Country Zest & Style Winter 2024 Edition

WINTER 2024

TOTALLY TERRIFIC

TUTTI ON THE INSIDE: WHAT’S A RANDALL LINEBACK? PORCHA’S KNAPSACKS THE PLAINS ABLAZE DIRT DON’T BURN

Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits

110 E. Washington St. | P.O. Box 1380 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | 540.687.5588 | sheridanmacmahon.com

HIGH ACRE FARM THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA

263 acres between Middleburg and The Plains | c. 1909 brick Georgian main residence | Gorgeous millwork & fine finishes | 7 fireplaces | 4 bedrooms | Lovely rolling and elevated land with mountain views | Mix of open usable land and mature woods | Extensive stone walls, notable formal garden & terraces | 3 tenant houses and multiple farm buildings

$6,500,000 PauL MacMahon 703.609.1905 heLen MacMahon 540.454.1930

GLENDONNELL WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

Stone Neo-Tudor home built in 1918 | Features light-filled rooms, a center hallway with arched doorways | Kitchen gives the gourmet cook all the amenities for efficient food prep | 5 wood-burning fireplaces | A separate office and gym on the first floor | 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half baths | Stone patio for outdoor entertaining | Detached garage with storage | 1.14 acres

$1,500,000

SOUTHPAW PLACE LEESBURG, VIRGINIA

Custom built brick home with over 6,000 sq ft, built in 2006 | 5 BR, 4 1/2 BA, 2 FP, oversized 3 car garage | High ceilings, cherry floors & cabinets, gourmet kitchen | 50.72 acres improved by 6 stall barn, w/tack room, feed room & large hay loft | 3 run-in sheds (2 have water hydrants), 7 board fenced paddocks, full size riding ring, trails throughout the property | Turn key equestrian facility | Farm office building has 2 oversized garage doors | Stone terrace with fire pit | Property includes large stocked spring fed pond & frontage on Goose Creek

$3,965,000

PauL MacMahon 703.609.1905 Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

UPPERVILLE LAND UPPERVILLE, VIRGINIA

44.55 acres of which 15 acres are producing grapes | 8.5 acres of Chambourcin, Traminette on 4.3 acres and Vidal Blanc on 2.1 acres | Vineyard infrastructure includes fencing, irrigation system and computerized well | Perc site for 4 bedroom home | Property is in conservation easement | Property can be converted to Residential use

Lynn WiLey 540.454.1527

HIDDEN POND FARM

SAINT LOUIS ROAD

LEESBURG, VIRGINIA

$784,900 Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

Property has been a landmark for community for decades | Major frontage on Route 50 & Atoka Rd | Commercial kitchen, beer cooler, grocery items, pizza oven, in store seating | Potential to be very lucrative | Property also improved by older home, old gas station has been renovated for potential office space or storage & stone spring house | 2 lots with commercial village zoning

$2,700,000 PauL MacMahon 703.609.1905 Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

NEW MOUNTAIN ROAD ALDIE, VIRGINIA

60 wooded acres on top of a ridge | In conservation easement, trails throughout, elevated building sites, 1500 ft of frontage on Little River | 25 minutes to Dulles, close to Aldie and Route 50

$990,000 PauL MacMahon 703.609.1905

$1,195,000 PauL MacMahon 703.609.1905 Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

Historic 18th-century farmhouse on a quiet country road | Home built 1798 is on 17.5 acres of rolling pastures, features 2 ponds, & is surrounded by other large tracks of land | Addition added in 1978 with a new kitchen, full bath, & dressing area on the main level | 4 BR, 2 BA | Exposed wood & stone, 7 FP, cozy living room, ground floor primary bedroom w/en-suite bath, great room w/vaulted ceilings & beams | 2 porches & large deck overlooking open fields & two ponds | Easy access to wineries & breweries, historic sites, antique shops, downtown Leesburg, Potomac River, MARC train, and commuting routes | Zoned AR-1

ATOKA STORE

PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA

Hard to find 9.58 acres between Middleburg and Purcellville | Mountain views, woods and pasture with frontage on Beaverdam Creek

$600,000 PauL MacMahon 703.609.1905

LEEDS MANOR ROAD MARKHAM, VIRGINIA

Classic farmhouse on a private acre lot just outside the historic Village of Hume overlooking gorgeous views of open pastureland | Originally constructed in 1899 | Traditional floor plan | Sitting area that leads into a large living room & family room | The galley kitchen extends to the dining room & sunroom w/views of the countryside | Upstairs, there is a primary bedroom w/walk-in closet, 2 additional bedrooms, a full bath, & a sleeping porch | The basement contains a rec room, ample storage, & exterior access by way of walk-up stairs to the spacious backyard | 2 large outbuildings for use as a workshop & tons of storage

$549,900

Marqui SiMMonS 703.774.6109

IN AND OUT Jeff Blue Peach Fuzz Trow Littleton Blue Mountain Grill Taylor Swift In person Barbie Original Art Munnings Honey Buns Penny Loafers Cash Common Grounds Photos of Grandchildren Blake Corum Lillies en mass Catnip Forte tea Forte the horse Barbara Streisand Arugula Callaway Unison Honey Walking Heirloom seeds Tsundoku Pickleball Green Zebra tomatoes The Ovenbird William Burges Regular decision PGA Tour Breathing out Red Horse hangover Buchanan Hall Charlie Woods Mickie Gordon Park Dirt Roads Bridge Littleton

Jet Blue Peach Tea Bridge Littleton Blue Ridge Grill Kim Kardashian Zoom Barbara Streisand NFTs Pollock Man Buns Man Purses Bit Coin Common ground Photos of Safeway Parking Lot John Riggins Single stems Hops Harney tea Copenhagen the horse Barbie Dandelion greens Nike Goya Honey Skipping All others Sudoku Pickleball Red Pear tomatoes Dodo Tommy Beach Early decision LIV Checking in Eras Tour Carnegie Hall Tiger Woods Central Park Toll Roads Rudy Guiliani

Grace Church Concert Series Sunday, March 3, 2024, 5:00 pm

Andrew Sords

Violinist Andrew Sords, clarinetist Eric Schultz, and pianist Timothy Durkovic unite for an eclectic program of the exotic melodies from Khachaturian’s Trio, the revolutionary spirit and optimism of Beethoven’s D Major sonata, the musical Impressionism of Debussy’s Première rhapsodie, and the stirring themes of Brahms’s Hungarian Dances.

Tickets at: https://www.gracetheplains.org/gracechurch-concert-series

Paragon Philharmonia

Sunday, March 10, 2024, 5:00 pm

American Debuts

Paragon Philharmonia welcomes Venezuelan violinist and crossover artist Jesús Florido to present new works for violin and strings alongside masterworks of the chamber orchestra repertoire.

Audiences will enjoy the vibrant tango rhythms and melodies found in Argentinian composer Claudia Montero’s Violin Concerto, heard for the first time ever in the United States. Paragon Philharmonia is also thrilled to present the world premiere of “Amor En Cuatro Tiempos”

by GRAMMY-nominated Colombian composer Juan Alboreda.

The program opens with Stravinsky’s whimsical Concerto in E-flat, “Dumbarton Oaks,” which premiered in Washington, DC at the estate of the same name in 1938. Schubert’s delightful Symphony No. 5 closes the concert, followed by a gourmet reception with the conductor and musicians.

Tickets at https://www.paragonphilharmonia.org/ Grace Episcopal Church 6507 Main Street The Plains, VA 20198

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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ZES ST T & Sty t lel

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of NOTE

ZEST & Style for the hummingbird.

ZES ST TStytlel & Country

Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits © 2023 Country ZEST & Style, LLC. Published six times a year

Distributed and mailed throughout the Virginia countryside and in Washington and at key Sporting Pursuits and Celebrations

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MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 798 Middleburg, Virginia 20118 PHONE: 410-570-8447 Editor: Leonard Shapiro badgerlen@aol.com Art Director Meredith Hancock Hancock Media Contributing Photographers: Doug Gehlsen Crowell Hadden Sarah Huntington Nancy Kleck Douglas Lees Camden Littleton Karen Monroe Tiffany Dillon Keen Donna Strama

Official Fine Artist Linda Volrath Contributing Writers: Drew Babb Emma Boyce Sean Clancy Denis Cotter Philip Dudley Mike du Pont Valerie Archibald Embrey Jimmy Hatcher Denis Cotter M.J. McAteer Joe Motheral Jodi Nash Chip Newcombe Tom Northrup Ali Patusky Melissa Phipps Pat Reilly Linda Roberts John E. Ross Constance Chatfield-Taylor John Sherman Peyton Tochterman John Toler Leslie VanSant Louisa Woodville

For advertising inquiries, contact: Leonard Shapiro at badgerlen@aol.com or 410-570-8447

ON THE COVER

Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo

/ Country Zest and Style

We were delighted to welcome Tutti Perricone into the Middleburg Photo Studio. We’ve known Tutti for many years but had to decide the best way to showcase her many talents.

Always smiling and fun to chat with, we aimed to highlight her fun side, and Tutti did not disappoint by combining her stage presence as a chef and singer. What could be better than flying vegetables and Tutti’s effervescent smile? / @countryzestandstyle

/ @countryzestand1

www.countryzestandstyle.com 2

ZEST S&T

BE ON THE LOOKOUT through this issue of Country

Country

He appears in two ads and the first two readers to find him (one each) will receive a gift from THE RED TRUCK Rural Bakery, with locations in Warrenton and Marshall. Send your reply to badgerlen@aol.com

“Winning Day for Riverdee” 8 x 10 original oil. © 2024 Linda Volrath, who is the Official Artist for Country ZEST. “Heading onto the course for a brilliant ride with jockey Jamie Bargary up and owned by Sean Clancy’s Riverdee Stable’s “Potus” inspired me to portray his powerful presence,” she said. “The team went on to win The Madison Plate at the 2023 Montpelier Hunt Races.”

SOME FABULOUS FEEDBACK

O

By Leonard Shapiro

ccasionally, there are even better than good days—those wondrous, out-ofthis world days when the following message pops up in the laptop.

“The purpose of this email is to express my admiration and my compliments for your…good work in publishing ZEST,” a recent email began, then gushed on.

“Love your magazine!!! The articles are so well written and interesting. Love how you focus on the rich history of the Upperville and Middleburg areas. When I receive my copy of Zest, I am eager to read it and have spent hours in doing so…

It is so difficult to find not only a magazine with very interesting topics, but also to read such well written articles - huge plus.”

Many thanks to a dear reader we won’t identify at their request. Not only did it make my day, but that week and well beyond.

I’d like to think this edition will evoke the same sort of response. In my humble opinion, there’s plenty more of the same, starting with our cover feature on the force of nature known to one and all as Tutti Perricone. She’s a Middleburg native, chef and caterer extraordinaire who also happens to sing like a songbird.

She has plenty of history in this area, and that fits in quite nicely with several other stories to mark February as Black History Month. Read all about Porcha Dodson, who grew up on a farm outside Middleburg, was an academic and stage star from The Hill School through college and now is a development officer for Episcopal school in Alexandria.

Pat Reilly has profiled 96-year-old Ethel Rae Stewart, who taught at several segregated black schools in Loudoun County. And Jodi Nash focuses on a new project from the Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County helping residents trace their roots back to their enslaved ancestors.

We’ve got Part II of John Rolfe Gardiner’s wonderful short story based on Middleburg, the excerpt of a new book on Huntland by Marc Leepson and another fascinating piece from John Toler on the calamitous fire that nearly destroyed The Plains in 1967.

And finally, hooray for regular ZEST contributor Sean Clancy, honored with a prestigious Eclipse Award in early January for a memorable story he wrote in August on a tragic horse race at Saratoga. It appeared in the Saratoga Special owned by Sean and his brother Joe and we’re thrilled to reprint the piece that earned racing’s equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize.

Who knows, maybe we’ll get a few nice emails after this winter edition hits the streets, hopefully adding even more ZEST to your reading pleasure.

Leonard Shapiro badgerlen@aol.com 410-570-8447

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

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BARRON ACRES 16+ acres

$2,500,000

Bluemont – Stunning Estate in prestigious Boxley Farms! 3 level custom built contemporary. Open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, stone fireplaces, wine cellar. New 2 stall center aisle stable with an attached run-in.

.16 acres

$975,000

Middleburg – 2,850 SF of outstanding space in 2 separate units, attractive offices, conference rooms with large windows, Hard Wood floors, dedicated private parking.

Excellent condition, prime location.

Jim McGowan 703-927-0233

Mary Ann McGowan 540-270-1124

Brian McGowan 703-927-4070

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES Opening The Door To Horse Country For Generations

2 South Madison Street | PO Box 500 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | Office: 540-687-6500 | thomasandtalbot.com Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.

The Worst Test: Pretty Mischievous Wins Tragic Renewal of Grade 1 Test

Photo by Tod Marks

Jockey Joel Rosario warming up Maple Leaf Mel before the tragic Grade I, 2023 Test Stakes at Saratoga.

By Sean Clancy Editor’s Note: Middleburg horseman and journalist Sean Clancy was honored with a media Eclipse Award in January for his moving story about the tragic death of undefeated Thoroughbred Maple Leaf Mel at the finish of the Grade I Test Stakes at Saratoga last August 5, 2023. The piece first appeared in the Saratoga Special and is reprinted with permission.

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t made you turn away.

Strides before the wire in the Grade 1 Test Saturday afternoon at Saratoga, the undefeated Maple Leaf Mel had put away six rivals in the 3-year-old filly stakes, the feel-good story of all feelgood stories was about to crescendo when she bobbled, stumbled and fell strides before the wire. Spectators gasped that terrible gasp, the one heard so rarely, but so deeply.

It was over. Her race. Her life.

Maple Leaf Mel suffered a catastrophic fracture to her right front

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leg and was euthanized.

Pretty Mischievous inherited the win. Today’s Bayakoa. Today’s Foolish Pleasure.

The Godolphin team declined a winner’s circle photo, canceled a trophy presentation. There was nothing to celebrate, nothing to immortalize. Pretty Mischievous cantered back and stood on the track, a double-play toss from where Maple Leaf Mel was taking her final breaths behind a wavering brown screen. Every race has a winner, and every race has a loser, this one had nothing but the latter.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione pulled off his tack in an empty spot in front of the winner’s circle, trainer Brendan Walsh stared into oblivion, the now three-time Grade 1 stakes winning filly walked home. At least she was walking home.

Walsh and Gaffalione walked through the stunned clubhouse crowd toward the jocks’ room, the quietest Grade 1 aftermath. Ever.

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t think words can describe it. It feels like nothing,” Walsh said. “I just feel terrible for them. For the

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

filly. A champion like her, the way she ran. Nobody wants to win a race like that.”

Maple Leaf Mel had done it all, all the way. NFL great Bill Parcells had purchased her for $150,000 as a 2-year-old and named her after Melanie Giddings.

The longtime assistant to trainer Jeremiah Englehart had ridden the long racetrack journey from Canada to Churchill Downs to New York.

A daughter of Cross Traffic, Maple Leaf Mel won her first four starts for Englehart, blowing away New York-breds and winning the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico in May. When Giddings decided to go out on her own as a trainer, Parcells and Englehart didn’t hesitate, handing her her namesake. It was the chance of a lifetime.

Giddings won her first and second races on a June afternoon at Presque Isle Downs. Two maiden claimers. Her third win came 17 days later when Maple Leaf Mel dusted seven rivals with another frontrunning score in the Grade 3 Victory Ride at Belmont Park. This was going to be Giddings’ fourth win. In a Grade 1. At Saratoga.

What a story. And, oh yeah, Giddings was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian and endocervical cancer in 2020. After surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy, she kicked it into remission.

In a time when good stories seem harder and harder to come by, this was one for the ages.

“If I didn’t win the race, I genuinely wanted her to win it,” Walsh said. “She’s been around Churchill for years and I know what she’s been through. Just brutal.”

Valet Simon Harris uttered the same word as he walked back to the jocks’ room.

“The worst I’ve ever seen,” Harris said. “Brutal. Just brutal.”

Walsh walked behind the grandstand, through a still-stunned crowd, to his golf cart and headed back to the test barn. The 50-yearold Irishman searched for a reason, an answer, but knew they weren’t coming.

“You wonder sometimes,” Walsh said. “I cannot believe. I cannot believe it.”

Slowing to a stop at the edge of the test barn, Walsh saw his assistant, Charlie Lynch. They looked at each other for a moment, the shared disbelief of a game gone wrong.

“Is she all right, yeah?” Walsh asked Lynch.

“Yeah, she’s not tired,” Walsh said.

On the wash pad, Pretty Mischievous held her head high and stared across the perpendicular back of runner-up Clearly Unhinged.

“Her ears pricked, look at her,” Walsh said. “Just a little bit quick for her. I know we won’t be going sprinting again. Her class got her back up there.”

Got her back to what was meant to be a valiant second behind a gallant winner. Maple Leaf Mel and Joel Rosario had blitzed through a quarter-mile in :22.28, a half in :44.58 and three-quarters of a mile in 1:09.34. Pretty Mischievous stayed as close as she could but was way back in sixth turning for home. The Kentucky Oaks and Acorn winner plugged on through the stretch, widest of all and had picked up the pieces to be second.

“I’m getting to the wire, I’m happy my filly ran second,” Gaffalione said. “I’m thrilled for the people. Mel, she’s a nice girl. Coach Parcells, it would have been his first Grade 1. Two more strides. Just sad.”

Pretty Mischievous was no match for the winner. But in the end, the official winner by a head over Clearly Unhinged and Munny’s Gold.

“At the top, I didn’t think we were getting anything,” Lynch said.

“She’s tough,” Walsh said.

The results-based conversation didn’t last long.

“Can you believe that?” Walsh said. “You’d rather just get beat. For that to happen…”

“Awful,” Lynch said.

Trainer Dave Duggan walked around the back of the test barn and stopped at Walsh’s golf cart.

“Congrats, I suppose,” Duggan said.

“I know one thing. I’ll never win a Grade 1 again and feel as ——bad,” Walsh said. “It’s cruel. I’ve never seen anything like it. You couldn’t make it up. That poor girl. To go through what she’s gone through.”

Duggan shook his head.

“What racing wants and what racing needs, this ain’t it,” Duggan said. “This is a personal thing on a lot of levels.”

Walsh stared at Pretty Mischievous, innocently oblivious to her trainer’s pain, her sport’s suffering.

“At the end of the day, there’s a lot to be said for just when they come back safe,” Walsh said. “If something ever happened to her . . . I think I’d walk out the gate.”

Walsh turned the wheel of his golf cart and headed back to the track.

He had one in the last or he would have gone out the gate. Rolling down the horse path on the outside rail near the quarter pole, Walsh passed trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci, who shares Barn 69 on the Oklahoma with Giddings.

“I don’t know what to say, I want to congratulate you,” Kantarmaci said. “It’s heartbroken. It’s heartbroken.”

“I would have rather finish second and have that filly gallop out,” Walsh said.

Walsh passed hotwalker John Wayne Eastwood standing under the back stairwell at the far end of the grandstand.

“Tough game,” he said. “It’s a good game but sometimes it’s tough.”

It had never been tougher.

“Why does it have to happen to someone like that? It’s bad for it to happen to anyone but to her…” Walsh said.

Ricardo Santana Jr. pushed a baby stroller, three kids in and around it, past the Carousel.

“So sad, man,” the jockey said. “So sad.”

Walsh parked his golf cart and walked down a nearly empty path, past the food trucks and the Montauk beer stand, nobody was buying.

Walsh’s phone was silent, no congratulatory texts, no racehorse emojis.

“I have not gotten one message. Not from a member of my staff.

Nothing,” Walsh said. “Nobody feels anything.”

Walsh walked slowly, head down, still shaking in disbelief.

“It’s knocked the life out of the place. I came down here before, the place was buzzing, you could barely walk down here,” Walsh said. “You wouldn’t know what to think, would you? Sometimes it’ll make you hate it yourself.”

The field for the Saratoga Derby launched from the gate, the bell breaking the pall, a few diehard bettors gathered around the TV. One or two yelled out a number.

“What race is this?” Walsh asked.

He barely knew. Certainly, didn’t care.

Walsh walked up the stairs of the clubhouse, the second saddest trainer on the grounds.

Three hours later in the fading light of an awful day, Pretty Mischievous pushed a sweet-feed mix around a full feed tub in the front corner of her stall. Uninterested, she walked to the back of her stall and pulled a mouthful of hay from her rubber manger in the corner, stomped on it. She walked to the front of her stall and rested her head into the shoulder of a forlorn visitor.

