Extensive stone walls, notable formal garden & terraces | 3 tenant houses and multiple farm buildings
$5,300,000
Paul MacMaHon 703.609.1905
Helen MacMaHon 540.454.1930
LONG BRANCH
THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA
Gorgeous 71 acre parcel in a wonderful location between Middleburg and The Plains | Rolling land with stone walls and 2 ponds | Enchanting property | Must drive all the way up to the building site to appreciate the setting and views and privacy | 4 bedroom certification letter from Fauquier County, driveway installed | Property is in conservation easement and may not be divided further
$1,550,000
Helen MacMaHon 540.454.1930
RAMEY ROAD
MARSHALL, VIRGINIA
Discover the potential of this expansive 86-acre property located on Ramey Road in Marshall | This versatile land offers a mix of pastures, mature hardwoods, and scenic views, making it ideal for various rural uses | The property provides a perfect canvas whether you are looking to establish a working farm, create an equestrian haven, or build your dream home in a tranquil setting | In conservation easement
$999,000
anne MicHael Greene 703.774.4748
WOODCROFT
PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA
Home was custom built by current owner in 1988 & within the last year updated 4 BR, 5 1/2 BA, 2 FP, 2-car garage w/ electric charger Gourmet kitchen, granite counters, breakfast nook, family room off kitchen, lovely screen sunporch Lower level includes gym & temperature controlled wine cellar Pool renovated in 2023/2024 | New travertine pavers Pool house w/ kitchenette & bath 2-stall barn can easily be expanded, renovated in 2014 | In 2008 a prayer garden was established & provides a place for meditation & refuge | Garden is planted w/ boxwoods & many sun & shade loving perennials | 4 mature katsura trees provide shade & home for birds Large garden shed & gazebo
$4,480,000
Paul MacMaHon 703.609.1905
Brian MacMaHon 703.609.1868
LEITH LANE
MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA
Charming update farmhouse | 3/4 bedrooms | Kitchen with stone fireplace and sunroom | New roof | Fully finished lower level | Renovated Primary suite | 3-car garage | 5 stall barn and 3 paddocks | 3.5 acres
$1,295,000
Helen MacMaHon 540.454.1930
BUNKER HILL ROAD
Helen MacMaHon 540.454.1930 Brian MacMaHon 703.609.1868
UPPERVILLE LAND
UPPERVILLE, VIRGINIA
Excellent Loudoun County location minutes to Upperville and Middleburg | Surrounded by large properties all mostly in conservation easement | Land is gently rolling, stone walls, mountain views, mature woods and decent pasture | 4-bedroom perc site and an existing well
$1,195,000
Paul MacMaHon 703.609.1905
Brian MacMaHon 703.609.1868
HALFWAY ROAD
THE PLAINS,
VIRGINIA
Small cottage in the village of Halfway | Conveniently located between Middleburg and The Plains | 3 bedrooms | Larger than it appears | Lots of outbuildings: garage, workshop and storage shed | House is modest and in need of renovation | Well is shared with the neighbor and it appears to have a one bedroom septic | Sold in AS IS condition
$375,000
Helen MacMaHon 540.454.1930
In Marshall, It’s Waste Disposal With A Smile
By Leonard Shapiro
Peggy Wang has one of the easiest commutes of all to a job she’s now held for more than 36 years. She can walk from her house just a few minutes away from the Marshall waste collection site, pretty much known to one and all simply as “The Dump.”
She won’t be making that walk much longer though because she’s retiring at the end of the year at age 71. For many locals, the place where they regularly dispose of their trash, their recycled cans and bottles, newspapers, cardboard and all manner of bulk items won’t be the same without her.
Wang has been a constant presence, Tuesday through Saturday, since 1987, when she first took the job as a Fauquier County employee. She also helps keep the place as spotless as possible considering that most weekdays, 300 vehicles come through the entrance, with 400 on the weekends.
She’s a natural born talker, and better yet, an even better listener.
“People come here and they tell me about their lives,” Wang said, sitting in her tiny and so tidy office cabin that includes a mini-refrigerator, microwave, radio and television. “They talk to me because I’ll talk to anyone. Sometimes I make them laugh, especially older people. They really like to talk because it makes them happy. And I’ll help them carry their trash if they need it.”
Wang is mostly happy about her work, save for the times she has to tell someone they’ll have to take certain items elsewhere.
“People want to bring old mattresses, electronics, air conditioners, humidifiers, tires,” she said. “That has to go to the landfill in Warrenton, and they don’t like to hear that.”
The facility is only open to Fauquier residents, and at times she also must tell visitors with out-of-state license plates they’ll have to turn around and leave.
“Most people I know, they’re from here,” she said. “They don’t have to show me a piece of paper. I do get cussed sometimes because we won’t take their stuff. I’m used to that. It bothers you, but that’s part of the job.”
Wang knew all about the job growing up in Marshall, in the same house she still lives in. Her parents, the late Lynn and Mary Rector, also worked at the facility until they retired.
She graduated from Fauquier High School in 1974 and had several other jobs, working as a housekeeper at the Fauquier Hospital and later at the now closed Warrenton Motor Lodge, where she did a little bit of everything, including cooking in the motel’s small restaurant.
That’s where she met her husband, but they separated in 1989 and she’s remained happily single ever since. She was hired to her present position by the former head man, Johnny Hitt, who lived for awhile in the old schoolhouse next door.
There are other unpleasant tasks at the collection site, folks dumping trash in the recycle bins, not flattening cardboard boxes or properly piling up newspapers, or dealing with equipment mechanical issues.
But on Jan. 1, she’ll leave it all behind, the better to take care of her nearby house and property, to watch car racing and bull riding on TV, to visit nearby country fairs.
And what will she miss most?
“The people,” she said. “I just like to talk to people. It makes me happy, too. They know they can tell me things they can’t tell anyone else. And I don’t tell. I can keep a secret.”
25th Anniversary Grace Church Concert Series
Sunday, November 24, 2024; 5 pm
Andrew Sords, violin; John Walz, cello; Tim Durkovic, piano
Works by de Falla, Mendelssohn’s “Song Without Words”, and Mendelssohn’s C Minor piano trio.
The Sords-Walz-Durkovic Trio’s début for the storied Palm Springs Concert Series was hailed as ‘technically superb; melodious, resonant, expressive, and passionate. The audience could not stop applauding ’ Together, the trio of virtuosi unite for works by Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, and Mendelssohn. John Walz is the principal cellist for the Los Angeles Opera and has appeared on over 1400 soundtracks. Timothy Durkovic’s piano abilities are comprehensive - chamber continents and with hundreds of orchestras. Their performance for the series is not to be missed.
Sunday, December 1, 2024; 5 pm
A special performance by Michael Gilliland, pianist
or Not — Michael
Michael Gilliland holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Penn State University While a student, he ser ved as the Drumline Captain of the Penn State Marching Blue Band and was a member of the piano studio of Dr Timothy in Piano at the same institution. His program will include a variety of pieces drawn and harmonies.
Sunday, December 18, 2024; 5 pm
Paragon Philharmonia
Baroque Christmas
Celebrate the holiday season with the joyous sounds of Baroque music! Join Paragon Philharmonia and the Grace Church Choir for festive favorites and timeless carols.
For tickets please visit: http://artsintheplains.org/
Allegro from Sonata in F Major — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Consolations — Franz Liszt
Weather
Gilliland
Photo by Leonard Shapiro Peggy Wang is there, rain or shine.
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
Contributing Photographers:
Doug Gehlsen
Crowell Hadden
Sarah Huntington
Nancy Kleck
Douglas Lees
Camden Littleton
Karen Monroe
Tiffany Dillon Keen
Donna Strama
Official Fine Artist
Linda Volrath
Contributing Writers:
Drew Babb
Emma Boyce
Sean Clancy
Denis Cotter
Philip Dudley
Mike du Pont
Valerie Archibald Embrey
Ronen Feldman
Jimmy Hatcher
Michele Husfelt
Laura Longley
Hunt Lyman
M.J. McAteer
Joe Motheral
Jodi Nash
Chip Newcome
Tom Northrup
Ali Patusky
Melissa Phipps
Pat Reilly
Linda Roberts
John E. Ross
Constance Chatfield-Taylor
John Sherman
Peyton Tochterman
John Toler
Leslie VanSant
Mike Wipfler
Louisa Woodville
For advertising inquiries, contact: Leonard Shapiro at badgerlen@aol.com or 410-570-8447
ON THE COVER
Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo
Of course, there are some things parents and photographers must do to keep kids’ attention—like a scene from the sitcom Modern Family, jumping around, goofy faces, and funny sounds! It’s a basic for photographing children. The other basic is taking lots, and I mean lots of pictures to capture the perfect or near-perfect image. I have no idea what I would have done if I had to use a film camera!
/ Country Zest and Style / @countryzestandstyle / @countryzestand1 www.countryzestandstyle.com
of NOTE
BE ON THE LOOKOUT through this issue of for the hummingbird.
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
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
By Leonard Shapiro
It’s going to be a very happy holiday season around these parts for many magical reasons.
From a selfish point of view, we’re especially delighted to have Beck and Bowen Slater on our cover. We’ve always made it a point to put children out front at this time of the year, and don’t you know they seem to get cuter by the year.
Speaking about magic, at Country ZEST, we’re publishing our sixth holiday issue. And, we also have plenty more to be thankful for, particularly our fabulous designer, Meredith Hancock, and so many dedicated and immensely talented writers and photographers who fill our pages with fascinating stories and eye-popping images in every issue.
A huge thanks as well to our loyal advertisers, many with us from the start, and of course, to our devoted readers, who provide us with what the late, great Ben Bradlee, my boss at The Washington Post, used to call “psychic income.” That would be all those lovely emails, letters, phone calls and conversations out on the street telling us how much they enjoy the publication.
I suspect there may be more of the same once this edition hits the street and post office boxes all around. Two of our resident historians again have knocked it out of the park. John Toler writes about the 50th anniversary of the tragic TWA Flight 514 plane crash on Mount Weather and Denis Cotter, remembers World War I flying ace and aviation pioneer General Billy Mitchell, who lived in Middleburg for a number of years.
Treavor Lord, a world-class educator, is marking 15 years as the head of school at Middleburg’s Hill School, and 35 years since he began there as a teacher in 1990. In a continuing effort to involve local high school journalists in ZEST, we have a terrific piece on a special program at Highland School in Warrenton written by Highland senior Ally Blunt, and already has all the right reportorial instincts, and a nice writing touch, too.
There’s so much more, including a feature story on a dedicated Fauquier County employee retiring after 36 years at the Marshall waste collection site, otherwise known to locals simply as “The Dump.” Peggy Wang has had some rather unique experiences over the years, and made countless friends, with no trash talk necessary.
And so, most of all, we wish one and all a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year, filled with a healthy dose of ZEST, for sure.
Leonard Shapiro Editor 410-570-8447 Badgerlen@aol.com
Caitlin Slater and photographer Doug Gehlsen add a bit of Zest for our cover photo shoot with her children.
RED BRIDGE
107 acres | $9,975,000
Marshall –In the heart of Virginia’s renowned horse country 17,800 SqFt of exquisite living space and spectacular equestrian facilities.
Including an Olympic sized Outdoor Arena, a fabulous 12 stall Stable, 15 lush paddocks and riding trails throughout.
DOVER HILL
25 acres | $2,850,000
Middleburg – Ideally located with spectacular views, stunning 4 BR/4 BA colonial is in the heart of “Hunt and Wine Country.” Features over 5100 SqFt of living space, 40’X 20’ pool and a brick terrace, all in a gorgeous setting. 8 stall center aisle stable, 5 huge board-fenced paddocks.
EBENEZER CHURCH RD.
130 acres | $3,200,000
Bluemont – Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a quiet and scenic country road leads to this beautiful farmland. The gently rolling topography is a perfect setting for your estate or family compound. Easement potential is possible with valuable tax credits.
HEARTHSTONE
.46 acres | $1,275,000
Warrenton – Stunning 3 level historic home offers 5000 SqFt of beautifully updated living space, surrounded by gorgeous gardens and towering trees. A gourmet country kitchen, high ceilings and gleaming wood floors. Walk out level studio apt. and renovated 1 BR guest house.
JOHN MOSBY
4 acres | $2,950,000
Middleburg – New estate home ready for the most discerning buyer. Exquisite details include heated bathroom floors, designer fixtures, hardwood floors, sauna, wine cellar, stone counter tops and every amenity for gracious living. Also: heated pool, fire pit and 3 car garage.
STEEPLECHASE RUN
.10 acres | $1,215,000
Middleburg – Spectacular 3 level home offers care free country living. This gorgeous town home features 3 spacious bedrooms, 3 full baths, and a powder room. The home was completed with every amenity, detail and precision of quality that the builder was proud to offer.
For Trinity’s Betsy Crenshaw, It’s a Privilege
By Leonard Shapiro
Betsy Crenshaw, the long-time administrative assistant at Trinity Church in Upperville, grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, the daughter of a banker who once offered her sage advice when she told him she really wanted to be a farmer, a calling no-one in her family had ever aspired to.
“He said that if I wanted to be poor and dirty my whole life, then do it,” she said. “And if this is really your passion, let’s get you educated to be a farmer.”
Crenshaw needed no further convincing. She became the first woman to graduate from what was then called Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture, now a fully-accredited university. And farming partly remains a way of her life to this day, what with a herd of over 100 Angus cows she and her husband Jerry still own.
“For someone like me, who had no experience at all, Delaware Valley was a great experience,” she said. “The school was so focused on practical application, and you had to get a job on a farm every year. College taught me how to drive a tractor, shear a sheep, trim apple trees.”
None of those skills come into play in her wide variety of responsibilities at Trinity, where she’s worked since 1990. She literally does it all, from helping to organize weddings, baptisms, funerals and social events to being a major force in the church’s annual fundraising Stable Tour to dealing with parishioners, staff members and visitors on a daily basis.
Rector Jonathan Adams offered another unofficial role Crenshaw occupies at Trinity.
“Betsy is the church historian,” he said. “I’m going to keep her on retainer once she retires. She has an amazing memory, and she knows everyone.”
Crenshaw’s journey to her first job at the Upperville church 34 years ago took some intriguing twists and turns, including one vital veer thanks to a very important Christmas card. She and Jerry met and married when they were working at a 7,000acre farm in Rock Falls, Illinois, a situation she said, “turned into a nightmare” when the farm’s owner went bankrupt and eventually went to jail for bank fraud.
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Crenshaw sent that Christmas card to a friend in upstate New York and asked if he knew anyone looking for farm employees. That friend had another friend who lived in Upperville and was seeking some help. That turned out to be the late Tom Stokes, a long-time area resident with his now late wife, Mary, the owners of Ayrshire Farm.
“We had instant chemistry with Tom and Mary, and I think it went the other way as well,” Crenshaw said. “We brought our cows with us and they let us keep them at Ayrshire. Jerry was the farm manager and I was the farm secretary. We drove two Ryder trucks from Illinois to Virginia and I was so excited. When we got there, Tom Stokes came out the door and said, ‘welcome to the promised land.’”
As Crenshaw told that story, she teared up at the memory. At the time, she and Jerry had three-year-old Libby and six-year-old Ryan, and Libby was soon enrolled in the Piedmont Child Care Center, then operating out of Trinity and now across the street.
Crenshaw became friends with the center’s director, Alice Duggan, who hired her as a part-time office manager. She did a half day there and the other half at the farm for several years, until she was asked if she had any interest in working for the church.
“I said sure,” Crenshaw recalled. “I did a half day at both places for 15 years, and that was really fun. It was like I had 50 grandchildren over there. And now I’m on their (Child Care Center) board, so I’m still involved.”
When Ayrshire was sold in 1996, she and Jerry began working at Trappe Hill Farm in Upperville owned by the late Bruce Smart, whose wife, Edie Smart, survives him. Jerry was the farm manager, she handled the office for what she described as “16 wonderful years.”
“I love it,” she said. “It truly is a privilege to work here and to serve members of this community. It’s a privilege to be with folks when they’re getting married, being baptized, even funerals. It’s just a privilege to be in people’s lives and to help them when they need it the most.”
Sebastian Langenberg, serves as a whip when the beagles go out for foot hunting. He also served as the cook for the picnic and is here with son Felix.
H I S S E A S O N ,
The Middleburg Orange County Beagles moved into their new home along the Atoka Road to Milton Sender’s Dencrest Farm. Friends and followers joined in for a celebration picnic at Daffodil Hill on the property. “Kids are our future stewards of the countryside,” said Master and Huntsman Nina Fout, who has followed in her mother Eve Fout’s footsteps in devoting her time to the sport. “Our mission is to connect children to the rural landscape through the enjoyment of hounds, horses and habitat. With the MOC Beagles kenneled near the children and ponies, the daily involvement will provide the children an opportunity to become stakeholders in our program in the years to come.”
JK - 12th grade | The Plains, VA | wakefieldschool org
ith a Y-shaped cherry branch, the forks held in each hand, Cathy Zimmerman walks across the front yard of her home near St. Louis in Loudoun County. She wants to show me something. There’s tension in her hands that hold tightly to the forks. Its stem pulls slightly downward toward the ground.
We look at each other. “There have been times that the pull is so strong the stick breaks,” she added, noting that she is generally out in a field when she searches for water.
“The water line to the house crosses right here,” she said, inviting me to repeat the same exercise. Sadly, I did not get the same result. In fact, the divining rod was just a stick in my hands. For Zimmerman, it had taken on a life of its own.
She’s one of a select group of people called “dowsers”— those who have the ability to locate underground water using a forked branch or even a wire dowsing rod. She’s even been called a water witch, a term going back to Colonial times when fear of dowsers and their seemingly magical powers ran rampant.
“There are all sorts of theories on why it works,” said Zimmerman, adding with a smile, “but no one really knows for sure.”
