inFauquier Winter 2022

WINTER 2022

It’s winter, but that’s no reason to stay stationary.

Tour de Fauquier with classic car enthusiasts — from road rides to performance powerhouses

Get moving: • Local gyms • Hiking groups • Veteran marathon runners • Hot toddies to warm up these long, cold winter afternoons

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22 LIFE & STYLE 16 17 18 20 22 24 26

Take a hike (you’ll have company) Scooter program coming to town?

Move to the music with the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra Get your groove on at any of the many local gyms Major Moving makes it easy to shift house — long-haul or short Finding your happy place on county roads with classic cars Citizens group takes county clean-up matters into their own hands, literally

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PHOTOS BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

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FACES & PLACES

FARE & FLAIR

Join the veteran marathoners on a very personal journey Occupational therapist dives deep for wholly holistic cures Realtor Eric Diello — Making the move from the left coast to call Hume home Meet seamstress-designer Eliana Garcia Character, defined VolTran program’s importance Studio Luxe shifts spaces, opens shop for girls in Old Town

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Warm up with hot mulled wine Cozy winter meals Fauquier brews for the season Legendary local moonshiners Winter time is planning time for gardeners Heuchera — A gorgeous, generous garden favorite and year-round workhorse of the planting bed

EXTRAS: 6 8 54

Welcome note Tidbits The Last Word

ON THE COVER Local photographer Carson McRae dug deep into the assignment to illustrate Aimee O’Grady’s research piece into Fauquier County’s long-term relationship with classic cars.

McRae and Chris Callaway, owner of Marshall’s Callaway Classics, worked together to get just the right shot, with just the right “blur.”

It was tricky for a couple reasons. Some of the most beautiful country roads in Marshall had already been salted for an upcoming snowstorm, and Callaway was understandably reluctant to take a chance on getting salt on that gorgeous cherry-red paint job. Between the two of them, they found the perfect (unsalted) spot, McRae with an eye on lighting and scenery and Callaway with an eye on his car’s finish.

But it wasn’t easy. Between a fickle sun that kept sliding behind clouds and back out

Chris Callaway of Callaway Classics in Marshall is behind the wheel of a cherry red 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1. It’s got a sporty black hood stripe and black bucket seats, perfect for cruising the county’s country roads.

again and other photographer’s challenges, it took a while to capture the perfect cover shot to represent inFauquier’s vision: Move.

Callaway was generous

with his time. Maybe he was just happy to out on the open road — between snowstorms — in the sporty 1970 Mustang.

The result illustrates exactly the nature of the love

Table of Contents

affair between drivers and their favorite rides. They got it just right — four-board black-painted fence, a big open field and an empty, well-maintained blacktop road.

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CONTRIBUTORS’ QUERY

They’ve got the moves – or do they? We know our writers and shooters love Fauquier (what’s not to love) but we wanted to know – how many moves did it take for them to get there to here.

Freelance writer Aimée O’Grady rarely stops moving.

She can be found running on country roads, hiking with her family, kicking the soccer ball with her son, tracking a bee swarm with her eldest daughter, helping her middle daughter ride a bike and enjoying walks with her youngest little girl.

One thing she is done moving is boxes. After relocating from New Jersey to Virginia in 1999, she moved five times in five years before settling in Warrenton with her husband in 2004. She hopes her latest move in 2013 across town is her last for many years. inFauquier managing editor Betsy Burke Parker says she’s staying put in the Virginia Piedmont, having found her way here 35 years ago.

She’s counted up 10 different addresses from her birth and youth south of Nashville ‘til she

first came to Virginia during high school in the mid-1980s. She moved here for good after college in the late ’80s.

“They can take me out heels first.”

Writer and chef Janie Ledyard says she’s barely moved 15 miles in 3 moves in her whole life -- once from her childhood home to a college apartment. Next was a starter condo then to her current single family home on acreage equidistant from the city to the country. “The perfect combo,” she says.

It took beer writer John Daum more than 30 years to finally make Virginia his home. He followed the craft beer movement from its California origins as it slowly moved its way eastward.

“By the time it hit the Old Dominion, I was ready to put down roots here.”

Contributing writer Danica

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Fall 2021

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

Low is a Northern Virginia native.

She now lives in Fauquier with her family, but attended college in North Carolina and grew up in Fairfax County public schools.

Her first apartment was a studio in Fairfax with her husband, but now they’re home on quiet wooded acreage of their forever home in Fauquier.

Kelly O’Lone was born and raised in South Florida, but after marrying her Naval husband, she has had the opportunity to plant roots across the country. The mother of three has called Virginia home since 2017 and “hopes it stays that way for years to come.”

Between World War II and the Korean War, John Toler’s family moved around between Illinois and California as U.S. Navy Commander Jack Toler served stateside and overseas. Assigned to a post in Washington, D.C., the family came to Virginia in 1952, to Fauquier in 1959.

John was a 1969 UVa grad, served in the Virginia Army National Guard and the Virginia Defense Force. His 46-year communications career was at newspapers in Charlottesville, Ashburn and Warrenton.

“There’s an old saying, ‘To be a Virginian, either by birth, marriage, adoption or even on one’s mother’s side, is an introduction to any state in the Union, a passport to any foreign country and a benediction from Almighty God.’ I was not born a Virginian, but I’ll take it.”

Native to the Northeast, Master gardener Sally Semple had no desire to settle below the Mason-Dixon line. A great job in Washington, D.C., a growing family and the serenity of Fauquier County won her over almost three decades ago. She “plans to dig in these soils for the remainder of my days.”

Alissa Jones says she’s moved several times in her life, calling Southern California, Portugal and Virginia all home at one time or another. One of her favorite moves involved lots of moves, she says: a six-month extended visit

Contributors’ Query

in St Louis with her son and his family where she was in perpetual motion chasing after her (then) 1 ½-year-old grandson.

