C-VILLE Weekly | November 12 - 18, 2025

WUVA journalist speaking out following shady termination P.9

City Council taking issue with coed housing in neighborhoods P.12

Polina Chesnakova gets back to her roots with new cookbook P.23

WhereideasmeetimpactUVAresearchers

are learning what it

18,000 Days in Charlottesville

The art of local artist and architect, Bill Atwood.

A lifetime of lines, colors, and ideas — shared publicly for the first time.

Architect and artist Bill Atwood opens his studio archive to the public for the first time, featuring more than 100 original works spanning decades of creativity.

Event Info: Saturday, November 15 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Vault Virginia, The Bradbury Café 300 East Main Street | Downtown Charlottesville

Free and open to the public Presented as part of VAULT OPEN HOUSE — Saturday, November 15 BillAtwood.com vaultvirginia.com/openhouse

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2025

Ting Pavilion on the Downtown Mall (Course: 1 mile)

Registration begins at 9am, the run is promptly at 10am

Adults - $25 • Children 4-12 years - $15 3 years and younger is FREE! BE A CLAUS FOR A CAUSE!

All proceeds from this event go to support the programs and services at The Arc of the Piedmont for people in Charlottesville and the surrounding community living with developmental disabilities. This year we ask companies, families, and individuals to get together with some of their closest friends, family, and co-workers and raise money for The Arc of the Piedmont’s mission of serving people with developmental disabilities.

VAULT VIRGINIA

OPEN HOUSE

300 E Main Street, Charlottesville Saturday, November 15 | 8 AM – 5 PM

Explore VAULT’s vibrant ecosystem of artists, entrepreneurs, and local partners shaping Charlottesville.

VAULT VIRGINIA

THE BRADBURY CAFÉ

THE GUILD

BILL ATWOOD ART

CREATOR HUB

FRIENDS OF CVILLE

THREE WRONG TURNS FAMILY FRIENDLY THE GUILD Experience Featuring EVERYTHING 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Hello, Charlottesville.

Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly. My paternal grandmother turned 95 over the weekend. Ninety-five. Her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and my grandfather (who, at 96, is no slouch in the age department, either) gathered in the house my dad and uncle built to eat cake (shoutout to Heritage Bakery!) and share stories.

11.12.25

This week’s contributors

It’s hard not to marvel at what 95 years looks like when it’s gathered around a single table. My grandmother built her life around creativity and purpose—teaching art, shaping young artists, and leaving behind work that still hangs on the walls of the school she helped shape. Her legacy isn’t just in what she made, but in the time she gave—to her students, her family, and her community.

Time. That’s really what medical research is after, too, isn’t it? More of it. More years to build, to love, to gather.

Our cover story this week (p.17) looks at how scientists at UVA are trying to move discoveries from the lab to the world—to find the treatments and technologies that could buy someone more time. It’s not easy work. Turning research into real-world impact takes speed, investment, and faith that the work will matter to someone, someday. And when it does, the proof might be something as simple as a full table and a cardamom cake.

Hey, thanks!

These generous benefactors of C-VILLE have supported our work through our Save the Free Word campaign. To contribute, follow the QR code.

Towns Ackerman

Susan Albert

Catherine Anninos

Lori Balaban

Timothy Bambury

Catherine Barnes

Julie Basic

Susan Battani

Josh Baumann

Jennifer Beachley

Mayanna Bean

Denise Benson

Anne Bergamesca

Rebecca Berlin

Kim Biasiolli

Patrick Bird

Paddy Bowman

Olivia Branch

Paul Brewer

Susan Brickman

Claudia Murray Brindle

Sumner Brown

Colette Brown

Jack Brown

Kate Buford

Cathleen Burgess

Carol Burger

Patricia Burkett

David Calhoun

Michael Callahan

Linda and Pat Canzanelli-Dantona

Brian Carlton

Helen Cathro

Janelle Catlett

James Clark Jr.

Diane Cluck

Karen Collins

Lorraine Collins

Beth Croghan

Margaret Crone

Emily Currier

Maria-Eugenia

Dalton

Charles Dassance

Pam and Peter Dennison

Nancy Dettor

Martha Donnelly

Charlotte Drummond

Louise Dudley

Lee Elberson

Jane Elmore

Karen Emmitt

Ken Engebretson

Elizabeth Engle

Rosa Ellen English

Gail Esterman

Joe Ethier

Tom & Anna Ferrell

M. Fife

Lavonne Fitts

Kevin Foley

Barbara Fornoff

Joan Forrest

Amy Gardner

Georgia Garrett

Gerald Giammatteo

David and Janna Gies

Stephanie Goodwin

Trice Gravatte

Andrew Greeley

Jennifer Grover

Cara Hall

Kendra Hall

Jeremy HarrisMcDonnell

Wiliam Harvey

Madeleine Hawks

Ann Marie Haynes

Mary Haynes

Elain Heffelfinger

Chris Hellings

Stephen Herrick

John Heyser

Ezra Hitzeman

JoAnn Hofheimer

Lisa Hogan

Gina Hogue

Laura Horn

Christina Horton

Robert Inlow

Deb Jackson

Garth Jensen

Nina Johnston

Nicole Jones

Diane Jones

Janet Jospe

Brian Kelly

Trish Kenney

Tom Kirk

Kathryn Kluge

Julie Lacy

Marcia Langsam

Jacalyn LaPierre

Aaron Lawrence

Eric and Diane

Lawson

Elizabeth Lawson

Frances Lee-Vandell

Sean Libberton

Angeline Lillard

Peppy Linden

Jessica Lino

D. Little

Phillip Long

Rob Lynch

Catherine Maguire

Greg Mallard

Jeff Martin

Virginia Masterson

Jeanne and Bob

Maushammer

Erin Mayer

Kieran Mcdowell

Mary McIntyre

Gretchen McKee

Ruth McWilliams

James Mernin

Nicolas Mestre

Tim Michel

Parthy Monagan

Vic Monti

Hilary Moorman

Michael Morency

Harold E. Morgan

Michael Moriarty

Catherine Moynihan

Jim Mummery

Karen Myers

Monica Newby

Sandy Newhouse

Kathy O’Connell

Dennis O’Connor

Diane Ober

Cynthia Van Osch

Annette Osso

Laila Ouhamou

Annette Owens

Timothy Palmer

Dashton Parham

Amanda Peacock

Joe Peacock

Elizabeth Perdue

Joann Peters

James Peterson

Damon Pettitt

Elayne Phillips

Robin Powell

Anne Price

Ernest Pugh

Harry Purkey

Leslie Quenichet

Frances Racette

T. Radsky

Scott Ransom

Sarah Ratcliffe

Stots Reele

Marjorie Rein

Cindy Richards

Kevin Richardson

David Robinson

Julia Rubarth

Carol Gilbert Sacks

Audrey Sarate

Joan Schatzman

Sandra Schmidt

Eric Schultz

Karen Schuyler

Wendy Seay

James Seitz

Elaine Shaw

Chuck Shelton

Paul Shettel

John Smith

Kristina Smith

Rod Smith

Meredith Smoot

Mickey Speck

Maria Spence

Jim Spencer

David Stackhouse

Mariah Steele

Rod Stoner

Robert Strickland

Deborah Strong

Nichole Taylor

William Terrell

Emily Thiede

Reid Thompson

W. McIlwaine

Thompson Jr.

Prue Thorner

John Titus

Jessica Tobin

Erica Toy

Rose Trapnell

Jill Trischman-Marks

Susan Uland

Rick Vergot

Christina Walker

Steven Ward

David Waters

Chris Waugaman

Phoebe Weseley

Kelly West

Gary and Anne Westmoreland

John Whitlow

Jay Wildermann

Marcia Wilds

Andrew Wolf

Natalie Yancey

Suzanne Yeaman

Nura Yingling

Kelly Zalewski

Kathleen Zenker

Eric Williamson is a writer, editor, and 15-year resident of Charlottesville whose career has included a decade in newspapers and two decades in communications roles. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in science writing from Johns Hopkins University. Read his work on page 17

Sarah Golibart Gorman is a writer and educator. Her food journey began in a peach orchard, sparking a respect for growers and a love of flavor. Gorman contributes to Garden & Gun, The Harrisonburg Citizen, JMU’s Madison Magazine, and Edible Blue Ridge. She also develops recipes and stars in cooking videos for Shenandoah Valley Orchards. Read her work on pages 23 and 29

Dancers Return with New Holiday Magic!

Thighs

Schedule your free consultation today and take the first step towards a stronger, more defined you! Free treatments may extend into December 2025.

Aromas featuring Studebaker Jones November 14th, 5:00-8:00 pm at Aromas Café 900 Natural Resources Dr. Charlottesville, VA 22903

dump

WUVA journo terminated after ocal voter turnout = good. oCAT program finding : City weighs neighborhood student housing.. : Finding the shade with

ASSOCIATE CULTURE EDITOR

CM Turner arts@c-ville.com

COPY EDITOR

Susan Sorensen

CONTRIBUTORS

Nathan Alderman, Rob Brezsny, Dave Cantor, Matt Dhillon, Carol Diggs, Shea Gibbs, Mary Jane Gore, Maeve Hayden, Andrew Hollins, Erika Howsare, Matt Jones, Sarah Lawson, Lisa Provence, Sarah Sargent, Kristie Smeltzer, Jen Sorensen, Julia Stumbaugh, Jake Solyst, Paul Ting, Eric Williamson

ADVERTISING

advertising@c-ville.com

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Bianca Johnson bianca@c-ville.com

REAL ESTATE & CLASSIFIED ACCOUNT MANAGER

Brian Hrozencik brian@c-ville.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Stephanie Vogtman-Say stephanie@c-ville.com

Jacob Phillips jacob@c-ville.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Tracy Federico designer@c-ville.com

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Faith Gibson ads@c-ville.com

BUSINESS

PUBLISHER

Anna Harrison anna@c-ville.com

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Debbie Miller debbie@c-ville.com

A/R SPECIALIST Nanci Winter accounting@c-ville.com

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Billy Dempsey circulation@c-ville.com

C-VILLE HOLDINGS, LLC

Bill Chapman, Blair Kelly

US: P.O. Box 119, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902

On Sale Friday, Nov. 14 at 10am

Baroque Orchestra

directed by David Sariti

November

21,

8pm Old Cabell Hall

Performing works by: Viadana, Biber, Muffat, and Manfredini

JUST ANNOUNCED!

FEBRUARY 20-ON SALE NOW THE JACK WHARFF BAND

FEBRUARY 24-ON SALE NOW BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT

11-16| WILL OVERMAN WITH HOLY ROLLER PRESENTED BY 106.1 WCNR 11-18| THE BENDS WITH HASH THE BAND 11-19| THE LOCAL HONEYS WITH ABBY HAMILTON 11-20| JACK BLOCKER

11-21| THE DARKSIDE EXPERIENCETRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD 11-22| ANIME NIGHT 18+ FT. SHADOW REALM: THE ANIME BAND 11-23| JONNY FRITZ FT. JOSHUA HEDLEY WITH SALLY ROSE

11-26| REALLY GOOD FRIENDS - AN IMPROV COMEDY HANGOUT WITH CHRIS ALAN & WINSTON HODGES

11-28| PEEN! WEEN TRIBUTE WITH GREASY BASTARDS

12-05| BRISK - 90s/00s ALT ROCK TRIBUTE

12-06| THE HEAVY HEAVY WITH LANEY JONES AND THE SPIRITS

12-11| AN EVENING WITH MAGNOLIA AND JOHNSON ELECTRIC CO.

12-12| DAVID WAX MUSEUM AND LOWLAND HUM PRESENT THE GOLDEN HOURS

Kelly Watt Memorial Race

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025

This 2 mile race is run each year to celebrate the life of Kelly Watt, who died in 2005 at the age of 18, from complications resulting from environmental heat stroke, 3 1/2 days following the completion of an 8 mile training run on Ridge Road in Western Albemarle County, Virginia.

This race is free for any runners who are in high school or younger. There will be race day signup. Price for race day signup will be $25 for runners older than 12 years old. It will still be free for high school and below. There is also a children’s 1/2 mile run!

