Country ZEST & Style Summer 2023 edition

FLOWER POWER

THE BRIDGET WILSON TOUCH

INSIDE:

BANNEKER ELEMENTARY AT 75 | THE TACK EXCHANGE

GOODSTONE’S NEW LEADER

Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits

THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA

Beautifully renovated home on 304 acres Main house, stunning guest house w/ garage, 2 tenant houses, manager’s house, apartment complex, pool, 5 barns totaling approximately 60 stalls, 3/4 mile all weather sand track, pond & extensive paddocks, fencing & sheds

Property is served by four separate gated entrances with access from Burrland Lane & Zulla Road | Panoramic views of Bull Run Mountains & the Blue Ridge Mountains offering an extraordinary building site if desired | Original home site still surrounded by towering trees, garden & stone walls

$7,950,000

helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

MIDWOOD

THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA

64 acres on a lake in two parcels and extensive Little River frontage between Middleburg and The Plains Elegant French Country stone home with a slate roof | Very well-appointed home with large rooms for entertaining and an elevator 5 bedrooms, including two large suites with balconies Full compound includes a large pool with spa and spacious pool house, pavilion, tennis court, gazebo, barn with two apartments, equipment building/garage and 2 generators | All major systems updated | Open fields and rolling pasture with extensive wooded trails in prime Orange County Hunt territory

$6,000,000

helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

OUT WEST

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

Gracious home with impressive renovated kitchen | Hardwood floors, substantial millwork and fine finishes and 4 fireplaces | Perfectly sited to enjoy the views of surrounding farmland | 5 bedrooms, home office, large family room, newly resurfaced tennis court, wonderful pool with cabana and 4 bedroom guest house with workshop/3 stall stable | Large field for turn out, 1 paddock and lovely hay field | 32 acres in 2 recorded parcels

$3,000,000

helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

HUGHESVILLE ROAD

RECTORTOWN ROAD

MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

Middleburg Hunt location House built in 2020, quality construction, frame exterior and metal roof | 3 BR, 3 1/2 BA, 11 ft ceilings, moldings, tons of light Antique french doors | 50 acres are gently rolling & useable | 40 acres are fenced 4 large paddocks & 3 small holding fields | 24 x 48 barn/farm structure w/ tack room, 24 x 14 run in shed, 12 x 36 2-bay run in shed w/ feed room, 12 x 14 tack room Mountain views, koi pond

$2,982,250

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

NEW MOUNTAIN ROAD

ALDIE, VIRGINIA

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

$1,200,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

LEESBURG, VIRGINIA

99.33 acres in prime Loudoun Hunt country location, easy access to Leesburg, Purcellville & Lincoln | Property is in conservation easement Mountain and valley views | Rolling acreage | Approximately 65 acres of pasture, 35 acres of woods, major creek frontage | Property has road frontage on Hughesville Road and Holmes Mill Road | Very protected location

$1,995,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

ST. LOUIS ROAD

PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA

10 acres in hard to find location between Middleburg and Purcellville, no HOA or covenants | Mostly open with room for house, creek frontage, mountain views

$600,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

Lovely country home on private lot in the village of Rectortown | FIBER INTERNET | Open floor plan with main level suite and home office | Upper level overlooks large family room with two story vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace and two large bedrooms and second family room | Multiple porches and decks with extensive plantings - easy maintenance

$1,250,000

helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

OTLEY ROAD

PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA

Hard to find 10 acre parcel between Purcellville and Middleburg | No HOA/covenants | Partly open, some mature woods, creek frontage, possible pond site | Potential building site is now closer to Otley Road

$475,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

HICKORY TREE FARM

FULTON RUN

EASEMENT DOES IT

By Vicky Moon

It’s was a busy spring and one of the highlights was the Land Trust of Virginia’s 25th Anniversary Garden Party at Zohar and Lisa Ben-Dov’s Kinross Farm. The setting on the 500 acres is made to order and includes a circa 1850 Federal Style brick home. The details at this early evening gathering included a gentle spring shower.

Across a perfect lawn, and through an arbor, a stately round Sailcloth Tent from Skyline Tent Company awaited the guests. I ask you, when was the last time anyone went to a party in a round tent? (Ringling Brothers does not count.)

A party favor included a delicious designer cookie from The Kitchen Witch in the shape of Virginia, with a small pink heart at the location of Middleburg and a silver 25 in honor of their 25th Garden Party. Goodbye gifts of small flowering plants were donated by Meadows Farms Nurseries & Landscaping (an easement donor). And, an Achillea “Appleblossom” spoke to me that I should take it home.

Best of all, a signature vivid green designer adult beverage aptly named an “Easement” was served, sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and crafted by Bar Bros - Ivan Martinez and Munir Diab.

Our friend and neighbor Lennart Lundh will vouch for it.

The Easement:

1.5 oz vodka

0.5 oz dry vermouth

0.5 oz blue curacao

1 oz lime juice

1 oz Alphonso mango syrup

Garnished with lime wheel

How to combine these ingredients to make your Easement:

Grab your cocktail shaker and mix in the lime juice, blue curacao, and Alphonso mango syrup. Always leave your alcohol for last just in case of a mess up. Now, time to shake! Pour ice and shake until cold. Lastly, strain into glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Kudos to Childs Burden as chairman of the board. And, best wishes to Landowner of the Year Bernice B. Rowe, Stewards of the Year Shannon and Katherine Tillman and Betsee Parker, Conservationist of the Year. Cheers to all.

ZEST & Style

Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits

© 2023 Country ZEST & Style, LLC.

Published six times a year

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

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

Circulation Director

Seneca Drennan

Editorial Research

India Awe

Contributing Photographers:

Doug Gehlsen

Crowell Hadden

Sarah Huntington

Nancy Kleck

Douglas Lees

Karen Monroe

Tiffany Dillon Keen

Donna Strama

Contributing Writers:

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

Tom Northrup

Ali Patusky

Melissa Phipps

Pat Reilly

Linda Roberts

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

From Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg

Photo: Bridget’s flower arrangements for the photoshoot far exceeded my expectations and brought my vision to life. The attention to detail and perfect placement enhanced the sitting, making it stunning. Thanks to Bridget, Vicky, Lenny, and Karen for their hard work in helping me achieve my vision. As I previously mentioned, it’s all about the props to tell the story. With many thanks to Karen Jackson at Tully, Bridget is wearing a summer dress cut from crisp cotton poplin. The graphic blue floral print makes this dress an effortless style for day to night and any occasion.

of NOTE

/ Country Zest and Style / @countryzestandstyle / @countryzestand1 www.countryzestandstyle.com

BE ON THE LOOKOUT through this issue of for the hummingbird.

ZE

Country ZEST & Style Country

Country

ZEST & Style

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

Time for a Deep Breath

By Leonard Shapiro

June is about to bust out all over the Virginia Piedmont, though it would be hard to imagine it could be any more frenetic than the past merry month of a Middleburg May, a seemingly never-ending swirl of spectacular events and happenings all around.

Garden parties and garden tours, graduations, weddings, concerts, anniversary celebrations, art shows, building dedications, point-to-points and spring races, lavish tailgates, Mother’s Day brunches, Memorial Day dedications, firehouse pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinner fundraisers, school auctions and junior/senior proms.

And did we mention the Virginia Gold Cup, with the post-pandemic crowd up into the many, many thousands, just like the good old days in The Plains, praise be.

Don’t get me wrong. June should be rather busy as well, starting with the historic Upperville Horse Show and ending with the second annual Middleburg Music Festival leading into July Fourth. Bottom line is, Country ZEST was on hand for all manner of merry May events, as the following pages will attest.

Our gorgeous cover focuses on flower power, and may be the most colorful front page photo we’ve ever had, all thanks to Bridget Wilson. She’s a dynamo known to many as a workout warrior who teaches daily fitness classes to locals under the banner of her Native Barre business.

Lesser known is Bridget’s passion for plants and growing flowers—by the thousands at a time—and according to Vicky Moon’s story, word of her pretty petal prowess has been spreading throughout the countryside.

Over in the St. Louis area of Middleburg, they’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of Banneker Elementary School, originally founded as a segregated school in 1948, integrated twenty years later and now a vibrant local institution. Proud and passionate Principal Robert Carter has been leading the cheers for a school that’s been cited by the state for academic excellence. And the decibel level could go off the charts the night of the NBA draft on June 22, when Jordan Miller, a Banneker graduate and St. Louis native, could be a No. 1 pick.

Columnist Tom Northrup pays tribute to Hill School’s latest two Emeritus Teachers—Jack and Sydney Bowers, both beloved 40-year plus educators who retired in recent years. And Hunt Lyman, Hill’s academic dean, makes his debut as a contributor this month and will write regularly about artificial intelligence.

Also on the academic front, don’t miss the heartwarming story of two brave young Afghan women who just finished a year of classes at Foxcroft. It’s written by Head of School Cathy McGehee, who helped get them there in the first place.

As always, there’s plenty more to savor in our summer issue. After that exhilarating manic month of May, take a deep breath and feel free to add a touch of ZEST to your reading list.

Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo

Photo by Vicky Moon Checking out the cover photo at the Middleburg Photo studios with Doug Gehlsen.

107 acres

RED BRIDGE MIDDLEBURG COUNTRY ESTATE

$12,500,000

30 acres

$5,900,000

Marshall – Magnificent estate of approximately

107 gorgeous acres in the heart of Virginia’s renowned horse country. 17,800 SqFt 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. Unparalleled in its beauty and charm, Red Bridge simply cannot be replicated anywhere.

ATOKA CHASE

38291 JOHN MOSBY

Middleburg – Spectacular country estate with manicured lawns and towering trees. Built in a Tuscan style of architecture, with 5 BRs, 8 1/2 BAs, 8 fireplaces, heated pool & Jacuzzi. Also, 4 BR guest house, 8 stall center aisle stable and run-ins.

BLOOMFIELD LAND

10 acres

$4,250,000

Middleburg – Beautifully sited in the heart of historic Middleburg, this stunning estate offers 11,736 SqFt of exquisite living space, plus a custom Stable, paddocks and run-ins. This is an estate of uncompromising quality and extraordinary beauty.

4 acres

$3,950,000

Middleburg – New estate home ready for the most discerning buyer. This stunning colonial includes approximately 10,000 SqFt of extraordinary living space on three finished levels. There is a heated pool, fire pit, outdoor kitchen and three car garage.

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. The land is rolling with a gentle hillside and pond below. Protected in easement.

Miss Rosalie Montague Engaged To Marry Frank C. Littleton, Jr.

© Jan. 29, 1939; The Washington Post, reprinted with permission.

Nina Carter Tabb

Both Bride-Elect and Her Fiance Well Known in Middleburg Section: No Date Has Been Set for Wedding

OF INTEREST TO society in the hunt country is the announcement today of the engagement of Miss Rosalie Young Montague, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Poindexter Monague of Charleston, S.C. to Frank Campbell Littleton, Jr., son of Frank Campbell Littleton, of Oak Hill, Aldie, Loudoun County, Va., and the late Mrs. Littleton.

Mr. Littleton left Middleburg yesterday to attend the party at the Montague home in Charleston today at which the betrothal will be announced to friends in that city.

Miss Montague is a granddaughter of Mrs. William F. Carrington, of Middleburg, Va., where she and her sister, Miss Polly Montague, spend every summer. Her mother was formerly Miss Anne Carrington, of Middleburg.

The bride-elect attended Ashley School, in Charleston, and was graduated from Garrison Forest School in the Green Spring Valley, Garrison,

Md. She made her debut at the Bachelor’s Cotillion in Baltimore in 1936 and at the St. Cecelia Ball in Charleston in January, 1937.

THE PROSPECTIVE bridegroom attended St. James School in Hagerstown, Md.; Pomfret School at Pomfret, Connecticut and Pickering College at Newmarket, Ontario. Since his graduation from college he has been engaged in farming on his father’s estate, Oak Hill. This is the home that was built by James Monroe for the summer White House in 1821-22, when he was President of the United States. Oak Hill is one of the most beautiful and historic places in Virginia, and it was there that the Monroe Doctrine was written.

Mr. Littleton, Sr., is a native of Leesburg, although he went to New York after he was grown and was a member of the New York Stock Exchange for a number of years. He and Mrs. Littleton bought Oak Hill in 1920 from the Henry Fairfax estate and came to live there then.

No date has been set for the wedding but it will probably take place in April in the famous Middleton Gardens, outside of Charleston. Mr. and Mrs. Pringle-Smith, the present owners of Middleton Gardens, are cousins of Miss Montague and have asked her to be married there.

The bride-to-be is also a cousin of Mrs. H. Rozier Dulany, Jr. and of Mr. Ben Weems, of Washington.

MRS. HARRY DUFFEY, JR., and Mrs. Charles Sabin, of Middleburg, motored to Charlottesville Tuesday, where they were guests of Mrs. “Chilly” Perkins and Mrs. Fred Owsley. Mrs. Jack Carpenter, of Charlottesville, who returned to Middleburg with them now is visiting Mrs. Duffey at her home, Mountain Spring.

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 Littletons were married in New York City in April 1939. A train was awaiting guests at Union Station in Washington, D.C. to take them to the wedding. The itinerary for their round the world honeymoon concluded, right before the war in Europe started September, 1939.

McClanahan

www.mccamera.com 540 347 2533

Your

Rosalie Montague (1918- 2001). She is buried in Middleburg.

Frank Campbell Littleton, Jr. (1909-1959) is buried in Leesburg.

A Letter Fit For a Prince

By Jimmy Hatcher

Iam carrying you back to 1951. There appeared in Time Magazine a picture of the proud Prince of Japan, jumping his horse.

Being a teenage boy myself, I sent the Crown Prince a picture of me on my horse being champion at the first Loudoun Horse Show, then a junior show at Glenwood Park in Middleburg.

My horse had qualified me to go to the first civilian tryouts for the U.S. Olympic team at Warrenton over a course with four-foot jumps under lights and in the mud. He was three years old and I was 15 at the time. I didn’t have to wait long before I received the following letter, written by the Prince’ s Chamberlain. Naturally a better picture than the one in Time Magazine was enclosed.

“Dear Mr. Jimmy Hatcher,” he wrote. “Your warm letter for Prince Akihito has been received by Prince himself most delightfully. I am Jiro Shimidzu, one of the chamberlains to the Crown Prince and I am pleased to have the honor to send you Prince’s heartfelt thanks for your nice words, and the most interesting pictures. Prince appreciated them so much, especially your fine jumping, and the admirable pony-jumping of your young friend.

“Prince and all of us send you congratulations for your success at the National Horse Show in New York this year. We expect you will realize your Olympic hopes in 1956 with gallant deeds and lucky successes, together with your fine pet, “The Candlewick.” I send you a picture of Prince Akihito on his other horse “Mineyuki” (that means snow on the summit), which was taken last year on the occasion of the American and Japanese goodwill horse riding tournament, held on the Japanese New Constitution Day in Tokyo.Thank you again master Jimmy and hope you are fortunate in the future. Yours most sincerely, Jiro Shimidzu.”

Many years later at the old Coach Stop restaurant in Middleburg, I was telling the story to a young woman who worked at the Japanese embassy. She almost arranged a ride for me with the prince, who was now the emperor. He was coming to Washington, but unfortunately, his schedule would not permit us to get together.

Photos © Country ZEST. Jimmy Hatcher on Candlewick, Champion Loudoun Junior Horse Show in 1951.

The envelope and photo from the future Emperor of Japan.

Enough Hats and Enough Tailgates

Country ZEST gets down to future riders and real spectators at the Loudoun Point-to-Point at Morven Park and The Gold Cup races at Great Meadow.

Photo by Tim Sudduth Cami Kern on Mallory in Small Pony race for owner/trainer Christopher Kern.

Photo by Tim Sudduth Shetland Pony Race jockeys: Preston Rose, Daniel Edelstein, Clara Polinksy and Pauly Aguilera.

Photo by Tim Sudduth Leadline jockeys: Imogen Weaver, Carson Lily Moyer, Manuel Aguilera Jr., Farrah Kern and Layla Moyer.

Photo by Leonard Shapiro Guy Eubanks stopped by the Chairman’s Box.

Photo by Leonard Shapiro Leigh Faith had a nap at Great Meadow.

Photo by Leonard Shapiro Atlas Sykes is on the fence at the Gold Cup races.

Photo by Leonard Shapiro Annabelle Kulick provides a shady spot for Amie Kulick.

After 75 Years, It’s Time

By Leonard Shapiro

Banneker Elementary School on Snake Hill Road in St. Louis is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023. Robert Carter, its dynamic principal, has been delighted with the response from countless former students, teachers, administrators and parents past and present helping to mark this joyous benchmark.