Three barns and 167 steps from the Test winner, the straw was bedded deep and fluffed high in the fourth stall to the end. A Jolly Ball hung limply from a screw eye. Two rubber runners and a webbing were snapped in place across the stall. A turned-over feed tub hung from a post. A hoof pick, a brush, a pair of rundown patches laid on a wooden shelf. A pair of ice boots waited in a bucket; the ice melted in a pool at the bottom. The water still cold.

An empty stall. A lost star. A shattered dream.

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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HAUTE FABRICS

Let us transform your home

Tutti Caters to Fine Food and Music Lovers

By Leonard Shapiro

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t’s been just over 50 years since Tutti Perricone first set foot in a commercial kitchen and started bussing tables part time at the old L’Auberge restaurant in Middleburg when she was 14.

“Sally Guthrie was the owner, and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I enjoyed meeting people. I enjoyed working with the public. Just liked it right away.”

Over the next half century, that has rarely changed for this vivacious, multitalented woman who was born the youngest of six children at the old Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg. She grew up just outside of Middleburg and over the years has built a sterling reputation as the owner of one of the area’s most popular catering businesses.

After graduating from Loudoun County High School, she worked as a waitress and manager at the Red Fox for 11 years. She did the books and some cooking at the old Mosby’s Tavern and finally, with some help from her late parents, Charles and Jean Smith, opened her own restaurant and catering operation at the Back Street Cafe on Federal Street in 1986. After 25 years, she closed the popular restaurant and focused on catering starting in 2011.

These days, Back Street Catering does two or three events a week, ranging from small parties to the annual 250-guest extravaganza for members and landowners in a local hunt. She’ll do an occasional wedding, “but only for people I know.”

She’s also in the kitchen virtually every day at the Middleburg Charter Elementary, where she oversees preparing student lunches and also uses the kitchen to handle food preparation for her catering clients. Until it closed four years ago, she had a similar arrangement at Middleburg Academy.

Tutti’s culinary skills clearly come naturally. Her mother “was a great cook and a baker and would always help me do wedding cakes. In the beginning, it was pretty much trial and error. I would just try something, and it usually worked out.”

For many years, she also had some help from her late husband, Vince Perricone. a printer by trade but a man who loved to grill meat over an open fire and often tended bar at Tutti’s events until he passed away in 2019.

In addition to her culinary prowess, for years Tutti has entertained countless audiences with her magnificent voice and wideranging repertoire. She’s loved to sing most of her life and, like cooking, she’s mostly self-taught. She’s performed at every sort of event imaginable, did a boffo solo memorial concert at the Hill School in honor of Vince not long after he died and was a regular performer with the old Middleburg Players in many shows.

“I like all genres of music, but if I could pick one, it would probably be jazz,” she said. “My favorite role? The time I played Jewel in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” She was the housekeeper and I did a song called “24 Hours of Loving” that was definitely a show stopper.”

100 there’s also no stopping Tuttti These days, Perricone, save for a balky knee that may 95 soon need surgery. She loves what’s she’s doing, and75her clients always rave over her savory culinary creations.

“I always like to say I specialize in simple, well-prepared food,” she said. “I’d like to 25 think I can do anything, but just don’t ask me roast a5 whole pig on a stick. Somebody else can do that.”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

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… or f s u l n A oi j u e s th Ann a e l P 3 1 g ’s

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by AT The PARTICIPATING Middleburg Business & Professional Association CHECK Ou R FACEBOOK PAGE V1s1T MIDDLEBURG FOR UPDATES HTTPS://www.FACEBOOK.COM/M1DDLEBURG8USINESS

C H E C K OSponsored u R FACEBOOK PAGE Business V1s1T MIDDLEBURG FOR UPDATES by: The Middleburg & Professional Association

RENE LLEWELLYN A Legendary Fondness For All

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By Denis Cotter

ore than three decades have gone by since an indomitable English woman, Rene Llewellyn, (1906-1991) passed away. She lived in the Middleburg area from the time she arrived in the U.S. in 1945 and was a constant force for good in her adopted American home town.

Rene’s local charitable resume includes founding the Windy Hill Foundation that provides more than 300 affordable housing units for lower income families in Loudoun and Fauquier counties, starting the local chapter of FISH, which helps residents with financial problems pay essential bills for utilities, rent and much more, and helping found Seven Loaves that aids food insecure families.

Born in central London, Irene Eleanor Franks was the second child of Arthur and Florence Franks. She had a sister Iris, just 15 months older. Her father’s profession is listed on her baptismal certificate as “draper.”

When they were 19 and 20, respectively, Rene (pronounced Ree-Nee) and Iris were debutantes, presented at Court to King George V and Queen Mary in July, 1925. In 1929, Rene married Eric Burt, son of the managing director of an old established printing firm, Wyman and Sons.

Rene and Eric had one child in 1932, their son Kenneth. As a young mother, Rene threw herself into charitable work with her society hostess friends, many of them titled.

LEARN & GROW at the

Spend several days living and learning at Bunny Mellon’s Oak Spring! Applications for our first 2024 residential short courses are now open: Reading the Landscape Monday, May 6th - Friday, May 10th, 2024 Great English Estates & Landscapes Monday, June 24th - Friday, June 28th, 2024 Paper Making Monday, August 19th - Friday, August 23rd, 2024

Learn more about these and other upcoming short courses at www.osgf.org/short-courses or by scanning this QR code.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Throughout the 1930s, she was chair of a committee that held a Children’s Garden Party every June to raise funds for the maternity clinic at the Royal Free Hospital in London. It was sponsored by the Duchess of York, who went on to become Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) after the abdication of Edward VIII. When World War II broke out, Rene and her son were evacuated to the Isle of Wight. After being dive-bombed by the German Luftwaffe while she was outside hanging up laundry, they moved to Dorset, where Rene volunteered to drive vans to transport people.

She and Eric eventually divorced and Rene met U.S. Army Colonel Paul Llewellyn, who was stationed in Britain. Twenty years older, he had served in World War I and was president of the Interstate Iron and Steel Corporation of Chicago, which he sold in 1930.

He owned a 500-acre farm in Rectortown named “Pen-Y-Bryn” (Welsh for “Hilltop”).

They married in January, 1945 in Leafield, Oxfordshire, 75 miles northwest of London. On V-E Day, May 8, 1945, Paul, his war-bride Rene, and Ken set sail on the SS Marine Fox from Southampton to New York, a troop transport ship.

The family settled at Pen-Y-Bryn and again, Rene became involved in charitable work. She was secretary of the ladies guild at her local church, organizing horse shows, children’s carnivals, and a fashion show at the Middleburg Community Center.

In 1955, Paul died of a heart attack. Needing to work until his estate was settled, Rene contacted Charlotte Noland at Foxcroft, who invited her to become the school librarian. When Rene protested

that she knew nothing about being a librarian, Miss Noland remarked “You can learn, can’t you?”

Rene eventually sold Pen-Y-Bryn and purchased a stone cottage on Benton Farm on Snake Hill Road. From 1962 to 1972, Rene served as secretary of the Middleburg Hunt.

She also changed parishes, disagreeing with a decision to install airconditioning. She thought the money should go to the poor.

With her friend, Nancy Manierre, Rene organized a training program for men and women to become religious educators and was elected to the board of the Episcopalian Diocese of Virginia.

In 1970, inspired by the FISH movement that began in England, Rene established Middleburg FISH, a group of over 40 volunteers who operated

a phone help line and provided a variety of services.

Middleburg FISH continues to this day, fulfilling its motto “For Instant Sympathetic Help.”

In the late 1970s, Rene became aware of the deteriorating conditions of many homes on Windy Hill Lane in Middleburg. No running water, no inside toilets, dirt floors, unheated buildings. When she brought a friend over to see it, the woman wrote a check for $10,000 on the spot.

Rene promptly headed to Leesburg and met with a young housing administrator, Sandy Shopes who became her lifelong friend. It was the beginning of the Windy Hill Foundation, which went on to fully rehabilitate the area and develop other affordable dwelling units over the decades. In 1995, Llewellyn Village Apartments, a 16-unit building, was opened at Windy Hill in Rene’s honor.

Rene eventually moved to the WestminsterCanterbury retirement community in Winchester and promptly began organizing a bridge group and interesting her companions in supporting philanthropic efforts. It was a fitting conclusion for a life very well lived.

Sandy Shopes recalled Rene as a deeply religious person. Others speak of her compassion, her energy, her fearlessness, her high expectations of everyone she met with, her sense of humor, her sense of obligation to do the right thing for those less fortunate.

As Bob Dale, former executive director of the Windy Hill Foundation said, “She had a fondness for all.”

Rene and Paul are buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery, Upperville.

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

9

Rural Landowners Manual: Conservation Depends on All

O

By John E. Ross

ur landscape, now tawny but soon to be green, laps gently like a terrestrial sea against the Bull Run Mountains in the east and the Blue Ridge in the west.

Approach it from Mt. Zion Church or Ashby Gap, and the countryside unfolds, a tableau of fields and pastures veined by clear-running streams and punctuated here and there by woodlands.

Drive its back roads, many of them gravel and lined by stone walls. Absorb its pastoral tranquility. Feel the day’s tensions melt from our shoulders. That’s the gift bequeathed us by four generations of families who chose this countryside because it was then and is now the antithesis of and antidote for most urban ills.

“We are all here because we care about the same things,” said Robert Bonnie, the emcee for an event marking the recent release of the “Rural Landowner Manual” at the Middleburg Community Center.

Bonnie, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, reminded the audience that, like politics, “All conservation is local.”

The new manual is “the first-of its kind collaboration to speak with one voice to preserve our communities and their rural heritage,” said Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton in opening the presentation.

Led by Dulany Morison, chair of PFH Conservation Fund, the manual is the product of an intensive yearlong collaboration among eight regional conservation nonprofits. It lays out specific steps in three sections – Your Home, Your Land, and Your Piedmont Countryside – to ensure that the area’s bucolic countryside is conserved for future generations.

According to the manual, whether a home rests on large acreage or a small village plot, its occupants can reduce energy consumption, landscape with native plants, preserve the historic character of the house and related structures, engage in smart waste management and pest control, and design outdoor lighting for both safety and preservation of stunning starry night vistas.

The manual encourages current and new landowners to place their property under conservation easement.

In so doing, owners avail themselves of a portfolio of tax benefits while preserving their conservation values and contributing to the protection of the northern Piedmont landscape.

Owners of large tracts can curate their property by implementing best practices for hay, crop, livestock, and forest agriculture; ensuring habitat for native grasses and birds and animals that thrive on them; and managing septic systems and stormwater runoff to limit stream and groundwater pollution.

Preserving the Piedmont countryside depends on civic engagement of landowners and tenants.

The manual urges one and all to be active advocates for wise conservation practices and policies for our neighborhoods, our villages and towns, our counties, our state, and our country.

In his book, “A Welcome to Middleburg and the Hunt Country,” the late Charlie Whitehouse wrote years ago that the region’s aggressive and capably led conservation organizations “always need new recruits.

Join them. Their foes (ill-conceived and unchecked development) are worthy of your steel!” Day by day, his

urging becomes more and more critical.

More than a well-reasoned discourse on crucial steps needed to conserve the hunt country’s myriad natural assets, the manual offers a detailed blueprint for specific resources that residents should consider.

Under each of the three sections, the manual describes programs, their benefits, and how to access them via website, email, postal and physical address, and phone.

In addition, it contains similar contact information for the area’s wide range of conservation nonprofits.

Morison led the team of representatives from eight conservation organizations that prepared the manual (see sidebar). He served as editor, with assistant editor Sophie Langenberg, an executive with the Land Trust of Virginia, having a significant editing and writing role.

Each nonprofit contributed $2,500 to underwrite

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Photo by Doug Gehlsen, Middleburg Photo.

Dulany Morison, Sophie Langenberg, Steve Price, Chris Miller, Kevin Ramundo, Madeline Skinner, Lori McGuinness and Rae Stone with Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton at the release of the “Rural Landowner Manual.”

The Rural Landowners Manual was prepared by conservation organizations represented by the following leaders: Dulany Morison, the manual’s editor and PFH Conservation Fund Chair; Sophie Langenberg, the manual’s assistant editor and Communications & Education Manager Land Trust of Virginia; Lori McGuinness, Goose Creek Association Co-Chair, Fauquier County; Chris Miller, Piedmont Environmental Council President; Steve Price, Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Chair; Kevin Ramundo, Citizens For Fauquier County President; Madeline Skinner, Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition Executive Committee Member; and Rae Stone, OCH Conservation Foundation President. costs of production and distribution. In addition to being available online, printed copies are being distributed to newcomers to the area and are available to current residents as well through realtors, townships, and sponsor organizations.

To track the manual’s impact, Morison said the team preparing it is asking organizations sponsoring and listed in its pages to record whether there’s been a spike in contacts following the recent release. In addition, hits and comments on the manual’s website are being monitored. And the steering committee will meet periodically to discuss feedback with the goal of providing annual on-line updates and a possible revision in three to five years.

To download the Rural Landowners Manual: https:// pfhconservationfund.org.

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By Leonard Shapiro

t’s going to be a very happy new year for the several dozen administrators, police officers, council members and staffers for the Town of Middleburg, with many more decades of joy surely to follow. There’s a gleaming new town hall to celebrate these days, and well into the future, as well.

The move to a gorgeous new, expansive building just behind the now demolished old Photos by Leonard Shapiro edifice on Marshall Street officially occurred A sign of the new times. this past Oct. 26. And please pardon anyone inside sitting behind a desk, talking on the phone, working at the copying machine or even utilizing its mini-workout room from smiling ear to ear.

That’s what happens with a move from a cramped 60-year-old, 3,200-square-foot structure to a relative palace covering 11,500 square feet, with room for 47 parking spaces right out the front door. There’s a threehour parking limit during the day, with no restrictions at night or on the weekends.

Serious planning for the new building began in 2017, with several other sites considered before the current location was determined Middleburg Mayor Bridge in 2020, with Salamander Resort donating a portion of the 1.2-acre lot. Construction bids Littleton in the spacious Town Council chamber. were due in late 2021, with work beginning in February, 2022.

In the old building, three staff members had to navigate a tricky spiral staircase to access their second-floor work space. Said Town Administrator Danny Davis, “It’s a miracle no one ever fell down those stairs.”

No miracles were necessary to make the new Town Hall happen. The $12.5 million project has been financed with general obligation bonds, federal and county grants and a reasonable 20-year fixed rate debt service that Davis said, “We can afford with no concerns.”

In return, there are countless benefits affecting everyone working inside the spacious building, not to mention the town’s 700-plus residents.

Consider Middleburg’s six-person police Town Manager Danny Davis in force under Chief Shaun Jones. his new office.

Until October, they occupied separate offices on Federal Street across town. Now, they’re under the same roof with all the other town employees, with an improved evidence and meeting rooms and storage facilities.

Consider the airy Town Council chamber, with plenty more space to accommodate an audience of about 50. And just outside the door, there’s a spillover area allowing even more folks to view the proceedings on mounted closed circuit TVs. “We can accommodate much larger pubic meetings,” Davis said. “If it’s a huge meeting and we do need more space, we can still use the American Legion or the Community Center. But I’d say 98 percent of our proceedings can be accommodated right here in a room that’s just the right size to meet most of our needs.”

The new building also has a powerful back-up generator system, making it what Davis added is “a pubic safety facility, too. Say there’s a major winter storm and a loss of power in the town. People can come here and have power, heat and water. It’s a win-win for everyone.

“The building already meets and exceeds what we were hoping for in terms of serving the community,” Davis said. “It helps us be more effective in our jobs. We have more space to serve the public while at the same time functioning without being on top of each other. It makes a big difference.”

And definitely a very happy new year, with many more to come.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

For Porcha Dodson, It All Began at Hill

Luvuyo Madasa, Porcha Dodson and rapper Big Sean, who helps support Project Knapsack.

Students in Johannesburg, South Africa were Project Knapsack beneficiaries.

By Leonard Shapiro

W

hen Porcha Dodson looks back at her early life and education, there’s no doubt in her mind about the one place that made all the difference in helping to form the confident, productive and philanthropic woman she’s become.

That would be Middleburg’s Hill School, where Dodson was enrolled in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, one of a handful of African American students in attendance 30 years ago and a smart, talented and beloved member of the Hill community back then and still now.

“Of all the schools I’ve ever been to, Hill was the best,” she said recently. “It was rigorous educationally, something I really hadn’t been exposed to before I got there. And I made so many friends there, friends for life—teachers and students.”

One of them was Tom Northrup, the long-time head of school while she was a student, and a great friend to this day.

“As one of the few African-Americans, my mom was a little concerned about that,” she said. “And he handled me with such love and care. Everyone there was so good to me, made me feel like I’d been there since kindergarten. And he continues to be a mentor.

I always consult with him first on any big decisions.

It’s one of the reasons I came back to Middleburg. So many people had invested in me as a young adult, and it’s something you never forget.”

Said Northrup, “I’ve known Porcha since the early 1990s when she enrolled as a middle school student at Hill. It’s been inspiring for me to observe her growth as a young woman who has become a

citizen of the world….Perhaps what I admire most about Porcha is her generous heart; she accepts, respects, and tries to understand everyone. She’s a bridge-builder. We need more people to learn from and follow her example.”

Dodson graduated from Loudoun County High School in 1997, then earned a degree at the Shenandoah University Music Conservatory with a double major in vocal performance (she sang opera) and arts management.

At age 23, she went west to Los Angeles to pursue what she thought might even be a career in acting or singing and stayed there for twenty years. While it did not work out on the performance front, that arts management major clearly paid off.

Needing a job, Dodson initially started as a teaching assistant at LA’s Curtis School, a kindergarten through sixth grade independent school on Mulholland Drive that attracted an upscale clientele. She ended up as a fundraiser and head of diversity and inclusion there, then spent ten years doing more of the same for UCLA’s Department of Neurosurgery.

While at Curtis, she implemented another principal she said first became ingrained at Hill— the importance of giving back. With the legal and financial help from several school families, she formed a nonprofit charity called “Project Knapsack” that sends knapsacks filled with school supplies to students in a half dozen African nations, along with a significant pen pal component.

One of her friends at Shenandoah, Jamal Atkins, was also a good friend of Luvuyo Madasa, the great-grandson of iconic South African leader Nelson Mandela. Both young men were enamored

with basketball, and Jamal moved to Africa to help advance the sport. Luvuyo also became involved with Project Knapsack, and since its formation in 2008, more than 40,000 have been distributed in the United States and throughout the continent of Africa.

The Mandela connection also has led to Dodson being a co-producer for Mandela, a musical based on Nelson Mandela’s life that is scheduled to debut on Broadway in 2025. The production debuted at the Young Vic in London in late December of 2022. She was a major fundraising force in helping finance the project, and these days she’s also doing the same line of work at Episcopal High School in Alexandria.

A Hill School connection helped her get that job when she moved back to Middleburg in 2020.

When Dodson applied for a job at Episcopal, she noticed the name DeButts on the staff directory.

She asked her friend, Dorsey DeButts, a long-time Hill administrator, if she happened to know him.

Turned out it was Dorsey’s uncle, and after a few kind words on her behalf, Dodson got the job. She’s now the school’s associate director of annual giving and parent programs.

Porcha was raised by her grandparents, Roger and Frances Dodson. Her late and beloved grandfather, Roger Dodson, was a well-known horseman and widely-admired 40-year plus employee of the late Maggie Bryant. Dodson also has great regard for her, adding that, “I would not be where I am today without her.”

And the future?

“I’d love to win a Tony Award for Mandela,” she said.

Why not? For this force of nature, the possibilities have always been endless.

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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By Laura Longley

ust east of Leesburg near the crossroads of busy Route 7 and Belmont Ridge Parkway are two cemeteries. One occupies a prominent place near an imposing Federal mansion, built in 1799, which now serves as the Manor House of Belmont Country Club. Enclosed within its brick walls is the grave of the home’s first owner, Ludwell Lee, whose father, Richard Henry Lee, signed the Declaration of Independence.

Farther afield, in a woodland on the remote, northernmost edge of the original, 400-acre Lee plantation, is the second cemetery. Here on 2.75 acres are the graves of 44 enslaved Pastor Michelle Thomas speaks persons, representing but a few of the African with a group of Loudoun County Americans owned by the Lee family in the students about the Belmont period before the Civil War. The 1810 census, Cemetery for enslaved people. for example, shows they owned 69 individuals.

This cemetery for the enslaved lay untended for decades after 1865, even though its existence had been recorded by the county in the 1850s. Indeed, it had gone unnoticed until 2015 when Michelle Thomas, an electrical engineer with a calling to preach and in search of a site for her new, nondenominational church, stumbled upon the small overgrown parcel.

The owner, Toll Brothers, was preparing to develop the entire property into a gated golf community. Protecting the burial ground meant acquiring it, Thomas realized.

