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SPECIAL FEATURE:

State of the Home

Virginia Vinification Raise a glass to Virginia Wine Month

AUG-OCT

2021

EVENTS • FOOD & DRINK • SHOPPING • RECREATION • HEALTH & WELLNESS • REAL ESTATE

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contents

FEATURES:

Universal Upgrade

One star dies, another shines more brightly in its place

SPECIAL FEATURE:

Much has changed in the industries of development, real estate, renovation and landscaping

PEXELS

aug-oct 2021 14

State of the Home

40 October

Celebrating Virginia Wine Month and National Seafood Month

DEPARTMENTS:

Our dog days will soon fade into Indian summer

What’s Biting

In-season fish to reel in

Your Two Cents

Reader feedback to Boulevard

Calendar of Events

What’s happening in August through October with highlights of Neptune Festival

Profile: Tom Johnston

The Franklin Johnston Group, multifamily real estate development

Viewpoint: James D. Ivory, Ph.D.

Quality local digital media: A community investment we all need to buy into

Notable Potables

Transitional cocktails taking us from late summer into fall

Road Trip

Destination: Afton, Virginia area

Boulevard’s Last Call

Where was this photo taken? [Contest]

COTTONBRO

From the Publisher

COURTESY OF THE FRANKLIN JOHNSTON GROUP

40 10

JOHN CADELL

ON THE COVER Winemaking has occurred in the commonwealth for more than 400 years. During the month of October Virginians recognize the history regarding the fruits of our winemakers’ labors. [ PHOTO by Julie Fanning ]

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

from the publisher Our Dog Days Will Soon Fade into Indian Summer

BERRY BRUNK

President | Publisher berry@blvdmedia.io

“Summertime....and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’...and the cotton is high.” ~Gershwin/Heyward

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

JILL DOCZI Managing Editor jill@blvdmedia.io

RICK BLANTON Photography Editor rick@blvdmedia.io

JOHN CADELL Senior Photographer john@blvdmedia.io

CONTRIBUTORS KAYLEI SUAREZ Social Media & Public Relations kaylei@blvdmedia.io

DYLON SHEFFER Multimedia Design dylon@blvdmedia.io

AINSLEY JOHN DARLING Publications Assistant

SUSIE BRUNK General Manager susie@blvdmedia.io

ADVERTISING For advertising inquiries, please contact Berry Brunk 757.340.3625 berry@blvdmedia.io

Visit our website

blvdmedia.io © 2021 | Vol 2, No. 3 Boulevard is published quarterly (February, May, August, November) by Blvd. Media, LLC 4001-117 Virginia Beach Blvd., Suite 181 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 All rights reserved. BERRY BRUNK

The ancient Greeks noticed that in August, when the weather became steamy and hot, the star Sirius, (the Dog Star from the ancient Greek “Seirios,” meaning “scorching”) rose in the east just before the sun. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and part of the constellation Canis Major—The Great Dog. Our Greek forefathers figured as Sirius moved closer it added its light and heat to the powerful rays of the sun causing the extra heat in August. The Romans and Egyptians also shared this same belief. The Egyptians paid special attention to Sirius, as the Dog Days occurred just before the annual flooding of the Nile River. We must note that the “Dog Days of Summer” does not refer to the lolling tongues of panting dogs desperately trying to stay cool, but to the brightest star in the nighttime sky. The expression entered the English language in the 16th century and in past centuries, we found this advice: “Dog Days are approaching; you must, therefore, make both hay and haste while the sun shines, for when old Sirius takes command of the weather, he is such an unsteady, crazy dog, there is no dependence upon him.” —The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1817 Things have not changed much. In 2021 when our weather turns hot, humid and hazy, we know now not to blame the poor pup Sirius, and as the current Dog Days fade over the next month or two we look forward to the incoming Indian summer—another vague reference of weather steeped in folklore and historical references. In November 1922, Sandy Griswold penned the following for an article in the Omaha Sunday World-Herald: “I am enabled to say, however, that the characteristics of the season, when it appears in all its glory, are a mild and genial temperature, gentle southwestern breezes, unusual brightness of the sun, extreme brilliancy of the moon, a clear, blue sky; sometimes half hidden by a veil of gray haze; daybreaks redder than the splotch on the blackbird’s wing, and sunsets laden with golden fleeces, the wooded valleys aglow with the fires of richly tinted leaves, still clinging to the listless limbs, or lying where they have fallen.” No one really knows how “Indian summer” came to describe such

JULIE FANNING Chief Creative Officer julie@blvdmedia.io

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FROM THE PUBLISHER periods. One theory suggests early American settlers mistook the sight of sun rays through the hazy autumn air for Native American campfires, resulting in the name “Indian summer.” Others speculate that Native Americans recognized this weather pattern and used the opportunity to gather additional food for the winter. A Boston lexicographer, Albert Matthews, searched early American literature and found the first written use of the term in a 1778 letter written by a New York farmer, Hector St. John de Crevecoeur. Matthews, though, surmised people used the expression widely back then. If you find yourself in the midst of Indian summer, take full advantage, and finish that last little bit of yard work, take the boat out a few more times or have a family picnic in the park. Soak in the sunshine because winter will not be far behind. Our community enjoys a renaissance as we emerge from the grips of a social and financial calamity. Lest we slip backwards let’s be mindful that whatever the weather, we need to stick together. Enjoy this first anniversary issue of Boulevard in which we cover the aforementioned celestial heavens through Old Dominion University’s new planetarium in “Universal Upgrade” and delve into the

booming businesses of home renovation, development, landscaping and real estate in our special feature “State of the Home.” Celebrate local epicurean delights of the vine and the waters of Virginia and learn about our neighbor and ODU alumnus providing quality housing up and down the East Coast in this month’s “Profile.” We proudly provide a unique voice for our friends and neighbors to enjoy.

BERRY BRUNK

SUSIE BRUNK

President/Publisher

General Manager

757.340.3625 berry@blvdmedia.io

360.333.7162 susie@blvdmedia.io

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

Virginia Beach Chesapeake

This is our take on the classic American steakhouse.

Locally sourced—antibiotic-free, steroid-free, humanely treated beef, poultry & pork

During August, September and October you’ll typically reel in these catches:

AUGUST

Lisa and Richard Deeds, visiting from Clifton Forge, VA, took a chartered boat from Lynnhaven Inlet and stayed at The Breakers.

Offshore Swordfish, tilefish, big eye tuna, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, mako shark, sea bass, mahi/dolphin, Spanish mackerel, ribbonfish, bluefish, white marlin, blue marlin, wahoo, cobia Chesapeake Bay Red drum, black drum, flounder, croaker, spot, striper, Spanish mackerel, spadefish, ribbonfish, cobia, sheepshead, speckled trout Tidal Rivers Spot, croaker, puppy drum, trout, flounder, striper

SEPTEMBER Offshore Swordfish, tilefish, big eye tuna, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, mako shark, sea bass, mahi/dolphin, black sea bass, trigger fish, spadefish, amberjacks, flounder, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, white marlin, blue marlin Chesapeake Bay Red drum, black drum, flounder, croaker, spot, striper, Spanish mackerel, spadefish, cobia Tidal Rivers Spot, croaker, puppy drum, trout, flounder, striper, speckled trout

OCTOBER

PHOTOS, BERRY BRUNK

Offshore White marlin, bigeye tuna, mahi/ dolphin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, tuna, sea bass, flounder, trigger fish, black drum, red drum, bluefish, blue marlin, tilefish (blue & gold), king mackerel, swordfish

Deck hands from the charter cleaning some of the Deeds’ catch that day. We would like to publish your photos, information, prize catches and catches of note in our What’s Biting segment. Send us your favorite amateur photos with a description and the photographer’s name.

Chesapeake Bay Bluefish, red drum, flounder, Spanish mackerel, spadefish, cobia, sheepshead, ribbon fish, striper, tautog, speckled trout, puppy drum, striper Tidal Rivers Bluefish, flounder, speckled trout, spot, croaker, puppy drum, ribbonfish, striper

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

your two cents Reader commentary via email, social media, text and even snailmail I am so pleased to have been a participant in the latest issue of Boulevard magazine. I look forward to each issue as it is more interesting than most magazines on the market these days. The human interest stories from all areas, inspire readers to go see for themselves. Day Trip is great and even though short and to the point, the stories give you the feeling of having been along on the trip. It is definitely a publication to read from cover to cover. Judy Brunk Onancock, VA Jill Doczi continues to “knock it out of the park” with her awesome interview article with Joe Gregory, Tides general manager and OP

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

neighbor, about The Norfolk Tides and Harbor Park—published in a new quarterly named Boulevard. Found the full-color May-July publication in our mailbox, with 52 pages of local articles of interest, ads and fun/ educational things to do and see. As a bonus, her article on the Day Trip destination to the Eastern Shore to Chincoteague/Assateague was fun and informative as well. Great job, Jill! Kevin O’Hara Virginia Beach, VA Send us your thoughts digitally (and don’t forget to follow, like and subscribe while you’re there!) or mail to: Blvd. Media, LLC, 4001-117 Virginia Beach Blvd., Suite 181, Virginia Beach, VA 23452

We’ve really enjoyed getting the hard copies of the magazine at the COMMS branch. And I know they delivered some at the front office for General Lanatta. Thank you so much. Loic Marrasse, CDR–OF-4, French Navy, project coordinator (STRATCOM and public affairs) Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Norfolk, VA

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Universal Upgrade One star dies, another shines more brightly in its place Just like a star, the Pretlow Planetarium at Old Dominion University in Norfolk has reached the end of its life, and the new Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium has replaced it. “Not only was our Pretlow Planetarium, which was built in 1967, beginning to show its age, but our projection system had also become outdated,” said Justin Mason, Old Dominion University planetarium director. “To compete up with the other planetariums in Hampton Roads, we desperately needed an upgrade. The new Chemistry Building was in the early stages of development and this was our opportunity to include a new planetarium along with it.” Over five decades ago, the proximity of the NASA Langley Research Center inspired the creation of the Pretlow Planetarium during a time when the space program reached great popularity in the U.S. “With NASA Langley just up the road in Hampton, the influence of the space race of the 1960s was very much felt throughout all of Hampton Roads,” said Mason. “This is the main reason why we have so many planetariums within the area: The Virginia Living Museum, TCC in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Planetarium, Plaza Middle School, Norfolk State University, Children’s Museum of Virginia and, of course, here at Old Dominion University.”

