9TH

Late Shift at the Torpedo Factory Art Center 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission: Free Torpedo Factory Art Center 105 N. Union St. www.torpedofactory.org Enjoy gallery talks, artist receptions, music, live performances, handson artmaking and three floors of open artists’ studios. On October 12th the theme will be Folklore, featuring stories, traditions and more.

On November 9th, there will be a special Late Shift celebrating 100 years since the groundbreaking for the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station in Alexandria. With an eye on the future, the Torpedo Factory Art Center will celebrate the past and their military history for this special Late Shift event.

OCTOBER 13TH, 20TH, 27TH Portside History 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Admission: Free 1 King Street PortsideInOldTown.com Part of the Portside in Old Town programming series on the waterfront, the Office of Historic Alexandria presents Portside History, showcasing Alexandria’s maritime history through exhibits and interactive activities.

OCTOBER 13TH 23rd Annual Art Safari 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Admission: Free Torpedo Factory Art Center 105 N. Union St. www.torpedofactory.org An Alexandria tradition for more than two decades, Art Safari returns for a day of hands-on activities for kids and families. Dozens of artists lead budding arts enthusiasts in hands-on projects throughout the building. In partnership with American Geoscience Institute and American Institute of Architects Northern Virginia.

OCTOBER 14TH, & 21ST Apothecary Museum Geek Tours: Behind the Scenes 11 a.m. to noon Admission: $15 Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum 105 S. Fairfax St. 703-746-3852 www.alexandriava.gov 14th - If the regular 30-minute tour of the Museum just isn’t enough, this is the tour for you! Spend more time touring the museum with an expert guide, including the rarely open basement and 3rd floor of the historic pharmacy.

21st - Spend more time touring the Museum with a museum volunteer who is also a pharmacist. The tour guide will focus on the historic medicinal ingredients that are still used today in modern medicine while also touching upon the Stabler and Leadbeater family and business history. This tour is great for first time and return visitors. Tour is

Old Town Crier

recommended for adults only. Advance purchase is recommended due to limited space.

OCTOBER 14TH The Anniversary of the Female Stranger’s Death 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission: $5 adults ($4 with AAA); $3 children 5-12; 4 and under are free Gadsby’s Tavern Museum 134 N. Royal St. www.alexandriava.gov Learn the story of the Female Stranger during tours on the 202nd anniversary of this local legend’s death. While journeying through the museum, chat with Dr. Samuel Richards, the physician who treated her, as part of the Museum’s Facetime with History program. Facetime with History is included as part of regular admission.

OCTOBER 20TH & 21ST Fall Harvest Family Days 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission: Included in general admission ($20 adults; $12 youth) George Washington’s Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. 703-780-2000 www.MountVernon.org Enjoy fall activities with the whole family at Mount Vernon! Take a horsedrawn wagon ride and play colonial games on the bowling green before heading to the Pioneer Farm to observe 18th-century demonstrations and greet General Washington. Find your way through a straw bale maze and listen to the Itinerant Band play colonial tunes. Sightseeing cruises will be free throughout the weekend (while supplies last). Fall Harvest Family Days takes place rain or shine.

Masquerade Ball 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Admission: $45 Gadsby’s Tavern Museum 134 N. Royal St. www.alexandriava.gov Inspired by the season, disguise yourself and dance the night away at the Masquerade Ball at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum. Come dressed in your favorite pre-19th century costume and don’t forget your mask! Enjoy live music, English country dancing, cash bar and dessert collation. Pre19th century period attire or cocktail attire welcome. Reservations required.

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

OCTOBER 30TH & 31ST Poe in Alexandria 8 p.m.

Admission: $15 The Lyceum 201 S. Washington St. 703-746-4994 www.alexandriava.gov/shop Actor David Keltz recreates one of Edgar Allen Poe’s 19th-century speaking engagements, including literary criticism, short stories, poetry and musings.

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

OCTOBER 26TH Ghostly Tales at Carlyle House 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission: $5 Carlyle House 121 N. Fairfax St. 703-549-2997 www.novaparks.com Join storytellers from Alexandria’s Footsteps to the Past on the front lawn of Carlyle House for ghostly tales of Alexandria’s past.

OCTOBER 27TH Escape the Sanderson Witches at Carlyle House 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission: $30 online; $40 at the door Carlyle House 121 N. Fairfax St. 703-549-2997 www.novaparks.com 25 years to the day, the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus have returned; this time to a new city with new hopes of having clueless children at their beck and call. While they hunt for a new lease on life, your group must pass several obstacles to ensure the children in the city are safe. Only a spell from the very book that brought them back can send them back from where they came. Work together, solve the puzzles quickly, and banish the witches using a spell of your own.

Tickets available online.

WASHINGTONIAN’S TOP 100

Virginia’s Only Restaurant voted

by Open Table as one of the

Southern Restaurants in America!

SPECTACULAR SEAFOOD • CREOLE & CAJUN SPECIALTIES Alexandria’s Renowned Neighborhood Restaurant & Bar Open daily for lunch and dinner and dinner on Sundays

3804 Mt. Vernon Avenue • Alexandria 703-684-6010 • rtsrestaurant.net October 2018 | 7

FINANCIAL FOCUS

CARL TREVISAN, CFP© & STEPHEN BEARCE

Savings Strategies for the Gig Economy

I

f you’re one of the growing legions of gig workers, freelancers, or commission-based employees, your income stream might feel a bit like a roller coaster. And that can make it tough to save for retirement.

“More and more people are participating in the gig economy,” says Donna Peterson, Retirement Income Strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors. “It’s a challenge to figure out how to save when you only make a small amount one month and a large amount the next month.”

A challenge, but an important one to overcome.

Make saving a monthly must-do. Peterson suggests that people with variable income make retirement savings part of their monthly budget. “Consider retirement savings as one of those (expenses) that occurs on a monthly basis,” she says.

To find the right amount to 8 | October 2018

save, she says, “you need to determine what amount you can or should save for the year and then convert that into a percentage of the income you expect to receive.”

With each payment you receive, Peterson suggests that you set aside that percentage in a separate account that you won’t use for expenses.

Transfer those funds into a retirement savings account, such as a traditional or Roth individual retirement account (IRA), either once a month or when each payment comes in.

Peterson says 15% of income is a commonly cited rule of thumb for retirement savings, but ideally, you’d consult with your financial advisor to determine how much you should be saving based on your circumstances.

Know your investment options. There are multiple ways workers with variable incomes can save. Gig workers with spouses who have steady paychecks might ask

their spouses to contribute the maximum to their qualified employer sponsored retirement plan (QRP), such as a 401(k), 403(b), or governmental 457(b).

You and your spouse could also contribute to an IRA as long as you both have earned income. However, IRAs, like QRPs, have limits. In 2017, the total IRA contribution limit is $5,500 ($6,500 for those age 50 or older) per person.

You can contribute to a Traditional IRA up until the year you turn 70 1/2.

Contributions to Roth IRAs are allowed at any age as long as you are at or under the modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) limits. Your tax advisor and financial advisor can help you understand what kind of IRA may be best for you.

If you and your spouse have both maxed out your IRA contributions, you can still save more, if you are a

business owner. “You could set up a business plan and get access to higher limits,” Peterson says. SEP (Simplified Employee Pension) and SIMPLE IRA (Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees) allow significantly higher contributions.

These kinds of plans, however, must be offered to all employees of the business, so they can cost more if you have employees. Even if you can’t save more in a retirement account, Peterson adds, you can still save in taxable accounts or consider annuities. Any savings, no matter the source, can be used to fund your future retirement.

Stick to your plan.

Whatever the method, consistency is the key.

“Keeping that consistent percentage is a good strategy to help ensure that you’re doing all you can to save the right amount for retirement,” Peterson says. “Never assume

you’re going to make it up the next month.”

Our firm does not provide tax or legal advice.

This article was written by/ for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Carl M. Trevisan, Managing DirectorInvestments and Stephen M. Bearce, First Vice PresidentInvestments in Alexandria, VA at 800-247-8602.

Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANKGUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

THE LAST WORD

MIRIAM R. KRAMER

The Rules of CIVILITY

A

s we enter fall, I decided to snuggle with my sleepy pug and a lyrical story of young New Yorkers set in a moneyed, elite world at the end of the Great Depression. Amor Towles, also known for his celebrated A Gentleman in Moscow, has constructed an alternately down-at-heels and dazzling comedy of manners in The Rules of Civility.

Set primarily in 1937-38, both those who have come to make their fortunes and entitled heirs treat New York City as their playground. New York typist Katey Kontent works to support herself, discovering Manhattan with her roommates from various walks of life.

Katey, a second-generation immigrant from Brighton Beach, lives in a Depression-era boardinghouse with her friend, Eve Ross, a lovely, independent Midwesterner who has come to New York with limited funds.

Her cool, urbane voice guides the novel, describing the people and places that cross her path. She navigates all levels of society with intelligence and wit, able to throw out bons mots and chameleon her way through a crowd.

When the youthful pair of Katey and Eve head out to a melancholy jazz club on New Year’s Eve, 1937, their gleaming futures seem so far off as to be nonexistent. Then they meet Tinker Grey, a beautifully dressed young banker, seemingly the heir to family wealth, privilege, and a stellar education.

In this chance encounter, Katey, Eve, and Tinker find themselves in a mutually enchanted triangle. Young New Yorkers in wildly different circumstances, they set off into the New Year ready to experience each others’ worlds with no knowledge of the changes their meeting will make to their relationships and mutual fortunes.

As a future editor and Towles’s narrator, Katey is an avid and omnivorous reader. She imbibes everything from modern poetry and books to nineteenth-century British and Russian novels, with a special penchant

Old Town Crier

for the gorgeous simplicity of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.

Literature is its own persona in this work. Greek and Roman epics, Victorian novels, and popular thrillers such as Agatha Christie novels haunt and inform the plot.

Echoes of novels and poems such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, and T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock shape the characters and sometimes echo their journey throughout the novels.

The Rules of Civility deliberately evokes works like Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, as young hopefuls with shady pasts and nebulous futures come together to form fierce friendships. F. Scott Fitzgerald could be lurking around the corner, writing Tinker Grey as the next incarnation of Jay Gatsby. Katey Kontent might take over Dorothy Parker’s role as a cutting wit at the Algonquin Hotel’s Round Table.

Katey’s roommate Eve, a wild child and woman of action, prefers Ernest Hemingway and hardboiled detective novels to refined female authors such as Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, and the Brontës. As she asks Katey, “Didn’t they all kill themselves?” When Katey says “I think Woolf did,” Eve answers laughingly “The rest of them might as well have.” Tinker Grey, influenced by adventure novels such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and works by James Fenimore Cooper, has a boyish, naively enthusiastic vision of his path throughout the world.

Yet Tinker Grey’s handbook to life is George Washington’s youthfully penned guide, The Rules of Civility. In this book, the future President laid out 110 rules by which people should engage themselves in a civilized society. Tinker follows these rules at any cost. While

Katey first finds them charming, they eventually render her enraged, seeing them as a trickster’s handbook to fooling friends and lovers.

Along with literature, New York itself infuses the story as an alternately glittering and gritty presence. Katey, Eve, Tinker and friends criss-cross places such as Wall Street’s Trinity Church, the lower West Side, Greenwich Village, the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, and the Plaza Hotel just southeast of Central Park. Long Island and Westport become their weekend playgrounds, as the well-educated heirs of industry crash parties and go boating for madcap adventure. Katey, writer, editor, and observer, loves her city and shrewdly observes all the worlds within it.

When Katey introduces Tinker to Walden, he takes it as a primer for

learning to live simply. In the end, a book written far away from civilization becomes Tinker’s guide to himself.

He betters Jay Gatsby and the many hustlers who find New York their place to score. Katey herself flourishes to tell her worldly, wistful tale.

Readers fond of magazines such as the New Yorker and Vanity Fair will gravitate toward The Rules of Civility.

Towles’ book is a layered, poignant work, revealing hard truths about his characters. Yet this sparkling, often humorous novel is more than its influences and echoes, or even evocations of its physical surroundings.

It is a beautifully written, classic story of coming to the city to make one’s way, reinventing oneself and putting on masks only to change or drop pretenses as needs be.

October 2018 | 9

HIGH NOTES

RON POWERS

“Broken”

W

by lovelytheband

hat a lovely band - “lovelytheband” consists of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald and drummer Sam Price. After meeting in a nightclub in West Hollywood in 2016, they formed lovelytheband, an Indie Rock band, and soon after had their hit single “Broken” released in April 2017.

With the catchy chorus and relatable lyrics, it came as no surprise that “Broken” not only made the Billboard Hot 100 at #48, but also on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart at #1 while setting the record for longest-running track on alternative radio. Not bad for a band formed just a year prior.

While this song targets a large percentage of alternative genre fans, it also pushes the envelope into mainstream pop with comparisons to “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People, “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye, “Safe and Sound” by Capital Cities and “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon.

“Broken” is a song about finding somebody with issues

10 | October 2018

the same as you might have.

With it’s happy beat and melancholy lyrics and a chorus containing verses like “I like that you’re broken / Broken like me / Maybe that makes me a fool” followed by “I like that you’re lonely / Lonely like me / I could be lonely with you”, you can’t help but connect to the song and relish in the hope of new love found with somebody who is “damaged” the same as you.

Appropriately, on the meaning behind the song, vocalist Collins said, “We all have our demons we fight every day. It’s about finding someone whose problems complement yours. Perfectly imperfect.

Everybody is a little broken inside, trying to find their band aid.” He also explained the song by saying, “This song is about finding someone who is just as f---ed up and lost as you are, but somehow you make it work together. Everyone is a little bit broken inside, nobody’s perfect.

This song is an ode to the broken ones.”

While this is spot on, you don’t need Collins information on his inspiration behind the song to understand the

meaning of the song. It rings through loud and clear and isn’t one of those songs you will have to google afterwards to understand. That’s part of the beauty of it, it’s understandable and hits home right away.

“Broken” has hit the mainstream hard and hardly two hours can go by without it playing on the radio or at a party over a year after it initial release. With the band vocals, a rhythm your body just moves to and a keyboard riff that is reminiscent of MGMT, Pixies and Grouplove, you can’t help but wonder if lovelytheband will join the ranks of Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots and Muse.

I, for one, am impressed by a band who can come together and make a hit single within one year. One thing is for sure, this band is on the upwards track and with their lyrics speaking soothe, it will gain popularity across more than the alternative genre. I look forward to seeing what lovelytheband brings to the charts next.

You can learn more about lovelytheband and hear more of their music on their website: lovelytheband.com.

RACHMANIONOFF’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3 James Ross, Music Director; Marianna Prjevalskaya, pianist REZNICEK: Overture to Donna Diana SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 1 “Spring”

RACHMANINOFF: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3 SATURDAY, APRIL 6TH AT 8:00 P.M. RACHEL M. SCHLESINGER CONCERT HALL SUNDAY, APRIL 7TH AT 3:00 P.M. GEORGE WASHINGTON MASONIC MEMORIAL Tickets: $20-$80 for adults. Student tickets $10 (with ID). Youth tickets $5 (age 18 & under).

Military, senior and group discounts available.

Purchase online at www.alexsym.org or call 703548-0885.

ALEXANDRIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2018-19 SEASON

UPCOMING CONCERTS: MENDELSSOHN’S SCOTTISH SYMPHONY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD AT 8:00 P.M. RACHEL M. SCHLESINGER CONCERT HALL SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2018 AT 3:00 P.M. GEORGE WASHINGTON MASONIC

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. The Fish Market 703.836.5676

Old Town Crier

MEMORIAL James Ross, Music Director; Tanya Anisimova, cellist KRASH: Cello Concerto (world premiere) MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 3 “Scottish” BERNSTEIN: Overture to West Side Story BERNSTEIN: “Three Dance Episodes” from On the Town

MOZART’S PRAGUE SYMPHONY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH AT 8:00 P.M.

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 Murphys Irish Pub 703.548.1717 713 King St. murphyspub.com

RACHEL M. SCHLESINGER CONCERT HALL SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH AT 3:00 P.M. GEORGE WASHINGTON MASONIC MEMORIAL James Ross, Music Director PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 1 “Classical” J.S. BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 STRAVINSKY: Concerto in E-flat major “Dumbarton Oaks” MOZART: Symphony No. 38 “Prague”

Free parking provided by the ASO at both venues.

The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center is accessible by Metro bus lines 7A, 7B, 7F, 7Y, 25A, 25C and 25E, as well as DASH bus line AT6. The George Washington Masonic Memorial is accessible by the Blue and Yellow metro line (King Street station), numerous Metro, Dash and Richmond Highway Express bus lines, and the King Street Trolley in Old Town, Alexandria.

For soloists’ biographies, please visit: http:// www.alexsym.org/about/musicians/

music festivals 1' 8 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. 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

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.

Oct. 5 – 7 The Festy Experience Infinity Downs and Oak Ridge Farm Arrington, Virginia https://www.tixr.com/groups/ thefesty/events/the-9th-festyexperience-8147

Oct. 5-7 Sleepy Creek Harfest Sleepy Creek on the Potomac Joshua Lane Berkeley Springs WV https://www. sleepycreekpresents.com/ harfestm

October 2018 | 11

GALLERY BEAT

A

F. LENNOX CAMPELLO

“Vanity Galleries”

s my constant readers know, over the years I’ve often discussed the worldwide phenomenon of “vanity galleries”; that is, art spaces which charge the artist to exhibit (and often also collect a commission).

A vanity gallery is an art gallery that “rents” its space to artists in order for the artist to have a show. Thus, the main driver in having a show at a vanity gallery is not necessarily the quality of the artwork, but the artist’s ability to pay the gallery to host his/her artwork.

New York is crawling with vanity galleries, and the vast majority of European galleries are vanity galleries. In the US however, vanity galleries are often looked down upon by everyone, since they are essentially a “rental” gallery.

A knowledgeable art critic or curator knows which galleries in his/her town are vanity galleries, and often ignore 12 | October 2018

…All About the $$$ them, much like book critics ignore most self-published writers, who use “vanity publishers.”

An interesting fact, at least here in Washington, is the fact that I have seen “reputable” galleries which sometimes cross the line and become “charge the artist” galleries or vanity galleries once in a while, as the mighty dollar (or lack thereof) calls.

Sometimes, when I was part of Fraser Gallery, we’d get a phone call from an embassy, or from the agent of a Hollywood actor who’s also a “painter” or “photographer,” or from an individual “artist,” and they’ll ask us how much would we charge to host a show by their “artist.”

When we’d inform them that

we do not rent the gallery for artists to have shows, they’d thank us and hang up. Then a few months later I’d see that “Hollywood artist” or “embassy artist” exhibiting in one of the area’s “reputable” art galleries, and immediately recognize that - at least for that month - that gallery is making ends meet by renting the space to someone.

While I understand that most galleries are labors of love, and often run by the skin of one’s teeth, I still find it somewhat distasteful, and dishonest - to appear (on the surface) to be a gallery that shows work based on merit, while at the same time showing work based on an artist, or a corporation’s ability to pay.

And it’s not just commercial art spaces. Several years ago,

a local newspaper profiled a then a local non-profit, which inadvertently admitted charging a multinational corporation a hefty fee to put up an art show at the “reputable” non-profit art spaces.

One can even make the case that even some museums sometimes cross the line and become “vanity museums.”

A few years ago I was astounded when a Culture Minister from one of the embassies in DC told me that they had finished a deal with a local museum to host the first ever retrospective of one of that country’s artists for a fee of four million dollars! To him, it was “business as usual,” while to me it was distasteful and dishonest and left a bad taste in

my mouth about that museum for the longest time.

There are twists to this particular aspect of the art world – as there are symbionts to the issue. For example, a while back I was just looking at a contract which was sent to me by an artist and a plea for help in deciphering it. The contract was in response to a “portfolio review” for a group show in a New York City gallery.

The “curator” for the group show was very complimentary of this artist’s work and selected a few pieces for the show. So far so good.

The contract details the following (somewhat edited to avoid court costs): • Press Release will be written for the NYC group exhibition project and distributed via e-mail to World Art Media mailing lists consisting of select museums, galleries, curators, dealers, collectors, GALLERY BEAT > PAGE 13

GALLERY BEAT | FROM PAGE 12

writers, art publications, artists, and art fair organizations around the globe. This release will be posted on www.---------and other websites such as ......... to announce the event.

• ------------ Newsletter Listing announcing the ----- Gallery group exhibition mailed to subscribers in the U.S. and Europe.

• ------------ Daily Newsletter Listing announcing the group exhibition mailed to subscribers in the Far East.

• 500 invitation cards designed, printed and distributed for the show.

• * Reception hosted by ------ Gallery.

• Artist’s Reception hosted by -------- Gallery.

• Review / Article: Selected writer will view the exhibition and write an essay on the participating artists’ works and the exhibition. This article will be published both online at ---------- and in print in -------- Magazine.

• Complimentary copies of the magazines with the feature article mailed to artist’s address.

Schedule & Payment Options Total of $1,900 includes all features listed above. A deposit is due upon acceptance and signing. The payment can be made in full latest by --------.

The hefty $1,900 fee to exhibit immediately makes

this gallery (and this show), a “vanity gallery” and certainly a “vanity exhibition” as the artists that will eventually end up in this show will be there based on their ability to fork over $1,900 each to cover the costs of what are essentially the normal costs associated with running an independently owned commercial fine arts gallery.

That makes this a vanity show. This by itself is not illegal and there are dozens and dozens of vanity galleries in NYC operating mostly on the dime of the exhibiting artists.

But what caught my eye was the fact that the contract claims that a “Selected writer will view the exhibition and write an essay on the participating artists’ works and the exhibition. This article will be published both online at ---------- and in print in -------- Magazine.”

The magazine in question is what (until now) I thought was a reputable NYC-based art magazine. I am puzzled as to how the organizers of this show, months ahead of the exhibition itself, already know that a writer from ----------- Magazine will write an essay about the group show and publish it both in the magazine and the magazine’s website.

Words count. The contract never says “review.” Instead they use the words “essay” first and then “article.” So it appears that the author of this “article” or “essay” is in fact being paid by the organizers of the show to author the piece.

Paying someone to write an essay for an exhibition

catalogue, or an essay for an artist’s book, etc. is an ordinary event, it is ethical, and happens all the time, and I myself have been paid to do this many times.

Paying someone to write an “essay” or “article” for a magazine devoted to write about art and artists and art reviews is (in my opinion) something else, and I feel that it is dishonest. The fact that the piece would appear in print in this magazine immediately relays to the readers that the author is writing about the show because the show merits a review, but always (one would think) from a critical viewpoint.

Not because the organizers paid him/her to write about the show.

Makes me wonder if (a) is this a common practice at --------- magazine? or (b) if not, do the editors know that this writer is doing this?

Only way out of this mess: That the “article” or “essay” is a paid advertising page, and “boxed” in by a line all around it that says “paid advertising” as some newspapers and magazines do when someone takes out an ad and the ad looks like it’s an article.

Makes my head hurt.

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October 2018 | 13

BOB MATTHEWS

URBAN GARDEN

PerfectPumpkin

ANNUAL TIPS ON SELECTING THE

G

oing out to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, is a fun filled rite of the fall season. Whether you go out to a field filled with pumpkins, or get them from a roadside stand, we want to be certain that you get the absolutely best pumpkin for carving, decorating and eating!

Pumpkins are called “Long keepers”.

A healthy, uncarved pumpkin can last to Thanksgiving and beyond.

How to Select the Perfect Pumpkin:

Often, people select shapes to fit the carving patterns they will use. Pick your pattern before you go.

Do not lift or carry a pumpkin by it’s stem. The pumpkin stem gives it character.

A ripe pumpkin has a hard shell that does not dent or scratch easily when pressing on it with a thumbnail. Do this on the back or bottom of the fruit.......never on the face.

Select a pumpkin that is completely orange. A partially green pumpkin might not ripen any further.

Examine the entire pumpkin carefully for soft spots. If you find even one soft spot, go on to the next pumpkin.

Size is an important factor. Medium pumpkins are best for pumpkin carving. Small pumpkins are better for cooking.

Check the pumpkin for cracks and splits. If you find one, examine it to be sure it is not turning into a soft spot or has mold inside of the crack.

Do not pick a pumpkin that is too big for you to carry, especially if you have back problems.

Look for bugs and insects.

Specifically, look for holes in the pumpkin, which are indicative of insect problems.

Does the shade of orange matter? If so, there are hundreds of varieties, some with different shades of orange.

Selecting the shape is a matter of personal preference. Some like ‘em 14 | October 2018

tall. Others, like ‘em round.

If you are out in the pumpkin patch picking a pumpkin: Bring a small wagon with you. It’s easier to haul tired kids and pumpkins.

Wear boots or old sneakers. It could be wet and muddy in the pumpkin patch.

Pick a pumpkin that you can carry back with you.

If smaller children are carrying pumpkin, pick smaller pumpkins.

Remember those little arms will probably get tired before reaching your car.

Bring a sharp knife or pruner.

Cut the vine on either side of the stem. After you get it home, you can trim off the remaining pieces of vine, and cut the stem at the perfect spot.

From the Author: We intend to bring you both the serious and the humorous side of pumpkins.

Our website, pumpkinnook.com, has been developed to be informative, but in a light hearted way. As a shrine and library to pumpkins, we seek to be both comprehensive and unique. To borrow a phrase, our Motto is: “We will leave no pumpkin unturned in our research efforts.”

For everything you ever wanted to know about pumpkins and more, log on to pumpkinnook. com. Marshall also maintains a website about gardening in general – gardenersnet.com.

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October 2018 | 15

A BIT OF HISTORY

SARAH BECKER ©2018

The Angel of Death the Pandemic Spanish Flu

of 1918

H

ospital reports of nursing shortages are nothing new. Neither is flu season. Influenza is a communicable, highly contagious, disease transmitted through droplet infection– or—by touching articles contaminated with infected nasal discharge. Contaminated hands, hand railings, enclosed air systems, populated school buses and military barracks are all breeding grounds.

In early 1918 “a mysterious malady” circulated through Spain “in the form and of the character of the grippe.” It quickly spread to Switzerland, then to France, England and Norway. World War I was ongoing and “in early August the disease, carried from Europe in ocean liners and troop transports,” arrived in the United States. The Spanish flu was pandemic.

On October 5, 1918 Dr. W.L. Wood, of the United States Public Health Service, appealed “to women, regardless of color, to aid in nursing persons afflicted with Spanish influenza.” The USPHS further ordered “that from now on all windows on the cars of the Washington-Virginia Railway Company must be kept open.”

Persons who refused were “subject to arrest and the imposition of a fine.”

Approximately 50 million of the world’s population died of the pandemic Spanish flu, perhaps three times the number of 1918 war deaths.

“Provisional totals of the United States, including the deaths of soldiers, sailors and marines, indicate about 500,000 deaths were due to the epidemic at the end of 1918, extending 16 | October 2018

Image courtesy of Otis Historical Archives Nat'l Museum of Health & Medicine into the early part of 1919,” The Washington Post wrote.

The loss of life in 1919 was estimated at about 45,000.

“In connection with statistics collected from other countries, the figures for the [United States] emphasize the supreme

importance of discovering, first, the cause of the influenza; second, a means of prevention or control of its spread; third, a means of cure,” The Washington Post stated in 1920. The infectious agent: The bacillus influenza of Pfeiffer. The preferred methods of control:

the infected individual and the environment. Vaccines were used with only partial success.

The flu virus has a short incubation period, usually 24 to 72 hours. Since influenza attacks the respiratory tract, bacterial pneumonia can result.

In a pandemic the flu taxes

the body’s immune system, sometimes excessively. None is considered more serious, more medically intriguing than the pandemic Spanish flu of 1918.

“The Angel of Death has intruded into several Alexandria households during the past twenty-four hours,” the Alexandria Gazette reported in 1918. “The victim in each case was a young man of the most representative class in our community.” The Spanish flu first attacked soldiers, then mostly youth.

“What is Spanish influenza?”

The New York Times asked.

“Spanish influenza, if not the grippe itself, is accompanied by all the symptoms of the grippe, and differs from this disease only in that it is more severe and is more likely to lead to pneumonia…As with grippe, the disease is characterized by excessive sneezing, reddening and running of the eyes, running of the nose, chills followed by fever of 101-103 degrees, aching back and joints, loss of appetite, and a general feeling of debility.”

“Spanish influenza is increasing in this city at an alarming rate,” the Alexandria Gazette reported on October 12, 1918. “There are few houses in the city where there is not a case of the disease. The death rate is increasing daily despite those who would have the public take a more optimistic view of the situation.” In Alexandria, “expectorating on sidewalks” became punishable by law.

The pandemic Spanish flu slowed the First World War. Spain disclaimed “the A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 17

A BIT OF HISTORY | FROM PAGE 16

unwelcome guest” concluding that “this new evil, like other evils of the [world] war, must be traced to German origins.”

One theory postulated “that a new trench bacteria must have been born in the German lines, where the troops, poorly fed and clothed, were living in a reduced state of virility.” Another assumed “that the disease was carried by the crews of the German submarine boats.”

It is “fairly certain that the Spanish influenza, if different from the familiar grippe, originated in the German camps,” The New York Times exclaimed. “In this connection it may be noted that through all the wars of history diseases generated by unsanitary herding of men in the camps of belligerents have always produced epidemics.”

Meanwhile, in Alexandria, “another temporary hospital for the treatment of the Spanish flu was opened in the Westminister building of the Second Presbyterian church. There also is a temporary hospital in Christ Church parish hall.”

In sum, 1918 public health officials recommended that citizens avoid crowds—street cars, theaters, indoor and outdoor gatherings—and hold private funerals. If infected, then influenza patients were asked to: • Go to bed, take a purgative and send for the doctor; • Get fresh air, lower windows so as not to form a draught; • Sleep only two patients per room; • Spray nose, throat with tablespoon of bread soda in glass of warm water; • Take tablespoon of liquor in hot water; Old Town Crier

• Warm soup and liquor nourishments of all kinds, and • Take prescriptions only when given by an attending physician.

Today’s Tamiflu, an antiviral drug, contains no liquor.

Hand-washing is the best way to avoid the flu, to interrupt the disease cycle.

Live viruses can remain on hands for as long as two hours.

Women, not surprisingly, have the cleanest hands.

According to the American Society of Microbiology women are more inclined to indulge in 20-second hand-washing than men. It is especially important to wash your hands before and after food preparation, before eating, after eliminating, or disposing of animal waste.