Anyone who has ever met Pastor Michelle Thomas knows that nothing will stand in her way. Just dealing with the county would mean navigating the planning and development departments and convincing the county attorney, historic preservationists, the Loudoun Heritage Commission, and the Board of Supervisors that hers was the right course of action.

There also was the small matter of who would take ownership and responsibility for the cemetery. Fortunately, by 2017, Pastor Michelle had launched the Loudoun Freedom Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to African American heritage that could serve as the cemetery’s trustee.

Once the transaction was finalized and the burial ground rededicated, the Loudoun Freedom Center was ready to move forward with plans for walking paths and educational programs.

Then the unimaginable happened. On a lovely spring day in June 2020, Michelle Thomas’s middle child, 16-year-old Fitz Alexander Campbell Thomas, drowned while swimming in Goose Creek near the Potomac River. Pastor Michelle decided to lay him to rest in the Belmont burial grounds that had been entrusted to her Freedom Center. Fitz, she said, would be “the first African American person who was born free to be buried in this cemetery.”

He won’t be the last. In the process of obtaining permission from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to restore those hallowed grounds to active use, she and her husband arranged to be buried there as well, beside their son.

Around the same time Thomas began exploring the transfer of the Belmont burial ground to the Loudoun Freedom Center, another African American cemetery came to her attention. Located near Leesburg Executive Airport, the historic Sycolin Community Cemetery had been uncovered on a lunch-hour walk by historian Jim Koenig.

Koenig alerted Thomas to the cemetery’s existence. Because the town had purchased the land with federal grant funding, FAA approval was needed, complicating what seemed like a simple transaction. Ultimately, it took Thomas four years to complete the transfer.

Visions for both historic cemeteries began taking shape in the summer of ’21 when two Virginia Tech students in the university’s landscape architecture program dedicated themselves to the creation of master plans.

The students, Jacob Morris and Megan Lester, presented their concepts to Thomas and representatives of Loudoun County, the Town of Leesburg, and Toll Brothers in a virtual presentation to enthusiastic approval. The plans for both cemeteries incorporate scatter gardens for spreading cremains, columbaria, or cremation walls, and space for new burials.

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15

Ethel Rae Stewart Smith, The Teacher Who Asked For Coal

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By Pat Reilly

anuary of 1956 was particularly cold and Willisville elementary teacher Ethel Rae Stewart, 28, could see that the coal bin for the stove in the two-room schoolhouse would be down to just coal dirt in a few weeks.

In the meticulous hand of a teacher, she wrote Loudoun school superintendent Oscar Emerick asking him to “send some coal up right away,” pointing out that, “dirt doesn’t half burn.”

More than 60 years later, that letter has inspired a book, “Dirt Don’t Burn” (2023), by historians and preservationists Larry Roeder and Barry Harrelson, whose Edwin Washington Society found it among abandoned papers in Leesburg. The Society is a volunteer effort documenting the inequities in education in the county preceding the belated integration of schools in 1968 and the efforts of the Black community to get more resources.

The teacher, now Mrs. Smith, 96, and still living in Willisville, wonders about all the fuss. She never considered her letter bold or heroic, just part of caring for students. She knew the superintendent; he had hired her in 1950. An avowed segregationist, Emerick, in office since 1917, told her there was only one job available, even if she did graduate with a BA from Storer College in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

The Bull Run (Colored) School southeast of Aldie was a one-room schoolhouse with 61 students in seven grades. She remembers him telling her, “If you need anything, just write and let me know.”

Her mother drove her to school and picked her up.

Her stepfather, Colonel Brooks, was one of the best steeplechase jockeys in the nation. Transportation was in the family.

Born in Purcellville in 1927, she and her family soon moved closer to her grandmother in Willisville,

Ethel is the pretty young teacher on the left side of photo, third from left, front row, of Loudoun teachers. near Upperville, where generations of her family had lived. The two-room school she attended was across the street from her house. She later went to Douglass High School, the hard-won first Black high school in Loudoun, graduating in 1946.

Storer College was the only one to admit Black students in West Virginia and was open to men and women. Stewart liked to cook and sew and wanted to pursue Home Economics, but she recalls being advised early on to set her sights elsewhere because Home Economics positions went to white teachers.

Her experience confirmed the advice.

After a year at Bull Run, she took an opening in Willisville. In 1954, Ethel Stewart married Nathan William Smith of Middleburg. They started a family.

She learned to drive. Smith would teach at Willisville for eight years, until the building was sold.

She taught at Round Hill Elementary for one year, bringing the older of her four children with her, though not to her classes. Smith remembers being paid $99 a month and states matter-of-factly that “the white group got more.”

In 1962, Smith had a contract to teach at Banneker in the historically Black community of St. Louis.

Her salary was “$5,300 for the session of 10 months,” according to their website. She spent the rest of her

Photo by Pat Reilly

Ethel Rae Stewart Smith career there, teaching various grades, her favorite being third.

“I liked the age,” she said. She retired in 1985.

Asked about teaching white children for the first time after Virginia schools were fully integrated, she said, “It wasn’t too much different. They all treated me the same way. I didn’t have any problems with them in 14 years.”

Even with strangers today, she prefers a hug to a handshake.

Sitting amid her many mementoes, including a piano given to her by William Nathaniel Hall, cards from former students, photos of her children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, she said of her career, “I went along with the flow. I knew, don’t cause trouble.”

“Dirt Don’t Burn: A Black Community’s Struggle for Educational Equality Under Segregation” is available at Middleburg Books

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Nancy Bedford and a New Museum in Middleburg is an extension of her family’s history in the area. Members of the ancy Bedford has been Harriman and Gerry families came involved with the Museum from Orange County in New York of Hounds & Hunting and helped establish the Orange North America (MHHNA) County Hunt in The Plains in 1905. since its founding in 1985. She’s now the Her grandfather, Robert L. Gerry, board chair, and the museum at Morven was Master of Orange County Hunt Park is expanding to include the historic shortly thereafter.

Duffy House in Middleburg.

Later in life, while married to A long-time Middleburg area Bryan M. Benitz, Nancy lived north resident, Nancy has always had a of Toronto, where she owned and passion for horses, equestrian sports, managed several farms. She and her history, and tradition, and she’s children, Cynthia and Bryan, hunted tireless in her desire to promote the with the Toronto North York Hunt.

Nancy Bedford museum’s mission and reach.

She had a herd of Hereford cattle, and “We’re excited to expand the museum to bred Welsh ponies, thoroughbreds, sheep, and Jack Middleburg and its opening is scheduled for March Russell Terriers. For several years, she ran a girls’ 1st,” Nancy said. “Our goal is to educate people show pony camp. about the history of foxhunting as part of North According to Cynthia and Bryan, their adventures America’s cultural heritage and the importance of were many: foxhunting, showing ponies, playing land conservation. This historic, centrally located Cowboys and Indians on horseback, swimming with location will also allow us to have a retail component ponies in their pond, and more. and offer events to engage people.”

Nancy has always had an eye for beauty in horses.

As a member of the Gerry family, Nancy was She imported Welsh A and B ponies from England to raised with horses and explored Old Westbury, Canada and bred larger ponies for children to hunt and Long Island, on horseback with her best friend, show. Her ponies had excellent blood lines that were Mimi Abel-Smith. She graduated from Foxcroft sought after throughout North America. Those blood School where she participated in equestrian events lines from her Findeln Stud are still in existence; and foxhunting. She cherishes memories of Miss some ponies can still be found in the Piedmont region Charlotte Noland, founder and head of school, and and have been super mounts in various hunts. the Middleburg countryside she saw on horseback.

Fast forward, to her return to the Middleburg Nancy’s love of hunting and the Piedmont region area. When she and the late Erskine Bedford were

By Catherine Parris Kerkam

N

18

introduced by Mimi Abel-Smith, it was love at first sight and they were married at Confederate Hall. With her love of historic homes and design, she whipped Old Welbourne farm into shape. She also embraced her four new stepchildren: Muffy, Daphne, Dean and Cricket. Today, they love her for it.

Nancy was thrilled to be back in Virginia hunt country where she reconnected with cherished friends, hosted hunt breakfasts at Old Welbourne, and supported the traditional way of hunt country life. Like her grandparents, her equestrian passions found an outlet in carriage driving. She drove and competed with both pairs and 4-in-hand Welsh ponies.

She’s enamored with the discipline of the sport and tradition of dress, all harkening back to her grandparents, including her grandmother, Cornelia Harriman, who drove a 4-in-hand in New York City. Nancy is a founder and past chairman of the Piedmont Driving Club. Today, her lovely old carriage lanterns and harness grace the walls of her log dining room.

In 1985, Erskine L. Bedford, Field Master of the Piedmont Hunt, Dr. Joseph M. Rodgers, Master of Loudoun Fairfax Hunt, and Arthur McCashin founded the MHHNA, recognizing the need to preserve the history and culture of foxhunting and land conservation in hunt country.

The museum continues to have a beautiful home at Morven Park and now also in Middleburg honoring the legacy of its founders. Nancy continues to promote the museum’s art and artifacts reflective of the traditions of hunting-to-hounds.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Good Fences Make Good Business Sense

M

By Peyton Tochterman

iddleburg is c e l e b r at e d for its scenic v i s t a s , rolling horse farms, and vibrant community. The picturesque village also is home to All About Fences, LLC, a burgeoning familyowned enterprise swiftly gaining recognition for its expertise in fence design and construction.

Situated on Washington Street, the company is headed by Baron Buckner, a Loudoun County native.

With his team boasting over 75 years of combined experience, All About Fences has emerged as a trusted local entity in the realm of fencing.

All About Fences is all about George Millar, K.C. Buckner’s mentor, and Colwell and Baron Buckner. previous owner of the company, K.C. Colwell, is still on staff, and they share a common philosophy: business is about taking care of people.

“I call every client and touch base, a year after our job is complete, to make sure they are still satisfied with our work,” Buckner aid. “And they have been.”

The company’s foundation rests on family values and a commitment to local service. By tuning into the specific needs of each client, All About Fences has elevated its profile. The firm adeptly handles diverse projects, from providing privacy for backyards to securing pools and safeguarding livestock on farms with tailored fencing solutions. Their bespoke approach has garnered acclaim for its quality and ingenuity.

At its core, All About Fences prioritizes high-quality materials like wood, vinyl, and aluminum, ensuring both durability and aesthetic appeal in their projects.

However, their ability to adhere to tight deadlines without sacrificing quality truly distinguishes them.

Buckner emphasized the importance of material quality and customer service. “Our focus is on creating lifelong customers through high-quality work, exceptional customer service, and competitive pricing,” he said.

Brittany Nzo, a satisfied local customer, said, “They did an amazing job building a huge fence to protect my garden and orchard from deer and digging pests. They were fast, the work was seriously high quality, and Baron was polite and honest.

The company’s footprint spans across various counties in Virginia and West Virginia, showcasing versatility and an acute ability to adapt their services to both rural and urban settings. “Whether it’s hundreds of acres of horse fencing or a quaint picket fence in downtown Purcellville, our goal is to enhance properties, aligning with our clients’ vision,” Buckner adds.

All About Fences’ expertise ranges from practical garden fences and chicken coops to more elaborate designs like horse fences. They also cater to suburban needs with backyard fences, pool enclosures, and family playgrounds.

A significant aspect of their success lies in their meticulous adherence to local regulations, including securing approvals from Homeowners Associations (HOAs). This diligence in regulatory compliance has further solidified their reputation as a reliable and conscientious provider.

In a region where community ties and local reputation are paramount, All About Fences, LLC, stands out as a beacon of quality and dependability.

“Large enough to serve, small enough to care,” is Buckner’s motto. As the company expands and forges new connections, its narrative transcends mere fence building. It is a story of fostering security, trust, and community, one fence post at a time.

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Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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A Helping House Hunting Hand Always Pays Off

D

By Tim Burch

espite the recent cold and snowy weather, the spring real estate season will be here before we know it.

Unfortunately, many new buyers are disappointed after purchasing when they discover limitations that thwart their plans to remodel. Perhaps there are Homeowner Association property restrictions, structural limitations or estimated remodeling costs that are more than anticipated. A BOWA Purchase Consultation is a good way to evaluate your options.

We often find ourselves helping house Tim Burch hunters decide whether to stay in their existing home and remodel or buy something new and remodel. The answer isn’t always black and white and often requires a thorough review of the pros, cons, and costs (obvious and hidden) associated with each situation.

The review usually starts with, “Why?” What’s not working in your current home that has you considering a change? While remodeling can address many challenges, it obviously can’t help with things like wanting more property or reducing a commute.

Your decision may also factor in costs for deferred maintenance required before moving, social and emotional ties, a discussion on “over-investing” and much more.

When purchasing with the intent to remodel, most find it helpful to have a clear understanding of costs and feasibility before making an offer. While industry research can provide ballpark estimates for straightforward projects like pull-and-replace kitchens, it’s always best to get specific costs for our market and to confirm there are no extenuating circumstances with a local professional.

If you’re considering a more complicated project, such as reconfiguring the space, addressing repairs, updating systems or adding on, you’ll definitely benefit from speaking with a local expert in advance. While anyone would hate to be the bearer of bad news when something is not possible or costs significantly more than expected, you’re certainly better off knowing this information before the purchase is complete.

Transforming a house into a home can be a significant investment of time and money. If needed, we can talk through your priorities and develop a phased renovation plan that addresses the most important items first. If you’re renovating a new purchase, we can help you decide which renovations need to be made before you move into the home and which ones can wait until after.

With the big picture in mind, we can likely find efficiencies for future phases and avoid rework.

And if you’re considering buying a home, we would welcome the opportunity to help you with a thorough remodeling analysis. With reliable information in hand, you can feel confident that you’re making the right decision for your family and budget.

Tim Burch is a vice president and owner of BOWA, an award-winning design and construction firm specializing in luxury renovations ranging from kitchens and primary suites to whole-house remodels, equestrian facilities, and custom-crafted homes. For more information, visit bowa.com.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

21

LOANS FOR: Homes and construction Livestock Barns and outbuildings Fences and roads And much more!

Horse Sports and Conservation

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T

By Grenville P. Benson

he Piedmont Fox Hounds Conservation Fund (PFHCF) and the Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) recently hosted a forum on the important topic of land conservation at the National Sporting Library and Museum to raise awareness of potential long-term threats. The event brought together landowners, equestrians and supporters as well as others who share an increasing concern for the future of the countryside.

This northern Piedmont region has been known as the epicenter for many equestrian related sports since the 1800s. Many are involved in all categories and levels of horse related activities, from racing, showing, fox chasing and riding cross country. As rolling fields are morphed into cul-de-sacs and McMansions, it’s simple to ask: How could there be any hope?

“The answer is simple--conservation easements” said Dulany Morison, chairman of Piedmont Fox Hounds Conservation Fund (PFHCF). Morison set the stage with a brief history of the conservation movement in the area, celebrating the early leadership of the late Bunny and Paul Mellon, who set the standard for responsible land stewardship. Their legacy, and that of many others, continues to inspire other landowners to protect their properties.

Today, there are over 170,000 acres under easement here in the heart of horse country, with one of the highest concentrations of easements in the U.S. Add to this the aesthetics of riding through open space for all ages and levels of equestrians.

“Riders of every experience level are able to enjoy this breathtaking scene and reap the benefits of riding through natural wilderness,” Morison said. “The landscape is the foundation of our culture, and our rural way of life depends on its preservation.”

Fauquier Livestock Exchange does not guarantee any items sold. Not responsible for accidents.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Riders with the PFH Conservation Fund on a cross country trail ride, which illustrates the principals of land conservation.

Photo by Doug Gehlsen Middleburg Photo

He ended his remarks on a positive note, highlighting the many funds available to assist landowners with the upfront and transactional costs of protecting their property with an easement. He also identified several easement holders operating locally, noting that many are equipped to highly customize easements to meet individual landowner needs.

“Financial concerns should no longer prevent a landowner from pursuing an easement here in this countryside,” he concluded. “There is an answer for everyone.”

Since the forum took place LTV Executive Director Ashton Cole has said that while the easement process is fairly involved, it should not deter anyone from moving forward. LTV, as well as other easement holders, have dedicated staff who take the time needed to move at the pace that best suits the landowner, and can provide plenty of advice along the way.

He also highlighted the financial incentives for placing property under conservation easements, pointing out that “state tax credits can be used at full value, or sold for cash at 85-90 cents on the dollar while federal tax credits can be used as a dollar-for-dollar write-off over 15 years.” The value of easement donations, and the associated tax benefits, are substantial in the Piedmont region because of the high value of real estate in the area.

The forum concluded with a review of the impact excessive development has had in the region, including the Fairfax, Loudoun, and Casanova territories, but also its negative impact at the community level.

Morison cited the words of the late Paul Mellon from his 1992 book, “Reflections in a Silver Spoon”.

“Trying to restrain the hand of the developer may seem like a losing battle,” he wrote, “but it is one aspect of a struggle that we must continue with if we care at all about the sort of world our children and grandchildren will inherit.”

“Easements benefit all of us,” Morison said. “There’s a reason this area attracts all walks of life. This is a uniquely special part of the world, surrounded by layers of history, stunning beauty, agriculture, recreation, and, of course, the best foxhunting in the country.”

In response to a question on how to begin the easement process, Morison stated with some resolve, “I am your first call. I will make sure you get connected to the appropriate parties and that you are fully versed on all the options and financial support available.”

Join us April 20th for the Middleburg Spring Races

Photo Courtesy of Middleburg Photo

Race Day Schedule: 10am – Gates Open 11:30am – Stick Pony Races 1pm – First Race

Get your tickets today!

Visit: Middleburgspringraces.com or call 540-687-6545

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

23

Discover What Makes Us Experts at Educating Girls

Down Virginia Way

By Nina Carter Tabb

M

rs. George Carter of Alexandria, Va. announced the engagement of her daughter, Anne Cliffe Carter, to Peter Knowles of Washington, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William H. Knowles of Pensacola, Fl.

Miss Carter is the daughter of the late George Carter of The Plains, Va. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Tidball Carter of The Plains, and of the late Judge and Mrs. John Hannum of Chester, Pa. No date has been set for the wedding.

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Cox left their home, Mount Rose in The Plains, the past week for Lexington, Ky. where they will spend the winter, and where Mr. Cox has accepted a position.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hill Jones have closed their Virginia home, Rock Hedge near Bluemont, and with their son, Charles Hill, Jones, Jr., have returned to their home in New York for the winter. Mr. and Mrs. Jones will come back to Rock Hedge later in the fall for a visit.

CONTACT ADMISSIONS TODAY 540.687.4340 | admission@foxcroft.org

Mrs. Mary Cary Walker Dudley and her young son, Thomas U. Dudley III of Richmond, have been spending several days in Middleburg with Mrs. Rosalie Montague Littleton. Mrs. Littleton and Mrs. Dudley were out long before daylight on Saturday to go cub hunting with the Middleburg Hunt, when they met near Middleburg for an early morning of sport.

Mrs. John A. C. Keith of Warrenton has been visiting her sister, Mrs. B. Lauristen Hardin, in Washington, and left this weekend for Plainfield, N.J. to spend some time with her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Francis P. Day. Colonel and Mrs. George Wertenbaker of Washington have taken a house at Waterford, Va. and moved into their new home the past week with their little daughter, Elizabeth.

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ADMISSION

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Mrs. Helen Lipscomb Henderson and her son, Joe Henderson, have arrived in Virginia from Clearwater Fl., where they have been on a visit. They are staying with her father and brother, William, H. Lipscomb and Ross Lipscomb, at their home, Raspberry Plain in Leesburg.

Mrs. McNeile Moffett and her son, Billy Moffett of Washington, were the houseguests of Mrs. Henderson for several days at Raspberry Plane this week.

Friday, April 26 | 9am

A boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12 & post-grad

Mrs. Robert Barton, Jr. and her daughter, Miss Edith Barton of Richmond, came to Washington to attend the MacCracken-Whitten wedding. From there they came to Winchester to stay with Mrs. Robert Barton, Jr. for the weekend.

They both attended attended a dinner party Saturday evening at the River House on the Shenandoah River hosted by William H. Lipscomb of Leesburg.

www.foxcroft.org | admission@foxcroft.org | 540.687.4340 22407 Foxhound Lane, Middleburg, VA 20117

Foxcroft School near Middleburg opened for the season Monday with 100 young women enrolled.

Reprinted with permission from The Washington Post, Sept. 28, 1947

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

In Ashburn, They Never Skate on Thin Ice

T

By Joe Motheral

he Ashburn Ice House has been gliding along for 25 years, a popular destination for one and all, and as one patron recently described it, “a playground on ice.”

There are two indoor ice rinks—the East and West— sized according to professional ice hockey standards. They both provide for public skating, ice hockey leagues and figure skating instruction and practice time, with coaches for both sports available, as well. There’s also a restaurant, pro shop, locker rooms and and skate rentals, General Manager Rob Lorenzen has been there for 24 years and said, “The two activities most popular are ice hockey and figure skating. We also have public skating for anyone interested and they can register online.”