Designer and writer Sawyer Guinn has lived everywhere along the I-66 corridor from Washington, D.C. to Front Royal and most exits in between. Exit 27 holds a special place in his heart because that’s where his father took him and his brother hunting in the woods when they were boys.

Now he lives near exit 13 at Linden. “Still running from streetlights ever since an ill-advised stint in the city following college. I need to see the stars at night.”

Fauquier Times staff writer Liam Bowman was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up across the river in Alexandria. He lived in Eugene, Oregon, for four years while attending the University of Oregon. After college he moved back east, taking a job at the Fauquier Times in June 2021.

Home chef, food writer and restaurant reviewer Sandy Greeley says she’s actually on the move right now. “I am edging my way forward with a move from Reston to Ashburn … a move in the right direction. West.”

A specialist in real estate photography, Warrenton photographer/videographer Carson McRae is an expert in helping other people move. The new dad’s also a pro in following after his energetic and inquisitive toddler.

(McRaeVisualMedia.com) Fauquier native MacKenzie Earl may be seen moving around Warrenton, working on making the town’s flower beds and shrubs look their best. She has always loved Warrenton and also uses her communication expertise to help local businesses move forward.

New York based writer Steve Price says his heart beats true for the Fauquier County countryside.

“I’m a city mouse at heart,” says the lifelong editor and writer.

“But there’s something about that open landscape that speaks to the soul.”

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When your get up and go just got up and went …

Winter woes? Get moving!

To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.

– ARISTOTLE

Published quarterly by Piedmont Media LLC. Address 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, VA 20186 Phone: 540-347-4222 www.fauquier.com Publisher: Catherine M. Nelson cnelson@fauquier.com Editor: Betsy Burke Parker betsyburkeparker@gmail.com 6

Winter 2022

Welcome

As I type, snow is falling outside my window.

Again.

The Piedmont had enjoyed a string of mild winters that almost erased memory of Winter 2016 when we had 30 inches of snow in late January (followed by a redux over two separate storms in 2017.)

It was almost like a switch flipped on New Year’s Day this year, soft December weather followed by relentless cold and precipitation blanketing the region since an opening volley on Jan. 1.

To be fair, so far the grand totals aren’t as newsworthy as 2009’s Snowpocalypse (20 inches almost smothered Fauquier County in December) and Snowmaggedon of February, 2010 (33 inches over two days). But even conversational snow is bad enough to complain about, and all I can think about is curling up with a cup of cocoa, a cat or two and a good book.

When it’s cold, you barely want to go out-

corporate

side, and when it’s snowing, you mostly want to shelter in place, hibernate and not come out ’til spring.

Inertia creeps in, and all that brought to mind was how bad pandemic-plus-winter weather was for the waistline last year.

We wanted a roadmap to get back in — and stay in — motion, even given the seasonal challenges. We knew exactly who to put on the task.

The inFauquier writing and photo team ran with the proposed theme – “Move” – giving us more movement than we knew what to do with.

Aimee O’Grady chased down the most obvious of bigger-picture stories in her piece about classic cars in the county. With hundreds of miles of paved, curved and perfectly canted country lanes, Fauquier County is a paradise to professional, amateur and leisure drivers alike. Aimee introduces us to some of the county’s car experts and reports on the dozens of regular local rallies and meet-ups held here monthly.

Alissa Jones takes “move” more literally, introducing us to a real estate couple focused on easing buyers and sellers into — and out of — homes in the region, and agent Bonnie Ferris tells the story of how Fauquier Family Services won a big grant from the staging association.

Kelly O’Lone maps the country’s workout centers and gyms so we can keep the major muscle groups working, while Mackenzie Earl traces the 100-yard “move” of Studio Luxe – from a side street location to a Main Street storefront.

John Toler reaches back in time to discover how the Prohibition era in the U.S. affected the spirits (literally and figuratively) of Fauquier County.

For seasonal stories, Steve Price unearths the history of President’s Day (Feb. 21 this year), and Sally Semple digs deep for something to keep the attention of gardeners counting the days ’til spring (hint, grab a pencil, eraser and graph paper.)

As I was typing, the snow abated, and the sun came out. The maple tree outside my office window looks like it’s dusted with a sparkling sugar coating, and a pretty cardinal pair is supping on sunflower seeds on a nearby feeder.

Editing all this “move” copy has given me renewed vigor, so I pull on tall, insulated boots and head out to the mailbox, shuffling through 2 inches of fresh-fallen snow. It’s not so bad, not that cold, and pretty, in a wintery sort of way. I remind myself what a veteran reporter once told me at a dance party – “Use it, or you’re going to lose it.” Granted, he said it as he did the Egyptian (this was in the mid-1980s, though still ill-advised, even then) across the dance floor, but I appreciated the reminder. A body in motion remains in motion, I chirped to myself as I marched back up the hill.

For now, I’ll just have to trust no historic storms have us in the crosshairs (the weatherman isn’t spilling and the almanac didn’t say.) With all the ways we’ve learned to keep moving in winter, there’s no excuse to be still this season.

Managing editor: Robin Earl rearl@fauquier.com

Carla Bailey cbailey@fauquier.com

Consultants: Anthony Haugan ahaugan@fauquier.com

Designers: Vincent Sales vsales@fauquier.com

Jeanne Cobert jcobert@fauquier.com

Cindy Goff cgoff@fauquier.com

Nancy Keyser nkeyser@fauquier.com

For advertising inquiries, contact: Anthony Haugan, ahaugan@fauquier.com

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inFAUQUIER COUNTY TIDBITS

You ain’t got a thing if you ain’t got that swing Celebrate a decade of dance tunes with the Silver Tones What started as a garage band in 2012 celebrates a decade of time-honored, toe-tapping, partner-twirling local music this year.

