Crozet Gazette April 2018

INSIDE NO CELL TOWER page 3 NEW PRECINCT page 4 SCHOOL NOTES page 8 TOP WINE page 10

APRIL 2018 VOL. 12, NO. 11

Laid to Waste: Recycling Kicked to the Curb by van der Linde Closure

WARREN JAMES page 14 OLD YOUTH page 21

by Lisa Martin

lisamartin@crozetgazette.com

RAMP UP page 23 MICHAEL MARSHALL

NO RAIN TAX page 27 WRITERS TALK page 28 ERNIE’S JERKY page 29 MOREL HUNTING page 30 THANKS, MAC page 31 LEGALLY BLONDE page 32 NEW ENGINE page 33 COLD SPRING page 35 RED OAK STUMPS page 37 AUTOLOGICAL page 38 WAHS BASEBALL page 40 COLD TAIL page 42 KERRIA page 44 CALENDAR CLINIC page 45 MOORE PHOTOS page 47

Farmers held a tractor protest in White Hall in response to the proposed storm water utility fee.

Mallek Town Hall Draws Rain Tax Protest to White Hall

by Clover Carroll

clover@crozetgazette.com

“You came out with me, Larry Lamb, and Phil James just over a year ago to dedicate the rock chimney to families who were displaced by the Shenandoah National Park—remember?” Keith Ford asked Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Ann Mallek at her town hall meeting at the White Hall Community Building on March 24. “So I ask you now: when all the

farmers have been driven out of Albemarle County by this fee, who will build our chimney?” This was only one of many impassioned pleas by county farmers at the standingroom-only meeting, with attendance so large the crowd spilled into the foyer and out the doors. Farmers staged a “tractor protest” in opposition to the proposed storm water utility fee, with several rows of green tractors parked in the adjoining field—

In the chaos following local trash processor van der Linde Recycling’s decision to stop accepting household waste from trash haulers, many citizens have discovered that what had been characterized as a “single stream” recycling panacea was actually more of a mixed bag. County residents’ trash has been processed at an “all-inone” mixed waste facility—not a single stream facility—for the past decade, and the difference between the two is bigger than it sounds.

“Van der Linde and others co-opted that term [single stream] and took advantage of the ambiguity and sold it,” said Liz Palmer, board member of the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA).

A true single stream option— defined by the industry as one that requires customers to separate recyclables (in their own “stream”) from

continued on page 6

continued on page 26

CCAC Undertakes Principles of Growth Statement Opposes Cell Phone Tower at WAHS

by Michael Marshall

editor@crozetgazette.com

At its March 28 meeting the Crozet Community Advisory Committee agreed to draft a document that will state five principles for managing the coming stage of the town’s growth while Crozet waits its turn for a Master Plan revision process.

The Master Plan was slated for revision in 2015 but has been delayed while county planning staff work on plans for other sections of the county.

It is not expected to happen before 2020. Meanwhile the CCAC will take five themes that are strongly agreed on by citizens in the Crozet Community Survey and state them in a resolution to be presented to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors for raticontinued on page 13

MICHAEL MARSHALL

NEW RUM page 13

Trash heading to the compactor at Ivy MUC

Classic Film Night

at Lebanon Presbyterian Church

April 14: One Foot in Heaven

Fre

eA dm & a iss yo po ll t ion u c pc he an orn ea t!

For more information go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Foot_in_Heaven

May 12: Sergeant York

starts

6 pm

at

For more information go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_York_(film)

June 9: Tender Mercies

For more information go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tender_Mercies

8312 Brooksville Rd. Greenville, Va. (540) 456-6719

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018 roughly an hour and a half. The Institute’s study, conducted by scientists in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and the U.S., was published in Environmental Research, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, on March 24.

It was a big month for news about cell phone radiation, as the results of a study of rodents by the National Toxicology Program, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that uses current biological knowledge and technologies to understand our bodies’ responses to toxins, were also interpreted by qualified scientists. On March 28, a NTP Peer Review panel meeting in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, declared that the NTP’s study issued in February showed “clear evidence” that cell phones cause cancer. The scientists said the data are compelling and show greater risk than first interpretations of the

From the Editor Once Again, With More Feeling: No Cell Tower at WAHS Last month the Gazette opposed the installation of a cell phone tower above the home bleachers at Western Albemarle High School. It should be refused outright, or if allowed, it should be moved to the most distant spot from people on the school grounds.

In one of those miracles of the modern age, that editorial was noticed by a California firm setting up a conference call for national media to discuss the release of findings on the health effects of cell tower radiation from a 10-year study by the Ramazzini Institute, an Italian cancer research institute based in Bologna whose track record of breakthrough cancer studies goes back 40 years. The Gazette was invited to participate in the conference call, which lasted

continued on page 24

To the Editor Send your letters to the editor to news@crozetgazette.com. Letters will not be printed anonymously. Letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Crozet Gazette.

Open Letter to Supervisors Mallek and Palmer Regarding the Proposed Rain Tax As a resident of Samuel Miller District and as a person who loves the rural nature of Albemarle County, I am writing in hope that you will address the concerns raised by the proposed Rain Tax. And that you will have your response published in the Crozet Gazette.

Ms. Mallek, since you were on the committee that produced the 2015 report recommending the fee structure, your comments will be particularly valuable.

2015 Report [County website, Environmental Services Division, Water Resources Program, Stormwater Utility,

2015 Report] p. 24: the Committee states: “By law, a stormwater utility fee must be rationally related to services rendered or the amount of stormwater runoff or pollutants generated by a property.”

Services rendered: p. 24: The Committee notes and then dismisses that “some rural property owners don’t believe they are directly served by the water resources program…” This is an issue of serious concern to those of us living in the Rural Area who are being asked to fund a program that has no valuable outcome except in the Developed Area. The Rural Area does not need publicly funded culverts or storm water sewers. p. 24: The Committee states: “while some program elements have either an urban or rural focus, overall there is no meaningful urban/rural difference in anticipated service delivery.” continued on page 27

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Ross L. Stevens

rstevens@stevensandcompany.net

434-981-5268

CROZET gazette the

Published on the first Thursday of the month by The Crozet Gazette LLC, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932 © The Crozet Gazette

3

amy@stevensandcompany.net 5785 THE SQUARE, SUITE 200, CROZET, VIRGINIA 22932 434-823-6104 OFFICE

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John Andersen, Clover Carroll, Marlene Condon, Theresa Curry, Phil James, Charles Kidder, Lisa Martin, Dirk Nies, Robert Reiser, Roscoe Shaw, Heidi Sonen, Denise Zito.

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Don’t miss any of the hometown news everybody else is up on. Pick up a free copy of the Gazette at one of many area locations or have it delivered to your home. Mail subscriptions are available for $29 for 12 issues. Send a check to Crozet Gazette, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932.

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

New Mechums River Voting Precinct Approved ALBEMARLE COUNTY GIS

by Clover Carroll

clover@crozetgazette.com

In case you hadn’t noticed, Crozet is growing. And with all the new development come many more voters. “The Brownsville precinct has exploded,” said Albemarle County Voter Registrar Jake Washburne. “It had become ginormous.” Ten years ago, Brownsville had 2,866 registered voters; in 2017 that number had increased to 4,839.

“That’s an increase of nearly 2,000 voters.” In the same period, the Crozet precinct grew from 3,550 to 4,154 (note that these are more up-to-date numbers than those shown on the map). “During the 2016 presidential election, we saw long lines and frayed nerves at both polling locations.”

To handle this rapid growth, the Albemarle County Electoral Board recommended the creation of a third Western Albemarle voting precinct, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors at its March 14 meeting. Residents assigned to the newly created Mechums River precinct will vote at Western Albemarle High School beginning with the June 12 primary. This will result in a more balanced distribution of registered voters, with 3,310 voting at Crozet Elementary

This close-up of the new Mechums River precinct shows that several recent Crozet developments—such as Foothills Crossing, Chesterfield Landing, and Westlake—will now vote at Western Albemarle High School beginning in June.

School, 2,553 voting at Brownsville Elementary School, and 3,099 voting at Western Albemarle High School.

On the above map, the pink line marks the precinct boundaries before the new precinct was created. The area shaded in green represents the new Mechums River precinct, which runs from Mechums River north along Three Notch’d Road to the four-way stop in downtown Crozet, then south

along Crozet Ave. (Rt. 810) to Rockfish Gap Turnpike (Rt. 250). Staying south of Rt. 250, it then runs west and south to Interstate 64. This means that many of the recent subdivisions and those currently being built—including Highlands, Western Ridge, Wickham Pond, Foothills Crossing, Westlake, Westhall, Parkside Village, Chesterfield Landing, Cory Farm, and Sparrow Hill (formerly Adelaide)—will now vote

at Western Albemarle High School. Old Trail residents will still vote at Brownsville, while Grayrock, Orchard Acres, and Laurel Hills residents will still vote at Crozet. The numbers next to the named residential developments on the map indicate the number of dwelling units in each approved for future development.

It is important to note that a voting precinct is different than continued on page 43

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Recycling —continued from page 1

other waste before collection— will begin to be offered by trash haulers Time Disposal and County Waste in April for a charge of $6 per month, with curbside pickups every other week. Neighborhood homeowners’ associations that pay for waste disposal will have to negotiate arrangements for their residents, and Time is presently requiring an all-or-none bulk contract, leaving many would-be recyclers in the lurch.

Individuals can call their hauler to subscribe to the service.

For those who don’t want to pay for an additional subscription, the only currently available recycling options are to bring separated recyclables to the McIntire Recycling Center in Charlottesville (which accepts a variety of materials), or to the Ivy Materials Utilization Center (MUC) on Dick Woods Road (which takes only cardboard and newspaper).

Henceforth, all regular trash picked up by haulers will be landfill-bound.

Dirty work So how exactly has trash been recycled in the county until now? In 2009, van der Linde opened a multi-million-dollar Materials Recovery Facility (or MRF, pronounced “murf ”) in

Zion Crossroads that could process everything that consumers put in their trash, i.e., all-in-one processing. Called a “dirty MRF,” this type of line uses a combination of magnets, blowers, optical scanners, and human workers to cull out paper, plastics, metal, and glass from the loads of organic and other waste.

Lured by van der Linde’s low intake charges (called “tipping fees”), county haulers soon began delivering all of the trash they collected to the recycler’s facility for processing and separation. Van der Linde sorted, compacted, baled, and sold the recovered material to manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, while the residual (non-recyclable material) was sent to a landfill near Richmond.

All-in-one processing is an appealing proposition because it promises efficient recycling with zero effort by the consumer.

When his facility opened, owner Peter van der Linde asserted that it could extract and recycle 90 percent of the material that went into it, even though nationally the actual “recovery rate” (percentage of recyclable material pulled out of trash) for dirty MRF’s averages between 5 and 25 percent.

In contrast with a “clean MRF,” which sorts recyclable materials that have been pre-separated by consumers, the biggest problem for a dirty

LISA MARTIN

6

After mixed waste processing was halted by van der Linde Recycling earlier this year, Time Disposal and County Waste will try to fill the breach with new curbside recycling service beginning this month.

MRF is contamination of the potentially recyclable material by the other waste mixed with it. In recent years van der Linde claimed a 25 percent recovery rate for its mixed waste process, though in Virginia these rates are self-reported and not verified by officials.

County citizens questioned whether the process could really work as advertised, and officials grew skeptical of the operation’s efficacy as well. “Van der Linde’s machinery was older, rehabilitated, breaking down with some frequency,” said Palmer. “There was one period of almost a year where it was out of commission and he was just landfilling.

Beyond that, people wondered if the material being pulled out was really ending up being recy-

cled because of its poor quality.”

“Think about it,” said Phil McKalips, environment and safety manager for the RSWA. “You might have some cardboard and a couple of two-liter bottles in your trash, and on top of that some pork chops, coffee grounds, and bacon fat. For the recyclables, the potential for reuse [in an all-in-one process] is not very high.” Once paper and plastic are contaminated, the value of the materials for resale is destroyed. To make matters worse, since anything can show up on the sort line, all-in-one processing is dangerous for workers, who have to deal with materials like pesticides, dirty diapers, and combustible containers, and some-

continued on page 18

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Stories & Photos

By Lisa Martin

lisamartin@crozetgazette.com

The Henley Jazz Band , led by director Jeff Melton, entertains the crowd at Expo Nig ht before the annual Talent Show begins.

h signs message of kindness wit chta’s class spread their Kind!

Be . urn ret in First graders in Ginny Sle pily hap school, and drivers honked and cheering outside the

Director Richard Baritaud’s Advance d Strings Class performs in the fron t hall at Henley Expo Night, delighti ng the passers-by.

e his menu from th Jack C. displays Eric in t jec Pro Depression Dinner y class during Henle Strzepek’s history of rt pa As t. po Nigh Middle School’s Ex n, e Great Depressio th of dy stu their r ne din n a family students had to pla r (fo .25 $6 an more th menu costing no t fel ey th w ho ss asse four people), and it and eating it. about both making

Kindergarte ner Celeste points out house in th e three-dim her ensional flo of Crozet or map in Lauri C am pb Brownsville BeeHive Nig ell’s class on ht. The an expo feat ures stud ent project nual demonstrati s and ons all ove r the scho parents and ol for other visito rs to explore .

During Henley Middle School’s Expo Night, seventh grader Jack B. sho ws off his 3D-printed canoe, a project in Jon Barber’s Technology class. The project involv ed design principles, trial and error, and ma stering the tech itself, and opens the door to tons of 3D printing possibilities for the stu dents.

First dubbed the “Sock Hop” three years ago, this springtime energy-filled dance party has morphed into “Eaglepalooza,” where Crozet Elementary students go wild on the gym floor. Run by a group of dads, the event features a live DJ (Ty Chambers), strobe lights, and snacks. The event is not a drop-and-go; instead, the vibe is for parents to mix and mingle among themselves, occasionally peeking in on their neon-festooned kiddos. “It’s so much fun to watch them enjoy themselves and just DANCE,” said principal Gwedette Crummie. “They really look forward to it every year.”

rama and Kachina s his Native American Trio lain exp x eni Pho der gra Second ht.

Brownsville BeeHive Nig Sarah Hartman’s class on

Doll in

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Join us April 14 for

THE GRAND OPENING

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Business Briefs THERESA CURRY

By Theresa Curry theresa@crozetgazette.com

Local business news

SUBMITTED

10

Rebecca Overbey

Top honors for King Vineyards Local ingredients shine at Batesville Market.

New food director, more local products at Batesville Market Rebecca Overbey has joined the Batesville Market team as food director. Overbey is also Chef de partie at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Before that, she was chef and prepared foods manager at Foods of All Nations, and had similar roles at Breadworks and Whole Foods. Overbey is at the market Fridays and Saturdays, using

locally sourced ingredients in her lunch and dinner menus.

She replaces Scott Link, whose “Rocket Coffee” will open later this month in Crozet.

The market is also where you’ll find Marissa Minnerly’s “Cutie Pies,” and an assortment of homemade soups by Joanna Hughes, adding to the market’s repertoire of fresh, local, organic and fair trade offerings. The market offers live music on Saturday nights and invites locals to gather for happy hour every Friday.

In February, King Family Vineyards in Crozet was awarded the 2018 Governor’s Cup for the vineyard’s 2014 Meritage. This year’s honor was the third top award for the Crozet winery, which has also won many gold, silver and bronze awards.

The 2014 Meritage is 100 percent Monticello American Viticultural Area fruit, with 91 percent grown on the Crozet estate. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak barrels.

In addition to the top award, the judges picked 11 other

wines to make up what’s called the “Governor’s Case.” The 2015 Petit Verdot from Veritas was included in the case.

“The ’14 has a limited availability at the winery, as it is one of our ‘library wines,’ said King Family winemaker Matthieu Finot. “The ’15 is our current vintage.” Finot said the Meritage is the winery’s flagship wine.

“We’ve been very consistent over the years to produce an ultra-premium wine, and the ’14 is in line with our past (and I hope future) vintage release.”

The Governor’s Cup, considered the most prestigious state wine competition, was awarded to King Family for its 2007 vintage Meritage, and each vintage since then has won either a silver, gold or bronze medal.

Children’s Museum without walls working towards permanent home Everyone’s worried about our children’s mindless obsession with screens, but no one knows what to do about it.

CROZETgazette

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King Family Vineyards winemaker Matthieu Finot with Carrington King

Valley Bee Supply. In addition to businesses, she’s pursuing partnerships with civic and non-profit agencies, like libraries, schools, museums and galleries.

This is a slightly different model from most children’s museums, Orlando acknowledges, but “It makes sense to me,” she said. She plans to keep the participation of local businesses a part of the plan, even after the museum finds a permanent home.

Phase 2 will be a small space for a smaller model of what the museum could be, Orlando said, and phase 3 is a larger space, suitable for a variety of activities. She has her eye on a couple of Waynesboro buildings, but would like to keep the museum downtown, where the museum could both take advantage of pedestrian notice and attract families to other downtown businesses.

Obviously, all of the phases rely on the fundraising campaign now underway. For information on programs, news or volunteer opportunities, go to blueridgechildrensmuseum.org.

continued on page 12

SUBMITTED

Karen Orlando has one idea: Give them an alternative that incorporates visual experience, play, adventure, and the possibility of learning (in real time) from other members of their own community. That’s her plan for the Blue Ridge Children’s Museum, a movement that’s gaining momentum daily, thanks to Orlando’s wellthought-out plan for growth and her careful focus on community connections.

Orlando, an veteran educator, has identified three phases of growth. “Right now, we’re in Phase 1,” she said. She’s teaming up with Waynesboro and Staunton businesses to bring the children right to the folks who know how to do the things that fascinate children.

For instance, instead of providing a roomful of imitation building tools, in early March she met the kids at “Nail’d It,” a Waynesboro workshop that provides tools and guidance for do-it-yourselfers. Other businesses selected for “Museum Mondays” included cooking at Blue Oregano, pottery at Waynesboro Clay, yoga at Birdseed and beekeeping with

Crozet: A Mighty Little Town

Featuring photographer Oana Moore

5791 Three Notch’d Road, Crozet Mon-Sat: 10-5 Sun: 12-5 www.crozetartisandepot.com 434-205-4795

Children learn yoga at Wayneboro’s Birdseed studio.

Second Saturday Reception April 14, 3 - 5 p.m.

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

THERESA CURRY

Business —continued from page 11

Studio 453 Opens at Crozet Arts

Crozet Foot & Ankle Clinic Medicine and Surgery of the Foot and Ankle

Elaine Allen, DPM

Studio 453 has opened in CrozetArts on Crozet Avenue behind the Field School, and will now specialize in stained glass instruction and repair and glass musical instruments.

Jerry O’Dell, the owner of Blue Ridge Beads & Glass for 17 years, is now concentrating on teaching rather than retail sales, and will offer a wide variety of beading classes as well as beading birthday parties. Free glass cutting demonstrations for parents with children are available by calling 434-205-4923, or visit www.crozetbeads.com or www.crozetarts.com.

O’Dell, a former teacher, said the studio is named for a private joke between he and his wife Suzie. He emphasized that there will be no retail sales from the CrozetArts space. “The demand for beading parties has been great,” he said. Also on display at the studio are O’Dell’s whimsical mosaic paintings, stained glass and one-of-a-kind glass musical instruments.

Kline’s Celebrates 75 Years Kline’s Ice Cream celebrated its 75th year with a 75-Cent Cone Day event March 20 at the store’s locations in Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro.

Founded in 1943, the first Kline’s Frozen Custard shop was located on the first floor of John

• heel pain • orthotics • achilles tendinitis

Kline’s house in downtown Harrisonburg, with customers served through a walk-up window.

“This is an opportunity for us to connect with our customers and hear about their favorite memories of Kline’s from over the years,” said Kim Arehart, owner of the Kline’s locations in Staunton and Waynesboro.

Arehart started working at the original Kline’s location in Harrisonburg as a teenager before opening the store in Staunton in 1997 and the Waynesboro store in 2008.

Arehart said the store has been engaging customers to share their old memories, and has heard from many, both locally and across the country.