More than 300 were expected to attend its annual potluck supper in early June. Many have sent photos and personal stories of their experiences at Banneker. They have included comments about a segregated school that served the area’s African-American community when it opened in 1948. It was finally integrated in 1968.

These days, there are 180 students in grades pre-kindergarten through five, and Principal Carter said it’s now 65 percent Caucasian, 25 percent Hispanic and ten percent African-American. The school serves families in Middleburg, St. Louis, Willisville and Philomont, with some students coming from as far away as Purcellville.

Carter commutes to Banneker from Round Hill, where he and wife, Elsie, an immigration attorney, and their three children make their home. He’s also working on a doctorate degree from William & Mary and is a career educator who said he found his true calling when he was a high school student in Winchester. He went on a mission trip to China with his church. The mission included some teaching, and he was hooked.

After serving as an assistant principal at Emerick Elementary in Purcellville, Carter came to Banneker in 2015. He’d been hired there by the school’s principal, Dawn Haddock, who also had been his fifth grade teacher.

“She pushed me out and said, ‘you’re ready for your own school,’”

Banneker Principal Robert Carter

Time to Celebrate at Banneker

then a full-time return to the classroom in January, 2021.

“It hit us in ways we really had to respond to in terms of changes in the health care field, new requirements for the kids, a lot of different things,” Principal Carter said. “But, we got through it and got back to normal as soon as we could.”

Normal at Banneker these days is a dedicated, tight-knit staff, including several former Banneker students, and a diverse student body that also benefits from relatively small class sizes and all manner of extra-curricular activities.

he said.

And was he ever.

“I followed a principal who’d been at Banneker for seven years,” he said. “I was young, but the staff here accepted me right away. I’m big in relationship building, and I think people appreciate that. I hired two people the first year, then three the next, about 25 percent of the staff. We lose people to promotions, retirements, people moving out of the area, so over the last eight years, I’ve probably hired about 90 percent of the staff.”

Within five years of his tenure, Banneker earned the coveted designation as a Continuous Improvement School by the Virginia State board because its test scores had increased each year for five straight years.

Then came the Covid pandemic, and Banneker weathered that storm, including going to remote learning from March through October 2020, a partial return for two months, and

your support builds the story of home.

It’s the story of kids playing in their own yard while mom or dad cooks in their own kitchen. It’s the story of everyday security and dreams for the future. It’s the story of an affordable home a family built themselves with help from Habitat for Humanity, volunteers and you.

“People who didn’t grow up in the school tell us it reminds them of the elementary schools they went to or their parents went to,” he said. “And people who have been around here for many years tell us this reminds them of a community center. Their children use our playgrounds. Adults use our running track to stay in shape. We try to make it a place where a lot of memories can be captured.”

This year the school has also celebrated the emergence of one of its graduates as a potential No. 1 draft choice in the National Basketball Association. That would be Jordan Miller, who grew up within walking distance, started playing in the Banneker gym and in March, helped lead his University of Miami team to the NCAA Final Four.

But most of all, said Principal Carter, “I think our parents appreciate knowing they’re educating their kids at what feels like a private school, but also is a public school.”

That’s something to celebrate, along with 75 years of meaningful history and a dedicated dynamo of a principal who wants to make more.

Alfred Dodson, a Banneker student in 1948, and Principal Carter

Creating a Garden to Support Wildlife

The Blue Ridge Wildlife Center cares for thousands of injured wildlife each year and successfully returns them to the wild. The organization is also a strong advocate for healthy wildlife habitat and provides some tips for gardeners interested in supporting local wildlife.

“Creating a native garden is a great way to support local wildlife, conserve resources, and contribute to a healthier environment,” said Annie Bradfield, executive director of BRWC. Bradfield also cautioned homeowners about tearing out hedgerows or areas that appear overgrown. “These are often essential habitats for wildlife,” she added. Here are some tips from Bradfield on how to create a wildlife friendly garden:

• Plant native plants: Many native plants produce fruits, berries, nuts, or seeds that provide food for birds and mammals, while their flowers provide nectar for pollinators. They also host a variety of insects, which in turn provide food for birds and other predators—a crucial part of the food web. They provide habitat for wildlife to live and breed and hide from predators. They also provide nesting material for some birds.

• Use plants of different heights to provide cover and shelter for wildlife at different levels.

Wildlife need the diversity of plant structure to fulfill their varying needs throughout the day – to perch, hunt, and take cover from predators.

The White Oak can reach heights of 60-100 feet and is a critically important tree that provides habitat and food for more than 90 wildlife species and over 400 caterpillar species use the White Oak as a host plant. The Prairie Willow shrub grows to around 6-10 feet tall and provides habitat and food for many species of birds and a variety of insects (which in turn provide food for other animals).

• Include plants that flower at different times of the year to provide

year-round nectar and pollen sources. Also, you can include plants that produce seeds, berries, and nuts to provide additional food for birds and mammals.

• Use plants with blooms of different colors and shapes to help promote greater biodiversity in your garden, as each pollinator is attracted to different colors or shapes of flowers.

We have two native rose species in Virginia—Prairie rose and Swamp rose. Both have showy pink flowers and make great additions to pollinator gardens.

Foxglove Beardtongue is a perennial with tubular, white flowers that bloom in early to mid-summer. Black-eyed Susan typically blooms from midsummer to early fall and it’s bright yellow petals attract bees, butterflies, and birds (also, goldfinches love the seeds).

• Find a nursery that carries native plants in your area. The Virginia Native Plant Society is a great resource to find native plant nurseries. By choosing plants that are adapted to local conditions, your garden will require less water, fertilizer, and maintenance than traditional gardens while providing important habitat for a variety of wildlife species. It’s a simple yet powerful way to make a positive impact on the environment and enjoy the beauty of nature!

Details: The nonprofit Blue Ridge Wildlife Center is the only dedicated wildlife hospital in Northern Virginia. The center assists more than 3,000 native wildlife annually. Visit www.blueridgewildlifectr.org.

Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Different heights and shapes add interest to the gardens.

Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Little Bluestem grass: Schizachyrium scoparium.

SCENE and SEEN

Maral Kalbian, a highly sought after and noted Clarke County Architectural Historian, was at the Fox & Pheasant in Boyce to chat and sign copies of her book, “Clarke County, Virginia: History Though Architecture.” She’s an expert on historic preservation and maintains her office

Middleburg’s own Reverend Canon Dr. Betsee Parker, 17th Baroness of Locheil will be honored during the Upperville Horse Show on Saturday, June 10 with a Lifetime Achievement award. She joins Theodora Ayer Randolph and Elizabeth Busch Burke in receiving this rare distinction. She is here with The Earl (a member of Parliament-House of Lords) and Countess of Thurso at dinner in London during the coronation festivities. “London was abuzz with excitement,” she told ZEST.

in Berryville.

Photo by Vicky Moon Veterinarian Alesis Theiss with her daughter Kaili Rose and son Luca Behr at the “ All You Can Eat” Piedmont Child Care Center Spaghetti Dinner.

Photo by Vicky Moon

At the Cherry Blossom Breast Cancer 5K and 1M Pooch Prance: Eligio, Dionne, Evie and Andria Quirindondo.

Photo by Vicky Moon

Liza Eldredge with Lilly, tri-color standard Poodle and Bernedoodle Gus, who also ran in the Cherry Blossom Pooch Prance.

A Middleburg Fencing Fixture Closing the Gates

By Leonard Shapiro

When Cole Porter released the song “Don’t Fence Me In” in 1934, he definitely did not have the late Middleburg business owner George White in mind.

For most of the last 40 years, George White Fencing, established in 1984 and operating out of offices on Federal Street, has been doing just that, fencing in thousands of acres all around the Middleburg area and occasionally beyond.

His company put in some of the fences around The Hill School, The Middleburg Tennis Club and countless properties small and large in Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke and Fairfax counties. When they surveyed Joe Theismann’s Loudoun property, the retired quarterback jogged behind the truck as it surveyed the scope of the job.

Driving through Middleburg, you might notice the two-board black fence at the Middleburg Charter School. George White Fencing designed and donated it to keep the playing fields separate from the parking lot.

One of its most memorable jobs was at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, not exactly a convenient daily commute for the crew. “But it was well worth the effort to have our fencing proudly displayed on historic grounds,” said Lizanne Driskill, daughter of the late George and Nanette White.

In February, one of Middleburg’s oldest businesses

completed its last fencing job at another Loudoun property. Lizanne said the family-owned Piedmont Enterprises has retired the fencing operation.

“We decided as a family that when Fernando Villavicencio, our long time manager, was ready to retire, it was a good time to close the fencing company doors,” she said.

Fernando was hired in 1984 and quickly became an integral part of the team, and the White family by extension. Chilean by birth and educated in Germany, he’d been working as the farm manager at Foxlease Farm in Upperville when he first met George.

“Mr. White taught me how to not only manage the crew, but also prepare the quotes, manage the equipment and work directly with the clients,” Fernando said in an interview with ZEST two years ago.

George White (1930–2014) was born in Franklin, Tennessee, but eventually moved to Virginia where he stayed with his aunt, Mary Nicoll, and her husband, Delancey, at their Cloverland Farm in The Plains. While visiting his aunt for long periods, George would fox hunt with Orange County and even briefly attended the Hill School in its original location.

A farmer and horseman who never met a stranger, George was a serial entrepreneur at heart. Almost twenty years before George White Fencing and Piedmont Enterprises were established, he sold hay and feed up and down the east coast, operated a supply and hardware store to service local farms and had an oil and heating division. From that vantage point, George saw an opportunity for a professional fencing company.

At its peak, the fencing division had more than 30 employees, with nine different crews installing fences all around. Back in the day, the average job involved installing 10,000 linear feet of fencing on a single property, a number that in recent years averaged about 3,000 feet.

“Fernando and the company’s long time office manager, Betsy Cockrell, are both retiring after many years of hard work and dedication to the fencing company and our family,” Lizanne said. “We’d like to thank all of our crew and our wonderful past and present clients in this area for all of their support over the many years.”

Photo by Middleburg Photo George White

To announce the five documentary films for Docweek, the set was staged at Welbourne near Upperville. This season’s films included: “Turn Every Page,” “An Eternity of You and Me,” “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture,” “Worriers And Warriors,” and “Love, Charlie: The Rise And Fall Of Charlie Trotter.”

Photo by Vicky Moon Steve Dahllof, Donna Gumbin, Festival founder Tom Foster and Neal Gumbin relished an exquisite evening at Welbourne.

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro For the screenings, the stage was set in the grass amphitheatre at the Middleburg Community Center where Linda Huntington, Laticia Headings and Ashley Marx and others found an agreeable spot.

Photo by Vicky Moon Denis and Martha Cotter with Bill and Susan Ferster at the annoucements.

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro Nick Jenkins and his wife Liz Billings.

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro Katherine Wilkins relished an evening out in the country.

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro Albert Smith was serving up adult beverages.

The Hunt Country Tailgate

By Karen Monroe

Meeting up on a Friday evening after work, we planned to enter the Traditional Tailgate competition at the Middleburg Hunt Point to Point. Although it rained most of the day, we were able to put up a tent to cover the pickup and win over Judge Topper Shutt (Chief Meteorologist at WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, D.C.). Our presentation included John Pemberton’s famous brisket, beautiful flowers from Sarah Pemberton, a traditional hunt breakfast fair, decorating with many hunt country collections and a trunk full of Champagne, port, and bourbon.  A photo backdrop featured Huntsman Richard Roberts and rounded out our charming tailgate.

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Photos by Middleburg Photo

It’s all in the details.

Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo took the blue ribbon in the Traditional Tailgate competition.

A collection with an antique wooden trunk, fresh tulips, wool coolers for the horses, stemware and tiered serving pieces make this picture perfect.

Richard Roberts huntsman of Middleburg Hunt. Heading for home.

The Samuel E. Bogley Memorial Maiden Flat Race was won by Ahsoka who took the lead in the final turn. Parker Hendrix, train

er Keri Brion, rider Taylor Kingsley, and Rob and Cathy Spicer.

THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES

WHEATFIELDS 54+ acres | $1,700,000

Hume – A horse farm tucked in the foothills of the Cobbler Mountains. At the center of the property is a beautifully renovated c. 1867 farmhouse, added to over time creating a wonderful blend of old and new. Savor the charm of country living while enjoying all of today’s modern conveniences.

Jess Soman Followed His Heart to the Goodstone Inn

By Leonard Shapiro

Some wise words of advice from his mother long ago set Jess Soman on an intriguing path that has led him to a dream job these days as the general manager of Middleburg’s gorgeous Goodstone Inn just off Snake Hill Road.

He grew up in an Air Force family that was frequently on the move, spending his teenage years at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, 80 miles from Frankfurt where he and his two sisters also became fluent in German.

After studying psychology in college back in Los Angeles, he headed to Aviano Air Force base in Italy as a loan officer, then returned to Ramstein a year later as an assistant branch manager of a bank on the sprawling American base.

He wasn’t happy.

PEMBERLEY 12+ acres | $1,295,000

Watch your horses graze from any room in the house and catch sunsets on the large open back deck. The 4-stall center aisle barn was completely rebuilt and now offers a tack room, wash stall and two full-length 10’ overhangs on either side to increase its overall size and functionality. New riding ring close to the barn.

“I picked up the phone and called my mom one day and told her this didn’t feel right,” Jess recalled. “I was thinking to myself – I have one life, and when my ride ends, it would not be anything special. My mom asked, ‘what are you passionate about?’”

“I had experience in hospitality, waiting tables, bartending, driving limos, and I was always wide awake when I did it, really enjoyed it. There was definitely a passion for it. That’s when my mom said, ‘you have to follow your heart.’”

Before long, he did.

He took a job as a Table Captain at a Michelin restaurant in Germany. Then he moved back to Washington in 2008 and did similar work as Maître d’ of Marcel’s, a widely regarded restaurant at 24th and Pennsylvania in D.C. In 2012, he began a decade-long journey at the Inn at Little Washington under the tutelage of renowned world-class chef and founder Patrick O’Connell.

First, he was a table captain, soon dining room manager, and quickly director of food and beverage. He could have stayed far longer at one of only 13 restaurants in the U.S. to earn a Michelin 3-Star rating, until purely by chance, he had a serendipitous crossing of paths with Goodstone owner Mark Betts.

They started chatting and Betts asked him where he worked and what he was doing.

“He told me he was looking for a leader for Goodstone, and was I interested? It

definitely took a leap of faith. I had a very hard talk with Patrick; he didn’t want me to go. But I told him he ought to think of me as one of his disciples going out in the world to spread his message.”

Patrick O’Connell told him he’s leaving the light on if he’d ever like to come back, but that does not seem likely.

Jess is totally engrossed in getting the already high quality and popular Goodstone Inn to the next level, meaning a possible one-star Michelin rating and a five-star designation from Forbes, another hospitality industry benchmark.

“The challenge attracted me to Goodstone,” he said. “My role at the Inn (at Little Washington) covered a lot, but now I’m involved in everything.”

When he arrived last July, there were some staffing issues with important positions to fill. That’s been done. Jess used his laser-like attention to detail and vast experience to cultivate and nurture the team in uplifting every facet the estate has to offer.

He inspected each of Goodstone’s 18 guest rooms with the maintenance and housekeeping directors “and we’ve completely elevated every room. We did it one room at a time, and they are pristine…My greatest strength is fine dining, and our chef also has been very open to my suggestions, very receptive. And a Michelin star is what we want, the ultimate goal.”

The good news: he and his staff have discovered all their goals are not far from being achieved, both in the kitchen and the accommodations.

“Across the board, the staff were relieved to find that what they’re doing is nine-tenths of the way there,” he said. “I think it gives the staff confidence in me, and I believe in them. Completely.

“I’d like to think I’m a compassionate person. People who stay here, who eat here…we get a chance to restore them, put them back together from the beating they might be taking in the outside world. I want to heal people and enrich their lives, and I feel like I have the ability to do that – and to teach others the same.”

By the way, back when he told his “old school” Air Force veteran father about his plans to switch from banking to hospitality, his dad told him he was making a big mistake.

Clearly, though, Jess Soman’s mother knew best. He’s followed his heart, for sure.

Goodstone Inn General Manager Jess Soman followed his heart to Middleburg.

Loudoun Sculptor Is a Master of His Craft

By Joe Motheral

Jeff Hall’s vast studio inside a 100-year-old barn just outside Lovettsville is filled with a wide array of his sculpture and has a museum-like feel.