Student journalist terminated following interview with UVA interim President Paul Mahoney

Getting an interview with, let alone answers from, upper leadership at the University of Virginia is an uphill battle for any news organization. The groups with the most access to UVA’s administration have increasingly been student outlets—particularly WUVA and The Cavalier Daily.

WUVA, the sole student broadcast news and culture outlet at the university (and, full disclosure, where this reporter began her career, overlapping with some players in this

article), published an exclusive interview with interim President Paul Mahoney on October 12. Fourth-year Sophia Bangura, one of the student journalists who worked on the project, was terminated from the organization three days later for “insubordination” for asking followup questions during the interview and declining to apologize to the interim president’s office.

Bangura’s termination stands on its own merits as an example of the current media

BY CATIE RATLIFF

climate at UVA. Her involvement with the Mahoney interview began in September, when she and fellow project members Cameron Mottley and Samuel Shibu began drafting questions with the help of an advisor, David Mitchell.

“We had extensive conversations about what we wanted to get out of this interview, and there was a general consensus among all of us that we knew that this was going to be a tough interview with tough questions,” says Bangura. “I had also set up informal

meetings with the student council and other student leaders around Grounds. … These original questions were a reflection of what I knew students who had involved themselves in the Charlottesville community wanted to get from the interim president.”

The evening prior to the interview, Bangura was allegedly told that the questions had been edited by Mottley, who served as the interviewer for the project.

NEWS UVA

A working document provided by Bangura lists questions which were omitted from the final interview, including: “Since the BOV dissolved the office of DEI in March, CIOs focused on the celebration of racial and ethnic groups say they have had to change their bylaws to exclude language promoting diversity, equity and inclusion to receive funding. What do you say to groups who fear this could be the end for cultural groups on Grounds?” and “UVA has a sizable international student population; what do you say to international students on Grounds fearing deportation?”

While a question about DEI at UVA was incorporated into the interview, it did not mention student organizations. No references to international students or immigration were included in the final interview.

When Mottley did not follow up on Mahoney’s responses, Bangura took it upon herself. She allegedly first spoke up after Mahoney said that organizations with concerns about the Board of Visitors should issue public statements. At the end of the interview, Bangura further alleges she asked Mahoney the omitted questions.

“Student Council has actually made several public statements, and has done press with some local news outlets, where they have identified their points of concern. I began listing them to him, and then posing the question to him again,” says Bangura. “At the end of the interview, I asked the questions that were omitted from the original document. President Mahoney answered them, and we went back to the studio to begin the editing process.”

Upon returning to the WUVA studio, Bangura was informed by Mottley that her conduct at the interview was inappropriate. It was then that Bangura learned that Mottley, WUVA’s current vice president and editor in chief, works for University Communications. This is corroborated by Mottley’s LinkedIn page, which lists her as a media relations intern as of October.

Bangura allegedly received a call from WUVA President Conwell Morris October

10, the same day as the interview, asking her to apologize to the president’s office. Upon speaking to WUVA alumni and UVA professors, who were reportedly critical of the push for an apology, she declined.

Bangura was terminated “for cause” from WUVA October 15. Her followups and additional questions are not included in the published interview.

In a November 10 comment to C-VILLE, Morris stated, “We require our staff to adhere to WUVA’s reporting and editing guidelines and to the direction, oversight, and decision-making of our editors and managing staff.”

As part of the organization structure, each student journalist has an assigned role, with Mottley having been designated the interviewer for the Mahoney exchange.

Beyond initial questions, Morris said, “Followup questions are the province and

responsibility of the designated interviewer. So established, each member of the crew is expected to carry out their designated assignment and to represent WUVA with politeness and professionalism in working with those we interview.”

Morris confirmed that “a particular fourth-year UVA student was part of the crew for WUVA’s interview with Mr. Mahoney and was not the designated interviewer for that assignment.”

C-VILLE obtained Morris’ followup email responding to Bangura’s request for clarification on her termination. An excerpt reads, “The reason for your termination can be summed up quite briefly: insubordination. Your repeated disregard for the customs and courtesies of our organization––and its structure––culminated in your poor behavior while conducting the interview with Interim President Paul Mahoney. This behavior is incompatible with our mission at WUVA. I do not have confidence in your ability to conduct yourself professionally within the organization, or with members of the community at large.”

Morris also cites Bangura declining a meeting about the apology to Mahoney. “If you require additional examples of the sort of behavior which resulted in your termination, your instinct to copy 14 people onto this email is a good start.” It concludes, “It would be best if this were our final correspondence. The hole is deep enough; you can stop digging.”

Bangura has not communicated with WUVA since October 16, when she was prompted by professors in the Center for Politics to share her termination at an event with Jim Acosta. C

Turnout trends

Voter turnout in Charlottesville was down this Election Day, with roughly 50 percent of registered voters casting a ballot. Despite the general decrease in voter turnout, participation in the city school board race was up. As of press time, unofficial counts from the Virginia Department of Elections tallied more than 33,000 votes cast in the Charlottesville City School Board contest, in which participants could vote for up to three candidates. Even with a slightly higher overall participation rate in 2021, the vote total for that year’s three-seat school board contest was lower, with 31,721 votes cast. Ballot newcomer Zyahna Bryant garnered the largest portion of the electorate, winning more than 8,860 votes, per the VDOE’s November 10 count. Incumbents Emily Dooley and Lisa Larson-Torres also won reelection in the three-seat contest, earning approximately 8,790 and 8,390 votes, respectively. Dashad Cooper did not win a seat, but did garner more than 6,800 votes. Catie Ratliff

In addition to WUVA, Sophia Bangura has worked as a student intern for CBS19.

Harvest special

The government shutdown may end as soon as November 13, with an agreement passing the Senate following Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and a slate of Democrats joining onto a Republican measure, but the strain on SNAP recipients and federal employees is growing. Local SNAP customers can get additional deals through the Virginia Fresh Match program’s Harvest Special. Through November, SNAP customers can receive $20 in VFM tokens at participating locations, including the Charlottesville City Market and the Market at IX. The tokens are available regardless of SNAP account balance. Produce will also be 75 percent off for SNAP customers November 19 through 26 at select retailers.

More information about VFM, the Harvest Special, and participating locations can be found at virginiafreshmatch.org. CR

Getting around

MicroCAT beats ridership expectations but decision to continue will made next spring BY

SEAN TUBBS

For over two years, a fleet of minivans has traveled thousands of miles across Albemarle County’s growth areas, carrying passengers as part of an experiment in on-demand public rideshare transport in a locality with limited bus service.

A feasibility study for the MicroCAT service anticipated 100 rides a day, but ridership has been much higher. Service began on October 30, 2023.

“As of the two-year period, they have 120,060 rides that have been completed,” said Kevin McDermott, Albemarle’s deputy planning director. “This works out to be closer to about 190 rides a day on average over that period.”

Charlottesville Area Transit won a bid to offer the service and, in turn, contracted it to a company called Via, which handles all of the logistics. Initial funding came from a $1.552 million grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and $388,000 from Albemarle.

The service area covers Pantops and what the county refers to as Places29. The top three origins and destinations are the Walmart Supercenter, Mallside Forest Apartments, and T.J. Maxx.

McDermott said the data will inform future decisions Albemarle might make, such as further investments in fixed-route transit.

Albemarle will pay $1.3 million for the service in the current fiscal year. Capacity is limited by the county’s budget, which has enough to cover 380 hours of driving time a week. However, there are times when there are not enough drivers to cover that amount.

“We stopped advertising for this service because realistically we couldn’t fit any more people on this,” McDermott said.

The grant funding has run out, and Albemarle County is paying for the service through June 30, 2026, the end of the fiscal year. McDermott said there is an option to renew if Supervisors are willing to continue paying. Another option is to change the service so it takes passengers to existing transit routes, where they can continue their journey.

Supervisor Ned Gallaway said he has heard from many constituents who use the service and have come to rely on it.

“It’s just about making people be able to move around without having to drive themselves,” Gallway said. “And I think it gives freedom and independence.”

Gallaway said he could imagine new fixed route transit lines to complement MicroCAT, but the door-to-door service is a good

IN BRIEF

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

first step. The northernmost CAT stop at the moment is Walmart on U.S. 29. Jaunt runs a commuter service to the North Fork Discovery Park.

Supervisor Michael Pruitt, a member of the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority, said he supports the service, but said the county should consider ways to contain the cost of the service. He also said he wants better collaboration with the University of Virginia on ways to move people around the community.

“My secret Pollyanna hope is always a transit system that looks like Blacksburg, where we have a unified transit system and the state pays for it through the university,” Pruitt said. “That is such an optimistic thing, but it’s something I want to lean into.”

A decision on whether to continue funding MicroCAT will come during the budget cycle next year.

Albemarle County Police searching for 39-year-old Stuart Ragland, who is wanted for exposing himself to children. Window cleaners at UVA Health’s University Medical Center dress as Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Captain America, and Deadpool to surprise young patients. Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors says market showing signs of softening. City of Charlottesville begins sidewalk improvement project. Second man charged in November 1 party shooting. Broken water boiler closes Smith Aquatic & Fitness Center. UVA Football falls eight spots in AP Top 25, following loss to Wake Forest. Attorney Tim Heaphy joins Attorney General-elect Jay Jones’ transition team. Oscar Mayer Wienermobile makes stops at Batesville Market and Rio Hill Kroger.

On-demand rideshare service MicroCAT has provided, on average, 190 rides a day since service began in October 2023.

Annie Gould Gallery

NEWS REAL ESTATE

Zoned in

City Council to consider restrictions on student housing in Charlottesville neighborhoods BY SEAN TUBBS

For months, the Public Housing Association of Residents has been asking Charlottesville City Council to step in to halt two proposed student housing buildings, on West Main Street and in Fifeville.

LV Collective has filed plans for an 11-story building at 843 W. Main St., while Landmark Properties is seeking staff approval for a seven-story building on Seventh Street. Both are allowed without further permission from Council under the zoning code approved in December 2023.

“We need to change the zoning around the edge of low-income communities so those buildings like LV Collective and the Seventh Street [project] doesn’t marginalize our Westhaven community,” said Joy Johnson, PHAR’s chair, at the November 3 City Council meeting.

The request from PHAR is not currently within the scope of minor amendments to the code, which will go before the Planning Commission on December 9. Those are considered Tier 2 amendments and involve changes for clarity rather than adjusting the rules.

“Anything that would essentially change the land use vision that’s been adopted already through the Comprehensive Plan would be considered a Tier 3 amendment,” said NDS Director Kellie Brown.

Brown said it would be at least a year before NDS staff will be able to begin a review. In the meantime, work will begin in early 2026 for small area plans for the 10th and Page and Rose Hill neighborhoods.

City Councilor Michael Payne said he wants NDS to be able to move faster to adjust zoning in areas such as around Westhaven, and said that decision is up to elected officials.

“We, in extensive areas of 10th and Page and Fifeville and Rose Hill as well, are essentially allowing student housing by-right at seven to 11 stories, which is not just a change for the neighborhoods at the aesthetic level, but has an economic impact in terms of changing the businesses there, changing the demographic makeup of the neighborhoods,” Payne said.

When Brown said staff could address some of those concerns through the small area planning process, Payne

said the community should come first and needs leverage it lacks under the existing zoning. That could take the form of requiring special use permits as under the 2023 code, or special exceptions.

City Councilor Lloyd Snook said he had made a pitch near the end of the zoning code’s development to require a special use permit for buildings above a certain height in order to give the public an opportunity to comment. He didn’t get support at the time and added the city has never quite gotten the balance right between allowing by-right development and pressure on sensitive neighborhoods.

“For better or for worse, Council made some affirmative decisions at the end of 2023 that have left us in a situation where Council doesn’t overtly have much control over some of what’s happening now,” Snook said.

City Councilor Brian Pinkston will not serve a second term, having lost the Democratic primary in June. He suggested the conversation wait until after Jen Fleisher joins the elected body in December.

“I think just a call is going to have to be made,” Pinkston said. “I also feel like there has been enough feedback from the community on this topic that we owe it to people to have such a more direct response.”

A work session will be held in January to discuss ways to mitigate the impact of student housing in city neighborhoods. At the end of the meeting, Johnson said that would be too late.