Dowsing has been practiced for centuries. The ancient Egyptians, Babylonians and Chinese left images of their work. Today, the internet claims
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that there could be as many as 60,000 dowsers in America, all with the goal to seek water. There are other dowsers who look for buried metals and other underground “treasures” with divining rods.
Zimmerman first experienced dowsing some 40 years ago when trying to locate water at her new home.
“There was an old man here who tried using a tree branch (to find water), but he only found two dry wells,” she said. “I picked up the stick he was using and tried it, and it worked. We found water and dug our well that yields 60 gallons a minute.”
She believes, in her case, that dowsing may have something to do with her body magnetism. As an aside, she said, “watches always stop for me after about six months, and I have to throw them out and get another.”
Finding water with her cherry branch can take “all day or sometimes a half hour,” she added, emphasizing that using a wire divining rod doesn’t work for her. She prefers a branch from a fruit tree, especially cherry, because so many cherry trees grow on her Buttonwood Farm where she lives on 150 acres with husband Tad, a Joint Master of the Piedmont Hunt.
Zimmerman, a talented and widely recognized watercolor artist, links her creative, artistic side with her ability to find water, saying that there is “some sort of sensitivity at work for me. I think there must be a common denominator.
“Hats off to modern technology to find water. But I think my stick works pretty well.”
Photo by Tiffany Dillon Keen
With cherry branch in hand Cathy Zimmerman begins her search for water.
Christmas in Middleburg: An Old Time Feeling
It’s that time of year again when everyone loves a parade.
By Emma Boyce
Hark! The corgis have perfected their bark. Santa has found a discreet place to park. Yes, it’s approaching the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas in Middleburg is almost here.
Christmas in Middleburg officially begins Friday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. with the lighting of the Christmas tree behind the Pink Box on North Madison Street. The most anticipated event, Middleburg’s Christmas parade, rolls out Saturday afternoon and gives even Macy’s a run for its money.
The Christmas parade has come a long way since its inception in 1979 when it consisted of only a few candy cane-striped floats, a handful of eager onlookers, and, at the helm of the first float, former Senator John Warner.
Today, the parade attracts visitors in the thousands from near and far. It spans 1.5 miles and boasts some 80 floats and elements, including vintage fire trucks and cars, local high school bands, and a coalition of corgis aptly named Corgi Corp, among other sights. Of course, as the parade’s finale, Santa Claus makes an appearance. In classic Middleburg fashion, he has traded in his reindeer for a horse-drawn sleigh.
“The parade was first started to promote business visitors to Middleburg,” said Michelle Myers, who, with her husband, Doug Myers, took over the parade from longtime organizer Jim Herbert in 2022. “The parade showcased the small town of Middleburg as an option for shopping and dining in a time when
malls and larger metropolises were pulling visitors.”
Now, decades later, Christmas in Middleburg marks the largest revenue-generating day for Middleburg businesses.
But for organizers and attendees alike, the event’s popularity has been something of a Catch-22. In a town of 700 residents, the growing number of people attending the festivities in recent years has pushed the boundaries of Washington Street to its limit. In 2016, for example, the parade attracted over 17,000 people.
“It became obvious during Covid that it might be a good time for us to reset and see if we could minimize the negative impact of that many people in our small village,” Michelle said. Much of the parking ticket sales help pay for, among other essentials, extra security to keep parade attendees, humans and animals safe.
Upon taking up the torch of Christmas in Middleburg, the Myers first established a communitybased board to help with the year-long effort and to tackle some of these long-standing questions like attendance.
“We limited parking ticket sales to alleviate the pressure on some of our internal town services like our police department and our roadways,” Michelle said. “It’s really the only avenue that we have to limit the amount of people.”
She’s also made it her goal to bring the parade closer to the community it was started for.
“Even though we have a very collaborative relationship with the Town of Middleburg and the
Middleburg Business and Professional Association, Christmas in Middleburg is a non-profit and it is a completely volunteer-driven event.”
Despite some hiccups in the new age of an ever-expanding Loudoun County, Christmas in Middleburg not only pays homage to its small, equestrian-centric town but also gives back. In 2010, Herbert established Christmas in Middleburg as a 501c3 non-profit. Each year, revenue generated from the day goes back into the community.
“This parade has a beautiful, storied history,” Michelle said. “We want to continue to make those core memories for our children.”
On the day of the parade, buses will shuttle people between Middleburg and the two parking sites at Lost Barrel Brewing west of Middleburg, and Mickie Gordon Park to the east.
When arriving at the parade, she would encourage visitors to first hurry and pick up a Christmas ornament, the proceeds of which go to Banneker Elementary, before they run out. As with last year, the ornaments will replicate Middleburg’s classic Christmas signage drawn by beloved Hill School art teacher Emily Talbot Sharp.
In a place that already feels like something from a bygone era, Christmas in Middleburg cements this small town’s magic.
Details: parking ticket sales and schedule of events: christmasinmiddleburg.org.
Photo by Hugh Kenny
ANNUAL REPORT
The 2023 Annual Report highlights our Windy Hill neighbors, and the ongoing need to improve our aging properties to uphold the standards of the Foundation’s mission – to provide safe, comfortable, and affordable housing.
Achieving this goal depends on the generosity of our local community Scan the QR code to read this report or to request a hard copy, Contact: info@windyhillfoundation.org
For more information about corporate matching gifts, event sponsorships, designating the Windy Hill Foundation in your will, or other ways to make a planned gift, please contact Eloise Repeczky at eloise@windyhillfoundation.org, (540) 687-3997.
The Middleburg Library Board hosted its sixth event in the library’s Local Book and Author Series, a talk and question-and-answer session at Welbourne by the co-authors of A Path Through Willisville, Carol Lee, chair of the Willisville Preservation Foundation, and local historian Lori Kimball. Willisville is just up the road from Welbourne and the recently published book is a history of the Western Loudoun County African-American community which, in 2019, became the first village of its kind in the county to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Carol Lee signed the guest book at Welbourne
Kevin Grigsby with Carol Lee Carla Timbers, Gordon Turner, Ann Lee and Brenda Howard.
Standing room for a talk on the Willisville book
Dulany Morison, Carol Lee and Lori Kimball
CMSP offers lessons for Piano, Voice, Cello, Violin, Guitar, Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet & more! The Community Music School of the Piedmont piedmontmusic.org 540-592-3040
The Fourth Middleburg Oktoberfest Celebration included two biergartens, traditional German food, live music, and festival games.
Lessons offered at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville with additional locations in Fauquier, Frederick and Loudoun
Photo by Donna Strama Attention all new speed limit in Middleburg.
Pretty in pink
Photo by Rob Banner
Nicholas Eurnekian, Mo Baptiste, Geraldine Peace and Roy Pomeroy celebrated a birthday for equestrian eventer Allison Springer
Of course, dear Dieter Rausch owner of The Christmas Sleigh would be at the Oktoberfest. Erik Höffel
Photos by Donna Strama
Straight from the Horse’s Mouth
By Linda Roberts
Aclient once asked Graham Alcock if he needed to quit talking and pay attention to what he was doing. At the time, he was standing in front of a horse, peering into its mouth, and filing a back molar with a longhandled instrument—all the while carrying on a lively conversation.
He recalled the incident, flashed a bright smile, and said, “it’s just the way I work, and I’ve been doing it this way so long I don’t think about it anymore.”
While horse owners often marvel at Alcock’s laidback style, his four-legged patients don’t seem to mind the procedure in the least. Rather, the horses appear to take comfort in the running litany he delivers while filing sharp points smooth, removing small, peg-like front teeth known as wolf teeth, or rounding off irregular edges on molars.
Alcock’s movements are quick and efficient, leaving his patient better equipped to process and utilize its feed and more willing to accept bit, bridle, and a rider’s directions.
Pointing to his simple tools of the trade—two stainless steel buckets filled with various sized files on long handles—Alcock, 62, added that, “I’m a dinosaur.”
With new power tools available to reduce the manpower involved in the arduous manual task of rasping back and forth on teeth, some equine dentists have shelved their old tools in favor of the contemporary. Alcock’s choice is the method by
which he was taught.
“I have power tools, but I only use them on about one percent of the horses I work with. That’s in the event they need a lot of filing. You can’t just will a good job out of that bucket,” he said, referencing his preference for manually filing away in a combined test of skill and strength he’s built up over the years.
Alcock has been up close and personal with hundreds of horses for almost 30 years. However, for this talkative Englishman, his demanding profession is nothing more than the extension of a childhood that always included horses.
By age 12, the slight-framed, nimble Alcock, who grew up north of London, had already decided he
would be a jockey. At 16, he left home for Newmarket, the British training and racing mecca, to sign on with a trainer as an apprentice rider.
“I got too heavy,” he said, even though he weighs the same today as years ago—140 pounds. His weight opened the door of opportunity in the U.S. to exercise steeplechase horses in Camden, SC, followed by riding in Saratoga, NY and Kentucky. Alcock’s weight presented no problem in jump racing, and “I soon found I was hooked.”
He raced at top speed over fences for eight years and some 100 races a year. Realizing as he grew older that a jockey’s thrilling, but equally dangerous, life also needed a back-up career, Alcock decided that with his lifelong knowledge of horses he could also learn the equine dental trade.
Absorbing the craft from a skilled equine dentist in Kentucky, and being familiar with Loudoun and Fauquier counties from previous visits, he tested the Piedmont for the potential of establishing his own business.
With so many race, show, event and hunting horses, breeding farms, and other equine activities, finding clients has never been an issue. “It’s a very special, small community, where everybody knows everybody.”
With a still boyish grin, he said he has no thoughts of retiring. “I have great clients,” the said, “and I love my life.”
Welcome to your best life.
When it comes to your home, you deserve nothing less than a gorgeous setting to share unforgettable moments with those you love most.
Photo by Linda Roberts Graham Alcock, equine dentist.
CAROL HOLDEN and SAM HUFF: A Classics Story
By Bill Cauley
While Sam Huff may have been largely responsible for the success of what is now considered to be the premier horse racing event of the year in West Virginia, he never wanted full credit for its startup and success.
Huff, an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker who died in 2021 at age 87, always insisted the success of the West Virginia Breeders’ Classics races was mostly due to the efforts of his longtime partner, and the love of his life.
“This couldn’t have taken place without Carol Holden, my partner and my friend,” Huff once said.
On the other hand, Holden still insists the credit must go to Huff, a West Virginia native, saying he was the true mover and shaker when it came to getting the Breeders’ Classics off the ground.
“No, Sam was the real power behind it,” Holden said. “He had the influence and important contacts to get it done.”
Still to this day, Holden remains the driving force behind the annual fall racing event at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. It’s her passion and serves as a legacy to Huff, considered by many in West Virginia horse racing circles as the man who, almost single-handedly, saved the sport in the Mountain State.
Holden has been around horses all of her life. Her father was in the horse racing business. She’s now president of the Breeders Classics and spends countless hours at her office in Ranson, West
Virginia, with her faithful Jack Russell Terrier, Sammy, usually at her side.
Much of her time is spent putting together the racing card, overseeing the many corporate sponsors and supervising staff members who work as one functioning unit.
“I typically come into the office each day around 10 a.m.,” said Holden, who travels almost every work-day to Ranson from her home in Middleburg.
“Theresa Bitner (secretary and events coordinator) is usually here before I am,” Holden said. “She gets things going at the start of the day.”
From there, Holden sets about her many daily tasks. This usually involves spending time on the computer, making telephone calls, sorting through emails and doing much research on potential thoroughbred partcipants. Preparations for the Classics are ongoing all year.
Holden and Huff shared a genuine love of horses, and horse racing in general. Both owned and were certified breeders of horses.
“When I first met Sam, I was clueless as to who he was,” Holden said of that first encounter around 1985.
They fell in love and began a partnership lasting more than 35 years.
Huff spent many hours away from Holden during the pro football season. He was a vice president with the Marriott Hotel corporation and teamed with Frank Herzog (later Larry Michaels) and Sonny Jurgensen in a broadcast as part of the
Redskins’ (now Commanders’) Radio Network.
Yet, Holden said she never minded the extra workload. She just threw herself into the task at hand.
Her Ranson office is filled with photos, newspaper clippings, portraits of the many horses who have won Breeders’ Classics events over the past 37 years, and other memorabilia relating to the event.
It all began around 1986. She and Huff were returning from the Maryland Million that year and saw how successful it was for the racing industry in Maryland.
Knowing the potential Charles Town, and the rest of West Virginia, had for far more horse racing, and on a larger scale, the pair developed a vision of a series of races, featuring some of the best horses in West Virginia, at the Charles Town track.
It took about three months to organize, and their expectations were limited at first considering the complexity of putting together a major sports event. But they found a way to make it happen.
Funding was arranged. Horses were secured and the first West Virginia Breeders’ Classics was held in 1987, featuring a five-race card. Union Juice was the featured winner that first year and the initial purse was $100,000.
Since that time, the Breeders’ Classics has had purses totaling $32 million. It’s what Huff and Holden had dreamed of 35 years ago, and the tradition goes on, thanks mostly to the efforts of Carol Holden.
Carol Holden and her long-time partner, the late Sam Huff.
RIVERDEE STABLE & CLANCY BLOODSTOCK
Anne & Sean Clancy Middleburg, VA
Anne 917-446-2848 | akclancy@riverdee.net
Sean 302-545-7713 | sean@ thisishorseracing.com www.riverdeestable.com
International Gold Cup WILL ALLISON
Photos by Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo
The 87th edition of The International Gold Cup took place at Glenwood Park on a bright Sunday afternoon
Will Allison watches the William H. Allison Stakes race very closely.
Christina and Will Allison
Stephen Mulqueen leads the way on Carloun in the $150,000 William H. Allison Stakes (Grade 1) Sport of Kings Hurdle Stakes at two miles and one furlong over national fences.
A few moments of calm in the paddock before racing.
In the winner’s circle with Stephen Mulqueen, who rode Carloun to victory, Susan Taver of sponsor Brown Advisory with trophy in the William H. Allison Stakes, and Will Allison, far rght.
Trainer Todd McKenna lines up International Gold Cup winner Mystic Strike owned by Upland Partners with Gerard Galligan, up in the winner’s circle at Glenwood Park. The $75,000 Timber Stakes was three miles and one half over timber.
National Sporting Library & Museum Cup over 3 ¼ miles over
Photo by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo
The winning time for Mystic Strike was 4:03 3/5.
Photo by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo Jacqueline Ohrstrom and daughter Anjela Carroll with Todd McKenna who rode Upland Partners Mystic Strike to win the $50,000
Evan Meyerriecks came over from his home on Polecat Hill Road with his 1914 Willys-Overland Roadster.
Spa Works for Beauty Inside and Out
By Pat Reilly
Tucked into Hamilton Street, on the eastern edge of the historic district is a new business called MedSpa of Middleburg. In a town that hosts several spas, this one is different, as the glamorous fox logo suggests. It combines medical health services with a full range of aesthetic treatments.
Owner Michelle Lane conceived the business out of her own experience surviving a rare cancer with a long journey to wellness and battle scars that are no longer visible.
After 10 surgeries, 18 months of chemotherapy and frustrating outcomes, Michelle, a registered nurse with a Master’s degree, decided to take things into her own hands and find supplemental treatments that might improve her chances.
Her primary goal was to see her children graduate from high school, she recalled. In the process, she shocked her doctors with her resilience and learned that looking good is a big part of feeling better.
Lane had owned a home care company she started in 1998 in Maryland before her former husband moved the family to Middleburg in 2013. She worked with the Virginia Department of Health to transfer her licenses to Virginia. A decade later, Middleburg Home Care was practically running itself.
“At this point,” she said, “we don’t even need to advertise, as we get so many clients by word-of-mouth.”
Her patients come from Loudoun, Fairfax, Frederick, Fauquier and Warren counties and Winchester. Case nurses from hospitals and insurance companies know that the owner is a registered nurse with a graduate degree and that their caregivers do a good job.
“Basically, that’s my business model,” Lane said. “I get the best people and I retain them by paying above scale and treating them with respect.”
In thinking about how to grow her business, she wanted to share therapies that helped her outlive the dire prognosis from Johns Hopkins, where she still receives immunotherapy.
“As a cancer survivor, I’m more compassionate in my care,” she said, adding that she thought a lot about what people need and want in their wellness services. She had experience with a high-tech infusion company. She owed a lot to infusion therapies. Yet she also wanted to change the paradigm of health services to include some that are aesthetic in nature.
“My personal goal for all people, especially women and particularly those struggling with chronic illnesses, is for them to feel and look as well and as beautiful as they want to look and be,” Lane said. “I want to help all woman be at their best, inside and out.”
MedSpa offers a full suite of IV therapies, including Vitamin C and B12, along with pain management, facials, massage, Botox, Juvéderm, eyebrow tattooing, lip lining and lip blushing. In 2025, she wants to add a hair salon.
She also helps clients set their goals; then she aims to exceed them. She discusses with a client levels of care and designs a plan for the best outcome. She has developed protocols for optimal healing. She also helps clients find affordable solutions.
Her daughter, Marilyn Clisham, who has a Master’s in neuroscience, is also an aesthetician and manages the office while preparing for medical school.
After a soft-opening last summer, the staff and county officials had a ribbon cutting in September to launch Middleburg MedSpa.
Details: Medspa accommodates wedding parties and other groups of women who want to have fun indulging themselves together. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, they take walk-ins. Otherwise, appointments can be made at www.MedSpaofMiddleburg.com/scheduling.
With endless possibilities in a peaceful setting, this property is an opportunity to craft your dream country escape.
MedSpa founder Michelle Lane
Founder Michelle Lane at MedSpa’s front door on Hamilton St. in Middleburg.
Experiential Learning A Vital Part of Highland School
By Ally Blunt
Through engagement with the local community and its surrounding environment, Highland School’s field studies program provides handson learning experiences for students that extend beyond the traditional classroom.
