C-VILLE Weekly | December 10 - 16,2025

The hidden forces shaping youth gun violence in Virginia P.9

Global money moves in at West Main's The Standard P.13

Honoring a friend, a bandmate, and a lost genius P.25

Virginia’s Premier Holiday Light Show

Nov. 14, 2025 — Jan. 3, 2026 Select Nights

Bigger and Brighter than Ever!

Wintertime’s most Instagram-worthy destination awaits, featuring dazzling drone shows and the debut of Glistening Grove, a glowing walkway around Firefly Pond where 700 lights dance to music.

Celebrate the birth of Christ with us this Christmas at St. Paul’s, Ivy.

Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24

1:00 p.m. Family Worship with Children’s Homily*

3:00 p.m. Family Worship with Children’s Chapel*

5:30 p.m. Festive Choral Worship*

10:00 p.m. Candlelight Choral Worship**

* Childcare will be available for the 1:00, 3:00 and 5:30 p.m. services.

**Incense will be used at the 10:00 p.m. service

Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25

10:30 a.m. Traditional Worship

Scan the QR code to learn more about Advent and Christmas at St. Paul’s, Ivy. stpaulsivy.org

Hello, Charlottesville.

Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly.

12.10.25

I’d like to start my letter with an apology to Matt Kingston and the rest of the Scrabble players featured in this week’s cover story (p.16) for the creative liberties we took with the cover image. You see, reader, any Scrabble player worth his salt knows that you would never play either of those two words to start a game. In fact, Kingston himself vehemently objected: Opening with long words like “letter” and “perfect” burns your good letters and gives your opponent too many scoring opportunities! You could start with “let,” but even that sacrifices an ‘e’ right from the jump.

Maybe that’s the charm of Charlottesville’s Scrabble scene. Everyone has a rule, a reason, a philosophy about how to open, how to challenge, how to win. As Matt Stoss shows in this week’s feature, what seems like a quiet tabletop pastime has become one of the most vibrant, nerdy, and surprisingly competitive subcultures in town. The stakes may be modest, but the passion? Well, we won’t mess with that.

Hey, thanks! These generous benefactors of C-VILLE have supported our work through our (now tax-deductible!) Save the Free Word campaign. To contribute, follow the QR code.

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Matthew Stoss made his C-VILLE debut romanticizing hotel bars. He’s been a university magazine editor for a decade. He’s profiled an Oscar winner, an Olympic bobsledder, a National Book Award winner, a Batman artist, a Michelin-star chef, a submarine commander, and the Smithsonian secretary. Read his work on page 16.

Tristan Williams is a live music, portrait, and editorial photographer. He has been contributing to C-VILLE Weekly since 2017. His work has been featured in Billboard magazine, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Relix, Brooklyn Vegan, and American Songwriter. See his work on pages 16 and 38.

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UVA | POLITICS | REAL ESTATE | CRIME

UVA report targets youth gun violence

CATIE RATLIFF AND NATHAN ALDERMAN

Law enforcement and community experts from across the Commonwealth recently met with University of Virginia researchers to discuss youth gun violence.

NEWS SAFETY

Gun violence in Virginia is down from a 2021 peak, but there’s still work to be done across the Commonwealth, according to University of Virginia researchers. By examining how fear, social media, and loss of community resources contribute to gun violence among youth and young adults, the researchers hope to inform effective policy, from the community to the federal level.

The research and policy recommendations draw on 58 interviews: 31 with adult community stakeholders and 27 with youth or young adults who self-identified as growing up in neighborhoods experiencing gun violence. In addition to hearing from people who live in gun violence hotspots in the Roanoke, Tidewater, and Richmond areas, researchers spoke with 12 people from the greater Charlottesville area because of its proximity to UVA.

Lead report author Andy Block was joined by co-authors and researchers Lucy Guanara and Trae Watkins at a December 4 virtual roundtable examining the findings.

“Gun violence is not equally distributed across Virginia. There are certain areas that have much, much higher rates than the state average,” said Block, who previously served as director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.

Drawing on University of Chicago behavioral economist Jens Ludwig’s concept of “unforgiving places,” the report blames violence on stressful environments that make it harder for people to stop, think, and choose not to pull a trigger.

UVA’s report lists three primary, linked causes of worsening gun violence among young Virginians: loss of resources during the pandemic, social media, and fear.

“The communities that are the most vulnerable for gun violence, those are also places that, in a lot of cases, had the least resources, and so were the most impacted by changes from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Guanara. “Services shut down and those services were never recovered. … That sense of community, togetherness, or watchfulness, has not really come back.”

Being stuck at home for virtual schooling left students bored, idle, and with more opportunities to get in trouble. Of the 15 Virginia zip codes with the highest rates of juvenile shootings, 13 had chronic absenteeism rates notably higher than the state average for 2024-25, and 12 had below-average graduation rates for the 2023-2024 school year, according to the report.

Isolated during the pandemic, kids turned more to social media. But the report argues that those services fed kids music and imagery that glamorized and encouraged violence.

“When you see something violent—or something violent is shown—on social media, the algorithm amplifies that video more than it amplifies anything else,” said Watkins, who conducted the interviews with youth and young adults for the report. “It wants violence. It wants drama; when people are … making comments that are causing conflict and issues and challenges … that amplifies that video more than anything does.”

Feuds that begin online spill into reality. Social media lets kids taunt potential rivals while announcing their own locations, daring challengers to show up and start a fight.

Social media also intensified opportunities to bully. Young interviewees said they

skipped fistfights in favor of guns because no one wanted the humiliation of being caught on video losing a brawl.

“If a young person is assaulted, and gets involved in a fight, and it’s filmed, that’s captured, and it’s played over and over and over again,” said Stephen Jenkins, chief of Portsmouth Police Department, who joined researchers for the roundtable.

Between the loss of resources and escalating effects of social media, youth interviewed for the project reported that fear drove their desire to carry guns. One 16-year-old quoted in the report said they didn’t want to be the only one unarmed, and felt that guns were “the only way to solve a problem.”

“[The youth interviewed] all felt the level or sense of fear—whether it was fear at school, fear in the community, or fear in the home— that was a very common theme,” said Watkins.

Instead of a statewide approach, the report recommends policymakers focus resources on communities most affected by gun violence.

“For most of the Commonwealth, most kids … or young adults go outside. They go to school, they go to the store, they go to their friends, they don’t feel they have to carry a gun to be safe. But in some places in

IN BRIEF

All the news you missed last week (in one sentence or less)

Virginia, that’s not the case, unfortunately,” said Block. “When you put young people in those communities who’ve been exposed to trauma and violence and they have guns, bad things are going to happen.”

In addition to new programs, the report’s findings support ongoing efforts, including Ceasefire Virginia, which mixes tougher, targeted prosecution of offenders with funding for community-based intervention groups. Ceasefire Virginia has coincided with a 33.5 percent statewide drop in annual homicides since it launched in 2022. But the reduction in combined killings, assaults, and robberies has been lower—9 percent, compared to a statewide 13 percent—in communities where the program has focused.

According to FBI crime data, homicide rates in Virginia hit a recent peak of 0.67 per 100,000 people in 2021—the highest rate since 1997. The state’s homicides declined nearly 50 percent from 2021-2024, compared to a 27 percent reduction nationwide. Over that period, firearms were used in 77 percent of Virginia homicides, and 55 percent of offenders and 41 percent of victims were between 10 and 29 years old.

Beyond the data, UVA’s report sees a path forward through sharing the lived experience of those affected by and working to prevent gun violence.

“When a problem’s not that acute, [the] government loses attention and it moves on to the next crisis,” said Block. “It’s incredibly important that we keep up the momentum that we’ve started to generate, and we support the holistic responses that communities across Virginia are taking as they approach these problems, and so that we can, I think, realistically get to a point where kids feel safe enough to not have to carry a gun when they go outside.”

“Numbers are important, but a lot of times stories are more important and changing people’s minds or helping people really understand a problem,” said Guanara. “That’s one of the things we’re hoping to contribute—the stories to help policymakers understand what’s really going on and what needs to happen.”

Former 5th District Congressman Tom Perriello announces run for Democratic nomination to unseat Bob McGuire in VA-5. University of Virginia Head Football Coach Tony Elliott named 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Charlottesville Police Department identifies 45-year-old Keagan Carr as the victim of fatal fall from Water Street parking garage. Charlottesville’s Grand Illumination rescheduled for December 10 due to weather. Albemarle County schools consider building fourth high school. CPD arrests two suspects in December 7 shooting near Sunrise Elementary School. Crozet babysitter Maxwell H. Mandell, 24, arrested on charges of aggravated sexual battery and felony indecent liberties with a child. Revolutionary Soup wins PETA Souper Vegan Award. CPD investigating December 3 burglary near UVA. Final defendant in region’s largest-ever federal drug trafficking prosecution, Charlottesville resident Norman Eugene Goins Jr., 31, sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. UVA football team to play the University of Missouri in the Gator Bowl December 27. Snow grants lucky Charlottesville and Albemarle students a five-day weekend.

Andy Block, lead author of the In Their Own Voices report, spoke with members of the law enforcement community about the research project in September.

Laying down the law

As local districts reinstate school resource officers, Charlottesville and Albemarle County have announced final versions of the memorandums of understanding that govern their partnerships with police departments.

Albemarle’s updated agreement, signed November 4, expands the program with two additional officers. In response to community cost concerns, Charlottesville’s December 3 draft cuts four planned SROs to two.

Both school districts removed officers from schools in 2020. Charlottesville says their return will ensure that educators don’t have to take on police responsibilities.

Charlottesville City Schools’ agreement specifies that SROs will be armed; Albemarle’s doesn’t mention whether officers will carry guns, but lists firearms among their essential equipment.

Charlottesville’s new agreement adds stronger protections for students’ rights. It specifies CCS’s role in helping police select and train SROs. It clarifies how the program will measure success, and how students, staff, and community can share concerns. And it restores language allowing schools or police to end the agreement, or remove specific officers from schools, at any time.

