Country ZEST & Style Holiday 2023 Edition by Country Zest & Style

HOLIDAY 2023

! O HHO ! HO!

! F O O W WOOF! ! F O O W Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits

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

HICKORY TREE FARM THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA

304 acres | Main house, stunning guest house with garage, 2 tenant houses, manager’s house, apartment complex, pool, 5 barns, approx 60 stalls, 3/4 mile all weather sand track, pond & extensive paddocks, fencing & sheds | Panoramic views of Bull Run Mountains & the Blue Ridge Mountains | Original home site still surrounded by towering trees, garden & stone walls

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

FULTON RUN MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

50 sprawling, usable acres w/mountain views | 3 BR, 3 1/2 BA home | 3 approved building sites for custom main house | Carriage house/Barn is prepped for a 2 full bath, full kitchen, apartment or can be an artist studio w/full view glass doors for natural light | 40+ fenced in acres, several paddocks

$2,795,000

$4,400,000

heLen MacMahon 540.454.1930

PauL MacMahon 703.609.1905 Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

GLENDONNELL

UPPERVILLE LAND

NEW MOUNTAIN ROAD

$7,495,000

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

$1,500,000

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

$799,900 Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

$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

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

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

$575,000

Marqui SiMMonS 703.774.6109

7404 JOHN MARSHALL HIGHWAY, MARSHALL, VA

GRADED FEEDER SALE DEC 8 IN MARSHALL @ 10:30 A.M. JAN. 5 IN CULPEPER @10:30 A.M. JAN. 12 IN MARSHALL @ 10:30 A.M. REGULAR SALE EVERY TUESDAY AT 1:30PM

HUNTLEY FARM HERD REDUCTION

DECEMBER 12 - 200 FALL/SPRING BRED COWS We will be doing in person/in barn and teleconferencing bidding for these sales! Please contact office for a bidder number! TELECONFERENCE NO: 1-832-831-2424, CONFERENCE PIN: 38044 For more information, contact: Stan Stevens, Sale Manager at (540) 631-3523, Shelley Merryman, Office Manager, at (540) 364-1566 or Randy Bardell, Huntley Farm Manager at (540) 272-2453

Check us out on FB or our website at http://www.FauquierLivestockExchange.com Fauquier Livestock Exchange does not guarantee any items sold. Not responsible for accidents.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

of NOTE

ZES ST T & Sty t lel

Country

ZEST & Style ZES ST TStytlel &

Country

PHONE: 410-570-8447 Editor: Leonard Shapiro badgerlen@aol.com Art Director Meredith Hancock Hancock Media Circulation Director Seneca Drennan Editorial Research India Awe 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 Kerry Dale Philip Dudley Mike du Pont Carina Elgin Valerie Archibald Embrey Jimmy Hatcher M.J. McAteer Joe Motheral Jodi Nash Chip Newcombe Tom Northrup Ali Patusky Melissa Phipps Pat Reilly Linda Roberts John E. Ross Eugene Scheel 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 Ho, ho, ho!!! Country ZEST is delighted to have this young group of Middleburg Orange County beagle enthusiasts on our cover. From the back to front: Gwenevere Putnam, Miles Clancy, Camden Tufts, Cooper Aytes and McKenzie Aytes and, in front, Parker Simmons. They’re holding these happy holiday beagles: Midas, Whoops, Willow, Chime, Maria and Gilbert. With many Doug Gehlsen and Karen thanks to Nina Fout, Haley Walsh and Monroe of photographer Doug Gehlsen and stylist Middleburg Photo Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo. To which Doug Gehlsen says: “This was by far the most ambitious cover yet! Six great kids and six cute little beagles all at once in the same tiny space. Thank you, all for pulling this together. ” / Country Zest and Style

/ @countryzestandstyle

/ @countryzestand1

www.countryzestandstyle.com 2

for the hummingbird.

Country

Distributed and mailed throughout the Virginia countryside and in Washington and at key Sporting Pursuits and Celebrations MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 798 Middleburg, Virginia 20118

BE ON THE LOOKOUT through this Country issue of

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

SO MUCH TO CELEBRATE

By Leonard Shapiro

t’s that time of year again, a time to give thanks, to celebrate, to reflect on the past year and look ahead to a new one.

Here at Country ZEST, we’ve got plenty to be thankful for, and to celebrate. This holiday issue completes our fifth year in print and on line, and we’re deeply humbled and appreciative of the overwhelming support we’ve received from our loyal readers, fantastic contributors and awesome advertisers, many with us right from the very start in August, 2019. My old boss at The Washington Post, the late, great executive editor, Ben Bradlee, used to talk about “psychic income”—the e-mails, thank-you notes, texts, phone calls and folks just stopping you in the street to say how much they enjoyed your latest story. That “income” went a long way toward brightening your day and letting you know all the work was worth every drop of blood, sweat and the occasional tear. There’s plenty more to be thankful for around here these days. Middleburg and our surrounding area remains a vibrant and ever-evolving community—new shops, restaurants, residents, tourists, and faces in important places. Just last month, there were four different ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new shops on Madison St. alone, and the newly constructed and widely anticipated Middleburg Town Hall just recently opened to eye-popping early reviews. In this issue, we have stories on our new Middleburg postmaster, the new branch manager at the Middleburg Library and the new executive director of the Gold Cup over in The Plains. In nearby Marshall, there’s a new restaurant owned by an old familiar face serving up scrumptious lunches and dinners. You can read about him in this issue, as well. This also seems a good time to celebrate the accomplishments of one of our talented contributors. That would be Ali Patusky, a senior at Fauquier High who’s been writing terrific stories for us since her sophomore year. Ali can write, and she can ride like a champ as well. She’s pictured here on her horse, Prince, with her proud parents, Chris and Kiernan Patusky, after ending the 2023 season as USHJA Champion of the Zone 3 Low Children’s Jumpers finals at the Salem show grounds in Upperville. Finally, we’re particularly thrilled to report that we’re closing out our fifth year with a record number of pages and stories, the better to put even more ZEST into your reading pleasure. And what better time than to wish one and all a joyous holiday season and a happy, healthy new year, most of all with some very much needed peace on earth. Leonard Shapiro Editor Badgerlen@aol.com

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

WE WISH YOU A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON! LD

RED BRIDGE

MIDDLEBURG COUNTRY ESTATE

ATOK A CHASE

107 acres $9,975,000 Marshall – Magnificent estate of approximately 107 gorgeous acres in the heart of Virginia’s renowned horse country. 17,800 SF of exquisite living space and spectacular equestrian facilities which include an Olympic sized Outdoor Arena, a fabulous 12 stall Stable, 15 lush paddocks and riding trails throughout. Also includes a lovely Guest Cottage and Living Quarters for staff. Red Bridge simply cannot be replicated anywhere.

30 acres $5,900,000 Middleburg – Spectacular country estate with manicured lawns and towering trees. 5 BRs, 8 1/2 BAs, 8 fireplaces, heated pool & Jacuzzi. 4 BR guest house, 8 stall center aisle stable and run-ins.

10 acres $4,250,000 Beautifully sited in the heart of historic Middleburg, this spectacular custom residence offers the utmost in a luxurious and gracious country lifestyle. 3 stall barn, board fenced pastures.

ER ACT D R UNNT O C

HIDDEN CREEK

38291 JOHN MOSBY

BARRON ACRES

BLOOMFIELD LAND

116 acres $4,200,000 Delaplane – A splendid country estate, beautifully designed, exquisitely decorated and impeccably maintained. It provides the perfect setting for serene country living

4 acres $3,950,000 Middleburg – New estate home ready for the most discerning buyer. Stunning colonial offers extraordinary living on three finished levels. Also: heated pool, fire pit, outdoor kitchen and 3 car garage.

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 run-in.

95+ acres $2,100,000 Unison – Private and secluded, this parcel features magnificent views of the Blue Ridge and Bull Run Mountains. Open fields, lush pastures and beautiful woodlands.

CI ER

A LE

WILLISVILLE

200 E. WASHINGTON

PROVIDENCE LANE

COTTAGE

10+ acres $1,295,000 Upperville – Ideally located on a picturesque country road, meticulously updated with extraordinary quality and beautiful detailing, this charming colonial offers privacy in a storybook setting.

.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. Prime location.

21 acres $419,000 Beautifully located on the western slope of the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains. Includes sweeping lawns and towering trees, Morgan Mill Stream runs along the properties perimeter.

$4,500 3 BR stone cottage, fully furnished, located on a beautiful equestrian estate just minutes from Middleburg. Available for lease and perfect for those seeking tranquility in a picturesque country setting.

Jim McGowan 703-927-0233

Mary Ann McGowan 540-270-1124

Brian McGowan 703-927-4070

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.

A Plea for The Trees he devastating wind and rain events of June, 2022 and August, 2023 brought down dozens of trees in the Middleburg area. More recently, the reverse has occurred— a four-week drought with equally damaging effects. Driving around many historic country roads and in visiting neighboring communities in Loudoun, an increasingly diminishing resource— trees— is quite evident. While not an arborist or versed in various species of trees, I’m also not familiar with responsibilities of governments versus landowners or very much aware of the costs and life cycles of various types of newly planted trees. But I can speak to my impressions that the communities in and around Middleburg as well as Loudoun County have suffered significant harm through the loss of far too many trees, especially those with rich leaf cover. Visitors and residents driving, riding or walking through the town of Middleburg and nearby localities clearly relish the shade trees that create, at points, an almost cathedral-like atmosphere. But those points are rapidly diminishing. Environmental concerns, debates on climate warming and appropriate remediation and arguments about replacement costs of trees abound. But no one can fail to note the relevance of a healthy tree cover to the scenic beauty, cooling effects and support for water retention in a time of

hotter and drier periods. Fields for horses or for growing hay or agricultural products are key to Middleburg’s attraction and economy. But many fields now have open spaces at their borders or fence lines where a range of tree species once thrived. Further, visitors who arrive on foot, bicycles or automobiles provide comments on the diminishing tree cover. For locals, the needed removal of dead or downed trees calls attention to the problem. At the same time, Middleburg has familiarity with conservation easements, great work by VDOT to address storm damage on roadways, more and more downed trees and efforts at re-planting programs in various locales in the county. However, the time has arrived for a more comprehensive and cooperative discussion of coordinated efforts to address the decline of trees near scenic neighborhoods and highways and even forest settings. Recent discussions regarding data centers and potential programs that have had input from all constituent groups provide a model that may be considered for the challenges presented by a decline in local tree cover. Many programs already exist. How to bring them together, to share information and to undertake action remains to be done and makes clear the value of looking to assistance at federal, state and local levels, including local arborists with relevant expertise. Plantings to replace the 120- to 200-year-old stock will take an act of confidence and courage, if only

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

By Alfred Pollard

Tree stumps, instead of once towering trees, sadly line a local country road. because none of us will see them come to their full beauty. What mixture of trees should be included in tree replacement and replenishment schemes should be addressed alongside the most clear geographic locations for such activities. Clearly, it’s time to take appropriate, reasonable steps to “re-stock” this valuable resource, with its many benefits, to our community and to our county. Alfred Pollard is a member of the Middleburg Sustainability Committee

Mike Donovan Sees the Forest Through the Trees By Leonard Shapiro

ike Donovan has always been passionate about natural resources and the environment. Growing up in Loudoun County, he dreamed about being a farmer, or maybe even a fisherman, with the great outdoors the only office he ever wanted to occupy. Now 48, he has clearly lived that dream, working on the west coast for 17 years as a commercial Mike and Christina Donovan and their sons, Kolton, 12, and Kyvin, 10. fisherman in Oregon and Alaska before deciding to return to Virginia four years ago, the better to spend more time with his family, wife Christina and their sons, Kolton, 12, and Kyvin, 10. “I’d be away for long stretches at a time,” Mike said of his work fishing for crab and cod on the west coast. “When I came home, my kids were hiding behind my wife’s legs and asking ‘who is this guy?’ I just wanted to be more of a part of their lives and decided to get off the water and come back here.” He’s now the equipment division supervisor and lead operator with Nature Works LLC (formerly Sustainable Solutions) based in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, with a recently opened office at his home two miles outside of Middleburg. Another bonus of his move east: his parents, Lynne and John Donovan, have been area residents for many years. The company is owned by James Remuzzi. He and Mike met in the second grade at Loudoun Country Day in Leesburg and have been friends ever since. The business offers a wide variety of natural resource management services to public and private landowners. And Mike is most passionate about the forest restoration services his division delivers. “Forest restoration is so rewarding to me because it’s equal parts art and science,” he said. “I bring specialized equipment into an overgrown, overstocked and neglected forest and return it back to a magnificent stand of trees. There are so many invasive and volunteer trees that grow into unmanaged stands and compete with our native oak woodland ecosystem. “Whether I come in with a forestry mulcher or bring in an excavator with a grapple saw, I end up thinning the forest out to a healthy woodland. It’s amazing to see the native trees flourish once the unwanted competition has been removed. After the equipment division work, Nature Works can follow up with services including prescribed burns, invasive plant control or native tree and shrub plantings. Doing so delivers a comprehensive forest restoration service that a healthy forest needs to thrive over the long term. “The end result is not only a healthier forest,” Mike said. “It’s more visually appealing, has better access, less ticks and significantly improved habitat for wildlife and birds.” Nature Works offers its forest restoration clients a greener way to dispose of non-merchandisable wood. It also connects all its clients to cost share programs and ecosystem service markets, all of which help offset the cost of the work for the landowner. “The new Middleburg office will be a source of well paying jobs and a positive environmental impact on the health of our regional forests,” Mike said. “I really love this work. My job sites are beautiful, and I get to make them even more beautiful.”

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Love and Nutcrackers at The Christmas Sleigh

year round. Along with holiday items, he stocks a back room full of gorgeous authentic clothing from ieter Rausch came to Middleburg for love. Germany, Italy and Austria, including dirndls and He stays for its sense of community. lederhosen for kids and adults. As Rausch’s beloved shop, the Christmas The shop draws tourists but also regional regulars, Sleigh, celebrates 20 years in Middleburg, its charming, some of whom drive several hours as an annual soft-spoken owner quietly serves up nostalgia and cheer holiday pilgrimage. with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes. “I have clients who come every year to buy a On a crisp fall day, stepping into the Christmas nutcracker,” Rausch said. Sleigh is a soothing shot of holiday warmth, with a And nutcrackers fill the shelves with infinite cozy vibe, the smell of German holiday incense and variations, including this year’s popular “Wizard of festive tunes. Oz” themed figures. The Christmas Sleigh caters to “The first time, people look for Wow!– and the collectors with popular lines like Wilhelm Schweizer store is Wow!” he said. “This is what my customers pewter figurines with fairytale themes and Wendt & tell me. This is one unique store.” Kuhn wooden figurines featuring the brand’s popular Rausch opened the shop in 2002 with his late wife, angel orchestra. High-end wooden advent calendars let Linda Tripp, who had moved to Middleburg after gift-givers choose their own treats for each day. (Rausch her brush with fame and scandal during the Clinton recommends jewelry, but chocolate will do). presidency. Brightly colored handmade glass ornaments from “It’s a story of love,” Rausch said. Germany and Poland fill the shelves, including They met in Germany as children. Tripp’s mother a special Middleburg fox ornament Rausch had was German, and she made frequent trips to Photo by Jan Mercker commissioned in Germany. It’s always Christmas at Dieter Frankfurt to visit family. The couple rekindled their Among his personal favorites are traditional German Rausch’s Middleburg shop. romance when Rausch came to Middleburg for a visit incense burners. The Räuchermännchen (or smoking in 2000 and opened the shop in 2002, inspired by a visit to Williamsburg. men) create sweet-smelling smoke with holiday aromas and help the nutcrackers “You couldn’t find a German store in the United States like this,” Rausch said. keep bad luck at bay. It’s a blast from the past for Rausch for whom, like many of Rausch was stunned at the number of items made in China at U.S. holiday us, Christmas brings the bitter, the sweet and plenty of memories. shops. He and Tripp wanted to specialize in authentic German and European “My mother stayed weeks in the kitchen to make the Christmas stollen,” he products, and downtown Middleburg was the perfect spot. Linda Tripp died said. “When I think of [the incense], it’s the smell of Christmas.” of cancer in 2020, and Rausch keeps the shop going in her memory–and as a Details: The Christmas Sleigh is located at 5 E. Washington St. in Middleburg and celebration of his childhood in Germany. The Christmas Sleigh hits its peak season in the fall but does a bustling business open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go to thechristmassleigh.com.

By Jan Mercker

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

A Buddhist Temple Offers Enlightenment in Aldie

Photos by Joe Motheral

Inside the Aldie Buddhist temple.

Ready to be a Carbon Farmer?

Join the forest revolution. Enroll at Plant.Green.Trees.com. 8

The temple from the outside.

By Joe Motheral

atpa Nanachart, often called “Wat Pa,” is one of four Buddhist temples in Loudoun County. Located on ten acres in Aldie near Gilberts Corner since 2003, a Thailand flag sits at the entrance to the driveway. Khun Tuk, originally from Thailand, an American citizen and an area resident for 30 years, recently offered a visitor a tour of the facility The main room, with shiny gold statues of Buddha and a low table with plates of food, was filled with advocates, all kneeling. The monk would offer a chant and the crowd repeated it. Occasionally a late arrival would come in, put a plate of food on the table and find a spot to sit. This went on for almost an hour before everyone moved to another room and sat down to eat lunch. “People come everyday and bring food and then they have some kind of food offering (chanting),” Kuhn Tuk said. “Everyone is welcome. And we try to make sure we have temples at locations convenient for people to come.” One devotee said, “I come here to learn how to pray and to relieve anger.” Said another, “It brings me peace.” According to Kuhn Tuk, “There are four monks and one nun. On a typical day the monks wake up early, collect food and chant and eat at noon, but after that they cannot eat. And at 1 p.m. they do some kind of meditation—speeches and some kind of teaching.” The rules are rather strict—no foul language, no alcohol or smoking, and the monks must refrain from using high level luxurious beds or tables. Ms. Siriluck, the daughter of a Wat Pa nun, said, “There is no weekly holiday (as in other religions). Every day is a holiday. Sometimes we have ten or twenty come, sometimes hundreds if we have a special event.” There are a number of special days each year in Buddhism, one being their New Year, celebrated some time in April based on the lunar calendar. According to legend, 2,500 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha, was a Hindu prince who left his palatial home in northern India and renounced his position and wealth to seek enlightenment as a spiritual ascetic. He attained his goal and, in preaching his path to others, founded Buddhism. Gautama’s odyssey toward enlightenment led him into a period of self deprivation and finally to the belief that the best road through life is the middle one—neither vast wealth nor denying oneself the essentials of life. Buddhism spread all over Asia and eventually the world. Thailand is 90 percent Buddhist, a Sanskrit word that means enlightenment. Early every morning in Bangkok, monks with shaved heads walk the streets in orange saffron robes, clutching metal vessels known as “beggar bowls.” Merchants and other individuals have set food out on tables and the monks pause to gather their morning meal. Every Thai male is expected to spend at least two weeks in a monastery. According to the Abbot, most of the visitors who come to the Loudoun Wat are Thai, Korean or Chinese, though everyone is welcome. Surely, Gautama never could have dreamed that the religion he founded would have a presence in Loudoun County.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

A Garden to Honor Peggy Richardson

I Marypat Warter, principal at Claude Thompson Elementary School with Amy Smith, president of the Piedmont Garden Club, garden club member Andrea Rosse, John Richardson and garden club member Margaret Littleton at the Peggy Richardson Memorial Garden.

By Vicky Moon with Amy Smith, president of the Piedmont Garden Club

n September, 2018, Peggy Richardson and Anne Hazel, members of the Piedmont Garden Club, met with Marypat Warter, principal at Claude Thompson Elementary school near Rectortown. They wanted to discuss a possible garden project and Principal Warter indicated the existing butterfly garden at the school was in need of assistance. The initial proposal focused on the butterfly garden clean-up to weed and manicure the overgrown plants. Then the plants would need to be identified and labeled and, if necessary, additional plants hospitable to various butterflies, particularly Monarchs, would be added to the garden. The school would encourage the curricula in various grades to focus on butterflies and their importance to the environment. The school had, in the past, purchased caterpillars and perhaps part of the project would be to assist with adding additional caterpillars. The school had a number of books in the library concerning butterflies, and perhaps more could be added

"This is exactly what Peggy had in mind."

to the inventory. The school staff and students would be trained to maintain the garden on a continuing basis with the possibility of professional help to work with them. A three-year period would fund the clean-up and additional work needed to get the garden in shape and to fund more plants and the

purchase of caterpillars. In February, 2019, the Piedmont Garden Club approved a total commitment of $2,500 over two years. Peggy Richardson requested funds to implement the initial cleanup phase. The project was delayed during the COVID shutdown followed by her subsequent illness, which delayed completing the rest of the plan. In 2023, newly-elected Piedmont Garden President Amy Smith discovered the unfinished project and obtained club support to fulfill the original commitment to Claude Thompson School in honor of Peggy Richardson, who passed away in September, 2021. With support from Peggy’s husband, John, and club members Margaret Littleton, Andrea Rosse and garden guru Nicole Siess owner of Bittersweet Garden, the project was completed in September, 2023.

