C-VILLE Weekly | February 8 - 14, 2023

Lynn & Kenny Brown • Carrie Douglass & Fernando Operé ∙ Pam & Frank Edmonds • Chris & Brad Eure • Janna & David Gies • Elizabeth & Joe LeVaca • Julie & Geoff Montross Susie Morris

Annual Jansky Lecture

What the cluck?

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8 –14, 2023

Charlottesville’s News & Arts Weekly

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MEMBER Virginia Press Association

Loves You!

Hello, Charlottesville! Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly. I was at a dinner party recently, and when I mentioned to my fellow guests that I was reporting on the so-called “chicken strip” on Emmet Street, their eyes lit up. This was the story they had been waiting for, they said. This was why they supported local news.

From the outset, I knew I wanted the feature (p. 14) to be a personal narrative. Willingly experiencing the incredibly long drive-thru line at Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers was my goal, to see how long it really gets. This is a queue so notorious that on the r/Charlottesville subreddit it’s evidently been banned from discussion. I ended up going back to the chicken strip multiple times to understand why people waited so long for Cane’s, but I was still perplexed. What was I missing?

I don’t want fried chicken as much as those in the cars locked into position on Emmet Street, arriving at the absolute worst of times to wait 30 minutes for chicken fingers, but I got it anyway. Soon I realized that I didn’t have a real craving for the food itself. I had an appetite for chaos, to see how ridiculous a drive-thru line could be. As a transplant, I wanted to know Charlottesville through its own absurdity. It was a rite of passage. Now I can complain just like everyone else.—Richard DiCicco

2.8.23

been a pleasure serving this community, and I’m not leaving.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Murder charge

On February 3, the Charlottesville Police Department arrested Tadashi Demetrius Keys of Charlottesville in connection with the murder of Eldridge Vandrew Smith of Charlottesville. Six days before, officers found Smith, 36, inside a parked SUV in the 1100 block of Grove Street. He had been shot multiple times, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Keys, 38, was charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In 2003, Keyes, then 18, was sentenced to life in prison on gun and drug charges, but later had his sentence reduced due to his age at the time of the crime and new sentencing laws, and was released in September. Keyes and Smith knew each other and the murder was not random, but it was not related to Smith being a member of the B.U.C.K. Squad, a local gun violence prevention group, according to CPD Chief Michael Kochis. Anyone with information about the homicide should call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 977-4000.

Shots fired

On February 2, the CPD responded to a shots fired report in the 200 block of 10th St. NW, and found casings but no one injured.

City buys CATEC

Charlottesville City Schools will purchase Albemarle County Public Schools’ share of the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center for $5.3 million. Last year, ACPS offered to buy the center, but CCS refused the offer, citing concerns over ACPS limiting city students’ access. (The county denied these accusations.) ACPS students will still be able to attend the school under city ownership.

Not on board

Council finalists share priorities

After 20 residents applied to fill Sena Magill’s seat on Charlottesville City Council, the current councilors trimmed the list to six finalists: former IX Art Park Foundation director Alex Bryant, former Charlottesville School Board member Leah Puryear, wedding sales manager Natalie Oschrin, city school board member Lisa Larson-Torres, and former councilors Kathy Galvin and Kristin Szakos. During the February 6 council meeting, each candidate shared their priorities and their reasons for wanting to join City Council.

Puryear, who moved to Charlottesville in 1980, stressed the importance of listening to the community, and touted her work as the longtime director of Uplift @ UVA. Bryant pledged to approach solutions “with an innovative and creative mindset,” and advocate for causes championed by Magill.

“I have the experience to hit the ground running,” said Szakos, noting her votes in favor of housing affordability, racial equity, and other progressive measures while on council. “I’ve earned the reputation as someone who tries to listen to everyone.”

Galvin pointed to her previous work on zoning, and stressed the need for improved transit and cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure. Advocating for better transit and affordable housing, Oschrin vowed to bring “fresh eyes and energy” to council.

Larson-Torres discussed the leadership experience she has gained while serving as city school board chair, preparing her for many of the issues facing council. Equity and transformation “guide me through my work,” she said.

During public comment, residents Mark Kavit and Marcia Geyer encouraged council to select either of the two former councilors for their experience, while activist Don Gathers supported Szakos, but criticized council for cutting down the applicant list without community input. Barbara Myer felt Larson-Torres would be “an excellent choice.”

The councilors will interview the finalists during a closed February 10 meeting, and select the new councilor during their February 21 meeting.

CASPCA Board hires third party investigator

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA Board of Directors has hired a third party investigator after more than 100 current and former staff and volunteers made allegations of internal dysfunction and animal mistreatment last month. The shelter has also begun filling open leadership positions and implementing new staff training plans, according to a January 31 statement.

“Although we are prohibited from discussing individual personnel matters,

we appreciate the concern of the community and those who took the time to write letters regarding their experiences,” reads the statement.

In a February 2 statement, CASPCA Concerns pushed the board to place shelter CEO Angie Gunter on administrative leave, and publicize the investigator’s name. The group also claimed the board and investigator have yet to reach out to former employees and volunteers.

“Given the number and gravity of our accounts of her mismanagement, as well as her well-established practice of threatening staff with retaliation, [Gunter] should, at the minimum, be relieved of active leadership responsibilities while the investigation is conducted,” reads the statement. “Given the Board’s history of hiring personal friends to conduct business, we remain skeptical that this investigation will be truly impartial until the third party is named and vetted by the community.”

“It’s

— former Charlottesville City Councilor Sena Magill, accepting a presentation commending her service to the community

The field to replace former City Councilor Sena Magill has been narrowed from 20 to six.

Charlottesville City Schools will pay $5.3 million for CATEC.

A &W

Board of Visitors heat

Bert Ellis controversy reaches Richmond

By Courteney Stuart

Six months after UVA Student Council’s executive board called for the immediate resignation of Bert Ellis, one of Gov Glenn Youngkin’s first four appointees to the UVA Board of Visitors, the controversy has reached the Virginia General Assembly

On January 31, a resolution brought forth by state Sen. Creigh Deeds to remove Ellis’ name from the final list of appointees passed the senate’s Democrat-led Elections and Privileges Committee. A vote to adopt the resolution by the full senate was pending at C-VILLE press time.

“I have real concerns about a 60-year-old man who’d travel to UVA with a razor blade to remove a sign from a student’s door,” Deeds said in an interview on WINA referencing a 2020 event that was widely publicized after Ellis’ appointment was announced. At that time, however, Deeds also noted that if Ellis were removed from the BOV, Youngkin’s next appointee might also be controversial or unacceptable to some.

In a February 3 statement released after the senate committee voted to adopt Deeds’ resolution, the student council executive board expressed optimism that Ellis would be removed.

“We hope our elected officials recognize that Mr. Ellis’ conduct is not fitting of someone possessing the responsibility and powers of those serving on our Board of Visitors. Our community is paying close attention to Richmond right now,” the statement reads.

Ellis’ appointment has divided UVA faculty.

UVA media studies professor Siva Vaidhyanathan applauded the push to remove Ellis from the BOV and called him an “active enemy” of UVA, despite being an alum.

“Mr. Ellis is clearly hostile to the University of Virginia,” Vaidhyanathan said after the committee vote. “I mean, he has shown for years that he does not respect students. He doesn’t respect them for having independent minds. He doesn’t respect them for wanting to pursue intellectual pursuits that they decide they want to pursue. He doesn’t respect their freedom of speech. … So the idea of him actually serving as some sort of custodian for the university is kind of absurd.”

UVA Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato, however, wrote a letter to the General Assembly in support of Ellis.

“Bert and I have different political takes on quite a few subjects, but I know Bert to be loyal to the university and dedicated to its best interests,” Sabato wrote in an email, according to the Virginia Mercury. “He’s proven as much many times.”

The controversy over Ellis began building in the weeks after his name was announced by the Youngkin administration on July 1.

The Cavalier Daily published a series of articles and op-eds last summer describing an episode between Ellis and a Lawn resi-

dent, a minority student whose door was covered with signs of protest against the university’s racist history. According to the paper’s reporting and his own essay, Ellis, a South Carolina businessman and member of the conservative-leaning Jefferson Council alumnae group, said he hoped to remove the portion of the sign that included an obscenity. He was stopped by two UVA ambassadors.