Albemarle’s revisions emphasize that SROs don’t take part in school discipline, and bar schools or police from cooperating with immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant or subpoena. They discourage staff from suspending or expelling misbehaving students where possible, and urge SROs to find solutions that keep kids out of the criminal justice system. They restrict how police can question, search, or restrain students. And they specify how students and families can file complaints against SROs.

Full-time SROs have patrolled the three county high schools since August. The city plans for SROs to return in August 2026.—Nathan Alderman

Single again?

Lewis Mountain neighborhood property has new owner after development fell through BY

SEAN TUBBS

When Charlottesville City Council adopted a new set of building rules in December 2023, one intention was for developers to have an easier pathway to construct more homes on land that had previously been reserved for single-family residences.

One developer who tried to go through the new development code found that not to be the case, suggesting that the document tries to do too much.

“I think their intent is good and noble, but you have to understand that every sentence and every word that you put into the zoning ordinance is a potential barrier or restriction,” said Tom Ridley, vice president of sales for Evergreen Homebuilders.

The company purchased a single-family home at 303 Alderman Rd. in June 2024 for $835,000. The 0.31-acre property is zoned Residential-B and the company filed a major development plan in August 2024 to build six townhouse units.

A year later, the project had stalled after company officials were told they would have to get a special exception from City Council to meet a technical requirement.

“It is actually creating less housing and certainly more expensive housing,” said Ridley. “You have to go in front of all of these departments for a major development plan to build six townhomes, and that is the same threshold to build 150 homes.”

Such plans are required for residential projects that will have more than three domiciles,

according to the city’s development manual, and staff has 40 days to issue a decision.

In September 2024, staff in the Department of Neighborhood Development Services issued a letter of denial. That is a standard part of the review process.

“Revised application materials can be submitted up to three times before a new application fee will be required for further application review,” the manual reads.

Evergreen Homebuilders tried twice more, and NDS staff issued a third denial on March 13. Ridley said the company opted to withdraw the application after learning it would have to get council’s approval.

“We did pull our major development plan because we just saw that going nowhere,” Ridley said, adding that would mean more uncertainty and cost for a relatively small number of units.

Ridley said the company had backup plans in case the zoning fell through, and one of them was to build a new house. A demolition

permit was issued on July 18, and six days later the firm filed a building permit for a fourbedroom single-family house. At the time, a judge had dismissed the zoning code due to a technicality and Ridley said his company wanted to make sure they could recover value from the property. The permit has not been processed.

On November 12, the property exchanged hands again when the Keelan Property Group bought it for $840,000. That business is registered in Atherton, California, and so far it has not filed any additional plans.

Ridley said he is glad his company did not go ahead with demolition to give the new owners a chance to remodel the existing structure.

The zoning code was restored in midAugust and a settlement has been reached with the plaintiffs.

Staff in the NDS have spent this year making recommendations for minor changes to the zoning code to fix grammatical errors and make some clarifications.

Ridley said he has not been following potential amendments and will not attempt to develop anything larger than a duplex in Charlottesville until there is more certainty.

“I want to wait until I see someone actually successfully plan, approve, and construct one of these projects,” Ridley said.

The Charlottesville Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on January 13 for the first round of changes to the zoning code.

What will become of the single-family home at 303 Alderman Rd.? It exchanged hands most recently November 12, to a California-based company who has yet to file plans.

RETRIEVER RUN

Top Quality, custom home in Ivy, set on 5 acres w/ mountain views. Extended living space w/ swimming pool and full size tennis/sport court. Covered terrace pavilions overlook the expansive lawn. Bright, expansive interior spaces.Vaulted great room opens to the gourmet kitchen and breakfast room. 2 primary suites on the 1st floor.The upper floors feature 3 additional suites and a billiard room.Terrace level features a family room w/bar, movie room, craft/ hobby room, home office and a full bath. Mechanical room houses a Geothermal system w/ room for storage. Home also includes a central vacuum system, irrigation system and an invisible fence. $2,350,000

EAST HIGH STREET

Charming Boutique Building in a coveted downtown location. Unique, light-filled condo located just one block off Court Square. Opportunity to have an office and/or residence in this immaculate property with 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. Front and rear entrances with a deck in the back. $499,000

RAVENS PLACE

Wonderful floor plan. Great, nearly flat yard. Many updates and improvements include: 2025 new roof, refrigerator, dishwasher, range, microwave (all stainless steel) 2020 shed remodeled, new front door and shutters. Primary suite remodeled with walk in shower. $487,500

CABELL AVENUE

Terrific university area rental! Main level offers a living room, dining room as well as 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Terrace level has a bedroom, bathroom, large living area and kitchen. Washer and dryer in each unit. Excellent condition. $669,000

HATTON FERRY LANE

Fabulous renovation of a 1880 gem in Albemarle County. Hatton on The James is an historic estate, set on 13.9 acres fronting on the James River. Lovingly & authentically restored. The 500 sq. ft. wraparound porch extends the living area. Light pours in through the banks of windows. The open, double staircase leads from the center hall to the second floor landing. Extensive gardens and walkways. Numerous perennials and hardscapes made of flagstone, brick, soapstone terraced parterre & mature gardens. Property includes a charming one bedroom guest house, gardener’s shed and a writer’s studio. Easy access to Water activities. $1,895,000

ELDERBERRY PLACE

Stunning home inside and out, set on 1.5 acres. Dramatic great room opens to the kitchen & breakfast room, which leads to a large deck overlooking a beautiful lower terrace. First floor primary suite features a huge walk-in closet, separate vanities & a private side deck. Second floor has an open family room that overlooks the great room and leads to 3 bedrooms.Terrace level includes a kitchenette, family room w/fireplace, full bath and exercise room. Large 3 car garage. Fantastic neighborhood w/ pool, tennis courts, walking paths and pond. $1,250,000

REAL ESTATE NEWS

Big business

Global investment firm purchases The Standard, rebrands it as Yugo Crestline

BY SEAN TUBBS

Two transactions in Charlottesville this fall illustrate how student housing is a lucrative global business with healthy cash flow fueled by households that can afford to pay premium prices for places to live.

In the past dozen years, three studenthousing buildings—all valuable commodities for investors—have been constructed on West Main Street.

Madison Loft LLC sold The Flats at West Village in October 2025 for $107 million, a sum that is more than 16 percent over the assessed value. The 595-bedroom apartment complex is now run by the Scion Group, an operation that has more than 95,000 beds in 83 college towns across the world. Also included in the company’s portfolio is Lark on Main, which Scion purchased in April 2017 for $59.5 million.

In late November, Landmark Properties and a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority sold a portfolio of eight studenthousing properties across the U.S., including The Standard for more than $1 billion. All are in what are considered to be Tier-1 markets.

“This student-housing portfolio fully aligns with our strategy to acquire highquality, resilient assets in prime locations,” said Will Milam, head of U.S. Investments at Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing, which will co-own the properties with a firm called Global Student Accommodation.

“We are pleased to partner with GSA to strengthen our market position to capture the ongoing demand for student housing in some of the country’s top university markets,” Milam continued.

This acquisition expands its portfolio to nearly 24,000 beds across 36 cities in 23 states.

Annie Gould Gallery

So far there’s no specific transaction in city records, but a press release announced a new name and new management company.

“Yugo, the leading U.S. and global student-housing operator, will manage and rebrand the newly acquired assets, creating further scale and operational excellence with enhanced student experiences across the portfolio,” said Nicholas Porter, CEO of the Dot Group, which includes both Yugo and GSA.

The Standard will now be known as Yugo Crestline, with rents beginning at $995 a month per person for a three-bedroom intended for four occupants in the Camden layout. There’s also the Astoria one-bedroom unit for $2,300 a month.

“Hit your goals in the study lounge, or take a break in the clubhouse, computer lab, or golf simulator,” reads the rebranded website. “With on-site retail and dining options just steps away, Yugo Crestline truly has it all.”

There are no retail units in the Yugo Crestline since a Potbelly Cafe franchise closed earlier this year.

The quest to build more apartment complexes for students is underway with the massive Verve transforming the landscape at the corner of Emmet Street and Jefferson Park Avenue and Blume on Ivy at Copeley and Ivy roads. And more are in development.

Landmark Properties is seeking to build another student-housing building called The Mark on Seventh Street in Fifeville. LV Collective has filed plans for an 11-story complex next to Yugo Crestline on West Main Street. Each project is being reviewed by city staff and doesn’t require approval from City Council under the new zoning code.

The Standard will soon be known as Yugo Crestline, where rents will begin at $995 a month per person for a three-bedroom apartment and $2,300 a month for a one-bedroom unit.

$

Matt Kingston is a teacher at Burley Middle School, where he started a Scrabble club.

eyond the salad bar and hot foods at the 5th Street Station Wegmans, seven people play Scrabble on a rainy Friday night. Their boards are as bespoke as their tiles and tile bags, and people are confused.

“This game,” says one would-be detective, passing by, “looks a lot like Scrabble.”

“It is Scrabble,” one of the players says.

These Scrabblers—Matt, Nancy, Barry, Dana, Steve, Regina, and Jean—are as patient as they are devoted. They belong to the Cville Scrabble Club, which formed in 2010 to unite high-level players and give Charlottesville a stop in the competitive Scrabble scene.

It’s a pocket universe, home to the thousands who play the 87-year-old board game in tournaments across the world for modest winnings. This year’s world champion, Canadian Adam Logan, took home $10,000 after winning the best-of-seven final, 4-2, last month in Accra, Ghana. The event was livestreamed. For a smidgen in the early 2000s, ESPN broadcasted the national championships.

“I’ve played a lot of poker in my life, and that’s very cutthroat,” says club member Matt Kingston, who entered his first competitive Scrabble tournament last February. “You’re not trying to share information; you’re trying to keep everything to yourself. In [Scrabble], it’s, ‘Oh, hey, you’re a

MATTHEW STOSS

new player? Here’s the cheat sheet of words that you should study,’ and ‘Come play club with us. We can talk about the game and maybe help you improve.’” Poker and Scrabble players often overlap because both games involve lots of probability. Scrabble is a math game.

The Cville Scrabble Club has played in Wegmans’ commodious dining area for about a year. Its members have a gentleman’s agreement with management that says “if you eat here, you can meet here.” Tonight, there’s salad and pizza.