800.919.FARM (3276) FarmCreditofVirginias.com

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Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

The Foxcroft Christmas Pageant Remains A Sacred Tradition

By Emma Boyce

hey’ve been performing Foxcroft’s annual Christmas Pageant for 106 years, kicking off the holiday season for the Foxcroft community and beyond. And not much has changed since 1917 when the school’s intrepid founder, Charlotte Haxall Noland—“Miss Charlotte”—first started the tradition. This year’s version, presented by Foxcroft’s New Girls, was performed in the school’s Engelhard Gymnasium on Dec. 3. “We’ve had to replace costumes and we’ve done some slight alterations, but it’s the same format and the same set number of songs since 1917,” said Karin Thorndike, Foxcroft’s Director of Performing Arts and Studio Art teacher. Thorndike has been involved in the Christmas Pageant since arriving at Foxcroft in 1997. She learned the ins and outs of the pageant helping its then pageant director, beloved Foxcroft teacher Chalmers Hemmenway. In 2000, Hemmenway retired and passed the baton to Thorndike. “It was a huge honor,” Thorndike said. “Chalmers was so dedicated to this pageant and knew so much about it.” She recalled that Hemmenway would often tell her that, “The music must swell grandly here.” These days, Thorndike says the same to her students. “The kids don’t understand why I’m asking them to swell grandly but I know,” she laughed. The responsibility of pageant director doesn’t pass through many hands. Thorndike is only the fourth

director since Miss Charlotte. This year, she worked alongside music teacher and pageant coordinator Sonny Capaccio and accompanist Jeremiah Hines. Miss Charlotte had an affection for creating tableaus of famous renaissance paintings and the Christmas pageant was no exception. In this year’s version, the New Girls recreated Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi, which of course includes everyone from the three kings to the donkeys. As one might expect at Foxcroft, the donkeys were real. “Directing the pageant never gets old,” Thorndike said.“You never know what’s going to happen. [One year,] a donkey backed up into center stage as someone was singing a solo and the student got pushed into the choir.” Another year, they released live pigeons at the end

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Photo courtesy of Foxcroft School

The inspiration for the 2023 Foxcroft Christmas Pageant was Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi. of “O Holy Night” and one landed on a very surprised audience member. The pigeons were not invited back. The pageant always finishes with “Merry Christmas,” a song written by Miss Charlotte. When the curtain comes down and the doors to the gym open to the exit, Santa Claus is there, waiting for the children, who have watched the pageant from their mats in the front. “Every single year, I cry,” said Thorndike, a sentiment shared by Stotler as well. “I love the holiday season and its traditions. It’s a very emotional moment for me. I have heard that there are great grandmothers who are bringing their great grandchildren to this pageant and that they saw it when they were children as well. That’s the wonderful thing about our pageant. It’s a true tradition for many people and for Foxcroft. That’s why it doesn’t change.”

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

CMSP is offering

HERE & THERE

Piano, Voice, Cello, Violin, Guitar, Sax, Flute, Clarinet & more!

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro

Mary Beth Morell, Christina Duffy, with Miriam Meeks, manager and Mayor Bridge Littleton at Middleburg Books.

Sharon Peterson, Robin Klombers and Mayor Bridge Littleton celebrate at Posh Pixies.

The Community Music School of the Piedmont

piedmontmusic.org

540-592-3040

Lessons offered at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville with additional locations in Fauquier, Frederick and Loudoun

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro Proud parents John and BerAt the Accidental Peacock own- nadette Kidder look on as their ers Marsha Little and Beckwith daughter, Rebecca Kidder, cuts Bolle Kilgore with Mayor the Federal & Black ribbon Bridge Littleton. with Mayor Bridge Littleton.

Hooray for Joan Eliot, Ruth Schierenbeck, Sheila Harrell and Michelle Abalos at the Cherry Blossom Breast Cancer Foundation Tennis and Pickleball Tournament to raise awareness and funds to “Detect, Treat, Educate and Eliminate.” Hooray for these men who also played in the Cherry Blossom Tournament: Ivan Benavides, Vaughn Gatling, Mike Hutton and Scott Carpenter.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Carry Me BACK

My Ghost Writer Had Just The Right Stuff By Jimmy Hatcher

Actress Jane Russell, in a photo fit for an eight-year-old.

elcome to Richmond, Virginia, circa 1945. One hot summer morning my neighbor, Helen Wolfe, and I (a darling, eightyear-old duo) were summarily dismissed by an older 11-year-old group of my sister’s friends (and they were not so darling). The 11-year-olds were writing fan letters to their favorite movie stars and they insisted we were too young to join in. It was not the first time we were told we were “too young” to do anything with them, but actually, they probably were right. Over to Helen’s house we proceeded, only to arrive just as her 14-year-old brother, T.K., got back from his baseball practice. Helen was strongly motivated to write to her new crush, Roddy McDowell, the recent star of “Lassie Come Home.” Elizabeth Taylor hadn’t yet made “National Velvet,” or I certainly would have written to her. Anyway, due to my lack of inspiration, Helen’s brother suggested that I write to a gorgeous new movie star named Jane Russell. Well, I had no idea who Jane Russell was,

but of course, Helen’s brother was, as we now know, very much “in the know” about everything. He knew that Jane Russell had just made the Howard Hughes shocker, “The Outlaw,” and that it had been banned by the censors because of Jane Russell’s way too revealing décolleté. I had no clue, so with T.K. dictating, I wrote my eight-year-old fan letter to Jane Russell and mailed it with a three-cent stamp. A few weeks passed before the 11-year-old group began to receive their fan photos in the mail. Each one was very glamorous but, alas, all the signatures were just stamped into the photos, and definitely were not the personalized real thing. Not so with my photo of Jane Russell. It was signed in real ink and said, “To Jimmy, Best Wishes, Jane Russell.” There was no décolleté, not that I minded much at age eight. And oh, have you guessed by now that my ghost writer, T.K., Helen’s big brother, was, indeed, none other than Tom Wolfe, who later in life became the acclaimed author of “The Right Stuff ” and “Bonfire of the Vanities,” among many other best-sellers.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

TANNENBAUM

CONGR ATULATIONS TO ALL

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THE NEW HOMEOWNERS AND MANY THANKS TO MY CLIENTS FOR A GREAT 2023 LD

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(540) 454 -7522 THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES 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.

1411_ZEST-Will.indd 1

Which one? That’s always the question at Snickers Gap Tree Farm.

‘T

By John E. Ross

is Tannenbaum season. Pick your tree: Fraser firs with stiff wellspaced faintly blue-tinged needles; Scots pines with seriously green and bushy boughs; blue spruce with pert but prickly needles; and the southern favorite, white pines so soft and full. Whatever your tastes, whatever your space, just the right Christmas tree is growing on a tree farm not that far away. Growing up in Ohio, the right tree around our house had to be a Blue spruce. Branches were spaced just far enough apart so it could be decorated the way Mom wanted. A set of colored lights was In eight years, this white pine strung close to its center so the tree glowed deep seedling that Ricky Hoyfrom within. Two more strings wrapped the tree bach’s pruning at Country Loving Christmas Tree Farm just inside its outermost branches. will make some family a fine Ornaments, each imbued with memories of holiday tree. Christmases past, were carefully hung. Mom stood back, directing my brothers and me where to place each and having us move colored bulbs from one light socket to another for just the right effect. Then came tinsel, one strand at a time, each draped. “Don’t throw it,” I can still hear her instruct. How I hated tinsel. When we moved to Knoxville in the mid-1950s, our tastes were forced to change. There were no blue spruce. Fraser firs, native to Southern Appalachians, became our tree of choice. Frasers (Abies fraseri) do not grow well in the Blue Ridge foothills. Yet their nominal but unrelated cousin, Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii), do very well and are among northern Virginia’s most popular Christmas tree species. Loudoun Nursery’s Lou Nichols introduced me to concolor fir (Abies concolor) also known as white fir. When young, it grows in a nearly perfectly pyramid shape. Needles are shortish, stout yet soft. Branches easily support ornaments and allow them to hang freely. Break a fresh concolor branch and immediately you’ll smell oranges, just like the ones as kids we loaded with dried cloves to scent the house for the holidays. Perhaps a bit visionary, Lou’s parents were among the first to grow Christmas trees in this area. Planning to attract customers from Washington’s suburbs, in 1960 they bought a farm on Watson Road just east of US 15 and planted Scots pine, white pine, and some spruces. When Lou returned from Army duty in 1970, the trees were ready for harvest.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023 11/14/23 1:39 PM

A decade later, he bought 175 acres north of Purcellville and opened Loudoun Nursery, continuing the family’s Christmas tree farming tradition. He has 30 acres of various spruces, pines, and firs plus five acres of containergrown trees ready for planting after the holidays. As Loudoun County’s agricultural development officer, Lou met Ricky Hoybach. In 1998 Ricky needed a home for his landscaping business Steve Wolff is justifiably and bought 47 acres next to Lou’s proud of the 35,000 carefully sculpted parents’ old farm. For a cash crop, Blue spruce and Douglas fir thriving at Ricky planted the same species Snickers Gap Tree Farm. Lou’s dad had put in the ground and, in 2012, opened Country Loving Christmas Tree Farm. Easily walked, Country Loving and Loudoun Nursery farms spread across the gently rolling Piedmont. Climbing the eastern flank of the Blue Ridge and readily seen north of Rt. 7 west of Round Hill, Snicker’s Gap Tree Farm contains 42 acres of Douglas firs and Colorado blue spruce. Here, Steve Wolff ’s parents began growing and selling Christmas trees in 1981. An accomplished potter, his mother’s artistic eye is evident everywhere. She’s taught neighbors, and now employees Tony Hernandez and his family, how to sculpt each tree—roughly 35,000 of them—so they’re perfectly grown out and shaped come winter. Upon arrival at all three tree farms, customers are given pruning saws and directed to plots of their favorite species. Once cut, farm staffs shake trees to remove loose needles and bale them in nets for the trip home. Each farm also sells fresh wreathes, garlands, tree stands, and snacks. Ricky even provides coloring books for kids. Water is the key to keeping a Christmas tree green. Place the tree in a waterfilled bucket in a garage or other shady place. Add tree food and check every other day. For pre-cut trees, cut three inches off the trunk to remove congealed sap. And do not add sugar to tree water! All it does is clog pores, preventing the tree from drawing water needed to stay green. Inside, place the tree away from heaters and fireplaces. Dress with tinsel if you must.

Country Loving Christmas Tree Farm: Red cedars, firs, pines, spruces – 40856 Red Hill Road, Leesburg, VA 20175 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17, http://www.countrylovingfarm.com – (703) 929-4749. Loudoun Nursery: Firs, spruces, container-grown live trees, large trees for churches and community and event centers - 16457 Short Hills Road, Round Hill, VA 20141 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends through Dec. 17, http://www.loudounnursery.com – (540) 450-4137. Snickers Gap Tree Farm: Douglas firs, spruces - 34350 Williams Gap Road Round Hill, VA 20141 – 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekends, https://www.snickersgaptrees.com – (540) 554-8323.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

The Middleburg Orange County Beagles

Photos by Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo

he children who follow the MOC Beagles go on horseback and foot. Our photographers, Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe, have captured them several times. All mounted up at Greenfield Farm, and headed out on foot at Daffodil Hill on a chilly, windy morning. Not to worry with Master Nina Fout, a lifelong devotee of the sport, leading the way. Her mother, the late Eve Fout, founded the pack in 1961 with a philosophy of cherishing the countryside. “There’s a big difference between looking for rabbits and foxes,” Nina said to all. “The biggest predators of the rabbits are owls and hawks. The hedgerows are the preferred habitats for the rabbits because of the cover. It’s a little challenging today because of the wind. We aim for tight cover to see if we can flush them out for a run.”

Mollie Murphy White and Edie.

Photo by Vicky Moon

Arriving at Daffodil Hill. They’re off on foot.

At Greenfield Farm.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

STORYTIME Patty Callahan dons a Santa hat to read “Bizzy Mizz Lizzie” by David Shannon to her eight-year-old granddaughter, Elin Johnson. Meanwhile, her five-yearold grandson, Curry Johnson, is looking at another book as they settle back at the Middleburg Library on the aptly named Reed Street. Clothing from an international lineup at Little Lambkins at 3 East Washington St. For Elin, the blouse and pants are from Twin and Chic made in Spain. Curry’s hunter green corduroy trousers are from Donsje in Amsterdam and the red and beige sweater comes from Huttelihut of Copenhagen. They definitely will be ready for the big man in red. And, please note: The Middleburg Library offers Family Storytime for all ages on Mondays at 4 p.m.

Mary Beth Morell’s experience as a school librarian at Holy Trinity School in Georgetown has come to good use at the new Middleburg Books which she owns with her longtime librarian partner, Christina Duffy. They regularly schedule story time at their captivating new shop at 17 South Madison St. When eight-year-old Lauren Roos came for a visit, Mary Beth knew just the perfect book to read. “If I Had A Polar Bear” is written by Gabby Dawnay with Alex Barrow. It is part of a popular collaborative series they’ve done: “If I Had A Dinosaur,” “If I Had A Sleepy Sloth,” and “If I Had A Unicorn,” among others. Lauren is also part of A Place to Be, a music therapy program based in Middleburg. She will perform the song “Get Back Up Again” from the movie “Trolls” at their annual recital, Sunday December 17th at Salamander Resort and Spa. Her outfit, Confetti fleece top by Appaman and silver pleated skirt from Baby Sara, is available at Posh Pixies at 9 South Madison.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

BOOKED UP

With a wink and a nod to friend Andrea DeMarco at Ripton Farm in Shelton, CT. and her “approximately” 15-year-old Red Footed Tortoise Gurt. For children and grown-ups, there are two new tomes by the same author on these fascinating shelled reptiles. For children, “A Book of Turtles” by National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Sy Montgomery, comes an ode to one of the most diverse and beloved species on the planet. With dazzling illustrations and emotionally engaging, fact-filled text, this picture book will speak to the wisdom these long-lived animals can lend. And while we don’t know how many followers Gurt has, Montgomery reveals that Myrtle, a 90-year-old green sea turtle, has almost 7,000 followers on Facebook.

In “OF TIME AND TURTLES: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell” also by Montgomery, she turns her curiosity to the wonder and wisdom of turtles into an adult book. Sy shares inspiring stories of hope and rescue, revealing astonishing new perspectives on more than 350 species of turtles on six continents, with some living more than 200 years.

As we celebrate the holidays, can spring training be that far off? An ode to the sport with an in-depth look at some of the most magical moments in the baseball history is featured in WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL: A History in 50 Moments by acclaimed sportswriter Joe Posnanski. These moments range from unbelievable famous plays to infamous errors to incredible acts of sportsmanship. Subjects include Babe Ruth, a ball bouncing off Jose Canseco’s head, Willie Mays making The Catch, Ken Griffey Jr. stealing a fly ball from Ken Griffey Sr., Derek Jeter’s “The Flip” and many others.

All these books and plenty more are available at Middleburg Books at 17 S. Madison St.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

ROOT to TABLE at AUDLEY FARM PHOTOS BY Tiffany Dillon Keen

“One of the initial Root to Table Action Board’s goals was establishing a fund to give back to our community. I’m thrilled that this is finally going to happen. ” —Nancy Craun, founder of the Root to Table Movement

Charles Harbaugh IV as George Washington with Ron Roach.

he Root to Table Culinary Series recently stopped at Audley Farm in Berryville. The presentation by Taste of Blue Ridge Chefs included great food and entertainment on this breathtaking horse and cattle farm. The chefs and farmers spoke with guests at their stations. The Root to Table Community Fund’s mission is to address food challenges faced by the region that Taste of Blue Ridge serves. They support the Future Farmers of America and other youth leadership programs. They also strive to work with nonprofit agencies and local food industry representatives to address food challenges within the area. Audley Farm dates to 1749 when it was owned by members of George Washington’s family for 138 years. It stretched out to 3,000 acres with orchards (not sure about cherry trees) and cattle. In 1920, it became a horse operation devoted to racing owned by Montfort and B.B. Jones, who purchased the 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton in 1921. A sculpture of Sir Barton by Jan Woods greets all who visit Audley. The farm was purchased by James and Joan Edwards in 1955. Some in this area still remember them for their devotion to racing. It was purchased in 1978 by the Liebrecht family of Germany. They also breed Thoroughbreds, including 2017 champion Bodemeister. They also maintain a serious herd of registered Angus cattle. Guests had a tour of the historic home and the menu was created out of 100 percent local products from Virginia and West Virginia.

A delightful luncheon on the front porch.

A taste.

Cheryl Strasser pastry chef and owner of Cowbell Kitchen in Leesburg and Chef Steven Weiss who demonstrated the Art of Blown Sugar.

Chef Marcus Repp, Corporate Director of Food & Beverage at Noble House Hotels & Resorts, presented Foodie Bites.

The Bluegrass Posse of Winchester provided music that matched the scene.

Chef Erik Foxx-Nettnin of Celebrity Chef Nick Green The Polished Foxx catering, presented notes from his also presented these new restaurant in Seattle, signature sips : The Surly Washington and with Virginia Mule, Nancy’s Grace, and Eastern Shore Oysters: marWeaver’s Crème Brulee inated and grilled fish collars Martini – the cash bar was to with lime, grilled Virginia oysbenefit Literary Volunteers of ters/chili butter/ mezcal, and Winchester Area. Japanese rice and pickles/ yuzu kosho/orange ponzu

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

James Markham Marshall Ambler, Hero of the Arctic

James Markham Marshall Ambler

The map follows the voyage of the Jeannette and her crew from Alaska to the final landings in northwestern Siberia. Credit: Meeting of Frontiers, frontiers.loc.gov. After a brief delay off the Siberian Coast, the Jeanette headed toward Wrangel Island, where they would set up their winter quarters. However, by early September, ice began thickening, and with 120 miles to go, progress halted and the ship was locked in the ice. On January 19, 1880, the hull was breached by the ice and began taking on water. Heroic efforts by the crew kept her from sinking. Ambler’s duties ranged from treating minor injuries and the effects of the cold to serious surgery on the eye of the ship’s navigation officer. He also was tasked with determining the salinity of ice melted to replace the ship’s dwindling water supply. Hopes that the ship could break free during the Arctic summer of 1880 were soon dashed. The drifting continued, and on May 17, 1881, an island was sighted in previously uncharted seas, the first land the crew had seen in over a year. On June 11, 1881, the Jeanette was briefly freed, but the next day, the ice crushed the hull and it sank about 350 miles off the Siberian coast. The crew started to trek south over the ice to the New Siberian Islands, dragging provisions and equipment in a large cutter, a smaller cutter and a

ocated in the graveyard beside Leeds Episcopal Church at Markham are the gravesites of several Fauquier families whose roots go back to the founding of the county. Notable among them is a monument to James Markham Marshall Ambler, a surgeon in the U.S. Navy, whose epitaph reads he “died in October 1881 in the 33rd year of his age near the mouth of the Lena River.” There his story ended, but the events leading up to his death in the northern reaches of Siberia have become legendary. Ambler was born December 30, 1848 at “The Dell,” near Hume, second of four sons and five children of Dr. Richard Cary Ambler and his wife, Susanna Marshall Ambler. At 16 he joined the 12th Virginia Cavalry Regiment, serving during the last months of the Civil War. Returning home, Ambler attended Washington College in Lexington for two years, then the University of Maryland School of Medicine, earning his degree in 1870. After practicing for four years, he joined the Navy as an assistant surgeon. Serving at the Norfolk Naval Hospital in 1878, Ambler became involved with an expedition to reach

the North Pole by sea undertaken by the Navy, but financed by James Gordon Bennett Jr., owner of the New York Herald. Bennett was interested in finding a sea route to the North Pole. The popular theory was that there was an “Open Polar Sea” at the top of the world. Earlier efforts to discover this route had failed. Bennett contacted Lt. George Washington DeLong, asking him to take a leave of absence from the Navy to lead another expedition to reach the North Pole. Once naval support was secured, DeLong arranged the purchase of a decommissioned British gunboat, the 142-foot steamer Pandora, at Le Havre, France, previously used in Arctic exploration. DeLong paid $6,000. The Pandora sailed to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard off Vallejo, California for refitting, and was formally commissioned in the Navy as the USS Jeanette. DeLong assembled the 33-man crew, including Ambler as the medical officer, an excellent choice. “Surgeon Ambler stood as ready to dispense cheer and inspiration as salve, bandage, or quinine to each morning’s sick parade,” wrote Leonard F. Guttridge in “Icebound: The Jeanette Expedition to Find the North Pole” (1986).

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

By John T. Toler

Courtesy National Geographic.

In late September 1879, the USS Jeannette was trapped in the ice floes of the northern polar ice cap. The ship would drift in the ice until her hull was crushed in June 1880. whaleboat toward the Lena Delta. Their goal was to reach Bulun, a Siberian settlement in the delta about 100 miles from the coast. They departed Sept. 12 with 14 men, including DeLong and Ambler in the large cutter, seven in the small cutter under Lt. Charles Chipp, and ten in the whaleboat led by Engineer George W. Melville. However, a storm broke and the boats were separated. Chipp’s cutter and crew were lost at sea. Melville’s whaleboat ended up farther south and eventually reached civilization. On Sept. 17, DeLong’s cutter ran aground on the northern limit of the delta. The men waded ashore and began the overland trek. Running low on food and in poor physical condition, they headed south, stopping to rest and replenish their dwindling food stock by hunting wildlife. Ambler continued treating the men in his party, including amputation of toes lost to frostbite. The first man died on Oct. 6. DeLong then ordered the two strongest men, William Nindemann and Louis Noros, to go for help. He told Ambler to go with them, but he declined, stating that his duty as a doctor was to stay with the sick men. The party struggled on, but their food was gone by Oct. 10, and one by one, the men were dying. In

DeLong’s journal, he noted the deaths of all the others except Ambler. His last entry was dated Oct. 30. Ambler wrote a letter to his brother Edward in Markham, which read in part, “My Dear Brother: We have been without food for nearly two weeks…We can barely get enough wood now to keep warm, and in a day or two that will be passed. I write to you all to assure you of the deep love I now and have always borne you. If it had been God’s will for me to have seen you all again I had hoped to have enjoyed the peace of home-living once more. “To all my friends and relatives a long farewell. As for myself, I am resigned, and bow my head in submission to the Divine Will. God in His infinite mercy grant that these lines may reach you. Your loving brother, J. M. Ambler.” Ambler died holding a Colt Navy pistol. “The cartridges were all loaded. He had not shot himself,” wrote Guttridge. “The eventual conclusion was that he had the pistol in hand to kill any bird or beast that approached the bodies.” Melville’s whaleboat crew finally made it to the Siberian town of Zemovialach. A native gave him a note from Nindemann, reporting that the DeLong party had reached land. Melville notified the Navy

and the New York Times about the sinking of the Jeanette. A search party was organized and it headed north on Nov. 5, 1881. On Nov. 28, Melville found logbooks, navigation equipment and other items taken from the Jeanette by Delong, but did not find their camp. Exhausted and out of food, they returned to Zemovialach. A second search was organized in February, 1882, and on March 23, they found the camp and the bodies of the ten men. Among the artifacts were DeLong’s journal and Ambler’s letter. Due to distance and weather conditions, the effort to bring the bodies back to the U.S. was delayed until November 1883. The bodies of James Ambler and two others were sent to their families for private burial; the rest were buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. On Oct. 4, 1931 a special worship service honoring James Marshall Ambler was held at the Leeds Church Cemetery, marking 50 years since Ambler’s death. Several hundred people attended, including many members of the Marshall and Ambler families. In his sermon, Rev. F. G. Ribble spoke of Ambler’s sacrifice, ending with “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.”

