C-VILLE Weekly | November 9 - 15, 2022

Charlottesville’s News & Arts Weekly

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EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Richard DiCicco richard@c-ville.com

NEWS REPORTER Brielle Entzminger reporter@c-ville.com

CULTURE EDITOR Tami Keaveny tami@c-ville.com

COPY EDITOR Susan Sorensen

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Maeve Hayden INTERN Lauren Dalban

CONTRIBUTORS

Rob Brezsny, Amelia Delphos, Matt Dhillon, Carol Diggs, Shea Gibbs, Mary Jane Gore, Will Ham, Erika Howsare, Justin Humphreys, Kristin O’Donoghue, Lisa Provence, Sarah Sargent, Jen Sorensen, Julia Stumbaugh, Courteney Stuart, Paul Ting, Sean Tubbs, David Levinson Wilk

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

ART DIRECTOR

Max March max@c-ville.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Tracy Federico designer@c-ville.com

ADVERTISING advertising@c-ville.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Gabby Kirk (434) 373-2136 gabby@c-ville.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Annick Canevet annick@c-ville.com, Lisa C. Hurdle classyexec@c-ville.com, Brittany Keller brittany@c-ville.com

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & MARKETING Stephanie Vogtman

REAL ESTATE WEEKLY Beth Wood (434) 373-0999 beth@c-ville.com

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Faith Gibson ads@c-ville.com BUSINESS

PUBLISHER

Anna Harrison anna@c-ville.com

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Debbie Miller debbie@c-ville.com

Nanci Winter (434)

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Hello, Charlottesville! Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly. I hope everybody enjoyed the film festival and made it to all of their must-see movies. I had some good laughs during Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and was charmed by the biopic Corsage, which is Austria’s sole submission to the Oscars. But I’m still buzzing from the journalistic thrills of She Said, based on the book of the same name. I hope it proves to be an inspiring film for young reporters everywhere.

11.9.22

T his week in C-VILLE, I’m excited to present a behind-the-scenes look at another kind of spectacular event: the latest competition of the Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers (p. 18). For this story, Laura Drummond followed Sally Williamson, a parent, volunteer, and activist who dons the CLAW persona of “Zsa Zsa Gabortion.” As Williamson and her cohort prepared for the main event, Drummond cataloged their journey from planning to showtime, capturing the character of the organization along the way.

I love stories like this, both because they show off Charlottesville’s unique character and because they give readers a chance to experience something as if they were there themselves. Great writing can transport you like that, pull you into another person’s life and let you walk beside them. And journalism that aspires to transport you in the same way will hopefully help you learn something about that person and the way they see the world.—Richard DiCicco

Most of us don’t think about this question until it’s too late. No matter how you answer it, starting the conversation early puts you in control—and we’re here to help.

At Hospice of the Piedmont, we help families discover peace during life’s final chapter by empowering them to decide what’s most important. We’re proud to offer a wide range of services that help make the end of life as beautiful as the beginning. Learn more about hospice care at home, palliative medicine, caregiver education, grief support, and more.

IN BRIEF

Out on bond

Shane Dennis—who was charged on October 24 for placing a noose around the Homer statue’s neck at the University of Virginia in September—was released from the Albemar le-Charlottesville Regional Jail on November 3 after posting a $10,000 bond. Dennis, an Albemarle County resident, also agreed to receive mental health services, and abide by UVA’s no trespass order.

Jewish sign stolen

The Charlottesville and UVA police depart ments are searching for a person who stole a “Welcome Jewish students” banner from the front porch of the Chabad House—home to a Jewish student organization—on Lewis Mountain Road at around 12:05am on Octo ber 25. The suspect, who appears to be a white man wearing black clothing, was caught on camera, and left the scene in a blue Toyota pick-up truck. Anyone with information should contact the CPD at 970-3280.

out for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Still manager-less

During its November 7 meeting, Charlottes ville City Council extended the city’s contract with The Robert Bobb Group once again, cit ing the need for interim City Manager Michael Rogers’ support during multiple ongoing and upcoming projects—including hiring a new police chief and developing the fiscal year 2024 budget. The contract will expire on December 31, 2023, unless council appoints a permanent city manager before then.

Rent relief available

Charlottesville and Albemarle County resi dents experiencing economic hardships due to the pandemic can now receive up to $1,000 per month—and up to $3,000 per year—for rental, mortgage, or utility assis tance. Those in need of aid can call the Com munity Resources Hotline at (833) 524-2904 from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. The Spanish line number is 373-0930.

Activists accuse ACPD of biased policing

From July 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022, 20 percent of drivers stopped by the Albemarle County Police Department were Black, though Black residents make up only 9.6 percent of the county’s driving-age population, according to a 2022 traffic stop data report released by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services in October. The report used data collected through the Community Policing Act, which requires law enforce ment agencies to collect demographic in formation during traffic and investigatory stops in an effort to prevent biased policing.

The People’s Coalition, a local advocacy group, urged the ACPD and county Board of Supervisors to address racially biased policing in a letter on October 25, claiming the department has neglected to do so for years. In 2020, 20 percent of drivers issued traffic summons by county cops were Black. In 2021, that number was 16.6 percent, ac cording to the department’s annual reports.

“Racial profiling and biased-based polic ing are serious issues that also impact the trust of the department in the community, so necessary for effective law enforcement,” reads the letter. “The refusal of ACPD to even acknowledge that the disparity in polic ing must be studied and rectified points to a failure of oversight.”

However, the ACPD argues the Crimi nal Justice Services report does not provide an accurate depiction of its traffic stop demographics.

“Data tells us that less than half of drivers stopped by ACPD are residents of Albe marle County,” said Col. Sean Reeves in a statement to C-VILLE. “We do not have a demographic breakdown of drivers on Al bemarle County roadways.”

“I don’t think we have a problem with bias policing in Albemarle county at all,” Capt. Darrell Byers told CBS19.

Reeves stressed that all ACPD personnel undergo mandatory training to prevent biased-based policing. The department’s Internal Affairs office and Command Staff also regularly monitor for potential cases of racial profiling, he said.

“In 2021, ACPD received a total of 34 com plaints out of 64,400 encounters for the year,” added Reeves. “We encourage anyone to come forward if they feel a complaint is war ranted. Every single complaint is investigated.”

In its letter, the coalition pointed to the case of ACPD detective Andrew Holmes as

a reason why Black people may not come forward with complaints. From 2016 to 2017, eight Black residents filed five lawsuits against Holmes, who is white, accusing him of targeting Black people for traffic stops and search warrants. In 2015, 51 percent of the summons Holmes issued were to Black people, though the sectors of the county he worked in were only 18 percent Black. That same year, 22 percent of tickets issued by county cops were to Black people.

According to lawyer Jeff Fogel, all of the lawsuits against Holmes have been consoli dated into one case. The parties negotiated a settlement this fall, but one plaintiff re fused to accept the settlement. Fogel’s mo tion to enforce the settlement for the other plaintiffs is currently pending.

“When African American motorists did complain in the past, nothing happened,” reads the letter. Last year, the ACPD gave Holmes a Detective of the Year award.

Board of Supervisors Chair Donna Price agrees with the ACPD that the Criminal Jus tice Services report “should not automati cally be concluded to have everything correct.”

“ACPD’s mandatory trainings … equip Albemarle County’s officers to prevent biasbased policing; and I am confident in Chief Reeves’ commitment to ensuring compliance,” Price told C-VILLE in an email, speaking only for herself. “However, [I] take any such report seriously and will engage to ensure that policing in the County is transparent, fair, and always with protection of our Coun ty safety at the forefront.”

“I hope this sends a message to others that … whether you like it or not, [you] have to watch

— Pedestrian advocate Kevin Cox, commending the arrest of John Dean Sherwin of Orange, Virginia, who has been charged with a felony for hitting and injuring cyclist Kenyon Barnes while driving on East High Street on October 18

FILE PHOTO

Col. Sean Reeves says all Albemarle County Police Department personnel undergo mandatory training to prevent biased-based policing.

‘The money is there’

Advocacy groups, legislators push to reduce fees paid by incarcerated people

By Brielle Entzminger reporter@c-ville.com

In Virginia’s state prisons, just about everything costs money, from phone calls to soap to toilet paper. And be cause incarcerated people make less than 50 cents per hour, they often rely on their loved ones to help them cover prison’s prohibitive costs, putting many families into debt.

To alleviate the burden these fees put on incarcerated people and their loved ones, a state workgroup recommends the Virginia Department of Corrections offer no-cost phone calls, secure messaging, and video calls; eliminate commissions on commissary sales; reduce deposit fees; and increase its food budget per person, among other reforms, according to a re port delivered to the General Assembly on October 1. State lawmakers commis sioned the report during this year’s legis lative session.

“These fees … are a hidden, regressive tax on the most vulnerable people in our com munity—83 percent of which are female, and most of them are Black and brown,” says Shawn Weneta, a policy strategist for the ACLU of Virginia. “One in three families goes into debt trying to stay in contact with an incarcerated loved one.”

Implementing the report’s dozen recom mendations would cost approximately 2 percent of the VADOC’s $1.4 billion budget. However, the department has rejected most of them, leaving it up to state legislators to pass the reforms.

In addition to formerly incarcerated indi viduals, family members of incarcerated people, and VADOC employees, the bipar tisan workgroup included representatives from ACLU-VA, Sistas in Prison Reform, Worth Rises, and six other advocacy organi zations, as well as four state legislators: Del. Patrick Hope, Sen. Jennifer Boysko, and Sen. Barbara Favola (all Democrats), and Repub

Under the VADOC’s current business model, incarcerated people pay $0.0409 per minute for phone calls, $4 for a 20-minute video call, $8 for a 50-minute video call, and at least 25 cents per stamp. This is not the case in other states. In Connecticut, phone and video calls and emails are provided at no cost to incarcerated people. And, this year, California passed legislation making prison phone calls free. In Illinois, calls cost about 20 percent of the price of calls in Vir ginia, though they use the same vendor as the commonwealth, reads the report.

The non-VADOC stakeholders argue that giving incarcerated people free communica tions would foster stronger parent-child rela tionships, promote rehabilitation, and reduce recidivism, among other benefits. And it would only cost around $7 million per year—cheap er than many other prison programs.

“Ties to the community and family is one of the greatest indicators of successful reentry upon release,” says Weneta, who is formerly incarcerated.

“Some of these people are having to pay 35 to 50 cents just to send an email—that’s unconscionable to me,” says Del. Cherry. “The money is there to [offer communica tion] for free.”

The stakeholders also urge the VADOC to stop collecting a commission—current ly 9 percent—on goods sold in prison com missaries, which forces incarcerated people to buy necessities at massively inflated prices. “If you have more than $5 a month, you have to provide everything for yourself. … If you’re earning 23 cents, 27 cents an hour, [you] have to use that,” says Weneta.

Additionally, stakeholders argue, the VA DOC should increase its food budget from $2.20 to $4 per day per person and provide healthier meals, which would reduce dietrelated diseases among incarcerated people—

meals for decades. … Now you have people struggling with diabetes, cardiovascular dis ease, all sorts of chronic conditions.”

“I spend $1.20 for [my] cat to eat one meal, and the idea that people who are incarcer ated are not getting much more than that is a little bit troubling,” adds Sen. Boysko.

Pushing against a no-cost communica tions model, the VADOC argues that many incarcerated people “are on the telephone most of the day” under the current toll rate model, causing some to bully or extort oth ers from using the phones. “Unlimited calls can impact the inmate’s motivation to … participate in vital educational and reentry programming,” reads the VADOC’s response in the report.

Eliminating commissions would provide less funding for services for incarcerated people, claims the VADOC. The depart ment also says that it already serves meals meeting dietary standards, but is working to improve its menu.

“I’m disappointed quite frankly by the DOC,” says Del. Cherry. “They’re taking a stance that they know what’s best and that there are no issues. I don’t think anyone could look at the statistics [and] recom mendations of the people that are most closely working with this, and think that everything’s okay.”

The ACLU and other advocacy groups are currently working with lawmakers to intro duce bills codifying the stakeholders’ recom mendations during the 2023 legislative ses sion. Boysko and Cherry remain optimistic they can get these reforms passed.

There’s an “appetite in Richmond” on both sides of the aisle for increased oversight of the VADOC’s budget, says Cherry. “We’re just hopeful to get things moving in the right direction—and at least advance the conver sation, if not the legislation.”