[ by jill doczi ] 10

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

PHOTOS BY JOHN CADELL UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED boulevard | aug-oct 2021

Another factor, a generous anonymous donation, brought the former Pretlow Planetarium to life. The donor wanted to remain anonymous and had the building named after a local influential figure, Mary Denson Pretlow, Norfolk Public Library’s second director. The initial planning phases for the new 110,000-square-foot replacement planetarium began in 2016 after many preliminary meetings about the building needed to accommodate both the Chemistry and Biochemistry Departments, as well as a new planetarium. Construction began in February 2019 with the building’s opening dedication held in April 2021. The dean of the College of Sciences, Gail Dodge, Ph.D., had been in contact with Michael and Kimthanh (KT) Lê about the possibility of setting up an endowment to fund undergraduate research and travel expenses for things like national conferences. Michael attended ODU in the 1980s as a computer science student. During a conversation, Michael mentioned his enthusiasm for his personal home theater and its technology. This led to conversation about a new planetarium in the works at ODU and the similar technologies involved. They became excited about the project and what a new planetarium could bring to both the college and the Hampton Roads region and committed to helping fund it. Nothing from the old planetarium transferred to the new one. The Lê Planetarium, now the second largest in the state, has a brand-new projection system, different software for rendering the universe and even a new seating arrangement. This planetarium will also serve as a digital theater— reminiscent of a movie theater. “All of our seats face in the same direction rather than concentric circles like before, and we’ve sloped the whole room,” said Mason. “Even

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

the dome. Everything is sloped about 12 degrees to bring the front of the dome down and the back of the dome up. This makes it easier on your neck as you watch a full-dome show.” Two of the things that set this planetarium apart from others include the projectors and the new software that runs our planetarium. They went from just one projector at standard HD (1920x1080 pixels) to two 4,000-pixel projectors. Each projector is also five times brighter than the previous single projector system. The projectors also use a newer technology for laser-based projection. Until recently, many laser projectors would shine lasers at a layer of phosphor to produce their light. The new projectors skip that process, saving on heat loss, power consumption and wear and tear. By using direct laser light, they have the potential to last up to 20,000 hours (or possibly even 30,000) as compared to the old projection system, which used mercury vapor lamps that would last at most 2,000 hours. The new software performs light-years ahead of the previous system and provides the biggest upgrade to the new facility. The increase in graphics and processing power allows it to do much more than before. Created by Evans & Sutherland, a Salt Lake City-based company, Digistar has led the way in planetarium software for years. The most recent version of the software, Digistar 7, released in fall of 2020, reimagines what it takes to run a planetarium and creates an incredible, immersive experience.

It includes many new and updated features: • A 3D model of the Milky Way Galaxy built from the GAIA star catalog with nearly one billion stars • The ability to project a hyperrealistic, accurate version of the night sky • Free-flight navigation through the universe using a gaming controller • When flying over the Earth it pulls in ArcGIS data for the terrain, similar to Google Earth. As the spectators “fly” over ODU’s campus, they can spot each individual building and even find home plate at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex. • Domecasting enables any Digistar 6 and 7 system in the world to broadcast live dome presentations to other Digistar users. • Live interaction allows drawing freehand on any image on the dome. • Digistar’s Cloud Library constantly adds new, free materials to its servers. This gives immediate access to new content such as spacecraft models, renderings of planet surfaces and animated flybys around black holes. As science updates in the real world, other Digistar users create free content to download and bring to the shows. Additionally, as a university planetarium, it has direct access to the world of academia and research. “I can leave my office, walk upstairs and knock on a professor’s

door to invite them to give a talk,” said Mason. “Planetariums are no longer just dedicated to astronomy and space exploration. As many have started using digital projectors, we now have the capability to show off many aspects of science. At a university, I can quickly and easily reach out to leading experts in physics, oceanography, climate change, chemistry, biology, computer science and more. The wealth of knowledge available in a university setting is remarkable, and we have a working relationship with many of the departments on campus.” Primarily, the new planetarium will serve as a lecture hall for ODU students with a design that mimics a lecture hall setting so many different classes can occur under the dome. The Digistar 7 software also has many multidisciplinary tools. In addition to all things astronomy, it can access NASA’s Science on a Sphere data, 3D models of molecules can be projected onto the dome and even biology lessons can use the skeletal system it has pre-rendered in the software. Outside of classes, the unique setting

can serve as a location for seminars, public talks, public lectures and awards ceremonies. Several graduate students have already defended their doctoral dissertations in the facility. Beyond the university population, the Lê Planetarium will also have offerings for the general public. “Our first goal is to get back to normal operations,” said Mason. “This would include bringing back our weekly public shows, the monthly Bad Movie Night series and showing off our new laser light shows. Our fingers are crossed for opening at full capacity with the start of ODU’s fall

semester in late August. We’re eager to be able to get back to giving shows and teaching the public about all things STEM.”

What will happen to the Pretlow Planetarium? The salvageable parts of the Pretlow will move to storage. The staff at ODU hopes to reach out to other local planetariums to see if they have interest in the equipment such as the projection or sound systems. “The one, very popular question we get is, ‘What will happen to the seats?’ We have these amazing, 8-foot-long, curved benches that are the original seats from 1967,” said Mason. “Many people want one for their homes. We’re working on a possible fundraiser by selling the seats.” In the short term, the Pretlow building still has some useful life left, just not as a planetarium. “The building will be on campus for another few years, but it just will not be a planetarium,” said Mason. “It will serve as storage for the Barry Art Museum. They love the space because there are no windows and, therefore, no chance of sunlight damaging the artwork. However, eventually, it will get torn down. When that happens, the Pretlow Planetarium will, sadly, be no more.” Jill Doczi has written and edited in public relations, marketing and journalism for a lifetime, forever trying to earn the respect of her journalism instructors. She resides in Virginia Beach.

Hubble telescope captures the views of South Africa

To find out more about happenings at the planetarium visit the website: www.odu.edu/planetarium for a calendar of upcoming events. You can also follow on social media for more info. and the occasional astronomy articles. FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ oduplanetarium TWITTER: @ODUPlanetarium INSTAGRAM: @ODUPlanetarium boulevard | aug-oct 2021

SPECIAL FEATURE [ by jill doczi ]

State of the Much has changed in the industries of development, real estate, renovation and landscaping. We talked to some local industry experts to see how they have noticed and adapted to recent changes.

Development and Building “In the last 24 months the ability to accurately schedule home construction and forecast costs have become the biggest challenges our building company has faced. Changes in material deliveries and costs with little or no notice is now commonplace, which is a stark contrast to the market in 2019,” said Robert Prodan, II, president, Home Associates of Virginia, Inc. The same issues and trends have occurred in both multi-unit and single-family development and

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

according to local, regional and national sources, the challenges over the past two years exist nationwide. Some builders haven’t seen circumstances like this in their entire careers. For instance, in the past suppliers and subcontractors would provide notice of price increases and would hold pricing on some, if not all, sold homes. In today’s environment builders and developers must accept the sudden increases or risk having a subcontractor leave the project. In the past, delivery schedules

rarely changed once products were ordered; in the current environment, delivery schedules sometimes change by several months with little notice. Some developers and builders have reacted by stopping the sale of pre-construction homes and listing homes only after reaching the stage of drywall installation and cabinetry delivery. As far as the future of the development and building industry, in the short term (12–36 months)

demand for for-sale product and for-rent multifamily should remain strong. Most professionals feel that at some point in the next 12 or so months, as the reality of inflation sets in and interest rates rise, demand for “for-sale” product will wane. All indications show the demand for rental product will remain strong for the foreseeable future as building costs increase, entitled land becomes more difficult to acquire and interest rates rise. In addition, it is often difficult to convince municipalities to support “affordable” housing because the term “affordable” has a negative connotation. This will also make it more difficult to entitle land for development, further reducing inventory and driving prices higher.

P.C. SETH HILL

SPECIAL FEATURE

Hickory Landing in southern Chesapeake by HAV

Builders and developers must now accept the sudden cost increases or risk having a subcontractor leave the project.

Real Estate “In the interest of responding to the fast pace of real estate sales, coupled with the pandemic, we have experienced some technological change,” said Windy Crutchfield, REALTOR®, The Real Estate Group. “Many of the tools that were used by the higher-tech agents have become commonplace today— videoconferencing, facetime showings, virtual staging, interactive 3D video tours and electronic documentation are normal tools being used by professional agents. Of course the shortage of housing, coupled with the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, intensified the increase in prices and reduced many traditional expectations of real estate offers, such

as seller-paid closing costs and home inspection contingencies.” From land purchases to condo purchases, real estate has seen the same trends over the past 24 months. “The shortage of housing is a national issue but more acute in some areas of our region where home ownership is in very high demand,” said Crutchfield. “In June 2021, the National Association of Realtors showed the average days on the market was down 58 percent from the year before to 17 days. In the southside of Hampton Roads we are showing 31 days on the market from 49. And in Virginia Beach, we showed a 62 percent drop from last year to 26 days. If you drill down into high-

demand neighborhoods, you find even fewer days on the market, such as 12 days in Kings Grant and five days in Mariners Landing.” While most real estate agents in the business for many years have seen periods of high demand, the increasing difficulty of labor, product and supply shortages pose a new twist on the hot market. “With the rapid escalation of prices and heavy demand in 2005–2006, I’m no stranger to “information only” home inspections, escalation clauses, guaranteed appraisals and paying far above asking price,” said Crutchfield. “Back then, we wrote offers in the driveway of the property on the hood of my car. Now we use electronic boulevard | aug-oct 2021

documentation to be prepared to submit an offer as soon as a property is listed, of course many times ‘sight unseen.’ But now some of our buyers are getting even more aggressive in their techniques to win. This of course results in homes being unaffordable for the first-time buyers and them being priced out of the market. The eviction moratoriums in place since the pandemic have hurt property owners and those seeking rentals and skyrocketed rent prices. Finally, material and labor shortages have been a major hindrance for sellers preparing their home for the market or even making repairs requested during home inspections. Appliances have become less of a standard expectation in flipped properties and new construction.” “Preparing buyers ahead of the game for the disappointments that are likely in this environment is critical in managing expectations,” said Crutchfield. “Preparing sellers that even when a buyer offers far above the asking price it does not equate to them being committed to buying a home. Buyer’s remorse is

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

Whether buying or selling, the market is fast-paced.

unfortunately common when people are forced to act quickly or lose the property. Video conferencing, virtual staging and 3D technology will likely become more standard because they make more efficient use of time and energy.” According to Crutchfield, home appreciation will continue to be strong for the rest of this year, around nine percent, and there will continue to be healthy appreciation for the foreseeable future due to the shortage of housing. As the supply chain recovers, more homeowners will make improvements and investors will move more updated properties, yielding better opportunities for first-time buyers. As the moratoriums on evictions lift, the spike in rent prices will soften to a healthy level of rent increases. Longer term, when the pace of home sales returns to a balanced market of 3-to6-months time on the market, the

AGOVER

PAUL BRENNAN

SPECIAL FEATURE

recent increase of active real estate agents (we are currently about 3,000 agents above normal levels) will give way to more career professionals. With so many recent changes, real estate professionals could easily have thoughts of hindsight when thinking about things they would have done differently. “I would have bought stock in Zoom like everyone else,” said Crutchfield. “But truthfully, so much of our industry has moved to video technology that I would have used it to connect with my base. I believe that seeing your real estate agent in person is important to giving peace of mind through the pandemic. In addition, so many buyers have relocated to our area and using video presentations of our properties has become more useful than ever. Also I would have definitely redecorated my home office, since I had to make room for my husband and teens.”