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Someone’s in the Kitchen at Buchanan Hall By Ronen Feldman

hen Montana Lanier Ruffner took over as director of operations of iconic Buchanan Hall, her focus was always to make the Upperville facility available to the entire community. These days, that also includes several small business owners who specialize in preparing food, but have out-grown their own home kitchens. Ruffner has started a co-op program that allows those foodies to use the facility’s large, commercial kitchen, loaded with all manner of mostly modern appliances—refrigerators, freezers, stoves, burners— plenty of counter and storage space and sinks galore when it’s time to clean up. For a daily rental fee of $150, the kitchen is available to area caterers, ice cream makers, and cookie and cake bakers who need more room to prepare their food in large enough quantities to make a profit themselves using top flight equipment. Rejane Monday is a licensed caterer who runs the successful “My Sweet Thyme” catering service. Rejane creates specialty menus for her customers and has become something of a cooking celebrity in Fauquier County. And thanks to Buchanan Hall’s co-op kitchen, she’s been able to realize her dream of starting her own catering service, and then make a go of it, as well. “When you’re responsible for someone’s big day, you want to make sure you get it right,” Rejane said. “Our greatest joy is to create a menu especially for

Photo by Big Sky Management & Events

The Buchanan Hall kitchen during the 2022 Holiday Bazaar.

Food vendors prepare for the Buchanan Hall Farmer’s Market.

the customer. We get a sense of what they like, and build a menu for them from scratch. If we have to make a choice between making it look good, and actually taste good, we choose taste every time, that’s how you know it’s homemade.” Still, there are some favorites customers insist on, like their Mexican street corn empanadas. Thanks to the co-op kitchen, Rejane never has to worry about where to cook and how to accommodate the events on her packed schedule. Some of the area’s most popular independent caterers and food entrepreneurs like Rachel Windel of “Auntie RaRa’s Ice Cream” and Eric Bradley’s “We Must Be Nuts” are regulars at Buchanan Hall, and often use the kitchen to prepare their own seasonal recipes for the community. In some cases they’re even hired to cater events hosted at the Hall.

Windel sells her ice cream out of a specially designed food truck that also is parked at Buchanan Hall on Wednesday nights from May to November during the wildly popular farmer’s market that Montana oversees. For Montana, it’s all about serving the community and helping people achieve something they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do. “I love this place,” she said. “I love knowing everyone here. I love loving this place. Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, someone’s wedding or Piedmont Pride, I want to make sure everyone feels welcome.” Upcoming events include the Farmer’s Market Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, Dec. 10 from noon to 4 p.m. It will feature local artisans, farmers, and boutiques for all the holiday shopping opportunities anyone could want. And food, of course, some of it right out the Hall’s co-op kitchen.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Tranquility Abounds at St. Dominic’s Monastery

By John Donovan

igh atop Blue Mountain in Linden, where Fauquier and Warren counties abut, St. Dominic‘s Monastery sits on 198 acres. It’s a site of stunning beauty, with a strong sense of tranquility that is almost palpable. Since 2008, the Dominican nuns of Linden have been in residence here after 24 years on 16th St. in Northwest Washington, D.C. The present community includes 12 cloistered contemplative sisters of the Dominican order. This number has stayed fairly constant in recent years, and contrary to the popular stereotype about Roman Catholic nuns being elderly and on the wane, the average age here is in the 40s, with three in their 20s. Not all Dominican sisters are cloistered contemplatives. The Linden community lives a very countercultural, indeed, radical lifestyle in that once a nun makes her final profession, she in effect submits to being “locked in” to a life of work, study and intercessory prayer within the monastery and its grounds. However, that does not translate into a vow of silence. There is none. According to the monastery’s website, “study is an essential aspect of the Dominican contemplative life. It is not primarily a gathering of information, but reflective reading and the contemplation of truth that nourishes prayer and permeates our entire life. Study of sacred truth, especially the Scriptures, is an integral part of our Dominican vocation and serves as an indispensable source of nourishment for unceasing prayer and transfiguration into Christ.” The nuns rise at 3:30 a.m. and their day ends with night prayer at 7:30 p.m. It’s not exactly a leisurely lifestyle, to be sure. They do the cooking, some maintenance and cleaning and produce crafts sold to the public. In addition, there is an 11 a.m. Mass each Sunday that is open to visitors, as well as 7 a.m. from Monday to Saturday. The chapel is small, accommodating 24. The nuns hope to have a larger one soon that would serve about 110 worshipers. The goal of their current capital campaign is $7 million and so far, $5 million has been raised. A new, larger chapel would enable more lay participation in mass and other liturgical activities. A Catholic Mass requires a priest, of course, and the Dominican House of Studies in Northeast

Photo by John Donovan

Sister Mary Paul and a new friend. Washington is a major source, along with St. John the Baptist Church in nearby Front Royal and other churches in the region. The monastery has a small cottage for priests who now and then visit for some down time to “recharge their batteries.” What does the future likely hold for the monastery? Needless to say the cloistered contemplative regimen doesn’t have broad appeal among women exploring options for a religious life. This vocation is a very narrow one, but it’s essential in the life of the Catholic Church. Though the number of 12 nuns ebbs and flows, that has remained the norm in this monastery. The sisters do receive constant inquiries. Some result in periods of discernment that may lead to a process of “formation.” Not all who enter into formation make final vows. In fact, only about 30 percent do. Such a major commitment cannot be made on the spur of the moment. So what difference does it make, a skeptic might ask, whether a dozen nuns are holed up on Blue Mountain in remote Linden? The answer is in the power of prayer. As the Prioress, Sister Mary Fidelis observed, “Our life makes no sense without the presence of God.“ They are there to remind people in an increasingly godless world of the need to be open to the divine.

THE DAILY SCHEDULE 3:30 a.m. Rise 4 a.m. Private time for prayer and study 6 a.m. Lauds (“morning prayer”) 7 a.m. Mass 9 a.m. Terce (“third hour” prayer) 9:15 a.m. Work 11:40 a.m. Sext (“sixth hour” prayer) Noon Dinner 1 p.m. Solemn silence 2 p.m. Work 3 p.m. None (“ninth hour” prayer) 4 p.m. Work 5 p.m. Supper 6 p.m. Vespers (“evening prayer”) 6:30 p.m. Recreation 7:30 p.m. Compline (“night prayer”)

Details: Go to Lindenopnuns.org.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

“Tis The Season for Maintenance Musts By Tim Burch

Hose Bibs & Irrigation Systems

ith a chill in the air and Thanksgiving in our rear view mirror, there’s plenty to remind us that it’s almost beyond time to complete our late fall home maintenance lists. A regular schedule of maintenance throughout the year is critical to keeping your home healthy and family safe. These baseline preventative steps are a good start.

To avoid bursting pipes, turn off exterior hose faucets and irrigation systems before freezing weather sets in. All hose bibs, including those that are “frost free,” should be fully drained and irrigation systems should be blown out to avoid freezing over the winter.

Gutters, Downspouts and Low-Slope Roof Maintenance Inspect these items and carefully remove any accumulated debris. This check should be completed four times per year to ensure effective draining and avoid damage caused by trapped and accumulated water. Surface and Underground Drains It’s important to check and clear surface and underground drains at least four times per year to ensure proper water flow. Underground drains may be located at downspouts, under a driveway or in other areas where you need to redirect water. Surface drains may be at exterior basement stairs, patios, pool decks, etc. Clogged drains can cause water to back up in other areas and cause significant damage. It’s also important to monitor these during heavy rains and clear debris as needed.

Tim Burch

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) HVAC systems should be serviced twice per year, spring and fall, to ensure they’re operating at their most efficient levels. The system inspection should include changing the filter, adjusting dampers to favor northern rooms, clearing leaves and debris from outside units, checking AC refrigerant, and cleaning the AC condenser. Some systems require filter changes more or less frequently, so be sure to consult your manual. Humidifiers This system requires an annual check, and the fall is the best time. During their visit, your HVAC service company should perform a thorough inspection and replace the pad/cartridge, which can collect deposits from the water source, clog and cause leaks.

Other Important Items • Change batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. • Latch windows shut to square them up, seal the weatherstrip and stop drafts. • Inspect all bathroom caulking and touch up as necessary. Repeat again in the spring. • Drain 10-15 gallons from the bottom of your water heater once per year to remove sediment. • Fireplaces and chimneys should be inspected inside and out at least once per year for soundness, deposits and clearance. Have the chimney cleaned or repaired as needed. • Clean screens in shower heads and faucets annually to ensure optimal water flow. For appliances, consult your manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations, which should include steps such as, cleaning screens on range hood vents, vacuuming refrigerator coils, replacing water filers, and more. Your septic system should be inspected and the tank cleaned out once per two to three years. 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 or call 540-687-6771.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Robin Keys presents the trophy to jockey Parker Hendriks, with Skylar McKenna and her mother, trainer Kathy Neilson. Hendriks rode Sycamore Run Farm’s five-year-old chestnut gelding Union Gen. George to victory in the Daniel C. Sands Cup. The $20,000 hurdle race was sponsored by the Virginia Equine Alliance in memory of Robin’s late husband, Gordon C. Keys.

No tailgate is complete without a bottle of The Widow.

Photos © by Vicky Moon

n a chilly, overcast and mostly rain-free October afternoon, Punkin Lee, president of the Virginia Fall Races, orchestrated an Oscar worthy production. The 69th running benefited INOVA Loudoun Hospital Foundation and the Glenwood Park Trust. And kudos to friends and board members who turned up at Glenwood Park the very next morning to pick up trash and clean up the stalls.

Harrison Beswick heads out on Leipers Fork Steeplechase’s Court Ruler trained by Leslie Young, who finished second in the Kinross Steeplethon run in memory of Speedy Smithwick, Jr. The $25,000 race over two miles and five furlongs was won by Fashion Line, trained by Katherine S. Neilson with Gerard Galligan up for Amata Stables .

Robin Klombers of the Posh Pixies shop in Middleburg and Tori Sullivan of BarnWiz.

Harrison Young was a Clerk of the Scales.

This little cutie pie had a ball at the petting pen.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Up, Up In The Air

Photo by Vicky Moon

Chris Morris is an elementary school music teacher by day and blows his bugle for the Call To Post at the International Gold Cup.

“Dramatic Win” 14 X 18 oil © Linda Volrath. Twotime winner of the International Gold Cup (2019 & 2023, Schoodic is depicted here in the winner’s circle of 2019 with jockey Hadden Frost up, Trainer Jack Fisher, owner Mrs. John R. S. Fisher. “I used an unconventional view from behind the winning team to showcase this big strong horse towering above everyone. Set against a pale moody sky, the dark horse and his connections create a triangular composition topped off by the angular position of the jockey,” artist Linda Volrath said. We are proud to note she is the Country ZEST Official Fine Artist. More of her work is at www. LindaVolrath.com Photo by Vicky Moon

Snowden Clarke was an outrider and has a pink festooned admirer in the paddock.

Photo by Doug Gehlsen

It was “Up, Up in The Air” for jockey Harrison Beswick as he parted company with his mount, Mrs. S.J. Johnson’s Irelands Call trained by Leslie F. Young during the $30,000 Virginia Equine Alliance Maiden Hurdle race at the International Gold Cup at Great Meadow. Irelands Call continued the race while Harrison had a short walk to the finish. Both were uninjured. Meanwhile, jump jock Graham Watters rode 13-year-old bay gelding Schoodic to victory in the 3 ½-mile $75,000 International Gold Cup timber stakes at Great Meadow in The Plains in late October. Shown here with John Fisher, Sheila Fisher, owner Dolly Fisher, groom Finn Maroney and trainer Jack Fisher, far right. Schoodic also won this race in 2019 with rider Hadden Frost.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature

“I paint flowers as a way of getting as close as possible to what I perceive as the truth, my truth of the time in which I live.”

–Rory McEwen

he exquisite botanical art work of Rory McEwen will begin a tour at the charming Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina Jan. 26. And, the connection to our area of Virginia, you ask? The exhibit will feature McEwen’s work, some of which Bunny Mellon loaned to the Kennedy White House but also a range of superb historical material from the Oak Spring Library in Upperville. From the Gibbes Museum: Presenting the vibrant and varied career of the renowned Scottish artist, Rory McEwen (1932 –1982), this exhibition reveals McEwen’s lifelong enquiry into light and color through his remarkable paintings of plants. Bringing a modern sensibility to botanical art, McEwen developed a distinctive style, painting on vellum and using large empty backgrounds on which his plant portraits seem to float. Without shadows and executed in exact, minutely accurate detail, he recorded the imperfect and the unique, as well as the flawless. McEwen’s work, shown in this exhibition alongside the works of master botanical artists from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, “has had a lasting impact on the botanical art world, where he is recognized as one of the standard-bearers of today’s renaissance in botanical painting.”

PURPLE AND WHITE TULIP ‘COLUMBINE’, 1974, by Rory McEwen (Scottish, 1932 – 1982). Watercolor on vellum, 15.87 × 11.5 inches. On loan courtesy of Rory McEwen Ltd. ©The Estate of Rory McEwen

The first stop on this tour, Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature, at the Gibbes Museum of Art will run from Jan. 26 to April 28. The tour will run into 2025 and is sponsored by the Gerald B. Lambert Foundation, Oak Spring Garden Foundation and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Details: https://www.ustour.rorymcewen.com/

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

The book Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature has been edited by Sir Peter Crane, FRS, president of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville. It has been published in concert with the touring exhibit. Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon deemed McEwen “the preeminent botanical artist of the twentieth century.” To order copies of the book go to: https://bit.ly/rory-mcewen-book.

Red Pepper, 1971, by Rory McEwen (Scottish, 1932 – 1982). Watercolor on vellum, 11.38 × 15.5 inches. On loan courtesy of Lord and Lady Hesketh. ©The Estate of Rory McEwen

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Meet Middleburg’s New Postmaster

Photo by Vicky Moon

Terence Fellers-Danzer is Middleburg’s new postmaster.

Charles Carroll IV, MD

By Tameshia Warner

ack when he was earning a bachelor’s degree in drama and specializing in theater design and technology at the University of Virginia, where he also played fullback and linebacker on the football team, Terence Fellers-Danzer was asked once if he ever aspired to be on stage instead of back stage. No, he told the Daily Progress newspaper in Charlottesville, “I like being the man behind the scenes.” Not much has changed since he graduated in 2011, because Terence spends a good bit of his time these days out of the public’s eye at his desk in back of the building as the relatively new postmaster at the Middleburg post office. He started on July 1 and describes himself as a “Jack of all trades, and a master of none.” The Culpeper native is the third generation member of his family to be in the postal service and the first to become a postmaster, with a variety of responsibilities that only occasionally include dealing with the public at the front counter. “At one point I wanted to be a clerk because I enjoyed the interactions and relationships you can build with customers just over a quick transaction,” he said. “You can tell a lot about a person by the

type of stamps that they purchase.” Terence has a wide variety of responsibilities in supervising eight employees in a bustling building with 1,800 post office boxes. He’s involved in data processing, budgeting and scheduling as well as mail and package sorting and overseeing rural route mail and package deliveries. And very occasionally, when someone is sick or unavailable, he may move into the retail end behind the counter or even take the wheel of a postal truck and make deliveries himself. He’s also a busy man at home in Manassas, where he and his wife De’Arberge are raising four children—their son Reagan and his sisters Violet, Lincoln, and Scarlet. He was also extremely busy at Culpeper High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball and ran on the track team. Terence was a widely recruited football player who began his collegiate career at UVA as a 6-foot2, 230 pound linebacker, then switched to fullback after his sophomore year. When he was not drafted by the NFL, he decided football was no longer a career option. Instead, he joined the postal service as a carrier in Manassas, then began working his way up to his current position, which he adores. He also has a simple management philosophy, that carries over to his every day life, as well. “Treat everyone with dignity and respect,” he said. “It makes everything easier.”

Geraldine Carroll

Charles Carroll IV, MD Orthopedic Surgery, Hand, Upper Extremity Surgery and Rehabilitation 109 W, Marshall Street, Middleburg, VA 20117 540-326-8182 | Email: orthomd@ccarrollmd.com

ccarrollmd.com 32

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

HOME SWEET HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Whether you are planning to remodel your kitchen, transform your master bath, finish a basement or build an addition, you need more than a contractor. You need a partner you can trust with the possession that says the most about what you value and the way you live.

Pot House Has History on its Side J By Travis Shaw

ust a few miles north of Middleburg lies a tiny village that bears the curious name of Pot House. Though it now only consists of a few historic homes, it was once a busy industrial center and a bustling country crossroads. In July, the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area invited guests to explore this fascinating location and learn more about its history. The community of Pot House had its beginnings in the late 18th century. James Leith immigrated from Scotland as a young man, and sought his fortune in Virginia as a surveyor. In 1768, he purchased 620 acres in the vicinity of Goose Creek, and it’s likely the original structure at Pot House dates to this period. The settlement acquired its name from the manufactory that was built to produce ceramics and bricks for the local market. Over the years this business would rely on both paid and enslaved labor. In subsequent decades, Leith sold portions of the property to other planters. Among them was John Kyle, who used Pot House bricks to build Locust Hill, now a part of the Foxcroft School. Another portion of the property, including the Pot House itself, was sold in the early 1790s to Joseph Lane. A veteran officer of the Revolutionary War, Lane also used local bricks in the construction of Farmer’s Delight. During the 1790s, the first written descriptions of the Pot House appeared. In May, 1790 a sale advertisement in the Alexandria Gazette newspaper described the structure as a “two story building 60 feet in length, 20 feet in breadth” with a separate room laid off for family living quarters. Six years later, the Reverend Alexander McFarland recorded that he preached at the “Pot House” once a month as he made his circuit around Cameron Parish.

In 1834, the Pot House property was sold to the eminent builder William After immigrating from England as a young man, Benton found his Design Build Remodel Benton. calling as an architect, and many of his works still dot the Loudoun landscape. His most famous commission was Oak Hill, built for President James Monroe 540.439.8890 in the 1820s, using bricks made at Pot House.

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Other Benton works include the Episcopal and Methodist churches in Middleburg and the Methodist church in Unison. Benton also used Pot House bricks in the construction of his own home, New Lisbon (now known as Huntland). During the period of Benton’s ownership, a lively village grew around the Pot House, including several homes, a wheelwright’s shop, and a blacksmith’s shop. William Benton’s son Benjamin also ran a school at New Lisbon for several years before the Civil War. When that war broke out in 1861, the population around Pot House largely supported secession, and many young men from the area left to serve with the Confederate army. The village itself was frequented by soldiers on both sides throughout the war. On June 19, 1863 there was a small skirmish near the village that was a part of the much larger Battle of Middleburg. Union cavalry and artillery passed through the village that afternoon in an effort to move around the Confederates blocking the Ashby’s Gap Turnpike. Confederate troops of the 5th and 7th Virginia Cavalry encountered them on the west side of Pot House. One Confederate officer described the events that followed: “We had a skirmish with the enemy near the pot-house...I ordered the seventh to charge on the right flank, which was done with spirit. A stone fence was soon discovered in front, which had to be pulled down. We then

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Travis Shaw, director of education for the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area, offered guests at a recent gathering at the Pot House a fascinating lesson on the history of the property. charged through the gap, and uncovered the position of the enemy, which proved to be too strong to be attacked…Among the sharpshooters, Sergeant Stickley, Company H, was wounded in the hand, and Capt. Shoup’s horse wounded.” In the later years of the Civil War, the Pot House also was a frequent rendezvous location for Colonel John Mosby’s Confederate partisans. One particular event involving Mosby happened late on the night of January 1, 1864. Earlier that day Mosby’s men defeated a group of Cole’s Maryland Cavalry near Five Points. In the confusion, the commander of the Marylanders, Captain Albert Hunter, escaped and was making his way through the freezing darkness back to the Potomac. After crossing Goose Creek, he passed the Pot House. He later recalled, “I noticed a light at the house, and on coming up close found a horse and wanted to “git,” but on reflection concluded to play infantry while in the enemy’s country, so that I could the better dodge corners in case of pursuit, and I did not know the country well enough to run any risks.” Hunter later found out that the horse tied up at Pot House belonged to none other than Col. Mosby himself. In his recollection of the event Hunter wrote, “All I have to say is, had I known it was Col. Mosby’s horse, he would certainly have been compelled to borrow another to get to camp, or overhauled me on the road.” Following the war, the area around Pot House faced serious economic decline. Both armies had stripped much of the area of crops and livestock, while the abolition of slavery eliminated the area’s economic foundations. Another blow was dealt by the coming of the railroad. Once bricks could be cheaply shipped from large manufacturers, there was no more need for a local manufacturer in southern Loudoun County. In 1890 William Benton, then 99, was thrown from his horse and soon succumbed to his injuries. The Pot House property was purchased by members of the Leith family, descendants of James Leith who had originally bought the property in 1768. By the turn of the century the Leiths dominated the area around Pot House, owning Farmer’s Delight, Huntland, and Locust Hill. They were so influential that the area became known as Leithton. Through the early 20th century, the village was home to a post office and coach stop, a blacksmith shop, general store, and a public school. In the 1950s the Pot House was purchased by Charlotte Noland for use as faculty housing for nearby Foxcroft School. In 1985 the home was sold to Clifford Turner and Louise Evans, who began a thorough restoration of the historic structures. Several years later Pot House was acquired by noted local artist Karen Casey, who transformed the old blacksmith shop into an art studio. The current owners of the Pot House are the most recent in a long line of conservation-minded stewards. Their commitment to preserving the Pot House is evident in the care they’ve taken to protect the home and its surrounding landscape. Their hard work ensures that the story of this remarkable historic village will continue to be told for years to come. Travis Shaw is director of education for the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

A NEW OLD GRANDSTAND FOR UPPERVILLE Photos by Crowell Hadden

Photo by Howard Allen

This vintage photo tells what the horse show is all about--classes for young horses.