The Silver Tones swing band celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2022.

In 2012, Dave Shuma and wife, Wendy Marie, invited members of the Fauquier Community Band to form a new band.

Their first rehearsal was in a garage.

“It was a tight fit, but we made it work,” Wendy Marie Shuma said.

Today, the Silver Tones includes just two original members from the community band, but other professional musicians from the area have joined the ensemble.

The number of players depends on the venue: each ensemble includes saxophones, trombones, trumpets and a full rhythm section of guitar, bass, keyboard and drums.

For many performances – especially those outside during the warmer months – it’s a full-size big band like Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and other 1940s standards.

Strap on your dancing shoes Black and white is the theme and benefiting the Kettle Run High band is the plan for a March 26 swing dance party with the Silver Tones.

The dance is being held at Vint Hill Community Center.

Admission includes a lesson with swing dance teacher Valerie Pyle, refreshments and two hours of live entertainment.

Beginner dancers are encouraged to attend, and no partner is needed. There will be plenty of seating for those who just want to listen to the music and watch the dancers – some professional swing couples are expected to attend.

General admission is $20; students are $10. facebook.com/silvertonesswingband

By Aimee O’Grady

PHOTO BY COY FERRELL

Larke Pain, of Warrenton, and Gary Wilson, of Manassas, dance in Warrenton’s Courthouse Square during a Silver Tones Swing Band concert Sunday evening.

Solo vocalists are Wendy Marie Shuma and Gene Bates, plus Shuma is joined by soprano Larke Pain and alto Laura Mills for a trio.

The trio – the Silver Belles – often performs at nursing homes, churches and private parties.

The Silver Tones Swing Band operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and often donates time and energy to the arts in Fauquier’s school system. Dance parties start with a swing dance lesson with instructor Valerie Pyle. silvertonesswingband.com

Local group joins Adopt-A-Highway program

Master Gardeners honor Fauquier FISH

Citizens for Fauquier County adopted Kings Hill Road and Cemetery Road in Remington as part of the VDOT Keep Virginia Beautiful Adopt-a-Highway program.

Citizens for Fauquier County adopted the two scenic roadways as part of the organization’s commitment to expand programing in southern Fauquier in appreciation for the area’s historic resources. Kings Hill and Cemetery roads pass the historic Hollywood and Perrowville cemeteries.

In the Adopt-A-Highway program, more than 23,000 volunteers collect over 44,000 bags of waste along Virginia’s highways each year.

– By Lani Allen

The Master Gardener Association of Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties has presented its Community Partnership Award to Fauquier FISH (For Immediate Sympathetic Help).

FISH has been operating in Fauquier County since 1983, providing a range of services to county residents. Programs include food pantry distribution, Book Bag and School Supply drive, Weekend Power Pack meals for Fauquier school children, senior meals delivered to the Warrenton Senior Center, Farmers Market PoPBucks Program and holiday food baskets.

FISH executive director Charity Furness says demand for FISH services has expanded greatly during the pandemic. fauquierfish.org

Preservation pays: DHR awards survey grant to Fauquier County The Virginia Department of Historic Resources recently awarded $53,500 in cost share survey and planning grants to fund preservation projects in five localities, including Fauquier, that will leverage around $52,000 in matching funds.

The projects entail surveying historic buildings, drafting nominations 8

Fall 2021

to list districts on the Virginia and National landmarks registers, identifying historic resources associated with African American communities, and documenting a significant Modernist landscape design.

Fauquier and Fairfax counties along with the towns of Ashland and WachaCounty Tidbits

preague and the city of Charlottesville were given grants.

Plans in Fauquier include preparing a National Register study of development of the county’s historic African American resources. The study ensures future listings on the National Register of African American buildings, sites and properties.

inFAUQUIER COUNTY TIDBITS

One more reason to love February: It’s National Bird month February was deemed National Bird Feeding month in 1994 by Congressman John Porter. Being one of the toughest months of the year for birds to survive in this region where the “growing season” ends by early November, Porter wanted to help.

During National Bird Feeding Month, the National Audubon Society also coordinates the Great Backyard Bird Count each February. Birders from around the world count birds to help gather data online. This data is used to create an online citizen-science project.

This year, the 20th anniversary of the four-day count, is scheduled Feb. 12-15. birdcount.org

Favorite bird seeds Black-oil sunflower seed is rich in the protein and fat that birds need in winter, and it attracts many bird species to your backyard feeders.

Another popular seed is nyjer, or niger, which is cultivated in Asia and Africa but resembles native thistle seed. It works best in feeders designed especially for it, which keep the tiny seeds from ending up on the ground.

Small songbirds are attracted to niger seed feeders which are often hung from tree branches.

To widen the variety of birds drawn to your yard, put feeders at different levels. Cardinals, for example, tend to prefer tray and hopper feeders — those that release seed when birds hop on them. Chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers and finches

A matter of taste • Black oil sunflower seeds: bluejay, northern cardinal, red-bellied woodpecker, finch, chickadee, titmouse, nuthatch, grackle • Safflower seeds: northern cardinal, chickadee, sparrow, mourning dove • Niger seed: goldfinch, redpoll, junco, pine siskin • Peanuts: bluejay, chickadee, tufted titmouse, woodpecker • Millet: quail, dove, junco, sparrow • Mealworms: bluebird • Raisins and berries: mockingbird • Suet: woodpecker, wren, chickadee, nuthatch, tufted titmouse feed higher up and do fine with most types of hanging feeders.

Doves, cardinals, juncos and sparrows prefer feeding on the ground, or at a flat, open feeder no more than five feet high.