“I was prepared to use a small razor blade to remove the Fuck UVA part of this sign and they said I could not do that as it would be considered malicious damage to the University and a violation of this student’s First Amendment Rights and they were prepared to restrain me from so doing,” Ellis wrote on Bacon’s Rebellion, a libertarian blog founded by Ellis’ fellow Jefferson Council member Jim Bacon.

Soon after that incident became public, The Cavalier Daily published a lengthy investigative piece detailing Ellis’ role as a UVA undergrad in inviting well-known eugenicist William Shockley to Grounds

for a debate during the 1974-75 school year titled “The Correlation Between Race and Intelligence.” At the time, Ellis was one of three chairs of a student-led events planning organization called University Union. Despite repeated vocal opposition to the event from Black student groups and a vote to cancel it by UVA Student Council, the Union held the event.

“Shockley is an insult to our intelligence,” University Union Minority Culture Committee Co-Chair Sheila Crider said at the time, according to The Cavalier Daily. “And as a representative of the Black community, I expressed my opinion that we didn’t want to see Shockley here.”

Bacon says Ellis has been unfairly portrayed, including The Cavalier Daily’s representation of the Shockley debate.

“The point was, by promoting free speech the student union advanced the cause of anti-racism,” Bacon said.

He described Ellis as “a proponent of free speech, diversity of thought, and upholding the Jeffersonian tradition. So all these [things have gone] totally unacknowledged and unrepresented in the debate. And I just think that’s just outrageous.”

Attempts to frame the Shockley event as a healthy debate, however, appalls Vaidhyanathan.

“The pursuit of knowledge at the university is a very, very busy and advanced process, and we don’t have time to step back two centuries and take something seriously like eugenics,” Vaidhyanathan says.

Ellis declined an interview request from C-VILLE Weekly, but said he would speak publicly after the state Senate’s final vote on the resolution to remove him.

Courteney Stuart is the host of “Charlottesville Right Now” on WINA. Full interviews with Siva Vaidhyanathan and Jim Bacon are at wina.com.

State Sen. Creigh Deeds (top) brought forth a resolution to remove South Carolina businessman Bert Ellis’ name from the final list of UVA Board of Visitors appointees. Ellis has been at the center of controversy since his appointment by Gov. Glenn Youngkin was announced July 1.

Equal treatment

Charlottesville City Schools wrestle with equity concerns

By Eshaan Sarup news@c-ville.com

“We want to not have data like this,” Katina Otey said candidly at the February 2 Charlottesville School Board meeting. The chief academic officer’s presentation on student conduct revealed a troubling trend.

“A majority of [conduct violation] incidents were committed by Black students,” she said. “And male students.”

Seventy-seven percent of students suspended in Charlottesville City Schools this school year were Black, despite Black students constituting 28 percent of the student body. Conversely, white students make up 40 percent of the student population but only 4 percent of suspensions.

Black kids being disproportionately punished is a national trend, but some school board members hoped that removing school resource officers would rectify this. Several CCS representatives argued that parents and the community have a role to play.

“There’s a lot of undue burden on counselors and teachers to deal with a wide array of different problems,” said student representative Vivien Wong. “There’s not enough bandwidth to deal with every student’s concerns.”

Board member Lashundra Morsberger concurred, noting that “a lot of the conditions of your life if you’re a young Black boy or girl … are a consequence of being Black here in Charlottesville.” Morsberger argued further that “these things are generational and deep” and there is no “quick fix.”

Regardless of the root cause, parents remain concerned about violence in schools after a brawl at Charlottesville High School was filmed last week. Tanisha Hudson called out board members for being “unable to control the school” and alleged that students can easily leave campus without permission.

Superintendent Royal Gurley gave an impassioned speech, “debunking” that the schools are “out of control,” and asking “if the community is not holding the community accountable, what do you expect the teachers to do?”

“If you want to create this narrative that it’s about … what teachers are not doing, that’s absolutely not true,” said Gurley. “I’m not going to mince my words at all—I am holding students accountable.” The superintendent recounted an instance in which a parent refused restorative services. “You can only help people who want to be helped,” he stated plainly.

Board chair James Bryant repeated this call for accountability, asserting that “it takes a village to raise a child,” and “we have to

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Royal Gurley says the school board will “work with the community to find equitable solutions” to the district’s problems.

have the parents and guardians come to the table as well.”

Activist and UVA student Zyahna Bryant said she also “would not mince her words.”

“We can pass the buck all day. Communities aren’t doing enough, teachers aren’t doing enough—what are the practical asks? And where do we meet in the middle?”

The CHS alum, who was instrumental in the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue, acknowledged that the district could not fix systemic racial inequity in Charlottesville but implored the school board to focus on tangible results.

“I don’t think anyone is asking for the school board to fix age-old issues of the community,” she said. “I think what we are asking for is accountability in terms of new policies, a sort of grading measure of how we’re doing with these new policies, and for the school board to take a strong stance on what the district represents.”

In a statement sent to C-VILLE, Otey clarified that the data was collected to “help schools handle situations with consistency and fairness,” and that they “are very mindful of the need to keep equity in the forefront when we are responding to behavioral issues.”

Gurley wrote that the school board plans to “calmly and transparently acknowledge these behavioral issues” and “work with the com munity to find equitable solutions.” He also noted that the school board is not currently considering bringing back school resource officers, something Albemarle County Public Schools has flirted with.

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TALES FROM THE

I visited the infamous block of restaurants on Emmet Street again…and again…and again

CHICKEN STRIP

How much do I want fried chicken?

That question haunted me. It began as a simple test of endurance: How long was I willing to sit in traffic to get lunch? But as I initiated that test again and again, at different hours and on different days, the question began to transform—to molt, much like a chicken sheds its feathers, and take on new meaning. Truly, I wondered, how much do I want fried chicken?

I had a lot of time to be in that headspace, to consider that question and ponder other mysteries of life, as I waited in the drive-thru line at Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. The Cane’s drive-thru is one of the great wonders of Charlottesville: a big disruptive living landmark that’s become equal parts meme and public nuisance. Cane’s is the first of three chicken restaurants on Emmet Street (Route 29), just a stoplight away from a crowded highway interchange with US 250. At peak hours, the drive-thru line will snake out onto Emmet and clog up traffic all the way to Hydraulic Road.

Raising Cane’s is well aware of the problem; the franchise has an official sign politely asking drivers not to block traffic (they do it anyway). City police patrolled the line at times last year, but now the drive-thru is monitored by armed private security. In truth, it’s not just a Charlottesville issue. When visiting my sister in Herndon, I witnessed another Cane’s drivethru with an absurdly long line that reached across multiple parking lots. And on a recent “Saturday Night Live,” we got the signal that this was a national problem.

“You gotta get hard in that left lane,” Andrew Dismukes shouts in a sketch about avoiding the traffic, aping a harsh Texas accent and pounding his fist into his other hand for emphasis.

By Richard DiCicco

“’Cause if you stay even one second in the right lane, you’ll get stuck in the massive overflow line for the new Raising Cane’s.” “This restaurant is prohibitively popular, y’all,” shouts James Austin Johnson. “The line backs up to the light, on to the offramp, and into the highway. Do not stay in the right lane!”

But perhaps unique to Charlottesville is Cane’s positioning at the beginning of what’s been derisively deemed “chicken alley” or the “chicken strip”— that tight stretch of road where Cane’s, Popeye’s, and KFC all reside (not to mention Zaxby’s, Cook Out, Arby’s, and Cava across the street). However, the same lines don’t plague these other chicken restaurants; just take a look, their drive-thrus are bare. I spoke with a manager at KFC, who told me that the way the chicken strip is laid out, with the Cane’s queue at the front and a stoplight at the end, it directly affects their business by making the right lane largely inaccessible. A drive-thru server at Popeye’s concurred.

C.J. Ghotra, co-owner of Milan, the restaurant that precedes Cane’s on the strip, says they often receive complaints from customers who are unable to get to the parking lot during rush hour, and that the obstruction has cost them business.

So, I wanted to know: Why Cane’s? Is its chicken so good that people are willing to burn away fuel and

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRISTAN WILLIAMS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

time waiting to get it? Before this story, I had never eaten at a Raising Cane’s. We had one in Richmond, right by the VCU campus, which was never as busy as the Charlottesville drive-thru. I was determined to find out what made this one so special.