By Tommy Lee Jones and Vicky Moon

hen legendary sportsman Harry Worcester Smith judged the Upperville horse show in 1905, it was hard to tell what pleased him most: the lunch break at Rozier Dulany’s Oakley or the best mint juleps in Virginia made by the butler. Or perhaps it was that the show committee had moved the grandstand to its current location, cutting down the dust from the Winchester Pike along what is now Route 50. Elegant female equestrians glide past the grandstand for the Ladies Side-Saddle class, adorable eager children await the results of the highly competitive lead line class and, in days gone by, a high jump competition was the featured Saturday Ty Payne and Maria Moore afternoon highlight. Richard Thomas remembers it all. His grandfather, Reed Thomas, had Box 9. Richard was five years old and presented the trophy to the winner one afternoon in the mid 1960s. He cherishes the memory. In the early 1980s, the grandstand was held together by cables spaced along the length of the building. A cable ran from the bottom of a post on the front edge through the floor to the back header just holding the rafters. A second cable went from the front header to the other cable about midway. Groundhogs undermined the support beams that sat on concrete filled casks. Charlie Risdon, who went to work for Theo Randolph straight out of high

History is all around.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

A view from inside the grandstand during renovations.

The new old grandstand. school and ran her carpenter crew, had devised the cable works and then did the work to stabilize the underpinnings and repair the front post. Robert Smith bought the 500-acre Heronwood Farm next to the show grounds in 1983. It included 30-plus acres of the horse show grounds, later donated to the show. Soon after, one of his engineers developed a plate to strengthen the roof system, adding brace pieces and doubling the rafters. Then the cables came down. In 2007, the floor and supports were replaced. The outsides and the roof were kept but you could drive a truck from one end to the other inside the grandstand. Every time there was a report of a wreck on Route 50 near Middleburg, horse show management held its breath worrying that some semi had not gone off the road and through the grandstand. In April, 2023 that actually did happen, though luckily it was a pickup truck. The horse show had just installed a new fence and the post only allowed the vehicle to get through the general admission benches in back of the grandstand and not the coveted box seats. During August and September of 2023, the iconic grandstand at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show was renovated by B and D Builders of Paradise, Pennsylvania. In October, friends and board members gathered to celebrate the renovation. In addition to Joe Fargis, president of the show, and Emily Day, show secretary and executive director, the group included Ty Payne, whose mother Barbara “Tippy” Payne was inducted into the horse show Wall of Honor in 2009. Maria Moore, Tippy’s niece, traveled from Amsterdam, Netherlands to attend the event at the show grounds. June 15 and 16, 1905.

RECENT RENOVATIONS Utilizing the existing wall support structure, a new standing seam roof was installed, along with a whitewashed tongue and groove wide plank ceiling finish. There are upgraded fans, better ventilation windows, new ADA accessible access ramps and new seating. There’s also more storage space. The iconic Upperville green color, which includes drops of black paint, remains in use. Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Middleburg Film Fest Story and photos by Donna Strama

American Fiction was voted as the top audience choice and Invisible Nation took the documentary honor. Other films honored included The Last Repair Shop and Society of the Snow.

Get the primary care experience you deserve Same-day or next-day appointments Reach your doctor after hours Unhurried visits that start on time

Call 540.724.2054 or visit mdvip.com to schedule a complimentary getacquainted meeting with Dr. Royston. Norris Royston Jr., MD Family Medicine 8255 East Main Street Marshall, VA 20115

At a Talk Back To The Critics discussion in the library at Salamander, each critic, from left to right, Travis Hopson, Nell Minow, Tim Gordon, Jen Chaney and Roxana Hadadi, had a favorite film: American Fiction, Society Of The Snow, and Priscilla

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For a conversation on Telling America’s Stories, guests included Dr. Carla Hayden, the 16th Librarian of Congress. Dawn Porter, whose film Lady Bird Diaries had very positive feedback from its audience, and Tonia Davis, who brought the tale of Rustin to the screen, about Bayard Rustin, a gay black man who organized the March on Washington back in the early 1960s, participated, along with Michele Norris, author of the book Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity. All agreed that making these films is not a fouror five-month project. It takes three to four years and you better love the subject matter.

From Page to Screen was an illuminating discussion about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin wrote the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer 18 years ago. It won a Pulitzer Prize and was made for Netflix by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.

Through Their Own Lens: The Power of Ukrainian Narratives in Cinema was an extremely popular session. Speakers Max Nakonechnyi, Valeria Sochyvets, Katerina Gornostai ,Olha Beskhmelnytsina and Oleksandra Kostina went over their al-lotted time but no one minded, with the audience rising for an emotional standing ovation. A representative from the Ukrainian Embassy attended along with young new Ukranian directors, film makers, writers and producers. Clips were shown of their films, most focusing on the Russian invasion. Sadly, they said funds that normally go to support film and the arts is now all being funneled to the military.

DEL WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* MARY WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* * Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist

DEL WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties DEL WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* MARY WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* * Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist

DEL WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties MARY WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.*

* Board Certified Orthopedic ClinicalST. Specialist 204 E. FEDERAL American BoardP.O. of Physical Therapy BOX 893 Specialties

MIDDLEBURG, VA 20118

MARY P.T., O.C.S.* 204 WILSON, E. FEDERAL ST.

P.O. BOX 893 MIDDLEBURG, VA 20118

* Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties

204 E. FEDERAL ST. 540-687-6565 P.O. BOX 893

MIDDLEBURG, VA 20118 www.middleburg-pt.com

204 E. FEDERAL ST. 540-687-6565 P.O. BOX 893 WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* DEL www.middleburg-pt.com MIDDLEBURG, VA 20118 www.middleburg-pt.com

540-687-6565

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday MARY 2023 WILSON, P.T., O.C.S.* 540-687-6565

* Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist www.middleburg-pt.com American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties

SURVIVAL By John Rolfe Gardiner

First of two parts

ester snuffled up a handful of pills, washed them down with some water, considered the wrinkles in his morning mirror, and took a second gulp to get the fat oval one past his tonsils. His clothes were wrinkled, too, and who cared; the tee shirt and briefs he slept in, the soiled trousers he pulled on, the cracked boots he laced while sitting on the end of the bed without waking her. At the stairway he got a firm grip on the railing because the big oval one working with the heart pill could throw him off balance if he moved too quickly. Years ago Lester had been farrier to Mr. Mellon’s barns at the training track, putting racing plates on young thoroughbreds that might pull a nail into his thigh right through his chaps for no reason whatever. Other farriers let him have most of the work at the track. He made a living at it, plus galloping Mr. Mellon’s horses when he was still skinny and fearless. Lester gave up the galloping at forty-five when belly spilled over buckle. He had thirty more serviceable years before the heart troubles came on. That, and the many thousand horses that had leaned on him, put him out to pasture. He’s on the heart pills now. One of them cost more than a year’s groceries so a much cheaper one comes to him now from Turkey by way of Canada. Reading the list of side effects you might wonder he’s standing at all.

John Rolfe Gardiner

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.

Steady at the back door he took his walking stick, and was off down the driveway. Miriam would be watching from the window. Once on the graveled road, he took no notice of her calling to put his mask on, hoping he could get past Graham’s place at the corner without being seen by Graham, Sir Talks-A-Lot, who flies the rebel flag, and claims a score of listeners to his podcast about his right to display the banner. Graham, a Britisher. A balanced pivot put Lester on a downhill stretch, one foot carefully in front of the other, but Graham’s wife came out her back door to catch him beside her garden. Her head was lowered as she hurried forward, arm raised, wagging a finger to stop him. “I heard they put a dead coon in your driveway,” she called. “That’s a shame. That one and his woman gone near four years.” Lester stared at her, holding his balance on the hill. Jerry Stack used to live in the Grahams’ place. People called Stack a jacklegs out of jealousy; he could do most anything for you, even put an addition on your house and top it with a standing seam roof bent with his own roofing irons. Then charge so little you’d worry for his hard-pressed wife. Graham’s wife was still going on about the last president’s family, how they kept church and a tight rein on the two girls. “Anyway, a settle-aged man like you shouldn’t have to put up with that … say, you’re one who’d be interested in this…” “Interested?” “Well,” she said, “you had his signs up in your yard, didn’t you? It’s no secret you…”

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Lester took her moment of hesitation to turn, gather balance, and continue his drift down the hill. “I can tell you where the covid comes from, she called after him. “It’s not the bats.” Her ready science comes from her receptionist job at the veterinary clinic. “It’s from the Chinese laboratory,” she called. And she wouldn’t be getting the vaccination because “that’s coming from China too.” Her voice trailed off as a house built into the hillside came into view where the Ramparts used to live, Pete and Patricia, who sang hymns on their porch in the evenings. O’er the Ramparts we watched, he mused, thinking how years ago he had walked by here with the minister’s son who confided, “they got a baby up in there,” as If a crime were in progress. True, there was a baby, an embarrassment to Patricia’s niece, sent to Worton until her shame passed over her home town. Pete lost his meat-cutter job at Safeway, caught stealing steaks one night. He and Patricia moved away and a commuter to the city and his wife moved in and took up with the fox hunting people in Middleburg. For Lester, who had lived in Worton all his life, any of four ways from the village crossroad was a stroll on a memory lane. At 81, content in his achievement of daily labor, he’d lived at no other’s expense from birth, comfortable in the old cottage where he’d been all his life. He imagined eternity’s favor for a man like himself, who wanted so little, expecting no more than he earned. His nearest neighbors vied for his attention; on one side a man who discharged a heavy pistol every day at a human silhouette; on the other, a family whose yard sign announced This House Welcomes All. He moved slowly, but not as a stranger, familiar with a tale of each freehold he passed, the knots that bound clans and interlopers, come and gone on the Worton landscape. He stopped a moment, letting some dizziness pass. Faltering forward, he swayed on the loose gravel as he passed the white stucco bungalow where the bank manager Millard had lived. Millard, who had a stone axe-head and forty-two arrow heads in his basement, all found the same afternoon on an island in the Potomac after the 1949 flood. He used to give cuttings from his holly tree to every house in Worton at Christmas time. When Lester was eleven, Millard’s granddaughter had pulled him into the basement there to see his Indian museum, but when they were down there she got in front of him and told him to touch her wherever he wanted. At that age he wasn’t up to the job. Millard’s place had passed on to a grandson who taunts the homosexual who lives at the top of the next hill whenever he comes by on his saddle horse. Don’t let the old man in, Lester thought to himself as he willed himself along a furlong of flat. He couldn’t help it if every house he passed had such a grip on his memory. Every one of them had belonged to someone who’d left the village or passed away. He’d come back right after his Army service, settling into the same

stone house his father had bought for a song in the Depression. Maybe the oldest house in the village, old beyond any record of its building — a square block of two-foot-thick stone walls, with a shed-roof section added by his father to accommodate twentieth century plumbing; a kitchen sink and a toilet. Any embarrassment of inheritance offset by the house’s age and condition— the thick walls chinked with a mortar mixed with horse-hair, and covered with white milk paint, later plastered with a nineteenth century formula of white cement and lime to hold it all together when the chinking began to crumble. The original roof of rough-hewn chestnut rafters, pine boards and cedar shingles was still there under metal painted black and tarred again and again over the years, treating leaks that ran in secret channels between the multiple layers. Lester’s parents left this puzzle of shelter and upkeep to him, moving to a tract in North Carolina where their last years were blissed with a vacuum system that ran through the walls, a garbage pit in the sink, and a machine that dried dishes after washing them. The old cottage has a lost early history, no county record of the property before mideighteenth century when Loudoun County was split off from the Fairfax grant. When he was in grade school, a man driving through Worton told Lester he used to visit here in summers and the week he came there was alway a circus across the road with a lion that roared all night. In those days the village had three stores and a blacksmith, and whipped Leesburg in the county baseball league. The visitor remembered the flat stone set in the ground by the front steps, still there, with CARTER crudely chiseled into it. Back home after the Army, Lester corresponded with a “university without walls.” They gave him a certificate in the humanities, but he settled on horses’ feet, and got himself known in Mr. Mellon’s barn at the training track. Mr. Mellon took a shine to him and gave him a retainer and friendship worth more than the Christmas turkey— even a ride one time on his jet plane to the Saratoga yearling sale. Miriam wouldn’t get on the plane and missed the Saudi who floated into the room in a white robe and held his cigarette between his third and fourth finger and outbid Mr. Mellon for a colt that won the Preakness. In Worton all his life, most of it with Miriam, who came along right after Kate. Don’t let the old man in, he reminded himself, but memory rode roughshod over the intention. Kate stuck there for a time as he ambled, unsteady, along the flat; Kate, who had knocked on his door, eager for friendship. More than than eager for several months, then leaving him miserable, missing bedroom behavior he hadn’t thought of before or would ever know again. She left him for a boy who was grazing on the community college campus where she was studying to be a physical therapist. “You don’t flex a muscle,” she’d taught Lester, “flection is a skeletal process.” Maybe the

newly acquired knowledge had something to do with what he hadn’t given her. She must have really liked the other boy because, first thing, he gave her the clap and, little bothered, she skipped off with him to Canada, beyond reach of his draft board. Miriam came next and forever. He was relieved to be thinking of her, needing her support to push him up the hill in front of him, hoping he could make it to the top without the pain coming into his arm. Miriam had come to the village, bicycling down Worton Road from the west, stopping at the corner to ask the way to the apiary where she’d got a job for the summer. “You passed it back by the church,” Lester had explained, holding her in conversation long enough to explain Worton’s lack of rental opportunity, which wasn’t going to matter as things fell out. She might have entered his life humming “you can’t always get what you want,” offering instead something he needed, weaning him from Kate’s enchantment with a less practiced behavior, neither animal nor missionary. She had a wit that jumbled things, making him wonder at the zany brain he was sleeping with. She’d rise with him at 5 a.m. to watch early galloping at the track, suggesting one day that horses be trained in the opposite direction around the oval, as if they cold be wound up like a spring, primed with a new energy when set in the right direction, the more eager to make left turns. Mr. Mellon got a chuckle out of that. He said they should have tried it on Jay’s Farthing, the Saratoga colt that had been such a disappointment. Such notions gave Lester doubts, wondering if Miriam’s was a wry wit performed, or spontaneous innocence. Soon enough all doubt shifted to fear she might leave him. He relaxed when she began to call him Toots and fussed for a regular change of his underwear. He was humming “don’t let the old man In” again, moving slower as he passed the pond where young hellions used to do their mud-bogging, roaring into the water, covering their shiny trucks with green slime and flying mud before silence settled back on the hills. He remembered the quiet cursing while a winch pulled all that vanity out of the mire, and wondered where that decade’s wastrel energy had got to. At their age, he’d come out of the County High School and done his Army service. They taught him Morse code and sent him to England where he hammered dots and dashes into five-letter code groups on a heavy typewriter. He trilled his tongue over nine dots followed by a “dah” —s h I t — faster than he could put one foot in front of the other, because the Beale boy’s pick-up truck was raising a dust cloud as it approached him. It came straight at him for a pranking moment, leaving Lester staggering backward against the bank. As it passed he saw a girl sitting beside Beale, laughing as she punched his shoulder, and two metal balls swinging under the truck’s rear bumper. To be continued in February.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Sunset In The Field

COUNTRY

At Ayrshire Farm in Upperville

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro

John Bays of Springfield brought his 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud to the Hunt Country Classic Car Show at Willoughby Farm near Marshall.

Photo by johnscottnelsonphotography.com

Aryshire cattle on display include this black Scottish Highland and the lighter colored English Longhorn.

Photo © by Vicky Moon

Barbara Scott, Will Nesbit, Charlotte deButts, Tom deButts and Dorsey deButts enjoyed the Land Trust of Virginia outing.

All to support the mission of The Land Trust of Virginia to conserve farms across the state. The autumn outing included a silent auction, children’s scavenger hunt, tasty easement-to-table food raised at Ayrshire Farm and bluegrass music from The Seldom Scene.

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro

Photo © by Vicky Moon

Dick Viets with Jason Vickers at a reception for Doc Week Middleburg at the Middleburg Community Center set for May 14 – 18, 2024.

Tom Northrup, Head of School Emeritus at The Hill School, and Hill Alum Chamberlain Hill played golf at the third annual Ben Gale Memorial Tournament recently at Millwood Country Club. The late Ben Gale mentored Chamberlain, who drove up from his home in Raleigh to participate.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

All Hail Haley Making College Football History By Leonard Shapiro

ot long after Haley Van Voorhis made college football history on Sept. 23, Colorado football coach and NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders was asked about her on-field debut as a safety on the Shenandoah University football team. “Awesome,” Sanders said during a news conference. “I’m all for it.” So was Billie Jean King, who made tennis history herself in 1973 when she beat a male player, Bobby Riggs in a widely ballyhooed “Battle of the Sexes” match. Fifty years later, she sent out a tweet congratulating Van Voorhis. Photo courtesy of Shenandoah University With less than a minute left in Haley Van Voorhis of The Plains the first quarter and Shenandoah has a ground-breaking place in already leading Juniata College by 26 college football history. points, on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon in Winchester, Van Voorhis was sent into the game. When the 5-foot-6, 145-pound junior from The Plains stepped on the field on third and long, she became the first woman who was not a kicker or a punter to play a regular position in an NCAA football game. Van Voorhis had waited patiently for more than two years for the opportunity, and when it came, she didn’t disappoint. She initially lined up a few yards from the line of scrimmage, then pushed up to the line and blitzed. She got through untouched, hurried an incomplete throw by Juniata quarterback Calvin German, then tackled him an instant after he’d released the ball. “It’s an amazing thing,” Van Voorhis said after the game. “I just wanted to get out and do my thing. I want to show other people this is what women can do, to show what I can do. It’s a big moment. I made the impossible possible, and I’m excited about that.” She was not alone. ESPN was on hand to record the moment for posterity and Sports Center. The Washington Post covered the game, and over the next week, a number of major media outlets—including ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated and USA Today—also ran stories on Van Voorhis’s first game. Up in the stands at Shentel Stadium, University President Tracy Fitzsimmons sat among several hundred water-logged spectators, including the players’ proud parents, Chandler and Heidi. President Fitzsimmons was both soaked and smiling broadly at halftime, clearly thrilled to see Van Voorhis enter the game minutes earlier. “It’s an extraordinary accomplishment for women everywhere,” said Shenandoah’s first woman president since the school was founded in 1875. “I am so happy for Haley because she’s earned this.” Van Voorhis has been playing against the boys since she joined a co-ed flag football team in the fifth grade. She also was the first girl to play high school football at Christchurch, a boarding school located about an hour east of Richmond, where she saw considerable action at wide receiver and defensive back and was named team captain her senior year. Her high school coach, Edward Homer, once described her as “a badass. She’s not afraid of anything.” Shenandoah head coach Scott Yoder, clearly has been impressed with her and said he has no qualms about playing her. “Haley’s been a great teammate,” Yoder said. “She’s quiet and goes about her business. The guys respect her because she shows up and does the work on the field and in the weight room. She’s been a very positive member of our team. She’s very good mentally and understands her role. I have confidence in her that she knows her job and can execute it.”

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

How Does Wildlife Survive Winter?