“The overwhelming response from customers has been very rewarding and heartwarming,” she said.

New Spirits in Roseland In the same hills that thirsty mountaineers once hid their SUBMITTED

• sports injuries • ingrown & fungal toenails • foot & ankle deformities • diabetic foot care

Jerry O’Dell

• bunions & corns

Accepting all patients at our convenient Crozet location in the Shoppes at Clover Lawn across from Blue Ridge Builders and Harris Teeter 325 Four Leaf Lane, Suite 11A, Charlottesville, VA 22903 In the Blue Ridge Family Practice Suite We welcome non-insured patients

434-242-8550

crozetfootandankle.com

John Kline in front of the original store.

CROZETgazette

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APRIL 2018

www.charlottesvilleselfstorage.net

Happy Spring,

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Matt Casto at Devils Backbone Brewery

stills from revenuers, beer brewer Devils Backbone (which became aligned with a brand of Anheuser-Busch in 2016) is now distilling Mountain Cane Silver Rum. It’s the first distilled spirit from the operation, which has spread out into a compound that includes the brew pub, outdoor seating, a coffee shop and a stage as well as a couple of distilleries and a lounge.

The rum is the creation of brewer Matt Casto, who studied his art in Germany before finding work in Roseland as the brewer for Devils Backbone five

years ago. Casto characterized the rum as unaged, with a bold molasses flavor. It’s a 30 proof spirit that will soon be joined by Nelly’s Apple Brandy, Virginia Pine Gin and a beer schnapps.

The distillery will be open to serve the public on Thursday, April 12.

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Biz Watch

Scott Link said Rocket Coffee at the old Gateway site will open sometime midmonth; Raphael Strumlauf said the deli at the Crozet Market will also open soon.

Braised is no longer dispensing food at Pro Re Nata, but taking catering clients through Facebook.

Cutie Pies is not selling from its home base in Crozet, but pies can be found at the Batesville Market and at the Nelson County Farmer’s market.

Crozet Coffee is contemplating its grand opening soon.

Crozet Creamery celebrated its first birthday in March, along with many of the other businesses at Piedmont Place.

Restoration, with revised menu and staff, is now open daily, with bar food and daily specials.

Klines Dairy Bar in downtown Waynesboro

Crozet YMCA

Summer Pool Membership ●

Outdoor Season is

April 25 – September 3 FREE weekly family events,

including a Memorial Day cookout.

Adult . $250 Older adult . $225 Older adult couple . $275 Family . $350 Student . $150 Youth . $78 Membership must be paid in full at time of registration.

piedmontymca.org . 434.205.4380

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

by Michael Marshall

editor@crozetgazette.com

PHIL JAMES

Old Crozet receded another step into history in March as Leslie John-James, 75, the widow of Warren James Automotive namesake Warren James, who died in August, relinquished control of the business the couple had run since 1979.

“Most things are emptied out,” said James as she surveyed the office March 15, the 39th anniversary of the start of the business. She was joined for the last day by her children, MaryElizabeth James Via, Noah James Sandidge and John D. James. “We had made plans to go to the Outer Banks in July,” she said. “Warren died unexpectedly,” though he had been sick in the months before.

The building, owned by the Yancey family, had formerly housed Bonnie Trucking, a

repair garage. The buildings that now are the homes of Blue Ridge Builder’s Supply and Pro Re Nata Brewery were likewise truck repair shops. Those were the days when Morton Frozen Foods was making its famous chicken pot pies in what is now Starr Hill Brewery. Raw materials for the Morton’s plant, and for Acme Visible Records’ office filing systems manufacturing business next door, were brought into Crozet by rail, but finished products left in trucks.

“We painted a lot of ConAgra trucks [the company that replaced Morton],” remembered Leslie. “And a lot of county school buses.” The James’s business focused on bodywork at first, rather than mechanical repair.

“People here now don’t understand that trucking was one of the main businesses in our area,” she explained.

“Bonnie was followed by ERB,

These three (son, mother, father) comprised “The James Gang” drag racing team in 1994: l-r: John D. James (then-18 yrs. old), Leslie John-James, Warren James. The James Gang Pontiac Firebird, sponsored by Warren James Automotive, was built from scratch by Warren James and his son John D. The car was driven by John D. James, and was a consistent winner on numerous tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region, including being crowned overall champion at Eastside Speedway in Waynesboro.

MICHAEL MARSHALL

Warren James Automotive Marks the End of an Era

Leslie John-James

which moved to Three Notch’d Road,” in the location that’s now the home of Crozet Tire.

“We were married for 56 years,” said Leslie. “We met on the school bus.” She lived at White Gate Farm, next door to what is Wickham Pond subdivision now. “We were going to Albemarle High School. I filled the last seat, in the back, next to Warren. They played poker on the way to school and I held the money.

“Warren worked for a dairy above White Hall and was hauling feed for a local mill, Gleco.

He liked trucks and driving tractor-trailers.”

Leslie was working at Acme in the personnel department and she rode with Warren on feed runs. “Lawson Baber got him into body work. Then he went to Braggs in Charlottesville and then we came here.

“We started Warren James Automotive in March of 1979.

It started with bodywork. Then we added a wrecker to bring in the bodywork and we needed to fix the cars, and it turned into a

mechanical repair shop, too. He really like working wreckers, but his health went down and he had to give it up. Warren was uncanny at being able to extract vehicles from difficult locations.”

“He was a gear-head,” agreed Warren’s brother Phil, our area’s historian and the author of the Gazette’s Secrets of the Blue Ridge column. “He was always into car culture.”

Warren was a champion car racer in the 1960s at Sumerduck in Orange County, and he and John built a race car, a Firebird that featured Yosemite Sam on it, that John drove to glory as track champion at Eastside Speedway in Waynesboro in the 1990s.

“Dad was also a good painter,” added Mary Elizabeth.

“He was excellent at free-handing pinstripes and other detailing. Really, he was incredible at it.”

When the shop first opened Leslie was working at Gilmer and Desio, a law firm in Charlottesville. When Gilmer

CROZETgazette LESLIE JOHN-JAMES

APRIL 2018

15

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died, in 1985, she came to the shop. “I came up here to get things straightened out,” she said. “The records need organizing.” And it was also easier for caring for their young family. “I enjoyed working for Mr. Gilmer. He was a true Southern gentleman. His word was his bond. I imagined him as a grandfather.” The other thing was Warren liked having company. “I hung around for the heck of it so I could fuss at him.

“Once we started the wrecker, we had to fix breakdowns. We paid for many families to stay in motels while their cars were being fixed. Warren couldn’t believe how many people travelled with no money. Most time people paid when they got home. They sent us the money.”

Only once did Warren get stiffed on a bill, by a sailor on his way to Norfolk.

“Our parents gave a lot to the community,” interjected MaryElizabeth, “and we continue to do it because we saw them do it.

Family is important,” she added.

“Mom and Dad instilled that in us.”

“Warren worked on Crozet fire department trucks for a

long time and repaired county police cars,” said Leslie. “Warren always wanted things right. He was perfectionistic. Don’t say ‘I can’t’ to Warren James. He’d say, ‘You have to figure it out.

Think!’

“Warren was wonderful for people while he was here. It will never be the same place without him.”

Now that she’s retired, Leslie still has things to do to settle her mother Adelaide Spainhour’s estate. She still has the company of the big, protective Rottweiler that used to lounge in the office.

And she inherited Warren’s 15 beehives, which she’ll keep going despite being allergic to bees. “I won’t use chemicals. I try to keep my bees healthy naturally.” She’s a member of the Central Virginia Beekeeper’s Association.

“We’re thankful to the Crozet community for their business and their support,” said Mary Elizabeth.

Matt Hildebrand, who has been overseeing the repair shop, is taking over the business and will keep the name “out of respect,” he said. The body shop continued on page 17

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

CCAC —continued from page 13

fication. The idea is that the themes will sufficiently guide Supervisors’ decision-making while the community waits for a chance to do a detailed plan revision. The presentation of the resolution will also include a presentation of the methodology and results of the Crozet community survey.

They chose the first theme to be treated as a mission statement—to maintain Crozet’s “small town feel” in the face of continuing growth—and the four others as supporting concepts for that goal. They are: No alteration of the Crozet Growth Area boundary.

Ensure that downtown Crozet remains the focus of development.

Limit development along Rt. 250 and at the Interstate 64 interchange.

Expand transportation options, especially pedestrian and biking options.

“The [survey] data we have is very good,” said CCAC member Tom Loach. “I would like to see Shawn and others present it to the Board and lay out the standards of development that came out of it. We want to see that our standards are upheld.”

“Let’s not get into real detail about text changes in the Plan,” said Planning Commissioner

Jennie More. “Hold off on those until the formal revision.”

“The Board does not have to take an action,” said Loach.

“The ‘action’ is us going to the Board to say these are the principles we want observed while we wait.”

Loach again called for the CCAC to invite the chairs of other county community advisory committees (there are seven in all) to a meeting in Crozet where issues that have countywide implications can be addressed. “There has to be cohesion of the advisory committees,” he said. “One community can’t change things.” He called for unity among the committees.

Members held up the gaming of the county’s density rules regarding buildable and unbuildable land by The Vue, a 126-unit apartment complex now under construction on Blue Ridge Avenue, as an example of a rule that needs to be repaired. It is present in situations across the county and involves property rights issues.

Another is the tension between growth and supporting infrastructure needs, road construction lagging behind traffic congestion.

“There’s only so much in-fill left in Crozet,” noted More.

“The last spaces are getting snatched up. Then the question of expanding the Growth Area will come up.”

White Hall District Supervisor Ann Mallek added, “When the easily developable land is gone, they will want to redevelop older areas into high density projects.” She predicted that older neighborhoods near Crozet Park will be likely areas for such pressure.

“The people living here now have the right to decide what the density here will be,” she said.

“We have really good survey data, “ said Brian Day, who becomes a CCAC member officially this month. “We should take a stand on that and then build allies in the county.”

“Yes to that,” answered More, expressing the general approval of others who nodded in agreement.

“I see the five principles as a line in the sand,” said Loach.

“They are taken from the survey and taken from the Plan,” added Mallek, referring to a presentation of the survey results at the CCAC’s February meeting by Crozet Community Association President Tim Tolson, who connected survey results to pertinent passages from the Master Plan text.

In other business, the CCAC took a straw poll vote on the question of whether a cell phone antenna tower should be built at Western Albemarle High School and the show of hands was 7 opposed, 2 for, with Loach abstaining. The question

goes to the Planning Commission April 10 and then the Supervisors on May 19.

John McKeon wondered if approval would set a precedent for tower height in the county.

Phil Best said he had safety concerns and withdrew the support he had expressed last month.

Doug Bates said he thinks Crozet needs more infrastructure, especially as more people move in, and supported the tower.

Allie Pesch said that the income to the schools—$40,000 per year–is not worth the possible health risk, and she repeated her skepticism about whether the 400 students in Crozet in the tower’s coverage area currently do not have Internet access. That figure was advanced by school officials in their presentation of the tower plan in February.

David Stoner said, “It’s difficult for me. One pro is improving connectivity for students.

That’s a real positive. On the other side, what do you do when the county has worked so hard on its ordinance and then allow an exception?”

Bird said he was “very hesitant to support it” because County approval would carry an automatic right to extend the tower 20 higher as well as extend its five arrays (each with three antennas) farther outward. continued on page 17

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

17

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H. Ferrall, Associate Broker, Nest Realty —continued from page 16

The current position of the county planning staff is to recommend denial.

Mallek noted that two fiber optic cable projects are coming to Crozet and Greenwood that

Warren James —continued from page 15

will close for the time being.

He’s added a front-end alignment machine and will put more emphasis on tire service.

He also offers state inspection service. Hildebrand said he plans to paint the building, pave the parking lot and refurbish the waiting room. “Everything will be pretty much stay the same.” In time he intends to add mechanics.

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Recycling

—continued from page 6

times (literally) the kitchen sink.

After eight years, van der Linde’s service came to an abrupt end. In January of this year, the worldwide commodity market for recycled materials was thrown into disarray by China, which stopped importing 24 types of these materials after years of buying more than half the world’s recyclable waste.

China also imposed tight restrictions on unwashed plastic and contaminated paper bales.

Suddenly left with no profitable market for the output of its MRF, van der Linde shuttered its all-in-one recycling.

“With the severe drop in commodity prices over the past few years and the bleak forecast, we have made the economic decision to close our household processing facility,” read a van der Linde statement in February.

Streaming Service In the wake of van der Linde’s closure, Albemarle County trash haulers are quickly pivoting to a subscription-based single stream pickup, and plan to deliver the recyclables to clean MRF’s in the Richmond or Tidewater areas for sorting. For this service, customers will have to clean and separate all recyclable materials from the rest of the

trash and put them (all commingled together) into their own bin to be picked up by haulers.

Kevin Collier, operations manager at Time Disposal, said his company is offering recycling service to individuals and neighborhoods based on their location and amount of interest to try to achieve some economies of scale. “Single stream collection requires its own dedicated truck to avoid contamination with other waste, as well as its own employees for those routes,” he said. “We plan to run our new vehicle five days a week on the same day as the regular pickup to make it easy for customers.”

Collier and others wonder about the trade-off between less contamination (with single stream processing) and greater volume (with all-in-one) in terms of how much material is ultimately recycled.

Even though crushing all types of recyclables together in the haulers’ trucks can result in bits of glass embedded in clean paper or metal, single stream processing typically results in between 75 and 90 percent of the materials ultimately being recycled.

The downside is that the participation rate by consumers who have to pay for the service is much lower, estimated at only 33 percent in a 2016 report by GreenBlue, an environmental consulting firm in

MIKE MARSHALL

18

Metal recycling at Ivy MUC

Charlottesville that focuses on sustainable packaging. “The trash business is very, very competitive,” said Liz Palmer. “It’s all about volume for the haulers to be able to stay in business.”

The most effective method of recycling in terms of output purity is “source separated” recycling, where consumers separate each type of material (e.g., brown glass vs. green glass, various grades of plastic) and place each into its own bin at a central location, such as the McIntire Recycling Center in Charlottesville. Because of the time, effort, and travel involved, this method is used less by consumers, especially those farther out in the county.

“If it grows, it goes” Beyond plastics and glass, the biggest contributor to household trash in the U.S. is organic waste—food, paper, wood, and yard waste—making up over 50

percent of what ends up in landfills. Luckily for Albemarle County, Black Bear Composting is ready to handle the next generation of responsible recycling.

A two-truck operation founded in 2010 and run by Crozetian Eric Walter, Black Bear picks up food scraps, clean wood products, and food-soiled paperbased products (like pizza boxes) curbside each week. A bigger wheeled bin is available for customers who’d like to compost all of their yard waste as well.

Black Bear hauls the organics to its composting facility in Crimora where they are carefully mixed and cured, and subscribers receive a monthly 5-gallon bucket of aged compost as a perk. “My customers are fantastic in that they’re excited about the service,” said Walter, “so what they put in the bins is very clean.” Though his company now collaborates with U.Va.,

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CROZETgazette MIKE MARSHALL

APRIL 2018

19

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JMU, and local businesses and schools in collecting compostable material, Walter says the practice is not yet widespread among homeowners.

“Many people aren’t aware of commercial composting,” said Walter, “and an equal number say, ‘That sounds gross; I can’t do it.’ But we try make the process very easy.”

Beginning the first week of April, a new (free) compost collection site will open at the Ivy MUC that will also be hauled

by Black Bear. County residents can drop off their compostable waste at the convenience center just to the right of the MUC entrance, and can pick up green compostable bags to use for home collection as well.

Waste Not The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority is building a new waste transfer station at the Ivy MUC site to accommodate residents, businesses, and waste haulers, scheduled to be completed this fall. The new facility will be larger, enclosed, and covered by a roof, and easier to get in and out of than the small, open-air transfer station in operation now.

“We’re very excited about the new facility,” said Bill Mawyer, RSWA director, “and we hope to provide additional recycling opportunities on that site for residents soon. We plan to hold our first ‘E-Waste Disposal’ day on July 21st so residents can drop off their electronics recycling the same way they do for their hazardous waste.” Mawyer says the RSWA is working with the county on other initiatives to come on the heels of the new transfer station, which they are working to complete as quickly as possible.

The RSWA facilities rely on city and county financial support to stay afloat, especially

during market fluctuations.

Mark Brownlee, solid waste manager at the Ivy MUC, said that people should understand the nature of the operation.

“Even though we have only a couple of part-time employees, we don’t cover our costs in recycling,” he said. “We are a subsidized business, and because of that, even when the market [for recycled materials] drops, people will still get the same recycling service here.”

While agreeing that recycling is an important program, Brownlee encourages strategic thinking in its management.

“We need to look at the big picture,” he said. “How far are we transporting, say, No. 5 plastic that may be worth nothing?

How much fuel are we burning, and what’s the carbon footprint of that? What’s truly recyclable and what is just not worth it because of the transportation involved?”

Liz Palmer anticipates that the county will set up a new recycling convenience center at the Ivy MUC early next year that will serve as an example.

“We’ve set aside 2,500 square feet for source-separated recycling, and we’ll show it off as a model to other areas of the county so we can hopefully establish more of them,” she said.

Ann Mallek, Albemarle Board of Supervisors Chair, said the centers are long overdue.

“The state Department of Environmental Quality says we’ve been remiss for not having recycling facilities available in the county,” she said.

“Surrounding counties, like tiny Nelson which has five centers with compactors, have shown us that we can do something small and affordable and effective, and we’re on our way to getting them open.” continued on page 20

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APRIL 2018 ELIZABETH SELIGA

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Recycling

—continued from page 19

Some county residents point to Charlottesville, which offers its citizens single stream recycling alongside regular trash pickup for no additional charge, and wonder why Albemarle doesn’t do the same. The answer lies in the nature of our large geographic area.

“Unlike Charlottesville, Albemarle County does not have a public works department,” said Palmer, “partly because we evolved over a long history of rural life. As we urbanize, we will need to rethink government’s role in urban areas, but [recycling service] would be very expensive and would require a tax increase.”

A Reckoning With the sudden disappearance of China’s major market for recyclables, the specter of mounds of plastic bottles with nowhere to put them looms large, but some industry-watchers see a silver lining. “It’s a reckoning,” said senior manager Kelly Cramer of GreenBlue.

“America has a chance to respond intelligently to this, to make new policies that inspire businesses to invest in infrastructure and technology, to reuse material and to take responsibility for wasteful packaging.”

GreenBlue’s director of operations Michael Brann thinks the major corporate brands are motivated to solve this problem.

“If recyclable trash starts piling up, people won’t be mad at government, they’ll be mad at the brands, so companies are already working on end markets

for their own products.”

GreenBlue’s consultants believe people will trust recycling if they can buy products with recycled materials in them.

“The next wave will be #buyrecycled,” said Cramer.

Just say YEP At $6 per month, “roughly the cost of two cups of Starbucks” as the RSWA’s McKalips puts it, interest among county residents for the single stream service has been high. While some are concerned about a second big trash bin to manage, and others chafe at having to pay more, Crozet resident and recycling advocate Elizabeth Seliga sees an opportunity for the community.

“Our trash just goes away, like magic, and people don’t think about it,” said Seliga, “but it’s going into a hole in the ground and it’s important for everyone, especially our children, to understand that.” Seliga is serving as facilitator for a new kid-driven group called YEPCrozet (Youth Environmental Program), made up of local fourth to eighth graders who want to introduce local businesses and schools to different options for recycling waste.

Check out the website, YEPCrozet.com, for meeting and event information.

“Crozet is growing and has a chance to decide who it’s going to be,” said Seliga. “Are we a disposable community or are we better than that?” Her love for the natural beauty of the area gives her an optimistic outlook.

“Recycling is like hope,” she said with a smile. “It’s the idea that we’re all going to be around for the future and we need to take care of where we live.”

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

By Phil James

21

phil@crozetgazette.com

Growing Up A large knot tightened in the stomach of the young father as he tried desperately to coax life back into the body of his precious daughter. His wife of ten years stood by anxiously with their children Mollie, age eight, and John Henry, six, who clung wide-eyed to their mother’s apron.

