Piedmont Virginian Magazine July/August 2017

A LOOK AT LOCKN’ • INSIDE MERRIEWOOD • DOG TALK

Farm-to-Fork Restaurants, Family Farms, Exquisite Wines

Savory& Sweet Summer Eats +

Musical Roadtrips, Summer Festivals & More Fun in the Sun

JULY/AUGUST 2017 • $5.95

In Rappahannock, it’s a small step from routine to Extraordinary”

354 Acres fronting over one mile on the Hazel River.

10,000’ steel barn has modern apartment for use while building your home. Fenced for cattle plus mature forests and hay �ields. Ready to go and leased to local farmer.

Priced at $4,210 per acre or $1,490,000

Millwood, circa 1862 stone & frame manor with tasteful additions of kitchen and 1st �loor master suite. Stone den, billiards room and of�ice plus log pool house. 154 rolling acres, Blue Ridge views, lake-side cabin, creeks, pastures & 60 acres mature oak forests. $1,950,000

The Great Escape, a weekend getaway sits on a knoll with 10 fenced acres by the mountains and national park trails. Mountain stream crosses for livestock, play or hunting crawdads. $375,000

A Gentle Place surrounded by native, perennial plantings and a short walk to two National Park trails.

This charming 8 acre mountain hollow getaway will steal your heart. $425,000

Entertaining and a Vineyard! Open �loor plan and terri�ic kitchen are ideal for large parties. Four impressive stone �ireplaces, large master suite and a den opening to a wine cellar with wet bar. 40 acres on the Rappahannock River headwaters with 7 in Old World Vines. $1,195,000

45 Acres on Hume Rd with up to 4 division rights.

Artistic stone & log cabin by the pond, terri�ic Blue Ridge views from the ridge for your new home, and, a Red Barn! This nifty getaway makes a nice long term investment. Also fronts Rappahannock River headwaters. $995,000

291 Gay St. / PO Box 298 Washington, VA

Kaye Kohler Jan Makela Rick Kohler

540-675-1373 KohlerRealtors.com JanMakela.com

CHERI WOODARDREALTY Ra Rappaha nnock

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dogwood retreat, wasHington

Built by one of Rappahannock’s finest craftsman, this 3 BR energy efficient farmhouse exudes a quiet sophistication with a French country flair.

The gourmet kitchen includes a wood-fired brick pizza oven and the open floor plan is a perfect entertaining space. This peaceful retreat on 10 acres includes a small vineyard, dogwoods, native flowers and herbs.$679,000

Ferngully, wasHington

A one-of-kind gem offers views of Old Rag & Red Oak Mountains, frontage on Turkey Run, & heated saltwater pool. Unique home has a spacious, “wow-factor” great room, 4 BR and 4 BA. The contemporary kitchen boasts a custom AGA stove. Home, pool and outbuildings are perfectly sited on 18.5 +/- acres. $975,000

Horn Hollow road, Madison

This spectacular 50 acre parcel is as good as it gets! It has fenced fields, forest, a strong stream, privacy and breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A red barn and an old homestead provide a historic ambience. $540,000

Fauquier

•

Madison

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Culpeper

tHe Middleton inn, wasHington

This stately historic home stands on a 5.7 acre rise above the western entrance to the Town of Washington. Built c. 1840, the property is a brick 6 BR and 6.5 BA estate. The current owner operates the award-winning boutique Middleton Inn, however, it is just as viable as a private residence.

Blue Ridge Mountain views. $1,750,000

Black Bear crossing, wasHington

Black Bear Crossing is an idyllic mountaintop retreat with breathtaking views on a private 21 acre +/- lot. This 4 BR home is the perfect blend of country charm and sophistication with a casual comfortable feel, an open floor plan and a gourmet kitchen. The views from the property are the most stunning vistas in all of Rappahannock County. $1,0

60 Jenkins lane, speryville

This old farmhouse has been remodeled and updated and now it is a charming 2 BR 2 BAhome with a great kitchen, fireplace and exposed beams. It is located on 29 acres of big trees, rolling fields and great views. $479,000

Fodderstack rd, wasHington

With dramatic views, a pond and a great location between Washington and Flint Hill, this 16.7-acre parcel is the ideal lot for your fine country home.

There are several building sites that take advantage of this property’s many amenities. $279,000

cheriwoodard.com (540) 987-8500

37 Main Street, Sperryville, VA 22740

COMING ON THE WEB PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM

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he Piedmont is vast, beautiful, extraordinary. With so much to explore, taste, see, and experience, 64 pages are hardly enough to capture all of the wonderful people and places that comprise this region. At The Piedmont Virginian, we value community, we thrive on community. Engaging with you all is the best part of working here. Luckily, connecting with you has never been easier. If you love the Piedmont, then you need to follow us online!

Love the mouthwatering gazpacho from Ashby Inn? How about Griffin Tavern’s wagyu beef kofta? Find these recipes and much more, on our website!

If you love interacting with your community, then subscribe to our weekly newsletter (Yes, just once a week. We solemnly swear never to clutter your inbox). We’ll send you our #PiedmontWeekendPicks, a curated selection of the weekend’s best events, including bluegrass concerts, bourbon tastings, film festivals, and so much more!

One thing we love about Instagram is that we can have eyes all over the Piedmont! When we’re in Middleburg, we can see your pictures of Charlottesville. When we’re at a vineyard, we Want a deeper look into our stories? can peek into your kayaking trip. Get a behindthe-scenes look at our magazine and send us your best #PiedmontPic by following us on Instagram!

Instagram If you “Like” us (or maybe even “like like” @ThePiedmontVirginian us) on Facebook, you can comment, share your pictures, and stay current with all the Our blog Piedmont happenings. We bring the best feapiedmontvirginian.com tures and breaking news directly to you!

There are so many ways to connect with Twitter us and for us to connect with you. We’re dedicated to chronicling the “the good life” @ThePiedmontVa of the Piedmont. That means delivering new, fabulous, engaging, and informative conFacebook tent to you, our readers, digitally and in this thepiedmontvirginian magazine.

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—Morgan Hensley Digital Media and Editorial Director

Casual Cafe, Event Venue, Garden Shop & Trails

FARM TO TABLE MENU * ICE CREAM * SATURDAY TASTINGS Extensive Curated Virginia Beer, Cider & Wine List!

THEMARKETATGRELEN.COM Somerset, Virginia 540-672-7268 w

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FEATURES JULY/AUGUST 2017 • VOLUME XI • ISSUE 4

From field to fork (and glass) 19

Piedmont Dining Chefs profile Piedmont Restaurants Ashby Inn Fossett’s at Keswick Hall Griffin Tavern Vintage at the Inn at Willow Grove

BY ANDREA AND AMBER FERRERO LAURIE BETH GILLS

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Love at First Flight A surprisingly excellent pinot noir from Amherst’s Ankida Ridge Vineyards

BY KEITH MILLER

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Piedmont Farming Profiles of local farms Bean Hollow Grassfed Cibola Farm Crowfoot Farm North Cove Mushrooms Waterpenny Farm

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

BY PETE PAZMINO

ON THE COVER: Trio of house-made sorbets at Vintage Restaurant at the Inn at Willow Grove.

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BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

Right: Virginia Donelson Collins on the porch of the playhouse at Merriewood.

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DEPARTMENTS

10

BY HENRY DILTZ

Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch

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Modern Homesteaders Revitalizing old-time skill sets

BY AMY FEWELL

As Good as Gold

Piedmont Craftsman Peter H. Miller has that Midas Touch

BY ANDREW HALEY

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Blue Ridge PRISM: Fighting to save Virginia’s flora

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BY ERIC WALLACE

The PEC’s John McCarthy

Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail

Merriewood: Restoring the soul of an old house

BY PAM KAMPHUIS

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Virginia’s Crooked Road Life in the Piedmont

BY GLENDA BOOTH

Out of the mouths of dogs

BY TONY VANDERWARKER

CONTRIBUTORS / 8 • HAPPENINGS / 10 • DESSERTS / 62 4 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

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BY PAULA COMBS

Dave Frey and the festival that transformed the Virginia music scene

Piedmont Homes

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Piedmont People

Lockn’ Rocks

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Environment

BY JAMES WILKINSON

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OUR MISSION

The Piedmont Virginian A journal of appreciation of nature, place, people, and ways of life.

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We strive to give voice to this special—even magical—place in the hopes that it remains so.

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EDITOR’S NOTE From field to fork in the Piedmont

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Summer can also be a time of music; festivals abound in the Virginia summer, with Lockn’ being the best known. Eric Wallace tells us about Dave Frey, the founder of Lockn’, and how the festival came to be.

Virginia prides itself on its southwestern region, “where America’s music began and continues.” If you’re up for a day trip, Glenda Booth brings us back to the past along the Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail. Not only does she tell us about the music that is indigenous to the area, but also the history of the area, museums, and other ways to enjoy the region’s unique appeal.

So enjoy your summer here in Virginia—it’s time for a staycation. There’s no better place to be!

ith each new issue of The Piedmont Virginian, we discover more and more about our amazing area. Our topography is perfect for vineyards, and its soil is fertile for both vegetables and livestock. When the first settlers recognized this, they traveled no further over the Blue Ridge to establish their homes and farms. Today we continue to enjoy the bounty of our Piedmont, not only with the fruit of its farms and its wine, but with its heritage, music, and art.

The Piedmont has some remarkable food and wine, right here on our doorstep. The Piedmont Virginian has sent our chefs out to four Piedmont restaurants to give you an idea of the amazing local food in our area and what the Piedmont’s talented chefs can create with this abundance. Some restaurants maintain their own kitchen gardens, but they all rely heavily on local farms for fresh produce and meats for their menus. Five of these Piedmont farms are profiled in this issue; everything from vegetables, mushrooms, fowl, and meats can be found locally at small, family-owned farms.

Keith Miller, our wine writer, gives us a glimpse into Ankida Ridge Vineyards, specifically their 2013 pinot noir which, he says, “made the hair on his arms stand up” and puts Virginia more firmly on the world-class wine map.

luxury.

the inn at willow grove

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FOUNDING EDITOR: Walter Nicklin

CO-FOUNDERS: Arthur W. (Nick) Arundel, Sandy Lerner

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PUBLISHER Dennis Brack EDITOR Pam Kamphuis DIGITAL MEDIA AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Morgan Hensley

During & after

SENIOR EDITOR Gus Edwards

Frame-making Gilding Restoration services

PHOTO DIRECTOR Jacki Dyrholm

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SALES DIRECTOR Jim Kelly INTERN Anne Marie McPherson

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ACCOUNTING MANAGER Carina Richard Wheat CIRCULATION MANAGER Jan Clatterbuck 540-675-3338 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Glenda Booth, Andrew Haley, Jordan Koepke, Doug Lees, Keith Miller, Eric Wallace, James Wilkinson BEAGLE MIX Angel The Piedmont Virginian is published bimonthly

by Rappahannock Media, L.L.C. P.O. Box 87, Amissville, VA 20106 540.349.2951, info@piedmontvirginian.com Subscription inquiries: 540.675.3338 All editorial, advertising, reprint, and/or circulation correspondence should use the above address, or visit the website: www.piedmontvirginian.com The editors welcome but accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and art. Reprints or bulk copies available upon request. Single-copy price, $5.95. One-year subscription rate, $24.95, Two-year rate, $45.95 © 2017 by Rappahannock Media, LLC. ISSN # 1937-5409 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to The Piedmont Virginian, P.O. Box 87, Amissville, VA 20106.

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BELMONT FARM DISTILLERY Celebrating over 25 years of Quality Products at America’s First Craft Whiskey Distillery

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OPEN FIRST SATURDAY IN APRIL UNTIL DECEMBER www.belmontfarmdistillery.com 540-825-3207 13490 Cedar Run Rd. Culpeper, Virginia

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Building Fine Homes for over 20 years.

OUR CONTRIBUTORS Glenda C. Booth is a freelance writer and editor who lives in

Northern Virginia. She writes about natural resources, historic sites, interesting people, public policy, travel, and other topics for magazines, newspapers, and online publications. She grew up in southwest Virginia and received degrees from Longwood University and the University of Virginia.

Paula Combs Fauquier County native Paula Combs studied

journalism and communications at the University of Colorado.

Her career began in film production in Los Angeles, but she later transitioned to the environmental field. She returned to Virginia in 2014 and became the senior editor for The Piedmont Environmental Council.

Andrea and Amber Ferrero are the owners

and chefs at Cafe Torino in Warrenton.

Amber is a native Virginian, and Andrea is a classically trained chef and pastry chef from Torino, Italy, who emigrated to the US in 1991.

They have worked together for more than 23 years. Amber says, “Andrea has been my mentor and my partner, and through him I fell in love with making pastries and cookies.”

They live in Warrenton and have two college-age children and two dogs.

Amy Fewell is a local photographer and writer. She has worked in the media industry for more than a decade, and loves connecting with readers on a personal level in her writings. She resides in Rixeyville where she takes care of her husband, son, lovable Labrador, a handful of chickens, and several other farm animals. You can find out more about Amy by visiting www.amyfewell.com

Washington, VA www.RappahannockBuilder.com

Chef Laurie Beth Gills is the owner and Executive Chef of

Experience Assisted Living Like You’ve Never Seen Before!

LB’s Classic & Contemporary Cooking, a culinary instruction, catering and garden consulting service. She is the founder of Fredericksburg’s first fine dining group and is also a certified master gardner. www.ChefLB.com

SM

Andrew Haley opened his Sperryville gallery with his wife, Suzanne Zylonis, in 2000. Haley Fine Art connects clients with artists and the context in which their work evolves. The gallery is open Thursday–Monday, 10–6, and by appointment. haleyfineart.com

Keith Miller is a certified French Wine Scholar, certified

Specialist of Wine, and certified sommelier. He works with the wine team at a 5-star, 5-diamond restaurant, and grows animals and vegetables on Touchstone Farm in Amissville.

Pete Pazmino is a writer based in Rappahannock County. To contact Pazmino, email him at petepazmino@gmail.com or visit his website, www.petepazmino.com

Care is at the Core of Tribute at Heritage Village

Imagine the peace of mind you’ll feel knowing your senior family member is receiving professional care in a community of such unbelievable beauty, luxury, and comfort.