Since 2006, this innovative program has fostered teamwork, critical thinking, and a deep connection to the community. Throughout the academic year, all Highland students participate in some type of off-campus field study, ranging from day trips to Warrenton’s Clifton Institute for lower school students to multi-day camping trips for middle and upper school students.
Lower School Director Jane Banse and science teacher Jessica Coffey have partnered with the Clifton Institute to create an outdoor curriculum for first through fourth grade students that combines observation and journaling of nature on Highland’s campus with visits to the Clifton Institute to conduct research.
The institute, with a 900-acre field station, provides environmental education, conducts ecological research, and restores habitats for native plants and animals.
The Highland program provides a building block for future field studies programs by developing curiosity about the natural world and learning scientific methodologies that will continue to be useful in the upper grades.
In fifth grade, students progress to overnight trips during the first weeks of the school year that provide an opportunity for connecting as a class and reflecting on the school year ahead.
“The entire middle school goes away to an overnight campsite,” said Middle School Director Sam Stover. “Eighth graders go a day early, which allows them to focus on leadership, legacy, and perspective. Activities include ropes courses, canoeing, team building challenges, a river study linked to the science curriculum, games, archery, wilderness survival, lake swim with zip line, and more.”
Middle school students finish the year with individual grade-level field studies trips that provide a culminating experience for each class.
Upper school field studies programs provide further opportunities for personal growth and the development of relationships. During the first weeks of school, each class has its own field studies adventure, allowing students to come together
Find out how YOU can Aim Higher at Highland Visit our website at highlandschool.org or contact Donna Tomlinson for a campus tour that is personalized to your student’s interests. dtomlinson@highlandschool.org • 540-878-2740
after the summer and bond at the beginning of the school year.
To close the academic year, upper school students participate in junior internships and month-long independent studies for graduating seniors that cap off their time at Highland and allow for exploration of potential careers and community engagement.
Highland graduate Lindsey Dengel has participated in field studies as a teacher and parent.
“Field Studies at Highland has had a positive impact on my kids,” she said. “My son Alexander’s favorite memory is Cox Farm in first grade, jumping off of hay bales, slides, and pumpkin patches. This year, he’s a senior. He enjoyed canoeing down the Shenandoah with friends he has had since kindergarten.”
The impact on students is profound. They graduate with a strong academic foundation along with a deep appreciation for their community, their peers, and the environment. The skills and values cultivated through this program prepare thoughtful, engaged citizens ready to tackle future challenges.
One current Highland fifth grader said it best when recounting the recent middle school trip.
“Camp Friendship gave me a happiness I had never felt before,” he said, “We learned so much about working together and building friendships.”
Ally Blunt is a senior at Highland School and will attend Wake Forest University in the fall.
Aim Higher
Highland School graduates live out our mission – to Thrive, Lead and Serve –at the most selective colleges in the United States and abroad:
Harvard • Yale • Princeton • Stanford • Dartmouth
Cornell • Brown • Columbia • Duke • Georgetown
University of Virginia • Swarthmore • William & Mary
Middlebury • Davidson • Carnegie-Mellon
Wake Forest • Washington & Lee • Colgate • Bowdoin
University of North Carolina • University of Richmond
University of St. Andrews • McGill University
West Point • U.S. Naval Academy • and many others!
Serving students age 2 through grade 12 in Warrenton, Virginia Private bus transportation from Middleburg and Haymarket
Ally Blunt and Sophie Brant
Photos courtesy of Highland School Highland upper school students on a backpacking expedition.
Remember the First Ladies:
The
Legacies of America’s History-Making Women
The Middleburg Community Center was filled for a chat and book signing of "Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women" with author Anita B. McBride, who was introduced by former Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri.
McBride, former chief of staff for Laura Bush, wrote the book with Diana B. Carlin and Nancy Kegan Smith. It tells of the evolutionary role of the first lady and its historic importance on the American presidency.
The book shines a light on the influential women who broke barriers and made a mark on the country and, at times, the world, during their time in the White House. The discussion was led by Mary Beth Morell of Middleburg Books.
“We were delighted to host Anita in Middleburg as she discussed her book, Remember the First Ladies,” said Melanie Blunt, who organized the event and served as first lady of Missouri 20052009. “America’s first ladies are really our country’s unsung heroes. First spouses are not paid by our government—they are full time volunteers who support their spouses, champion important causes, and lead and represent the American people through times of celebration and crisis. Anita and her co-authors have masterfully weaved their stories into this book.”
Biographical and thematic chapters are included and the book documents the impact of first ladies on topics such as civil rights, political campaigns, major speeches, and the White House across the span of the nation’s history.
Profiles of the first ladies relate their histories, achievements, and legacies. There’s also a chapter about Bunny Mellon’s Rose Garden. McBride had a private tour at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville. A signed copy of this book will be in the permanent collection of the horticulture library at Oak Spring.
Ambassador Tom Anderson and his wife Katherine hosted Ms. McBride at their home, Waterford, near Middleburg for a dinner and overnight stay. It’s safe to say memories from Washington were a topic of conversation.
Readers will learn about the development and expansion of the role of first lady, from its origins under Martha Washington through its current iteration under Dr. Jill Biden. The book explores how first ladies have been uniquely positioned to influence American society, policy, diplomacy, and life in the White House.
And finally, ho, ho, ho. Did we mention a children’s book? First Ladies Make History? Call I-800-Santa. This takes young readers on a journey with first ladies to discover their important contributions.
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Head For the Healthy Winter Woods
By Michael J. Kieffer
Winter is approaching and fall has faded. Many birds are gone, some mammals have begun to hibernate, winter seeds are dotting otherwise lifeless looking plants, and the woods appear at first glance dull and slightly eerie. This all seems reasonable, considering that sunlight has dwindled, temperatures have dropped, and living outdoors seems hard.
Go outside, look, listen, and smell the air. What we see are glimpses into the lives of minks, otters, weasels, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, moles, voles, and others, as we follow their tracks in the snow.
What we hear are songs of procreation as owls, wild canines, and other animals not only survive the winter, but court, mate, and incredibly, even give birth. What we smell are leaves decomposing, dampness settling in, first hints of snow, and a freshness that cleanses.
Winter is a time of discovery. Something magical happens as the days shorten. For three months, it’s possible to spend as much time outside at night as it is during the day, without losing any sleep. Most of the year, we make our observations during the day. While many living things are active during the day, there’s a whole world active only at night.
Winter is a great time to begin night time forays. Leaves have fallen, so the woods are open, the moon
the tree’s future lifeline, and a promise that winter will give way to spring.
On a moonlit night one can listen to the strange wail of a coyote or fox as they yip and howl with abandon in a wild way then at other times of year. Both the coyotes and the fox yowl for mates during the frigid nights of January and February.
Owls are especially vocal this time of year as they reinforce their pair bonds, courting, mating, and caring for their young. Great horned owl hoots are presently echoing through the hollows and valleys, and if they have not already, they’ll soon usurp an old hawk or crow nest and lay their clutch of eggs.
and stars appear brighter in the cold air, and the snow acts as a blanket of light. Winter sounds are less confusing, for there are no insects, and the diversity of what is moving around has decreased.
At no other point in the year is the virtue of a deciduous tree so evident. Silhouettes identify them. Sycamores, with their feet wet, take a bent approach as they reach for sunshine over the water. Tulip poplars stand erect like soldiers, with upturned seeds covering their crown. A few scarlet oaks stubbornly hold on to their leaves, clearly showing how much canopy they claim.
The individuality of each tree stands out as they etch the winter sky. Look closely and you’ll see buds,
Barred owls will lay their eggs in February, and screech owls in March. Even with the possibility of food shortage and starvation, many animals not only survive, but thrive during this arduous season.
It’s certainly fascinating hiking through the fields and woods with less chance of bringing home ticks and chiggers. With flu season in full swing, ask this question: Where are viruses and bacteria more likely to survive—inside the climate-controlled building, or outside in below-freezing temperatures?
Give yourself a treat by spending this season outside and enjoy what could be your healthiest winter.
Michael J. Kieffer, a field biologist, has been executive director of the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy for the last 25 years. Details: www.brmconservancy.org.
Photo by Michael J. Kieffer Winter woods reveal all manner of spectacular sights and sounds.
Carroll IV, MD
Charles Carroll IV, MD Orthopedic Surgery, Hand, Upper Extremity Surgery and Rehabilitation
It was not the sort of start Brett Botta had exactly hoped for as the fledgling coach of Cornerstone Christian Academy’s eighth grade girls basketball team playing its very first game in the Middleburg school’s young history.
It was the opening tipoff, and the ball was actually controlled by a Cornerstone player who shall remain un-named.
Unfortunately, in those early jittery seconds, Cornerstone did make the basket, except at the wrong basket, and was immediately trailing by two points.
“I was a little embarrassed,” Botta said, but not for long. The Cornerstone Guardians went on to score the next 40 points and won the game, 42-3, the first of 18 straight victories on the way to an undefeated season.
Botta, the school's 33-year-old athletic director, said he tried everything he could not to run up the score that day. He even had his players intentionally foul opponents, just to give them a few more chances to score on free throws. It was all to little avail against a team that also shall remain un-named, for the obvious reasons.
In its first year during the 2023-24 school year, Cornerstone, then K-8, had great success with its athletic program under Botta’s direction. The girls soccer team went 10-0. The boys basketball team was 15-3. At a major girls cross country meet in Fairfax, with 20 schools competing, they took first, second and fifth places.
This year, the school added a ninth grade and eventually plans to go K-12. The Guardians will compete in 11 sports, including two co-ed—golf and track.
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“We want strong academics and strong athletics,” Botta said. “We’re going to build a culture where we compete really, really hard. We started last fall with no expectations except we wanted to give the kids an opportunity to compete for their school.
“Our plans are to do things really well. We want people to see our teams and say ‘hey, we want to be part of that, we want to go play there.’ We know it’s going to take some time and it’s not just all about winning. But winning is a byproduct of excellence and doing things well. And sports brings a lot of people together.”
Botta has seen that first hand. One of four boys, his father Sam, now head of school at Cornerstone, was a long-time and highly-successful high school basketball coach in New Jersey and went on to be athletic director and head baseball coach at Regent University in Newport News, where Brett grew up.
He played basketball, volleyball and golf in high school, graduated from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and earned a Masters in sports administration at the University of North Carolina, where he also began working in the school’s athletic department.
For five years, he was director of the Dean E. Smith Center Complex at UNC, managing day-to-day operations, events, scheduling, finances, facility improvements, and more.
“I had a dream job,” he said. “My wife Zoe and I had our first child (Ava) in September, 2022, and going into the basketball season at Carolina, it was 18 to 20 hours a day non-stop. I loved it, but it wasn’t really sustainable for us as a new and growing family.
“When this came about (at Cornerstone), it was the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for sports, my ability to organize and plan and to be involved with a Christian school. I just couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Geraldine Carroll
Charles
Coach Brett Botta on the sidelines with his Cornerstone girls basketball team.
Saving Lives, One Helicopter Flight at a Time
By Leonard Shapiro
Jeff Wright was about to graduate from college at the University of Colorado-Denver with a degree in computer science when he was driving near Custer, South Dakota and saw a helicopter on the side of the road with a sign advertising tours of nearby Mount Rushmore. He was 21, had never been in a helicopter, but was about to go sky high in a two-passenger aircraft on a riveting ride that would change his life forever. “We were flying around and I was just watching the pilot,” he recalled. “I just kept thinking to myself ‘wow, where do I sign up for this?’ I was totally hooked that day. I went back to Denver and I decided I didn’t really want to do computers any more.”
Fast forward 27 years, and Wright is living the dream. Now a Middleburg area resident with his wife, Laura, he’s based at the Leesburg Airport and flying helicopters for PHI Air Medical, a national company that bills itself as the leading air ambulance provider in the U.S. PHI transports more than 22,500 patients each year, operating out of 82 bases across the country.
genes. His uncle, a Navy pilot, survived being shot down during the Vietnam War and was rescued by a helicopter. His father, an attorney, always wanted to be a pilot, but was turned down by the military because he was color blind.
transporting workers back and forth to offshore oil and gas rigs.
“That was eight hours and 60 landings a day,” he said, adding that in 2017, a friend went to work for PHI in Manassas and suggested he join him. “It was more money, not as much stress and very satisfying work.”
These days, he flies a seven-passenger craft with a medic and a nurse on board, and they handle all manner of medical emergencies. When a rider falls off a horse out in a field in Upperville and needs to be transported to a hospital in a hurry, Wright and his team get the call and within minutes they’re on the scene. The medic and nurse stabilize the patient and Wright flies them all to the nearest hospital.
“We do horse accidents all the time,” he said. “People jumping, fox hunting. We deal with ATV roll-overs, car accidents, drunk drivers, heart attacks, strokes, about anything you can think of. They’re usually 20- to 30-minute flights and it would take much longer to drive them in an ambulance, especially in rush hour.”
In his seven years with PHI, he’s done over 800 medical flights. His territory includes Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke and Frederick counties and he flies to most local hospitals. Three or four times a year, he’ll transport patients to hospitals in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, a 70- to 80-minute flight away.
Wright had no such problem. Not long after that Mount Rushmore excursion, he signed up for flight school back in Denver. It was a two-year program that led to becoming a flight instructor and amassing many more hours in the air. He worked for one company that did tours over Alaskan glaciers. Then it was six years flying around the Gulf of Mexico
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“I do nothing medical, that’s all handled by the medic and the nurse,” he said. “But it’s extremely rewarding work. We’re saving lives.”
With no computer science necessary.
Jeff Wright with wife Laura Wright and Teddie.
Strive to Stay Civil and Respectful
ABy Bridge Littleton
s we stand on the other side of the 2024 elections, it feels timely to think about what’s next for our own community.
By their very nature, elections are charged with passion, conviction, and at times, contention. Each vote cast reflects a person’s hopes, values, and vision for the future. And while this democratic process is essential, it can also leave behind an after taste of division. Now that the election is over, whether your chosen candidate won or lost, the most important thing we can do is to come together with civility and mutual respect.
Civility doesn’t mean we’ll always agree on every issue—far from it. But it does mean we approach our differences with an open mind and a willingness to listen.
That notion can so easily get lost in the hyped up, information overloaded world we now live in. But let’s remember that the person on the other side of the debate is not an opponent to be vanquished, but a neighbor with their own set of experiences. With our community’s sense of respect, we foster an environment where ideas can succeed, solutions can be found, and we all prosper.
Bank where you breathe.
Many of us are still processing the outcome of the election. Emotions continue to run high, and that’s natural. Passionate debate is a cornerstone of our political process, but it can also leave scars, and we have a choice in how we move forward.
We can either choose to deepen the divides, or we can choose to bring them together. We all know of our community’s capacity for kindness, compromise, and connection. I’ve seen it time and again when faced with challenges—from economic setbacks to community losses. Each time, we’ve chosen to come together, and always come out the better for it.
Our community is strong not because we all think the same way, but because we support one another, especially during challenging times. Civility fosters understanding and reminds us that, while we may have disagreed at the ballot box, we all share common goals: a town where everyone feels welcome, and we care about, and for, our neighbors. Those moments are what define us, not partisan yard signs or bumper stickers.
It’s natural to feel either joy or disappointment after an election, depending on the outcome. But now that the results are in and the election is over, let’s shift our focus from what divides us to what unites us.
Mayor Bridge Littleton
Foxcroft Announces New Head of School
The Foxcroft School Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Dr. Lisa Kaenzig as Foxcroft’s next Head of School, effective July 1, 2025.
Following a comprehensive, nationwide search, the Board endorsed the unanimous recommendation of the Search Committee. Kaenzig will be Foxcroft’s 11th Head of School.
Kaenzig has a doctorate from The College of William & Mary in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership. She currently serves as the Dean of Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation & Director of the Centennial Center at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Through her professional experience and career path, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to educating young women. Over a 21-year career at William Smith College, the women’s college within Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), she spent 14 years as the dean of first-year women and seven years as the Dean of the College, where she demonstrated a lifelong commitment to fostering community and supporting students’ academic and personal growth.
“Dr. Kaenzig brings a wealth of experience and passion for advancing educational excellence, inclusion, and opportunities for young women,” said Board Chair Natalie Wiltshire ’95. “We are confident that her vision and dedication will usher Foxcroft into an exciting new era.”
In addition to her doctorate, Kaenzig holds a master’s degree in human resource development from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University.
Throughout her career, Kaenzig has actively promoted women’s participation in politics and government service, including serving as the chair of the board of directors for the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN), a national organization based in Washington dedicated to encouraging young women to engage in the public policy process.
She has dedicated her research to understanding the needs of K–12 gifted students, particularly girls, and advancing women in STEM fields. Her work has consistently aligned with this mission and underscores her dedication to providing an inclusive and empowering environment for young women.
“My career has been devoted to the advancement of educational and leadership experiences for girls and young women,” Kaenzig said. “I look forward to this next chapter at Foxcroft. I am excited to join a talented team and a devoted community of alumnae, Board of Trustee members, and Foxcroft families, as we strive to advance the impactful experience of a Foxcroft education for the girls of today and those who will join us in the future.”
In May, 2024, the Board announced the retirement of current Head of School Cathy McGehee at the end of the 2024-25 school year, as well as the formation of the Head of School Search Committee.
As part of a long-term succession plan, McGehee will work closely with Kaenzig and the Board of Trustees to ensure a smooth transition. A transition committee comprised of trustees, administrators, faculty, and staff will also support Kaenzig as she steps into this leadership position at Foxcroft.
Kaenzig is married to Dr. Christine de Denus, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Chemistry at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Together, they have raised two adult daughters, Morgan and Madison.