It was a Sunday morning, and just minutes earlier, little Bettie had been playing joyfully in the yard outside their simple farm tenant house. Now her parents’ thoughts raced wildly back and forth between the frantic spectacle that was playing out before them and the nearby grave of baby Lucy who had died in infancy only four years earlier. The nearest doctor lived in the Elkton community six miles away. But in the early 1880s, when mere moments could mean the difference between life and eternity, that Shenandoah Valley village in eastern Rockingham County may as well have been on the other side of the world.

In the foothills and hollows of the Blue Ridge Mountains, life sometimes tottered between the sublime and the disagreeable realities of isolation.

Cornelia Via sobbed when her husband Rice hung his head in

a

despair and started for the house with the still form of their twoyear-old cradled in his arms.

Elizabeth Catherine Via Gochenour related that traumatic day in the life of her beloved family when she had “passed [her] three score years and ten”. She wrote, “I guess I was born with a roving mind.

One Sunday morning Mother dressed me up and I started out to see the world at the early age of two years, with a pie pan in my hand. I got as far as the spring.

“Now this spring was what we called a “bee-gum” spring— four boards nailed together and sunk in the ground. I guess I thought that would be a nice place to sail my pan, so I put it on the water. I may have slipped or just tilted it, but down I went into that nice cool water with no way in the world for me to get out.

“Pretty soon two boys came running to get a drink of water and there were my feet sticking out of the spring. I’ll bet they forgot that they wanted water.

They called my father and he shook me and rolled me on a flour barrel. Then he said that it was no use to work with a dead child so he wrapped me in a blanket and carried me inside

Blue Ridge Kid

Croquet chums, c.1929, carousing at Flint Hill School near Millington at the foot of Fox Mountain. [Courtesy of the Dunn-Bing Collection]

and laid me on a couch. I caught my breath, though, and the water flew clear across the room. As I look back and think about such a narrow escape, I think God really had my work laid out for me.”

Bettie was three years old when the family celebrated baby Lula’s arrival the following year.

She wrote, “We lived there on Uncle Sam Naylor’s farm until I was five years old. My memories are few, although I remember

The children of Brown’s Cove Methodist Church, c.1920s, with hats properly in hand. Sidney Sandridge, youngest son of Laurie and Vertie (Batten) Sandridge of Mountfair, noted that their family attended services “...just as regular as a goose goes barefoot.” [Photo courtesy of Herbert McAllister]

once sitting by the window in a split-bottom chair and I asked Mother to let me hold Lula. She laid her in my arms, but she was just a tiny baby and Mother didn’t trust me. One can’t hold babies like they do dolls.” Lula succumbed to a fever in December 1886.

Rice and Cornelia’s sixth child, George Thomas Chapman Via, was born in ’87.

Soon after, Rice and Cornelia decided to move their family across the mountain to Sugar Hollow, the place of Rice’s birth in 1852.

“In 1888 we moved to Albemarle County,” wrote Bettie, “near Grandfather [Hiram K.] Via... where I spent the best part of my happy childhood days. Brother John and I often wore our shoes out skating on the ice when the river would freeze over. I go back and look at the hill [behind our house] that we used to slide down on our crude sleds we made. Brother George Thomas Chapman died [of pneumonia] in infancy and is buried with Mother and Father on top of continued on page 22

22

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Blue Ridge Kids —continued from page 21

that hill that we used to slide down.”

Two more boys were born in Sugar Hollow: Carl, in 1889, and Philip, in 1891. “I wanted to name Carl,” said Bettie, “so I got my spelling book and sat down to pick out a name. I spelled Carl with a ‘K’ but he said he couldn’t make a good K so when he grew up he used a ‘C’.

“We really had some nice times. The older girls — Mollie, Georgia Wood and Annie Carr — made the nicest playhouse in the pines, with rooms laid off with rocks and moss. One day Ella Ballard climbed up in a pine tree and was rocking back and forth. The top broke out and she fell and hurt her back.

There was no more climbing for a while.

“Father bought some land and built us a home right close to the grist mill. Before we moved in, on Sunday afternoon, the mill and the workshop burned down. I went way up on the hill above the mill and cried.

Father built it back.

“Father had a sawmill and people hauled logs to have him saw them up into lumber. I was a ‘daddy’s girl’ and also a big tomboy. I used to ride the car-

riage truck when he was sawing logs. It was fun, but Mother would scold me because she was afraid I would fall off and get hurt. I would hold on tight and watch the saw buzz through the log. Then it would go back so quickly, and slowly buzz through again. My, but it was fun, I thought, to get such a nice ride.

“When we got a little older, Father would let us ride the horses to church on Sunday mornings. John would ride Sal, a gray mare, and I would ride Fly. He was a Kentucky Blue, and quite the traveler. I learned to harness a horse and hitch it to a wagon or buggy.

“In the summer the Wood girls and I would go swimming.

We didn’t have bathing suits, either, just our old dresses. We would swim in either a deep hole or in the millrace. I learned to swim very young.

“My childhood days were happy ones. I had two loving parents, both very affectionate.

We were of medium circumstances with very little money, but so wealthy in having good health. We always had plenty to eat and it was good substantial food. We didn’t hear about all the horrible things that were going on outside of our little world. Oh, those were happy days!”

The student body, c.1905, of Sugar Hollow School on Moormans River. [Courtesy of the McAllister Family Collection]

Blackwell’s Hollow, western Albemarle County, playmates, c.1915, l-r: Margaret Frazier, Hattie Garrison, Ruby Lee Walton, and one fortunate hen in the good company of fearless protectors. [Courtesy of the Larry Lamb Collection]

Mary Susan “Mollie” Via McAllister (1874–1963), left, and her sister Elizabeth Catherine “Bettie” Via Gochenour (1882–1957), two of eight children born to George Rice and Cornelia (Duff) Via. The siblings were born and raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Rockingham and Albemarle Counties.

Bettie wrote for posterity her memories of those growing-up days. [Photo courtesy of Doug Decker]

Follow Secrets of the Blue Ridge on Facebook! Phil James invites contact from those who would share recollections and old photographs of life along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Albemarle County. You may respond to him through his website: www.SecretsoftheBlueRidge.com or at P.O. Box 88, White Hall, VA 22987.

Secrets of the Blue Ridge © 2003–2018 Phil James

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

John Loehr’s Pickled Ramps

Ramp It Up I love my neighbors. I do my best to achieve this in the biblical sense, but in this context, I mean that I love the people who live nearby. Here in rural Free Union, I consider any social engagement in which I don’t have to drive to Charlottesville, as ‘close by.’ I consider my neighbors anyone who lives within three miles. And those neighbors who live within a mile of my home--why, they are right next door.

Our neighbors and I do favors for each other, share some interests, visit periodically and leave each other little gifts. Our neighbor John Loehr, a local attorney who only lives about a mile down our gravel road, will occasionally stop by to leave the odd bit of ethnic food that we’ve enjoyed when having dinner with him and Gwen. We also share a passion for the New York Review of Books. John is extraordinarily kind to my son and daughter-in-law because he admires and supports their farming enterprise. But my favorite gift, arrives in the spring, when John will leave me a jar of pickled ramps.

The ramp is a wild onion that is native to the West Virginia mountains from where John hails. They pop at this time of year at the edges of pine forests.

I’ve seen some of the seed catalogs selling ramps for cultivation. Good luck with that. The reliable supply is only found in Virginia’s far western mountain ranges, or in the beautiful state of West Virginia.

John has returned to West Virginia many times to harvest his own ramps, but in recent years, he prefers to buy them from the locals and then return to Free Union to work his pickling magic.

I spoke with John recently about his ramp-hunting methods: “My home town is New

Martinsville, West Virginia, on the Ohio River about 30 miles south of Wheeling. ‘Night of the Hunter’ was filmed there.

Charles Manson and Lady Gaga’s mom grew up nearby.

Also, the noted Pennsylvania congressman John Murtha (Denise’s hometown PA congressman), was born in New Martinsville.

“I dig ramps occasionally, but mostly I buy them from roadside vendors in season. I have sources near Bartow, Elkins, and Caldwell, WV. A couple of years ago I was driving back from New Martinsville through Elkins. I bought the entire burlap bag of ramps from a young woman on the west side of Elkins, about 25 lbs., so she could go home for the day.

When I got to the other side of town, there was another woman selling ramps in a similar bag. It was her sister. She was pregnant, and I bought her ramps, too, so she could go home and rest. I find this kind of acquisition a lot more fun than digging ramps, especially at my age. I also get some ramps from a guy with a produce stand whose location I will not divulge. He has ramps in quantity when nobody else does. The other exceptional thing is, he had a liver transplant at the U.Va. Hospital 28 years ago, and comes to Charlottesville periodically for checkups. I’ve never heard of anybody living that long with a liver transplant. It must be the ramps.”

Someday soon, I hope a jar of these will turn up in my refrigerator. John has been generous enough to share the recipe, followed by my husband’s (another John) recipe for the absolute best use of a ramp: floating in a dry, gin martini.

I’ve heard that some people put vodka in a martini. Um, okay. That’s nice.

2 lb. ramps, cleaned, green leaves trimmed to 1” past white and red parts 1 T kosher salt for the pickling brine, plus 1 additional T salt for boiling the ramps 1 cup white wine vinegar 1 cup brown sugar (or maple syrup) 1 tsp. mustard seed 1 tsp. pink peppercorns 1 tsp. white peppercorns 1⁄2 tsp. caraway seed 1⁄2 tsp. fennel seed 1⁄2 tsp. cumin seeds 1 bay leaf Bring a 4-qt. saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add ramps and cook until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, place the ramps in an ice bath. Drain and place in a sterilized 1-qt. glass jars.

Combine 1 T salt, all remaining ingredients, and 1 cup water in a 4-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Pour mixture over ramps and seal jar with a new, clean canning lid and ring. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, or process for ten minutes in a boiling water bath.

Note: John and I had a bit of a ‘discussion’ about whether the pickled ramps needed to be processed after the canning process. I contend it isn’t necessary—the vinegar and sugar are all that’s needed for preservation. But John says “We’re Pittsburgh immigrants. We process everything by default.”

Adding: “if you don’t bother with the processing, don’t sue me if you get sick.”

John Parcell’s Gin Martini 3 oz Tanqueray gin 1 tsp dry vermouth Chilled cocktail glass Combine the gin and vermouth in a cocktail shaker or jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add three dry (straight from the freezer, not melted at all) ice cubes. Shake vigorously for twenty seconds to chill the drink and add ice crystals. Strain into the chilled glass. Ask Denise if she would like olives, a lemon twist or ramps. If there are ramps in the house, the answer is easy: add three of John Loehr’s ramps and serve.

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APRIL 2018

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From the Editor —continued from page 3

results suggested. A two-year study of rats exposed daily to cell phone radiation for just over nine hours showed a statistically significant increase in heart schwannoma—a precancerous lesion—in male rats. Increases were also seen in malignant glioma in the brain. The study also showed lowered birth weights.

At the meeting, Robert Melnick, the scientist who designed the study, said the data will compel public officials “not to promote radio-frequency-emitting devices for kids.” In other words, keep cell phones away from your children. See the March 28 story in the Charlotte News and Observer for more details.

The Ramazzini study involved 2,448 rats exposed to various doses of radiofrequency [RF] radiation for 19 hours a day from their gestational period until their death, usually about two years later. The pertinent exposure level was 5v/meter, which is below both the American and European standard for safe exposure to operating cell towers. The other exposure levels studied were higher, but even at this 5V/m exposure the study found an increase in very rare, highly malignant schwannoma of the heart—the same type of tumor found in the NTP research. At the 50 V/m exposure the increase became statistically significant. Thus the Ramazzini study achieved that holy grail of scientific study—a reproducible finding. The NTP and Ramazzini studies arrived at the same results independently.

Ramazzini also found an increase in brain tumors and ear nerve cancers as well as lower birth weights.

So, even low levels of exposure from both cell phones and cell towers are dangerous. Given the burgeoning scale of cell phone use and the proliferation of towers, the prospect for cancer cases is daunting. The Pandora’s Box of cell phone radiation is wide open and humans are not prepared to cope with the diseases that are now emanating from it.

Some countries, such as Italy, Russia, China and India, already have established lower allowable exposure limits. We—individually and as the public—need to reduce our exposure.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued the following guidance: Use speakerphone and keep the phone away from your body.

Avoid carrying the phone on your body, such as in a pocket or bra.

Use a corded phone for voice calls.

Prefer texting to voice calls.

Minimize cell phone usage.

Keep a distance from wireless “smart” tech.

Locate wireless routers away from rooms where you spend time.

Place a laptop on a table, not your lap.

Connect to the Internet with a wired connection (ethernet cord).

Invest in fiber optics and retain landline telephone infrastructure in your community.

Policy considerations include placing towers away from where people are, especially neighborhoods, schools and daycare centers. The Maryland State Council on Children’s Environmental Health has meanwhile recommended reducing wireless use in schools.

In the press call, Dr. Fiorella Belpoggi of the Institute said, “Be cautious with children.

Don’t use cell phones if you are pregnant or while you are breastfeeding. Don’t play with your iPad or phone. Don’t use it unless necessary.” Without being prompted by a question she volunteered, “It’s irresponsible to initiate new towers in neighborhoods where people would be exposed. No towers near schools.” Wireless schools create the same intensity of radiation as being in a microwave oven, she said. Position towers as far away as possible.

“It’s time for regulatory agencies to issue strong precautionary measures,” she said. “There is less than a one percent chance that these findings are due to chance.”

Federal Communication Commission standards are not protective, she said. Those are predicated on avoiding thermal effects such as burning your ears and are not considering possible biological effects, such as cancer.

Dr. Lennart Hardell, a Swedish medical oncologist who has 20 years of research and clinical experience and has published 300 papers on envi-

CROZETgazette ronmental toxins, including Agent Orange and glyphosate (the herbicide Roundup) and ranks as one of the world’s top authorities on radiofrequency fields, said during the call: “There is strong evidence the radiofrequency causes these rare cancers. RF causes human cancer. The revolution in phones is not being accomplished with attention to human health.

These are consistent findings.

Tumors are larger in patients using cell phones. RF makes tumors grow more aggressively.

Every known human carcinogen can be shown to produce cancer in animals, hence we study animals to prevent human cancer and to create drugs.

Don’t carry your phone in your pocket. Protect your heart.”

Both the NTP and Ramazzini researchers said they came forward while their research is still ongoing because they felt the data is so instructive that the public must be alerted to it and that regulatory agencies should now act on it.

Other related research reported by the Ramazzini Institute included an Australian study that equipped kindergarteners with RF measuring devices and shows that people should not routinely be nearer a cell tower than 300 meters, roughly 1,000 feet (more than three football fields). A study conducted in the U.S., Australia, Ethiopia, Nepal, South Africa and Switzerland found that cell phone towers are the top contributor to RF radiation. A study of RF intensity in Stockholm, Sweden, found that the city has hotspots where the peak radiation is tens of thousands of times higher than it should be, but, meanwhile, exposure rates are reported as averages, concealing the risk.

Los Angeles now has RF exposure 70 times greater than the EPA estimated 40 years ago.

In the U.S., cell towers are currently governed by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and its Section 704 is interpreted to mean that localities cannot regulate cell towers on the basis of RF radiation concerns. Twenty-two years later, we have enough information about RF effects to necessitate a revision of the law.

Quod Erat Demonstrandum: There must be no tower at WAHS.

APRIL 2018 No “Rain Tax” The Gazette has explained before why Albemarle does not need to institute a storm water utility fee and because the matter is now before the Supervisors again we repeat the main points.

Counties are authorized to create these fees–called fees rather than taxes so that they can be levied on nonprofits such as churches—for the sake of cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. Everybody agrees with that goal and no one wants to pollute our water. In urbanized counties such as Fairfax, that are upstream of large sections of the Bay, the utility fee might have some beneficial impact on the Bay’s health. Albemarle’s river flow to the Bay is less that one percent of the water destined to it and ours enters the Bay via the James, at the bottom of the Bay and near its outflow through Capes Henry and Charles. Our impact is barely measurable. Counties with large rural areas are not the same as urbanized counties.

The idea that the fee will be based on the area of roofs and paved and gravel parking lots and roads—“impervious surfaces”—makes features that don’t produce silt (they’re impervious after all) the measure of how to assess the fee.

The damage comes from disturbed soils, and farmers are particularly careful about protecting their soils. Their livelihoods depend on it. Farmers, typically, are not rich and a fee would be unfair to them. The greater risk of disturbed soils comes from construction.

We the people elect representatives we believe we can trust to protect our interests because we don’t have time to monitor the processes of government on a daily basis. Budgeting of one general fund, with one tax rate generating it, is the simplest way for citizens to check on the goals and the thrift of local government. By propagating fees, the government makes itself more difficult to observe and muddies the choice of priorities.

Fees are likely to grow the bureaucracy, too.

Responsible improvements that need to be made to storm water infrastructure should be drawn from that General Fund and made to compete with the public’s other priorities.

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CROZETgazette

A sign at the tractor protest.

Town Hall

—continued from page 1

many sporting “No Rain Tax” banners.

At issue is how Albemarle County will fund water quality and infrastructure improvement projects going forward. These projects are currently supported with 7 cents of every dollar of the real estate tax rate from the General Fund. But as costs mount to an estimated $2.5 million per year, in September 2016 the Board of Supervisors endorsed a plan to assess a storm water utility fee on every county property owner based on the square footage of their “impervious surfaces” such as buildings, driveways, parking lots.

The proposed fee has become known as the “rain tax” because it is the rain running off these surfaces that eventually drains into our waterways, carrying sediment and pollutants with it.

Because it is technically not a tax, it would also be assessed on tax-exempt organizations such as churches, volunteer fire departments, and volunteer rescue squads. The rate structure and credit policy for pollution mitigation practices will be presented to the BOS at their work session on April 11 (2 p.m. at the County Office Building), at which time they will decide whether to move forward with this approach, or find another way to fund the water quality program—which is required by federal and state mandates to protect the Chesapeake Bay. The town hall meeting got underway at 10 a.m. After Mallek dispensed with nonstorm-water-related questions—including an update from Albemarle County Police Blue Ridge District Captain Derrell Byers on tax scams and

brief discussions of revenue sharing, recycling, and traffic control, at 10:30 one farmer in the back shouted, “we have 55 tractors out here that need to get back to work on the farms!

Fields aren’t getting plowed and corn isn’t getting sowed…. can we please move on?”

Mallek described her “storm water journey,” beginning with concerns about phosphorous, nitrogen, and sediment polluting our rivers, streams, and reservoirs. At least one third of the streams in Albemarle County are contaminated. There have even been road failures as a result of people not following existing rules—for example, bulldozing through streams.

Greg Harper, Chief Environmental Officer, recently made a presentation to the BOS about phases of work underway on this issue, including using GIS to map properties accurately. These numbers, she said, will allow the BOS to make an informed decision. However, she added that based on constituent concerns from her three recent town halls and emails received, “a lot has been learned since these numbers came out, and my view has changed.

While the current proposal may be unsustainable, we need some way to continue this program so we have clean water.”

Several farmers made the point that all local, and many far-flung, residents rely on the food these farms produce, and this fee will put them out of business. Sarah Henley spoke about the fear that this proposal has caused throughout the community. “You are scaring farmers who are barely hanging on as it is. I don’t trust the people on these committees who can’t see what’s right in front of them.

Once this land goes to real estate developers and neighbor-

hoods replace our farms, you will never get them back.”

When a committee of stakeholders and county planners came up with this plan, they believed it would distribute the burden of supporting clean water protection more equitably than through property taxes.

Charlottesville implemented a storm water utility fee in 2014.

But the Albemarle County Farm Bureau has pointed out that what works in an urban setting is not appropriate in rural areas, and the county is still 90% rural.