SPECIAL FEATURE

Renovation and Remodeling Broyles, class A general contractor and owner of Shell Additions. “Low interest rates and the labeling of construction personnel as essential workers proved that to be a bad move. By March of 2020 the remodeling industry was devastated

with backordered supplies. Most materials became special order or were inflating in price at such a rapid rate that seasoned remodelers integrated escalation clauses as well as pandemic language, doing away with completion dates if the owner or

The continued unavailability of skilled labor may continue to create an obstacle for even experienced remodelers to lock down labor costs.

JILL DOCZI

Shortages and extreme pricing have become a problem globally. After homeowners spent much more time at home during lockdowns, telecommuting and remote education, they created a surge in demand for renovations and improvements. Suddenly home offices, study areas, the need for outdoor entertainment or beautification of people’s homes became a larger focus. “It is my understanding that many supply houses were instructed to reduce inventory in early 2020 due to possible effects from a worldwide pandemic,” said Andrew

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

SPECIAL FEATURE down labor costs. In the short and long-term future of the industry, Broyles sees the demand and other issues continuing as problematic. “More and more municipalities have begun moving toward engineering seals instead of using prescriptive code for foundations and framing,” said Broyles. “I believe there is a huge shortage of professional design/build remodelers and as long as interest rates are low, that will

continue to get worse. I have been in business for 43 years and due to all of the recent issues have decided to retire. To avoid the labor and material issues I may work as a retired carpenter/contractor. I’m still trying to figure that one out.” In hindsight, Broyles has his take on what he would have done differently beginning two years ago. “I would have bought 500,000 2-by-4 studs for $2 and sold them for current wholesale market rate at $9.” JILL DOCZI

the contractor side became infected with COVID-19.” Additionally, remodeling and renovation contractors have seen availability and pricing difficulties for many reasons. “Vinyl products such as windows, siding, electrical boxes, etc. continue to haunt the remodeler with availability,” said Broyles. “Suppliers tell me this is directly related to the hurricanes in 2020 in the south and the Texas freeze destroying chemical plants associated with plastics manufacturing. Wood products have recently declined in price.” One of the difficulties or changes not seen before in the home improvement/renovation industry has been the recent lack of skilled, younger workers entering the field. While escalation clauses for material costs may become the norm, the continued unavailability of skilled labor may create an obstacle for even experienced remodelers to lock

Landscaping

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Due to the increased demand in materials and contractors, I have had a difficult time helping my clients get lined up with installers for hardscape,

Increased demand for outdoor entertainment spaces resulted in a boom for landscaping and nursery companies.

TRISTA IMRICH, WILD WORKS OF WHIMSY

“I am seeing a lot more clients who want to create outdoor rooms and spaces that they can truly relax and unwind in,” said Trista Imrich, landscape designer, horticulturist and owner of Wild Works of Whimsy. “People are putting a lot more money into projects at their homes, both inside and out. I have had a significant number of landscapes around new pools in the past year. There has also been a lot of interest in native plants (my specialty), which has been picking up speed over the last few years. I think there have been a lot of virtual learning opportunities for homeowners to learn about the significance of native plants in their landscape (people are looking for something productive to do at home).

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MARZENNA GAINES

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decking, lighting, irrigation, concrete work, etc. I am personally scheduling out 3-4 months for new designs as well.” Many landscape professionals have found it difficult to keep up with client load and now wrestle with the idea of expanding to meet demand with the concern that demand might fall in the future. Most have chosen to

simply work more right now. In addition to sprucing up their yards, requests have increased for firepits, outdoor kitchens and bars as clients began entertaining outside year-round during pandemic restrictions. Raised vegetable beds also saw an increase in demand as people found their urban farm talents. Imrich hopes that at least one

noticeable change will persist. “I hope native plants are here to stay. I imagine as people start to travel and get out more, the demand will drop a bit, though I hope homeowners have gained an appreciation for their outdoor space. There have been many more gardeners getting started in the past couple years.”

Home Improvement: Supply Chain If you’re building a new home or trying to renovate the one you’re in, you’ve probably already encountered a barrier in getting things done— limited supplies. From refrigerators to doors to furniture, the supply chains for home building and renovation

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

materials have stretched thin. It has become so hard to source items and materials that Steve Cunningham, incoming chair of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers and founder of Cunningham Contracting

in Williamsburg, VA, says his company plans projects further out than it used to—because of supply chain issues. “Sometimes when a contractor says they can’t start for eight weeks, it’s not because they don’t have room to put you on the

SPECIAL FEATURE

Our Personal Experience by Rick Blanton

Building their retirement home from scratch initially semed like a dream, but when the pandemic hit, shortages on everything from structural elements to decor created delays in the final moving goal. y wife and I decided now that the kids had left, we could move to the beach and build the house we always wanted. Little did we know that lurking in our near future, a pandemic would throw obstacles in front of us and everyone else. I have no doubt that we lucked out, since we actually signed the contract in the early part of the pandemic and didn’t get caught up in the big price increases, and most of our delays were not as bad as others experienced. Our first big delay, the wooden trusses, put us behind about three weeks. At this point I don’t think we understood the delay in the building supply line. We also started hearing about labor shortages as well as delays in appliances and furniture so we started getting to work on that. But before getting that done we heard about our two-week delay on windows. My neighbor had a threemonth window delay and just had his installed. Our granite countertops posed another construction problem. The top we had installed had a

fault line across a third of it. Our builder replaced it but did tell us that he had seen decreasing quality control because of work and supply shortages. We also found delays in appliances and furniture. Most of our appliances did make it on time, but our choices became limited and our refrigerator didn’t make it until the day of closing. As far as furniture goes, we had decided to get rid of all of our old and buy new, reflecting our new beach lifestyle. National retailers had delays of 8 to 16 weeks. We are still waiting on one chair that we ordered in June and won’t be here until October. We did have more luck with smaller local stores we found from Virginia Beach down to Myrtle Beach. We put in a lot more work than we planned on, but to tell you

books. It’s because they can’t get the materials,” he said.

followed by new safety measures taken for workers, affected lumber mills. Plus, 2020’s West Coast wildfires sapped supply. In Oregon alone, fire destroyed trees worth over 15 billion feet of lumber, according to the Oregon Forest & Industry Council. That’s enough wood to build 1 million homes. In response to low supply, lumber prices have shot up. Some 90 percent of surveyed home builders reported a shortage of plywood, and nearly as many a

Four common shortages: Lumber Last October the NAHB found that 77 percent of remodelers reported a framing lumber shortage, with 25 percent reporting a serious shortage. As demand for new construction boomed, lumber supply chains took blows from multiple angles. COVID19-related lockdowns and closures,

the truth we had a lot of fun figuring out “our style” for the house this way. We also found some stores that sold repurposed pieces that really gave us some cool accents in our house. We finished up with Overstock and Wayfair for bedside tables and benches for the bedrooms. Although not the traditional route that we would have taken under normal circumstances, they turned out to be fairly nice. To sum things up we found out that with a little more legwork and thinking outside the box we got around the big delays and moved comfortably into our new home with only a two-month delay from our original move-in date.

Using local shops and online retailers such as Overstock enables shoppers to bypass the long delivery delays from national chains. Everything seen at right was obtained that way. RICK BLANTON

shortage of windows and doors, according to a recent NAHB survey that also found that the situation has deteriorated “drastically” since the same time last year. Shortages also impacted a broader-than-ever range of products, including tile and cabinets, as well as plastic, stainless steel, semiconductors and other components essential to the manufacturing of refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, washers and dryers. boulevard | aug-oct 2021

willisfurniture.com (757) 340-2112

Since 1892

4220 Virginia Beach Blvd Virginia Beach, VA 23452

SPECIAL FEATURE

Appliances If you’re looking at a kitchen renovation, things like ovens, refrigerators and dishwashers have become hard to find. You can get a shipping date or the possibility of availability, but there are a lot of people vying for those appliances,”

Cunningham says. In June, appliance shipments were down 7 percent compared to the year before, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). That number is improving: shipments rose by a fifth in the fourth quarter of 2020. Cunningham encourages clients to be flexible and pick a few different possibilities for what could work instead of becoming fixated on just one appliance model. Some customers are so frustrated by delays that they grab whatever is in stock at their local home or department store. Then they use that appliance until what they ordered arrives, which works in a pinch, but isn’t the cheapest option. You also can look into used, open-box, or “scratch and dent.” These are new items that may have a small blemish but still work, or were returned but are now discontinued

and can’t be sold at full price. American Freight (which used to be Sears Outlet) is now online. You also can find some of these items on Amazon. Furniture You have a few options. You can scout local furniture store floor models they want to sell in order to make way for new items. For used furniture, you can go the usual route of Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Furniture also faces the same supply-and-demand crunch as appliances because of manufacturing disruptions. Some 97 percent of supply chain professionals faced a supply chain disruption due to Covid-19, according to the “How Now? Supply Chain Confidence Index” report, and as a result, 73 percent have been revising their supply chain strategies. Knowing this

SOLOMON RODGERS

Windows and Doors Following lumber, windows and doors have become the secondhardest items to find, according to the NAHB. The survey found 65 percent of respondents reported a shortage, with 46 percent reporting a serious shortage. Part of this comes from demand, of course, but Sucharita Kodali, eCommerce expert and VP retail analyst at Forrester, a market research company, says it’s also because there just aren’t many window and door manufacturers in the U.S. It also doesn’t make much sense for manufacturers to expand their operations to meet what could be a temporary crush of orders. “They don’t want to invest in a new factory because this pandemic is going to end and at that point, they’re stuck with this huge capital expense,” said Kodali. Manufacturers will more likely build a backlog and tell customers “You get your door when you get your door.” When it comes to doors, you can either use whatever stock exists at local home stores, or try to salvage a door from someone else who’s renovating and doesn’t need it anymore—or look to an architectural salvage company. Meanwhile, Cunningham said his company builds a lot of threeseason porches, and he has seen window lead times stretch from a typical three weeks to six months or more. “They were that far behind. It’s affected everything.” Windows are harder, especially if you’re ordering custom sizes. Cunningham cautions to be very open to the timeline your contractor presents because they’re trying to be realistic with how long it will take to order things in.

Whether building from the ground up or tackling home renovations, current shortages—and rising costs—mean thinking creatively can still get you stunning results.