Dr. Lisa Kaenzig
UPCOMING EVENTS
STATE GRADED FEEDER CATTLE SALES
Marshall Feeder Cattle Association
Drop off is the Thursday before the sale 7:00AM-3:00PM • Friday, December 13th
See Marshall Sale Barn Tab on Website For More Information
Culpeper-Madison Feeder Cattle Association
Drop off is the Thursday before the sale 7:00AM-3:00PM • Friday, December 6th
See Culpeper Sale Barn Tab on Website For More Information
POULTRY AND SMALL ANIMAL AUCTION
Contact: Stan Stevens (540)631-3523 or Emillie Stevens (540)222-2312
Saturday, December 21st at 12:00PM
Animal Take-in day of the sale from 8:00AM- 11:00AM
Contact: Stan Stevens (540)631-3523 or Emillie Stevens (540)222-2312
No out of state birds • All poultry to be in cages • 25% commission on all poultry 15% on all other items • Food available for purchase • No puppies to be sold!
Held at the Fauquier Livestock Market
Check us out on FB or our website at http://www.FauquierLivestockExchange.com Fauquier Livestock
Every Little Something: Stunning Stationary Included
By Leslie VanSant
Since 2014, the business “Every Little Something” has been adding to the magic and romance of weddings around the world by creating bespoke invitations and announcements created and designed by owner and designer Nicole Ferguson.
After graduating with a degree in graphic design and advertising from Savannah College of Art and Design, Ferguson began her career as a designer at Edelman, a leading global advertising and public relations firm. The mostly digital work was interesting but something was always missing. In her free time, she was doing calligraphy and painting, usually watercolors.
Every Little Something includes ornaments and stationary under the tree.
“I wanted to be working in magazines or in paper. I’ve always been a person who chose to pick up paper and a pen over sending an email or text,” she said. “Growing up, I always had my own custom stationary and was encouraged to write letters and thank you notes. When I went to boarding school, my grandmother sent me weekly letters. When they would arrive, I instantly recognized her business hand and stationary. I kept all of those letters, and treasure them.”
After her own wedding in 2014, with what she describes as a “hideous” invitation, she decided to open an Etsy shop offering calligraphy and script. An inquiry shortly thereafter changed everything.
“A couple had seen my work online, and asked if I could design their wedding invitation,” she said. Inspired by the location, the resulting invitation was red like an Icelandic poppy.
From there, the business model changed from calligraphy to ultimately full service custom stationary design, primarly wedding invitations.
Her designs are intentional and tell a story of the couple. Each invitation is unique. The invitation package includes design, printing, assembling, stamping, calligraphy and addressing. Some couples also ask her to create custom stationary and thank you notes.
Based in her home studio, the business has grown with support from her husband, Fred, and other employees. Sourcing paper from the United Kingdom, Europe and across the U.S., she does foil printing in the studio and has a partner who does other types of printing.
When the opportunity to open a retail space in Middleburg arrived last May, the Aldie resident grabbed it. “It made sense,” she said. “My work is creating tangible goods.”
Every Little Something’s retail shop is located between the Middleburg Antique Emporium and the Atlantic Union Bank. It’s fitting that it’s the same space that once was home to legendary jeweler and engraver, the late Lee Cross. The shop also begins to fill some of the gaps left in Middleburg since The Fun Shop closed last year, offering art supplies, journals, sketch books, hostess gifts, and of course, stationary and note cards featuring Ferguson’s original artwork and designs as well as others.
“In the shop, you can see what people are drawn to,” she said. “What surprises and delights them. It’s also been a treat as some of my past wedding clients have visited the shop, and I’ve met them in person for the first time.”
To prepare for their first Christmas in Middleburg, Every Little Something has added papier maché ornaments and gift wrap to their inventory. A mother of two, Ferguson said that one day, she’d like to offer letter writing workshops.
“My children have their own stationary,” she said, “but my daughter personalizes each note she writes with drawings or stickers in addition to words. The result is a treasure.”
Details: Every Little Something is located at 109 W. Washington Street, Middleburg and online at www.everylittlesomething.com
A Fire Station That Responds to Any Challenge
By Peyton Tochterman
When the Middleburg Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated in 1936, it was a single-truck operation covering the Route 50 corridor from Paris Mountain to Chantilly.
In the 1950s, this small but committed crew received its first ambulance, transforming it into a dual-purpose fire and rescue operation. Nearly 90 years later, Middleburg’s Station 3 stands as a fully staffed, state-of-the-art facility that serves its community 24/7, and every day of the year.
With no need for volunteer responders to arrive from home, the station now boasts significantly faster response times, benefiting from career personnel on site around the clock.
Community engagement remains a key priority.
beyond the basics; each member is also a certified EMT, and many pursue advanced certifications, from technical rescues to hazardous materials handling. The department’s shift to using vast amounts of water to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires—an emerging threat from electric cars, e-bikes and power tools— underscores the team’s commitment to embracing new safety protocols.
They also collaborate closely with nearby departments, benefiting from automatic aid agreements with neighboring Fairfax, Fauquier and Clark counties.
“We cover each other as if there’s no boundary line,” Johnson said, recalling a particularly intense February blaze at a Middleburg antique shop—one of the town’s oldest structures—that required coordination across county lines. “It’s these partnerships that make us all stronger.”
“This town’s changed, and so have we,” said Loudon County Fire Chief Keith Johnson, a fourth-generation fireman with over 30 years in the field who joined Middleburg a decade ago after working in Fairfax County.
The transformation from a volunteer service to a fully staffed, county-supported station has been a game-changer for response times, training, and service delivery, Johnson said. In 2015, Middleburg legally dissolved its corporation, handing assets to Loudoun County and integrating into the countywide fire and rescue framework.
Station 3, located just off Route 50, is equipped with an impressive array of vehicles—a fire engine, tanker, brush truck, and an advanced life support ambulance.
“We’re in the field eight months of the year conducting smoke alarm and safety assessments,” Johnson said. “Not only in Middleburg but across the county.”
The department offers smoke alarms specifically for the hearing impaired and performs free fire safety checks, recognizing the heightened risk in a region dotted with old homes, expansive farms, and new residential areas.
“The number one safest defense in a fire is your fire alarms,” Johnson sad. “Make an appointment through our website, and we’ll do a free site visit and make your home safer.”
The training regimen at Station 3 reflects its robust role in a community that presents unique challenges. Firefighters undergo rigorous training that goes
With an uptick in wildfires, sparked by increasingly dry conditions in western Loudoun, the station preplans for rapid deployment to protect land and life.
Johnson also emphasized the station’s commitment to the ongoing education of the public, urging rural homeowners to ensure their driveways are accessible for large vehicles.
“If we can’t get our trucks close enough, we can’t help you,” he said, adding that residents should make sure driveways are clear of overhanging branches and are wide enough, at least ten feet, to ensure that the fire department can reach your structure or house.
As Middleburg continues to grow, Station 3 adapts, always prepared for what’s next. It stands as a thoroughly modern institution rooted in nearly a century of service to a community it’s proud to protect.
Loudoun Fire Chief Keith Johnson
A Third Place That Feels Just Right
By Chris Patusky
When I was working as Director of the Office of Real Estate with the Maryland Department of Transportation in 2008, a year before my wife Kiernan and I ordered the 10,000 vines that would become the start of Slater Run Vineyards, I was in a meeting to discuss a new downtown Baltimore development project.
A brilliant young planner said something like, “We need to build a public space at the heart of the project that becomes a third place.” I was intrigued by that phrase, “third place,” and raised my hand to ask what he meant by it.
“In every person’s life,” he said. “they have two places where they spend most of their lives—their home and their workplace—and they need a third place to go where they can be part of a community and enjoy a different part of life.”
I recall smiling and feeling rather inspired by this concept of third place.
That Baltimore project was not built, and that third place was not created, at least not there. But, on a smaller rural scale, I’d like to think we’ve created a third place here at the vineyard, one that meets most of the characteristics of “third place” that were laid out by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book, “The Great Good Place.”
Those characteristics include:
• Neutral Ground: No one is obligated to be here by political, financial, legal or other reasons, and you can come and go as you please.
• Leveler: No importance is put on your individual status, there are no admissions requirements, we are all equally part of this commonality.
• Conversation: Talking is the main activity, the primary thing going on, and it is mostly lighthearted, relaxed and often humorous;
• Accessibility and Accommodation: The space
must be readily accessible to all, and it provides for everyone’s needs.
• Regulars: Third places tend to have “regulars” who give it a tone, set a mood, and make newcomers feel welcome.
• A Low Profile: It’s a wholesome place, without extravagance or grandiosity, or snobbiness, or pretension, and it’s cozy and accepting of all types from all places.
• A Playful Mood: Discussion is not tense or hostile. Wittiness and frivolity are common and valued, and whimsy dances in the spoken word.
• A Home Away from Home: You feel the warmth, possession and belonging that you feel in your home, and a rootedness that offers spiritual regeneration.
Sometimes things just happen organically because you feel they should be a certain way, and so you do that. Sometimes you also have a hard time defining what that certain way might be.
In business you might say something is “on brand” or “off brand.” Here at Slater Run, we sort of know how we want things to be, and our talented team seems to know when something is right. I also believe that subconsciously, we all share a desire to create and to inhabit a “third place.”
The patio at Slater Run Vineyards is a popular “third place” location.
General Billy Mitchell Landed Nicely in Middleburg
FBy Denis Cotter
or the last decade of his life, legendary General Billy Mitchell (1879-1936), often called “the Father of the U.S. Air Force,” lived in Middleburg off The Plains Road at his 250-acre farm “Boxwood.” It’s now the location of Boxwood Winery and listed in the National Park Service’s register of historic places.
William Lendrum Mitchell, the oldest of nine children, was born in Nice, France when his parents were on an extended overseas vacation. His father, John, was from Wisconsin, an inheritor of significant railroad and banking wealth, who served in the Union Army in the Civil War and went on to become a Congressman and U.S. Senator.
In 1898, at age 18, Billy dropped out of Columbian University (now George Washington University) and enlisted as a private in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry to fight in the Spanish-American War. The military would be his life for the next 27 years.
His initiative, courage, and leadership saw him rise through the ranks. He served in Cuba, the Philippines, Alaska, and along the Mexican border, mainly in the Signal Corps. He became the youngest member of the War Department’s General Staff and, in 1915, was assigned to the aviation section of the Signal Corps. That’s when his love of flying began in earnest.
At age 38, Mitchell learned to fly at his own expense. He took private aviation lessons at Curtiss Flying School in Newport News. The Army had considered him too old to be worth training as a pilot. He also became a close friend of Orville Wright, the co-inventor of the world’s first successful airplane.
When the U.S. entered World War I in April, 1917, Mitchell was already in Europe as a military observer. Later that month, he became the first American
Army aviator to cross enemy lines under German fire. He collaborated with British and French air leaders and laid the basis for the tactical Air Services Europe before the arrival of the American Expeditionary Forces.
In September, 1918, he planned and led almost 1,500 British, French, and Italian aircraft in the air phase of the major Battle of Saint-Mihiel on the Western Front. It was the dawn of American airpower in the first combinedarms ground and air operation.
Mitchell was a WWI flying ace, like his good friend Eddie Rickenbacker, who had once been his driver. With Mitchell’s help, Rickenbacker had gone to Army flying school; Rickenbacker initially had been considered too old to be an Army pilot.
Mitchell was daring and tireless and was promoted rapidly during his 18 months of service in France – from Lieutenant-Colonel, to Colonel, to Brigadier General. He ended the war with numerous decorations that recognized his valor – the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the World War I Victory Medal with eight campaign clasps, the French Croix de Guerre, the French Pilot Badge, and the Italian War Merit Cross.
He also ended the war with distinct hostility from his superior officers. In their eyes, his flamboyant and brash methods, his unwillingness to work within the chain of command, negated his superb leadership and excellent combat record. They were irritated and alienated and over time, had their revenge in the years that followed.
After the war, Mitchell became an outspoken advocate for military air power. He railed against the lack of vision in the Army and Navy bureaucracies, campaigning publicly for a greatly expanded air service. At the time, there was a serious tilt away from wartime expenditures into domestic, peacetime spending.
Billy Mitchell in the cockpit during World War I. Wisconsin Historical Society
During the 1920s, Mitchell’s loud insistence – before Congress and within the military – resulted in a number of bombing runs where aircraft teams he commanded sank captured German ships and retired U.S. Navy vessels. These were demonstrations of the effectiveness of air power. It also offered proof, at least in Mitchell’s eyes, of the ineffectiveness of both Navy and Army resources for upcoming wars he was certain would happen before too long.
Things came to a head in 1925 after he published his polemical book, “Winged Defense: The Development and Possibilities of Modern AirPower—Economic and Military.”
Two aviation disasters shocked the country. In September, a Navy seaplane disappeared over the Pacific en route to Hawaii, and a Navy dirigible, the Shenandoah, crashed in Ohio.
Mitchell issued a nine-page statement to the press blaming the tragedies on “the incompetency, criminal negligence, and almost treasonable administration of the National Defense by the Navy and War Departments,”
In short order, he was court-martialed on the charge of “Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline and in a way to bring discredit upon the military service.”
The trial lasted seven weeks, from mid-December, 1925 to late January, 1926. All but one of the 13 judges—the exception was Douglas McArthur – found Mitchell guilty of insubordination, sentencing him to five years suspension from active service, with no pay.
President Calvin Coolidge affirmed the decision, mitigating it slightly to five years suspension with half-pay. Before the court could officially impose the sentence, Mitchell resigned his commission and left the Army on February 1, 1926. He was 46.
of a country gentleman, breeding horses and hunting
equestrian.
He rode in the Cobbler Hunt with George Patton, his long-time friend, and was an active participant in equine events throughout the area. When his friend Mrs. Agnes Boeing Ilsley was murdered in Middleburg in January, 1932, Mitchell was a leader in the local manhunt for the suspected killer.
Mitchell also continued as a prolific speaker and writer about the military necessity of America having a strong air power. He warned about the expansionist policies of Japan, predicting Japan would start a war with America with an aircraft attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In the isolationist 1930s, Mitchell was a voice crying in the wilderness, an ignored Cassandra. Unlike his fellow warrior, Patton, he would not live to see another war. A heart attack, complicated by pneumonia, led to his unexpected death in February, 1936 at age 56.
Mitchell’s reputation was completely rehabilitated during and after World War II. The North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, introduced in 1941, was named for him. The main airport in his hometown of Milwaukee was renamed General Mitchell Field in his honor and is now Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
President Franklin Roosevelt successfully petitioned Congress to posthumously award Mitchell the Congressional Gold Medal, “in recognition of his outstanding pioneer service and foresight in the field of American military aviation.”
Most significantly of all, Mitchell’s recommendation from decades earlier to have a separate Air Force department equal to the Army and Navy was implemented, as was his recommendation for a unified Department of Defense.
George Patton and Billy Mitchell about to go Tally Ho in Middleburg. Virginia Military Institute
Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. Library of Congress
Mitchell retired to Boxwood with his second wife, Elizabeth. He lived the life
dogs, and was an avid
Markham – The stone residence is charming; the mountain views are magnificent! With an elevation of 1200’ the expansive views, in all directions, cannot be overstated. A stunning property where one can find privacy and peaceful enjoyment in nature.
The Grand Ginkos At Dandy Blandy
By Ronen Feldman
Historic preservation – check. Studying different types of plants – check. Educational opportunities for all different age groups – check, check, check!
Anne Marie Chirieleison, the newly named director of the Foundation of the State Arboretum at Boyce’s Blandy Experimental Farm, has a mouthful to say about its history as well as its collection of rare trees and plants, available to researchers and visitors alike.
Barely in the job for three months, the Fredericksburg native can discuss plants like a botanist and talk about the land’s history as if she had been there back then.
She realizes that the arboretum and the adjacent historic landmarks are an intersection of science and culture; an exploration of thousands of different trees and shrubs from all over the world and a look into Virginia’s past rolled into one.
“We work with researchers from the University of Virginia to study many nonnative plants, often distinguishing the ones that are good from those that are potentially harmful to their non-native environments,” Chirieleison explained. “We only plant the good ones.”
Anne Marie Chirieleison is the new Foundation of the State Arboretum Director
Photos by Donna Strama
With over 300 trees, Blandy’s Ginkgo Grove is one of the largest public ginkgo groves in America.
The arboretum is the only one of its kind in the state, and also has ties to the National Arboretum in Washington.
“The spotted lantern fly, for example, is an insect that was introduced by its host tree, the tree of heaven,” she said. “This plant, while beautiful, is terribly invasive, and so are the pests it attracts. And yet, the ginkgo tree, which is another non-native plant from East Asia, is perfectly harmless. This is the kind of research the arboretum is for.”
During the 1920s, the land was repurposed, but its history goes back long before it became the botanical hub it is today. The complex on which the arboretum operates was owned by the Tuleys, a prominent slave-owning family whose patriarch, Colonel Joseph Tuley Jr., began building the mansion known today as “The Tuleyries” almost a century earlier.
BARNS OF ROSE HILL
DECEMBER PROGRAMS
The family’s extensive travels through Europe have often been thought to be the inspiration for many of the mansion’s architectural features, including its four signature 28-foot Corinthian columns which were copied from the Tuileries at Versailles. The same is true of the old slave quarters, which were built in Dutch colonial architecture.
The Tuleyries remained in the possession of the family after the Civil War through Tuley’s niece, Belinda, who married a colonel herself, one Upton Boyce. After Belinda’s death, Boyce sold The Tuleyries to a wealthy New Yorker, Graham Blandy in 1905.
Blandy spent a fortune restoring the mansion, even recruiting famed Philadelphia architect Mantle Fielding and a former slave named Mosey, who worked for years repairing the stone walls. In the end, Blandy left 700 of the 900acre estate to the University of Virginia.
What used to be the slave quarters have been converted into laboratories and housing. The Tuleyries and the Blandy Experimental Farm were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and 1992, respectively.
“One major goal we have is to keep its architectural integrity intact,” Chirieleison said. “This place is dedicated to research, but we also offer a variety of K-12 programs and educational opportunities for adults. People also have the chance to connect with the arboretum personally, conduct native plant and bird walks, and visit and see our ginkgo grove.”