Charlottesville’s top player, UVA medical student Andy Hoang, was a youth national champion in grade school and played Jimmy Kimmel and Li’l Kim on network television when he was 11 years old. As of early December, Hoang’s ranked 30th by the North American Scrabble Players Association, one of three Charlottesville players in top 100. Club co-founders Clay Daniel and Barry Keith are ranked 38th and 67th, respectively.

Founded in 2009, NASPA administers competitive Scrabble around the continent. It also offers youth program grants, roughly $5,000 per year, according to Chief Operating Officer Judy Cole. NASPA has about 2,000 active members, though 5,000 get the weekly newsletter.

“Often the story is,” Cole says of how people come to the competitive game, “they

played Scrabble all the time at home and that kind of stuff, and they become the people nobody in their family wants to play with because they’re better than they are. That often causes people to wander into club for the first time. People stay if they like it.

“I like the fact that you see the same people, but different people, from tournament to tournament. At the nationals in some ways, it’s like a family reunion. I mean, there are people there I see once a year, and I know I’ll play them once a year, and I look forward to it. People are interesting, and the wide variety of people is fun—people you might never have met in real life, but in Scrabble life. Even though we’re very different, we share this love of the game, and that’s good.”

Tournaments are divided into four divisions based on skill level (Division 1 is the highest) and held in libraries, hotels, and ballrooms. The games are mostly quiet, except for players prospecting for fresh tiles. There’s food and drink, too, and time between the games for everyone to mingle. It’s not really a dating scene, but people meet. They’d have to. The nationals attract 300 to 400 competitors and a good-sized tournament will get 100. An average tournament draws 20 to 40.

Competitive Scrabble is one-on-one only and games have a 25-minute time limit, with an average of 13

turns per player. The top players average more than 400 points a game. They excel at pattern recognition, anagram like a mentat, and keep it together emotionally. They’re also good with numbers.

Engineers, musicians, and mathematicians texture the Scrabble scene, and eidetic memories are not unusual. Mack Meller, NASPA’s No. 2-ranked player, majored in astrophysics at Columbia. Language artists should beware of humility.

“You have to know all these percentages and you have to understand your leave values, which is harder math than the arithmetic that the scoring requires,” says Kingston, a teacher at Burley Middle School, where he started a Scrabble club. He also used to produce Chris Long’s podcast, “Greenlight.” “Your calculation isn’t necessarily ‘What is my highest scoring play?’ But sometimes it’s like ‘What is my highestscoring sequence?’ or my best ‘equity play’ is what we would say—my best combination of scoring this play and what I’m leaving on my rack.”

An essential discipline of Scrabble gamesmanship involves the cunning use of fake words. The game’s more about brute memorization than a swaggering vocabulary. The greatest player of all time, New Zealander Nigel Richards, has won world championships in English, French, and Spanish, even though he

doesn’t speak French or Spanish. He just memorized their Scrabble dictionaries.

Definitions are irrelevant. If you know enough words, you can screw with your opponent. This is very important.

“It’s not only allowed, it’s actually encouraged,” Meller says. “And that’s something that turns a lot of new players off, but it’s just something you have to live with and accept if you’re going to be a tournament Scrabble player. You’re going to get phonied sometimes, and it’s going to sting, but you can also do that—and you cannot, by the way, feel bad about it if you want to rise through the ranks. It’s a very important and legitimate part of the game.

“You’ll even have people who develop reputations. Like, ‘Oh, this guy plays a lot of phonies,’ and you’re going to have to play against it—[but] then you can use that in your favor if you have that reputation, because then if you play a lot of weird valid words, people might be likely to challenge those and give you free turns.” The penalty for falsely calling nonsense is one turn. “There is a lot of that, especially at the top level. Like I said: small community, everyone knows everyone. I’m known as a person who does not play a lot of phonies, [and] sometimes that can help me because that means, if I’m in a situation where I feel I really need to, I can often get away with one.”

There is prize money, but it’s not a professional circuit. TV and sponsorship deals do not abound, though Craig Ferguson hosts a Scrabble game show on the CW. (It’s a revival of the 1980s show.) But poker made it big and a Dungeons & Dragons game sold out Madison Square Garden. So maybe one day. Meller nearly makes a living on Scrabble, but not on tournament winnings. He gives Scrabble lessons (Kingston is a pupil) and has a Scrabble YouTube channel, which has 6,200 followers. Meller plays and narrates live games, offering tips and analysis. He supplements his Scrabbling with freelance web design and writing word puzzles, notably for The Washington Post.

“Ninety-five percent of them lose money,” Meller says of tournament players. “And I might be low.” Meller won a recent tournament in New York and got $600. “I barely made a profit and I won the whole tournament,” he says.

But there is money and it is competitive, so people cheat, too. They palm tiles and sneak-peek the bag. To discourage guile, NASPA rules demand tiles be drawn from above eye level. Then there was the guy who used magnets. Possibly.

“I’m not even a hundred percent sure it’s true, honestly. It might be more of a legendary thing, but it’s pretty funny,” Meller says. “There was once a guy who, on his own set of tiles, at least—so it would only work when he was playing on his board—he put magnets on the blanks and the S’s, which are the most valuable tiles, and then he surgically implanted a magnet into his index finger. And he would thus draw all the good tiles. Like I said, that might be folklore.”

Meller regularly makes his way from his home in Lexington, Kentucky, to Charlottesville for Scrabble games. He’ll be one of 40 players expected for the Commonwealth Cup tournament December 16 to 22 at the Courtyard by Marriott on Route 29. The top

players will play the 19th through the 22nd in the “main event.” (Visit cross-tables.com for more information.)

“We’re all Scrabble addicts,” Nancy Bowen says while checking NASPA stats on her iPhone. “I’ve played more games than Mack. Look at that.”

In 2023-2024, Bowen, a retired high school math teacher and a club co-founder, played more games than anyone in NASPA: 336. She received a handsome certificate, which she keeps in her Scrabble files. They all seem to have Scrabble files. Dana Tornabene’s are in a three-ring binder. It has a lot of word lists.

“Proper names are not good in Scrabble, unless they mean something else,” she says, flipping by a page that lists every fish in the Scrabble dictionary. “Toby is a drinking mug. Japan—you can japan something, like lacquer it. … I have hercules, maryjane, and what was the other one? I think benedict.”

“Don’t forget vandyke,” Kingston says.

“It’s a kind of mustache,” Tornabene says.

The Cville Scrabble Club convenes on the first and third Fridays of each month and occasionally, if the calendar allows and they’re feeling extravagant, the fifth Friday. This is a third Friday. Membership is fluid—no secret handshake necessary—and typical game-night attendance is four to six, unless they can woo a curious bystander. Tonight, they could pick from a number of unsupervised children.

The club plays from about 6 to 8pm and abides the “eat here” clause for the half hour before that. Then the Scrabblers pair off and array out.

When the club has an odd number of players, like tonight, advanced players play two games at once. Steve Gawtry, an IBM data scientist, is doing that now.

Ranked 151st by NASPA, he likes the geometry of Scrabble and right now he’s split between a board set on a round granite-looking slab and another one that’s more classically rectangular but lavender and with bumblebees. Tornabene’s mother-in-law made it.

“Vowel dumps: very important,” says Tornabene, still consulting her files. She finished fifth in Division 3 at nationals this year. “If you’ve got three U’s, you need to know: What are you going to do? It turns out culture, vulture, and multure are all words that take two U’s, so that’s handy to know. … Bikini takes three I’s. Like, what are you going to do if this is on your rack? Do you want to waste your time with an exchange? Of course not.”

Barry Keith, a French and Spanish teacher at Monticello High School, is playing Bowen on her board. It has “Nancy” and “Bowen” on either side, “UVA” on one end and “CVL” at the other. And like every board, it has its own lazy Susan.

“I think playing Scrabble—and I know it sounds kind of corny—but it’s kind of a microcosm of life,” Keith says. He came to Scrabble through chess. He also plays poker. “Sometimes your situation is going to be pretty easy, and you can celebrate, and there’s kind of a charge.” Like when you hit a bingo and get 50 bonus points for playing seven tiles at once. “Then there are going to be other times where life is hard, and you just have to make the best decisions you can and muddle through. And once in a great while, you might even have to exchange letters, sometimes, like we start over in life.” C

“We’re all Scrabble addicts, “ says club co-founder Nancy Bowen, a retired high school math teacher.

CLICK DATE

Snap, sip, swoon.

Calling all singles for a fun, first-date adventure. Each duo starts with a portrait session with a local photographer, capturing those first-date sparks, and then heads to a nearby bar for drinks and conversation. It’s part photo shoot, part cocktail hour—and all about seeing if you…click.

CHARLOTTESVILLE

Holiday Market

SHOP LOCAL! FIND ONE-OF-A-KIND GIFTS, HANDMADE CRAFTS, FESTIVE DÉCOR, BAKED GOODS, ART, AND MORE!

SATURDAYS, NOVEMBER 29 -DECEMBER 20

9:00 AM - 1:00 PM 100 E. WATER STREET - CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

BRINGING HOLIDAY CHEER TO THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN CHARLOTTESVILLE!

FRIDAY 12/12

DEEP

LISTENING

Performing for the first time as an official band, The Golden Hours brings Suz Slezak and David Wax of David Wax Museum and Lauren and Daniel Goans of Lowland Hum together in a local supergroup seeking authentic connection with each other and the audience. Born out of an immersive live music experience where the musicians deprived audience members of their sight to enhance their awareness of sound, self, and other, this show will be a more straightforward concert where the performers offer intimate and engaging instrumentation and vocalization. $23.60, 7:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 South First St. thesoutherncville.com

CULTURE TO-DO LIST

Wednesday 12/10 music

Open Mic Night. Mic check to all musicians, poets, and everyone in between. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St.