“We have the data to show that these changes are possible,” adds Boysko, “and I’m pledging to continue to work with the DOC

November 915, 2022 c-ville.com

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Sending love

Local Blue Star Mothers group provides care packages for service members

By Carol Diggs

Iwork from a checklist. Two bags of coffee brew cups, sugar and creamer packets, and tea bags. One bag with a T-shirt and cotton crew socks. Two bags of granola bars, protein bars, and beef jerky. Two bags of cookie packets, hard candy, Twizzlers, and chewing gum. One bag with toothpaste, bar soap, hand cream, and sun screen. Two bags with tissue packets, BandAids, nail clippers, foot powder, and sweat bands. Two Sudoku books, two crossword puzzle books, two decks of playing cards. Eight or nine hand-written notes from total strangers, saying thanks and God bless.

It’s pack-out night for Blue Star Families of Central Virginia. In a few hours, 50 box es of daily necessities and small luxuries will be ready to send to military service members around the world.

This group is one of four Virginia chapters of Blue Star Mothers of America, a national organization started during World War II and chartered by Congress in 1960 to “support our troops, our veterans, our military families, and each other.” Tonight’s assignment? Pre paring care packages for active-duty military service members on deployment.

“Our hardest task isn’t getting money or volunteers,” says chapter president Martha Horsfall. “It’s collecting the names and ad dresses of those serving, so we can send them our support.”

While this chapter was started during the first Iraq conflict, its boxes aren’t just for those in combat zones; recipients may be deployed to military hospitals, refugee ef forts, diplomatic stations, or rescue missions. Wherever recipients are stationed, “they open the boxes up as soon as they get there,” says Horsfall, “and within 10 minutes, ev erything is gone.”

Knowing the contents will be shared, the chapter tries to send two or three boxes to each recipient—since 2003, more than 6,500 packages have been mailed, each one hold ing about $80 worth of supplies, food, and

treats. It’s not that the four military services can’t supply their own troops; the aim is to boost morale and show support from back home. As vice president Ginger Fitzgerald says, “The Army can’t send them love.”

The chapter (mostly women, but men are welcome) holds five pack-out nights a year— and every shipment, like any military op eration, requires enormous preparation and organization. Weeks before a pack-out night, Horsfall compiles the mailing list. Then, she inventories supplies on hand at American Legion Post #74, which stores items already purchased or donated by local churches, schools, companies, and community orga nizations.

Last year, in-kind donations were valued at $15,635, more than half the cost of the supplies shipped out. But no one can put a dollar amount on the hundreds of handwritten letters, notes, and drawings Blue Star Families collect from its partners and mem bers of the public at community events like

Mountain’s

5K.

With the wish list compiled, shoppers Fitzgerald and Sharon Widdows hit Walmart, Sam’s Club, or Amazon—wherever they get the most bang for the chapter’s bucks. Then, all the supplies, treats, health and hygiene items, and clothing are sorted and prepack aged into small plastic bags. That way, on pack-out night, volunteers can take their checklists and walk down the line of tables, picking up what’s needed for each box. Once the boxes are stuffed and sealed, the address ing, processing, and shipping (averaging $23 per box) is provided pro bono by Crutchfield.

After so much preparation, the pack-out runs like clockwork. As they work, volun teers catch up, chat and laugh about how true it is that an army marches on its stom ach—and its feet.

Volunteers participate for their own rea sons: a child deployed, a desire to lend a

hand or acknowledge a debt. Horsfall is the daughter, sister, wife, mother, and aunt of service members. Fitzgerald, whose family never had anyone in the military, found that when her son joined the Air Force, “I need ed an outlet to focus my anxiety,” and be came active with Blue Star Families for the camaraderie and sense of contributing to something worthwhile.

“These men and women have volunteered for us, and they’re far from home,” says Horsfall.

Blue Star Families of Central Virginia’s next pack-out is November 17, starting at 6:30pm at American Legion Post #74 in Keswick. For more information, go to bsfcv.avenue.org; to volunteer or provide a recipient’s name and address, con tact Ginger Fitzgerald at gsfitzgerald@gmail. com. Note: the nonprofit organization Blue Star Families (bluestarfam.org) has a completely dif ferent focus, providing support and community networking for military families.

Carter

Salute to Hometown Heroes, the United Way’s Day of Caring, and the 4 Our Freedom

Since 2003, one Virginia chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America has sent military service members more than 6,500 packages, each one holding about $80 worth of supplies, food, and treats.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

‘We’re still going’

Jefferson School provides update on Lee statue

By Maryann Xue news@c-ville.com

Community members gathered at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center on October 30 to hear the latest on the Swords Into Plowshares project, which seeks to melt down Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue and repurpose its bronze into a new public artwork.

In December, the Trevilian Station Bat tlefield Foundation and the Ratcliffe Foun dation filed a lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville, claiming the city violated state code, the Virginia Public Procurement Act, and the Freedom of Information Act when it donated the statue to the Jefferson School. (The school was initially named as a second defendant, but was removed, and is now a party to the suit.) On October 10, Charlottesville Circuit Court ruled that the lawsuit could move forward, with a trial date set for February 1.

While the Jefferson School initially planned a six-month community engage ment process, during which Charlottesville residents would discuss ways to represent inclusion through art and public space, the lawsuit has delayed it. But Jefferson School Executive Director Andrea Douglas re mains hopeful about where the project currently stands.

“We’re still going. We’re still raising money. We’re still asking the questions,” said Douglas. “We’re still a united front against this court case.”

During the October 10 hearing, the plain the project, presented the results of a survey that asked community members for input

Respondents also voiced fears for the project—some felt that art might be too ab stract or figurative, or represent an oversim plification of a complex issue. Among those who liked the art idea, many wanted the piece to incorporate touch or sound, serve a function, and not honor a single person.

Community engagement meetings have also served as a forum for residents to voice their thoughts. “We’re gonna continue to do this until there’s an opportunity for us to say, ‘Okay, we’ve heard enough from people—we can start creating,’” said Dukes.

Zyahna Bryant, a student activist who first petitioned for the removal of the Lee statue in high school, emphasized that the final product should be treated with the same degree of esteem that had been given to the Lee statue.

“I don’t think it needs to be sad or somber, but I definitely think that it should have some level of respect and honor,” Bryant said.

Other community members hoped the new artwork would provoke dialogue while reflect ing a historical consciousness. One suggested incorporating some kind of theatrical form, creating a lively interactive space.

Charlottesville resident Peter Kleeman, who has frequently attended SIP’s commu nity engagement events, said he finds the project to be the only one of its kind he has come across.

“This whole project is such a fabulous idea,” said Kleeman. “The idea of taking a Civil War memorial and making it into something new, taking something that shouldn’t be part of our memorial collection and thinking, let’s transform it into something that meets

November 915, 2022 c-ville.com

“We’re still a united front against this

The Jefferson School hopes to melt down the Robert E. Lee statue, so it can transform the bronze Confederate monument into a public artwork.

BY LAURA DRUMMOND

olorful lights paint the stage as Peggy Lee’s “Big Spender” plays over the loudspeaker. Sparkling from head to toe like the overhead mirror ball, a woman wearing a sequin dress and dripping in costume jewelry swaggers and sways on stage, proudly brandishing a championship wrestling belt. “Zsa Zsa Gabortion,” a persona that’s equal parts Zsa Zsa Gabor and abortion rights activist, has just been named the evening’s arm-wrestling champ.

It’s the Saturday night before Halloween, and after a threeyear hiatus, the Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers (aka CLAW)—a collective of women that’s part creative cosplay, competition, and charitable cause—have reconvened for a rowdy revelry at Champion Brewing Company. Each Car nivale-style event is held to raise money for a women-led organization or small business. The beneficiary of tonight’s bash is the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund.

“I came to win tonight, but the real winner is BRAF,” says Zsa Zsa Gabortion. She’s right about that. The CLAWing It Back event brought in nearly $14,000, the most money raised by a CLAW gathering in its history. “All funds raised will support people from or traveling to Virginia for their abortion care,” says Deborah Arenstein, BRAF director of development.

For more than 30 years, BRAF has been providing finan cial and logistical support to people who need access to abortion care. “Being back in community, talking to people about abortion access and why it matters, and having fun while funding abortion is what we all need after a very challenging summer,” says Arenstein.

While the main purpose of any CLAW event is to raise funds, it’s also about putting on a show where women’s empowerment takes center stage. The outrageous antics may seem impromptu—and many of them are—but numer ous volunteers lend their time and expertise.

The first meeting on October 9—just 20 days prior to the competition—assembled the arm wrestlers, introduced them to their fearless leaders, and gave them an overview of what to expect. For each event, the wrestlers are free to adopt new personas or maintain existing ones, so character development is the main topic of conversation. Sally Williamson, a full-time parent and volunteer and activist for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, fittingly assumes the role of Zsa Zsa Gabortion.

One of eight arm wrestlers, Williamson is joined by first timers like her as well as seasoned veterans. From 20-some things to 50-somethings, these women come from all walks of life and are united by a spirit of collaboration. Crowd fa vorite “ChiCLAWgo,” a dolled-up flapper inspired by the play Chicago, is portrayed by Amy Hill, a graphic designer and marketing professional. Lucy Fitzgerald, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical & aerospace engineering at UVA, is “Fist of Fu

riosa,” a Mad Max-style warrior. Each competitor brings her own style of sensuality and strength, sass and smarts. One even brings her own live snake—“Eve of Destruction,” por trayed by Eve Hesselroth, owner of Clay Fitness.

As the arm wrestlers brainstorm their personas, CLAW leader Claire Chandler helps them nail down character names and theme songs. Chandler has been one of CLAW’s pri mary organizers since 2016, when founding members Jen nifer Tidwell and Jodie Plaisance turned over the reins. “As a local actress and drama teacher, CLAW has always spoken to my love of theatricality and improv,” says Chandler. “The icing on the CLAW cake has been witnessing the local com munity support and the amazing female friendships.”

Chandler also serves as onstage emcee “Gail,” one-half of a duo of

middle

drama

portrays her counterpart, “Barb.” Behind the scenes, stage manager Mi chelle Oliva is in charge of wrangling the wrestlers and other performers to ensure the event runs smoothly.

CLAW

The organizers share that a crucial piece of the event’s success is the entourages—wrestlers are allowed up to eight entourage members, who solicit the crowd for CLAWbucks, the mock money used for bogus betting. The goal of the entourages, dressed to complement the wrestlers’ personas, is to collect as many CLAWbucks as possible because they equal donations for the evening’s beneficiary. Entourage

camp counselors; fellow

school

teacher and

organizer Edwina Herring

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN IDE PHOTOGRAPHY

Clockwise from top left: Zsa Zsa Gabortion, the evening’s big winner; Kary-OK?, a last-minute participant, who reprised her role as a jilted bride; ChiCLAWgo, winner of the Crowd Favorite trophy, a jewel-encrusted uterus; Barb, half of a duo of camp counselors, and one of the night’s two emcees; and USS Tightship, the referee who laid down the law.

members offer a variety of items—3D-printed bird skull pins, bat facts zines, and candy packaged as abortion pills— in exchange for CLAWbucks.

A few days prior to the main event, the wrestlers reunite for a mandatory safety training session. Years ago, a wrestler broke her arm, and it’s clear that the incident is never far

from the minds of the organizers.“It is our job to keep you safe,” says Chandler to the competitors.

The referee, known onstage as “USS Tightship” and offstage as UVA Associate Professor of Drama Caitlin McLeod, lives up to her character’s name when it comes to the well-being of the wrestlers. Her rules are simple but strict: keep your feet on the ground, maintain a straight plane, and stay out of the break arm position—the one where a wrestler’s arm is awkwardly and potentially dan gerously bent. Seasoned wrestler Sidney Lyon, who drove from Boston earlier in the day to reprise her role as jilted bride “Kary-OK?” after another wrestler had to drop out of the competition, demonstrates the proper arm position.

Then, each wrestler participates in a test match to prove she can compete safely.

“For all that CLAW is a joyously raucous and sometimes chaotic event, I felt totally safe and taken care of,” says Wil liamson, “which meant that I could focus on engaging the crowd to make the event enjoyable for the audience and a successful fundraiser for Blue Ridge Abortion Fund!”

The morning of the event, the organizers, wrestlers, and entourage members meet at Champion for a dress rehearsal. A flurry of activity is squeezed into about an hour—everything from ensuring wrestlers can compete safely in their elaborate costumes to practicing the timing of dance numbers for their stage entrances. The emcees finalize the limericks they’ll read to introduce the wrestlers, as chairs are set out for VIP guests— those who donated $75 or more to attend. The stage man ager lays out rules about who can and cannot access the stage. The ref establishes “Code Tyson,” the emergency protocol, and emphasizes safety once again. Wrestlers disband and are expected to return no later than 6:15pm.