When weather warms, even if just on a sunny winter day, these brumators may take that opportunity to drink water and catch some rays. undling to brave winter weather, are you also concerned Birds often take a different route than mammals or reptiles – about the local wildlife that lives outdoors year-round? they just leave. Not to worry. These species have evolved to survive and Birds who do not have natural foods readily available in thrive in these freezing-cold temperatures. winter can migrate short or long distances until they reach their For most, food availability is the main factor that makes wintering grounds where resources are more plentiful. Some winters such a challenge. Those with a constant winter food birds stay put. They may have a steady food supply (such as supply may stay active. These warm-blooded mammals may Photos courtesy of BRWC protect against the cold by growing thicker coats or bulking up Tri-colored bats will enter a state birds of prey) and others stay year-round and are able to adapt during the plentiful spring and summer months. of torpor over the winter months. their diets to seeds or berries that are produced in winter. For birds that stay through the winter, packing on body Foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and others rely on these methods. weight in the spring and summer is important, but their feathers Those who no longer have a food supply, such as groundhogs that also play an important role. They trap pockets of air close to the rely on large volumes of plant material, or the bats that count on body, creating a layer of insulation, which is why feather down large insect populations, torpor or hibernation is the best option. is a commonly used as insulating material. Torpor is a low-energy state where breathing, heart rate, and You may see birds “fluff up” in the winter as they try to trap body temperature are lowered so that metabolism slows and the the maximal amount of warm air in their feathers. Birds keep animal requires less energy. Bats enter torpor when temperatures their feathers well-conditioned and waterproof using oil from drop too low. Animals in torpor will awaken occasionally their uropygial gland (over their rump) so that the feathers can throughout the winter to hunt or forage, urinate and defecate, Chipmunks are an example of continually provide this essential service. and perform other functions as needed. true hibernators. In the cold, birds also tuck their feet up or their beaks into Alternatively, some mammals, like groundhogs and their back feathers. These featherless body parts get cold quickly chipmunks, are true hibernators. Hormones and declining daylight hours induce hibernation in these species and metabolism is reduced to and tucking them into the warmer core-area keeps those parts comfortable. The cold hard truth: Our native wildlife handle winter in many different ways, between one to five percent of normal. These animals lower their temperatures but rest assured, they’re just fine out there. and heart rates significantly and cannot be easily roused. Reptiles and amphibians have their own type of dormancy called brumation, which is similar to torpor. Because they cannot regulate their body temperatures, Details: Jennifer Riley, DVM, is the hospital director at the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center they begin seeking shelters or burrows as the weather cools. As temperatures in Millwood, the only dedicated wildlife hospital in Northern Virginia. It assists more approach freezing, they shut down many of their physiological functions. than 3,000 native wildlife annually. Visit www.blueridgewildlifectr.org.

By Jennifer Riley

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Long Branch Traces Its History a Long Way Back

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By James Ivancic

t was 1786, three years after the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War and Great Britain recognized the independence of the 13 American colonies. In an area now known as Halfway, Long Branch Baptist Church started that very same year with 25 worshippers Long Branch worshippers gathered in a log cabin. A proper church building was erected in gather each Sunday in a church built in 1820. 1820 and worshippers gather there to this day. The pastor’s office and meeting space adjoin the sanctuary located at 5541 Long Branch Lane, off The Plains Road, equally distant from The Plains and Middleburg. Rev. Frank Fishback has been the pastor since January, 2011, and also is pastor at The Plains Baptist Church. The church has survived the Civil War, the Covid pandemic and declining church attendance. It remained open during the Civil War, though in June, 1863, fighting in nearby Middleburg made it unsafe to attend. On Oct. 15, 1864 no service was held because “only one member present beside the clerk … our pastor a prisoner and a gloom pervading the community in consequence of the oppression of the enemy,” according to church records. In-person services continued during the height of the pandemic. Sheila Burke said she started worshipping at Long Branch when her own church in Middleburg shut down. Long Branch attendees wore masks and spread out in church. Outdoors they would take hold of a Rev. Frank Fishback has been the string that symbolically “showed that we were pastor at Long Branch Baptist still connected,” Burke said. Church since 2011. Susan Schulz and her husband moved to the area from Fairfax 40 years ago and were looking for a new church. Their housekeeper suggested Long Branch. “The people were so endearing,” Schulz recalled, adding that she found “people’s arms were open” to her as a newcomer. It’s definitely a giving congregation. One room off the sanctuary holds Branch of Hope, the pantry where laundry, bathroom and personal hygiene supplies are set out on shelves for those in need at no cost. The pantry is open from 9 to 11 a.m. on the third Saturday of the month. A total of 63 families were served in September. “When we started Branch of Hope we wondered where [donations] would come from. Frank said not to worry,” said Schulz. “God has blessed us.” The church supports the Seven Loaves food bank in Middleburg, distributes school supplies for children, and assists Hope Tree Family Services in Salem, Virginia. The ladies of Long Branch also put their hands to work making blankets for the needy in Appalachia. The congregation holds a homecoming gathering every year and a picnic with food and music during the summer. There’s an occasional movie night with pizza. “Methodists and Baptists are famous for the food” as a drawing card, said Burke. “The old ladies would cook. Now we’re the old ladies.” The church holds Sunday school for adults and children at 9 a.m. Worship starts at 10 a.m. There was a time when more congregants occupied the pews at Long Branch and filled Sunday school class. The farms near the church no longer hire as many people as in years past, which Rev. Fishback and longtime members say resulted in fewer adults and children coming to worship. But members appreciate what they have and the opportunity to be of service to others. “I don’t see explosive growth here,” Rev. Fishback said. “But if we have spiritual growth, we’re more apt to go out and ask people to come join us.”

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Meet Jamie Potter:

Writer, illustrator, Musician and Bartender

By Joe Motheral

hen J. R. “Jamie” Potter was eight years old and growing up in Connecticut, one day his father brought home a library copy of “The Mummy, The Will and the Crypt” by John Bellairs, clearly a life-changing occurrence for his young son Potter, 49, who now lives in the Middleburg area, writes and illustrates children’s books and also is a professional musician, playing the guitar and performing with his vocalist wife, Amy. And three days a week, you can find him tending bar at Middleburg’s Thaiverse restaurant. “Growing up in a household of readers, books were always available,” he said. “I’m grateful to both my parents for reading to me from a very Jamie Potter’s latest book. early age. It changed my life to become a writer and illustrator for the young.” He’s written several children’s books, including “Thomas Creeper and the Gloomsbury Secret,” which was honored with the 2019 Kraken Award for middle-grade fiction. It’s the story about a 13-year-old boy in a family that owns a funeral home. These days, he’s been promoting his latest books, “Thomas Creeper and the Purple Corpse” and “Ragtag City of Ash and Fire.” An upcoming book, “The Unfussable Boy,” is about a boy in a family of what the described as “perpetual fussers.” As an illustrator, Jamie has a contract with “a great educational publisher, Pioneer Valley Books,” he said. “Full color illustrations about cowbots—cowboy robots living on Mars.” His work as an artist comes from what he described as “a comic book cartoon

Amy and Jamie Potter background…as well as a love of fine art through my parents and older brother, all of whom went to art school. (Illustrations) are just one way of amplifying what’s being communicated on the page.” As a musician, “I play both as a solo artist and with The Crooked Angels, the band I share with my wife and partner, Amy. We play a mix of Americana—classic country and blues, some bluegrass—what I sometimes call ‘secular gospel.’” With The Crooked Angels, “we’ll play as a paired-down duo or as a full band with bass, drums, electric guitars, and pedal steel, depending on the needs of the gig. Our favorite performances are intimate parties and house concerts when you get to have a close connection with your audience.” They have several performances coming up this fall and winter, including an every-other-month show at the Horse Shoe Curve Restaurant in Bluemont. As for his bar-tending, he said, it’s “a great way to earn supplemental income and to receive inspiration for characters and song material. I love making Manhattans and catching up with old and new friends at the bar.” He also loves living in the Piedmont region. “I feel overwhelmingly blessed to live in this ever-changing theater of nature,” he said. “I would just like to express my gratitude for this beautiful land, for this open space and the richness of flora and fauna that bring me back to a deeper reality every day.”

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

CONGR ATULATIONS TO ALL THE NEW HOMEOWNERS, MANY THANKS TO MY SELLERS AND BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR LD

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oak spring

the trappe

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132+ acres $7,450,000 Marshall – c. 1828 Stone Manor, 7 BRs / 8.5 BAs and 8 fireplaces. Traditional and elegant, yet comfortable with Blue Ridge Mtn views. 2 barns, log cabin, 4 tenant houses, 2 workshops.

57 acres $2,700,000 Once part of the famed Mellon Estate, this exquisite land offers expansive views and wonderful privacy. NOTE: Within this 57 acre parcel, the residence and 15 acres are in a LIFE ESTATE.

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tre bien farm

wheatfields

58+ acres $2,500,000 The Plains – Custom-built brick home with 4 BRs, 3-car garage and pond. Room for your horses. Architecturally designed to blend the serenity of nature with stylish living spaces.

22 acres $1,875,000 Marshall – 6 BR / 6 BA Cape Cod home with spectacular mountain views. Fully renovated and features a mix of formal rooms and comfortable spaces to take in the gorgeous views.

28+ acres $1,800,000 Aldie – Pristine contemporary home with stunning views. 4 BRs / 4.5 BAs, open floor plan. 4-stall center aisle barn, paddocks and an oversized 220’ x 230’ riding arena. FIOS internet.

50 acres $1,750,000 Hume – Renovated c. 1867 farmhouse, 4,000 + sq. ft. of living space. Lots of windows to enjoy the pastoral views. 3 BR–2 are primary suites w/ lux BAs. 4-stall barn w/large workshop and 1BR/1 BA loft apt.

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20+ acres $1,177,000 Linden – Inspired stone and stucco mountain home w/European design influenced details throughout. 3 BR/ 4.5 BA only minutes away from I-66. Private and wooded with breathtaking views. Two parcels.

.89 acres $999,998 Upperville – Enjoy as a weekend retreat or full-time residence on almost one acre. This home was fully renovated in 2010 and no details were spared. Wonderful, move in ready property!

.41 acres $699,000 Middleburg – c.1820 remodeled Victorian era frame house with 3 BRs / 3 full BAs. Unique 2-story portico w/ balcony. Many upgrades and renovations–New septic, metal roof, 4 fire places, wide board wood floors.

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Survival of the Fittest:

Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art “The work of these four artists established a vision of wildlife and wilderness that remains with us today and had a tremendous influence on wildlife artists of the 20th century.” – Curator Dr. Adam Duncan Harris

urvival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art is now on exhibit at the National Sporting Museum in Middleburg. It is the first major piece of scholarship to come out of the multiyear Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné project. Presented with an accompanying catalogue, it features approximately 50 masterworks created by an influential group of painters known today as the Big Four: American Carl Rungius (born in Germany, 1869–1959), Germans Richard Friese (1854–1918) and Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865–1926), and Swede Bruno Liljefors (1860–1939). The exhibit is open in the museum until Jan. 14, 2024 at 102 The Plains Road, Middleburg, VA 20117. More: info@nationalsporting.org.

Richard Friese (Germany, 1854 – 1918), Polar Bear and Eiders on the Coast, n.d. Oil on canvas. 25 x 38 inches. Collection of the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede, Netherlands.

Wilhelm Kuhnert (Germany, 1865 – 1926), Elephants, c. 1917. Oil on canvas. 48 x 86 inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art.

Richard Friese (Germany, 1854 – 1918), Tiger with Blackbuck, 1889. Oil on canvas. 30 1/3 x 38 1/6 inches. Collection of the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede, Netherlands. Photograph by Rik Klein Gotink.

Bruno Liljefors (Sweden, 1860 – 1939), Migrating Mute Swans, 1925. Oil on canvas. 41 ½ × 62 inches. Collection of the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede, Netherlands. Photograph by Rik Klein Gotink.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

Small Ways AI Enhances Everyday Life T

By Hunt Lyman

he discourse on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often steeped in extreme narratives, presenting it either as a technological savior or an existential threat. While these opinions frequently rest on speculative forecasts, it’s easy to overlook the modest, yet meaningful, contributions that AI can make to our daily lives. Let me share two personal experiences where it’s been a helpful assistant.

ChatGPT, a language model trained on AI technology, has turned me into an unlikely poet. I’ve amused friends and family by celebrating their birthdays with custom-made Shakespearean sonnets.

Hunt Lyman

Although these poems are generated by a machine, their impact on the recipients is genuinely human. The task of writing a sonnet—14 lines of iambic pentameter, adhering to a strict rhyme scheme—is daunting for most. Yet for an AI model like ChatGPT, it’s virtually instantaneous. To be transparent, I always disclose on the card that I didn’t pen the sonnet myself, but the gesture is nonetheless always appreciated.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

It’s also possible to create songs with AI, a helpful collaborator in my musical pursuits. This summer, the Middleburg Museum invited me to perform during a celebration honoring The Fun Shop—a Middleburg institution closing its doors after 66 years. Eager to pay tribute to a place so integral to the community, I turned to ChatGPT. I fed it my notes on The Fun Shop and the Allen family that founded and owned the business and asked it to generate a bluegrass-style song, chords included. ChatGPT immediately generated a song, but I wasn’t sure it would work, because there was no tune, only the chords. I printed out the draft, got my guitar, and started playing the chords. Almost immediately, I found a rhythm that seemed right. I didn’t like each line, so I made some adjustments on my own and went back to the AI conversation and requested other options that would keep the meter and rhyme. Between my own edits and the alternatives AI provided, I finished a song I thought worked well. When I played it at the celebration, I do believe it was quite meaningful to the Allen sisters and their former employees. Stepping away from the grand predictions and philosophical debates about AI, these are just two examples of how the technology has assisted me in creative endeavors I wouldn’t have undertaken otherwise. For anyone intimidated by the notion of AI, remember that integrating it into your life doesn’t have to be a Herculean effort. AI is here to stay, so why not explore its potential to help you accomplish goals that currently feel just beyond your grasp? Hunt Lyman is the Academic Dean at The Hill School in Middleburg and an accomplished musician, as well.

Middleburg’s Treasure: The Fun Shop Song In Middleburg, where the land is so fair, Stood The Fun Shop, with treasures rare. Howard and Nancy, with dreams so grand, Built a touchstone of joy in a charming land. Oh, The Fun Shop has tales to tell, For sixty-six years, in its magic we’d dwell. With every treasure, a laugh and surprise, In the heart of Virginia, its legacy lies. Bells that’d jingle, keepsakes that shine, From the useful to fun, everything was fine. Paige and Betsy, carried the torch high, Continuing the dream, under Middleburg’s blue sky. Rows of memories, aisles of delight, Lanterns and toys, lighting up the night. Every corner told a story, every shelf was a song, In The Fun Shop, where dreams belong. The Allen family, with passion so clear, Welcomed us all, year after year. From trinkets to relics, from dawn to the dusk, The Fun Shop’s spirit, in Middleburg they built trust. So as the sun sets, and the years roll by, We’ll remember The Fun Shop, with a smile and a sigh. For in its walls, memories were spun, Thank you, Allen family, for decades of fun! Oh, The Fun Shop has tales to tell, For sixty-six years, in its magic we’d dwell. With every treasure, a laugh and surprise, In the heart of Virginia, its legacy lies.

CMY

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Say hello to Middleburg library’s new branch manager

Tina Reid, Middleburg Library’s new branch manager.

By Ronen Feldman

ina Reid has perhaps traveled more as a librarian than most people ever do, which is why relocating to Silver Spring and starting her new position in Middleburg, long as that drive may be, is nevertheless a welcome change of pace. Tina hasn’t just worked as a librarian, she served as one. Before moving to the DMV area she spent three and a half years as a military librarian, and it wasn’t in Texas or Georgia either. Try 14 time zones to the east. Along with her husband and their two sons, the time the Reids spent in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa occasionally felt like a drawn-out vacation, but mostly like a training in perseverance. It was that experience working in a military library that made her realize librarians and library staff anywhere share a common goal: to connect customers to information and resources, and while the library needs of a Marine or Sailor could be different than those of a Loudoun County resident, her role is still the same. When Tina returned to the U.S. she was struck by how frustrated people were by anything related to customer service. “It’s important that we make sure library goers are treated the way we’d like to be treated ourselves, and that’s just the first step,” she said. “We need to make sure our teen center is more teen friendly, represent the library in public events, collaborate with other

organizations as much as possible and generally encourage people to go to the library more often.” Tina believes a library should be an extension of the community it’s in, and has a greater value to it than people expect. Her experience with different people and their needs speaks for itself, and she’s certain there’s something the library can do for everyone. “Very few people know the library has many resources for adults as well as for children and teenagers, and I want to change that.” People with a library card have free access to resources like LinkedIn learning courses through the library system, as well as resume building tools and more. In addition to providing connections to books and research and providing library programming, Tina wants to help connect citizens to other community resources such as the Health Department, Loudoun County small businesses, and others. She also hopes to strengthen the connection the community has with the library to make it the hub of Middleburg. Other plans for future engagements in the library include reading programs for children, language classes by community members who speak English as a second language, DIY programs, guest musicians for the reading programs and more summer activities for children and teenagers. Tina knows she’s new to a tight-knit community, and hopes her commitment and hard-working mentality, along with her passion for libraries will inspire Middleburg residents to make use of what the library has to offer.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Another Fabulous West Virginia Breeders Classic

By Bill Cauley

he West Virginia Breeders’ Classic’s 37th edition, held on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, brought another strong crowd, as well as a display of some of the finest horse racing in the region. This year’s race, won by Coastal Mission, trained by Jeff Runco, carried a purse of $300,000. From it’s beginnings in 1987, the Classic, spearheaded by long-time Middleburg resides, the late Sam Huff and his partner, Carol Holden, has grown over the many years. The desire, in the beginning, was to strengthen the horse racing industry in West Virginia. At a time when it seemed as if the larger, high-end, race tracks across the country were trying to push middle-level race Photo by Coady Photography tracks out of the horse-racing market, the COASTAL MISSION won the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic continues Sam Huff West Virginia Breedto thrive. ers Classic at Charles Town, “I’m very happy to see a full house,” said WV in mid-October. The purse Holden, president of the West Virginia was $300,000 over 1-1/8 Miles Breeders’ Classic, said during the WVBA’s in 1:53.49. Owned by Coleswood gala Dinner-Dance, held at the Bavarian Farm, Inc., Jeff C. Runco, trainer Inn in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and Arnaldo Bocachica, jockey. on Oct. 13. “It’s great to be inside for this event this year, instead of being on the outside.” Several hundred people attended the fete, including owners, association members, major financial backers and members of the West Virginia State Legislature. Jerry Olsen, a member of the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic’s board of directors, who coordinated the annual golf tournament on Oct. 13, at Locust Hill Golf Course in Charles Town, recalled when Huff ask him to join the board. “Sam asked me to come on board Photo by Bill Cauley because I needed to learn more about Jean Smith with West Virginia State Senator Patricia Rucker and horses,” Olsen said. “I said: ‘no, I don’t,’ so Ken Lowe, West Virginia Racing I ended up with the golf tournament. It Commissioner. was a lot of fun. We had 124 golfers. We tried to honor the memory of Sam Huff. I think we did.” Holden said the golf tournament and the dinner-dance were all a part of what Huff, a pro football Hall of Fame linebacker who played for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins (now Commanders), had hoped it would become a significant facet of the Breeders’ Classic weekend. “The combination, including the horsemen, community, golf tournament, service to everybody involved, part of that is to promote and showcase thoroughbred racing,” Holden said. “I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that over the last 37 years.” More than $3 million in purses has been put into most of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, thanks to the efforts of horsemen, breeders, local businesses, Holden said. “All have benefited because of Sam’s vision,” she added. “I think he’d be pretty proud of that.” Five percent of the sponsorship money is donated to several charities in the area, Holden said. “This benefits the local community, and the thoroughbred industry as well.” Ken Lowe, chairman of the West Virginia Racing Commission, read a letter from U. S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) at the dinner-dance. In the letter, Manchin said for many, the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic has become a treasured attraction across the nation, and continues to garner significant recognition, funding and publicity, positively impacting various charitable organizations.

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Perspectives on Childhood, Education, and Parenting

A CONVERSATION ON THE PRESSURE OF

GREAT EXPECTATIONS By Tom Northrup

“So what fosters the growth of roots and wings.. (in our children)..at its core lie three quintessential necessities–nurture, structure, and latitude: love and acceptance, expectations, and limits, support for autonomy and the freedom to learn from experience” From Family Matters (2004) by Robert Evans

A Mike Wipfler and Tom Northrup were Hill School colleagues.

few weeks ago, Mike Wipfler, a former colleague, friend, and parent of two young children asked me if I had read Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It (2023) by Jennifer Breheny Wallace. I hadn’t heard of the book or the author. Mike felt as if the book had a lot to offer so I asked him to join me in a conversation to discuss its merits. This conversational format is different from my usual columns, but I hope it is helpful and offers a valuable perspective for our readers.