Robert Earl Keen. Texan renaissance man performs both kinds of music, country and Western. $140–255, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

The Front Porch Presents: Student Band Night. Cheer on amazing student bands, celebrate their hard work, and enjoy a night of energy, creativity, and connection. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com dance

Weekly Swing Dance. Beginner-friendly swing dance lessons teaching the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and blues. No partner needed. Stay for social dancing after the class. $10, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com stage

A Christmas Carol ASL-Interpreted Performance. Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of redemption and generosity follows Ebenezer Scrooge as he discovers the true spirit of Christmas. $35–70, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

Where Words Once Were A contemporary play written by Finegan Kruckemeyer set in a dystopian society where words and language are controlled by the government. Free, 6pm. Helms Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama.virginia.edu

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

A hot musical farce of female resilience takes you to sexy 1980s Madrid. $5–35, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

words

New Yorker Cartoonist Tom Toro. The cartoonist will share from his new book, And To Think We Started as a Book Club... . Free, 8pm. Commerce Street Books, 499 W. Main St. commerce streetbooks.com

Pursuits of Knowledge: Louis Masur. Masur discusses his latest book, A Journey North: Jefferson, Madison, and the Forging of A Friendship $10, 5:30pm. Monticello, 1050 Monticello Loop. monticello.org

classes

Eco-Friendly Holiday Painting. Follow along with simple instructions to create an 8 x 10-inch snowy tree farm painting. For adults ages 18+. $25, 10:15am and 5:30pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Paint + Sip: Evergreen Glow. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials included. $40, 6pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. blueridgebrushes.com

Paint + Sip: Merry + Bright. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials and first drink included. $44, 6pm. Starr Hill Brewery Tap Room, 5391 Three Notched Rd., Crozet. blueridgebrushes.com

Wreath Making Class with The Watering Can. Learn all the techniques you need to make a stunning holiday wreath that will last the season. $45, 6:30pm. Hardware Hills Vineyard, 5199 W. River Rd., Scottsville. hardwarehills.com

etc.

Dürty Karaoke. Dive-bar karaoke for your hump day. Free, 8:30pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

FRIDAY 12/12

BRIGHT SPOT

Glowing sculptures, video projections, and luminous artworks transform the PVCC campus into a lustrous landscape of color and delight at “Let There Be Light,” the annual outdoor illuminated art exhibition. The family-friendly event features visual art installations, performances, and a parade of “enlightened beings” led by the Charlottesville Homeschool Art Club. Visitors are encouraged to dress up and join the procession. Warm apple cider, hot chocolate, and food trucks will be available on site. Free, 6pm. Piedmont Virginia Community College, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

Thursday 12/11

music

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

Jim Richardson. Local singer-songwriter performs folk, country, and rock. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

John Doyle & Cathie Ryan: An Irish Christmas. A heartwarming and nostalgic performance with luminous vocals and masterful musicianship. $30, 7pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Magnolia And Johnson Electric Co. Will Johnson and members of Magnolia Electric Co. pay tribute to the latter’s work with the late Jason Molina. $32, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Open Mic Night. Music, singing, poetry, spoken word—everyone is welcome to participate. Hosted by Jordan Redifer and Mark Douglas with guitars on hand to accompany performers. Free, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Studebaker Huck. Punky-tonk DILF band comes home. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

Travis Elliott. Thoughtful takes on classic and contemporary covers and originals. Free, 10pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapture restaurant.com

stage

A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of redemption and generosity follows Ebenezer Scrooge as he discovers the true spirit of Christmas. $35–70, 7:30pm. Blackfriars’s Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

Blippi: Join The Band Tour. Get ready to sing, dance, and play along with Blippi and his best buddy Meekah as they rock out with fans in this

Play when you want and go at your own pace. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Friday 12/12

music

Ali Webb Christmas Show. Webb blends jazz, humor, and storytelling to explore life’s highs and lows with original songs and jazz classics. $10, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

A Very Jerry Christmas with Andy Tichenor & Friends. Performing the music of Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead. Free, 5pm. Bottle House, 608 W. Main St. bottlehouse.net

Blowbirds. Featuring Gary Green (harp/vocals), John Whitlow (harp/vocals/accordion), Wave Milor (harp/vocals), Justin Storer (guitar/vocals/drums), Larry Bisgaier (guitar/vocals), and Andre LaVelle (bass). Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Bob Bennetta Trio. Live jazz. Free, 6:30pm. Afghan Kabob House, 200 Market St. afghankabobhouse.com

Brian Franke. Independent award-winning singersongwriter and cover artist. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

CHS Orchestra. A special one-hour classical marathon live performance by the Charlottesville High School Orchestra. Listen in person, on 91.1FM, stream at wtju.net, or video stream on WTJU’s YouTube channel. Free, 7pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

interactive live performance. $41–74, 6pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Cirque Dreams: Holidaze. A brilliantly breathtaking holiday spectacular for the whole family. $45–86, 7:30pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. johnpauljonesarena.com

Elf the Musical JR. Get ready to spread Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear. This joyful musical brings everyone’s favorite elf to life on stage with laughter, heart, and holiday magic. $18–25, 7pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. dmradventures.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $5–35, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org classes

Kokedama Plant Workshop. Learn the art of creating unique Japanese moss ball planters. All materials will be provided. $33, 6pm. Botanical Plant-Based Fare, 421 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. botanicalfare.com etc.

Bent Theatre Improv: Fourth Annual Secret Santa Show. Cast members surprise their colleagues with gifted games chosen specifically for them. Free, 7pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. An escape room meets a pub crawl. Visit the Preston Avenue breweries, crack codes, unravel riddles, and sample Charlottesville’s best brews. Players get $1 off pints at each brewery. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Thursday Evening Holiday Series. Local holiday shopping amid seasonal décor, twinkling lights, and live entertainment. Free, 5pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl. carter mountainorchard.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. Like an escape room but at a winery. Crack codes and unravel riddles while sampling Charlottesville’s best wine, beer, and cider.

Crozet Community Chorus Holiday Concert. Seasonal songs performed under the direction of Will Nichols. This family-friendly show features songs from the classical to the modern, closing with sing-along carols. Free, 7pm. Crozet Baptist Church, 5804 St. George Ave., Crozet. crozetchorus.org

DadBod. Classic crowd-pleasing dad-rock covers. Free, 10pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Midnight Buzz. Fun rock ‘n’ roll featuring originals and covers. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

The Golden Hours. Local musicians Suz Slezak and David Wax of David Wax Museum and Lauren and Daniel Goans of Lowland Hum debut as a new supergroup. $23, 7:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com dance

Boot Scoot Square Dance Party. A beginnerfriendly square dance where Big Silo plays driving old-time favorites. No experience necessary, all ages welcome. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com stage

A Christmas Carol See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $35–70, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespeare center.com

Elf the Musical JR See listing for Thursday, December 11. $18–25, 7pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. dmradventures.com

Holiday Stories: For Better or Worse. Playback Theater brings together 90 minutes of storytelling, improv, music, and true stories drawn from each audience. Suggested donation $20, 7pm. The Hamner Theater Blackbox at Crozet Arts, 1408 Crozet Ave., Crozet. thehamnertheater.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $5–35, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, December 11. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Holiday Evening Tours. A rare opportunity to experience Monticello after dark, decorated with the style of holiday greenery found during Thomas Jefferson’s era. Tours last approximately 1.5 hours. $99, 5:15pm. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. monticello.org

Trivia with Olivia. Get the weekend started with beers and trivia. Free, 6pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, December 11. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Saturday 12/13

music

Acoustic Aubrey. Covers of classic R&B, jazz, acoustic rock, and more. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducard vineyards.com

Butterfly Vendetta Album Release Show. Blending rock, pop, and punk, this powerhouse group delivers its seventh full-length album with enormous fun and intensity. Free, 10pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Dave Frank. Revered jazz pianist and educator offers an inspiring solo concert followed by an open master class, sharing his signature approach to improvisation. $10–25, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com

Films On Song. A post-punk band delivers wellcrafted twee-tinged indie pop from every facet of sound. With Innerspeaker, bringing a set of 21stcentury jams. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Josh Davidson. Shenandoah Valley local plays a mix of country, folk rock, Americana, and more. Free, noon. Keswick Vineyards, 1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick. keswickvineyards.com

Josh Mayo and The House Sauce. One of Charlottesville’s finest rockers takes the stage with his band. Free, 9:30pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Vienna Boys Choir. One of the oldest and most famous choirs in the world. $41–58, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Perennial Collection. A multi-generational hip hop, jazz, R&B, soul group. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

Porch Dogs. Come bark with the Dogs. Free, 12:30pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Ramona & The Holy Smokes x Hannah Juanita. An evening of Americana roots, country, rock, and honky-tonk. $15–20, 7:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

The Gladstones. Straight up, old-school rock ‘n’ roll. Free, 3pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Whistle Pig & The Trooperbuebies. An electric night of high-energy blues rock. Free, 7pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com dance

December Ballroom Dance. Ballroom, Latin, nightclub, and swing dancing to holiday tunes. Dress to impress in creative black-tie attire with seasonal flare. $5–15, 7pm. The Center, 540 Belvedere Blvd. thecentercville.org

For a friend

FEEDBACK CULTURE

Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co. tours on past connections

BY DAVE CANTOR

The late singer-songwriter Jason Molina loved playing Charlottesville, says his friend Jason Groth.

Groth spent his formative years in Indiana and did a stint in North Carolina before moving to town. Along the way, he played guitar in a number of groups, including The Coke Dares and Magnolia Electric Co.—the latter being Molina’s main concern during the final portion of his life.

Molina previously led a band called Songs: Ohia, which in 2003 released Magnolia Electric Co, prompting the bandleader to reconstitute his group with new members—and that new name. By that time in the early millennium, he’d kicked around the ’90s metal scene in Cleveland and recorded scores of albums and singles with a revolving cast of players.

Where Songs: Ohia encompassed Molina’s vast influences—folk and blues, maybe some gospel and elements of experimental rock— Groth and Magnolia constituted a refined bar act. Together they were capable of foregrounding country vibes while supporting Molina’s rock inclinations. The new group would help redefine the singer-songwriter’s music and his career.

“[Molina was] so self-possessed in a positive way, so talented, could do anything, command any stage, which was the majority of the shows,” Groth recalls. “Then there was, every now and again, just a clunker, because he drank a half a bottle of whiskey in a bathroom alone before the show.”