“We need UVA to [house] students on campus away from other neighborhoods,” Johnson said. “Luxury student housing will not get UVA students out of our residential neighborhood.”

Landmark Properties is seeking approval for a seven-story building on Seventh Street.

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

SERENITY RIDGE RETREAT CENTER

Ancient Tibetan Buddhist Teachings for Modern Times

Join us in the serene foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and in Charlottesville!

USING BREATH TO REVITALIZE BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT: THE ANCIENT PRACTICE OF TSA LUNG

Breath to calm the mind and bring health to the body

December 13 - 14, 2025

RESTING IN OPEN AWARENESS:

Winter Dzogchen Meditation Retreat With Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche & Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

January 2-10, with a weekend option January 2-4, 2026

Location: Serenity Ridge Retreat Center • Shipman, Virginia

Please visit SerenityRidgeVA.org for more information

LIGMINCHA CHARLOTTESVILLE MONTHLY PRACTICE

Location: Jefferson Memorial Regional Library, downtown Charlottesville

Date: November 19, 2025

Time: 6:30-8:00 PM

Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Shipman, VA

SCOTT MILLER

Fiery roots-rock artist Scott Miller returned to his native Virginia, balancing farm life with music inspired by his Appalachian roots. NOV. 14 at 7:00 PM Studio Wayne’s RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, JR

Come join our dedicated Studio Wayne students! NOV. 22 at 7:00 PM NOV. 23 at 2:00 PM

GERALD DICKENS

Performs A Christmas Carol

The great-great grandson of legendary author Charles Dickens, returns to the Wayne Theatre. DEC. 4 at 2:00 PM

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Is UVA getting smarter about how it plays its biotech research cards? BY

ERIC WILLIAMSON

When University of Virginia neuroscientist Harald Sontheimer shared this year’s International Prize for Translational Neuroscience with Stanford’s Michelle Monje, publicity about the award created the impression of a partnership. The two were credited with the potentially life-saving and, thus, marketable discovery that gliomas—deadly brain tumors—wire themselves into neural networks, hijacking brain activity to fuel their own growth.

Sontheimer, who has experience moving advanced research into the commercial sphere, and Monje didn’t collaborate on the challenge, though. They arrived at their related conclusions from different directions as academic competitors racing toward the exciting new insights.

The convergence was a reminder that in brain research, and in all other areas of biological study, moving discover-

ies off the lab bench and into the real world starts with staking a big claim first, then capitalizing on it. In that regard, UVA’s brilliant minds are chasing breakthroughs in care that could save lives and redefine Virginia’s growing biotech landscape.

“We owe it to patients with this devastating disease to provide hope for innovative treatments,” Sontheimer said of gliomas.

But as entrepreneurs will attest, turning scientific innovation into impact requires more than knowledge—it demands knowhow, speed, and support, including massive financial and infrastructure investment.

And within academic institutions, where the stakes have never been higher, it apparently takes a willingness to think less like a university and more like a company.

A RESEARCH DIAMOND AND DEVELOPMENTS IN SPADES

UVA researcher Thomas Floyd, a doctor of anesthesiology specializing in heart and vasculature, says his move into translational research, with tech that can monitor blood flow to the brain, was motivated in part by personal loss and wanting to help others.

“It’s a bit of an emotional thing for me,” Floyd said. “Seventeen years ago my best friend died of massive head trauma.” Floyd was among those who spoke passionately about the ups and downs of research translation at the August 26 meeting of CvilleBioHub, a biomedical entrepreneurial association that supports a cluster of more than five dozen Charlottesville-based biotech companies, many of them “spun out” from UVA. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

THE BRAIN GAME

Unlike in auto racing, spinning out is a good thing. And just like in any competition, our local minds have experienced thrilling successes and heartrending setbacks in the past months.

With his voice breaking, Floyd, for example, reported a positive development: His first trials would be at the hospital where his buddy passed away.

At the same meeting, Nikki Hastings, CvilleBioHub co-founder and executive director, gave a nod to the recent announcement of $15 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia and UVA to expand the university’s North Fork facilities and the group’s Commonwealth BioAccelator program. The accelerator incubates early-stage life science startups.

“Long story short, we are thriving,” Hastings said. Yet the mood has been less than jubilant in the research community recently.

Unspoken in the room at the Eighth Annual Mid-Atlantic Advanced Biomanufacturing Symposium, held July 15 at the university, were the federal research grant terminations by the Trump administration that weren’t going to survive appeal.

Mark Esser, the inaugural head of UVA’s new Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, kept his comments limited and positive. He was upbeat about what he’s helping to brand as Virginia’s biomedical Research Diamond—a coun-

terpoint to North Carolina’s well-known Research Triangle. The diamond includes Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Old Dominion University as the other three corners of core research in the state. With his own 350,000-square-foot facility still under construction at Fontaine Research Park, he described UVA’s North Fork Discovery Park as “the closing pitcher” for local efforts.

But on the downbeat, a month and a half into his new job, the former vice president and head of microbial sciences at AstraZeneca acknowledges privately, “I’m drinking from the firehose right now.”

The full extent of the research losses became evident by late August. Though UVA managed to wrangle seven grants back in full, and another one partially, the $73.6 million in multiyear damage was done.

If there was an upside, it was that most of the money had yet to be issued and spent.

Ultimately, the university closed out the fiscal year with $570 million in all sponsored funding—up about $20 million over the previous year.

Good economic news whipped back again, though, with the recent announcement of drugmaker AstraZeneca’s new $4.5 billion manufacturing plant in Albemarle County, as well as a new Eli Lilly & Co. pharmaceutical plant in Goochland County.

Notably, the two companies have a history of drug development collaboration.

Esser, for his part, told Virginia Business that he learned about the AstraZeneca announcement like most everybody else, through news reports.

In addition, UVA Licensing & Ventures Group, which helps bring research to market, signed on to the Commonwealth’s new Lab-to-Launch initiative in August. The deal-minded approach aims to double the number of spinouts from Virginia’s research universities.

The plan involves both faster licensure on the state regulatory side and an agreement to provide more accessibility to private industry on the academic side. Corporations will partner more directly with university licensing arms, have access to a newly created digital database of intellectual property, and be able to embed at universities under planned entrepreneur-in-residence programs. If it works, it could change the way innovation moves from lab to market in Virginia.

A BIOTECH CLUB AND FEEDBACK FROM THE HEART

But not everybody is convinced that drafting ambitious plans and throwing money at the problem will be enough to get the science into the hands of society.

“Founders on the Brain,” the theme for the August CvilleBioHub meeting, invited a panel of entrepreneurs to discuss their neuroscience startups, with UVA supplying a common molecule.

Even amid federal grant uncertainty, Mark Esser, inaugural head of UVA’s Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, and Nikki Hastings, co-founder and executive director of CvilleBioHub, are pushing Virginia’s biotech ecosystem forward, one discovery at a time.

When asked about the biggest problem his startup, NFOSys, has faced, Floyd didn’t hold back.

“University administrators need to follow up better,” he said. “They don’t actively support you. You have to beg them. I’m not sure what’s going to happen here [at UVA], but I’m doing my part as a physician and a scientist. I know that follow-through on these projects at universities is infinitesimal. And that’s a huge problem that needs to be fixed.”

Floyd referenced a Wall Street Journal article that found universities successfully transfer only a small fraction of their technological discoveries into the marketplace.

An audience member, building on the thought, commented that universities also take too much from companies in patent share. Currently, innovators participating in intellectual property licensing agreements with UVA receive 35 percent in net revenues.

Universities, not ironically, brought us Gatorade and the birth control pill. Those mRNA vaccines that arose during the pandemic started with university research, and while the science wasn’t locally discovered, UVA is engaged in vaccine development, as well as in pursuit of other medicines and therapies that cover head to toe.

Bijoy Kundu, a UVA School of Medicine associate professor in the department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, presented ID-PET, a technology that combines brain imaging and AI, at the BioHub gathering.

He said proof of concept isn’t enough. Investors want to know the business plan.

Floyd and Kundu agreed that a bridge needs to be created as early as possible because scientists aren’t entrepreneurs by nature. Lots of potential mistakes are to be had along the way.

“There needs to be a path laid out for you,” Floyd said. A university’s mission traditionally has been to discover new knowledge, then disseminate it. The faculty adage “publish or perish,” however, is sometimes at odds with the intellectual property secrecy necessary, and investment required, to whip an early stage discovery into market-ready form.

You don’t want to give away the store before you have one.

Factors such as inventors’ feelings about commercialization and having an industry partner in place from the beginning can also make a difference in whether or not a discovery translates, according to the journal Technovation.

Academic stakeholder involvement—the cooks in the kitchen—can potentially be a positive or a negative, adding ownership complexity. The UVA Brain Institute, for example, supports 186 faculty members, with 38 departments collaborating across Grounds.

And for university administrations, the filing and maintaining of patents is a costly endeavor, with backlogs common. If academic bureaucracies wish to increase their IP conversion rates, for better or for worse, the answer appears to be not only to think like a company, but to execute like—gasp!— the biggest, most efficient corporations.

PLAYING THEIR CARDS AND ‘MOVING

AT THE SPEED OF BUSINESS’

While the impact of the Lab-to-Launch decision is yet to be determined, “Several years from now we hope to look back on the launch of this initiative as a watershed moment,” says Richard W. Chylla, executive director of UVA licensing.

Or, in Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s words, “We are moving at the speed of business.”

To that end, Paul Cherukuri, UVA’s first chief innovation officer, began the job earlier this month. Cherukuri, who held a similar position at Rice University, now has charge of the year-old UVA Innovates, which seeks to foster entrepreneurship among the university community and its partners.

Cherukuri and other administrators will have to rise to the heightened expectations of faculty like Floyd and Kundu (who says he can’t move fast enough). Floyd noted the hefty overhead among all universities that support research: “What are they doing with the money? It’s a good question to ask, because the taxpayers need to get their money’s worth.”

UVA’s collective brain cells, however, are already forming new neural pathways in response to the recent euphoric developments that officials hope to leverage.

Amy Fansler, senior associate director of the Brain Institute, says her group, led by epilepsy specialist Jaideep Kapur, has invested more than $6.5 million to seed-fund novel and collaborative brain research at UVA since 2016. So far, five of the institute’s principal investigators have gone on to strike Licensing & Ventures deals. With all the recent business announcements, Fansler says she can’t wait to see what’s next in terms of life-improving advances.

She emphasizes that the institute’s research infrastructure stands at the ready to conduct the next set of complex trials for new cellular therapies.

“The breadth and depth of neuroscience research across Grounds is expansive,” Fansler says, “and the recent investments in biotechnology and commercialization at UVA and in the larger community complement our work and have the potential to transform the way we understand and treat neurological disorders.” C

What’s all the Hub-bub about?

Like proud parents, UVA-connected entrepreneurs bragged a little about their brainchildren at the CvilleBioHub meeting in August.

Bijoy Kundu’s company, ID-PET, uses positron emission tomography—those familiar PET scan tubes that investigate how a body is functioning—and artificial intelligence to search for brain abnormalities. Based on small trials, Kundu reported two initial successes.

For patients whose blood pressure prevents them from taking epilepsy medications, surgery is the main option, he said, but fewer than half of patients want to risk brain surgery without convincing proof of future onset. However, “We are able to identify the seizure [zone] on sensor in patients who are drug-resistant,” Kundu said.

The technology can also predict glioma recurrence post-surgery more accurately than the clinical standard, he said.

Thomas Floyd’s company, NFOSys, is piloting a soft device that can host multiple light-based probes to monitor the blood’s pathways at the brain and spine.

“It’s slid on the surface of the brain under the dura to monitor, guide, and restore blood flow and oxygenation,” said Floyd, who moved his lab from the University of Texas to UVA in April 2024 and is currently working toward clinical trials.

Lauren Hadley, associate director of the

Charlottesville-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation, which is closely tied to the university, moderated the panel, with Donna Edmonds also discussing her business, BRAINBox Solutions. The Richmond-based company is in large FDA trials with its blood test for biomarkers that could be an early tip-off to brain injury from concussions.

Donna Broshek of the UVA Neuropsychology Assessment Clinic is part of the company’s scientific advisory board.—EW

Bijoy Kundu, a UVA School of Medicine associate professor in the department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, says a path from research to market should be laid out for scientists early in the process. Researchers aren’t necessarily entrepreneurs.