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

SPECIAL FEATURE

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

Our Personal Experience by Molly Samuels

The Samuels family had a unique situation that gave them insight into market and industry changes over the past two years. They purchased a home in April 2018 in Norfolk and then sold that home and purchased a new one, 900 feet away, in March 2021. Molly Samuels shares their experiences throughout the buying and renovation process for both homes. ur 2018 home purchase was a great house in a superdesirable neighborhood, so we knew it would be a waste of time offering much below the asking price. We had the fortune to see the house the day before the listing hit the MLS, but the listing agent was showing it several times a day and we knew of two other very interested couples. We offered $10,000 below the asking price and asked for the sellers to pay closing. We had no contingencies, we had flexibility with closing and possession dates, and our financing was in order. We ended up only $2,000 below list price,

with the sellers paying closing. Our most recent move occurred within the same neighborhood and we had looked for waterfront property for some time. We had awareness of market trends. We knew if we saw something we liked we wouldn’t have time to hem and haw. We had the fortune again to meet the sellers before they listed. They told us what their listing price would be and we had our agent write up a full price offer, contingent only on inspection. They needed to rent back for two months and we had the flexibility to accommodate their schedule. Our 2018 home purchase was a fantastic house but we had hurried to MOLLY SAMUELS

might seem helpful, but probably won’t help you if you need a couch, chair or bookcase right now. Try looking for local artisans who make custom items, too, and won’t have the same kind of backlog as a national chain. You also can find vintage furniture and have those items refinished or have new cushions made for things like used couches and chairs. Supply chain disruptions continue to wreak havoc on material prices, product backlogs, freight costs and kitchen/bath project timelines, although current conditions are likely a temporary speed bump rather than a lasting roadblock to future market growth. That’s the view of most construction market experts, including leading manufacturers, who forecast that the current challenges impacting the kitchen and bath product supply chains are transitory rather than permanent, and should dissipate, for the most part, by the same time next year. Product suppliers—as well as kitchen/bath designers, distributors, home builders, remodelers and others—have faced a year-long “perfect storm” of surging demand coupled with materials shortages, logistical challenges and global factory shutdowns wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, while remodeling demand soars as vaccination rates increase and emerging lifestyles spark reconfigured home layouts, supplychain disruptions have resulted in acute shortages of critical building products. Supply constraints, at the same time, have caused material costs to soar. According to the National Association of Home Builders, materials shortages are currently more widespread than at any time since the 1990s, while higher costs coupled with shortages have seen builder confidence in the market decline to its lowest level in a year.

Home improvement keyword of 2021: Delays. From furniture deliveries to painting, everything takes longer.

MOLLY SAMUELS

get out of a city where we felt crime becoming increasingly problematic. Shortly after moving, we realized we really could have purchased on the water in the same price range. COVID-19 sealed the deal. Being home for—I’ve lost track now—18 months? Working from home, schooling from home, vacationing at home, we really agreed as a family that we needed to rip the proverbial Band-Aid off and start living our waterfront dream. Now, selling our other house has a crazy story much more indicative of the current market. Our buyers, who we are super-excited to now call friends, were moving from out of state and had very little time in Virginia to shop. They had made several offers and faced out-bidding again and again. Our agent sent them a picture of the front of the house and within two hours we had a fully ratified contract for the full asking price with no contingencies and the buyer paying all closing costs. There is no comparison to our experience between the 2018 house renovations and decorating and the 2021 house. None. Our 2018 home purchase was a significantly larger home from our previous one and we bought a good deal of new furniture.

MOLLY SAMUELS

SPECIAL FEATURE

Waterfront views made the process worth it in the end.

Everything was readily available and delivered within a week to 10 days. We didn’t do a lot of remodeling but the painting and small projects that we did were super-easy. We found contractors easily and they finished jobs predictably. We couldn’t have imagined what the 2021 move would be like. For starters, moving companies had bookings four to eight weeks out. We haven’t bought much furniture but the few things we have purchased have been hard to find and backordered for weeks, in some cases months. We worked with a general contractor that we really love, but he is torn in a hundred directions. Getting painters was worse than pulling teeth and their one-week job took three weeks. Once they were finally in the house and got the prep work done, they couldn’t get paint—utter madness. There isn’t a landscaper to be found. We were fortunate that the previous owner’s landscaper wanted to stay, but we also wanted to do a very thorough spring cleanup at the old house before the buyers moved in. We had a great company do the work, but even with two months’ notice, the best he could do was the week after closing. We’ve had a lot of other subcontractors and they are all insanely busy, but they showed up.

Is there anything you noticed that changed in your experience over the last 24 months? Honestly, I think we have all handled COVID-19 differently. Different people have adapted in different ways. My own outlook seems to change from day to day. I think we are all exhausted. Sometimes that manifests in some really bad attitudes and we forget our manners. But the opposite is also happening all around us. COVID-19 has made many of us look more carefully at what is important, what really matters. I have found a lot of the people who have played a role in this move are friendlier than ever. Contractors seem to enjoy a little small talk, vendors are genuinely happy to see you in their shops. Moving is exhausting, but the walls will get painted, the boxes will get unpacked and one day when my husband asks where something is, I will have an answer. For now I am happy just to sit and watch my teenage son playing with his dog on the river while the sun sets and the tide rolls in. If I could do it all over again, I think I’d try to find a house on the river the first time, and I would absolutely worry less about the little details that really don’t matter.

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

AUGUST—OCTOBER

events Now through August 31 Live Entertainment Virginia Beach | Town Center Fountain Plaza Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday the Fountain Plaza will come alive with performances from local artists and specialty guest acts. See websites for specific acts. TIME: Fridays 6–9 p.m., all other days 5:30–8:30 p.m. COST: Free

www.cbda.net/events/town-centerplaza-nightly-entertainment

Now through September 5 Big Bands on the Bay Norfolk | Ocean View Beach Park Every Sunday Big Bands on the Bay ends the weekend with a sunset celebration on the Chesapeake Bay. Guests are invited down to the Gazebo at Ocean View Beach Park for live Big Band music and dancing. TIME: 7–9 p.m. COST: Free

oceanviewbeachpark.org/ events/2021/big-bands-bay

Now through October 1 Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful Norfolk | Chrysler Museum of Art Every Weekday | “Alma W. Thomas: Everything is Beautiful” will provide a comprehensive overview of the artist’s long life (1891–1978) with approximately 100 works, including her rarely seen theatrical designs and beloved abstract paintings. The exhibition is organized around multiple themes and events like Thomas’s Washington Color School cohort, the creative communities connected to Howard University, and peers who protested museums that failed to represent artists of color. TIME: Noon–5 p.m. COST: Free

chrysler.org

Check blvdmedia.io and social media for even more events 26

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

Now through November 7

August 14, 21, 28

Washed Ashore, Art to Save the Sea Exhibit

Movies in the Plaza

Norfolk | Norfolk Botanical Garden

Virginia Beach | Virginia Beach Town Center Plaza

Artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi, a global changer, creates art from thrown-out plastics and trash littering our beaches and oceans. Washed Ashore builds and exhibits aesthetically powerful art to educate a global audience about plastic pollution in the ocean and waterways, give our marine animals a voice and spark positive change in consumer habits. Learn more about the mission at WashedAshore.org. TIME: 9 a.m.–7 p.m. COST: Adults $15, Seniors, $13, Children (3–17) $13, Toddlers (2* under) Free

Join us every Saturday evening, after sundown in August. Catch a free, family friendly outdoor film in the beautiful Town Center Fountain Plaza. Make dinner reservations, before the show, at one of our many eateries and treat the family to a true “dinner and a movie” experience. Or grab pizza and ice cream during the show. California Pizza Kitchen and Cold Stone Creamery will deliver to-go orders to the plaza every Saturday evening. TIME: 8:30 p.m. COST: Free

norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/ washed-ashore-2021

vabeachtowncenter.com/ moviesintheplaza

Now through December 31

August 14

Haunted Williamsburg Williamsburg | Colonial Williamsburg From authentic 18th-century colonial ghost stories to creepy modern-day encounters, Haunted Williamsburg is the only tour with exclusive access to historic outdoor spaces, featuring costumed storytellers who share their unnerving tales. This one-hour candlelit walking ghost tour takes you strolling through town, into gardens, and beyond the barriers to our most haunted sites. The tour begins at the Play House Stage on Palace Green and is suitable for ages 8 and older. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Weather permitting: runs rain or shine, except in cases of severe inclement or cold weather. Pets are not permitted. Haunted Williamsburg is the official ghost tour experience of Colonial Williamsburg. TIME: Daily 7–8 p.m., 8:30–9:30 p.m. COST: Adult $19; Youth (6–12) $12; Child (Under 6) $12

ODU Big Blue 5k Norfolk | Old Dominion University, Bluestone Ave. Returning to Old Dominion University for 2021, the 8th Annual MSP Design Group Big Blue 5K, presented by Bon Secours In Motion, takes participants on a 5K tour of the campus and finishes on the 50-yard line on Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. Participants are invited to celebrate their race at the post-race tailgate party. Registration now open TIME: 8 a.m. COST: $40

www.bigblue5k.com

www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/ events/haunted-williamsburg/

August 12, 19, 26 Symphony By the Sea Concert Series Virginia Beach | Neptune’s Park, 3001 Atlantic Ave. Neptune Festival’s Symphony by the Sea Concert Series, presented by The Breeden Company. Arrive early, as the concerts are well-attended and will fill the park. While all concerts are free, a VIP Series Membership, which includes reserved seating and more, is available for purchase. TIME: 7:30–9 p.m. COST: Free

www.neptunefestival.com/events/ symphony-by-the-sea-concert-series

August 14–15 Atlantic Coast Kite Festival Virginia Beach | Oceanfront (on the beach between 16th–18th Streets) Everyone may take part in the Atlantic Coast Kite Festival’s “Best Kite Contest.” Experienced kite enthusiasts will assist novice flyers. Families may participate in a free kite-building workshop that includes kite materials and instructions on how to build a kite, as well as the aerodynamics of kite flying and kite safety. American Kite Association members from throughout the

!! Details as of press time; confirm information with venue before you attend events. !!

events

www.beacheventsvb.com

August 19–October 21 The Sandler Center Miller Jazz Series Virginia Beach | Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

August 19—Art of the Trumpet: Highlighting the great jazz trumpeters featuring Taylor Barnett on trumpet, John Toomey on piano and Jimmy Masters on bass. September 16—Piano Music: Tunes by great modern jass pianists with Alan Blackman on piano, J.C. Kuhl on saxophone, Emre Kartari on drums and Jimmy Masters on bass. October 21—The State of the Tenor: Showcasing music by great tenor saxophonists featuring Eddie Williams on saxophone, John Toomey on piano, Brian Caputo on drums and Jimmy Masterson bass. TIME: 7:30 p.m. Cost: $23

www.sandlercenter.org

The festival sports two new events this year: • A Family Fun Zone at 17th Street Park will have activities for the whole family—magicians, stilt walkers, painting sessions with the Mermaid Factory, exhibitions by the Virginia Aquarium, Norfolk Tides mascot appearances, field day activities, nighttime movies, silent disco and more. • A Beach Yoga + Fitness Experience at the 36th Street Fitness Park will provide a healthy location on the boardwalk and benefit the LIFT Fitness Foundation. It will include health-conscious local food vendors, beach yoga on Saturday and Sunday mornings with Studio Bamboo and a variety of other free fitness classes run by local instructors. Most of the Neptune Festival events take place in August and September. You can find the complete schedule at the link listed below. This year’s events culminate with the Neptune Festival weekend from September 24–26. The grand parade starts at the intersection of 16th Street and Atlantic Avenue at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 25 and finishes just past 31st Street. The parade includes a procession of the royal court. About the court: A committee chooses King Neptune from nominations solicited from the general public. Criteria include many factors, including demonstrated involvement and contribution to the quality of life in Virginia Beach, active participation in the activities of community life and an understanding of the spirit of the Neptune Festival. The king acts as a goodwill ambassador for the city at many events throughout the year.