Many of his works feature wellknown, famous names. There’s a bust of former Vice President Dan Quayle, with the original in the U.S. Capitol Building. Another, in bronze, is Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, with the original in Sheridan Square in downtown Washington.

His most famous work: “Martin Luther King, Jr., in Aurora, Colorado and Stanley Caulkins,” he said. A replica of the King statue stands at the entrance to Jeff’s studio. He was commissioned to do the piece by the King Library in Aurora and completed it in 2015.

The Caulkins sculpture has been on display siting on a bench in downtown Leesburg since 2019. Caulkins was the late long-time owner of a Leesburg jewelry store and once was named Loudoun County Person of the Year.

“It’s strange how the fame rubs off on you,” he said. “It’s funny that it works that way because you sculpted a famous person.”

His most recent piece is entitled “Upward Struggle” and depicts school children. The work was commissioned by Loudoun County Public Schools. Another favorite was done for a skate park in Leesburg.

“I made it out of steel and it was difficult with all the grinding and welding

and preparing for paint,” he said. “It’s like restoring a car.”

The 10-foot-high sculpture depicts silhouettes of high riding skateboarders and fits the location perfectly.

“I have a piece right now called Man Balancing Nature,” he said. ”I sculpted it quite a few years ago. Finally had a buyer. It’s in bronze and it’s a piece where man is balanced on the world. It’s man and nature with the elements: fish, birds and air. The statue of man holding a hoop as if trying to control nature and if he messes with the fundamental elements then the balance is off.“

For his regular sculpting, his process involves encasing a supporting piece of metal with occasional attachments in foam which he carves into some semblance of the sculpture he’s working on. Then he surrounds the carved foam with a thickness of clay. He uses an oil-based clay to maintain its flexibility while shaping the figure.

Once completed, Jeff uses a rubber molding to reproduce the shape of the figure. After removing the rubber molding, he fills it with plaster to duplicate the sculpture so he can reconstruct the piece in case of some failure in the first go round. From the mold, he can cast the figure in bronze or resins like bonded marble.

Jeff said he’s interested in slowing down a bit, “But things seem to be speeding up. I’m getting more commissions--yes, because of Stanley Caulkins and Martin Luther King Jr. I’ve been getting a lot of calls.”

Jeff also breeds horses on his 30 acre property.

“We have a stallion named Art Deco,” he said. “We breed German pinto horses. We started this when we bought the property in 1985 and it has spun out of control. But it’s a good way to make a living.”

Photos by Joe Motheral Jeff Hall in his Lovettsville studio.

Stanley Caulkins never leaves that bench.

Helping a Stranger Dress for Success

By Constance Chatfield-Taylor

Not long ago, I attended a reception on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and parked on the street across from Nordstroms Rack.

So of course, when I was leaving the event, I just had to go into the store for a few minutes. I mean, why not? My car was parked legally and I needed to add a little spring in my wardrobe.

I went upstairs and started looking through some dresses and immediately, a young woman approached me.

“Excuse me, but would you have time to help me?” she said. “‘I’m in a jam and don’t know where to start. You look so perfectly dressed, I’d love some advice.”

Those of you who know me also know that this would be a first for me. I mostly shop at consignment shops, and I’m most comfortable in jeans and boots... I am NOT the one to ask for fashion advice.

I looked around to make sure she was talking to me.

“Really? Sure!” I said with assurance, then asked her what the occasion was.

“It’s a three-day conference in Boston,” she said. “They say, ‘business casual’ but I have a feeling it’s dressier. I’ve been working remotely for three years and have nothing but sweat pants. I don’t know where to start.”

She was 28 years old, much taller than I am and about a size 4. We walked around so I could see what she seemed to like and then picked out a deep blue dress with a boat neck that she loved.

We added some black dress pants and a summer jacket that had blue flecks that would also go with the dress (conference halls get COLD), a white long sleeve crinkle blouse and a peachy linen jacket that my new friend could roll up the white blouse sleeves a bit at the bottom.

I took various things back to her in the dressing room and she smiled broadly as she twirled in the mirror and looked at herself and her transformation out of sweat pants.

The store was about to close, and she gave me a hug as I left the dressing room and made my way to my car. So much for adding some spring to my wardrobe, I thought. But it definitely added a bit of spring to my step.

Constance Chatfield-Taylor

The Windy Hill Foundation marked its 40th anniversary of providing affordable housing for lower income and senior residents recently with a celebration that attracted more than 300 guests to a packed ballroom at the Salamander Resort & Spa. The fundraising event included a welcoming speech from Executive Director Eloise Repeczky and an informative film focusing on the foundation’s proud past and its goals for the future.

Photos by Leonard Shapiro

Windy Hill board member Shannon Davis with Eloise Repeczky, executive director

Attorney Sharon Chery Onga Nana of Aldie Tom Northrup and Scott Johnston

Melanie Blunt and Ashley Kennedy

Gabrielle Gallegos and Bob Foosaner

James and DeeAnn Jeremiah with Greg Ellison

Lauren Black and Jennie VillarRevello of the Bank of Charles Town, Middleburg Branch

Kiernan and Chris Patusky, board member and treasurer with Mayor Bridge Littleton

Carol Lee

Nancy Farley

Brad Davis with Bob Dale

From Afghanistan to Foxcroft In Search of An Education

By Cathy McGehee Foxcroft Head of School

It’s been more than a year since Foxcroft welcomed two students fleeing Afghanistan, with only their backpacks.

Lema S. (Class of 2024) and Khujusta N. (’24) arrived at Dulles airport with four other students, destined for Virginia schools, carrying only essentials and a commitment to get an education and help other Afghan girls do the same in the future.

When they first arrived, they experienced a very different kind of school community from the one they left behind. “Seeing new and different girls from different countries with different ideas was something good,” Lema said. “I was happy and excited because the campus and nature looked bigger than my old school.

“Last year was hard, because there were a lot of new things, and we had to improve our academic English and learn to study in an American school. This year, I feel more comfortable and I’m able to be more independent.”

Lema’s favorite class is modern world history. Khujusta enjoys leadership opportunities, and is currently a whip in Dillon dormitory and an international ambassador.

Their journey began when I learned from the International Coalition of Girls Schools about an opportunity to help students fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the government.

It’s a major commitment for the school because the students needed everything, from financial aid to clothing and shoes to phones and computers.

“Foxcroft has made a three-year commitment to provide financial aid, which is a real cost to the school,” said Kate Hastings (’78), chair of Foxcroft’s Board of Trustees. “Cathy came to the board and said, ‘if not Foxcroft, then who will help?’ We all felt this was the right thing to do and fully aligned with our mission.”

Whether sharing traditional music and dance or morning meeting presentations on Afghanistan that show how beautiful their country is, and the observance of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid— the entire student body has gained from having Lema and Khujusta as classmates.

“We feel grateful to have Lema and Khujusta join us and share the cultures and traditions celebrated across Afghanistan and the beautiful traditions and practices in Islam,” said Leyla Akhundova (’23).

For Farah Alvarez-Miranda (’23), it’s personal.

“Having Lema and Khujusta at Foxcroft has revealed my mother’s culture in ways I never thought,” she said. “She left Afghanistan around their age and it’s wonderful to welcome them, as I hope my mother was welcomed all those years ago. I even performed an original Afghan dance with them for the school. I’m certain they will accomplish a lot in the future.”

Khujusta noted that in America, “families let students focus on studies and sports at home, whereas in Afghanistan, girls are expected to study and to help around the house, doing cooking and dishes.”

Still Lema and Khujusta are among the few Afghan girls whose parents are committed to their education, even if it means sending them to the U.S. and not knowing when they will see them again.

Leaving loved ones behind has been hard but both girls talk to their families on weekends.  They both want to attend American universities. Khujusta is interested in medicine or law; Lema wants to study dentistry.

“I just want to be healthy and succeed in my academic program, “Lema said. “I want to learn a lot about people’s environments, and the things that can help me achieve my goals.”

Details: To help support these students, contact Foxcroft’s Office of Institutional Advancement (advancement@foxcroft.org).

Lema and Khujusta at Foxcroft

Russian Masters in Concert

The PSO presents its Season Finale in grand style with works by some of the most prolific Russian composers of all time. Glinka’s Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla is a fiery example of the high energy inherent in his music. We also perform Tchaikovsky’s elusive Hamlet Overture, which is reminiscent of his tone poems of that same era. Finally two works by Shostakovich - the ever popular Waltz from Jazz Suite No. 2, and his most profound work, Symphony No. 5 Don’t miss this fireworks filled performance of YOUR PSO!

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2023 • 3:00PM

Michael A. Hughes Center for the Arts

Warrenton, VA

FOR TICKETS & INFO: www.piedmontsymphony.org

PSO is Generously Funded in Part By:

faced prison time.

“For three years I had to go to the appellate court and fight for my freedom, as it was all based on corruption from the local factions that wanted to take what we had built. In a country accustomed to exclusively male leadership, being a woman leader can be difficult. We had truth on our side, and the good thing about truth is, it’s always right. I love Haiti. And we have more work to do.”

The organization ardently believes in equipping these children for life outside the village. The seeds of self-reliance and entrepreneurship are sown early, allowing children to sprout as independent, contributing members of their communities. They also try to reunite the children with their families, if possible.

In the landscape of Haiti, HHA stands as a lighthouse, guiding lost children towards a brighter tomorrow. Their commitment, their work, and their love remind us of the power of humanity and the change we can effect, one Angel at a time.

The

Luminescence Foundation & The Ben-Dov Family

The Margaret Spilman Bowden Foundation

Nicolaas and Patricia Kortlandt Fund The Wise Foundation The Crossfields Group

Photos © Helping Haitian Angels Some adorable Haitian angels.

Beyond the Classroom: How AI is Transforming Teaching and Our World

By Huntington Lyman

When I started teaching at Hill School in 1984, I had just completed a college degree in which my primary tools were pens and typewriters. I wrote lesson plans by hand, my students all wrote compositions with pencils, and I commented with red ink and wrote summary report card comments on mimeograph paper.

Today, my lesson plans and calendars are all online, and I hardly ever handwrite anything. I research my lessons on the internet, prepare Google Slides presentations, and frequently show short videos. I can go weeks without touching student papers because their work is typically submitted on Google Classroom, where I can check revisions, make comments, provide suggestions, and embed audio feedback. My grade book is electronic, and my comments for parents are shared digitally, not even printed out.

In 1984, I never would have predicted how dramatically my job as a teacher would be changed by technology, but this is only a small part of the massive shifts in all our lives over the last forty years. Who would have imagined then that the internet

would make paper encyclopedias obsolete, that we would be doing much of our shopping online, that social media would capture the attention of a generation, or that we would rarely consult a map because we all carry multipurpose computers with us that can navigate anywhere, as well as running hundreds of other applications?

The personal computer, the cell phone, and the internet might be the three most significant inventions of the past half-century in terms of how we conduct our daily lives, and in the scope of human history, the cultural changes caused by these devices have been unusually rapid. However, I believe we are now entering a new era of technological change that is going to evolve even more quickly, and we need to prepare ourselves for the spread of artificial intelligence (AI).

Most people have heard something about ChatGPT, but that is only one example of AI; another is Google Bard, and we will likely see many more very soon. These technologies are essentially chatbots incorporating Large Language Models (LLMs),

which are trained on an unfathomably vast amount of data and programmed to be self-educating. While LLMs are not sentient, they do give the appearance of consciousness in their use of human language, often producing conversational and human-like writing.

AI programs have well-documented problems, including errors and what programmers call “hallucinations.” However, they are expected to evolve and improve rapidly, and even at this relatively early stage, they often are remarkably astute and persuasive. As AI becomes better and more widespread, our best approach will be to understand it, establish safeguards, and take advantage of the many possibilities and opportunities on the horizon.

AI has the potential to reshape various aspects of our lives, from how we gather information and communicate to how we work and interact with one another. In the next column, I’ll delve into the specific changes I foresee and discuss the importance of understanding the potential and pitfalls of this new technology before we start adopting it. The changes will be dramatic, and they are just around the corner.

Note: Hunt Lyman is academic dean at The Hill School. This column was written without the use of ChatGPT, but he did accept some AI editing of the draft and a suggested headline.

Hunt Lyman

Amy Owen Retires as Dynamic Leader of Community Foundation

Amy Owen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, has announced her retirement following a career of nonprofit service and leadership spanning more than 35 years, including eleven at the Community Foundation.

Nicole Acosta, who has been with the organization for five years as its vice president, will take over the leadership role.

Owen started with the Community Foundation in May, 2012 after serving as executive director of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation and director of development for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy before moving to Loudoun County.

The Community Foundation has expanded under her leadership both financially and programmatically. Its assets have grown from $1.3 million and 25 funds in 2012 to $10 million and 115 funds in 2023 while grant-making has grown from $149,000 to more than $2.6 million. In the same time period, staff has grown from a single employee and contract employee to four-full time positions and three contract employees.

Each year over her tenure, Owen added a cornerstone program, from a Nonprofit Academy providing training for nonprofit leaders, to Give Choose, an annual community-wide giving day, to a yearly Philanthropy Summit convening nonprofits, government leaders, and community philanthropists around contemporary issues.

She launched and guided three major community-service campaigns delivering specific themes and messaging: the Faces of Loudoun campaign telling authentic stories of personal need, a COVID Testing and Immunization campaign and currently, a campaign focused on workforce housing and its importance in the community’s economic development.  In 2018 she was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s been fantastically rewarding work to engage philanthropic donors to build permanent endowment while also investing in increasing the capacity of nonprofit leaders who fulfill the work,” Amy said. “When Nicole Acosta came on board in 2018, our capacity to deliver programming was exponentially increased—and Claude Moore Nonprofit Training Center housed in our offices added to that.”

Brad Davis, former chairman of the Community Foundation’s board who originally hired Amy said “Amy…joined our Community Foundation with the overall objective of using her knowledge and experience of community foundatons to grow it into a philanthropic powerhouse in Loudoun and Fauquier counties.

And that she did.  The rest is history.”

“While Amy is moving on to a well-deserved retirement,” said Paul Siker, the current board chair, “I have every confidence her vision and passion for helping people realize their philanthropic goals will continue to serve as a source of inspiration for the simple idea that, if we all give a little, we can accomplish a lot.”

Nicole began her career in Loudoun’s nonprofit community at LAWS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services in 2005 as a social worker providing direct services to families in crisis. In 2012 she was named Executive Director of LAWS and led the organization for five years.

In 2018, she joined the Community Foundation team and has served as Vice President of Grants and Nonprofit Programs.

“I’m honored to be selected by our Board of Directors to follow in Amy’s footsteps,” she said. “It’s a privilege to work every day with our donors to bring their charitable vision to life and support local nonprofits lifting up our community in so many ways.  I’ve learned so much from Amy in my time here and am thrilled to carry forward our mission to grow community giving.”

Details:  www.communityfoundationlf.org

New President Nicole Acosta and outgoing Community Foundation CEO Amy Owen.

BILL FERSTER: A Master of Marquetry

By John E. Ross

From his spacious studio in the converted attic of his 1820s stone house on Welbourne Road, Bill Ferster deploys digital graphics and laser cutters to produce inlaid wood marquetry, a decorative art dating to the days of Pompeii in the first century.

Though known throughout horse country for fanciful and factual inlaid art a table he donated to the Middleburg Community Center sold at its art auction last year – Bill is an entrepreneur to the core of his soul.

He pioneered nonlinear editing animation processes used by Ken Burns and others to produce motion from still photographs. He founded Editing Machines Corp. in 1988 and, five years later, won an EMMY for Outstanding Technical Achievement.

He became infatuated with animation as a student in the Corcoran School of Art. Upon graduation from George Washington University in 1978, he landed a job as a graphics artist for Good Morning America. He later joined M. G. Lord and Woody Landay in a studio producing animated political cartoons.

Intrigued by the integration of engineering and art, Bill bought a Radio Shack computer and soon learned, “I was a better technology person than an artist.” Still, his artistic bent remains unchecked.

Colors, grain, and texture of wood inspire him. Using computer software, he powers a laser to cut veneer no thicker than 1/42nd of an inch with utter precision into tiny pieces. With a press, he glues them to backing, creating images which, after final sanding and sealing, can then be framed.

His subjects range widely from abstractions, through floral and equine designs, and landscapes to cartoons like Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willy. Recently he’ s been reproducing posters from a book by African-American activist W. E. B. Dubois.

Bill is equally immersed in the application of graphics and artificial intelligence to teaching. In 2006, he earned a doctorate in education from the University of Virginia. As a UVA professor from 2006 to 2020, he taught undergraduates how to use interactive visualization to explore American history and related topics. Now teaching at Harvard, he’s developing computer-based systems to help teachers learn how to better relate to students.