Molina lived for about a decade after establishing Magnolia, though a chunk of that time wasn’t spent recording or touring. During that final stretch, he and vocalist Will Johnson forged a kinship, resulting in a single collaborative album, Molina and Johnson, a recording that didn’t involve the Magnolia cohort.

Groth and members of the group have reconvened a few times since Molina’s 2013 death, and with Johnson at the helm, the Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co. will play a few live dates this month—the first is on December 11 at the Southern.

The run of shows coincides with the release of a two-song single—and a bonus digital track—where Johnson and the group reimagine work from more than 10 years back.

It opens with an assured and faithful version of Molina’s “The Big Beast,” and includes reworkings of a pair of tunes from Molina and

Johnson—suitably adapted to a full-band country-rock setting, replete with lap steel.

With Johnson, who Groth says is the “best transmitter” of Molina’s legacy, on the mic, there’s a unique connection to the past.

“It felt like we were a band and we were playing these songs that our friend wrote, and Will sounded like both a vessel and an interpreter who understood the meaning of it,” says Groth about playing with Johnson for the first time in 2020.

The Texas-bred songwriter and guitarist is likely best known for his work in the group Centro-matic, but recently issued a solo album, Diamond City. He also sports a decadesdeep catalog that includes a stint as a drummer in a ’90s major-label rock act.

The one-off 2009 recording with Molina was a resonant moment in the guitarist’s life, connecting him to Groth and a world of Midwest musicians. Performing with them today conjures a well of emotions.

“It did evoke some old feelings. It’s impossible for it not to,” says Johnson about woodshedding with the Magnolia crew. “I’m standing in a room with this band, you know? We’re sharing stories and sometimes we’re laughing. Other times, I’m on the verge of tears because we miss [Molina]. Inevitably, it’s going to be kind of a stew of all of it.”

Molina’s final tours came in 2008, when Groth says he and his bandmates watched the songwriter’s health decline precipitously.

“At the end of that tour, we were helping him—a 35-year-old man—we had to help him in and out of the bus because he could barely walk,” Groth says.

Magnolia’s Josephine and the Johnson collaboration were among Molina’s final releases, as he continued struggling with addiction. In an effort to help, Groth remembers getting in touch with Molina’s college friends, as well as his estranged wife. But Molina didn’t engage; he died in Indianapolis at age 39 in 2013.

Despite that slow decline, the Ohio-born musician’s influence persists more than a decade after his death: North Carolina’s MJ Lenderman recorded a cover of “Boys,” a Songs: Ohia tune initially released in 1996 and later included on a singles compilation. And a little closer to home, Richmond punk band Memory Hole concluded its self-titled 2024 album with Molina’s “Pass.”

Still, no audience is going to be privy to another performance from the late songwriter. So, the kind of revival Groth is bringing to Charlottesville is the only way to transmit his friend’s work and spirit to new listeners.

He says it took him years to get comfortable with the idea of playing Molina’s songs without him: “I’m grateful that Jason was the center of this universe of really good people and talented people who left us these gifts that we can keep opening.”

With Johnson, who Groth says is the “best transmitter” of Molina’s legacy, on the mic, there’s a unique connection to the past.

Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co. perform in tribute to late singer-songwriter Jason Molina (left) at the Southern on Thursday.

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CULTURE TO-DO LIST

Saturday 12/13

Hot In Herre: 2000s Dance Party. Featuring dope DJs behind the decks and 2000s visuals to transport you back to the days of blinged-out flip phones and trucker hats. Ages 18+. $20–24, 9pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

stage

A Christmas Carol. See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $41–75, 2pm and 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

Elf the Musical JR. See listing for Thursday, December 11. $18–25, 3pm and 7pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. dmr adventures.com

Holiday Stories: For Better or Worse. See listing for Friday, December 12. Suggested donation $20, 7pm. The Hamner Theater Blackbox at Crozet Arts, 1408 Crozet Ave., Crozet. thehamner theater.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $5–35, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

classes

Crochet for Beginners. Learn the basics of crochet. Leave with a crochet hook and a small crocheted washcloth. Ages 12+. $25, 12:30pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Gnome Winter Ornaments. Make gnome ornaments with customizable options. Ages 10+. $20, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Intro to Stone Carving. Beginners learn to create lettering and simple relief carving in stone using traditional hand tools. No experience necessary. Tools, safety goggles and stone provided. $125, 2pm. Rockfish Valley Community Center, 190 Rockfish School Ln., Afton. belfineart.com

Terrarium Workshop with We Grow. Craft your own miniature garden. All plants, glass containers, and other materials are provided. All ages welcome, minors must be accompanied by an adult. $36, noon. Tasting Room and Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve, 5600 Moonlight Dr., Scottsville. mountidareserve.com

Upcycled Journal Making and Beginning Book Binding. Put together a journal using up-cycled items such as fabric, paper, cardboard, and string. Ages 12+. $45, 3pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

etc.

Big Blue Holiday Improv Spectacular. All the fall improv performers and groups back for one last year-end hurrah. $10–15, 7pm. Light House Studio: Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lighthousestudio.org

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, December 11. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Family Studio Day. Create your own train-inspired collage based on Stacey Evans’ photos and ongoing collage practice. Supplies and prompts provided. Free, 10am. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. secondstreetgallery.org

Holly Days at Highland. A morning of children’s crafts and holiday cheer. Learn about native plants while creating a holiday craft with the Piedmont Master Gardeners. Registration required. $6, 10am. James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Pkwy. highland.org

JSAAHC Holiday Celebration. Celebrate the holiday season, gather in the spirit of unity and gratitude, enjoy music, bites and beverages, and cultural traditions that unite our community. Free, 1pm. Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 233 Fourth St. NW. jeffschool heritagecenter.org

Queeraoke. Everyone is welcome to join the fun and sing their heart out. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St.

Ride the Downtown Express. An electric trackless train for children and families to ride and explore the heart of downtown. Rides depart next to the fountain at Central Place. Free, 10am. Downtown Mall. friendsofcville.org

Santacon Coffee Rave. A Santa-themed coffee/ cocktail dance party with beats by DJ Cake Pop! and a holiday-themed costume contest. $23, 1:30pm. Botanical Plant-Based Fare, 421 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. botanicalfare.com

Storytime. Featuring readings from recent storybooks and the classics kids know and love. Rain or shine. All ages welcome. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. newdominionbookshop.com

THURSDAY 12/11

WINTER WONDERMENT

Combining glitzy Broadway-style production with awe-inspiring contemporary circus arts, Cirque Dreams: Holidaze offers a breathtaking seasonal spectacle. Featuring original tunes, along with new takes on old wintertime classics, this theatrical experience brings live music, dazzling scenery, and stunning costumes together with soaring acrobatics and gravity-defying feats, ensuring the entire family will be on the edge of their seats. $45–86, 7:30pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. johnpauljonesarena.com

STAGES CULTURE

The Vienna Boys Choir

When I asked my special lady if she wanted to go see the Vienna Boys Choir (actual name: Wiener Sängerknaben), she didn’t hesitate to tell me it couldn’t be lower on the list of things she’d like to do. I wanted to be sure, since we could catch them here in Charlottesville and in the Austrian capital where we’ll be on vacation in a few weeks.

As much as I enjoy most forms of classical music, I have to admit choral isn’t my favorite either. And when it comes to musicians of any genre, I generally try to avoid listening to children. That’s not a knock on youth culture, but rather the belief that even prodigies could probably use a few more years to develop ability and style.

least 1296, and following the establishment of a Court Chapel in 1498 by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, the groundwork was set to have the choir become a permanent fixture.

Saturday 12/13

I’m sure the guidance of Artistic Director Erasmus Baumgartner keeps the kids in line with the choir’s very, very long tradition.

It’s estimated that little dudes, who, like Monticello and the University of Virginia, are designated as a cultural UNESCO institution, have been piping up at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel since at

Now operating as a private, nonprofit organization, there are actually four boys choirs touring around the world. The kids coming here as part of the choir’s 137th U.S. tour will recognize the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss and his own stateside swing in 1872 with works by the composer, along with pieces by Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Bruckner, Offenbach, Berlin, and Bernstein.

It’s undeniable that people enjoy hearing these boys who dress not unlike mini 19th-century sailors. To think that in the last 101 years, the choirs have toured literally 1,000 times, racking up roughly 29,000 concerts, is astounding.

To put that in perspective, Bruce Springsteen, who people also buy lots of tickets to hear, has been good for 3,579 shows since he started in the mid1960s—but, of course, there’s only one Boss, not four.—CM Gorey

The First Street Flea. Shop 20+ local artisan and food vendors while enjoying live music. Free, 10am. Darling Boutique, 115 First St. S. shopdarling xdashing.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, December 11. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Sunday 12/14

music

Michael Clem and Rusty Speidel. Fantastic folk tunes with a hearty dose of fabulous charm. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Patrick & Aaron Olwell and Friends. Fine renditions of traditional Irish tunes. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Rhett Miller. Frontman for the Old 97’s performs solo. $29–38, 7:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Second Sunday Bluegrass Jam. Musicians gather in a circle to jam and the audience sneaks a spot to watch from the perimeter. Show up with instruments if you got ’em. Free, 2pm. Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run. Blending the roots of traditional bluegrass with the energy of modern performance. $27, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com

The Bluegrass Destroyers. Shake off the cold and settle in for a Cider & Strings series bluegrass concert. Free, 1pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com stage

A Christmas Carol. See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $41–75, 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse,

10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespeare center.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $5–35, 2pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

classes

Paint + Sip: Holiday Cheer. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials and first drink included. $44, 3pm. Starr Hill Downtown, 946 Grady Ave., Ste. 101. blueridgebrushes.com