Neptune’s Coastal Craft Brew Festival Virginia Beach | Neptune’s Park, 3001 Atlantic Ave. Neptune’s Coastal Craft Beer Festival will feature local Virginia beers as well as national and regional craft beers. Enjoy over 65 beers from 36 breweries, live music, food trucks and more. Each ticket includes a commemorative beer-tasting glass and tastings throughout the day. Ages 21+ only. No pets. Outside food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted. All bags and coolers will be inspected at the gate. TIME: 1 p.m.–6 p.m. COST: $40

www.neptunefestival.com/events/ neptunes-coastal-craft-beer-festival

Purchase tickets now for the Sandler Center Miller Jazz Series at YnotTix.com

The 47th annual Neptune Festival honoring the Roman god of the sea will return this year after a muchnoticed 2020 absence due to COVID-19 restrictions. With over 40 events, ranging from sporting activities such as golf, volleyball, tennis, 8K run and a surfing competition to social activities like the wine festival, End of Summer Bash, the art and craft show (attracting almost 300 exhibitors), the festival has something for everyone. Events began this year with a series of six free Symphony by the Sea concerts featuring Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Symphonicity. The traditional culmination of the weeks-long festivities, the Boardwalk Weekend, also includes the International Sandsculpting Championship, the Grand Parade and three stages of live entertainment.

August 21

The Tritons, men in community selected by nomination, must meet the same criteria applied to the selection of the king, and serve as support. Historically included in the royal court are princesses chosen from 35 student applicants in the fall of their junior year of high school. Once chosen, these princesses also serve as ambassadors and role models for the community through their senior year of high school. This year, two princes join the royal court along with nine princesses. Not only does the annual Neptune Festival with all its accompanying activities provide weeks of fun and entertainment for locals and visitors alike, it also has a significant economic impact on the area. One event, Boardwalk Weekend, typically sees over 400,000 participants, generating over $23,000,000 in revenue. A 2018 economic impact study conducted by Choice Communications Systems, Inc. revealed the following: • $23.5 million economic impact by the Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend • $16.9 million in direct impact by Neptune Festival visitors • $1.19 million in tax impact by Neptune Festival visitors • 405,400 attendees over the Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend alone • 52 percent of attendees are visitors from outside of Virginia Beach • 26,500 room nights generated by overnight hotel attendees • $170 per day spent by overnight hotel attendees • 1 in 4 residents visit Neptune Festival at least one day • 80 percent of attendees have visited Neptune Festival in the past • 8 average past visits attendees have made to Neptune Festival • 98 percent of attendees say they will return or may return next year • 4 in 5 visitors came to Virginia Beach specifically to attend the event Neptune Festival also partners with charitable organizations such as EQUI-KIDS, The Governor’s School for the Arts, Toby’s Dream Foundation, Virginia Beach Lifeguard Association, Virginia Beach Rotary, Town Center Kiwanis Club, Virginia Beach Police Foundation, Virginia Musical Theater, Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Symphonicity, among others. The community and visitors alike look forward to the return of the Neptune Festival. See the list of Neptune Festival events at www.neptunefestival.com.

!! Details as of press time; confirm information with venue before you attend events. !!

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

AUGUST—OCTOBER

East Coast will present kite demonstrations, perform kite routines to music and fly giant kites (up to 80 feet long), including an octopus kite. Kite vendors on site will sell various kinds of kites. Awards will also be given each day for oldest and youngest kitefliers, funniest kite, most unusual kite and biggest kite. TIIME: Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. COST: Free

AUGUST—OCTOBER

events August 21–22 32nd Annual Nansemond Indian PowWow Suffolk | Mattanock Town, 1001 Pembroke Ln. All are welcome at this family friendly event featuring Native American song, dance, food and crafts. Grand entry will be at noon on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. TIME: Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. COST: Free

Facebook: 32nd Annual Nansemond Indian Pow Wow

201, celebrating their 75th anniversary and flying the demonstration in their brand new F/A-18 Super Hornets. The show will have the F/A-18 Super Hornet Tactical Demonstration, the USAF first-ever Oceana appearance of the Navy’s newest fighter, the F-35 Lightning II Tactical Demonstration. Also, viewers will see the signature Air Power Demonstration with Fleet Flyby, performances by local Navy squadrons and world-class civilian performers like Mike Goulian, Kent Pietsch and the AFTERSHOCK Jet Firetruck. Check the website for more information as it develops. TIME: Varies by event COST: $10–$25

www.oceanaairshow.com

September 5 Symphony Under the Stars Chesapeake | Chesapeake City Park Enjoy classic, pop and jazz music live from the Virginia Symphony Orchestra on the Bagley stage. A variety of food trucks will provide options for an evening picnic. Bring your own chairs or blanket (Pop-up tents, oversized umbrellas and feather flags not permitted.) TIME: Parking and concessions open at 6 p.m. COST: Free admission and on-site parking; other purchases vary

www.cityofchesapeake.net/Calendar

September 11 GrowlFest Norfolk | Virginia Zoo GrowlFest comes ROARING back for its fifth year. Come get your growl on at the Virginia Zoo. Join us for a fun-filled evening of beer and wine, food trucks and games. This event benefits the zoo and Sunrise and Downtown Rotary Clubs of Norfolk and the Virginia Zoo. GrowlFest includes exclusive after-hours access to the zoo, with select animals on exhibit late. This is fun for the whole family or a group of your wildest friends. TIME: 6–9 p.m. COST: TBD

virginiazoo.org/event/growlfest

September 18–19 2021 NAS Oceana Air Show Virginia Beach | Naval Air Station Oceana The entire team will once again open the doors and welcome aboard visitors from near and far to this Master Jet Base for the return of the air show with a theme of “The Blues are Back!” The Blue Angels will make their first appearance at NAS Oceana since

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

September 11–12 25th Annual Fall Wine Festival Virginia Beach | Neptune’s Park at 31st St. and Atlantic Avenue Join your friends by the oceanfront for an afternoon hosted by Virginia’s leading vineyards. Taste from over 70 wines while you meet and greet the fascinating people who forge Virginia’s reputation for quality wines. Enjoy delicious food, live entertainment and the opportunity to purchase the wines you like by the bottle and case. TIME: Noon–5 p.m. daily Cost: Advance Tickets: $40 Through September 5; Week of Event Tickets: $45 (Beginning Sept 6, until Sold Out); Saturday VIP Ticket: $60 (advance purchase only, includes exclusive access to the event one hour prior to standard ticket holder access. A limited number of tickets will be sold at this level); Sunday Tasting; TABLES: $400 for Saturday and $350 for Sunday. (Includes eight tickets to the event.)

at Neptune’s International Sandsculpting Championship. Other weekend events include Neptune’s 8k Race, Grand Parade, Volleyball Tournament, Atlantic Regatta, Youth Art Show and more. See the website for information on all Boardwalk Weekend events. TIME: Fri., Sept. 24 noon–11 p.m., Sat., Sept. 25 10 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun., Sept., 26, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. COST: Free entry; purchases vary

www.neptunefestival.com/events/ boardwalk-weekend

September 24–October 3 International Sand Sculpting Competition Virginia Beach | Oceanfront 6th-8th Streets With a world-class venue, talent and prize purse, Neptune’s International Sandsculpting Championship has distinguished itself as a premier event unlike any other. This signature event of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival since its inception has grown to the most prestigious event of its kind in the nation. With an international field of sculptors representing 11 countries from around the world, watch the professionals turn grains of sand into works of art in just three days. TIME: Friday, 9/24: 9 a.m.–11 p.m. Saturday, 9/25: 9 a.m.–11 p.m. Sunday, 9/26: 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday–Wednesday: 9/27–9/29: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Thursday, 9/30: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. (City Employee Appreciation Day) Friday–Sunday, 10/1–10/3: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. COST: Admission: $5 per person. 12 and under free while accompanied by adult.

www.neptunefestival.com/events/ fall-wine-festival

www.neptunefestival.com/events/ international-sand-sculptingchampionship#hours

September 24–26

September 25

Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend Virginia Beach | Oceanfront 6th-36th Streets 2021 marks the 47th anniversary for the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival with daily concerts at festival stages, scattered along 30 blocks of the boardwalk, featuring 27 performances from local, regional and national recording artists. On the boardwalk, you can find over 250 artisans displaying handmade work at Neptune’s Art & Craft Show that has been ranked No. 5 out of 200 Fine Art and Design Shows across the country. Keep walking to find 22 magnificent sand sculptures created by world-renowned international sculptors

Neptune’s Atlantic Regatta Virginia Beach | Virginia Beach Oceanfront (Details TBD) Multiple classes tack and jibe their way from Cape Henry to Rudee Inlet during this great recreational race as Neptune gets a little more nautical with Neptune’s Atlantic Regatta. Need a break from the boardwalk action? Check out the boats’ arrival at Rudee Inlet in the afternoon or hang out at 24th Street Park to watch the finish. Neptune’s Atlantic Regatta is Broad Bay Sailing Association’s last race of the season, and is also a CBYRA-sanctioned event. Starting off at Little Creek Amphibious Base on the Chesapeake Bay, racers transit the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, sail

!! Details as of press time; confirm information with venue before you attend events. !!

events

www.neptunefestival.com/events/ neptunes-atlantic-regatta

Halloween-themed show and all of your favorite Sesame Street characters. TIME: Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. COST: $49.99–$89.99

October 16–17

buschgardens.com/williamsburg/ events/halloween-spooktacular

Experience Hampton Roads’ most anticipated wine festival of the fall season along the Downtown Norfolk waterfront. Wine Enthusiast Magazine has named Virginia one of the 10 best wine travel destinations in the world. This year’s fall favorite will showcase more than 30 wineries with over 200 of the commonwealth’s finest wine varieties. Festival guests can enjoy the company of friends and family along the Elizabeth River for a weekend-long harvest of Virginia wineries in Town Point Park. Budding sommeliers and everyday enthusiasts can sample and purchase premier wine vintages and enjoy live musical performances, along with gourmet foods and specialty wares. TIME: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. COST: Saturday General Admission Advance: $30; Day of: $35 Sunday General Admission Tier 1: $25; Tier 2: $30

October 13 An Evening with David Sedaris Norfolk | Harrison Opera House

October 4–27 The Count’s Spooktacular Williamsburg | Busch Gardens Busch Gardens Williamsburg is known for hosting spectacular Halloween haunts. However, on Saturdays and Sundays, from October 4–27, let the kids come out for their own “not-too-spooky fun” during The Count’s Spooktacular. Head to the Sesame Street Forest of Fun, an area of Busch Gardens dedicated to children and their families, for a kid-friendly Halloween celebration. The Count’s Spooktacular will feature a hay maze, trick-or-treating, an interactive

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. He is the master of satire and one of today’s most observant writers addressing the human condition. Calypso, his latest collection of essays, is a New York Times best-seller and a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. The audiobook of Calypso has been nominated for a 2019 Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Album category. TIME: 7:30 p.m. COST: $40–$55

www.sevenvenues.com/events/ detail/david-sedaris

33rd Annual Town Point Virginia Fall Wine Festival Norfolk | Town Point Park

festevents.org/events/2021/ fallwinefest/ticket-options

We’re honored to be able to support, and participate in, the Virginia Musical Theatre’s Dancing with the Hampton Roads Celebrity Stars.