Most prospective teachers are only able to spend a semester or so as student teachers in front of live students in a classroom before they are certified to teach. Further, the Covid pandemic dramatically accelerated teaching by computer.

Bill and Harvard professor Rhonda Bondie are developing an interactive, AI-based simulation of a high school class. Animations of students, each with their own names, sit in a row across the computer screen. Speaking into the computer’s microphone, the student teacher calls on a student pictured on the screen and asks them a question such as “what is 2 plus 2?”

The student might logically respond “22.” The teacher then helps the student learn the answer “4.” How the teacher guides the student to the correct answer is recorded and measured by AI. Afterward, the prospective teacher and their professor review what happened and learn how to do better. Eventually this program will be available to colleges offering teacher education across the country.

A drive down Welbourne Road gives no inkling of the creative vitality boiling behind the hedges and stone walls of Bill Ferster’s home. Yet, one look at one of his abstract marquetry designs gives you a clue.

For the 12th Annual Art of the Piedmont, those interested in purchasing a piece from one of the local artists were able to bid online before the final evening at Slater Run Vineyard in Upperville. Among the artists on display: William Bensen, Misia Broadhead, Virginia Donelson, Peggy Duvall, Leanne Fink, Gayle Isabelle Ford, Natalie Fox, Jill Garity, Ute Gil, Gail Guirreri, Laura Hopkins, Kathleen Howsare, Cody

A work of marquetry begins in Bill’s Upperville studio with computers and a small laser cutter.

Photos by John L. Ross Tools of the artists trade.

Photos © by Vicky Moon

Lesser, Julie Miles, Deborah Morrow, Jody Mussoff, Marci Nadler, Lee Newman, Gomer Pyles, Kim T. Richards, Barbara Sharp, Rachel Crockett Smith, Neil Stavely, Anne Stine.

Tiffany West had a sneak peek at Morgan Fink Paixao’s “Crystalline Impasse.”

A few pieces from the late whimsical artist Alan Rubin brought smiles.

Leave it to Barbara Sharp to do a large piece of a horse titled “Going Home.”

Cassella Slater had an eye on the work of Bonnie Hoover.

Find a Moat, Become a Goat

By Philip Dudley

Would you rather be a Moat or the Goat?

A moat is a wide, deep trench usually filled with water surrounding a castle or fortress and provides security and protection from outside forces. Being the goat is simply being the greatest of all time, as in a Michael Jordan here, a Tom Brady there. And in investing, sometimes you can be the goat, with a moat.

An economic moat is a reference to the defensive characteristics a particular company may exhibit to sustain competitive advantages or maintain its market share and long term profitability. Nothing is more important, especially in today’s rapidly changing business world where disruption is commonplace.

The durability of the competitive advantage makes it difficult for competitors to replicate. While a wide economic moat helps keep competition at bay, there are definitely some companies that will lose an advantage because of mismanagement. Think of Kodak or, more recently, Intel.

So, what are some examples of companies thriving with an effective moat? Apple maintains a dominate smartphone position and the ecosystem built around it makes it difficult to even think about an alternative.

Amazon has enormous scale in e-commerce, its Prime membership is second to none and the Jeff Bezos-owned company also is a leader in cloud computing. Microsoft dominates the office software suite, cloud computing and gaming/ social platforms with their Xbox and LinkedIn businesses.

And who doesn’t love a soft drink in a red can? Coca Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the entire world and the company has deep global partnerships that are difficult to replace. Visa and MasterCard have a duopoly on electronic payment processing. As cash use dwindles in society, these two players continue to grow their moat.

And think about the every day products of Johnson & Johnson? By know, you surely get the point.

The challenge lies in identifying companies with a growing and sustainable moat. Potential investors must analyze industry trends, assess competitive advantages, have confidence in management and do their homework on profit margins, return on invested capital, free cash flow, debt-to-equity, earnings per share growth, dividend growth and sustainability to name a few.

Bottom line: do your homework but also be sure to relax and have a look around. You just might discover the next goat with a moat.

Philip Dudley is the managing partner of Dudley Capital Management in Middleburg at 115 The Plains Road, Suite 250.

Middleburg Summit Focuses on a Loudoun Future Together

By Bridge Littleton Middleburg Mayor

Over 200 members of the Middleburg and greater Loudoun communities gathered in Middleburg for the “Loudoun Together Summit” at the Salamander Resort in April.

Organized and hosted by the Town of Middleburg, the goal was to discuss the challenges facing Middleburg, our surroundings and greater Loudoun County and offer a way that ALL of the county could come together in creating solutions. It was divided into three areas of discussion: Why our community is special, the threats, and what can be done about it.

Speakers highlighted the need for collaboration between suburban east and rural west. They also discussed the imperative of preserving the rural character and open space of western Loudoun while providing for necessary services, economic opportunities, and right-sized housing crucial for eastern Loudoun. All raised flags about the cost of inaction.

In the end, the Summit began a discussion that must continue at our local levels up to the County Board of Supervisors, pushing them to take an active and engaged role in advocating for the future of Loudoun.

It began with two round table discussions, the first led by Beth Erikson, president of Visit Loudoun and several visitor-based businesses. It was followed by the Coalition of Loudoun Towns (COLT) comprised of the seven Loudoun town mayors and was led by former Virginia Delegate Randy Minchew.

Both focused on the special nature of western Loudoun and how it adds to the tourism base and benefits the overall quality of life for all Loudouners.

Participants next heard from Chris Miller, president of the Piedmont Environment Council (PEC) who discussed the benefits and major challenges on our community with the explosion of data centers. Following PEC was Chuck Khun, CEO of JK Moving and a champion for conservation. He discussed the pressures being felt by over development in western Loudoun.

I had the honor of delivering the concluding presentation on behalf of the Town

Littleton presided over a recent Summit at Salamander Resort to discuss the future of Loudoun County. Here, he also presented a check for $4,500 from the proceeds of the event to Tami Erickson, head of Seven Loaves.

of Middleburg. It focused on an innovative approach we developed to solve the data center challenges of the east, while protecting open space in the west.

The solution is to pursue a “transfer of development rights” (TDR) program that would allow landowners in the west to sell, or transfer, their right to build houses on their land to data center developers in the east.

This would achieve a win-win-win for everyone in Loudoun: the preservation of open space and farming land; proper placement of data center development in exclusively industrial locations making more efficient use of land in the east. That would open acreage for key needs, such as affordable housing, government services, and schools, parks, etc.

If done properly by the county, a TDR program as envisioned by the Town of Middleburg has the potential to preserve over 50,000 acres of open space in western Loudoun while using half as much acreage in eastern Loudoun for the remaining data centers left to be built.

I presented our TDR program to the Loudoun County Transportation/Land Use Committee in late May. A positive recommendation from that committee to the Board of Supervisors would allow this effort to move forward in earnest.

For questions on how this program works, see the link below or reach out to me at blittleton@middleburgva.gov. Let the members of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors know of your support for this program.

Details: To view the TDR presentation, go to https://www.loudountogethersummit. com/summit-presentations.

Middleburg Mayor Bridge

Brig. Gen.

James A. Buchanan (Ret., USA)

James Anderson Buchanan of Maryland

Appointed from Maryland, Second Lieutenant, 14th U. S. Infantry, 7 March 1867

First Lieutenant, 10 December 1873

Regimental Adjutant, 10 April 1886 to 25 July 1887

Captain, 10 June 1890

Transferred to the 11th U. S. Infantry, 23 July 1893

Served in Puerto Rico from 1898 to 1903

Major, 15th U. S. Infantry, 4 May 1899

Transferred to the 12th U. S. Infantry, 28 February 1901

Transferred to the 28th U. S. Infantry, 15 July 1900

Lieutenant Colonel, Puerto Rico Protection Regiment, 1 July 1901

Lieutenant Colonel, 5th U. S. Infantry, 14 April 1902

Transfereed to the 2nd U. S. Infantry, 24 December 1902

Tranferred to the 11th U. S. Infantry, 7 April 1903

Colonel, Puerto Rico Regiment, 21 July 1902

Born at Washington County, Maryland, December 11, 1843. He married Helen Warren Myers in 1885. He was appointed from Maryland, Second Lieutenant, 14th US Infantry, March 7, 1867, and was promoted through the grades to Colonel, 24th US Infantry, August 14, 1903, and to Brigadier General, United States Army, April  14, 1905. He retired at own request after 30 years of service, May 31, 1906.  He served at principal western posts for more than 30 years, in Puerto Rico, 18981903, and Fort Buchanan in San Juan, Puerto Rico was named after him. He also served in the Philippines.  He made his home at Ayrshire in Upperville, Virginia. In the 1920s he built a Buchanan Hall as a gift to the community. He died May 18, 1926 and was buried with military honors in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery.

Photo by Hugh Kenny Buchanan Hall board members: Fletcher Slater, Sheila Harrell, Carmen Arwine, Cathy Boswell with (second row) Britton Condon, Erik Scheps , Tom Valandra and Montana Lanier Ruffner, director of operations.

Photo © by Vicky Moon Mary Marshall Hansen, Sheila Wiley Harrell, a great, great granddaughter of James A. Buchanan and Helen Buchanan Wiley, his great granddaughter.

Photo by Hugh Kenny Bar was sponsored by Sheridan MacMahon Realtors with signature cocktails “Buchanan’s Bourbon” and “The Centennial” sponsored by the McCaskey family and Copper Fox Distillery.

Photo by Hugh Kenny Getting down Buchanan Style.

Photo © by Vicky Moon Many do not notice the handsome portrait of Brig. Gen, James A. Buchanan above the entrance to the main room. Guests danced the night away to the music of the Soul Crackers.

Fundraiser Gala May 19th, 2023

Stoneledge Offers Spectacular Views and a Stunning Manor Home

There’s a striking rock formation along the driveway for which Stoneledge was named. Built in 2005 and nestled in privacy near Warrenton, the main house on the 101-acre property was designed and built with the architectural elegance and classic proportions of the 18th Century Georgian manor homes of Drayton Hall, Gunston Hall and Stratford Hall. In 2022, the house received a complete update, and three years earlier, acclaimed landscape architect Richard Arentz designed the dramatic heated swimming pool, pavilion and cabana including an outdoor kitchen and dining area and surrounding landscaping. Sited on the rock formation between the main home and onebedroom guest cottage, there are gorgeous views of the pastures, gardens, woodlands and a pond. Stoneledge also is protected by a Virginia Outdoors Foundation easement.

STONELEDGE

Warrenton, Virginia | 101 acres | $5,500,000

For more information please contact John Coles, 540-270-0094

jcoles@thomasandtalbot.com

Flower POWER

Amanda Hall of Posy Express, out of Marshall, supplies weekly fresh flowers to Slater Run Vineyards, she can be reached via Instagram @posy.express.

Surround Yourself With Family, Friends, and the Blue Ridge Mountains

SHENANDOAH VALLEY WEDDING & EVENT VENUE

Create unforgettable memories in our peaceful destination located less than an hour from our nation s capital

Near the entrance to Shenandoah National Park and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains the Trellis is a fully-renovated historic motor lodge with 5 cottages and one main estate houseready to become a part of your legacy

At the Trellis, you can have the event of your dreams and make memories that will last a lifetime

Photo © by Vicky Moon The lovely accent of fresh arrangements for the Piedmont Symphony Gala were from Village

Photo © by Vicky Moon

This squirrel named Harold loves to tiptoe through the tulips.

Photo by dillonkeenphotography Tending to your garden is not complete without a watering can.

Photo © by Vicky Moon Tiptoe through the tulips with clogs from Barbour, available at Tri County Feeds, Fashions, Finds in Marshall.

OurKitchen&BathStudiocanprovideallyourneedsforaremodeloranewbuild. StopbyourshowroomforavisitormakeanappointmenttoseeourDesigner forcabinetry,hardware,countertops,tile,plumbingfixtures,showerdoors,andmore.

BRIDGET WILSON:

A Designing Woman

Her work was so impactful that it spilled over everywhere—old and new gardens and it was transformative.

— JILL VOGEL

Bridget Wilson

Photo by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo

It’s very precise, tape measure included.

Band as fit as can be. She’s off to Middleburg from the Walnut Springs Farm she shares with her husband, Brian, and their four children. She then leads a 75-minute Native Barre exercise class.

From here, you might see her stop at Middleburg’s Common Grounds for coffee and a bite before off to the next stop—her business involving all things floral. “I love doing design work,” she said.

She’s recently completed a grueling yet successful project at Jill and Alex Vogel’s Oak Spring near Upperville for the Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week. Once the home of the late Paul Mellon and his celebrated late second wife, garden guru Bunny Mellon, the property features stately old oak and magnolia trees as well as the Georgian inspired home known as The Brick House. Bridget was asked to update and renovate the gardens.

Jill Vogel said she chose her “because she’s so talented, creative, and willing to do the exceptional things other people do not have the vision to do.” Several thousand bulbs, hundreds of boxwood, and mountains of plants and pea gravel later, Bridget created a breathtaking space.

“The process is as special as the result,” Jill noted, adding that Bridget “is meticulous about the drawings and the planning. Her attitude is that nothing is too much trouble to make it perfect.”

Until 2016, Bridget said “I knew nothing about flowers then and decided to purchase a lavender plant,” she wrote in a long, informative memo. She “researched online what other plants I might buy with the lavender.”

She took an online flower farming class and was addicted, then spent every moment “learning about the different kinds of cut flowers.” At one point, she grew 40,000 plants, many from seed. She began with the help of daughter Audrey by making small bouquets for friends and family.

Work and design for the Vogels included new hedging and planting many unique perennials. Last October, Bridget “designed a planting scheme of more than 17,000 tulips, daffodils, fritillaria, and many more unique and rare bulbs.” She put them in by hand in shades of white, green, purple, and dark black flowers. After renovating the older gardens, she went to work designing a formal boxwood parterre.

The newer space was to replace a sloping lawn with only a play set for the children. Work started in early August, with Bridget overseeing grading, installing waterlines and the boxwood. By the end of November, 9,000 tulip bulbs in apricot, pink and white were dug in. “We built the garden from concept to completion in less than seven months,” Bridget said.

Then, one week before the garden tour was about to get underway, every tulip was lost after a week of 80-degree heat followed by “a terrible rainstorm.” All those tulips were pulled and a new design was planted in only three days.

“We were unsure if we’d make it in time to show the garden,” she said. They worked 14 hours a day and finished trimming the garden at 10 o’clock the night before the show.

What’s next? A new Mediterranean inspired design for Ashley Whitner. The plantings will be “wild but tidy” using “loose perennials and native plants.” A cut flower garden will be added and “she’ll have a beautiful collection of dahlias to fill her home this year.”

Details: bridgetwilsonflowers.com

At Oak Spring, the Brick House is from the early Mellon era and is now a private residence.

Jill Vogel and Bridget Wilson got down and dirty for a grand tour during Historic Garden Week.

It’s tulips galore in these beautiful beds.

A resident peacock makes a visit.

Country ZEST & Style | Summer 2023

A Tree Grows (and Glows) on Wall Street

By Rob Banner

A S Y O U R O N E - S T O P

S E R V I C E P R O V I D E R , V I R G I N I A S E P T I C I S

The electricity on the New York Stock Exchange floor was supercharged. A bolt surged through everyone waiting when the bell finally rang opening trading for the day. It’s estimated that a half trillion dollars change hands on a good day. This past April 28th, it might as well have been a half trillion kilowatts.

There, with their hands on the bell, stood W. Carey Crane III and Chandler Van Voorhis, co-founders of GreenTrees, based in The Plains, surrounded by their colleagues. Their faces were giddy. For a few minutes, they owned all of New York City, no less. What they’ve accomplished is as innovative as it gets in business merely because their idea is so simple.

“All we had to do was plant a tree,” said Carey, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday. Keeping it simple, however, would take the next 20 years to distill a perfect model, always a work in progress. “We knew it would be hard.”

Forget how long it took. The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) that owns the NYSE has honored them for their remarkable achievement. Today, ICE is endorsing GreenTrees as a world leader. Soon, it will introduce a global auction of GreenTrees’ carbon credits to Fortune 500 giants hungry to buy their entire inventory.

Like many, this success story begins in the late Maggie Bryant’s storied living room. Chandler’s father, Dutch Van Voorhis, introduced his son to Carey Crane, Maggie Bryant’s son, launching a true family affair. The elder Van Voorhis later became the company’s CEO. Chandler calls him “Our rudder” guiding day-today operations through uncharted waters where there are no rules.