CULTURE

Kitchen shelf

BY SARAH GOLIBART GORMAN

Polina Chesnakova preserves culinary traditions in new cookbook

DANE TASHIMA

university of Virginia JAZZ ENSEMBL E

CULTURE TO-DO LIST

Wednesday 11/12 music

GootGenug. A group of average Joes explores the improvisational stratosphere of jazz fusion. $10, 7:30pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Mood Ring: Queer and Trans Open Mic Night. Share original music. Mic, speakers, and keyboard provided. Please bring your own other instruments. Free, 7pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Open Mic Night. Mic check to all musicians, poets, and everyone in between. All ages welcome. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St. Rakish. Maura Shawn Scanlin and Conor Hearn perform a night of contemporary folk music. $25, 7pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.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

Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare’s most iconic story of young love—reckless, tender, and all-consuming. $35–70, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

words

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Delusions Of Space Enthusiasts. An illustrated talk explores the

perennial mismatch between collective expectations of where we should be in space by now and the geopolitical, cultural, and economic realities that limit it. $55–160, 7:30pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. johnpauljonesarena.com

Storytime at the Garden. Bring a blanket or chairs for stories and rhymes outside, presented by JMRL Gordon Avenue branch. For ages 2–4. Registration requested. Free, 10am. Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, 950 Melbourne Rd. piedmontgarden.org etc.

Beyond Zero Film Screening + Q&A. A documentary showcasing the powerful impact of business leaders choosing to adapt more sustainable practices that break the corporate standard. $10–15, 5pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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

Rapture Karaoke. The longest-running karaoke event in town. Hosted by Jenn DeVille. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

What’s the Buzz? See if you’ve got what it takes to be crowned an adult spelling bee champion and win a prize. Ages 18+. Registration required. Free, 6:30pm. Northside Library, 705 W. Rio Rd. jmrl.org

Thursday 11/13

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

SATURDAY 11/15

ENTIRELY ENTERTAINING

Known for the ’90s anthem “Hooch” and a history of engaging live performances, Everything is back in Virginia for an intimate evening celebrating the release of its album Motion Emotion. Formed in 1989 by students at James Madison University, the group performs an eclectic blend of pop, funk, rock, Americana, and soul. This small-crowd seated show will feature a mostly acoustic set, with storytelling and conversation woven between the music. $60, 7:30pm. The Guild at Vault Virginia, 300 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tixr.com/groups/theguild

East Nash Grass x AJ Lee & Blue Summit. Bluegrass bands hit the stage for a night of Americana magic. $26, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Jamal Millner. A true Charlottesville classic. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

Jim Richardson. Folk, country, and rock from a local singer-songwriter. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

LØLØ. A fully formed pop-punk and alt-rock force from Canada. $25–112, 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 play along or accompany performers. Free, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

stage

One Mic Stand: Spoken Word Open Mic. Offering seasoned artists and up-and-comers alike a platform to share stories, poetry, comedy, satire, and more in a welcoming environment. Free, 7pm. Piedmont Virginia Community College, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

The Pirate Ballad of Bonny and Read An overtly theatrical, sea-shanty-fueled world premiere about rewriting the rules, claiming your voice, and choosing your own way forward. $35–70, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

Western Albemarle High School Fall Plays. Featuring three one-act plays, including Play With Your Food, The Outsiders, and 8 Minutes Left. $5–8, 6:30pm. Western Albemarle High School Auditorium, 5941 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Crozet. k12albemarle.org

classes

Mending Workshop: Repairing Holes. Learn techniques for repairing holes in clothes with visible or invisible mending methods. Participants are encouraged to bring in their own articles of clothing in need of repair. Ages 15+. $20, 1pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Mini Paint & Sip. Keeping it fun and manageable by painting adorable 4x6-inch mini masterpieces. $40, 6:30pm. Pikasso Swig Craft Bar, 333 Second St. SE. pikassoswig.com

Tots & Dots. A visual literacy program for children ages 6 months to 4 years engages early learners and their caregivers in looking at and talking about art, followed by a fun hands-on activity. Free, 10am. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

etc.

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

Create Your Own Board Game. Invent a brand new board game, and play-test games by other kids. Ages 11–18. Registration preferred but not required. Free, 4:30pm. Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

Trivia Night with Mike & Miranda. Play alone or bring a team of up to six people and let the good times roll with five rounds of brain-teasing trivia. Free, 6:15pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.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. Play when you want and go at your own pace. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

For UVA alum Polina Chesnakova, writing Chesnok: Cooking from My Corner of the Diaspora: Recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia was a crash course in learning her family’s culinary traditions. “I wanted to document and preserve my family’s recipes and to be able to hand down this culinary heritage to my children and keep that heritage alive in my family,” she says. Chesnakova spoke to C-VILLE about the process.

C-VILLE: What recipes are you most excited to share with readers?

Polina Chesnakova: The recipes that make the book stand apart from more traditional Eastern European cookbooks are the set of recipes where you can see my family’s roots coming through. My mom’s side of the family is from Russia, but they immigrated to Tbilisi, Georgia—so my mom and her siblings were raised to cook with a bit of Georgian flair.

What I mean by that is adding lots of fresh herbs, garlic, and spices, which give dishes a lot more vibrancy and depth. You have these sort of Eastern European comforting, nourishing foods, but then you have the Georgian flavors coming through. In the borscht, you have your traditional dill, but you also have some spicy Anaheim pepper and red pepper flakes. You have lots of cilantro, sometimes a little bit of fresh garlic. In the stuffed cabbage you have your classic blend of beef and pork with a bit of rice, but then we add fistfuls of cilantro, dill, mint. The sauce is this chunky tomato, pepper, carrot sauce that is finished with lots of fresh herbs and garlic.

In your experience, how does food transcend borders, especially in Eastern Europe?

People aren’t contained in borders. People travel, and whether it’s through voluntary migration or forced, people move. One of the things they take with them is their food as a way to bridge their old lives with their new.

My family is a blend of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. When my family moved to the U.S., we found ourselves in a community of refugees from all over the USSR, and so the food I grew up with also pulled upon all those different cultures and peoples, and I think it speaks to the human experience.

And that connects to the garlic metaphor for which the book is named, right?

It’s funny because I started my blog, Chesnok, back in 2015 when I was still living in Charlottesville. I wanted it to be a tribute to my roots in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. And when we started working on this book, that name was not a contender at all because I really wanted to figure out a way to speak to the region and sort of the shared

ALL YOU CAN EAT CULTURE

history without rooting it in one culture or one language. After going around in circles for almost two and a half years, we landed back at Chesnok, because it’s a fun play on

my last name, which means garlic, and then it had this beautiful symbolism. All these different cultures that I juggle can be seen through cloves that come together in a garlic head, in the same way that all these different cultures and cuisines come together at my family’s table.

As folks prepare for their own holiday meals, what are your recommendations? For my family’s holiday meals, we have a balance of hot and cold dishes. You can set the table with salads, pickles, and ferments, and then when everyone sits down to eat, you can start dishing up all the hot dishes. It’s a great way to avoid feeling the pressure of serving everything at once.

If you’re wanting to play around with things this year, maybe instead of your usual cranberry sauce, you make a Georgian cranberry sauce called tkemali, that goes really well with poultry. I’d also recommend penovani khachapuri, a Georgian flaky cheese bread or Azeri plov with saffron-dried fruit, and chestnuts. It’s this very majestic looking dish that goes well with any roasted or grilled meat or poultry or even fish.

All these different cultures that I juggle can be seen through cloves that come together in a garlic head, in the same way that all these different cultures and cuisines come together at my family’s table. POLINA CHESNAKOVA

Polina Chesnakova will discuss Chesnok: Cooking from My Corner of the Diaspora: Recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia on November 14 at New Dominion Bookshop.

UVA MUSIC EVENTS

Date/Time/Place

Wednesday, 11/12, 8pm Visible Records

Saturday, 11/15, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 11/15, 7:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 11/16, 3:30pm MLK Performing Arts Center

Sunday, 11/16, 7:00pm Old Cabell Hall

Monday, 11/17, 7:30pm Hunter Smith Band Building

Wednesday, 11/19, 5:00pm 107 Old Cabell Hall

Friday, 11/21, 3:30pm 107 Old Cabell Hall

Friday, 11/21, 8:00pm Infinite Repeats 1740 Broadway Street

Friday, 11/21, 8:00pm Old Cabell Hall

Event (* Denotes free events)

TechnoSonics (TSX XXVI) * Performance 2

String Chamber Ensembles *

Charlottesville Symphony #2: w/ University Singers: Dvořák Mass

Charlottesville Symphony #2: w/ University Singers: Dvořák Mass Jazz Chamber Ensembles *

Wind Ensemble * American Voices: World Echoes

Masterclass with Clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer* Alvin Hill Colloquium *

Alvin Hill Performance with special guests The Small Liddle Ones * Baroque Orchestra

All artists, programs and venues are subject to change.

Office: 434.924.3052; music@virginia.edu; https://music.virginia.edu

Box Office: 434.924.3376, artsboxoffice.virginia.edu

PAGES CULTURE

Friday 11/14 music

Burn: The Cure Experience x Fast Fashion: The Depeche Mode Experience. A night of music and nostalgia rocking out with two top-notch tributes. $12–15, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Dara James and the Soul Disciples. Awesome blues, R&B, and a whole lot of soul. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Jim Richardson. Local singer-songwriter performs folk, country, and rock. Free, 5pm. Bottle House, 608 W. Main St. bottlehouse.net

Local Musician Spotlight: Corbin Hayslett. An exciting evening of great music supporting up-andcoming local musicians. Hayslett plays a traditional acoustic style, ranging from blues to old-time, country, and ragtime. Free, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

LockJaw. Four-piece blues-rock band covering primarily ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s classic rock, plus some classic country for variety. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

Studebaker Jones. Acoustic folk-guitar duo plays a hearty blend of covers and originals. $5, 5pm. Aromas Café Charlottesville, 900 Natural Resources Dr. aromascafeandcatering.com

The Virginia Belles Fall Concert. A royal night full of beautiful harmonies, friendship, and celebration by the oldest and most established all femaleidentifying a cappella group at UVA. $9–15, 8pm. UVA Chemistry Building, Room 402, 409 McCormick Rd. thevirginiabelles.com dance

Boot Scoot Square Dance Party. Big Silo plays driving old-time favorites to teach you how to move to the music. No experience necessary. Beginners and all ages welcome. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Can’t Feel My Face 2010s Dance Party. Fire DJs and 2010s visuals transport you back to the decade defined by memes and selfies. Ages 18+. $20–24, 9pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St. jeffersontheater.com

stage

More Blackberries, Please. A staged reading of a new work in progress by UVA Drama’s Rising Scholar, Dr. Yunina Barbour-Payne, based on Crystal Wilkinson’s short story collection, Blackberries, Blackberries. Free, 7pm. Helms Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama.virginia.edu

Queen Lear A condensed all-female production of King Lear starring Kate Bennis, directed by Miller Susen. $20, 7pm. Woolen Mills Chapel, 1819 E. Market St. queenlear.org

The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Shakespeare at his most playful, where friendship tangles with romance and characters stumble through the beautiful, messy chaos of growing up. $35–70, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

Western Albemarle High School Fall Plays. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $5–8, 6:30pm. Western Albemarle High School Auditorium, 5941 Rockfish Gap Tpk, Crozet. k12albemarle.org

words

Ancient Egypt in its African Context and at a Crossroads. Presented as part of programming for The World Between: Egypt and Nubia in Africa, on view at The Fralin through June 14, 2026. With Dr. Shomarka Keita of the Smithsonian Institution. Free, 6pm. Campbell Hall, Room 160, 110 Bayly Dr. uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu

Will you walk with me?

Poet MaKshya Tolbert discusses Shade is a place

BY SARAH LAWSON

MaKshya Tolbert practices poetry and placemaking in Virginia, where her grandmother raised her. She is the 2025 Art in Library Spaces artist-in-residence at the University of Virginia and co-stewards Fernland Studios, an open-ended studio insistent on rest, rejuvenation, and reciprocity as a core compositional practice. Tolbert was the 2024 New City Arts Fellowship guest curator, and served as 2024-25 chair of the Charlottesville Tree Commission. She has received support from the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission, New City Arts, Community of Writers, and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects. We recently discussed her debut book of poetry, Shade is a place, which was published earlier this month.