Assisted Living | Memory Care

13650 Heathcote Boulevard Gainesville, Virginia 20155 (703) 468-1895 TributeatAtHeritageVillage.com Hello@TributeatAtHeritageVillage.com 8 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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Tony Vanderwarker went to Andover and Yale, served in the

Peace Corps, Marine Corps and Army. A recovering adman, he is the author of four books, including his latest I’m Not From the South But I Got Down Here As Fast As I Could. He lives in Keswick with his wife, four dogs, two horses and a Sicilian donkey named Jethro. tonyvanderwarker.com

Eric J. Wallace’s writing has appeared in Canoe & Kayak,

Adventure Kayak, Modern Farmer, All About Beer, Twisted South, Scalawag, and other national magazines. At present, he writes a travel/outdoors column for The Daily Progress. www. ericjwallace.com.

James Wilkinson is a writer and environmental consultant based in

Charlottesville.

COMING IN OUR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER ISSUE

COURTESY OF MCGUFFEY ART CENTER

S

ummer in the Piedmont is fantastic—tubing down a river, vineyard tours on sunny days, a concert on the lawn—but autumn is truly special. Time slows, the canopies change color, and the local art scenes explode! That’s why September/October is our annual "Arts Issue." We’ll guide you through Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville's premier art gallery and a gorgeous home for owners Russ and Lynn Warren. The architecture is as fine a work of art as any painting that has adorned the gallery's walls.

In the meantime, stop by the gallery to see their current exhibits, Summer Perspectives and More Light.

Les Yeux du Monde is in great company; Charlottesville's robust art scene welcomes artists with a tremendous range of subjects and media. C-ville insider and art lover James Wilkinson leads us through the city's galleries and introduces us to its artists, all the while painting a vivid portrait of a bustling Piedmont art destination.

If you follow us on Instagram and Facebook, perhaps you saw our look at painter Kevin H. Adams’ residency in Shenandoah National Park. With an artist’s eye, Adams captured the park’s cascading waterfalls, valley vistas, and summer sunsets. We’ll also gallivant through the open landscapes, canvas and brushes in hand, with a troupe of plein air painters.

French Hound Brasserie, a longtime Middleburg favorite, recently moved to Leesburg. The building is new, but the friendly

Artist Russell U. Richards at McGuffey Art Center

ambiance and exquisite, French-fusion cuisine are the same! Chef John-Gustin Birkitt even gives some tips on how to whip up homemade haute cuisine.

The crisp breeze of autumn is perfect reading weather, all you need is perfect reading material! So be sure to check newsstands this September for our "Arts Issue"!

In the doghouse? We can mediate.

WE’RE MORE THAN JUST BRICK AND BLOCK Visit one of our four showrooms or our website and discover how to take your living outdoors.

Family Law • Custody/Divorce • Equine Law Since 1967

Winchester ⁄ Loudoun ⁄ Ruckersville ⁄ Upperville frederickblock.com ⁄ (540) 667-1261

The Law Office of Catherine M. Bowers, PLC 49A East Lee Street, Warrenton, VA 20186 (540) 216-7160 f (540) 216-7981 www.CatherineMBowersLaw.com Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Weekend & Evening Hours Available

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HAPPENINGS More information and events at piedmontvirginian.com Submit your event and find an extensive online calendar

BY HENRY DILTZ

BY JOHN PATRICK SALISBURY (2)

MUSIC • ALBEMARLE Gillian Welch. July 30, Sprint Pavilion, Charlottesville. To celebrate the reissue of The Harrow and the Harvest—a haunting, heartbreaking, Grammy-nominated folk album— Welch and longtime collaborator, producer, and life partner Dave Rawlings are touring and performing the album in its entirety. Without any exaggeration, these two songwriters are the godparents of the roots revival and Americana movement that has gained prestige and attention through the likes of the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. Gill and Dave met at Berklee, moved to Nashville, and took the country and bluegrass world by storm in 1996 with Welch’s debut Revival. Years of experimentation and refinement ensued, all culminating with The Harrow and the Harvest. The

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record they made, tonally, was a new Southern sound, with the sort of songs you wouldn't be surprised to hear issuing from some verdant, wooded hollow in Appalachia; the sort of songs you'd expect to be sung to soothe unquiet babies. Songs you'd expect to hear hollered from an Asheville grange hall, all too late in the evening. Songs with the wry humor of the back porch.

"Dave says this record is 'ten different kinds of sad,' but it's not without humor. I feel like there's a maturity in it and a sense of place that only comes with time." Gillian continues, "We feel at home in the folk tradition, and using its language combined with our own.” Come see a modern folk classic by two of the tradition’s pioneers.

BY GRANT GUTIERREZ

HAPPENINGS

MUSIC • ALBEMARLE

The Wild Reeds. July 31, the Southern Café & Music Hall, Charlottesville. The Wild Reeds’ sound is highlighted by the harmonies of three phenomenally talented frontwomen who swap lead vocal duties and shuffle between an array of acoustic and electric instruments throughout the set.

Each with their own style, the Wild Reeds' three songwriters make music that is dynamic and unpredictable. They write lyrics and melodies with the thoughtfulness of seasoned folk artists and perform with the reckless enthusiasm of a young punk band in a garage. Warm acoustic songs and harmonium pump organ seamlessly give way to fuzzed-out shredding and guitar distortion. Their latest album, The World We Built, was released this past April to acclaim. Dreamy ballads darken into grunge.

Complex lyrics are paired with rock ’n’ roll anthems. "What brings us together is the three-part vocal harmony," says Mackenzie Howe. "When we're all singing together, it really becomes one unique voice.” Each of the Wild Reeds is more than talented enough to front their own band, but when all three are singing at once in harmony, their music reaches its emotional apex.

That optimism resonates with audiences.

When they perform live, their passion is infectious. They look like artists living out their dream on stage. "Our live show has been how we've gained most of our fans.

We've learned that people are just looking for authenticity. If we're vulnerable, people feel it," says Howe. "We always want to put on a show that has energy and leaves people feeling more hopeful than when they arrived."

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HAPPENINGS MUSIC • ALBEMARLE

Circa 1800, log cabin on 5+ acres fronting on Leeds Manor Rd, Markham, surrounded by property in easement, no development. Only a few minutes from I-66 at Markham Exit, easy commute to Northern Virginia and DC. Ten minutes to Marshall and 15 to Front Royal. Numerous wineries in the immediate area, orchards nearby and golf only a short drive to numerous courses. Unbelievable updates, new HVAC, insulation upgrade, new plumbing and electrical. Stocked pond in your back yard.

Must see to appreciate! $375,000, shown by appointment.

Butch Zindel, Broker Rappahannock Real Estate, LLC butch@rapprealestate.com • 540-229-0199 Washington, VA 22747 www.rappahannockrealestate.com

The longest continuing real estate brokerage in Rappahannock County.

Tranquility Trail is the culmination of a Mennonite constructed masterpiece using the latest techniques for energy efficiency. Sited perfectly on the partially wooded 25 acres for privacy and views of Little & Big Battle Mountains, and one mile off Rte. 211 for easy commute to N. VA, DC and Charlottesville. Small stream through the woods attracts wildlife. $798,500 12 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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BY JOSH CHEUSE (L); FACEBOOK.COM/THEREALBUDDYGUY/ (R)

Buddy Guy. August 23, Paramount, Charlottesville. With his polkadotted Fender Stratocaster, wide smile, sultry riffs, and lightning-fast licks, Buddy Guy is an instantly recognizable bluesman, and has been for 50 years. Guy is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, one of the greatest living guitarists (not to mention a major influence on Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, who said “Guy was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people.”), a pioneer of the Chicago blues, and a living link to the Windy City’s rich musical landscape.

Born in a small town in Louisiana, Guy jerry-rigged his own guitar and started playing alongside greats such as Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. His new album Born to Play Guitar was released a day after he turned 81. “As long as I’m here,” Guy said, “I’m going to do whatever I can to keep the blues alive.”

Come see this six-time Grammy winner, recipient of the Presidential National Medal of Arts, and paragon of the Chicago blues, and sing along through a rousing chorus of “Sweet Home Chicago.”

HAPPENINGS

COURTESY OF RED PUMP KITCHEN (R); COURTESY OF C&O RESTAURANT (L)

FOOD • ALBEMARLE

Charlottesville Restaurant Week. July 14-23,Charlottesville’s biannual celebration of food and foodies returns this summer with its most expansive, diverse list of restaurants to date. Here’s how it works: participating restaurants assemble a three-course prix-fixe menu that falls into one of three reasonable price tiers. All that’s missing is your appetite for delicious food and something new. Will you start with TEN’s modern Japanese cuisine and sushi or visit the raw bar at Public Fish and Oyster? Fleurie cuisine is sure to lure in Francophiles, as is C&O, a hidden gem in the Charlottesville culinary scene since 1976. Then again, we wouldn’t have profiled Fry’s Spring Station last year if their Mediterranean fare wasn’t utterly delicious. Wherever you choose to go, you can’t go wrong, especially considering that proceeds from the event benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, an organization dedicated to ending starvation in the Piedmont. The tables are set!

Historic

Middleburg

Virginia

New restaurants have opened in middleburg—please come visit and enjoy!

•

July 4

Fireworks Celebration, Community Center, dusk

•

Aug. 1

National Night Out, Middleburg Community Center

•

July 21

Doc Saffer Summer Series, Community Center, 6-9

•

Aug. 6

American Roots Revue Concert, Buchanan Hall, 5-7

•

July 27

American Roots Revue Concert, Buchanan Hall, 5-7

•

Aug. 13

Andre Pater, “In A Sporting Light” NSLM exhibit closes

•

July 28

Open Late Free Concert, NSLM, 6-8

•

Aug. 28

Open Late Free Concert, NSLM, 6-8

The Hunt in Belvoir Vale by John Ferneley Sr. Photo courtesy of National Sporting Library & Museum

Discover our Traditions while creating your own...

Shopping, Dining, Arts, Horses, and History

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MBPA

The Middleburg Business & Professional Association in support of the local business & retail community.

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HAPPENINGS

BY GALAXY MCNEILL PHOTOGRAPHY

VACB.COM

BEER • ALBEMARLE

6th Annual Virginia Craft Brewers Fest. August 19, IX Art Park, Charlottesville. This celebration of craft beer—the brewers, the complexities of a well-made IPA, the curious and passionate imbibers—has sold out every year since its inception. What we’re saying is you should buy your tickets as soon as you’re done reading this issue; trust us, you’ll have an amazing time.

With 140 of the state’s best breweries and 3,000+ cerevisaphiles (we had to look that one up) convening at the luscious, 17-acre IX Art Park near Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, this is the perfect way to celebrate Virginia Craft Beer Month (a.k.a August). This is the event’s first year in Charlottesville after migrating from Devils Backbone in nearby Roseland. The new location provides access to the Downtown’s restaurant scene and room for expansion of the Virginia craft-beer industry, a $623,000,000 operation. So come on out and show your support for local craft brewers!

MUSIC • CLARKE

8th Annual Pasture Palooza. July 13–15, Berryville. What started as a backyard romp has morphed into Virginia’s premier grassroots festival. Unlike sprawling festivals with huge headliner acts, Pasture Palooza offers an authentic camping experience just a short stroll from all the music you can handle.

Feel like taking a break from the festival to tube down the Shenandoah? Well, you can probably find about a dozen new friends who’d be happy to join you. Big Something, a six-piece from the Southeast, dazzles with shimmering synth lines and larger-than-life hooks. The Woodshedders can hook you with their dancy Americana then hit you with a Led Zeppelin anthem when you’re least expecting it. Two of Richmond’s rock and roll juggernauts—the Southern Belles and People’s Blues of Richmond—stun crowds with their high-energy, fuzzed-out sets of blues rock. With no overlapping sets, you won’t miss a moment of music at this one-of-a-kind festival.

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MUSIC • LOUDOUN

American Roots Revue: Revelator Hill. July 23, Buchanan Hall, Upperville. Awe-inspiring master guitarist, vocalist, and frontman of Revelator Hill, Bobby Thompson is no stranger to the blues and rock world. He cut his teeth learning to play in the old blues clubs of D.C. from the likes of Bobby Parker. After honing his craft as a sought-after session guitarist, he set off on a solo career that has earned fans and spawned three acclaimed albums in only five years. His soulful voice and hard-edged blues evoke that perfect blend of tender sincerity and no-nonsense rock.

With his smooth, gripping vocal stylings and his perfect musical taste on anything with a string, Thompson is what’s referred to as a “musician’s musician.” Revelator Hill is his latest collaboration. Comprising the area’s finest bluesmen, the group is dripping with deep emotion and soulstirring songs. For fans of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, or any music worth listening to, Revelator Hill’s show is a can’t-miss event! The American Roots Revue celebrates our nation’s diverse musical landscape, so come witness part of the American tradition.

FESTIVAL • LOUDOUN

The Lucketts Fair. August 19–20, Lucketts Community Center, Leesburg. This fair hearkens back to the area’s agrarian heritage: contests for best fruit pies and largest vegetables; prized border collies demonstrating their prowess; freshly baked goods and knock-your-socks-off coffee. At the heart of the event is a sense of community that unites friends and families, residents old and young. Talented bluegrass pluckers serenade visitors from the gazebo. Local craftsmen and artisans—blacksmiths, gardeners, quilters—demonstrate their cherished old-timey practices. Learn about bees and other pollinators or the lost art of climbing trees! This event is a bona fide slice of Americana and fun for the whole family. While you’re in the hamlet, save time to visit The Old Lucketts Store. Inside this 138-year-old building you’ll find oddities, antiques, vintage home decor, and all sorts of items you can’t find anywhere else!

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Saturday September 23 10 am–5 pm

HAPPENINGS

Sunday September 24 11 am–5 pm

#rappfarmtour2017

The Rappahannock County Annual Farm Tour is a free, two-day, self-guided tour offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our working farms. Rappahannock County’s early settlers were small farmers; officially founded in 1833, it has long been deeply rooted in agriculture.