The biggest challenge, he added, is to “continue to cycle the new skaters. The most important thing to us is to continue the learn-to-skate classes. Especially the beginners at the entry level.”

The Ice House also features occasional performances like the Polar Express, for example, in December. In the spring, he said, “We host competitions for the Washington Figure Skating Club and a number of hockey tournaments.”

The Ice House even has support from the Washington Capitals, who provide some hockey equipment. In 2013, Alex Ovechkin’s rookie season, the Capitals also trained at the facility.

Lorenzen grew up in Rhode Island and played hockey in prep school and at Rochester Institute of Technology. Coming to Northern Virginia, he said, “Has been a wonderful experience for me. It’s a terrific relationship with the community. I coach the youngest age groups—four to six years old. Many people are seeing kids that I coached when they were young now coming back coaching their own kids.”

The facility uses the Learn to Skate program endorsed by USA Hockey, US Speed Skating, Special Olympics, and US Figure Skating. Classes are organized

You’re never too young to learn how to ice skate at the Ashburn Ice House. into age specific levels and designed for any beginner to acquire the necessary skills to enjoy skating for a lifetime. Summer camps for all ages and all skating sports also are available.

The Ashburn Ice House has one of the largest Learn to Skate programs in the country. They had 3,185 new members in the 2022-2023 season and ranked No. 1 in the state, No. 2 in the region and No. 4 in the nation.

No wonder Lorenzen is filled with brimming enthusiasm.

“I think we’ve really established ourselves as a pillar of the community, which is most rewarding to me,” he said.

The Ashburn Ice House is located at 21595 Smith Switch Road, Ashburn. For more information to www.ashburnice.com.

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

25

What Should We Feed Wildlife?

Feeding wildlife, however well-intentioned, draws animals perilously close to human dwellings, resulting in collisions with windows and walls.

Maintaining a healthy fear of humans and steering clear of our species are essential for wildlife survival.

By Jennifer Riley

T

he question of what to feed wildlife is a common one, often arising from a genuine desire to help

animals.

However, our recommendation at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center is always The House Finch was admitted with severe the same – NOTHING. While the act of providing animals with food may conjunctivitis from mycoplasmosis. After just one seem benevolent, it frequently results week of treatment, the conjunctivitis resolved but this bird will need to complete a threein significant health and welfare week course of antibiotics prior to release to issues for not only our native wildlife reduce the possibility of recurrence and spread. but also our domestic animals and, Conjunctivitis is highly contagious. potentially, ourselves.

Wildlife is inherently equipped to survive seasonal changes without human-provided handouts. Some animals migrate to areas with better resources, others naturally adjust their diets to the available food sources during specific times of the year. Feeding migrating animals can disrupt their natural behaviors, potentially causing them to over-winter in areas they would otherwise leave. This alteration in The Virginia Opossum was admitted due to concerns of a migration patterns is detrimental to both the tumor. On exam, there was no animals and biodiversity as a whole.

Moreover, the diets we offer wildlife are often tumor but the patient was found to be obese due to cat food being insufficient. These species have evolved with put out regularly to feed him. precise nutritional requirements, unlike our pets for whom we have carefully formulated commercial diets. Human-provided foods, usually flavorful and tempting, can lead to animals over-indulging in an unhealthy diet. Consequently, obesity and malnutrition become prevalent as animals increase their caloric intake without the necessary balance of vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Feeding stations intensify challenges for wildlife by promoting congregation, sparking interspecies aggression over resources, and facilitating the spread of diseases. Toxoplasmosis, rabies, distemper, parasites, and more are potential repercussions of such gatherings. Bird feeders, in particular, are notorious breeding grounds for diseases, some of which can transmit to humans or pets.

Fortunately, some state wildlife agencies recognize this as a critical issue. In Virginia, feeding certain species such as bears, deer, and elk is entirely illegal statewide. Deer cannot be fed in Chronic Wasting Disease containment zones at any time statewide from September 1 until the first Saturday in January. It’s also illegal to feed any wild animal when the feeding results in property damage, endangers people or wildlife, or creates a public health concern.

To support wildlife, commit to allowing them a wild diet. For domestic animals like dogs and cats, always feed them indoors. If you are not willing to feed cats indoors, at a minimum, they should be monitored while eating and dishes immediately removed when they have finished to avoid access to wildlife.

For those who choose to feed birds, responsible practices are crucial. Regularly clean feeders weekly, or every two to three days for hummingbird feeders. Empty, bleach, rinse, and thoroughly dry feeders before refilling and reinstalling.

While the sentiment of caring for wildlife is commendable, resist the urge to feed them this winter. Ultimately, the best way to help is by allowing them to thrive in their natural habitats, ensuring a healthy and sustainable coexistence.

DVM Jennifer Riley is hospital director for The Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, the only dedicated wildlife hospital in Northern Virginia. A non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, it cares for native wildlife by integrating veterinary medicine, rehabilitation, education and research. The center assists more than 3,000 native wildlife annually. Details: www.blueridgewildlifectr.org.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Mossa

A 1967 Fiery Disaster in The Plains

A

By John T. Toler

Screen shot from Turner Foster’s film, taken from the Marshall side of the railroad tracks, shows the smoke and hellish fire. The brick Chinn Hotel at left was saved.

Map of the area of The Plains fire shows the point of collision and where the fire spread.

The shaded structures were the ones that were lost. Courtesy of Henry Rust

massive fire broke out in The Plains on the afternoon of Feb. 21, 1967, when a tank truck loaded with fuel oil collided with a 19-car freight train at the Main Street railroad crossing.

“We never realized that such a catastrophe could occur in a small, rural town like The Plains,” Fire Chief George Beavers said at the time. “Circumstances arise, and we have to make the best out of them.”

It was about 2:50 p.m., and truck driver James Hillard, 24, of Shepherdstown, W.Va., was headed westbound through The Plains. The crossing bell and signal light at the rail crossing were operating, but apparently Shepherd’s brakes failed, and he crashed into a locomotive passing through.

The force of the impact knocked the locomotive off the tracks, and within seconds, the truck exploded in a fireball. Hillard died in the wreckage, but trainmen on the locomotive managed to flee the flames by jumping out the other side.

“The crash split a 500-gallon fuel tank on the locomotive, spilling fuel that mixed with gasoline from the truck’s tanks, “ according to The Fauquier Democrat. “The cab of the truck was carried a short distance by the train and smashed the crossing signal light.”

Just missed by the truck was a propane gas railroad car, immediately behind the locomotive.”If that car had been full, we would have had to evacuate the whole town,” Assistant Chief Barney Brittle told the newspaper.

Chief Beavers recalled that one of the train crew was a member of the Penn-Daw (Fairfax County) Fire Company and had the presence of mind to run to the nearby buildings and warn the occupants to evacuate.

“A bitter west wind fanned the flames, which almost immediately set fire to the Piedmont Feed and Lumber Company buildings,” according to The

Democrat.

Inside the feed store office were employees Roger Williams, Mary Jane Cooper and Bob Gibson. “It hit. We started running, and ran into all this fuel,” Williams told the newspaper. “It was spraying down us like a mist. There was an explosion, and then the fire. We were out the front door in five seconds.”

Threatened by the fire was the nearby three-story, six-unit Patterson Apartments (originally the Orange County Hunt Club House), but all of the occupants managed to escape with some of their possessions before the structure was consumed by fire.

Brittle was working at the nearby Farmers Exchange, and immediately ran to the firehouse, blew the siren and called Fauquier Fire Control, asking for all available firefighting equipment to be sent to The Plains.

Within three minutes, Brittle was on the scene

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

with the first of The Plains pumper trucks, which was positioned to protect the Cochran Lodge.

Beavers, who had been working at Kinloch, arrived minutes later with another truck, and a direct line was set up from the 18,000-gallon reservoir at the firehouse to the fire. An 8,000-gallon tank used by nearby businesses was also tapped, but soon both were depleted.

The emergency response eventually included every fire company in Fauquier County, as well as units from Prince William, Loudoun, Warren and Rappahannock counties, Vint Hill Farms Station, the Warrenton Training Center and Town of Strasburg.

Two foam trucks from Dulles International Airport also arrived on the scene, escorted down narrow Route 55 by State Police units.

Beavers credited the foam trucks with extinguishing the fuel-fed inferno around the

Formerly the Orange County Hunt clubhouse, the Patterson Apartments, home of six families, was a total loss. burning tanker, and water sprayed from an 80-foot aerial ladder truck from Vienna fought the blaze on the south end of the Patterson Apartments.

For awhile, it appeared that Grace Episcopal Church might be lost.

“I thought the church was gone,” Rector Rev. James McLaughlin said back then. “There were flames reaching over the top of the church, and I started moving things out. Neighborhood kids helped tremendously. They took everything out that would move, ran messages, and did what they were told.”

It became apparent to Beavers that their efforts should be directed at saving the structures that had not yet caught fire, since those that were burning could not be saved. Additional water was pumped in from Rock Valley Creek, almost a mile away, and tank trucks ran in shifts to several nearby farm ponds.

A miracle of sorts may have prevented serious harm to a group of children from The Plains Elementary School, located on Rt. 55 about 200 yards west of the tracks.

“Every day at 2:45 p.m., three patrol boys march 22 first graders across the railroad tracks,” Principal Mrs. T. B. Cochran said at the time. “For some reason, the patrols dilly-dallied until they were 10 minutes late. As soon as they got out the door with the children, the explosion came and we rushed the kids back inside.”

Henry Rust was one of a group of children returning to The Plains from the Hill School that afternoon.

“We were headed home in that VW bus driven by Bob Dornin, with Nan, Mary and little Bob Dornin, Steve Marzani, Catherine Adams and Celeste Adams.

As we were departing Middleburg, a huge column of smoke rose in front of us. You could tell something terrible had just happened, but we had no idea what it was.

“As we got closer to The Plains, the sky was black.

To make matters worse, the train involved was stretched across both rail crossings, so there was no way to even enter the town from the north. Bob back-tracked through Whitewood, heading toward Concern for the losses of those burned out by the fire brought a mountain of clothing, food, bedding, furniture and offers of assistance, particularly from residents of Front Royal. Chief George Beavers (left) and Thomas B. Cochran, one of the victims of the fire, sort through some of the donations received.

The Plains from the Marshall side to drop off Celeste and Catherine. This was our first look at the fire.”

Coming from Warrenton, Beaver’s high-schoolage son Linwood saw the smoke as his bus reached Old Tavern. “The driver, who worked at Big K (WKCW) had a radio in his toolbox,” Linwood recalled. “He turned on the radio, and we heard that a tank truck had hit the train.”

“By 5:40 p.m., the inferno had been brought under control,” according to the Democrat. “Two firemen were treated at Fauquier Hospital and released.

Lewis Allen suffered a hurt hand, and Saint V. Beach had minor burns on his face and hand, and smoke inhalation.”

Broad Run resident Bill Hazel came in with a bulldozer and pushed the train south along the tracks, allowing firemen access to the tank truck.

When the firefighters were running low on fuel, he brought gasoline for them, using a makeshift gas tank mounted on his pickup truck.

Members of The Plains VFC Ladies Auxiliary provided a steady supply of food and drink for the firefighters. “Many people brought food and offered to help serve,” said Rosie Darnell, president of the auxiliary. “Outsiders, complete strangers came here and worked. We had so much food.”

Word of the catastrophe was spread on local AM radio stations WEER (Warrenton) and WFTR (Front Royal), and by 7 p.m., vehicles loaded with more food, clothing and bedding began to show up at The Plains Firehouse, quickly filling up two rooms.

Burning debris and hotspots continued through the night, and into the next day, and telephone and electric company crews worked through the night to restore service lost due to ruined equipment.

The buildings, merchandise, all of the lumber and feed in stock, the yard equipment and two trucks at Piedmont Feed and Lumber were destroyed, at an estimated loss of $300,000.

Additional property loss was first set at $200,000, but it was later determined that total damage to the town exceeded $885,000, with several large buildings burned to the ground and six families left homeless.

Grace Church was saved, though there was still much smoke in the church, and several windows on the rear of the building facing the tracks were buckled by the heat.

Beavers praised all of the firefighters who came to The Plains. “Everybody cooperated, and were willing to help any way they could,” he said. “When you take a loss as great as this was, someone is usually severely burned, or even killed.”

Turner Foster of The Plains filmed the fire during the daylight hours, and Chief Beavers was later interviewed about the fire. Working with a company in Sterling, Linwood Beavers later combined the film and his father’s interview, which he had copied onto compact discs. It can also be found online.

“We appreciate Mr. Foster’s quick response to take pictures of the fire,” said Chief Beavers on the CD. “It gave us something to look back on… we’ll never forget it, but it’s good that in the future, we can see what really happened in a short time.”

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

29

THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES

2 South Madison Street | PO Box 500 | Middleburg, VA 20118 Office: 540-687-6500 | thomasandtalbot.com

The Gentle Lady From Upperville Knows It’s Time To Move On

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Enjoy a weekend retreat or full-time residence on almost one acre in the heart of the historic village of Upperville. Just minutes west of Middleburg, this 3 bedroom, 3 and a half bath home was fully renovated in 2010 by a local custom home builder for himself. Therefore, no details were spared. Move-in ready.

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(540) 229-3201 Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.

3002_ZEST-Cricket.indd 1

By Leonard Shapiro

ill Vogel tried never to forget the wise words of her friend, the late, long-time Winchester legislator Russ Potts, the man she replaced as the senator from the old 27th District when he retired and she was elected to the Virginia General Assembly 16 years ago.

“Know when to say when, he told me,” Sen. Vogel said in a recent interview with Country ZEST. “Never lose perspective, understand it’s a tough job, and no matter what, it’s not about you.”

For Sen. Vogel, now 53, it’s time to say when.

She announced in January, 2023 she would not run again in 2024. She said she stuck to a Senator Jill Vogel mission of maintaining perspective, rejecting partisan pressure, and making it about public service. “It was an incredible gift to do this job and it was worth every minute.”

Her days of often daily commuting back and forth from her Upperville home down to Richmond are over for now, and likely forever she said when asked about the possibility of her running again for public office.

She was hardly alone in departing. Seventeen of her 40 senate colleagues will not be back for the next session. Five lost primaries. Two were defeated in the general election. And ten, including Jill Vogel, decided to retire.

A graduate of Central High School in Woodstock, Virginia and the College of William and Mary, she earned a law degree at DePaul University in Chicago and heads a thriving Washington law firm. She’s married to attorney and lobbyist Alex Vogel and is the mother of Olivia 11, Tas 15, Jack 18, Will 20, Alex 23 and Peyton 25.

With Tas, she made Commonwealth history as the first woman to have a baby while serving in the General Assembly, actually drawing surprise from some at the time.

“It was a very different culture and climate,” Sen. Vogel said. “It was a source of scorn from some during my first election that I was even running for senate with young children. The sentiment from some was ‘you should be home with your children.’ But I was like many women. I had a job, I was raising kids, and I believed my experience was one that should also be represented in a legislative body.”

Sen. Vogel’s 27th District included Clarke, Frederick and Fauquier counties, the city of Winchester and parts of Culpeper, Loudoun and Stafford counties. It’s been re-districted starting this year, with northern Fauquier County, where she and her family live, becoming part of a new 31st District.

Her experience over four terms and 16 years in the senate involved sponsoring and supporting countless bills, and not always along party lines. Some of her Republican colleagues, for example, were not especially happy with her for voting for Medicaid expansion, a bill she believed became critical for Virginia’s budget and for many of her constituents.

Her admiration for the Virginia General Assembly has much to do with its ability get things done, often on a non-partisan basis.

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Rev. Jonathan Adams of Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville gave the invocation for the opening day of the General Assembly in Richmond on the occasion of Senator Jill Vogel’s last term.

“Virginia is relatively fiscally conservative and socially moderate,” she said. “It does not function at the extremes. Democrats and Republicans are not that far apart in the process. The more extreme element is just louder. Disputes are usually regional—Northern Virginia needs this, South Central Virginia needs that. There’s a lot of give and take. But we work together with efficiency and economy, and we want to make sure the public is heard. I hope we never leave that tradition aside.”

So why is she leaving?

“It’s all consuming,” she said. “You think about your life, you’re going 100 miles an hour, you miss out on so much, you are stretched so thin. You’re consumed by the next obligation, the next meeting, the next piece of legislation…

When you get to the point where you’re starting to wear out, you shouldn’t do it anymore. It’s a great opportunity for someone else, and I have great confidence in my successor.”

Of course, she knows she’ll miss it, particularly all the friends she’s made on both sides of the aisle. And she will forever cherish being called on in the senate as “the Gentle Lady from Fauquier.”

“It’s hard to leave, definitely,” she said. “A lot of people who were also leaving gave speeches thanking their colleagues and reflecting on their experiences. I couldn’t begin to do it and say goodbye. I would have sobbed. I am leaving behind great teachers, great legislators, and my closest friends in the world. They made me a better legislator and a better person.

“I’m excited for the new people to have the same chance and to have that same experience. My feeling has always been that no matter what the problem is, the reason you are there is to help people. It’s never about what you think. It’s about them.”

And for Sen. Jill Vogel, it’s also about knowing when to say when, because it definitely was all worth it, for her, and her constituents as well.

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A New Book Celebrates Historic Huntland

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By Marc Leepson

hristmas Morning 2007 dawned cold, gray, and dreary in the Northern Virginia Piedmont. Betsee Parker—female horse owner, ordained Episcopalian minister, committed preservationist and philanthropist, and recently widowed with a young child—made her way to Huntland, the historic country property north of Middleburg she had purchased seven weeks earlier.

Parker was alone at her home in nearby Delaplane, and decided to “go out there and see how quiet it was. The quiet of the land is so lovely there because there are dirt roads around it and at [nearby] Foxcroft the girls weren’t in school, so that road was very quiet. I just wanted to hear how quiet it was.”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

If Parker hadn’t happened by that cold, dreary Christmas morning, it’s very likely that historic Huntland would have burned to the ground. “I don’t know who [else] would have seen it if there had been a fire because no one was living across the road at the time and no one was on the land living there,” she said.

Parker walked up to the one-time pristine house and stood on the front stairs taking in the horse country quiet and gazing across the wide front lawn.

“As I panned looking to the right,” she said, “I looked down into the sunken garden and saw this funny little narrow column of smoke coming up by the side of the porch. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I had no idea what it was. At first, I thought, ‘Is somebody smoking a cigarette back there?’”

It wasn’t cigarette smoke, Parker quickly realized. An electric wire leading into the house was completely on fire. “It was in full flame,” she said, “not just a smoker, full flame.” On Christmas morning. With no one else on the grounds.

“I thought the only thing I could do was call a local fire department and the closest one I knew of was in Philomont. So, I rang the fire station and told them there was a fire here and they came out and put it out.”

If Parker hadn’t happened by that cold, dreary Christmas morning, it’s very likely that historic Huntland would have burned to the ground. “I don’t know who [else] would have seen it if there had been a fire because no one was living across the road at the time and no one was on the land living there,”

she said.

“Strangely enough, I happened to be here when the wiring caught fire—and if I had not been, I believe it could have been catastrophic. It frightens me when I think about it.”

The catastrophe averted, Parker, with Jerry Coxsey superintending, soon began meticulously repairing, restoring, and preserving Huntland, along with its one-of-a-kind hound kennels and stables. On December 24, 2013, nearly six years to the day that the place came dangerously close to burning to the ground, the National Park Service added Huntland to the National Register of Historic Places.

“With sweeping vistas across fields devoted to cultivation for nearly two centuries, Huntland includes at its core an 1830s dwelling built by a master brick mason, William Benton, Sr.,” the Park Service National Register nomination noted.

William Benton came to these shores from England early in the 19th century. He is best known for superintending the building of Oak Hill, the home of President James Monroe near Aldie, in the early 1820s.

Benton went on to build several other structures in the Middleburg area, including a house he named

New Lisbon on 171 acres he purchased in 1833.

Benton and members of his large family lived at New Lisbon, which was finished in 1834, for the rest of the 19th century. His heirs added surrounding acreage over the decades, and sold the New Lisbon property in 1900 to the recently widowed Annie Gregg Leith.

Largely absentee owners owned Huntland for decades when Parker bought it in November, 2007, from California industrialist Roy Ash and his wife, Lila.

“The Browns did not live here [full time],” Parker said. As for repairs and maintenance, “There was a tremendous amount of work to be done to make it livable.” The good news today is that the house, kennels, and stables have been carefully restored and preserved to their nineteen-teen and twenties magnificence. It’s an American historic preservation story with more than a few twists and turns—and with a happy ending.