PERSONAL + BUSINESS BANKING ABNBable.org F E D E R A L LY I N S U R E D BY N C UA

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

AUGUST—OCTOBER

down the coast, and finish off 24th street on the oceanfront. After a night of fun at the festival, participants leave the event’s complimentary Rudee Inlet dockage and return home. This race is part of the Southern Bay Distance Racing Series (SBDRS). TIME: 8 a.m.–3 p.m. COST: Free

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profile Tom Johnston

COURTESY: THE FRANKLIN JOHNSTON GROUP

[ by jill doczi ]

The Franklin Johnston Group has become the most experienced new multifamily management and development company in America.

Tom Johnston, a founding partner and chief development officer for The Franklin Johnston Group, has spent 27 of his 34-year career in partnership with Wendell Franklin, and later with Taylor Franklin, and Steve Cooper (retired) establishing one of the most active and successful development teams on the East Coast. In addition to his role on the company’s executive leadership team, he has led the development efforts for the company and successfully completed over 40 apartment communities with an aggregate value of $500 million. Johnston hails from Northern Virginia in Herndon where his family still lives nearby. His father, a former biologist/writer, and mother, a former school teacher, helped foster the determination and positive outlook he has had throughout his career. “My father was the one to teach me to dream big,” said Johnston. His family activities also played a part in his choice of colleges. They vacationed each year in Virginia Beach and he chose Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk both because of the proximity to the beach and he had friends attending there. While at ODU he changed his major slightly to focus on commercial real estate based on the influence of a great real estate professor and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. “I developed a fondness for commercial real estate in general my sophomore year at ODU and changed my major to tailor around that,” said Johnston. The choice to focus on real estate paved the way for his next few career moves. Prior to his tenure with S.L. Nusbaum Realty Company, he worked for the Virginia Housing Development Authority and GA Partners/ Arthur Anderson. He used every career move he made as an opportunity to learn useful information for his next steps. At GA Partners/Arthur Anderson he learned about the economics and market factors by working with development companies around the United States. He learned about financing while working at the Virginia Housing Development Authority. A few years later he was working on a loan with a development company and they convinced him to come work for a large commercial real estate firm in Norfolk where he focused on learning the development of apartment communities. This led to three of the employees forming a property management company in 2013 to manage the properties they owned. This led to his permanent settlement in the area. “I always wanted to come back but was skeptical that an opportunity as big as I was looking for would be available there rather than in a big city,” said Johnston. “But the opportunity did come and I jumped on it and never looked back.” They determined the number of apartments they managed would not generate the income they needed so they decided to take on the management of other properties for families and companies. Currently they manage over 20,000 apartment locations from Rhode Island to Florida. The management side of the company focuses not only on value and cashflow, but Johnston says much of their success also comes from quality product, employees, maintenance and superior customer service providing a basic cyclical positive formula. “If we hire really good people who take care of our residents then those boulevard | aug-oct 2021

PROFILE

COURTESY: THE FRANKLIN JOHNSTON GROUP

residents will be happy and willing to stay in place as well as pay more for the experience. That will, in turn, provide income. I like to reduce things to their simplest truth.” The development side of the company has a different operational feel. “Development is completely different,” said Johnston. “Development is full of risk and variability like interest rates, price of labor, supply chain issues and different policies that you may not

communities and over 20,000 units along the East Coast. Johnston described the business as “a really good management company on the front end and a good building company on the back end” that gives the customer not only the product they want with amenities like worldclass gyms, infinity pools, bowling alleys and entertainment areas, but they provide exceptional customer service as well—“Real customer service. Not just lip service, but really going the extra mile to take care of people’s needs.” “The number one reason people stay happily in a community is because when they have an issue, the maintenance staff treats the problem quickly and the tenant respectfully,” he said. “We work hard to find maintenance people we can On this page and on the opposite are examples of the high caliber properties that The Franklin Johnston Group develops.

©MICHAELPENNELLO

have ever seen before.” The combination of the two, managed well with solid policies and excellent employees, creates the opportunity for The Franklin Johnston Group to become the most experienced new multifamily management and development company in America. Starting with a portfolio of 24 properties and 3,551 residential units, they tripled The Franklin Johnston Group within 24 months and now have more than 125

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

©MICHAELPENNELLO

PROFILE

trust to do these things.” Following his progression through his early career choices, it seems like he had a calculated plan leading to his current position. He

confirms this to be the case. “Absolutely,” he said. “I am a big believer in having a detailed plan with built-in flexibility to overcome things that don’t go as planned.

Basically a plan with backup plans. Sports taught me to be resilient in managing the plan.” He quotes Bruce Lee: “Choose the positive. You have a choice, you are master of your attitude, choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.” His optimism follows through in his satisfaction with the finished product. When asked about his favorite part of the process in his business he simply said, “Probably the part that doesn’t involve me: Watching people really enjoy living in communities we just created. [It’s] very satisfying.” In general Johnston describes the apartment management/ development industry over the past two years as positive. “The apartment market

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

PROFILE

fundamentals have never been better,” he said. “The homeownership rate has been declining for years as more socioeconomic classes are choosing apartment living as their desired lifestyle. People are having children later in life (and fewer of them), which is one of the reasons. My dad said buying a home will be your best investment. People don’t necessarily believe that after a few bad cycles. There are a growing number of people who would rather pay rent and invest their earnings in other ways, while enjoying rental living with amenities and no maintenance. We will continue to remove the stigma that apartment residents are not quality members of the large communities that they live in. Apartment residents contribute to both local businesses and charities.” Moving forward, Johnston shared that an upcoming project with

“We will continue to remove the stigma that apartment residents are not quality members of the large communities that they live in. Apartment residents contribute to both local businesses and charities.” ~ Tom Johnston

the same name as this publication will begin construction shortly. Boulevard 45, a 128-unit, fourstory elevator product with luxury amenities and finishes will break

ground this year near Mt. Trashmore. Just as his occupants contribute to their area’s surrounding growth by partaking in both local businesses and charities, so does Johnston. He enjoys the water through the beach, boating, fishing and food. “We have the best seafood and the locally owned restaurants are the best I’ve ever been to.” He also continues to support his alma mater in numerous ways. “They really have grown in a lot of positive ways that make me proud,” said Johnston. “That’s one of the reasons that I have chosen to donate my time, skills and money to them in a big way.” When asked if he always knew he would end up in this industry position or has the evolution surprised him, he responded in a way that reflects his father’s advice: “I made a dream a reality. But, yeah, it did surprise me though. There’s nothing in life better than betting everything on yourself and winning. Nothing.” Jill Doczi has written and edited in public relations, marketing and journalism for a lifetime, forever trying to earn the respect of her journalism instructors. She resides in Virginia Beach—her home since the end of high school—while a piece of her heart remains in the Virginia mountains of her adolescence. She oversees a postage stamp of property by the Chesapeake Bay including pond fish and yard turtles, while defending her urban farm from squirrels.

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The team has already started hunting for unique items for the HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE. Look for it in the next issue, coming out in November.

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viewpoint Quality Local Digital Media: A Community Investment We All Need to Buy Into It’s not a coincidence that when the United States’ founders hammered out the Bill of Rights to safeguard individual freedoms afforded by the new U.S. Constitution, they guaranteed freedom of the press in the very First Amendment on the list. Media have played a key part in our nation’s function and culture since the colonial period. The press has served as a complement and counterpart to our democracy throughout our nation’s existence, providing the public with vital information and affording a platform for innovation and social reform. The press has also long been uniquely intertwined with commerce in the United States. While earlier media were a somewhat costly luxury inaccessible to the working and middle classes, the mid-19th century saw the penny press era of American newspapers make news and opinion conveniently accessible to the broader public. Technological advancement in the form of steampowered newspaper presses partially engendered these more affordable newspapers, but another primary force behind cheaper public access to journalism was newspapers’ move to reliance on advertising as a primary revenue source rather than subscriptions. And so it has been ever since. Journalists harnessed the advent of broadcast media—first radio, then television—and the policy and business models around those technologies in the United States have tended to favor advertising as their primary financial engine rather than other revenue options such as pure subscription services or government taxes and licensing. As digital media brought our news to the Internet, first on our desktop computers and now ever more often on our ubiquitous mobile devices, American journalism has continued to branch out into each new media platform and likewise continued to rely on advertising revenue as its lifeblood. This longstanding tendency for the news media to embrace both new technology and commercial sponsors had been beneficial not only for media providers and advertisers. When the relationship works as it ought to, consumers are informed and entertained—with the cost of all that content subsidized by businesses that offer useful goods and services to those same consumers. No, we haven’t always gotten it right. Commercial pressures, real and imagined, can threaten the independence of our news media and present conflicts of interest, and it’s a sad truth that nervous advertisers have discouraged provocative voices in news and entertainment media. That said, commercial pressure from public outcry has also been a factor in positive changes in our media landscape, such as more diverse representation in the faces we see on television to increased accountability in the news media for once-ignored predatory behavior by powerful men. Historically, perhaps the greatest success of this symbiosis between news media, advertisers and the public has been the case of local news. From city newspapers to specialty magazines, local media and small businesses

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

[ by james d. ivory ]

At a time when we have more media to consume than at any point in human history, sustainable support for our local media is imperative.