Bluebirds specifically prefer

mealworms, and nuthatches and many types of woodpeckers like hanging suet feeders.

Water is as important as food, since many water sources can freeze this time of year. feederwatch.org

Department of Wildlife Resources supports wildlands, wild things, all around Virginia For years, the best kept and simultaneously worst secret in conservation is how much of that financial load has been carried by those most affected by conservation issues – sportsmen.

From the kids catching sunfish in the neighborhood pond to sporting clay shooters, licensing dollars go directly to the Virginia commissions and organizations entrusted to manage public lands, and all the game and non-game animals that call them home.

Staff and supporters of Virginia’s newly-rebranded Department of Wildlife Resources are among the commonwealth’s most passionate conservationists. And their new Restore the Wild program was designed to reach out to everyone that appreciates open space and the fauna and flora that populate it.

Sportsmen – of course the term encompasses men, women and children, funnel millions of dollars into conservation through taxes on gear and equipment.

For many reasons, the pandemic not small among them, the number of members of arguably the greatest and most successful crowdfunding campaign in history are dwindling. While in many parts of the country COVID actually gave

a boost to hunting and fishing licenses, along with gear sales – since many people had much more discretionary time on their hands, trends from recent decades are sobering.

In Virginia, the last 10 years have seen sales of hunting and fishing licenses drop nearly 20 percent.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is uniquely affected by the resulting and precipitous drop in license sales as it is also uniquely financially independent.

Public information officer for VDWR, Paige Pearson explains department funding. “We’re very proud of that fact, and a lot of people don’t realize it either, but we aren’t taking anything from Virginia’s general tax dollars to fund our operations,” she says.

Pearson says Restore the Wild was designed to help.

“The inspiration [for Restore the Wild] really was finding another way to get people outdoors and reach more people from a different demographic, not just [sportsmen],” Pearson explains. “We wanted to provide another way in.”

Restore the Wild was launched last year by the department, formerly called County Tidbits

the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

“It’s our baby. We’re so proud of it,” Pearson says.

The program offers three levels of membership; Hummingbird, Bluebird and Golden Eagle, each with corresponding perks and opportunities to engage with Virginia wildlife. The top offering is year-round access to department owned wildlife management areas and lakes.

Previously, the only way to get that kind of access to department-owned lands was through hunting or fishing licenses.

But the new, modern program directors recognize that many Virginians just want to appreciate nature, not hunt it or fish for it.

Pearson notes that 100 percent of membership sales go directly to habitat restoration, improvement and maintenance. “It (was) easy to get caught up as a game and fish commission, we didn’t want that,” she adds. “We wanted to reach new people, expand our audience. Not just reach hunters but focus on diversity inclusion in the outdoors with all people.” dwr.virginia.gov – By Sawyer Guinn Fall 2021

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Presidential placeholder: February 21, 2022 Rediscover this history of America’s highest office. Some of it might surprise you.

By Steve Price We look forward to that quasi-holiday of Presidents’ Day to break up the monotony of what’s often the most trying month of winter in the mid-Atlantic – February.

To be sure, you’ve got a sweet placeholder mid-month – Valentine’s Day, and the end of the month brings promise of spring with Ash Wednesday early this year – March 1.

But consider the long and convoluted history of Presidents’ Day to get the full picture of why we might want to party this year.

The Constitution originally established March 4 for the presidential oath of office to allow enough time for votes to be gathered and counted, and for newly elected candidates to travel to the nation’s capital.

With advances in communication and transportation, the lengthy transition period eventually proved unnecessary. The 20th Amendment moved the date to Jan. 20 in 1933. Presidents’ Day was established in 1885 on the third Monday of February.

George Washington George Washington was inaugurated April 30, 1789, because Congress was unable to tally the electoral ballots as quickly as anticipated. The postponement permitted the president-elect sufficient time to travel from his Mount Vernon home on the Virginia banks of the Potomac River to New York City, the nation’s first capital.

Washington’s inaugural address asked for divine guidance, and he modestly dismissed his qualifications for the job. Washington also declared his intent to accept no salary – except for expenses.

His second inaugural address in 1793 was the shortest on record at a mere 135 words.

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Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson’s 1801 election marked the first time that the presidency passed from one party to another, from Federalist to Republican-Democrat.

The man he defeated, John Adams, was so bitter over the results he would not attend the inauguration. Jefferson wasn’t bothered.

“Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle,” he said. “We (call) by different names brethren of the same principles. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”

Jefferson and Adams later reconciled, and in one of American history’s most curious double coincidences, they died the same day – July 4, 1826.

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address in 1861 expressed hope that north and south could settle their differences.

His entreaty failed, but not for lack of eloquence: “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.

“The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the union.”

Four years later Lincoln spoke again of reconciliation after the Civil War with words that have been long remembered: “With malice toward none, with charity for all ... let us strive to … bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

The country was enduring a crisis of another sort in 1936 when Franklin Roosevelt took office – the depth and despair of the Great Depression. Roosevelt knew he had to encourage the population to regain confidence in the economy but also in themselves as Americans.

He did so with these ringing words: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance … We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of the national unity; with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values; with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stem performance of duty by old and young alike.

“We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed. In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership. They have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift I take it.”

Brain-power and brawn at the nation’s helm One strong admirer of America’s third president and lifelong Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, was the 35th to hold that office. In his remarks during a White House dinner for Nobel prize winners, John Kennedy reflected that,” I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined here alone.

“Thomas Jefferson was a gentleman who (at age) 32 could calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse and dance the minuet.”

William Henry Harrison If George Washington’s second address was economical, William Henry Harrison’s 1841 peroration was inflationary, a record-setting 8,455 words that took almost two hours to deliver on a snowy, bitterly cold Washington winter day. Harrison set two other records: shortest-serving president, a mere 31 days before succumbing to typhoid or pneumonia, and the first to die in office.