C-VILLE: This collection grew out of work you undertook during your artist residency at New City Arts in 2023, specifically the interactive, community shade walks that you led on the Downtown Mall during that time.

MaKshya Tolbert: My shade walks were firstly an invitation for gathering among the Mall and its trees, as they turn. Getting to “be an invitation” for building an intimacy with the environment was as much for my own sense of place as for the possibility of inciting or widening that in members of the public who came along. Some more than once. And, as you know from the year we spent together in residency at New City Arts, I both wanted a social practice and also a place to rehearse— or practice—a different kind of relationship with each other. More tenderness.

Second, looking up and down at willow oaks and at each other—while also looking at my poem drafts—was an opportunity for revision. Sometimes a shade walker would make an observation that resonated with or troubled my own sense of attention. Many nights were spent with me at home trying to listen to the walk I had taken that morning. If you’re reading this, and you shade walked with me: Thank you for your attention, which was so gracious for mine. The shade walks also gave me a container to rearrange my increasingly wayward relationship to movement, which led to a rearrangement of my poetics.

In the poem, “Shade walk: ‘a life in rehearsal,’” you invite the reader along in these explorations, as people get to know the Mall’s willow oaks, declining in numbers even as you work. How did these shade walks inform or alter your understanding of your writing and the project overall?

This project has ruptured the writer and the person I thought I was, as well as many of the stories I have about myself, and others. The necessary grief associated with loosening my grip on how I saw myself set me up for a project that I hope is as surprising as it is heartbreaking. Shade is a place is aspirational, in many ways. I believe I wrote a speaker with more grace and a deeper attention than I have. Certainly with more appetite. That’s why I describe these poems—and shade—as both blueprint and archive, like many ‘places.’ I was trying to admit to myself how great the distance felt between my speaker and me, while also trying to practice poetry and ecological attention as tools that could help close that distance. …In my life that was less public and shadeful, I was hiding just how great my needs for relief were: the time I spent with trees and with people talking trees gave me so much to do when I couldn’t

look at myself. I could start with trees and their stresses, I thought. So I did.

I’m in a place these days where I can read about what I was going through in a way I couldn’t when I began working on Shade is a place. …What’s taking root is a more porous exchange with my environment. Shade is a place offered me a method to loosen myself from what felt like an ecological trap so that as a poet and person I could shade walk with a more openhearted gait amid the flux.

The “Ways to Measure Trees” series of poems suggests the growing experience with classifying trees that you developed over time. How would you describe your relationship to trees before you started this work? That trio of poems is really exciting to me because I watch the poems shift not only in their physical proximity to trees—each level asks for more closeness and less distance than the one before it—but also in the sequence’s capacity and commitment to practice. Poetry—and shade trees—have given me a place for practice and to also practice practice. Before I began this work, my relationships to trees were a bit chaotic. On the one hand, I was starting to learn to prune fruit trees—mainly apples and pommes—and found myself jumping up and down at bare trees. Because I could finally see them in their form, and I wanted to care for that. I told myself it really was a question of their integrity, and mine. On the other hand, I had never (and still have not) climbed a tree. I didn’t think too much about that when I was writing. But on a long flight recently, a man and I began talking about his son’s fear of trees and I found my own fear rearing its head. I’d always just thought “I was meant to be on the ground” and realized—after writing the book—that the ground is just where I have let my feet go. This is what I mean when I say that the book and its practices have really pushed my story about myself. In that way, it is not only a blueprint but also an archive of many attempts at living.

Poet MaKshya Tolbert will read from and discuss Shade is a place on November 15 at New Dominion Bookshop. Read the full interview at c-ville.com.

Our 2026 theme, COURAGE, explores the choices we make to take risks, bridge divides, and shape a shared future. Through music, art, and conversation, we’ll examine how courage is cultivated: in our society, our communities, and our daily lives -- to spark dialogue and dream beyond the limits of what seems possible.

We want to hear from you. Where are bravery and resilience most needed right now? Your insights will help shape the conversations that will define this April’s Festival.

Friday 11/14

Author Event: Polina Chesnakova. Chesnakova speaks about her new cookbook, Chesnok: Cooking from My Corner of the Diaspora: Recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. A conversation with Yuri Urbanovich follows. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. newdominionbookshop.com classes

Glass Ornament-Blowing Workshop. Head behind the scenes to blow your own holiday ornament with colors and design of your choice with Raging Buffalo Glass, in support of Second Street Gallery. Registration required. $50, 3pm. McGuffey Art Center, 201 Second St. NW. ragingbuffaloglass.com etc.

Bonfire & Singles Night with The Pair Club. A low-pressure, kind, and welcoming space for singles who are over the apps and ready to meet in real life. $25, 6pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Paramount On Screen: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. A criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rebels against the oppressive nurse and rallies the scared patients. $11, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Sanctuary Soirée. Support a brighter future for native wildlife. Featuring food, drink, live music, a silent auction, and encounters with animal ambassadors. Ages 21+. $100, 6:30pm. Pollak Vineyards, 330 Newtown Rd., Greenwood. pollakvineyards.com

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

Two Up Wine Down Festival: Deconstructed VA. Wine, food, hip-hop, and R&B converge in the dopest way possible. Pull up for unmatched vibes, incredible pours, delicious bites, and music that’ll keep energy right all night. $30, 7pm. Ethos Wine & Tea, 817 W. Main St. ethoswineandtea.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Saturday 11/15

music

Acoustic Aubrey. Covers of classic R&B, jazz, acoustic rock, and more. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com Charlottesville Symphony & UVA University

Singers: Dvořák Mass. Featuring a program of Strauss II’s Overture to Die Fledermaus, Wijeratne’s Polyphonic Lively, and Dvořák’s “The Colors of the Flag” and Mass in D major. $10–54, 7:30pm. Old Cabell Hall. cvillesymphony.org Eli Cook. Music from the crossroads of blues, the highways of rock, and the backroads of country. Free, 12:30pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Everything: Motion Emotion Album Release. An intimate evening featuring a mostly acoustic set with storytelling and conversation woven between the music. $60, 7:30pm. The Guild at Vault Virginia, 300 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theguild.tixr.com

Gone Country. Neo-traditional country music. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Kat & The Travelers. Backroads takes on the timeless compositions of America’s roots music. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Lee Bangah. WTJU Rock’s Third Rail series welcomes the Charlottesville hip-hop artist, with DJ Double U. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

Leif Vollebekk: Revelation Tour. An acclaimed singer-songwriter originally from Ottawa who now resides in Montreal, Canada. $32, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

LUA Project. A cultural pollinator, bridging musical styles from different continents and different centuries. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Pat Anderson. Music from a Virginia-raised roots rock singer-songwriter. Free, noon. Keswick Vineyards, 1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick. keswick vineyards.com

String Chamber Ensembles. Talented young musicians come together to perform numerous works that they have perfected over the course of the semester, under the direction of faculty. Free, 3:30pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu

The Michael Elswick Gathering. Jazz, blues, ballads, and Latin tunes. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshouse winery.com

The Pollocks. Rock ‘n’ roll by singer-songwriters. $15, 7pm. Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Work Wear x Valentin Prince x Chloë Ester & Sons. A generous helping of sensitive yet sturdy songwriting from a cast of regional rock up-andcomers. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

stage

Romeo & Juliet See listing for Wednesday, November 12. $35–70, 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespeare center.com

The Two Gentlemen of Verona. See listing for Friday, November 14. $35–70, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. american shakespearecenter.com

Western Albemarle High School Fall Plays. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $5–8, 6:30pm. Western Albemarle High School Auditorium, 5941 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Crozet. k12albemarle.org

words

Author Event: MaKshya Tolbert. Tolbert reads from her debut poetry collection, Shade is a place. A conversation with writer and poet Lisa Russ Spaar follows. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. newdominionbookshop.com

classes

Autumn Collage in Watercolor and Ink: Mushrooms. Use watercolor, ink, and collage to create paintings alive with texture. All skill levels welcome, ages 15+. $35, 1pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Glass Ornament-Blowing Workshop with Chip Hall and Raging Buffalo Glass. See listing for Friday, November 14. $50, noon. McGuffey Art Center, 201 Second St. NW. ragingbuffaloglass.com

Miniture Botanical Art Workshop: Heirloom Apples. Practice drawing techniques, experiment with toned drawing, and learn about the history of heirlooms with Gail Goodrich Harwood. All experience levels welcome. $40, 12:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Zentangle in Living Color. Create a wreath design with black ink and pastel pencils on a round Zendala paper tile. Ages 13+. $30, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

TO-DO LIST CULTURE

SUNDAY 11/16

SONG AND CHANCE

A one-of-a-kind performance from Stephen Nachmanovitch and David Rothenberg blending improvisation, nature, and sound in unexpected harmony comes together in Strings, Winds, Birds, Electronics and More!, with guest singer Ashlynn Manning Teng. Rothenberg has written and performed on the relationship between humanity and nature for many years. Nachmanovitch performs as an improvisational violinist at the intersections of multimedia, performing arts, ecology, and philosophy. In 2021, the duo released a recording and a companion book covering improvisation, playing with the songs of birds, and the nature of creativity. $10–25, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.org

etc.

Black Barbers of Charlottesville Tour. A walking tour looks at the city of Charlottesville through the history of its Black barbers. Focusing on stories from the late-19th and early-20th centuries. $5–20, noon. Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, 200 Second St. NE. albemarlehistory.org

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Charlottesville City Market. Produce and products from 80+ local vendors. Visit the Market Management tent to match your SNAP dollars up to $50 each visit. Free, 8am. Charlottesville City Market, 100 Water St. E. charlottesville.gov

Court Square: Where Charlottesville Began Tour. A walking tour explores the history of the region from the Monacan Nation to its modern history and the removal of four controversial monuments. $5–20, 10am. Albemarle County Courthouse, 501 E. Jefferson St. albemarlehistory.org

Craft Show. Start holiday shopping early. Featuring flowers, photography, cards, food, jewelry, crafts, and more. Free, 8am. Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5804 Tabor St., Crozet. taborpc.org

Family Studio Day. Families with kids of all ages are invited to participate in an art-making project inspired by exhibiting artist Zofie King’s exhibition. Free, 10am. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. secondstreetgallery.org

Historic Downtown Mall Tour. A casual eightblock walk around Charlottesville’s historic pedestrian Downtown Mall discovering local history. $5–20, 11am. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. albemarlehistory.org

Masquerade Ball. A formal affair featuring fine dining, dancing, and the reveal of the newest vineyard vintage. $125–275, 5:30pm. Hardware Hills Vineyard, 5199 W. River Rd., Scottsville. hardwarehills.com

Paramount On Screen: 10 Things I Hate About You A pretty, popular teenager can’t go out on a date until her ill-tempered older sister does. $9–11, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Evening Event Series: Stargazing. Marvel at the beauty of the night sky. All ages welcome. Free, 8pm. Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery, 3340 Sutherland Rd., North Garden. lovingcupwine.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

The First Street Flea. Shop 20+ local artisan vendors. Featuring vintage and secondhand goods, food and beverages, and live music. Free, 10am. Darling Boutique, 115 First St. S. shopdarlingxdashing.com

Two Up Wine Down Festival. The Veraison Project x Oenoverse are back with the fourth annual celebration of community, wine, and culture. $20–125, 2pm. Jefferson School City Center, 233 Fourth St. NW. twoupwinedown.com

Film Screening and Reception with Zofie King and The Dunnington Mansion Foundation. Learn about exhibiting artist Zofie King’s artwork and its connection to the historic Dunnington Mansion through a short film screening and meet and mingle. $10, 4:30pm. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. secondstreetgallery.org

CULTURE FEEDBACK

Starting Overman

Nashville transplant brings C’ville perspective to second LP BY SHEA GIBBS

Will Overman didn’t want to write a breakup album. But following a divorce, the singersongwriter approached his latest record as a man rediscovering himself—again.