Filling and Fulfilling Work at Churches of Upperville
By Laura Longley
We’ve all heard the phrase “It takes a village” so often that it’s pretty much lost its meaning. Not so in Upperville, where more than 25 years ago its four churches came together to make their Thanksgiving and Christmas outreach efforts more meaningful.
This year, “Churches of Upperville” will be serving 26 families and a total of 98 people, some multi-generational. The volunteer-run collaboration inspired by the Rev. Phil Lewis of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church is a smoothly running operation that combines school-based enrollment, two fundraising events, four mega-shopping trips, packing and distribution of boxes, and a lot of happy people, volunteers and recipients both.
The four churches are Mt. Pisgah and United Methodist Church, both on Delaplane Grade Road just south of Route 50, and Trinity Episcopal Church and Upperville Baptist Church, both on Route 50 in the center of the village.
In addition to members of their congregations, community volunteers, and other organizations, such as two local garden clubs, the planning and hands-on management is guided by the church leaders, long-time and now retired program directors Patty and Peter Nicholl, their newly named successors, Cyndi and Duane Ellis, owners of Common Grounds in Middleburg, Michele and Mike Husfelt of
Upperville Baptist Church, and Trinity’s administrative assistant, Betsy Crenshaw.
The annual process of enrollment begins early each year through upper Fauquier County’s public schools. Applications come primarily from families of students who receive nutrition support through federal Title I funding.
The volunteers’ fundraising campaign begins in August with a crab fest at Slater Run Vineyards, an event that goes a long way to making the fall shopping expeditions possible.
An additional fundraising opportunity is the day before Thanksgiving when the congregations come together for a service at the host church where the basket is passed for contributions. Afterward, Trinity hosts a reception for all the participants. This year the service is set for 7 p.m. on Nov. 27 at Upperville Baptist Church.
Cyndi Ellis described the shopping expeditions and distribution process. “Trinity allows us to use their van, so Betsy Crenshaw drives the van, and then we literally go shopping—twice before Thanksgiving, twice before Christmas,” she said. “So, we’ll buy frozen turkeys and chicken, hundreds of cans of this and that, mac ‘n’ cheese, peanut butter, pies, potatoes, carrots, onions, even candy. The amount of food is amazing—we probably should make a video of it.
“After we shop, we head back to Upperville Baptist Church where we unload everything. That’s where everything is stored, and that’s where the families will come and pick up that Saturday before the holiday.
“The volunteers will arrive at 7:30 a.m. at Upperville Baptist, and we’ll start to prepare the boxes that are going to go to these families. The families start coming about 8:15 a.m., so that should give you an idea of how fast we pack boxes. We have so many people that volunteer to help, it’s great. Where we really need help are strong young folks, because these boxes are heavy.”
To join “Churches of Upperville” contact cyndi.ellis@verizon.net.
Let’s just call this pure magic, as guests gathered in the gardens at the Museum of The Shenandoah Valley in Winchester for the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center gala. Entering the grounds, we followed a brick path and met a possum named Muffin, a white skunk named Mocha and a turtle named Shelly. All of this among the shimmering glass sculptures of flowers, insects and more on loan from artist Craig Mitchell Smith.
A recommended attire note on the invitation urged guests to “add magic to the night with your Silver and Goldfinch inspired outfits and feathered embellishments.” We spotted some spectacular innovations: dancing shoes of snake skin, a glittery dinner jacket evoking the sparkly look of the late great pianist, Liberace, and fabulous feathers galore.
A luscious buffet dinner came from Six Star Events at a table put together by our hostess, Lady Elinor Crane and included Sir Peter Crane, along with Sally and Sandy Wood, Osborne Mackie, George Kingsley and Karen Nutt.
Then, a very vigorous live fundraising auction/paddle raise courtesy of Brian Damewood of Damewood Auctioneers, along with sponsorships, ticket sales and donations yielded $400,000 for the Wildlife Center and a new pre-release rehab shelter located near Millwood. “It was their best gala,” one inside source noted. Dance music from Chaotic Blonde with a spectacular opening performance from board members Bethann Beeman and Cab Grayson followed.
Other board members spotted were Emily Ristau and Matt Sheedy with uber PR woman Vicki Bendure. Add to this: Anne Randolph and Tyson Gilpin, Jr. , Walter and Franny Kansteiner, Andrew Stifler and Mia Glickman with Jim Rich.
Annie Bradfield, executive director of the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center with husband Neil Tedrow
Kevin Dougherty and Maite Dougherty.
Jessica Andersen and Shelly.
Laurie Volk had a nibble.
Jacqueline Mars met Mocha, a white skunk. Kiernan and Chris Patusky.
Jessica Lenehan, Jolly deGive and Elinor Crane.
Shelby Bonnie and Kristiane Pellegrino.
Ilona Pillion Muffin the possum with Kailye Smith.
Piedmont Art Show at Grace Church in The Plains
Photos by Leonard Shapiro
There clearly was something for everyone at the recent Piedmont Regional Art Show at Grace Church in The Plains, gorgeous paintings in oil and water color, fabulous photographs and a table filled with all manner of pottery. The three day-show attracted large crowds as well as a wide variety of gifted artists from all around the region.
Best in Show was “A Bright View” by Anne Reid.
Visitors were greeted by Georgette Franzoni and Joanne Henley.
A display of pottery.
Spectators flocked to the church all weekend.
“In the Stretch” by Patricia Craighill.
“My Grandmother Was Strong” by Teresa Duke.
This photograph, “Grace In The Plains,” came from Gomer Pyles.
Merry Christmas from Upperville
Mark your calendars for Sunday, December 15 for a very special Christmas Home Tour. Five properties will be on the tour including the Upperville Library, built circa 1804. The tiny structure is a contributing property to the Upperville Historic District designated as a Virginia Historic Landmark and is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Details at dorsey.debutts@gmail.com.
www.trinityupperville.org
Sunday, December 1, 8, 15, & 22:
Advent services each Sunday at 8:00am, 10:30am, & 5:00pm (no 5:00pm service on December 8)
Additionally, special seasonal services & events:
Sunday, December 1
Advent Sunday
11:30am Advent Wreath Making Workshop
5:00pm A Service of Advent Readings & Carols
Sunday, December 8,
The Second Sunday of Advent
3:00pm Lux Aurumque - Golden Light
A Christmas Concert with the Blue Ridge Singers 4:30pm Trinity Christmas Party, Auction & Paddle Raise
Tuesday, December 24
Christmas Eve
5:00pm Christmas Pageant & Family Service 8:00pm Celebration Choral Holy Eucharist 11:00pm Candlelit Holy Eucharist
Wednesday, December 25,
The Nativity of Christ - Christmas Day 10:00am Festive Eucharist & Carols
Sunday, December 29
The First Sunday after Christmas 10.30am Christmas Readings & Carols
Photo by Devry Becker Jones
The Final Resting Place of President John F. Kennedy: The Untold Story of a Lost Memorial
When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, a final resting place was chosen at Arlington National Cemetery.
What is unknown is that in addition to the iconic eternal flame, another memorial piece was planned as part of the grave. It was based on a concept by the French designer Jean Schlumberger and a recent discovery brought to light its previously untold story.
“The memorial wreath project further emphasizes the close relationship of Mrs. Mellon and Mrs. Kennedy,” said Elinor Crane of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, who worked on the research. “The care, time and devotion spent to memorialize a moment in time for the fallen President.”
A long-neglected detail of the ceremonial burial of President Kennedy is that before leaving the grave, the Honor Guard that carried the coffin, representing all branches of the U.S. military, removed their caps as a mark of respect.
Those caps were maintained on the grave until April, 1967 after the reinternment and consecration of the eternal flame gravesite designed by John Carl Warnecke and Associates, with final adjustments made by Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s approval.
Nevertheless, the symbolic significance of the caps was not forgotten. Over the ensuing years, a concept was privately developed to represent them in a memorial wreath at the gravesite. Designed by Jean Schlumberger and commissioned by Mrs. Kennedy, this memorial wreath, over eight feet in diameter, incorporated the hats of the Honor Guard. It was then secretly created by the sculptor and goldsmith Louis Féron at his studio in New Hampshire before being cast at the Modern Art Foundry in New York in April and May, 1969.
Overseen by Mrs. Mellon and temporarily installed in the early 1970s on a replica of the President’s grave at the Mellon estate in Upperville, the wreath then disappeared. Over the last several years, an exhaustive search by researchers at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation failed to trace its whereabouts.
However, earlier this year, a letter discovered in the Féron archives at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston offered a clue. Dated April 4, 1977, the letter directed that the wreath be shipped to the yet to be constructed John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
The wreath has now been located, still packed in its original shipping crates, in the offsite collections of the Kennedy Library filed under the sculptor’s name, ‘Feron.’
Oyster stone mock-up of JFK grave in the Fletcher Cemetery at Oak Spring in Upperville. Oak Spring, now the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, was once owned by the members of the Fletcher family. Robert Fletcher was George N. Slater’s great grandfather and many other Fletcher relatives are also buried here.
ABOUT THE OAK SPRING GARDEN FOUNDATION
The Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville is at the estate of Rachel “Bunny”’ Lambert Mellon that includes the former Mellon home, an exquisite garden and large part of the former Mellon estate, including an exceptional library focused on the history of plant science, plant exploration, and the development of gardens and landscape design. The mission of OSGF is to perpetuate and share the gifts of “Bunny” Lambert Mellon, to serve the public interest with a primary focus on inspiring and facilitating scholarship and public dialogue on the history and future of plants, including the culture of gardens and landscapes and the importance of plants for human well-being.
Photographer Everett Hicks Military hats at the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy.
Photographer unknown
The assembled and completed memorial wreath in Louis Féron’s Snowville, New Hampshire studio.
Photo at Oak Spring Garden Foundation taken in 2024 by Max Smith, head of communications, Oak Spring Garden Foundation.
Plan Your Project Now, Thrive Later
By Tim Burch Jr.
Picture this: you’re planning a dream kitchen expansion and remodel, but the property’s setback limits or an unexpected easement throws a wrench in the project.
You need a partner who anticipates these potential issues before they impact your plans, working with local zoning officials, handling permits, and assessing site regulations from day one so you can focus on enjoying the process without interruption.
Whether it’s transforming a kitchen, creating a grand primary suite, or reimagining an outdoor living area, you need a team with the knowledge and experience to keep your project moving forward smoothly, ensuring that the path to your ideal space stays on track.
Timing also is an important factor when planning a remodel. For example, if you’re planning a project for spring, 2025, now’s the time to start. Whether it’s a full transformation or a kitchen upgrade, early planning allows your team the time to gather all necessary information, obtain permits, and create a roadmap that fits your needs and timeline.
When beginning a project, be sure to vet your potential contractor to determine
if they have the specific knowledge required to execute your dream space with ease.
What are some of the more challenging home renovations they’ve encountered? How did they navigate the issues while keeping the job on track? Are they practiced in working through zoning restrictions, easement requirements, and building setbacks? And most important, are they able to take these obstacles in stride without delaying your build?
Working with a true partner for your project means you feel supported from beginning to end, even if complexities arise. Your remodeling team should be ready to guide you through every twist and turn, bringing decades of experience in handling the inevitable hurdles and getting straight to effective solutions. They should know the ropes when it comes to addressing local codes, historical property requirements, and restrictions that can surface unexpectedly, and they should demonstrate their commitment to your project, regardless of any challenges.
]We encourage clients to reach out early to get expert insights and guidance from the very beginning. The earlier you involve your remodeler, the better they can tailor a plan that anticipates your home’s unique demands and prevents delays.
Whether it’s a comprehensive remodel or reimagining your kitchen layout, bringing in your team upfront gives you access to their expertise in navigating complex local requirements.
At BOWA, we believe well-informed clients make the best decisions, and we’re here to answer every question to set you up for success. With us, no challenge is too daunting, and each step of the journey is handled with precision, care, and a focus on your peace of mind.
Tim Burch
Mattingly’s
Leesburg Airport a Hotbed for Instruction
By Joe Motheral
The Leesburg Executive Airport was founded in part by the late, iconic radio and television broadcaster
Arthur Godfrey and plays host to five companies that provide flight training to potential pilots.
Bill English, the associate chief instructor at Aviation Adventure, said his firm employs 17 instructors “with a couple more in training who will be online soon. We do a lot of training toward the flight instructor certificate.”
As an instructor who has been in aviation for 40 years, English is responsible for making sure his instructors are fully qualified. “I take personal attention to our up-coming CFIs,” he said, “to insure they have a well-rounded experience.
“We also have a remarkably high percentage of female students and flight instructors,” he added, and “It feels like families are encouraging this.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is involved with flight training and Aviation Adventure (AA) has a Part 141 flight school status designation by the FAA.
With that rating, AA has a number of approved training categories. According to the FAA website, that includes private pilot training, commercial, recreational, instrument training and training to be a flight instructor. The other four Leesburg Airport flight schools— Aero Elite, ATB Flight School, flyAdvanced and NOVA Pilots—all have FAA ratings of a similar nature.
Airport.
AA has a fleet of 16 airplanes, mostly Cessna 172s and three Piper Cherokees. In addition, they have Cessna 182s and a Diamond DA40 that English said “are excellent for taking trips. We also have two multi-engine airplanes, a Grumman Cougar and a very high tech Diamond Twinstar with computercontrolled turbo-diesel engines.”
Airport Director Scott Coffman said he was pleased with the flight training at his facility.
“Many student pilots who took their first flight lesson at Leesburg have gone on to long pilot careers,” he said, adding that many of their students also become flight instructors teaching others to become regional and national airline pilots.
Coffman and his organization do face significant challenges—one being how busy the airport has become. “Because of the airport’s location, we attract student pilots from all over Northern Virginia. And flight training is prohibited in restricted and security airspace near Washington D.C.”
The five private firms that teach flying can crowd runways and airspace.
“The air traffic control tower provides services to the pilots to sequence them to the single runway,” he said. “The airport is working to construct a new control tower facility to meet the growing demand.”
Noise is also an issue.
“It’s a challenge for many airports and as our airport traffic grows, its impact on surrounding neighborhoods does as well,” he said. “We work with our flight schools, pilots and the FAA to give pilots guidance on how they can decrease noise over neighborhoods.”
Taylor Dais, once a flight instructor at Aviation Adventure, said that cutting the noise over neighborhoods means flying at higher altitudes. He then spelled out the sequence of flight training: “First, private flying, then instrument for flying in the clouds, becoming an instructor and training to become a commercial pilot.”
And how long does it take to get a pilot’s license?
According to Bill English, it varies depending on the student’s frequency at the controls with an instructor, but usually within several months.
“We are patient,” he said.
Planes for flying lessons at Leesburg
Bill English, associate chief instructor at Aviation Adventure in Leesburg.
On the afternoon before the 1000 Miglia timed speed race came through Middleburg it was all about the tiny tots. About thirty future race car drivers zoomed down Madison Street. They rode in cars from the Playroom owned by Michelle McNaughton and all received a medal. Playroom raffled off a limited-edition chrome scooter to all participants and it was won by Theo Jestakom.
Photos by ZEST in town photographer Donna Strama
And the winner is…Alistair Scott, Bex Van Horn, and Ben Collins.
Zoom And around the turn Easy does it
The “real” cars entered for the Miglia race had a timed 15 second heat and the winner was the 1931 Alfa owned by Timothy John Burton, aka Shmee 150. This is his Ford GT.
Timothy John Burton with his wife Elizabeth, they had the had the car shipped.
FIREPLACE STORE
MODERN FINANCE
D Is For Democratization
“Hey, what about me?”
Anyone ever said that? For individuals, the alternative space in private equity has historically been hard to access for a variety of reasons related to net worth, suitability and liquidity.
Additionally, the operational complexity, complicated structures, uncertainty of cash flows and high investment minimums have been set with a high bar.
But these days, things are different with the democratization of private equity as the asset class continues to attract assets in the pursuit of diversification and higher historical returns than those achieved in the public markets.
By Philip Dudley
The key innovation in the democratization of private equity has been the development of interval or open-ended funds that allow an investor to make purchases into an established diversified pool of assets at fair value.
Aside from buying into these funds at net asset value, additional flexibility exists in the form of an investor being able to add or withdraw capital in regular intervals. These features combined create a flexible and simple approach to private equity investing.
Now that we’ve established the benefits of accessing the space, the next step, and equally as important, is who you place your money with.
Number one, the manager of the open-ended fund should offer the same institutional quality portfolio as their “draw down” funds.
Number two, the opportunity set of investments should be large and broad so that the manager can maintain exposure while managing inflows and outflows. All the while, they need to be deploying capital into new investment opportunities which could include co-investments, secondaries, or asset based lending.
If that all sounds complex, and it is, expertise in both liquid and private assets is paramount.
The private equity asset class is obviously not without risk. But what are the risks to democratization? Well, they remain the same, and that’s the illiquid nature of the underlying assets.
Fund managers don’t suddenly make illiquid assets “liquid” by simply placing the assets in an open-ended interval fund. They have a liquidity portfolio in place to meet redemptions, but if these exceed available liquidity, the manager may limit redemptions which is usually 5% of net asset value.
This approach actually protects other investors because the fund would not be a forced seller. Rather, it could wait for a realization to satisfy any future redemptions.
And so, if you were ever wondering…democratization rules the day!
Philip Dudley
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LEGAL EXCELLENCE
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A Tradition of Legal Excellence
Every case is different. We will provide a custom strategy to fit the needs of your unique situation. Call today for a consultation.
70 Main Street, Suite 52 • Warrenton, VA 20188-0880 • www.gctlaw.com 540-347-3022
Kevin Kessler is pleased to announce his affiliation as a sales associate with the prestigious Middleburg real estate firm of Sheridan-MacMahon, Ltd. Realtors, serving the Virginia Piedmont counties of Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke and Rappahannock for more than 45 years.