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Tom: Mike, it is always good to see you, and I appreciate your recommending this book. I recall that one of my first articles over four decades ago was a review of David Elkind’s The Hurried Child (1981). Even then, Elkind was concerned about the loss of free play for children and that their lives were being overly managed and directed by adults. The downside of this development was a loss of autonomy and independence for many children whose parents were not offering them the latitude to solve their own problems–either social or academic. Is this a concern that Jennifer Wallace addresses in Never Enough? Mike: Yes, absolutely. Jennifer Wallace notes that many modern parents feel that it is their responsibility to make sure that their child is a “success”---which many parents believe is dependent upon their child’s acceptance to a selective college. But admissions into these top-tier schools is far more competitive than it used to be, with admission rates in some schools as low as 10%, and some reject more high school valedictorians than they accept! Tom: Jennifer Wallace has young children herself– correct? Mike: Yes, she is the mother of three teenage children living in New York City, so she is very aware of the stresses parents feel. In her book she shares a funny story about enrolling her Lego-loving sixth grade son in an evening architecture class for much older students - an effort to find and nurture his “spike,” the interest or ability that would make

him stand out from others. Upon learning of his mother’s efforts, her son William replied: “Mom, I love architecture - please don’t ruin it for me.” Tom: Wow–love William’s response and his mother’s humility in disclosing her misstep. Robert Evans in his 2004 book noted that many parents were trying ‘to prepare the path for their child rather than prepare the child for the path’. I really liked that observation and found a lot of truth in it. Being a parent is a humbling experience, and I know of no one who believes that they get it right all the time. Returning to the topic of college admissions pressure on children and parents, what does Wallace have to say about this? Mike: She notes that despite parents’ best intentions, the focus on college admissions is having a really negative impact on many adolescents’ mental health. Some high schoolers feel unrelenting pressure to be perfect and feel as if their self-worth is inextricably linked to their performance (grades, standings, and acceptances). These unintended consequences are causing huge spikes in adolescent anxiety disorders and depression. Tom: So, Mike, as a parent of two elementary age children, do you feel any of the same pressures that are influencing these parents of older children? Mike: To some extent, yes. Cristin and I feel as if it is part of our ‘job description’ as parents to help our

children reach their potential. But Never Enough provided us with an alternative roadmap - one that will, we hope, bypass some of the accidents that can occur in the journey to college (or at least allow us to drive in a car with the best airbags and safety devices) so that we can reach our destination - having our children reach adulthood with the skills and values that will lead to lifelong fulfillment. Tom: I would like to continue this conversation in the next issue of Zest to hear more about Jennifer Wallace’s observations and recommendations on the current challenges with which families are dealing. While I believe that David Elkind and Robert Evans offer a valuable perspective and framework to guide parents in balancing children’s need for adult directed structure and limits with the importance of extending them opportunities for independent decision making, it seems to me that the issues today’s families are confronting are more complex than those of twenty or forty years ago. Is it okay with you if we continue this conversation in the next issue of “Country ZEST?” Mike: Sure – I would enjoy that. Tom Northrup was a long-time Head of Hill School. Mike Wipfler was a teacher, coach, and administrator at The Hill School from 2001 to 2020. He still lives in Middleburg but is now the co-director of Kingswood Camp, a residential boys summer camp in New Hampshire.

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Henry F. (Harry) Atherton III recently was honored as the 2023 Kitty P. Smith Award recipient presented by Kevin Ramundo on behalf of the Citizens for Fauquier County (CFFC). The celebration honoring Atherton was held at Hopefield, the historic home of Hope Porter, who founded the organization in 1968. The award is given annually to honor outstanding conservationists who have contributed greatly throughout their lifetime to preserving Fauquier’s rural landscape, historical resources, and agricultural economy.

Photo by Julie Banner

Madeleine Bunbury, Equine Artist in Residence at the National Sporting Library & Museum, paints a life-size portrait of Snowden Clarke’s Rooster in the Founders’ Room. Bunbury graciously donated the painting which was auctioned and purchased by local members Pam and Brad Ryder to benefit the NSLM.

Photo by Juliet Graham

And what photo editor could possibly resist this picture of adorable Edie Bono out for a ride?

Photo by Karen Monroe

With all the very best wishes to Cindy Wines, who has officially retired from the Middleburg Millwork after 21 years. Many will also remember Cindy from her years at the B&A Grocery and Middleburg Hardware.

The late Em Sharp, a beloved art teacher at The Hill School, painted 12 festive and colorful signs 40 years ago that are used by the town of Middleburg to decorate Washington Street during the Christmas season. The signs will look like new this year thanks to John Ralph, a Hill school alum and owner of Quail Run Signs. With an assist from Patty Callahan, he’s redoing all of them so they‘ll be around for another 40 years.

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Copper Fox: A Luscious Liquor Made With Love

Photo by Peyton Tochterman

Adult beverages from Copper Fox distillery.

By Peyton Tochterman

n the rolling, courtly expanses of Virginia, where the Blue Ridge Mountains stretch like the crooked spine of an old paint mare, there’s a place where alchemy and old-world charm ferment together in a heady concoction of spirits. It’s called Copper Fox Distillery, and behind its burnished name is Sean McCaskey, a man whose life’s journey to this point could very well be the plot of a heartwarming novel. A man of few words and many trades, including that of an industrial electrician, Sean found his way to Virginia in pursuit of a romance that would make even the most cynical soul believe in the power of a good old-fashioned love story. He spent a year working, traveling the country, writing letters (not emails), to his then girlfriend, now wife, Susan, a Hill School teacher who he saw only once that entire year because of his arduous schedule. He followed his heart to historic Welbourne, only to have his life take another unexpected turn in the basement of his friend Rick Wasmund’s Sperryville house. There, amidst the comforting aroma of aging spirits, he was coaxed over sips of liquid courage into helping birth a distillery. The notion might have seemed a bit quixotic back in 2005, when Sean was dividing his time between his family’s electrical company and the nascent distillery. But just like in any good story, perseverance was key. Before long, Copper Fox was

not just a distillery but a progenitor, with Rick as president of the Virginia Distillers Association—a knightly order if there ever was one—advocating for all the small craft distillers in the realm. The setting of Copper Fox is something out of a Thomas Hardy novel—surrounded by the Thornton River with views of Old Rag Mountain. Here, in a place open seven days a week, from the sensible hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., one can sip on mixed drinks and meander through bucolic fields and mountain trails. And there’s another distillery in Williamsburg, just for good measure. Sean’s past life working on ethanol plants and emergency electrical rescues has all been a prologue to the main event—making whiskey. It starts with grain from the Northern Neck of Virginia and involves a process of malting, germinating, and smoking that would make even the most weathered Scottish distiller nod in respect. At Copper Fox, they don’t just distill spirits; they imbue them with love. Visitors leave not just with whiskey but with “love water”—ordinary H2O that’s been charged with positive thoughts. The future for Copper Fox is as bright as the gleam in a glass of their finest single malt. The fiveyear plan is all about organic growth, a journey to make Copper Fox a name synonymous with Virginia’s best, known up and down the East Coast. It’s not just about crafting whiskey; it’s about making people happy, imparting a bit of that love into every bottle, every tour, every sip.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

MODERN FINANCE

Is Cash Trash?

By Philip Dudley

s 2023 comes a close, a strong case can be made that the Federal Reserve is done raising interest rates and one should extend duration in their fixed income portfolios. Duration is a measure of a bond’s sensitivity to the movement in interest rates. Put another way, a one per cent change in interest rates will affect the market price of a bond portfolio by its duration. The current debate of whether the Fed is done raising interest rates is almost irrelevant due to the fact that real rates are finally positive again. Leaving your money in cash might seem like a safe move in these volatile times but sitting on the sidelines can actually be a dangerous game. Even Philip Dudley if the Fed is not done, or even if they are almost done, reinvestment risk is now starting to enter the conversation. Reinvestment risk is the risk of reinvesting in the future at a lower interest rate when compared to the original yield. When the Fed embarked on its relentless tightening cycle in 2022, interest rates went up and bond prices fell. Bond portfolios experienced epic declines not seen in decades. This is the first investment lesson in fixed income, yield and price move in opposite directions. So, if the tightening cycle is over and the economy begins to weaken and the Fed actually cuts interest rates in late 2024, the opposite of “interest rate up – bonds down” could occur. With a current target fed funds rate of 5.25 to 5.5 percent, extending duration could lead to capital appreciation in bonds. Does the Fed keep interest rates “higher for longer?” Or do they overtighten? Again, one can only speculate on the Fed’s future actions, but whatever course they take, the end game is clear. Directionally, interest rates should move down from here, which lowers the potential risks of adding duration. To summarize, if interest rates do indeed fall, those allocating to high levels of cash will be faced with reinvestment risk and no opportunity for capital appreciation. Conversely, those who extend duration will be in a position to buy bonds at a discount to par value. In the event rates decline, the holdings will appreciate towards par (par equals 100). Consider the following, a one year forward return for a 5 percent bond at par maturing in five years would be 1.5 percent if rates moved up 1 percent. But if rates moved down 1 percent, the rate of return for the same bond would be 8.6 percent. The best advice: as the end of the year approaches, do yourself a favor and start thinking longer term.

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Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Umpire Mitigation Doesn’t Mess Around

By Sebastian Langenberg

mpire Mitigation based near Marshall is bringing a new model to an old business. Mitigation is the process of assessing, containing, and preventing further damage immediately after an initial event occurs. Serving clients in Virginia and Maryland, Umpire is an instant booking, flat-priced mitigation platform for water, fire, and mold damage services. Stephen Simmons started the company in 2017, but has a lifetime of experience in the mitigation business. His father bought and ran a mitigation franchise in 1962, and Stephen worked in that business on the weekends during high school and college before eventually taking it over. But the franchise model was the old way of doing things. It involved heavy administration work, lineitem reports, haggling prices back and forth with customers and insurance agents. “It’s about negotiating. If you have a good relationship with an adjuster, they’re going to approve fair things,” Simmons said. “But, if you don’t have those relationships, it becomes an argument match, and you need administration on both sides, which adds to the overall cost of everything.” He knew there was a better way that would be a win-win for both the company and the customer. Using decades of data, and thousands of estimates, Simmons developed a new, haggle-free pricing

Stephen Simmons model based solely on the type of damage and the size of the room. He said his new pricing model comes in on average 35 percent less than the old way of doing things, while still making a profit. “I took the average line items you would use on a type of damage,” Simmons said. “Then, I took the average room sizes in a square foot range like extrasmall, medium; 0 to 50 square feet. I put all that together and we used some calculations to come up with the per room cost at flat price. “If we come in and do a medium-sized room, it

doesn’t matter if I need one or six fans to dry that space, the price is the same. The client gets a fair price up front, and there is no incentive for Umpire to charge for extra services or materials that are not really needed. Instead of having a permanent full time staff, he works with trusted subcontractors, called teams, under his brand. “I call them teams, but they own their own business,” he said. “The way we have it set up is better. We can pay them more and we can still charge less.” All subcontractors have been fully trained and certified by Simmons, and he has worked with many of them for many years. These subs are able to take jobs from other remediation companies as well as any other work they might specialize in, increasing their own bottom line. Why the name Umpire? “Because we love baseball? Nope, soccer is our game,” Simmons said. “Two reasons. “First, baseball reminds us of the phrase as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. The feeling of opportunity for all. We even had a catchy slogan at one point, ‘making mitigation fair.’ Unlike traditional companies that pay lower hourly rates, our teams earn a middle class income. “Second, if you look up the definition, you will find: umpire—an official who watches a game or match closely to enforce the rules. Making sure everything is done right is a big part of what we do.”

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HELP WANTED: THE TRADES

By Jodi Nash

aurel Ridge Community College (LRCC) is leading the charge to fill a serious workforce gap. The size and complexity of the construction ecosystem in a digital age has resulted in a critical shortage of skilled trade workers in specialty contracting services, specifically HVAC, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, steel/ welding and concrete. With industry experts expecting 33 percent of the specialty contract Photo by Jodi Nash workforce to retire in the next five Now a master plumber, Aidan Gould years, what to do? started his own business, Top Tier LRCC is actively investing in Trades, in 2021. workforce training with the opening of its new 8,000-square foot custom-designed Center for Skilled Trades building on its Fauquier Campus. “We need flexible labs for hands-on learning, hard floors, high ceilings, state of the art ventilation systems, adequate power supply, with multiple outlets and drop cords to accommodate industrial and commercial training ,” said Jeanian Clark, Vice President of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education. Made possible by Fauquier County’s donation of 62 acres, the secure facility allows LRCC to open the door for trades academy partnerships with Fauquier and Rappahannock County school systems. Hume native Aidan Gould is a prime beneficiary and shining example of LRCC’s “Grow With Us” skilled trades initiative. Graduating from high school in 2014, Aidan, 26, was home schooled, and always knew he wanted to be self-employed. After attaining his associate degree in business at LRCC, while working as an apprentice for Golightly Plumbing for five years, he returned to enroll in LRCC’s Workforce Solutions’ plumbing program, completing all four levels. “They did a good job of teaching us in a hands-on way,” he said. “Both LRCC teachers and Mr. Golightly inspired me….Both employers and customers talk about the difficulty in finding skilled workers…High schools aren’t equipped to provide that kind of hard-skill training.” Now a master plumber, Aidan started his own business, Top Tier Trades in 2021, with two partners. Steve and Reta Rodgers, owners of S. W. Rodgers, Inc. (a full-service site development, heavy highway, and utility contractor) have been part of the blueprint of the Fauquier campus for nearly 30 years. “Their philanthropy is quiet, generous and rooted in deep love for their community,” said Kim Blosser, President of LRCC. They played a significant role in all three new buildings constructed on the campus and their company was a crucial partner in developing LRCC’s groundbreaking heavy equipment operator (HEO) program launched in 2016. LRCC is part of a coordinated Virginia Community College System (VCCS) statewide effort to transform the trades education environment, with the explicit goal of preparing up to 35,000 students for entry into the skilled trades market over the next five years. “Whether a student is starting or enhancing trade skills, the expansion of trades programs on the Fauquier Campus is good news for the home construction industry,” said Laurel Ridge Foundation board member Joel Barkman, founder and President/CEO of Golden Rule Builders in Catlett. He and wife Patricia generously financed the building of a multipurpose conference center on the first floor of Hazel Hall at LRCC. The Fauquier Campus of LRCC is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and offers more than 75 associate and certificate programs, and some 30 fast track career training programs, LRCC also has guaranteed admission programs with over 30 of the Commonwealth’s colleges and universities. The options are diverse, the leadership dynamic, and faculty staff are passionate. Who could ask for more?

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Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Wolver Beagles Are Now So Much History

By Pat Reilly

usan Mills Stone, the third Master of the Wolver Beagles, is retiring the horn. A Middleburg institution with bloodlines going back 110 years, the pack will be assimilated into other hunting groups. One of the oldest U.S. beagle packs will be a memory of an earlier tradition. The Wolver Beagles, all female, trace their heritage to a devoted huntsman, the late C. Oliver Iselin Jr., who grew up on Long Island, N.Y. He found his passion in the ancient sport of beagling, and took his hounds along to prep school and Harvard and even maintained it through his military service. He bought a farm, Wolver Hill, in Middleburg and became renowned for his hunting prowess. He was one of five founders of the National Beagle Institute on a 512-acre tract in Aldie that became headquarters for the National Beagle Club (NBC). Iselin was president for many years before his death in 1979. To this day, the NBC maintains the property for trials and other sporting events that set the standards for foot-hunting breeds. After Iselin died, the horn was passed to Fred Stone, a long-time fellow huntsman. Susan Mills, who commuted from Washington to hunt on weekends followed the pack and eventually married the master.

Photo by Linda Millington.

Susan Mill Stone and her Wolver Beagles. Maintaining a pack requires daily feeding and exercise in addition to training them to hunt only the quarry the pack chases--rabbits. The master sees that all that happens, year-round, not only in hunt season. When he retired from hunting, Fred Stone naturally passed the horn to Susan. For more than 20 years, she has bred, raised and trained the Wolver puppies. They learned to hunt as a pack and answer to her commands and, most importantly, the hunt horn that called them back to her. The kennels are next to her home. Stone, 80, said she can no longer keep up with the rigors of foot hunting through bramble patches and over walls and fences. She brought on Michelle

Nagle, who came to the sport only lately from the fox chasing tradition in which she had worked as a professional for 19 years. Nagle said she discovered in beagling “the best hunt days I’d had.” The quarry differs, but the exhilaration of the chase is the same. Though she enjoyed working with the Wolvers as a volunteer, she was recently hired back to the Florida farm where she had learned to manage hunting barns and operations. Devastated that her move south means the end of the Wolvers, she said, “I will miss those girls.’’ To Stone, her departure signaled that she had to let go of the pack. Their last trial was on Nov. 5 at the Beagle Institute, with a loyal field of followers. The pack is down to about a dozen hounds, and the Beagle Institute has worked to find other pack homes for them. “I’ve enjoyed being master of a beagle pack,” Stone reflected. “It’s been an entree into an interesting world.” Julie Iselin Diehl, the youngest grandchild of C. Oliver Iselin Jr., said disbanding of the pack is bittersweet. She’s grateful to the masters, whips and loyal followers who kept her grandfather’s pack going for so long. As for the hounds, she said, “Maybe they’ll go on to be amazing hunters and provide fun and good hunting with other packs. The bloodline goes on.”

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Theodore Roosevelt’s Sporting Universe Photos © by Vicky Moon and Leonard Shapiro Theodore Roosevelt (American, 1858–1919) “Riding to Hounds on Long Island,” c. 1886 Manuscript, ink on lined paper, National Sporting Library & Museum F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room, John H. and Martha Daniels Collection. Photo by Claudia Pfeiffer.

weed Roosevelt offered an enthralling presentation of “Theodore Roosevelt’s Sporting Universe” in the Founder’s Room at the National Sporting Library recently. The evening included cocktails with Colleen Yarger, the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator of Library Collections. Tweed, the great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, escorted his step-mother, Lucky Roosevelt, to the gathering. The talk covered “TR” and his lifelong love of horses highlighted by a 100-mile round trip on horseback he made during a blizzard, switching horses along the way, from the White House to Warrenton and back in 17 hours. This included a stop at the Warren Green Hotel. The circa 1828 building served as a hospital during the Civil War and remains in use to this day as a county office building on Hotel Street. As we returned home from this delightful evening, there was an email notice waiting from the Fauquier County Planning Commission informing us about an upcoming meeting in that very same Warren Green Building. (We love it when these things happen.) The exhibit in the library’s Forrest E. Mars, Sr. Exhibit Hall covers Teddy Roosevelt’s love of horses and his devotion to many outdoor activities as “one of the greatest sportsmen and naturalists of his day.” There are books, photos and illustrations in the riveting collection. The 26th president was a non-stop writer with thirty plus books to his credit and 130,000 letters. On view – March 3, 2024 at NSLM at 102 The Plains Road, Middleburg, VA 20117. More: info@nationalsporting.org.

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Elizabeth von Hassell, executive director of the NSLM, with Garrick Steele.

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Susan and Jim Kelly. Selwa Carmen Showker “Lucky” Roosevelt was Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1982-1989 and is Chairman Emeritus of Blair House, with Tweed Roosevelt. With a tip of the hat to Bundles Murdock, who, after a distinguished career in the State Department in Washington, and beyond, Mark and Betsy Davis. facilitated this gathering.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

On The ROAD 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

Photo by Camden Littleton

The Piedmont Environmental Council had an event at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook at Ashby Gap in Paris to honor those who laid the foundation to protect our grand landscape.

An inspirational plaque atop a rock greets visitors.

Photo by Camden Littleton

The Rev. Jonathan Adams of Trinity Church in Upperville did a prayer and blessing for all, including those whose ashes have been scattered on the hillside.

Photos by Donna Strama It was three days of racing, rallying and spectators swooning over some of the most beautiful automobiles on the planet in the 1000 Miglia Warm Up USA that started in Middleburg in early November. The competitors, included new Middleburg Town Council member Pam Curran in a white Triumph. Many were taking part in time trials to land an invitation to next year’s 1000 Miglia, a 1,000-mile race through Italy that has been held each year for almost a century. Now in its fourth year, Middleburg has embraced the warm up race, run by Francesca Parolin and her husband, Mark Kessler, as a community event. And by the way, speaking of Town Council members, Chris Bernard and Kevin Daley were just re-elected to new terms, along with Mayor Bridge Littleton.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Hill School Auction Just Keeps on Giving Back

n April, 1978, the Hill School in Middleburg held its first auction, “A Little Night of Bidding.” On May 11, 2024, they’ll celebrate the event’s 47th year with “A Casino Night and Gala.” The evening will include casino games, auction bidding, food, music and dancing. The event occurs on Hill’s Spring Weekend, which also includes Grandparents and Special Friends Day along with an alumni reception. The gala welcomes parents, grandparents, and Hill alumni as well as the entire Middleburg community. It also provides essential support for Hill’s diverse programs, scholarship aid and professional development for Hill’s faculty and staff. The event has changed in recent years. The pandemic forced the school to rethink the structure of the auction and gala. In moving the majority of the auction online and extending it over three days, the focus for the night of the gala now includes as much “friendraising” as “fundraising.” Because of the advent of online bidding, the Hill community’s engagement has expanded, drawing in participants from across the country and around the world. Last year, the three-day event saw a record number of donations, reached over 1,500 friends of the school and tallied over 2,400 bids, making it an overwhelming success. Traditionally, the Middleburg business community also has generously contributed to sponsor the event. Additionally, every auction chair for the past 46 years has joined the ranks of the “Over the Hill Gang,” and consistently demonstrated their dedication to the school through significant annual contributions to the auction. According to Kim Medica, the event’s current coordinator, “the success of the auction, both financially and in fostering lasting connections, is because of the investment of time, energy and resources from our entire community that comes together every year to support Hill.” Students also play an active role by annually presenting a class gift to the auction, often showcasing special art projects that reflect their grade-level curriculum. “Hill is fortunate to have so many committed and generous friends,” said head of school Treavor Lord. “It has a direct impact on the children’s experience every day.”

Tutti Perricone and long-time Hill teacher Don Woodruff at last year’s Hill School auction and gala. Each November, Hill also hosts their annual week-long holiday auction which concludes with a cocktail party open to the community. This festive occasion serves as a delightful way to express gratitude, kickstart the holiday season, and embrace the spirit of giving. It’s more of a mini-auction that includes specialty gifts like Hill administrator Emily Tyler’s homemade fudge and Hill parent Haley Walsh’s equally scrumptious almond cakes as well as smaller items like candles, frames, and hostess gifts. It was a week-long, on-line event open to the entire community. “It’s also an event that introduces people to the auction, especially new parents,” Medica said. “It helps them get to know other new parents and socialize with so many people from the school.”

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HELP CELEBRATE THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF WINDY HILL FOUNDATION! OUR WINDY HILL NEIGHBORS DEPEND ON YOU!

Show your support! Please put Windy Hill on your year-end giving list! The Windy Hill Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization and charitable contributions are deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS! Gifts can be made online:

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WINDY HILL AT 40! On November 28th, 2023, Windy Hill Foundation celebrates its 40th year since its founding. Scan the QR code to watch “Windy Hill at 40! Retrospective” now!