It takes me 12 minutes to get from my apartment to Cane’s. I got there around 1:30pm on a Saturday, poised to experience the dreaded wait, but I was surprised to see the drive-thru line had yet to extend into the street. I was the last to enter the parking lot, just narrowly pulling the rear of my car in. Anyone who wanted chicken after me would be out on the road.

The dining room was open, a change from the height of the pandemic when drive-thru was the only option. I thought that would perhaps explain the not-so-bad traffic. But the line was slow. “Proud

Mary” blasted over the outdoor speakers. I saw a Chick-fil-A bag in a trash can outside—signs

of the chicken multiverse—and a security vehicle standing by while two armed guards hovered nearby, each clad in black with sunglasses and tough boots.

I rounded the bend and saw the menu. Raising Cane’s serves one meal—chicken fingers, fries, and Texas toast—four different ways. You can order three, four, or five fingers, or throw three on a bun and call it a sandwich. That’s it. It’s a simple menu.

I ordered Our Favorite, the Box Combo: four chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Cane’s sauce, Texas toast, coleslaw, and a fountain drink. The server who handed me my food said, “You look like Clark Kent.”

“Do you turn into Superman when you take off your glasses?”

I said, “Maybe!”

I got my food, parked to eat, and immediately realized I’d made a grave mistake. Two o’clock was evidently the witching hour. Cars were honking and the road was blocked. An endless line began to form behind me. A security guard roamed up and down

the queue. I was trapped in the parking lot with no room to back up. I did not feel like Superman. I felt like Clark Kent.

Why couldn’t I just wait to eat at home? Because I wanted to have my meal fresh, to give it a fair shake. But before I say anything about Cane’s food, I need to make one thing clear: I am not a chicken expert. I don’t have a white or dark meat preference. I’ve never fried chicken at home, so I don’t have any hot takes on seasoning or sauces. I couldn’t tell you whether bone-in wings or boneless wings are superior. (I prefer boneless because I don’t have to navigate my teeth around something I’m going to throw away.)

That said, Cane’s is fine. Yet I don’t understand what all the hubbub is about, why people are so gaga for this chicken.

“Chicken tasted like it was made by my Auntie,” writes Keyonna Adkins in a Google review of the Charlottesville Raising Cane’s.

“Best chicken ever!” writes Greg Morris.

As my car hung out into the street, a woman in a Mini Cooper threw her hands up behind me, trapped in chicken purgatory.

“The chicken fingers I got were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and that’s the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it!” writes Oliver C. on Yelp.

But not everyone is convinced.

“Raising Cane’s affirms my belief that bistros that strongly tout their own sauce, are probably using that sauce to compensate for a rather bland product,” writes Kimberly-Gretchen B. on Yelp.

One constant refrain, of course, was the very long line that spills onto Emmet Street. Many Google and Yelp reviews—both positive and negative—reference the line, or, even worse, accidents on the road. According to VTrans interactive map data, which visualizes transportation data across the commonwealth, 19 accidents happened on US 29S specifically on the chicken strip between January 2022 and January 2023, with at least one injury marked as “severe.”

“No chicken is worth a life,” writes Traci E. on Yelp.

The issue isn’t solely Cane’s. The restaurant clearly doesn’t have a big enough lot for its drive-thru traffic. And according to CBS19, it’s the result of a curious zoning issue. Restaurants in the area require a special city permit to be a drive-thru business, working with the city traffic engineer to make sure there’s enough space for a considerable line. The building housing Cane’s predates that requirement.

“There’s really not a whole lot we can do in this particular location,” Brennen Duncan, Charlottesville’s city traffic engineer, told CBS19 in November. “We can’t shut down a whole lane of travel and designate it as the drive-thru lane, nor would we want to.”

That leaves the task to the Virginia Department of Transportation, which “has put some money into” solutions, says Lee Kondor, the chairman of the city’s Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee. CTAC and VDOT, Kondor says, are well-aware of the backup on Emmet Street, but proposals that would alleviate the congestion tend to hypothetically break the bank.

“No question, it’s expensive,” he says. “VDOT says it’s too expensive and they’re the ones that are in control of the situation.”

VDOT has considered a number of solutions for the chicken strip, such as making some improvements to Angus Road, just south of KFC, and adding a connector road behind the restaurants (which didn’t go anywhere).

Right now, its biggest and brightest idea to address the traffic problem is to eliminate left turns from Hydraulic Road onto US 29. But to Kondor, that creates a whole other set of problems. In his proposal for a much more elaborate solution—a new flyover road option that would travel up over Hydraulic, over Angus Road and connect to the 250 Bypass—he writes that, “Eliminating left turns from Hydraulic Road onto US 29 means that the traffic that would have turned left has to proceed straight

across US 29, make a U-turn, proceed back to US 29, and turn right.” To address this new problem, roundabouts are proposed at particular intersections affected by the U-turns. The whole thing just sounds like a mess.

“If you’re westbound on Hydraulic and want to turn onto 29 southbound, I don’t know what you’ll do,” Kondor says.

His proposed flyover didn’t exactly soar.

“I estimated that would cost $50 million,” he says, “which is about what VDOT is proposing to eliminate the left turn off of Hydraulic.”

Apparently VDOT’s engineers took a look at his idea and came back with a new price tag that had a couple more zeros. It wasn’t going to happen.

Right now, says Kondor, the only funding available is for minor changes to US 29 and the Hydraulic Road intersection, like eliminating that left turn. That’s all that’s on the horizon for the next five or 10 years. If you want something more substantial, the 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan might be your best bet, if you’re willing to wait that long.

I went back to Raising Cane’s several times after my first excursion, eager to see the drive-thru line at its biggest and baddest. But soon I realized that my research, my attempt to sample every chicken restaurant on the strip, was only contributing to the problem. As my car hung out into the street, a woman in a Mini Cooper threw her hands up behind me, trapped in chicken purgatory. She laid on the horn as she went around me.

It made me wonder why I was doing this—what was the point? To annoy myself? To annoy others? Everyone knew that the line was long, that it was for subpar chicken, and that it wasn’t getting any shorter. But I was here to experience it, to try to understand why it was so damn long.

My final journey to the chicken strip was my greatest in scope and potential danger. I planned to round all three drive-thru lines at Cane’s, Popeye’s, and KFC, and order chicken fingers from each establishment to compare. Each combo’s calories tallied into the quadruple digits. My body shuddered at what it’d have to digest. I thought I would be eating leftovers for a while, so I braced my stomach—and fridge—for impact.

The distinct peppery smell of Popeye’s wafted down the wind on a chilly Sunday evening as I stood outside for photos, clutching my takeout bags in each fist. And there it was: as the sunlight faded, I finally saw the full length of the Cane’s line with my own eyes. It was backed up all the way to the Hydraulic intersection. The way the road slopes up north gave me a full view of the traffic, as drivers honked their horns in staccato rhythm. Trapped in the right lane as the middle and left lanes zoomed by, there was no escape, whether you wanted chicken or not.

On my final journey to the chicken strip, I ordered meals from all three restaurants—Raising Cane’s, Popeye’s, and KFC. Raising Cane’s chicken is elevated by its tangy Cane’s sauce. Popeye’s has the fullest and most distinct flavor (and best sides). And KFC tastes just as I remember it: buttery and homey. But after sampling so much fried chicken, I may have lost my taste for the stuff altogether.

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• MLS 637801

• Lakefront living at it’s finest in a spacious, well maintained custom home

• 5 Bedrooms/3 Baths located at Lake Mon

• Living room with cathedral ceilings & fireplace

• Family room with pellet burning

The future of West Main

Looking ahead to the next decade

CLUB DRIVE

RESORT STYLE LIVING Enjoy Resort Style Living in Keswick Estate with newly remodeled Keswick Hall and Country Club. French Normandy style home set on a 2.7 acre corner, wooded lot in Keswick Estate. Elegant and gracious custom designed residence, built by Baird Snyder. Light filled, comfortable rooms, thoughtfully planned. Interior archways, arched windows and doors. A 20’ high sweeping entry with curved staircase sets the tone for this exciting home created for entertaining and daily living. Custom door design and carved white statuary marble fireplace mantel. Cast stone work on the exterior and solid mahogany arched, leaded beveled glass front doors lead to the limestone foyer. Extensive gardens and terraces.

WESTWOOD ROAD

ONE LEVEL LIVING! The Water view dominates the interior spaces from most rooms in this fabulous, new, waterfront residence. Expansive views from two full length decks promise hours or days of relaxation. The front door opens to the great room with a wood burning fireplace and hardwood floors that flow through the first floor.