This story has been excerpted from the book.

Journalist and historian Marc Leepson, who lives in Middleburg, is the author of ten books, including the just-published Huntland: The Historic Virginia Country House, the Property, and Its Owners, 1741-2022. Details: https://www.marcleepson.com

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Heroes Making an Impact

Steven Price, chair of the Virginia Director of Education Travis Shaw Piedmont Heritage Association and 2023 Public Educator of the with Betsee Parker.

Year, Danyael Graham.

T

he Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area recently presented its Heritage Hero awards at a ceremony at Buchanan Hall in Upperville, recognizing local citizens and groups who have made a notable impact to the area.

These citizens exemplify a true understanding of the historic resources of the region and their efforts as stewards are honored.

The 2023 honoree was Betsee Parker, an avid preservationist and philanthropist in this area and beyond. Her efforts have supported numerous charities in the United Kingdom, and she has played key roles in projects throughout Africa with humanitarian initiatives. She has also given major support to charities in Haiti, among several other countries.

Locally, Parker has restored and renovated the historic 150-acre Huntland Estate on Pot House Road. This encompasses the main house, gardens, stables, kennels, and original quarters of enslaved people. In addition, she made the conservation purchase of the nearby Farmer’s Delight estate on Mountville Road.

Farmer’s Delight dates to Revolutionary America, with a house built in the 1790s by Colonel Joseph Flavius Lane. At this property, she preserved acres of ecological habitat on the grounds. She is credited as a leader in multiple other crucial preservation efforts such as developing and funding the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Upperville Colt & Horse Show Grounds.

She has also ensured the preservation of the historic general store in the village of Unison by donating the building to the Unison Preservation Society.

The Public Educator of the Year award is given each year in recognition of a person or group for their commitment to sharing the history of the Heritage Area with a wider audience.

The award was given to two honorees for their work in 2023. The first is Danyael Graham, a long-time educator and the current Social Science Supervisor for Loudoun County Public Schools. Since taking on the role as Supervisor, Danyael has worked closely with community organizations, including VPHA, to bring local history to students throughout the county.

She has been instrumental in connecting teachers to VPHA staff and making schools aware of the historic resources available in the Heritage Area.

The second 2023 award recognized the Waterford Foundation. Since 1943, it has worked to protect and preserve the village of Waterford and the surrounding landscape.

The village has become an important educational resource, providing countless students with the opportunity to explore an intact 19th century village. In 2023, the Foundation worked to create an extensive new field trip program during which hundreds of middle school students learned about the complex history of the Reconstruction era through the experiences of Waterford’s citizens.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

A Lineback Blitz On A Berryville Field Photos by Tiffany Dillon Keen of dillonkeenphotography.com

Lulu Henderson and her father Joe Henderson.

F

or anyone driving on Route 7 in the Berryville area, there is a smoosh on the brakes moment passing Chapel Hill Farm. The black and white short horn cattle adorned with freckles and splotches are Randall Linebacks. The 600-acre late 18th century farm is a registered Virginia State and National Historic Landmark. As a heritage breed they date to the 1700s and are 100% pasture born and raised. Chapel Hill Farm offers farm to table sales.

Details: www.randalllineback.com

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BOOKED UP

Many have attended the Banneker School outside of Middleburg. But how many know its history? In 1791, Thomas Jefferson hired a Black man to help survey Washington, D.C. That man was Benjamin Banneker, an African American mathematician, a writer of almanacs, and one of the greatest astronomers of his generation. Banneker then wrote a famous letter to Jefferson, imploring him to examine his hypocrisy.

More than two centuries later, Rachel Jamison Webster, a White woman, learns that this groundbreaking Black genius is also her distant relative.

The close connections between slavery and the production of cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane are widely recognized. Much less well-known, however, is the critical role played by the humble peanut in the perpetuation of slavery and the reach of European colonialism in West Africa.

Jori Lewis, a prizewinning agriculture and environment journalist, has skillfully produced a vivid narrative that brings to life some of the key players, both African and European, in a drama neglected by history, until now.

Joseph McGill Jr., a historic preservationist and Civil War reenactor, launched the Slave Dwelling Project in 2010. He’s logged 200 plus nights in slave dwellings at historic sites in 25 states and the District of Columbia. McGill and co-author Herb Frazier tell a number of stories, including one about an enslaved boy who purchased his freedom to then establish a prominent black religious organization.

“I’m likely a descendant of enslaved people.,” McGill said. “This story is not mine, it’s theirs.”

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Aldie Ruritan Club is a Local Institution

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By Ronen Feldman

n 1952, in the small town of Dublin, Virginia, a group of farmers created a club to help other farmers and millers with anything they might need to cope with an increasingly modernized world.

Some seven decades later, the Aldie Ruritan Club persists, with members from all walks of life contributing to the club, and benefiting from it.

“All our founding members are gone, but the club’s commitment to community service is stronger than ever,” said Tucker Withers, the club’s former president and 42-year member. “There are very few farmers left, but our efforts to educate and nourish are available to all Aldie residents.”

Originally from Bethesda, Withers was once dubbed “The accidental native” after finding out many of his past family members actually came from Aldie. He moved there at age 30 and has lived in the village ever since.

Withers breathes Aldie. In addition to the Ruritan Club, he volunteers for a number of good causes, advocates preserving open land as an Institute Farm board member, and has even worked with a local water company to install a 10,000-gallon water tank for the town.

“When you love your home, you never run out of energy to protect it,” he said.

He and his wife Mary Ann are happy to share their love for the town that’s been their home for the past 40 years. They own and operate the popular bed and breakfast Little River Inn as well as the nearby Mercer Tavern Antiques.

“We have visitors from all over, looking for a serene, back country experience,” he said. “This place has everything, that is, that most people don’t have back home. Horseback riding and rabbit and hound chasing in a picture-perfect Virginia setting are just part of it. It’s mostly about the peacefulness this place brings, untouched by the times.”

According to Withers, the Ruritan Club is the backbone of the community, with one and all welcome for their monthly meetings and ensuring social interaction.

They meet on the third Tuesday of each month at the Aldie United Methodist Church, with speakers usually providing information about food banks and local

Tucker Withers right at home in Aldie. markets, as well as a variety of volunteering opportunities and collaborations with organizations like the Aldie Heritage Association, the Aldie Horticultural Society and others.

These days, club members include small business owners, retired military, high-tech workers and many other Aldie and other Loudoun residents. The club finances school projects and provides scholarships, and has people of all ages involved in its mission.

“This is a special place, and it’s worth our best efforts,” Withers said. “Some properties still go by their original names instead of a modern address, and our way of life, while comfortable and inviting, never lost its authenticity and charm.”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

A “Hiking Itch” Is Scratched on the Appalachian Trail

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By Linda Roberts

he Appalachian Trail is a narrow footpath through the Appalachian Mountain Range that traverses 14 states, starts in Georgia and ends in Maine—or visa versa, depending on which direction you start the hike. Virginia stakes claim to owning the trail’s most distance, about 550 miles of its mountainous length.

More than 3,000 hikers attempt the entire route each year, with about 25 percent completing the walk. Trail websites estimate the hiker intending to go all 2,200 miles will wear to shreds between four and five pairs of shoes.

Photo courtesy of Casey Estep Clarke County’s Casey Estep said he wore Casey Estep, hiking poles in hand at out “four pairs and was working on his fifth” sunrise at McAfee Knob, when he completed the trail in Katahdin, a well-known hiking spot in Maine last year. Averaging 20 miles per southwestern Virginia. day with a backpack weighing about 25 pounds, Estep started last April in Georgia, completing the trip to Maine this past September—minus any injuries save for a few blisters.

A 2020 graduate of Christopher Newport University, Estep had planned a road trip to the national parks following graduation, but when Covid shut down the park system, he found a job as a systems engineer. After about 18 months, as Estep said, “I got the itch” to experience freedom from an office job.

“I thought I would get over the hiking itch,” said Estep, but his wanderlust led him to tackle the 250-mile Tuscarora Trail that crosses Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. That hike proved to be the opener for his six-month stint on the Appalachian Trail.

To his delight, Estep, 25, met others about his age, now lifelong friends he frequently stays in contact with. Following the unique language of hikers, Estep’s adventure resulted in his new “tramily” (trail family). He explained that you

meet up with others along the route that you share common interests with and then end up hiking and camping together.

“The trail is not a lonely place,” he said.

When it meandered through towns and passed nearby homes, Estep was surprised by the generosity of the local residents his group met. “The “A.T.” trail community is amazing,” he said. From food to showers to a few overnights in someone’s home, Estep said they were met by generous people in every state.

“Keeping a positive mental attitude was probably the hardest part of the journey for me,” he said, adding that keeping his spirits up day after day proved far more difficult Photo by Linda Roberts than the physical exertion.

Clarke County’s Casey Estep in full hiking gear.

“That’s where the ‘tramily’ came in,” he said of his trail friends who came to the rescue when anyone in the group was going through a difficult time.

His own spirituality also grew.

“I spent time talking to God and to my friends about the spiritual aspects of life.”

One of the most important lessons Estep said he learned was the value of slowing down and simply staying quiet. “Our lives are so busy,” he said, “you just need to recognize the value of taking time to look around you.”

What’s next?

He’s already promised his boss he’ll stay for at least another 18 months. But there’s more future hiking, perhaps for 2025. Estep and his girlfriend, Regan DuHadway, also a hiker, are talking about another long-distance adventure.

With the Appalachian Trail behind him, perhaps the pair will tackle the Pacific Trail or the Continental Divide Trail—another part of the hiking world’s “Big Three.” It’s the Triple Crown of distance hiking in the U.S. We’ll see when he scratches his “hiker’s itch” again.

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By M.J. McAteer

s drivers barrel east down the mountain on Route 50 heading toward Paris and Upperville beyond, for a brief moment on their descent at Ashby Gap, they can get a glimpse of what surely is one of the prettiest views in all Virginia.

Stretched out below is a landscape that looks like some peaceful realm in a fairy tale, and, in the foreground, as though ordered up to provide perspective, is the 700-acre Ovoka Farm, its precipitous pastures speckled with bulky, black cattle.

Back in the 1730s, Ovoka took up a lot more of that view. It started as a 3,000-acre land grant, and, some 30 years later, its borders would be surveyed

by George Washington, who slept there, too, of course. The property has always been called Ovoka, said co-owner Karen Way. Some say the name means “everrunning water.”

Formerly a Chicago real estate attorney, Way and her husband, entrepreneur Guy Morgan, acquired the property in 2012, when he had family moving back to the area. Morgan’s grandparents had lived in Wildcat Hollow on the other side of the mountain from Ovoka when he was a kid, so he knew the farm well.

Ovoka was in need of immediate TLC when they bought it. They fixed fences and pastures, renovated and greatly enlarged the stately manor house and rebuilt the cabin where Washington allegedly slept. They dubbed it the BunkHouse.

The couple got into the cattle business, too, by importing 125 Wagyu embryos from Japan, which they then had implanted into surrogate Angus mothers. That allowed the farm to breed its own Wagyu bulls and start raising the exotic and expensive breed, which is prized for the uber-tenderness and tastiness of its meat.

The high price of Wagyu beef, however, makes it a niche market that caters to deep pockets and special occasions, so about 275 of the farm’s 350 head of

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Photo by M.J. McAteer

Chief operating officer Jessica Morton, owner Karen Way and farm manager Roy Lambert with some cattle at Ovoka Farm in Paris.

cattle are now F1s—half Wagyu, half Angus. They still produce meat that is exceptionally tender and flavorful but much it’s more affordable than the pure Wagyu. For example, Ovoka recently had five pounds of F1 steaks and a pound of F1 ground beef on sale for $100.

Ovoka’s beef business was struggling, though, so Way took direct charge of the operation in 2020, and, with the help of chief operating officer Jessica Morton, opened up a farm store and started selling at farmer’s markets, such as EatLoco at One Loudoun and Brambleton.

Ovoka beef now can be found on line and on the menus of some of the best eateries around, including The Inn at Little Washington, Field & Main in Marshall, and Harrimans at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg. The Ashby Inn, just a short jog down the road from the farm, serves the farm’s beef, as well.

All of Ovoka’s cattle, including two pet Highland cows named Ginger and Mary Ann after characters on “Gilligan’s Island,” are raised sustainably, without hormones and are free-range, having their grass diet supplemented by allnatural non-GMO grain. Good stewardship of its animals is a priority for Way and her farm manager, Roy Lambert.

Good stewardship also is expensive, no matter the price point of the end product, and Ovoka’s cattle business was not turning out to be profitable enough to sustain itself.

“We were dying,” she said.

And so, a couple years back, she turned to agri-tourism, a decision that has saved her cattle’s bacon.

Ovoka began renting out its seven-bedroom manor house and the BunkHouse to overnight guests, who can use the farm’s swimming pool and basketball court or get an aerobic workout on its five miles of hiking trails.

It initiated tours and tastings, along with food pairings with the likes of distiller Catoctin Creek from Purcellville and Three Fox Vineyard and Brewery in Delaplane and private five-course dinners that feature the culinary skills of local chefs. All turned out to be popular.

The stunning beauty of the property also has made what Way calls “celebration tours” into another source of income for the farm.

These celebration tours can include major events, such as a 200-person wedding last summer, and most include a wagon ride up to the top of Ovoka’s loftiest pasture. There, visitors can savor--more safely and for longer--the rustic perfection of the scene that they saw so fleetingly from the highway.

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JK Community Farm Feeding The Food Insecure

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By Ronen Feldman

he JK Community Farm outside Purcellville marks a promising trend for farming in Northern Virginia, combining ingenuity in agriculture with commitment to those in need.

This 150-acre working farm is practicing regenerative, sustainable, chemical-free agriculture, growing crops intended solely for the food insecure.

Since its creation in 2018, the farm has made tremendous strides in its varieties of produce, collaborations and numbers of volunteers.

Samantha Kuhn, the farm’s executive director, was a pre-med student when she realized what her true calling was. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in biochemistry and environmental sociology, she started the farm with her philanthropist father, Chuck Kuhn, the founder and owner of JK Moving.

“We want to make sure people have access to fresh produce, and we’re determined to keep it local,” she said. “Most pantries didn’t have any fresh products when we started, and people didn’t know how to cook many of them.”

The farm grows 56 different varieties of vegetables, fruits, proteins, herbs and spices, donating everything. They also donate grass-fed beef, produce seasonal crops and make sure to survey the needs of families and food pantry partners every year. In Northern Virginia alone, 90,000 people are facing food insecurity, and 40 percent are children.

Farm director Mike Smith is the only other full-

Giant radishes are among many vegetables grown at the JK Community Farm in Purcellville. time employee working alongside Kuhn. The farm is operated primarily with the help of volunteers, both corporate and community driven, and the farm’s corporate partners, private donations and budget increases help it grow.

Food education also is a primary concern for Samantha Kuhn.

“People aren’t only suffering from a poor and unhealthy diet, but are missing out on a cheaper, more diverse alternative,” she said. “Because of modern living, only a minority of people actually consume healthy, organic foods.”

The JK Farm’s food education program includes after-school programs for children, field trips

and guided tours for families. Prompted by the quarantines during the COVID-19 pandemic, the farm gave families an opportunity to get some fresh air in a safe environment.

The programs are offered primarily to elementary school children to learn about the produce. They play games, conduct taste tests and get to handle fruits and vegetables they’ve never seen before, like a yellow watermelon. The purpose, according to Samantha, is to educate tomorrow’s adults.

“Even a subtle experience like coming to a harvest, picking vegetables and later seeing your parents put them on your plate is enough to make a child think differently,” she said.

The farm has a number of partnerships in Northern Virginia, some of them outside Loudoun County. They include the D.C. Central Kitchen (where farm volunteer also they help prepare meals for the homeless), the Arlington Food Assistance Center, and Food For Others.

By the end of 2023, the JK Community Farm distributed 245,000 pounds of organic produce and protein to families who are experiencing food insecurity. This contribution provided approximately 196,000 meals, with 175,000 pounds of produce and 60,000 pounds of protein.

The farm’s efforts last season brought the total amount of food donated to its food pantry partners since its establishment in 2018 to one million pounds. Even now, their team is preparing for the spring, and volunteering opportunities will be available in March.

“Large enough to serve, small enough to care”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

VIRGINIA HORSE RACING SCHEDULE

2024

Shenandoah Downs Spring Harness Racing Schedule in Woodstock, VA April 6 - May 19 • Racing every Saturday & Sunday at 1:05 PM • FREE ADMISSION, FREE PARKING, FAMILY FRIENDLY • Betting on the Kentucky Derby (May 4) and Preakness (May 18)

(details at shenandoahdowns.com)

NSA Sanctioned Steeplechase Spring Meet Schedule Sat. April 20 - Middleburg Spring Races at Glenwood Park Sat. April 27 - Foxfield Spring Races in Charlottesville

Sat. May 4 - Virginia Gold Cup Races at Great Meadow • Point-to-Point meets take place on 7 different dates in March/April

(details at nationalsteeplechase.com)

Colonial Downs Summer Thoroughbred Racing Schedule in New Kent, VA July 11 - September 7 • Racing every Thursday, Friday & Saturday • ”Festival of Racing” Day featuring the Grade 1 Arlington Million - Saturday Aug. 10 • Virginia Derby Day along with a stakes-filled under card - Saturday Sept. 7

(details at colonialdowns.com)

virginiahorseracing.com

For Riverdee Stable, A Year To Fondly Remember

W

By Leonard Shapiro

hat a difference a year made in the lives of Sean Clancy, his wife Annie and their teenage son, Miles.

On August 6, 2022, Sean answered his phone in Saratoga, N.Y., where he spends two summer months every year writing about the epicenter of American horse racing. Sadly, a far bigger personal story was going on back home that day: the barn on their farm near Middleburg was on fire, and burned to the ground. The good news on that call was that Annie and Miles, as well as the horses, a goat and a cat who lived in the barn had all been unharmed Fast forward to August 23, 2023, this time with wonderful news, for sure.

That fiery agony was followed a dozen months later by the thrill of victory for Sean, a former steeplechase jockey himself. His horse, Awakened, won the first stakes race of his career in the Grade 1, $150,000 Jonathan Sheppard Handicap, a 2 3/8-mile hurdle test at Saratoga.

It also was the first Grade 1 victory for Sean’s Riverdee Stable, the exclamation point on an outstanding 2023 season. Riverdee led the National Steeplechase Association (NSA) in wins (11), was second in earnings with $409,450 (the best finish by a Virginia owner since 2014) and had three stakes wins.

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Five months later came some more thrilling news. In the first week of 2024, Sean learned that he had won a prestigious media Eclipse award, the second of his career, for a brilliant news story he’d written about the Test Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 5. It was an account of a tragic race that ended with a fatal accident to Maple Leaf Mel. The story appeared on August 6, 2023, exactly a year to the day of the barn fire. And oh yes, Awakened also was nominated for an Eclipse award in the steeplechase category.

“The fire was the most disruptive thing Annie and I ever had to deal with,” Sean said. “We were very, very lucky. She and Miles were safe, we didn’t lose any horses. But it was so upsetting. And then what happened this year was the exact opposite.

“You’re probably not getting through life without some sort of tragedy or hard times, but you have to keep going, you have to try to move forward and not dwell on the negative. It’s a great lesson.”

Sean has moved forward over the years on countless fronts. His father, Joe Clancy Sr., was a respected trainer of jumpers and flat racing Thoroughbreds and the family lived near the stable area of Delaware Park. “I could hear the races being called from my bedroom window,” Sean recalled.

Sean raced ponies as a youngster and rode the NSA circuit for Hall of Fame trainer, Jack Fisher, from 1994 until 2000. Sean retired from riding that year, after earning champion jockey honors in ’98.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

He certainly was right on the money, and Riverdee’s arc of success since it was formed in the early 2000s is proof positive of his prowess. There are now 19 horses racing under the Riverdee banner, including a half dozen training with Fisher.

“The quality of our horses has definitely gone up the last few years,” Sean said. “When Awakened first went with Jack, no one really thought he was a star, but he gradually became a really good horse. He shows up. He goes to work and he does his job. I love him. He’s an awesome little horse.”

He’s a jumper, of course. Sean Clancy knew it all along.

Leading NSA owner by wins.

Photo by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo.

The Clancy family: Sean, Miles and Annie.

Sean and his brother, Joe, also started the Steeplechase Times publication in 1994, then launched the Saratoga Special, a popular newspaper published during the Saratoga race meet. Writing has always been Sean’s passion; his wonderful work also earned an Eclipse media award in 2009. His columns also appear regularly in Country ZEST. He’s got a discerning eye for horse talent, as well. He had followed Awakened, out of Belmont winner Curlin, for quite some time, and was watching him on TV perform at a race in Ellis Park in Kentucky several years ago. Sitting in Saratoga, Sean said he screamed at the television “that’s a jumper!”