The mission of the Rappahannock County Farm Tour is to present an unforgettable, educational and enriching experience of Rappahannock County’s (Agri)Culture.

rappfarmtour@gmail.com 16 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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BY KRIS ROGERS

www.rappfarmtour.org

MUSIC • CLARKE

America’s Sweethearts. August 11, Barns of Rose Hill, Berryville.

“History through harmony,” that’s the motto of America’s Sweethearts. The trio’s founding member, Carly Kincannon, found inspiration in the Andrews Sisters, a trio of classy dames whose boogiewoogie and swing were interlaced with mellifluous harmonies.

The trio toured throughout the 1930s, lifting the spirits of a nation ravaged by the Great Depression and between World Wars. “Their music and their incredible, intricate harmonies were an inspiration in a time when there was much darkness,” Kincannon says.

Despite a decades-wide gap, America’s Sweethearts share a similar aim. “Our goal is to spread nostalgia, joy, and human connection through harmonies and music. I believe that this connection can span many decades, and our repertoire reflects that.” Given the economic and political turmoil the nation faces, the Sweethearts’ uplifting, optimistic songs are the perfect antidote to antipathy.

Come see these three chanteuses weave their wonderful voices together for an unforgettable, timeless evening of music!

HAPPENINGS

Forty-fifth Annual

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August 19 & 20, 2017 u 9am–5pm Music & Entertainment Stages

w Juried Handcrafts

Old-time Craft Demonstrations w Border Collies w Contests w Fun Kid Stuff!

FIRST SNOW GULL LAKE BY MAX-KARL WINKLER

$7 Adults, 7 years and younger free.

At the Lucketts Community Center – Eight miles north of Leesburg on Rt. 15

TheLuckettsFair.com u 703-771-5281 16033 Ira Hoffman Lane Culpeper, VA 22701 540-825-8371 800-577-TREE (8733) www.KMLawnGardenArborist.com

Family friendly.

ART • PRINCE WILLIAM

Max-Karl Winkler: Once More, with Feeling: Woodcuts and Related Works. July 26–September 6,The Candy Factory at the Center for the Arts, Manassas. “I want to express the profound mystery and ineffable grace embodied in the landscape and the human figure,” Winkler says. “My work is informed by a fascination with myth, history, language, and the expression of spiritual impulses through the interplay of words and images.” His works have adorned the Smithsonian, the National Museum of American History, the Library of Congress, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and numerous private galleries. “The so-called ‘art world’ has an aura of magic attached to it,” he says, “and I want to bring my students to an understanding that effective pictures result as much from logic and planning as from inspiration.” His work combines the intricate, deft lines of reduction woodcuts with Mayan and Aztecan influences. A renowned teacher and art critic, his work is informed by an expansive knowledge of art and a desire to share this knowledge via his artwork.

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HAPPENINGS

Marti Patchell: Botanical Fusion. July 18–August 26; Opening Reception August 3, 6 p.m., Hylton Performing Arts Center, Manassas. Marti Patchell expresses her passion for gardening and the beauty of nature through an exploration of her interest in the drawn line. Botanical Fusion features works illustrating the intricate layering of formal elements found in the natural world around us. A native of Norfolk, Patchell grew up drawing the nature of her native Norfolk: the rippling water, the flora of humid summers, the shoreline. Her work combines this childhood wonder with her formal study of watercolors, botanical painting, and lithography at the Corcoran College of Art and Georgetown University. Reflecting upon her up-close encounters, the artist presents works including monoprint etchings and collages that encourage the viewer to dive deeper into the beauty found in the “power of nature’s display.”

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AUTUMN EVENING BY MARTI PATCHELL (L); LILYPRESS.NET/MARTI-PATCHELL (R)

ART • PRINCE WILLIAM

PIEDMONT DINING

Fare is More Than Fair It’s fantastic at the restaurants of the Piedmont

BY LAURIE BETH GILLS

M

aybe Epicurus was right: pleasure is the only intrinsic value. Well, at least up to a point.

When it comes to fine food, hedonists, epicureans, connoisseurs, gourmets, and gourmands alike recognize and revere the Piedmont as a world-class DDR (Designated Dining Region!).

The area boasts it all from Michelin-starred haute cuisine to down-home country cookin’, and everything in between. There’s not a regional cookery, national or international, that isn’t exquisitely represented, and that which is known as “American” is here in abundance at the highest level. In fact, there are so many fine establishments that it would take years and many editions to catalog them all. We won’t even try.

However, in an effort to help those seeking unique dining experiences, we’ve asked several area chefs to visit favorite restaurants of their choice and report their findings. This mini-mini guide, which is by no means exhaustive, highlights some of the outstanding fare diners can enjoy. It’s road-trip time. Bon appetit!

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DINING

The Ashby Inn & Restaurant Paris

I

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Opposite page, clockwise from top: Yellowfin tuna with mulberries, foie gras, Romanesco, and house garden red cedar juniper berry vinaigrette.

Goat cheese parfait with rhubarb, parkin gingerbread cake, Sicilian pistachios preserved in local honey, and ash.

Chinese cabbage and coconut soup with plum, Carolina Gold rice, sesame seed clusters, and granola.

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

n case you have forgottween the asparagus and ten this hidden jewel the mushroom soup, so up in Paris, make it a I left that choice up to point to go see how this Rory; he recommended gem sparkles. From the the mushroom soup, moment you walk in you and he was right on the feel the history of the money. The presentabuilding and are greeted tion alone was incredwith kindness and proible, and it tasted like a fessionalism. The menu little bit of heaven. Due offers many choices: you to the array of temptmay choose the Chef's ing choices, selecting Tasting (a selection of the main course wasn't small plates that exhibit an easy task. Anything the variety of the chef ’s from fish, lamb, beef, offerings), order off the and duck … what to deTOM WHITAKER regular menu as you’d cide on? I went with the like, or choose from the vegetarian options. beef strip loin, served with ramps that were Stuart, the extremely knowledgeable somme- foraged by the chef himself. Tender, juicy, and lier, presents a very extended wine list full of perfectly prepared. Andrea decided he would local and international options. If you are driv- go for the lamb lion; again, we would rate it a ing after dinner, they offer a fantastic choice of 10 out of 10. half bottles as well.

For dessert, while tempted by the houseSo now let's get to the fun part—the food. made sorbets, I again let Rory help me decide, Before dinner, we were served little teasers— and yet again he was spot on with the white exquisite bites of deliciousness. We were given chocolate creameaux, which turned out to be olive oil cake with yellow beets and cucumber; divine. It was elegantly presented and a perfect squid ink chips with a yellow beet jam; and a finish to my incredible dinner. Andrea ordered light mint pot de crème with fresh peas, toasted the chocolate pavé and was equally impressed. pumpernickel crumbs, and the most perfect Overall, we had an amazing experience. tiny mushroom we have ever seen. Home- The use of the products their local communimade bread served with local honey butter ty provides that are personally selected by the was a delight. chef and his staff from local farms and vineWe chose to create our own courses with a yards—from meat to vegetables to wine, allittle help from Rory, our server, who has been most all within an hour’s drive—is admirable with the Ashby Inn for three and a half years. as well as delicious. Perfect date spot as well as For appetizers, Andrea went straight for the a beautiful drive! Highly recommended. pork belly, which was divine. I was torn be—Andrea and Amber Ferrero

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

DINING

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DINING

Vintage at the Inn at Willow Grove Orange

I

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Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Grilled Retreat Farm rack of lamb with pistachio, mint, and parsley pesto crust, potato latke, braised chard, and mint julep demi-glace.

Trio of housemade sorbets with homemade cookies.

Roasted tomato phyllo tart with carmelized onion, havarti, and celery root coulis.

Maryland-style lump crab cake with huckleberry salsa and sauteed spinach.

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

f you are up for a beaurare and slightly warm in tiful drive through the the middle. The crust was countryside of rollexquisite; the fried polenta ing hills and old Virginia that came with it was difarms, then the Inn at Wilvine, as was as the espresso low Grow is your perfect barbecue sauce that was destination. As you pull up, drizzled over it. Other recthis elegant Revolutionommendations from the ary War-era historic buildchef included the grilled ing will give you a sense of rack of lamb (from Retreat tranquility, especially when Farm in Rapidan), the seayou look around at the food trio (he notes the scalmountain scenery. Make lops are as big as biscuits), sure to get there a few minand the chicken paillard, utes before your reservation served with a warm blackso you are able to take time eyed pea and thyme vinaito rest for a cocktail at the grette. This dish is versatile JASON DANIELS beautiful bar. As you are enough to be satisfyingly JOSE GOMEZ seated for dinner, the elwarm and homey in the egant place settings and the immediate tran- cooler spring weather, but fresh enough for quil ambiance will put you in the right mood the warmer late spring temperatures. for what's to come.

And then, desserts! The chef identified the For an appetizer, the sip of soup is a great strawberry cake as a favorite, and mentioned idea, beautifully presented. We had a cheese the interestingly prepared lemon and blueberplatter that offered a variety of three cheeses, ry fried pie, and the house-made sorbets. We fresh berries, and wedges of fresh homemade chose instead the blood orange crème brulée bread … perfect. The roasted sweet tomato because, well, who would've thought? Nicely and phyllo dough tart came as surprise; as presented and yummy. opposed to a traditionally shaped tart, the Overall, the experience was wonderful. phyllo dough was shredded and toasted and The ambiance, the setting, and the people served with the tomatoes. It was delicious. made for a beautiful Sunday evening. We Then we had the wild roasted mushroom are looking forward to going back for a Sunfettuccine with garlic cloves, grape tomatoes, day brunch. Anyone looking for a rehearsal and mixed greens with sweet vermouth but- dinner or wedding venue, or just a romantic ter. The pasta was homemade, which gave it getaway, this is your place. The Inn at Wila variance in thickness and width. The dish low Grove has a lot to offer: history, beautiwas very rich but delicious. The rice-crusted ful views, a great staff, and wonderful, locally ahi tuna (one of the chef ’s favorite recom- sourced food. mendations) came out just as it was ordered, —Andrea and Amber Ferrero

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

DINING

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DINING

Griffin Tavern Flint Hill

L

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Opposite page, clockwise from top left: The Ploughman’s Platter: Heritage Hollow Farm garlic bratwurst, Welsh red dragon cheese, Virginia Chutney Company spicy plum chutney Roasted tomato and goat cheese croustade Hudson Vally duck breast with port wine sauce, roasted root vegetables, and sautéed spinach Pork chop stuffed with fontina and prosciutto topped with Rappahannock arboreal honey and mustard, with mashed potato and sautéed spinach Local Yohanan Farm all-natural chicken marinated with lemon and herbs served with Peruvian green sauce, pickled beet salad, arugula, and sautéed asparagus

COURTESY OF GRIFFIN TAVERN

ocated in the heart the Angus ribeye, even of Rappahannock though the ricotta di County, the Griffin bufala and spinach Tavern has a lot to offer— ravioli with carmelized anyone coming back from onion was very tempta hike in Shenandoah ing, as was sous chef State Park (a favorite of the Jason’s locally-famous local hiking group Boots ribs entree. The chick‘n Beer), those enjoying a en was among the drive through the country, most tender and moist THE GRIFFIN TAVERN TEAM or those looking for a date we have ever had, with spot will thoroughly enjoy this dining expe- a crispy skin that was like heaven. The ribeye, rience. Owner Debbie Donehey opened this beautifully cooked, was seasoned to perfecpopular spot in 2003 and made big changes to tion and very juicy. build a winning team with chef Rachel RowWe asked our server, Andy, to choose our land at the helm. Griffin Tavern prides itself dessert. She brought us a generous slice of an on its fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, most apple spice cake made by Mary Frances, who of which are from nearby farms. has been creating desserts at Griffin Tavern for The pub offers a full bar and boasts an as- many years. They also offer a large selection sortment of beers that would make any Brit of Mary Frances’s pies, cheesecakes, and bread very happy. Pub fare includes amazing black pudding, as well as other seasonal desserts.

Angus burgers, a great spinach salad, chicken Sunday brunch is also a not-to-be-missed wings, and another nod to the Brits: a Plough- experience, with a creative selection of Beneman's Platter consisting of cheeses and char- dicts, sometimes served on homemade seasoned cuterie, most of which are made within a few biscuits instead of English muffins, including miles of the restaurant. smoked salmon, crabcake, and vegetarian verFor our date, we chose the fine dining sions. The Benedicts, complemented by simpler section of the restaurant, where the atmo- egg dishes, burgers, bratwursts, and quiche make sphere was more suited to our mood. The for a versatile menu to choose from. menu changes on a weekly basis, but also ofWe have been to the Griffin Tavern several fers some always-available signature dishes. times, for brunch and the pub, but dining on For appetizers, we chose potato skins with the restaurant side was a wonderful change of smoked salmon, a delicious treat, and a fried scenery. We highly recommend this establishtofu with sesame oil and Sriracha, also deli- ment for the quality of the food and the versacious. For our main courses, we opted for tility that can suit anyone's taste. the Yohanan Farm all-natural chicken and —Andrea and Amber Ferrero

COURTESY OF GRIFFIN TAVERN

DINING

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DINING

Fossett’s at Keswick Hall Keswick

W

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Opposite page, clockwise from top: Virginia’s Finest Oysters Rockefeller with local Swiss chard, country ham, and toasted cornbread Pork belly with fresh pea puree, ramps, and fermented honey Cheese platter of regional artisan cheese with house crackers and lavender honey

COURTESY OF LAURIE BETH GILLS

e always hear about Chef Hoffman makes the most new restaurants, but of the 600-acre property with a what about the more private chef ’s garden. To say that established ones, the iconic ones I was excited about my reservathat can withstand the test of tion is an understatement. time? How do they keep from To stimulate our appetite, my becoming too comfortable? or dinner partner and I began our being labeled as stagnant? On a journey with a watermelon and recent trip to Fossett’s at Keswick cucumber amuse-bouche. I just Hall, I learned how. love it when the end of spring I’d never had the pleasure meets up with the beginning of of dining at Keswick Hall’s resummer, and culinary gardens nowned restaurant until recentare just as pretty to taste as to ly. It’s easy to pass up steadfast see. We couldn’t have asked for LAURIE BETH GILLS community staples in favor of a sweeter start.