A bright open kitchen with gorgeous countertops and appliances. Complete one floor living with master suite featuring a walk-in shower and double vanities. 2 additional bedrooms with a full bath, stack unit washer and dryer hookups. The terrace level offers more water views, even from the laundry room! A large family room, an additional bedroom and full bath round out the finished rooms. Large unfinished room can serve as storage, studio, or workshop. Includes a one-year builder warranty. $500,000

While a multi-million dollar streetscape will not be built on West Main, the scrapped project did result in rezoning that lowered maximum building heights.

By Sean Tubbs

Twenty years ago, Charlottesville City Council upzoned West Main Street to clear the way for taller buildings that would allow for more people to live close to the Downtown Mall and the University of Virginia

That vision began to be realized 10 years later with the construction of the Flats at West Village, a development that prompted council to spend millions to develop streetscape guidelines for West Main Street to make it a more enticing place.

The price tag to implement the project grew to over $50 million, and was discarded by City Council last year in favor of spending local infrastructure dollars to renovate Buford Middle School.

The Flats was followed by two other luxury apartments targeted at students, as well as two hotels. Another developer transformed the vacant property behind the Blue Moon Diner into another highend residence. The former University Tire next door will also soon be developed.

While the multimillion dollar streetscape won’t be built, that exercise did result in a rezoning that lowered maximum building heights. The maximum east of the bridge is now 52 feet tall and 75 feet to the west. But that’s about to change.

Last week the city released the first module of the draft zoning code, and the draft map would restore the ability of developers to build high. The roadway east of the Drewary Brown Bridge would be zoned as the futuristic sounding CX-8, which stands for Corridor Mixed-Use 8.

That would allow 114 foot-tall buildings with an option to go as high as 142 feet if

there are enough units reserved for households making less than 60 percent of the area median income. The details will be further fleshed out this spring, but in the new zoning, developers will have to designate one unit in 10 as affordable.

That changes the perspective on properties that sell along the street. Earlier this month, a firm called GH Charlottesville VA purchased the former Greyhound station on West Main Street for $2.42 million. In December, Twenty Lakes Management LLC acquired similar properties all across the country for $140 million from a British transportation company. In the same city block, a former church built in 1867 that has housed the Music Resource Center remains up for sale.

But not all properties that are purchased are torn down for redevelopment. In February 2020, an individual bought 320 West Main St. for $750,000 from the Pregnancy Centers of Central Virginia, and the twostory building was converted to office use.

Most of the properties to the west of the Drewary Brown Bridge are zoned for CX5, which would very closely retain the existing height limits. That would technically make the Flats and the Standard non-conforming structures that could not be built in the future unless they had affordable units on site.

One area real estate broker said he’s hopeful more people will be able to live on West Main or elsewhere throughout the city. “The growing companies that are currently based in Charlottesville have a difficult time recruiting and retaining talent, in large part because there are not enough housing options,” said John Pritzlaff of Thalhimer | Cushman Wakefield.

Annie Gould Gallery

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 available. 25 minutes west of Charlottesville. MLS#631962

$8,875,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

STONY POINTE

A spacious and meticulously maintained home on 57+ private and protected acres, 5 miles northeast of Charlottesville. Residence features 4-6-BR, 5-full and 2-half BA, large open floor plan on the main level, plus a deluxe gourmet kitchen and generous master suite. Other interior features include 3 bedrooms and home office upstairs, plus 3,000 finished sq. ft. on the walkout terrace level. Panoramic views of the Southwest Mountains and to the west are winter views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. MLS#638292 $2,575,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

EVERGREEN HILL

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

GIBSON’S

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 $3,250,000 Tim Michel, 434.960.1124 or 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

Southern Albemarle estate with 1.5 miles of frontage on the James River with 540± acres of highly fertile, gently rolling landscape. Historic farmhouse dating to the late 1700s offers extensive views of the river. Under conservation easement with the VOF. MLS#630470

$4,865,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

PRICECHANGE

BELMONT LOFTS

10 miles south of Charlottesville, a beautiful 283 acres, rolling to hilly, mostly wooded tract, borders Walnut Creek Park, with lake and miles of trails. This land has pastures, trails, creeks and a river! Many homesites, NO EASEMENTS. MLS#634310 $1,995,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

TURKEY

33 acres, beautifully constructed 3-4-BR home at very private 1000 ft. elevation, ONLY 11 MILES FROM TOWN. Dramatic great room features floor to ceiling stone FP & huge window wall with panoramic views across Albemarle County to BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS. Home has spacious rooms with open floor plan & huge main level master suite featuring another beautiful stone FP & private deck. Superb quality construction & materials, peace & tranquility unsurpassed, but close to shopping & town. MLS#635341 $1,725,000 Jim Faulconer 434-981-0076.

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 $1,890,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

BLACKBERRY

Impeccable country property with an attractive, well designed and 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

HILL FARM

SAG ROAD

HOLLOW

RED HILL

RIVER LAWN FARM

PEA RIDGE FARM

Well-designed corner condo consisting of an exceptionally bright great room with high ceilings, fullyequipped kitchen, ample space for both relaxed living & dining, 1-BR, 1-bath, & inviting private balcony/ terrace. Views of the Downtown skyline & mountains.

MLS#634496 $285,000 C. Dammann, 434.981.1250

Embodying the essence of country life! 214+/- acre farm with spacious main residence, 3-car garage with apartment, dependencies & farm buildings. Many agricultural & recreational uses. Easily accessible to Charlottesville, Orange, I-95 & DC region. MLS#636896 $1,975,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

SOUTHWIND ESTATES

3 separate parcels with commanding Blue Ridge Mtn. views,level building sites 15 minutes from Charlottesville. Sites have been perked, have wells, and ready for your dream home. MLS#632482 $375,000 (7.8 acres), MLS#632490 $275,000 (2.4 acres), MLS#632487

$175,000 (2.0 acres), Court Nexsen, 646.660.0700

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

WOLFCREEK FARM

Situated near the Blue Ridge Mtns. in Madison County on 333 acres. Currently runs as a grazing farm for beef cattle. There are 2 homes on the property and a complement of necessary farm buildings. NOT IN CONSERVATION EASEMENT! MLS#630435

$3,200,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

MISSION HOME ROAD

146.88 ac. in Albemarle & Greene County. Privacy & protection adjacent to the Shenandoah National Park! Full division rights & multiple home sites. Extraordinary timberland. Views of the mountains, along with easy access to trails & Skyline Drive. MLS#620276

$1,100,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

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 well-priced parcel. MLS#621178

$189,000 Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

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

BROOMFIELD FARM

29 acres fronting Blenheim Rd. a small agricultural & residential subdivision with CCR’s, but NO HOA. 2 buildable lots, with an historic red barn, silo, & an 8-stall stable. Driveway in place, underground power, well & water, & several building spots with mountain views. MLS#624834 $495,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

436+ acre parcel of land in Southern Albemarle! 4 division rights; complete privacy; lush, gently rolling terrain; long road frontage; stream; 3-acre lake; 125-135 acres of open land; mature hardwood forests. Under conservation easement. Owner/agent. MLS#634139

$2,985,000 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863

MURPHY’S

Wonderful gently rolling parcel of land with just under 26 acres, 18 miles south of Charlottesville. The land is wooded (mostly hardwoods) with an elevated building site, stream/creek, total privacy, and long road frontage. MLS#619394 $229,500

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

K’DEE FARM

820 CONDO

MEADOW FARM

CREEK FARM

RELIABLE. RESPONSIBLE. REALTOR.®

Discover the serenity of ‘Cloud Run Farm’ nestled within the rolling hills of Madison County. This 36-acre property boasts impressive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and your own 4-acre spring fed lake. Custom 3 BR 2½ BA home features an open floorplan along with a main level primary suite with large windows to take in the views, granite countertops, custom island, pocket doors, custom barn doors made with mushroom board from local artisan, and custom stain glass. 40 minutes to Charlotttesville.

$1,500,000 | montaguemiller.com/VAMA2000852

Carrie Brown | 434.806.2048

Historical Cardinal Point Farm on 120.69 acres of privacy with open pastures, hardwoods & pine areas. $100,000 of interior fencing. Restored Pre-Civil War home w/portions having exposed original hand hewn logs. Home sites.