On November 16, Overman will play an album release show for Stranger, his second LP as a solo artist, at the Southern Café & Music Hall. Nine and a half years ago, Overman played the same venue to release an eponymous LP with his ascendent rock outfit The Will Overman Band.

It was a heady summer for the five-piece when it took the Southern stage on June 4, 2016. Overman was 22 and looking forward to many more successful albums and tours with his bandmates.

Instead, the group split, and Overman went solo. He released the first full-length to carry his own name, The Winemaker’s Daughter, in 2021.

But where that first solo album found Overman discovering his voice without a raucous band behind him, the second has found him without the muse he’d long relied on. Stranger, he says, is inspired by the feeling that you no longer know who you are.

“My divorce was a huge part of my late 20s,” Overman says. “I wanted to focus on all that change…and what it is to be a man making a life in music. I was trying to figure out who I was after having to sit still for two years and accept all the things that are Will Overman.”

As a result, there’s plenty of darkness in the songwriter’s latest output. “Funeral for a Friend” is an allegorical exploration of his divorce—”Our love was supposed to last till the end / Now every day is a funeral for a friend”—while “The Bottom” is a raw, personal confessional.

“When the boys come to town we grab a pint,” Overman writes on Stranger’s penultimate track. “They joke how I’m living in reverse / They’re drinking too many, I’m drinking too much / But in the morning their wallets don’t hurt.”

There’s light in Overman’s most recent songcrafting, as well. As in the summer of ’16, he feels like he has a lot to look forward to. And while that may not always be evident in his lyricism, it’s written all over his process.

Overman moved to Nashville in 2021. After playing a sparsely attended show, he met producer Bobby Holland. The two quickly bonded over mutual respect for one another’s musicianship.

“There’s a lot of stuff in this town that is unsavory and transactional,” Overman says. “People get taken advantage of all the time. We developed a friendship before a working relationship.”

Holland introduced Overman to a second producer, Brad Sample, who became a reliable contributor to the UVA grad’s songwriting. In the studio for Stranger, Overman wanted to bring in other musicians from Virginia—despite the many capable session players in Nashville. Overman’s longtime collaborator and manager Evan Hunsberger plays drums, Ryan Lee handles bass, and Richmond native Steven Roach plays keyboard. The trio created many of the arrangements that show up on Stranger while playing live shows.

On the new record, Overman’s taken a deliberate approach to his own sonic influences. Along with a natural move from his traditional Americana roots to “a wider-open rock alternative world,” he wanted to go back to a place in his life when music made him feel something unadulterated.

The most obvious result is a cover of “Read My Mind,” which anchors Stranger’s A side. “I was worn out with doing the same old covers like ‘Angel from Montgomery.’ I started to think back to that first phase of my life— the artists that just lit something in me.”

Overman dredged up an old iPod he once plugged into his manual 1993 Honda Accord and flipped through the bands he would listen to on the way to high school with his

sister and best friend: Kings of Leon. Frightened Rabbit. The Killers.

Mining sounds with Holland and Sample, those indie rock influences went onto the mood board along with songwriters like Amos Lee, Foy Vance, Ryan Adams, Ruston Kelly, and Leif Vollebekk.

Overman feels like every show in Charlottesville is a homecoming—he says he thinks about moving back almost every day. He bristles at the idea that Charlottesville is the minor leagues for Nashville (though the same songwriters who drew him into the local music scene—Sam Wilson, Carl Anderson, Caroline Spence—all eventually moved to Music City).

In the end, Stranger is as much a Virginia record as anything else Overman’s put out. On top of the themes and Commonwealthbased personnel, the 11 songs were largely written while Overman was living with his dad in Virginia Beach—just a still-young man trying to rediscover himself after a life-defining event.

“This record is pretty autobiographical,” he says. “I wanted to own up to my decisions. I tried to respect the personal space of my ex-wife on this record, but I wanted to make sure there was honesty on it. This is me trying to rectify a lot of choices I made.”

Two Up Wine Down Festival After Party. Continue the energy of the fourth annual festival with music, fare, and special tastings. $10, 7pm. Ethos Wine & Tea, 817 W. Main St. twoupwinedown.com Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Sunday 11/16

music

An Lár Traditional Irish Band. Playing fast-paced jigs and reels, lyrical waltzes and melancholy airs, and Irish folk ballads of love and adventure. Free, 2pm. Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Charlottesville Symphony & UVA University Singers: Dvořák Mass. Featuring a program of Strauss II’s Overture to Die Fledermaus, Wijeratne’s Polyphonic Lively, and Dvořák’s “The Colors of the Flag” and Mass in D major. $10–54, 3:30pm. Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, 1400 Melbourne Rd. cvillesymphony.org

Jazz Chamber Ensembles. Student musicians in the UVA Jazz program perform under the direction of Pete Spaar, Calvin Brown, and Mike Rosensky. Free, 7pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu

Jazz Sundays. Featuring jazz guitarist Dr. Forde. Free, 5:30pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave., Ste. 2. superflybrewing.com

John Kelly and Gary Green. Kelly wails on guitar and vocals alongside harmonica wizard Green. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Matthew O’Donnell. Bringing a modern energy to traditional drinking songs, sea shanties, Irish jigs and reels, timeless folk favorites, and original songs. Free, 2pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Michael Dill. Indie country-rock artist and singersongwriter. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Strings, Winds, Birds, Electronics and More! A one-of-a-kind performance from Stephen Nachmanovitch and David Rothenberg blending improvisation, nature, and sound in unexpected harmony. $10–25, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com

Will Overman: Stranger Tour. Virginia-raised singer-songwriter known for his dynamic vocal delivery and heart-worn lyrics wrapped in a mixture of alternative and country music. With Holy Roller. $19, 7pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

dance

Virginia Dance Company: WE R DCO. A highenergy showcase featuring 50 talented UVA student dancers performing in a variety of styles. $5–10, 2pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

stage

The Pirate Ballad of Bonny and Read. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $35–70, 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. american shakespearecenter.com

Western Albemarle High School Fall Plays. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $5–8, 2pm. Western Albemarle High School Auditorium, 5941 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Crozet. k12albemarle.org

classes

Autumn Collage in Watercolor and Ink: Botanicals. Learn techniques for using watercolor,

Will Overman returns to Charlottesville to promo his second solo album, Stranger, at the Southern on November 16.

ink, and collage to create paintings alive with texture. Open to all experience levels, ages 15+. $35, 1pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Glass Ornament-Blowing Workshop with Chip Hall and Raging Buffalo Glass. See listing for Friday, November 14. $50, noon. McGuffey Art Center, 201 Second St. NW. ragingbuffaloglass.com Revision. Learn a strategic approach to revision that can save you months of work and result in a better book. $62–67, 1pm. WriterHouse, 508 Dale Ave. writerhouse.org etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, November 13. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Wings Over Wine Country & Maker’s Market. Meet amazing animal ambassadors from the Wildlife Center of Virginia and explore offerings from local artisan vendors. Free, noon. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

Monday 11/17

music

Blake Cateris. From punk bands to heartfelt acoustic songs with poignant lyrics, Australian singersongwriter Cateris works to connect at the core of the soul. Free, 7pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

UVA Wind Ensemble. Led by UVA’s Director of Bands, Elliott Tackitt, the 45-member ensemble features the most outstanding brass, woodwind, and percussion players at the University. Free, 7:30pm. Hunter Smith Band Building at UVA, 180 Culbreth Rd. music.virginia.edu

Tuesday 11/18

music

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

The Bends. Rock band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, reimagining the sound of early 2000s garage rock with catchy choruses and a ferocious stage show. $19, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Tuesday Evening Concert Series. Andreas Ottensamer, Kian Soltani, and Alessio Bax perform a program of Beethoven, Brahms, and Mendelssohn. $5–45, 7:30pm. Old Cabell Hall Auditorium. tecs.org

Tuesday Jazz. Guitar virtuoso Jeff Massanari is joined by a cast of great players. Free, 7:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.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

words

Plot Twisters Teen Book Club. Teen readers are invited to read a book of their choice then meet to discuss the books, do crafts, and eat snacks. For ages 11–18. Registration required. Free, 5pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org 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 Run Club. Do a 5K run, then drink beer. $1-off pints for runners. Free, 6pm. Decipher Brewing, 1740 Broadway St.

SUNDAY 11/16

DANCE, DANCE, EVOLUTION

Founded in 1980 by local dance studio owner Juanita Wilson, The Virginia Dance Company began as the Virginia Dance Club at UVA. Now known around Grounds as DCO, the company mounts performances each semester that feature 10–12 student-choreographed pieces. The latest, “We R DCO,” offers a high-energy showcase featuring 50 UVA student dancers performing in various styles including contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical—celebrating self-expression, creativity, and community through dance. $5–10, 2pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

EXTRA CULTURE

A wilder bird

Crozet farm breeds English heritage roasters for your holiday table BY

At my family’s Thanksgiving, the dishes are always comfortingly the same: homemade cranberry relish, sweet potato casserole, and Grandma’s stuffing, briny with Chesapeake Bay oysters. My parents split the double turkey duty, each armed with a bird sourced from the local Food Lion, defrosted and brined for 24 hours. Dad commands the fryer for his, while mom tends hers in the oven, finishing her preparations by treating the drippings with a heavy slosh of Gravy Master.

This year will be different. We’ll be serving a KellyBronze turkey, a bird bred to be wild, foraging the forests and fields of its Crozet home.

Recently named the No. 1 turkey for online purchase by Southern Living, the KellyBronze bird actually got its start in England. (You can skip shipping and pick up from the farm.) But how did an English turkey end up in Albemarle County?

The Kelly family has been raising turkeys in Essex, England, for three generations. In 1971, Derek Kelly left conventional turkey farming to focus on flavorful, humanely raised birds. When the turkey market crashed in the ’80s, Derek’s son Paul encouraged the family to pivot to heritage breeds, buying up the last pure Bronze turkeys in England.

After converting British palettes, the Kellys set their sights on the U.S. Coincidentally, Virginia Tech graduate Judd Culver was living in Scotland where a job in poultry feed sales led him to the Kellys—and to a new opportunity.

In need of services for their son with autism, the Culvers returned to the U.S., part-

SARAH GOLIBART GORMAN

nering with the Kelly family to bring the heritage breed to Virginia.

“We didn’t need open, rolling hills,” Culver said. “Turkeys naturally thrive in forested, mountain land.” In 2014, the family purchased Heritage Glen Farms, 100 acres of poultry paradise in the Blue Ridge foothills.

Unlike commercial turkeys processed at 14 to 21 weeks, KellyBronze birds live to seven months. “They live the way Mother Nature intended,” says Culver. They’re raised entirely outdoors, supplementing their feed with foraged insects, plants, and fruit.

Their maturity gives them natural marbling and intramuscular fat, meaning no brining is needed. “If you start off with a fully mature turkey, it doesn’t need any help,” says Kelly.

The flavor deepens further through dryaging, a traditional process called New Yorkdressed—after being dry-plucked, the turkeys hang for seven days, allowing for complex flavors and tender meat.

Even the gravy benefits—due to mature bone marrow and pasture-raised fat, the drippings need very few additions. But because of the higher fat content, a KellyBronze cooks in nearly half the time of a supermarket bird—an eight-pound bird finishes in about an hour and a half.

For the Kellys and Culvers, raising heritage turkeys isn’t just about superior flavor. “It’s important to make sure future generations can taste meat as it was three or four hundred years ago,” Paul says. And thanks to the Southern Living buzz, sales are up. If you want a taste of what turkey used to be, you’ll need to order fast at kellybronze.com.

KellyBronze turkeys grow plump and tender, foraging in the wild as they grow to full maturity.

THE WINE DOWN -

WHAT’S DELISH AT LOCAL WINERIES?

53RD WINERY AND VINEYARD

A note from Winegrower and Owner, Dave Drillock

Happy Thanksgiving!

The connection of wine over the millennia has always been Family, Friends and Food. With the Holiday season approaching, our latest release is our Shannon Hill White. It is a blend of 61% Chardonel and 39% Vidal Blanc with aromas of honey crisp apple, white peach, citrus blossoms and Asian pears. Medium bodied, crisp and refreshing, it will go great with many of the appetizers enjoyed during the Holiday Season or simply as the welcome wine.