James (Zip) Maupin said he was related to many people in the room, including “my uncle Dan, who recently passed away, and helped to found this Ruritan Club”—which would itself be subject to the storm water utility fee if passed. He stood at the front to offer “a prayer of gratitude for our many blessings and to ask God to soften the hearts of our leaders and lead them to the right decision.” The crowd joined in the Amen. “This is an overreach by government,” he continued. “It is unconscionable to be coming after the farmers and food banks. It is an assault on our freedom and pursuit of happiness.”

Rev. Luck of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in White Hall was well prepared and spoke eloquently to the issue. “You need to do your homework,” he admonished the crowd, “stay calm, and give them enough time to get this thing squashed.

The National Council of Churches has promised to send us lawyers if we need them.” He joined in the repeated, angry shouts of “I’m not paying it!”

There were several rounds of thunderous applause for dramatic statements of objection to the fee.

Mallek listened, handling the intensely emotional, sometimes

even raucous, discussion and answering the many questions with calm and grace. “I have heard the impacts on rural and small landowners at these town halls loud and clear,” Mallek replied to the repeated questions as to how she planned to vote on April 11. “I was a Pollyanna a couple of years ago, but I now realize the impacts are not as equal as the theory assumed. I now recognize that people cannot absorb this extra burden. It took 25 years, at high cost, just to finish the fenceouts on my own property to keep our cows out of the stream.”

“As currently proposed,” she affirmed, “I cannot support this proposal, and will be voting No.” Mallek formalized this position in the following statement to the Gazette, sent subsequent to the town hall: After two years thinking … and hundreds of interactions with landowners about this, I am no longer in support of pursuing the utility process for funding our water infrastructure improvements. I am a deliberative learner and it has taken me longer than many wanted for me to come to this conclusion. It has become abundantly clear that the rural residents would be paying more for services received than those who live in the urban area….

This topic will be discussed by the Board of Supervisors at the April 11 meeting. I think the agenda time is 3 p.m. This is an information session. If there is still majority support for continuing any utility process, there will be an evening public hearing, likely in the summer and definitely well-advertised.

At its work session on March 29, the Board decided to table discussion of this proposed fee, and to instead explore other options for funding the county’s water resources program.

SANDY HODGE

APRIL 2018

MICHAEL MARSHALL

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CROZETgazette

To the Editor —continued from page 3

The Committee offers no data or examples to back up this assumption. p. 24: The Committee states: “all property owners and residents derive a benefit from the programs regardless of the property location.”

Again the Committee provides no data or examples to support this assumption.

Amount of stormwater runoff or pollutants generated by a property: p. 22: The Committee states that “utility rates [a fee] more directly reflect the actual contributions of individual properties to impacts on water resources…” p. 26: However, the Committee tacitly acknowledges that gravel driveways do not generate water run off or pollution. The Committee states that “these travel ways— whether pavement or gravel— are typically considered impervious for the purpose of utility billing.” The law, however, states that the surface must be actually c o n t r i b u t i n g — “r a t i o n a l l y related”—to pollution.

Informed observation (see Crozet Gazette “Science to Live by” March 2018) points out that roofs and gravel driveways are not sources of pollution.

I suggest that the Board of Supervisors put a great deal more thought into the issue of county streams, rivers, and storm water. Perhaps the City of Charlottesville could contribute out of the money we pay them.

I look forward to robust public discussion of this important issue.

Mollee Merrill Afton Storm Water Management: Yes Rain Tax: No There is a need in our county for Storm Water Management. We, and most everyone we have talked with, agree to this. The problem is how this infrastructure project will be funded.

There were three options for funding proposed: 1. Service District Taxing (those using the infrastructure pay more on some scale) 2. General Fund. We all pay

APRIL 2018 through our property taxes — (instituted by the County starting in 2013—why change?)

3. The Utility Fee—what has become locally called the ‘Rain Tax’.

The decision has been made to go forward with option 3, the utility fee, although the County’s own analysis presented in January 2014 showed the Utility Fee system to be the most administratively complex, costly, in dollars, and most burdensome to residents.

The opposition to the ‘rain tax’ is great (many moving parts as you will see in the resources list provided at the end of this letter).

This is BIG for everyone, regardless if one lives in a condo in Crozet, farmhouse in Scottsville, or house in Ashcroft.

Why? Because 33 percent (possibly as much as half ) of revenue generated will be for collecting the utility fees for the project. In addition, we have no specification/guaranty as to what the monies collected will fund!

The administration of fee collection, in and of itself, is cumbersome: fees will be set for rooftop dimensions (every house, farm building, shed, church, nonprofit organization, etc.) and paved surfaces, based on satellite data (which often times is not accurate) collected from all 700+ sq. miles of Albemarle County. County property owners may be eligible to receive some portion of their fees back in the form of credits.

These credits may be given after the County’s inspectors make evaluations of an owner’s building to determine if it meets criteria, unspecified as of yet—and that’s just for starters!

There is hope: March 24, Ann Mallek, White Hall District Supervisor and Chair of the Board of Supervisors, spoke to a large group of community members protesting the rain tax. After listening to citizens’ objections, she stated she would oppose the rain tax, “It’s unsustainably expensive and too large of a jump in the scale of the work that we’re doing too quickly.” She added that she would support retaining the funding in the General Fund instead.

Progress was made on March 24. But Ann Mallek is only one continued on page 53

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Festival Authors Inspire Local Young Readers and Writers LISA MARTIN

by Lisa Martin

lisamartin@crozetgazette.com

National Book Award-winning children’s author Kathryn Erskine.

Author Lauren Karcz speaks to creative writing classes at WAHS during the Festival of the Book.

to deal with his chaotic life. “I think a lot of kids might feel different, or feel like there’s something weird about them, especially as a teenager,” she said, “and I like to write about them and how they solve those kinds of problems.”

Erskine has been involved with the Festival of the Book for many years, visiting schools or appearing on author panels whenever she is in town for the event. “It is such a great thing to have on our doorstep,” she said. She tries to make school visits valuable for both the students and their teachers. “When I do writing workshops, we talk about elements of story and what might help them with their own writing. If schools are shelling out money, they need some bang for their buck.”

Fred Bowen has published 23 sports fiction books for readers 8 to 12 that focus on football, baseball, basketball, and soccer stories and draw on real sports history to create a relatable experience for his young readers.

He makes the heroes of his stories as normal as possible, so that readers can identify with the challenges they encounter in his books.

“The problems my protagonists face are contained within the sport, like struggles with their role on a team, winning and losing, or even sports superstitions,” said Bowen. “They are trying to find their way, and in the process they are learning about life.” He hopes that his style of nonfiction may help reluctant boy readers find books they enjoy reading.

Bowen thinks that kids appreciate the change of pace in Festival author visits.

“Sometimes schools forget that a lot of what really gets kids excited are the things out of the routine, like a visitor,” he said. Though the snowy weather interrupted some of his planned events, Bowen didn’t mind. “Being stranded at the Virginia Festival of the Book in beautiful Charlottesville is actually fabulous. It’s a spectacular event.”

Lauren Karcz published her debut young adult novel The Gallery of Unfinished Girls in 2017 after thinking about the characters for

more than ten years. During a Festival event at WAHS attended by several creative writing classes, she described her path to publication and fielded questions from students about the process. “Young people often want to know about specific characters, where do ideas come from, how to actually write a novel,” she said.

Karcz spent lots of time in art museums both while growing up in Atlanta and during a period spent in London after college graduation, and her love of modern art comes through in her mysterious story about a high school artist suffering a creative block. The novel’s wide range of themes has allowed Karcz to attend a variety of creative events around the country, from the huge Decatur Book Festival to DragonCon, where she spoke to a packed audience as part of a panel on LGBTQ fiction.

“I’ve attended events in bookstores and libraries, and have done writing camps and summer workshops, but my favorite type of event is visiting a public school,” said Karcz, which is why she appreciates the Virginia Festival of the Book, where the interactions with students are both instructive and inspiring. “It’s always great when someone asks a specific question about the book; it’s a thrill.”

SUBMITTED

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Charlottesville’s 2018 Festival of the Book is in the books, and this year’s programming for children was, as always, spectacular. Authors who write for children and teen audiences fanned out across Albemarle County to visit over three dozen area schools to give book talks and discuss writing tips, and though the first two days of snow-cancelled classes put a damper on several of the events, their enthusiasm remained undimmed.

Meeting their young readers is both an obligation and an inspiration for children’s authors. It keeps them energized; it holds them accountable; it reminds them why they write. Three of the writers who visited (or were meant to visit) western district schools describe what it’s like and why it works.

Kathryn Erskine, National Book Awardwinning author of seven books for children and young adults, hails from Charlottesville and likes to challenge herself to get out of her comfort zone. She published two books on the same day in 2017, and each was a departure from her past work. Mama Africa, a story in lyrical prose describing the life of South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba, was her first picture book.

“It took me six years to write Mama Africa,” said Erskine. “With so few words, the challenge is to find the entry point, that kernel of truth that I wanted to get across about her.” Erskine focused on a message that runs counter to today’s fast-paced world. “I wanted kids to know that strength and persistence can carry you through, even if the struggle takes many years.”

Erskine’s middle grade novel, The Incredible Magic of Being, is her first foray into magical realism, and its hero Julian is a fearful but starry-eyed nine-year-old trying

Festival children’s author Fred Bowen.

CROZETgazette THERESA CURRY

APRIL 2018

Ernie Almanza at his Crozet shop

New Business Spices Up Downtown Crozet

By Theresa Curry

theresa@crozetgazette.com

continued on page 34

THERESA CURRY

In a couple of spotless basement rooms next to Crozet Pizza, Ernie Almanza systematically turns huge pieces of the finest top round into “Ernie’s Jerky.” It’s a business that’s been growing slowly for many years, first as a hobby at home, then with limited sales and finally, since last fall, as a free-standing business.

It’s not his only job: Almanza teaches seventh and eighth graders at Henley Middle School, and before that, worked in finance. His part-time job, basically a process of reduction, seems counterintuitive for a math teacher, Almanza jokes: “I take five pounds of beef and turn it into one pound.” But it’s that very process, along with a special blend of spices, that makes the beef so flavorful and preserves it naturally so it can

go anywhere without refrigeration.

He began planning years ago for what he sees as a possible retirement career. He had an older friend who perfected the process and, over the years Almanza asked to learn his secrets, always without success.

Finally, as his friend approached retirement, Almanza bought the recipe and spent a day observing the transformation of meat into jerky.

The secret, he said, is not really in the recipe. It’s in the painstaking process, the use of superior ingredients, the fanatical devotion to cleanliness and safety, and a watchful eye for any imperfections. That’s not to say that the spices aren’t important: he blends the marinade fresh for each batch, and sells both original and spicy jerky.

He works in small batches, thawing each large piece of meat

Western Senior Ben Alter prepares jerky for drying

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Morel Mushroom Hunting

By Lynn Coffey One of the first wild foods I learned to identify after moving to the mountains was the morel mushroom. My dad used to tell me how he and my grandfather would go out in the early spring to gather the delicate, delectable mushrooms that grew in the woods near their home. I was afraid to guess which mushrooms were and were not poisonous until I learned about the morel. Its unusual shape and texture afford one a good chance of picking a nonpoisonous variety. The best way to safely harvest mushrooms is to get a good field guide with photographs or tag along with a longtime mushroom hunter who knows exactly what to look for.

The distinctive honeycombed texture of its dome-shaped cap leaves no doubt that it is an edible morel. The highly prized, earthy flavor of this particular mushroom makes it one of the most desirable to forage for in the woodlands. Some say the taste is similar to oysters; the older mountain people called it “mountain chicken.” Winter snows lying long and heavy make for a good crop the following spring. From late March to the end of May, depending on the weather, is when “shroomers” hit the woods in search of morels. When wild-

flowers such as trillium, Dutchman’s breeches, violets, and wild strawberries appear, so do these mushrooms.

Morels can be found most anywhere: in fields, near old apple orchards, wooded areas, and by streams. They are highly unpredictable; popping up in one location one year only to completely abandon that spot the next. If you do find a favorable location, it’s best to check it the following spring for a repeat crop.

Don’t expect to find morels easily, especially the first couple of times you look for them.

They blend in to their surroundings, perfectly camouflaged in the woods. But practice makes perfect and the more you go, the better your eye will be for finding them. The only thing I find hard about hunting morels is the “dizzy” feeling I get from scanning the forest floor in search of them. They are easier to spot if you glance slowly around the landscape about ten to twenty feet ahead of you instead of looking straight down. Look for the telltale elongated dome cap that the morel sports. Once you find one, others will probably appear in the same vicinity. One good thing about the morels is that they have a sequence in their growing season, so even if you pick a spot clean, you can come back

A morel mushroom growing wild

A fine crop of large morels

in a few days and find more.

The first morels to appear are almost black in color. As the season progresses, they can range in color to brown, gray, yellow and white. The white ones are some of the largest mushrooms of this variety.

Black morels tend to grow in hardwood forests but not around a particular tree. White morels appear later and have a more diverse range of habitat.

Forest, fields, old orchards, fencerows, and floodplains are just some of the places these giant morels grow. Also the white variety tend to congregate around certain types of trees; usually bigger, older trees, such as elm, ash, sycamore, and poplar, and trees that are in some stage of dying.

The best way to gather morels is to use a soft mesh bag or a loosely woven basket. This allows their spores to drop back onto the forest floor to replenish the morel population for the next year. Gently “tapping” the top of the mushroom before putting it in a container ensures the spores will drop back into the soil.

There are many ways to fix morels but my favorite (and the

easiest) is to just fry them in a little butter with salt and pepper. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a grilled steak.

They also can be frozen successfully if they are half-sautéed in a frying pan with butter or olive oil at a fairly high temperature. The liquid from the mushrooms will create a “soup” that can be put in Ziploc bags along with the morels and then frozen. When ready to cook, put the frozen mixture into a hot frying pan and finish sautéing.

Morels can also be dried.

One to two ounces of dried mushrooms equals about a pound of fresh. When needed, simply rehydrate by soaking the morels in wine, milk, soup stock, or water. The remaining liquid can be used in recipes along with the mushrooms.

And remember, like ginseng hunters, mushroom hunters tend to be very secretive about their “sweet spots.” They know if they divulge where a good crop of morels are growing, the next season someone will beat them to that spot and pick them all. So it’s best to find your own patch and keep it a secret!

Morels sauteing in butter

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

31

Mac Lafferty with daughter Jennie More his grandsons, Miles and Micah More.

Lafferty Appreciation Former Supervisor Dennis Rooker addressed the board and praised Lafferty as “one of a few people who make important CrozGaz_March 2017_Layout 1 2/27/17 contributions to the public good. He has contributed thousands of hours. As an engineer, he was a natural on the Commission.”

On hand for the ceremony were his daughter Jennifer More, now the Planning Commissioner for the White Hall District, and grandsons Miles and Micah More. Micah briefly addressed the board in support of his granddad, promptly his mother to say, “We’re raising the next generation of commissioners.”

Lafferty, accepting the award, said, “I wanted to keep Albemarle like it was when I grew up, a special place, for my grandkids.”

ALLIE PESCH

Retiring Planning Commissioner Russell “Mac” Lafferty was honored by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors on March 14 for his eight years of service. Lafferty, from a long-established Crozet family, served for six years on the Crozet Community Advisory Council when it was first formed and was appointed to the Planning Commission to represent the Jack Jouett District after he moved to Charlottesville. Lafferty also served on several transportation committees and was known for his stress on bike and pedestrian access. He was also involved in the lengthy update of the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

Jack Jouett Supervisor Diantha McKeel presented a certificate, noting the Board’s “appreciation for preserving the quality of Albemarle County.”

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

by Clover Carroll

clover@crozetgazette.com

Socialite Elle Wood is enjoying an intimate, candlelit dinner under the rose arbor at a classy restaurant in the Berkeley Hills, wearing the perfect dress, to celebrate her expected engagement to highly eligible UCLA classmate Warner. This cozy opening scene was preceded by an enthusiastic parade of Delta Nu sorority sisters singing “Omigod You Guys!” in anticipation. Leaning across the table, Elle extends her hand to receive the ring, and—wealthy, conceited Warner instead announces he is breaking up with her! “I have plans,” he sings condescendingly, including attending Harvard Law School and eventually becoming a Senator. These plans require a wife who is “serious” rather than frivolous and “tacky,” like youknow-who.

Elle does appear to be your stereotypical Malibu girl— beautiful, tan, with long blond hair, a small fluffy dog (Bruiser), and always wearing pink, her “signature color.” But Warner, played and powerfully sung by Tyler Gale, has not bargained on her feisty spirit; we soon discover that Elle is not going to take this lying down. Her fury at this tawdry treatment is quickly translated into action.

Over the course of the show, she proves that appearances can be deceiving, rising above this stereotype to become a successful law student.

The WAHS theater ensemble’s production of Legally Blonde, presented March 16-18, represented high school musical theater at its finest— featuring a cast of thousands (well, maybe a hundred), glorious voices, fine acting, laughout-loud humor, a great message, high energy, and pure joyful enthusiasm—and earning a well-deserved standing ovation from the packed house.

Directed by Caitlin Pitts, with Assistant Director Olivia Gallmeyer, vocal direction by Amber Blakovich, and orchestral direction by Joel Hartshorn, the Broadway show was written

by Heather Hach with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, based on

the 2001 movie of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon, based itself on the novel by Amanda Brown.

The show is witty, savvy, edgy, uproariously funny, and perfectly captures the spirit of our times. The only word I can find to describe the WAHS production is fabulous!

Determined to earn Warner’s love at any cost, Elle herself applies to Harvard Law, and she and a huge chorus of loyal college friends break down the defenses of the staid, uptight Harvard Law admissions team—played by administrators Darah Bonham and Tim Driver—with a real parade at her interview, complete with marching band and Elle as the drum majorette. With her beauty and spirit contributing to her convincing argument in favor of diversity, she manages to get accepted. But then comes the hard part: she actually has to study.

Elle provides a dramatic contrast to the ambitious, preppy, and cutthroat law students.

Prodigiously talented singer, dancer, and actress Chloe Horner is more than up to portraying this central role, lighting up the stage in practically every scene. By turns bubbly and soulful, shallow and thoughtful, she never loses her spunk, her dramatic energy, nor her mellifluous vocals. Elle is helped to overcome many obstacles— including the ruthless and slimy Professor Callahan (Ben Burroughs), Warner’s new girlfriend, the devious Vivienne (Camille Kielbasa), and her own bad habits—by star student Emmet, who believes in her intelligence and ability to excel and encourages her to be her best self, singing “with the chance we’ve been given, we have to be driven.”

Emmet was masterfully played and sung by Tristan Rose, who was the musical standout of the show with his gorgeous, velvet voice and humble charm (unmasked by Elle in “Take it Like a Man”). All three leads—Horner, Rose, and Gale—display a wide vocal range and versatility that is reflected their ability to handle the score’s complex harmonies and melodies. Elle is also aided

MINDY BEAUMONT

WAHS Production of Legally Blonde Brings Down the House

Elle (Chloe Horner) and her loyal band of sorority sisters sing “Omigod You Guys!” in the WAHS Theatre Company’s production of Legally Blonde in March.

by the Greek Chorus, a kind of band of angels who appear to encourage her at her most challenging moments, led by sorority sisters Serena (Arina Bratkovska), Margot (Evelyn Garey), and Pilar (Abigail Cole).

Bratkovska especially has a great voice and stage presence.

Elle also befriends the hairdresser Paulette, whose throaty, soulful rendition of “Ireland” was a show stopper, and perfectly in sync with the St. Patrick’s Day weekend! When Elle and Emmet are able to use their new legal knowledge to help Paulette reclaim her dog, Rufus, from her cruel ex, Elle has a revelation, singing “is this law? Is this why they work and slog—to help the underdog?”

Emmett and Paulette help her not only pass, but excel in the difficult law classes as she finds herself and achieves her dream of success. But when Prof.

Callahan invites her to his office and comes on to her, Elle reacts to this bold sexual harassment with the typical desire to run away and not tell anybody. After a redeemed Vivienne comes to her defense and counsels her to stand up for herself, she embraces Callahan’s demeaning “legally blonde” nickname and, à la Erin Brockovich, joins her brains with her beauty to become her true, vivid self, using her feminine wisdom to move on beyond the selfish Warner, win the legal case, and get Callahan fired.