$895,000 | montaguemiller.com/638213

John Batman | 434.941.8592

Spotless, low maintenance condo convenient to all things

Charlottesville! This beautiful home boasts gleaming hardwood floors, an impressive kitchen with cherry cabinets, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and more!

$415,000 | newleafcville.com/637910

New Leaf Team | 434.214.6121

Beautifully maintained home only 2 miles from the town of Madison offering high speed internet and everything you need to live on the main level. The open area offers gleaming hardwood floors and deck with mountain views.

Beautiful, well maintained Colonial on a fabulous lot backing to common area in popular Forest Lakes South! This attractive home features large Living/Dining Rooms, a spacious Kitchen, large Family Room with gas fireplace.

Easy Living 4 bed, 3 ½ bath home in this perfect location, minutes to Downtown, UVA, and Shopping. HOA takes care of yard. Enjoy Panoramic views from front and back of house. 2 car garage. Ready for you to simply move in.

$459,500 | montaguemiller.com/638322

Carol Costanzo | 434.962.1419

295 Burford Farm Rd | Monroe

4568 Ruth Road | Madison

1051 Glenwood Station Ln, Unit 304 | Charlottesville

909 Stonehenge Way | Charlottesville

of M. Lewis, Henley, WAHS, JMU

- Over $16M in annual sales

- Ranked in top 20 out of over 1,000 realtors

Seller Review: Jordan sold our home quickly and helped us select the best offer out of the 8 we received in one weekend on the market. He was wonderful and insightful in what was an extremely stressful event. His ability to market our home was impressive. It never looked better in the pictures he took. The 3D touring technology he used was amazing. Highly recommend Jordan.

40 Gibson Hollow Lane Etlan, VA 22719

Gorgeous Boutique Winery in a Majestic Mountainside Setting just North of Charlottesville

• Winner, Homestead Norton Cup Challenge

• Virginia Governor’s Cup Gold Medal winning wines

• Greenest Winery in Virginia – multiple winner

• #1 Top Rated Winery on Trip Advisor –Central Virginia

CULTURE

LOVE MY WAY

Whether love is in the air or not, go celebrate.

P 2/11. Couples and singles are invited to Black Love, a symposium and soirée hosted by comedian Chris Alan with DJs, dancing, a couple’s fashion show, and a panel discussion on self-care, mental health, and love. @bpncville

P 2/13. Take the girls out for Galentine’s Day screenings of Bridesmaids at Alamo and Clueless at Violet Crown. drafthouse.com and violetcrown.com

P 2/14. Single and ready to mingle? Meet other hot locals and play fun love games at Dairy Market’s Speed Dating

Tickets include two drinks from Milkman’s Bar. dairymarketcville.com

SATURDAY 2/11

FROM A DISTANCE

Jazz duo Allison Miller & Carmen Staaf used pandemic distancing as an opportunity to heighten the intimacy in their music. The result is Nearness, an electrifying full-length album of original compositions with a few standards. Drummer and composer Miller’s pop-like original “Dan Dan” opens the record, followed by pianist Staaf’s wistful and moving “Blue Thrush.” The duo also tackle Hoagy Carmichael’s “Nearness of You” and Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now” with creative flourish, before finishing with “Chant,” a delicate musical meditation or protest— you decide. $23-25, 7:30pm. First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St. cvillejazz.org

MONDAY 2/13 & TUESDAY 2/14

LISTEN UP

Cozy up to your Valentine at Winter Songs & Stories, an intimate evening of music from the British Isles and America. Early Access Music Project artists Brian Kay, David McCormick, Peter Walker, and Sarah Walker spin tales and tunes featuring baroque violin, robust bagpipe, and bewitching vocals. The musicians draw from many inspirations, including music of early English and Scottish settlers, Appalachian banjo, the tale of Mutsmag, and Shakespeare’s plays.

$10-25, 7:30pm. Monday at Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton, and Tuesday at Stone Chapel at Church of our Saviour, 1165 Rio Rd. E. earlymusiccville.org

P 2/14. Enjoy dinner and a show at Botanical Fare’s V-day Soirée. Dine on a three-course, plant-based dinner while drag queens Cake Pop and Crimsyn delight with their fabulous dance moves. botanicalfare.com

P 2/14. Make it bougie with a luxury picnic at Ix, featuring a lighted bubble tent, chocolate-covered strawberries, a charcuterie board, and more. shaniecebe.com

P 2/18. Lean into love at Body & Soul, a Valentine’s costume and dance party. Move your body to silky R&B, deep funk, and soul-inspired house. tomtomfoundation.org

Wednesday 2/8 music

Beleza Duo. Music that moves you from the inside out. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Durry. Quarantined siblings Austin and Taryn Durry joined forces to make nostalgic indie-rock. $13-15, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Hard Swimmin’ Fish trio. A mid-week music boost. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com

Jim Waive. Classic country tunes from the man with a velvet voice and impressive beard. Free, 7pm. Blue Moon Diner, 606 W. Main St. bluemoondiner.net

Karaoke. Jen DeVille hosts this weekly song party. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

The Buzzard Hollow Boys. Electrified folk, roots, and swing from a Charlottesville institution. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

stage

The River. Live Arts’ production of Jez Butterworth’s bewitching and mysterious play stars Steve Tharp, Christina Ball, and Caitlin Reinhard. $22-27, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org etc.

Bingo. Four games that increase in difficulty with prizes to match. Free, 6pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Block Night. Bring along an art or craft project for this informal session. Free, 5:30pm. Virginia Center for the Book, Jefferson School City Center, 233 Fourth St. NW. vabookcenter.org

Malcolm X Denzel Washington electrifies in Spike Lee’s spellbinding portrait of the legendary activist. $10, 7pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Wonderfully Made: LGBTQ+R(eligion). A documentary screening, followed by a conversation with filmmakers Yuval David and Mark McDermott. Free, 5:30am. Nau Hall 101, UVA Grounds. rkl2n@virginia.edu

Thursday 2/9

music

Berto & Vincent. Wild gypsy rumba. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Otra Vez. An original exploration of Latin music that interweaves traditional sounds with modern, boundary-defying sensibilities. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

stage

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

The River See listing for Wednesday, February 8. $22-27, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

etc.

Music Bingo. Win prizes and enjoy discounted carafes at this monthly game night. Free, 6:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Friday 2/10

music

Erynn McLeod & Christen Hubbard. Sip on cider and enjoy live music from the duo. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Meet Virginia

Kendall Street Company spreads the love statewide

By Tami Keaveny arts@c-ville.com

Fun comes first for Kendall Street Company. That’s not to say, though, that the quintet isn’t serious about musicianship. The lineup, Louis Smith (rhythm guitar/lead vox), Brian Roy (bass), Ryan Wood (drums), Ben Laderberg (lead guitar), and Jake Vanaman (sax/keys), is stacked with talent (the group covers the Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Alanis Morrisette, DEVO, and Souja Boy), and draws comparisons to another five-piece act with a three-letter acronym, also formed in Charlottesville.

For the second year in a row, KSC is taking its genre-fluid epic jams and stage humor across the commonwealth on the Kendall Street Is For Lovers Tour with 20 shows in 28 days. The hometown boys play The Southern Café & Music Hall each Thursday in February. Before hitting the stage, Vanaman answered our questions about the tour’s theme, and established that Virginia truly is for lovers.

C-VILLE: How do Virginia fans differ from those in other states?

JV: Charlottesville being our hometown, we have been playing these cities for many years now. These frequent appearances, often associated with themed tours such as February’s Kendall Street is for Lovers, have allowed for more personal connections with fans. We’ll be playing anywhere in Virginia and be greeted by the smiling faces of friends.

What’s your favorite Virginia landmark?

The Shanti the Dolphin statue on 67th Street in Virginia Beach.

You are playing several venues around the state. Which one has the best backstage scene?

We do love a good backstage scene at the Southern in Charlottesville. The hospitality is superb. Seeing all the signatures of previous acts who have performed there (and sometimes also the Jefferson) is inspiring.

What’s the strangest thing that’s happened at a Virginia show?

We played the Starry Nights series at Veritas Vineyards a year or two ago, and had an absolute blast. It was a two-set event, so the first set ended just as the sun was setting. Wow, did things change when the big light in the sky went down and the stage lights came up. In addition to the crowd going from a picnic-wine-hangout culture to a front-row headbanger, the wonderful Virginia wildlife came out to play. Mostly in the form of bugs.