2022 ANNUAL REPORT To view the 2022 Annual Report, scan the QR code below or visit:

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A Familiar Face in the Kitchen at Marshall’s Blue Mountain Grill

and entertainment emporium.

By Leonard Shapiro

Earlier this year, he left his pots and pans behind for about five months, working for a friend’s air conditioning business. It was not exactly his strong suit but at least paid the bills. Still, he always knew that preparing food would be in his future, only this time, in his own place, with his own staff and his own carefully conceived menu.

he American Dream is deliciously alive and oh so tasty in Marshall these days at the new Blue Mountain Grill on Main Street. That’s where Manuel Alvarez, an El Salvador native, recently opened his first restaurant in a journey that began 30 years ago when he was hired as a young dishwasher at the old Mosby’s Tavern in Middleburg.

When he learned Joe’s was closing, he negotiated a five-year lease to start the Blue Mountain Grill. He now shares cooking duties with a new chef, Guatemalan native Marcos Mendez. And, there are several other familiar faces including his girlfriend, Jay Wood.

Located in the A-frame space that previously housed Joe’s Pizza, the restaurant is so new the “Joe’s” sign is still in place while Manuel works on getting a new one designed and installed. But sign or no sign, plenty of appreciative patrons are finding their way inside. And when they leave, many express rave reviews. Word of mouth has spread the scrumptious news quickly about a reasonably priced menu filled with meticulously prepared items—seafood and steaks, salads and sandwiches, big juicy burgers (including veggie), plenty of pasta and definitely no pizza. Beer and wine are available, and a fully stocked bar is soon to come. “I have a liquor license,” Manuel said. “I just don’t have the liquor yet, but that’s the plan.” There was no plan when he came to the U.S. in 1992 at age 19 and reunited with a brother who lived in Alexandria. That first dishwashing job was a start, but Manuel soon moved up the food chain so to speak, eventually promoted to line cook. He

Photo by Leonard Shapiro

Manuel Alvarez and his life partner Jay Wood have opened Blue Mountain Grill in Marshall. spent nine years at Mosby’s, then four years cooking at the Red Fox Inn before he was hired as chef at the Middleburg Tennis Club. He spent 15 years in the kitchen there until the club told him “they wanted to go in a different direction,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. Then came several new directions for him, as well—a year cooking at the Old Ox Brewery in Middleburg, then two years handling the food at The Branch, a Leesburg bowling

The restaurant opened in early October and Manuel admitted “I was surprised how many people started showing up right away. I didn’t do any advertising except putting an OPEN sign outside. But they started coming in and it hasn’t slowed down. We’re getting a lot of familiar people, but it’s from everywhere. And they all go crazy with the food.” He also received an especially warm greeting from another restaurant a few doors down. Neal Wavra, who owns Field & Main, sent over a bottle of his Hearth Red wine with the inscription “congratulations on your opening. Welcome to Main Street. Cheers.” “So many people know me from all these places I worked,” Manuel said. “The support has been unreal.” You might even say he’s clearly living that dream.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

History Unfolds at Loudoun County’s Ebenezer Churches

By Linda Roberts

alking through the grounds and cemeteries of the two Ebenezer churches in western Loudoun County, history reveals itself in the stonework of the oldest church, in the beautifully restored mural of the newer church, and in the gravestones bearing the names of thousands of Loudouners. Mary Liz McCauley, president of the Ebenezer Cemetery Company, Inc. board of directors, pointed left and right as she walked with a visitor through the cemetery to stones bearing the names of her family members buried on this rolling land. It’s a familiar and meaningful place for McCauley and provides comfort to board member Sarah McCracken, whose husband, Terry, is buried in a section of the cemetery facing the mountains. Much has been written about the two unique churches. Land for both was left in 1778 by Samuel Butcher, Sr., a Pennsylvania transplant who eventually ended up near the tiny village of Bloomfield in western Loudoun. The small, two-story stone structure, constructed sometime between 1755 and 1769, was once called Butcher’s Meeting House and later became known as the “Old” Ebenezer Church.

Ebenezer churches side by side

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Butcher intended that the stone church become a Baptist meeting house, which his will stipulated— “and I do give two acres of land to the use of the Baptist Meeting House and School House, the same that the Meeting House is now built upon, to be for that use forever.” The little Ebenezer church did not remain in harmony for long. By the early 1830s, philosophical differences were rampant in the faith, paving the way for change in a movement called “New School.” Those who believed in a strict interpretation of the Bible were referred to as “Old School.” Some members of the “New School” of thought at Ebenezer eventually pulled away, forming their own congregation but continuing to share the stone church with its original membership. This continued for 21 years until fire destroyed a portion of the church along with a balcony where black churchgoers worshipped. The “New School” Baptists, in 1855, received three-quarters of an acre from Mr. and Mrs. William Gallaher. This congregation set about the difficult task of raising funds to build a new church, on land directly adjacent to the “Old School” stone church property. The Greek revival architectural style of this new church was a far cry from the modest little church next door. A tall peaked roofline and imposing columns fronted the structure, greeting those coming to worship. Once inside, worshippers were treated to a tromp l’oeil painting behind the lectern that provided the illusion of an alcove with columns

reminiscent of those at the church’s front exterior. Change continued to affect the Ebenezer churches and as the years went by, both congregations diminished. Eventually, services were no longer held at either church. Fortunately for both properties, the Ebenezer Cemetery Company, Inc. was incorporated in 1887 and after dealing with its own internal problems for some years it was resurrected in 1959. The company is responsible for its leadership role in the restoration of both churches over the years, maintenance of the cemeteries and ongoing landscaping. The 24-member board is composed of individuals who have family members buried in the cemetery or a vested interest in the future of the property, said McCauley, adding that her visits to Ebenezer make her feel like she is “coming home.” Meeting quarterly, the volunteer board members all donate their time and talents to ensure the ongoing success of Ebenezer. Once a year, board members, families and friends come together to hold a Memorial Day service in memory of those buried in the Ebenezer cemetery. Throughout the years, many individuals continue to provide gifts-in-kind and monetary contributions to ensure the maintenance of Ebenezer will remain permanent. Details: Ebenezer churches and cemeteries are located at 20421 Airmont Road, in Bluemont. Contributions may be mailed to Ebenezer Cemetery, Inc., P.O. Box 174, Purcellville, VA. 20134.

MOSBY CONNECTION Ten years after the construction of the “New” church, the Civil War tore Loudoun apart and prevented worship at the Ebenezer churches for much of the war’s duration from 1861 to 1865. The aftermath of the “Greenback Raid,” when Col. John Singleton Mosby and his Rangers robbed a nearby train of its Federal payroll and passengers of their valuables, took place on the church property. Here Col. Mosby and his followers divided their spoils of war, with Mosby reportedly refusing to accept his share of the take. As an interesting note, Ebenezer’s oldest cemetery serves as the last resting place for 60 men who served with the Confederacy.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

Discover What Makes Us Experts at Educating Girls

Edith Blackwell: An Amazing Life “The travel is a gift from God, and as an evangelist, the Lord has moved me around.” By Linda Roberts

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arm sunlight floods the living room of the comfortable Berryville townhouse that is home to Edith Blackwell and her daughter, Stephanie Bray. Blackwell invites a visitor in and then joins her on the sofa near a large album and stacks of colorful photographs, all taken in different parts of the world and various states across America. A devout Christian and a member of the prayer team of the Morris Cerullo World Evangelism ministry, Blackwell finds it difficult to remember all the countries she’s visited to aid the ministry’s outreach of Photo by Linda Roberts Christianity. Now 86, she’s supported this Edith Blackwell enjoys reminiscing international effort for 40 years. over photographs of her many “The travel is a gift from God, and as an prayer team trips. evangelist the Lord has moved me around,” Blackwell said. With deep roots in Clarke County, Blackwell is the great-grandchild of a slave and the daughter of Annie Mae McKinley Marshall and Chandler Henry Bray, who lived near Millwood when she was born. Although her father was mostly blind, he had the talent to build beautiful stone fences, some still standing today. Her mother worked for a number of Clarke County families. Blackwell went to school in Berryville and recalled when she was six or seven walking with her father to Boyce to get new shoes. When they got home they discovered the shoes were boots. “We walked back the next day and exchanged them,” she said, a twinkle in her eye. Blackwell worked as a nurse’s aide in Clarke County before financial matters created the need for her and her five children to make a hard decision. Leaving the area was difficult, but Blackwell moved to Connecticut where she worked for a newspaper and later in the welfare department. “I had to go where I could get money to raise my children,” she said. In Connecticut, her pathway made a turn that would affect her life. She was invited to attend a prayer meeting where Rev. Cerullo was preaching to a large audience about the gospel. Blackwell said she felt as if he was speaking directly to her. From that day on she became involved in the work of the ministry’s international prayer team. She was elected to the ministry’s board of elders this year. Blackwell’s involvement with the ministry kept her flying to various countries for years as large crusades were scheduled around the globe. Her first trip took the prayer team to Moscow. She also went on prayer missions across the U.S. She once was asked to “preach the gospel” while on a mission trip to Canada. Her message obviously was well received because she was asked to return and speak again. Asked if the ministry provided the funding for her trips, Blackwell said no. “We had to raise our own money,” she said, adding that it never became a problem. “God always provided for us.” These days, her daughter Stephanie is there daily and her other children live in the area and check on her. Longtime friends from Clarke County, Sharon and Ben Harrison, frequently take her with them to church. “I have had an amazing life,” Blackwell said. “In a dream, I was going back to California with the prayer team to spread God’s word.” Although Blackwell had to miss the last prayer team trip due to health reasons, she said she’ll be ready for the next one. She’s hoping it will be to California.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Conservation Partnerships Lead to Historic Battlefield Protection “We’re the luckiest landowners in the world and have been here for 42 years. We enjoy the tranquility that we’ve had the pleasure experiencing here and we want others to continue enjoying it when we’re gone.”

–The landowners statement

he Land Trust of Virginia (LTV), the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association (VPHA) and the Piedmont Fox Hounds Conservation Fund (PFHCF) have announced the protection of 137 acres in Loudoun County in the village of Unison. The landowners have donated a permanent conservation easement to LTV, ensuring that this open farmland, with its historic and highly visible landscapes, will remain intact and free from development pressure. The VPHA contributed to the stewardship costs associated with the easement with a distribution from its Janet Whitehouse Fund, established in 2013 in honor of one of the organization’s principal founders, to further their mission to preserve the historic landscape. The LTV also provided funding through its Deborah Whittier Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund, and additional funds were provided by the PFHCF. The property is entirely within the core of the Civil War‘s Battle of Unison, fought between Oct.. 31 and Nov. 2, 1862, and is entirely within the Unison Battlefield Historic District, listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. The property contains a beautiful springhouse dating to 1840, which is listed as a contributing resource to the Historic District. In addition, the property is also partially within the study area for the Civil War Battle of Upperville (June, 1863). It is also listed as being part of the Loudoun County designated Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District, the County’s only Historic Roadways District. “We’re extremely excited to be able to contribute towards the preservation of this invaluable local historic resource located in the heart of the Heritage Area,” said Alexander Nance, executive director of VPHA. Natural resources now protected include 107.5 acres of soils defined as ‘Prime Farmland Soils” or “Farmland Soils of Statewide Importance,” 57 acres of forest

This 137-acre easement in Unison was the 247th conservation easement recorded by the Land Trust of Virginia. classified as having “high” conservation value by the Virginia Department of Forestry’s Forest Conservation Value model, 0.44 miles of Beaverdam Creek, and 0.56 miles of intermittent tributaries to Beaverdam Creek. “Community partnerships with organizations like VPHA and PFHCF, are critical to ensuring the protection of our nation’s history,” said Ashton Cole, executive director of LTV. And, Dulany Morison, chair of PFHCF, added, “This beautiful property is integral to the Unison Battlefield, Piedmont hunt territory, and historic environs of Quaker Lane and we are overjoyed to know it’s now permanently protected with a conservation easement.” Details: For more information about the LTV’s work, please visit http://www. landtrustva.org. For more information about VPHA, please visit https://www. piedmontheritage.org/. For more information about PFHCF, please visit https:// pfhconservationfund.org/.

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Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

China Folk House Retreat in Harpers Ferry

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Volunteers are doing plenty of work at the China Folk House Retreat.

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hen John Flower and his wife, Pam Leonard, scholars of Chinese history and culture, took a group of high school students for a semester of study in the Chinese province of Yunnan back in 2016, they hardly imagined they’d be bringing an entire farmhouse home with them. Though the move took a year to complete, the decision to make it happen was nearly instantaneous. The China Folk House Retreat project started when Pam and John, who teaches at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., visited a small village in the Himalayas, near the Tibetan city of Shangri-la, that was going to be destroyed to build a dam. The village is in the Three Parallel Rivers area, a UNESCO World Heritage site. As the couple passed one of the houses slated for destruction, a man stepped out and invited them in for tea. “I said to him, ‘It’s a shame your house is going to be flooded. I wish I could take it home with me,’” recalled John. “And he said, basically, ‘Okay, let’s go for it.’”

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John got a grant from Sidwell Friends to do a preliminary study. Built in 1989, the house displayed the impeccable craftsmanship of rural Yunnan architecture. John said he was drawn to the house because it was “just the house of an every day person.” Mr. Zhang Jianhua, owner of the house, was also eager to share renowned folkways with the wider world. Over five days in the summer of 2017—the height of the rainy season—the house was dismantled and packed up by a small team of workers led by four carpenters of the same Bai ethnic group that had built the house. The crew worked 12-14 hour days, walking two miles in and out every day. “It was a fevered process,” said John.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

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The main house is still a work in progress. The pieces of the house were carefully wrapped and loaded into a container that was shipped to the U.S. and stored while John and Pam scouted out a location. They eventually sited the house in Harpers Ferry at the Friends Wilderness Center, a Quaker preserve that is part of the 1,400-acre Rolling Ridge conservancy just across the border in West Virginia. The FWC board was very enthusiastic about the project, which fit perfectly with the group’s mandate to encourage people to come out and enjoy nature. The first people to offer support for the CFHR were parents of students who had traveled to China with John and Pam. Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, was the first board chair. “ H e was the one who really led it through,” said Pam. “He totally made it happen.” Over the past six years, the house has been painstakingly reassembled, mainly by volunteers, including the West Virginia Timber Framers Guild, who stepped into the breach when visas were denied to a group of Chinese craftsmen who had planned to come help rebuild the house. “Their only request was that we not give up on helping their brothers from Yunnan come over,” said John. “I’m not gonna give up because that’s the promise I made.” A new set of stairs recently has been added, modeled on the original staircase and built by Martin Fair, a Purcellville guitar maker who has worked on the project from the beginning.

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“In Chinese homes the stairs are always added last,” said Pam, “after the carpenter receives his pay. It’s like the keys to the house.” To support the project, the people of Yunnan provided traditional rounded roof tiles to replace the temporary metal roof. Not only will the tile roof enhance the house aesthetically, said John, it will provide important structural stability by holding everything in place. Fundraising is underway for the roof installation. John and Pam envision the CFHR as a center focused on cultural exchange, experiential education, community engagement, and environmental stewardship. “As a living museum, the house will show that traditional life in Yunnan has lots of similarities to traditional life in Appalachia,” said John, who is determined to share these opportunities broadly. “Regular everyday people have a lot to contribute. There’s tremendous local knowledge on both sides.” Many CFHR programs are for young people who, he added, “Will need tools to navigate the mess they’re going to inherit.” John and Pam continue to be astonished by the generosity of the FWC and the many volunteers who have helped them. “We are tremendously grateful to all these people who came out and believed in this crazy idea,” said John. “When we build it, they will come.”

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Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

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The manor house from the entrance of the main courtyard.

A view from high above Oakendale Farm.

PROPERTY Writes

Classic Oakendale Farm Has it All and More

akendale Farm is the epitome of an exquisite Virginia hunt county estate, and it has often been said its 435 acres can best be experienced from the back of a horse. Located within minutes of Middleburg, the farm is in prime Orange County Hunt territory with potential for incredible ride-out. From the manor house to the meticulously manicured gardens, grounds, dependencies, and the hundreds of acres of surrounding pastures, Oakendale is in a class of its own. The entrance off a quiet country road is five minutes south of the historic village. Once inside the gates, the first drive to the left leads to the courtyard of the manor house, a second courtyard with private office and guest house, and a third courtyard featuring the custom greenhouse and a five-bay garage with a spacious second floor entertainment room. The colonial revival manor house was designed by renowned architect William Lawrence Bottomley and constructed by master builder W. J. Hanback. It’s sited perfectly to enjoy the commanding views of the estate and surrounding countryside from the Bull Run to the Blue Ridge Mountains. One enters the foyer to its beautiful, curved staircase, and wide board walnut flooring which carries throughout the formal living areas. To the right, wide steps lead down into the anteroom, creating a lovely entry into the expansive and gracious living room with walk-in bay window and French doors to the back gardens. Another hallway leads into the paneled library with fireplace, French doors opening to gardens and a curved reading nook surrounded by windows. It also leads to the elegant stone terrace with seating walls surrounded by boxwood gardens designed to draw attention to the stunning views. From the terrace one has access to the pool and pool house with covered terrace, grill, wet bar, showers and changing rooms. The formal dining room in the main house is sized for grand entertaining as well as an intimate dining area for four surrounded by windows again designed for the views. Just beyond the dining room is a very private garden room perfect for taking afternoon tea. The large kitchen opens to the light filled breakfast room. Beyond the kitchen is the laundry area, steps to both the upper and lower levels and a side door, which leads to the courtyard shared by the two-story office and guest house. The second level of the manor house offers a magnificent primary suite complete with bedroom, private porch, sitting room, exercise room/dressing room and two full baths. The rest of the second level offers: bedroom No. 2 with private bath, bedroom No. 3 with private bath and a separate suite with two bedrooms, a full bath and sitting room with kitchenette. Oakendale Farm is protected by an easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.

The paneled library features a fireplace, French doors opening to gardens and a curved reading nook surrounded by windows.

The spacious formal dining room also has a smaller nook to add four more.

Oakendale Farm

A custom green house is a gardener’s delight.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

2227 Penny Lane The Plains VA Price: $19.6 million Listing Agent: John Coles jcoles@thomasandtalbot.com 540-270-0094

Looking For More Faces at the Gold Cup Races

By Chip Newcome

om Eshelman, the new executive director of the Virginia Gold Cup, is no stranger to horses. As the general manager of the Shenandoah County Fair, he was charged with managing the grounds and helping to improve the fair. One of the improvements he instituted was to successfully recruit Virginia Harness Racing to come to the fair and race. “We met with the Virginia Equine Alliance and the Virginia Harness Horsemen’s Association,” he said. “There was a basic track at the fairgrounds, but it needed quite a bit of improvement. We agreed to a 20-year lease with the Virginia Tom Eshelman, the new executive Harness Horsemen’s Association. My job director of the Virginia Gold Cup. as general manager was to oversee the outfitting (of the track). It needed electrical upgrades, a new sound system, and basically improved the entire experience.” He was also involved in marketing the harness racing events. “We named it Shenandoah Downs, and I really enjoyed doing that,” he said. Lasting seven weekends a year in the fall, Eshelman saw the races grow and become an extremely popular event. Now, he hopes to have the same Midas Touch once again. In late October, Eshelman completed his first International Gold Cup weekend at Great Meadow in The Plains. About 8,000 people attend the event, and he’s now looking forward to his first Virginia Gold Cup weekend, slated for Saturday, May 4. He’s charged with the marketing of the two Gold Cup events, and hopes to bring new sponsors to the table and many more fans through the gates. With the help of Barb Shannon, the Gold Cup events director, Eshelman believes the huge pre-pandemic crowds that often exceeded 25,000 will come back to The Plains. And he also understands there is heritage and tradition deeply ingrained in both Gold Cup events. “I’m not one to make a lot of changes. I just want to help things improve,” he said, adding that there are many entities that come together to host and manage Gold Cup events, including the National Steeplechase Association and The Great Meadow Foundation. All those moving parts must work together to produce successful race days. In fact, Gold Cup and Great Meadow just signed a new lease that will keep the events at Great Meadow for the next five years. “Gold Cup has a long standing tradition,” he said. “This will be the 99th year, and we already are planning for the 100th Virginia Gold Cup in 2025.” Eshelman said he wants to pay tribute to the heritage of the Gold Cup and also hopes to make the two events more accessible to a new generation of attendees. “There’s a misconception out there that Gold Cup is a little too uppity or too expensive,” he said. “But I can go to Gold Cup for a lot cheaper than I can a football game.” Another message for those who once attended Gold Cup events but have stayed away in recent years? “If you used to be here,” he said, “it’s time to come back and check it out.”

connecting you to

People That Care . Margie Markham VICE PRESIDENT COMMERICAL LOAN OFFICER NMLS 745125

Connect with a knowledgeable partner that understands the challenges and opportunities you face. We are pleased to welcome Margie Markham to our Warrenton team where she can share her expertise and knowledge to help your company succeed.

“The team here is wonderful and I am able to get back to my roots of community banking .”