Germs are ever present and flu season is upon us. The Center for Disease Control recommends getting a flu shot prior to October 31.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the pandemic Spanish flu. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) celebrated by unveiling its updated strategic plan, a plan which seeks “to find a vaccine that protects against multiple influenza strains, including those that might cause a pandemic.” The influenza virus mutates readily, and as it stands new vaccines must be made yearly. In an often frustrating attempt to match the strains projected to circulate in the upcoming season.

“Respiratory illnesses such as flu are what really keep infectious disease experts up at night,” NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci told a National Press Audience on July 19, 2018. “Each year seasonal influenza results in 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations and

between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths in the United States.

The 2017-2018 U.S. influenza season was among the worst of the last decade.”

“We are in some ways the victims of our own success,” Fauci continued. “It has created complacency, people thinking that the risk of the vaccine is more than the risk of the disease. That is clearly not the case.” Forty-two percent of flu cases are averted by vaccine; 2.9 thousand deaths are prevented.

President Donald Trump’s grandfather Frederick Trump died of the pandemic Spanish flu as did John Francis and Horace Elgin Dodge, founders of Dodge Brothers car company. Others, like stricken President Woodrow Wilson survived. Wilson allegedly collapsed on April 3, 1919, during the Versailles Peace Conference.

Progress is change. In 1997 pathologist Jeffery Taubenberger’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center research team “brought back to life the virus that caused the 1918 flu.”

They found fragments of the virus in a long-stored autopsy sample, taken from a soldier who died in 1918. The group reconstructed the 1918 virus’ genome sequence as of 2005.

“We have to stick with it,” Fauci concluded. “With a universal vaccine, we could take pandemics off the table…It is the challenge of reconceiving our relationship with a pathogen that is so close to us, we cannot see it clearly.”

Sarah Becker started writing for The Economist while a graduate student in England. Similar publications followed. She joined the Crier in 1996 while serving on the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board. Her interest in antiquities began as a World Bank hire, with Indonesia’s need to generate hard currency.

Balinese history, i.e. tourism provided the means. The New York Times describes Becker’s book, Off Your Duffs & Up the Assets, as “a blueprint for thousands of nonprofit managers.” A former museum director, SLAM’s saving grace Sarah received Alexandria’s Salute to Women Award in 2007.

October 2018 | 17

POINTS ON PETS

SARAH LIU

Vacation Ideas for Pet Lovers

I

have two passions in my life: my cat (“Mrs. Huggins”), and travel.

Now I know there are a lot of articles out there about pet-friendly vacations and how to jet set with your animals. This is not that article. Because, unfortunately, Mrs. Huggins is a homebody. She will never share my love of exotic beaches, scuba diving, and glamorous fast-paced cities.

But what’s a pet lover to do?

Believe it or not, a day without a cat is a hard day. I miss that therapy of sweet purring, soft fur in my fingers, and the selfesteem boost Mrs. Huggins offers me after a long day of human-centric activities.

If that’s not too crazy, and you can relate, I’ve learned some tricks to get your “pet on” even away from home.

If you’ve never volunteered before, the thought of an animal shelter may conjure images of sad pets in claustrophobic cages counting down their time in lonely isolation. However, in my experience, well-run reputable shelters are bright and cheery places, full of opportunities to learn and give-back.

Miss Your Best Friend?

One of the largest and most comprehensive I’ve encountered is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. Located in beautiful Angel Canyon, Best Friends

is spread over 3,700 acres of breathtaking landscape, and home to some 1,600 homeless animals. Many of these are available for adoption: everything from cats and dogs, to parrots, horses, even pigs, rabbits and goats. Best Friends offers daily tours (yes, you can interact with and pet many of the animals), as well as frequent special events and classes. For the truly dedicated, Best Friends offers accommodations and volunteer opportunities.

Guests can stay in lodges, cabins or at RV sites, and sign up for opportunities in Dogtown, Cat World, Horse Haven, Piggy Paradise, the Bunny House, or the Parrot Garden.

Best Friends Sanctuary is about four hours’ drive from Las Vegas. The drive is beautiful, and pulling up to the visitor’s center feels like a different world from the clang of slot machines and glare of neon lights. Naturally I spent most of our time at Cat World, visiting each of the cheery openair bungalows, and cuddling with new friends. I made a virtual adoption (sponsoring a beautiful cat through small monthly contributions) and got a pretty

ADOPTION CALENDAR FOR DETAILS & MORE INFO website: www.kingstreetcats.org email: contact@kingstreetcats.org Are you or someone you know free during weekday mornings? King Street Cats is looking for weekday morning caregivers and vet taxis to transport our cats to the vet. Please email: contact@kingstreetcats.org for details.

King Street Cats is looking for foster homes! You provide the spare room and TLC and we can provide food, litter and all vetting. Please email: contact@kingstreetcats.org for details.

18 | October 2018

cool tee-shirt at the gift shop.

Honestly, I could write a whole article about this place by itself, but I’ve got a few more ideas to share below.

Headed to Hawaii? The Kauai Humane Society looks more like a posh resort; palm trees swaying, sparkling blue skies and green mountains looming in the distance. Visitors are welcomed most days 9am4pm, with opportunities for dog walking and petting the cats. They also sell beautiful tee-shirts and other souvenirs whose profits benefit care of the resident animals as well as low-cost clinics and local education.

Equally beautiful, Lanai Cat Sanctuary is located on the tiny island of Lanai, near the ancient village of Kaunolu.

Staff call it the “Furr

KING STREET CATS 25 Dove Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Every Saturday and Sunday from 1:30pm-4:30pm PETVALU Bradlee Shopping Center, 3652 King St, Alexandria, VA 22302 Every first and third Sat/Sun from 1pm-4pm PETCO UNLEASHED 1855 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007 Every fourth Sat/Sun from 12pm-3pm

Seasons,” and it’s easy to see why, with palm trees to climb, thatch huts to relax in, and dedicated staff catering to every comfort and need. The Sanctuary welcomes visitors 10am-3pm, and provides information about lodging and vacation volunteering on their website. The Sanctuary happily facilitates adoption, and can give advice and assistance with out-of-state requirements such as health checks and travel.

When in Rome: We stayed five days last month, and every day we went to the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. Just a quick walk from the Pantheon, Largo Argentina is a feral cat colony and rescue shelter set amongst picturesque Roman ruins (allegedly) where Julius Caesar was murdered. Settle in at the rails above and watch the feral colony lounge and hunt amongst the broken columns and lush foliage below. See how many you can find, and then locate the stairway down to the visitor center and shelter area, open daily from noon to 6pm. Friendly staff will give a quick English tour and explain their mission: to control the feral population in Rome via trap, neuter and release, and care for ill, elderly or abandoned cats in the rescue area below the

PETCO UNLEASHED 1101 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA 22202 Every first Sat and third Sat/Sun from 1pm-4pm THE DOG PARK 705 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Every second Saturday from 1pm-4pm NATURES NIBBLES 2601 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301 Every second and fourth Saturday from 1pm-4pm

ruins. If you’re lucky, you’ll be invited into the main cat area, where you can socialize and play with free roaming cats, many eager for an introduction and cuddle time.

Torre Argentina also offers chances for distance adoption and has lovely souvenirs sold to benefit the maintenance and care of the colony.

Bay of Pigs: Did you even know pigs could swim? Yep, and if you’re headed to the Caribbean, you have to check this out. Emerald Bay in Bahamas Exuma Cay is home to a colony of feral pigs who have taken to enjoying the surf as well as any shared picnic items their human visitors are willing to relent.

The pigs are friendly, and happy to swim with their guests or nose up to visiting boats for proffered treats.

The pigs are so popular, that most area resorts, including some in farther off Nassau, arrange safaris for tourists to frolic with the mer-hogs and capture the selfie of a lifetime.

A flight to Georgetown, Exuma? Maybe $1,000. But a picture of your family with a swimming pig? You tell me.

What To Do. I’m running out of room, so I’ll leave you with this: I love my cat, but I’m always going to travel.

But wherever I travel, I try to find an opportunity to soothe POINTS ON PETS > PAGE 19

Pet chocolate poisoning increases by 30 percent after Halloween LEADING PET INSURANCE COMPANY SHOWS JUMP IN CLAIMS FOR ILLNESS FROM HOLIDAY TREATS

F

or Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest pet health insurance provider, the most frightening aspect of Halloween is the increase in pet accidents and injuries, especially from digestion of chocolate, a poison for animals. Each year, the haunting holiday is followed by a 30 percent rise in claims for pet poisonings and foreign body ingestions – incidents that can be prevented. Pet owners are encouraged to follow these simple tips from Dr. Karen McConnell, chief veterinary officer from VPI, to avoid accidents and ensure pet safety

this Halloween: • Keep candy and treats sealed and out of reach from pets.

The amount of claims for substance toxicity more than doubles following Halloween, a majority of these claims come as a result of pets ingesting candy and used candy wrappers. Chocolate can be toxic, if not deadly for pets, depending upon how much they eat and the size of the pet. Store treats in a place where your pet cannot reach it and take out the trash regularly to avoid the pet’s temptation to dig out used wrappers. .

• Place festive decorations out of the reach from pets.

Foreign body ingestion claims also increase significantly in late fall, nearly doubling after Halloween. Chew toys are designed for pets to chew on,

but Halloween decorations are not. Pets have a hard time distinguishing any small object from another and if it’s shiny and small, your pet will eat it. If you like to decorate for Halloween, stay away from small or low-hanging items, or even large items with parts that could appeal to a pet.

• Designate a secure spot for your pet inside your home.

Since traffic to your door will increase dramatically on Halloween night, guard your pet from excessive stress or barking by keeping him inside and away from the front door. Also, remember that Halloween night is prime time for pranks, some harmless and some vicious.

Keep your pet inside the entire night to make sure he doesn’t become a victim of prank.

• Exercise caution when walking your pet outside. If you decide to bring your pet trick or treating, grab the leash and prepare to hold it tightly. Many of the sights and sounds of Halloween can startle or frighten a pet.

Frequently scan the ground for dropped candy that your pet may want to consume.

• If you dress your pet for Halloween, make sure the outfit is roomy, reflective and fire retardant. Lit pumpkins or candles may line house walkways creating a fire hazard. Also, make certain that your pet’s costume doesn’t include easily accessible parts that could be chewed off or swallowed.

Be careful with masks and capes that tie on to your pet; a piece of costume tied too tight could cut off circulation or choke your pet. To prevent your pet from stumbling while dressed up, avoid costumes that hang low, drag on the ground or block your pet’s vision.

“A little extra care can make a significant difference in preventing tragic and potentially costly pet accidents this Halloween,” said Dr. McConnell. “While we all expect a happy and safe holiday, as a pet owner, understanding the risks to your pet’s health is part of responsible care.”

PETS OF THE MONTH

WYNTER

Grey & White Domestic Short Hair, Spayed Female, Adult Photo by Allison Lane Photography

REDFORD

American Pit Bull Terrier, Neutered Male, Young Photo by Shelly Castle Photography

POINTS ON PETS | FROM PAGE 18

my pet-lonely soul. So far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised how many cool experiences are out there. Beyond gratifying myself, it’s been a great chance to learn about regional rescue efforts, give a few pets some enriching extra attention, and make some small contributions via virtual adoptions and donations. I’ve gotten some pretty great tee shirts too.

Oh, and a note about Mrs. Huggins: She stays home, has the bed to herself, and enjoys the attention of the aunties and uncles that come to check on her. She also remembers how much she loves me when I return.

Resources WWW.BESTFRIENDS.ORG KAUAIHUMANE.ORG WWW.GATTIDIROMA. NET/WEB/EN WWW.SANDALS.COM/ BLOG/SWIMMING-PIGSOF-PIG-ISLAND

Old Town Crier

DONATELLA

Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Female, Adult Photo by Shelly Castle Photography

If you’re looking for a buddy, Wynter is your gal!

Just a young lady, Wynter is full of kitten energy and loves to play! While she may be a bit too wiggly for lap-cat status at the moment, she loves to be around people and see what’s goin’ on. This goofy lady loves to explore and get her little paws into everything... even human snacks! If you have a wand toy and some treats, Wynter will be your BFF. Swing by the shelter to play with this sweet, silly lady today!

Redford – Fun, fun, fun is the way to describe this

handsome, playful young man. He loves being out in the yard and showing off his athletic abilities.

Redford gets along with other dogs so he’d loving having a canine sibling, but mostly he’s looking for a new best friend to enjoy every day’s adventures with!

Our Donatella is beautiful and she knows it! Whether it’s posing on her floating basking log or curiously exploring her tank, she does it with elegance! Let’s just say beauty inspires us and like all beauty, it really comes from the inside.

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

October 2018 | 19

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION LANI GERING

Charlie Collum, left, with Jerry O'Connell.

The Soggy Dollar Bar and Rum in White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, BVI From Pirates to Painkillers!

F

or all of you OTC readers out there that have been following our Caribbean Connection, I am sure you remember when the Soggy Dollar was featured in this space along with the other fun spots on Jost Van Dyke – the likes of the infamous Foxy’s and Ivan’s Stress Free Bar. This month we wanted to concentrate on the Soggy Dollar and its very own Rum! I had the pleasure of talking with proprietor, Jerry O’Connell via cell phone a couple of days ago to get some updated information and learn more about his rum. We haven’t been back to the island since Irma and

Maria did its damage a year ago but have lived vicariously through former Alexandrian, Charlie Collum, and his sailing adventure to the island last year with his sons.

Let’s talk about Jerry for a minute. He is a local guy.

He was born and raised in Washington, DC and attended St. John College High School there. In fact, when the aforementioned Collum was at the Dollar last year, they figured out that they had both attended St. John “back in the day”. It is a small world. O’Connell attended and graduated from George Mason Law School and spent the majority of his career developing real estate in the 1980’s and the 1990’s in Loudoun County Virginia. He raised his family in Potomac, Maryland. When asked how he got to the

island and ended up as the owner of the Soggy Dollar he tells me, “In 1986, my partners and I purchased 35 acres on St John and developed a high end community known as Peter Bay on St John’s renowned North Shore. As a frequent visitor to the Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke, it became, like many others, my favorite bar in the world. In 2003, we learned that the Soggy Dollar was for sale.

We purchased the bar and the Sandcastle Hotel in 2005 and have spent the last 13 years catering to boaters and sailors from all over the world.”

According to the Soggy Dollar website, “It’s about a way of life. To live the Soggy life is a state of mind. It’s the sum of attitude, ritual and beliefs that influence our behavior in an environment where there is a unconditional acceptance of who you truly are. No titles, positions or symbols of status separating one another. An unspoken camaraderie with others experiencing the same thing.

Slowing down the everyday

grind to island time….living life uncompromised.” I can attest to this. Having been to the Soggy Dollar several times over the years, it truly is a special place.

First of all you, if you go by boat, you have to either have a tender or dinghy or a vessel that can enter shallow water because there is no dock. You have to swim to the shore and the bar – hence the “soggy” dollars in your pockets are what you have to spend. It is accessible by land if you take the ferry to the island.

What sets the Soggy Dollar apart from other island bars?

The Painkiller! Several versions of this “killer” drink are made in lots of places in the DMV but this is the home of the original.

Originated and perfected at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the 1970’s, this smooth, full-flavored rum cocktail has become the essence of Caribbean imbibing.