John F. Kennedy Some readers and most of today’s pupils of American history remember the words of John F. Kennedy from a bitter cold January day in 1961. He began by calling attention and gratitude to the era of Washington, Adams and Jefferson. “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans – born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage – and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

“My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

Fall 2021

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Diversity on the page: Perfect children’s choices for Black History Month

By Jennifer Diamonti A long, cold winter’s night during Black History Month this February is an excellent time to explore some of the best juvenile titles that showcase characters, history, authors and illustrators of color.

“The Undefeated”

By Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson The history of black people in America is depicted from their achievements, triumphs, trials and tragedies.

“I Am Every Good Thing”

By Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James A young boy shares all the wonderful parts of himself including his creativity and kindness, his musical ability and athleticism.

“All Because You Matter”

By Tami Charles, illustrat-

ed by Bryan Collier A couple explains how much their child matters, to both their family and the whole world, in the face of all the hardships the child may face.

“Bedtime for Sweet Creatures”

By Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon A little boy brings a menagerie of animals to life through his bedtime activities.

“Black is a Rainbow Color”

By Angela Joy, illustrated

by Ekua Holmes A girl realizes that, although not a part of the rainbow, black is a color full of meaning.

“Saturday”

By Oge Mora Mother and child hope to spend a fun Saturday together, but have to change their plans as things don’t go as expected.

“Freedom Bird”

By Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by James E. Ransome An enslaved boy and girl are inspired to escape to freedom by the flight of a bird.

“Sulwe”

By Lupita Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison A girl learns the story of night and day as she comes to accept her skin color.

“The Little Mermaid”

By Jerry Pinkney This updated version of

the traditional fairy tale features themes of discovery and friendship.

“The Bell Rang”

By James E. Ransome The chime of a bell marks the start of every day of a week in the life of a family of slaves.

“Overground Railroad”

By Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome A family travels by train from North Carolina to New York during the Great Migration.

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Fall 2021

Biographies: American presidents and their legacies Prize for “No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The Home Front in World War II.” Her other presidential biographies include “The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt,” “William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism,” “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” and “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” tracing Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

By Jennifer Schultz-Angoli In celebration of President’s Day on Feb. 21, consider combing back through the history of the nation to unearth fascinating details about the country’s top office. All these selections are available through the Fauquier County Public Library system.

“Abe: Abraham Lincoln in Our Times”

By David S. Reynolds Rich details about the culture and society in which Lincoln grew up and matured make this much more than the standard birth-to-death biography.

“Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America”

By Jared Cohen Eight men have become president when their predecessor died, whether through natural death or assassination.

Learn how these men, and their presidencies, changed the country and the world.

“American Presidents Series”

By Henry Holt President biographies can be quite lengthy and daunting. The American Presidents series, however, is concise, focused and insightful. The most recent entry is for the 43rd president, George W. Bush. More are in the works.

“Franklin and Washington: The Founding Partnership”

By Edward J. Larson Although Benjamin Franklin and George Washington had very different viewpoints and backgrounds, they developed a lifelong friendship, as evidenced in this unique biography.

“John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life”

By Paul C. Nagel This fascinating and revealing biography of the sixth president (and first to also be the son of a former president) provides an intriguing look at a man whose public persona was often at odds with his private one.

“The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt”

By Edmund Morris

The first in Morris’s biography trilogy of Theodore Roosevelt traces Roosevelt’s rise from a chronically ill child to military hero and governor of New York. It is a Pulitzer Prize winner and has been selected by the Modern Library as one of the best 100 nonfiction titles of all time.

“An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963”

By Robert Dallek There are many books about Kennedy, but this is one of the top general biographies about the 35th president.

“The Virginia Dynasty: Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation”

By Lynne Cheney This 2020 group biography of Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe explores key events in their presidencies that shaped the nation.

Several authors have written multiple biographies about presidents: Ron Chernow The author of several detailed and lengthy biographies, Chernow is best known for “Alexander Hamilton,” the basis for the hit Broadway musical. His biographies

“Grant” and “Washington” are excellent reading.

Doris Kearns Goodwin Goodwin won the Pulitzer

David McCullough Best known for “John Adams,” McCullough also wrote “Mornings on Horseback” about Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

Candice Millard “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President” is a gripping and dramatic read about James Garfield. Millard also wrote “River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey.”

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Fall 2021

Life & Style Get moving with local hiking meet-ups Story by Kelly O’Lone

INSIDE THIS SECTION

• Move to the music with the Piedmont orchestra • Pumping iron (or relaxing into a yoga pose) at Fauquier’s many gyms and workout centers • Discover the military precision behind Major Moving’s pro crew

THE WAY WE LIVE IN FAUQUIER

Beat the heat

Fall 2021

2,461 miles of water 2,891 acres of parkland Plus: Ice cream galore!

Spring into Action with inFauquier INSIDE

• Why do they call them the dog days?

• Take to the trail (and see the stars) • Your guide to the region’s secret shady spots

FALL 2020

Fully Fauquier

Local hiking meet-up groups provide an easy way to keep moving year-round. Many say this kind of support and camaraderie is critical to get going, and remain in motion, especially in winter.

Inside

Apps to aperitifs: We’ve pulled together everything the county has to feed your needs

• Feast on the best of the region • Farm to fork • Furniture fix

Fall in Love with Fauquier

Local hiking groups offer outdoor options

Fall 2021

Hiking sounds hard.

If it helps, think of it as a walk in the park, because, at its essence, that’s all it is.

You can take it easy on the relatively level Rails to Trails system or get a cardio-vascular workout on Old Rag’s rock scramble, but, either way, consider one of these local hiking clubs to keep moving in this worst of the region’s weather.