Watercolor Holiday Cards. Learn simple watercolor techniques to design and paint your own set of festive greeting cards. All supplies provided. Ages 12+. $30, 11am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Winter Watercolor Snowflakes. Explore the possibilities of using masking fluid with watercolor to create a painting of gilded snowflakes. Leave with a beautiful seasonal painting. Ages 15+. $35, 1pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, December 11. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Paramount On Screen: A Christmas Story. Ralphie connives, conspires, and campaigns for the most fabulous Christmas present ever in this heartwarming, hysterical, and sweetly nostalgic holiday film. $9–11, 4pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Paramount On Screen: Love Actually Follow eight London couples as their lives and loves collide, mingle, and finally come together. $11, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Santa is Coming to Eastwood. A special opportunity to take your own photos with Santa, with holiday milk and cookies flights available for kids. Free, noon. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, December 11. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Monday 12/15

music

Thievery Corporation—Night 1. Twenty-five years into its genre-defying electronic music career, Thievery Corporation’s founding principles of D.I.Y. and inclusion have become key themes in mainstream social conversation. $50–85, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

words

Profs & Pints: A Night of Christmas Frights. Get to know Krampus and other scary figures who prowl the darkness of December with Joshua Barton, lecturer in English at Virginia Commonwealth University and scholar of horror. $13–17, 5:30pm. Graduate Hotel, 1309 W. Main St. profsandpints.com

Storytime. A magical storytime adventure where the pages come alive and imagination knows no bounds. Free with museum admission, 10:30am. Virginia Discovery Museum, 524 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. vadm.org

Tuesday 12/16

music

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones: Jingle All The Way. A reunion tour featuring the group’s beloved

tunes along with reinvented, jazz-infused holiday classics. $56–200, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

BRIMS. An open jam by the Blue Ridge Irish Music School. Free, 7pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

Thievery Corporation—Night 2. See listing for Monday, December 15. $50–85, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jefferson theater.com

Tuesday Jazz with Jeff Massanari. A cast of great players joins the guitar virtuoso. Free, 7:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapture restaurant.com

Vincent Zorn. Lively flamenco rumba with a unique percussive technique that incorporates a diverse range of strumming styles, rhythms, and taps. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

stage

A Christmas Carol See listing for Wednesday, December 10. $41–75, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespeare center.com

classes

Paint + Sip: Festive Wreath. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials and first drink included. $44, 6pm. Ellie’s Country Club, 16 Elliewood Ave. blueridgebrushes.com

etc.

Geeks Who Drink Trivia. Good trivia, good times. Teams of two to six people compete to win prizes like gift certificates and pint glasses, plus bragging rights. Free, 7pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

THE PARAMOUNT THEATER

THE WINE DOWN -

WHAT’S DELISH AT LOCAL WINERIES?

53RD WINERY AND VINEYARD

A note from Winegrower and Owner, Dave Drillock

Happy Holidays!  Where did that year go?  Our new release is our 2022 Norton,  aged 26 months in French oak.  We, and a few other wineries in the Monticello AVA (53rd is not)   were paid a visit by the proprietor of the West London Wine School to learn more about Virginia wines.  Here is what they had to say about our Norton wine.  “Winemaker, Chelsey Blevins, is a real driving force. She knows how to handle the challenging Norton grape, turning it into something truly memorable and proving that Virginia‘s native varieties can shine when treated with skill and care”.  That was the 2021 but our 2022 shows off Chelsey’s skills.  2022 was a  difficult vintage, but you would not know it by this Norton.  It is characterized by notes of dark cherries, cranberries red plums with woodsy undertones.  Extremely aromatic and favorable, this will age very well for the next ten years and go great with lamb, beef and game dishes.  Even the Norton skeptics like this one! We invite you to visit our serene, meadow-like location in rural Louisa County. We pride ourselves on being genuine and approachable, eager to share our passion for wine without any scripted lines or memorized facts, just a warm and welcome atmosphere. We are a Winery that just wants to be a Winery!  For more details, please check our website at www.53rdwinery.com or call us at 540-894-1536. We look forward to welcoming you to the winery, and we truly appreciate your business and support.

December Shipping Special: 1-5 Bottles: UPS real cost 6-11 Bottles: $10 flat rate 12+ Bottles: Free shipping through December

Upcoming events:

Saturday, December 6th: Closed for Thanksgiving

Saturday, December 13th: Savor the Season: Small Plate & Wine Pairing

Join us on Saturday, December 13th at 1:30pm as we present a curated Small Plate & Wine Pairing Experience featuring five wines thoughtfully matched wines with seasonal bites prepared by Food for Functions by Michele. Review the menu and reserve tickets on www.53rdwinery.com PLUS Live Music: On Permanent Vacation 1:00-4:00pm Tasting Room Area

Saturday, December 20th: Wine Club Appreciation Day 11-5pm

Enjoy a tasting of Port style wines in the pavilion and spend your day

at 53rd. We’ve selected the library vintage ports; Exodus, Chelsey, and Kelso for a special treat! We’ll also be featuring our current edition of Kelso. These Port style wines are the perfect holiday/ winter companions to share with family and friends.  Non Wine Club members can j enjoy the experience for $17/person.  Fine Line Catering will be on-site with a special menu for pairing with Ports.

Wednesday,December 24th: Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard closes at 3:30pm.

Thursday, December 25th: Merry Christmas! Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard is closed today, but will reopen Friday the 26th at 11:00am.

Saturday, December 27th: Barrel Tasting with Dave Take a break! You will be guided by our winegrower and owner, Dave, through a 90 minute premium wine tasting session. This event is designed for participants to get an up-front experience of prior vintage wines to be bottled and a surprise or two.1:30pm and limited to 18 people.  Go to www.53rdwinery .com to sign up.

Wednesday, December 31st: Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard closes at 3:30 pm.

Thursday, January 1st: Happy New Year! Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard is closed today, but will reopen Friday, January 2nd at 11:00am.

Looking for the perfect winery gift? Call us for a gift certificate, wine club membership or visit the tasting room and check out our Holiday Wine Baskets! Cheers!

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

DUCARD VINEYARDS

2025 Holiday Wine Bundle

Looking for the perfect wine to complement your holiday meal? Need the perfect hostess gift? Let DuCard make the choice simple. To support your Holiday preparations, we are offering a special wine trio – plus a bonus. We’re featuring three highly acclaimed wines that pair beautifully with so many holiday dishes, and adding in a complimentary 12-piece box of fabulous BaTer wine-filled chocolates. The beautiful wines are all grown, produced and bottled by DuCard in Madison County and the chocolates are handmade and lovingly filled with DuCard wines. Limit 2 trio/bonus packs per customer and available through the end of the year. Pick up in our tasting room anytime, open daily, or use discount code HOLIDAY if ordering through

our website. $128 + tax & shipping if applicable.

We are open 7 days a week throughout the month of January, with live music every weekend! Make sure to keep an eye on our website and social media pages for the most up to date listings of our upcoming artists.

Fridays- Friday Night Out! Every Friday night through the summer we feature half price wine flights, live music, food for sale, and grills available for use until 8:00pm.

Weekends- Live music all weekend long! Check out our lineup on our website!

Bring your family and friends out to DuCard for a holiday getaway close to home in December!

DuCard Vineyards is decorated for the holiday and is ready for your visit with family and friends. Offering wine by the glass, bottle and flight served at tableside by a knowledgeable wine ambassador, there is a full selection of white, red, dessert, and sparkling wine to tempt you. Order a snack from our noshing menu to enjoy or bring your own along with you. Open daily at 12 pm in December. Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Open daily Mon-Thurs. 12-5 pm Fri. 12-9 pm Sat/Sun. 12-6 pm

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

EASTWOOD FARM AND WINERY

Winter at the winery means the return of warm mulled wine, fire pits and preparation for a season of celebration with family, friends and the community.  We look forward to welcoming you to our cozy tasting room throughout the season.

Upcoming at the Winery:

Low-Country Shrimp Boil is back! | Every Friday in December 4-7:30PM

Get ready for a delicious, flavorpacked Shrimp Boil Feast every Friday night this Winter! We’re bringing the best of Southern tradition right to your plate with succulent shrimp, juicy sausage, tender corn on the cob, and perfectly seasoned potatoes – all served hot

and ready to enjoy in a relaxed, fun atmosphere with live music from 5-8pm on the stage in our tasting room.

Santa Sundays | Sundays, December 14, and 21st from 125PM

Join us for a special visit from Santa! Plus, we’ll have holiday milk and cookies flights available again this year (back by popular demand!) for the kids. This is an indoor event with opportunities to take your own photos with Santa. There is no cost to visit Santa.

Holiday Carols |Thursday

December 18th with John Kelly and Friday December 19, with Sue Harlow 5-8PM

Enjoy the spirit of the season with classic carols and joyful tunes performed by local musicians. We look forward to welcoming you to the winery for a heartwarming celebration of holiday cheer in a cozy and festive atmosphere. Relax with delicious and seasonal beverages, and our lunch/dinner menu and enjoy an evening that is fun for the whole family. Milk & Cookies Flights Available For These Events.

Christmas Week | Monday December 22-28

Celebrate all week at Eastwood Farm and Winery! We’ll be open before and after the holiday, with plenty of reasons to celebrate.  On Monday, December 22, we will kick off the week with Salty Bottom Blue, who will be at Eastwood for pre-order holiday pick-ups. Then, on Tuesday, December 23 enjoy a chance for last minute gifting or just come and unwind with a mug of warm mulled wine or roast some s’mores over a fire pit.  We will be open all day from 12-5.  We are closed Wednesday (12/24)

MUSIC AT EASTWOOD!

Join us for the popular Eastwood After Dark featuring upbeat, danceable music on Saturday nights from 5-8pm (in addition to our more mellow Saturday afternoon music program).  Eastwood also hosts a range of live performances by talented local and regional musicians every Thursday and Friday night (and Sundays!).  See the Winery Calendar on our website for details.

Every Thursday: Live Music 5-8PM or Music Bingo 6-8PM

Thursday “Thank You” Community Day at Eastwood—$5 Taps (Beer & Cider)

Every Friday: Live Music 5-8PM Low-Country Shrimp Boil 5-8PM

Every Saturday: Live Music 12:303:30PM + Eastwood After Dark with Live Music 5-8PM

Every Sunday: Music Bingo, Paint & Sip, Maker’s Market or Live Music (See the Winery Calendar on our website for details.)