The correct concoction of premium dark rum, cream of coconut, pineapple and orange juice (proportions are secret), topped with fresh grated Grenadian nutmeg (this is a key

ingredient) makes the swim to the Soggy Dollar Bar worth the effort. One of the fun quotes on the website makes me think of the “Most Interesting Man”.

It sounds like something he would say:​ “Perhaps it’s the setting of White Bay, the thirst from the swim, the perfect blend, or just because of the tradition of the original Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar… whatever the reason, welcome, enjoy and stay shady my friends.”

Now…for the “perfect” painkiller, you might just need to use the new Soggy Dollar rum. From “Pirates to Painkillers”, the legendary romance between rum and the Caribbean continues with the launch of Soggy Dollar rum - one sip and you’ll be swept away - sitting on the sand in White Bay. Rum has been synonymous with the Caribbean for over 300 years. Much like the adventurers of the seventeenth CARIBBEAN CONNECTION > PAGE 21

ABOUT SOGGY DOLLAR

Approximately three-square miles, Jost Van Dyke (pop. about 200) is the smallest of the four main British Virgin Islands situated in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, approximately five miles northwest of the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John and one hundred and twenty miles east of Puerto Rico. Tucked away in White Bay the legendary Soggy Dollar Bar is famous among Caribbean travellers for its unblemished casual vibe and pristine white sand and dock-free beach. Please visit www.soggydollar.com.

20 | October 2018

CARRIBEAN CONNECTION FROM PAGE 20

century, today the Soggy Dollar Bar is a place people can still live life on their own terms. “The Soggy Dollar has a devoted subculture seeking the ideal of living life off the grid,” says O’Connell. “So many of our guests who visit the beach bar every year and live what’s referred to as ‘the Soggy Life’ have asked when will we be able to get this rum back home?

The demand for our rum has been great and inspired the launch of two rums under the Soggy Dollar label,” O’Connell continued.

Soggy Dollar rum was developed in the Caribbean and captures the local flavors and vibe of the island paradise, blended and bottled in the United Kingdom. Billed as “A Sunny Rum for Shady People”, there are two versions:

Soggy Dollar Old Dark Handcrafted, aged and triple distilled with natural cane sugar molasses, vanilla and caramel aged in oak casks for a smooth rich flavor and deep golden color. Whether in a Painkiller or simply drink

and savor over ice you will be transported to this Virgin Islands paradise.

Soggy Dollar Island Spiced Born from the smooth handcrafted dark rum then infused with a secret blend of oak, vanilla, coconut, pineapple, orange, nutmeg and other native spices, this rum paired with ginger ale and a lime wedge delivers a refreshing Caribbean experience. The perfect way to keep life simple and get on island time.

Online sales (www.

soggydollarrum.com) of the much anticipated Limited Edition First Batch release will kick-off later this month nationwide followed by a rollout in selected states, U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom. “We have been working on this for several years – from the custom designed bottle, to making sure we get the blend and the experience just right. We’re really excited to bring this to all of the people that have supported us over the years and hold such a passion for the brand, bar and island,” said O’Connell.

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October 2018 | 21

FROM THE BAY …

MOLLY WINANS

Seven Reasons To Go to the

T

Annapolis Boat Shows

he U.S. Sailboat Show (October 4-8) and the U.S. Powerboat Show (October 12-15) unfold in Annapolis every fall, and thousands flock to Maryland’s capital to experience the impressive transformation of a quiet historic town into a sort of Disneyland for boaters. Here are seven reasons you should go.

The shows offer great excuses to visit Annapolis.

I often hear from friends in the DC metropolitan area or Pennsylvania say, “I love Annapolis, but I haven’t been there for a long time.”

We’re all crazy busy. It takes a reason and a date penned on the calendar to escape our regular routines. These are Annapolis’s two most exciting weekends. You don’t want to miss them.

To buy a fall jacket.

Really.

If you want an attractive 22 | October 2018

high-tech, waterproof, layerable shell good in any season for outdoor activities, you will find a myriad of options at the Boat Shows.

The same goes for deck shoes, warm boots, waterproof watches, sunglasses, floppy hats, sport gloves, handmade scarves, serious socks, and even unique nautical jewelry.

If you’re already a boat owner, the sky is the limit as to what you may purchase at the shows: electronics, new lines, hardware, canvas, sails, gear, mattresses, hammocks, custom flags, boat hooks, books, ship’s bells, anchors, boat-friendly dishes, and fishing gear.

To buy a boat.

If you’re considering buying a boat, even someday, don’t miss the show(s). Your head will spin with the hundreds of options you see before you, but by being there and wandering around, you will learn a lot about what you want and do not want, what you can and cannot afford, what feels like “Life of the

Rich and Famous” and what feels like your lifestyle. During the Powerboat Show only, a “brokerage show” (translation = used boat show) runs nearby, and your show ticket earns you entry into it. This means you’ll find both shiny, new boats and pre-owned yet more affordable options in the same place.

Just curious.

Curiosity about the boating and the on-the-water lifestyle are good enough reasons to go. You won’t be disappointed.

Annapolis expands out into the harbor with a mile of temporary docks, creating its own amazing labyrinthine city of new boats to explore.

Whether you know how to operate them or not doesn’t matter. You’re allowed to climb on deck and go down below (that’s sailor speak for downstairs) and check out how the other half lives. If you are honestly interested in sailing or boating in the future, you’re crazy to miss this opportunity to talk to sailing and boating schools

about where to start, charter companies about interesting vacation options, and boating and sailing experts eager to share what they know.

For medicinal reasons.

Pusser’s Caribbean Grille is right next to the show gates along the water, and veteran show goers always stop in for its signature Painkiller (Pusser’s Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut). Don’t drink?

Don’t worry. Among show goer favorites are the huge and homemade Nutty Buddy ice cream cones sold outside show gates by the Annapolis Optimists Club to kill your pain.

Because it’s there.

There are two types of travelers: those who go to Mardi Gras, and those who would rather visit New Orleans in the off season. If you’re the first kind of traveler, know that these boat shows are so cool that thousands of people come from all over the world to be there. Click

to annapolisboatshows.com and buy tickets now ($18 each). If you are a quieter or crowd-phobic traveler, know that Thursdays, known as VIP/trade days, may be more expensive ($35), but they are considerably less crowded than the weekend days and also open to the public. Both those who do not mind crowds and those who want quieter days should follow the parking recommendations on annapolisboatshows.com.

Shuttles run frequently and efficiently. These shows have been going on for 40 years; they do parking right.

Meet Molly. That’s me. You may know me as an Old Town Crier columnist, but in my other life, I edit sailing and boating magazines.

Please stop by the SpinSheet booth at the Sailboat Show or the PropTalk booth at the Powerboat Show (F6/7) and say hello.

Find more information at annapolisboatshows.com.

Fall

has Arrived in

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The Solomons Business Association will host the annual Harvest Taste of Solomons event on October 13th, 2018. This is a one-day food festival showcasing the many wonderful places to eat in this exciting waterfront community. Tickets are $5.00 each and may be purchased at any of the participating businesses. Each ticket can be exchanged for a sample of selected food or beverages.

Plan to bring a few friends and share your samples.

Some restaurants serve small plates with several items and others have one item per ticket. The variety is endless, and it is a chance to discover what you like for your next full dinner.

The restaurants will be using the best of the fall harvest and freshest seafood - most of it caught that morning. It is a great time to enjoy the fall weather, watch boats on the water and meet some of the locals who inhabit the island. Discover what makes Solomons Maryland so special.

The event is to raise money for the annual 4th of July celebration which is one of the best on the water. Remember, it is a one-day event on October 13th from 11am to 4pm. See you on the water.

October 2018 | 23

ROAD TRIP

BOB TAGERT

Philip Carter Winery

Road Trip with a purpose…

Three Fox Flooded Entry

Virginia Wine Month

A Three Foxes

Fireplace at Barrel Oak 24 | October 2018

s most of you know, we have been writing about Virginia Wine Month for 28 years.

It is the month in which we celebrate our wonderful Virginia Wineries.

This October is the 30th anniversary of Virginia Wine Month – the oldest Wine Month in the United States. The industry has made tremendous strides in the last 30 years growing from 40 wineries in the early 70’s to 280 today. The evolution reflects the character and place of Virginia while receiving critical acclaim from wine lovers worldwide.

About 20 years ago I interviewed Gabriele Rausse who started Barboursville winery in the early 70’s and today is considered the Godfather of modern Virginia wines. I asked him, “what is going to set Virginia apart from other winemaking areas?” “The vintage year”, he replied. He also said, “if it is a good vintage year and you make a bad wine, it is the wine makers fault. If it is a bad vintage year ad you make a good wine, it is the wine makers fault!” 2017 was an excellent vintage year…2018 is a less than desirable year…and that is the point of this article.

As I write this it is raining

here in Alexandria as it is in wine country and rain is forecast for the next 5 days.

This has been the pattern the whole month of September.

The effects of too much rain is explored in Doug Fabbioli’s column in this issue…

Exploring VA Wines, so I won’t get into that except to say it is not a good situation.

Too much rain and the grapes absorb too much water thus diluting the sugar which, in turn, reduces the alcohol content of the grape. All this combined makes it more difficult to make a great wine.

The rain this month has taken its toll in other ways as well!

We all love going to a Virginia winery to spend the day enjoying good wine and great vistas in the Blue Ridge.

This year, however, the rain and bad weather has curtailed that flow of customers to the wineries. For all the efforts the wineries put into location, they cannot control mother nature. Our good friends John and Holli Todhunter bought a beautiful piece of property to start Three Fox Winery in Delaplane along side the beautiful Goose Creek which borders their property.

Because of the rain and a lowlying bridge, Goose Creek, which drains the surrounding mountains, flooded the bridge

and traffic could not enter the property. This event caused the winery to be closed for a total of 30 days since the first of the year with most of the closings being during the summer tourist months.

Other wineries have suffered a slowdown in attendance. Chris Pearmund of Pearmund Cellars told me, “1996 was a lot like this year and it almost bankrupted me,” he says. “I call that year ‘1990sucks’ and this year is ‘2000hateteen’.” It has been a difficult year for Virginia Wineries. This leads me to this thought…Get out and support Virginia Wineries in October!

Since there are 280 wineries we are going to visit ones in Fauquier County and Rappahannock County, after all, you can’t visit them all and these are close to home. Here are my suggestions:

Barrel Oak Winery and Tap House Right off Route 66 on Route 55 this is a large winery with a ton of outdoor seating that is both dog and kid friendly.

They have vendors for hot food and for those who are wined out, there is a farm tap house.

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ROAD TRIP FROM PAGE 24

Three Fox Vineyard Once across Goose Creek you will climb the hill to the tasting room. Table seating outside all the way up to the top of the hill and down to the side of the creek. There is a tented area alongside the tasting room and a satellite tent for gathering and tasting as well. Like Barrel Oak, Three Fox has fire pits for those chilly days and is also dog and kid friendly. You can also trek down the hill for a nice picnic along Goose Creek assuming no recent rain.

Valley View Farm Winery Valley View is a 500 -acre farm down Route 17 that has incorporated a new winery and is sister winery to Philip Carter Winery. The red barn tasting room has beautiful views across the valley.

There are also fruit trees on the property with Stayman, Winesaps and York apples ripe for picking in October.

Naked Mountain Winery Taking a right leaving Valley View, Leeds Manor Road will take you to Naked Mountain.

A single lane road will take you into the valley and up to the tasting room. The recently expanded tasting room has beautiful views of the valley and a nice wood burning fireplace for those cold days.

For years Naked Mountain has made one of the best Chardonnay’s in Virginia…

Drink Naked!

Philp Carter Winery Making a left turn on Leeds Manor will take you across Route 66 to Philip Carter Winery. Although established in 2008, the Carter family’s involvement with Virginia wines goes back to the 1700’s.

A beautiful tasting room, award winning wines and a small horse corral where some arrive by horseback, make for a memorable experience.

Fox Meadow Winery Backtracking back to route 55 and turning left you will find the turn off for Fox Meadow Vineyard a few miles down the road. Climbing the mountain on Freezeland Road you will find Fox Meadow.

Atop this mountain you will find views of as many as seven ridgelines. October should Old Town Crier

bring clear skies for excellent viewing at all these wineries.

Fox Meadow Winery

Aspen Dale Winery If you make a right at Route 55 you will see Aspen Dale Winery about a mile down the road. This winery has the most rustic tasting room we have ever encountered. You feel like you have entered someone’s eclectic country home. With comfortable chairs and a fire place during the winter and a fun outdoor space as well, Aspen Dale is worth the visit. Oh, and they make some very fun wines and food samples are part of the tasting. Be sure that you meet Tiger II, the cat, while you are there.

Heading into Front Royal and taking route 522 across the mountain you will come to Hume Road. Make a left and right away you will find Rappahannock Cellars.

John Del Mar brought his winemaking skills from California to settle in Virginia.

Farther down the road you will come to a little taste of Oregon ranching at Desert Rose Winery. Bob and his wife Linda have brought a little bit of that western lifestyle to their winery and the foothills of the Blue Ridge.

Backtracking back to Route 522 and turning left will take you through the Hamlet of Flint Hill where there are a few shops and dining and on to Route 211 where you can find the wineries of Rappahannock County. These include Gadino Winery, Little Washington Winery, Quievremont Winery, Gray Ghost Winery, and Narmada Winery.

Naked Mountain Wine

Discover the Wineries of Northern Fauquier

Wine for Your Holiday Celebrations!

Pearmund Cellars Last but not least and it could be the first is Pearmund Cellars right outside of Warrenton. Chris Pearmund also operates Vint Hill Winery and Effingham Winery. These are first class wineries that offer great experiences and impressive barrel rooms.

Virginia Wineries have had a tough year. Let’s all show our support during Virginia Wine Month and visit these wineries and buy some of their product for your Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas celebration or for any other occasion for that matter. Like…… just sipping good wine!

October 2018 | 25

TO THE BLUE RIDGE

JULIE REARDON

Glen Manor Vineyards view in the park. Photo: Shannon Koprivich

E

very fall, we try to share scenic drives people can enjoy within an hour or so from Alexandria where you can see peak fall colors and perhaps an interesting stop or winery to visit along the way.

With more wineries and local markets opening every year, it can be a challenge to pick the right one. And if you live in Northern Virginia, you’ve probably been told every fall to avoid the Skyline Drive, the road that goes through the Shenandoah National Park, when the foliage is at peak color, because it’s so crowded. The Shenandoah National Park is the beloved favorite and most heavily used of all our local National Parks, and Skyline Drive may have more cars than usual on the weekends closest to peak predictions, but on a weekday you’d be surprised how little traffic there is. Skyline Drive certainly has to rank up there as the prettiest road in the entire mid Atlantic, if not the East Coast. If you’ve never driven it, I can think of no good reason not to take a spin down it this fall.

On a trip to a friend’s farm in the middle of Shenandoah Valley, I took a leisurely route including about 75 miles encompassing most of the 103-mile Skyline Drive. I hadn’t been on it since I was a child and wanted to see if the views were as big as I remembered and if it was worth the price of admission.

It was, and the mountains while not as big as childhood memory, were every bit as breathtaking. I think I appreciate the mystique and beauty of Shenandoah National Park even more. It was one of those crisp, low humidity days where you could see for miles and it’s just as spectacular now as it was many years ago when my parents took us. The park—and the northern terminus of the Skyline Drive—are in Front Royal, just 75 miles west. Skyline Drive is the only road through the Shenandoah National 26 | October 2018

Strasburg Reservoir.