So we are the brightest thing around for miles with the stage acting as a huge bug zapper. Giants of the forest were upon us. Mayflies bigger than hot dogs were crawling in and through my piano keys, landing on my face as I attempted to play sax, and flying just straight down Louis’ throat as he sang. We were woefully underprepared and ended up begging the audience to toss us some bug spray. Between almost every song we had to douse ourselves in spray but it barely repelled.

For weeks after this we found beetle carcasses in and amongst our gear. So maybe not the strangest, as we all know bugs exist, but the extent of their presence was shocking to say the least. Gonna wear a sealed body suit if that happens again.

Do you have a song about Virginia or one that you must play at Virginia shows?

Because of the sheer quantity of shows in one month, we focus on creating unique song collections for each night in each market. This way the residency-style performances stay fresh for us as well as the crowd. Because we are in the live / jam world as well, we also record and release our shows on our website, nugs.net, furthering the creative constraint to make each show special. That being said, we have worked up a number of love-themed covers and pop-adjacent tracks to spice up this tour. I don’t wanna spoil the surprise but there will be a party. And it will be in the U.S.A. And it certainly won’t be anything like a Nashville party (we would know).

Do you have any friends named Virginia? How many?

After racking my memory and those of my bandmates, we established a recollection of no fewer than four, but no more than 10 Virginias. Special shout-out to Virginia Gillock.

Is Virginia for lovers?

Duh! Especially when KSC is in town!

What is the most Virginia thing you can think of?

Louis: peanuts

Ryan: Shenandoah National Park

Ben: oysters

Brian: tobacco

Jake: lovers

Sam (tour manager): the Lombardy Kroger

Kendall Street Company is in a Virginia state of mind during the month of February, with 20 gigs spread from Blacksburg to Hampton Roads. Catch them locally at the Southern every Thursday this month.

Hungry Hard Luck Heroes. Featuring the acoustic duo of Dave McKenney on guitar and vocals and Gary Green on harmonica, joined by Barry Collins and Jeff Knock. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Jim Waive. The film and country music star puts on a special concert for his favorite radio station. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

The Arsenal Duo. With Nathan Carterette on piano and Edward Alan Moore on organ. Free, 7:30pm. First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St. firstprescharlottesville.org

The Stews. With Easy Honey. $15-50, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

stage

The River See listing for Wednesday, February 8. $22-27, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

words

CreativeMornings. A breakfast lecture series for the creative community. Free, 8:30am. Location tba. creativemornings.com

Flux Open Mic. Poets share their work. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

outside

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

etc.

Bay Area Children’s Theatre—Llama Llama

Live! Based on the bestselling books by Anna Dewdney, this hilarious musical will warm every Llama and Llama Mama’s heart. $1419, 6pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Exploring African Roots with Lillie Williams. Williams leads children and families in an engaging exploration of African songs, drumming, dance, and storytelling. Free, 4:30pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.org

Wild at Heart Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern are lovers on the run—and hotter than Georgia asphalt. $10, 9:30pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Saturday 2/11 music

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

BRIMS Trad Ensemble and Dancers. Irish music and dance. Free, 10am. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

Brown Sugar. Black American folk music as part of the WTJU folk marathon. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

C’ville Jazz Congregation. Grab a glass and enjoy jazzy vibrations. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Forces of Nature. Performing Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, “Pastoral Symphony, or Recollections of Country Life.” $8-35, 8pm. Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds. cvillesymphony.org Indecision. With Sisters & Brothers. $18-60, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf. Performing music from their recent Sunnyside recording,

Nearness. $20-25, 7:30pm. First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St. cvillejazz.org

Mama Tried. Two hours of the Grateful Dead and associated vibes. Free, 2pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

Susto. With Dogwood Tales. $18-20, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

The Pollocks. Batesville’s house band. $15, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

stage

The River See listing for Wednesday, February 8. $22-27, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

words

Martha Anne Toll in conversation with Jody Hobbs Hesler. The authors discuss Toll’s recent novel, Three Muses. Free, 4pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

Storytime. Readings of recent favorites and classics. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

outside

Playdates at the Playscape. See listing for Friday, February 10. $20, 9:30am. Wildrock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org

Wine Lovers 5K. A sweet start to a Valentine’s Day weekend. $35-42, 9am. Cardinal Point Winery, 9423 Batesville Rd., Afton. corkscrewracing.com

etc.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind . Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in an unforgettably twisted romance. $10, 7:30pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. draft house.com

Family Studio Day. Ryan Trott leads a handson, art-making activity. Free, 10am. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. second streetgallery.org

Tour The Paramount Theater. Dig into the historic theater’s history on a backstage tour. Free, 11am. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

You’ve Got Mail Brunch. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are at odds in life but in love online. $10, 12:30pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Sunday 2/12

music

Forces of Nature. See listing for Saturday, February 11. $10-45, 3:30pm. Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, 1400 Melbourne Rd. cvillesymphony.org

Gia Ray. Soulful Sunday. Free, 1pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potters craftcider.com

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

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

Tara Mills Band. Enjoy wine and music with friends. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com

classes

Paint & Sip: Love in the Air. The perfect date for you, your partner, or your pals. $35, 2pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Fresh Hart

Chef Melissa Close-Hart has new restaurant—and a new outlook

By Shea Gibbs living@c-ville.com

The team behind Junction, the Southwest-style Belmont restaurant that closed in 2020, launched another eatery in the same space in summer 2022, but patrons can expect anything but the same old.

The new resto goes by the name Mockingbird and serves up Southern comfort. Head chef Melissa Close-Hart worked with long-time collaborators Michelle Moshier, Matthew Hart, and Helen Aker to come up with the concept after carefully debating Junction’s reopening. Close-Hart says the new direction felt like a fresh start.

“Junction did an okay job, and I did an okay job in that position, but it wasn’t really my passion,” the acclaimed chef says. “We did a lot of research, and we finally just said, ‘The best food gets produced by people that are doing something close to their heart.’”

In addition to switching culinary focus, the Mockingbird dining room has been significantly downsized. Where Junction operated on both floors of the restored Belmont building at 421 Monticello Rd., Mockingbird will stick to the downstairs level. That gives it 100 floor seats and another 13 at the bar, down from 250. The upstairs will be devoted to Aker’s catering operation, and serve as an event space for parties up to 60 people.

At Junction, Close-Hart and her back-ofhouse team served 2,200 square feet of dining room out of a 210-square-foot kitchen. That wasn’t tenable, and the change allows the chef not only to cook food aligned with her own Southern heritage, but to do more one-offs and boutique specials. Mockingbird differs from other soul food joints around town in that it focuses on the Deep South, with a bit of Cajun and creole thrown in, as well as Gulf Coast—rather than Eastern Shore—seafood.

On the menu at Mockingbird are staples like fried green tomatoes and crispy chicken and waffles, but also more unique items like bison hanger steak and the Not-So-Classic

Pot Roast with blue cheese crumbles. CloseHart aims to maintain five daily specials, as well, including an app and entrée along with the soup, catch, and ice cream of the day.

“Being at The Local for the last two and a half years, we do a lot of numbers,” CloseHart says. “So a farmer might say, ‘I have two pounds of cowpeas.’ We can’t do anything with that.”

The other big change at Close-Hart’s new restaurant is in the chef’s personal focus. She’s been sober for the past three years and says she’s more energized and passionate about running a restaurant than she has been in a long time.

“When we opened Junction, I was not in the right frame of mind, and it took about two years to realize I was in trouble,” CloseHart says. “And to be frank about it, there are a lot of parts of opening Junction I don’t remember, between the stress and the addiction issues.”

Close-Hart spent 30 days in rehab when she decided to fight her addictions. Some folks around her said she’d never be able to return to the restaurant business and stay sober. But being a chef “is who I am, not just what I do,” she says, and there was no way she was giving it all up.

A COVID flareup slowed the business for several days in early August, but otherwise, Close-Hart says things have been running smoothly, and she continues to revive her love of cooking. She’s also found support for her sobriety from a therapist and the growing crowd of sober chefs in Charlottesville and beyond.

“I don’t even think about it anymore. It is not a concept in my life, and I don’t struggle with it,” Close-Hart says. “I found a happy place, and I have great people that surround me. I’m happy to talk about my sobriety if it helps even one person think about getting sober. And, it keeps me accountable.”