Kevin is a graduate of the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences and the University of Georgia School of Law. He's a member of the Virginia State Bar and is a licensed real estate agent in Florida and Virginia. He has lived in Fauquier County for 20 years (The Plains and Warrenton) and currently resides in Middleburg.
A lifelong horseman, Kevin brings his legal, equine and property backgrounds together to assist buyers and sellers in the purchase and sale of horse country properties in this beautiful region.
Give Kevin a call or text or stop by the office located at 11 East Washington Street.
The Land Trust of Virginia’s “Bike The Gravel Tour de Conservation Easement” annual fall ride attracted over 400 cyclists for the 2024 event that started and finished at The Virginia Tech Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center (MARE). On a gorgeous moring, riders of all ages on all manner of two-wheeled bicycles, including a few with electric power to get up those hills, navigated mostly gravel roads along private farms and estate properties in the conservation easement area.
Michaela Wiczaka, Samantha Dancy and Kasey Clark
Ashton Cole is the executive director or the LTV. The rubber meets the road.
Peter Leonard-Morgan Hydration.
Elijah Shipp
Mark Thompson is a serial long-distance cyclist.
A Perfect Fit at Middleburg Museum
By Charlotte deButts
Every organization can use a small miracle now and then. We’ve been helped by one at the Middleburg Museum.
Personable, knowledgeable, intellectual, and all-around delightful, Georgina Ohrstrom has been the answer to the museum’s prayers. While board members are busy developing exhibits, refurbishing an antique building, planning events, and fundraising, someone has had to keep the doors open. Enter Georgina, our Fall Middleburg Museum Docent-Intern, with impressive curatorial and archival experience under her belt and always with a smile on her face.
A native of The Plains, Georgina has brought with her a polymath’s approach to the world around her. While digging for human remains in a gap in the Pyrenees Mountains, caring for George Washingtonbranded 19th-century decorative art at Mount Vernon, or handling historic wallpapers in the Netherlands, this French speaking University of Virginia graduate has developed a sponge-like approach to learning about people, their culture, and their art.
How does this help a tiny museum in a tiny town? Enormously.
Not only has she greeted visitors (good for social
LEARN & GROW at the
skills, she said) with a warm hello and a pocketful of information, between visitors, she has worked on an archive database (of her creation) of hundreds of artifacts in the museum’s possession.
If you’ve happened to drop in with a historic something-or-other, she’s handled the accession records, keeping the loan or donation of items straight and documented. With confidence, she’s handled urgent calls from board members regarding
Spend several days living and learning at Bunny Mellon’s Oak Spring! Applications for our first 2025 residential short courses are now open:
From Wild Origins to Oak Spring: an Immersive Course in Garden Bulbs
Monday, March 10th - Friday, March 14th, 2025
Springtime Perennials & Annuals of Little Oak Spring Tuesday, April 15th - Thursday, April 17th, 2025
Reading the Landscape Monday, May 12th - Friday, May 16th, 2025
Learn more about these and other upcoming short courses at www.osgf.org/short-courses or by scanning this QR code.
humidity levels and HVAC complaints, and with enthusiasm, has made recommendations to out-oftowners about our local businesses.
Georgina said she’s enjoyed meeting locals and running into people she has known growing up here. She’s particularly happy about the new appreciation she has for the heritage and culture of the area.
It’s easy to take all of it for granted, having lived here all her life, but working at the museum, where she has learned so much about the history and people of the region, and sharing that information with visitors has felt like a tutorial on the Piedmont.
As director of meet-and-greet, Georgina has described for visitors the people, history, and culture of a larger community comprising the town of Middleburg, the numerous villages surrounding it, and the open land in between. It’s all about who we are, how we got here, and where we’re going.
Speaking of going places, Georgina has been brushing up on her Latin with more study of medieval art and paleography (handwriting) on her schedule. Ultimately, a career in preserving art and cultural heritage sites is her preference. As she explained, the study of art and culture is a pathway to an understanding of and empathy for all people. A noble endeavor with a smile.
Visit the museum at 12 North Madison Street and meet our Winter Middleburg Museum Docent-Intern: Thursday-Sunday, 11-4.
Photo by Amelia Grace Dunlap Georgina Ohrstrom has a smile for one and all.
Celebrate the Holidays All Month!
12/6 Town Tree Lighting
12/7 Christmas in Middleburg Day Breakfast with Santa, Hunt Parade, Christmas Parade
12/8 Christmas Music
12/11 Jingle Jam
Open Late Shopping & Carolers
12/14 A Dickens of a Christmas A Christmas Carol, St. George and the Dragon, Dickens Dancers, Storytime
12/15 Christmas Music
12/18 Jingle Jam
Open Late Shopping & Carolers
12/21 Dickens of a Dog Parade, Yappy Hour, Celtic Music
For reservations and more info please contact: amacintyre@middleburgva.gov
12/1, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 Free Hot Chocolate at Scruffy’s Ice Cream Parlor
ORchesTRA
28th Anniversary Season 2024 - 2025 Holiday Concert:
Old Dominion Hunt Ball
LET THEM EAT CAKE
“It was a visible feast.” 1924-2024
“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”
Photos by Kevin Kessler
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 - 3PM
PSO welcomes back audience-favorite soprano Emily Casey, to perform Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and other cherished sacred classics. Composer/conductor J. Thomas Mitchell returns to premiere his holiday work for soprano, and PSO Founding Conductor Emeritus Michael A. Hughes narrates a musical setting of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Friends and members of the Old Dominion Hounds celebrated 100 years of sporting traditions at Matt Neiswanger and Jeff Nunzulli’s High Meadow Farm in Flint Hill for a hunt ball. The stunning setting was transformed for “An Evening At Versailles.” At the entrance, one female guest noted: “It was very hard to hold a drink and a purse and a camera and hold up a long flowing gown from the cobblestones.”
UPCOMING PSO EVENTS:
PSO YounG Peop�’s C�c�t: "Carni�l of tה Animals”
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2025 - 3PM
PSO P�y�’s Show�se
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025 - 3PM at Buchanan Hall - Upperville, VA
SounDs of Victory!
SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2025 - 5PM
FOR TICKETS & INFORMATION: www.piedmontsymphony.org
Sandra
C’était en fait un festin si aconcentrer sur une seule chose. La maison était magnifique, ornée et dramatique. Les tenues folles, le personnel interminable habillé en vêtements d’époque juste pour aider les dames à monter l’escalier. Le personnel aurait pu être d’un par invité lorsque vous ajoutez les serveurs, les voituriers et le personnel d’accueil.
Massie Forbush was a work of art.
Matt Neiswanger and Martha Stewart
Guests
High Meadow is owned by Matt Neiswanger and Jeff Nunzulli.
Nancy and Justin Wiley
Ann and Malcolm Bourne
Tyler Townsend presented a door prize from Horse Country Saddlery.
Dancing the night away.
Gus Forbush, former MFH and Douglas Wise Stuart, former MFH and the current president of ODH.
were treated to a fabulous fireworks display.
Perspectives on Childhood, Education, and Parenting
Parents and Children Need to be Smart on Phones
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It’s the only thing.” – Albert Schweitzer
By Tom Northrup and Mike Wipfler
Tom: Let’s begin our fourth “Zest” conversation on Jonathan’s Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation.”
In our first, I said that “parents, educators, and middle and high school students would be well served to not only read it, but to have ongoing crossgenerational conversations about its content and recommendations.”
It’s gratifying to see that others agree, and that many schools and families have made significant modifications to the limits they’re setting for children on smartphone availability and use at schools and at home.
We believe it’s easier for schools to implement these stricter policies than it is for parents. I’d like your thoughts on the challenges parents face, and how you and your wife, Cristin, are dealing with this issue with your children.
Mike: Like most families, we’re struggling to manage our children’s screen time. While they don’t use social media, they do have wireless mobile devices (which some researchers call WMD’s or weapons of mass distraction). Those devices are the first thing they want when they wake up or return from school.
Our empathetic sides are receptive to these requests. We both know our children come home from school
in need of a snack and some zone-out time to recharge their batteries. What we don’t want is for their devices to become their default activity, an automatic go-to whenever they have a free moment. We need to do a better job setting limits, both for our children and for ourselves.
Tom: I agree it’s important for parents to model responsible phone use. What are some changes you’ve made to earn more credibility with your children?
Mike: First, I read Catherine Price’s “How To Break Up With Your Phone.” She does a nice job explaining why it’s so easy to get addicted to your phone, how excessive phone use is bad for your brain and body, and what you can do to build healthier relationships with your devices.
I started implementing some of her suggestions. Since we really value family time and face-to-face
interactions, no phones are allowed at the dinner table. When we’re spending family time together, I try to keep my phone in another room, not my pocket. I’m not distracted by notifications, and I’m unable to check email or look at social media whenever there’s a lull in activity.
I’m present, which is how I want to be as a parent, and how I want my children to be when in the presence of others. I’ve also added “speed bumps” to create a pause between my impulses and my actions. My favorite is a message on my lock screen that says, “WWW” as in “What For, Why Now, and What Else.” This delaying mechanism has dramatically reduced the number of times I open my phone.
Tom: It’s good to hear the WWW technique is working so well for you. The delay, or “speed bump,” seems grounded in the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It also activates and strengthens your frontal lobes. I like the technique’s simplicity–it would probably be a good idea for most of us to give it a try.
I admire you and Cristin’s “do as we do” approach rather than “do as we say.” My own life experience has demonstrated this approach works well and has lasting results.
Mike Wipfler and Tom Northrup.
SO WHO’S DRIVING? HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
By Hunt Lyman
The trolley problem has been a staple of philosophy since the 1960s.
Imagine a trolley speeding out of control, about to hit five innocent people. You stand next to a lever that, if pulled, will divert the trolley to another track where it will kill one person. Do you pull the lever?
Some argue it’s right to sacrifice one to save five, while others believe no one should act in a way that results in murder. My computer science graduate students consider a modern twist: how would this dilemma shape your programming of self-driving car software?
This ethical dilemma has become newly relevant due to technological advances. I tend toward a utilitarian framework: spare five by sacrificing one. But I’m far less willing if that means programming my Tesla to save five lives by driving me into a concrete barrier.
Using self-driving software makes me acutely aware that I am allowing the car to make decisions— choices really—for which I am still ultimately responsible. Autonomous driving is convenient, but
it should not give drivers the illusion that they are free from accountability.
Self-driving vehicles illustrate how emerging technologies create situations that traditional ethical frameworks and legal standards struggle to keep pace with.
Examples from the past two decades abound: How do people’s internal guidelines for civility change when they communicate anonymously online? What should schools do when students create deep fake nudes of their classmates and post them online, which doesn’t happen on school grounds or violate specific rules? Is paying ransomware to protect essential city services morally acceptable? Should we allow underage children to violate an unenforced policy and sign up for Instagram when all their friends are doing it? Are social media companies responsible for misinformation and offensive speech that gets posted on their platforms?
And how should educational institutions respond to Artificial Intelligence companies offering to write papers, conduct research, or solve problems for students, free of charge?
Most people try to deal with these questions by relating them to more familiar, analogous ethical situations: Would you make that comment if everyone you know could read it? Would you pay a terrorist to free a hostage? Would you ask a friend to
write that paper for you?
These comparisons can be helpful, but they miss the deeper issue. Technology is expanding into areas that were once uniquely human. In thousands of years, we have not developed a universally accepted moral framework for living virtuously and treating others well.
Now, we are forced to make far-reaching moral decisions involving technology that affect how we spread information, choose leaders, determine truth, conduct warfare, and make other critical choices. Meanwhile, technology is developing on a very different timeline from the one governing laws, leaving us, at best, in loosely charted territory.
I’m not proposing we abandon traditional ethics. Quite the opposite. We need to think even more deeply about the fundamental questions of how to live well and treat others fairly—questions that have engaged thinkers from Socrates and Plato to the American founders and beyond.
Our world may be changing, but the core moral questions are not. We can never relinquish our ethical responsibilities to machines that, while miraculous in many ways, lack the ability to understand the complexities of human morality.
Hunt Lyman is the academic dean at The Hill School in Middleburg.
The Hill School offers an education as unique as your child. Come visit our community to learn how our program of Total Education – strong academics and meaningful participation in art, music, sports, and theater – helps build character and confidence in our students and gets them started on the path to being happy, successful adults. thehillschool.org
Voted Best Private School in Loudoun County for Six Consecutive Years
Hunt Lyman
A True Teaching Treasure at Banneker Elementary
By Leonard Shapiro
Sarah Brissing, a reading specialist at Banneker Elementary near Middleburg (and truly so much more), recently recalled one of her many success stories. It involved helping one of her young English language learners overcome being intimidated by the prospect of reading books in English.
“He was just so averse to it,” Brissing, in her 18th year at the school, said of the then fifth grader. “We started little by little, just reading individual words, then short sentences, then long sentences. He was interested in the bible, in the military, soccer, and I was able to find books for him on those subjects, and his interest was huge.
“Then he started reading far more than I ever asked him to read, and he was so humble about it. I actually got goose bumps watching him do it. He’s in the seventh grade now, and he’s doing well.”
Virtually all the students who engage with Brissing and her two colleagues, Dee Dee Livesay, the school’s English language teacher, and Kristin Phelps, a literacy tutor, have similar positive results. They share a classroom at Banneker filled with all manner of instructional bulletin board material and other tools to enhance their one-on-one or small group sessions.
Brissing attended Middleburg Elementary and Blue Ridge Middle School followed by three years at Loudoun Valley High School and her senior year at the old Notre Dame Academy. She’s a graduate of Hollins University and has a Masters in reading from Shenandoah University. Her husband, Larry, owns and operates In Memoriam Pet Services.
She spent her first dozen years at Banneker as a kindergarten teacher and three more teaching fifth grade. During Covid, with three young daughters, she decided to home school her children for two years. She set up a basement classroom, and before long, a few friends and neighbors heard about it.
“They’d call and ask ‘do you have room for one more?’” she said, adding that she never said no. She did that for two years until she got a call from Banneker principal Robert Carter telling her there was an opening for a reading specialist and might she be interested?
Her answer was a resounding yes, and she returned to a school, to her colleagues and children she adores, including her three daughters, June, now 11, Elsie, 9, and Edie Belle, 7. June actually was in her mom’s kindergarten class, and her two younger sisters are now Banneker students.
“A lot of teachers might be intimidated by that, but to me it was a true gift,” Brissing said. “To see my children and what their strengths were, what their goals were. It’s an incredible opportunity not many get to have.”
Brissing also credits Principal Carter, a man she describes as having “a joyful spirit,” with giving her and her fellow teachers “a lot of autonomy and freedom. I’ll be forever grateful to him for this opportunity.”
And Carter is equally grateful.
“In my 10 years at Banneker, there are a few sure bets you can make every day,” he said. “One is that the school bell will ring welcoming students to start their day and two, that Sarah Brissing will be there doing what’s best for kids. She’s been a leader for our school’s adoption of research-based literacy best practices,
and our growth in student achievement is a product of her leadership, coaching, and tutelage.”
“We work on everything with the students—phonemic awareness, rhyming, syllables, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency,” Brissing said. “I absolutely love it. It’s very intimate work, guiding students through challenges. It’s tough at times, but the reward is seeing them finally get it. It can be terribly hard, but terribly rewarding, too. We get to watch the lightbulb go on.”
Reading and parenting is not all she works on. Brissing is an extremely active member of Middleburg’s United Methodist Church, which she’s attended most of her life. Her parents, Mark and Mary Johnson, still live at Sunnyside Farm where she grew up and her dad is a long-time area veterinarian.
She’s been singing in the church choir since middle school and performs occasionally at church events with fellow parishioner Hunt Lyman, now the academic dean at Hill School but once her 12th grade English teacher when she attended Notre Dame. She also teaches Sunday school.
Wait, there’s more for this true force of nature. She’s on the board of the Middleburg Community Center and the Middleburg Library Advisory Board, an obvious affiliation for a woman who thrives on teaching reading. She’s had library personnel do presentations at Banneker, arranges Reading Machine visits, and helps her students get library cards, encouraging them to spend time there, as well.
She and her colleagues also are always finding ways to bring books to school, especially for some students whose family financial situations might preclude them from spending much at Banneker’s fall and spring book fairs.
“Yes, I’m very busy, but being involved keeps me engaged and fulfilled,” Brissing said. “I think about our community and being part of its fabric. Participating in all those things just feels like warmth to me.”
Especially when that light bulb goes on.
Photo by Leonard Shapiro
Sarah Brissing outside her classroom at Banneker Elementary.
Sarah Brissing (center) and colleagues Dee Dee Livesay and Kristin Phelps.
Hands-On,
Intentionally
Proven
TWA Flight 514: Tragedy at Mount Weather
TBy John T. Toler
he late morning storm that swept through Northern Virginia on Dec. 1, 1974 was a major factor in the worst mass-casualty incident ever suffered in the Virginia Piedmont region.
Due to the fierce winds and rain, Transworld Airlines (TWA) Flight 514, originating in Indianapolis and en route to Washington, D.C., was diverted from National Airport to Dulles International.
The aircraft, a four-year-old Boeing 727-231 “stretch” jet, was carrying a crew of three men in the cockpit, four female flight attendants, and 85 passengers.
Following instructions from air traffic control at Dulles, the crew lined up with Runway 12 at Dulles. The cockpit voice recorder revealed confusion about the minimum altitude for the approach. complicated by the blinding weather, and about 23 miles west of the airport, the pilots could not see the western slope of the Blue Ridge mountains rising in front of them.
Coming in at over 200 miles per hour, TWA Flight 514 slammed into Mount Weather on the Loudoun-Clarke County line at 11:09 a.m., cutting a 60-yard wide swath through the treetops before plowing into a rocky outcropping on the east side of Route 601.