Williamson spends the pre-match time with her partner and three kids. She’s also hosting a friend from Boston, who is in town to be part of her entourage. She has her hair done professionally and preps her costume, most of which she found online. Shortly before call time, she returns to Cham pion to finish getting ready.

Her entourage, also decked out in sparkles and gold lamé, includes Ezra, Williamson’s 11-year-old. He isn’t the only ado lescent in attendance—“Mommie Smearest,” a Joan Crawfordesque character played by Marty Moore, is accompanied by “Christina” and “Christopher.” While CLAW may not be geared toward children, backstage certainly is a family affair. Kids run in and out of the green room, grabbing pizza and candy, while women apply makeup and practice their bits.

On the Champion patio, excitement and nervous energy are palpable. Wrestlers and their entourages take turns as sembling for photos with Justin Ide, who’s providing free photography of the event. Five minutes prior to doors open ing at 7pm, Williamson huddles with her entourage, provid ing instructions and encouragement. A luchadora lays out CLAW merch, while the BRAF cohort prepares cup koozies, magnets, and other swag for sale.

As soon as the Charlottesville Derby Dames, who volun teer as security personnel, allow spectators in, the entourage members get to work. Some stand close to the entrance, enticing people to hand over their CLAWbucks as soon as they set foot inside the gate. Others charm the VIP section, knowing there are big spenders in their midst. Scantily clad women stuff CLAWbucks in their corsets; shirtless men pose for photos for a fee.

Fans filter in over the next hour until Champion’s patio reaches capacity. CLAW begins with a roar, featuring a parade of the wrestlers and their entourages. After opening speech es from the emcees and BRAF’s Arenstein, the arm wrestling gets underway. Three rounds of competition stretch out over two hours—interspersed with multiple absurd interruptions.

There are dance-offs, an impromptu wrestling battle featur ing a life-size cardboard cutout, and an intermission in which Kary-OK? sits on the stage alone after smashing her own face into a wedding cake. There are multiple breaks to bribe the three judges, Darryl “Disco Darryl” Smith, Katie “Wendy Snarling” Rogers, both of Live Arts, and a giant can of corn. The crowd cheers for wrestlers ousted early to return, like Katie Aplis’ “Vampira-bortion Rights,” and jeers when Kath ryn Bertoni’s “Princess Slay-a” uses the Force to overtake Zsa Zsa Gabortion in a contested match.

“It was pointless but entertaining. That’s CLAW, y’all,” says Chandler’s Gail at one point from the stage.

But at the end of the night, it’s Zsa Zsa Gabortion who goes home with the bragging rights of having won the arm-wrestling competition. ChiCLAWgo wins the Crowd Favorite trophy. The spectators, entourage, and wrestlers disperse, and a small celebration among the organizers begins. They bid adieu with a “Soul Train”-style line dance and hand gestures to accom pany their standard send-off, “Love, Peace, and CLAW.”

“We’re just regular people,” says ref Tightship McLeod. “But we do it all—we know how to have fun, and we help the com munity. That’s what happens when women run the show.”

CLAW will return in 2023. Anyone can donate to BRAF at blueridgeabortionfund.org/donate.

November 915, 2022 c-ville.com @cville_weekly facebook.com/cville.weekly

“For all that CLAW is a joyously raucous and sometimes chaotic event, I felt totally safe and taken care of.”

SALLY, “ZSA ZSA GABORTION,” WILLIAMSON, CLAW COMPETITOR

THE WINE DOWN

WHAT’S DELISH AT LOCAL WINERIES?

CHISWELL FARM WINERY

2021 Cabernet Franc

A brand-new release, this Cabernet Franc is an excellent wine to enjoy now or age for a special occasion! With raspberry jam, fig, and allspice on the nose, it has a rounded palate full of spices, cherries, and red plums. Well balanced between earthy and fruit characters, this wine pairs beautifully with the coming Thanksgiving holiday foods like turkey, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato casserole!

With a glass in hand, enjoy the beautiful scenery from our lawn, or a cozy chair inside, where you’ll discover a variety of inviting spaces. While indoor seating is limited, there are many options for outdoor seating, including rocking chairs on the covered porch and dining tables on the lawn for small groups. You’re also welcome to bring your own folding chairs and blankets to sit further out on the hill. All seating is first-come, first-served. Ages 21+, no dogs or other pets permitted on the property. For a family-friendly experience, visit our wine shops at Chiles Peach Orchard or Carter Mountain Orchard.

Wine is currently available by the glass, flight, or bottle. We have a full menu of seasonal boards, paninis, small bites and snacks to pair well with any of our wines (outside food is not permitted). Wine sales stop 30 minutes prior to closing.

Sundays- Brunch featuring mimosas with juices from our farm-grown fruit.

Nov. 12th- First Year Anniversary party, with live music by Max Mandu! And big news: we’re introducing the Crown Club, Chiswell and Chiles Family Orchard’s membership of wine and celebration as the first pick-up event (2-5pm)

Nov. 13th – November Florals Paint & Sip (advanced ticket purchase required)

Hours: Wed-Sun 11 am – 5:30 pm 430 Greenwood Rd, Greenwood, VA 22943 434.252.2947 • www.chilesfamilyorchards.com/chiswell

53RD WINERY AND VINEYARD

Thanksgiving Package! Including the 2021 Vidal Blanc, 2021 Chardonnay, 2021 Barrel Aged Rose and 2021 Cabernet Franc. Each of these wines pairs perfectly with each course of your Thanksgiving Dinner! Compliment these with great dessert wines like Noche, Virginia’s original chocolate infused wine or Kelso, our port-styled red wine. 15% off retail price if purchased as a group.

We are open 7 days a week, 11am to 5pm offering our 100% Virginia wine by the bottle, glass and tasting flights.  Enjoy your visit at our intimate, meadow-like

setting in rural Louisa County.  we offer well-spaced indoor and outside seating and customers are welcome to bring their own picnic baskets, chairs and blankets. Children and pets are welcome, but pets must always remain outside of buildings and on a leash.  Quality wine, friendly staff at a great escape! Visit our website, www.53rdwinery.com.

Nov. 19th – Wine Club Member Appreciation day! Plus live music by Matty Metcalfe and food from Salty Bottom Oyster Company.

Nov. 20th – Friendsgiving with Sauce Catering

Nov. 24th – CLOSED for Thanksgiving

November 915, 2022 c-ville.com @cville_weekly

Nov. 25th & 26th – Escape

from Black Friday with wine, cheese, and chocolate tastings and live music by Denise O’Meara (Friday) and Adeline Tanous (Saturday)

Open 7 days a week, 11 am – 5 pm

13372 Shannon Hill Rd • Louisa, VA 23093 (540) 894-5474 • 53rdwinery.com

Mondays through

Thursday- Winery Tours (by reservation only) at 12:30 pm

Fridays- Fiesta Fridays (11-5pm) reservations suggested

Sundays- Taste of Europe Dinner Series (tickets required) from 5-8 pm; check our website for weekly menus!

Nov. 13th – Sunday Brunch with Live Music by Jimmy-O Nov. 19th – Salsa Night (tickets required)

Nov. 24th – CLOSED for Thanksgiving

Open Daily from 11- 7pm

6011 E Timber Ridge Rd, Mt Crawford, VA 22841 (540) 234-0505

https://crosskeysvineyards.com/

CROSSKEYS WINERY

2020 Meritage

A rich blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged 15 months in new and neutral oak barrels. Blackberry and vanilla bound out of the glass but the nose evolves into mature layers of brandied cherry, black pepper, and violet. Oak provides dimension and body. Pairs perfectly with the fall October weather!

CrossKeys Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery located in the heart of beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Our approach is to grow, by hand, the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management and yield balance to achieve 100% estate-grown wines that are truly expressive of the varietal and soils here at CrossKeys. Our first vines were planted in 2001 and we have only grown since then. Our 125acre estate currently houses more than 30 acres of vines with plans for more planting in the future. We currently grow 12 varietals of grapes all used to produce our one of a kind award-winning wines.We offer wine tastings throughout the day. Our knowledgeable tasting room associates will guide you through tasting our wines whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran. We love large groups and want to make sure your experience at CrossKeys Vineyards is extraordinary. We request that large groups call the vineyard 48 hours in advance to set up a reserved group tasting. The group will have a reserved table, staffing, and a cheese plate included with price.

DUCARD VINEYARDS

2021 TANA Chardonnay

Produced exclusively from our TANA vineyard, this “Macon” style wine shows aromas of green apple on the nose and pleasing minerality on the palate, with a hint of oak on the finish.

Our uncrowded rural Madison County area has mountains, streams and plenty of beautiful views along scenic back roads. The tasting room is near hiking and biking trails along the Shenandoah National Forest and is a perfect respite after your day out! Enjoy some peace and quiet relaxation in this challenging environment. Sit on our lawns and sip or pick up a bottle or three of our awardwinning wines to take home. Reservations available and recommended (especially for

Saturdays). No reservation fee or minimum purchase. Walk-ups accommodated on a spaceavailable basis. To order wine for local delivery or UPS shipping, visit our website!

Open daily – Mon-Thurs. 12-5 pm

Fri. 12-9 pm

Sat/Sun. 12-6 pm

Weekends (Fri-Sun)- Live music Friday-Sunday all month long. Check out our website for details and the musical artist lineup!

Nov. 24th – CLOSED for Thanksgiving

Nov. 25th – Black Friday Live Music with Shane Click (2:30 –5:30 pm)

40 Gibson Hollow Ln • Etlan, VA 22719 (540) 923-4206 www.ducardvineyards.com

EASTWOOD FARM AND WINERY

2021 Petit Manseng

With notes of honeysuckle, pineapple, and mango, the nose on this wine is delightful. With only 0.5% residual sugar, it is dry and refreshing with balanced acidity. This small-batch wine was released last month to Eastwood Wine Club members and we are thrilled to now offer it in our Festive Gatherings Bundle - just in time for Thanksgiving. Shop the bundle online or take it home the next time you visit the tasting room.

‘Tis the season for Festive Gatherings! We are thrilled to share a new recipe for a Pear, Brie & Thyme Galette that pairs perfectly with our 2021 Petit Manseng. The recipe and a holiday pairing guide are available now on our website. Join us all month long for awardwinning wines, delicious farm-to-

table food pairings, special events, live music, and more.

NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

Winery Hours: Sunday - Tuesday (12-5PM), Wednesdays-Saturdays (12-8 PM)

2531 Scottsville Rd. (5 mi from Downtown Charlottesville) Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 264-6727

www.eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

HARK VINEYARDS

2019 Merlot

Small vat fermented and barrel aged 16 months, this wine showcases notes of black cherry, cola, and savory herbs. This wine follows nice in the footsteps of its predecessor, our 2017 Merlot, which won Gold in the Governor’s Cup. The 2019 is still a bit youthful, and while it tastes great right now, it’s only going to get better over the next several years. The problem? By then it will be long gone! That’s the challenge and the beauty of authentic, estate grown wines. Only 200 cases were produced. Available now for you to experience on our tasting menu!

Visiting Hark:

Hark Vineyards is a family-owned winery focused on the belief that beautiful views and delicious wine can bring people together. Children and well-behaved four-legged friends are welcome. We welcome — and encourage — you to bring a picnic and enjoy the experience our estate offers.  Some picnic foods such as cheese, charcuterie, jams, crackers, and chocolate are available for purchase. Food trucks and live music most Saturdays from March-November; check our website and social media for details. Our grapes love it here. We think you will, too.

Upcoming events

Nov. 12th – Live music by Matthew O’Donnell and food by Bavarian Chef Food Truck

Nov. 19th- Live music by Gina Sobel and Matt Draper+ Food Truck (TBD)

Nov. 24th – CLOSED for Thanksgiving

Hours

Friday 12-6pm, Saturday 12-7pm, and Sunday 12-6pm

434-964-9463 (WINE) 1465 Davis Shop Rd, Earlysville, VA 22936 www.harkvineyards.com

HORTON VINEYARDS

Knots & Shuttles Red Sparkling

Red sparkling was inconceivable many years ago and it is still rare. Knots and Shuttles is Horton’s flight into red sparkling. It is a dry red wine, deep garnet color with berry aromas ad a lingering effervescent finish. Knots and Shuttles is also the last installment of the Gears & Lace, Steam Punk line of wines. Overall- a fun and unique wine that will pair well with your Thanksgiving dinner!

Dec. 3rd- International Touriga Nacional/Port Tasting: This is the ticketed-only International Tasting series you won’t want to miss! This is the last of the four-part series that Horton has hosted to showcase the amazing wine Virginia has to offer to the world. The tastings will start at 11:30am. Guest speakers will guide you through your tastings and discuss the history of the grape. Charcuterie boards will be available for guests to purchase to go along with their tastings. Advanced ticket purchase required via our website.