Photo: Shannon Koprivich Forest and takes about 3 hours total driving time, even if you poke along and stop to take selfies and scenery shots at some of the scenic overlooks.

There is an admission fee for all this splendor, but don’t let that deter you.

The charge is modest—$15, or you can buy a seven day car pass for $30. For you baby boomers, if you’ve reached age 62, you can buy a Senior Pass for $80 that gives you free admission to all National Park Service parks including Shenandoah for the rest of your life.

The income from these user fees goes to maintenance of the parks and projects that benefit visitors. When you think of the costs of maintaining this pristine 220,000 acre park in our back yards, you’ll realize the price of admission is a bargain.

The park is open year round though many of the concessions operate on a March through November schedule.

Portions of the Skyline Drive, the only road through the park, are closed at certain times: during inclement weather and at night during deer season from November through January. The hotline to call for recorded information about

closings is (540) 999-3500. Shenandoah National Forest offers much to do and see in addition to driving through it and gaping at the views. The park is loaded with hiking trails, everything from easy strolls for families with young children, the frail and lazy to rigorous rock climbs. There are over 500 miles of trails maintained there on what most say is the most scenic stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Many trailheads connect with the Appalachian Trail; others lead to hidden waterfalls, scenic hollows and granite peaks.

Concessions include 3 restaurants with full meals seasonally as well as grocery/grab and go snack places about every 25 miles. A popular spot to eat and enjoy the views is the restaurant at Big Meadow Lodge. There is a pet friendly terrace for al fresco dining that is pet friendly and offers “yappy hour” meals for your four legged friends. The Lodge closes for the winter on Nov. 4.

Reservations are strongly suggested for the popular fall season as well as for lodging, you can go online or call 888359-0277.

Lodging includes camping sites as

well as rustic seasonal cabins for rent.

Campsites and cabins book quickly during the fall leaf season but you can check availability online or call the above number. If you’d like to see the park from the back of a horse, there are 1 and 2.5 hour guided trail rides from the park’s Skyland Stables (located at mile 42.5) on sure footed well trained trail horses starting at $50 as well as pony rides for the children. While no reservations are needed for the pony rides, at this time of year you must reserve your spot on the trail rides by phone only, 888-359-0277.

Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive have four main entrances, and two of them are easy drives from our area. The Front Royal entrance, at the northernmost end, is at I-66 and Route 340 (Exit 6 off of I-66).

The Thornton Gap entrance is near Sperryville, VA and can be accessed by exiting I-66 at Gainesville and driving to Warrenton (9 miles) then west on Rt. 211 to Sperryville (28 miles). The fastest way is via Front Royal, but driving west from Warrenton on Rt. 211 through Rappahannock County is an especially pretty drive during the fall.

While it’s true that Shenandoah National Forest gets the most traffic of any of our nation’s state parks, that’s due to our generally mild climate and its year-round availability as well as its proximity to several metro areas and many millions of people. But hey—a lot of those millions are lazy couch potatoes who aren’t going to drive anywhere, much less pay money, to look at trees they can see on the internet. Speaking of, the National Park Service has a nifty website for the Shenandoah and its other parks, just type in www.nps. gov and information/reservations for campsites, cabins, horseback riding and other programs can be done online at www.goShenandoah.com.

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For more information contact Mary Jane at 540-423-8313 or go to VRBO Listing #3794678

background photo by John McCaslin

Your Dreams American Live Rustic Cuisine In the Heart of Artists of Rappahannock Studio and Gallery Tour the Piedmont November 3-4 Washington, Virginia, was originally surveyed by a young George Washington in 1749, and officially became a town in 1795. Now the county sits in Rappahannock County, where Little Washington is home to 145 residents and nearby wineries, antiquing, hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and exciting dining options.

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Old Town Crier

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October 2018 | 27

Fall Art Tour

The Artists of Rappahannock

A

s you will learn in this issue, October is Virginia Wine Month and a perfect time to drive out to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Tailgating Virginia Wine Month is the 14th annual Fall Art Tour of the Artists of Rappahannock County the first weekend of November.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are more than home to beautiful scenery and world class wine, they are also home to many outstanding artist’s studios and galleries.

You are invited to tour over 40 galleries and studios featuring more than 100 participating artists showing works in a wide variety of media, including paintings, sculpture, pottery, forged ironwork, jewelry, textiles, stained glass and photography.

The self-guided Tour begins

at The Washington School in “Little” Washington, Virginia, where, for a $10 per person admission, you will be able to view representative artwork from each of the studios and galleries and pick up a map with driving directions to all locations. The Fall Art Tour is brought to you by the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community (RAAC), the flagship nonprofit organization founded in 1982.

RAAC offers art programs in multiple disciplines to the Rappahannock and surrounding communities.

As those of you who regularly read our publication, we love the Blue Ridge and Rappahannock County. We try to spend at least one night a month out there. The fall months are the perfect time of the year to spend a few days in the mountains. The air is crisp,

and the leaves are beginning to show their fall colors. The leaves will begin to change color earlier in the mountains than in the cities, so it is perfect timing. The Greenfield Inn is a primo place to lay your head after a long day of touring as is 29 Main.

The galleries and studios are strung out throughout the county. Some are clustered together in the beautiful towns of Sperryville and Washington while others are up a winding roads in the heart of the mountains. In addition, you can also enjoy the various dining options around the county and in town. One of our favorites in Tula’s in Little Washington. Meeting the locals is also a treat…you will find many former Alexandrians here. Getting around is easy as all of the roads are in good shape and traffic is unimpeded

as there are no traffic signals in Rappahannock County.

It would be very difficult to feature all the artists we met while gathering information for this piece in this article, so we leave it up to you to introduce

yourselves when you take the tour and be sure to tell them that the Old Town Crier sent you. This is one of the premier events in this part of The Commonwealth, so make your plans now!

The classics endure.

Say “I do” at Cedar Knoll.

703.780.3665 28 | October 2018

reservations@cedarknollva.com

9030 Lucia Lane Alexandria, VA 22308

cedarknollva.com

DINING OUT

THE GASTRONOMES

OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN GRILL A Taste of Germany In Old Town!

W Top: Chef Ivan Left: Goulash Soup Bottom: Torte

Old Town Crier

hen we started the Old Town Crier The menu is predominantly German and in 1988 our first office was in the Bavarian with some American dishes added 100 block of North Henry Street. On for diversity. I have to confess that I am not a the east corner of North Henry and connoisseur of these food types but my partner Cameron Street a small restaurant seemed to know what she was doing. It helps that she is ¼ German I guess. We started off opened called Pasta Peasant that was one of with a cup of the Goulash Soup, a hearty paprika our regular “hang outs”. There have been a few and tomato-based beef stew. This was delicious! other restaurants in that location over the years A thick base with fresh tomatoes and chunks and today the new incarnation is the Old House of tender beef and vegetables comprises this Cosmopolitan Grill. Chef and owner Ivica fantastic soup. When the weather turns cool this Svalina has done an excellent job of creating will be my go-to soup to ward off the chill and a very welcoming eatery. The warm and cozy satisfy my hunger. atmosphere in the dining room, the open Next, we tried the Wiener Schnitzel, a kitchen, and the comfortable bar on the lower tenderized veal cutlet that is lightly breaded and level are very welcoming. There is also a second pan fried tp perfection. They also have a pork floor that opens up to more dining, a nice room and chicken version that I imagine are just as for meetings and a nice patio deck above the bar tasty.

The veal was very tender – don’t forget to for alfresco dining or just enjoying happy hour. squeeze the lemon on top of it to bring out the Chef Ivica, or Ivan as he likes to be called, flavor and add a bit of moisture. On my next trip has owned the successful Cosmopolitan Grill I will try the schnitzel with a mushroom sauce at 7770 Richmond Highway for 15 years and and my partner is going to check out the brats decided to extend his reach to Old Town three and kraut.

In addition, we had Kase Spaetzle, months ago. The price was right so he purchased a homemade German pasta the building and began the sautéed with cream and makeover. The dining room cheese.

Basically, the German is a combination of dark OLD HOUSE version of mac and cheese.

It brown ceiling with a rustic COSMOPOLITAN GRILL was brought to the table with burgundy exposed brick 1024 CAMERON STREET the aforementioned mixed wall, dark tables and chairs OLD TOWN salad. We also tried Spinach with a tan colored bench ALEXANDRIA Spaetzle, a homemade seat that runs the length 703-717-9361 German spinach pasta sautéed of the wall. The bar area is with creamy mushroom in the back of the building sauce, ham and onion. Both so as not to disturb those dishes were hearty and complimented the veal who appreciate dining in a quiet atmosphere. nicely. There is a lot of food in what we just It is small but it is fully stocked and there is a described and we were sharing so….bring a large high definition television for your watching hearty appetite or let them send you home with pleasure. This is the only TV in the building a to-go box or two. We chose option B and had and we like that. We were informed that they our leftovers packed up while we ended our serve Happy Hour weekdays from 3:30 – 6:30 in experience with a piece of FANTASTIC torte – the entire restaurant – this includes the second see the accompanying photo. A picture is worth floor deck. Most places limit it to the bar. There a thousand words. All desserts are made in house are beer, wine and appetizer specials. We are as is the bread. Like the soup, the torte will be definitely checking that out in the very near something we order again. We started off with a future! winner and ended with a winner, that’s for sure.

Between the bar and the dining room is the Of the many, many, many places we have open kitchen where everything is made fresh dined over the years, Old House is one of the every day. “I drive to the Pennsylvania Amish top 5. The hospitality in this restaurant trumps country for naturally raised meats, eggs and the excellence of the food – if you can imagine other fresh ingredients. All of our produce is that! Treat yourself to a little bit of Deutschland purchased daily from various places – the only cuisine this month! thing in the freezer here is ice cream! Sometimes I go to a store for only one thing. It takes up a lot of time, but it insures all my ingredients, and Authors Note: We chose not to expound on the menu therefore all my cooking is fresh,” Chef tells us. since you can let your fingers do the tapping and check Like they say, the proof is in the pudding. The it out online. This is a mid-price range establishment samplings of the food that we had was incredibly and they have daily specials as well as a good lunchtime fresh - especially the garden salad…every bite menu with offerings under $15. We wanted to save space for the photos! was a loud crunch!

October 2018 | 29

BEHIND THE BAR

LOUIE GARCIA & STEVEN CASTAGNA because I felt bad. A week or so later I saw the same guy pull the same trick on a different bartender. Maybe it was on purpose or maybe he just had bad luck.

Steven - This one time when I was working at this collage bar, some girl asked me if she could get a free drink if she showed me her boobs...

Tell us about an interesting encounter you have had with a customer/customers?

Louie - Dusty Baker, former Nationals Manager, used to sit at the patio bar I worked at. I didn’t realize who he was the first time I served him but he thanked me for the good service.

MIA’S ITALIAN KITCHEN 100 KING STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-997-5300 MIASITALIAN.COM Louie conjured up Fellini’s Casanova – Bowman Brothers Bourbon, Cardamaro Apertiv, Cocchi Torino & Bitters Steven tossed together the True “Dill-Light” – Dill infused New Amsterdam Gin, Cucumber, Lime Juice & Soda Water

How did you get started in the bartending business?

Louie - I always had an interest in being a bartender ever since I started working in the industry. My first bartending job was at a Caribbean themed restaurant. Needless to say mojitos are one of my specialties.

Steven - When I was in college I got into playing pool. I was going to this pool hall four to five times a week.

To help pay for my pool addiction I decided to just get a job at the bar. I would play pool that way and play for free.

What is your biggest bartender

30 | October 2018

pet peeve?

Louie - Sticky surfaces! And….bar guests that snap their fingers at you.

Steven – Yep, my biggest bartender pet peeve would be when someone comes up to the bar and snaps their fingers. Please don’t do that.

What is the best or worst pickup line you have overheard at the bar?

Louie - “I’ve got a king sized bed...at my mom’s house.”

Steven – I’ve never been one for pickup lines. If you want to talk to someone just introduce yourself.

However, one time I was working and these two people were obviously on a first date and had met online. The guy kept telling the girl that people constantly tell him he looks like Ryan Gosling. He must have literally thrown that into the conversation like 30 times and he didn’t look anything like Ryan Gosling. He was like, “Maybe it’s my bad-boy attitude, I don’t know.”

What is the cleverest thing a client has done to garner a FREE drink from you?

Louie - One time a guest told me they were waiting for a date to show up and asked me to pour their drink. The date never showed so I gave him a free drink

Steven – One time a really drunk guy walked in and I politely let the gentleman know I couldn’t serve him anymore. He said, “That’s fine, but let me get a round of shots for the bar and celery and ranch for myself.” He was a very nice and funny guy so I helped him out. He became a very good regular of mine from that day forward.

If you could sit down and have a drink with anyone – past or present – who would that be?

Louie - Bill Nye the Science Guy. The conversation would be fun and probably educational.

Steven - If I could sit down and have a drink with anyone, I’d have to sit down with Kobe Bryant. Being a huge basketball fan (not a Lakers fan) Kobe has one of the most cerebral basketball minds to ever play. Just sitting down talking basketball with him would make for an amazing day.

Both Louie and Steven are behind the bar Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

If you would like to see your favorite mixologist featured here, send contact information to office@oldtowncrier.com.

OCTOBER

Beef Short Ribs Month!

Inspired by foods found in cities across America with a toast to their craft brews, wines, and spirits

GRAB ABITE

FatCityKitchen.com 330 S. Pickett Street | (703) 685-9172

A brand new look. Same unique, award-winning flavor.

Visit us in Sperryville or Williamsburg and experience how we craft whisky flavor perfection. www.copperfoxdistillery.com

Old Town Crier

October 2018 | 31

RESERVE 2216 2216 Mount Vernon Avenue 703-549-2889 REYNOLDS STREET CAFÉ 34 S. Reynolds St. 703-751-0830

AUGIE’S MUSSEL HOUSE 1106 King Street 703.721.3970

703-566-1355 JACKS PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372

MOHO KITCHEN & COCTAILS 116 South Alfred St. 703-739-6090

JACKSON 20 480 King St. 703-842-2790

BILBO BAGGINS 208 Queen St. 703-683-0300

JOE THEISMANNS 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777

RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. Hollin Hall Shopping Center 703-347-7545 riverbendbistro.com

BLACKWALL HITCH 5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090

LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313

ROCK IT GRILL 1319 King St. 703-739-2274

CAFE 44 44 Canal Center 571-800-6644

LIVE OAK 1603 Commonwealth Ave. 571-312-0402

CARLYLE CLUB 411 John Carlyle St. 703-549-8957

RT's RESTAURANT 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-684-6010 rtsrestaurant.com

LORI'S TABLE 1028 King Street 703-549-5545

CHADWICKS 203 Strand St. 703-836-4442 chadwicksrestaurants.com An Old Town tradition since 1979 and an original Georgetown pub and restaurant since 1967.

LOST DOG CAFE 808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511

CHART HOUSE One Cameron St. 703-684-5080

MAGNOLIA’S ON KING 703 King St. 703-838-9090

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

MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117

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

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.