There’s no playbook, just an unwavering dedication to create a solid, repeatable path. The best news? Landowners get paid for simply growing trees, while conservation gets a free ride. This is one carbon removal project that makes money while countless others are still trying.

“We grow 50 million trees across 135,000 acres, but we don’t own any of the land,” Carey said. “We could never get to scale if we owned the land and, it’s all about scale.” To get there, they partner with 550 landowners and split the revenue as the credits sell. Their distributions last year totaled more than $8 million.

Initially, planting young trees in the Mississippi Delta was the goal, and the carbon credit was how they would keep score. Carey admitted, “It wasn’t worth much early on … $3 or $4 a credit.” The Wall Street Journal called it a boondoggle.

Yet, consider GreenTrees’ latest sales bring 10-12 times that. Each year, their trees generate nearly a million credits, all verified by an independent, third-party registry. Some boondoggle.

No one takes credit for the success. Carey and Chandler modestly point at one another. They began as a team and are still anchored in collaborative innovation. Chandler can’t remember a substantial disagreement, ever, and they remain close friends.

Carey estimated their “team” now includes more than 1,000 “friends of the project.”

Said Chandler, “Probably more. We reinvent ourselves every day.”

As the market leader, it’s their responsible oath to do it in a way that is totally defensible.

“Innovation is constantly happening,” Carey said. “You cannot be afraid of what the future holds.”

Rob Banner is senior project officer for GreenTrees.

P L E A S E D T O O F F E R :

P u m p i n g o f R e s i d e n t i a l a n d C o m m e r c i a l S e p t i c T a n k s a n d G r e a s e T r a p s O p e r a t i o n & M a i n t e n a n c e ( O & M ) f o r S e p t i c S y s t e m s R e a l E s t a t e S e p t i c a n d W e l l I n s p e c t i o n s S a f e , A d e q u a t e , a n d P r o p e r I n s p e c t i o n s S e p t i c S y s t e m R e p a i r s I n s t a l l a t i o n f o r B o t h N e w C o n s t r u c t i o n o r R e p l a c e m e n t o f O l d e r S y s t e m s

B u i l d i n g o n R a w L a n d ? B u i l d i n g o n R a w L a n d ? N e e d S o i l s w o r k d o n e N e e d S o i l s w o r k d o n e f o r y o u r p r o j e c t ? f o r y o u r p r o j e c t ?

O u r S i s t e r C o m p a n y S o i l s , I n c , O u r S i s t e r C o m p a n y S o i l s , I n c , c a n s t a r t y o u r p r o j e c t o f f w i t h c a n s t a r t y o u r p r o j e c t o f f w i t h p e r c o l a t i o n t e s t i n g a n d s e p t i c d e s i g n s p e r c o l a t i o n t e s t i n g a n d s e p t i c d e s i g n s

Carey Crane and Chandler Van Voorhees front row and center celebrating GreenTrees’ success at the New York Stock Exchange.

JENN PINEAU REMAINS COMPOSED

PHOTOS BY Dillonkeenphotography.com

It’s the Friday before Mother’s Day with many orders ready to go and there’s also a bridal luncheon on the schedule. Yet, owner Jenn Pineau takes it all in stride with a smile. Most of all, she’s composed.

Her gift, gardening goodies, flower and plant arranging shop on South Pendleton Street in Middleburg is appropriately named Nature Composed. To visit is to step into a botanical wonderland.

Jenn Pineau arrives early with a lovely smile and an armful of Mother’s Day arrangements.

The shop overflows with arrangements of all sizes and shapes, just in time for a big weekend.

Nature Composed is located on South Pendleton Street in Middleburg.

This arrangement defines spring.

Blue Catnip – Nepeta faassenii-- is a nice addition to any garden.

Foxgloves are a garden staple.

Moving right along amid the bustle.

Mattingly’s

Amish

Lawn Furniture

Premium Quality Polylumber

Everyday Low Prices

A Program to Renovate From Afar

By Tim Burch

Have you been thinking about renovating your home, but don’t want to forgo that vacation you have planned or the time you spend annually at another home? Or do you know that your business commitments will have you on the road for an extended period? If so, Away, by BOWASM is the answer.

Hand Crafted by select Western Pa. Old Order & Eastern Pa. Amish Craftsman families

Family Owned & Operated Since 1973

Dealing in Amish Outdoor Furniture Located in Loudoun County Since 1973.

540-338-2060

55 E. Colonial Highway (Old Rt 7) Hamilton, VA 20158 Parking in rear

It’s BOWA’s propriety process for ensuring residential renovation success while you’re away. Their team of experts is well versed in planning and executing renovations for clients who are out of the area, whether it’s due to vacations, a second home, or one party being elsewhere for business.

The goal is to accommodate client needs for ease, efficiency, and staying informed, while saving them the hassle of traveling back to the Washington area for regular meetings and project oversight. When it comes to project feasibility, project planning, progress updates/oversight, and home management, you can trust that all steps of the process flow seamlessly while you are away.

Project Feasibility

• Zoom meetings to learn about your situation, needs, and challenges.

• Expert advice about possible solutions and estimated costs.

• Efficient process for helping you make an educated decision about moving forward.

Project Planning, Architecture, and Design

• Zoom meetings with 3D plans, videos, and real-time edits.

• Virtual showroom visits and samples by mail to facilitate selections.

• Tools to share inspiration photos, budgets, and plans for easy access.

• Representation at HOA meetings and county permit offices to secure necessary construction approvals.

Manage Your Renovation Remotely with Construction Progress Updates and Oversight

• Full-time project supervision and written production schedules to stay on track.

• Weekly zoom meetings to provide updates and answer questions.

• Tools to share progress photos and videos, plan revisions, and updated documents.

• Various walk-throughs with client via Facetime.

Home Management

• 24/7 dedicated customer service team.

• Warranty items and emergency service.

• Regular home maintenance and future small projects.

Details: Tim Burch is a vice president and owner of BOWA, an award-winning design and construction firm specializing in renovations ranging from owners’ suites and kitchens to whole-house remodels and equestrian facilities. For more information, visit bowa.com or call 540-687-6771.

You don’t have to sleep in your own bedroom, or even the house, when it’s time to renovate.

School’s Never Out for Fauquier Excellence in Education Foundation

By Jodi Nash

School is out soon, but that doesn’t mean work ends for educators.

Almost 40 years ago, The Committee for Excellence in Education was founded by a group of inspired bankers and Judge J. Gregory Ashwell, with the intention of supporting the ongoing professional development of teachers in Fauquier County Public Schools.

In 2013, local business leaders, school board members, community officials and parents collaborated to expand that mission to include students, administrators, guidance counselors, and all areas of education.

Rebranded as Fauquier Excellence in Education Foundation (FEEF) in 2014, the non-profit has received $212,850 in grants over the years. The funds support a variety of innovative programs implemented in the county, including the Outdoor Lab, the Environmental Studies Academy, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) summer camps, My First Book Club, Eyes on Wildlife, the Orton-Gillingham Institute for Multi-Sensory Education program, and Transitions, which provides hands-on work experience and life skills for Fauquier special education students ages 18-22.

Stacy Griffin, a current board member and the previous executive director, remains passionate about the non-profit’s work.

“It’s a 100 percent volunteer organization,” she said. “We have no overhead other than our website maintenance fees, and all funds donated go to directly to the program.” A grant from Dominion Energy funded the Environmental Studies Academy at Fauquier High School. And Appleton-Campbell (plumbing & HVAC) has partnered with FEEF to guarantee a certain number of jobs to Liberty High School graduates, to encourage career “technical and trade” educational opportunities.

Fauquier High’s exceptional automotive studies program is also a foundation beneficiary. It essentially acts as a conduit for funding everything from continuing

professional development for teachers and counselors, to “a safe and fun after-Prom celebration” for high school seniors.

“Since schools don’t accept credit cards, parents can donate to our ‘bucket’ for this particular campaign,” Stacy said. “Then the funds are split evenly across the board, to provide games, prizes like laptops, food and non-alcoholic beverages at the after-prom parties.”

Another example of FEEF’s remarkable work is Mary Walter Elementary School’s request for support for the fifth grade field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium.

“For $25, you could fund a child to go to the aquarium, to include lunch,” Stacy said. “Many children would never have that opportunity.”

Ideas for how to fill the competitive gaps in the educational system come from the organization’s Board members, who spend much time talking to teachers, administrators, and school board members to identify the most important needs. Those needs are then prioritized, and funds are funneled to the recipient. Funds raised from the “Superintendent’s Scramble” golf tournament at Stonewall Golf Course in Gainesville on June 1 will be used to sponsor an initiative called the New Teacher Academy being implemented for the first time this summer.

This one day training will help reimburse first time teachers (or teachers new to Fauquier schools) for their “new teacher kits” or classroom supplies, familiarize them with the curriculum and how to navigate the technology, and show them how to be functional in the classroom on the challenging first day.

In 2017, the foundation, in partnership with Fauquier County Public Schools and Lord Fairfax Community College, received the inaugural Virginia Governor’s Award for Excellence and Innovation in Education in the category of Community Partnerships and Collaborations.

Details: https://www.fauquiereie.org/.

Fauquier school children benefit greatly from FEEF grants.

Perspectives on Childhood, Education and Parenting

Two Beloved Retiring Teachers Also Embody Effective Parenting

By Tom Northrup

It’s never a good idea to fall asleep at the wheel—especially when you’re negotiating hairpin turns on Route 50 in eastern West Virginia.

That’s what I did when I was 17, driving to Pottstown, Pennsylvania with my father. Fortunately, he observed that I was a little bit slow coming out of the turns for the previous ten minutes or so. I recall awakening as Dad was straightening the wheel. He suggested I pull over, and he would take the reins. No panic, no recriminations. He had trained as a glider pilot in World War II. While my father died in 2005, only recently did one of my brothers suggest that the four of us should compile a list of “Dadisms”—his short, pithy principles which guided our development as children and as adults.

Despite the range of our ages—a span of eighteen years from oldest (me) to youngest—we have consistent and vivid memories of them. A few of the 25 or 30:

• “When you don’t care where you are going, any road will do.”

• “Don’t eat the soup as hot as it’s cooked.”

• “Eye on the target and follow through.”

• “That’s a nothing play.” (My favorite, used to describe some of my pursuits that offered significant risk with no apparent reward.)

Neither he nor my mother ever lectured us. They provided a structure (nightly family dinner, regular bedtimes and expectations, respectful to all, honor commitments) which we understood.

What my brothers and I most appreciated was the latitude they gave us to learn from our mistakes and their faith that we would. They listened and watched, and were always available if we asked for their counsel. That rarely happened when I was a child, but more often in my adulthood.

Recently retired Hill School teachers Sydney and Jack Bowers were honored on May 12 at the school for their teaching excellence and service. Collectively, they had taught for 86 years (Sydney 44, Jack 42) at Hill. A few hundred former and current students, parents, friends and colleagues attended the ceremony and many others wrote to express their appreciation.

The culture Sydney and Jack created in their “classrooms” (Sydney— athletic fields and courts; Jack—8th Grade homeroom and math) was rooted in the conditions for every child to thrive. Their expectations and structure (kindness and respect for all; don’t compare yourself to others—seek your own personal best; embrace mistakes and learn from them) were reinforced daily.

Creating a sense of belonging and connection to the group was their priority for each child; achievement and ongoing growth would naturally follow.

Parenting is a humbling experience and we are fortunate beyond expression when our children have teachers like Jack and Sydney. They become our teachers too. The two of them embodied the best of teaching, as in many ways did my parents. We parents sometimes come to our lessons slowly, and sometimes we rescue our children unnecessarily, denying them an opportunity for growth.

But it’s always wise to step forward when your child might be going off a cliff. Sometimes literally, especially on Route 50 in eastern West Virginia.

NEWS & NOTES

Reaching Out With Much Needed School Supplies

Allie Wolf Hersch lives near Claude Thompson Elementary in Rectortown and drives past it almost every day. Occasionally she looks at its website, and was shocked one day to see the data on the lists of supplies needed for each class in the pre-kindergarten through fifth grade school.

“The third grade had only three dry erasers,” she said. “Every class was pretty much the same way.”

And so, she decided to do something about it. She has a Masters degree in public health, and “I’ve always seen the importance of investing in young people and the impact it can have on a community.”

Claude Thompson is a Title One school, meaning that more than 40 percent of the children, grades pre-K-5, live in poverty, and about 45 percent don’t speak English as their first language.

Allie reached out to school principal Marypat Warder to see how she could help, then set up a GoFundMe page with a message that reads “help Claude Thompson Elementary School improve academic achievement among under-served, minority population students in desperate need of support in order to succeed and uplift the community.”

The initial goal was $6,800 and as of late May, nearly $5,000 was raised. Longterm, according to the GoFundMe page, “the dream is to raise $20,000 to provide the resources needed to improve academic performance and proficiency levels…and would have an unprecedented positive impact on the school and their students.”

The money will be used for all manner of school supplies—notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, erasers, glue sticks, calculators and so much more.

“I’ve gotten a lot of calls from people who say ‘I can’t believe this,’” Allie said. “There’s a real need there, and we’re just trying to help.”

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Grace Episcopal Church Montessori in The Plains has hired Jillian Johncox as its new Head of School.

A Pennsylvania native, Jillian is a resident of Marshall and has a great deal of experience working with children and families in the area as an elementary Special Education teacher for eight years in the Fauquier County school system.

Said Rev. Weston Matthews, “Jillian’s experience leading staff, collaborating carefully with parents and community stakeholders, and using her gifts of empathy and wisdom to love children right where they are is impressive.”

Grace Montessori also is opening a third classroom in September as it begins its fifth year in operation.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The Board of Directors of Long Branch Historic House and Farm in Millwood will salute the accomplishments of two Millwood horse racing luminaries and celebrate Virginia’s rich racing history as part of its annual Summer Celebration party on July 22 from 6-9 p.m.

Forte, the Florida Derby champion, was bred by Amy Moore of Millwood, who was honored as 2022’s Virginia Breeder of the Year by The Virginia Thoroughbred Association. The VTA also recognized Green Up, owned by Althea (Robin) Richards, also of Millwood, as the 2022 Virginia-bred Thoroughbred of the Year.

Long Branch’s own Harry Isaacs had an impressive string of racehorses in his lifetime and created a foundation of stakes-winning bloodlines for others. Many of his trophies are on display in the historic Virginia house.

Don't let sore muscles stop you from enjoying your ride! Riding horses requires a lot of work from your upper and lower body muscles. You likely notice tightness and soreness in your legs and chest after a ride from gripping the saddle and sitting upright. A 1-on-1 assisted stretch is exactly what you need to relieve tension and ensure your next ride is as enjoyable as possible!

Photo © by Vicky Moon Florida Derby champion, Forte.

Strike Up The Band for Middleburg Music Festival

By Leonard Shapiro

For most of the past decade, the Middleburg Concert Series (MCS) has added to the local cultural landscape with a wide range of musical events throughout the year.

It became increasingly difficult to schedule four or five concerts a year without conflicting with one or event or another—an art exhibit here, a garden tour there—when a decision was made to bundle their program into a jam (session) packed weekend of music.

And now, The Hunt Country Music Festival, Year Two, will take center stage— actually a variety of stages in and around Middleburg and Upperville—with “Americana, A Celebration of American Music & History” from Friday, June 30 to Sunday, July 2.

“We just thought instead of having individual concerts throughout the year, that maybe having it all at once would have more of an impact,” said Linda Taylor, a long-time MCS organizer. “It’s probably a lot more work, but we can present a huge variety of music and also do it on a theme basis.”

With July Fourth falling on a Tuesday a few days later, the local event calendar, save for a few organized fireworks displays, was pretty much wide open the weekend before the actual holiday. And the centerpiece event—a free Saturday night concert at the Middleburg Community Center by the Navy’s U.S. Fleet Forces Band—is as Americana as it gets.

The program presented by the renowned 45-member band will include all manner of music, from rousing military marches to the inspiring “1812 Overture.”

“We are so thrilled that they’re coming,” Linda Taylor said. “It’s going to be quite a show.”

The Norfolk-based Fleet Forces Band is under the baton of Band Master Lt. Joel Davidson, who has been with the group for 24 years. Like all the band members, he’s an accomplished trained musician and a career Navy man. So is trumpeter Kristen Snitzer—actually a career Navy woman—the band’s lead Petty Officer who also acts as its main administrator.

She’s been playing the trumpet since the age of 10, is a graduate of Ithaca College and a 16-year member of the band. Like all her fellow musicians, she auditioned for the band even before she formally enlisted, and “most of our people have college degrees in music and are in their 30s and 40s,” she said.