Open Daily from 10 am – 5 pm 6399 Spotswood Trail, Gordonsville, Virginia (540) 832-7440 www.hortonwine.com

MONTIFALCO VINEYARDS

2021 Montifalco Vineyard Estate Saperavi, Monticello AVA

This is the first single varietal vintage of our 100% Estate Saperavi red wine. Saperavi means “dye” in Georgian. Until now we have used our Saperavi in 2020 and 2021 for our popular Estate Rose wine (2021 is almost sold out!). Saperavi is a teinturier-type (French word meaning to stain or dye). It has dark purple skin with red flesh inside. It’s a grape variety native to Eastern Europe. While most of it is grown in Georgia, it is also farmed in Russia, Moldova, Armenia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Australia. If left with longer skin contact time, the wine can actually fall into the black wine category, rather than red wine. A wine that is exceptional with savory dishes and higher fat content as Saperavi’s acidity sings with dishes like smoked brisket and grilled NY strip. Email us for recipes! Our 2021 Montifalco Estate Saperavi will be released this December

2022 and we are excited to farm and represent this ancient grape in Virginia’s wine industry.

Reserve one of our super cozy outdoor lounges and seating areas with firepits, tower heaters, cushions, and blankets. (No fee!) We have limited indoor seating in our Tasting Gallery where you can enjoy our rotating collection of antique art and curiosities while sipping through a guided traditional tasting. We are open by walk-in or reservation Friday, Saturday & Sunday Noon-5pm and select holiday Mondays. We remain open year round. We do not accept groups larger than 6. We are an adults only farm winery 21+ (does not apply to infants) Please visit montifalcovineyard.com or call/ text us at 434-989-9115 for more information. We’ll see you at the vineyard!

Hours: Friday- Sunday: 12 noon – 5 pm

Walk-ins or Reservations; Final seating is 4:30pm.

1800 Fray Road; Ruckersville, VA 22968 (434) 989-9115 / info@montifalco.com www.montifalcovineyard.com

PIPPIN HILL FARM & VINEYARDS

2019 Petit Verdot

Our single varietal 2019 Petit Verdot is a beautiful example of why we love this grape so much. We age this wine in a blend of French and American oak barrels to enhance its complexity, bringing out its rich aromas of boysenberry, black olive and tobacco leaf and highlighting fruit flavors on the palate of blackberry and pomegranate seed. Its finish is dry, with medium tannins and with notes of pepper.

This lovely wine pairs well with rich meat dishes, spicy foods and a variety of hard and semi-soft cheeses.

Plan to Visit:  Pippin Hill is a culinary vineyard in the heart of Virginia’s wine country. There are two types of standard reservations available for food and wine pairings: Indoor Table or Covered Veranda for table service. Walk-ins are welcome for lawn seating. Reservations via Resy are recommended for Indoor and Veranda seating. For the ultimate wine tasting experience, check out Pippin Hill’s elevated wine tasting and tour experience, offered select Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.  Learn more at pippinhillfarm.com. Hours

Mon - Sun 11am - 5pm* *See Our Calendar for Early Closings. We are Closed the first Monday of every month.

Sundays- Live music on the hill! Each Sunday from 1-4 PM, Pippin Hill welcomes local musicians to perform on our Veranda. Check our website for varying artists.

Nov. 16th- Wine School- 101 Class

Nov. 17th- One Pot Wonder Cooking Class (advanced reservation required)

Nov. 24th – CLOSED for Thanksgiving

Nov. 26th – Wine School Dinnner at Red Pump Kitchen

Nov. 30th – Braising 101 Cooking Class (advanced reservation required)

5022 Plank Rd., North Garden, VA 22959 (434).202.8063 www.pippinhillfarm.com

REVALATION VINEYARDS

2021 Haywood

We are very proud and excited to announce the release of Haywood, our very first orange wine. The grapes were crushed, and the juice was left to ferment in contact with skins and seeds for three weeks. Also known as “amber wine”, this style of wine acquires a richer color as well more complex aromas than white wines produced by the conventional process. With aromas of white peach, tangerine, papaya, fresh mint, lemon, and dried apricots; featuring a long, sweet/salty mouthfeel and a fruity, fresh finale. When you pour a glass, be patient and allow the wine to develop in the glass to reveal its wonderful aromatic complexity. Haywood is available now in the tasting room by the bottle or glass.

Visiting

Revalation Vineyards is a familyowned vineyard, located in Madison’s Hebron Valley. Our property offers stunning views of the Blue Ridge mountains from the porch of our 1830’s log cabin tasting room. Enjoy our wine by the bottle or choose one of our flights which feature five different wines. Reservations are requested for indoor, porch or outdoor seating and can be made on our website. Walkins are welcome whenever space is available. Thursday Appointment Only Pick-Up and Tastings Available in November

Holiday planning, travel, and gatherings can make November a busy month. We’ve made it easier for you to pick-up the bottles you need by being available on Thursdays in November for an “appointment only” wine pick-up. Wine can be pre-purchased online (choose curb-side pick-up during check out) or purchased in the tasting room at a reserved time.

We’re also opening reservations on Thursdays for “appointment only” wine tasting sessions. We have limited space available. Reserve a space inside the cabin or in our outdoor area for a $5.00 fee. (Fee is waived for wine club members reserving with their registered email.) Purchases and reservations can be made on our website www. revalationvineyards.com.

Hours: Friday 12 – sunset, Saturday/ Sunday 12pm to 5pm

Nov. 4th - Book World Meets Wine World Fundraiser for the Literacy Council of Madison County

Nov. 4th - Try Fabulous Foods Brick Oven Pizza 3pm to sunset

Nov. 18th - Jackleg Roaming Kitchen 3pm to sunset

Nov. 18th - Book Club @ The Vineyard 6pm

2710 Hebron Valley Road, Madison, VA 22727 540-407-1236 www.revalationvineyards.com

November 915, 2022 c-ville.com @cville_weekly facebook.com/cville.weekly

THROUGH 11/20

ESSENTIAL VOICES

The Charlottesville Players Guild continues its journey through August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with Two Trains Running. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play, set in 1960s Pittsburgh, follows restaurant owner Memphis Lee and his patrons and employees as they search for justice and love amidst a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. Leslie M. Scott-Jones directs a cast that includes Todd Carter, Cadessa Davis, Hyison Payne, and Rory Lee-Washington. $10-20, various times. Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 233 Fourth St. NW. jeffschoolheritagecenter.org

SUNDAY 11/13

PINK ABOUT IT

Comedian, singer, and satirist Randy Rainbow hits the road for The Pink Glasses Tour, an evening filled with opulent costumes, stellar choreography, musical parody, and plenty of political spoofs. Rainbow’s memoir, Playing with Myself, landed him on The New York Times bestseller list, and his debut studio album, Hey Gurl, It’s Christmas!, debuted at number one on Billboard’s comedy chart. Rainbow also hosts a YouTube series, “The Randy Rainbow Show,” and a podcast, The Randy Rainbow Podcast. $49.50-169.50, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

TUESDAY 11/15

NEXT BEST DAY

Chances are you’ve heard American Authors’ anthemic hit single, “Best Day of My Life.” The 2013 release went tripleplatinum, and has been featured in over 600 movie trailers, TV shows, and commercials. In 2020, the New York-based rock band released Counting Down, a condensed album that continues the group’s evolution to a sound that’s recognizable yet unfamiliar. “We’ve never been afraid to explore new musical genres but we always try to maintain a message of hope in our music,” says vocalist Zac Barnett. $20-23, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com

Wednesday 11/9

music

Hard Swimmin’ Fish trio. A midweek music boost. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskey jarcville.com

Dueling Pianos. An all-request, rock ‘n’ roll party where you pick the playlist. $25, 7pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

words

Highland Virtual Book Club. Highland’s Mellon Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Ma ria DiBenigno leads the group in discussion of History Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past by Jason Steinhauer. Free, 7pm. Online. highland.org

classes

Paint & Sip. Learn to paint a mandala mar tini glass. $40, 6pm. Vitae Spirits Distillery Downtown, 101 E. Water St. catelynkelsey designs.com

etc.

Crafty Date Night. Enjoy a complimentary beverage with every craft purchase. Free, 6pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. Explore the only museum in the U.S. de voted to Indigenous Australian art. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aborig inal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Thursday 11/10

music

Berto and Vincent. A night of wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Eggy. Eggy’s music traces the full spectrum of emotions evoked by a life well-lived. $1517, 8:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

words

MFA Reading Series. Fiction and poetry students from the University of Virginia’s MFA program in creative writing read from their work. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Book shop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

One Mic Stand—Spoken Word Open Mic. Enjoy a mix of spoken word works. Free, 7pm. PVCC’s V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

etc.

Arts From Underground. Artmaking, drinks, and karaoke inside The Looking Glass. Free, 7pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 9. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

The “Cav Futures Show” Live. Lo Davis and Luke Neer host this live radio show that features interviews with UVA studentathletes, a social media livestream, and in-person photo and autograph opportuni ties. Free, 7pm. Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. cavalierfutures.com

One music

Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble brings international improv to UVA

By Julia Stumbaugh

The concert begins with a thunderous gong and booming timpani.

As the intro song progresses, a gut tural drone pulses, seemingly from beneath the audience’s feet, while the breathy undula tion of a distant horn floats over the rumble.

Audiences new to Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble may not immediately recognize what they’re hearing. That’s because they’re listening to a didgeridoo and a conch shell, two of the non-Western instruments that define the unique sound of this improvisa tional group joining the University of Vir ginia’s artist-in-residence program from November 15-17.

The ensemble’s instruments originate from six continents, and the methods used to play them are hypnotizing. Cole’s cheeks bulge as he stores enough air to fill his fourfoot-long instrument. Taylor Ho Bynum’s fingers curl deftly inside the seashell. Althea SullyCole expertly strums the 21 strings of her round-bellied kora.

Most of these complicated manipulations happen without sheet music. In fact, the only thing on the musicians’ stands is a single opening line.

This line is based on proverbs shared with Cole by a Nigerian mentor. The syllables of each proverb shape the opening rhythms of the Untempered Ensemble’s unpredictable group journey through sound.

“It could be anybody that takes the lead on it,” says Cole. “After we play the line, whoev er jumps out there starts it. It’s joyous to be able to play in a situation where the individ uals who are in my ensemble are making equal contributions to the pieces that we’re doing.”

The improvised song grows like a living thing. Occasionally, the sound of individu al instruments floats away from the pulsing core—the lilt of the flute, the thrum of the acoustic bass—but there are glowing mo ments of cohesion, where the entire band comes together as one.

“One of the things that I’ve been working on for quite some time now is to have ev erybody in the ensemble improvising at the same time,” says Cole. “In other words, we’re not doing solos. We try to play one music, but it’s improvisational style.”

Unlike pop and classical artists, who usu ally stick to chords shaped from the key the song is played in, Cole and his Untempered Ensemble float outside diatonic boundaries.

Deliberately discordant moments some times fit the tone of the proverb the song is based on. That may be the case at UVA’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, where the Untempered Ensemble will hold its first Charlottesville performance of the year.

Cole, a descendant of enslaved laborers, is shaping the rhythm of this performance around two proverbs: “No wicked man will escape the judgment of God,” and “As we behave, so we are blessed.”

“Music has a way of initiating certain kinds of feelings within people when they come and hear the performances,” says Cole. “That’s the kind of thing I hope we do in our band.”

The performance will feature Cole on Asian double reeds, Australian didgeridoo, and Af rican wooden flute; Joseph Daley on low brass; Warren Smith on African, Caribbean, and Western percussion; Bynum on cornet, trum pet, and conch shell; Ras Moshe Burnett on saxophones and flute; SullyCole on West Af rican kora; Mali Obomsawin on acoustic bass; and Olivia Shortt on baritone saxophone.

In 1992, the ensemble began with just Cole, Smith, and Daley. The group slowly grew over the next three decades—until COVID-19 abruptly reversed that trend.

As venues closed their doors, Cole’s group shrunk back to a trio once more. Cole and two fellow ensemble members sat on his porch in Vermont, and played music for neighbors who set up folding chairs on the lawn to listen to the unique musical style.

“It’s American music, but in a state like Vermont, people haven’t heard the kind of music that I do,” says Cole. “It’s an interest ing experience for both the people we play for and the players that are playing.”

The ensemble will return in full force to Charlottesville as an eight-member group featuring musicians ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s.

“Everybody is learning from everybody else, so it works out,” says Cole. “It’s the idea that everybody believes in the fact that we’re trying to play one music. That makes this important.”