The aircraft was disintegrated by the unimaginable force of the impact, instantly killing all 92 people on board. Debris and bloody human remains were scattered in the heavy woodland on the eastern slope of the mountain across an area the size of two football fields.
While controllers at Dulles tried to reach TWA 514 on the radio, a man living on Rt. 601 went out in the snow to see why the power to his home had gone out. Seeing fire where the plane went down, he called the fire control in Leesburg and was told that it was suspected to be a plane crash.
By noon, Virginia State Police had blocked Route 7 at Snicker’s Gap, and area fire and rescue companies responded to the crash site. Local hospitals
were notified of possible mass casualties.
Among the first Fauquier County units to arrive was the Marshall Volunteer Rescue Company.
“We got the call at about 12:10 p.m. that there was an aircraft down on the mountain,” said MVRS member Pete Van Deman in an interview published in The Fauquier Democrat newspaper on Dec. 5, 1974. They were issued rain gear, flashlights and other equipment and headed out. “About halfway there we learned that it was a 727.”
The Marshall unit arrived at the scene at about 12:30 p.m.
Treetops were cleanly shorn off on the western slope as the airliner struck Mount Weather at the summit.
The airliner disintegrated when it struck the rock outcropping above Rt. 601, spreading debris on the road and down the eastern slope of Mount Weather.
One of the few large pieces of the airliner found in the wreckage bore the TWA logo.
“There was a lot of wreckage,” said Van Deman. “It was a mess – with rain, sleet, snow and zephyr-like wind. The cloud cover was heavy and the few fire spots on the road caused a lot of smoke. It was hard to see. The first thing we did was look for survivors.”
But it was quickly apparent that no one had survived.
“There was absolutely nothing rescue people could do,” he added. “Loudoun County was in charge. We were released, waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board officials to arrive.”
The late Brett Philips, then the managing editor of the Loudoun Times-Mirror, was an early arrival on the scene.
“The grim spectacle that unfolded on the Blue Ridge Sunday seemed to have only one consistency—an aura so macabre that it approached the unreal,” he wrote. “Dense fog, driving rain and a wind that refused to stop howling over its victims provided a backdrop in which fire and rescue workers –- a great many of them volunteers – moved nearly without expression through the wreckage of the worst aircraft accident in the history of Virginia.
“Searchers who groped into the woods on the east side of 601 looked without any hope of survivors, and would periodically return to the roadway, shaking their heads, their faces ashen.”
“It looked like something out of a World War II movie,” recalled Loudoun Times-Mirror reporter John Emig in an article published in the Indianapolis News on Dec. 3, 1974. “The scene was eerie, with flashes and ear-splitting cracks of thunder as lightning struck nearby mountains.
“Through the storm, the rescuers picked up pieces of bodies, putting them in plastic bags to be taken to a makeshift morgue.”
Loudoun County Medical Examiner Dr. George T. “Tom” Hocker was driven to the scene by a sheriff’s deputy. On the way up the mountain they were told that there were no survivors, and that his medical services would not be needed. But as the county coroner, he was responsible for identifying the 92 victims of the crash.
Dr. Hocker was assisted in this grim task by the Disaster Squad of the FBI, which brought fingerprinting analysis and other forensic resources. Investigators
also went through luggage and handbags found at the site to determine identities.
No members of the media were allowed to go up to the crash site, but Nick Arundel, the late Fauquier Democrat owner and publisher, had other ideas. He knocked on the back door of an ambulance, and when it opened, he hopped in and got a ride up for an eyewitness view.
The Bluemont Community Center, a former elementary school about four miles from the crash, was used as an emergency morgue. About 40 people worked there throughout Sunday night and all day Monday in an attempt to piece together the remains found in the wreck and identify the victims. According to Dr. Hocker, by Monday only about half of the bodies found were recognizable.
Also at the scene were Salvation Army volunteers and Loudoun and Fairfax County Red Cross workers, providing food and warm clothing for the people involved in the recovery. They also handled calls from the victims’ relatives, coordinating the descriptions of the clothing and physical appearance of the passengers with the workers at the emergency morgue.
The National Transportation board’s “Go Team” arrived on the scene and recovered the Cockpit Voice and Flight Data recorders, which would help establish what happened in the last minutes of the flight.
After the recoverable human remains were removed from the crash site, a clean-up of the area was conducted by TWA contractors. What was left of the airplane – 26 tons of titanium mixture – was sold to a scrap dealer, and a wire fence was put up to keep out souvenir hunters.
It was eventually determined that the horrific crash was avoidable, and the loss of life unbearable. Flaws in the system were shown, and changes had to be made.
Noting that the radar altimeters on airliners provided insufficient warning, the FAA ordered that all commercial airliners be equipped with ground proximity warning systems (GPWS) like those on military aircraft, and that air traffic controllers have a system in place to alert them when an approaching aircraft went below minimum safe altitudes.
To avoid confusion between controllers and pilots, a common lexicon of critical terms was created, and a nationwide system for pilots to report incidents – without fear of retaliation – was established.
Photo of the Boeing 727, TWA Registration N54328, before the crash.
FARM-TO-TABLE ON CRENSHAW ROAD
Deep in the heart of our beloved countryside along historic Crenshaw Road, friends of the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) gathered for a Farm-To-Table Dinner at Spring Hill, hosted by Michela Gorham and family.
The setting was the former property of Bunny Mellon and the lively happening was produced by gifted planner Montana Lanier Ruffner. There are several ways to get to Spring Hill via Crenshaw Road. From Route 50, head south on Crenshaw. This will take you past Slater Run Vineyards owned by the same family for multiple generations. Their wine was served at the event.
Rick Leach, Lena Lundh, and Katherine McLeod on the left, with Cab Grayson and Holli Thompson on the right.
Maria Tousimis and George Grayson.
Slater Run Vineyard is not far away on Crenshaw Road.
Over two old small bridges, and on the top of the second, there’s a plaque with the names
G.H. Gulick, M.D. Neville, F. D. Lemmon and D.D. Crenshaw.
Dibrell Duncan Crenshaw, 18681934, is the namesake of this charming dirt road. It was built as a feeder path for cattle raised here for a non-stop route directly to the railroad in Rectortown heading to slaughter.
The PEC evening celebrated the 100th birthdays of two dynamos--Hope Porter and Marie Ridder, who have spent decades saving the countryside. According to Chris Miller, president of the PEC, “These two powerhouses have conserved their own properties and risked resources to protect others.” Both have remained active involving the current concerns about data centers, energy infrastructure, water supply and continue to support “ongoing efforts to accelerate land conservation.”
Long-time conservationist Hope Porter.
Marie Ridder with Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.
A 9,600- square foot dreamlike sailcloth tent glowed against the twilight.
Cynthia Darlington and Catherine Adams.
Hope Porter’s daughter, Feroline Higginson, with PEC president Chris Miller.
Marie Ridder with Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.
For Hill Head Treavor Lord, Clearly the Right Choice
By Leonard Shapiro
Treavor Lord still remembers that day shortly before the start of his senior year at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York, sitting on a back porch with some friends and talking about the future at a time in his life when he admitted, “I had no idea what I was going to do.”
“I was speaking to one girl who said she had a friend who was teaching in a private school and really liked it,” he recalled. “And I think that planted the seed.”
These days, that seed has fully blossomed into a widely respected and highly regarded educator about to celebrate his 35th year at The Hill School in Middleburg. He began as a teacher there in 1990, and twenty years later was named Head of School, a position he’s held ever since at the JK-8th grade independent school founded in 1926.
Lord was recently named the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Sally K. Boese Distinguished Service Award by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). It recognizes individual educators who exhibit extraordinary creativity, innovation, and service, honoring them at the VAIS annual conference each fall.
The Board announced my appointment as Head in 2009, Tom’s last year, and that allowed for an overlap year when we worked together for a smooth transition.”
Lord has seen major changes and challenges during his time at Hill, most significantly the expansion of the campus and the Covid outbreak. “However, during these times not only did Hill not waver in our commitment to our education philosophy,” he said. “We based our decisions on these tenets.
“Strong academics is at the core of our program. And we want everyone to do everything. Each student plays sports and competes on our teams. When there’s a play, everyone is in it. Everyone performs in concerts. We don’t call these events extra-curricular. At Hill, we offer a co-curricular program with art, music, sports, and theater.
“We believe this is incredibly important in developing character -- that every child gets to do something that is their strength. We want children to be geniuses when it comes to interpersonal skills and intrapersonal knowledge—how to lead, how to work with each other, how to step up.”
The school’s faculty and administrators along with countless Hill parents and alums have experienced all of Lord’s considerable skills as he’s about to celebrate his 15th year at the helm. Ironically, not long after he graduated from St. Lawrence, he thought at the time he wanted to teach at a private New England boarding high school.
A native of Williamstown, Massachusetts in the northwest corner of the state, Lord was teaching sailing, English and creative writing one summer at Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass. at the base of Cape Cod. He got a call from Tom Northrup, Hill’s long-time Head of School, who wondered if Lord might be interested in coming south to Hill to teach middle school.
“I told Tom, ‘You’re calling me from a Virginia day school and I wanted to work at a high school and boarding school,’” Lord said. “But at the time, my brother, Steve, was in the Army and stationed at Fort Myer (in Arlington). I thought okay, I’ll visit the school and get to see my brother.”
It turned out to be a journey that changed his life.
“I really liked Hill School,” said Lord, who began in 1990 teaching history and English, coaching a variety of sports, and serving as a seventh grade homeroom teacher. It didn’t take him long to realize he’d absolutely made the right choice.
“I learned pretty quickly that I much preferred JK-8 over boarding school,” he said. “These are the most important years. If you want children to become happy, successful adults, this is the age when it starts.”
From 1990 to 1994, Lord spent ten months teaching and coaching at Hill and the two summer months back at Tabor, still teaching sailing and English at the Massachusetts school. He also earned a Masters in Education from the University of Virginia, taking night classes at UVA’s Falls Church facility.
His elevation to Head of School came a dozen years after he was named assistant head in 1998. Ten years later, Hill launched a nationwide search for Northrup’s replacement after he announced he’d be retiring following the 2009 school year.
“I was not a shoo-in by any means,” Lord said. “I went through the same set of interviews, the same process that every other candidate went through.
“There are now 233 students at Hill, and that’s our optimal size,” Lord said. “I think every part of our program has gotten better—how to teach reading, how to utilize our campus better, especially the outdoors. What hasn’t changed is our basic philosophy.”
Lord said he often speaks with Hill alumni and he’s particularly delighted that many of his former students are moving back to the Middleburg area. They want their children to attend Hill and have the same “whole child” educational experience that they had. There are now 39 children of alumni attending the school, and 22 current Hill parents had Lord as a teacher at some point.
In 1986 the late Reverend Richard Peard gave a blessing at Hill’s graduation. He said, “When you find your place in this world, help others find theirs.”
“This community—the students, parents, parents of alumni, the faculty and staff—all helped me find my place and helped me become the man I am today,” Lord said. “I consider it a privilege to serve as Hill’s Head of School. This is a special place that has grown and changed over the years, but its heart and soul have remained the same.”
Photo by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo Treavor Lord and many young Hill School friends.
New Charitable Foundation Focuses on Local Needs
By Sebastian Langenberg
If you’ve ever wondered how Middleburg maintains its strong sense of community and supports its most vulnerable residents, you can thank the Middleburg Charitable Foundation (MCF). Much like the town itself, this foundation combines historic charm with modern purpose, working quietly but effectively to keep the community strong and vibrant.
“We wanted to build an organization that was really community driven,” explained Erik Scheps, president of the MCF “Our vision was to create something that would truly serve as a centerpiece for supporting our neighbors in need.”
An outgrowth of the town’s previous Health Center Advisory Board, the recently formed MCF represents a new chapter in Middleburg’s long history of taking care of its own. With initial funding of over $1 million, including $853,300 from the Health Center Fund, and a large donation from the Town, the foundation has positioned itself as a powerful force for good in the community. What makes the MCF special isn’t just its financial
resources – it’s the foundation’s deep understanding of local needs. The foundation maintains annual charitable distributions of on average $60,000 to local charities, focusing on four key areas that touch every corner of the community: health, education, personal safety, and food security.
MCF operates independently from the Town government but maintains strong local ties through its unique board structure. The board consists of three town residents, two at large who may live outside of town limits and two Town Council members, ensuring decisions reflect both local community needs and surrounding areas. It’s this careful balance of independence and connection that allows the MCF to be both responsive and responsible in its charitable giving.
“Middleburg is a big family,” said Scheps, “and the MCF embodies this spirit in its approach to charitable giving.”
The foundation also serves as a centralized channel for charitable funding, making it easier for local organizations to access support while ensuring donations make the maximum impact.
Looking toward the future, the MCF is focused on growth and accessibility. A strategic plan is being finalized, including an updated website, to make it easier for community members to learn about the foundation and how donate. They’ve also established professional partnerships with local financial and legal experts to ensure long-term sustainability. Wiseman and Associates manages the fund’s investments.
Want to be part of this community effort? The MCF welcomes community involvement and support. Anyone interested in learning more about grant opportunities or supporting the foundation’s mission, should visit the foundation’s website, MiddleburgCharitableFoundation.org.
As MCF continues to grow, it will always remain true to its core purpose: serving as a cornerstone of support for Middleburg’a most vulnerable members.
“The MCF stands as a testament to Middleburg’s commitment to taking care of its own – a modern expression of small-town values that have defined our community for generations,” Scheps said.
In a world where community ties often seem to be fraying, the Middleburg Charitable Foundation reminds us that here, at least, the bonds of community remain strong.
ffectionately known as the Queen of Paris, Susie Penic fondly reflects on her days of growing up “back in the day,” as she often says, in the village of Upperville.
Born in 1930 in a small tenant house on Glascock Farm, she was the eldest of 15 children. Her father worked on the farm while her mother stayed home to care for her growing family.
Susie reminisced about all the other “caretakers” of the children, including grandparents, relatives and neighbors, several called Big Mamas and Little Mamas. “Back in the day,” she recalled, “they were all so special to us and we all took care of each other.”
Susie spoke fondly of what she described as a fun childhood, with children playing outside from sunup until sundown, sprinkled with school and chores, which included walking to the local spring to collect water each day.
When she was ten, her father began working for H. Teller Archibald and his wife, Mildred King Hyde, owners of the famous chocolate company, Fannie
and it was all okay.”
At age 14, she lived in D.C. with the Sir Robert Hadow family, a British diplomat who owned the land that is now part of Sky Meadows State Park. She went to school during the day and worked for the family in the evenings and on weekends to earn her keep.
“They treated us like family,” Susie recalled. One of the highlights of her time with the Hadows was the evening she served tea to Eleanor Roosevelt in the living room of their home. “It was such a delight,” she said with her infectious smile spread across her face.
Susie married her late husband, Fenton Lee Penic, whom she met in third grade, and they built their home in Paris, Virginia, where she now resides. Together they raised three children, and she now adores her four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
All the women in her family attended Beulah Baptist Church in Markham, and all these years later, she still sings in the choir and serves as an usher when she can.
“Back in the day, we learned more about God at school than at church,” she said.
Peacocks and Properties At a Unique New Shop
By Michele Husfelt
The peacocks proudly strut their feathers on a shelf in the small, yet warm and inviting space Beckwith Bolle has created on South Madison Street in Middleburg.
One might describe it as an antique shop, and rightfully so. However, the history and mission of The Accidental Peacock lends itself to perhaps be considered as a gathering place for many special treasures waiting for new homes and more fond memories.
Bolle, owner of Carter Braxton Preferred Properties, “accidentally” stumbled upon a unique concept of helping her real estate clients who needed assistance when facing the daunting task of downsizing and selling their homes. Many clients were reluctant to let go of family heirlooms or treasured collectibles for fear they would end up in the landfill.
With her expertise in both antiques and real estate, she discovered an opportunity to offer a full service to her clients, including the clean out, renovation, and sale of their homes. It is a win-win situation.
What began as a pop-up shop in August, 2023 quickly became a full-time operation. People were excited about the unusual items the shop offered. Many customers visit the store weekly due to the quickly moving and one-of-a-kind inventory.
When asked about her favorite clients, she quickly said, “they’re ALL my favorites!”
One of her favorite stories also explains the name
of the store. When she acquired a house to sell in Washington state, she scheduled painters and other workers to help with renovations. The heirs had arranged for the items in the house to be sold, however, and the buyers backed out at the last minute.
Relying on her past experience as a retailer and
having already spied the two beautiful brass peacocks in the lot, Beckwith made an offer and bought the contents of the home.
She was particularly excited about the peacocks and rented a storage unit to house her newly found treasures. A few days later, the heir called her to let her know she wanted to keep the peacocks. Disappointed, and not sure what to do with a storage unit of items she didn’t even want, Bolle was elated when the following week the heir phoned again to say her husband told her she was crazy, and didn’t need the brass peacocks. Beckwith could keep them. She vowed then that she would sell all the treasures except the peacocks. They would stay in the shop forever.
“When you go into these homes and someone has either passed away or gone into an assisted living facility,” Bolle said, “you feel an incredible sadness that they loved all their things and all they want is someone else to love them, too. And then someone comes in the shop and says, ‘Oh, my. I love this. This needs to come home with me!’ The feel-good feeling is taking the beautiful items from these homes and watching other people find joy in them.”
She said she feels a great sense of responsibility, along with a true privilege to serve the community in these ways.
“We’re always looking for ways to give back to the community and to our clients,” she said.
Clearly, The Accidental Peacock does both.
Since 1957
Dealers and Appraisers for Fine Antique Firearms, Edged Weapons & Armor
Recipient of the United States Department of the Interior Citation for Public Service
Purchasing and consigning quality antique arms of all types since 1957. Appraisers to the Smithsonian, the National Park Service and the National Firearms Museum.
Recipient of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Citation for Public Service. Visit our shop!