The staging as well as the choreography were outstanding throughout, with the artistic dancing of the entire cast win-

ning over the Harvard stiffs, sporting a conga line when Elle wins admission, and dancing an Irish jig to celebrate Paulette’s romance with the sexy UPS man, hilariously played by Ben Nordbrock. Henry Davies as Grandmaster Chad displayed great comedic talent with his wild dancing in “What You Want,” and Brooke (Jane Zahorik) and the Workout Ensemble were impressive as they belted out “Whipped into Shape” while jumping rope.

WAHS teachers Craig and Jessica Kompelien were hilarious as Elle’s conservative, super preppy parents. During the celebration of diversity in “Gay or European?” at the trial, all I could think of was how far we’ve come since the rainbowson-the-guidance-counselors-doors kerfluffle about a decade ago.

Legally Blonde was a perfect selection for high school, taking place during life challenges which many in the audience will soon face: college and graduate school. Director Caitlin Pitts read her program note before the curtain rose. “We chose [this] play because it shows a strong young woman who stands up to sexual harassment, stands up to personal injustice, and finds success through being herself…. This play educates the students and our school community about healthy [choices]…and about tolerance towards all people.”

The themes explored are relevant to all adolescents: finding your true identity, being true to

continued on page 53

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

33

FIVE HOUSE NEWS CVFD Debuts New Engine

by Brian Cohen Sometimes to go forward, you need a little pushback.

On Sunday, April 15, at 2 p.m., the public is invited to the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department’s dedication and pushback of their new E-56 pumper at the station.

Albemarle County Supervisor Ann Mallek will pay tribute to those who contributed time and effort. Refreshments will be served.

What’s a pushback?

“It comes from the days of the horse-drawn carriage,” said CFVD Assistant Chief Larry Devault. “Before motors, horses drew the fire engines. When a department got a new one, they would literally push it back into the station. And the custom carried on. Anyone can come and help push back the engine into the station. Of course, we’ll have a driver helping with a little reverse gear.”

Thanks to funding from Albemarle County and the sale of Crozet’s 20-year-old engine to another fire department out of state, the brand-new, $800,000 truck joins the CVFD’s fleet as its primary vehicle. It was customized by a poll among the department’s membership and discussion by

its truck committee (Preston Gentry, Will Schmertzler, Mitch Fitzgerald, Mike Boyle, Chas Sandridge, and Butch Snead) for almost two years.

The truck, classified as a pumper, carries 801 gallons of water, more than any other CVFD vehicle. It’s stocked with a large diameter hose and small diameter attack lines, making it extremely versatile. They are also stored lower than in many trucks, creating faster access and less fatigue for the crews.

“It’s the first engine that can run from a structure fire to a vehicle fire. We can go from one scene to another, every type of call,” said DeVault. “Basically, it’s your front-line piece, most often used.”

CVFD Battalion Chief Mitch Fitzgerald said, “The county spent an additional $25,000 for a more powerful motor so we could attack Afton Mountain for those vehicle fires. With the old engine, you could almost walk faster. We were doing 35 [mph] by the time we got to mile marker 104. Now we can do 60.”

Careful thought went into other features. The handles for the six pumps are laid out on the control panel in the same orientation—front of vehicle to continued on page 34

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APRIL 2018

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Hose clamps are orange— CVFD’s designated color—so they can all be recovered after a multi-company call. A large mudflap, emblazoned with “Crozet Volunteers,” keeps the back clean. There’s even a small

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as he needs it, removing the fat and slicing it in uniform, thin pieces before its long (two-day) bath in the marinade. When the meat is well flavored, he spreads the slices on trays, taking care that each piece is free of imperfections. “At every step, we cut off pieces of visible fat as we see them.” he said. The next step is the long drying period in a new dehydrator, where a slow, even heat removes any trace of moisture that might harbor bacteria.

“We’re considered a meat processing plant rather than a commercial kitchen,” Almanza said, so he’s subject to rigorous inspection. Every visible surface sparkles in the light, and the slicer—bought in 2001—looks brand new despite almost daily use. There’s a lot of scrubbing involved in this business, he admits, and he’s set up the space to make cleaning as easy as possible.

The dried slices, once removed from the dehydrator, are separated according to the flavors, and packaged in large and small bags for sale. He can sell directly only from the shop or at places like wineries, breweries and festivals. He and his

refrigerator to hold cold water for long, hot calls.

Finally, unique to the CVFD, is the “Crozet” cutout in the front fender. It lights up white at night and in red when the emergency lights are on.

For more information on the dedication and pushback, call the CVFD at 434-823-4758 or visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/crozetvfd. jerky can be found at Starr Hill brewery, and he attends festivals throughout the season. Since he opened the shop under Countryside pet-grooming business, people come in and out after school hours and on weekends. “If you see the light on, I’m here,” he said.

“I’m such a small operation that a festival can clean me out,” he said. That happened in late March, so he’s spent some time lately trying to catch up. Every piece of jerky gets a final check as he bags it, and even then he sometimes spots a small piece about to break off, or something that doesn’t look quite perfect.

“These are my scraps and I don’t waste them,” he said. “I bring them to school for my kids.” Henley student Nicole Bilchick wrote about the parttime business in the “J.T. Journal,” the magazine produced by Henley’s journalism students. Almanza said that even kids he doesn’t know are clamoring for jerky when he sees them in the hall.

Not just any kid can get a scrap of jerky, though, he said: “These are intended for kids who do well. I might give one away to a student I don’t know if his own math teacher vouches for him, but mostly, they’re rewards for my kids.”

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Crozet

Weather Almanac

MARCH 2018 COURTESY HEIDI SONEN/ROSCOE SHAW

By Heidi Sonen & Roscoe Shaw | weather@crozetgazette.com

March Was Colder Than February Heidi and I officially diagnosed this winter with multiple personality disorder. We are meteorologists, not psychologists, but what else can you say?

Winter took a bitter cold turn on Christmas day and for the next two weeks we suffered historic cold. Almost every day dropped below 20 degrees and often into the single digits with zero at our house on January 7. Then we soared to 67 degrees on January 12 and back down to 8 by the 15th. Despite all the cold, almost no snow fell.

The last half of January was mostly warm and February was crazy-warm with many days in the 60s and 70s. The hottest was 81 on Feb 21. Wintergreen gave up and closed for the season.

But winter was just getting started. March proved to be one of the coldest on record. Snow fell on three days and the six inches of snow on the first day of spring was the biggest storm of the year.

Only four times in the last 70

years has March been colder than February. Usually, we warm up a full eight degrees but this year, March was actually two degrees colder than February. That’s the biggest February to March drop in our record book.

The opposite happened in 1979. February was brutally cold but March was a stunning 20 degrees warmer.

The good news for spring lovers is that there is no way April will be colder than March. Our normal high hits 70 by April 17 and 80 by Memorial Day Weekend.

We aren’t totally convinced that we are done with snow for the year, but it is likely that we will finish with a seasonal total of 11 inches of snow. Normal is 19 inches. Last year had a pathetic three inches. The period 2009-2016 was very snowy with an annual average of 25 inches, so we were due for a few low-snow years. These things eventually even out.

Read, share and comment online at crozetgazette.com.

35

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

37

Preschool Ages 2 ½ - 5

by John Andersen

A gentle, safe and loving atmosphere for young children to begin to explore the world and to prepare for kindergarten.

john@crozetgazette.com

Restoration In the fall of 1913, about a mile west of The Square in Crozet a squirrel was busy preparing for the winter. In a patch of forest, the squirrel found a bumper crop of acorns from a Red Oak tree and feverishly buried them for later eating in the winter.

As often happens, a few of these buried acorns were forgotten and remained covered under the soil, leaves, and winter snow.

In the spring of 1914, one acorn germinated and a tiny seedling of an oak tree rose from the soil. Field work, foraging animals, and exploring children all spared the fragile seedling that first spring, and it grew into a sapling, gaining the foundation to make it through its first winter. Woodrow Wilson was president, World War I had just started in Europe, and women will did not yet have the right to vote.

The sapling slowly but surely grew into a mighty red oak. It witnessed a century of farm culture in our corner of the world, and more recently, the change of its surroundings from a working orchard to a neighborhood of families and children.

In July 2012, the powerful Derecho storm rolled through Crozet. The mighty red oak tree, at 98 years of age, towered over its contemporaries in its small patch of forest.

Unfortunately, its size and exposure made it susceptible to the immense winds, and after nearly a century of survival and contribution to its local habitat, the mighty red oak was blown down.

When Michelle and I were planning on opening up Crozet Running, we knew we wanted a natural look and both agreed that tree stumps instead of benches would be perfect seating. In the common area of our

neighborhood, there was a huge red oak blown over and I asked one of my friends, Dan Spearin, to go cut some tree stumps. We cut three huge chunks of the red oak trunk and somehow got each of those 200 pound trunks into a wheelbarrow. With both of us using all of our leverage and strength, we wheeled those stumps out of the woods, down a trail, and then uphill about a quarter mile to my garage. Dan is a good friend indeed!

After some drying and sanding, they were ready for the store’s opening in the fall of 2013. Their natural beauty, massive size, and beautiful bark made them a wonderful addition to the store and they have been a hit ever since. Their sanded tops became even smoother from hundreds of customers who have sat on them.

Countless new friendships have been made on these stumps, children jump and interact with them, and they are witnesses to new beginnings and even tears.

The red oak was not finished changing, however. The wood continued to dry, and cracks started to appear. As the wood dried, it also started to shrink and separate away from the bark. I could tell I was going to have to do something about this, as I did not want to lose the beautiful bark. In vain, I poured wood glue down into the separation and tightened up the bark with ratchet straps and secured it all with finishing nails. I repeated this process a year later because of more bark separation, but finally this year I realized sadly that I was going to have to remove the bark.

I wasn’t sure what I would find. Would the surface be decayed or filled with holes?

Would it be scarred with old glue and nails? Some restoration continued on page 39

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Seriously Funny: a Celebration of the Oxymoron

by Clover Carroll | clover@crozetgazette.com

“I’m taking a working vacation,” you say.

“But that’s an oxymoron!” your friend protests.

Um…a

what?

Oxymoron is one of those words it took me years to wrap my head around (like heuristic and allegory). A sophisticated literary term that includes the word “moron” tripped me up.

But as it turns out, this is no accident: oxymoron comes from the Greek “oxy,” meaning sharp, plus “moron,” meaning dull or foolish! Sharp + dull, a union of opposites, perfectly captures the word’s meaning.

The word is autological, that is, an example of what it describes: two contradictory words used together. I was surprised to learn that its etymology relies on the same meaning of moron as your most disdained acquaintance, celebrity, or public figure—namely, a stupid dolt. As the school principal tells his problem student in my favorite scene from Steve Martin’s 1989 movie Parenthood, “You want to know what a moron is? Your dad, that’s what a moron is!”

Merriam-Webster defines an oxymoron as a rhetorical device in which a combination of contradictory or incongruous words is used in conjunction. It is often composed of an adjective and a noun that are not usually seen together, juxtaposed in a startling way.

Common examples of oxymo-

rons include cruel kindness, open secret, and jumbo shrimp (although the latter really expresses a relative size, i.e. jumbo as compared to other shrimp—all of them small).

They can be ludicrous or deep, seeming to suggest the coexistence of opposites, defying logic like juggling balls that defy gravity. Oxymorons produce the effect of surprise and thus can be dramatic showstoppers in literature. While not making literal sense, they often reveal a deeper truth through the apparent synthesis of opposites.

Have you ever had a love hate relationship with someone (or something), or felt that a friend’s advice was cold comfort?

Have you ever used Icy Hot on an aching muscle, or eaten bittersweet chocolate? Then you’ve been oxymoroned! I love to eat Skinny Cow ice cream bars, while drinking water out of a plastic glass. Asking my contractor for an exact estimate of the cost of renovations puts him/ her on the spot, and may be met with a deafening silence. The fact that Crozet is growing by leaps and bounds is old news, and trying to slow that growth down might be foolish wisdom. And when someone is experiencing a living death, it might be time to change this or her circumstances. One of my personal favorites is when The Late Show announcer crows, “and now, live on tape from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, is

Stephen Colbert!” These ideas seem mutually exclusive, and yet we speak of them all the time and enjoy their mind-blowing quality.

At other times, calling something an oxymoron can negate the truth of the concept because it is a contradiction in terms.

One author speaking at this year’s Virginia Festival of the Book, for example, noted that there was really no such thing as a benevolent slaveholder.

Although the news sometimes reports that a soldier died as a result of friendly fire, can there really be any such thing?

The Lonely Crowd, a 1950 sociological analysis by David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, and Reuel Denney, traced the nature of motivation for social behavior through history. This popular oxymoron also became the title of a 1984 song by The Specials, a line in “I Shall Be Released” by Bob Dylan (made famous by The Band in 1967), and the name of a contemporary Norwegian/English psychedelic rock band.

In this Easter season, we should not omit the central Christian concept of felix culpa, or happy fault. This point of faith maintains that Adam and Eve’s fall from innocence in the Garden of Eden was actually a blessing, because it made possible the redemption of mankind through Christ’s resurrection.

Of course, a devout atheist would take issue with this doctrine.

Examples from classic literature abound, as in John Milton’s description of Hell in Paradise Lost as darkness visible (which was later used by William Styron as the title of his 1990 memoir). In his poem cycle “Idylls of the King,” Alfred, Lord Tennyson describes Lancelot’s treatment of Elaine this way: “His honour rooted in dishonour stood, And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.”

Shakespeare was fond of oxymorons, and used them frequently to express mixed emotions. In Julius Caesar, Antony refers to his enemy’s fearful bravery (V.1), and in The Tempest Caliban plots with Stephano,

“Do that good mischief which may make this island thine own forever” (IV.1).

Romeo and Juliet, a play whose central theme is the union of opposing families, offers a goldmine of oxymorons, including Romeo’s famous lament, “parting is such sweet sorrow.” Consider the brash, romantic Romeo’s speech as he describes his tempestuous feelings about a lady who has rejected him (before he even meets Juliet): O brawling love! O loving hate! ….

Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!

Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!

This love feel I, that feel no love in this.

And in Act 3, Juliet reacts to the news that Romeo has killed her cousin Tybalt with: Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!

Dove-feather’d raven! wolvish-ravening lamb!

Despised substance of divinest show!

Just opposite to what thou justly seem’st; A damnèd saint, an honorable villain!

Oxymorons are seriously funny! George Carlin used them in his comedy routines, pointing out the inherent nonsense in common phrases such as military intelligence and business ethics. Or consider these recent political examples from Merriam-Webster.com : “He calls himself a ‘bleeding-heart conservative,’ and that oxymoron sums up [his] unique …role in the Bush Administration: the apostle of free enterprise who is the ambassador to the poor.” — William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 25 Mar. 1990 “As the war went on, ‘precision bombing’ became a comical oxymoron relished by bomber crews with a sense of black humor.”

–Paul Fussell, Wartime, 1989 How silly is it to request the original copy of a document, or buy a necklace made of genuine imitation diamonds?! What on earth is a constant variable? In my unbiased opinion, a minor crisis is not really a crisis at all.

That’s moronic—with or without the oxy-!

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

39

Riverfest Saturday April 28, 2018

Constitution Park South, downtown Waynesboro, VA

10 am to 4:30 pm

•

FREE admission

Join us for a day of river fun!

Oak stump at Crozet Running

Fitness

—continued from page 37

would be required for sure, but would it save them?

I used a crowbar to remove the bark from all three stumps.

It was a mess: debris, decayed bark, nails, glue, and even some dead bugs. I removed loose parts, and then all the nails that I used to try to keep the stumps as they were. Once stripped down, next came sanding. Some new natural beauty began to show. The wood had wonderful staining from molds and microbes. The trunks’ contour from its 98 years of outward expansion was perfectly imperfect. All sorts of interesting channeling from the beetles and bugs that called this tree home were like a history map, showing that this wood did indeed live in the real world.

In the end, the stumps were restored and now sit back in their original places in the store.

Underneath their fading exterior was a wonder of intricate beauty that is now revealed, ready to serve and support the people who visit.

I spin this tale as metaphor of our lives, both physical and emotional: our beginnings are all humble, in one way or another.

We all have a history. We have grown how we have grown and nothing can change that.

But we should appreciate all of the beauty that we have seen,

the world we have contributed to, as well as all the storms we have survived.

One day, a storm may come that knocks us down. We are no longer our former self. We will have to ask ourselves, do we lay where we fell and decay? Or, is there still purpose for us, despite the fact that we no longer stand as tall as we once did?

Sometimes, we need the help of friends to be restored. We simply can’t do everything ourselves. We have to ask for it, and we should appreciate the help when we receive it.

We don’t just magically appear at our new destination.

No amount of wishful thinking will roll us uphill. There has to be a vision, dedication, and work.

Change is constant. There will always be pressure. But a mighty oak doesn’t just disappear when it falls down.

Sometimes we do things to change who we are on the outside. We need to be careful that these things don’t hurt us on the inside.

There will usually come a point in our lives where we will be stripped bare and exposed.

Some of our mistakes may show and our imperfections will be visible. But with hard work and dedication, we can be as great as we once were, and our imperfections are often an inspiration for others to relate to.

May you grow and form a strong foundation this spring!

Reptile World Show • Wildlife Center of Virginia Canoe Rides • Fish n’ Fun Rodeo • Face Painting Stream Safari • Great South River Duck Race Food, Games, Exhibits, Presentations and MORE! For more information:

www.riverfestwaynesboro.org

tt

40

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Expectations High for Western Albemarle Varsity Baseball With six returning starters and solid replacements for the open positions, the Western Albemarle HS varsity baseball team enters the spring poised for a special season. Coach Skip Hudgins, entering his 35th season as Western’s varsity head coach, has high expectations for this year’s squad. Armed with a deep pitching staff with college-level talent, speed on the base paths, and strong bats, the Warriors are prepared for a deep post-season run.

“All of us have been ready to start this season since our year ended last year in the Regionals,” Hudgins said. “We return a solid core and expect big things.”

Scrimmage Play’s Ryan Yemen and Bart Isley share Coach Hudgins expectations. In their 2018 Public School Baseball Podcast, they call out Western Albemarle as “the team to keep an early eye on and the one others will be gunning for.”

The Warriors have considerable depth on the mound this year, led by senior Derek Domecq. A Radford University commit, Domecq is on the verge of shattering a number of Western pitching records this season. Another strong arm is fellow senior and Virginia Tech Football commit, Luke Tenuta, who brings power and experience as a pitcher and first baseman. Junior lefthander Jack Masloff has all the pitches in his arsenal to rank at the top of the Jefferson District. Masloff is a Division I pitching prospect who adds depth to Hudgins’ stable of hurlers. Sophomore right-hander Garrett Payne, who has verbally committed to NC State, is expected to capital-

Derek Domecq (P, OF)

SUBMITTED

By Mike Hull

Coach Skip Hudgins

ize on the momentum of his breakout freshman season and continue to make a big impact.

Senior Mitchell Morris, sophomore Devin Powell, junior Zakk Hodge, junior Jacob Rusina and freshman Jacob Lively round out the Warriors’ potent pitching staff.

The Warriors infield is also tight, anchored by returning starters Chris McGahren at third base and Wyatt Hull at shortstop. A senior, McGahren has proven to be very reliable at the corner with a strong arm and good feel for the position, while Hull, a junior, has displayed the athleticism and range needed to make the tough outs at shortstop. With last spring’s graduation of second baseman Matt Mandell, Tyler Jones is poised to take his place and team up with Hull to lock down the middle infield. Sophomore Sims Sester is expected to make a big push for playing time in the infield as well.

The outfield will be without Sam James, a multi-year starter who graduated. When they aren’t on the mound, however, Masloff, Payne and Domecq will anchor a strong outfield, while Morris and Powell should offer the Warriors additional depth and outfield options.