This story first appeared in Knife & Fork magazine.

Chef Melissa Close-Hart found her comfort food zone in the Southern cuisine of Mockingbird. EZE AMOS

Sunday 2/12

etc.

The Notebook. Behind every great love is a great story. $6-8, 2pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Monday 2/13

music

Berto and Vincent. Wild gipsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. southandcentralgrill.com

Gin & Jazz. In the Château Lobby Bar. Free, 5:30pm. Oakhurst Inn, 100 Oakhurst Cir. oakhurstinn.com

Winter Songs & Stories. A cozy concert featuring music from the British Isles and America. $10-25, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. earlymusiccville.org

words

Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley: Architecture, Advocacy, and the 2015 Earthquake. Erich Theophile discusses the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust’s restoration efforts in Nepal over the last 30 years. Free, 5pm. Campbell Hall 153, UVA Grounds. arch.virginia.edu etc.

Bridesmaids Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy are ready to party. $10, 7pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Tuesday 2/14

music

The Lint Collectors. Grooves and leads from resident shredder Evan Sposato and friends. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

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

Winter Songs & Stories. See listing for Monday, February 13. $10-25, 7:30pm. Church of our Saviour, 1165 Rio Rd. E. earlymusiccville.org

words

Ernesto Mestre-Reed Fiction Reading. Mestre-Reed is the author of The Lazarus Rumba, The Second Death of Única Aveyano, and Sacrificio Free, 5pm. Newcomb Hall Commonwealth Room, UVA Grounds. creativewriting.virginia.edu

outside

Playdates at the Playscape. See listing for Friday, February 10. $20, 9:30am. Wildrock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org etc.

Geeks Who Drink Trivia Nights. Teams of two to six people play for prizes and bragging rights. Free, 8pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Brown Sugar Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs star in this romantic film. $6-8, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Pride & Prejudice Spend Valentine’s Day looking for love with Keira Knightley. $7, 7pm. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 5th Street Station. drafthouse.com

Valentine’s Day Film Night. Come solo, with a friend or your sweetheart. Free, 6pm. The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA, 155 Rugby Rd. uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu

CULTURE LOVE LETTERS

Haiku from the heart

Love is in the air! To celebrate, we asked you to submit Valentine’s Day haiku that summed up the season— and you delivered. Here’s the contest winner, plus 10 more 17-syllable poems that got our hearts beating.

Winner

The geese in a V… Streaked, honked, to the low slung sun. Did we love the sky?

BY CYNTHIA WOODRING

you are not my first yet evermore are only for whom my heart beats

BY HEATHER ROSE

Old love is sweeter Wrinkled, bony, soft. So brave Stay with me, always

BY GAIL ESTERMAN

Drinking autumn wine Her dress blowing in cool wind Winter comes gently

BY KIRBY BONDS

The hug felt empty Ragged, threadbare, counterfeit Still she yearns for more

BY PAM VANDERBEEK

front porch, sunset view! COSMIC LOVE, Mother Nature Good Night, Rocking Chair…

BY ELIZABETH BUTLER

Will you marry me?

’til death does its part and two become one. Alone.

BY CAMILLA HALFORD

i saw your name rise over the mountains on my way to work that day

BY MARIE GAGLIONE

Birds on the feeder bring peace to my troubled heart, better than Prozac.

BY FERN HAUCK

He sounds lovely Dear, And you seem crazy happy! But is he Jewish?

BY LARRY BAUER

Drawn and quartered, You have exposed my heart. Reach in and take it!

BY ROBERT ALMANZA

“Great to have a family owned jeweler that you can trust with fair pricing and answers to your questions.”

“ I bought an engagement ring there last Spring. Andy was a pleasure to work with and took the time to help me make sure I made the right purchase. I had visited several other jewelers and there was a huge difference in customer service. I would recommend the store for any jewelry purchase without hesitation.”

FIRST PLACE: Best Wedding Jewelry Cville Weekly, Best of Cville, past winner

FIRST PLACE: Best Jewelry Store Cville Weekly, Best of Cville, past winner

HILLTOP PRODUCE & SEAFOOD 78

Curbside Pickup! (434) 939-7098

78 Zion Park Rd.,Troy, VA. •

homemade sweet breads and pies

Local honey, jellies, jams and pickles, Snow, King, and Dungeness Crab legs

Zion

Located

939-7098

All Local

Farm fresh eggs, homemade cheese spreads, and gourmet cheeses.

Farm fresh local eggs, homemade cheese spreads, and gourmet cheeses, local oysters and crabmeat, fruits and vegetables

FIND US ON FACEBOOK!

Local honey, jellies, jams & pickles.

SEAFOOD 78 Zion Park Road • Troy, VA 22974

Located Behind Chips Woodyard

Old fashioned hard candy

Fruits & Vegetables.

Kasey’s Homemade sweet breads & pies

Country Ham

Scallops & Crabmeat

Kathy’s homemade sweet breads and pies

Local honey, jellies, jams and pickles, Snow, King, and Dungeness Crab legs

Country Ham

Farm fresh local eggs, homemade cheese spreads, and gourmet cheeses, local oysters and crabmeat, fruits and vegetables

homemade sweet breads and pies Local honey, jellies, jams and pickles, Snow, King, and Dungeness Crab legs

Kathy’s breads

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

#1 solution

#1 #4

#2 solution

#3 solution

#2 #5 #4 solution

Hats

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

1. British financial giant founded in Hong Kong

5. Centers

9. Editorís ìleave it inî

13. Donald Duck, to his nephews

14. One, on a one

15. One of Pakistanís two official languages

16. W inner of the first season of “Survivor”

18. Author Gaiman

19. Medical-scanning option for claustrophobes

20. Minor hits?

21. Rod and Todd’s dad on “The Simpsons”

22. Runner-up to Albert Einstein as Time’s Person of the Century in 1999

25. Delivery room possibility

26. Fish whose preparation is strictly regulated in Japan

27. ____ O’s (breakfast cereal)

30. Greiner of “Shark Tank”

31. “Levitating” singer Lipa

34. Group with the 1983 hit “Safety Dance” ... or a hint to solving 16-, 22-, 44- and 55-Across

38. Jupiter or Mars

39. ____ parm

40. Iowa State’s city

41. Julia’s “Ocean’s Eleven” role

42. Org . for D.C. United and LA Galaxy

44. He collaborated with Roberta Flack on the 1972 album “Where Is the Love”

48. Lie a little

51. “So long , amigo”

52. “Let’s do this thing”

54. Be at an angle

55. Lewis Carroll character who asks “Does your watch tell you what year it is?”

57. Fashion magazine since 1945

58. Tabula ____

59. Part of a comparison

60. Black and Red, for two

61. Worldwide: Abbr.

62. Bouquet holder

DOWN

1. Second-largest Great Lake

2. Take potshots

3. Looped in secretly, in email

4. “High Hopes” lyricist Sammy

5. It can follow two hips

6. Raise the lights back to regular level

7. Tampa NFLer

8. Texter’s “I can’t believe this”

9. George H.W. Bush’s chief of staff John

10. Blow up on Twitter

11. Wharton who was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction

12. Gabbard who was the first Hindu elected to U.S. Congress

17. Pies, in a slapstick fight

20. Quit, slangily

23. “Don’t play me for ____!”

24. Spiritual leader

25. Pull (out)

27. “!!!”

28. Rock’s ____ Speedwagon

29. Terminate

30. Apso (Tibetan dog breed)

31. Hydroelectric project

32. Pac-12 athlete

33. Stubborn animal

35. Actresses Dana and Judith

36. Former Entertainment

Tonight host John

37. Contains

41. Low-risk govt. securities

42. Fox or ox

43. Harp-shaped constellation

44. Fruits from palm trees

45. “Swan Lake” maiden

46. Nabisco wafer brand

47. “Parenthood” Oscar nominee Dianne

48. Nickname of jazz great Earl Hines

49. Notions

50. David of the Talking Heads

53. 1999 Ron Howard film

55. St art to cycle?

56. China’s largest ethnic group

By Rob Brezsny

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): “In love there are no vacations. Love has to be lived fully with its boredom and all that.” Author and filmmaker Marguerite Duras made that observation, and now I convey it to you—just in time for a phase of your astrological cycle when boredom and apathy could and should evolve into renewed interest and revitalized passion. But there is a caveat: If you want the interest and passion to rise and surge, you will have to face the boredom and apathy; you must accept them as genuine aspects of your relationship; you will have to cultivate an amused tolerance of them. Only then will they burst in full glory into renewed interest and revitalized passion.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): During my quest for advice that might be helpful to your love life, I plucked these words of wisdom from author Sam Kean: “Books about relationship talk about how to ‘get’ the love you need, how to ‘keep’ love, and so on. But the right question to ask is, ‘How do I become a more loving human being?’” In other words, Aries, here’s a prime way to enhance your love life: Be less focused on what others can give you and more focused on what you can give to others. Amazingly, that’s likely to bring you all the love you want.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): You have the potential to become even more skilled at the arts of kissing and cuddling and boinking than you already are. How? Here are some possibilities.