LESLIE KING

VIEWPOINT

have invested in the communities they occupy to keep their neighbors informed and engaged. In turn, community members patronize and support both local media sources and the businesses that support them. But that harmonious relationship has seen tougher times of late. Of the hundreds of billions of dollars currently spent on advertising worldwide, the lion’s share goes to massive online platforms that sort and deliver media content produced by others, most notably Google and Facebook. Challenged by declining audiences, local media have more and more often been sold to national and international corporations. (Consider the case of Norfolk’s The Virginian-Pilot, which was sold to Chicago Tribune parent company Tribune Publishing in 2018, which was in turn, absorbed by Manhattan

hedge fund Alden Global Capital this year.) Deregulation in recent decades has exacerbated this trend by allowing unprecedented conglomeration of media ownership within local markets. Our nation grew up hand in hand with local media voices, and many of us grew up getting our little league sports scores from the same newspapers and radio stations that covered town council meetings and told us about school cancellations due to inclement weather. Search engines and international media corporations have their purpose but lack the community engagement that locally owned and produced media provide. At a time when we have more media to consume than at any point in human history, and all of it literally in the palms of our hands in the form of our

mobile devices, sustainable support for our local media is imperative. Some might say the proliferation of digital media has caused the challenges local media face, with web browsing gobbling up time once spent poring over newspapers and magazines. But digital media can be the solution as well. It is easy to lament the trend of news sources shuttering their print editions in favor of digital versions, but digital distribution is a key to the survival of that healthy relationship that local news media have long enjoyed with advertisers and consumers. There is nothing talismanic about pages of newsprint or television monitors; journalists have always moved to adopt the newest communication technologies, and the value of news media to their communities is in the content they provide rather than their

MORE THAN 14,000 JOBS AVAILABLE IN THE LOCAL HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Go to the Virginia Beach Hotel Association website for a listing of vacancies: virginiabeachhotelassociation.com/find-a-virginiabeach-hotel-job

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

VIEWPOINT

formats. Similarly, advertisers have more opportunity than ever to make efficient connections with consumers via local digital media, with more refined metrics of audience reach and interest available for digital advertising than any previous delivery method. A relevant message in a trusted local publication is a much more efficient way for a small business owner to sincerely reach out to community members than an ad in a global search engine. Consumers, meanwhile, can stand to benefit from the economy of scale that comes with digital distribution. When it costs almost nothing more to share 10,000 copies of a digital magazine than it does to share 10, community members can enjoy the information and entertainment contained in a digital edition at reduced cost or none at all. We sorely need strong local media, from coverage of school board meetings to reviews of restaurants. And if we continue to see responsible partnerships between local journalists and local small businesses online, we can have a verdant media landscape in our communities. But we all need to buy in together and we need to ensure that we don’t leave the digital landscape to the international corporations. The Internet can be local too, and it can belong to our communities as much as to Silicon Valley and Madison Avenue. Our smartphones are in our pockets and purses, and our community news and businesses can be right there too. James D. Ivory, Ph.D., is a professor and director of research and outreach in the School of Communication at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, VA. He holds a Doctorate of communication, a Master of Arts in communication and a Bachelor of Science in journalism. His research and teaching interests deal primarily with social dimensions of media technologies.

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

COLLINS SQUARE AT THALIA

Collins Square is located at 4001 Virginia Beach Boulevard at Thalia – just one mile east of Town Center “HOME OF THE FAMOUS CHRISTMAS LIGHT DISPLAY”

CHRISTMAS PHOTOS: JOHN CADELL | johncadell@icloud.com

Welcomes

4001 VIRGINIA BEACH BOULEVARD • JUST ONE MILE EAST OF TOWN CENTER

Virginia Wine Month

National Seafood Month

While we enjoy the fresh bounty cultivated from vineyards across Virginia and reeled in from local waters all year long, we especially recognize these industries in the month of October. [ by jill doczi ] 40

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

FAR LEFT: JULIE FANNING | LEFT: PIXABAY

JULIE FANNING

The Norton grape, indigenous to Virginia, has a deep ruby color and characteristics of rich plum and cherry.

n celebration of all wines Virginia, we share the history of the original wine of the commonwealth—more than 400 years in the making (see “Virginia’s Heritage” at right). America’s oldest wine grape, Norton, began its history in colonial times and struggled alongside the European settlers to take a foothold in the “New World.” In the early 1600s, English settlers in Virginia attempted to plant vinifera grapes, the same species that they recognized from Europe as producing chardonnay, cabernet and many other varieties. These nonnative species did not adapt well to the commonwealth’s notoriously hot, humid climate and they suffered from disease and pest damage. Even with the support and significant attempts by larger landowners, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, the idea of a wine industry faltered and died on the vine. Although Jefferson, in particular, put great effort into establishing a wine industry in Virginia, he didn’t live to see the evolution of his attempts, including the cultivation of native U.S. grapes. Toward the end of Jefferson’s

LAKER

Virginia is now one of the top 10 wineproducing states in the country and boasts almost 300 wineries.

life, Daniel Norton experimented with crossbreeding in his Richmond, VA, lab and discovered a vine that tolerated Virginia soil and growing conditions. Sales of the Norton grapevine, and the subsequent creation of its wine, increased across the U.S., and Europe, even winning gold medals in competitions against established European counterparts. Prohibition halted the progress in its tracks as wine-producing grapevines were destroyed and replaced with sweeter Concord grapes for producing juice. Once Prohibition ended, vineyards moved forward planting the more traditional European grape varieties leaving the Norton grapevine produced exclusively in the U.S. as a memory in the industry. The Virginia wine industry lagged behind other states and only with the introduction of modern agricultural methods and an influx of European talent in the mid-1970s did Virginia wine begin to take hold and prosper. Slowly, all manner of wine businesses emerged throughout Virginia from large-scale commercial outfits to those willing to try their hand at a startup—with all experimenting

Virginia’s Heritage Created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of winemaking in Virginia, this full-bodied red blend is a collaboration between 16 wineries across the commonwealth along with the Virginia Tourism Corporation— showcasing Virginia’s expertise in the wine industry and establishing its position as the cradle of winemaking in the Americas. Only 10,000 bottles were produced; each bottle represents one of the 10,000 grapevines brought to Virginia more than 400 years ago.

along the way. The quality of Virginia wine grew along with the pace of new vineyards and tasting rooms. By the 1990s, about 50 wineries called Virginia home, slowly winning awards and recognition. Now with over 300 wineries growing over 4,000 acres in 10 regions, Virginia has established its place in the viniculture world. While Virginia varieties do produce the familiar bottles of chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, several wineries have focused on varieties less popular in the European arena like viognier, cabernet franc, petit verdot and red blends. A few winemakers have also begun the task of restoring the boulevard | aug-oct 2021

gold-medal-winning wineries from the 2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition to your mobile device. Through the Virginia Governor’s Cup, the state’s most stringent wine competition, world-class judges award gold medals to just 47 wineries, cideries and meaderies out of over 500 entries.

ver 30 years ago Congress declared October National Seafood Month to recognize the large and historical industry in the United States. In the U.S. the seafood industry employs 250,000 and contributes $60 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Although the U.S. leads most other countries in responsibly managed fisheries, the market demand for seafood exceeds sustainable wild harvesting. This has spurred the growth of the aquaculture industry and the technology to farm shellfish (oysters, clams and mussels) and algae (seaweed and kelp) in coastal estuaries, as well as finfish farms, in the ocean. Supporting agencies feel the U.S. can become a global leader in sustainable seafood that is wildcaught and farmed. One support group, the Sensible Seafood program through the Virginia

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

COTTONBRO

ALFRED KOOP

Norton variety as America’s native grape—beginning with Dennis Horton who, in 1989, purchased a small plot of land in Virginia, determined to bring the Norton vine and its wines back from the dead. Virginia Wine recently announced “the state’s first wine trail”—a mobile passport that brings

From water to plate: locally caught means fresh cuisine year-round

Aquarium & Marine Science Center, promotes the consumption of native regional seafood species that are both plentiful and harvested using environmentally sound practices. Some species of fish have begun disappearing quickly from our oceans, and while farming has helped some stocks replenish, an estimated 90 percent of the world’s big fish have disappeared from the planet, and 70 percent of the world’s fisheries have become stretched to their limits. Surprisingly some corporations that raise fish in “farms” use methods that

You can sign up at taste.virginiawine.org; when visiting a participating winery, open up the pass, locate its listing and check in via your smartphone’s GPS. After you check into 12 wineries you will receive a free Virginia Wine wine tumbler. Info: www.virginiawine.org/ virginia-wine-month

harm the environment and produce unhealthy fish. To help consumers make wise choices, the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center created the Sensible Seafood Program in 2008, in partnership with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. An advisory team of scientists and experts meets annually to discuss scientific evaluations of fish populations and make recommendations. The Sensible Seafood Program shows consumers how to choose wisely through the use of their Sensible Seafood pocket guide and support of Sensible Seafood restaurants, markets and business partners. Learn more about these options with the downloadable Sensible Seafood pocket guide. (www.virginiaaquarium.com/ conserve/Documents/Virginia%20 Seafood%20Guide.pdf) “Local seafood is likely to be fresher than seafood shipped from around the globe, and local purchases reduce your carbon footprint. Local purchases also contribute to the local economy,” said Karen Burns, guest engagement supervisor for the Virginia Aquarium. “Sensible Seafood partners include retail and wholesale seafood sellers, as well as local restaurants, which agree to offer at least one Sensible Seafood selection for savvy consumers. When you visit these businesses or eat at these restaurants, please thank them for supporting this important program. New partners join regularly, so check the website (www.VirginiaAquarium. com) for updates.”

notable potables RICK BLANTON

JULIE FANNING

BAY LOCAL

Transitional cocktails taking us from late summer into fall

Bloody Blue

Bourbon-spiked Cider

Casper’s Malibu Sunset

A loaded Bloody Mary sipped by the water is the perfect beginning to a late summer day. Add a soft-shell crab and it’s extra special. Ingredients:

The grown-up version of apple cider that isn’t too “fruit punchy.” This herbal cocktail has a touch of sweet followed by a touch of bitter, and it’s perfect for a still-warm, fall evening.

While the coconut rum provides a tropical element, the dry ice and layered pour adds the spooky Halloween visual. It’s like a better version of candy corn—in a glass.

• 4 oz tomato juice

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp prepared horseradish

• 1 oz bourbon (A. Smith Bowman Small Batch bourbon)

• 4 oz pineapple juice

• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce • 2 dashes celery salt • 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce • 1 pinch ground black pepper • 1 pinch smoked paprika (plus extra for glass rim) • 2 oz vodka (Cirrus) • 1 lemon wedge • 1 lime wedge • 1 tempura soft-shell crab Preparation: Mix together first seven ingredients and chill.

• 2 oz apple cider • 0.4 oz sweet vermouth • 0.5 oz thyme-infused simple syrup+ • 3 dashes of orange bitters Preparation: A few hours beforehand, pour apple cider into large ice ball mold or large square mold and freeze. Fill a cocktail shaker with several cubes of ice. Add bourbon, cider, vermouth, simple syrup and bitters. Cover and shake vigorously. Served: On the rocks; strain into glass over large cider ice ball/cube

• 1 oz grenadine • 2 oz coconut rum (Malibu) • maraschino cherries • pineapple chunks Preparation: Place four or five ice cubes into a rocks glass. Pour grenadine on top of the ice. Using a spoon (to layer the juice over the grenadine), slowly pour pineapple juice into the glass. Pour coconut rum into a separate glass. Add about 1/4-inch chip of dry ice. Gently pour rum/dry ice mixture into the rocks glass with juice.

Garnish: Thin apple slice and fresh thyme sprig

Garnish: Layer cherry, pineapple chunk, and cherry onto cocktail skewer or toothpick.