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

AMERICAN

EVENING STAR CAFÉ 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051 FIN & HOOF 801 N. Saint Asaph St. 703-836-4700 FIVE GUYS 725 King St. 703-549-7991 FLAT TOP BURGER 529 East Howell Ave. 571-970-1006 FOSTERS GRILLE 2004 Eisenhower Ave. 703-725-1342 GADSBYS TAVERN 138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288 GLORY DAYS GRILL 3141 Duke Street 703-567-157 GRATEFUL KITCHEN 727 N. Henry Street HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050 HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969 HUMMINGBIRD 220 South Union Street 32 | October 2018

MACKIE’S BAR AND GRILL 907 King St. 703-684-3288

MASON SOCIAL 728 Henry Street Old Town Alexandria 703-548-8800 mason-social.com MOUNT VERNON INN Mount Vernon, Va 703-780-0011

NECTAR COFFEE & WINE BISTRO 106 Hume Avenue 571-431-6150 NORTHSIDE 1O 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-888-0032 OCONNELLS RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 danieloconnellsrestaurant.com PORK BARREL BBQ 2312 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-822-5699 THE PEOPLES DRUG 103 N. Alfred Street RAMPARTS 1700 Fern St. 703-998-6616 rampartstavern.com

SAMUEL BECKETTS IRISH GASTRO PUB 2800 S. Randolph St. Villages of Shirlington 703-379-0122 SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266 SMOKING KOW BBQ 3250 Duke Sttreet 703-888-2649 SNACK BAR 2419 Mt. Vernon Avenue 703-566-1283 SOCIETY FAIR 277 S. Washington St. 703-683-3247 SONOMA CELLAR 207 King St. 703-966-3550 SOUTH BLOCK 106 N. Lee Street 703-465-8423 SOUTHSIDE 815 815 S. Washington St. 703-836-6222 SWEETGREEN 823 King St. 571-319-0192 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. TRADEMARK 2800 Jamieson Ave. 703-253-8640

ASIAN

ASIAN BISTRO 809 King St. 703-836-1515 MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710 MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600

ITALIAN

BUGSYS PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313 bugsyspizza.com FACCIA LUNA 823 S. Washington St. 703-838-5998 THE ITALIAN PLACE 621Wythe St. 571-777-8981

NASIME 1209 King St. 703-548-1848

HANKS PASTA BAR 600 Montgomery Ave. 571-312-4117

STREETS MARKET AND CAFE 3108 Mt. Vernon Ave. 571-431-6810

IL PORTO RESTAURANT 121 King St. 703-836-8833

THAILAND ROYAL 801 N. Fairfax St. 703 535-6622 TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 Canal Center Plaza 703-683-8878 CAPHE BANH MI VIETNAMESE 407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800 KAI ZEN TAVERN 1901 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-836-1212 THE SUSHI BAR 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue 571-257-3232 CONTINENTAL

BRABO

by Robert Weidmaier 1600 King St. 703-894-3440 BRABO TASTING ROOM 1600 King St. 703-894-5252 CEDAR KNOLL INN GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-799-1501 OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN 1024 Cameron Street 703-717-9361 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

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

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

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

LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854

LA TRATTORIA 305 S. Washington St. 703-548-9338 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 MIA'S ITALIAN KITCHEN 100 King Street 703-997-5300 PARADISO 124 King St. 703-683-5330 PINES OF FLORENCE 1300 King St. 703-549-1796 RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873 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 DELIAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. Alexandria, VA 703-329-0006

LE REFUGE 127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661

VASO'S MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO 1118 King Street 703-566-2720

FONTAINES CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151

VASO'S KITCHEN 1225 Powhatan Street 703-548-2747

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

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

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

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

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,

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BOMBAY CURRY COMPANY 2607 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-836-6363 DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd.

703-660-6085 DIYA 218 North Lee, 2nd Floor 703-706-5338 NAMASTE 1504 King St. 703-970-0615 MEXICAN LATIN SOUTHWESTERN

DON TACO TEQUILA BAR 808 King St. 703-988-3144 LOS CUATES RESTAURANT 1116 King Street 703-548-2918 LOS TIOS GRILL 2615 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-299-9290 LOS TOLTECOS 4111 Duke St. 703-823-1167 TAQUERIA POBLANO 2400-B Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-TACO (8226) Old Town Crier

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MASTERS OF CUISINE

Chef Oscar Ordonez

C

hef Oscar began his education in Honduras, assisting the Instituto Nacional de Formacion Profesional in his home town.

His curiosity brought him to the United States where he started his culinary career like so many others, as a dishwasher. After years working as a dishwasher he was promoted to line cook by Chef Josu Zubikarai.

Oscar worked under Chef Josu’s wing and in 2013 Chef Josu, La Tasca’s corporate chef, helped Oscar join the Carlos Rosario culinary academy in Washington DC. Oscar spent days studying at the culinary academy and evenings working at La Tasca DC. After two years he graduated and was promoted to Executive Chef at La Tasca DC. Oscar made the move to La Tasca Alexandria in late 2016.

Oscar continues his education as a chef, just this year he enrolled at L’academie de Cuisine.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the culinary field?

I have been cooking since I can remember. I was always helping in my family restaurant, knowing that someday I wanted to become a chef.

Since a very young age, I felt the call to the culinary arts and have never stopped learning and studying. The main reason I came to the United States, was the opportunity to pursue my passion.

Who or what has made the biggest influence on you during your career?

My mother and grandmother were my first influences in cooking, they taught me how to work with flavors and the importance of the basics. As I grew, my own passion for cooking and

34 | October 2018

desire to learn more, I found Gaston Acurio to be a big influence, and part of the reason I chose to make the leap and move to America. Chef Josu Zubikarai has become my mentor here in the US.

What is your “personal favorite” dish on your menu and why?

LATASCA 607 KING STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-299-9810 LATASCAUSA.COM

Gambas al Ajillo. It’s one of the simplest recipes on our menu but it translates perfectly what Spanish gastronomy is all about. Always cooking the highest quality items helps us bring out the most natural flavor of the ingredients. Simple, natural and flavorful, these are the foundations of Spanish cooking.

What do you feel sets your cuisine apart from others in your field?

The understanding of the cuisine, our passion for using the highest quality, seasonal ingredients, and classic techniques. These together create authentic, down to earth Spanish cooking.

If any chef in the world (past or present) could prepare you a meal, who would you want that to be?

Juan Mari Arzak. He is a well-renowned Spanish chef from San Sebastian and an expert in classic flavors and techniques.

What is your guilty food pleasure?

Tacos. Who doesn’t enjoy some authentic, juicy tacos?

If you would like to see your favorite “Master of Cuisine” featured in this space, sent contact information to office@oldtowncrier.com

Chef Oscar presents the popular Spanish Gambas al Ajillo – Fresh prawns, fresh garlic, olive oil, dried Guindilla peppers & fresh parsley.

More than just dining.

A local favorite since 1978 American comfort foods and over 250 wine & beer from around the world

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GRAPEVINE

NANCY BAUER

Photo by ©RickCollierImagery.com

VIRGINIA WINE IS BORN OF

REVOLUTION. REVOLUTION HAS NO

RECIPE.

www.virginiawine.org 36 | October 2018

VIRGINIA WINE COUNTRY: IT MAY BE ALL YOU NEED

W

ith wineries now in every state, it may seem like the U.S. is one big grape-growing wine trail. You could spend a lifetime bouncing from the Blue Mountains of the Pacific Northwest and Walla Walla’s renowned syrah to the wild sweetness of muscadine grown in Florida’s hot summer sun. Maybe you’re tempted to drive north for a glass of tart, rustic Marquette in New England, or down south toward Texas Hill Country for a luscious viognier?

Or, you could just head to Virginia.

Even beyond our Thomas Jefferson-as-originaloenophile claim to fame (despite his grand vineyard plans never quite taking root), Virginia wine country is actually, verifiably unique.

Partly due to our diversity in terroir, grapes, and people - and partly due to our revolutionary roots, Virginia is a wine country unlike any other.

Battles were fought here.

The country was formed.

And reformed. Virginians are reminded of that – by

roadside markers, street names, and painstakingly restored buildings - every time they take to the road or pass through a small town.

Grapes were planted.

Ripped out and replanted.

Then planted again.

The good, characterful wine being made now did not come easy. Lessons from Europe and California were learned, and then discarded,

by Virginia’s growers and winemakers, who had to learn for themselves.

Intrigued? Great. So, this GRAPEVINE > PAGE 38

EXPLORING VA WINES

DOUG FABBIOLI

Harvesting Through a Hurricane

T

his game of grape growing and winemaking in the Mid-Atlantic region has its ups and downs.

For the record, I believe this has been the hardest growing season I have encountered of my 22 seasons in Virginia.

The rains, the heat, the humidity, the rain, the lack of sun, the extended cold winter and the again with the rainy weather have all added up to substantial challenges throughout the year.

When the major threat of Hurricane Florence appeared in September, in was enough to push most folks over the edge. We have struggled all year to keep the grapes healthy through the season so they have a chance to ripen to a maturity level that will work to make a good wine. At the later part of the season, heavy rains can cause the berries to split because of the high moisture in the ground. That split berry will

Old Town Crier

spread juice through the cluster and cause a rot that can destroy the cluster from the inside. It is not a pretty picture, but it is a reality. So our process is to carefully evaluate each cluster and drop any that show rot. I rely on my nose as I go through the rows to smell any off aromas or sour rot.

I will also make some very hard choices to pick around the rainstorms hoping to bring in dry, healthy fruit as ripe as makes sense. We accept that we will bring in less crop than we planned on and it will cost us substantially more in order to do it.

As for quality, I have been pleasantly surprised with the aromas and structure of the wines so far. We have also learned a lot of different techniques to make the best out of a challenging year like this. The Virginia Wine Board has invested in the Virginia Winemakers Research Exchange in order

to test methods and products that can help us in years like this. The Virginia Cooperative Extension has done a lot over the years as well. The emotional challenge of continuing to fight a retreating battle can be a heavy toll. We hearty souls will stick it out and make the best we can from what we have. The end message I have for the Virginia vintage 2018 is we will have substantially less yields, but the flavors and quality should be quite pleasant if the winemakers are willing to make the hard choices. We spend more to make less. Not quite a successful business model, but this is our reality of certain years.

Visit the wineries and celebrate Virginia Wine Month! Bring home the wine you enjoyed at the tasting and please continue to support us all. We will hold the ground!

October 2018 | 37

GRAPEVINE FROM PAGE 36

fall, just enter “winery” on your GPS and see where that takes you. And take a few snacks; you’ll be busy for a while.

Virginia’s wine grapes: the essence of diversity.

Across Virginia’s 3,000 acres of grapevines you’ll

find more than 70 varieties of grapes. Napa Valley, by comparison, produces about half that variety on 15 times the number of acres.

Dennis Horton of Horton Vineyards, who passed away this year, is single-handedly responsible for much of that variety; his belief that cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay might not be the

best grapes for Virginia led him to introduce viognier, syrah, touriga, marsanne, roussanne, nebbiolo, tannat, pinotage, and rkatsiteli, along with norton, a native Virginia grape which he reintroduced, following its demise during Prohibition.

Viognier, by the way (for those who follow these things), is no longer the official state grape through no fault of its own.

Its temporary crown was a successful marketing concept that served its purpose as a hook for travel writers and wine writers, and now it’s returned to its roots as one among many. Today, we celebrate grape diversity.

Photo by ©RickCollierImagery.com

Virginia’s wine growers: grit and evolution.

A unique, family-owned winery where you can enjoy a variety of award-winning wines around the horseshoe bar, embellished with western decor depicting the roots of the owners.

Enjoy Fall by our pond or on the porch and patio!

13726 HUME ROAD • HUME, VA 22369 540.635.3200 DESERTROSEWINERY.COM

Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of reds, was tried everywhere; you may recall the tear-stained faces of vignerons, pulling out their beloved but bedraggled cab vines in the 70’s and 80’s.

Terroir forces a reckoning; think for yourself, try again, keep at it – the perfect tattoo for Jim Law of Linden Vineyards, should he ever decide to get some ink.

And evolution: As reported acreage of Cab Sauv declined over the last decade in Virginia, plantings of the much-lesser-known Petit Verdot - historically relegated to adding backbone to red blends – more than doubled.

Virginia winemakers think big, choosing to free it from its box as a blending grape and focus on fermentation and aging experiments that

real people. earth friendly. fabulous wines.

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email us at info@fabbioliwines.com 15669 Limestone School Rd • Leesburg, VA 20176 703.771.1197 • fabbioliwines.com 38 | October 2018

Photo by ©RickCollierImagery.com bring out a uniquely regional style: a big, intense red full of spice and smoke with robust tannins that make beautiful music with a seared rib-eye.

Voila, a Virginia original.

One of many.

Virginia’s wine people: the cultural backbone.

Many of the state’s wineries are farmed by families that go back generations, often giving new life to worn out tobacco fields, local heroes of agriculture. And yet, the acknowledged “godfather” of Virginia wine, Gabriele Rausse of Charlottesville, is from Italy. As is winemaker Luca Paschina, who over the past four decades has grown Barboursville Vineyards into an internationally acclaimed producer. And heading up Barboursville’s demanding

vineyard operation? A Salvadoran, Fernando Franco.

Virginia’s winery owners, winemakers and vineyard bosses come from more than 15 countries, ranging from France to Brazil to Iran to Lebanon. Many bring some of the secrets of their homeland: Vitor Guimarais, the Portuguese winemaker at Morais Vineyards in Bealeton, still makes four of his wines without machinery of any kind, including crushing grapes by foot; the Papadopoulos family crafts Kokineli, a traditional Greek rosé table wine with a flavor reminiscent of Retsina, at their two Warrenton wineries, Molon Lave Vineyards and Mediterranean Cellars; and at Lovingston Vineyards GRAPEVINE > PAGE 40

SHARE YOUR WINE MONTH ADVENTURES!

#VAWINEMONTH

VIRGINIA HERITAGE WINE: A BOTTLE FOR THE AGES

By NANCY BAUER The undertaking alone is worthy of attention: Sixteen Virginia wineries each delivered a barrel to Effingham Manor Winery in Nokesville. Inside each barrel was a red wine grown and made in Virginia. Some were Merlot, some Cabernet Franc, some Cabernet Sauvignon and a few Petit Verdot.

Next, each barrel was opened, the wines tasted and evaluated, and then blended into a completely new wine, which was, finally, pumped into 32 Virginia oak barrels. And there they sat, aging, until August.

Meanwhile, labels were created (not paper labels, but birch-wood labels - a not-inconsiderable expense or chore), bottles were ordered, corks were delivered. Nice commemorative boxes were designed, in which the bottles would lay on little nests of birch shavings.

And finally, the wine was transferred into 10,000 heavy bottles, which were then loaded into 1,666 half-case boxes. Much of that was then transported back to the sixteen participating wineries, with the rest held back for distribution to retailers, or

Old Town Crier

shipments to VIPs and influencers who in turn promote Virginia Wine Country.

The Virginia’s Heritage Wine project, brainchild of Chris Pearmund, managing partner of three of the participating wineries, celebrates 400 years of winemaking in Virginia, which began in 1619 with the arrival of 10,000 French grapevines in Jamestown.

And the wine? It’s available October 1.