1. Explore fun experiments that will transcend your reliable old approaches to kissing and cuddling and boinking. 2. Read books to open your mind. I like Margot Anand’s The New Art of Sexual Ecstasy. 3. Ask your partner(s) to teach you everything about what turns them on. 4. Invite your subconscious mind to give you dreams at night that involve kissing and cuddling and boinking.

5. Ask your lover(s) to laugh and play and joke as you kiss and cuddle and boink.

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): You are an Italian wolf searching for food in the Apennine Mountains. You’re a red-crowned crane nesting in a wetland in the Eastern Hokkaido region of Japan. You’re an olive tree thriving in a salt marsh in southern France, and you’re a paint-

Aquarius

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): To get the most out of upcoming opportunities for intimacy, intensify your attunement to and reverence for your emotions. Why? As quick and clever as your mind can be, sometimes it neglects to thoroughly check in with your heart. And I want your heart to be wildly available when you get ripe chances to open up and deepen your alliances. Study these words from psychologist Carl Jung: “We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect; we apprehend it just as much by feeling. Therefore, the judgment of the intellect is, at best, only the half of truth, and must, if it be honest, also come to an understanding of its inadequacy.”

ed turtle basking in a pool of sunlight on a beach adjoining Lake Michigan. And much, much more. What I’m trying to tell you, Gemini, is that your capacity to empathize is extra strong right now. Your smart heart should be so curious and open that you will naturally feel an instinctual bond with many life forms, including a wide array of interesting humans. If you’re brave, you will allow your mind to expand to experience telepathic powers. You will have an unprecedented knack for connecting with simpatico souls.

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): My Cancerian friend Juma says, “We have two choices at all times: creation or destruction. Love creates and everything else destroys.” Do you agree? She’s not just talking about romantic love, but rather love in all forms, from the urge to help a friend, to the longing to seek justice for the dispossessed, to the compassion we feel for our descendants. During the next three weeks, your assignment is to explore every nuance of love as you experiment with the following hypothesis: To create the most interesting and creative life for yourself, put love at the heart of everything you do.

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): I hope you get ample chances to enjoy deep soul kisses in the coming weeks. Not just perfunctory lip-to-lip smooches and pecks on the cheeks, but full-on intimate sensual exchanges. Why do I recommend this? How could the planetary positions be interpreted to encourage a specific expression of romantic feeling? I’ll tell you, Leo: The heavenly omens suggest you will benefit from exploring the frontiers of wild affection. You need the extra sweet, intensely personal communion that comes best from the uninhibited mouth-to-mouth form of tender sharing.

Here’s what Leo poet Diane di Prima said: “There are as many kinds of kisses as there are people on earth, as there are permutations and combinations of those people. No two people kiss alike—no two people fuck alike— but somehow the kiss is more personal, more individualized than the fuck.”

Virgo

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Borrowing the words of poet Oriah from her book The Dance: Moving to the Deep Rhythms of Your Life, I’ve prepared a love note for you to use as your own this Valentine season. Feel free to give these words to the person whose destiny needs to be woven more closely together with yours. Oriah writes, “Don’t tell me how wonderful things will be someday. Show me you can risk being at peace with the way things are right now. Show me how you follow your deepest desires, spiraling down into the ache within the ache. Take me to the places on the earth that teach you how to dance, the places where you can risk letting the world break your heart.”

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran author Walter Lippman wrote, “The emotion of love is not self-sustaining; it endures only when lovers love many things together, and not merely each other.” That’s great advice for you during the coming months. I suggest that you and your allies—not just your romantic partners, but also your close companions—come up with collaborative projects that inspire you to love many things together. Have fun exploring and researching subjects that excite and awaken and enrich both of you.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio writer Paul Valéry wrote, “It would be impossible to love anyone or anything one knew completely. Love is

directed towards what lies hidden in its object.” My challenge to you, Scorpio, is to test this hypothesis. Do what you can to gain more in-depth knowledge of the people and animals and things you love. Uncover at least some of what’s hidden. All the while, monitor yourself to determine how your research affects your affection and care. Contrary to what Valéry said, I’m guessing this will enhance and exalt your love.

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his book Unapologetically You, motivational speaker Steve Maraboli writes, “I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.” That’s always good advice, but I believe it should be your inspirational axiom in the coming weeks. More than ever, you now have the potential to forever transform your approach to relationships. You can shift away from wanting your allies to be different from what they are and make a strong push to love them just as they are.

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I analyzed the astrological omens. Then I scoured the internet, browsed through 22 books of love poetry, and summoned memories of my best experiences of intimacy. These exhaustive efforts inspired me to find the words of wisdom that are most important for you to hear right now. They are from poet Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Stephen Mitchell): “For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.”

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

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c-ville.com

What local chicken would you wait in line for?

Michie Tavern followed by the “old” Browns.

WILHELM NIELSON/FACEBOOK

None of them.

@BREMDADDIO/INSTAGRAM

Soul Food Joint.

@KBUGDEN15/INSTAGRAM

Take it from a certified fat guy, Michie Tavern is hands down the best.

JZ KIRBY/FACEBOOK

Wayside, and I’d wait in line for Michie Tavern w/ stewed tomatoes.

STEPHEN POLLOCK/FACEBOOK

Stella’s Cuisine inside of York Place or Lucky 7 Deli.

COCOA & SPICE/FACEBOOK

Wrong if you don’t say Whiskey for chicken sandwich and Moe’s for 1/2 chicken ezpz.

JT LEONARD/FACEBOOK

Definitely Michie Tavern:)

ROXANN HATFIELD/FACEBOOK

Multiverse Kitchens, or Umma’s.

BRIDGET ONION ALESHIRE/FACEBOOK

Michie Tavern.

@THREADSCVILLE/INSTAGRAM

I don’t wait in line for any chicken, but do love Al Carbon.

TERRI ANNE DI CINTIO/FACEBOOK

Whiskey Jar chicken sandwich and Moe’s Original BBQ always.

ELERI HAYDEN/FACEBOOK

GoCo ... on Cherry or Harris.

EDDE MENDES/FACEBOOK

Champion Ice House in Gordonsville

Wood Grill.

JAMES SPENCER/FACEBOOK

Clearly y’all haven’t tried Angelic’s over at Dairy Market.

CY JOE COMPTON/FACEBOOK

Wayside.

WALTER OWEN/FACEBOOK

Brownsville Market in Crozet.

JESSICA PEURA/FACEBOOK

Wayside, Champion Ice House, and Bojangles (love that little bit of spicy).

CAT STANLEY/FACEBOOK

Oakhart or Umma’s. @LEAH_PEEKS/INSTAGRAM

Umma’s and Wayside!!!

JESSIKA BOTTIANI/FACEBOOK

Al Carbon.

@AMYMACFARLAN/INSTAGRAM

Michie Tavern chicken is out of this world, but a bit pricey. Wayside’s chicken hoagie is just ... yum.

ANDREW KINBACK/FACEBOOK

Cane’s.

ANN WALKER/FACEBOOK

Don’t boo me out of here but Farm Bell Kitchen fried chix and waffles is

ANNA FAY/FACEBOOK

Michie Tavern. JACOB JOBE/FACEBOOK

Top 5 answers: Wayside, Michie Tavern, Brownsville Market, Al Carbon, Cane’s

Stay tuned for more back page content, including HotSeat, The Big Picture, and You’ll be Happy to Hear. To respond to the Question of the Week, submit HotSeat suggestions, feel-good stories, or The Big Picture images, email arts@c-ville.com

TERRI THOMPSON/FACEBOOK

Can’t believe I am the first to say ‘Cane’s Chicken.’

CHRIS SPOFFORD/FACEBOOK