Second leading NSA owner by earnings (best finish by a Virginia owner since 2014).

First Grade 1 stakes win with Awakened at Saratoga.

Three stakes wins.

Cheers to your best life.

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Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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Perspectives on Childhood, Education, and Parenting

What Constitutes Success for a Child “At the core we all really want the same thing for our (children). We want them to live a good life, to have deep, life-sustaining connections, to feel the joy of living a life of meaning, and to leave this world a little better than they found it.”

—Jennifer Breheny Wallace from “Never Enough: When The Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic and What We Can Do About It.

By Tom Northrup

T

he last edition of Country ZEST featured a conversation Mike Wipfler, a former colleague, and I had about Jennifer Breheny Wallace’s book, “Never Enough.”

Mike, a father of two, explained Wallace’s Mike Wipfler and concerns that many Tom Northrup parents believe it’s their responsibility to ensure that their child is a “success,” which many mistakenly think means acceptance to a highly competitive college. Despite this good intention, this overemphasis on linking a child’s self worth and identity to performance is having unintended and negative consequences–major increases in adolescent anxiety disorders and depression.

I felt it would be valuable for us to continue the conversation.

Tom: In your opinion, what is the most important piece of advice Wallace offers? Mike: Without

question, it’s her conviction that children need to feel they “matter”--especially during the middle and high school years…Wallace defines mattering as “the feeling that (you) are valued and add value to others.”

To feel like you matter, you need to have people in your life who care about you as a person beyond your grades, sports ability, appearance, or popularity; people who will check on you if you are ill, are interested in your thoughts and opinions, and will celebrate with you in moments of triumph. You also need to feel like people rely on you; that you play a meaningful role in your family and school. Children who feel they matter recognize their inherent worth, and have “a protective shield buffering against stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.”

Tom: So what does Wallace recommend? Mike: Many of her suggestions resonated with me. One was a reminder to be explicit with your children: make sure they know your love for them is unconditional and not dependent on performance or achievements.

While you might think your children already know this, don’t be so sure.

In a survey Wallace conducted of 500 students, more than 50 percent said their parents loved them more when they were more successful, with 25

percent saying they believed this “a lot,” the highest degree the survey allowed. As Wallace noted, “The consequences of associating love with achievement can last far beyond childhood. It can set our children up for a lifelong pattern of accepting themselves only with strings attached. I’ll be worthy when I get straight A’s, lose ten pounds.”

Another piece of advice was to make sure your children are doing chores around the house. Polls show significantly fewer children today are doing chores than in previous generations, often because parents would rather have their children spend time studying or practicing than helping around the house. One mother told Wallace, “I’d rather my daughter know Mandarin than how to make her bed.” Wallace believes this well-intentioned act is a big mistake, giving children permission to think only of themselves instead of learning how to make meaningful contributions to their community.

Tom: One of the 18th century English philosopher Samuel Johnson’s kernels of wisdom was something like—“we don’t need to be taught so much as we need to be reminded.” Like these Wallace’s reminders–– simple to understand, but not easy to execute for any of us.

The Hill School offers an education as unique as your child. Come visit our community to learn how our program of Total Education – strong academics and meaningful participation in art, music, sports, and theater – helps build character and confidence in our students and gets them started on the path to being happy, successful adults. thehillschool.org

Voted Best Private School in Loudoun County for Five Consecutive Years

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

Navigating the AI Revolution:

REFLECTIONS ON YEAR ONE

S

By Hunt Lyman

hortly before Christmas, I embarked on a familiar journey through Middleburg’s residential area, accompanied by a chorus of children singing holiday songs and Christmas carols. This annual tradition offers me a moment to reflect on the growth of the children and the transformations of the past year.

Last year, amidst the post-caroling festivities of hot chocolate and cookies, I introduced my colleague, Peyton Tochterman, to an emerging technology capable of generating human-like responses.

Hunt Lyman

We’re both writing instructors at Hill School, and I marveled as my phone swiftly produced an essay on the Revolutionary War, a narrative about kayaking the Shenandoah River, and even a sonnet about hamburgers. This experience was shocking, and made us wonder what this meant for teaching writing in the future.

The realm of Artificial Intelligence has indeed stirred the global landscape over the last year. News outlets are brimming with stories about AI’s capabilities, its ethical dilemmas, and even the organizational conflicts at companies like OpenAI and Google.

ChatGPT, once an obscure name, has now become a ubiquitous term.

Institutions from the U.S. government to small schools like Hill are grappling with balancing safety, integrity, and the integration of this novel technology into our future.

Personally, navigating the new AI world has been a whirlwind. I have many concerns, including the opaque nature of AI algorithms, the potential for increased manipulation on social media, the influence on future elections, and the existential fear of AI attaining self-sustenance and making unpredictable, independent decisions.

Paradoxically, these fears do not diminish my enjoyment in using AI to enhance teaching materials, summarize meetings, aid in brainstorming, or even to compose music and poetry. While I am worried about AI’s long-term effects on humanity, I find value in these current applications.

As a teacher and administrator, I’ve discovered one unexpected benefit of AI: it has sparked interesting discussions with students about the appropriate use of this technology.

AI’s capability to write proficiently is undeniable. Yet, I emphasize to my students the importance of developing their own thoughts and ideas, which writing traditionally helps me to track and understand. These conversations have helped students understand my goals to help them grow and have also prompted me to explore methods of assessing their understanding beyond writing, thereby enriching my own teaching practice.

As we stand at the crossroads of AI integration in education, it’s imperative to strike a balance. Embracing AI’s potential to enhance learning while maintaining a focus on cultivating critical thinking and original expression in students is the way forward.

The journey with AI in education is just beginning, and I’m eager to see where it takes us, particularly in how it shapes the way we teach, learn, and think.

Hunt Lyman is the Academic Dean at The Hill School in Middleburg.

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Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

49

It’s All About Health for

MARK NEMISH elieve it or not, the path to a healthier life is paved the same whether it’s a professional athlete or not an athlete at all.

That’s something Mark Nemish knows after 16 years working as the Performance Director/Head Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Washington Capitals. And these days, you don’t have to be a professional hockey player to benefit from his expertise.

Nemish owns and operates Precision Health Performance (PHP), a health consultation business based in Round Hill that offers a personalized approach to improving his clients metabolic state.

Before its launch, Nemish served as a strength coach for college and pro hockey teams, working with a physicians, therapists, and nutritionists to make certain players were “in the best shape possible.”

His interest in the field was sparked during a period of his own injury.

“I was in my 20s and so involved with being fit and lifting weights, and I went through a six-year period

where I was injured,” he said. “Bouncing around to different therapists to try to figure out how and why this injury was not going away made me realize there’s a real science behind this that I wasn’t paying attention to.”

Nemish, a native of Winnipeg, Canada, earned a masters degree in exercise science from the University of North Dakota in 1995. Following graduation, he spent two years as a strength and conditioning coach for several colleges, including Vanderbilt University.

While there, Nemish benefitted from a four-team National Hockey League expansion in 1998, including the creation of the Nashville Predators. ]The new team was looking for a strength and conditioning coach and “I was like ‘I might as well knock on the door.’” he said. “I got the job and we were there for six years.”

Nemish then moved to Northern Virginia and began working with the Capitals, including the 2018 season when the team won its only Stanley Cup title.

Nemish often left his home at 5 a.m. and on game days, didn’t return until after midnight. Then came Covid and it “struck a chord.”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

B

By Ali Patusky

“Those who were very unhealthy, who had preexisting conditions and were diabetic... overweight, obese...had cardiovascular disease... were really getting hit hard,” he said, adding that he realized people needed help with goals set for them by their physicians.

“The doctor spends 10-15 minutes with them, tells them they need to lose 30 pounds, their cholesterol is high, they need to drop it and then they leave the office going ‘what do I do?’” he said.

“Very few doctors have training in nutrition...and that’s what I’d been doing for 30 years. I really had a desire to try and help people manage their health because they don’t have the support network I’ve become accustomed to with professional athletics.”

Nemish launched PHP in May, 2023, and he offers prospective clients a free consultation.

From there, he collects data on stress level, fatigue, nutrition, exercise, and sleep. He also examines blood work to determine various health markers and does a body scan to identify the amount and location of fat and muscle.

After compiling the data, he creates a

comprehensive fitness plan that fits his clients’ schedule and lifestyle.

“Most people don’t want to do this alone,” he said. “They can’t do it alone.

And they need to know that I’m there with them along for that journey. So it’s assimilation of data, presenting the data, implementing all of the interventions, and then adjusting, fine tuning, retesting. Is this working? Is it not working?”

Nemish also does personal training and helps clients rehabilitate injuries.

While PHP doesn’t have a brick and mortar location, Nemish offers online meetings and personal training in his private gym at his Round Hill home.

Michelle Elgin, an equestrian, avid golfer and tennis player, described her experience with PHP as “life changing.” Working with Nemish since July, she’s seen considerable changes in her body composition, health, and cardiovascular fitness.

“I’ve worked with a lot of trainers and Mark is miles above anyone,” she said. “He has the right amount of encouragement and intensity that helps me accomplish tasks and exceed my expectations. During the workout it feels so hard, but afterward, I can’t believe I did it.”

Mark Nemish with the Stanley Cup captured by the Washington Capitals in 2018.

For more information, go to https:// precisionhealthperformance.org.

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Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

51

New York, New York For 20 Seconds

The show poster for 20 Seconds.

T

By Tom Sweitzer

his past fall, I had the honor and opportunity to bring my one-man show “20 Seconds” to Off-Broadway in New York.

I lived there for two months, and about two weeks into it I realized I’d never been away from Middleburg for more than two weeks in 30 years.

Living in New York for a couple months was truly an eye-opening experience. The smells of nature and blooming flowers of Middleburg were replaced with the pungent stench of pot and urine as I lived in the center of Hell’s Kitchen.

The quiet morning walks from my house around the village were replaced by wailing sirens and people yelling profanities. The hugs and smiles at Common Grounds coffee house were replaced by no eye contact or unfriendly responses. And yet, I loved every minute.

New York had an energy and chaos I grew to embrace. I found beauty when the sunset reflected against a glossy tall building, or as I passed hundreds of people and their dogs in the everenchanting Central Park. I also found so many loving and kind people in crowded, loud places.

Unfortunately, I also witnessed massive amounts of loneliness and homelessness as I walked the 12 blocks to the theater each day. Still, I’d go back to New York in a heartbeat, just to experience it all again. I left there feeling more aware and more alive than I’d felt in a long time.

I developed my one-man show for four years and

52

Tom Sweitzer on stage in New York performing his one-man play, 20 Seconds. it was finally prepared to bring to the Great White Way. I was scared to death, but also had the honor of performing in the most beautiful Off-Broadway theater on 42nd Street—the Signature Theater.

explained that a hug needs to last 20 seconds to have a full healing affect. It worked. I also learned a new discipline for myself—no alcohol, two-hour workouts and lots of walking and water.

My show is intense and very personal. I tell the story of my abusive childhood and how music saved my life. I play 12 characters including my ill mother and schizophrenic father. For 48 performances, I put my soul and heart on that stage and have never felt so purposeful and vibrant.

Recovery from each show was imperative. I came up with little daily routines—five glasses of hot tea, walking the same route for 60 minutes in Central Park, the same coffee shop for the best cappuccino.

My whole life I dreamed of being in a show that had profound meaning for an audience. And I had also dreamed of becoming a preacher, a teacher, or an actor. This show gave me the platform to be all three.

The most profound experience had to be meeting the audience afterward, signing playbills, and taking pictures with strangers who felt they knew me. I was humbled by hearing their own stories of abuse and forgiveness, their tales of hardship and resilience.

Each time I stepped on that stage, I knew for the next 90 minutes I had a responsibility to take every audience member with me on my journey from childhood until now.

After each show, I challenged the audience to think of one person they needed to forgive. When I went out to greet the crowd, many shared who they chose.

In that theater, I could see the faces of the audience. I saw and heard people crying. I watched people hold the person next to them and was taken aback by the joyous sound of laughter. It also was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had to build an audience, because to a New York theater crowd, I was a nobody. It did grow and by the last weekend the theater was packed.

One night, a 60-ish woman was on the phone and crying. She asked me to come closer, then whispered, “This is my dad. I haven’t spoken to him for five years. Thank you.”

I play my parents, so before each production I stood backstage and prayed. I’d ask my mom and dad to come on stage with me to tell our story. And when it was over, I asked them to return to heaven.

The title “20 Seconds” comes from the day my Sunday School teacher Erdean told me to hug my father for 20 seconds to forgive him. She

I hope to do my show many more times. I’m working on a short film of it and in development for a full musical version, hopefully in a theater in 2025. Who knows? It may be in Middleburg or in New York. Or both.

I’m performing “20 Seconds” April 12-14 at the Mars-Schmidt theater at A Place To Be in Leesburg. Stay tuned, and see you at the theater!

Tom Sweitzer is the co-founder of A Place To Be in Middleburg which specializes in music therapy.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Save the Date! for a

Sip and Soirée

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SURVIVAL

By John Rolfe Gardiner

L

Long-time Unison resident and author John Rolfe Gardiner’s Virginians made their first appearance in the fictional suburban village of Worton in a series of short stories carried by the New Yorker and gathered in his collection “Going On Like This.”

His recent subjects, have watched in admiration or despair as their rural Virginia county’s population grew from 20,000 in the mid-1930s to its current half-million.

54

Part II

ester got himself back on the road without falling, moving forward again, toward the glass-front house with guy wires strung overhead, tying a tall radio antenna to three corners of the property.

A cellist for the County Symphony operates a short-wave radio in there. He’s assured Lester the gear and tackle are worth the expense. The year before he said he saved an African’s life, relaying a doctor’s directions from Boston to Ghana. But his house is still known as “the scholars’ place,” for the couple who moved there before him. They had come through the village introducing themselves as “PhD candidates, both of us.” Miriam told them her husband Lester had been to the university of four walls. Not so far off the mark, considering all the months he’d spent shut in his attic room with his text books/ Beside him on the road had been stone walls most of the way, walls that surrounded former farm fields on this side of the county 200 years ago, many tumbled, frost-heaved and rootspilled, some still intact, hidden behind grape vine, honeysuckle, arm-thick poison ivy climbing the locust trunks beside the invading ailanthus and sumac; the oldest walls built by the farmers themselves. He felt a pride of place walking this road; of all the houses he passed, none of their occupants had been here longer than he.

Now he was passing a wall so exact in level and plumb it might have been laid on the landscape by a fussy geometer. The new house behind it had a complex of angles and dormers to drive a roofer crazy. It’s the home of the architect who designed it, a man who said the village was built so long ago you could excuse some houses for their lack of imagination, busy as those people must have been with survival, their hand-dug wells, the garbage and outhouse pits, the field work, no time for niceties. Come winter, no one comes around to plow the architect’s driveway.

Lester’s destination is the Pastor Hill Cemetery, graveyard to Battle Grove Baptist, where black dead lie under a motley of rough stone and more recent polished marble. There he could rest before his amble home. Charles, who had galloped with Lester at the training track, had drowned in the pond behind the Millard place, and was buried at Pastor Hill. And a girl shot in the university massacre in Blacksburg was there under ground not yet grassed over.

It was a quarter hour before the cemetery came into view.

He was annoyed to see someone there, a black man bending over, mending the graveyard wall. It would be rude to sit while he worked. Lester was ready to turn back, but the man stood up from his work and raised a beckoning hand. Not to offend, Lester came slowly forward.

The road ran next to the cemetery, and in a few minutes the two men were next to each other, on opposite sides of the wall.

“Mister Lester,” he said, “you best sit.”

Lester had no choice. He collapsed onto the wall beside the fallen section.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

The old black man had short white hair, cheeks sunken into toothless gums, and his own infirmity, a palsied hand that shook when he put down the stone he held.

“Do I know you? From around here?” Lester asked him. “Over to Willisville.”

“Do I know you?” He asked again.

Lester thought if he sat to rest for a while he’d be ready to walk home. If he got the shaky old fella talking it might seem less an intrusion. The man picked up another stone and stood looking at it. “You was the one swimming with Charles, “ he said. “He lies over there.”

Lester winced. Should he let it pass, or try to explain how there was nothing he could have done?

“This is my uncle lying here.” The old man pointed down at the grave next to his work.

“Well that’s some coincidence.”

“He taught me how to do this. I was young, going nowhere, he put me opposite and said ‘you do ever’ thing on your side I do on mine. You live in Miz Johnson’s house.” Lester, swallowing something sour; had to explain. “No, my father bought it from Louise Grant. I could tell you a story.”

How many times had he told it? It was stale, no humor left in it, only a little shame in recounting another’s hardship. “They had her septic tank turned backward so the sewage backed up in her toilet. She threw her hands up and gave up. That’s when my father bought it. It was in the Depression.”

The old man found the right spot for a stone, and stood up to face Lester. “Yes suh, and Miz Grant got the house at sheriff ’s auction when Miz Johnson was pushed out for the taxes.”

“I never found any record of that.”

“There’s tongues for telling it. It was Judge Carter gave the house to the Johnsons at the Freedom. The house and acre it sit on.”

He reached down for another stone. “Um huhn,” talking to himself, “Miz Johnson’s great, great grandson got taken into the magnet school. So, now who’s smart?”

Lester had tipped forward, hearing his own walls pulled so abruptly from honorable acquisition, his long unchallenged tenure in the village. He tried to get up but his legs wouldn’t work.

The sour taste rose again in his throat. He swallowed but it rose again and surged. He turned on the wall and vomited a yellow drizzle of his morning pills into the graveyard. He heaved again but nothing came.

“Put your head ‘tween your legs, Mr. Lester. I got the anywhere phone.” “No, goddamn it! Don’t call anyone.”

The old man began murmuring a prayer.

Lester, struck dumb with shame, wondered if he was getting the scythe man’s signal. He tried moving his legs again, but got no response.

“I’ll be all right,” he said.

The man stood silent, watching, then bent down to his work again.

“I suppose winter’s hard on a wall.”

“Wasn’t winter did this,” the black man said aloud.

Lester waited for him to explain. Instead the man asked: “You still got a pot on the floor for the drip?”

Lester winced again.

“Willie did the tarring for you this year, say you got a pot on the kitchen floor for the rain.”

He went back to fitting a stone. “There’s no drip,”Lester said.

The old man’s gentle insult was a signal for him to leave. He would have obliged if he could, but It was a job just holding himself steady while seated. He watched the man’s shaking hand, and felt a mutual decay.

“I’ll be fine,” he said.

“Do your misses know which way you went?”

“I said I’ll be fine.”

“Why don’t you go on where you need to be? Why you watching this?” “You’ve got an eye for it, don’t you?”

The old man tried a stone and set it aside. “Turn it three ways, still won’t go, no use persisting. No bad stone. Ever’ one got a home somewhere down the line. It stay put ‘less someone knock it off.”

He worked on for a while in silence with Lester sitting only a few yards away, in spell to the progress of the wall. The stonework continued methodically for another hour. Finished, the old man stood, wiped his hands on his overalls, and turned to Lester. They watched each other, Lester wondering why the old fella wouldn’t just leave. He couldn’t stare him down, didn’t even know he was trying to.

The man began to explain how he was kin, two generations off, from one of Mr. Mellon’s grooms who had worked with Lester, and how his wife’s family was related to the drowned boy Charles. He pointed to where tire tracks ran right next to the wall, evidence of the graveyard’s latter day antagonists.

“Mister Lester,” he said. “You ever think to put a porch back on the house the way it used to be?’

He couldn’t think what to say.

“I wonder is the attic still split in two rooms? Is the stair to it fixed?”

The old man might have been the caretaker of the house the way the list of particulars went on, or a county building inspector going through a checklist.

“I told you I got the anywhere phone.”

“No!” Lester shouted at him.

It was noon before Miriam showed up in the car. Her hands flew up from the steering wheel when she saw him. “Didn’t you think I’d be worried,?” She called through the window. “You’ve been talking all this time?”

The old man took one arm, and Miriam the other, helping Lester into the car. Back behind the wheel, she leaned across her husband and said, “He didn’t eat any breakfast. He didn’t tell me where he was going.”

The black man nodded, touching the brim of a cap that wasn’t there. “Look to me like the heart dropsy,” he said.

On the way home Lester couldn’t make her understand.

“Of course he couldn’t leave you like that,” she said. “If they found you lying on the ground out here, he’d be the first one they’d come looking for.

“He knows every room in our house,” Lester explained, “like he lived in it.”

“Relax,” she said. “You’ll make yourself sick again.”

“He had a whiff of the drain-field. He stuck his nose down our well. He knows about our problem with the County Health.”