Let’s make a connection. Come see us today! Warrenton Office 128 Broadview Avenue 540.359.7106

Details: visit vagoldcup.com to receive news and early bird ticket opportunities.

oakviewbank.com | 540.359.7100 | Member FDIC

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

DOWN VIRGINIA WAY

Cousins Meet in Pacific; Littletons Honor Visitors

By Nina Carter Tabb

ieut. Welty Carter Whitin, USN, Northbridge, Mass. and Pfc. Welty Carter Wood, USMC, Baltimore, Md., first cousins who have spent all of their summers in Virginia, met recently in the South Pacific. Private First Class Wood has been stationed at New Caledonia for some time, and Lieutenant Whitin, who is on a mine sweeper, looked his cousin up when his boat was off the island. Both young men have written home of their visit together. They have spent much time at Crednal, near Middleburg, the home of their grandparents, the late Colonel R. Welby Carter, Confederate States Cavalry, for whom the boys are named, and Mrs. Carter. Captain Robert Bradford, USAAC, and Mrs. Bradford spent the past weekend with Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Littleton, Jr. at their Middleburg home. Captain and Mrs. Bradford have been spending his three weeks leave skiing in the Adirondacks. They

spent several days in New York City and stopped in Middleburg en route to Houston, Tex. where Captain Bradford is stationed. Mr. and Mrs. Littleton entertained at a dinner party Saturday evening in honor of their guests, taking them afterwards to a coasting party on the Snickersville Pike. At midnight they roasted hotdogs and made coffee at the.Old Chimney, a landmark on the pike. Pfc. Lewis Duffey, USA, who has been in the service for two years, has been released from the Army in order to assist his father, Harry J. Duffey, on their farm, Mount Olivet, near Middleburg. Private First class Duffey has been stationed at the Remount Depot at Front Royal, Va. and more recently at Camp Lee. His many friends are delighted to see “Louie” back home. Mrs. Otway Byrd of Upper Brandon on the James River is visiting her son-in-law and daughter, Major and Mrs. James Keith, at Fairfax Court House. Mrs. Byrd was the guest of honor at a dinner party

given by Mrs. B. Lauriston Hardin, at her home in Washington Tuesday evening. After dinner, Mrs. Hardin and her guests attended the concert at Constitution Hall. Other guests at the party included Mrs. Taylor Scott, Keith of Warrenton and her mother and houseguest, Mrs. J. Bilisoly Huggins of Norfolk. Mrs. Elizabeth Lemmon is spending the weekend in Baltimore, where she went to attend the dog show, and to show some of her “boxer” dogs. She is visiting Mr. and Mrs. John Brooks while in the city. Mrs. Lemmon attended a dinner party last evening given by the Potomac Boxer Club at the Belvedere Hotel. Mrs. Lemmon was accompanied to Baltimore by her sister, Mrs. H. Gwynn Taylor, who is visiting Mrs. R. Julian Roszel. Nina Carter Tabb (1883-1950) lived in Middleburg and is buried at the Sharon Cemetery. She wrote for The Washington Post. This article is reprinted with permission.

The Land Trust of Virginia is truly grateful for the annual support and partnership of the following businesses. They support conservation of the spaces we all love, so we hope you will support them.

Perpetuity

Protector Steward

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The Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit land conservation organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Virginia’s open space, agricultural land, natural areas, and cultural heritage. To become a business sponsor, please contact kerry@landtrustva.org or call 540-687-8441. For more information, go to www.landtrustva.org

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Head of Highland School Heading Out

By Jodi Nash

illiam Butler Yeats, the epic Irish poet and politician, once observed that, “Education is not the filling of a pot, but the lighting of a fire.” Henry D. “Hank” Berg knows a thing or two about lighting fires. Great administrators have the capacity to create excellent schools because they attract gifted teachers to inspire young minds in and out of the classroom. As Head of School since 2005, he’s guided Highland School in Warrenton through a period of dynamic growth during his 19-year tenure. A graduate of Wake Forest University with a bachelor’s degree in economics, his was an unusual path into education. A devoted outdoor wilderness enthusiast and experienced hiker, kayaker, and rock climber, he and two friends started Blue Ridge Outfitters, guiding white-water rafting trips in West Virginia. Seeking alternatives to traditional sports activities for boys, St. Albans School in Washington, recruited him to co-direct their wilderness program. He essentially served as their outfitter while teaching history and supervising dorm life. After six years, he was on a canoe and camping trip to Big Bend National Park in West Texas when a chance meeting led to an opportunity to obtain a Master’s degree in interdisciplinary science at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Offered a scholarship, he completed the program in a year. At the time, St. Stephen’s School in Alexandria was creating a middle school program, looking for someone to modernize the curriculum and revise their methodology for sixth to eighth graders. It was a perfect fit. Hank and his three brothers had attended St. Stephen’s, an independent school with a long tradition of providing an excellent college preparatory education. His father, a Yale graduate, was chair of the foreign language department, teaching Spanish, coaching baseball, and immersing his family in the culture and tradition of private education and academia. He started in the fall, teaching eighth grade science and working to ground and discipline 80 boys. He eventually became director of the middle school, obtaining his first administrative position at age 28. “I was the boss of some of my father’s colleagues,’ he said. After the merger of St. Stephen’s with its sister school, St. Agnes, to create a coed class, he and several colleagues left to start Flint Hill School in Oakton. “The Hazel family was instrumental in funding and supporting this…and did more for education

Hank Berg

Hank Berg, the man in the middle, surrounded by Highland School students on a recent paddling excursion. in Northern Virginia than anyone,” he said. “We had 425 kids, from feeder schools all over the area.” At Flint Hill, Hank built the program, first as upper school director, then as assistant head, and later as acting head of the school. Chosen as director of Highland School, being an educator developed over time as a function of experience, not necessarily choice. “I love working with kids in a school setting,” he said. “Highland eschews a one-size-fits-all ‘sit and get’ approach to learning. We strive to understand the science behind it and support our teachers’ growth and training in how to reach all kinds of minds.” Clearly proud of the All-State and Division III athletes the school has produced over the years, Hank notes this reputation for being a good athletic school never comes at the expense of academics. The robust performing and fine arts programs at Highland, with a state-of-the art facility featuring the Rice Theatre and Lise Hicklin Black Box Theatre, offers a vital alternative to creative students seeking career paths in the arts. Hank also has made Highland a true family affair; his three daughters are all graduates.

Asked about his biggest challenges, he answered immediately. “The economic recession in 2008,” he said. “There we were, embarking on expansion and growth with the building of our new lower school, just as enrollment shrank. Our faculty bore the burden, with the sunsetting of benefits and wage reduction.” With a goal to always avoid disruption to students, the next arduous task the school faced was Covid, post-Covid, and the resulting teacher shortage. “It was an unknown for everybody, but we were able to keep most of our lower-level kids in the building,” he said. “We had the capacity to spread out. The upper school did hybrid learning or alternate day attendance.” Hank will retire from Highland at the end of this academic year. Still an avid cyclist, he completed a cross country ride from north of Seattle to Bar Harbor, Maine in two parts, pedaling 3,000 miles in 2017, and 1,000 miles in 2019. First thing on his agenda? An already mapped bike ride from Minneapolis to Yellowstone National Park. After that Hank Berg expects to be active in the non-profit volunteer community. After all, there’s always more to learn.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

PROPERTY Writes

Something For Everyone at Littleton Farm

ucked in the southwest corner of Loudoun County and situated at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Littleton Farm includes over 153 spectacular acres with a four-acre lake, two small ponds and Beaverdam Creek, which meanders through the property. Anchoring the farm is a French country estate with seven bedrooms, six full bathrooms and two half baths. Although part of the home is well over fifty years old, an extensive addition designed by well-known local architect Errol Adels was added in 2000. Now with over 14,000 square feet, the home offers inspired and unique spaces to live, gather, entertain or simply enjoy breathtaking views of the lake and rolling hills. The incredible living room has 14-foot ceilings with exposed wood beams, two fireplaces with limestone hearths imported from France and large tile limestone floors. Three French doors open to a flagstone terrace with views of the lake and impeccable grounds. The guest wing offers three bedrooms and two full baths. The main wing of the home is the original stone farmhouse and includes a cozy wood paneled library with fireplace, a formal dining room, a commercial-grade kitchen with a breakfast area and the mudroom/pantry. Directly above the dining and kitchen area are the laundry room and two guest bedroom suites with their own full bathrooms. Above the library is a separate set of stairs to a onebedroom guest suite with a full bath. Located above the large living room, this private space provides all the luxuries expected in a primary suite—a sitting area, fireplace, separate walk-in closet, full bathroom with dual vanities, separate soaking tub and standing shower, as well as a home office. Family and friends will love the spacious family room and home theater located on the finished lower level. From a separate outside entrance, one can access a 2,000plus bottle wine cellar. There’s also a 60-foot saltwater pool and a pool house complete with a steam room, large gym, guest bedroom and full bath. For car enthusiasts, there are two detached garages with four and six bays as we’ll as two additional guest suites with their own full bathrooms and separate entrances located above the four-bay garage. Other outbuildings include two horse barns (12-stall barn and 17-stall barn), a machine shed, four run-in sheds, a 100 x 200 riding arena and board-fenced pastures with Nelson automatic waterers. The property is protected by a VOF open space easement. Details: Here's a link to the video. https://listings.upwardstudio. com/videos/972c2f2a-13be-4da9-b76b-389c304b798a.

Patios and spectacular views of fields, rolling hills and the Blue Ridge mountains in the distance abound.

The old dairy barn has been converted into a gorgeous 17-stall horse barn.

The spacious formal dining room has a fireplace, beamed ceiling and paneled walls.

LITTLETON FARM

Only a few yards from the main house is a 60-foot saltwater pool and a pool house complete with a steam room, large gym, guest bedroom and full bath.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Upperville, Virginia 33846 Foxlease Lane Upperville, Virginia Square Feet: 14,000 Price: $7,880,000 Listing Agents: Cricket Bedford cricket@thomasandtalbot.com 540-229-3201 Julia Steiner O’Regan Julia@thomasandtalbot.com 202-468-0751

Cup of COFFEE

“View from the Start” 18 x 24, 2022 © Linda Volrath. Private collection. This painting served as the official artwork for the 2022 Montpelier Hunt Races which was auctioned that year to support the Montpelier Steeplechase & Equestrian Foundation. James Madison’s historic house can be seen atop the hill as a backdrop to the start of an exciting race. More of the artist’s work can be seen at www.LindaVolrath.com.

A Day at the Montpelier Races

By Sean Clancy

he historic, iconic, beautiful Montpelier Racecourse. Once a year, the steeplechase tour makes its stop at the southern Virginia venue. Flat racing has its first Saturday in May. Steeplechasing has its first Saturday in November. James Madison, the president, lived here. Marion duPont Scott created the races 88 years ago, a community event. Back then, it was free, a day out, a day in the country, come one, come all. Now, it’s rail-side parking and tailgates. Two kids kick a soccer ball, a young couple hold hands, horses emerge from below a canopy of trees and bend toward the paddock. God, I love race day. The proceeds go to the Montpelier Foundation, the non-profit that helps preserve the grounds. Oh, the grounds. Rolling hills, changing trees, the last place to run over natural hedges. I tell the boys in the jockey’s room they used to run all the races over the hedges. Now, it’s just for the older, more experienced, better jumpers in the $75,000 Noel Laing stakes. Their eyes say it all when I tell them about the old days, thankful they’re not riding inexperienced horses over the testing fences. Phones don’t work here. Leave them in the

car, don’t fight the machine, enjoy the solace, the silence. I throw my binoculars over my right shoulder. Just out of habit, I guess. They stay there, as the rolling hills and changing trees are beautiful to the eye but stifling to the view. I listen to the announcer as he calls Potus, our first runner of the day, in front early in the first hurdle race. I walk toward the hurdle closest to the paddock and wait for the field. Potus launches and lands with ease. Jamie Bargary hovers over his hands, I know when he has horse and he’s comfortable. He has a horse and he’s comfortable. I nod a knowing nod. A circuit later, Potus turns for home in front, his closest rival, Frontline Citizen, challenges from the inside and they bump. The other jockey slides off the side. The crowd gasps. Potus wins easily. One on the board. A steward’s inquiry and claim of foul, oh, don’t take this off the board. They do the right thing—the eyes of the beholder. We snap a photo with a silver trophy. With horses running at Callaway Gardens in Georgia, I go to my car and try to use a hotspot to catch Cool Jet’s race. It spins and sputters, teases and seizes. I go back to the paddock. My phone rings. It hasn’t rung all day. I catch every other word. Cool…won…late….inside… Cool Jet won the big one with a late inside rally.

Two on the board. An hour later, I give a leg up to four jockeys in the seven-horse field of the Noel Laing. College student Teddy Davies rides Gordon’s Jet, our final runner. They make it to the first. That’s it. Gordon’s Jet buckles and Davies catapults. They’re off. You lose. Gordon’s Jet runs free in front of the field for a circuit, then disappears. I start to run after him, then stop, knowing that’s futile. Minutes later, as Zabeel Champion heads to the winners’ circle, I hear on a walkie talkie, “He’s going west on Route 20.” I take off at a run, jump in my car and go west on Route 20. I pass the spent outriders who point down the road. Over the crest of a hill, before a bridge and miles later, a cop stands on the double yellow line, cars pull over and everyone looks down and to the right. I take a deep breath, preparing for what I’m about to see, jump out of my car and run to where everyone is looking. Around a hedge and up a driveway, there’s Gordon’s Jet. And his big, wide, beautiful, white face. He looks at me like, “Where the hell have you been?” We pull off the tack, pour a bottle of water down his neck and call for a trailer to take him home. He’s unharmed, unscathed. Our third win of the day.

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2023

LETTER from PARIS

A First Love Lost

I wanted it to be a surprise. My only vision along the way was Maryann opening the door. The look of shock. Her arms wide open. Maybe some tears of joy. By John Sherman

aryann Wilson was a cheerleader with a big “B” on her white sweater. She would jump up and down with her pom-poms overhead. A gold football on a gold chain would follow her moves. Pleated skirts were cut much lower then. Bobby sox and saddle shoes completed her Saturday ensemble. I was a bench rider, what they called players who sat waiting for their team to get 40 points ahead before they got in for a couple of plays. So, I had a lot of time to size up our cheerleaders—who had no interest in sizing me up. But I was in the team picture just before the season opened. So, I looked like any of the stars. Spring came and I enrolled in typing class, with one other guy. Maryann Wilson was sitting next to an empty seat. Grabbed it. “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” was the start of a senior year romance. Her Royal sounded like a machine gun; mine sounded like a game of ping pong. She insisted that I meet her parents on our first date. He was someone called a congressman. I don’t remember his face, he seemed like a regular guy. Sen. John F. Kennedy spoke at our graduation. As voting age was 21, he talked directly to our parents about the state of the world. We were just props. Who cared? All we could think of in that hot gymnasium was shucking our gowns and heading for Ocean City---and getting smashed on Purple Passion. Maryann and I weren’t quite the same as Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr rolling on the beach in “From Here to Eternity,” but we came pretty close. Between Johnny Mathis and breaking waves, we pledged our love for ever and ever. It turns out her father represented the most

southern district in California. So, much to my despair, Maryann moved back home for the summer. About two weeks later I did my best with a love letter. I got a short note back (Sealed with a Kiss) and a couple of XXs. I sent another, missing her desperately. Then nothing. My best friend, Dave Lamb, and I had laid plans the year before to hitchhike across the country. We had both been chucked out of boarding school and had no jobs for the summer. We took off from Boston, stopped in New York (drinking age 18) for a drink at the Las Vegas Club where Dave was well known. It was closed, but they let us in where Erol Flynn was making his last movie. We made Philadelphia after dark—then headed down the Pennsylvania Turnpike for Los Angeles. I didn’t write that we were setting out for the west coast. I wanted it to be a surprise. My only vision along the way was Maryann opening the door. The look of shock. Her arms wide open. Maybe some tears of joy. My only recollection of Los Angeles was gawking at an old man in Pershing Park who claimed to have the longest fingernails in the world. We headed south to San Diego, one quick hike to Maryann’s door. We spent the night on a park lawn. By that time we had run out of money. We found a joint that would exchange a full breakfast for skinning fifty pounds of potatoes and then cranking them into french fries. The hitch down to Chula Vista took about an hour. The last guy knew where the congressman lived and dropped us off. I remember the driveway was uphill. Dave hung back as I knocked. I’ve had some heart pounding in my life, but nothing like this. The door opened. It was an ape of a man, with no neck. “Is Maryann there?” I asked in my pathetic

teenage voice. When she appeared, she gave a new definition to mortified. She didn’t cry out, but it was evident there would be no embrace or tears. She had no choice but to ask us in (maybe for lemonade). I thought I was about to be sick, when Congressman Bob Wilson appeared, somehow sized up the crisis, and ordered us into his red Cadillac convertible. The ape— who turned out to be a navy pilot—was left behind. We headed straight for Tiajuana, about a half hour away. I sat in the front seat, still traumatized, as Big Bob chatted cheerfully about the dry summer and the prospects for the LA Rams. The only proof I have of the afternoon is a black and white photo of the four of us smiling from a carreta with flowers wound around its wheels. The two-timing, heartless Maryann was quiet throughout. After all, it was my roiling fantasies that were to blame for the disaster—not her. It was seeing her smile again—for the last time---that jabbed. When we were about to leave, I gestured to Maryann. We were broke. Could she lend us twenty dollars? It bought us a night at a flophouse. Thirty years later, I was working in Congress. I can’t recollect why I was walking down the fourth floor of the Rayburn House Office Building, but I was suddenly stopped by a sign: Bob Wilson (California). He was still a congressman. Every old bull had an old crone on his staff who was assigned to his family. Covering scandal, reminding them that they too represented the Wilson name, getting tickets for the Four Seasons concert. Sure enough, an old crone appeared. I told her the story. She laughed, and I wrote out a check for twenty bucks.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Holiday 2023

Many Thanks So much to be thankful for this year! WE TRADED

SILENT NIGHTS FOR A

bundle of JOY OCTOBER 11, 2023

JEFFREY “TATE” JOHNSON

I want to say how thankful I am for my family, friends, neighbors & clients for making 2023 another successful year! IF

I failed TO TELL YOU,

or if I don’t say it as often as I should, I WANT YOU TO KNOW, I TRULY

appreciate your business. I appreciate your loyalty, trust, and ABOVE ALL ELSE, LOVE FOR WHAT I DO. I APPRECIATE

your friendship, patience, and given all of the choices you have, you chose ME!

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy home & good health for the new year!

WHEN YOU INSIST ON THE BEST, CALL ON THE BEST W

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 $4,500,000 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

Julia O’Regan 202-468-0751 Cricket Bedford 540-229-3201

E D IC CE PRDU RE

george miller house

magnolia farm

zachary taylor hwy.

atoka chase

13+ acres $2,450,000 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.

10 acres $1,795,000 Middleburg – Very private, within the community of Atoka Chase. Renovated in 2010, spacious rooms, high ceilings and large windows. Enjoy the view - serene mountains and horse farms with their open fields lined with stone walls.

Will Driskill | 540-454-7522

John Coles | 540-270-0094

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

Rebecca Poston | 540-771-7520

W NE

4 windsor lodge ln.

zachary taylor rd.

stonehaven

moss hollow

54+ acres $1,750,000 Flint Hill – Offered separately for the first time, Alnell Farm's Main Residence and adjacent Guest House. Primarily one level living, with a main level primary suite. Charming guest home features 2 BRs / 1 BA, living room w/ fireplace and a kitchen.

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.

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.

50+ acres $1,500,000 Markham – Tremendous privacy just minutes from I-66. Elegant home, primarily one level living with lots of windows, great light and open spaces. Stone terrace w/ fireplace, multi-use pavillion and a barn. Ideal for full time living or weekend retreat.

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

John Coles | 540-270-0094

Rebecca Poston | 540-771-7520

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

Country ZEST & Style Holiday 2023 Edition

Articles inside

A First Love Lost

A Day at the Montpelier Races

Something For Everyone at Littleton Farm

Head of Highland School Heading Out

Cousins Meet in Pacific; Littletons Honor Visitors

Looking For More Faces at the Gold Cup Races

PROPERTY Writes

China Folk House Retreat in Harpers Ferry

Conservation Partnerships Lead to Historic Battlefield Protection

Edith Blackwell: An Amazing Life

History Unfolds at Loudoun County’s Ebenezer Churches

A Familiar Face in the Kitchen at Marshall’s Blue Mountain Grill

Hill School Auction Just Keeps on Giving Back

On The ROAD

Theodore Roosevelt’s Sporting Universe

Wolver Beagles Are Now So Much History

HELP WANTED: THE TRADES

Umpire Mitigation Doesn’t Mess Around

MODERN FINANCE

Copper Fox: A Luscious Liquor Made With Love

CELEBRATIONS

Perspectives on Childhood, Education, and Parenting A CONVERSATION ON THE PRESSURE OF GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Another Fabulous West Virginia Breeders Classic

Say hello to Middleburg library’s new branch manager

Small Ways AI Enhances Everyday Life

Survival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art

Meet Jamie Potter: Writer, Illustrator, Musician and Bartender

Long Branch Traces Its History a Long Way Back

How Does Wildlife Survive Winter?

All Hail Haley Making College Football History

COUNTRY Pursuits

Sunset In The Field

SURVIVAL

Middleburg Film Fest

A NEW OLD GRANDSTAND FOR UPPERVILLE

Pot House Has History on its Side

Meet Middleburg’s New Postmaster

Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature

Up, Up In The Air

The Virginia Fall Races

“Tis The Season for Maintenance Musts

Tranquility Abounds at St. Dominic’s Monastery

Someone’s in the Kitchen at Buchanan Hall

James Markham Marshall Ambler, Hero of the Arctic

ROOT to TABLE at AUDLEY FARM

BOOKED UP

The Middleburg Orange County Beagles

'Tis TANNENBAUM SEASON

Carry Me Back: My Ghost Writer Had Just The Right Stuff

HERE & THERE

The Foxcroft Christmas Pageant Remains A Sacred Tradition

A Garden to Honor Peggy Richardson

A Buddhist Temple Offers Enlightenment in Aldie

Love and Nutcrackers at The Christmas Sleigh

Mike Donovan Sees the Forest Through the Trees

A Plea for The Trees

SO MUCH TO CELEBRATE