The musicians’ influences range from the Senegalese, from whom Cole’s daugh ter SullyCole learned the kora during research in West Africa for her doctorate in ethnomusicology, to Aretha Franklin, for whom Smith once played percussion on tour and live TV.

But these differences in age and experi ence fade away on stage, when communal improvisation turns disparate instruments into a single noise that sounds like, as Bruce Lee Gallanter of the Downtown Music Gallery described it in April, “the dawn of mankind.”

November 9 –15, 2022 c-ville.com @cville_culture facebook.com/cville.weekly

“One of the things that I’ve been working on for quite some time now is to have everybody in the ensemble improvising at the same time.”

BILL COLE

The Untempered Ensemble presents free performances at the UVA Memorial to Enslaved Labors on November 15, at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center on November 16, and in the Rotunda’s Dome Room on November 17.

PUBLICITY PHOTO

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Friday 11/11

music

An Evening with Pierre Bensusan. The French-Algerian guitarist, vocalist and com poser performs in support of his album Azwan. $30-35, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesouthern cville.com

Cavalier Marching Band: Veteran Appre ciation. An open dress rehearsal for the halftime show Veteran Appreciation. Free, 6:30pm. Carr’s Hill Field, UVA Grounds. music.virginia.edu

Charlottesville Symphony—Master works 2: Songs of Destiny. With the University Singers, the University of Vir ginia’s 100-voice SATB choral ensemble. $8-45, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds. cvillesymphony.org

John Kelly. Live music, wine, and food from the Eastwood food truck. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scotts ville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

MoJo Pie. Enjoy wine and music with friends. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com

The California Honeydrops. The band draws on musical influences ranging from Bay Area R&B, funk, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second-line. $2530, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

words

African Photography: The Ethics of Looking and Collecting in the Age of Restitution. This symposium draws to gether scholars, artists, and curators who explore the ethics of working with photo graphs and methods to decolonize the medium, and its histories. Free, all day. Online. art.as.virginia.edu

Joyce Chopra: Lady Director In conversa tion with filmmaker Paul Wagner. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

Perfect Binding: publishing, politics, & creative practice. A poetry reading and conversation with Nicole Cecilia Delgado and MC Hyland. Free, 6pm. Virginia Center for the Book, Jefferson School City Center, 233 Fourth St. NW. vabookcenter.org

outside

Playdates at the Playscape. BYO buddies and snacks and enjoy nature play. $20, 9:30am. Wildrock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 9. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

This Is Spinal Tap Chronicled by a filmmaker fan, This Is Spinal Tap shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts. $11, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Veterans Day Commemoration Cere mony. The University of Virginia Army ROTC Cadets, the Cville Brass Quintet, and featured speaker Mary James, direc tor of COVER, participate in this ceremony in salute of our veterans. Free, 1pm. James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Pkwy. highland.org

Saturday 11/12 music

Berto and Vincent. An afternoon of wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Berto’s Latin Guitar Brunch. Enjoy the sounds of Brazil, Spain, and Latin America. Free, 11am. Tavern & Grocery, 333 W. Main St. tavernandgrocery.com

Personal Bandana. The liminal local elec tronic duo performs live. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

Teddy Swims. The 29-year-old artist merges honeyed soul with raucous rock energy and pleasing pop hooks. $25-125, 8pm. The Jef ferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

The Brevet. The band’s alternative rock sound draws authentically from folk, surf, and R&B influence. $12-15, 8:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

words

Commemorating the African American Military Experience: Telling Untold History. With guest speaker Winsome Earle-Sears, Virginia’s lieutenant governor and a Marine veteran. Free, 11am. Carver Recreation Cen ter, 233 Fourth St NW. vetcommcva.com

Louise Marburg: You Have Reached Your Destination In conversation with Sharon Harrigan. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Book shop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com Storytime. Featuring recent storybooks and classics kids know and love. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

classes

Planning and Planting the Home Orchard. Learn about site selection and soil preparation, and get the tools you need to start the plan ning process successfully. $150, all day. Albe marle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

outside

Farmers Market at Ix. Over 60 local ven dors with produce, prepared foods, artisan goods, and more. Free, 8am. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org

Playdates at the Playscape. See listing for Friday, November 11. $20, 9:30am. Wil drock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org

etc.

Citizen Kane. A reporter is assigned to de cipher newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane’s dying words. $5-8, 7:30pm. The Par amount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall.theparamount.net

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 9. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Family Studio Day. Make your own au tumn wreaths and other fall decorations to take home. Free, 10am. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. secondstreet gallery.org

Neon Culture Brewing: From the Jump— Volume 2. A block party with live music, food, artmaking, and beer. Free, 3pm. The Looking Glass, 522 Second St. SE. @neon culturebrewing

Night of The Blind Pig. A speakeasy soirée to benefit The Front Porch. $150, 6pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.org Tour The Paramount Theater. Dig into the historic theater’s history on a back stage tour. Free, 11am. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Sunday 11/13 music

Charlottesville Symphony—Masterworks 2: Songs of Destiny. See listing for Friday, November 11. $10-45, 3:30pm. Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, 1400 Mel bourne Rd. cvillesymphony.org

Irish Music. An energetic and eclectic jam session with Patrick and Aaron Olwell and friends. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle Cider Works, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Jazz Chamber Ensembles. Student musi cians in the UVA jazz program perform. Free, 7pm. Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds. music. virginia.edu

The Jazz Connection. Playing standards and originals with occasional guest perform ers. Free, 6pm. Kardinal Hall, 722 Preston Ave. kardinalhall.com

Rick Olivarez Trio. Gypsy jazz. Free, 1pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Scuffletown. Calypso, bluegrass, reggae, and blues tunes. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Second Sunday Bluegrass Jam. All levels, ages, and instruments welcome. Free, 1pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

words

Charlotte Matthews. The local author and UVA professor celebrates the release of her new poetry book, The Half-Life of Re gret. Free, 1pm. Bluebird & Co., 5792 Three Notched Rd., Crozet. bluebirdcrozet.com

classes

Paint & Sip. Paint, sip, snack, and repeat. $35, 2pm. Chiswell Farm & Winery, 430 Greenwood Rd., Greenwood. catelynkelsey designs.com

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 9. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Morocco Known for its star’s gender-bend ing attire, Morocco was Marlene Dietrich’s first Hollywood production and the second of her numerous collaborations with director Josef von Sternberg. Free, 4pm. Light House Studio: Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lighthousestudio.org

The Southern Flea. A curated holiday mar ket. Free, 11am. Common House, 206 W. Market St. eastwestexperiential.com

11/11 | The Paramount Theater

Monday 11/14

music

Baby Jo’s. Tunes from the seven-piece, New Orleans-inspired boogie and blues band. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com

Berto & Vincent. Rumba rumba. Free, 7pm. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. southandcentralgrill.com

Gin & Jazz. Brian Caputo Trio performs in the hotel lobby bar. Free, 5:30pm. Oakhurst Hall, 122 Oakhurst Cir. oakhurstinn.com

Wind Ensemble. A program including Shenan doah, arranged by Omar Thomas, and Echoes, by Daniel Fisher. Free, 7pm. Hunter Smith Band Building, UVA Grounds. music.virginia.edu

Yard Sale, Sleeping Jesus, Hot Spit. A night of live indie rock with three bands. Free, 7pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

words

Michael Méndez: Climate Change from the Streets Dr. Méndez’s award-winning book provides an urgent and timely analysis of the contentious politics of incorporating environmental justice into climate change policy. Free, noon. Online. arch.virginia.edu

Tuesday 11/15

music

American Authors. Since releasing its debut album Oh, What a Life in 2014, this New York-based pop-rock outfit has expe rienced milestones most bands only dream about. $20-23, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesouthern cville.com

Bill Cole & the Untempered Ensemble. Cole is joined by Ras Moshe, Joseph Daley, Warren Smith, Olivia Shortt, Mali Obomsawin, Althea SullyCole, and Taylor Ho Bynum. Free, 5pm. Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, UVA Grounds. arts.virginia.edu

Josh Mayo and The House Sauce. A ro tating lineup of local musicians. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Vincent Zorn. Olé. Free, 7pm. The Bebede ro, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. the bebedero.com

dance

Step Afrika! The professional dance compa ny performs stepping, a polyrhythmic, per cussive dance form that uses the body as an instrument. $29-44, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

outside

Playdates at the Playscape. See listing for Friday, November 11. $20, 9:30am. Wil drock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, November 9. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Wor rell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Family Game Night. Enjoy dinner, refresh ing cocktails, mocktails, and beers, and play a variety of games for all ages, including corn hole, jumbo Jenga, cards, and more. Free, 5pm. Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. dairymarketcville.com

Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night. Useless knowledge means everything at this authentic homegrown trivia quiz. Free, 8pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

CULTURE THE WORKS

Identity and magic

Megan Marlatt plays with our heads at Second Street Gallery

By Sarah Sargent arts@c-ville.com

It feels like Carnival time at Second Street Gallery. Megan Marlatt’s vibrant paintings and eye-popping big head sculptures are on view and the space sings with boisterous energy. Festival themes loom large in her show entitled “Mummers,” and though Carnival doesn’t officially begin for a couple of months, its fall equivalent is hap pening right now. As we head into winter, we celebrate seasonal change with Hallow een and Día de Muertos, which, like Carni val, feature magic and costumes.

For an artist like Marlatt, who has built her career as a painter, her big heads may seem like a departure, but from the moment she first saw a capgrosso (“big head” in Cat alan), she was smitten. Her fascination prompted her to travel to Spain in 2010 to learn how to make capgrossos from re nowned folk artists Ventura and Hosta.

“Through the big heads, I became very interested in the rituals of European carni vals,” says Marlatt. In 2018, she returned to Europe, this time to Belgium, where she studied Carnival culture at the Internation al Carnival and Mask Museum.

“In Binche, Carnival participants carry little brooms, which they use to sweep the ground,” says Marlatt. “They’re sweeping away the evils of winter to make way for spring. If they don’t do this, winter will nev er go away. In Bulgaria, they use sticks to beat the ground, waking spring up.

“These are pagan rituals adopted by the church. So Lent ... coincides with the time when food supplies would be running low. When Carnival occurs, it’s not yet spring, the vernal equinox hasn’t happened. It’s the in-between time when it’s not one thing or the other, and it’s during this liminal period that magic happens.”

Transition is not just evident in the shift ing in-between-time, but also in the act of donning a mask and changing one’s identi ty. For Marlatt, this is a powerful exercise in empathy. “What I love about masks (and big heads) is they‘re empathetic,” she says. “They erase age, species, race, gender. They allow you to play at being someone else, get inside their skin and empathize with their lot.”

Marlatt explores these ideas further in her paintings of Wysteria Ivy, who, as a drag queen, both occupies a transitional space and assumes another identity.

On display are both animal and human heads—there’s a hare, a rooster, the Belgian painter James Ensor, sisters Salt and Pepper, and even a heavenly host of angels. Instantly appealing, the heads seem benign at first. But there’s something sinister and manic about them. Marlatt employs the masks in various ways: some are one-offs that she uses in her Big Head Brigade parades and performances, while others, she incorporates into her paint ings, where they sometimes appear as masks

worn by figures. Some have entirely morphed into otherworldly creatures.

With its vivid palette and striking imag ery, “Wysteria Ivy and the Woodland Crea tures” is a captivating and glorious work that presents its subject lounging odalisque-like on a picnic table within a covered shelter. Perched astride the roof, a grinning red bun ny sports track shoes, while two mischievous mice tiptoe around the sides of the structure. Marlatt conveys the atmospheric elements in the painting with complete authenticity, which anchors the work in reality.

We are coaxed by familiarity into accept ing the fantastical elements as Marlatt creates a space of transition between reality and fantasy using ordinary references—the table and shelter and the familiar clothes her an imals wear root the picture in the here and

now. She performs a similar thing with her big heads, which each sport some real item—a crocheted hat (made by local artist Eli Frantzen), a scarf, or a bell—all of which enhance their immediacy.

“Near Gloaming” offers a crepuscular yin to the sunny yang of Wysteria Ivy back at the picnic grounds. The two paintings are the same size and each feature spindly trees that rise across the picture plane in dynamic vertical rhythm. Here, the fairy tale forest is alight with fireflies. Wysteria Ivy, holding a sunflower, crouches on the ground, gazing at the viewer warily. Dis turbing the idyll, a figure wearing a hare mask stands to her right. Smudges of lem ony paint between the trees suggests the sun’s last light, blurred by misty air.

In these two paintings, Wysteria Ivy is painted outdoors—an unusual place for her to be. According to Marlatt, Wysteria Ivy assumes her persona only in the safe space of her bedroom, interacting with the outside world exclusively online. In Marlatt’s version, she is able to step outside her protected realm and roam free.