“It’s very common for most of us to make this a career,” she said. “They’ll stick around for 20 to 25 years. It’s a great job for a musician. You can’t beat the pay and the benefits, and we get great audiences wherever we go.”

They often perform in and around Norfolk, with its Navy presence, with a mission to support military ceremonies. But those 45 band members also splinter off more than occasionally to form smaller groups—a woodwind quintet, a brass quintet, a rock band, a jazz combo and more.

The Middleburg festival will get the entire 45-member Fleet band, as well as a number of other talented musical groups over the three-day event. Another highlight will be a “Music Crawl” that will feature four mini concerts held in three walkable locations in Middleburg starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 1.

“There really will be something for everyone,” Linda Taylor said. “It’s going to be a great weekend.”

Details: www.huntcountrymusicfestival.org

Petty Officer Kristen Snitzer

The U.S. Fleet Forces Band will perform July 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Middleburg Community Center.

Photos © by Leonard Shapiro

Joe and Stephanie Spytek

Leah Palmer and Barbara Sharp

Tom McMillen and his wife Judith Niemyer Middleburg Humane Foundation Board Chairman Josh Muss

Jim Gable

Sally Price, executive director of the Middleburg Humane Foundation

TRADITIONS

In 1853, President Franklin Pierce arranged to buy 29,000-plus acres from Mexico for $10 million, in a transaction known as the Gadsden Purchase. Over in England, Tom Oliver rode Peter Simple to victory in the 15th Grand National Steeplechase. And, right here in Upperville, Richard Henry Dulany began the Upperville Colt & Horse Show. Now at 170 years, it’s known as the oldest horse show in the country. Dulany lived at Welbourne and eight plus generations of his family have followed. To celebrate this season’s horse show, friends and family gathered for what was billed as a “Spring Time Tea Dance.”

Photos © Vicky Moon

Painting © Vicky Moon Artist Linda Vorath felt inspired by the timeless classic scene enough to paint “Traditions at Welbourne” 8 x 10 in., oil on linen. To view her work: www.lindavorath.com

AT WELBOURNE

Show President Joe Fargis thanks everyone.

A feather in her hair established a vintage touch.

Sean and Annie Clancy

Steve Dahllof and Walter Kansteiner.

George Morison and his son, Dulany Morison.

Hunt Lyman in patchwork Madras.

Photo by M.J. McAteer Bobby Hilton and one of his latest hot rod

By M.J. McAteer

As grounds manager at Great Meadow, Bobby Hilton could be expected to know a thing or two about horsepower.

For almost 40 years, ever since Arthur W. “Nick” Arundel hired him to help turn a swath of land in The Plains into a premiere facility for equestrian sports, he’s been responsible for keeping its 500 acres in top form for prestige events such as the Virginia Gold Cup.

But the horsepower that Hilton loves won’t be found galloping across Great Meadow’s polo fields or jumping fences on its steeplechase course.

“I never rode horses,” he said. Instead, his beloved horsepower is located under the hood of a car--well, if the car even has a hood. Most of the nationally recognized hot rods Hilton has been building for the past decade don’t. Their gleaming engines are meant to be shown off.

Cars have always been front and center in Bobby’s life. Drag racing was the family business, and, by 16, even before he had a driver’s license, he was behind the wheel of his father’s Top Fuel car. Top Fuel dragsters are the fastest accelerating cars in the world and have been clocked at 335 mph. In 1974, at a short track in North Carolina,

the teenage Bobby ended up with two broken arms after a tire shredded at 230 mph.

Undeterred by a long convalescence, the Cincinnati native continued racing and later drove for Jim and Alison Lee of The Plains. Although the Lees later fired him, he married their daughter, Diane, anyway, which eventually led him to Great Meadow. Since the early ’80s, he and Diane have lived on Old Tavern Road, right across the street. Arundel, who died in 2011, deeded the house to Bobby in his will.

Bobby gave up racing years ago, but his son, Tyler, continues the family tradition of driving top fuel cars. “It’s three generations of nitro,” his father said.

Meanwhile, Bobby’s love of all things automotive found a new outlet when he started building cars for friends for “play money.” What started off as a hobby morphed into a shop and, then, eventually, into Hilton’s Hot Rods, located behind his house in a garage large enough to hold a half dozen cars in various stages of disand re-assembly.

Parked in front of that garage on a windy spring morning was the latest candidate awaiting a makeover, a glossy black 1934 Ford that could have been the getaway wheels for Bonnie and Clyde. The handsome, old sedan cost Bobby $45,000, but he’ll be removing its hood and fenders, chopping or lowering its

roofline and giving it a new engine along with doing a myriad of other alterations to turn it into a hot rod. Ford produced four million Model A’s in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, making them still relatively plentiful as the origin car of choice for hot rod enthusiasts.

“It’s like building a custom home,” Bobby said, explaining that a conversion can “take a year, or two or three.”

The end result is no longer play money, however. A hot rod can sell for as much as $250,000. “They’re like investments,” he said. “They hold their value,” and the hot rod he’ll carve out of that ’34 Ford already is spoken for.

Bobby’s cars have the classic stance of hot rods from the ’50s and ’60s and, unlike some rebuilds, they can be driven on the highway at 60 or 70 mph and not just put on display or babied on a track. Christine Gratton and her husband, Bob, have done a lot of long-distance drives with their Hilton hot rod. Christine said her husband has been into cars his entire life, and when he saw one at a show in Detroit some years back, he was stopped “dead in his tracks.

“Bobby’s hot rods look like they’re going fast, even when they aren’t moving at all,” she said. “I believe he’s going to be one of the famous ones.”

For Bobby Hilton, though, building hot rods is not about getting either rich or famous.

“It’s not a job,” he said. “It’s a passion.”

Photos

Laura and Bruce Smith Ann Dubas

Jodi Nash

Aileen Laing with Jim and Sally Timberlake

Susan Day, Penny Dart, Linda Reynolds and Lynne O’Connell

For Rick Allison, The World Is His Oyster

By Jan Mercker

Rick Allison didn’t plan to come to Middleburg. But when Middleburg came to him, he answered the call. Now his King Street Oyster Bar on Washington Street is a hub of the local restaurant scene, a bustling place to see and be seen.

Rick has been shaking up the dining scene in Loudoun’s historic downtowns for nearly a decade. His first Oyster Bar opened in Leesburg in 2016, followed by the Middleburg location in late 2017. And he’s not done yet. He confirmed to Country ZEST he’s looking for just the right spot to launch a new Italian concept venture in Middleburg.

A Pittsburgh native, he fell in love with cooking thanks to his Italian-American grandmother who ran a restaurant in his hometown. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., he headed to the legendary Cafe Normandie in Annapolis. He then moved on to executive chef roles at DC-based chains Great American Restaurants and Clyde’s Restaurant Group.

He launched The Dock at Lansdowne in 2006 before opening his casual comfort food cafe, Pittsburgh Rick’s in 2014, filling Leesburg bellies with Pittsburgh-style sandwiches and loaded fries. He and his family settled in Purcellville, where he raised his now-adult children.

“We love Loudoun County,” he said. “Back then it was very reasonable to have space and a great community to go with it.”

He had also honed his seafood chops at Cafe

Normandie, but noticed a dearth of fresh seafood and raw bar cuisine in Loudoun.

He wanted to bring some urban flair without high price tags to downtown Leesburg, and the Oyster Bar concept was born. Allison’s friend, commercial real estate broker Don Devine, told him he had the perfect spot in the former Cooley Gallery on King Street.

That location is known for its full-length windows, nautical decor and hand-hewn wood furnishings. The restaurant breathed fresh air into the restaurant

scene downtown and attracted other trendy eateries.

“It was successful pretty much right off the bat. I think it was a good draw,” Rick said. “I feel that we helped put Leesburg back on the map. It helped some other restaurants that may have been hesitant to be like, ‘Hey this is pretty cool–let’s try it.’ Honestly, the more restaurants, the better because it’s going to draw more people and we feed off of each other.”

After seeing the success of the Leesburg flagship, members of the Middleburg Town Council came to Allison about the possibility of a sister restaurant to the south.

He declined three times, but thanks to the town’s persistence, along with the local real estate community, he found a location he couldn’t pass up–the 1920s former Middleburg Bank building on Washington Street. He and business partner Jorge Esguerra were sold.

“We loved it so we were like let’s take a chance and see what happens,” he said, adding that he’s working with local leaders to encourage shops to stay open later so diners can shop and stroll. Meanwhile, he’s on the hunt for the perfect Middleburg spot for his “light Italian” concept.

“I’m waiting to decide what the locations are and what the need is,” he said “We’re flexible….I don’t want to do anything high end. I want you to come twice a week to the restaurant. I want you to feel good. I want a good vibe, and we can feed off our other restaurant.”

Rick Allison, owner of the King Street Oyster Bar

A FAMILY LEGACY OF SERVICE

By John T. Toler

Some families are distinguished by their tradition of military service, and that’s certainly the case of U.S. Army veteran Ed DeNeale III, of Warrenton, who served three tours in Vietnam and multiple assignments in Europe and stateside over a 20-year career.

Ed, 76, can trace his family in America to Colonial days, when ancestor Thomas DeNeale arrived in Virginia in 1701. Later, descendant Col. George DeNeale served under Gen. George Washington in the American Revolution. A close friend of the general, George DeNeale led the troops at Washington’s funeral.

Also serving in the Revolution were George’s brothers, Capt. John DeNeale, an infantry officer, and William DeNeale, an enlisted soldier. Continuing the line, Col. James DeNeale fought in the War of 1812.

During the Civil War, Ed’s ancestors fought on both sides. Southerners Sgt. Maj. William H. DeNeale served with the 3rd North Carolina Artillery, and Col. George Edward DeNeale led the Virginia Choctaw Warriors.

Pvt. Ed DeNeale in 1965, while in Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC.

Serving on the Union side were three maternal ancestors. Privates William P. Grove and Andrew W. Grove, both with units of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, and Sgt. George P. Butler, who married into the DeNeale family, who served in a Michigan cavalry company.

During the Boxer Rebellion in China (18991901), Col. Hugh DeNeale led the “Black Plumes,” a U.S. cavalry unit that was part of the multinational force sent to protect foreigners and missionaries under attack by the Boxer rebels. A few years later, Ed DeNeale’s maternal grandfather, Col. James Grove, served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War I.

During World War II Ed’s uncles, Sgt. Wilfred “Bozzy” Grove, served with Gen. George Patton’s forces in North Africa and Europe, and Sgt. Hugh Grove served in the Marines under Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific. Their sister, Theresa Grove, was a pilot in the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). She was killed when the P-51 Mustang she was ferrying to England was shot down by German fighters over the Atlantic.

Ed’s great uncle, Capt. George C. DeNeale, served in the Marines and his father, Edward DeNeale Jr., served as a civilian contractor making aircraft propellers during the war.

During the Korean War (1950-1953), another uncle, Army Sgt. Philip DeNeale, served as with a tank crew. Ed’s stepbrother, Michael O’Brien, was a signalman in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Hale, stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during the Cold War.

Growing up in suburban Maryland with his mother and stepfather, Ed enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1965 at age 17, right after high school graduation. Underage, his mother had to sign a document permitting him to enlist.

Ed was sent to Ft. Jackson in South Carolina for basic training, and to Ft. Knox in Kentucky for advanced training as a crewman on the M60AI tank. He displayed a talent for land navigation and map reading, and received specialized training as a scout.

Arriving in Vietnam, Ed was on a five-man team conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols (LRRPs) on an armored personnel carrier in the “Elephant’s Ear” region that bordered Cambodia. Missions were intense and dangerous, and Ed remembers how close the crew became while “in country.” Ed was wounded in combat eight times, earning multiple Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, among other medals.

While U.S. forces weren’t officially in Cambodia, Ed estimates that out of the three years he served in Vietnam, for about 10 months his crew fought the enemy in Cambodia. Later in his tour, Ed commanded an APC, and then led the scout platoon. The oldest at age 21, his men called him “Pop,” a nickname that followed him throughout his military career.

Ed’s worst experience in combat came when his crew entered a Cambodian village that had been

wiped out the night before by the genocidal Khmer Rouge. “A six-year-old boy, stabbed in the chest with a bayonet, died in my arms,” Ed recalled. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live. Never.”

Completing his combat service in Vietnam, Ed held senior enlisted positions stateside at Ft. Polk in Louisiana and Ft. Carson in Colorado as well as overseas with the 3rd Armor Division in West Germany. Before retiring in 1985 at the rank of Sergeant First Class (E-7), his last assignment was with the 2nd U.S. Armor Division in Bavaria, on the Czech border.

Back home in Maryland, Ed was a firefighter in Calvert County for 20 years, concurrently working the night shift with the Calvert County Sheriff’s Department. Ed volunteered at historic St. Mary’s City from 1986-91, portraying a colonist in period costume. He also assisted in archeological digs there. He married and is the father of a daughter and two sons, now living in Maryland, Culpeper County and Washington State.

“In 2001, my children ‘kidnapped’ me and brought me to Warrenton,” Ed recalled. “They figured that Virginia was the place for me, since our family had come here in the 1700s.”

Ed’s violent experiences in Cambodia and Vietnam left him with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suffering with nightmares, anxiety and isolation. Hero’s Bridge, a local veterans support group, stepped in to help, visiting Ed at his home, urging him to join other veterans’ organizations and including him in Hero’s Bridge activities.

It was determined that what Ed needed was a service dog, and the best option was Paws4Vets, an

organization based in Wilmington, North Carolina.

“Through one of our volunteers who already had a service dog, Hero’s Bridge assisted Ed with the application process, and friends helped him with traveling back and forth to North Carolina,” recalled Hero’s Bridge volunteer Janelle Huffman. “In November 2021, Ed brought his service dog home, which he named ‘Schulz.’”

A three-year-old Black Lab, Schulz – named for Charles Schulz, creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip – has been Ed’s companion and helper ever since.

“When you get a service dog, you don’t pick the dog, the dog picks you,” Ed explained. Schulz was six months old when training began, and over a period of ten months, Ed traveled to Wilmington to train with him, a week at a time. Man and dog graduated from the program, receiving diplomas and ID cards.

“Schulz can accompany me traveling to 109 countries and all 50 states,” Ed said proudly.

Schulz’s specialized training includes summoning help by pulling alarm cords hanging around the home. Ed noted that he is also a good judge of character.

“If someone comes up who Schulz sees as a threat, he will get in and stand between us.”

Ed did not encourage his children to serve in the military, but the tradition continued with his nephew, Sgt. Michael Arnold, stationed in Germany after the Vietnam War, and greatnephew, Sgt. Michael Wyvill, who fought in Operation Desert Storm. Like Ed, both were tankers, and have since retired.

At home in Warrenton, retired Army SFC Ed DeNeale relaxes with Schulz, his service dog.

Ooh La La

The Middleburg area was well represented at this year’s marathon in Paris, and we’re not talking about Virginia. Among those running were Sophia and Steph Spytek (shown here) along with Verna Stern, Emily Hannum, Tamara and Tom Dunlap, Janie Covington and Alex Arabak. Cheerleaders included Melanie Blunt, Bill Stern, Ashley Kennedy, and Wendy and Henry Heuer.

Photo © Vicky Moon Natalie Lacaze is the new branch manager of the Middleburg Atlantic Union Bank.

Photo © Vicky Moon

This little piggy went to market at the Fauquier Livestock Exchange. Make note: June 10 is the next Poultry and Small Animal Auction.

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro

The Mary MacLeod Woodruff Art Studio was dedicated recently at Hill School in Middleburg. The tiles along the frieze were designed by Unison-based potter Joan Gardner. The late Mrs. Woodruff was a beloved art teacher and librarian at Hill.

Hail to the New “Chief Shaun”

By Carina Elgin

It’s been a very busy few months for Shaun Jones, who was officially sworn in as Middleburg’s new chief of police at a moving ceremony on May 3 at the town’s packed American Legion Hall attended by many law enforcement officials from around the region.

With 23 years in law enforcement, “Chief Shaun” came to Middleburg in 2020 to serve as lieutenant under popular former Chief A.J. Panebianco, who recently retired after 11 years leading the force.

While he was a clear community favorite for the job, Shaun had to endure a nationwide recruitment process with intense interview panels for the position, competing with three current police chiefs from other jurisdictions.

Once chosen, there were bittersweet retirement parties, ceremonies, meetings, a pending office move, paperwork, reports, various training sessions, more meetings and more paperwork, and, of course, the everyday work of keeping Middleburg’s citizens and visitors safe and happy. And, proudly, in the midst of it all came his son’s high school graduation.