JOHN HOFFMAN the latest hot spot, but I’m so The sumptuous menu had us happy finally to have indulged wanting it all, and so our shared in Executive Chef John Hoffman’s cuisine. selection was quickly decided. We began with Sometimes the greatest food finds are the ones a regional artisan cheese platter, sourced from that have been there all along. local dairy farms such as Caromont, Meadow Framed in a grand Jeffersonian country man- Creek, and Twenty Paces. This was followed or, Keswick Hall welcomes guests magnificently. by a Tuscan kale salad, garnished with the best The spectacular 48-room mansion overlooks the pickled strawberries we had ever tasted. A dish lush countryside of Albemarle County, with a of pork belly with a nice sticky caramelization that harmonized with the peas and ramps folBlue Ridge Mountain backdrop to boot.

Keswick Hall may have splendid rooms and lowed. Virginia Oysters Rockefeller were preaccommodations, but you would be remiss to pared with salty country ham bits. Next we write off Fossett’s as a touristy hotel restaurant. had a surprising medley of spiraled garden vegIn addition to overnight guests, Fossett’s draws a etables. My dining partner and I had both exdedicated following of in-the-know locals. They pected the dish to look different, but we were are, no doubt, lured by the fresh, regionally in- not disappointed, as each colorful component spired cuisine, and the epicurean wine cellar, had a unique pleasure to offer. We polished off which stocks more than 5,000 bottles. Depend- our feast with diver sea scallops, prepared with ing on the occasion, mood, or budget, the din- fresh sea beans and morels. ers may take a seat at the table of Fossett’s, Villa I have found that at most restaurants, some Crawford, or The Club Grill—all of which are dishes are more carefully prepared than others. under the direction of Chef Hoffman.

This was not the case under Chef Hoffman’s The menu has been retooled over the years, watch—every dish I ate was clean, detailed, and is replete with serious temptations that all and scrumptious. For those who seek the plearead deliciously. Chef Hoffman mixes the classic sure of being served beautifully constructed and the current, with an emphasis on Virginia’s food, and of enjoying every last morsel, Fossignature ingredients and hand-selected local sett’s is for you. purveyors. In addition to this careful sourcing, —Laurie Beth Gills

BY LAURIE BETH GILLS

DINING

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Love at First Flight A surprisingly excellent pinot noir leads our oenophile to Amherst’s Ankida Ridge Vineyards

BY KEITH MILLER

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WINE

The fragrance of fermentation and the bubbly sounds of the punchdowns are very beautiful and I feel very special ... those moments in time expressed by sound and aromas as the grapes make their transformation into wine ... a magical time.

—Christine Vrooman

y trip to Linden Vineyards was my first venture in an exploration of Virginia wine. The plan for my next wine excursion became clear when I tasted an extraordinary pinot noir at a pairing dinner at Fleurie restaurant in Charlottesville; I wanted to meet the person who had made that fantastic wine. I had never seen a Virginia pinot noir before, and for good reason.

The vines like a cool climate, the grapes have thin skins and are one of the most challenging grapes to grow. I reached out to the producer at Ankida Ridge Vineyards using the contact tab on the winery’s website, and the reply was prompt and gracious in response to my request for a visit. Christine and Dennis Vrooman are the owners of Ankida Ridge, and their son, Nathan, is winemaker. After a few exchanges we settled on a date for a visit to the winery. I hadn't taken any notes when I originally sampled the wine, so I was eager to procure a bottle before our meeting. This is no easy feat when there are fewer than three hundred cases produced annually. I also had only a week before our meeting.

On my one day off, I took a cycling trek around Alexandria.

I made a stop at a wine shop that was new to me. After intently studying the shelves and choosing purchases, I happened upon the Virginia rack. There was the 2013 Ankida Ridge Pinot! I told the proprietor how thrilled I was at the find and that I was soon to visit Ankida. He remarked that he, too, was surprised by the quality of the pinot. He also mentioned that he was impressed with their vinho verde-style white wine. I pedaled off, delighted at my unexpected luck.

That night I opened the bottle and poured about two ounces for tasting. The first thing I found notable is the color of the wine; it was translucent ruby and you could easily read through it. A casual wine drinker may think this indicates a thin or poorquality wine. Quite the contrary; this color is exhibited in pinot noir from the world’s best regions. Then I took a whiff of the wine and was completely stunned at the familiar complexity of the nose. On the first sip, the hairs on my arms stood up. I began pacing the floor, glass in hand, thinking, “This isn't possible!” Tart cherry, raspberry, pomegranate fruit. Forest floor, mushroom, earthiness. Complexity, bright acidity, nice finish, moderate tan-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANKIDA RIDGE VINEYARDS

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nin and alcohol. It was so familiar to me, as that is the very description of a lovely Burgundy. It also brings to mind an Oregon producer called Cristom that is, unsurprisingly, often described as Burgundian. While I hadn't had doubts about what I’d experienced at that Fleurie wine dinner, formally tasting the wine was a revelation. I am not exaggerating with this recounting. I can honestly say the 2013 Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir is the most exciting wine I have had from Virginia. After two hours of air, it seemed to improve (but that may have been the wine talking!).

I made my way to Amherst, and met with Nathan later that week. It was a day of heavy thunderstorms, which briefly subsided as I passed through Albemarle County. This made for a stunning drive on Route 29, as springtime buds were beginning to appear in the landscape. Ascending long country roads, I finally spotted a handcut wooden “winery” sign. Continuing on I discovered the tasting room beyond several buildings, up a steep embankment. There were sheep grazing on the near-vertical slopes. I’m a sheep farmer, and these animals struck me more like mountain goats. Elevation and slope are two elements of huge importance in a vineyard site. At 1,800 feet, Ankida is one of highest in our state and certainly one of the steepest.

Nathan had the entire Ankida wine lineup ready for me to taste. There are two estate wines: the Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir and Ankida Ridge Chardonnay. I tasted the 2014 and 2015 pinot noirs. The 2015 bottles weren’t even labeled yet. They both had those benchmark Burgundy characteristics and complexity.

For me, the 2014 pinot presented as fresher, more lifted. For the 2015, a new technique was added to the winemaking. One barrel had 25 percent stem inclusion, and used only vineyard yeast for fermentation. The difference was notable, and the Vroomans are rightfully pleased. For me, the wine is more perfumed and a little more structured. It really evolves with more time in the glass. The chardonnay was also excellent, with great acidity and balance.

Tropical fruits, along with apple and pear notes, led my mind to the southern Burgundy regions of Macon and Côte Chalonnaise for comparison. I recently recommended a bottle of Ankida Chardonnay to a couple looking for a Virginia wine to have with dinner. Their response was ecstatic.

Left: A glass of 2013 Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir. “The first thing I found notable is the color of the wine; it was translucent ruby and you could easily read through it. A casual wine drinker may think this indicates a thin or poor-quality wine. Quite the contrary; this color is exhibited in pinot noir from the world’s best regions.”

Above: Winemaker Nathan Vrooman crushes the grapes into must, freshly pressed juice that is then fermented.

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WINE

Top: A true family operation, the Vroomans’ Maremma sheepdog is part of the team.

Bottom left: “Here on our granite soils, we practice environmentally sensitive viticulture.”

Bottom right: The aging process is a vital component of any fine wine.

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WINE There are three “Rockgarden” wines in the portfolio that Nathan produces from carefully selected Virginia sites. White vinho verde is a simple, very light wine from Portugal that has been gaining popularity for years. It has low alcohol and a slight effervescence.

The “Rockgarden Vert” is a delicious wine inspired by this style, yet is a little more substantial and satisfying than classic vinho verde.

This is a wine to enjoy now and all the way through fall. Made from merlot, cab Franc, and cabernet, the “Rockgarden Rouge” is a fruit forward, nicely made example of the familiar Virginia Bordeaux blend. There is also a tasty port style dessert wine, the “Rockgarden Vin Doux”; as it is a fortified wine, they can actually bottle this one to order.

We were joined by Nathan’s father, Dennis, and I got the winery and winemaker’s story. Dennis and Christine Vrooman bought the property in 1990s. The secluded mountain getaway was a hardscrabble farm until the ‘40s, when it was largely abandoned. After deciding to plant a vineyard, the Vroomans hired noted vineyard consultant Lucie Morton. The slope, elevation, temperature, drainage, and other elements of the site led to the suggestion of pinot noir. The vineyards were planted with a family celebration in 2008.

“My father thought we’d plant the vineyard in a few days,” Nathan recalled. “We got through about half a row,” he smiled. At that time, Nathan was in Colorado working in finance. He relocated to Charlottesville in 2009. After much family discussion, it was decided Nathan would make the first vintage in 2010. He immediately signed up for viticulture courses at Piedmont Virginia Community College. It was there he met Rachel and Scott Stinson, a father/daughter team who had just started their Stinson winery.

In 2010, Stinson had little fruit and Ankida had a harvest but no winery. By chance, they both had the same winemaking consultant, Matthieu Finot. In a case of perfect serendipity, they agreed to make the inaugural Ankida Ridge vintage at the Stinson facility. As it turned out, 2010 was a hot year. In late August, Finot was traveling to France. Needing his advice, Nathan, the nascent winemaker, frantically phoned him for approval to pick much earlier than expected. While changing planes in Detroit, Finot got the voicemails and gave the go ahead.

“That was the first and only harvest we picked by hand,” Nathan said.

“So, now you use machines?” I asked.

I burst out laughing when he clarified, “That was the only year we did it. We have a crew now.”

“When did you know you had something special?”

“We pretty much knew right then and there,” he replied.

They took the 2010 Pinot to a wine blogger conference when it was bottled in 2011. It began turning heads upon release.

In 2011, Ankida Ridge erected its own winery/tasting room. In 2012, a tiny creature presented a challenge of mammoth proportion. A few weeks before harvest, Christine noticed some flies in the vineyard. She shook the canopy, and a cloud of insects appeared.

After reaching out to a number of specialists and universities, she was horrified at the conclusion. They were the first in Virginia to report the spotted wing drosophila. This is a fruit-destroying invader from Japan. It was too late to kill the flies, so several steps were taken to mitigate the problem. At harvest, Christine and Na-

than walked ahead of the picking crew, dropping rotting fruit from the clusters. The destemming machine, coupled with an extra detailed sorting, further served to separate any comprised juice from good. Resourcefulness “on the fly,” so to speak. Dennis provided an evocative recollection: “I left on a Sunday as the fruit was beginning to ripen, and it looked beautiful. I entered the vineyard a week later, and smelled a blast of vinegar.” They still managed to produce a good wine in 2012, albeit less of it. They now use traps and a natural spray that protects the fruit to prevent the pest from taking hold.

In 2016, a major forest fire came perilously close to Ankida Ridge. Nathan showed me a harrowing video of the scene, with helicopters dropping loads of water. It was just a stone’s throw from the main house on the property. That same year, Ankida Ridge was invited to present at the International Pinot Noir Celebration held in Willamette Valley, Oregon. As it turns out, I’m not the only one who was stunned that a wine like Ankida’s Pinot could be made in Virginia. Greeted with some initial skepticism, resounding accolades were later expressed. This was a major accomplishment, which put both Ankida Ridge and Virginia as venues on the worldclass wine map. Also that year the Vrooman’s daughter, Tamara, launched the Commonwealth Collective, a promotional group that includes four Virginia wineries: Early Mountain, Veritas, Stinson, and Ankida Ridge. Tamara is based in Atlanta, and uses the collective to showcase Virginia wine to other states. I suggest a visit to the beautiful Commonwealth Collective website.

I always ask about winemakers’ future plans for these articles. In May, the Vroomans planted three-and-a-half more acres of vines.

This will essentially double their production, making it the maximum their facility can process. The new plantings are largely pinot noir, a small amount of chardonnay, and a tiny amount of gamay.

As a huge fan of Cru Beaujolais, the announcement of gamay is enticing to me. Nathan and Rachel are now married and are expecting their first child near harvest time, so they may require extra help this year.

After Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir provided an adjustment in perception, anything is on the table for Virginia wine. Cheers!

This is the second article in an ongoing series by Keith Miller on traveling the Piedmont and exploring the fantastic variety of our local Virginia wines. Last time he visited Linden Vineyards: read the article on our website.

The Ankida Ridge tasting room is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. I suggest a visit to this exciting Virginia producer. If you happen upon the wine on a restaurant list, I recommend the selection.

I also asked about any other Virginia wineries they find interesting or notable. They suggested Granite Heights and Lovingston. I had such a great time tasting and visiting with Dennis and Nathan. I thank all the Vrooman’s for their warmth and generosity.

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PIEDMONT FARMS

Farmers in the Piedmont Cultivate Good Taste A tour of local farms

BY PETE PAZMINO

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COURTESY OF CROWFOOT FARM

he farms of the Piedmont region offer a cornucopia of products that will please almost every palate. Vegetables, meats, poultry, dairy, fruit, fungi—you name it, we’ve got it. All of these raw culinary materials are lovingly and carefully raised by both full-time and part-time farmers—many operating small, family-owned operations—who pay particular attention to local tastes, catering to home cooks as well as professional chefs, often far beyond the regional boundaries. Searching for these products is half the fun. Driving through the region’s breathtaking vistas gives you a sense of its farm-based character that continues to thrive and make the area so special. The Piedmont’s agricultural resources are many and varied, so here’s a sampling of some of the best.

PIEDMONT FARMS Bison, native to Virginia, are more suited to the local environment than cows.

Cibola Farm ravelling five miles north on Route 522 from Culpeper will bring you to Cibola Farms, a several-hundred-acre operation that specializes in American bison. I meet Robert Ferguson, the farm’s business manager, in the freezer-filled farm store that used to be Robert’s garage. After marveling over the sheer volume of meat available—every cut of meat you’d expect from beef is available here in bison, and there’s also a surprising variety of bison sausage, hot dogs, bacon, and salami on sale—I ask how he came to raise bison in Virginia.