109 E. Washington St (Rt. 50) Middleburg, VA 20117
We are always looking to buy vintage guns,daggers, swords,knives,bayonets,uniforms,flags,medals,belts, buckles and other collectable militaria.We also purchase sporting gun and military related books,gun related tools,vintage ammunition,etc.If you have any antique or collectable military or gun items that you want to sell please contact us for more information on our appraisal services,consignment rates or outright sale.
Mailing Address: Post Office Box 7 Middleburg, VA 20118 Te. 540-687-5642 • Fax 540-687-5649 • Email: info@davidcondon.com
Toll Free 1-800-364-8416
109 E. Washington St. (Rt. 50)
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10-5:30 • Sat. 10-3
Post Office Box 7 Middleburg, VA 20117 Middleburg, VA 20118
Tel. 540-687-5642 Fax 540-687-5649
Email: info@davidcondon.com www.davidcondon.com
Photo by Michele Husfelt Beckwith Bolle at her Middleburg shop
Loudoun Symphony Does It Differently
Gear up for the continuation of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-2025 concert season by expecting everything but the conventional. By the time it ends, young Loudoun musicians will be playing at iconic Carnegie Hall in New York.
The symphony, created in 1991, has been enriching the lives of area residents and helping push its own musicians’ works into the limelight, breaking with traditions and exposing the community to literally unheard of musical amalgamations.
“Most orchestras wouldn’t dare play anything other than the classics,” said Karen Knobloch, LSO’s Executive Director. “We do things a little differently.
By Ronen Feldman
The first concert of the season alone combined genres and periods that others would never even think of.”
That “Classical Odysseys” concert in mid-November featured a line-up that included renowned Chinese composer Yanchen Ye, along with William Grant Still’s “Danzas de Panama,” based on a collection of Panamanian folk tunes.
Because the symphony doesn’t have its own venue, it plays where it’s invited, thus contributing by organizing activities and fundraising. Classical Odysseys played at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Ashburn. The rest of this season’s concerts will be hosted at Lightridge, Freedom and Stone Bridge High Schools.
The symphony’s Youth Orchestra is where its innovation truly shines.
“There’s no one formula to how we assemble the Youth Orchestra each year,” Knobloch said. “The children come in, eager to play different instruments and every possible music genre, and we work our way from there.”
The rules of orchestra-going etiquette also are thrown out the window. The children are mostly unfamiliar with the reserved ways of most fine arts patrons who usually stay silent during concerts. But the youngsters are more than happy to express their enthusiasm for the music and their friends on stage with adoring applause.
Another of the symphony’s hallmarks is its leadership’s appreciation for film scores, a fan favorite that’s frequently overlooked by other orchestras. The symphony is happily incorporating scores into their concerts.
The symphony helps people discover and rediscover many niche works too, and makes its concerts as accessible to members of the community as possible, with free entrance for children under 12.
Next year, the concert season will be concluded with a special treat as the symphony’s Youth Orchestra was chosen to perform at the Viennese Masters Orchestra Invitational at Carnegie Hall in New York between June 19-20. It’s a unique opportunity for orchestras to perform the works of Viennese greats.
was a little girl, she dreamed of one day opening her own store. For some of us, dreams do come true.
A little more than a year ago, Kidder did open her shop, Federal & Black, at 5 South Madison Street in Middleburg. Walking into the small boutique of less than 500 square feet, a visitor goes back in time surrounded by antiques and the contemporary blended together to create a treat for the senses.
Her innate sense of style was enhanced by memories of living in Europe with her family while growing up and later reinforced with her talents learned in managing a large design shop in North Carolina and living in New York City. The result is an eclectic mix of antique and heirloom-quality products for the home, all tastefully displayed on shelving, pegs and racks that Kidder installed to make the most of her small space.
A Christmas shoppers’ delight.
The shop’s look and style evokes that of a Manhattan apothecary of the late 1800s.
“I wanted a décor and name that would evoke my brand, which is ‘Be Inspired—Be Delighted,’” said Kidder, adding that when customers visit the shop she wants them to be inspired to take the look and feel of Federal & Black back to their own homes and be delighted by the result.
Likewise, Kidder uses her slogan when she’s buying for the shop and noted that the object must meet that criteria to be incorporated into her line of merchandise and offered to her customers. “I want people to feel inspired and welcome when they enter the shop,” she said.
Kidder’s family has been very supportive of her being a business owner, with her brother doing the painting makeover of walls and shelving and her parents, who live in Middleburg, helping to locate some of the furnishings. “Having my family’s help is wonderful,” she said.
“I am incredibly thankful to the town and community,” she added, noting that she’s received a warm welcome from other business owners.
“The shop has been well received,” Kidder went on, commenting that now it is her turn to be supportive of other new shops that are opening in town. Another boost to local businesses was a recent article and photos on visiting Middleburg published in Southern Living magazine. And Federal & Black was mentioned.
With the holiday season drawing near, Kidder said her shop will be transformed into a winter wonderland. Her regular hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Thanksgiving week will begin extended hours for Federal & Black, with the shop opening on Mondays and staying open later on Wednesday evenings.
“I’m hearing that there is nothing quite like my shop in town,” said Kidder, clearly immensely enjoying her dream come true.
The view from inside Middleburg’s Federal & Black shop.
PSO: Must Listen Music to Our Ears
By Laura Longley
The moment this issue of Country ZEST reaches you, open your phone or laptop, visit the website of the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, and snap up your tickets for the PSO Holiday Concert “Exsultate!”
Set for Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Michael A. Hughes Center for the Arts at Highland School in Warrenton, this is a musical occasion designed to get even Ebenezer Scrooge into a holiday mood.
PSO music director and conductor Glenn Quader has programmed a delightfully eclectic concert that blends Mozart, traditional carols, and a special Piedmont premiere.
The concert’s featured artist is an audience favorite—Emily Casey, a versatile Irish-American soprano with a sparkling voice who has been making waves on the international opera scene. She specializes in the dramatic coloratura soprano and bel canto repertoire.
Casey will be performing five different traditional carols from Europe, said Quader. “Some of them are in German, one is in French. She’s also doing a couple of other pieces, including Mozart’s ‘Exsultate Jubilate’ and a unique rendition of ‘O Holy Night.’ Finally, she’ll perform a new work by guest conductor, cellist, and composer J. Thomas Mitchell.”
According to Quader, Mitchell has been presenting new works for several years in Frederick, Maryland. “Last season,” he said, “I invited him to Warrenton to
Conductor Glenn Quader and the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra.
premiere his works here with the PSO. They are new and fresh, and the audience enjoys them.
“In 2023, he premiered a work called ‘Kings of the East.’ He introduced the Magi in a caravan coming across the desert. He achieved that by giving all the cello players different sizes and types of bells you find on goats and cows and camels. It starts off with this jangling of one at a time, and then they start to come in all together as the
caravan comes closer. The work is based on ‘We Three Kings.’ He took it and spun it around and made it ultra modern in some spots—but very easy on the ears!”
The PSO’s founding conductor, Michael A. Hughes, will narrate a musical setting of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Details: www.piedmontsymphony.org
They’ll Be Home For The Holidays
By John E. Ross
Piper, April, and Travis Reed will be home for the holidays. Home for the Reed family is their two-bedroom apartment in Windy Hill Foundation’s Llewellyn Village in Middleburg.
You know April; her big smile has been greeting customers across the counter at The Upper Crust bakery in Middleburg for the last seven years. April and Travis are a couple, and 15-month old Piper is their daughter.
Sitting in her over-stuffed easy chair in her living room feeding Piper lunch of mac and cheese, April related how, in so many ways, their move from Hickory Tree Farm to Llewellyn Village has been nothing short of life changing.
As they were moving in, Antonio Martin, a Windy Hill Foundation (WHF) residential services coordinator, assisted Travis in finding a good steady job as a tow truck driver for Battlefield Service Center in Manassas. He also helped Travis update his resume and schedule interviews.
Good, steady jobs added stability to the Reed’s household. “We get up around 7 and drop Piper off at day care around 8,” April said. “I get to the bakery about 8:15 and after work, go to the library to do school work.”
April is studying on-line with Bryant-Stratton College to earn an associate’s degree to become certified as a foster care case manager. She said she enjoys studying on-line “because I can take my time.”
“I’m a visual learner,” she said. “I can take whatever notes I want and don’t have to rush. Instructors take the time out of their days to answer any questions I may have.”
Travis meets her at the library after work and together, they pick up Piper, who is enrolled in the
Middleburg Montessori School through WHF’s Nest to Wings program. According to WHF Executive Director Eloise Repeczky, the program provides scholarships to Middleburg, Grace, and Mountainside Montessori schools and to the Piedmont Child Care Center in Upperville.
“We believe that a quality preschool experience is essential to facilitate the optimum development of a child’s full potential and lay the foundation for overall growth and lifelong learning,” said Eloise. “Research has shown that good preschool programs impact children in various areas related to their development, from supporting early cognitive gains to health, and social and emotional development in adolescence.
“Seventeen residents have received Nest to Wings scholarships. Since 2020, WHF donors have supported $140,000 for the scholarships.”
The Reeds have also taken advantage of WHF’s program, Finance 101. “People from the bank (Northwest Federal Credit Union) helped me figure out budgeting and credit cards,” April said, adding that one day, April and Travis plan to buy their own house.
The family has also benefitted from WHF’s partnership with Bainum Farm. Every week or so they get a box of fresh vegetables—tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, squash and herbs.
April and Upper Crust owner Scott Stine.
“I do love to cook,” she said with a smile. One of her favorite dishes is goulash with lots of noodles, beef, tomatoes, onions, herbs, and cheese. “It was my mom’s favorite,” she said. “I learned from her, from watching her cook and bake all the time.”
Last summer, the Reeds took a family vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Of course they went to Dollywood and she was quite taken with its museum and the story it told of how Dolly Parton grew up in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
April registered for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which has distributed more than a million books to families with preschool children. Piper receives a book every month. One book helps teach her to color. Another helps her learn about her senses of smell, taste, touch, and sight, and a third contains 100 words to learn in English and Spanish.
“Piper likes books,” April said. “She likes to flip the page. If I’m not reading fast enough, she’ll go and bring me another book. She keeps me on my toes.”
One look around April’s living room with toys scattered on the carpet and a special play pad for Piper in the corner, shows a happy family that now has a home. And neighbors in Llewellyn Village are like family.
“I like to hangout with my neighbor Brittany upstairs, and also Gracie and Tonisha,” April said, adding that her sister, Heather, who also works at The Upper Crust, lives down the street in a Windy Hill cottage.
Most days you can see April at the Upper Crust, where she is valued presence.
“April joined us at the Upper Crust as a teenager in 2018,” said Scott Stine, the bakery’s owner. "Heather came soon after in 2019. They have been a huge part of the bakery, and we think of them as family.”
At the bakery, she makes the egg and chicken salads, boxes special orders, and helps with baking. But mostly she loves waiting on customers. “We talk,” she said. “They tell me their stories, and they ask how we’re doing.”
Photos by John Ross April Reed loves to read to her daughter, Piper.
• Pumping of Residential and Commercial
• Real Estate Septic and Well Inspections Safe, Adequate, and Proper Inspections Septic System Repairs
• Installation for Both New Construction or Replacement of Older Systems
The Watkins family still owns the Maine property and the late William Bell Watkins, Jr. (2008), a previous owner of the Virginia property, was a Master of the Blue Ridge Hunt and an avid carriage driver as was his late second wife Anne (2022). There’s also fabulous ride-out from the property as well as dirt roads for carriage driving.
The farm is not in conservation easement and there are two additional DURs (dwelling unit rights). Many adjoining parcels are in easement, and Kittery Point offers a good opportunity for tax credits if placed in easement.
The main house and barn were built in 1965 and other outbuildings were added as needed. The property, now being used for cattle, is divided into six separate fields/ paddocks, and excellent hay comes out of those fields. There are several run-in sheds and water in every field.
The brick house has five bedrooms and 3.5 baths with a traditional floor plan over 3,500 square feet. There also are five working fireplaces and gorgeous hardwood floors.
Kittery Point Farm
1600 Briggs Road
Berryville, VA 22611
Price: $2,650,000
Realtors: Anne McIntosh and Maria Eldredge
Middleburg Real Estate 10 East Washington St. Middleburg, VA 20117
540-687-6321
McIntosh Cell: 703-509-4499
Eldredge Cell: 540-454-3828
annewmcintosh@gmail.com
maria@middleburgrealestate.com
The sturdy barn has 10 stalls, a wash stall, feed room, hot and cold water, half bath, and tack room and
Six fenced fields and paddocks await their future inhabitants.
The view from the barn is also spectacular.
nearby is a rectangle grass schooling ring.
LETTER from PARIS
Tales From 14th Street, NE
By John Sherman
Many years ago when I was working in Congress and going through a divorce, using my GI Bill and cashing out my federal pension, I bought a row house on Capitol Hill. Thirty houses lined our block on 14th Street NE; three of them belonged to White residents. I lived there three years, during which I married Roma Barker.
She added four-year-old Ben to my Ben and Caitlin. None of them had ever ventured beyond the Capitol. Pulling up to our house for the first time, young Ben asked: “Mom, why are there so many brown people?” I used to call the three the “Mazza Kids,” living in deep Northwest, hard by the Mazza Gallery.
On Sundays, when the Redskins/Commanders were still playing in town, a steady parade of fans headed to RFK stadium and passed our block. Never did I see a passenger even glance in our direction. Eyes straight ahead. My friends rolled their eyes when I told them where we lived. Those who did come over made a quick hustle from car to front door. They arrived astonished at the glitter of broken glass on the street as if they had just discovered the Northern Lights.
We slowly adapted to this new neighborhood and many are the memories of those years, good and not so good.
Like the friendship between young Ben and Duane, a kid who, even at eight, faced a troubled future. He was much larger than his age, which added to Ben’s attraction. Duane would often come to play when we had the kids on weekends.
One Saturday, the boys wandered up the alley to a dilapidated garage. Somehow—-and I’m blaming Duane here—-they set the place on fire. With sirens blaring, Ben came through the back door with a stricken face. We asked what was wrong.
“Is smoke bad?” he asked with doubtful innocence. About twenty minutes later a fireman in uniform came to the door. Someone apparently witnessed their flight. It’s not hard to find a tow-haired fiveyear-old in the neighborhood. Ben sat on the kitchen floor looking up at the Black officer with dread. The officer squatted to his level, and in a grandfatherly
tone, gave him a lecture about dangers of fire.
The year of my mother’s death, we kids and Roma took her for Christmas at a West Virginia resort. Lots of old stories, country food and “I love yous.” We drove home through the snow.
It was dark and cold inside; we probably forgot to regulate the heat. We switched on lights. It took only a second to find the stereo was missing. Walking toward the kitchen we saw a large hole to our backyard. The robbers had apparently used a truck jack to remove the bars covering the door and window, ripping out brickwork along with it.
They made off with the obvious electronics, passing by the Heriz rugs and antique Chinese lamps. Upstairs they went through bedrooms and my office. They had no use for my old Royal typewriter. Their worst crime was the theft of my grandfather’s engraved pocket watch, a gift on his retirement from the mines. They also looted my penny drawer, leaving behind a dozen strange Indian head pennies. Geez.
A D.C. cop showed up and took down our story and description of the missing contents. As he left, I’ll never forgot his parting advice. “The only way to stop these guys is to keep a hungry tiger.”
But the very best break in happened to the gent who lived at the end of the block. His next door neighbors were the Joneses. Every community has it plumbers, real estate agents, cooks et al. The Joneses were criminals. Mrs. Jones would sit on her front stoop, like the criminal matriarch Ma Barker. She would wave to passersby. We never saw much of her three sons.
Their neighbor was a traveling man, gone a lot. To ward off thieves (like the Joneses) he installed alarm systems. In his absence, the alarms would go off in the middle of the night. It was a real disturbance. As his systems became more sophisticated, so did the noise.
Something had to be done. And it was.
He came home one morning to find his house had been robbed. Not just robbed, emptied. They left the appliances, but that’s about all. Not even a teaspoon or a toothbrush remained. No rugs,
furniture, curtains, art. Upstairs was just as barren. The MO became pretty obvious. They had hoisted the entire contents through a giant hole cut through his flat roof with a commercial chainsaw.
He was gone the next day.
Still, we always felt our neighbors cared for us and who we were. Margaret Newman lived just a step over our common wrought iron railing. The Newmans were four generations of women living together. It wasn’t so much a fortress as it was brigade.
I will forever hear Margaret’s coloratura voice through the wall as she warmed up for Sunday’s church choir. Coming home one day, I asked how her day had gone. With a sad nonchalance, she said she just delivered a baby from a 14-year-old up the street.
One evening she invited us over for a drink on her 50th birthday. Her favorite was coke and cognac (“Cu va say”). After hugs, we climbed back onto our stoop and found our door locked. We had no key. A locksmith would easily cost a $100 to come to our block on a Saturday night. As we sat wondering who would put us up for the night, Margaret’s daughter, Wanda, stepped out for a smoke. She commiserated over our plight.
Deus ex machina. A young man carrying a briefcase approached on the sidewalk. Wanda shouted to come up. He climbed the three steps off the street. Wanda explained our fix. Without a word, he set down his briefcase and got up on the railing. Then began climbing up the iron support for Margaret’s tin porch roof.
When he could reach no higher, he leaned out over our door and somehow swung out, grabbing the lintel of our bedroom window. He punched the sill with his fist. Holding on with one hand he shoved the window open. Impossible. He pulled himself head first into the house. Less than ten seconds later, he walked through the door, picked up his briefcase and continued on his way—-never a glance back. Roma and I were in awe—-dumbfounded—of the performance. Shaking our heads, we thanked Wanda.
“He’s good,” she remarked as we entered the house.
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KRISTIN MADE A MOVE... CONSIDER MAKING A MOVE TOO
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