Classic cocktails with a twist: Stocking your bar with local everything

SUMMER 2021

Not that kind of Moon Shine Beat

the heat

FALL 2021 Modern farmsteading stays close to home

miles of water Time isn’t the main thing.2,461 2,891 acres of parkland Plus: Ice cream galore!

It’s the only thing.

FALL 2020

1

B-13.75 -- CMYK

1

SPRING 2020

A quarterly, full color magazine and Kegsyou live, work allScrambled aboutLegs where With more than 4,600 members, the regional Scrambled Legs and Kegs club hosts local events combining a love for the and call home. It’s full of beautiful outdoors, a love of relatively easy exercise, a love of socializing and a love of food and drink.

Fully Fauquier photography, articles and What’s not to love, asklocal club officials.

Top 5 Scrambled rally points for weekly walks: A quarterly, full color magazine interesting information about • Ravens Rock • Billy Goat Trail about where you live, work • Old Rag Fauquier County and the people who allGrowth • Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry and call home. It’s full of beautiful • Whiteoak Canyon make our community special. facebook.com/scrambledlegsandkegs Reserve your space by:

INSIDE

• Why do they call them the dog days?

• Take to the trail (and see the stars) • Your guide to the region’s secret shady spots

Slow growth: Despite suburban creep, foxes still thriving.

INSIDE

• Master craftsman Oleg Sulimov always has his eye on the clock • Trace White Sulphur Springs history • CFFC: Keeping the country in the county • It’s the perfect time for fall planted herbs

FALL 2020

Inside

Apps to aperitifs: We’ve pulled together everything the county has to feed your needs

The

issue

• Feast on the best of the region • Farm to fork • Furniture fix

Classic Inside cocktails Plant, harvest, cook a perfect spring menu withModern a twist: medicine with an old delivery Stocking your bar with local everything

SPRING 2020

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Wild Women Trampers

Call: 540.347.4222 www.Fauquier.com

The women’s group has more than 300 members, with monthly hikes and regular “forest therapy” walks.

The group is more than hiking; it connects women and encourages them to get outdoors.

Top 5 Trampers hiking spots: • Shenandoah National Park • Sky Meadows State Park • Harpers Ferry National Park • George Washington National Forest • Great Falls National Park facebook.com/wildwomentrampers

photography, local articles and Sept 15, 2021 that Publishing Date: interesting information about Oct 13, 2021 Fauquier County and the people who make our community special.

Not

kind of Moon Shine

Modern farmsteading stays close to home

FALL 2020

1

B-13.75 -- CMYK

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SPRING 2020

A quarterly, full color magazine Look out for our Spring all about where you live, work issue! For advertising Rails-to-Trails Conservancy andgroup call home. full of opportunities, call: This nationwide works to transformIt’s old railways into beautiful trails for walking, running and biking paths. Some allow horsephotography, local articles and back riding, too.

540.347.4222 The Warrenton Greenway is part of the system. Leashed dogs are allowed, and there’s even a dog park at one end of the interesting information about two-mile Greenway. railstotrails.org Fauquier County and the people Fauquier.com who Growth 16 Fall 2021 & Style make our community Life special.

Reserve your space by: Slow growth: Despite suburban creep, foxes still thriving.

The

Inside

issue

Plant, harvest, cook a perfect spring menu Modern medicine with an old delivery SPRING 2020

B-13.75 -- CMYK

1

Mobility options for Warrenton may be moving to Old Town

By Alissa Jones A study started last spring endeavored to examine the practicality of shared mobility devices – rental scooters – for Old Town Warrenton. It’s an innovative, exciting idea, say proponents, something certain to draw more shoppers and visitors to the Main Street area.

Owned by private companies, motorized, stand-up scooters would be rented to the visitors via a smartphone app. Similar programs are already in use in many towns and cities worldwide – including Manassas, Fairfax and Alexandria. Warrenton is expected to follow the proven track record others have already set, says town manager Brandie Schaeffer.

If the program is implemented, she says, the little four-wheeled devices may soon become a familiar sight on street corners in Fauquier’s county seat.

Schaffer says town attorney Whit Robinson will soon follow up on the committee’s 2021 report, presenting an outline and next steps related to the use of scooters from a legal perspective.

PHOTO BY COY FERRELL

Warrenton Police Chief Mike Kochis speaks to council members at a work session last spring.

Scooters might become a reality this year.

“After we have all of the information, we will examine the next steps in the process,” said Schaeffer. For instance, the town could host “a ‘scooter rodeo,’ where residents get to try the scooters for a day and ask questions.”

Making Warrenton more accessible to people of all ages and disabilities is the plan, Schaffer explains. “SMDs give options to pedestrians, help reduce (automobile) traffic and increase physical activity in the forms of biking and walking.”

Warrenton mayor Carter Nevill likes the idea. “Multi-modal transportation planning is something all towns need to be focusing on as new types of electric vehicles become increasingly available and affordable,” he said. “Ensuring the safety of pedestrians and all who use our roadways will always be our top priority.”

Details are still in the works, but Schaffer says scooters probably will be allowed on any sidewalk PHOTO COURTESY OF BIRD GLOBAL, INC. within the town of Warrenton un- An example of one of the electric scooters rented via less the town code says otherwise.

Bird’s smartphone app. They may come to Old Town.

Scooter top speed is 20 mph, that approached the town about scooters and riders are, of course, required to obey the same rules of the road as ve- will be responsible for their maintenance and will provide liability insurance. hicles.

What about scooter theft? Not so fast.

Town code does not currently address whether helmets must be worn, but The scooters are geo-located by the comSchaeffer notes Virginia State Code dic- pany that owns them. Each machine will tates that riders must be 14 or older to simply be unable to start, or will shut down if they go out of the designated ride scoot around town.