Senior Brendan Campbell is ready to take over the reins at catcher for the graduated Ryan Sukovich, bringing a strong arm and sound baseball instincts.

Junior Christian DiCesare, sophomore Garland Freeauf and Jacob Lively round out a deep group of receivers.

Come out and support your 2018 Western Albemarle varsity baseball team!

Mike Hull (announcer) and Jack Masloff Sr.(music) will be in the press box enhancing the game day experience while David Tidwell will have the grill fired up!

2018 Western Albemarle Warriors Varsity Baseball Team. Front Row L to R – Jacob Lively, Christian DiCesare, Sims Setser, Wyatt Hull, Garland Freeauf, Devin Powell, Second Row Coach Hughes, Zakk Hodge, Luke Tenuta, Garrett Payne, Jack Masloff, Chris McGahren, Coach Freeland Third Row Coach Beale, Coach Maynard, Tyler Jones, Jacob Rusina, Mitchell Morris, Brendan Campbell, Derek Domecq and Coach Hudgins.

April/May Home Games & Special Events: Tuesday April 10 WAHS vs. Powhatan Ross Freeland Bench Dedication Thursday April 12 WHS vs. Louisa New Scoreboard/Batting Cage Dedication Thursday April 19 WAHS vs. Orange County WAHS Student Raffle Night Wednesday April 25 WAHS vs. Fluvanna County Peachtree Youth Baseball Night (Kids in uniform get in FREE) Thursday May 17 WAHS vs. Charlottesville Alumni Night (Alumni Warrior players get in FREE) Saturday May 19 WAHS vs. Albemarle Senior Night recognition For a complete list of game dates and stats for the Western varsity baseball team past and present, visit the Western baseball website: sites.google.com/view/ wahswarriorsbaseball

Wyatt Hull (SS)

Jack Masloff (P, CF)

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

41

BY DR. ROBERT C. REISER

crozetannals@crozetgazette.com

Times Change Not much happened in the ED this month. A late resurgence in flu cases caught us by surprise. Medicines continue to be in short supply—particularly IV narcotics. In a narrow sense, this has an upside. Our interns and residents are learning how to practice using far fewer strong opioids. They are finding, to their surprise, that most painful conditions can be adequately managed without IV narcotics. If these shortages persist we may end up back where we started decades ago, using IV narcotics only for severe pain and suffering. Indeed, one of the advantages of being in the late stage of my career is being able to take a long view and also to reflect back on decades of practice.

Sometimes I don’t have to reflect, though; the past actively catches up with me. For example, I heard from several of my old residents this month out of the blue. The first was in the form of an email: Reiser!

Long long time, no hear...

Almost twenty years, but believe it or not I was just thinking about you in preparing a talk at an EM conference in Australia.

I remember some profound advice you gave me as an EM resident at UVA... “in a pissing match, there’s always wind...”

I’ll be passing on these words of wisdom but I’ll give credit where

it is due.

Hope all is well back in Virginia.

Well, it’s nice to be remembered for something. It made me chuckle. Later that week two former residents stopped into the ED 20 years after they graduated from our program.

They are married now and had their oldest daughter in tow, doing a college tour of U.Va. They looked virtually the same.

They assured me I did too.

Memory is a funny thing.

They asked after all of the old faculty and asked me to pass along to them all how deeply grateful they were for the training we had given them. It had guided them their whole careers, they told me. Well, that was certainly nice to hear. I passed it along to the faculty who were there back then. It was a lovely reminder of why we do what we do.

Just to keep me humble, though, they did remind me of their graduation roast of me, portraying me in a skit as blithely reading a novel on the night shift while the ER crashed all around me, leaving the residents to their own devices. This may or may not have been an accurate portrayal of my management style 20 years ago, but I told them I no longer bring novels to the night shift. Times have changed. I have the Internet now.

Crozet Farmer’s Market Opens May 5 The Crozet Farmers Market will open Saturday, May 5, in the parking lot of the Crozet United Methodist Church (CUMC). Market hours are 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday from May through mid-October. If you are a new vendor, please contact the Market manager, Al Minutolo, 434-8231092 prior to April 16 to discuss your product, space availability and Market rules.

The Crozet Market is a growers/producers Market, providing vendors the opportunity to sell their locally grown produce, homemade baked goods and handcrafted items to the public.

Proceeds from sales in the Market are returned to the community through a donation to the CUMC food pantry. The pantry is a USDA-approved facility that serves families in our community. The average monthly food distribution is two tons. Cash donations are important to the food pantry and are a significant multiplier for the purchase of food at the

central food bank. Although food costs vary, $1 will often purchase 8-12 pounds of food.

The Market offers a variety of locally grown vegetables, bedding plants, vegetable starts, cut flowers, homemade baked goods, handcrafted jewelry, woodcraft and pottery.

Another popular feature is the Horticulture Help Desk (HHD), staffed by volunteer Piedmont Master Gardeners every second and fourth Saturday of the season. The HHD staff will answer your questions about plants, pest control, and plant diseases, with an interest in safeguarding against adverse effects to the consumer and the environment.

You’re welcome to bring samples of pests or problem plants; HHD volunteers can access the resources of Virginia Cooperative Extension both locally and at Virginia Tech.

Thanks to Sandy Wilcox for his many years of support to the Market.

42

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

By John Andersen, DVM gazettevet@crozetgazette.com

Cold Tail My two Labrador Retrievers love to swim and fetch. As soon as we approach a lake or river, they take off at full speed into the water, knowing they’re about to have a big play session.

Our female, Ruby, is a total nut.

She is beside herself with excitement—swimming in circles, fetching leaves, and frantic with activity. Our male, Boone, who is decidedly more levelheaded than his sister, also seems to lose his mind. For him, it’s all about the fetching. If you’re not throwing something for him, he will sit and bark loudly at you.

This is one of the only times he barks like this.

Needless to say, when we take them hiking and swimming, they expend a lot of energy and are thoroughly tired later that day.

When Ruby was about one year old, she seemed to overdo it one particular swimming trip.

We had a typical weekend hike and swim session in the woods and a few hours after we returned home, she started acting strangely. She was looking at us with a pretty sad face (for her) and we noticed her tail seemed to be limp. Usually all you have to do is look at her and her whole body wags, including her tail. But she was

slinking over to us with her tail limp, hanging directly down.

When I touched the base of her tail, she winced in pain. Ruby had “cold tail.”

Ruby’s was a classic case of a fairly common problem in working dogs after strenuous exercise. Cold tail is also referred to as “limber tail” and “limp tail,” but all describe the syndrome when a dog plays or works hard and then later seems to have a painful, limp tail.

There is very little research about cold tail. It’s not a major health problem and much of the time, the owners don’t seek veterinary care because the dogs are otherwise acting normal and they seem to improve in a day or two.

What we think happens is that a high-energy dog simply overworks and sprains/strains the muscles, tendons, and/or ligaments that support the base of the tail. This leads to pain and stiffness and reluctance to wag the tail a few hours after the exercise. This may last for a day, or sometimes for several days. There are some cases in which the dog never seems to regain normal function of the tail. We suspect there may also be some nerve impingement, possibly from a herniated disc between the bones of the tail.

The tail is a complex and amazing structure in dogs and cats. Sometimes up to two feet in length but with a relatively

Dr. Andersen’s dogs in the ocean

small base of support, the tail is made up of individual “coccygeal” vertebrae with an incredibly strong set of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that hold it all together, keep it stable, and give it movement. The spinal cord officially ends just a bit before the tail, but there are plenty of long nerves that course down its length. Just like any other orthopedic unit in the body, it can be injured, and cold tail is one of the common tail injuries we see.

Ruby gets cold tail about 3-4 times a year because she is a total nut in the water. Since I know she is prone to this problem, I’ve watched her swim and sure enough, she uses the heck out of her tail. Also, as she shakes herself dry, her tail is flopping all over the place. We usually take them swimming a few times a month, so no wonder she is prone to this problem.

Ruby loves swimming, so I’m not going to deny her that. Is there anything I can do to prevent or treat this?

As far as prevention goes, there’s not much I can do given our lifestyle. Like any orthopedic issue, heavy exercise without regular training is a recipe for injury. If we went swimming

twice a week, every week, perhaps her cold tail episodes would disappear as her tail became more fit. We can’t get her out that much given our schedule, so we try to limit how much fetch we play when we do go swimming. Now we usually give her a veterinary anti-inflammatory like Rimadyl either before we go or right after we return home. This is a safe way to help alleviate some of the pain before it gets started and usually reduces her symptoms to just a day.

So, if you take your dog swimming or playing and later he or she is in a lot of pain with a limp tail? It’s probably cold tail, but if you’re not sure, see a veterinarian as soon as you can.

I see a lot of cold tail patients.

If Ruby could choose between no swimming or swimming but with tail pain afterwards, she would definitely choose swimming. She is six years old now and seems to be having less severe episodes, so perhaps she is actually starting to slow down a bit with age.

However, she is still a nut, so we’ll keep Rimadyl handy and enjoy watching her and her brother play hard.

John W. Clayton & Son

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Russ Sawyer, MD • Amie Munson, MD Anthony Martinez, MD • Anne Boyland, NP

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CROZETgazette

New Precinct —continued from page 4

CLOVER CARROLL

a magisterial district. Residents in all three voting precincts will still vote for candidates in the While Hall magisterial district.

The new voting precinct will only change where you vote, not who you vote for. The candidates who represent you on the Albemarle County School Board, Board of Supervisors, and in the Virginia state Senate and House of Delegates will not change.

The Albemarle County Electoral Board, along with Washburne and Elections Manager Clarice Schermerhorn, have been working on developing this plan for over a year, in close harmony with Tex Weaver, Derek Bedarf, and Andy Slack of the county mapping department, in response to their experiences at the 2016 presidential election. They used data such as voter registration rolls by address and an overlay map of precincts to come up with this plan. “We couldn’t shrink Crozet, but we needed to do something to control the explosive growth,” Washburne explained, “to keep the precincts manageable, reduce long lines, and solve the parking problem—especially at Crozet Elementary School.” The old precincts used to divide at the railroad track. “We wanted to find the best way to split the population up using major roads, without breaking up

Jake Washburne, Albemarle County Voter Registrar, noted the explosive growth in Crozet over the past decade.

APRIL 2018 communities. This time, we used Rt. 250, Crozet Ave. (Rt. 810), Three Notch’d Rd. (Rt. 240), and Jarmans Gap Rd. (Rt. 691) as the boundaries instead,” Washburne explained. “Some residents from both old precincts have been affected.” They also recommended the creation of new precincts in the Jack Jouett, Cale, and Free Bridge areas, which have also been approved. “Finding a voting location for the new Western Albemarle precinct was easy,” Washburne confessed. “The others were a bit more challenging.”

Affected voters’ registrations will be transferred to the new district automatically, so residents do not need to take any action. The Electoral Board plans to send out new voter registration cards by the middle of May, well in advance of the June 12 primary, with the voting precinct clearly indicated. The outside of this envelope will be marked with a big red “Important Voting Information” message. The county community development office will also send public service announcements through the local media to remind voters of the changes both this spring and closer to the November election. As reported by the Daily Progress on March 14, the cost of these notifications will be about $5,000, to come from the county’s reserve fund. An ongoing budget expense of $14,000 will pay for additional staff and operational supplies.

The Electoral Board plans to appoint the Chief and Assistant Chief for the new Mechums River precinct at their next meeting on April 4.

Voters with questions may call the Albemarle County Registrar’s office at 434-9724173, the electoral board at 434-296-5863, or email voterregistration@albemarle.org.

The deadline to register to vote for the June 12, 2018, General Election is Monday, May 21 www.albemarle.org/ department.asp?department=registrar. “Some people may be confused in June,” Washburne admitted, “but that won’t be a huge turnout. Things will be more familiar by November. There will be a few hiccups, but we know that ultimately this will make everyone’s voting experience better.”

43

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CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

CHARLIEKIDDER

44

inthegarden@crozetgazette.com

A Couple of Rose Relatives ing in a friend’s garden. The lesson here: if your Kerria eventually gets out of bounds, dig up the unwanted stems and share them with friends. Sort of a horticultural pyramid scheme: once the market is saturated, someone may try to give some back to you.

Leaves on Kerrias are small, toothed and refined, bright green, and with a superficial resemblance to birch foliage.

Occasionally they may put on soft lemon-yellow color in the fall. Flowers on the straight species are 1” to 1 ¾” across, five-petaled and golden yellow.

Borne in profusion in early spring, they may also continue sporadically throughout the growing season.

Much of Kerria’s ornamental appeal comes from its stems.

Slender, supple and zig-zag, they remain green throughout the winter, adding off-season brightness to the winter garden.

As the plant ages, the older stems will die and turn brown.

Not a big deal; just snip the offenders off at ground level.

Several cultivars of Kerria are available. Perhaps most commonly seen is ‘Pleniflora’, aka ‘Flora Pleno’, with nearly ballshaped double flowers. The flowers tend to be longer lasting than on the species, while the

KURT STU¨BER

Everyone is familiar with roses—the genus Rosa, with over one hundred species and countless varieties— even non-gardeners. But they’re many other members of the Rose family (the Rosaceae) that are not well-known, and unlike roses, some even grow well in the shade.

With its bright yellow blooms, Japanese Kerria (Kerria japonica) puts on a good show in April. Kerria typically goes simply by that name, partly because it’s the only member of this genus, and also because it’s short and easy to pronounce.

One source lists Japanese Rose as an alternative name, and this moniker might appeal to some plant shoppers who are more comfortable with the name “rose.”

Native to the major islands of Japan, as well as parts of China, Kerrias are small-to-mediumsized shrubs, generally topping out at less than six feet in height and with an equal spread. Given their tendency to sucker, their ultimate width could politely be listed as “indeterminate”; the pass-along Kerria in my own yard is the result of such spread-

Alabama Snow-wreath

Kerria flower

plant itself is more erect and lanky, commonly growing six to eight feet in height. If you’re fond of variegated plants, ‘Picta’ has soft gray-green leaves with white margins among single yellow flowers. This plant tends to revert, so any branches without variegation must be pruned out.

Some authors specifically mention ‘Aureovittata’ and ‘Kin Kan’ as cultivars to avoid. Their branches are striped green and yellow, a nice effect, but they quickly revert to the usual green.

‘Honshu’ (and the similar ‘Golden Guinea’) have somewhat larger flowers than the species and appear over a longer period; foliage is a rich green.

‘Honshu’s flowers are also pleasingly fragrant. If you prefer creamy yellow flowers, try ‘Albescens,’ sometimes listed as ‘Albiflora.’

Moist, well-drained soil is ideal for Kerrias, although they will do fine with just average moisture.

Partial shade or morning sun is ideal. Too much sun bleaches the flowers, and too little sun will lead to reduced flowering. Excess fertilizer will produce rampant growth; compost is ideal. If your plant gets too tall or rangy, cut it back after flowering to about a foot, and it will re-grow to about 3’ to 4’ by next fall.

Otherwise, prune out any dead stems, and remove unwanted suckers to contain growth. one source listed Kerria as deer-resistant, but you never know.

If you’re willing to go to the gourmet plant catalogs and search for a rarity, you might be able to find Kerria’s American cousin, also a member of the

rose family. Alabama Snowwreath (Neviusia alabamensis) occurs on limestone woodlands in scattered locations across Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

Botanists have not observed plants setting seed, so all reproduction may be asexual. A lack of genetic diversity makes Neviusia susceptible to extinction if it were to be affected by climate change, development, or disease.

A small mounded shrub, Snow-wreath tops out at 3’ to 6’, with a similar spread. Like Kerria, it can spread by suckers and form a colony. Its leaves also resemble those of birches, and the stems are somewhat zigzag. The small white flowers lack petals, but the abundant stamens create a feathery appearance— a wreath of snow.

Alabama snow-wreath prefers well-drained soil—doesn’t that apply to so many plants?!—but accepts average garden conditions. Either full sun or partial shade is okay. Any pruning should be done immediately after flowering to avoid losing next year’s blooms.

You won’t find Snow-wreath at the average garden center, let alone the big-box stores. In fact, in a quick search I found it only at Nearly Native Nursery in Fayetteville, Georgia. You may have better luck and might see it at native plant sales or at botanical garden events.

Impressive when in bloom, it tends to blend into the landscape at other times. In any season, Alabama Snow-wreath remains a good plant for stumping your gardening friends.

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

45

CLINIC NATE OSTHEIMER

Each month a prize-winning photograph from the archives of the Crozet Calendar will be published together with a story from the photographer of how the image was made and commentary by Sam Abell about the merits of the photograph.

By Sam Abell Daily Practice Makes Perfect It’s orchard blossom time in western Albemarle County and that means local photographers are out in force. The brief but closely watched bloom of the fruit trees signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It also signals the greatest concentration of submissions to the annual Crozet Gazette calendar contest. With so many competing photographs it’s hard for one image to stand forth to represent this singular moment of beauty.

Nate Ostheimer’s image does so by understating the spectacle of the bloom.

That’s not easy. After months of a barren, brown look, the local landscape doesn’t just come alive. It puts on the most dazzling color display of the year. At such times it must seem to photographers that the landscape takes its own picture. Just point a camera at the orchards, click the shutter and a successful picture is made. But the result is often nothing more than an unorganized splash of color.

The test for aspiring photographers is to go beyond the surface spectacle of the colorful bloom to express the underlying landscape. That is, if the color of the flowers were taken from the photograph, would it still be interesting?

Nate’s photograph passes that test. But that doesn’t mean his image is without compelling color. By choosing to photograph just after sunset Nate has captured the orchard’s brief but intense transformation from bright pink to deep rose. Twilight does that. Garishness is gone with the departure of direct sunshine. For a few minutes, a luminous glow brings the landscape to life.

The orchard seems lit from within. The result is a serene, settled feeling.

Nate recalled the change in lighting. “I had been out a good portion of the day photographing the blossoms around Chiles’ Peach Orchard. It had been a clear sunny day and the lighting was a little too harsh. As dusk rolled in the lighting seemed perfect to make the blossoms stand out. I hopped in the car after the bedtime routine with my sons and drove back over to the orchard parking lot. Initially I took some close-up pictures of the blossoms as well as panoramas of the trees with the Blue Ridge as the

Nate Ostheimer’s photo, taken at Chiles Peach Orchard, was featured in April in the 2017 calendar.

backdrop. I was getting in the car to head home and drove to the southwest end of the orchard and came upon this scene. I was able to line up and capture this photo.”

Adding to the settled feeling of the photograph is the inclusion of the weathered farm building. It gives scale, a sense of history and hominess to the scene. It’s hard to overstate the importance of such an inclusion in the image. The old farm building allows us to emotionally inhabit the picture.

But such an inclusion also brushes the picture up against a not so desirable, overly sentimental effect.

That’s kept from happening by the restrained, lit-from-within quality of the color. It’s also kept from happening by the concentrated quality of the composition.

The elements of the image—orchard, mountains and sky—center themselves on the building. And, in a quirk of design and construction, the building seems to have an interesting personality. We look at it; it looks back at us.

I asked Nate if his image was a ‘one-off’ or had he been watching the scene develop over time. He replied, “It was partially both. I had spent a lot of time photographing the peach orchard. This specific scene had jumped out at me before while driving past, but I had never stopped to take the picture. With the way the blossoms popped out from the last rays of light, I decided to stop this time. I try to have my camera with me most places I go. I’m trying to get in the habit of scouting particular places and

watching them change over the course of the year.” Such close attention to the orchards implies a long-standing interest in landscape photography. Nate agreed. “I’ve liked to take pictures of landscapes since I was a teenager, but I really got interested in the nuts and bolts of photography while doing medical residency in Salt Lake City. On a whim, while my wife was out of town, I bought my first SLR (Nikon D60) and started to play around with it.

That would have been around 2009. That’s where I learned how to use manual settings on the camera to take pictures. It was also a beautiful place to practice landscape photography.”