Find Virginia’s Heritage at the Mount Vernon Fall Wine Festival in October, and at these wineries: Aspen Dale Winery, Delaplane; Cooper Vineyards/53rd Winery, Louisa; Effingham Manor Winery, Nokesville; Glass House Winery, Free Union; Ingleside Vineyards, Oak Grove; Naked Mountain, Markham; Narmada Winery, Amissville; New Kent Winery, New Kent; Pearmund Cellars, Broad Run; Phillip Carter Winery, Hume; Potomac Point, Stafford; Rappahannock Cellars, Huntly; Rosemont of Virginia Winery, La Crosse; Winery at Bull Run, Centreville; Williamsburg Winery, Williamsburg; Vint Hill Craft Winery, Vint Hill.

October 2018 | 39

Photo by ©RickCollierImagery.com

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Your Guide to Virginia Wine Country Winery Maps Check-off lists Virginia’s top wines & wineries Dog-friendly wineries Family-friendly wineries + much more!

Available now at these select wineries: Pearmund Cellars, Barrel Oak and Philip Carter Virginia Wine Country Travel Journal Available on Amazon.com

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in central Virginia, South African winemaker Riaan Rossouw crafts vintage Pinotage from his homeland’s signature grape.

Often overlooked but indispensable are our neighbors from the south.

As I recently reached out to wineries to gather background information for the second edition of my book, Virginia Wine Country Travel Journal, Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars in Loudoun County reminded me, “It is our fine Latinos that truly power our farms and production facilities. We have grown from a few crews of migrants borrowed from the apple orchards to numerous skilled labor teams, cellar masters, vineyard managers and other leadership positions.”

Virginia’s weather: cursedly diverse.

offering ITALIAN VARIETALS

Sopping, dripping, unforgiving 2018 will be remembered in Virginia as a “Winemaker’s vintage”.

These are the years that test

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tuscany EXPERIENCE

IN VIRGINIA

40 | October 2018

GRAPEVINE FROM PAGE 38

the skills of even the best, as many puzzle out a plan for over-saturated and underripe grapes, pulled early ahead of the plodding rainmaker, Hurricane Florence.

Virginia isn’t an easy place to grow grapes, ever.

Humidity leads to disease and rot, late frosts kill new buds and sometimes entire mature vines. Small wineries – nearly all wineries in Virginia – struggle to find the manpower and fund the equipment needed to keep all the grape bogeymen at bay.

And still, every year, more wineries open than close.

How can that be, when owners know they’re almost bound to lose money, for several years at least? And that once they’ve climbed painfully into the black, a year like 2018 comes along?

Wine folk are a unique breed. But Virginia’s wine folk may be a breed unto themselves.

This October we raise our glasses to Virginia Wine Month, and to all the visionary risk-takers who grow it, pick it, blend it and bottle it.

Nancy Bauer (Nancy@ VAWineInMyPocket.com) writes about Virginia Wine Country travel on the Virginia Wine in My Pocket website and smartphone app, and is the author of the new book, Virginia Wine Country Travel Journal, available at Amazon.com.

FROM THE TRAINER RYAN UNVERZAGT

❶

FITBALL ABDOMINAL (AB) EXCHANGE

❷

T

❸

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his month’s exercise is the FitBall Abdominal (Ab) Exchange. This is a great exercise for the rectus abdominus. The start position is shown in Figure 1. The FitBall is held off the floor with your arms extended straight above the head. Notice how the feet are also held above the floor about a foot or two. This position elicits muscular tension through your core. Next, bring the ball over the top of your body while simultaneously raising your legs to “meet in the middle”. Obviously, the leg and arm muscles will be doing some work during this motion, but focus on contracting the abs to help bring the back of the shoulders off the floor to really make the repetition count.

So now that the FitBall is at the top, switch it from the hands to the feet by placing it between the inside of your ankles (figure 2). It might take some practice before this transition becomes smooth. Squeeze the ball with your legs to secure it for the ride down. Slowly lower the ball, back of the shoulders, and your arms toward the floor. Notice again how the arms and ball never touch the floor because you want to keep tension on the abs the whole time during the exercise (figure 3).

Try at least ten reps if you’ve never attempted the FitBall Ab Exchange. This is an advanced abdominal exercise that requires significant core strength to perform multiple sets and reps. I hope that I have given you another solid core exercise that you can add to your abdominal repertoire! Until next time….

Unverzagt holds Bachelor of Science degree in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University. He is a certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength & Conditioning Association and a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

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NICOLE FLANAGAN

FITNESS

O

Staying Fit For The Start Of The Holiday Season

ctober marks the beginning of the holiday season. This is the time of year when we start making all those yummy baked goods and delicious homemade soups. Instead of letting all this wonderful food catch up to us this year, let’s make a goal to maintain our fitness. Last month I said how fall is the best time to get yourself back into a fitness routine and gear up for the cooler months ahead. Well, it has been thirty days since then and hopefully everyone has been able to stick with his or her fitness routines. In case you are starting to falter from your schedule, here are some tips to keep you motivated for the next month.

I’m sure that some of you have had a little extra time to set aside for your workout now that the kids are back in school.

Just remember that dedicated workout times are great but you can get your exercise other ways as well. You don’t necessarily have to set aside a whole hour to workout.

Exercising can actually be a lot of fun. Wondering what to

42 | October 2018

do on a Saturday afternoon?

Look for an activity that suits the whole family! Check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find an activity you enjoy, and go for it. If you get bored, try something new.

If you’re moving, it counts!

Exercise helps us deal with stress and can increase the energy we need to deal with all of our daily activities.

Exercise stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You’ll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly.

This will boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

Exercise reduces feelings of depression and anxiety. Use regular exercise as a way to improve your own well-being and as a way to keep up with your busy life.

If your weekdays are anything like mine, you are running around from the minute you wake up in the

morning until you climb into bed at night. While exercise can help you have more energy throughout the day, it can also help you sleep better at night. Regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. The timing is up to you. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you might want to try late afternoon workouts. The natural dip in body temperature five to six hours after you exercise should help you fall asleep. When you sleep better at night, you wake up feeling more energized for the day. Having a good night’s sleep can improve your productivity, mood and concentration.

As if all of the above aren’t enough good reasons to exercise, here is yet another one that will keep you motivated through the cooler months.

Exercise helps improve your immune system. We are exposed to viruses and germs every day. As the weather gets cooler we tend to spend less time out doors and more time inside. The average adult will get sick with a cold about two times a year. Some people are

less susceptible to becoming sick because their immune systems are stronger. More and more research is finding a link between moderate regular exercise and a strong immune system. Regular exercise has been linked to a positive immune system response and a temporary boost in the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria.

It is believed that consistent exercise can lead to substantial benefits in immune system health over the long-term.

With the holidays right around the corner and things becoming more hectic, we can all count on exercise as one way to de-stress and stay healthy.

Aside from the many benefits I have mentioned already, I’m sure you have come to find that exercise is something that can help the many aspects of our busy lives. Whether you workout to distress from work, keep with your family, or simply for the feeling of a good hard workout, exercise is something that you can always fall back on.

FIRST BLUSH

GENEVIEVE LEFRANC

Jeeper's Creepers WHERE'D YOU GET THOSE PEEPERS?

F

ewer things leave us feeling more refreshed than the first signs of autumn. Cold, foggy mornings with frosted grass; air that smells smoky, woodsy and crisp; and that tingling excitement that comes in anticipation of the holiday season and time spent with family.

While we briefly mourn the loss of summer, not one of us will miss the days of makeup dripping off our faces under the summer sun, or hiding behind massive sunglasses because of the former. Fall is the time we unpack those boxes of chunky knits and nubby knee socks, and begin to embrace the glittering,

sumptuous jewel tones that dazzle this time of year.

Autumn gets better as the days get shorter, and colors begin to unfold before our eyes. From the fiery foliage of morphing leaves, to the earthy palette of pumpkins and gourds, no other season embraces rich, refined colors quite like fall. So give your makeup bag an autumnal revamping that will rival the most colorful throngs of Halloween trick or treaters.

Eyes are the stars of fall so don’t be afraid to give them the vibrant attention they deserve this time of year. Bold, striking brows, sleek liner, thick lashes, and mesmerizing palates turned up on the runways at Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, and Prada.

The best way to execute a colorful eye look is to work with what you got! Use the natural color of your eyes, using complementary colors to guide you.

Baby Blues

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Blue-eyed beauties should stay in the amber to bronze range. Other than that, feel free to explore this color range. If your eyes are a deep, denim blue, try a rich amber, a luxe copper, or a shimmery rust shade to provide a beautiful contrast. For pale, icy blue eyes, try a warm gold or a shade with fine shimmer. If you are a bit more conservative, simple earth tones look mesmerizing as well, like a taupe or slate gray.

No matter what shade your baby blues, stay far away from

blue shadows and liners. The hue will dull the luminosity of your eyes, and anything in the purple family will only make you look bruised or tired. Pull inspiration from a glowing harvest moon, rich caramel apples, or the glow from a crackling fire.

Green with Envy With the right makeup, green eyes can be the most beautiful shade to play up with gemstone palates. The complimentary color to green is red, so choose shades with a red base, such as purples, violets, and mauves. The same goes for hazel eyes. A velvety, intense purple will instantly make either eye color pop, and the striking contrast makes your eye look more dramatic, perfect for evening.

A rich plum is absolutely beautiful for autumn, whether in a matte shade or reflective pearl finish. Purple looks sexy, striking, and flattering with nearly every eye color, so don’t think green-eyed beauties get all the fun!

Brown Eyed Girl Brown eyed girls, such as myself, can really have the most fun since we do not have an opposite or complementary color, meaning we can make nearly any color eye makeup work. Play around to discover some tried and true colors you can incorporate into the season. If you’re feeling experimental and funky, find a sparkling amethyst hue. For an easy day-to-night shade, choose a smooth olive green or a festive emerald. I rely

on a cultivated arsenal of tried and true earthy browns for a natural go-to look. It’s comfortable and appropriate for all occasions, naturally enhancing, and can be casual or sexy and smoky without muddying your doe eyes. For my brown eyes I absolutely love metallic bronzes and deep, shimmering chocolates.

Autumn is a season full of exciting possibilities and prospects—we are in that blissful limbo after the sticky hot months of summer but before the biting winter cold and holiday chaos, and everyone seems to be in high spirits thanks to the gorgeous weather and riot of color around us. Don’t let the kids have all the fun this October with the face paint and costumes—decorate your eyes with luxurious, opulent tints and tones.

Experiment with jewel tones with shadows, liners, or even colored mascaras. Intensify and deepen colors of powder shadows for special occasions or evening by wetting your makeup brush with distilled water. You can also use rich pigments, highly concentrated loose color powder that is easy to blend, long lasting and can create a subtle wash of color or an intense, dramatic effect.

Polish off your perfect look with shapely brows and black, fringed eyelashes. Autumn is the time to be bold and have confidence. Don’t limit yourself to rich, intense color with just a festive scarf—don the breathtaking palate of fall on your eyes and turn heads this season.

October 2018 | 43

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE PEGGIE ARVIDSON

How’s Your

Money

Honey?

“I

tried to explain to my wife that she’s in a lack mindset when she heads for the bargain bins,” Lucy laments, describing the last time Sara asked, “how much did that cost?”

“I mean, she’s telling the Universe that she doesn’t deserve anything more than the cheapest stuff in her life, right?”

“When else does Sara look for the best prices?”

“She’s awesome at booking vacations at great deals, and when we were ready to buy a house she found the best rates for mortgages and insurance.”

Lucy begins to smile “How do you react when she does those things?”

“High fives and hugs! It’s amazing what she can do with that mindset.”

When her spouse is prudent on things that affect their household & quality of life she’s ecstatic, but when she asks about her own spending she gets prickly.

On the surface, buying whatever she wants at the organic grocery store makes Lucy feel like she’s nurturing herself, telling the Universe she deserves to be healthy. She feels that she should be able to do that without concern for budget so that the Universe hears her. Digging even deeper, we unearth the fact that Lucy goes over budget when she’s feeling put upon at work and at home.

If this happens once in a while, she and Sara are able to move on easily without resentment. However, the overspending has become a weekly habit and it’s driving them both crazy. Lucy gets nagged about the veggies 44 | October 2018

going bad in the fridge and has heard more than once about the rising cost of college tuition. She thinks it’s ridiculous to imply that her grass-fed beef and non-GMO bulgur are taking away from their child’s college fund.

“I refuse to have a lack mentality. I know that if I act like there isn’t enough, the Universe will ensure my belief comes true. Besides I have a great sense of self-worth. I have no idea how I ended up with a spouse who has such a low money vibration,” says Lucy.

This is where money and spiritual “gurus” do a huge disservice. Spouting out sound bites without giving context so Lucy and others like her fill in the gaps with their own assumptions. Let’s break it down a bit and so we can clear up some of the money fears and fights that are happening in your household: 1. 1) Establishing and working within a budget is not a “Lack mentality.”

Money is an energetic tool to help you live with prosperity and abundance. Everyone benefits from boundaries in their lives – with people, with time, with money. Think of a budget as your boundary. You’re not telling the Universe you don’t deserve more when you create one and stick to it – in fact, you’re telling the Universe that you are an amazing steward of money, that you love money and you treat it with respect.

2. 2) The more you respect money and are conscious of your consumption, the

more you are rewarded.

Spend money you have on what you want, as long as it works within your established boundary and plans. If you tell the Universe you want a bigger house in a year, but you spend money like you’re living in your post-college group house you’re not going to get that bigger house. Basic math. Honor it and be conscious and make choices that serve your goals. If that means one less case of kombucha this week, so be it.

3. 3) Love what your money gets you. Hard to imagine loving a new set of tires or water heater?

There is something to love about being able to take care of those things without sweating. Safe transportation and clean

water right at your tap are things that most of the world doesn’t have. I bet you can find something to love there.

4. 4) If you find yourself constantly saying “no” to things you want and can easily afford without dipping into other areas of your budget, then maybe, you have some work to do around selfworth. Sticking to a budget and being an excellent administrator of your finances flashes a message, loud and clear, to the Universe that you are abundantly worthy.

(Think about it, would you hire an investment advisor who seemed to try too hard to prove they had money?)

5. 5) It’s never your partner’s story. Sara was receiving

Are you at a crossroads and need to make some serious decisions?

If you’re feeling stuck at work, in love or in general, it can feel impossible to get out of your own way.

Peggie helps you assess your situation, using ancient and modern tools to help you move forward with a specific plan of action.

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mixed messages from Lucy – on one hand she was a champion for finding great rates for trips and big purchases and on the other she was in the dog-house for layering her penchant for deals and savings onto Lucy.

In the end, Lucy and Sara had deeper discussions about what money meant to them individually and as a family unit and agreed upon language to use to ensure each of their needs, as well as their family’s needs were being met.

That’s what it’s all about – team work and letting money serve as a tool.

P.S. These names and deets have been changed to allow my client privacy. Please send any comments to me at peggieparvidson@gmail.com.

GO FISH

STEVE CHACONAS

Fishy Greetings

H

allmark cards commemorate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and even new puppies.

Every event is honored except...fishing trips. Fishing with Capt. Matt Miles in Lynchburg, Virginia is an Annual August Anniversary.

Gliding a stable and comfortable boat in shallow water or sliding over rocks, Capt. Matt guides 10 Mile floats in southwest Virginia’s pristine, clear rivers. Senses are stimulated while running occasional rapids with small falls. Sights, sounds and smells add to the urban escape. Old sycamore trees with visible signs of spring floods, debris in branches 10 feet above the water, line shorelines.