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.

Upcoming events:

Saturday, November 15th: Wine Club Appreciation Day

As always, we are planning an extra special tasting experience for November. Not a wine club member? No problem, guests are welcome. Cost is $17/person whichincludes tasting and a food truck coupon. Always an enjoyable time!

Live Music: Carter Freeman 1-4pm

Food Truck: Blue Ridge Pizza Co.

Saturday, November 22nd: Friendsgiving Feast with Wine Can’t get together for Thanksgiving? Well, you can starthere. Enjoy a hearty buffet featuring roasted turkey and all the trimmings, along with a flight of four wines carefully selected to pair beautifully with a traditional holiday meal. 1pm in the pavilion https://www.exploretock.com/ fiftythirdwineryandvineyard/ event/576418/friendsgiving-feastwith-wine

Thursday, November 27th: Closed for Thanksgiving

Friday, November 28th: 53% off at 53rd!

Gratitude Getaway: 53% off a flight and 53% off snacks and charcuterie!

Live Music: Denise O’Meara with

piano in the pavilion 12:30-4:30pm

Saturday, November 29th: 53% off at 53rd!

Gratitude Getaway: 53% off a flight and 53% off snacks and charcuterie!

Live Music: Matty & Mirabelle Metcalfe 1-4pm

Open 7 days a week, 11 am – 5 pm • Sat/Sun. 12-6 pm 13372 Shannon Hill Rd Louisa, VA 23093 (540) 894-5474 • 53rdwinery.com

DUCARD VINEYARDS

2022 Signature Viognier

100% estate grown Viognier with notes of apricot, pear, and honeysuckle leading to a natural salinity and lovely, bright finish. Best served slightly chilled, a great addition to your Thanksgiving meal!

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!

November 28, 2025 Black Friday Music in the Mountains with South Canal Street - open 12-6 pm

Bring your Thanksgiving guests and your dancing shoes and come out to DuCard Vineyards for the fun and fabulous music of South Canal Street! They bring their repertoire of your favorites including songs by The Beatles, Chicago, Motown, Eagles and top hits from the golden era of music, late 1950’s to the 1970’s! DuCard Vineyards is open from 12 to 6 pm and the band is playing from 2 to 5 pm. Plan to grab your favorite DuCard wine and have some fun! No cover.

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

Fall at Eastwood Farm and Winery

Late fall into 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 starting November 7th 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.

Music Bingo | Thursday, October 30 (6-8PM), Sunday, November 30th (2-4PM)

Everyone loves singing along with their favorite songs and who doesn’t love a competitive game of Bingo? Music Bingo brings together the best of both worlds for a high energy game that is fun for everyone. Simply listen to the

Front Porch Concert at Eastwood| Wednesday, November 19th 7-9PM

The Front Porch presents Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms Country Band.  This show takes place at Eastwood Farm and Winery. Doors open at 5:30 PM, music starts at 7 PM. This show is a mix of seats and standing, dancing encouraged!  Ticketed Events - Available On Our Website

Thanksgiving Holiday Events

Start the holiday right with our Wreathmaking Workshop, Sunday, November 23 from 12-2PM followed by a full lineup of fun throughout the week.  Cap off your holiday with our Shrimp Boil (4-7:30PM) and live music with Matthew O’Donnell (58PM) on Friday, November 28th.

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.

MUSIC AT EASTWOOD!

music, match the songs to the titles on your music bingo cards, and win great prizes! Don’t miss a special music bingo on November 9th featuring a meet & greet with Service Dogs of Virginia on the veranda and a special animalthemed music bingo round from Sara! Free to play

Paint & Sip | Sunday, November 30th 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 EventsReserve Your Spot On Our Website

Wings over Wine Country & Artisan Market | Sunday, November 16th

Meet amazing animal ambassadors from the Wildlife Center of Virginiaincluding animals like eagles, hawks, opossums, and reptiles and enjoy a new wine release to raise money for the Center, featuring Buddy the Eagle on the label!

12:00–1:30 PM | Meet & Greet 1:30–2:00 PM | Wildlife Presentation

RSVP appreciated at info@ eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Also explore the Maker’s Market from 12:00-5:00 PM featuring local artisans and handmade goods all day

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

Temperance Bridge

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?

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

As the weather gets chilly, this very special wine shines through with a special blend of estate grown chambourcin blended with a small percentage of estate grown, distilled, and crafted port-style vintage wine.  A fireside sipper, this smooth and delightful wine not only makes a great base for hot mulled wine, but also works well with s’mores and dessert.  An elegant, charismatic full-bodied experience of chocolatedrizzled ripe berries and spiced toffee with a velvety butterscotch finish. Difficult to describe. Easy to love.

After another successful harvest season, we are thrilled to be settling our wines into a nice winter nap as the aging process continues and the 2025 harvest matures.  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:

Friday, Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC with Ron Gentry! A Hardware Hills original...we’ve enjoyed this wonderful man’s music from the very beginning. Great vocals, song selection and such a

great guy! Come see for yourself. November 15th – Masquerade Ball! A night of enchantment, new wine release, fine dining, wine, and DANCING! Do not wait to get your tickets.

Friday, Nov. 21

LIVE MUSIC with Matthew O’Donnell! The luck of the Irish brings us another great evening of fun music, interactive tunes, and many of your favorites! A local favorite artist right here at the Hills!

Sunday, Nov. 23rd

MUSIC BINGO!! Bring the whole group and get ready for some great tunes, sing alongs, and winning bingo cards!! Play from 2 - 4 p.m. in the warmth of our new event space! Free admission!

Friday, Nov. 28th

5TH ANNUAL HILLSIDE MARKET! Bring the whole family for a day of holiday vendor specialty shopping, wine specials, Archer’s BBQ food truck, live music with Jefferson Speedboat band, and more! What a great way to get out of the house after a big holiday meal. Join us from 11 - 5!

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

KESWICK VINEYARDS

Wine Down Wednesdays

It’s the last month of the year for midweek magic! Join us from 5:30–8:30 PM with Happy Hour on select wines from 5–6 PM. Perfect for shaking off those weekday cobwebs.

Line Dancing

Kick up your heels and join our fabulous Wine Club Manager, Chris, for some Shivering fun! Learn a few moves and laugh along from 5–7 PM! No experience (or rhythm) required!

Wine Club

Come be a part of Virginia’s Most Rewarding Wine Club! Enjoy exclusive savings, member-only events, and first access to new releases. Ask us today how to start sippin’ and savin’!

Live Music Saturdays

Every Saturday from 12–4 PM, enjoy local live music while you sip and soak in the vineyard views. Bring your friends, grab a glass, and make every weekend a little more Keswick.

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

2023 Cabernet Franc

With aromas of blackberry, plums and currants together with baking spices, this fine example of Cabernet Franc has the expected fruit bouquet and a well-balanced and hearty mouthfeel. A long finish and pleasant aftertaste invite more pours.  For some wine drinkers overwhelmed by Cabernet Sauvignon, this will be the one for you: all the dark fruit flavors you enjoy brought a bit more gently to you. The perfect accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats.

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

Nov 27th – Closed for Thanksgiving Day

Dec. 5th – Book World Meets Wine World – Elizabeth Becker joins us at 6 pm to read from her newest novel, The Moonlight Healers.

Dec. 6th – Arts & Vines – Join us from noon until 6 pm for our Holiday Market.

Artisans Christina Boy Design (wood), Gary Grant (paintings), Phineas Rose Studios (jewelry), Elizabeth Bennett (barn quilts), Richard Young (paintings), Lynn Young (embroidery),

Bound2Please Books, and Chocolatesville will be on site with their unique wares. With Pop-Up Food Truck - Cousins Maine Lobster Truck will be here from noon until 6 pm.

Dec. 22nd – 28th – Closed for Christmas Holidays. We reopen to regular business hours on Friday, January 2.

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

VIRGINIA WINE COLLECTIVE

Fall at the Collective

Join us every Friday night from 4:00 -9:00PM for winemaker wine flights and a delicious pairing menu created by Chefs Andrew and Cory Partridge.

The Virginia Wine Collective is a new wine production facility in Charlottesville. Eastwood designed the space 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.

November 14: Julie Linker, Delve Wines

November 21:  Jake Busching, Jake Busching Wines

Production Tours and Guided Tastings

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 emma@ eastwoodfarmandwinery.com to book.

Fall Winery Hours: Fridays 4-9 PM

1585 Avon Street Extended Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 264-6727 https://eastwoodfarmandwinery.com/ virginia-wine-collective/

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.

FOR FUN PUZZLES

40. Pay rate

41. Disinclined (to)

daughter

44. Whatever number

45. Consumer protection gp.

48. Former Dallas Cowboys guard on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

51. Back

52. More keen

53. “Filthy” money

54. “WarGames” org.

56. Youngest of a set of comedic film brothers

59. “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe” author Fannie

60. “___ called to say I love you ...”

61. 2018 Super Bowl number

62. One-on-one student

63. “Ghostbusters” actress Annie

64. ___ Gala (annual NYC event)

DOWN

1. Dermatitis type

2. Faces courageously

3. Like some youthful charm

4. “Je t’___” (“I love you,” in French)

5. Lab evidence

6. The NBA’s Hawks, on a scoreboard

7. Aforementioned

8. Ginza’s city

9. Chips with a Chili Cheese variety

10. Crosses the International Date Line, perhaps

11. “I’ve made my move”

12. Celebrity gossip website

13. Buckeyes’ sch.

18. Extreme degree

22. Alma mater of Laura Bush, briefly

24. Harlem Renaissance author ___ Neale Hurston

25. Squares up

26. “Caprica” actor Morales

27. Fall behind

29. “All Songs Considered” network

31. Diver’s enclosure

32. Reddit Q&A feature

By Rob Brezsny Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec.21): The tour guide at the museum was describing the leisure habits of ancient Romans. “Each day’s work was often completed by noon,” he said. “For the remainder of the day, they indulged in amusement and pleasure. Over half of the calendar consisted of holidays.” As I heard this cheerful news, my attention gravitated to you, Sagittarius. You probably can’t permanently arrange your schedule to be like the Romans’. But you’ll be wise to do so during the coming days. Do you dare to give yourself such abundant comfort and delight? Might you be bold enough to rebel against the daily drudgery to honor your soul’s and body’s cravings for relief and release?

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Zulu greeting Sawubona means “I see you.” Not just “hello,” but “I acknowledge your existence, your dignity, and your humanity.” The response is Ngikhona: “I am here.” In this exchange, people receive a respectful appreciation of the fact that they contain deeper truths below the surface level of their personality. This is the opposite of the Western world’s default state of mutual invisibility. What if you greeted everyone like this, Capricorn—with an intention to bestow honor and recognition? I recommend that you try this experiment. It will spur others to treat you even better than they already do.

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Bear with me while I propose an outlandish-sounding theory: that you have enough of everything. Not eventually, not after the next achievement, but right now: You have all you need. What if enoughness is not a quantity but a quality of attention? What if enoughness isn’t a perk you have to earn but a treasure you simply claim? In this way of thinking, you consider the possibility that the finish line keeps moving because you keep moving it. And now you will decide to stop doing that. You resolve to believe that this breath, this moment, and this gloriously imperfect life are enough, and the voice telling you it’s not enough is selling something you don’t need.

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): The Inuit people have dozens of words for snow. The Scots have over 100 words for rain. Sanskrit is renowned for its detailed and nuanced vocabulary relating to love, tenderness, and spiritual bliss. According to some estimates, there are 96 different terms for various expressions of love, including the romantic and sensual kind, as well as compassion, friendship, devotion, and transcendence. I invite you to take an inventory of all the kinds of affection and care you experience. Now is an excellent phase to expand your understanding of these mysteries—and increase your capacity for giving and receiving them.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY FOR FUN

(Oct. 23 to Nov. 22): Your dreams speak in images, not ideas. They bypass your rational defenses and tell the truth slantwise because the truth straight-on may be too bright to bear. The source of dreams, your unconscious, is fluent in a language that your waking mind may not be entirely adept in understanding: symbol, metaphor, and emotional logic. It tries to tell you things your conscious self refuses to hear.