While she acknowledges that her work possesses surreal elements, Marlatt resists being classified as a surrealist. Perhaps mag ical realism is a more accurate description of an artist who feels “the world is full of mythologies and miracles.”

“Those who would follow a hard stoic line of practicality and logic are just fooling them selves,” says Marlatt. “They think they’re above mystic thinking, but then often they acquire a drinking problem for all their logical realism. They believe they can get rid of mythology in their life, but all we really can do is replace one mythology with another.”

November 9 –15, 2022 c-ville.com @cville_culture facebook.com/cville.weekly

Megan Marlatt paints between the lines of fantasy and reality in “Mummers,” her solo show at Second Street Gallery through November 18.

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Cat Socializers

Cat socializers allow our cats to receive one-on-one attention and interact with other cats. The socializers get to know each cat and talk about them with potential adopters.

Dog Handlers

Our dogs need volunteers to help them get all of the exercise and affection they deserve! Dog Handlers are responsible for taking dogs on walks, to playgroups and other activities.

SPCA Rummage Store

All proceeds from the SPCA Rummage Store go to support our homeless animals in need. We need help sorting through donations and setting up displays at the store.

Offsite Adoption & Fundraising Events

Our animals attend many fundraising and adoption events. If you like being out and about and around animals, this gives you the opportunity to do both!

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

CROSSWORD

Sun up

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

Gagarin who has a statue dedicated to him in Houston

Hamm with t wo Olympic gold medals

Sci-fi forest dweller

“The world’s most valuable resource,” per The Economist

Sch. whose mascot is Paydirt Pete

Snack (on)

Roman who wrote “Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise”

Sound on a dair y farm

Chops (off)

Implied, but not st ated

Shoot for the stars

First name on the U.S. Supreme Court

Campbell of “Scream”

By Rob Brezsny

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “I straddle reality and the imagination,” says Sagittarian singer-song writer Tom Waits. “My reality needs imagina tion like a bulb needs a socket. My imagination needs reality like a blind man needs a cane.” I think that’s great counsel for you to emphasize in the coming weeks. Your reality needs a big influx of energy from your imagination, and your imagination needs to be extra well-grounded in reality. Call on both influ ences with maximum intensity!

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sometimes, Capricorn, you appear to be so calm, secure, and capable that people get a bit awed, even worshipful. They may even get caught up in trying to please you. Is that a bad thing? Not necessar ily—as long as you don’t exploit and manip ulate those people. It might even be a good thing in the coming weeks, since you and your gang have a chance to accomplish big improvements in your shared resources and environment. It would take an extra push from everyone, though. I suspect you’re the leader who’s best able to incite and orches trate the extra effort.

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If you have been posing as a normal person for too long, I hope you will create fresh outlets for your true weird self in the weeks ahead. What might that entail? I’ll throw out a couple of ideas. You could welcome back your imaginary friends and give them new names like Raw Goodness and Spiral Trickster. You might wear fake vampire teeth during a committee meeting or pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster to send you paranormal adventures. What oth er ideas can you imagine about how to have way too much fun as you draw more intense ly on your core eccentricities?

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): I suspect you will have metaphorical resemblances to a duck in the coming weeks: an amazingly adaptable crea ture equally at home on land, in the water, and in the air. You will feel comfortable anywhere you choose to wander. And I’m guessing you will want to wander farther and wider than you usually do. Here’s an other quality that you and ducks will share: You’ll feel perfectly yourself, relaxed and confident, no matter what the weather is.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are tips on how to get the most out of the next three weeks: 1. Be a master of simmering, ruminating, marinating, steeping, fermenting, and effervescing. 2. Summon intense streams of self-forgiveness for any past event that still haunts you. 3. Tap into your forbidden thoughts so they might heal you. Discover what you’re hiding from yourself so it can guide you. Ask yourself prying questions. 4. Make sure your zeal always synergizes your allies’ energy, and never steals it. 5. Regularly empty your metaphorical trash so you always have enough room inside you to gleefully breathe the sweet air and exult in the earth’s beauty.

Whether it’s cloudy or shiny, rainy or misty, mild or frigid, you will not only be unflap pable—you will thrive on the variety. Like a duck, Pisces, you may not attract a lot of attention. But I bet you will enjoy the hell out of your life exactly as it is.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): When you Aries people are at your best, you are driven by impecca ble integrity as you translate high ideals into practical action. You push on with tireless force to get what you want, and what you want is often good for others, too. You have a strong sense of what it means to be vividly alive, and you stimulate a similar awareness in the people whose lives you touch. Are you always at your best? Of course not. No one is. But according to my analysis of upcoming astrological omens, you now have extra po tential to live up to the elevated standards I described. I hope you will take full advantage.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): In my experience, you Tauruses often have more help available than you realize. You underestimate your power to call on support, and as a result, don’t call on it enough. It may even be the case that the possible help gets weary of waiting for you to summon it, and basically goes into hiding or fades away. But let’s say that you, the lucky person reading this horoscope, get inspired by my words. Maybe you will re spond by becoming more forceful about recognizing and claiming your potential blessings. I hope so! In my astrological opin ion, now is a favorable time for you to go in quest of all the help you could possibly want. (P.S.: Where might the help come from? Sources you don’t expect, perhaps, but also familiar influences that expand beyond their previous dispensations.)

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): Sometimes, life compels us to change. It brings us some shock that forces us to adjust. On other occasions, life doesn’t pressure us to make any shifts, but we never theless feel drawn to initiating a change. My guess is that you are now experiencing the latter. There’s no acute discomfort pushing you to revise your rhythm. You could probably continue with the status quo for a while. And yet, you may sense a growing curiosity about how your life could be different. The possibil ity of instigating a transformation intrigues you. I suggest you trust this intuition. If you do, the coming weeks will bring you greater clarity about how to proceed.

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality,” wrote ancient Roman philosopher Seneca. That’s certain ly true about me. If all the terrible things I have worried about had actually come to pass, I would be unable to function. Lucki ly, most of my fears have remained mere fantasies. What about you, fellow Cancerian? The good news is that in the coming months, we Crabs will have unprecedented power to tamp down and dissipate the phantasms that rouse anxiety and alarm. I predict that as a result, we will suffer less from imaginary problems than we ever have before. How’s that for a spectacular prophecy?

Leo

with current astrological omens, Leo. I’d love for you to adopt Michael’s approach. The coming days will be a favorable time to ex pand your ideas about what’s lyrical, beautiful, holy, and meaningful. Be alert for a stream of omens that will offer you help and inspiration. The world has subtle miracles to show you.

Virgo

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Michael Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka, but as a child moved to England and later to Canada. His novel Running in the Family describes his experiences upon returning to his native Sri Lanka as an adult. Among the most delight ful: the deluge of novel sensory sensations.

On some days, he would spend hours simply smelling things. In accordance with current astrological omens, I recommend you treat yourself to comparable experiences, Virgo. Maybe you could devote an hour today to mindfully inhaling various aromas. Tomor row, meditate on the touch of lush textures.

On the next day, bathe yourself in sounds that fill you with rich and interesting feelings. By feeding your senses like this, you will give yourself an extra deep blessing that will lit erally boost your intelligence.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You evolved Libras under stand what’s fair and just. That’s one of your potencies, and it provides a fine service for you and your allies. You use it to glean objec tive truths that are often more valuable than everyone’s subjective opinions. You can be a stirring mediator as you deploy your knack for impartiality and evenhandedness. I hope these talents of yours will be in vivid action during the coming weeks. We non-Libras need extra-strong doses of this stuff.

Expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes: RealAstrology.com, (877) 873-4888

More like tweet on C-VILLE. Get the scoop

LEGALS

FORECLOSURE SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE AT PUBLIC AUCTION

23.99 Acre Vacant Lot Albemarle County Tax Map No. 01900-00-00-029G2

SALE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2022 AT 11:00 A.M. AT THE ALBEMARLE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURTHOUSE LOCATED AT 501 E. JEFFERSON STREET, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22902

In execution of a Credit Line Deed of Trust, being dated September 14, 2010, and recorded on September 15, 2010, in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court in Albemarle County, Virginia (the “Clerk’s Office”), in Deed Book 3928, page 487, and re-recorded on November 4, 2010, to add the legal description in the aforesaid Clerk’s Office in Deed Book 3953, page 452 (together, the “Deed of Trust”), the undersigned as Trustee under said Deed of Trust, will offer for sale at public auction the parcel of real estate listed below:

ALL that certain lot or parcel of land containing 23.99 acres, more or less, located on the south side of State Route 664 approximately 1.5 miles northeast of Earlysville, in the White Hall District of Albemarle County, Virginia, shown and described as Revised Parcel B2 on a plat by Roger W. Ray & Assoc., Inc., dated Sept. 4, 1998, entitled “Plat showing Parcels W, X, Y, and Z,” a copy of which is recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Albemarle County, Virginia in Deed Book 1779, pages 42 and 43. Reference to said plat is hereby made for a more particular description of the property herein conveyed. BEING the same property conveyed to David N. Gaines by deed from David N. Gaines, Elizabeth C. Gaines, Leslie Ann Gaines, and Richard V. Gaines, III dated August 26, 2010, and recorded September 15, 2010, in the abovereferenced Clerk’s Office in Deed Book 3928, page 479. (the “Property”)

TERMS OF SALE: A bidder’s deposit of the greater of $10,000 or 10% of the winning bid, shall be paid at the sale by cashier’s check made payable to Bidder (to be assigned to Trustee if Bidder is successful), with the balance upon delivery of a trustee’s deed within 30 days of sale. If the initial deposit is less than 10% of the winning bid, then the successful bidder’s deposit MUST be increased to 10% of the winning bid by cashier’s check or wired funds within three (3) business days. Settlement shall be held within 30 days after the date of sale unless otherwise postponed at the sole discretion of the Trustee. Sale is subject to the covenants, conditions, restrictions, rights of way, and easements, if any, contained in the deeds and other documents forming the chain of title to the Property. The Property is sold “AS IS, WHERE IS,” “WITH ALL FAULTS” and “WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTIES.”

TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE WITH RESPECT TO SETTLEMENT. The deposit shall be applied to the credit of successful bidder at settlement; or, in the event of failure to complete settlement within the time set forth after the date of sale, in accordance with the terms of sale, the deposit shall be forfeited and applied to the costs of sale, including Trustee’s fee, and the Property shall be resold at the cost and expense of the defaulting Purchaser. Risk of loss or damage to the Property shall be borne by successful bidder from the time of auctioneer’s strikedown at the sale. Purchaser shall pay all settlement fees, title examination charges, title insurance premiums, and recording costs. Current real estate property taxes will be prorated at closing as of date of sale. Rollback taxes, if any, will be the responsibility of the Purchaser.

THE TRUSTEE RESERVES THE RIGHT: (i) to waive the deposit requirements; (ii) to extend the period of time within which the Purchaser is to make full settlement; (iii) to withdraw the Property from sale at any time prior to the termination of the bidding; (iv) to keep the bidding open for any length of time; (v) to reject all bids; and (vi) to postpone or continue this sale from time to time, such notices of postponement or setting over shall be in a manner deemed reasonable by the Trustee. Announcements made on day of sale take precedence over all other advertised terms and conditions.

Employees, directors and officers of Farm Credit of the Virginias, ACA, and their immediate family and companies in which they have an interest are not eligible under federal regulations to purchase the Property at foreclosure.

FOR INFORMATION SEE: www.fplegal.com/foreclosures

Flora Pettit PC, Trustee Nancy R. Schlichting 530 E. Main Street P. O. Box 2057 Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 220-6113 lmg@fplegal.com

November 915, 2022 c-ville.com facebook.com/cville.weekly

Notices

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AUCTIONS

REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO AUCTION. Over 80 properties. Commercial, Office Buildings, Apartments, Shopping Centers, Single Family Homes, Multi-Family Properties, Developmental Land, Recreational Acreage located in Southside Virginia being offered at Auction on November 16 at Chatmoss Country Club –Martinsville, VA. For information, visit woltz.com or call Woltz & Associates, Inc. (VA#321), Real Estate Brokers & Auctioneers 800-551-3588.

ATTN. AUCTIONEERS:  Advertise your upcoming auctions statewide and in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audiences. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-521-7576, HYPERLINK “mailto:landonc@vpa.net” landonc@vpa.net

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ON

THE

2022 ARTISANS Studio Tour

BY KEN WILSON

Ceramic work by artisan Jessie Rublee

CHARLOTTESVILLE ALBEMARLE, FLUVANNA, GREENE, LOUISA, MADISON, NELSON, ORANGE, AUGUSTA

REAL ESTATE

106 Kerry Ln | Charlottesville

Lovely, well maintained brick home nestled in a park-like setting in the City! Main level features an inviting foyer, large living room w/custom built-in shelving & fireplace, dining room, spacious kitchen and cozy sunroom.