I was curious how he kept motivated to photograph now that he wasn’t living near the dramatic mountains of the west. His reply intrigued me. “In late 2013 a group of my friends decided that we would each make a New Year’s Resolution. Mine was to take a photo every day for the year. It was through this experience that I really developed my eye for looking more closely, trying to look at the whole sum of a scene as well as the main focal point. It also helped me work on positioning myself to capture the best photo without relying as much on a zoom lens. It was certainly a challenge to capture a new and interesting photo each day of the year, but was a lot of fun and really helped me become more complete in how I take photographs.”

Note: Nate Ostheimer’s Picture a Day project for 2014 is posted on a Tumblr page.

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The word “Easter” is not in the Bible. It originally referred to a pagan feast day of renewal and rebirth that honored the Saxon goddess Eastre.

Because this holiday fell about the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, early missionaries merged the two when they converted the Saxons to Christianity.

To disassociate church services that day from pagan ties and the commercialization of the holiday, some Christian churches now refer to Easter as Resurrection Day. It’s an appropriate name, not only for commemorating Christ’s resurrection, but perhaps also for a discussion of resurrecting faith.

The Millennials—those people born between 1980 and 2000—comprise the largest generation in American history, and according to research by the Pew Research Center, they are less likely to say they believe in God. They are also less likely to be affiliated with any religion, and they are not alone.

The Pew Research Center found that adults of all ages have become less attached to religious institutions since the beginning of the 21st century, but Millennials are at the leading edge of this social phenomenon. Why might that be?

Being the first “digital natives” (a term coined by writer Marc Prensky)—the initial generation to grow up with the Internet, mobile technology, and digital social media—they are also the first generation of “nature aliens” (coined by this author)—the first generation to grow up distanced from the natural world.

Millennials, generally speaking, are deprived of a connection to nature. And that deprivation is a direct pathway to a

loss of belief in God. Spending an abundance of time within the virtual world of computers—a creation of man, not God—leads to the worship of Man, not God. Thus, it is not surprising that in the quarter-century that the Pew Research Center has been polling on the topic of religious affiliation, the Millennial level of religious disaffiliation is at or near the highest levels recorded for any generation. But does living in the digital age preclude an attachment to the natural world?

A large part of the problem lies in the ease of mis/disinformation that can be so easily disseminated by way of the Internet. Anyone with a digital device and an Internet connection can post information (whether it be wrong, untrue, or blown all out of proportion to reality), and it is delivered instantaneously to what seems to have become an accepting and non-analytical public.

Thus, for example, we currently live in a world of germaphobes, people who fear so much the thought of getting a germ on them that they behave somewhat irrationally. They use disinfectant wipes on public surfaces, such as shopping cart handles, even though adults are highly unlikely to get sick if they don’t bother to do this (especially if they would just keep their hands away from their faces). The problem with using disinfectant wipes is that they help to breed supergerms.

How did we get to this point?

A variety of culprits are responsible, from the engineers who come up with ever-more sensitive devices to tell us things we don’t really need to know, to the scientists who count the microorganisms and then inform the press to get publicity for more funding, to the news organizations that sensationalize their finds.

MARLENE A. CONDON

Resurrecting Faith Requires Connecting with Nature Unfortunately, no one applies critical thinking to the situation, which would tell them these miniscule creatures have been there all along, will continue to be there forever, and that humans have been able to coexist with them because our bodies are made to deal with them!

Worse, this compulsion to sanitize the manmade world has inevitably led to the idea of sanitizing the natural world. The number of “pest control” companies and the over one billion pounds of pesticides used yearly in the United States attest to this fact.

Additionally, people have a propensity to embrace negative ideas about nature, as if it’s their enemy. Considering that the natural world is literally our life-support system, this nonsensical attitude results from people viewing nature from a skewed perspective.

Consider ticks. These small arachnids are well known, thanks to Lyme Disease, a serious illness caused by a bacterium ticks can transmit to humans. Many people are terrified to go outdoors during the warm months of the year because, with the amount of publicity ticks get, people think the probability of getting Lyme Disease is extremely high.

But compared to the other activities people engage in without worry, the risk of getting Lyme Disease is relatively low.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 11 people per 100,000 were confirmed to be infected in Virginia in 2013.

With a population of about 8 million people, this works out to about 80 cases of Lyme Disease, which is treatable by antibiotics. On the other hand, 740 Virginians died in a car crash that same year.

Should people be more afraid of spending time outdoors than

getting into their vehicles to drive the roadways? A rational person can see that, with the number of Lyme Disease cases about 11 percent of the number of vehicular deaths, the answer is, “Obviously not.” And yet they absolutely are. Why? People tend not to fear the things they are familiar with, especially manmade objects such as cars, which can be quite deadly. Instead, they tend to fear the wildlife they don’t see often and thus are unfamiliar with. Worse, they pay more attention to and believe stories that exaggerate the dangers posed by wildlife.

How do we get people to connect with nature instead of holding onto a distorted view of it? Unfortunately, this situation is extremely difficult to rectify because people are bombarded 24/7 with a huge amount of misinformation, much of which originates with scientists.

Because these professionals tend to look at nature only through the lens of human experience, theirs is a biased view of the natural world in which organisms seem to be either “good” or “bad.” It is a subjective perspective, and thus not accurate.

Humans must learn to recognize the importance of coexisting with other life forms, which means understanding how to live in agreement with nature instead of fighting it. Every creature exists for a reason, and that reason is to assist in perpetuating life on the planet by helping to keep the environment functioning properly.

Yet the war on nature has never before been fought so vigorously, nor more powerfully, to kill all manner of creatures, from insects to mammals to plants. Satan himself could not have devised a more devilishly fiendish scheme to divorce man from God.

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OANA MOORE

APRIL 2018

Oana Moore’s photographs are on view at Crozet Artisan Depot this month.

A Mighty Little Town Featured in Photos

By Theresa Curry

theresa@crozetgazette.com

Oana Moore, thousands of miles away from the home of her birth, shows her affection for her new home in the current exhibit at Crozet Artisan’s Depot, “Crozet, a Mighty Little Town.”

Moore was born in central Romania, still known for its medieval landscapes. She grew up in Transylvania, in the shadow of Dracula’s castle.

There really was a Draculalike count there, she said, a minor royal figure whose chronic cruelty inspired the grim legend. She loved the Carpathian Mountains and small town life, and did her share of traveling through Europe. As a young girl, she loved figure skating and, for a long time, it defined her days.

“It was my job,” she said. From the age of six she practiced from

5 a.m. until school started at 8.

“And it wasn’t unusual for me to return to the rink after school,” she said. She won a number of children’s and youth championships and became Romania’s national champion in 1995, at 17. She put away her skates to attend college, studied journalism, and became a journalist.

She married a Peace Corps volunteer, and when he left for school in Scotland, so did she.

His work as a biotech engineer took them to California, where they bounced around from southern to northern California as his job demanded.

When they had the chance to move East, the couple did a great deal of research: “One of the things we did was take a look at all those reviews, you know the kind that tell readers the best places to live,” she recalled. “I googled as many as I could find and kept

continued on page 51

Welcome, Little One

Emerson Ostberg Taylor Emerson Ostberg Taylor was welcomed to the world at 6:52 a.m. on March 6, 2018 to Ben Taylor and Lauren Ostberg.

Their “little leprechaun” was not so little, weighing 10 lbs. 11 oz. at birth with a full head of hair. Ben is the son of Clover Carroll of Crozet and Henry Taylor of Ivy. He attended Western Albemarle High School and graduated from Tandem Friends School in 2003. He and his family now live in Easthampton, MA.

Who is the King of Glory?

W   to walk with us through the sacred time of our Orthodox celebration of Holy Week and the Resurrection of Christ.

A   for the week is at www.33-AD.org, or call the parish at 434-973-2500

G (G) F: A 6

Great Vespers – The Crucifixion: 6 p.m.

R S - H P: A 8 Resurrection Matins / Divine Liturgy 12 a.m. Midnight, followed by fellowship

The Lord of Hosts HE is the King of Glory!

S. N O C

 Rockfish Gap Turnpike (US  W) Greenwood, VA • (434) 973-2500 Email: info@stnicholasorthodoxchurch.org

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THERESA CURRY

Religion News

By Theresa Curry theresa@crozetgazette.com

Yard Sale to Support Young Home Builders

The Crozet Quilters have cut and stitched a masterpiece for the benefit of some of the area’s poorest children. Tickets for the “flower basket” quilt now on display at B & B Cleaners and Laundry are going for $2 each or 3 for $5 in advance of the drawing. The quilt is a queensized masterpiece, with beautiful detail in the 30 all-different panels. The Quilters have improvised on the traditional flower basket theme with some inspired ideas of their own: there’s a basket of kittens, and one with a fat mama calico, as well as a basket of apples, a couple of mixed fruit, and a modern minimalist basket.

Individual fruits, cats and flowers are pieced from contrasting florals and solids, for a museum-quality quilt.

Just as appealing as the quilt is the project it will fund. Every year the church fills more than a dozen top-of-the line backpacks from L.L. Bean for students identified as most in need.

Some of the young people who benefit are homeless, said Robin McElwee, a coordinator for the project, and the packs are filled to the brim with school supplies.

The drawing is May 13, and the winner need not be present for it. To see the quilt or buy a raffle ticket, go by B&B Cleaners, 1180 Crozet Avenue, or see a Tabor Presbyterian Church member.

The youth of Crozet Baptist Church will return to Costa Rica this summer to build a house in an area extensively damaged by last year’s disastrous hurricane season. The request for a second international trip in two years was a bit of a surprise, acknowledged youth minister Tracey Pugh: “We hadn’t planned on an international mission trip so soon,” she said.

The teenagers built a house last year in Costa Rica’s capitol, San Jose, and had planned a domestic house-building project for this year, for about half the cost per person. Pugh said they were contacted by the church’s Costa Rican mission partners, who said the need there was desperate. “So we said of course we’d come, but now we need to raise twice the amount we’d planned for.”

The house-building project is a huge group effort and involves intensive construction, resulting in a finished home by the end of the week, explained Loren Therrien, one of the yard sale’s coordinators. A family displaced or otherwise affected by the hurricanes will benefit; and so do Crozet’s young people, said Pam Patterson, who has been on mission-building trips for the past 17 years. “It’s amazing to see,” she said. “Kids who couldn’t even hammer a nail are doing major construction after a few days.” The project is set up for maximum efficiency, which provides the young carpenters a great learning experience as well

SUBMITTED

Quilt Runds Tabor Backpack Project

Robin McElwee and Betty Rauch

as a dwelling for the deserving family.

One of the fund-raising efforts is a community yard sale, and the church is asking for the public’s help for the festive spring event. Any community member who wants to participate can buy a space (the width of two parking spaces in the church’s adjacent lot) for $25.

The space also includes a table, and the vendors keep 100 percent of their proceeds. Pugh said the church will also be selling some yard-sale items, but no more donations are needed for their own tables.

The yard sale, scheduled for April 14, will offer food (including some famous Green House pastries), coffee, ample parking, and a chance to meet your neighbors at an outdoor event after a long cold winter. To reserve space and a table, contact Tracey at Crozet Baptist Church.

Icon Expresses Power and Mercy

Crozet Baptist youth mission on site in Costa Rica

The image of Christ Pantocrator (Lord Almighty) is now complete at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Greenwood. It fills the central dome in the nave, the traditional place for this powerful

icon in orthodox churches for 18 centuries.

The icon’s expression is both solemn and mild. That’s also traditional, said Father Robert Holet of St. Nicholas. There’s mercy and compassion as well as judgment conveyed by the image, with one hand raised in a blessing and the other holding the Bible. Iconographic artist Michael Kapeluck of Archangel Icons in Philadelphia spent several days completing the work, using scaffolds and platforms for the larger-than-life rendering in the dome.

Kapeluck said he had a traditional art education at Carnegie Mellon, but early in his career gravitated to the ancient art of iconography. “More and more churches are asking for icons these days,” he said, including some Protestant churches that now want to draw on the rich symbolism of their common religious heritage.

The icon is about ten feet in diameter, and surrounded with gold leaf in the dome. The deep colors and sense of an inner light in the face of the Pantocrator come from 10 layers of different shades of pigmentation. In the structure supporting the dome Kapeluck installed icons of sixteen of the Old Testament prophets who foresaw the birth of Christ. “I

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SUBMITTED

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Artist Michael Kapeluck with Fr. Robert Holet

“With all that is unseen, this gives us something seen to focus our thoughts.” He also spoke about the role of painted images to convey meaning in churches long before most of the faithful could read.

Holet invites the community to come to a service to view the new icon or to arrange a private viewing with him at the church.

MICHAEL MARSHALL

was able to do a lot of the work in advance,” Kapeluck said. You can view the progress of the creation of some of the prophets, and scenes from the installation on Kapeluck’s facebook page.

Father Holet talked about the place of icons in the church: “With tangible symbols and images, we celebrate the physical reality of Christ,” he said.

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Evelyn Norris Grimes Francis L. “Frank” Summers, Jr. Francis Lee “Frank” Summers, Jr., 87, husband of Nancy Elizabeth (Via) Summers, of Staunton, died Thursday, March 8, 2018, in Charlottesville.

Frank was born September 9, 1930, in Staunton, to the late Francis Lee and Iva Clinton (Baugher) Summers.

After graduating from Woodberry Forest School, he went on to complete his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University followed by an LLD degree from the School of Law. While there, he played on both the basketball and baseball intercollegiate teams. Frank was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, stationed in Hawaii.

In 1956, Frank co-founded the Staunton law firm of Nelson, McPherson, Summers and Santos, where he was a partner for over 55 years. He also served on the executive committee of the Virginia Bar Association. He served as vice mayor for the city of Staunton and was active on the city council. Frank was a founding board member of Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) in Weyers Cave (1965-1983) and worked closely with Gov. Godwin to start BRCC. He established the Frank and Nancy Summers Scholarship for the college. He was a founding member of the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton and presided as board chair of Staunton-Augusta County YMCA. Frank served as an elder at First Presbyterian Church and later as a member of Memorial Baptist Church, both in Staunton.

In mid-life, Frank assumed the role of “gentleman farmer” on the 365-acre family farm while still practicing law.

Round Hill Farm, near Goshen, was the site of many family gatherings over several decades and was always open to friends.

A life-long, passionate golfer, playing on courses in the U.S. and U.K., Frank regularly “shot his age” during his many years on the golf course. He was a member of the executive board

On Sunday March 25, 2018, Evelyn Norris Grimes passed away at the age of 100. She was born on August 19, 1917, in Albemarle County to the late Oscar Franklin, Sr. and Willie Tommie Norris. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Harold “Red” Grimes; her son, Tommy Grimes; sonin-law, Roger Marsh; sister, Sue McKnight; and brothers, Hunter, Gene, and Franklin Norris.

She is survived by her daughters, Susan G. Totten (John) of Athens, GA., and Frankie G. Marsh of Southern Pines, NC; a son, Harold F. Grimes (Paula) of Henrico, VA; seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was held at Crozet Baptist Church in Crozet on March 29. Interment followed at Rockgate Cemetery in Crozet, with the Rev. David Collyer officiating.

Aubrey McCoy Foster of the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA) and, in 1980, won the VSGA MidAmateur Championship. In 1987, he played in the U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Frank is survived by Nancy, his wife of over 59 years, their three children, Francis Lee Summers III and wife Jane (Brown) Summers of Virginia Beach, Timothy Frederick Summers and wife Jennifer (Harris) Summers of Hickory, NC, and Susan Elizabeth (Summers) Andrews and husband Anthony Andrews of Bethesda, MD, and five grandchildren, William Francis Summers, Tyler Lee Summers, Timothy Frederick Summers, Jr., Katherine Lucille Summers, and Iva Lucille Andrews. He was preceded in death by his sister Anne (Summers) Lumpkin.

A funeral service was held Friday, March 16, at Memorial Baptist Church in Staunton by the Rev. Mark Jones.

Memorial gifts may be made to Staunton-Augusta County YMCA, 708 North Coalter Street, Staunton, VA 24401, Blue Ridge Community College, Educational Foundation, Box 80, One College Lane, Weyers Cave, VA 24486, the Frontier Culture Museum, 1290 Richmond Avenue, Staunton, VA 24401, and First Tee of Hampton Roads, 2400 Tournament Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23456. Henry Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.henryfuneral home.net.

Aubrey McCoy Foster of Roswell, Georgia passed away on March 20, 2018. Born on May 17, 1930 in Crozet, he was the son of Ruth Ballard and ‘Babe Foster.’ He was a proud alumnus of Virginia Tech and a veteran of the U.S Army in post-war Germany. His successful career spanned decades in the home sewing industry including serving as General Manager of Simplicity Pattern Corporation in New York City. Aubrey was preceded in death by his wife, Sara Cake Foster, and is survived by his three sons, Aubrey Jr., Brian, Warren and followed by his grandchildren, Lexi, Pace and Jackson Foster.

Aubrey was born the eighth of nine children in Crozet.

Growing up he played baseball, picked peaches, raised a pet pig and ran the 100 yard dash in 10 seconds. After graduating from Crozet High, Aubrey enlisted in the Army, where he was stationed in post-war Germany.

He experienced some of his happiest moments in the service and returned home with a brand new MG sports car. On the GI Bill, Aubrey enrolled at Virginia Tech to study business administration. He was the first of his family to attend college and in every way, he made the best out of his Hokie experience! When college was over Aubrey moved to New York City to begin a thriving sales career that took him all over the nation. For years he was Southeastern Sales Manager of Simplicity Pattern Corporation.

Long before Interstate highways, you could not name a town in the southeast that

Aubrey had not visited. Those years of dedication led to a promotion to General Manager and a move back to NYC to be happily reunited with his long time girlfriend, Sara Cake of Greenwich, Connecticut. After years of big city work and socializing, Sara and Aubrey were soon married and blessed with three sons. They raised their family first in Scarsdale, New York, and then moved to Sandy Springs, Georgia, where Aubrey started and succeeded with his own home-based business. He was all consumed with his work until his mid 80s and his family and friends suspect it was the very thing that kept him going after his wife Sara passed away.

Whether it be his small town childhood, college, the Army or his career in NYC, Aubrey made lifelong friends wherever he went. He was a proud Virginian and loved his sons and his grandchildren. He will be missed by many.

May this moment serve as an opportunity for daily remembrance of all the reasons our parents are cherished. His legacy shall live on forever in the hearts and minds of those who loved him.

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Warren Davis Seale Warren Davis Seale, died on March 2, 2018, at a local hospital. He is survived by three daughters, Tammy Cornelius (Brad), Peggy Dunstan (Richard) and Angela Morales. Also surviving are five grandchildren; Randolph and Libby White, Liam, Adeline and Evan Morales, and two great-grandchildren, Lucy Gochenour and Tristan Thomas. Two nephews also survive, Benjamin Lane and Tucker Gentry. He was born on August 7, 1947, the son of the late James Henry Seale and Dolly Via Seale and predeceased by a sister, Ruby Watts.

He was a graduate of

Mighty Town —continued from page 47

coming up with Charlottesville.”

They were able to choose just about any location in the mid-Atlantic, so it seemed an obvious choice.

But even that small city was too urban for her: “I guess I’m a small-town girl,” she said, “and I saw everything that I needed was right here in Crozet.” She made that decision after flying here and spending one long weekend looking at 20 different homes.

It was no easy task, the move, she remembers, with two children under 3. “But it was good,” she said. “They are in school here and this is the only home they remember.”

Once Moore became serious about photography, she thought she’d do a little of everything, from children’s portraits and horses to small town streetscapes and rural landscapes.

“That way, when I get tired of one thing, I work on another,” she said.

When she reflected on her lengthy preoccupation with figure skating, she conceived of a whimsical project that examined its powerful influence in her younger life. With photographer Rick Stillings, she created the “Skate Project,” a series of scenes that show her going about her life: fixing a tractor, shopping in the grocery store, dealing with the laundry, in a meadow in the middle of summer, all on ice skates. Although

Serving Western Albemarle Families Since 1967 Robert S. Anderson & John W. Anderson, Jr., D I R E C T O R S

823-5002 5888 St. George Avenue Crozet, VA 22932

Albemarle High School and was an Army Veteran, having served in Vietnam. He was retired and loved life on the mountain raising cattle and hunting.

her lifelong dedication to skating was a serious force in her life, she approached the shots with humor. For instance, the laundry shot features her disappearing into a drier at the laundromat, and there’s a scene with her on a horse, a position that seems difficult to reach with ice skates. Another has her being arrested by a policeman. Most of these were shot around Crozet, she said, at places like the lumberyard, Mechum’s View Farm, King’s Family Vineyards and Great Valu, with the obvious cooperation of many people, “another reason why I love our little town,” she said.