Are you listening? Or are you too busy being reasonable? The coming weeks will be a crucial time to tune in to messages from deep within you.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): The Akan concept of Sankofa is represented by a bird looking backward while moving forward. The message is “Go back and get it.” You must retrieve wisdom from the past to move into the future. Forgetting where you came from doesn’t liberate you; it orphans you. I encourage you to make Sankofa a prime meditation, Aries. The shape of your becoming must include the shape of your origin. You can’t transcend what you haven’t integrated. So look back, retrieve what you left behind, and bring it forward.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to engage in strategic forgetting. It’s the art of deliberately unlearning what you were taught about who you should be, what you should want, and how you should spend your precious life. Fact: Fanatical brand loyalty to yourself can be an act of self-sabotage. I suggest you fire yourself from your own expectations. Clock out from the job of being who you were yesterday. It’s liberation time!

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): We should all risk asking supposedly wrong questions. Doing so reminds us that truth and discovery often hide in the compost pile of our mistaken notions. A wrong question can help us shed tired assumptions, expose invisible taboos, and lure new insights out of hiding. By leaning into the awkward, we invite surprise, which may be a rich source of genuine learning. With that in mind, I invite you to ask the

following: Why not? What if I fail spectacularly? What would I do if I weren’t afraid of looking dumb? How can I make this weirder? What if the opposite were true? What if I said yes? What if I said no? What if this is all simpler than I’m making it? What if it’s stranger than I can imagine?

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): Cancerian novelist Octavia Butler said her stories were fueled by two obsessions: Where will we be going? and How will we get there? One critic praised this approach, saying she paid “serious attention to the way human beings actually work together and against each other.” Other critics praised her “clear-headed and brutally unsentimental” explorations of “far-reaching issues of race, sex, power.” She was a gritty visionary whose imagination was expansive and attention to detail meticulous. Let’s make her your inspirational role model. Your future self is now leaning toward you, whispering previews and hints about paths still half-formed. You’re being invited to be both a dreamer and builder, both a seer and strategist. Where are you going, and how will you get there?

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): The Tagalog language includes the word kilig. It refers to the butterflyin-the-stomach flutter when something momentous, romantic, or cute happens. I suspect kilig will be a featured experience for you in the coming weeks—if you make room for it. Please don’t fill up every minute with mundane tasks and relentless worrying. Meditate on the truth that you deserve an influx of such blessings and must expand your consciousness to welcome their full arrival.

Virgo

(Aug. 22 to Sept. 22): Your liver performs countless functions, including storing vitamins, synthesizing proteins, regulating blood sugar, filtering 1.5 quarts of blood per minute, and detoxifying metabolic wastes. It can regenerate itself from as little as 25 percent of its original tissue. It’s your internal resurrection machine: proof that some damage is reversible, and some second chances come built-in. Many cultures have regarded the liver not just as an organ, but as the seat of the soul and the source of passions. Some practice ritual purification ceremonies that honor the liver’s pivotal role. In accordance with astrological omens, Virgo, I invite you to celebrate this central repository of your life energy. Regard it as an inspiring symbol of your ability to revitalize yourself.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The pupils of your eyes aren’t black. They are actually holes. Each pupil is an absence, a portal where light enters you and becomes sight. Do you understand how amazing this is? You have two voids in your face through which the world pours itself into your nervous system. These crucial features are literally made of nothing. The voidness is key to your love of life. Everything I just said reframes emptiness not as loss or deficiency, but as a functioning joy. Without the pupils’ hollowness, there is no color, no shape, no sunrise, no art. Likewise in emotional life, our ability to be delighted depends on vulnerability. To feel wonder and curiosity is to let the world enter us, just as light enters the eye. Expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes: RealAstrology.com, (877) 873-4888

CLASSIFIEDS

To

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MANGOSTEEN ASIAN STREET FOOD 12 Elliewood Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22903

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a retail license to sell or manufacture Beer and Wine and Mixed Beverage and Specialty Liqueurs, On and Off Premises Maneenuch Ashirathantanawat, Korkarn Samiphak, Partners

NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be Submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

TANGERINE KITCHEN LLC

32 Mill Creek Dr STE 102, Charlottesville, VA 22902

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a retail license to sell or manufacture Beer and Wine and Mixed Beverage and Specialty Liqueurs, On and Off Premises

Thantip Devis, Maneenuch Ashirathantanawat, Chonlawan Leelapirom, Owners

NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be Submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY

KEVIN J. FLETCHER, and SHEILA M. FLETCHER

Plaintiffs,

v.

CORNELIUS G. SHAVER, et al. Defendants.

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to quiet title, by adverse possession or by partition, among persons who have or may have a fractional interest in a certain tract or parcel of land described as follows: real property located in Albemarle County, Virginia, containing approximately 225 acres, identified as Tax Map parcel #02500-00-00-00200, described in the tax records as all that certain tract or parcel of land situated in the White Hall Magisterial District, comprising the top and both sides of the south portion of the Pasture Fence Mountain, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains; further described as follows in a 1919 Deed in Albemarle County DB 172 Pg. 481- 482:

Beginning at a chestnut at draw-hars in Wm. T. Brown’s Line 142 1/2 poles to white walnut and ash near a spring thence N. 48 W. 20 poles to a walnut, thence N. 82 W. 25 poles to a locust, thence S. 7 E. 17 poles to chestnut sprout corner with T.J. Maupin land S. 120 poles to chestnut pointers thence E. 70 poles to white oak thence S. 30 poles to two ash trees thence E. 140 poles to bunch of ash trees on a cliff thence S. 65 E. 46 poles to a red oak thence N. 20 E. 98 1/2 poles to a chestnut oak thence N. 95 W.h 97 1/2 poles to the BEGINNING continuing two hundred and twenty five (225) acres more or less [the “Property”].

It appearing from the Complaint and by the affidavit filed according to law that there may be persons interested in the Property, to-wit the successors in interest, surviving spouses, heirs at law, devises and/or assigns, and the lien creditors of said parties, if any there be, of Cornelius G. Shaver, Clara N. Sites, and George W. Miller, believed deceased, who are made Parties Unknown, and Plaintiff has used due diligence to ascertain and serve all of the putative owners who are Virginia residents, and also there may be nonresidents and other Parties Unknown who may claim an interest in the Property, it is therefore,

ORDERED that all interested parties, including the Parties Unknown, appear before this Court on or before December 2, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. and take such action as they deem appropriate to protect any interest they may have in the above-described Property.

ENTERED: Cheryl V. Higgins

DATE: 10.17.2025

I ASK FOR THIS: Ralph E. Main, Jr., VSB#13320

Counsel for Plaintiffs Kevin J. Fletcher and Sheila M. Fletcher

Dygert, Wright, Hobbs & Hernandez, PLC 415 4th Street, N.E. Upper Floor Charlottesville, VA 22902

Tel: (434) 979-5515 • Fax: (434) 295-7785 Email: jwright@charlottesvillelegal.com

AMENDED FORECLOSURE SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE AT PUBLIC AUCTION

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County Tax Map No. 128A2-00-00-00300

SALE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025, AT 12:00 P.M. AT THE SCOTTSVILLE POOL, 7414 SCOTTSVILLE ROAD, SCOTTSVILLE, VA

In execution of a Deed of Trust, being dated February 12, 2015, of record in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Albemarle County, Virginia (“Clerk’s Office”), in Deed Book 4583, page 164 (the “Deed of Trust”), the undersigned as Trustee by instrument of record in the aforesaid Clerk’s Office, will offer for sale at public auction:

All that tract or parcel of land situated at Porters Precinct in Albemarle County, Virginia, containing 10.979 acres, more or less as shown on a plat of Diana P. Dale, P.E., L.S., dated April 4, 2003 of record in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Albemarle County, Virginia, in Deed Book 2466, page 301.

(the “Property”).

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

Neither the Substitute Trustee nor the Lender shall have any obligation to obtain possession of the Property. It shall be the purchaser’s obligation, at the purchaser’s sole cost, to obtain possession of the Property.

The purchaser waives and releases the Substitute Trustee and Lender and each of their respective agents, successors and assigns from any and all claims the purchaser and/or its successors and assigns may now have or may have in the future relating to: (1) any condition, problem or violation affecting the Property; (2) any existing or future building or zoning code problems or violations, and (3) the accuracy or validity of any information described herein. Purchaser has not relied on anything in the foreclosure advertisement but rather has relied solely on such investigations, examinations or inspections of the Property as the purchaser has made.

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

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

FOR INFORMATION SEE: www.fplegal.com/foreclosures or www.countsauction.com

Flora Pettit PC, Trustee

Nancy R. Schlichting 530 E. Main Street P. O. Box 2057 Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 817-7990 beq@fplegal.com

P.S. THE HOTSEAT

Food for thought

Charlottesville’s Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry provides free groceries to an average of 12,000 people every month. “Our goal for each visiting household is to provide a week’s worth of food, based on household size, that accommodates dietary restrictions and cultural preferences,” says Jane Colony Mills, the nonprofit’s executive director. C-VILLE recently caught up with Colony Mills, who’s headed Loaves & Fishes since 2017, and she weighed in on everything from why she loves her job, to the best advice she’s received and her dearly departed cat, Timmy.

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Hometown: Charlottesville

Job: Executive Director at Charlottesville’s Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry

What excites you the most about what you do? Thirty-five percent of the food we give to pantry visitors otherwise would be thrown away by grocery retailers, yet it is still nutritious. Americans waste 35 to 40 percent of the food in our country, so rescuing food that can feed those who can’t afford to buy it is very important to me.

What are some of your biggest challenges? Providing food for a growing number of households and people seeking assistance, which is up 50 percent from two years ago, while donated food supplies have decreased. The continued high cost of groceries, coupled with higher costs of housing, utilities, and transportation in our community, and new qualifications for SNAP (food stamp) benefits, have forced people to come for assistance who have never visited a food distribution organization before, and we are buying more food (milk, eggs, produce, meat) than ever in the history of our organization.

How did your prior experiences prepare you to run a food bank?

I’m very detail-oriented, have raised money for local organizations for much of my career, am comfortable speaking in public (even though I’m an introvert!), and I’m passionate about making sure that people have food. What kind and how much food do your clients receive? We try to provide as much fresh food as we have available, with about 65 percent of what pantry visitors receive being milk, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, and meat.

What are you listening to right now? I love so many kinds of music, and listen to whatever brings me peace in the moment (Candide, John Prine, Harry Styles, Sublime), but most often I am listening to whatever music is playing in my head.

Best advice you ever got: In my first nonprofit fundraising job, at The Nature Conservancy, the director taught me that every nonprofit needs to be run like any other business.

Proudest accomplishment: My 28-year marriage to my husband Ian (who is also my best business management advisor) and our two beautiful, smart adult daughters.

Best part about living here: I loved being able to raise our kids in the same familiar, beautiful community I grew up in, with much of my immediate family nearby.

Worst part about living here: We used to joke when I was a kid that eventually Charlottesville and Washington, D.C., would grow so much that they would meet midway up/down 29. And that’s coming true.

Bodo’s order: I think my girls were both about 2 weeks old when

I couldn’t stay away from my breakfast go-to bagel, olive cream cheese on a sesame bagel with tomato. My other order is tuna on everything with lettuce, tomato, and a pickle.

What’s your favorite comfort food? Tuna salad and chicken pot pie

If you could be reincarnated as a person or a thing, what would you be? A dolphin

Do you have any pets? Not right now, although we do have a very energetic granddog living with us and our daughter. While our kids were growing up, we had two dogs and three cats. Our last cat was by far my favorite—he was the neighborhood “greeter,” and simply the friendliest, sweetest animal I’ve ever known.

Favorite movie and/or show: “Law & Order,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Derry Girls” (wish there were more!), and “Fisk”

Favorite book: Demon Copperhead, The Sound and the Fury Who’d play you in a movie? 1980s Kathleen Turner

Subject that causes you to rant? People who use the power of leadership solely to benefit themselves and others like them. Don’t get me started.

Best journey you ever went on: Driving my daughter across the country to an internship in Seattle has lots of fond memories. I don’t recommend stopping traffic to pick up a kitten or trying to pet buffalo in Yellowstone!

Favorite word: Grace

Hottest take: Leaders can be effective and fair, and balance a budget without harming others.

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