Specific drop-off points called “park- area. If someone attempts to use them ing corrals” will be designated by the without paying, or in the event of theft, town. Schaeffer promises the companies the scooters are rendered unusable.

“I think that pursuing multimodal opportunities is important as we plan for the future of our community. Scooters, electric bicycles, golf carts and other modes of transportation should be looked at.”

– SEAN POLSTER, WARRENTON TOWN COUNCIL Life & Style

Fall 2021

17

Conductor Glenn Quader prepares to tune in with the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra.

Piedmont Symphony Orchestra: A matter of legacy Listen in to perfectly calibrated music being made right here in Fauquier

By Alissa Jones The Piedmont Symphony Orchestra was formed as the Piedmont Regional Orchestra in 1996 by Michael Hughes.

Music director and conductor Glenn Quader assumed the baton in 2005.

Home base for the PSO is the Michael Hughes Performing Arts Center at Highland School in Warrenton.

“Legacy is a word we talk about all the time,” said Quader. “We are not just an orchestra playing for social reasons; we are an organization with a mission; that mission is legacy.”

Quader says he and executive director Kate Garretson feel a responsibility to the community. “We feel a responsibility, even in the hard18

Fall 2021

est times,” said Quader. “The orchestra (needs to) remain relevant to the community and the region, and we will stop at nothing to make that happen.”

Garrettson adds that they improvised last year through livestreams, broadcasts on Facebook and previously aired recordings with musical guests. Once concerts opened again, the PSO had strings-only performances, using masks and social distancing.

PSO hosts a Young Artists Competition; it’s a music mentors’ residency with a winter concert in February featuring the top three applicants competing for scholarships. Scholarship funds are matched by the Phillip

Hughes Foundation.

Educational outreach is a priority, Garrettson says.

“Long after Kate and I are gone, the orchestra will continue to thrive and live up to the legacy that’s already been set in the last 25 years,” Quader said. “Work is always being done to secure endowments that will safeguard the PSO’s future if there is ever another downturn.”

“Music tells a story,” added Garretson. “Our job as musicians on stage is to convey that story through sound.”

“And the best way to convey that story,” said Quader, “is to first determine the flow of the concert, how you bring the listener in and send them out.” piedmontsymphony.org

Life & Style

The orchestra The orchestra is made up of a combination of professional players and community members: Strings: 1st violin: 8 players 2nd violin: 8 players Viola: 6 players Cello: 6 players Bass: 4 players Woodwinds: 2 flutes 1 piccolo 2 oboes 2 clarinets 2 bassoons Brass: 4 French horns 2 trumpets 3 trombones 1 tuba Percussion: 1 timpani and 3 to 4 other percussion players Harp Piano

Spiff and polish for Fauquier’s Family Shelter Services Staging association selects local community group for annual service project

Family Shelter Services at Vint Hill near Warrenton was chosen for a special home staging project during Worldwide Staging Service Week.

The International Association of Home Staging Professionals chose the local non-profit for a free reboot and redesign of their lobby and offices.

The makeover created a warm and welcoming space, says realtor Bonnie Ferris, president of the local IAHSP chapter. FSS at Vint Hill is a program for transitional housing residents. For more than 30 years, the group has provided emergency shelter and housing services for the homeless in the Piedmont region.

FSS executive director Gerry Vent was excited for the new office décor. “We could not be more grateful for the opportu-

nity to provide our community members with a warm and welcoming space for participating in our program,” Vent said.

“This is something that was on our ‘wish list,’ and now it’s reality thanks to Bonnie and past president Trish Kim.” Ferris, Kim and a crew of home staging experts reimagined the FSS office space, moving furniture, eliminating clutter and creating a new focal point near a picture window.

Staging is key, Ferris maintains, in real estate sales. But she points out that the precepts of staging – best use of office or living space, proportion, color schemes and a welcoming feel – are just as important if you plan to stay in your home. “It works just the same,” Ferris said. “It sets the stage and makes your home feel more welcoming.”

Top, the perfectly nice but uninspiring Family Shelter Services office at Vint Hill was selected for a special staging project. The result, bottom photo, was a comfortable, inviting, cheerful space for the Fauquier housing group.

Selling or staying: Tips from the pros on how to make your house look its best To find the focal point of a room, walk a dining area by placing small rugs in The real task of staging a home is to in, close your eyes — open your eyes. front of the sofa as well as under the make it feel welcoming.

What your eye first goes to should be dining table and chairs.

Let major furniture pieces define the ‘focal point’ of the room. Staging Tiny bedroom? No fear. Place a low your color scheme, not the other way is then done to showcase each room’s bed near a window and more space around. If you need four chairs and focal point. will appear. Hang a mirror on the you have four navy ones, navy be– CAROLINE HOWARD, opposite wall to reflect the outdoors comes the basis of your color scheme.

HOWARD HOMES LLC to create an even larger illusion of – SUSAN MAUNDERS OLSON, space.

The first challenge is to decide what CURATED AND STAGED every room should be used for. A – WENDY ETHERIDGE Buyers love spacious and light-filled downstairs bedroom may be better AND VICTORIA STRATMAN, homes. If you have a smaller home, used as a home office or a children’s VOILA STAGING AND DESIGN create more visual square footage by learning space. A space near the kitch- When making wall color selections for unifying a neighboring room with a en could be either a breakfast room or a room, be sure to consider the perma- shared paint color. a small den. nent colors in the space. Neutral is not First impressions are important so don’t People often do work from home, so always the best option. overlook the porch. A fresh new welcome including an office or work space — or Baskets are a great way to contain mat, some potted flowers and a pleasant several — is very attractive to buyers clutter. Give each child one basket that seating area will set the stage and make because it is what they need. they can easily put their toys away in the home feel more welcoming.