“I knew I wanted to farm,” Rob says. “I wanted something that was healthy to eat and healthy enough for the environment.” He explains that bison is not only more healthful than beef, since it’s much lower in fat, but that bison are actually better suited for the local environment than cows. “We hardly do anything at all,” he says. “We don’t inoculate, we don’t give them any kind of shots, we don’t handle them the same way as cattle because they’re native.

They’re already acclimated. All we have to do is not screw that up.”

As Rob drives me in his Jeep through their wooded pastures, he explains that they maintain their 350 bison in three separate herds that rotate through the many pastures into which the farm is divided. And then we pass through a gate, and one of the herds is all around us. “Wow,” I say. It’s all that comes to mind. Bison

COURTESY OF CIBOLA FARM

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are America’s largest mammal—the bulls can easily get to be well more than 2,000 pounds, and even the comparatively smaller females regularly weigh in at 1,100 pounds or more. The massive head alone looks like it could weigh several hundred pounds.

Rob explains that they actually use their heads as snowplows in the winter to get down to the green grass. “We’re a grass-based system, so they’re always on green grass,” he says, then adds that they also put out a grain wagon when the herd is about to be processed. “It’s free choice. Some animals are pigging out on the grain and some animals hardly ever go to the grain.” But the grain helps improve the overall flavor and texture of the meat; since bison are already so low-fat, a 100-percent grass diet would make that even lower.

Customers interested in obtaining Cibola’s bison meat have several options. The farm store, which is open seven days a week for those who want to visit the farm and take a self-guided walking tour, sells a variety of bison leather goods—wallets, purses, iPad covers, even full hides for people who are into their own leathercrafting. Their online store is also easy to use and will ship. In addition, Cibola Farms participates in several farmer’s markets every weekend: Dupont Circle, Capitol Riverfront, Falls Church, and Arlington.

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PIEDMONT FARMS

North Cove Mushrooms

Pink Oyster Mushroom

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Pioppino Mushroom

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only. The best way to find them is at one of the seven farm markets in which they participate. In Virginia, you can find them on Saturdays at the Harrisonburg Farm Market and the Charlottesville City Market. They’ll soon be starting at Charlottesville’s Stone Field Farmer’s Market. On Sundays in D.C., they participate in the Dupont Circle and Palisades markets.

Finally, in Maryland, they’re in Silver Spring on Saturday and Takoma Park on Sunday. It’s a lot of work, but their product is in demand. “We’re going to sell 400 pounds of mushrooms this weekend,” Rachel says.

In addition to the mushrooms, North Cove has just started operating a farm-to-table food truck, the North Cove Café, that features their mushrooms, meat from pasture-raised cows and chickens, and local bread and honey. You’ll find them on alternate Sundays at Culpeper’s Bald Top Brewery as well as at other local breweries and wineries. They also sell pre-packaged food, including handmade ravioli and shiitake bean burgers, and a variety of other mushroom-based products such as seasoning salt, broths, and even a coffee blended with reishi mushrooms that Rachel says will “help counteract the coffee jitters.” She’s also a champion of the mushrooms’ many medicinal qualities, and sells a variety of medicinal tinctures that she creates. “They are all immune-system boosting,” she says. “They are cancer fighting, they are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal.” She smiles. “I don’t get sick very often.”

COURTESY OF NORTH COVE MUSHROOMS

rightwood lies about 10 miles southwest of Culpeper along Route 29. There, down a very long, rutted driveway that will brutalize any low-suspension car, one will find North Cove Mushrooms, owned and operated since 2010 by Robin and Eason Serne. It’s Robin who meets me at their 10-acre facility, a compact warehouse nestled cozily among the trees. The farm specializes in growing high-quality shiitake, oyster (blue and yellow), lion’s mane, maitake, and pioppino mushrooms with an eye toward “environmental sustainability, wellness, and supporting the local economy and community.”

Robin shows me their growing room, which isn’t what I was expecting. Instead of a dank cellar, it’s a well-lit warehouse where rows of shelves are lined with cinder-block-sized bricks of compressed oak chips (for shiitakes) and bags of compressed straw (for everything else), all sprouting mushrooms. By growing their mushrooms indoors, North Cove can harvest yearround. In fact, since they pick every day, their mushrooms are always far fresher than what’s at the grocery store. It’s ecofriendly, too—the wood chips and straw, when used up, will become compost. They’ve even developed a process for eliminating competing molds on their growing blocks that uses a hydrogen peroxide solution instead of the industry-standard bleach. “It’s a ton of work and it’s more expensive,” Rachel says. “But I don’t want to eat mushrooms that have been soaked in bleach.”

Customers can buy mushrooms on the farm by appointment

Golden Oyster Mushroom

PIEDMONT FARMS

Waterpenny Farm

Rachel Bynum and Eric Plaksin’s Waterpenny Farm’s on-farm stand

COURTESY OF WATERPENNY FARM

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ourteen more miles north on Route 522 will land you in Sperryville. Immediately outside this charming hamlet lies Waterpenny Farm, an idyllic, 10-acre plot of land nestled alongside the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s in the pole barn that houses Waterpenny’s self-service farm store where I meet Rachel Bynum, who with her husband, Eric Plaksin, started the farm in 2000. “We grow a fixed variety of good market vegetables,” Rachel tells me, a variety that includes squash, kale, cucumbers, and spinach. But, she adds, “We sort of specialize in tomatoes.”

The farm itself is named for the “waterpenny,” an ultra-sensitive beetle larva that has external gills and survives only in pristine water. It was on an early visit to this land that Rachel picked up a stone from the creek running through and found eight waterpennies. Having worked previously with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, she couldn’t help but see this as a positive sign. Maintaining a balance with nature has always been one Waterpenny’s guiding principles—everything grown at the farm is free of even organic pesticides. “We call it ecologically grown,” Rachel says.

For customers wanting their vegetables, Waterpenny offers a weekly CSA (community supported agriculture), which Rachel explains is their most economical, and also eye-opening, option.

“It’s for people who want to be more adventurous with their eating,” she says. “You never know what you’re going to get.” Pickups include regular newsletters that detail not only what’s happening at the farm, but also provide recipes for what’s incorporated in the pickup. Pickups are available every Thursday at the farm store, and are also made available for out-of-town customers at locations in Warrenton, Falls Church, and Arlington. Shopping at the farm store is also an option. Many local customers opt to pre-pay for their vegetables ($100 to $200 is a typical prepayment), then pick up what they want over time until their balance reaches zero. Customers can also pay as they go. For either type of shopper, though, Rachel recommends visiting the farm store on a Friday or Saturday afternoon, which is when they’re bringing in the harvest for the weekend markets.

In addition to their vegetables, the farm sells tomato soup made from their own tomatoes, honey from their beehives, and a variety of plants. They’ll also have, for the summer, 200 laying hens whose eggs will be available for purchase. Rachel stresses, though, that Waterpenny is not a year-round operation. “We like to have time to shut down in the winter,” she says. “We’re pretty barebones and simple, but I think people appreciate that.”

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PIEDMONT FARMS

Bean Hollow Grassfed

Lambing season at Bean Hollow Grassfed

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While Mike actually sells many of his lambs to other local farmers who ultimately finish and sell the meat on their own, he offers interested customers a few options. “I do halves and wholes,” he says, a process that involves sending out a reservation flier to people who’ve expressed an interest. “How do you get on that list?” I ask him, and he grins. “Tell me.” He’s quick to caution that it’s not cheap. “I price it in two components,” he says.

“The price of the animal and the butcher fees. I’m increasingly thinking it’s daunting for the client. What they want to know is, “How much am I paying for the animal, cut and wrapped and put in my freezer?’ ” So now he’s planning to also offer a “sampler box” option where consumers will be able to buy a preset weight of lamb meat, in assorted cuts, at a set price. People would pick up their boxes at the farm, just as they do with the halves and wholes.

I ask Mike if he ever sells any of the older sheep for meat, or if he only sells the lambs. He explains that it’s a generally accepted rule of thumb that lamb becomes mutton after the animal is one year old. Mutton, he tells me, is what gave lamb a bad name for years, because people often associated it with a strong, sometimes unpleasant taste. The older ewes, then, are there exclusively for breeding, not eating. “But,” he adds, grinning, “If I gave you mutton from my sheep, I don’t think you could tell it from lamb.”

COURTESY OF BEAN HOLLOW GRASSFED

rom Waterpenny, it’s another short hop over to Flint Hill, where just outside town you’ll find Bean Hollow Grassfed, a bucolic, 100-acre expanse of sheep pasture and woodland located on the Jordan River. The farm is owned and operated by Mike and Betsy Sands, and over a cup of coffee in their gorgeous country kitchen, Mike tells me that the farm has been in his wife’s family for about 40 years. The two of them ended up here after leaving careers in the nonprofit world. “We were here on a gorgeous weekend visiting,” he says. “And we said, God. The Rappahannock Moment, oh my God.” Bean Hollow’s primary focus is lamb, but for Mike it’s also about stewardship. “I’ve always been particularly interested in how you use agricultural management, particularly grazing management, to actually improve the natural resource space,” he says. Then he invites me to hop on his ATV for a ride to see the flock in their current pasture. He has about 180 adult ewes, but it’s lambing season now, which means that new additions to the flock are appearing by the hour. I watch as Mike locates three newborns in the flock and, despite the bleating protestations of their mothers, gathers each up to record and label it. They lamb twice a year, he explains. The group born late last year, a smaller group of about 40, will go to market this month. This spring group, much larger, will be ready to begin processing in October.

PIEDMONT FARMS

Crowfoot Farm

Brown Swiss cattle are the oldest of the dairy breeds and they produce rich, creamy milk with high protein and butterfat content.

COURTESY OF CROWFOOT FARM; BY MOLLY PETERSON

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t’s another quick drive east from Flint Hill to the village of Amissville, which is where you’ll find Crowfoot Farm, owned and operated for the past eight years by Rachel and Kevin Summers. They’re well-known for their poultry. “We are a family home site here,” Rachel tells me. “The first thing we did was poultry eggs.

We still do pastured poultry. We do one batch of ducks every summer.” They also raise, for Thanksgiving, a special heritage breed of turkey, but Rachel warns that they sell out very quickly. “We start getting reservations November first.”

Crowfoot’s farm store, open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., is located inside their barn. The small amount of poultry and eggs they don’t commit to their CSA (information on joining that is available on their website, although they are sold out for 2017) is available for purchase there. Most of what they do is small batch, so they don’t have every kind of egg year-round, but they usually have chicken meat. They also sell a very limited supply of grass-fed beef from cows that are born and weaned here, then pastured and finished on a neighboring farm. In addition, they sell handmade soaps, which Rachel learned to make during her years at Claude Moore Colonial Farm.

For customers seeking something truly different, though, Crowfoot also allows customers to purchase ownership shares in their cowherd. These ownership shares are, in essence, a contracted ar-

rangement with Crowfoot Farm. In exchange for an upfront fee of $100 (for one share) and an additional monthly boarding fee of $40 that covers the cost of feeding, caring for, and milking the cows, share owners receive a weekly portion (one gallon) of the fresh milk produced by the herd as well as a monthly newsletter that includes herd updates, information about dairy cow care, and recipes for making cheese at home. Share owners can also visit the farm any time to see the cows and even watch them being milked.

When Rachel walks me out to see their cows, and I watch as one gives Kevin an affectionate nuzzle. “We’re getting more and more into the dairy,” Rachel tells me. “It’s becoming our main thing.”

They have two milk cows now, as well as one heifer cow who will start to give milk after having her first calf in a couple of months.

And there are two more heifers up and coming. “We’ll have three calves born this year,” Rachel says. “We’re growing the herd.”

Later, in an email, Kevin and Rachel expand on how they view their farm’s relationship with its shareholders. “The herd-share system is a beautiful way to connect community and farms,” they write. “We take our responsibility to our owners very seriously, and they are so wonderfully supportive of us. We are grateful to be able to work with the cows and have a family business doing something we love while offering a service to those who would like to have dairy cow ownership and enjoy fresh milk.”

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LIFESTYLE

Modern Homesteaders Revitalizing old-time skill sets

BY AMY FEWELL

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In westernized culture, many of us haven’t even plucked our own food from a garden or orchard. It’s rare for us to know where our food came from, from dirt to plate. But there’s a movement that’s shifting the face of our America—homesteaders rising up once again. And it’s a movement worth paying attention to.

Today’s homesteader can live on 100 acres and have herds of cattle, or they can live in a highrise apartment with an urban jungle of produce growing right on their balcony or rooftop.They are normal, everyday people, just like you and me. They are single and married, parents and grandparents, young and old. There’s no limit to these homesteaders. And they want nothing more than to live a healthy lifestyle on their own terms.

The homesteading movement is impacting our nation more than we realize. Homesteaders are literally taking back their lives from commercialized and oversensitized food and healthcare culture. They are saying “no” to genetically processed food, chemicals, and overpriced “sickcare.” They are growing and preserving their own food, raising their own sustainable meat, making their own cheese and butter, and learning about natural remedies. They

BY AMY FEWELL

very single morning I wake up to a rooster crowing. Most mornings, I love the simplicity. Other mornings, I want to hit him with a shoe and tell him not to crow for another two hours while I sleep until at least 6 a.m. Doesn’t anyone sleep around here? But I drag myself out of bed, put some coffee on, feed the backyard farm animals, tend to the garden, and become a muddy mess all before breakfast.

Homesteading—it’s a relatively old term with a brand new meaning. In the 1940s, homesteaders were mostly mountain people. People who were eventually driven away from their homes in order to create what we now know as Shenandoah National Park.

But many homesteaders lived right among the hills and fields that we drive by every single day here in the Piedmont. They were people who didn’t have a choice; their living was made by growing their own food and being completely self-reliant. They were our grandparents and great grandparents—the people who can tell us stories for days, stories that we gladly glean. It was a hard life in many ways, but they knew what had to be done. Even more so, they enjoyed the bounty of nature and the work of their hands.

LIFESTYLE

are also fierce about changing the way people see this back-tothe-land movement. There’s nothing hippy or weird about it— these are simply people who care about their health, their food, and the Earth that they’re leaving behind to future generations.