Transient ospreys, taking a road trip break, grab fish before continuing their South American journey. Resident bald eagles and blue herons are also in the neighborhood.

Fresh air and sounds of rushing water complete nature’s exterior decorations.

A vacation from fishing to go fishing won’t make sense to those escaping their professions, but this opportunity avails new angling adventures. Four years ago, fishing buddy Alan Friedlander convinced me to take this trip with a fly rod.

Nothing could be further from my comfort zone, honed over 50 years, than fishing

with a fly rod. It’s an acquired skill, entirely different than using conventional gear. At Capt. Matt’s suggestion, an Orvis 6 weight 9-foot fly rod was purchased. Gamma Frog Hair leaders and tippets arrived in time. But the biggest improvement was Scientific Angler weightforward line buddy Jeffrey Pierce sent. This line creates projectiles out of light lures.

Lure choices were simple... number 2 TeQuelley flies and Capt. Matt’s hand tied poppers. This is the only time of the year a fly rod is in my hands.

The biggest challenge wasn’t what was remembered, but what was forgotten. Casting is key to fishing, distance and accuracy. As luck would have it, day one’s drift positioned me to cast with my right, my off hand. Now I had to remember what I really hadn’t learned in the first place. So much to remember. Where do my hands go? Don’t forget to use a finger to hold the line while stripping. Don’t step on the line. Figure it out as you go. A few fish cooperated and that annoying right hand was actually working. A big key was new Maui Jim Blue Hawaii sunglasses with a blue mirror coating, providing amazing color enhancement and clarity. They cut glare, but also enabled distinguishing brown fish from brown river bottoms and locating rock

and ledge targets. Seeing fish approaching baits allowed me to let the lures stop to get fish to bite. It was working.

After a good nights sleep and a handful of Advil, day two was even better! Capt.

Matt chose a section of the river where leftys can be right.

Hand-tied poppers started the day’s action. In 16 hours of fishing, a big lesson was learned. Small fish repeatedly slurped baits, pulling them under. These bites were ignored. Never again! A giant smallmouth did the same thing and seeing the fish under water made it too late to set the hook. While similar, that bite was subtly different as the line popped when larger fish took the surface lure just as quietly.

Alan encouraged me to engage in fly-fishing; however, he opted for spinning tackle, pulling in 3 citations. Wacky rigged 3-inch weightless stickworms proved, as in the past, to put a lot of fish in the boat. But it was a lure Alan had never seen that produced excitement. The Whopper

Plopper name might be amusing, but smallmouth weren’t laughing. On day two they smashed it with ferocity!

The mesmerizing gurgling action had me and the guide pausing to watch the bait chug toward the strike zone. A huge smallmouth erupted on the crazy-looking lure as if shot out of a cannon. That evening, Alan Googled Whopper Plopper to fill his tacklebox.

Capt. Matt’s oars pushed past dead water or upstream to get better casting angles...or to

retrieve a lure. He knew where fish were, as if they were on a mail route. This trip is one anniversary we won’t miss.

Now it’s up to Hallmark to acknowledge fishing sentiments. Here are a few starters: You lured me, now reel me in. I want you on my line...no strings attached. You are only hooked...if you are trying to quit. Something fishy going on, or is it just the way you smell? Please stay; I’ll get the net. When we met you were just a minnow...now you’re a whale. There are more fish in the sea, and I ended up with a barracuda.

Arriving home, Alan’s wife inquired about our trip and after hearing we had a blast, she asked if we had made our reservations for next year. We will.

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

Potomac River Bassing in October Less grass has fish grouped up on sparse grass and on hard cover, like docks.

Early in the month, use topwaters in the morning and then work down. Mann’s Baby 1-Minus on 12-pound GAMMA Edge fluorocarbon bounces off hard cover and snaps free from grass. Over deeper hard cover, try Mann’s Baby-X crankbaits. Firetiger and shad patterns work. Vary retrieves to get bites. Under cloudy skies and stained water, try Mann’s Classic spinnerbait, also on 12-pound Edge.

Pitch Mizmo Tubes to grass clumps and docks. Polarized Maui Jim sunglasses help locate grass and pieces of wood. Use 3/0 Mustad Ultra Point tube hooks and 3/16-ounce bullet weights. 14-pound Edge would be a good idea. Use faster Quantum Smoke casting reels with a 7’ MH G-Force rod. Soaking in garlic Jack’s Juice Bait Spray helps!

Fish heavy drop shot in grass, around docks and along drops. Use 20-pound Torque braid with 12-pound Edge leader. A 2/0 Mustad Mega Bite hook with a 3/16 ounce Water Gremlin Bullshot weight and a 14-inch leader.

Swim Mann’s Stone Jigs through grass slowly on 16-pound Edge fluorocarbon line.

Old Town Crier

October 2018 | 45

OPEN SPACE

LORI WELCH BROWN

InstaSpook'd

I

’m calling it quits and I’m not a quitter, per se. I had a really hard time quitting smoking because basically I was one of those really sexy smokers—you know like Carrie Bradshaw or Ingrid Bergman.

And let me tell you, laugh if you will, but Virginia Slims were much more glamorous than any e-cig. You can’t even tap the end and send a blaze of burning ember flying and/ or emphatically stub out a butt mid smoke. Trying waving your hands dramatically gripping a vape. Vaping Man will not be replacing the Marlboro Man anytime soon. But, I digress.

Awhile back I decided to step away from Facebook. I was getting a little carried away—I wasn’t even ‘liking’ things any more. I was LOVING everything. Heart this, heart that—wishing “happy birthday” to friends of friends. Time for a break so I deleted the app from my phone. Within a day, I had downloaded Instagram and ‘voila!’, a whole new world was calling my name! Within minutes, I was following some beloved friends and then BAM! I was on to following full-on-A list celebs. I followed Oprah and Gayle as they vacationed across the globe, met Ellen and Portia’s pups and had a backstage pass to Meghan and Harry’s nuptials.

Like cigarettes, social media fills voids and soothes us in some strange way. Like any other addiction, it feeds something, but it also produces anxiety. Social media makes it easy to connect, but also to compare. And, it’s one thing to compare your weekend plans to your roommate’s, but a little dangerous when you start comparing them to JLo’s.

Thanks to Instagram, I can compare myself not only to JLo, but Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, Oprah, and Maria Shriver in the span of 17 seconds. They are ‘influencers’ and they are influencing me to drink green smoothies, join book clubs, wear Valentino couture, travel to Morocco, build a school and run for public office by noon each day.

It starts out quite innocently.

I signed on under the guise of 46 | October 2018

breaking away from some of the political stuff, videos and advertisements clogging up my Facebook feed. Instagram seemed so much cleaner, simpler. I wanted to follow some fellow writers and budding artists. I wasn’t going to fall prey to cute kitten videos and personality quizzes. I wasn’t looking to give myself cat eyes and floral halos or have messages vanish within hours of posting. I merely wanted to see what other creatives were doing and get some inspiration. Fast forward a day and suddenly I’m a voyeur to the lifestyles of the rich and famous and I can’t stop looking! I’ve invited another time suck into my life, and it’s time to break up!

A year from now, everything you are stressing about won’t even matter.

The moment you accept yourself, you grow.

—Xan Oku

— Power of Positivity

Amen to that except it’s not only the rep carpet folks stressing me out. At any given second, I also have access to thousands of people who are changing the world. Kittenxlady has 783k followers and has saved hundreds of adorable kittens from God knows what unimaginable fate before I’ve even had my first sip of coffee. What have I done lately? Dropped some worn out sneakers off to Goodwill?

If that weren’t enough, I now have to be concerned with how many people are following me which basically equates to how interesting/entertaining/worthy of living I am. Brother tabby kittens PhilipandWinston wake up, roll over and purr and have 26k followers. So many cute kittens, so little time. Damn those cute kittens! For the record, I have thumbs, a decent credit score, good taste in wine, and yet I struggle to break 100. #truestory Social media is supposed to be fun and mostly it is—on good days for happy people.

On bad days for not-so-happy people, it can be a prescription for disaster. Constant.

Comparing. All the access to celebrity. It’s fun to spy in on JLo and A-Rod’s relationship,

inspirational quotes. Truly, I do. But, shouldn’t I actually be spending my time writing if I want to be a better writer vs. perusing Instagram for inspirational quotes about writing? I have come across a lot of great ideas and tips from fellow artists, but it is easy to fall into the trap of “I’ll never be THAT good” or worse, she’s been painting for 30 years. I’ll be in my 80s. What’s the point? Ugh.

but is any relationship ever going to compare? They have Brad and Angelia beat for god’s sake. Will I ever look like JLo in a bathing suit or be photographed sunning myself on a 3,000 foot mega yacht? No and I’m still sore from trying to parrot her workout. If only I had a pair of those outrageously cute leggings though…

I appreciate all the

I allow myself to have a pity party, without guilt, if I need one.

—Daily OM

Thank you, Daily OM. It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to but who wants to spend their party crying? Not me!

What’s the answer?

Moderation? Self-control? Selfdiscipline? Unfollow everyone except the cute kittens? Pray that we make America great again and go back to posting what we are eating for dinner?

I guess social media is healthier than smoking, but I am starting to think it should come with a warning label from the Surgeon General’s office.

Happy Halloween!

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NATIONAL HARBOR

LANI GERING

Welcome the Air Force One Experience!

W

ell, it was like pulling teeth to get some information about this much rumored event coming to National Harbor but at the last minute before we went to press we received some basic data. This is going to be a very cool opportunity for kids of all ages. A replica of the Presidential 747 Air Force One will be on display at the Harbor from October through the holiday season.

At the time of this writing, The Air Force One Experience was on a barge coming down the Atlantic from Rhode Island where it was built and developed. The Children’s Democracy Project (an initiative developed to educate children on the importance of democracy around the world) selected National Harbor as

a prime venue for an actual Boeing 747 that has been transformed into an identical model of the president’s aircraft. Visitors of the Air Force One Experience will enjoy a 90-minute learning experience, including a oncein-a-lifetime chance to feel what it’s like to be president on Air Force One. The Air Force One Experience is expected to arrive at National Harbor on Monday, Oct. 1st sometime between 6 and 10 a.m. It will remain at National Harbor through the holiday season at 701 National Harbor Boulevard – this area is adjacent to the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center. The “Experience” will open on or around the 19th for viewing.

Feel the thrill of presidential travel as you immerse yourself

in the luxury, the excitement, and the history of Air Force One. In this never-seen-before recreation, you’ll take an exclusive insider’s look at the iconic plane that travels the world as America’s flagship.

All along you’ll see and hear amazing things about our great nation. You’ll see incredible rare presidential artifacts - some from the days of Washington that will make you relive the fascinating progression of the democratic process. And finally, you’ll step foot aboard the airplane itself and walk down its hallway like the president!

You will treasure the oncein-a-lifetime memories at the Air Force One Experience. For more details, check out their website at Airforceoneexperience.com

FAQ Is the venue handicap accessible and accommodating to people with special needs?

Yes. The venue is equipped with an elevator. Also, staff is always present to assist. Handicap parking is available.

Can I take photos?

Yes and no. You can take photos outside the aircraft in designated areas. This is subject to change as some exhibits will have strict guidelines and will sometimes not allow any photography. No photography is allowed inside the aircraft.

Where do I park?

Ample parking is available near the exhibit.

How long does the exhibit take to see?

The exhibit will take approximately 1 hour to see and experience all the various aspects, though patrons are allowed to take as much time as they’d like. We recommend taking advantage of the accompanying Audio Tour for the full experience.

Are food and drinks allowed inside the exhibit?

No. No food or drinks are allowed inside the exhibit.

Are cell phones allowed in the exhibit?

Cellphones are needed to experience the exhibit with the audio tour. We ask all cell phones be set to “silent” mode while enjoying the exhibit. Making or taking phone calls or texts is forbidden while inside the exhibit to allow fellow visitors a distraction-free experience.

Capital Bike Share Comes to the Harbor I was wondering when Capital Bike Share was going to discover the Harbor. They have installed the first set of bikes at the corner of Fleet and Waterfront Streets – on the Fleet Street side next to the Residence Inn. Two other locations are in the works – one down by the Carousel on the Waterfront and another at the Park and Ride near the Tanger Outlets. When they first started to be installed in the much coveted parking spots in Old Town Alexandria, I pretty much resented the idea. I was sure that no one would really take advantage of the service, but I was wrong. I see several people tooling around Old Town on them. It is a great alternative to walking and you can pick them up and drop them off at any location.

No need to worry about getting them back to where you started out. This will be a good opportunity for visitors and locals alike to enjoy the ride across the bridge to Old Town and along the Bike Trail between the city and Mount Vernon.

Old Town Crier

October 2018 | 47

November 16, 2018 – January 1, 2019 The Washington, D.C. Region’s Must-See Holiday Attraction Returns!

Watch Charlie Brown rediscover the true meaning of Christmas through interactive ice sculptures and two-story tall ice slides.

Adult tickets starting at $32* ChristmasOnThePotomac.com |

(301) 965-4000

A PART OF

*Price listed is for adults (ages 12+) on value days only. Prices for adults and children on general admission days vary. See website for details.

Prices listed do not include 10% entertainment tax nor processing fee which are extra. Subject to change without notice. All tickets are nonrefundable. PEPSI, PEPSI-COLA and the Pepsi Globe are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc. Peanuts © 2018 Peanuts Worldwide LLC.

GN18ICE035[ad] Old Town Crier ICE! OCtober Half Page Ad.indd 1

9/28/18 10:37 AM

NATIONAL HARBOR DINING GUIDE AC LOUNGE 156 Waterfront Street 301-749-2299 BOND 45 149 Waterfront Street 301-839-1445 BRASS TAP 164 Fleet Street 301-965-9116 BROTHER JIMMY’S BBQ 177 Fleet Street 301-909-8860 CADILLAC RANCH 186 Fleet Street 301-839-1100 CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL 158 National Plaza 301-749-2016 CRAB CAKE CAFE 140 National Plaza 240-766-2063 ELEVATION BURGER 108 Waterfront Street 301-749-4014 FIORELLA PIZZERIA E CAFFE 152 National Plaza 301-839-1811 GRACES MANDARIN 188 Waterfront Street 301-839-3788

GRANITE CITY FOOD & BREWERY 200 American Way 240-493-3900 IRISH WHISPER 177 Fleet Street 301-909-8859 MASON'S FAMOUS LOBSTER ROLLS 156 National Plaza 410-298-7850 McCORMICK & SCHMICK 145 National Plaza 301-567-6224 McLOONES PIER HOUSE 141 National Harbor Plaza 301-839-0815 MEZEH MEDITERRANEAN 144 National Plaza 301-753-7961 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

48 | October 2018

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

National Harbor Calendar of Events - October 2018

Harbor Halloween October 21st Get warmed up for the BIG DAY on the 31st!

12:00 pm - 2:30 pm HARBOR HALLOWEEN PRESENTED BY DARCARS! 12pm – 2pm - Trick-or-Treat at participating stores and restaurants.

12:30 pm - Hocus Pocus On the Big Screen on the Plaza 2:30 pm - Chef Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Always a favorite.

Visit the Plaza for DARCARS “Trunk or Treat!” and pick up your complimentary trick or treat bag while supplies last. Plus, enjoy special activities, including pumpkin decorating, a Halloween coloring station, and a fabulous family fall themed photo station.

@oldtowncrier

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