$650,000 | montaguemiller.com/632293

New Leaf Team | 434.214.6121

Lovely

Well-maintained, spacious home in sought-after Garth Road area! Situated on an impressive, 2-acre corner lot in a quiet neighbor hood, you’ll be delighted by the privacy & outdoor living spaces this beautiful property provides. The open concept family room includes coffered ceilings, a gas fireplace & access to the screened porch, perfect for cooking while entertaining guests. The landscaped, fenced backyard is open and flat, allowing plenty of space for entertaining and play!

CAAR Homes Sales Report

Third Quarter 2022

Market Report Key Takeaways

Economic Conditions

• Virginia’s job market continues to ex pand. The state added 16,700 jobs be tween July and August and is now only about 5,300 jobs short of pre-pandemic levels. Most of the growth continues tobe in the Leisure and Hospitality sector.

• The unemployment rate remains very low. In August, the unemployment rate was 3.2% in Virginia and was 2.9% in the Charlottesville region. Both are down from a year ago.

• Mortgage rates climbed rapidly over the past month. In the second week of October, the averagerate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.92%, up from 6.02% a month ago.

Housing Market Conditions

• There were 1,206 home sales in the CAAR region during the third quarter of 2022. This is 192 fewer sales than this time last year, which is a 14% drop. The market has been slowing down in the CAAR area for five straight quarters.

• Home prices continue to climb in the region. The third quarter median sales price in the CAAR market was $405,000, rising 11% from a year ago, which is a surge of $40,000.

• Inventory continues to build up in the CAAR region. There were 829 active list ings on the market at the end of the third quarter, 226 more listings than a year ago, a 37% increase.

Key Trends Dashboard, CAAR Economy

• 2.9% | Is the Aug-2022 unemployment rate in the CAAR footprint, which is down from Aug-2021

• 6.92% | Is the 30-year fixed-rate mort gage rate during the second week of October 2022, which is up 3.87 percent age points from a year ago

Housing Market

• -192 | Fewer home sales in the CAAR footprint in Q3-2022 compared to last year

• 11% | Percent change in median sales price in the CAAR region in Q3-2022 compared to a year ago

• -$20.2 | Million dollars less in total sold volume in the CAAR footprint in Q3-2022 compared to last year

• 37% | Percent change in active listings at the end of Q3-2022 in the CAAR market compared to a year ago

• 2.1| Months of supply in the CAAR footprint in Q3-2022, which is up from a year ago

Economic Overview

Economic conditions are worsening as high inflation continues to be a sig nificant factor. The labor market remains relatively strong in Virginia as there are more jobs in the economy and unemploy ment continues to be very low. Mortgage rates are climbing, which is cooling hous ing markets across the Commonwealth.

Jobs

There were 4.09 million jobs through out Virginia in August 2022, an increase of about 16,700 jobs from July 2022. Virginia’s economy is nearly back to prepandemic job levels, just 5,300 jobs shy of the January 2020 totals. The state’s job recovery has been robust. More than 472,000 jobs have been added back since April 2020. Most of the job growth in Virginia continues to be in the Leisure & Hospitality sector and the Health & So cial Assistance sector. Depsite the strong gains this year in Leisure & Hospitality, this sector is still down compared to prepandemic levels. The sharpest decrease in jobs this month was in the Finance & Insurance sector.

Unemployment

The unemployment rate in Virgina continues to be very low. The statewide unemployment rate was 3.2% in August 2022 (not seasonally adjusted), down from 4% from last August. In the Charlot tesville area, the August unemployment rate was 2.9%, down from 3.4% a year ago.

New Construction

New residential construction permit ting in 2022 continues to outpace 2021 through August. There have been 1,247 total building permits issued in the Char lottesville MSA through August of 2022, which is 37% higher than permit levels were through August of 2021. The surge in permits this year is being driven by more duplex/multifamily permits, which are up 80% year-to-date through August compared to a year ago (+225 permits). Permits for single-family detached homes are up 18% so far in 2022 (+112 permits) compared to last year.

Mortgage Rates

In the second week in October, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.92%. This is the highest the rate has been in more than two decades (since August 2001). Interest rates have soared in 2022. As a result, the housing market has slowed down significantly. The 30year fixed mortgage rate has more than doubled since the start of the year.

Housing Market Overview

The CAAR regional housing market continues to moderate. Sales were well below last year’s third quarter level, which brought down the total sold dollar vol

ume. Despite the moderating market, home prices continue to trend up as the supply remains tight, and homes are selling slightly faster than last year on average. The inventory of active listings is growing in the region as sales activity slows, which is providing more options

for buyers who are in the market.

Sales

For the fifth consecutive quarter, sales activity in the CAAR housing market cooled from the busy pace a year ago. There were 1,206 homes sold across the region in the third quarter, 192 fewer

sales than the same period last year, rep resenting a 14% decrease. This quarter is the sharpest drop in sales the region has seen since the spring of 2020, as the market adjusts to rising interest rates. Sales slowed down all three months of the quarter, which covers July through September. Statewide, total home sales were down 23% from the third quarter a year ago.

Sales Prices

As market activity moderates, home prices continue to trend higher in the CAAR footprint. At $405,000, the third quarter median sales price in the region jumped up 11% from a year ago, a gain of $40,000. The median price in the re gion has increased at a double-digit rate for three consecutive quarters despite a sharp drop in sales. The tight inventory is putting upward pressure on prices. Most local markets in the region had a surge in prices this quarter. The statewide median sales price in the third quarter was $375,000, up 5.6% from a year ago.

Sold Volume

While prices continue to trend up, the sharp drop in sales activity brought down the total sold dollar volume this quarter in the CAAR market. There was approximately $593.5 million of sold volume across the region during the third quarter. This is about $20.2 million less sold volume than the third quarter of 2021, which is a 3% decrease.

Days on Market

Even with cooling demand, homes continue to sell faster on average in the CAAR market. The average days on mar ket in the third quarter across the CAAR footprint was 21 days, which is three days faster than this time last year. The low supply of homes on the market is keep ing this metric relatively low, although this pattern is starting to change in some parts of the state. Statewide, the aver age days on market in the third quarter was 23 days, up from 21 days this time last year.

Inventory

The supply of active listings in the CAAR region is building up as sales activ ity slows. There were 829 active listings on the market at the end of the third quarter, 226 more listings than a year ago, which is a 37% increase. This is the second straight quarter the inventory has grown, and it’s the largest year-over-year supply increase

the region has had in more than seven years. Most local markets in the region had an increase in active listings this quarter.

Across Virginia, there were 19,793 active listings at the end of the third quarter, a 2.9% decrease from last year, which is a reduction of 586 listings.

There was about 2.1 months of supply at the end of the third quarter in the CAAR footprint, which is up from 1.4 months a year ago. The months of supply metric is calculated by taking the average monthly sales over the preceding 12-month period and dividing it by the inventory of active listings. Statewide, there was 1.7 months of supply at the end of the third quarter.

About VAR

The Virginia REALTORS® (VAR) association is the largest professional trade association in Virginia, representing nearly 35,000 REALTORS® engaged in the residential and commercial real es tate business. The Virginia REALTORS® association serves as the advocate for homeownership and private property rights and represents the interests of real estate professionals and property owners in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

About CAAR

The Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® (CAAR) represents more than 1,400 real estate professionals in Charlottesville and Albemarle and the surrounding areas of Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties. If you have a question about today’s market, contact a REALTOR® today using mycaar.com for residential properties and cvcmls.com for commercial properties.

NOTE: The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Associa tion of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

COVE TRACE

One floor living! Unique floor plan! Fabulous deck with views of the lake. A 2 story entry hall leads to the sunken living room with a wall of windows. First floor master suite with private study or nursery. Large, open formal dining room and spacious kitchen with large breakfast area. Set on .48 acres at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. Fenced yard. All of the advantages of living in Forest Lakes.;pool, tennis, club house, walking trails and lakes. All convenient to great shopping, restaurants and schools. $625,000

SERENITY LANE

5 LOT SUBDIVISION

Stunning mountain views to the west. Far reaching vistas define this property; Monte Sereno. 5 lots make up this unique subdivision with four 2 acre lots and one 5.28 acre lot. High speed internet is available. 1 mile from 29N. One owner is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Va. $1,500,000

Annie Gould Gallery

BRIDLEWOOD TRAIL

Private Keswick residence on 18.6 acres with views of the Southwest Mountains. 3-bedrooms, 1.5-baths+ with wood floors, screen porch and 2-car garage. Open and wooded land. Easy access to Charlottesville and UVA. MLS#634905 $695,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

WOLFCREEK FARM

Situated near the Blue Ridge Mountains in western Madison County, contains 333 acres of rolling to hilly pastures and grazing land, wooded mountain land, 2 homes and a complement of necessary farm buildings to sustain many agricultural endeavors. Currently runs as a grazing farm for beef cattle. There is a quality 3 BR brick home, c. 1995, offering 1-level living, a modern kitchen, baths and large windows bringing in lots of light. Outside is a lovely terrace and inground gunite pool. Not in conservation easement! MLS#630435 $3,200,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

PEA RIDGE FARM

A private 18 acre horse farm, with 4-bedroom main residence, 1-bedroom cottage, beautiful 8-stall center aisle barn, outdoor riding ring, and several fenced pastures and hay fields. With access onto 570 plus acres of parkland with trails. MLS#632164 $1,295,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

317 acre estate that has it all: location, views, water, a spectacular 5-BR residence, event center and more! 15+ acre lake is centered among lush rolling fields of rich grass and unparalleled views. Additional acreage avail able. 25 minutes west of Charlottesville. MLS#631962 $8,875,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

Church residence.

Wardell, as his own home. A separate addition has 3 or 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths. Has been further enhanced and improved by the current owners. Bucolic views complete the perfect setting. MLS#630270 $810,000 Tim Michel, 434.960.1124

Attractive, self-sustaining 5,525 fin. sf residence on 38± acres with 3-car garage, barn and Blue Ridge Mountain views. A peaceful oasis easily accessible to Charlottesville and Washington DC. MLS#634846 $1,550,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

BELMONT LOFTS

This 3-bedroom, 3.5 bath condo features extra high ceilings, a modern and open floor plan with huge windows and doors, and a large rooftop terrace with views of the Downtown Mall all the way around to Monticello. MLS#634149 $1,950,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY

Currently zoned R-1. However, Albemarle County Comprehensive Plan projects this land to be Urban Density. A 12” water line runs along Rt. 29. Currently being used for Agriculture. County says best use would be multi-family housing as property is adjacent to Forest Lakes South and Hollymead. Part of this property fronts Derby Lane in Hollymead. There is an abandoned house on the property. MLS#636152 $2,995,000 Sharon Donovan, 434.981.7200 Steve McLean, 434.981-1863

HATTON RIDGE FARM

A most tranquil and private 278+ acre grazing and hay farm with two-thirds mile of James River frontage. The centerpiece of Hatton Ridge Farm is an impressive 4-5 bedroom, brick Georgian home, built circa 2000. MLS#634311 $3,675,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

OWENSVILLE ROAD

5-bedroom residence on 2 acre lot in Meriwether Lewis Elementary District! Stunning home has top quality finishes and many features include: open floor concept on all levels; fully loaded chef’s kitch en; and so much more! MLS#632111 $1,675,000 Will Faulconer, 434.987.9455

MOUNT PARAN CHURCH

Redesigned by architect Bruce

EVERGREEN HILL

BLACKBERRY HILL FARM

RAGGED MOUNTAIN FARM

Two wonderful estate parcels comprised of 185.01± acres in coveted Ragged Mountain Farm. Excellent elevated building site, complete privacy, and beautiful views. Murray/Henley/Western school district. MLS#621083 $1,895,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

GATEWAY CIRCLE

Prime end-unit residence in a quiet Forest Lakes community. Enjoy the outdoors through views from the many windows, miles of walking trails or recreational activities. Private living with easy access to Charlottesville. MLS#635657 $319,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

SOUTHERN ALBEMARLE

87+ acre pine forest property is a good investment tract, or use as a hunting and recreational tract, or with multiple division rights, a place to build a home or more than one home. Potential mountain views, and private settings. MLS#629213 $499,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

SIMMONS GAP/ESTES RIDGE

10 acres of mature woods. Property has long road frontage and consists of two parcels being combined and sold as one. No homeowners association! Design and build your dream residence on this very wellpriced parcel. MLS#621178 $189,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