Homesteading isn’t a trend, it’s the movement of bringing back old-time skill sets that we’ve lost. If you’re reading this article, do you know how to plant an efficient garden? Do you know how to safely can and preserve your food? Do you know how to distinguish wild edibles that are all around you? Do you know how to sew? or knit? or cook on cast iron? If not, then you can absolutely agree with the statement that these skills have been lost from the generations before us, skills that we haven’t carried on from our forebears.

Out of the abundance of this need and education, Homesteaders of America was founded. This organization is an online source of information and education as well as a community for homesteaders across the United States. Homesteaders of America connects like-minded individuals whom can learn from one another, teach one another, and trade goods and services. It’s a place for homesteaders to come together, share life experiences and skills, and celebrate in them.

Not only that, but Homesteaders of America will have its first annual conference right here in the Piedmont on October 14, at the Fauquier County Fairgrounds in Warrenton. Our event will

bring together our growing online community of homesteaders to a central location where we can learn from the best in the industry, like Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, Lisa Steele of Fresh Eggs Daily, Esther Emery (daughter of The Encyclopedia of Country Living author Carla Emery), and famous YouTubers like the hosts of Off Grid with Doug and Stacy. We have homesteaders coming from as far away as Washington State and as nearby as our own neighbors.

The conference will boast more than 100 homestead- and farm-related vendors, various workshops, lectures, food, speaker Q&A, and a community setting replete with marshmallows roasting over an open fire once the conference is over. From hog butchery to quilt making, chicken keeping to blacksmithing, this is the premier event to attend in the area if ever you’ve wanted to gain old-time skill sets to help live a more sustainable lifestyle.

As an extension of Piedmont Lifestyle Publications, we are extremely excited to bring you this annual event, and we hope that we’ll see your smiling faces there! Make sure you bring a notepad, good walking boots, and a curious, open mind. If nothing more, we know you’ll have a great time connecting with some amazing people who enjoy life to its fullest, and you might even fall in love with chickens!

Happy Homesteading!

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Blue Ridge PRISM

Fighting to save Virginia’s flora from unwanted invaders

BY JAMES WILKINSON

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A remarkable coalition of landowners, nonprofits, businesses, university faculty, and local, state, and federal agencies has come together to tackle this challenge.

The Blue Ridge PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) is dedicated to reducing the negative impact of nonnative invasive plants on the health of the natural and agricultural environment in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

“These aggressive plants are a neighborhood issue as well as an economic and an environmental problem—they know no boundaries,” said Maggie Walker, one of the group’s founders. “A broad community response is vitally important. People's enthusiasm and energy are driving forces in dealing effectively with invasives.”

Since 2014, the fast-moving nonprofit has been working on several fronts to build on this community interest and support. Its Area Stewards program recruits neighbors to collaborate and work together across larger and larger areas, creating invasivefree land that protects all participants from reinfestation. Information kits, fact sheets,

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and volunteer assistance, including property visits, help people understand local invasives and develop strategies to deal with them. Its Early Detection and Rapid Response program prevents newly arrived or uncommon invasive plants from gaining a foothold in the region.

“Our core work is starting dialogues.

For us, it started with our neighbors and grew from there, thinking about how to make a difference across the region,” said Rod Walker, another of the group’s founders. “Every day, we share information with landowners and interested parties to build awareness, and then we listen. Our goal is to help people with plans and resources that make sense for their properties, that are cost effective and good for the environment, and that get the work done.”

Back in 2014, the Walkers had been tackling Oriental bittersweet vines that were smothering and strangling their family’s timber forest in Albemarle County. After contacting Jake Hughes, an exotic plant management specialist with Shenandoah National Park, one conversation lead to an-

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM

ometimes they frame days at a distance, the ancient ridges a backdrop for busy lives. Coming closer opens up worlds within worlds— stands of red oak and cove hardwood forest weaving across hillsides, native eastern brook trout schooling in sheltered stream valleys, views from rocky outcrops that stretch to the horizon.

As much as it is a wild place, it is a human landscape as well, home to farms, scenic byways, woodland, pastureland, and state and national parks. Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains are among the most beautiful parts of America, home to people, communities, 190 species of birds, 50 species of mammals, 50 reptile and amphibian species, 35 species of fish, and 1,400 species of trees and plants.

Today, the region is under threat. The invaders—nonnative vines, trees, grasses and plants—are silent but relentless, overwhelming native trees, plants and wildflowers, damaging wildlife habitat and farmland, endangering the area’s historic heritage and natural resources.

WHAT ARE INVASIVE PLANTS?

Species intentionally or accidentally introduced by human activity into a region in which they did not evolve and cause harm to natural resources, economic activity or humans.

—Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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ENVIRONMENT

BY ASHTON STINSON, BLUE RIDGE PRISM

Wavyleaf basketgrass, an emerging invasive in the Piedmont region.

other. More and more people joined the discussion.

Three years later, the Blue Ridge PRISM is the first Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) headquartered in Virginia. It has hosted trainings and information sessions for almost 200 government staff, contractors, and landowners and shared more than 4,000 fact sheets on leading invasives. Its 30-member advisory group includes nine working groups focused on expanding existing services and pursuing new initiatives.

Most recently, the organization announced an invasive-species removal funding opportunity with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Shenandoah National Park Trust.

42 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

Regional Conservation Partnership Program’s funding provided eligible landowners with awards to develop conservation plans and implement best practices covering brush management, herbaceous weed control, and forest stand improvement.

Within several weeks of the announcement late last year, the funding had been fully allocated. About 100 area landowners and 3,750 acres of land are participating in the program. The Blue Ridge PRISM has applied to support additional rounds of award funding in coming years.

“In the short term, we are building on and broadening our program offerings,” said Program Director Ashton Stinson. “We’re talking with teachers, schools, and organizations like the 4-H

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TACKLING INVASIVES: BLUE RIDGE PRISM TIPS Each season presents different opportunities. In the fall and winter, for example, many native plants go dormant. However, invasives such as Japanese honeysuckle and garlic mustard remain visible and therefore easier to spot, access, and remove.

Focus on the invasives that cause the most damage and are hardest for natural areas to recover from.

Vines such as Oriental bittersweet and kudzu, for example, kill mature trees and destroy the forest canopy. Restoration of the forest canopy can take decades.

ENVIRONMENT programs to learn about their interests and needs. We would like to reach young people as well as adults.”

Up next for the organization is a series of community education seminars this summer. Over time, Rod and Maggie Walker note, the organization is aiming to reach as many people as possible, including the more than 50,000 landowners in the region.

Given the scale of the challenge, the Blue Ridge PRISM is also hoping to foster statewide interest in stopping the spread of invasives across Virginia. “We aspire to help other CWMAs get started,” said Ashton Stinson.

“The more people who are aware, the more people who are involved, the better job we’ll all be doing to get ahead of the problem.

Making a difference is the result of a thousand small steps, all building on each other.”

Today and tomorrow, those steps are leading to results that everyone can see: healthy forests and farmland, thriving wetlands and wildlife habitat, and vibrant parks and recreation areas. It is a future worth working for.

THE “TERRIBLE TWELVE” The Blue Ridge PRISM is concentrating on controlling the worst invasives in the Blue Ridge Region.

• • • • • •

Ailanthus (tree of heaven) Autumn olive Bush honeysuckle Chinese privet Garlic mustard Japanese honeysuckle

• • • • • •

Japanese stiltgrass Kudzu Mile-a-minute Multiflora rose Oriental bittersweet Porcelainberry

The organization is also coordinating an Early Detection Rapid Response effort targeting wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius), an emerging invasive in the Commonwealth.

For more information, visit blueridgeprism.org

HANDMADE GIFTS PAINT YOUR OWN POTTERY CLASSES FOR ALL AGES PARTIES & EVENTS

8287 East Main St, Marshall, Va. bigdogpots.com | 540.364.2834

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| JULY/AUGUST 2017 43

ART

Creating Art that’s as Good as Gold Piedmont Craftsman Peter H. Miller has that Midas Touch

BY ANDREW HALEY

B

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PH MILLER

Detail of Italian style Cassetta frame, water gilded in 23k gold leaf and sgraffito design

erryville is an unlikely place to find a high-end gilder. But then, so is every other place in America; gilders are an endangered species. I was picking up artwork from Purcellville’s Franklin Park Arts Center (a fantastic arts venue) when, as I was driving away, I spied some amazing gilt frames in a Berryville storefront window. Surprised at this unexpected appearance, I turned my car around.

Returning to the shop, I wasn’t disappointed. The frames and mirrors were worldclass. Peter H. Miller, the proprietor and resident master gilder, was there and we had a great conversation about his work and late arrival in Virginia. Another refugee in the Piedmont, Miller and his wife moved to Purcellville in 2014.

Gilding is a decorative art form that is intended to make an object look like solid metal. Ancient Egyptians invented gilding, understanding that if a solid metal is made thin, it can be formed over complexly shaped surfaces. Peter is a master in handmade gilded art frames and also a master conservator/restorer. Gold leaf is measured for thickness by an industry standard known as gram weight. Depending on the manufacturer, leaf typically weighs in at 15–18 grams per 1,000 leaves—so thin that it is translucent. It takes about 10,000 leaves to equal the thickness of a dime.

During the Renaissance, Italians invented water gilding. Today's water gilding is virtually unchanged, using the same materials, recipes, methods, and tools. No other application of gold leaf will render the same fine, burnished finish. Water gilding involves several steps. Surface preparation includes the application of eight coats of rabbit-skin-glue gesso, followed by sanding and polishing. Four to six coats of gilder’s clay, also made with rabbit-skin glue, are then applied over the gesso. This material is also sanded and polished.

Once completed, the surface is hydrated with gilder’s liquor and the gold leaf is laid onto the wet surface. Finally, when the gold leaf has bonded, the areas to be highlighted are burnished with special agate or hematite tools to create mirror-like surfaces. Depending on the surface being gilded, various finishing methods are used to create either the illusion of antiquity or a complementary appearance for the painting to be framed.

I purchased a fine little tabernacle-style mirror. In speaking with Peter, I discovered that he created the mirror by gilding the glass in 12k white gold. He embellished the border with a classic etched design. The lap marks of the gold leaf are just visible through the glass. It’s such a rare experience today, to find something so individual, so finely made.

ART

“It takes about 10,000 leaves to equal the thickness of a dime.”

The studio applies museum quality standards in its work and materials. Peter also designs and creates a wide variety of furniture and home accessories, from simple to ornate, in addition to original frames. Despite his rural location, Peter’s clients hail from across the country and around the world. “My years making frames and restoring gilded objects for clients and professionals in the New York City area and New England freed me up to work wherever I like, and I love Virginia!”

Miller’s studio is organized to form a showroom/exhibit area featuring both his frames and decorative objects as well as pieces by Virginia woodworkers. An ongoing exhibit When the Word Speaks to Me highlights works in wood by regionally noted craftsmen, including Bluemont's Harriet and Don Maloney, Berryville's Mike Fraser and Gary Smith, Winchester's Mark Zimmerman, Middletown's Terry Fox, and White Post's Ron Light. ​ Peter grew up spending time in his father’s wood shop learning basic skills. These experiences are the foundation of a lifelong passion for woodworking and a spirit of craftsmanship. He learned traditional water gilding and related disciplines through the Society of Gilders, an organization dedicated to upholding professional standards and preserving traditional gilding skills and techniques. He studied with gilders Giovanni Bucchi, Grace Baggott, Marty Horowitz, Lou Tilmont, Jill London, Jeff Solomon, Michael Gilbert, Susan Jackson, Patricia Miranda, Frances Binnington Federer, and Carole Halle. He has served as president of the Society, and is also certified with the Professional Picture Framers Association.​ Top: An exact replica of the Portal Portrait of George Washington (which hangs in the White House Oval Office), with frame by P. H. Miller Studio resides in the permanent collection of the George Bush Presidential Library Oval Office in Dallas, Texas, along with four other replica frames. (Collection of the Bush Presidential Library and the Bush Foundation) Right: Original design frame for twentiethcentury painting by New York artist Ferdinand Warren (Collection of David and Yvette Schorsch)

PH MILLER STUDIO

1 EAST MAIN STREET BERRYVILLE, VA 22611 540-955-3939 WWW.PHMILLERSTUDIO.COM PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

| JULY/AUGUST 2017 45

VIRGINIA’S NORTHERN PIEDMONT IS AN EXCEPTIONAL PLACE. Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Piedmont is beloved for its scenic beauty, unparalleled in its significance to America’s history, and valuable for its productive family farms, PEC’s primary area includes nine counties in the Virginia Piedmont.

Our work often benefits communities outside of this region as we join in productive partnerships, provide a model of grassroots engagement, and improve policies at the local, state, and national level.

Photo by Bruce Jones

Piedmont Environmental Council

PEOPLE OF THE PIEDMONT

Second Chapter

The Piedmont Environmental Council’s John McCarthy

BY PAULA COMBS

COURTESY OF PIEDMONT ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL

“I

t had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” This quote from Leonardo da Vinci seems fitting for John McCarthy, the new director of strategic partnerships and a senior advisor for the Piedmont Environmental Council.

Retiring last summer after 28 years as the Rappahannock County administrator, McCarthy decided to continue his service to the public and joined PEC in January.

“John has worked on a range of local issues with leaders all across the region, and he is a valuable asset to have,” says Chris Miller, The Piedmont Environmental Council president.

A long-time supporter of PEC's mission, McCarthy says he is excited to continue his career with an organization “so committed to preserving the quality of life and natural resources” of the places he loves.

PEC works with citizens in a nine-county region on a broad range of topics, which include land conservation, preserving historic resources, creating vibrant communities, protecting air and water quality, strengthening rural economies, building smart transportation networks, promoting sustainable energy choices, restoring wildlife habitat, and improving people’s access to nature.

John has found that the issues he worked on while in public office are often not materially different than those he is now working on with the regional nonprofit.

“Land development and human settlement patterns are things that people care deeply about, and how we as a people care for our natural resources while accommodating appropriate growth is a constant friction point,” says McCarthy.

