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ZEST & Style ZES ST TStytlel &
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Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits
for the hummingbird.
© 2021 Country ZEST & Style, LLC. Published six times a year
Distributed and mailed throughout the Virginia countryside and in Washington and at key Sporting Pursuits and Celebrations
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MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 798 Middleburg, Virginia 20118 PHONE: 410-570-8447 Editor: Leonard Shapiro, badgerlen@aol.com Art Director Meredith Hancock Hancock Media Contributing Photographers: Doug Gehlsen, Crowell Hadden, Sarah Huntington, Missy Janes Douglas Lees, Karen Monroe and Tiffany Dillon Keen
Contributing Writers: Daniela Anderson Emma Boyce Sean Clancy Philip Dudley Mike du Pont Carina Elgin Valerie Archibald Embrey Jimmy Hatcher M.J. McAteer Peter Leonard-Morgan Joe Motheral Jodi Nash Tom Northrup Melissa Phipps Pat Reilly Linda Roberts Eugene Scheel Anita Sherman John Sherman John Toler Leslie VanSant Jimmy Wofford Louisa Woodville
For advertising inquiries, contact: Leonard Shapiro at badgerlen@aol.com or 410-570-8447
ON THE COVER It’s always fun having animals in the studio, but Franny’s little lamb was a first for us, and it was just too cute. This setup was about as basic as it can get, a key (main) light on the left, a large fill light on the right, and white FRANNY HAS A background. But this shoot was more LITTLE LAMB about posing. The first few images of a shoot are usually just warm-up shots, gets everyone accustomed to what is going on, and I make sure my settings are good. But sometimes the first few images are the best as in this case. Photoshoots can get more ambitious as they progress, usually adding more elements and different lighting setups, but this month’s shoot was perfect. Photo by Doug Gehlsen, styled by Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo. SPRING 2022
At Gum Tree Farm, It's About the Wool ALSO INSIDE:
A Byrd Scholar | A Soaring Eagle Scout | Music, Sweet Music
Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits
/ Country Zest and Style
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BE ON THE LOOKOUT through this Country issue of
Country
He appears in two ads and the first two readers to find him (one each) will receive a gift from THE RED TRUCK Rural Bakery, with locations in Warrenton and Marshall. Send your reply to badgerlen@aol.com
SOME INSPIRING STORIES
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By Leonard Shapiro
n our winter edition of Country ZEST, we featured a group of 30- and 20-somethings who surely represent the bright and shining future of the Middleburg area. But wait until you read about two local teenagers who definitely should provide even more comfort and joy about the years ahead. Both are graduates of Middleburg’s Hill School and both now attend Highland School in Warrenton. Ellie Rose Killinger is 18, a senior and the recipient of a prestigious Byrd Scholarship awarded to the best of the very best all-around students throughout the state of Virginia. Hers is a stirring story, considering she’s had to do her final three years of high school virtually via computer because of a debilitating illness that wreaked havoc on her young life, but not her straight-A grades. Or her fighting spirit. Ellie Rose’s health is far better now and she can’t wait to walk across the stage at her Highland graduation. She’ll then keep marching north where she’s been accepted at prestigious Bryn Mawr college near Philadelphia, and for the rest of her inspiring story, keep turning the pages. You’ll also come across another interesting tale focusing on 17-year-old Highland junior Sammy Foosaner. He recently achieved Eagle Scout status in Middleburg’s Troop 2950, and his service project to reach that lofty pinnacle of scouting produced a gift that will keep on giving to locals and visitors for years to come. So turn some more to find out how.. Our cover looks at another high achiever, long time Middleburg resident Franny Kansteiner. She’s a mom and grandmother. She raises sheep for their world-class wool, then designs all manner of merchandise, from sweaters to shawls to blankets and more she displays and sells out of her Gum Tree Farm shop on Federal Street. So why is a photo of a goat—and not a sheep—accompanying this column? You’ll have to read the story on a neighborhood poker game in Aldie now celebrating its 30th anniversary. The goat doesn’t play, but definitely likes the color, and the taste, of money in the pot. Meanwhile, Spring is in the air, and so is the sound of music, ranging from all manner of local concerts featuring everything from Bach to Beatles, including the first Middleburg Music Festival, a three-day extravaganza in May. And who knew that a local Fauquier High graduate has become a world-class opera star who recently performed at the iconic Lincoln Center in New York? There are plenty more scintillating stories and fabulous photos by our superb staff. So, settle back and give yourself plenty of time to add a heaping helping of ZEST into your life.
MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Spring 2022