Miriam was driving slowly to calm him, to let him see how far his foolish walk had taken him. Her creeping speed was an agitation. Seen from the direction of the black graveyard, the houses he’d walked by had been thrown into a jumbled past.

With nothing for it, he sat back in surrender to the old, black man he’d watched with fascination moving along the graveyard wall, his clear conscience on display, and shaking hand, persisting against a callous history, his satisfaction as each abused stone was returned to its natural home.

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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MODERN FINANCE

The Halving

During each halving, the reward for miners solving complex mathematical itcoins halving is a predeterproblems and adding new blocks to the mined event that occurs apblockchain is cut in half. Initially set at 50 proximately every four years, Bitcoins per block, it reduced to 25 in the or 210,000 blocks, reducing the rate at first halving, 12.5 in the second, and 6.25 which new bitcoins are generated by in the most recent one.

50 percent.

The impact of halving events on the This process is encoded in the market is widely debated. Some believe it Bitcoin protocol to control its supply can trigger a supply-demand imbalance, and mimic the scarcity of precious potentially leading to an increase in the Philip Dudley metals like gold. Historically, “The value of Bitcoin.

Halving” has been a catalyst for the As the rate of new coin creation slows price of Bitcoin as scarcity value increases. down, and if demand remains or grows, the reduced The total supply of Bitcoins is capped at 21 million, supply may drive up prices. with approximately three million having already This phenomenon has historically been observed been lost forever. The continued halving events play in the wake of previous halvings. A traditional a crucial role in managing this limited availability. market is a process wherein supply, demand and The halving mechanism ensures that new bitcoins price are a constant loop, but Bitcoin is only driven enter circulation at a diminishing rate, leading to a by two adjustable factors—demand and price. gradual reduction in the overall supply growth.

The supply function is determined by what is called The first Bitcoins halving took place in 2012, the “difficulty adjustment” which aims to maintain followed by subsequent events in 2016 and 2020. 10 minutes for each block found by the miners. This

B

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By Philip Dudley

inability to increase Bitcoin production vis-a-vis the difficulty adjustment creates an inelastic supply matched only by a few hard assets such as raw land.

Halving events are significant milestones for the Bitcoin community and are often accompanied by increased attention and speculation in the cryptocurrency market. However, it’s essential to note that the relationship between halvings and price movements is complex, influenced by various factors, including market sentiment, adoption, and macroeconomic trends.

In summary, Bitcoin halving is a fundamental aspect of the cryptocurrency’s design, strategically implemented to regulate its supply and emulate the scarcity found in such things as precious metals.

Because each halving occurs approximately every four years, it continues to be a focal point for investors, enthusiasts, and analysts interested in understanding Bitcoin’s long-term economic dynamics. And if you got lost at “difficulty adjustment,” don’t worry, the Securities and Exchange Commission is having a tough time keeping up as well with this new age store of value.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

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Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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SEEN & SCENE

Photo by Viviane Warren

Former FBI and CIA Director William Webster was among the guests at the book signing event.

Photo by Viviane Warren

General David Petraeus, former CIA director, commanded the US coalitions in both Iraq and Afganistan came to Middleburg to speak and sign his new book written with Andrew Roberts, “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.” Michael J. Morrell, former acting director and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency was on hand for the event at the American Legion Hall in Middleburg. He is the husband of Mary Beth Morrell of Middleburg Books.

Goose Creek Association and Land Trust of Virginia’s

FILM Night 2/23

ENVIRONMENTAL

Photo by Vicky Moon

The name of Middleburg’s new postmaster was incorrectly spelled in our holiday issue of Country ZEST, so apologies to the ever affable and multi-talented Terence Fells-Danzer, a great addition to the post office and the town. And while we’re at it, let’s re-print the names of his son, Lincoln, and three daughters, Reagan, Violet and Scarlet.

Come out and enjoy an evening of short environmental films followed by an open discussion with local conservationists to learn more about how you can create an impact in conserving our beautiful rural landscape. At the event you will also have an opportunity to talk individually with Soil and Water Conservation District representatives to learn more about cost-share programs and how to sign up for them.

Middleburg Town Clerk Rhonda North, with Punkin Lee, was among the honorees at the year-ending Middleburg Business and Professional Association gathering, presented with the 2023 Town Figure Award. Also recognized were long-time UPS driver Mike Elliott (Power of One Award); Mickey Bettis, the do-it-all Safeway stalwart (Front Line Employee Award); Perry “Buck” Robinson, the town’s maintenance chief (Behind the Scenes Award); the late Dee Dee Hubbard, founder and editor of the Middleburg Eccentric (Dorothy Lee Award); the staff of the Northwest Federal Credit Union (Leven Powell Award) and the Middleburg Hunt Review at Christmas in Middleburg (Event of The Year).

Photo courtesy of University of Michigan Athletic Department

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23 5:30pm Light Refreshments & Reception 6-7:30pm Films & Discussion The Hill School’s Sheila C. Johnson Performing Arts Center 130 Madison Street, Middleburg, Va. 20117 This event is FREE! Donations are graciously accepted.

PREREGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED

Register online at landtrustva.org/events

58

Blake Corum, Michigan’s star running back by way of little old Rectortown, Virginia surely improved his NFL draft status with a memorable performance in the national championship game against the University of Washington in January.

The senior and potential No. 1 draft pick merely gained 134 yards rushing, ran for the game-breaking touchdown—his second score of that memorable night—and was named the offensive MVP in a resounding Wolverines’ victory. And by the way, next time you see a closeup of Corum’s left arm—check out this photo for example—note the letters RECTORTOWN tattooed from his shoulder to elbow.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

A New Black Alliance Expanding Its Impact

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By Laura Longley

roving there is strength in numbers, Loudoun’s newly formed African American Community Alliance (AACA) of 18 charitable organizations received its first major grant—$250,000 from the Claude Moore Foundation—and within weeks demonstrated how the individual groups could reap the benefits.

No sooner were the foundation funds in the bank than the AACA distributed the first of its “Extend Your Impact” grants at a December ceremony at Leesburg’s Douglass Community Center. AACA selected 15 member organizations to receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $14,230. It will enable them to expand their reach and provide more resources and services in areas such as health care, education, technological training, scholarships, and scientific and cultural enrichment.

Among the recipients was the NAACP Loudoun Branch, chartered in 1940 to support equal education. Its first major cause: to advance the Black community’s campaign to establish a county high school for Black students, an effort that culminated in the construction and opening of Frederick Douglass High School in 1941. The NAACP of Loudoun has never lost its focus on education, and, in 2024, will award three scholarships to assist Loudoun high school graduates of color.

The Douglass High School Alumni Association, which has given more than $300,000 in scholarships to Black high school students over the past 35 years,

Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Executive Director J. Hamilton Lambert, center, joins leaders of the new African American Community Alliance to present a grant of $250,000. also benefited from the new AACA program. Other Alliance member organizations that primarily focus their charitable giving on scholarships include the Psi Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which annually awards its Pearls of Loudoun Endowment Scholarship to a college sophomore, and the Zeta Upsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s foundation, which provides scholarships and mentoring. Another eight Black sororities and fraternities support young people with scholarships.

Alliance grant funds will assist the two-year-old, Ashburn-based NOVA Data Center Academy in offering Loudoun’s African American residents, young people in particular, hands-on training, IT industry certifications, and workplace readiness development so they can compete in the information technology field.

Also receiving a grant is the Loudoun Freedom Center, best known for its work in reclaiming and restoring the African American Burial Ground for

the Enslaved at Belmont outside Leesburg.

At the top of the Freedom Center’s list is commitment to Leesburg’s Union Street School.

Last June the Loudoun Freedom Center was granted a $1 a year lease from Loudoun County to develop the historic school as a living museum, cultural resource, civic hub, and education center. The school building served Loudoun’s Black students until 1939, when the Virginia Department of Education recommended its closure due to unsafe conditions.

Meanwhile, the Friends of Thomas Balch Library’s Black History Committee will put the AACA grant funds to use on a special research project. The BHC is an organization that has worked to preserve Loudoun’s African American history for the last 24 years by collecting photographs and artifacts, producing oral histories, publishing books, hosting presentations, and conducting an award-winning tour of historic places.

According to Donna Bohanon, BHC chair, the Alliance grant will help the committee resume its Preservation Equity Initiative (PEI) this summer, working with George Mason University’s Center for Mason Legacies.

The PEI project will focus on three of Loudoun’s historic Black communities—Willard, which was vacated and bulldozed for the construction of Dulles Airport; St. Louis, a few miles west of Middleburg; and Mt. Pleasant, also known as Scattersville, near Lucketts.

For more information, visit aacAlliance.org.

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Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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Photos by Donna Strama

Karen and Michael Crane entertained friends and family at the Middleburg Community Center for a Holiday Dinner Dance. Stewart and Jim Herbert put on their dancing shoes and Julie Banner caught up with Karen Crane.

The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area is sponsoring a Patsy Cline retrospective concert, “This Ol’ Country Girl: Patsy Cline Unplugged,” on Friday, Feb. 9 at Buchanan Hall in Upperville. In an acoustic performance by the Heritage Area’s own Bess Putnam, Cline’s story and music will take center stage. This program will include music and stories of Winchester native Cline’s life in the region. Details: www.piedmontheritage.org/events

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They have announced the $150,000 Commonwealth Cup Hurdle Stakes, a Grade 1 at 2 miles, 1 furlong over 12 fences. The co-feature with the $75,000 Virginia Gold Cup Timber Stakes.

Penn Crawford, a widely regarded personal injury attorney based in Richmond, now has a satellite office in Upperville and will see clients by appointment. He’s been named an elite lawyer by Virginia Business magazine and also described in several publications as one of the best lawyers in Virginia.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Clarice Smith (American, 1933–2021) Big Race, 2001, oil on canvas, 58 x 36 inches, 36 1⁄2 x 76 1⁄2 inches, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Melvin and Ryna Cohen and the Funger Foundation, Norma Lee and Morton Funger.

Clarice Smith’s Big Race

A

“I paint my life.’’ –Clarice Smith

rtist Clarice Smith knew horses as well as anyone in this countryside. She didn’t ride them nor did she train them. She lived among them at Heronwood Farm, the sprawling 500acre estate she and her husband, Robert Smith, purchased in 1983. Noted as the developer of Crystal City, he bred, raced and owned Thoroughbreds. Their farm also included the adjacent 19 plus acre Upperville Horse Show grounds, which she gifted to the show in 2009.

Clarice Smith (American, 1933–2021) Dead Heat, 1999 oil on canvas, 58 x 36 inches. On loan from David Bruce Smith, The Grateful American Foundation.

Mrs. Smith earned a bachelors and masters degree in studio art at George Washington University, where she later a was faculty member. Her work fused her memorable eye to the mobility of the horses, shades of colors and the flow of action. Most important of all, she labored tirelessly and thrived in her art studio at Heronwood. Her work is on view at the National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg January 11 to March 31. Details: https://nationalsporting.org

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TheHowardGardnerSchool.org | 703.822.9300 Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

61

The Blue Mountain Songbird Strikes All The Right Chords

Bess Putnam offers the stories and the sounds of sweet music.

T

Helping Families and Friends Honor Their Loved One 106 E. Washington St. P.o. Box 163 Middleburg, VA 20118 540-687-5400 FAX 540-687-3727 4125 Rectortown Rd P.O. Box 111 Marshall, VA 20116 540-364-1731 WWW.ROYSTONFH.COM 62

By Peyton Tochterman

here’s a musician strumming a tune that’s not just off the beaten path— it’s creating its own path. Working in the unpretentious corners of Loudoun and Fauquier counties, there’s a musician and teacher who is borrowing from the past, giving to the present, all to educate and preserve our heritage for the future.

Her name? Bess Putnam. Call her the Blue Mountain Songbird or the anti-star of the music world. Either way, she’s tossing the rulebook of mainstream melody into the bonfire of authentic Americana and tradition.

As she puts it, “I just play the songs I like. That’s my genre.”

What a refreshing sentiment.

In a family where music wasn’t just a pastime but the very air they breathed, Bess’s upbringing was a tapestry woven with the twangs of guitars and the soulful strikes of piano keys. Her maestro mother, with a pitch so perfect it could put the phonies of Auto-Tune to shame, and her dad, a living room legend strumming stories in every chord, were her first ticket to this endless symphony.

“Daddy was a cowboy,” she said. “He was always chasing rainbows. He spoke in absolutes. Tractors were green. Truck was spelled ‘FORD.’ And we listened to Willie Nelson.”

Bess’s tale isn’t one of chasing neon-lit dreams or the glittery mirage of fame.

She grew up in Virginia and went to Los Angeles three times to “make it.” She left each time with an uncomfortable feeling. “It just isn’t what music should be about out there,” she said.

She’s the kind of artist who’d rather sing to the heartbeats of a few in a dusty old church than to the faceless crowd of a stadium. She teaches music at Wakefield, and it’s not just about music; it’s a sanctuary where she’s planting seeds of subtle rebellion against the factory-produced hits that clog our airwaves. It’s about real songs.

As for her performances with the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Foundation, it’s about striking that chord with her audience that makes them come to understand not just her a little better, it’s about resonating with the stories etched in the soil of the land. The next one will find her at Buchanan Hall on Feb. 9 th doing a Patsy Cline retrospective concert.

Her concerts are time machines, trips back to the Civil War, to the local fields and the camps, weaving local history with melodies in a way that would make your history textbooks weep with envy. When Bess plays and sings, it’s not just music—it’s a history lesson, a love letter to the landscapes, a sermon from the church of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Offstage, she’s as rooted as the music she plays. She’s out there running Whisperwood Cattle in the Middleburg area with her husband Steven, not as some hobby, but as a testament to her bond with the land, the community. She’s not just a singer; she’s a teacher, a historian, a farmer, and a breath of fresh air in the musical world stale with the cookie cutter pop songs that fill the streaming services. She’s also a mom, with two daughters, Gwenevere and Lila.

In a world where music has become more about the flash than the feeling, more about the downloads than the down-home, Bess Putnam stands out.

She’s a reminder of what music can and should be—a tapestry of stories, histories, and raw, unadulterated emotion and truth. So, here’s to Bess, the Blue Mountain Songbird, who’s not just singing songs but is a song herself, echoing through the mountains and valleys of our beloved Blue Ridge Mountain home.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Berryville Antique Dealer Never Met a Stranger PSO Young People’s Concert: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Sunday, February 18, 2024 - 3PM Join us for the annual PSO Young People's Concert, featuring our ever-popular Young Artists Competition! Experience the thrill of three gifted young musicians competing for scholarship prizes. The PSO performs "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" set to art by local students in the Student Visual Art Contest.

Gerald Dodson of Family Antiques with a circa-1850s agitator.

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By Linda Roberts

picked up what looked like a large plunger only to find a metal, cone-shaped attachment with holes on one end of a long handle. Bewildered, I turned to Gerald Dodson, who owns Berryville’s Family Antiques with his wife Bonnie, looking for an answer.

“Why, that’s an agitator…back when clothes were washed in a tub and you had to supply the manpower yourself to get them clean,” explained Dodson with a grin.

Family Antiques has in stock four of these in case a customer wants to try the old-fashioned method of getting their clothes clean or the pleasure of owning an apparatus that keeps guests guessing. Along with the agitators, a myriad of antique tools, furniture of all types, vintage china and kitchenware, decoys and collectibles greet Dodson’s regular visitors, browsers and those seeking a specific item.

“Bonnie and I have similar tastes and we started collecting things even before we were married,” said Dodson. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

As an investment some time ago, the Dodsons bought the small building at 116A Buckmarsh Street (Route 340 north) just off Berryville’s main street. After a tenant relocated elsewhere, Gerald announced to Bonnie that they would be opening an antique shop featuring oak and country furniture and collectibles. Filling the space was never a problem as the Dodsons had already spent years putting together a sizeable collection of items that by 1983 had outgrown their home.

Upon meeting Dodson, it’s quickly apparent that the man has never met a stranger and visitors to Family Antiques become friends along with the regulars who frequent the shop to catch up on the local news. “It’s true,” Dodson says, “I do like to talk to people.” His natural affinity to interact with whoever he meets has placed Dodson in various civic and community leadership roles which keep him busy when he’s not holding court at the counter of Family Antiques.

“Well, it’s all about relationships,” he adds, saying, “when you’re in business then honesty is the best policy. If you’re not honest with people then you shouldn’t be in business.”

The past few years have not been so kind for Dodson and many others in the antiques and collectibles business, although he remains optimistic. The quest to own an antique has not been a popular past time with the rise of big box stores and chain retailers and the antiques market has definitely been down.

However, Dodson notes he is seeing a shift coming with the younger generations being more interested in keeping and using Grandmother Lucy’s antique walnut tilt-top table, displaying Grandfather Henry’s collection of old tools or searching for antiques that will become their own family heirlooms.

Family Antiques is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays. If you stop by, tell Gerald you’d like to see those antique agitators!

Alex Martin

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Upcoming PSO Concerts & Events: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Sunday, April 21, 2024 - 3PM PSO Spring Gala Saturday, April 27, 2024 Bella Voce 2.0 with Emily Casey & Nakia Verner Sunday, June 9, 2024 - 3PM

FOR TICKETS & INFO: www.piedmontsymphony.org or scan the code:

Concerts held at: Michael A. Hughes Center/Highland School - Warrenton

Luminescence Foundation & The Ben-Dov Family

Nicolaas and Patricia Kortlandt Fund The Margaret Spilman The Wise Foundation The Crossfields Group Bowden Foundation

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

63

HOME SWEET HOME IMPROVEMENTS

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A Wedding Night To Remember, And Research

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By Mickey Rathbun

y husband, Christopher Benfey, and I were married at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville 40 years ago. It was early October; fall colors were beginning to glow in the trees, and the countryside smelled of ripening apples and the final haycutting of the season.

Our wedding reception took place at Welbourne, a few miles from my parents’ farm, where I had grown up, the daughter of long-time Middleburg residents Duffy and Sheilah Rathbun. A chance encounter on that momentous day inspired my quest to solve the mystery of George Gordon Moore, my maternal grandfather.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Welbourne has been in the same family for eight generations. Built of brick and stucco, it is a soft yellow, with tall white columns, the house has an aura of well-worn majesty. Legendary fighters for the slaveholding Confederacy, including Jeb Stuart and John Mosby, are said to have stayed at Welbourne during the Civil War, and many illustrious guests have visited since.

Chris and I had spent our two-year courtship mostly in Boston, where he was in graduate school, and New York, where I had recently embarked on a legal career.

For us, the rural southern wedding was a lark, a pleasant detour into a genteel world where time seemed to move more slowly, if it moved at all. Guests nibbled country-ham biscuits and drank champagne and Kentucky bourbon out on the veranda. Late roses and pale hydrangeas, rouged like old ladies’ cheeks, still bloomed in the gardens; as darkness fell, I glimpsed a few couples wandering in the overgrown boxwood maze behind the house.

Among the guests were my mother’s cousin Honoria Donnelly and her husband, Bill, two of my parents’ oldest and dearest friends. Honoria was the daughter of Gerald and Sara Murphy, the celebrated expatriate couple at the center of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age coterie.

The Donnellys had booked a room at the same rustic inn where Chris and I were spending our wedding night. When we arrived there after the reception, we ran into them at the front desk. Although it was nearly midnight, Bill and Honoria insisted on toasting our future with a nightcap. He ordered a bottle of champagne, and we sat in the empty bar trading family stories.

With her pearly skin and halo of silvery blonde hair, Honoria seemed as effervescent as the champagne we sipped. She told us how much she had enjoyed the wedding. “Did you know that Scott Fitzgerald stayed at Welbourne?” she asked.

Chris had just gotten his Ph.D. in American literature and was intrigued to hear that Fitzgerald had stayed in the very house where we had cut our wedding cake. I mentioned that my grandfather had also stayed at Welbourne during his annual Christmas visits many years earlier. “George Gordon Moore,” she murmured. “He was a colorful character.”

While I knew only sketchy details of my grandfather’s life, I had heard it mentioned that he had been F. Scott Fitzgerald’s model for Jay Gatsby. As a teenager I had loved The Great Gatsby although I could not fully grasp its moral ambiguity.

The story about Gatsby and my grandfather had lodged in my brain.

But as far as I could tell, neither my mother nor anyone else in the family took it seriously. That evening, as we sat with Honoria and Bill talking about weddings and F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Gatsby story floated into my mind. I wondered whether, having grown up with the Fitzgeralds, Honoria might know something about the speculation regarding my grandfather and Gatsby.

In that champagne-addled moment, I mentioned the story about Fitzgerald and my grandfather and asked her if she thought it might be true. She raised her eyebrows and smiled her ethereal smile.

“It wouldn’t surprise me at all,” she said.