“Chief Shaun” still makes his rounds of town, starting with an almost daily stop at the Common Grounds coffee shop. Its owner, Christian Ellis, said, “We still miss A.J., but it’s a pleasure to have Shaun stop in every day for a cup of tea and to chat with the customers.”

On a recent visit, as Shaun bantered with the staff and patrons, long-time employee Justin Costello noted, “We’re very happy he got the job. There are so many good qualities about him that I don’t know where to start. He’s just a real good guy.”

The chief oversees five full-time and three part-time officers and administrative assistant Colleen Bryan. The department is preparing to move into a wing of the new town building being constructed behind the current small brick structure sometime this summer. In addition to offices, there will be a training room, an interview room and a new computerized evidence system.

Chief Shaun said he and his department “are always ready.” In addition to occasional DUI arrests, people locked out of cars, and other “small stuff,” the town police force is always busy training and updating certifications, often collaborating with the Loudoun Sheriff’s office.

The new chief plans to add community outreach and education programs. For example, he wants to hold a “frauds and scams” presentation for the public, because people everywhere, especially the elderly, are falling prey to such cons.

Chief Shaun said he was grateful to be chosen for the job, adding that, “Middleburg is unique. The people are very caring. The residents, the businesses, the visitors, all make it a special place.” He and his wife are slowly looking at options to move closer, to shorten his commute from Spotsylvania.

And he also knows that one of the prerequisites for the job is that, “You have to love animals to be a part of Middleburg, or must learn to love them,” he said with a smile.

He’s always liked dogs and knows most of the village tail-waggers he meets on his walks through town.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve also gotten to know ponies, horses, pigs and goats, and even a bull named Fred. Two donkeys recognize my car and come up to get Lifesaver candies from me. And driving home the other evening, a big black thing crossed the road in front of me, stood up in front of my car so I couldn’t move, and made eye contact.”

The bear was not ticketed for jaywalking. This time.

Shaun Jones, Middleburg’s new chief of police

Country ZEST & Style | Summer 2023

LEAVIN’ ON A JET PLANE

By Sean Clancy

Tom Garner walks into the paddock at Percy Warner Park on a humid afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee. Garner smiles the best a jockey can muster minutes before ignition and leans toward Cool Jet’s camp.

Like he’s holding the nuclear code, Garner almost whispers, “I’m not letting that horse get an easy lead. Nobody else can go, nobody else can lay up with him. I’m not going to do anything that aggressive, but he’s not getting an easy lead.”

I nod. A jockeys’ conviction with minutes to the off is a jockeys’ salvation. The only thing I can do now is instill doubt. I nod again.

The Green Pastures, a 2¼-mile stakes and part of a stellar Iroquois card, enticed six entries Monday morning. Garner wasn’t on Cool Jet, a horse he partnered to finish second at Queen’s Cup two weeks earlier. Graham Watters, first call in Jack Fisher’s barn, was on Cool Jet.

By Wednesday, the 2021 champion, hurting from a sore back suffered the week before, finally succumbed to an MRI. A broken vertebrae and a broken dream. He’s out. Garner is back on Cool Jet. None of this is talked about.

Fisher gives Garner a leg up on Cool Jet. The 7-year-old lopes into a canter toward the backstretch of this mile and a half oval, the Belmont Park of steeplechase courses.

The Hero Next Door, undefeated in two front-running gems so far this spring, breaks sharply from the outside. Freddy Flintshire, Going Country and Proven Innocent melt away from Sterling Young’s flag. That leaves Cool Jet, the bridge between the pace and the pack. Garner starts fingering the nuclear code.

Lightly, I think. Subtly, I implore. All in my mind as I watch from a spot discovered long ago when I was a writer searching for the potential winning trainer. That usually swung to Jonathan Sheppard. The Hall of Famer would watch from this spot, solitary, away from owners (writers!), deep in his thoughts, binoculars the only conveyance long before big screens and pop-up tents. Flatterer…Mistico…Divine Fortune…Arcadius who went out on his shield.

The Hero Next Door leads. Cool Jet tracks. The others are content to watch the back-alley brawl.

I begin to announce the race, binoculars homing in on the action playing out just as Garner had promised.

“…The Hero Next Door leads…Cool Jet tracks him from the inside…Proven Innocent…Freddy Flintshire…Going Country last of all…”

I take a deep breath.

“…The Hero Next Door rolls down the hill…Cool Jet menacing from the inside…”

Another deep breath.

“…Midway down the back…The Hero Next Door and Cool Jet locked together…”

Deep breath.

“…They continue to climb…Cool Jet puts a head in front…around the turn…Cool Jet…

The Hero Next Door…”

I inch closer to the last hurdle. At some point, I go from race caller to commentator, I guess when I know it’s over. The two protagonists are on fumes now. Chugging. Slugging. Heartbreak Hill etches another notch.

“They’re coming to the last…we’re going to be second…a good second…a gallant second…”

The Hero Next Door pins his ears, gradually opening a length, 2 lengths. Cool Jet pins his ears, grinding, scouring. The last fence the only slide still to show. David England steadies The Hero Next Door, sees a spot, starts to launch, then stutters.

“He fell…He fell…”

Sensor screams into the phone, “Oh no, he fell….”

“No…No…Not us…Not us…”

I cringe as The Hero Next Door crashes, a hard fall, and Cool Jet, for a stride, suspends…oh don’t fall over him…don’t fall over him…don’t fall over him. Cool Jet lands and jinks to the right, a 1,200-pound animal, after 2 and 3/16 miles of soul searching, shifts, a linebacker becoming a ballerina in a cauldron.

“He’s going to win…He’s going to win…He’s going to win…”

But he’s not running, not really running. He’s on memory now. Up and down. The final fumes.

I scan back to the others…they’re on fewer fumes. Hold it together Cool Jet. Hold it together. I see The Hero Next Door rise, England rise, that’s what counts, victory and defeat are bedmates.

I start running. A sidestep slide, and finally, celebration. One moment in time. One moment in sport.

VIRGINIA HORSE RACING SCHEDULE 2023

Colonial Downs Summer Thoroughbred Racing Schedule in New Kent, VA

July 13 - September 9

• Racing every Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 1:30 PM

• Arlington Million Day - Saturday, August 12

• Virginia Derby Day - Saturday, September 9

(details at colonialdowns.com)

Shenandoah Downs Fall Harness Racing Schedule in Woodstock, VA

September 16 - October 29

• Racing every Saturday & Sunday at 1:00 PM

• FREE Parking, FREE admission

• Shenandoah County Fair Harness Meet from August 30 - Sept. 2

(details at shenandoahdowns.com)

NSA Sanctioned Steeplechase Fall Meet Schedule

Oct. 1: Foxfield Fall Races in Charlottesville

Oct. 14: Virginia Fall Races in Middleburg

Oct. 28: International Gold Cup Races in The Plains

Nov. 4: Montpelier Hunt Races

(details at nationalsteeplechase.com)

New Owner Continues Old Traditions at Middleburg Tack Exchange

By Linda Roberts

Geraldine Peace invited a visitor into her office at the Middleburg Tack Exchange on West Federal Street, better known by locals as the “back street.” She was surrounded by three of the eight dogs she’s rescued, fostered or that somehow found their way to her nearby farm. Each has a story.

A long-time dog and horse trainer, Geraldine started her Middleburg Horse Management business 12 years ago, helping clients train their horses while also working to help people create their vision for a newly purchased estate or farm.

She rides with the Orange County Hounds, buys and sells horses, and is constantly helping clients with problems they may encounter with their own animals. She took on yet another responsibility when, after some deliberation, she took over the popular Middleburg Tack Exchange when its founder, Jo Motion, retired several years ago.

“I had just had back surgery and was reassessing my world when I learned that Jo was wanting to retire and was looking for a new owner for the business,” Geraldine said. A Brit by birth, she was well acquainted with the Motion family. Jo, now 92, was a long-time friend of her father, Colin, an equine veterinarian in England.

Geraldine also was familiar with the Tack Exchange and its contents—all things equine from a multitude of fine leather goods that include high quality saddles, bridles, boots and riding attire to books, clippers, horse blankets, and even hair nets to keep stray locks looking neat under a riding helmet.

While specializing in everything for the fox hunter, including advice for what is proper and what is not in the hunt field, the store’s merchandise covers the gamut.

In short, this well-stocked business is an equestrian paradise, whether a fox chaser, show rider, or the weekend trail-riding enthusiast who enjoys meandering around the countryside. Many gently used items are constantly being consigned and purchased and new merchandise is also featured.

Jo Motion’s terms of ownership came with one caveat—that the shop’s two longtime employees, Georgie Summers and Norma Thompson, stay on to help run the business and ensure a smooth transition. Fortunately for Geraldine, they both accepted and, she said, “I couldn’t have done this without them.”

Quite familiar with the horse world, Georgie worked in the saddlery business for more than 30 years. She joined the Tack Exchange in 2002. Norma has ridden all her life and makes her home at Earth Borne Farm near Berryville where she breeds quarter horses and Palominos. She joined the shop in 2007.

“I called it a trial by fire when I joined,” Norma recalled. “It was fox hunting season and we were quite busy here with customers.”

Following Jo Motion’s wishes to keep the business the same, Geraldine has only made a few changes, including a computer system she said, “Has made

our day-to-day operations much easier for all of us.” Geraldine is fond of “unique and unusual things” and the Tack Exchange’s merchandise occasionally features items reflective of her tastes such as the handsome hunt whips that complete a foxhunter’s attire and the equestrian-themed jewelry in the front window. And, because polo is rapidly growing as a participant sport, she plans to begin stocking more items reflective of this equine discipline.

Catering to the young riders who accompany their parents in the door seeking quickly outgrown riding clothes at affordable prices, the Tack Exchange provides the perfect solution. Geraldine is mulling

over plans to expand her current inventory, and possibly store space, to accommodate small size boots, britches and jackets geared toward pint-sized wearers and their older brothers and sisters.

Riders, trainers, owners, and equine enthusiasts— in from all parts of the country for the Upperville Horse Show—are delighted to visit Middleburg in June when no trip is complete without a visit to the Tack Exchange.

Details: The Middleburg Tack Exchange is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Visit www. middleburgtack.com.

Photo by Linda Roberts

Middleburg Tack Exchange proprietor Geraldine Peace is flanked by longtime employees Norma Thompson (left) and Georgie Summers.

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New Head of Virginia Land Trust - All In On Easements

By Leonard Shapiro

Ashton Cole had no idea what he wanted to do after graduating from the University of Mary Washington with a degree in International Affairs twenty years ago. He thought about teaching, worked as a camp counselor and “bounced around a little” before taking a job with a Leesburg attorney who specialized in handling easements for his clients.

Ashton didn’t know much about the process at that time, though years later he eventually learned that his father, the late Geoffrey Cole, a former Commonwealth’s Attorney for Clarke County, had actually donated an easement on their family cattle farm on Lockes Mill Road in Clarke County, months prior to his death when Ashton was only 17. One of his dad’s longtime friends, Bob Lee, then the Director of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, had convinced Ashton’s father it would be a good idea six months before he passed away unexpectedly from an aneurism at age 50. A few years later, Ashton became very familiar with the easement process both at that Leesburg law firm, and when his godfather, Chris Dematatis, joined the board of the Middleburg-based Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) in 2005.

At that point, Ashton’s interest in local land conservation had become firmly planted, and when the opportunity arose to work with LTV, he jumped on it, and hasn’t looked back.

Ashton, who lives in Bluemont with his wife Louise, and their three young children, started as a part-time LTV employee in 2007. Six months later, he was named as the full-time Stewardship Coordinator for the non-profit. Fast forward to 2023, and Ashton, after a long stretch as LTV’s Director of Conservation and Stewardship, succeeded retiring Sally Price as the organization’s new executive director on January 1.

Ashton admitted he needed a little convincing to take on that leadership role, only because “I loved the work I was doing so much. To risk changing that, I hadn’t really considered it, since there would be a lot more administrative, fundraising, and other management involved which hadn’t been my typical beat. But it was Sally’s judgement I’d be a good fit, and she talked me into it. I’m glad she did, because I love the new role, and I love our team even more.

“Despite 15 years at LTV, this is my first time at the helm, and there are quite a number of things I’m still experiencing for the first time, but it’s been great, especially with the dedicated folks I’m surrounded by. There are so many talented people on our board and on our staff, and no one was going to let me fail. This is truly a team effort. And Sally has now joined our Board, which I’m very happy about.”

LTV has 242 properties in easement and is currently working on about 20 more. The vast majority are in Loudoun, Fauquier and surrounding counties, and in recent years, it’s expanded to serve numerous new counties across the state, a trend Ashton intends to continue.

According to the LTV, “conservation easements protect open space, farms, forests, rivers, streams, battlefields, vistas and historic sites in perpetuity… What changes is that the land itself is protected from development forever.”

“We’re going to try to keep on track with what we’ve been doing.” Ashton said. “We’ll continue to protect land in the northern Piedmont, but there are other parts of the state that are under-served, especially in the southwest, so we need to be prepared to work in those areas as well.

“We also have an initiative that’s focused on the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Trail corridor,” he said. “It’s in our own back yard and it’s highly vulnerable, with a high percentage of it still unprotected. With ever present and often increasing development pressure, we definitely can’t rely on zoning to do the job. The permanency of easements is what works, and what inspires me, and that remains unchanged.”

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro Ashton Cole, the new executive director of the Land Trust of Virginia.

Loudoun Proves Right Choice for Madison Wealth Management

By Linda Roberts

Jim McDermott is a firm believer in the team concept as he proudly speaks about Madison Wealth Management, the independent financial advisory firm that he founded in 2000.

“We have a three-point strategy,” he said, speaking in his attractively furnished Leesburg office about Madison’s overall team approach. “It’s getting to know our clients, finding out what they hope to achieve financially, and helping them to reach that goal.”

This plan has served him well since entering the financial field after graduating from Georgetown University and then entering Sovran Bank’s management training program years ago. He soon found that being a good communicator and knowing how to connect with people was the key to success in the financial arena.

His career later led to a position with NationsBank in Leesburg and then on to Cincinnati to join a private banking institution. Jim then went out on his own, establishing a Madison presence there before circling back to Loudoun County to open offices in Leesburg and Bethesda. He and his wife, Rebecca, and their two daughters live south of Leesburg and love their life in Loudoun.

Citing the county’s dynamic economic activity as the firm’s ideal location, he finds that the average client profile for the Leesburg office is somewhat younger than his other two offices. He added that

referrals are what bring new clients to Madison. Liquidity events such as an inheritance or the sale of a business are typical avenues that attract clients seeking Madison’s financial advisory strategies.

Following a three- to five-year time frame with his clients helps to build diversified portfolios that are “all-weather.” Madison focuses on the longterm outcome in working with their clients, looking to manage risks and avoiding unnecessary risks in the current market. Speaking of his team and its approach to the market,” he said with a smile, “We are cautiously optimistic people all the time.”

“We are 23 years in and growing,” Jim added, noting

that Madison is overseeing more than $1.2 billion for its clients, who are “high and ultra-high, multi-generation families.” Madison’s typical client is financially successful with financial assets of $1 million and more.

Excitement about the Loudoun area and finding ways in which Madison can play a role in the community has led McDermott and members of his team to become actively involved in supporting nonprofit organizations. Giving back has become second nature for members of the firm.

He serves as vice president of the Inova Loudoun Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees and also serves as vice-president of Morven Park’s Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation Board of Trustees in Leesburg. Madison is actively involved with the nonprofit Loudoun Impact Fund, which always seeks new members. Last year the Impact Fund’s giving circle, of which Madison is a member, provided over $100,000 in support of local organizations that serve the greatest needs.

“Giving back to the community is something that our team members practice at all three of our locations,” he said.

Being involved with his family, following a challenging financial career, and putting his clients’ best interests first have all brought “joy and satisfaction” to Jim McDermott over the years. He likes to say that Madison Wealth Management is all about “clients, colleagues and community.”

Photo by Linda Roberts

The Madison Wealth Management, Leesburg office team, are (from left): Caitlin Serotkin, Kelly Blanks, Jim McDermott, President; Heather Molloy, Jeanne Sands and Laura Sullivan.

Loudoun Symphony Has a New Maestro

By Joe Motheral

The Loudoun Symphony Orchestra (LSO) began in 1991 and recently completed an extensive search for a new conductor/music director. After reviewing more than 100 applicants, they selected Kim Allen Kluge, the long-time conductor of the Alexandria Symphony.