What about the kids?

and Thursday (12/25) so that our team can enjoy time with their families, but will be back on Friday, December 26th with our LowCountry Shrimp Boil (4-7:30), and live music with Matthew O’Donnell from 5-8PM. Then join us all day Saturday and Sunday for live music, great wine & food and a festive time.  Happy holidays!

Paint & Sip | Wednesday, December 10th 6-8PM, Sunday, December 28 12-2PM Grab a glass of wine (or your favorite drink!) and let your creativity flow in our relaxed and fun Paint & Sip classes. Whether you’re an experienced artist or a first-time painter, the talented instructors of Blue Ridge Brushes will walk you through the painting process as you create your own masterpiece. Ticketed EventReserve Your Spot On Our Website

New Year’s Eve | Wednesday, December 31  Looking for a daytime family friendly New Year’s celebration?  Look no further.  Enjoy live music, lunch and sparkling wine – and for the kids, sparkling juice and special “NYE around the world” coloring sheets. Join us for ringing in the New Year without having to stay up until midnight!

MUSIC AT EASTWOOD THIS MONTH!

Join us for the popular Eastwood After Dark featuring upbeat, danceable music on Saturday nights from 5-8pm (in addition to our more mellow Saturday afternoon music program). Eastwood also hosts a range of live performances by talented local and regional musicians every Thursday and Friday night. See the Winery Calendar on our website for details.

Kids can share in the experience with their own juice tasting flights and cheese boards!

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

Winery Hours: Sunday-Wednesday (125 PM); Thursday-Saturday (12-8 PM)

We look forward to welcoming you to our cozy tasting room, seven days a week. Join us for award-winning wines, beer, and cider, as well as a delicious seasonal menu by Chef Andrew Partridge that is perfect for lunch or dinner. Delight in lounging on our enclosed & heated veranda with a glass of our gold medal 2022 Meritage Reserve. Or, stay inside and enjoy live music with a seasonal toasty flatbread or our scrumptious Cast Iron Baked Brie. Escape to Virginia Wine Country, only five miles from Downtown Charlottesville. Open year-round, seven days a week.

Pet friendly and large groups are welcome. Ample indoor and outdoor seating.

Rt 20 near the intersection with Avon Extended (5 mi from Downtown Mall) Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 264-6727 www.eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

HARDWARE HILLS VINEYARD

Masquerade Red

If you are looking for that extra special wine to gift this holiday season... look no further!  Revealed at our inaugural Masquerade Ball in November, this very special Bordeaux blend is bold, dry, and full of flavor.  With notes of dark fruits and balanced minerality, you will be proud to offer this at your holiday table or wrapped up with a bow.  Quantities are limited, so come on in and ask us about this special wine.

Our event space is now complete and booking for special events in the coming year -- come take a tour before 2026 pricing increases kick in!

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR REELS YET??  Check us out on all social media channels!

EVENTS:

Dec. 11th, 6 pm: Candlelight Sound Bath -- Join Kim Munsen, Certified Meditation Instructor, for this unique experience that will put you in just the right state of mind for the stress that December brings.  You deserve this!  Also a great gift idea.

Dec 12th, 5:30 pm: LIVE MUSIC with Jimmy O!  A local legend comes to the Hills.  Bringing his charm, wonderful vocals, and a little holiday cheer -- it’s a great way to relax and enjoy the holidays!

Dec. 13th, 10:30 am: ANNUAL DASH THROUGH THE HILLS Fun Run/Walk ... with wine!  Explore the entire property of Hardware Hills, including a trek to the Hardware River.  This 5K/1M run/walk/stroll/ job/measer includes water stops that also have... wine!  Bring the whole group and make a day of it.  We will have 4 live music performances throughout the day, a food truck, and seasonal wine offerings.  One of our most fun events of the year!

Dec. 18th: MUSIC BINGO!!  Bring the whole group and get ready for

some great tunes, sing alongs, and winning bingo cards!!  Play from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the warmth of our new event space!  Free admission!

Dec. 19th, 5:30 pm: LIVE MUSIC with Sh’Boom!  A Hardware Hills original and local favorite!  Bring your holiday cheer and get ready to sip and sing to so many of your favorites.  We just love this guy!

Dec. 30th, 6-10 pm: NEW YEARS Eve EVE PARTY -- ring in the almost new year with us.  We bring the party and this is one event that never disappoints.  Catered food, dancing, music, surprises, bubbly welcome wine, and more.  Grab your festival cocktail garb and join us for a truly fun and memorable night.

Holiday Hours

We will be closed December 25 and 26th.  All other days we will be open during our regular winter hours.  We hope you #head4thehills this holiday season.

5199 W River Rd, Scottsville, VA  434.286.4710 • www.hardwarehills.com

KESWICK VINEYARDS

A Season to Sip, Celebrate & Join the Family!

December has a way of slowing us down, drawing us towards warmth, clinking glasses, and telling good stories shared with good wine.

Here at Keswick Vineyards, this is one of our favorite times of the year. The vines may be at rest, but the tasting room is glowing, the heaters are lively, and every pour feels a little more magical as the holidays draw near.

It’s also the season when many visitors realize something: Keswick is more than a place you visit, it’s a place you belong.

If you’ve been thinking about becoming part of our Wine Club family, there’s truly no better time. This month, we’re raising a glass to our members and inviting new ones in with a club built for people who love beautiful wine, beautiful company, and plenty of reasons to come back often. Here’s what membership brings: 2 Bottles for Only $60/Month a curated pair of Keswick wines delivered each month, Two Free Flights or Glasses Every Time You Visit, and Two 50%-Off Cases Each Year on your birthday and anniversary month. Sign up and save today!

Hours: Monday- Sunday from 10 am – 5 pm

1575 Keswick Winery Drive Keswick, Virginia 22947 Tasting Room: (434) 244-3341 ext 105 tastingroom@keswickvineyards.com www.keswickvineyards.com

PRINCE MICHEL VINEYARDS

At Prince Michel, indulge in a spectrum of wines—from luxurious craft picks like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Manseng to distinctive favorites such as our Rapidan River Sweet White Reserve. But this season’s standout is our Prince Michel 2023 Cabernet Franc, freshly honored with a silver medal at the 2025 East

Meets West Competition. Elegant and expressive, it showcases Virginia terroir with bright red cherry, violet, and savory spice, framed by supple tannins and a refined finish.

Discover Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, an iconic East Coast estate. Family- and pet-friendly, we’re one of the oldest and largest wineries in the Commonwealth— and home to Tap 29 Brew Pub, serving local craft brews and delicious pub-style food seven days a week.

Located in the heart of Virginia Wine Country, our elegant winery on Route 29 between Charlottesville and Washington, DC, offers wine tastings, tours, shopping, and scenic picnic spots daily from 11 a.m. Ask to taste the award-winning 2023 Cabernet Franc; it’s a versatile pour that pairs beautifully with herb-roasted chicken, mushroom flatbreads, grilled lamb, or aged Gouda.

Live Music every Friday–Sunday (lineup on our website)

Trivia every Monday, 6–7:30 p.m.

Tuesday is Beer & Wings Specials Day

Happy Hour every Thursday, 3–5 p.m.

Open 7 days a week at 11 a.m.

154 Winery Lane, Leon, VA  22725 (540) 547-3707 www.princemichel.com A Woman-Owned Business

REVALATION VINEYARDS

Mulled Wine

There is nothing better to warm you on a cold winter’s day in the

limited time, we will offer a s’mores kit, which includes Belgian chocolate and homemade waffles. It is available as an add-on with the purchase of mulled wine, verjus toddy, or wine(s) by flight or bottle.  Please note weather conditions and/or local burn restrictions may impact this offering.  Feel free to call ahead to confirm availability.

January 17th – Mocktail ClassFeeling a little “sober curious” this Dry January?

Join us for Mocktail Class from 11 am to 12:30 pm, and learn how to

mountains than a hot aromatic mug of mulled wine. Made with our own Tannat and a custom blend of spices, this mulled wine is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Enjoy it by the mug with a mini-Belgian waffle or take a bottle home to enjoy by the fire.

December Hours: Fridays and Saturdays noon to 6 pm; Sundays noon to 5 pm. Mondays and Thursdays by reservation.

December 22nd – 25th – Closed for Christmas Holidays. We reopen to regular business hours on Friday, December 26.

January 1st – Closed for New Year’s Day.

January 2nd – Art @ The Vineyard –artist Chelsea Kirby will exhibit in both tasting rooms through February 28.

January 2nd – March 1st – Looking for something fun and different to enjoy during the gray winter months? Warm yourself by a fire pit, while you enjoy a mug of mulled wine and toasting marshmallows.  For a

VIRGINIA WINE COLLECTIVE

Join us at Eastwood Farm and Winery’s new production facility and downtown tasting room every Friday night from 4-9PM for winemaker wine flights and a delicious pairing menu created by Chefs Andrew and Cory Partridge.

The Virginia Wine Collective was designed to include nine winemaker suites and an incubator alongside the main production area. The suites provide a space where independent winemakers can anchor a license and make their wines. The Collective has been designed to reduce the costs associated with independent winemaking, and thereby support further innovation and talent in the Monticello AVA.

Upcoming at the Collective: Winemaker Pop-Ups | Select Fridays 6-8PM

Enjoy free samples and tour the facility with some of our independent winemakers on Fridays! Check out events on our website: (https:// eastwoodfarmandwinery.com/ virginia-wine-collective/) and Facebook page as we will be adding more dates.

December 19: Chris Tropeano, Present Company Wine

December 26: Jake Busching, Jake Busching Wines

Production Tours and Guided Tastings

craft delicious, non-alcoholic cocktails using Revalation’s signature verjus. Sign up for tickets on our website.

January 18th – Sip & Learn –

Historian Sterling Howell presents Tyranny and American History starting at 6 pm.

January 19th – The vineyard is open for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

January 23rd – Book Club @ The Vineyard – Author Paula Whyman will join us at 6 pm, as we discuss her book, Bad Naturalist. The Vineyard opens at noon on Fridays, so stop by early for a glass of verjus to enjoy during the discussion.

January 30th – Words & Wine at 6:00pm. Poets, novelists, spokenword artists, and storytellers of all sorts are invited to share their work. RSVP to the event by email - info@ revalationvineyards.com. Arrive early to get your glass of wine or verjus and reserve your space in our reading list for the night.