Her more recent collection is of scenes in and around Crozet and includes a lovely stylized portrait of the small-town shops with pastel highlights, rural scenes and close-ups of iconic buildings. Her connection with her surroundings is apparent to the viewer, and it’s catching, she said: “Even my parents, who kind of grumbled about us living in rural Virginia, now love it here.”

By preserving the beauty of her surroundings in photos, she also hopes to remind people not to take it for granted. “I’ve lived in some beautiful places, and I always thought I’d move every two years or so,” she said. “But no more. This is home.”

“Crozet, a Mighty Little Town,” is the featured April exhibit for the Artisan’s Depot.

The opening reception is Saturday, April 14.

BEREAVEMENTS Lucy Lee Douglass Buchholz, 91 Ann Kennickell Hester, 74 Joy S. Vlahos, 85 Anne Shippen Echols, 74 Victor Nicholas Cabas Jr., 69 Bennett Charles McClurken-Gibney, 5 John Edward Armstead, 77 Blanche Louise Douglas, 89 Audrey Waybright Maness, 62 Warren Davis Seale, 70 Edward Kenneth Jefferson, 65 Henry Riley Morris, 82 Mary Helen McFerson Detmer, 78 Bettie Ann Wood Black, 88 Ralph Page Margolius, 72 John Alexander Mitchell, 89 Lillian Christine Johnson Jackson, 72 Carolyn Gay Anthony, 65 John Joseph Tornatore III, 78 Stella Ferguson Hughes, 95 Mary Brooks Alexander, 93 Sara B. Hayslett, 82 Anne Rutledge Tufts, 75 Mary Anne Maupin Ford, 59 Barbara Ann Wideman Brown, 84 Joanne Benton Shepherd, 91 Christopher Allen Sipe, 32 Ella Florence Sparks, 102 Thomas Tony Via, 61 Lissie Frances Walker, 84 Shirley B. Yowell, 78 Elwood Deane, 71 Katherine Briggs Detamore, 68 Scott Graham Horton, 82 Amanda Leshaun Bates, 34 Robert Leith Vestal French, 91 Evelyn Norris Grimes, 100 Ruby Etta Lam Samuels, 84 John Temple Fray, 79

December 10, 2017 February 17, 2018 February 23, 2018 February 27, 2018 February 28, 2018 February 28, 2018 March 1, 2018 March 1, 2018 March 2, 2018 March 2, 2018 March 4, 2018 March 5, 2018 March 6, 2018 March 8, 2018 March 8, 2018 March 9, 2018 March 11, 2018 March 12, 2018 March 12, 2018 March 14, 2018 March 15, 2018 March 15, 2018 March 16, 2018 March 17, 2018 March 18, 2018 March 19, 2018 March 19, 2018 March 19, 2018 March 19, 2018 March 19, 2018 March 19, 2018 March 20, 2018 March 22, 2018 March 23, 2018 March 24, 2018 March 25, 2018 March 25, 2018 March 28, 2018 March 28, 2018

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community events APRIL 8

by Louise Dudley

Schola Cantorum Concert

By the Numbers!

1 2

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What a made free-throw 3 counts in the score 4 This number times itself = 16 6 Number of dots on a pair of dice 8 Fish use this body part for steering 9 “____ a little teapot, short and stout” 10 Short name for a common winter disease 11 Half a dozen 12 ____-five meters, length of the Gators’ pool 14 Between LA and DO on a scale 16 Noon 18 Take a quick glance 19 Edge of the roof 21 Minimum age for voting 23 Enjoyable; amusing 25 Distance (miles) of Central Virginia’s oldest foot race 26 Opposite of off 27 Number of fairy-tale dwarfs 29 Holder for ice cream 31 Carnival attraction 32 Number of blind mice

1 Popular card game 2 President Jefferson’s nickname (born 4/13/1743) 3 “This hurts!”

4 Number of US states 5 Nothing more; just one 6 Age that a Latina girl celebrates her quinceanera 7 Number of American colonies that declared independence in 1776 13 Number of players on a football team 15 List of options at a restaurant 17 ____u (youngest age group in Peachtree softball) 20 Baby’s unitard outfit 22 Hard; resilient 23 Number of sides on a pentagon 24 Number of US Supreme Court justices 25 Number of musicians in a duet 28 Driver’s ____ (class for HS students) 30 Dye this for Easter 31 Color of Clifford, the big dog

Solution on page 55

Schola Cantorum, Waynesboro’s classical choral ensemble, will present “A Tapestry Mass” Sunday, April 8, at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 301 S. Wayne Street in Waynesboro.

While singing elements of the traditional Mass, the 60-voice choir will feature works by Schubert, Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, and Handel, as well as others, accompanied by orchestra, piano and organ, along with a cappella selections.

Directed by Jeffrey Ryman, and accompanied by Scarlett Harris Kerr, the choral ensemble is composed of volunteers, many of who have been with the chorale for most of its 22-year history. ‘Singing the Music of the Masters’ has been Schola’s theme for 22 years, the only community choir offering sacred, classical music in the greater Augusta County area.

Everyone is welcome. No charge. For more information, visit the webpage, www.Schola Waynesboro.org

APRIL 8, 22

Contra Dance

Contra Corners holds dances on the second and fourth Sundays at the Greenwood Community Center from 6 to 9:30 p.m., with a lesson beginning at 6 p.m. Dances are a type of traditional American dance called contra, although they sometimes dance squares.

No partner or prior experience are required for this alcohol-free, family friendly social gathering.

“Wonderful live music each time, with the caller walking us through the steps before the music starts.” said Meg West, a member of the group.

“A fun way to learn how to dance, enjoy the music as well as the community that comes out,” said Brian Hamshar, head organizer of the bands. Contra Corners has been around for over 25 years, and draws dancers, musicians and callers from as far away as New York and the Carolinas.

The season runs from September through May. For more information, go to Facebook (www.facebook.com/ Greenwood-ContraDance-203577852995315/), check out their calendar (contracorners.com/greenwood), or contact Meg West at 434-8235507.

APRIL 13

Crozet Jam Band Southern Rock

The Crozet Jam Band will play at the Starr Hill Brewery Tap Room on Friday, April 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. The theme for this jam session will be Southern Blues and Rock. The CJB will be playing songs by Cheryl Crow and Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, The Old Crow Medicine Band, Little Feat, Johnny Cash, The Dixie Chicks, John Denver, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Everly Brothers. The CJB will also be playing songs

by Jimmy Buffett and Richard Thompson in honor of the fact that they will be in concert in Virginia in late March and early April. The CJB will also perform songs requested from the 190+ song songbook.

As usual, everyone is encouraged to sing along or come up on stage and lead a song. There is no cover, and dinner from a food truck is available until 9 p.m.

APRIL 28-29

Ruritan Plant Sale

The White Hall Ruritan Club will hold its Seventh Annual Plant/Yard/Bake Sale on Saturday, April 28, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday April 29, noon to 3 p.m., at the White Hall Community Building (2904 Brown’s Gap Road, at the intersection of Routes 614 and 810).

Plants, all from local gardens, include flowering plants, shrubs, trees, tomatoes and other vegetables/berries/herbs. Yard Sale items range from jewelry to decorations to household items to furniture. From antique to likenew. Proceeds will fund local scholarships, educational opportunities, and improvements to White Hall’s century-old Community Building.

CROZETgazette

To the Editor —continued from page 27

of six County Supervisors: On April 11 the Board of Supervisors will hold a Work Session at 2 p.m. This will be followed by a Board Meeting at 6 p.m. We plan to be there.

Hope you will be there too.

To Close: We support a plan for Storm Water Management but support funding it through the general fund.

Need more information?

Check out these sources: http://wina.com/podcasts/ joe-jones-va-farm-bureauwarns-of-rain-tax/ Albemarle County Farm Bureau Facebook entry: December 20, 2017 http://www.cvilletomorrow. org/news/article/22210-stormwater-fee-recommendations/ https://albemarle.legistar. c o m / V i e w . a s h x ?M=F&ID=4052979&GUID= B7A6D5DB-EF2D-4264BE52-9E0019780C8A (Note the public responses starting on page 49 and the survey results on page 59. Note also, rural counties fund through their General Fund; Separate Utilities are highly populated counties) http://www.albemarle.org/ department.asp?department=water&relpage=18774 Elizabeth Gibson Guss Bruce Guss White Hall County Schools Embrace Energy and Water Conservation I am writing in appreciation of the recent action taken by the Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS). ACPS entered into a guaranteed energy saving performance contract covering

APRIL 2018 all 22 schools. Building upgrades will include LED lighting, as well as new low-flow water fixtures. The entire cost of the project will be paid for by the savings generated, while netting the district significant annual savings. The upgrades lower overall water usage, energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint of the county school system by an estimated 3,500 tons of CO2 annually.

In addition, six Albemarle schools—Albemarle High, Greer Elementary, Brownsville Elementary, Baker-Butler Elementary, Sutherland Middle, and Monticello High—have been operating for over a year now with installed 1.1MW of rooftop solar. These systems were funded through power purchase agreements that result in zero capital or maintenance costs to ACPS. Together these two programs will offset carbon emissions equivalent to about 466 average Virginia homes each year.

I am proud of these energy aware trends in our school system. Here in the Crozet area, Henley Middle School has been operating a Renewable Energy Resource Center since 2012.

Our students are getting firsthand lessons on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

If you are interested in becoming more energy aware yourself, check out some local organizations acting on energy and climate issues: generation180.org, and the Charlottesville Climate Collaborative, cvilleclimate.org. Together, we can make a difference; indeed, it’s the only way we will!

Jennie Moody Greenwood

53

Attention Poor Balance Sufferers! Back By Request…

Better Balance Workshop Reveals How to Naturally Improve Balance to Prevent Falls Do you have a fear of falling?

Have you ever had a fall?

Do you get dizzy sometimes when you stand up?

Do you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom?

Do you go the bathroom frequently?

Is your vision impaired?

If you have answered YES to any of the above questions (or have a stubborn spouse who is in denial) – the Beter Balance Workshop may be a life changing event for you...

“I saw almost immediate improvement in my balance. All the folks at PT Plus were professional and helpful. I hope not to suffer with balance issues again, but if it happens I will gladly return to PT Plus.”

Poor Balance can completely ruin your life:  It can take your focus away on enjoying your life… like spending time with your children or grandchildren…  It can mess up your work or force you to do a job you don’t want to do…  It can ruin your travel plans…  And it can take away your ability to live life…having to rely on others…or to wait for you to sit down for a minute.

And less movement and enjoying of life can lead to depression, increased stress and a sedentary lifestyle (mostly sitting… not moving much) which leads to bigger health problems…and life problems.

Specialists here at PT Plus have helped 100’s of people from right here in Crozet and Albemarle County who have suffered needlessly with balance problems…it’s our specialty.

So by request, I’m hosting a Better Balance Workshop here at PT Plus April 17, 2018 at 5:30PM. We are located at 5690 Three Notch’d Road Suite 107 Crozet, VA 22932.

If you’re confused about what to do and looking for answers, here’s some of what you’ll learn:  The Single Biggest #1 Mistake balance sufferers make which actually stops them from getting better...  The 3 Most Common Causes of poor balance...  A Sure-Fire Way to Pick the Right Treatment for the Cause of Your Balance Problem (and save you a ton of time and money)  What successful treatment and permanent relief looks like without the side effects of medications, injections or surgery.

How Do I Register for the Workshop?

Call our office to register at (434) 823-7613.

We only have 20 seats available for the event... and this will be going out to all of Crozet and Albemarle County.

So if you would like to attend, be sure to register now…

Call (434) 823-7613.

Legally Blonde —continued from page 32

yourself, and choosing a partner who believes in and supports you. The central message is that women should not give up on their dreams or change their identities to please others or win a man. In setting her priorities, Elle learns that hard work can be fulfilling and that it is okay to be both beautiful and smart.

How Much Is It to Attend?

The show also celebrates the importance of female wisdom and sisterhood.

This year’s Western spring musical had no weak links. The entire production was an absolute treat from start to finish, ending with a stunning tableau of joyful, committed, talented youth who were clearly having a blast. “Isn’t that what it’s really all about” asked Pitts, “that joyful energy on the stage?”

FREE

All 20 attendees for the Better Balance Workshop will receive a Special Report: “The Top 10 Burning Questions for Balance.”

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Laura Coleman, PT, Owner PT Plus Health and Wellness Centers PS – The first 10 People to call and register at (434) 823-7613 will receive a special gift.

PPS – This event is limited to the first 20 people to register.

When you register, you can bring a guest (we do this because many people request to bring their spouse or other family member).

54

CROZETgazette

APRIL 2018

Add yours for as little as $45 a month! Call 434-249-4211 or email ads@crozetgazette.com

Crozet Gazette Business Card Ads

Proctor Associates Tax Service

MATT ROBB

Over 40 Years Experience

201 Bedford Road, Waynesboro, VA 22980

Vivian L. Proctor Certified Tax Preparer

413-427-2052 | taxpro66@gmail.com I can prepare your taxes in the privacy of your own home. Please call for details.

Phone: 434.531.6060 Fax: 888.251.3406 EMail: matt@robbconstruction.com 8803 Dick Woods Road Afton, VA 22920

www.robbconstruction.com Class A Lic. #2705073818A

CLASSIFIED ADS A CALL TO FELLOW MEDITATORS: We will use the self-awareness insights of Krishnamurti and Adyashanti, along with our own insights, to help see how we get caught in duality, and how to be free of that duality in our everyday lives. We will do silent meditation and personal sharing. Bob Maslow (434) 823-2294.

AUTHOR NEEDS HELP TO “build social media platform,” to include website, Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. Please call to discuss your qualifications, suggestions, and fees. 434-8231520.

COMMUNITY WIDE YARD SALE in OLD TRAIL, Crozet.

Visit all of Old Trail’s neighborhoods for individual and group yard sales: indoor furniture and decor, lawn and garden, books, clothes, and toys. No early birds please. Saturday May 12th from 8 AM to noon. Rain moves everything into garages. Old Trail Community, Crozet. Just off Route 250 across from Western Albemarle High School.

Serving Central Virginia for Over 25 Years

ALL ENGINES POSSIBLE New location!

6037 Rockfish Gap Turnpike, Crozet Open Monday - Friday 9 am - 6 pm; Saturday 8 am - 1 pm; Closed Sunday

Accounting - Bookkeeping Tax Services - Notary Public

Quality Work | Affordable Rates 434.823.8392 434.953.7931 cell

1186 Crozet Avenue In the Blue Goose Building in Downtown Crozet

www.allenginespossible.com

BY APPOINTMENT

Phone: 434-823-1420 Fax: 434-823-1610

COMPUTER CARE: Quality computer repair in your home or office. Virus removal, networking, wireless setup, tutoring, used computers. Reasonable rates. Over 15 years’ experience.

Please call 434-825-2743.

EXPERIENCED SEAMSTRESS with over 30 years of tailoring and garment alterations experience. I work from home in Crozet (Highlands subdivision). Please call for a free consultation. Ruth Gerges: 434-823-5086.

Something for everyone.

Resale and new, we have a treasure waiting for you!

New items arrive daily! Come check us out!

12 BOOTH VENDORS HOUSEWARES ANTIQUES FURNITURE PRIMITIVE BOOTH CRAFTS CLOTHING FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY UP TO 80% OFF RETAIL PRICE

1805 Eastside Hwy, Crimora • Open Tues-Fri 10am - 6pm; Sat 10am - 3pm

HOUSEKEEPER NEEDED. 1-2 days per week in private home 20 minutes from the Square. $25 per hour. No services, please. Call Jean at 434823-1076.

Across from MusicToday & Next to the Laundromat

434-823-4523

P.O. Box 36 • 5370 Three Notch’d Rd • Crozet, VA 22932

Classified ads start at $16 repeating for cents each. To place an ad email ads@cr

CROZETgazette

LITERACY VOLUNTEERS SEEKS TUTORS FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS Literacy Volunteers seeks compassionate and enthusiastic volunteers to tutor adults in reading, writing, or speaking English. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, and they are hoping to acquire the skills they need to independently pursue life goals, support their families, and contribute to their communities.

Help students achieve their goals by calling 434-9773838 to register for New Tutor Training on Saturday, April 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

No teaching experience is necessary. Learn more at www.literacyforall.org.

WANTED: ASSISTANT FARM MANAGER. Unique Opportunity! Full-time position in western Albemarle.

Duties will vary but include landscaping, invasive plant removal, mowing, road and building maintenance, equipment maintenance, managing summer interns, special projects, and whatever else is needed. Exp with some of the above + integrity, reliability, punctuality, creativity and pleasant personality are key.

Salary based on experience.

Please send resume and inquiry to asstfarmmanager@aol.com.

WANTED: HOUSE FOR RENT. Retired couple needs house or apt to rent in or near Crozet. One level living is required, with 2 bdr and at least 1.5 baths. Sold our house in Lexington, VA and need to move by May 10th, 2018.

Rent under $1500/month.

Very clean and dependable folks will take excellent care of your place.

up to 30 words. Additional words are 25 rozet gazette.com or call 434-249-4211

Crozet Gazette Business Card Ads

55

Add yours for as little as $45 a month! Call 434-249-4211 or email ads@crozetgazette.com

Organized by Renée, LLC Let me help you simplify your life!

Reduce Clutter Organize Files Tidy Closets Premium Business Cards: Downsize Today

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Mon-Sat 11-5 / Wed Closed / Sun 12-5

Watercolor Artist ~ Christine Kennedy Studio CROZETANTIQUES.COM 434.989.6556

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Caroline Revercomb | ROY WHEELER REALTY CO. | 1100 Dryden Lane E

Renée D. Stavish Professional Organizer Licensed & Insured

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Serving Central Virginia

PROOF - Front of Your Card

If you pleas

Resolving your water concerns water testing water filtration water softeners electric hot water heaters uv sterilization well pumps handy man services

We can service your existing equipment John Moore Crozet, VA 22932

434-996-9742; 434-823-1973 jbmooreservices@gmail.com

Blue Line: Represents the final trim-size

Currituck Farm

USDA Certified Grass Fed Beef Locally raised, available for May-June 2018 pickup.

Beef for sale by the side, quarter or eighth. Get steaks for the hamburger price.

ColorCardsDirect.com © 2011-2017 | All Rights Reserved | Home | View our privacy p

Pond Service and Routine Maintenance Enhancements and Upgrades Leaks and unusual problems? solved!

Dan Ehrman, Afton 434-973-8399 • 540-456-8116 • dandoesit@gmail.com

Diana Marchibroda, D.D.S. 9605 Crizer Shop Road Afton, VA 22920 Office hours by appointment

540-456-6571

Parents of arts-oriented kids attending Western Albemarle Co. public schools—

Get Involved with A.W.E.!

Arts in Western Education needs you!

A.W.E. is a non-profit supporting arts education. Learn more—

Go to www.ArtsInWesternEd.org

Puzzle on page 52

CLASSIFIED ADS

APRIL 2018

U ON E T F O R T Y T WO I M H TWE S I X F T I L R E TWE L V E I EAV E V N E I GHT E T EN H ON U T W G CONE THR G G

OU R N L U Y M P E E K O N EN F UN I I E S EV EN R I DE E E E D

F F I F N T Y

For details or to get on the list for delivery, contact Ann at 434-996-6159 or CTFBeef@gmail.com

McAllister Painting Licensed and Insured Over 20 Years Experience - Free Estimates All aspects of painting Interior and Exterior Gutter Cleaning & Power Washing “No job too small”

Call Todd at 434-960-4775