“The LSO began as a community orchestra and has evolved into a semiprofessional regional orchestra,” said Karen Knobloch, the LSO’s executive director. “We also have a youth orchestra program serving 135 students and we also produce Sidenotes—performances shared virtually.”

Maestro Kluge has an impressive resume. He composes socially conscious music in partnership with his wife, Kathryn, and has worked in film making with the likes of widely regarded director Martin Scorsese.

“I believe in the power of music to inspire, transcend, unite communities and to bring about positive change in the world,” he said. “I’m thrilled to join the Loudoun Symphony and the Loudoun community as we create music together.”

He’s a valedictorian graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he served as concertmaster of the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra and received the coveted Arthur Dann Award for Outstanding Pianist and the Pi Cappa Lamda Scholarship for Musical Excellence.

He pursued doctorates in piano and conducting from the University of Maryland and received a conducting diploma from the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.

His first concert with the LSO will be “Ice on Fire” at the ION International Training Center in Leesburg on June 10, 2023. The full orchestra will be seated on a platform on ice and feature performances by headline ice skaters and ice dancers.

One of the orchestra’s biggest challenges is finding a place to perform.

“Loudoun County does not have a performing art center with a stage large enough to accommodate the 55 musicians,” Karen said. “Therefore the LSO and the Youth Orchestra rehearse in public schools but these are not stable places as the school takes priority.”

The LSO is currently hosted by St. David’s Episcopal Church and the smaller ensembles have performed at Middleburg Community Center and Morven Park.

“Our musicians are challenged and nourished artistically by repertoire choices,” Karen said. “Some works that are being performed this year are wicked hard and it’s interesting to watch rehearsals and see it all come together.

“It’s also interesting to hear from members of the audience who appreciate the classical works. While they may not enjoy newer works written by underrepresented composers, they do appreciate them.”

Details: For more information go to www.loudounsymphony.org.

Discover What Makes Us Experts at Educating Girls

Maestro Kim Allen Kluge

Historic Manor House Has Countless Possibilities

Alwyngton Manor, located in Old Town Warrenton, was built in 1855 by John Quincy Marr (1825-1861) for his mother, sisters and himself.

Marr was born in Warrenton and graduated second in the Class of 1846 at the Virginia Military Institute. In the years before the Civil War, he served as Fauquier County Treasurer, Sheriff, and Presiding Justice of County Courts. Following John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, he organized the Warrenton Rifles militia for home defense and, in 1861, sat as a Delegate in the Virginia Secession Convention.

Commissioned a Lt. Colonel in the Confederate Army on May 5, 1861, he served on garrison duty with the Warrenton Rifles at Dumfries, Bristoe Station, and Fairfax Courthouse.

In the early hours of June 1, 1861, 50 men of the 2nd United States Cavalry rode past the Fairfax Courthouse firing their weapons. One random bullet killed Marr while he was standing in a clover field at the roadside, making him the first Confederate officer killed in the war.

The next owners, Mr. and Mrs. Scott Nesbitt, bought the home in the 1890s. They raised their children there and saw their grandchildren raised there as well.

In recent years, Alwyngton Manor has been enjoyed by many as a wedding and event venue offering guest rooms.

The 10,000-plus square foot home features nine bedrooms and nine baths, including separate

An expansive foyer presents a grand entrance way.

Alwyngton Manor from the front in all its historic majesty.

The kitchen is thoroughly modern from top to bottom.

apartments. The first floor offers multiple, spacious rooms for entertaining, dining, office and study plus a modern and commercial kitchen with room for catering. The grounds include four-plus acres of lush lawn and beautiful 150-year-old trees, a lovely garden with ivy-covered walls, 100 pale pink rose bushes and a lily pond. The grounds also include a gazebo, a long and circular driveway and a detached, multi-car garage. Alwyngton Manor would be an impressive personal residence with room for staff or could function as a private school or other investment property with commercial uses.

ALWYNGTON MANOR

Warrenton, Virginia

Listed at $1.9 million

Long & Foster Real Estate

For an appointment, contact

Joyce Gates 540-771-7544

540-338-1350 office

joyce.gates@LNF.com

Charlie Ebbets 540-229-7808

An outdoor terrace offers plenty of party possibilities.

There’s a gorgeous garden, a hundred rose bushes and even a lily pond.

The wide open dining room is a splendid space for entertaining.

Sunday, October, 22nd, 2022

4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Middleburg Student Named First Eura Lewis Scholarship Winner

Maxwell Garrett Humphrey of Middleburg, a senior at Loudoun Valley High School, has been named the winner of the first Eura Lewis Memorial Scholarship established this year by the Middleburg Library Advisory Board (MLAB).

The $5,500 scholarship is named for Eura Lee Hudgins Lewis of Middleburg, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 92. She was a long-time member of the advisory board, a devoted school teacher for 40 years and a former Middleburg Town Council member.

Grab the family and join us for tasty farm to fork food, music by the iconic bluegrass band The Seldom Scene, and a dazzling sunset at Ayrshire Farm. Ayrshire is Virginia's first double Certified Organic and Certified Humane farm and is permanently protected with an LTV conservation easement. View their heritage animals, participate in our auction, children's activities, and more!

Reserve your tickets now! Early bird pricing ends July 15!

$1,200 - Sunset Box (Reserved table for 6 guests with premier views of the band, bottle service, and gourmet appetizers. ONLY 10 AVAILABLE!)

$85 – 1 ticket

$150 – 2 tickets

$280 – 4 tickets

$25 - 1 youth ticket (11-17) Free 10 and under

Want to help LTV conserve more working farms?

Consider adding a contribution to our Malcolm Baldwin Farmers Fund, used to reduce easement costs for farmers across Virginia, and receive additional recognition in our event promotion.

$25 – Stockman

$50 – Rancher

$100 – Pioneer $500+ – Trailblazer

Tickets may be purchased online at landtrustva.org, or call us at 540-687-8441.

The board also awarded honorable mention $1,000 Eura Lewis scholarships to Jacob Thomas of Ashburn, a freshman at James Madison University, Winley Turner of Middleburg, a senior at Foxcroft, and Paul Basinger of Middleburg, a senior at Loudoun Valley.

In addition, Winley and Paul were awarded a $1,500 Charles Plante Book Scholarship, also established by the MLAB in 2019 in honor of Charles L. Plante of Middleburg, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 84. Only current high school students were eligible for the Plante scholarship.

Max Humphrey has been accepted and will attend the University of Virginia next year. At Loudoun Valley, he’s a member of the National Honor Society, was a starter on the varsity lacrosse team and is a candidate for an Eagle Scout. He also has an impressive community service resume, including volunteering at the Seven Loaves food bank.

All the scholarship recipients were honored at a reception at the Middleburg Library on May 17.

The recipients were: Paul Basinger, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship plus $1000 Eura Lewis Honorable Mention; Tyler Clites, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Chloe Cook, Marshall, Fauquier High School, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Brianna Dillmuth, Purcellville, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Maxwell Humphrey, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $5500 Eura Lewis Scholarship; William McGroddy, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Aris Roberts, Middleburg, Highland School,$1500 Plante Scholarship; Jacob Thomas, Ashburn, James Madison University, $1000 Eura Lewis Honorable Mention; Winley Turner, Middleburg, Foxcroft, $1500 Plante Scholarship plus $1000 Eura Lewis Honorable Mention.

Eura Lewis, a long-time teacher in the Fauquier County public schools, served on the Board of the MLAB for many years. She was extremely active in both her church and her community and served on many missions and boards, including the Middleburg Town Council, where she served for 12 years. While running for local office her slogan was “Making a Difference,” and everything she was involved in centered on that theme.

Charles Plante devoted his professional life to promoting public causes, especially for the infirmed. He was most proud of his roles in expanding Medicare, the End Stage Renal Disease program (ESRD), the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, his role in the founding of United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), and his life long support of neurosurgery.

He also served on the MLAB for many years. The scholarship named in his honor is intended to recognize his lasting legacy to those who intersected with him and the millions who benefitted from his quiet good works. The scholarship awards are designated for college textbooks for students recognized for academic achievement, community service and their love of literature.

Photo by Leonard Shapiro Merley Lewis, the daughter of the late Eura Lewis, presents a check to Maxwell Humphrey of Middleburg, the first recipient of the Eura Lewis Scholarship awarded by the Middleburg Library Advisory Board. Maxwell will be a freshman at the University of Virginia in the fall.

Open an Inn and You’re Playing With Fire

By John Sherman

This is a recall—-or the best I can make of it—-of a rather chaotic opening of the Ashby Inn one Thanksgiving almost forty years ago. I confess to adding a pinch or two of artistry to thicken the tale.

We got into the restaurant business by reckless necessity.

Our plan was to get our feet wet, before thinking about opening a restaurant. Smart.

We had six rooms. So we only took guests Friday and Saturday nights, which included a fixed dinner menu and a full English breakfast. Maximum twelve.

Roma had never cooked in a commercial kitchen, and still kept a couple of advertising clients. (“You’re a great cook; you should open an inn.”) I was still commuting into Capitol Hill. Whatever I knew about restaurants I picked up from behind a white starched table cloth—-dining around Washington on someone else’s dime. (“He’s good with people.” A half-truth.)

Of course, we should open an inn.

A natural.

Our best friends filled the rooms the first Saturday. We rented three tables. The only chairs we could find on short notice came out of an Indian restaurant—red velvet with gold finials. The second weekend five friends came. The plan seemed to be working. The third week we got two, with no prospects ahead.

It was a mid-November morning when Roma picked up the ringing phone. I was just passing by.

“No, we’re just open for guests.” Pause. “Well, I don’t know. We don’t have many tables.” Pause. “Just the standard Thanksgiving dinner with turkey.” Pause. “I don’t know, how about one o’clock?”

Are you kidding? It was doubtful we could beg more capital from the Middleburg Bank. We knew no ready backers. The decision was alarmingly obvious.

One of my favorite restaurants at the time was Marco Polo. Its owner, Michele Brotomo, and I became food friends. I mentioned that we were about to be become a restaurant. Having started in the business as a teenager in Naples, he just shook his head. Then he asked for reservations for his family of eight.

The traditional path for new restaurants is to begin with a “soft” opening, where friends fill the tables, giving the owner a chance to catch any misfirings in the kitchen and the front of house—an impresario watching his actors perform.

The day broke, as they say. Roma was in the kitchen by herself, with a dishwasher, Nancy Smith. Reservations came to twenty. We knew we were in for a very hard opening. Unable to find a server, the job fell to me. But first, I was the bar man.

“Mister Boston,” the bible of mixology, was at hand. We had three wines: red, white, rose. I could handle those. I could pour booze, which completed my repertoire. Taking and filling orders was not.

The arriving guests drifted down to the cozy taproom where a fire burned, horse brasses shined and a dartboard hung. The first orders trickled in, mostly white wines for the women and bourbon for the men. I dutifully wrote the orders on a pad and filled them. The pace quickened as more guests came down.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to mix a Harvey Wallbanger…Jeez, I have no cherries for a Manhattan.”

Beyond being totally over my head, the worst awaited. I had failed to write names on the order slips. Instead I scribbled “red tie” or “fat bald.” It didn’t take long for the festive, forgiving crowd to turn a bit sour as they waited twenty minutes for a drink. Michele and family arrived, he in a classy mohair suit.

Forget that I’d failed to make up a list of prices; the final disaster was struggling

with the manual credit card machine.

Michele went up to see how Roma was faring in the kitchen. He quickly returned and whispered, “You in trouble.”

I passed the last glass to an unsmiling guest and headed for the kitchen. Every dish had been prepped: French onion soup with crouton and Gruyere cheese. Whole turkeys with sausage dressing, mashed potatoes, carrots, creamed onions. Store-bought pumpkin pies for dessert.

I suggested people find a table; some were not happy to share. Michele hung his jacket on a rack and returned to the kitchen, where Roma was about to put the soup bowls under the broiler. “You got no time,” he said, punching the crouton and cheese down into the hot broth. I followed him to the upper dining room with a tray of soup, which he dispatched with the aplomb of a waiter he once was.

Roma was carving the turkeys, I was awkwardly filling the plates which Michelle—-two plates on each arm—-carried them up to the dining room. On his third trip, applause broke out. They got it. Cheer returned, if not complete forgiveness. He later hugged Roma, kissed her on both cheeks and welcomed her into the ranks of professional chefs. I thought he was going to blood her with a cross of soup on the forehead.

The last credit card was submitted and the one inn guest settled in the Fireplace Room on the second landing. Roma and I headed for the taproom to get hammered. Suddenly, the fire alarm screamed.

White smoke was leaking from under the door. I pounded. The door opened. A woman of stunning height with white hair and draped with a gold lame gown stood there, enveloped in smoke. She stared at me as if I had lit the fire. Her husband lay on the bed with a hangdog look.

My father’s prophetic warning suddenly echoed back. “Why the hell would you let perfect strangers light fires in your house?’’ I remember him shaking his head, as if talking to a six year-old.

I got to the fireplace, grabbed the poker, rolled out a flaming log—-and pulled down the flue. I moved them to a room with no fireplace. It was my first of many effusive apologies to come over the next couple of decades. Then I returned to the taproom where Roma awaited with an open bottle.

The couple ate breakfast in silence, smelling faintly of smoke. The next day I ripped out all the flues.

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K r i s t i n D i l l o n - J o h n s o n ’ s p a s s i o n , d r i v e a n d f o c u s k e e p h e r r i s i n g t o t h e c h a l l e n g e w h e n c o m p e t i n g h o r s e s A s a n e x p e r i e n c e d r e a l e s t a t e a g e n t , t h e s e s a m e t r a i t s p u s h h e r t o b e h e r b e s t e v e r y d a y , p r o f e s s i o n a l l y , a s w e l l W h e n K r i s t i n i s f o c u s e d o n y o u r i n v e s t m e n t g o a l s , s h e i s c o m m i t t e d t o h e l p i n g y o u a c h i e v e e x c e p t i o n a l r e s u l t s . F o r y o u r n e x t m o v e i n L o u d o u n , C l a r k e , o r F a u q u i e r , c a l l K r i s t i n D i l l o n - J o h n s o n a n d s e i z e y o u r o p p o r t u n i t i e s

*Photos by Dillon Keen Photography

LOOK NO FURTHER, YOU BELONG IN HORSE COUNTRY

littleton farm

153 acres

$7,880,000

Upperville – This premier estate is a paradise with the main house for grand living and entertaining; 2 horse barns, riding ring and trails to ride out. Multiple outdoor living spaces perfect for enjoying the landscape of Virginia’s horse country.

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

delaplane manor

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

zachary taylor hwy.

241+ acres $2,410,000

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.

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

541 +/- acres

$7,800,000

Beautiful rolling hills and pasture located in Flint Hill, Virginia. This scenic property is surrounded by unspoiled countryside and expansive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering a private and quiet escape to enjoy.

Will Driskill | 540-454-7522

101 acres

$5,500,000

A very special and rare private sanctuary. Extraordinary location only 6 miles west of Warrenton, 45 min. to Dulles Int. Airport and one hour to the White House. With world-class construction, Stoneledge is the benchmark for a luxury countryside retreat.

John Coles | 540-270-0094

107+ acres

$5,495,000

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.

John Coles | 540-270-0094

303 acres

$3,750,000

This estate is waiting for someone with the eye for interior finishes to bring it to life. Minutes from the charming village of Sperryville and enjoys convenient proximity to Culpeper Regional Airport and Warrenton-Fauquier Airport.

Will Driskill | 540-454-7522

4 windsor lodge ln.

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.

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

111+ acres

$3,300,000

Boyce – Main Residence w/ 6 BRs /4 full and 2 half BAs, 6 car garage, Swimming pool, hot tub, pool house w/ full BA, Tenant House w/ 2 car garage, Office w/ an apt building of 3 one-bedroom apts + office. Stable w/ 21 stalls, Outdoor riding arena. Rebecca Poston | 540-771-7520

57 acres $2,700,000

Middleburg – Once part of the famed Mellon Estate, this exquisite land offers expansive views and wonderful privacy. VOF currently owns the property and holds the easement. NOTE: the residence and 15 acres are in a LIFE ESTATE.

Rebecca Poston | 540-771-7520

jericho road

154+ acres

$1,700,000

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.

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

4 acres $650,000

Flint Hill – 2 lots: 2456 and 2452 Jericho Road. Each home features 3 BRs and 2 BAs. Both homes share a well, a septic and share a driveway. Each home has a storage shed which is located next to the parking area. 2456 has a partially fenced yard.

Julia O'Regan | 202-468-0751

alnell

george miller house

stoneledge hidden trail

millwood farm

zachary taylor rd.

oak spring road