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

We look forward to welcoming guests to the Virginia Wine Collective for tours and guided tastings. Please email our Wine Collective Coordinator, Gabrielle Thomas, if you would like to schedule a tour or guided tasting. She may be reached at gabrielle@ eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Large Party Reservations

Interested in making a large party reservation for your group? Reach out to mary@eastwoodfarmandwinery. com to book.

Current Winery Hours  Fridays 4-9 PM

1585 Avon Street Extended Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 264-6727

https://eastwoodfarmandwinery.com/ virginia-wine-collective/

FOR FUN PUZZLES

SUDOKU

#1

#1

#4

#2 #5

PUZZLES FOR FUN

two-wheeler

45. Foot, in Latin 46. Melodic passages

47. Word after occupational or speech

51. Make over

52. Very perceptive

54. Get ___ the crack of dawn

57. Extremely

58. Persevere

61. “To reiterate ...”

62. Riverbank critter

63. “Educated Guess” singer DiFranco

64. Sagal of “Married... With Children”

65. Actress Davis of “The Babadook”

66. Abbr stamped on a bounced check

DOWN

1. Agents

2. Palm berry

3. Middle ground

4. A little shor t

5. Wee fellow

6. What those with anosmia cannot detect

7. USAF stealth planes

8. “I was ___ prepared for this!”

9. Sachin Tendulkar’s sport

10. Small creek

11. More advanced, in a way

12. Fish dams

13. Badlands Natl. Park site

18. Judo moves

22. Dance recklessly

24. Sphere

25. Crafty letters

27. Aliases, for shor t

28. Little cut

29. “Hey, wait ___!”

32. Dar tmouth or Brown, e.g.

33. Hyperpop band 100 ___

34. Cuisine with doro wat and shekla tibs

35. Io, for one

36. Diamond officials

We believe

the holidays

are a special time, a time for giving.

We try to give in lots of ways throughout the year, but sometimes an act of kindness can feel separating, especially to children, and often times the simple things can be missed.

A night out with your family can be just that, and many in our community are unable to do this.

For 20 years now, during the holidays we offer family nights out, on us. It’s an evening of stress-free dining where nobody needs to worry about what the cost is, or what they can and can’t get, or what the tip should be. It’s hopefully a great memory. It’s hopefully great fun. It’s hopefully a great holiday experience.

Maybe you know a family that could use this.

While we seek recommendations from places like PACEM, Ready Kids, and others, we also like to open nominations up to a wider audience.

Email us with a family that you think could benefit from a night out together. A family that hasn’t been able to do this in the past, or isn’t going to be able to do it this year.

Email us with a family that needs a break. It’s a simple act, but it can be a powerful one.

There aren’t many rules, we ask that the family have children 16 or under. We ask that you list their names and ages in the email, and how to contact them (or you can contact them with the info we send). If room is still available we will make a reservation for that family. The family comes in for dinner just like anyone else would. It is not an event. It is not special, and maybe that is what makes it so special.

Thank you and happy holidays from our family to yours.

citizenburgercville@gmail.com

By Rob Brezsny

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Apoptosis is a word referring to programmed cell death. It’s a process by which your aging, damaged, or obsolete cells deliberately destroy themselves for the benefit of your organism as a whole. This “cellular suicide” is carefully regulated and crucial for development, maintenance, and protection against diseases. About 5070 billion cells die in you every day, sacrificing themselves so you can live better. Let’s use this healthy process as a psychospiritual metaphor. What aspects of your behavior and belief system need to die off right now so as to promote your total well-being?

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Which parts of your foundations are built to strengthen with age? Which are showing cracks? The coming months will be an excellent time to reinforce basic structures so they will serve you well into the future. Don’t just patch problems. Rebuild and renovate using the very best ingredients. Your enduring legacy will depend on this work, so choose materials that strengthen as they mature rather than crumble. Nothing’s permanent in life, but some things are sturdier and more lasting than others.

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): Along the Danube River in Europe, migrating storks return each spring to rebuild massive nests atop church steeples, roofs, and trees. New generations often reuse previous bases, adding additional twigs, grass, roots, and even human-made stuff like cloth and plastics. Some of these structures have lasted for centuries and weigh half a ton. Let’s make this a prime metaphor for you in the coming months, Pisces. I see your role as an innovator who improves and enhances good traditions. You will bring your personal genius to established beauty and value. You will blend your futuristic vision with ancestral steadiness, bridging tomorrow with yesterday.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): Home is a building you live in. It’s also a metaphor for the inner world you carry within you. Is it an expansive and luminous place filled with windows that look out onto vast vistas? Or is it cramped, dark, and in disrepair, a psychic space where it’s hard to feel comfortable? Does it have a floor plan you love and made yourself? Or was it designed according to other people’s expectations? It may be neither of those extremes, of course. My hope is that this horoscope will prod you to renovate aspects of your soul’s architecture. The coming months will be an excellent time for this sacred work.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): During the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1872, workers made an

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY FOR FUN

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Leonardo da Vinci painted his iconic Mona Lisa on a thin panel of poplar wood, which naturally expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Over the centuries, this movement has caused a crack and measurable warping. One side of the classic opus is bending a bit more than the other. Let’s use this as a metaphor for you, Sagittarius. I suspect that a fine quality you are known for and proud of is changing shape. This should be liberating, not worrisome. If even the Mona Lisa can’t remain static, why should you? I say: Let your masterwork age. Just manage the process with grace and generosity. The central beauty may be changing, but it’s still beautiful.

uncanny discovery: They could detect approaching storms by observing vibrations in the bridge’s cables. The massive metal structure was an inadvertent meteorological instrument. I’m predicting that your intuition will operate with comparable sensitivity in the coming months, Taurus. You will have a striking capacity to notice subtle signals in your environment. What others regard as background noise will reveal rich clues to you. Hot tip: Be extra alert for nuanced professional opportunities and social realignments. Like the bridge workers, you will be attuned to early signs of changing conditions.

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): Sloths are so energy-efficient they can survive on 160 calories per day: the equivalent of an apple. They’ve mastered the art of thriving on minimal intake by moving deliberately and digesting thoroughly. Life is inviting you to learn from sloths, Gemini. The coming weeks will be a good time to take an inventory of your energy strategies. Are you burning fuel frantically, or are you extracting maximum nourishment from what you already possess? However you answer that question, I urge you to experiment with being more efficient— but without depriving yourself. Try measuring your productivity not by speed and flash but by the diligence of your extraction. Dig deep and be thorough. Your nervous system and bank account will thank you.

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): The Danish concept of arbejdsglæde refers to the happiness and satisfaction derived from work. It’s the joy found in labor itself, not just in its financial rewards

and prestige. It’s about exulting in the selftransformations you generate as you do your job. Now is an excellent time to claim this joy more than ever, Cancerian. Meditate with relish on all the character-building and soulgrowth opportunities your work offers you and will continue to provide.

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): In the deep Pacific Ocean, fields of giant tube worms thrive in total darkness around hydrothermal vents, converting toxic chemicals into life-sustaining energy. These weirdly resilient creatures challenge our assumptions about which environments can support growth. I suspect your innovative approach to gathering resources in the coming months will display their adaptability. Situations that others find inhospitable or unmanageable will be intriguing opportunities for you. For best results, you should ruminate on how limitations could actually protect and nurture your development. You may discover that conventional sustenance isn’t your only option.

Virgo

(Aug. 22 to Sept. 22): For a long time, scientists didn’t understand why humans have an organ called the appendix. Most thought it was useless. But it turns out that the appendix is more active than anyone knew. Among other functions, it’s a safe haven for beneficial gut bacteria. If a health crisis disrupts our microbiome, this unsung hero repopulates our intestines with the helpful microbes we need. What was once considered irrelevant is actually a backup drive. With that in mind as a metaphor, here’s my question, Virgo: How many other parts of your world may be

playing long games and performing unnoticed services that you haven’t understood yet? Investigate that possibility!

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the coming months, you’ll be asked to wield your Libran specialties more than ever. Your allies and inner circle will need you to provide wise counsel and lucid analysis. For everyone’s sake, I hope you balance compassion with clarity and generosity with discernment. Certain collaborations will need corrective measures but shouldn’t be abandoned. Your gift will lie in finding equilibrium that honors everyone’s dignity. When in doubt, ask: “What would restore harmony rather than merely appear polite?” True diplomacy is soulful, not superficial. Bonus: The equilibrium you achieve could resonate far beyond your immediate circle.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The Hubble Space Telescope is a school bus-sized space observatory orbiting 320 miles above the Earth. There, it observes the universe free from atmospheric distortion. Its instruments and detectors need to be recalibrated continuously. Daily monitors, weekly checks, and yearly updates keep the telescope’s tech sharp as it ages. I believe it’s a good time for you Scorpios to do your own recalibrations. Subtle misalignments between your intentions and actions can now be corrected. Your basic vision and plans are sound; the adjustments required are minor. For best results, have maximum fun as you fine-tune your fundamentals.

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AUCTIONS

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P.S. THE BIG PICTURE

Light in snow

UVA students and locals celebrated the 25th Lighting of the Lawn on Friday, December 5, after several inches of snow canceled Albemarle and Charlottesville schools and delayed classes at the university until noon. First organized in 2001 as a symbol of unity following the attacks of September 11, the Lighting of the Lawn has grown into a signature moment of the academic year.

THIS PAGE COSTS

And each week, we print 500,000 of them. Every page, every story, every voice costs only pennies—but losing them would cost our community much more.

Together,

we can make the

season brighter. brighter.

Did you know that Charlottesville has become one of the most expensive metro areas in the Eastern U.S.? Relative to income, housing is more expensive here than in Northern Virginia. With your support, we can help families who, despite working 40+ hours/week, are struggling to make ends meet.

Here are some of the programs that community members’ donations help fund:

Transportation assistance that helps families get to work reliably and advance their careers

Childcare scholarships to high-quality early learning centers for children 0-5

Scan the code to help local families thrive by supporting United Way programs and resources.

Pathways to homeownership that empower families to build generational wealth