Fill about half the glass with ice then top it off with tomato juice mixture. Add vodka, and slightly stir.

Drinkware: Old fashioned glass (about 6 oz)

Drinkware: Rocks glass (about 8 oz)

Served: On the rocks

Heat 1 cup of water (do not boil) over medium heat, then add 1 cup of sugar and stir until fully dissolved.

Rim edge of the glass with a slice of lime; dip glass into paprika on a saucer or small plate and twist glass to coat rim.

Garnish: Cream cheese-stuffed green olives (pits showing) skewered with toothpicks and then stabbed into a tempura soft shell crab with a lemon wedge “mouth.” Place crab on top of glass. Drinkware: Tall highball or hurricane glass (approximately 12 oz)

+THYME-INFUSED SIMPLE SYRUP

Remove from heat and add 4–5 sprigs of fresh thyme (more or less depending upon desired strength). Cover, let steep, then strain into glass container. Cover with a lid and keep in refrigerator up to three weeks.

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

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Fresh-caught seafood, traditional fare and seasonal ingredients

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FINE DINING • PRIVATE PARTIES & EVENTS

road trip Destination: Afton, Virginia Virginia brims with choices for late summer fun. Head to the mountains to hike and camp. Hit the beach and work on that savage tan. Kayak the many lakes, rivers and inlets. Experience the diversity of flavors that await you when touring the many wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries that dot the landscape. Recently eight of us planned a weekend retreat to explore craft beverages made in the Blue Ridge Mountains. While this adult getaway definitely focused on mostly beers (and safety was always in mind with regard to drivers), pretty much every place is family friendly. We also can’t resist vintage finds, so a few antique shops became part of the journey. We started our adventure on a sunny Saturday morning, driving towards Charlottesville, with our first stop at Blue Mountain Brewery [1] on the way to our ultimate destination of Afton, VA (about 23 miles west of Charlottesville). Founded in 2007, Blue Mountain, central Virginia’s first rural brewery, offers magnificent views and a venue with plenty of outdoor seating. We were also starving and looked forward to the full service restaurant (Blue Mountain Afton Brewpub) with an extensive menu and about 10 beers on tap. It did not disappoint. We also found local wines, ciders and seltzers available. Blue Mountain is child-and-dog-friendly (as long as they are on a leash and outdoors—the dogs, not necessarily the children) with a full range of beers available year-round. 2 Once we finished our lunch and flights, we headed towards Greenwood Antiques and Uniques [2]. This was definitely a must-stop. Besides antique and vintage items, they offer handcrafted pieces, jewelry, home decor and accessories and furniture. They had lovely displays and it would be nice to return around the holidays to see what they have. Next up: Brewing Tree Beer Company [3]. Owned and operated by Mark and

[ by julie fanning & greg taylor ] A beer-centric excursion in the central Blue Ridge Mountains region

[ PHOTOS by Greg Taylor & Julie Fanning ]

boulevard | aug-oct 2021

ROAD TRIP

4 3 Gina Thompson, their incredible credentials made this another must-stop on our tour. Mark has an impressive background in brewing, launching many breweries out west before returning to Virginia. Gina has a culinary arts degree and sommelier certification. Together they have turned Brewing Tree into not only a top-notch brewery with an everchanging menu of delicious food (Scratch Kitchen), but the property surrounding the building is stunning. A scenic meadow, picnic tables, Adirondack chairs and occasionally a riverside bar set-up are available (also child-and-dog-friendly). On the way to our final destination for the day (our B&B), we happened upon the Rockfish Gap Country Store, so we decided to check it out. It’s a charming place. Originally built in the 1930s as a shed for local farmers to store and sell their fruit, it became a full-fledged country store in 1965. For more than 55 years they have provided a wide variety of merchandise, from fine art to linens, antiques, Virginia wines and an assortment of cheeses, crackers, jellies and jams. If you’re into Christmas, they have an entire room dedicated to decor and ornaments. Then it was time to check in to our accommodations for the weekend: WildManDan “beer centric” B&B [4], located on the same grounds as the WildManDan Brewery.

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

The brewery was not hard to spot; the converted barn is boldly painted in the bright, Coca-Colared color scheme and logo. As we pulled into the driveway, a beautifully landscaped property with flowers in full bloom greeted us. The 1870 farmhouse features a wraparound porch with ample seating, six spacious rooms, five baths, a full kitchen, living room and a bar. The grounds also have a gazebo and a firepit with a Solo Stove and a circle of comfy rope swings surrounding it. Guests staying at the inn receive welcome pints in the red brew barn and tasting room. The following morning we experienced a beer class from Dan, who provided beer tasting guidelines and evaluations with several examples. Dan is essentially a beer expert (formally certified as a beer judge) and WildManDan carries the distinction as the smallest production brewery in Virginia. His wife, Terri, has decades of experience in the hospitality industry, and she constantly evolves the catering menu.

They were wonderful people and such hospitable hosts. After the beer class, our crew departed for our first destination of the day: Bold Rock Nellysford Cidery [5]. What a beautiful location. The deck has a treehouse-like feel, with views of a large field with plenty of seating, an outdoor stage and in the distance, access to the Rockfish River. We found multiple patios just off the main building as well. It was nice to watch children running around in the grass and families enjoying the sunny day with their lunches. Speaking of lunch, Bold Rock not only has an incredible assortment of drinks, but the Nellysford location serves food. We enjoyed snacks and sampled some of the hard ciders made with apples and fruits from Virginia and North Carolina farms. They also offer hard seltzers with an apple alcohol base, hard tea, hard lemonade and ready-to-drink cocktails. On the road again, we took another side step as we noticed Tuckahoe Antiques. Initially the building operated as an apple packing

ROAD TRIP 5

6 smaller locations, in Crozet, and the variety and quality of the beer was excellent. Starr Hill Brewery, founded in 1999, has since won numerous awards. They also partner with local nonprofits every month, with each taproom donating to a local charity organization. Before heading back to the B&B for some relaxation, a fire and some games (Cards Against Humanity, anyone?), we ordered takeout from Crozet Pizza—down the street from Starr Hill. WOW—their crust, their secret sauce. The pies were delicious. Launched in 1977, they begin making crust at 4 a.m. every day, and have perfected their recipes and processes. Recognized by National Geographic, USA TODAY and even Food Network Magazine as the best pizza in Virginia. With bellies full, pint glasses empty and conversations about returning to the area to experience another season, we already have another visit in the works. We also want to confirm some of the strange noises coming from the attic of the WildManDan B&B (#haunted).

Blue Mountain Brewery

Julie Fanning, Boulevard’s chief creative director, has an extensive background in graphic design and marketing, and occasionally writes about things she enjoys—such as craft beverages, travel and music.

Devil’s Backbone Basecamp Brewpub

shed, built in 1939. About 28 years ago, it became an antique mall with dealers that offer a variety of antiques and collectibles on two levels. One of the bigger-named destinations on our tour was next: Devil’s Backbone Basecamp Brewpub [6]. While we knew a large beer conglomerate had acquired it, they still stand by their mantra of taking their time to make beer (mostly lagers), “away from the hustle and bustle of life.” We heard of the exceptional quality, so we had to check it out for ourselves. It is a nice, outdoorsy venue not far from Wintergreen Resort. Worth noting: the Orange Smash is a distilled vodka drink (available in four-pack cans) made with fresh orange juice—their version of the crush that is oh-sopopular in Virginia Beach, and just as delicious. We made our final beer stop of the day at Starr Hill Brewery [7]. Another large, familiar brand, they are recognized as the second-oldest brewery in Virginia with strong ties to live music. We visited one of their

Greg Taylor is an IT software consultant specializing in implementation and project management. His passions are hockey, baseball, and views from his kayak, his Harley or a hiking trail.

9519 Critzers Shop Rd. Afton, VA 22920 bluemountainbrewery.com

Greenwood Antiques 7572 Greenwood Station Rd, Greenwood, VA 22943 www.facebook.com/ greenwoodantiques

Brewing Tree Beer Company 9278 Rockfish Valley Hwy, Afton, VA 22920 brewingtreebeer.com

Rockfish Gap Country Store 8860 Rockfish Gap Turnpike, Afton, VA 22920 www.facebook.com/ rockfishgapcountrystore

WildManDan’s Beer Centric B&B and Brewery 279 Avon Rd, Afton, VA, 22920 www.wmdb3.com

Bold Rock Nellysford Cidery 1020 Rockfish Valley Highway (RT 151) Nellysford, VA 22958 boldrock.com

Tuckahoe Antiques 4202 Rockfish Valley Hwy, Nellysford, VA 22958 tuckahoeantiques.com

200 Mosbys Run, Roseland, VA 22967 www.dbbrewingcompany.com

Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet 5391 Three Notched Rd, Crozet, VA 22932 starrhill.com

Crozet Pizza 5794 Three Notched Rd, Crozet, VA 22932 www.crozetpizza.com boulevard | aug-oct 2021

Photo Contest: Enter to Win DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN? “Last Call” highlights a location or an artifact in the Tidewater region every issue. Send us your guess via email or on the website as to where you think the photo was taken and identify what it is. Those who send correct guesses will have their names placed into a hat, with the winner randomly chosen. Please provide your email address/contact information with your submission in case you’re the lucky one. We will award a prize each issue. For this contest we will provide a $150 gift certificate at one of The Boulevard Team’s favorite restaurants. Of course, we’ll name the winner in the next issue and on social media so you can take advantage of all the appropriate bragging rights with your friends and family. Good luck everyone!

[ PHOTO by Jill Doczi ]

blvdmedia.io/contact/ hello@blvdmedia.io

Last issue’s winner:

Cheryl Bailey Portsmouth, VA Location: Fathoms of Freedom mural at Fountain Park garage—a lasting legacy to Naval Station Norfolk Centennial.

aug-oct 2021 | boulevard

Locals’ Choice, Casual Dining Overlooking Incredible Views of Rudee Inlet

Fresh, Locally Sourced Seafood & Authentic Coastal Cuisine EARLY BIRD SPECIALS 3-Courses for

$14.99

SUNDAY BRUNCH CLASSICS 11am-3pm with Drink $ Specials

2.99

MEMBER

Certificate of Excellence – 2019 Winner –

Family Owned and Operated for 31 Years Safety is a priority for our guests and employees

Rockafellers.com 308 Mediterranean Ave. • Rudee Inlet • 757-422-5654

MAMMA MIA! MY...MY...JUST HOW MUCH WE’VE MISSED YOU!

We are excited to return and bring you our 30th ANNIVERSARY SEASON with our premier sponsor ABNB Federal Credit Union Virginia Musical Theatre joins the national movement dedicated to the preservation of Musical Theatre as a uniquely American art form. The company is committed to full-scale productions featuring the best available regional talent and guest artists, while providing training for aspiring performers. All performances take place at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach’s vibrant Town Center section.

TICKETS available now for upcoming shows

265 Kings Grant Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23452

(757) 340-5446

vmtheatre.org

August–October 2021 Boulevard