820 CONDO

Well-designed corner condo consisting of a bright great room with high ceilings, 1-bedroom/1-bath, and an inviting private balcony. Views of the Downtown skyline and mountains. MLS#634496 $285,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

146.88 ac. in Albemarle & Greene County. Privacy & protection adjacent to the Shenandoah National Park! Full division rights & multiple home sites. Extraordi nary timberland. Views of the mountains, along with easy access to trails & Skyline Drive. MLS#620276 $1,100,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

Great building lot in Ivy! Over 2.5 acres less than 6 miles to Charlottesville and UVA. Your future dream home could sit on this beautiful, wooded land, the perfect combination of country and city access. Murray Elementary School District. MLS#634897 $165,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

ECOVILLAGE CHARLOTTESVILLE

The Owner has been working with planners and the County of Albemarle to develop on this prop erty an environmentally sensitive and sustain able housing community. 6.5 acre site with two houses. MLS#633951 $1,750,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076 www.ecovillagecharlottesville.org

MEADOW FARM

436+ acre parcel of land in Southern Albemarle! 4 division rights; complete privacy; lush, gently rolling terrain; long road frontage; stream; 3-acre lake; 125135 acres of open land; mature hardwood forests. Under conservation easement. Owner/agent. MLS#634139 $2,985,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

GARTH ROAD

11.73-acre, buildable lot in Western Albemarle! One of a kind location and a rare opportunity to purchase a large lot in an estate neighborhood 10 minutes to town. 2 division rights and is gently rolling with a small stream bisecting the property. MLS#628219 $795,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

GIBSON’S HOLLOW

Ivy area! A 249+ acre hidden, private Arcadia controlling its own little valley up to the mountain ridge top building sites. Multiple parcels and subdivision rights make it a conservation easement candidate. MLS#634183 $4,000,000 Tim Michel, 434.960.1124 or Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

EDNAM FOREST

Wonderfully large 1.5+ acre building lot in Ednam Forest. Build your dream home on this elevated, wooded lot located in a single family community, minutes from UVA and within walking distance to Boar’s Head Resort. MLS#598537 $289,500 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

MISSION HOME ROAD

LYNX FARM LANE

ON THE 2022 ARTISANS Studio Tour

BY KEN WILSON

Take the Tour and you’ll see shoulder length Clutch And Grace Chandelier earrings fash ioned of sterling silver and textiles printed with local plant-based dyes. Take the Tour and you’ll see handmade copper bowls and a mahogany clock whimsically evocative of a girl with long straight hair.

My, oh my oh my.

Hit the Artisans Studio Tour in and around Charlottesville this November 12 & 13, and you’ll goggle at fabric, jewelry, stained glass, pottery, furniture, quilting, weaving and whatever else creative minds have dreamed up and put their hands to. More than that, you’ll be delighted by the imagination, ingenuity, and meticulous workmanship of 39 of the finest artisans in the Commonwealth.

A group of local crafters met in 1994 to create the first annual Artisans Studio Tour. Now here in 2022 the 28th Tour will take place at 21 studios all across the area, from Wolftown in the north to Tye River Road in the south, Sugar Hollow in the west, and Stony Point in the east.

Each participant’s work has been

rigorously vetted by fellow artisans to ensure that their crafts are of the highest quality. The 2020 Tour was online only. When the Tour went live and in person again in 2021, a record number of craft lovers came out to see and marvel—and purchase.

Walking into the studios needn’t feel intimidating, the artisans want you to know—they’re a friendly bunch. Unlike, say, gallery-going in a major city, the Studio Tour is “the warm, fuzzy hug of art-viewing experiences.” What you wear, how much money you have to spend, and how much you know about the kind of thing you’re looking at . . . none of that matters.

With that out of the way, let’s meet a few of the creative human beings you can meet on this year’s Tour.

Richard & Alec & Ninika Gordon

Furnituremaker Richard Gordon comes from a family of woodworkers, but he tried his hand with other materi als first. When he finally got around to wood, he remembers, “it just clicked.”

That was a full 50 years ago. Today Gor don is known for the beautiful solid wood furniture he makes with his son Alec, tables and chairs and the like that

wed traditional joinery to contemporary design.

Woodworking afficionados appreciate Gordon’s adherence to tradition, specifi cally his devotion to the dovetail joint, in which the ends of two pieces of word are cut so they interlock. “I’m a dovetail ing fool,” he says. “I’m the only person I know who puts their chairs together with dovetails. I put them everywhere I can.”

“I’ve seen 4,000-year-old dovetails,” Gordon goes on, warming to his subject. “It’s a common sense way to put two boards together. Back in the 70s when I started, nobody knew what was holding their furniture together. If it was old, it was dovetails, but they were hidden; if it was new it was glue and screw. I like to use dovetails and let’em show.” Gordon’s dovetails aren’t a bug. “The dovetails are a feature.”

Instead of staining his pieces, Gordon relies on another old technique, finishing them with Tung oil, a naturally occur ring polymer of Chinese derivation that is absorbed by the wood, seeping into the cells where the sap used to be, and hardening over time. Once it’s in, it’s in—“It’s part of the wood,” he says, “and can’t be scratched off.”

While Gordon makes furniture for every room of the house, it’s chairs that

he loves most. By his estimate they ac count for a full third of his output. Rocking chairs take two weeks; dining room chairs take one. But that’s with two people—for the past 12 years he’s done his work with the help of his son Alec.

“My son grew up at craft shows,” he says, “so he’s been exposed to a lot of very interesting creative work in his lifetime. A lot of what he does is sculptural and artis tic—he brings an Art Nouveau creativity. When we collaborate I’m in charge of the joinery, and he’s in charge of sculpting. Together we’re making incredible stuff that neither one of us could make alone.”

Alec is actually Gordon’s second col laborator. “My wife Ninika worked with me in furniture for 30 years,” he notes, “and then when Alec was old enough to work in the shop, he kind of took her place and she went back to making jewelry, which is what she was doing when I met her. But she was very much involved in the development of the fur niture stylistically. She also grew up at craft shows with her parents. When I met her she was like, ‘I really don’t care what I make, I just want to be a craftsperson; I love the lifestyle.’”

Nowadays Ninika is a jeweler. “In 10 years she’s gotten as far as it took me in 30,” Gordon says. “She’s amazing.”

Ninika makes what she calls “tiny wearable sculptures,” forging them out of precious metal. “I take inspiration from the random patterns of the natural world around me,” she says. “I create textures in my jewelry with a combination of ham mering, stamping and roller printing. I play with color by fusing bits of gold to sterling silver, and contrast oxidized patinas with bright polished metal. I use gemstones and pearls as accents.”

The Gordon family’s Phineas Rose Studios in Wolftown in Madison County will be open for Tour visitors, as it has for the last 15 Tours. “I have a lot of really good friends on the Tour,” Gordon says. “I collaborate with stained glass workers and other people on the Tour who do ele ments that I use in my own work. I make lamps for their shades. I make cabinets with glass doors—they make the glass.”

When he visits other studios, Gordon gets to see his work in collaboration, so to speak, with that of his fellow artisans. “An awful lot of my furniture has Fred Williamson’s bowls on it,” he says. Kevin Crowe’s pottery too. “Many times I’ve shown up to deliver a piece of furniture and his bowls are sitting on my table. I make things for people to put their treasures on.”

The wheel-thrown porcelain and stoneware ceramics of Tour artisan Shari Jacobs may also be seen at Phineas Rose.

Gabriel Ofiesh

“The most satisfaction for me is when I’m making something new,” Gabriel Ofiesh says. “My jewelry has a very dis tinctive look, but I like to keep evolving my designs, so I still keep my design identity but make something that’s fresh. I fabricate everything in my studio, and it has a look, so that when people meet someone who has a ring of mine they might say, ‘Oh, that’s one of Gabriel’s pieces.’ That’s what I aspire to, is to make something that is recognizable.”

Two of Ofiesh’s collections are espe cially recognizable: his orbit rings and his square rings. The first, which he pat terned in 2020, are unusual in actually consisting of two separate rings: an inner ring of silver or gold, and a band of gems and diamonds which revolves around it. Naturally they’re very popular.

He began making his second set of dis tinctive rings back in the 80s. “Now when I make a ring,” he says, “most people ex pect it to be square. They’re very comfort able, which always surprises people, and I do them in a way that they’re stackable, so you can take different rings and they fit together with others.”

Ofiesh took up jewelry-making as a profession after failing to get a job teaching English, but what first sparked his interest was a craft show. “I spent a summer at the University of Colorado, and a couple of my friends were making jewelry,” he remembers. “I learned some basics through them. I got a couple of books and made jewelry in my room my last couple years in college.”

His studio has been a Tour stop for five or six years now. “I’d always wanted to do it but it never really fit into my schedule,” he says. “And then once I did it I was hooked. I love the Tour because I really like feedback from people who see

my work, and I get to know my clients. I enjoy clients who purchase one piece and then come back and get another to add to their collection. It’s not unusual for a client to make a comment about a piece and then I’ll design something because of their comment.

“If you’ve never gone on the Tour be fore, it’s a really fun experience. Hand made objects are important to see and feel in person, and for you to experience some of the maker’s process. You see a lot of different environments. If I walk into a different jeweler’s studio, it’s going to be completely different than my studio. It’s amazing the different ways that people can come up with ideas.”

Ofiesh is impressed with how well the Tour is organized, and how it reaches all parts of the state. “I would say 40 percent of the participants that come into my studio in Charlottesville are not from the Charlottesville area, they’re

from Richmond or Northern Virginia or even Tidewater. It has become a very looked forward to event for people who like to travel.”

To Whet Your Appetite

Cathy Vaughn works with copper, crafting bowls, abstract wall panels, totem collages, and hooks, frequently with plant forms, and making use of the oxidation process called verdigris that gives the metal such beautiful and multicolored patinas. Vaughn’s work will be shown at Sunset Farm Studio in Crozet.

Cheri Mehler started out working with stained glass, but after just one class in fusing glass, she was “hooked.” Mehler bought a kiln and makes her colorful fused glass pieces in a converted tractor barn in Greenwood.

John Pluta combines clay, wood, and vintage objects to sculpt creatures of his own imagination. John and his wife Holly

own Noon Whistle Pottery, a Stanards ville shop that represents 200 American artisans. John and Holly also organize the Virginia Clay Festival.

The Swedish-born artist Charlotte Lotta Helleberg has been experiment ing with textile printmaking for over a decade. Most recently she’s focused on botanical contact printing, relief pro cesses, and local plant-based dyes, mak ing quilts, textile collages, artist books, and other objects that document and celebrate her immediate surroundings. Helleberg’s prints can be seen at Inleaf Studio in Charlottesville.

See For Yourself

The Artisan Studio Tour’s Passport Program will offer tourgoers the op portunity to win shopping credit with an artisan of their choice. Passport cards may be picked up and stamped at each studio, and passport holders will be eli gible to win a $50 credit; holders who visit five or more studios will be entered in a drawing for a credit of $300.

The free, self-guided 28th Annual Ar tisans Studio Tour will be held Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Most artisans will have live or video demonstra tions and other educational displays. Di rections to their studios are on the Tour website, and veteran tourgoers know just how much there is to see. Many make it a weekend and go both days!

THERE WERE 96 SALES IN THE 11 COUNTY AND CITY AREAS

n 31 were in Albemarle with an average price of $642,581 n 4 were in Charlottesville with an average price of $533,625 n 10 were in Fluvanna with an average price of $478,382 n 3 were in Greene with an average price of $336,667 n 13 were in Louisa with an average price of $341,736 n 3 were in Madison with an average price of $297,175 n 7 were in Nelson with an average price of $429,714 n 12 were in Orange with an average price of $348,692 n 8 were in Staunton with an average price of $228,100 n 5 were in Waynesboro with an average price of $312,994

Live It Up

CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE

www.charlottesville.gov

Real estate tax rate: $.96 per $100

CITY OF STAUNTON ci.staunton.va.us

Real estate tax rate: $.92 per $100

CITY OF WAYNESBORO www.waynesboro.va.us

Real estate tax rate: $.90 per $100

ALBEMARLE COUNTY www.albemarle.org

Real estate tax rate: $.854 per $100

FLUVANNA COUNTY fluvannacounty.org

Real estate tax rate: $.884 per $100

GREENE COUNTY greenecountyva.gov

Real estate tax rate: $.82 per $100

LOUISA COUNTY www.louisacounty.com

Real estate tax rate: $.72 per $100

MADISON COUNTY www.madisonco.virginia.gov

Real estate tax rate: $.71 per $100

NELSON COUNTY nelsoncounty-va.gov

Real estate tax rate: $.72 per $100

ORANGE COUNTY orangecountyva.gov

Real estate tax rate: $.75 per $100

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