“While the policy areas are very familiar to me, the landscape is of course far bigger. PEC’s direct service area extends from Clarke and Loudoun in the north all the way down the Piedmont to Albemarle and Charlottesville in the south, but that is only part of the story. The wide array of issues we deal with necessitates PEC's engagement in a far larger region, up to state and even national policy. The big picture and ‘long game’ issues are a joy to work on.”

McCarthy received a bachelor's degree from the University of Mary Washington, where he served as an adjunct professor for 25 years, and a master of planning degree from the University of Virginia. He has also served as a member and officer of the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, the RSW Regional Jail, and the Virginia Municipal League Insurance Programs. He also serves or has served on numerous nonprofit organization govern-

ing boards, including as chairman of the Fauquier Hospital Board, the PATH Foundation, and the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation.

“I am a believer in the fact that a community's problems are best addressed when government, local businesses, and nonprofits collaborate to find solutions. No one of those partners has all of the answers, but all bring great questions and differing capacities to the table when they work together,” says McCarthy. “To that end, I have tried to work with nonprofit organizations that I feel are doing good things in our community.”

With his extensive career and volunteer experience, McCarthy has developed a unique set of skills.

“Local planning issues are becoming more and more complex, and with John’s county-administrator background, he’s dealt with such matters and understands there’s a delicate balance,” Miller explains. “John has a good idea of what people want and what the market will provide—and the gap between the two.

“He’s one of those people that finds the win-win where nobody else thought it was possible. And he’s very practical and direct about things. Which will benefit communities throughout our region.”

That’s something we all can be excited about.

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MUSIC

Pickin’ and Singin’

along Virginia’s Crooked Road

BY GLENDA C. BOOTH

Y

ou might find yourself rambling around a “holler,” sitting on a front porch mesmerized by lightning-fast bluegrass music, or high steppin’ it at an impromptu jam session along Virginia’s Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail, a 330-mile, mostly two-lane road that winds around southwest Virginia west of Roanoke. Dubbed by promoters as “a place of beauty, a place of song,” it crosses the Piedmont plateau, rolls through the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, winds through no-stoplight towns, and twists through coal country. The state legislature designated it Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, “where America’s music began and continues.” The Trail made Lonely Planet’s coveted list of the five best trips in America.

The Crooked Road region includes 19 counties, four cities, and more than 50 towns, some a dot on the map. Around 100 miles of the trail track U.S. 58. There are nine music venues and many informal sites of music jams, festivals, and concerts. A leisurely drive with frequent stops is the ideal way to get the full flavor—acoustic, visual, gastronomic, and social. Across the entire 330-mile trail, some sites will seem a “fur piece,” as locals put it. “Everything takes an hour to get to because you have to go around the mountain,” explained Diana Etherton, former owner of Scott County’s Sugar Maple Inn. Country, bluegrass, and gospel music seem to spring up out of the hills and hollers, some at a high-octane pace and some poignantly plaintive. It zings off front porches, rises from front yards, echoes off the ridges, and spills out of VFW halls. “You never know when you’ll have to dance,” a Gate City lady commented, explaining that she always has her clogging shoes in the car, ready to click and clack. Bluegrass Hall of Famer Ralph Stanley said, “Growing up in the mountains, music was everywhere.” It still is.

It’s a region of festivals, jam sessions, and spontaneous pickin’ and singin,’ traditional American music played on fiddles, clawhammer banjos, dobros, dulcimers, autoharps, washtubs, washboards, and sometimes spoons. The warp-speed tunes rouse footstomping, clickety-clacking cloggers, women in colorful, twirly skirts, and their partners. Some songs long for days gone by, loves lost, romance gone bad, relatives in the heavenly beyond, or coal mining’s glory in the old days. “It sounds different when you sing up here on the Ridge,” country singer Gillian Welch has observed.

Southwest Virginia has spawned some of the greatest names in

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American music, like the Carter Family, Ralph Stanley, Jim and Jesse, and Dock Boggs.

It’s also a region for leisurely meanders around the mountains, between the ridges, and through the rolling foothills, valleys, forests, and limestone ledges. It’s a bucolic landscape of rippling streams, split rail fences, graying tobacco barns, and churches of every ilk with the Blue Ridge Mountains ever in the background.

There’s plenty of delicious down-home cooking, from fried chicken to fresh apple pies, and many friendly “Hi y’alls!”

Just west of Roanoke, the Blue Ridge Institute and Farm Museum on the Ferrum College campus is a gateway introduction to mountain folklife and history. Exhibits explore farming on a recreated Virginia-German far mstead, mountain clan life, pottery making, and the daring exploits of infamous moonshiners.

Farther west is Floyd, known for the old-timey Floyd Country Store, built around 1913. Every Friday night a rollicking jamboree erupts, which in the summer spreads out into the alleys and parking lots. Here shoppers can pick up preserves, rolling pins, bib overalls, and sweet potato biscuit mix.

The Carter Family Fold in Maces Spring is a living memorial to the legendary “first family of country music” whose cheery theme song was “Keep on the Sunny Side.” A. P. Carter, the patrirarch of the clan, “stands with Irving Berlin as a major force in American composition” and his wife, Sara, was the “greatest female country lead singer of all time,” wrote the late Virginia folklorist Joe Wilson. The Fold is a 900-seat, unpretentious, barn-like structure tucked into the hillside. Every Saturday night people of all ages, singles and couples, sweep onto the cement floor to waltz, clog and flatfoot in their jingle-tap shoes. The dancing sounds like thousands of synchronized crickets pulsating to ditties like “I Got a Mule to Ride” and “Orange Blossom Special.” Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash sang here. Johnny performed his last two shows at the Fold.

The compound includes the nineteenth-century cabin where A. P. and 10 others were born, as well as the Carter Family Museum showcasing handmade performance dresses, including June’s dress and Johnny’s suit worn when they performed for President Richard Nixon.

For $5 at Norton’s Country Cabin II you can hear locals play bluegrass, country, and old-time music every Saturday night

BY JONATHAN ROMEO FOR THE CROOKED ROAD

MUSIC

Dale Jett & Hello Stranger at Rex Theater

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MUSIC

Old-Time Dancing at the Blue Ridge Institute

BEYOND THE MUSIC Big Stone Gap, population 5,700, was made famous by Adriana Trigiani’s fictional trilogy of the same name and a 2014 movie depicting love and life in small town Appalachia. The town visitor center is in an 1870 Pullman railroad car that didn’t last long “because it waddled down the tracks,” according to one docent.

The free Harry Meador Coal Museum explores how coal historically was the lifeblood of the region, what corn is to Kansas, provid50 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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ing paychecks to “the men of the deep.” Tools and mining machinery displays, like the big yellow continuous miner outside, demonstrate the mechanics and some of the dangers of coal mining.

Big Stone Gap’s Southwest Virginia Museum, housed in a nineteenth-century sandstone-limestone mansion, revisits the pioneers who penetrated the wilderness, white men and women with guns, wooden churns, and washboards, with a token nod to Native Americans. One intriguing exhibit introduces the mysterious Melungeons, people who did not fit into any traditional racial category.

The town of Appalachia next to the railroad tracks boasts, “Born from Coal, Survives through Spirit.” The annual Coal Railroad Days festival, the first Saturday of August, is the place to pick up a turkey caller or a handmade basket and to munch on deep-fried oreos and deep-fried dill pickles. A drive through the grungy, onestreet town of Dante (pronounced “Daint”) offers a glimpse of the day-to-day struggles in Appalachia.

Breaks Interstate Park, straddling the Virginia-Kentucky line,

COURTESY OF BLUE RIDGE INSTITUTE & MUSEUM

or have a clogging or line-dancing lesson on a hardwood dance floor. Here, in the heart of coal country, loaded coal trucks barrel down narrow, serpentine roads amid sharply rising, kudzucarpeted walls. Emerge from a switchback and you might see a coal train chugging black “gold” down the mountain. Little hamlets sprout country churches with names like Liberty Church of Christ, Holy Pentecostal, Primitive Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Freewill Baptist, Church of God, and Church of the Gospel of Jesus.

“You never know when you’ll have to dance,” a Gate City lady commented, explaining that she always has her clogging shoes in the car, ready to click and clack.

MUSIC Floyd Country Store

COURTESY OF THE FLOYD COUNTRY STORE

is known as the Grand Canyon of the South, the largest canyon east of the Mississippi River, which is 250 million years old, five miles long, and 1,600 feet deep. The visitor center offers a tutorial on the flora and fauna of the area and showcases a moonshine still with a “double worm,” a reminder of a major “industry” of the deep woods and back hollers. Some raft the whitewater rapids and some hike, but the best part of this park is relaxing on a balcony overlooking the gorge and watching the gauzy mist slowly rise and gently unveil the craggy rock faces while turkey vultures glide on the drafts.

BACK TO MUSIC Clintwood’s most famous hometown boy who made good is Ralph Stanley, honored by the Ralph Stanley Museum. His highlonesome, mournful, tenor voice has enchanted people worldwide and eerily penetrated the Coen Brothers’ film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a tale about three convicts loosely based on Homer’s The Odyssey. The museum has recordings and artifacts from Stanley’s tours, singing what was in his heart and soul. “I just sing it the way I feel it,” he said. Stanley, a clawhammer picker and Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee, died in 2016 at age 89.

Galax is a flowering plant and a southwest Virginia town, but to country and bluegrass musicians and fans, Galax means six days of hard-driving music during the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, the oldest and biggest in the U.S. Every August squealing fiddles, twanging banjos, thrumming guitars, accomplished singers, and amateurs provide a virtual non-stop soundtrack on and off stage for the 40,000 fans who descend for competitions, gigs, reunions, and camaraderie.

Staged by Moose Lodge 733, this world-renowned event has been held annually since 1935, except for one year during World War II. The biggest name to go on stage usually is Galax native Veronica Loretta “Roni” Stoneman, the “First Lady of Banjo,” who played the toothless, banjo-plunking Ida Lee Nagger on Hee-Haw, a television show last broadcast in 1993. “The professionals can participate, but they’re afraid they’ll get beat,” quipped one of the Moose Lodge’s organizers. Janet Hyler of Aroda likes the fiddlers’ convention because “it gives many talented musicians a chance to showcase their music and meet other musicians from all over the country.”

Whatever the weather, all ages pick and sing into the wee hours between and behind a labyrinth of trailers, trucks, RVs, vans, Airstreams, funky buses, and cars on Felt Park’s fairground. “Here, the 13-year-old boy can play with an 80-year-old grandfather,” said Marc Kinley, a regular from Fort Mill, South Carolina. “Galax is the ultimate,” argues North Carolinian J.K. Godbold.

In “downtown” Galax, Barr’s Fiddle Shop on Main Street is popular for its “pickin’ bench” and handmade instruments, and the nearby Galax Smokehouse is barbeque heaven. The Rex Theater, built in 1939 and since renovated, hosts Friday night’s Blue Ridge Back Roads show, bluegrass music blasted over WBRF 98.1 FM into five states and online. Galax has earned the title of “World’s Capital of Old-Time Mountain Music.” Music reigns.

If you soak it all in along the Crooked Road, sip a little ‘shine, load up on biscuits, gravy, country ham, and pinto beans, chat with the friendly locals, imbibe that fresh mountain air, and get lost in those enchanting bluegrass and country sounds, you’ll likely be as “happy as a dead pig in the sunshine,” as locals would say.

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MUSIC

Lockn’ Rocks Dave Frey and the festival that transformed the Virginia music scene

BY ERIC WALLACE

| JULY/AUGUST 2017

BY CAMDEN LITTLETON

52 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

T

en years ago, Virginia-based music fans seeking to experience a large-scale, hippie-style festival would have had to travel out of state. “At that time, if you were looking for a lineup with the biggest jam-bands out there packed into one massive weekend, you’d have to go to an event like Bonnaroo, which is held in Tennessee, or Wakarusa, which was formerly held in Kansas,” says music fan and 25-year-plus Piedmont-area festival junky Brian Chapman. Then came Dave Frey and Lockn’, and all that changed. Held at Oak Ridge farm in Arrington, since opening in 2013 the festival has averaged around 25,000 participants a year and featured droves of iconic artists including Tom Petty, Robert Plant, Phish, Carlos Santana, the Allman Brothers Band, Furthur, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Wilco, Willie Nelson, Phil Lesh, Widespread Panic, and many more.

How did all this come to be? According to Frey, it was a simple matter of fate.

The story opens in Chicago in the early ‘80s when he was playing in a hometown band that’d just had its equipment stolen. “This club owner felt bad for us and threw a benefit, and I went to the local radio station, gave away tickets and got the paper to write it up,” says Frey. “The show sold out and that night the guy who booked for the club quit. The owner turned to me and said, ‘Hey, you did a good job. Can you handle the booking for a couple weeks until I find a new guy?’ ” Frey said yes. And after five years cutting his teeth on the Chicago club scene, landed a gig in New York City working alongside legendary figures like Ron Delsener, whom The New York Times once referred

© JAY BLAKESBERG/LOCKN’

MUSIC

to as “Rock’s Mr. In Between,” and the late Bill Graham, who in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s helped solidify rock music’s position as a driving cultural force through his work with the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and others. “Ron had given me a job as the junior booker, booking all the smaller bands for the clubs,” says Frey. “I was working really hard, booking about 500 shows a year; it was all I was doing, all day. And then some of those little bands got really big, really fast.” That list just so happened to include groups like Nine Inch Nails, the Black Crowes, and Phish. In other words, Frey was in the right place at the right time.

Capitalizing on the unexpected success— which Frey insists came down to “persisting until the timing and luck arrived”—in 1992 he founded his own company, Silent Partner Management, which represented acts like platinum-selling Cheap Trick, the Ramones, and Blues Traveler, and then cofounded the Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere (H.O.R.D.E.) festival with

Peter Shapiro and Dave Frey with a metal tree sculpture, No. 3 of Jeremy Hales’ yearly metal architectural installation.