She may have been trying to humor me, or perhaps she’d had one too many glasses of champagne. But I went to sleep on my wedding night in Middleburg puzzling over the possibility that my grandfather might have been the inspiration for Jay Gatsby, one of the most famous characters in American literature.

Mickey Rathbun’s book, The Real Gatsby: George Gordon Moore, A Granddaughter’s Memoir has been published by White River Press.

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By Jimmy Hatcher

ickey Rathbun, the daughter of my late pals, Sheilah and Duffy Rathbun, has written a beguiling book about her grandfather, George Gordon Moore, a high-goal polo player in the days of alltime great Tommy Hitchcock in the 1920s and ‘30s. It’s called “The Real Gatsby: George Gordon Moore.”

I was working for Averell and Pamela Harriman when I first heard the name of George Gordon Moore. He owned a California estate, Rancho San Carlos, where the team of Hitchcock, Averell Harriman, Winston Guest and Jock Whitney went one winter to play polo.

It seems the weather was better in California than it was in Florida. Tommy Hitchcock was getting married and wanted to go to Hawaii for his honeymoon.

So Averell Harriman, who just happened to own the Union Pacific Railroad, produced a train for the trip and each player had his own private railroad car.

Since Liz Whitney and Jock were not yet married, Liz also was accompanied by a chaperone.

I once asked Liz about the chaperoned polo trip and she said yes, it was true and that, “Jock had Averell put Winston Guest’s railroad car behind the horses, the better to keep Winston away from me.” Liz was one of the most beautiful women on the planet, and she was an equally world-class horsewoman.

But back to Mickey Rathbun’s terrific book. It finally lets us know how her grandfather became so rich, and also how he became so poor.

In Middleburg, where Mickey grew up, we had always heard that Sheilah Rathbun’s father—Mr. Moore—was the illegitimate son of King Edward VII. It was said that a check addressed to Sheilah still came to the Middleburg post office every month.

The book explores that rumor, and keeps the reader thoroughly entertained.

And who exactly was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s role model for Mr. Gatsby? That’s also covered, but I’ll let the author tell the rest of the story.

See also pages 64-65 Mickey Rathbun’s story of “The Real Gatsby: George Gordon Moore.”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

A GIRL, A DREAM, AND A HORSE

By Vicky Moon

W

Photo by Leonard Shapiro

The author with the late Elizabeth Taylor’s daughter, sculptor Liza Todd Tivey who’s work was featured in the author’s book, “Equestrian Style.”

The horse in the film National Velvet was a Thoroughbred named, King Charles, foaled in 1937. For the film the gleaming chestnut was named The Pie.

hen actress Elizabeth Taylor was married to Senator John Warner and lived in Middleburg from 1976-1982, people fell all over themselves. A friend saw her squeeze a head of lettuce in the Safeway and put it back. She went straight to it and bought the rejected Lactuca sativa.

What some may not realize, is the Academy Award-winning actress was devoted to horses from 1944 when she made the film “National Velvet” with Mickey Rooney. The star horse was a gleaming chestnut Thoroughbred named King Charles, foaled in 1937. She fell off and broke her back during the filming and, like any good horse gal, it did not deter her.

She was given the horse at the end of production and kept him forever. During her years in Middleburg, she took lessons from Snowden Clarke and also attended a showing of a “National Velvet” fundraiser for Loudoun 4-H Riding for the Handicapped Foundation at the Community Center. Fifty years later, the organization, now known as Loudoun Therapeutic Riding, will screen the film once again at the same venue on Saturday, Feb. 17. Details: www.ltrf.org.

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Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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The Confusing State of the Potomac River

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By Joe Motheral

id you ever wonder why the stretch of the Potomac River running between Maryland and Virginia is considered to be in Maryland, when most state-to-state boundaries exist in the center of rivers?

In 1632, King Charles I sought to accommodate Cecil Calvert, the Baron of Baltimore in part to keep the Dutch from encroaching into the new British colonies. The Baron named the new colony, Maryland after Charles I’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria.

In the process, Virginia lost control of the land north of the Potomac River and Maryland retained the rights to the River. The Charter of 1632 officially established the colony of Maryland and reduced the size of Virginia.

Then in 1776, the first constitution of Virginia validated the Maryland charter although it didn’t define the limits of Maryland’s claim to the Potomac River.

Virginia did assert the right to use the River for navigation: to have use of the water and the shoreline in what are considered riparian rights.

There followed a series of negotiated settlements in 1785, 1877, and 1958. Several Supreme Court decisions defined how the boundary line was to be handled.

1877, Virginia and Maryland agreed to designate a “commission of arbitrators” to determine the exact location of the boundary between the two states. Its members were Jeremiah S. Black of Pennsylvania, Charles J. Jenkins of Georgia and James B. Beck of Kentucky. That commission determined that the boundary is at the low water mark on the Virginia side of the River, where it is located to this day.

Oysters were once plentiful in the Potomac. All through the 1700s, according to historical sources, quiet battles were waged between the watermen of Maryland and Virginia. It apparently became so intense that in the 1800s the State governments got involved and there was conflict between them and the oyster harvesters. Barges plied the River to monitor the watermen, often leading to conflict.

In 1947, The Washington Post wrote, “Already the sound of rifle fire has echoed across the Potomac River, only 50 miles from Washington men are shooting one another. The night is quiet until suddenly shots snap through the air. Possibly a man is dead, perhaps a boat is taken, but the oyster war will go on until the next night and the next.”

Finally as late as 1962, President Kennedy signed the Potomac Fisheries Bill establishing a bi-state commission to oversee the Potomac River.

There have been some intriguing consequences to the arrangement.

One developer in Virginia had to get a permit from Maryland to use the water from the Potomac to irrigate a golf course.

In the 1950s, when gambling and liquor were legal in Maryland but not Virginia, Colonial Beach and Prince William County had slot machines located on boats docked in the river off the Virginia shoreline. Customers would park in Virginia, walk out on a pier, and be in Maryland.

Today, if you want to get married on a boat in the middle of the Potomac River, a Maryland marriage license is necessary.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

Ida Lee Park Has a Rich History

I

By Joe Motheral

n 1986, William F. Rust Jr. and his wife, Margaret Dole Rust, donated their Greenwood Farm—138 acres to be used as a public park now known as Ida Lee Park in Leesburg.

In 1988, construction of the recreation center got underway that included an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, gymnasium and meeting rooms. It was completed in 1990, and as time went on various elements were added thanks in part to the Rust family who continued to help finance and support the Park. Mrs. A.V. Symington entered the picture when her estate donated $5 million for an aquatic park and indoor tennis courts.

According to Rich Williams, director of Leesburg Parks And Recreation, the Rust family requested they name the park after their maternal grandmother, Ida Lee. Ida Lee was born on August 14, 1840 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. According to Katey Jackson, the Ida Lee Park Recreation Superintendent, “Ida was a well-adjusted member of the old and established Lee Family of Virginia.”

She was the daughter of Edmund Jennings Lee, first cousin of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Jackson said that the Lee family home burned down in 1859 and, after the family built a second home, it was burned down by the “Yankees” during the Civil War. Ida Lee married Col. Armstead Thomson Mason Rust on September 19, 1860 and they lived in the Rust

Ida Lee

The front entrance to Leesburg’s Ida Lee Park.

estate in Leesburg known as Rockland. She ultimately had 12 children. Following the death of her husband in 1887, she moved into Leesburg on Cornwall Street.

“Ida Lee was outspoken, well-educated and her diaries reflect her interest in her children and grandchildren,” Jackson said. “She understood the value of education and home schooled her children.”

Ms. Lee died in 1921 at the age of 80 but her legacy lives on in the form of the extensive Park named after her.

As a long- time member of the Leesburg community, A.V. Symington was born Valerie Harris in New York City in 1916. She was the sister of Huntington Harris, who once lived at the Cattail Farm on Edwards Ferry Road. She always insisted on being called A.V. and everyone knew her by that name.

Her husband, James H. Symington, died in 1974.

As a member of the wealthy Harris banking family in Chicago she had immense financial resources.

And she evidently had a strong sense of community, having donated her 286-acre farm, Temple Hall north of Leesburg, to the Northern Virginia Park Authority.

She was insistent that the property stay in farming and selected the authority as the best organization to carry out her wish to preserve the land and help others learn about and appreciate farming.

She died in 2003 and is interned in the Union Cemetery in Leesburg. Her friends knew her as always upbeat with a wonderful sense of humor. She also was a lifelong swimmer and competed in the Senior Olympics.

In 1998, she was invited to attend a meeting of the venerable Catoctin Farmers Club. Childs Burden of Middleburg, a past president of the club, once recalled that she brought her knitting, talked about her father, brother and husband who had all been members, and told farming stories. Club members were so impressed, they invited her to be their first and only female member.

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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The front entrance of High Acre Farm

PROPERTY Writes

High Acre Farm Has It All

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igh Acre Farm, an elegant residence with a prime location between Middleburg and The Plains in the heart of Orange County hunt country, is being offered on the market for the first time in more than 50 years.

The main house is a brick Georgian style, circa 1909 and designed by widely regarded New York architect Jules Gregory.

It includes four bedrooms, three full baths, two half baths and seven fireplaces. There are wood floors throughout, with high ceilings, two balconies off the primary bedroom, a spacious classic family room with a stone floor and pickled pine paneling.

The library has bookshelves galore, extensive millwork and French doors.

There’s a formal garden with stone terraces.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

The primary bedroom definitely offers a room with a lovely view.

The stone recreation room includes pine paneling, a fireplace and five sets of French doors.

The expansive living room with a fireplace and wonderful views from the bay window.

The entire home has gorgeous millwork and detailed finishes on the inside. And outside, there’s a tree-lined approach, extensive stone walls and a notable terraced garden.

The property, located in Fauquier County, includes 263.47 acres of rolling and elevated land with splendid views. It’s a mix of open pasture, mature woods, and two spring fed ponds.

Additional improvements include the manager’s house and two tenant houses. There are multiple outbuildings, including a machine shed and a long barn and dairy complex. There’s also another small barn and an old kennel structure. The property is in conservation easement and may not be subdivided.

High Acre Farm 5415 MacMahon Lane The Plains, Virginia Price: $6.5 million Property: 264 acres, in conservation easement Listed by Sheridan-MacMahon, Ltd. Paul MacMahon 703-609-1905 Helen MacMahon 540-454-1930 The dining room just off the kitchen has a fireplace, wood floors and room for many.

Country ZEST & Style | Winter 2024

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Seeking Lost African American Stories

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By Jodi Nash

f there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

When Frederick Douglass spoke these words in an 1857 speech delivered in New York, it was a consequence of his own arduous struggle for freedom from the slavery he was born into on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

He went on to become a revered social reformer, abolitionist, orator, impassioned writer, journalist and statesman. Yet, if he hadn’t penned three separate and graphically detailed autobiographies, the story of his life and legacy as the nation’s most powerful voice against slavery might have been lost, like the stories of so many enslaved people in America.

For many, their “roots” are shrouded in mystery. Enter Karen Hughes White, president and director of the Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County (AAHA) in The Plains.

On Jan. 15, 2024, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the AAHA launched Phase 2 of its “Know Their Names” project. Merging 16 data sets, now containing over 70,000 entries, AAHA’s mission to document Fauquier’s African-American experience has advanced significantly.

Born and raised here, Karen is a descendant of free and enslaved AfricanAmerican Virginians dating back to the early 1700s. On a personal quest for books for her second-grade daughter featuring images that looked like her, Karen’s interest in building her family tree took her to various historical societies and courthouse record rooms in Fauquier and all around the area. She was stunned by the paucity of recorded information on African Americans.

Unable to find a record of her grandmother’s birth, she discovered that from 1897 to 1912, no Virginia law existed requiring that births and deaths be recorded. Prior to then, enslaved (or Freedmen) may or may not have appeared in federal U.S. census “slave schedules” under the names of their owners.

Karen faced a daunting task, one she took on fervently in the late 1980s with her friend, Karen Lavore. As they dove into their family genealogy research, the friendship blossomed, and their journey expanded into researching and documenting the African American family experience in Fauquier County.

They founded the non-profit AAHA in 1992.Since then, Karen, her older sister Angela Davidson, and AAHA staff and volunteers have devoted themselves to painstakingly abstracting every scrap of information that can be gleaned from primary source documents and informal family records. The information is loaded into numerous spreadsheets and data bases, unearthing recognition of the buried stories and blurred lineage of Fauquier’s African American enslaved.

The goal: identify every person enslaved in the county, a bold endeavor, putting names to the men, women and children frequently acknowledged with only a single five-letter word: SLAVE. Karen doubted the mission would be accomplished in her lifetime.

In 2018, a fortuitous call came from businessman and philanthropist Mark Ohrstrom. Petitioning to have his 118-acre family farm in The Plains included in the National Register of Historical Places, he wanted to acknowledge the enslaved who worked there.

Using the names of the farm’s owners in the 1800s to check AAHA’s archives, Karen quickly identified 18 people, many with only a single name and an assigned dollar value, though many had labored there many years. Ohrstrom plans to commemorate them with a monument on his land, and welcome any descendants who want to visit the farm.

In 2019, the Warrenton-based PATH Foundation, and an article by Angela Roberts of the Piedmont Journalism Foundation that generated much interest, one thing became clear. By fall the of 2022, with 50,000 entries across multiple data sources, a master database was required.

This would also provide a way to make the information accessible to the public,

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Karen Hughes White

A major contribution helped fund “Know Their Names.” both online and on-site. After further discussions with the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville, AAHA applied for a grant from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC).

On Jan. 11, 2023, VMHC awarded them a $50,000 grant from their Commonwealth History Fund sponsored by Dominion Energy, and the project team went to work.

The “Know Their Names” data can now be accessed from home, or by a visit to AAHA. The 4,200-square-foot museum on the lower level is home to 1,634 artifacts detailing the rich history of Fauquier County’s Black residents. It’s open to the public, schools and other organizations.

The 2,300-square-foot auditorium hosts special events, and the upper level houses a reference library and research room containing thousands of books and database information.

This way, after struggle, there is progress, thanks to the passion and tenacity of Karen White and Karen Lavore. For anyone searching for their lost stories, a visit or online virtual tour is a must.

For more information, see https://www.aahafauquier.org.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024

SCENARIO

BUY NOW... REFINANCE LATER

WHY NOW?

PRICES

LESS

RATES

MORE

If rates go to 5.5%, which is likely by the second half of the year, then prices will go up between 4-7%.

COMPETITION

BARGAINING POWER

EXAMPLE

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRICING

If I want to buy a house today for $750,000 and put down 20% with rates 6 7/8% or a little lower, I’m paying about $4,755 for that house. If I want to wait because rates are going to go down to 5.5%, now I’m paying about $787,000 for that same house, putting down 20%, I’m then borrowing $30,000 more and my payment went down about $325. That sounds good about a lower payment... but what if you just buy now and refinance later to that same 5.5%, you would have had a payment of about $4,155, which is lower than what you would have paid, and now you have $40,000 more in equity because of less money borrowed.

This graph illustrates the importance of pricing correctly. The centerline represents market value. As you move above this market value, you attract a much smaller percentage of prospective buyers, greatly reducing your chances of a sale. Conversely, as you move below market value, you attract a much larger percentage of potential buyers.

THE EFFECT OF OVER PRICING This is the average percentage difference between the Selling and Asking Price by the length of time the home was on the market.

Scenario by-Michael Farrell Main Street Home Loans

BUY NOW, REFINANCE LATER

PROPERTY VALUE

$750,000

$787,500

$787,500

LOAN AMOUNT

$600,000

$630,000

$590,625

INTEREST RATE

6.875%

5.500%

5.500%

360

360

360

$4,754.07

$4,430.20

$4,157.41

MONTHLY SAVINGS

$0

$323.88

$596.66

SAVINGS (5 MTH)

$0

$1,673

$8,850

TERM (MOS) PAYMENT

BUY LATER W/ LOWER RATES

2024 REFINANCE

DECEMBER LOCAL MARKET STATISTICS Put your best foot forward immediately Establish a competitive asking price Keep your home in top showing condition

LOUDOUN COUNTY

ACTIVITY VS. TIMING

FAUQUIER COUNTY

CLARKE COUNTY This chart illustrated the level of excitement and interest in a new listing over time. It also demonstrates the importance of pricing correctly. When a property is first listed, it generates a very high level of interest from prospective buyers, which reduces dramatically over time. It is important to be priced correctly from the beginning, during the peak of this curve.

Data - ©2024 Bright MLS, Inc.

KRISTIN DILLON-JOHNSON | REALTOR® | Licensed in Virginia C 703.673.6920 | kristin@atokaproperties.com | KDJREALESTATE.COM 115 N 21st St (PO Box 190 | 20134), Purcellville, VA 20132

COROPORATE OFFICE: 10 E. WASHINGTON ST, MIDDLEBURG, VA 20117 | LICENSED IN VA, WV + MD | ATOKAPROPERTIES.COM

WHEN YOU INSIST ON THE BEST, CALL ON THE BEST D VEE O PR RIC IM P

oakendale

littleton farm

hidden trail

delaplane manor

435 acres $19,600,000 The Plains – Oakendale Farm, ca. 1938 is the epitome of an exquisite Horse Country Estate with meticulously manicured gardens, grounds, dependencies and hundreds of acres with protected viewsheds, Oakendale is in a class of its own.

153 acres $7,880,000 Upperville – Premier estate includes 2 horse barns with a total of 29 stalls, 3 feed rooms, tack rooms, riding ring with competition footing, beautiful ride-out.

Agent is related to Owner.

107+ acres $5,200,000 The Plains – Exceptional and surrounded by magnificent countryside with views. Stone and stucco residence, beautiful terraces.

Geothermal heating/cooling, heated 20’ x 40’ pool, 8 stall center aisle stable with 14’ x 14’ stalls. Stunning indoor riding arena.

75+ acres $3,900,000 Delaplane – Built for Channing Delaplane, Jr. in 1921, the manor house is exquisite and beautifully sited. Located within the Crooked Run Valley Rural Historic District. 10 BRs, 6 1/2 BAs. Behind the house are a pool, barns, paddocks and mature woodlands.

John Coles | 540-270-0094

John Coles | 540-270-0094

John Coles | 540-270-0094

Julia O’Regan 202-468-0751 Cricket Bedford 540-229-3201

D VEE O PR RIC IM P

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lucky hit

magnolia farm

zachary taylor hwy.

stonehaven

84+ acres $2,500,000 White Post – Built in 1791 and located south of Route 50 in a beautiful area of the county. 2 Parcels: 30 acres w/house, and 54+ acres with 1 DUR–this parcels is open and flat, presenting an opportunity to build your dream horse facility.

13+ acres $2,350,000 The Plains – Minutes from Middleburg in prime Hunt Country and surrounded by large estates protected by easements.

Charming home with a first-floor BR and 3 BRs on the second level. Also: 3 stall barn, 1 bedroom apartment and 2 offices.

241+ acres $2,170,000 Flint Hill – Gorgeous rolling land with spectacular views! VOF Easement allows a permanent single family dwelling, a secondary residential dwelling and nonresidential outbuildings, etc. Cannot be further divided.

158 acres $1,695,000 Woodville – Historic stone residence, c.1791 with additional stone cottage for guests or office. Beyond the home is a charming and beautifully restored 2 BR log cabin. Gardens, lawn, barns, paddocks and tremendous ride out potential.

Cary Embury | 540-533-0106

John Coles | 540-270-0094

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

John Coles | 540-270-0094

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quanbeck lane

zachary taylor rd.

fox meadow

AL T N

RE

green meadows

30+ acres $1,650,000 Middleburg – This 4 BR home is very livable and would make a great hunt box in Middleburg Hunt territory. 4-stall barn, tack/laundry room, wash stall, hay loft and storage. There is also a 2-stall run-in shed.

Great ride out potential!

154+ acres $1,500,000 Flint Hill – 2 Parcels w/ multiple buildings: machine sheds, work shop, cattle barn, 3 grain silos and a one level 3 BR / 2 BA home.

Protected by a Conservation Easement, allowing a permanent single family dwelling and a secondary residential dwelling.

13+ acres $1,399,000 Boyce – Looking for a manageable horse property in Clarke County? Classic brick colonial with beautiful, protected, views.

Board-fenced paddocks, run-in sheds, small riding arena with a stone dust base.

Two lots–each has an extra DUR.

2+ acres $3,500/ mo Warrenton – Lovely spacious home with 4 BRs and 3.5 BAs. In a quiet country setting - minutes to Warrenton. Immaculate condition. Front porch and large covered backporch. Attached 2 car garage. No pets, No smoking - One year minimum.

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

Cary Embury | 540-533-0106

Rein duPont (540) 454-3355

Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.

THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES Opening The Door To Horse Country For Generations 2 South Madison Street | PO Box 500 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | Office: 540-687-6500 | thomasandtalbot.com