Top: Pre-show serenity: one of the spectacular view sheds of Infinity Downs amphitheater

John Popper in 1992. Using Lollapalooza as a template, H.O.R.D.E. was envisioned as a way to expand the reach of emerging artists that were then collectively formalizing the rocking, improv-driven focus of the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers into the “jam band” genre. By uniting groups like Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler, the Aquarium Rescue Unit, Spin Doctors, and Phish under the banner of a single touring festival, Frey tapped their combined audiences and sold out amphitheaters that had been inaccessible individually. “There was a meeting in the old Bill Graham offices after Bill had passed where we called together five bands that we knew hadn’t been able to book fair-sized summer tours and we just said, ‘Listen, there’s strength in numbers.

Let’s try going out together,’ ” recalls Frey.

“Trey Anastasio, Chris Barron, John Bell, Col. Bruce Hampton, and everybody else that was there said, ‘Yeah, let’s do this!’ And it all came out of that one moment.” The result changed the face of rock music in America, laying the groundwork for bands PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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MUSIC

Dave Frey at Nelson County Community Day and the Rockn’ to Lockn’ finale announcing the four local Virginia bands that won a spot on the main stage during Lockn’ Festival.

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conflicts you get when bands are playing at the same time—you can only check out half of one or half of the other,” says Frey.

“So it’s a lot more focused on the music, purposefully. We don’t have 150 bands like some festivals. We only have 25 or 30 bands, tops. … If [a group is] playing this nice mellow song and they get to a real quiet part, you won’t hear, say, Primus rocking out over the hill, y’know? It’s more respectful, I think.”

In addition to the single-band, singlestage approach, Frey and Shapiro chose to standardize major collaborations, which led to 50-year anniversary events for both the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

BY WILEY QUIXOTE ©2117

54 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

like Phish and Widespread Panic to become the pillars of a revitalized countercultural music scene.

The next major evolution in Frey’s career came nearly 15 years later. Accepting an ambitious business proposal from long-time friend Peter Shapiro in 2008, he migrated from New York City to Charlottesville with the intention of founding the biggest music festival the state has ever known. As the publisher of Relix magazine—basically the Rolling Stone of jam music—and former owner of what may well have been the most famous jam club in America in the ‘90s, Wetlands Preserve in New York City, Shapiro knew the industry inside and out, and was the perfect partner.

After spending the next few years preparing, the two chose Oak Ridge as a location and officially began planning the first Lockn’, which was held in September of 2013. With 4,800 acres, a mile-long horse track, Blue Ridge views, forests, fields, and historic buildings dating back to its formation in 1802, the estate was perfect.

“We’d been looking at different places to do it when Michael Allenby—cofounder of the Festy Experience—showed me this site and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing,’ ” says Frey. “And I think that’s the first thing: you have to have a great place. You’re basically giving people an excuse to go where they’d want to go anyway. … You want to be out in the middle of nowhere but, at the same time, be nearby to everything.”

And Arrington certainly fit the bill.

Nestled in the rural hills of Nelson County, Oak Ridge sits just three miles off Route 29, well within driving distance of D.C., Richmond, Charlottesville, and Roanoke. Furthermore, with a major airport in Charlottesville, the site was even accommodating to visitors from afar.

Seeking to differentiate their festival from all the others, Frey and Shapiro chose to present bands one at a time, allowing fans to focus on the music without worrying about what they might be missing at other stages. “You don’t find that at a lot of other people’s shows. There’re these

BY CAMDEN LITTLETON

MUSIC

Not to mention Frey’s personal favorite, which was arranging for John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival to play with Widespread Panic in 2015.

And lastly, there was the local flavor angle. “We try to focus on locality because locations have a unique signature: restaurants, beers, things like that,” says Frey. “If we can bring those elements in and feature them, a lot of the people that are coming in from different parts of the country or from around the world will experience that.”

Mainstays included tapping Nelson County’s craft brew and spirits scene or Charlottesville’s wineries, throwing a local battle of the (unsigned) bands contest, and offering

farm-to-table cuisine from the region’s top producers and culinary professionals.

Despite losing money the first year and facing a microburst windstorm that destroyed the stage and ravaged the grounds on the second year’s opening day, Frey and Shapiro have stuck with it. Over the past five years, they’ve grown Lockn’ to the point where the event is routinely named by rock- and festival-oriented magazines as one of the top-ten festivals in the U.S. And the duo has no plans of stopping there.

“Hopefully, one day we’ll look back and see how this became the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival of Central Virginia,” says Frey. “That’s basically our goal.”

Tedeschi Trucks Band from the opening of the Blue Ridge Bowl amphitheater at Infinity Downs in April 2016.

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PIEDMONT HOMES

Left: Major Jennings and his grown daughters with his second wife. All are buried in the Jennings’ family graveyard here on the property. Major Jennings had six children: four daughters and two sons. Family lore has it that he planted six maple trees to honor each child; when one of his sons was killed in the Civil War, his tree died shortly after.

COURTESY OF JIM HOLLADAY

Above: Merriewood today. The original house did not have a front porch; the construction was halted due to the Civil War, and then Major Jennings lost a significant amount of money by investing in Confederate bonds. The present porch was added by the current owners during the 1996 renovation.

BY BRIDGET BRYANT

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PIEDMONT HOMES

RESTORING THE SOUL OF AN OLD HOUSE With the tried, true, and new

BY PAM KAMPHUIS

V

irginia Donelson Collins’s family has an eye for art, design, and decor. Combined with an appreciation for family antiques, thrift store finds, historical architecture, and thoughtful restoration, that adds to the creation of a stunning home at Merriewood, the antebellum Greek Revival Virginia estate she shares with her husband, James Collins.

The original house was designed and constructed by master builder Major William Jennings in 1856, in a two-over-two architectural layout. The house had two rooms on the ground floor and two on the second floor, with a center hallway between, making the house only one room deep. It was constructed from materials on the property: homemade bricks and lumber milled by slaves.

Many changes were made to the home through the years by subsequent owners after the Jennings family, including the installation of bathrooms and closets in the original rooms and a small addition off the back of the house.

The Collinses began a restoration of the house in 1996, eliminating the decrepit 1940s addition. They restored the house to its original state, and—locating all closets and bathrooms in a new, large, modern addition—returned the rooms to their Civil War-era condition.

The restoration of the house and Mrs. Collins’s eye for thrift store gems has resulted in the seamless combination of family antiques and finds that have been restored to create a unique and elegant living space.

“No antique that catches my eye­— especially if it’s a good price and is right for this house—can be too funky for me or beyond repair. Living near Montpelier I have had access to their great staff of preservationists and restorers.”

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PIEDMONT HOMES

The original rooms The library As part of the original house, this room needed the most restoration to return it to its original state.

Previous owners had installed a bathroom which had to be removed. Visible between the windows is a cellarette, or spirits chest, which belonged to Mrs. Collins’s great uncle.

The dining room The chairs in the dining room are early nineteenth-century English-country Chippendale; six are original, and four are copies made in Charlottesville to complete the set.

The portrait above the fireplace is Mrs. Collins’s third great grandmother, Elizabeth Wegelin Corty, whose husband fought in the Napoleanic wars.

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM (2)

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PIEDMONT HOMES

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM (3)

Right: English setter, Robbie, lies in the front hallway of the original house. From here, the living room of the new addition can be seen on the other side of the checkerboard hall. The heart-pine floors and most of the glass in the historic house are original. The front hall runs the 18’ depth of the historic house; in the summer the front door and the double doors at the rear would have remained open for a cross breeze.

The one-room depth of the original house allowed for windows on the east and west sides to bring in a significant amount of light.

Top left: The checkerboard hall which connects the original house to the new addition.

Bottom left: Rear view of the house. Visible here on the left side of the house is one of the internal chimneys: the fireplaces are placed on either end of the house; the internal chimneys help with climate control.

The modern addition “When houses of this style and period are added on, it is typically done in an ‘L’ or ‘T’ shape. Because this addition is actually bigger than the brick portion of the house, the challenge for the architect, William Ryall of NYC, was to not let the ‘tail wag the dog’ with a massive wing. His solution was to run this gallery (above left) along the back of the house, widening the appearance of the original rectangle, and to construct the living room with no room above it. Bathrooms, closets, the kitchen, and two additional bedrooms are on this side of the house.”

—Virginia Donelson Collins PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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PIEDMONT HOMES

Above: The living room holds many family antiques, including the “Model B” Steinway grand piano that was given to James Collins’s grandmother in 1888 for her 16th Christmas.

Right: This Sheraton secretary dates to the early 19th century.

“When my crazy aunt sold all the contents of my grandmother’s house when she died, this beautiful secretary went to auction. I couldn’t get to the auction and I found out who purchased it, and when I contacted her she said she’d never bid against a member of a family, so she sold it to back to me for what she paid for it: $1000.”

—Virginia Donelson Collins

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BY JACLYN DYRHOLM (3)

Far right: A bronze clock replica of Reims Cathedral in France, given to Mrs. Collins’s ancestor Jose Santos Guardiola by Queen Victoria in the mid-1800s in commemoration of a treaty accomplished between Britain and Honduras during Guardiola’s Honduran presidency

PIEDMONT HOMES Top and right: The spacious, light-filled kitchen in the modern addition.

BY JACLYN DYRHOLM (3)

Below left: The play house. The Donelson’s daughters’ playhouse was built entirely of old recycled materials

by Joseph, Joseph and Joseph Antiques in Charlottesville, and is furnished entirely with thrift store finds.

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DESSERTS

Snapshots from the end of the day

70th Annual Piedmont Regional Art Show and Sale May 19, 2017, Grace Episcopal Church, The Plains

BY PETER DYRHOLM

Top right: Minna Marston Center left: Beverly Fine Center right: Gomer Pyles Bottom left: Teresa Duke Bottom right: Rosemarie Wunderlich

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DESSERTS

Snapshots from the end of the day

Film Premiere “The Other Side of Eden, Stories of a Virginia Lynching” May 13, 2017, Highland Center for the Arts

Jim Hall, author; Bridget Settles; Tom Davenport, filmmaker

Rufus Mincey

BY PAM KAMPHUIS

Rev. Alphonso Washington

Shawn Nicholls, Linda Tate

Albert Poe, Doug Lees

Mimi Davenport

Summer Safari Gala 2017

John Lesinski

John Fox Sullivan, John Beardsley

BY RONDA ANN GREGORIO

PEC President Chris Miller, Mary Scott, John Birdsall, George Ohrstrom, Susan Sherman, Steve Monfort

BY TOM NICKLIN

BY JOHN MCCASLIN

BY JOHN MCCASLIN

BY RONDA ANN GREGORIO

Benefitting the Piedmont Environmental Council, Shenandoah National Park Trust, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Andrew Cockburn, Philip Strange, Leslie Cockburn

Mary Scott, John Birdsall

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LIFE IN THE PIEDMONT

Out of the Mouths of Dogs

BY TONY VANDERWARKER

T

hough our dogs have limited vocabularies, there’s no question they talk to us.

Butter, the Jack Russell, jumps up on me when I’m sitting down and turns his head to the side, which means, “Scratch behind right ear, please.” When we gather up his toys and store them in a plastic wastebasket, he goes nuts and madly scratches the plastic with both paws as he squeals his lungs out. I take his noise to mean, “How am I supposed to find my favorite toy when you’ve got them all packed away like this?”

Lucy, the corgi/Sheltie mix, tries to protect us from the vacuum, which she considers an instrument of the Devil. When someone flicks the switch, Lucy goes into a barking frenzy, warning us, “Watch out for this @#!!&%+*# thing! If we don’t watch it, it’ll eat us alive. Just look what it does to dust. I mean, c’mon.”

Ivy, the Springer, comes up with a ball and drops it in front of me, saying with her eyes, “Look, I’m, like, totally bored. How about letting me pretend I’m Ted Williams for a while? Will you please chuck the thing for me?”

Recently, Dylan’s been taking to leaving messages for us. No, he can’t write, but he sure does let us know what’s on his mind. When we’re planning to be away for say, three or four hours, we leave the pups in the garage where their comfy crates are located.

It started with two bags of crap we bought to repel deer. And I mean crap: it’s purified sewage from D.C. Deer are supposed to hate it. But last year, they ate everything before we got a chance to put it down, so we stored the two 50-lb. bags in the garage. Dylan ate the top of one bag, then pulled it down so the stuff spilled out all over the garage floor. He probably took a couple tastes, too.

Next, Annie left a bag of chocolate coins out on her worktable to include in Christmas gifts. Not only did Dylan wreck the gold mesh bag they were in, he somehow worked open the coins and ate the chocolate inside. Our garage floor looked like a beach after a pirate raid, gold coin wrappers scattered everywhere.

What he was trying to tell us was: “Look, I’m fed up with being left alone, so what do you expect me to do, lie in my crate counting toenails?”

I guess Dylan felt like we didn’t get the message, so the next time we left him in the garage, he took a plastic purse filled with costume jewelry my wife was going to take to Goodwill. Not only did he chew the bag to shreds, he lit into the bracelets and necklaces, 64 PIEDMONTVIRGINIAN.COM |

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tearing them apart, spewing beads and ersatz gems everywhere.

We were getting the message. We made sure we cleaned up the garage and Annie’s worktable. So I thought nothing of leaving a 40-lb. bag of birdseed out on the garage floor until I could get the Gator and transport it out to the feeders. “What’s he going to do?

Rip the bag apart and eat birdseed?” I asked Anne.

We quickly found out. It took me an hour with my backpack blower to get rid of it. We also learned what happens when a dog eats bird food. His stools became studded with seeds. Seeded doodoo was all over the yard.

Butter, Dylan, Ivy and Lucy

Dylan was telling us, “Look, I don’t like the stuff, tastes like hell and makes me poop like there’s no tomorrow. But if you don’t stop locking us up in solitary, I’ll eat everything in this bloody garage.

Just try me. Next I’ll be eating the cars.”

Though we’re a little slow on the uptake, we finally got it. Now we leave the four dogs in the house with one of the sliders open so they can get out when they please. Oh, there have been some muddy paw prints on the furniture, but that sure beats retrieving beads, picking up chocolate coin wrappers, blowing seeds and sweeping up D.C. sewage.

If we’d just listened in the first place.

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434-906-0274 Direct

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434-906-0274 • PremierVirginiaProperties.com • Gordonsville, VA 22942