– TRISH KIM STAGED INTERIOR for showings.

– BONNIE FERRIS, PRESIDENT OF Even small spaces need to have their – BETTY MCKOY, THE D.C. CHAPTER OF IAHSP, places. Differentiate a living area from TAYLORED HOME STAGING SAMSON PROPERTIES Life & Style

Fall 2021

19

Keep moving

Old Town Athletic Club in Warrenton features a weight-room in addition to workout classes and more.

In other words – Use it. Or you’re going to lose it.

By Kelly O’Lone If you are used to exercising in the great outdoors most of the year, the cold weather may have chased you inside this season.

But as many outdoor activities Fauquier County has to offer through public parks, towns to explore, trails to hike — even the Appalachian Trail cuts through here — there are as many gyms and fitness clubs that offer a variety of options when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

CrossFit Vint Hill Rob and Alanna Jenkins first started their gym in the garage of their Warrenton home in 2013. As their clientele grew, they moved into their basement before incorporating an outdoor boot camp class to accommodate more clients.

They finally settled on a studio space in Vint Hill and have been inspiring people ever since.

The parents of five call their gym a “huge community” and stress how they 20

Fall 2021

Correct form is important for alignment and safety. Local gyms and workout centers offer personal trainers and private coaching to get it right on increasingly sophisticated equipment. always finish each workout as a team.

CrossFit has an intimidating reputation as a hard-core workout, but both Jenkinses say they view the gym clientele as an extension of their big family.

Everybody is supportive, they say.

CrossFit, which was created in 2000

by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai, is a high-intensity interval training methLife & Style

od. The class incorporates strength and conditioning exercises, including squats, pull-ups, weight lifting and push-ups.

Alanna Jenkins stresses that kids – and adults – don’t have to “be athletic” to do well in CrossFit. She calls it an excellent alternative for a child who may be not interested in sports.

“It doesn’t get easier,” Rob Jenkins said of the high-powered exercise routine.

“You get better.”

CrossFit Vint Hill offers a two-day free trial with a coach. 540-306-5887

Old Town Athletic Club, Warrenton The Old Town Athletic Club spans three buildings. OTAC was founded by husband-and-wife team Kim and Mike Forsten and their two sons.

Kim Forsten says they try to encourage people to focus on the duality of exercise through health and wellness.

There are more than 100 classes each See FITNESS, page 21

Personal trainer and Max Muscle contest winner Lisa Long works out with free weights at Train Time.

PHOTO BY COY FERRELL

FITNESS, from page 20 week, including yoga, barre, cycling and boot camp, plus traditional workout equipment.

The club offers personal and semi-private training sessions.

Short- and long-term memberships are available. 540-349-2791

2nd 2 Nunn Sports, Vint Hill Tyrone Nunnally is more than a fitness instructor; he’s also a dedicated mentor. Nunnally’s programs are centered around accountability and commitment.

Before opening his gym, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for more than two decades. He also played

on the George Mason University football team.

Nunn says he uses fitness as a tool to empower kids to find self-confidence. Nunnally focuses on teaching how to grow from challenges. “How do you grow from failure in a positive manner? We fail, but we stay with it,” he said.

The club also offers an adult fitness boot camp during the week and Saturday mornings for those looking for a fun challenge.

Boot camp class is a mixture of cardio moves and strength training; all fitness levels are welcome in the class: self-pacing is encouraged. 571-298-5734

Additional gyms to get you moving • Train Time – This unique personal training studio combines free weights, cardio equipment and one-on-one training for a tailored, whole-body workout. Client Lisa Long has been winning Max Muscle contests nationwide as a living testimonial to the effectiveness of the program. 540-359-5121 • Anytime Fitness – The 24/7 gym has Warrenton, Bealeton and Culpeper locations. Cardio equipment, strength, free weights and personal training are available. 540-359-5658 (Warrenton) 540-317-1142 (Culpeper) 540-340-4898 (Bealeton) • CrossFit Warrenton is located on South 2nd St. in Warrenton. CrossFit Warrenton offers a core strength and conditioning program that delivers a fitness that is by design, broad, general and inclusive. Short, intense daily workouts teach functional movement patterns. 540-324-6796 • The Main Street Wellness Co. – The gym in Old Town Warrenton offers yoga, Pilates and meditation classes. 540-216-7371 • Warrenton Aquatic and Recreation Facility – The nearly 60,000 sq. foot facility holds daily exercise classes, has an array of exercise equipment and an indoor competition-sized pool. 540-349-2520 • 1529 CrossFit – Located at 6418 Old Meetze Rd Unit B, Warrenton, the gym offers unlimited Crossfit classes through month-to-month and annual agreement options. There is a one-month “CrossFit on-ramp” kit. 540-680-2855 • 360 Health & Fitness – The Warrenton-based gym offers personal training, group exercise classes and athletic performance training. 704-989-8801 • Equipose Yoga – Located in Warrenton, the yoga studio has classes in-person and virtually. 540-270-0838

Housing

Animals

Seniors

New Year’s resolution: Find my cause.

Healthcare

Food Access

Education

With hundreds of nonprofits doing critical work in the piedmont region, it can be overwhelming to decide where to donate resources and time. Northern Piedmont Community Foundation is here to make it easier with Our Giving Guide.

Childcare and Youth Development

Our Giving Guide is an interactive online guide to nonprofits in our region. Search by issue area or location, find a group that speaks to you, and dive in. NPCF can help with questions you have along the way; we can even help you start a charitable fund of your own.

Start your search:

www.ourgivingguide.org Life & Style

Fall 2021

21

Make your move

When shifting across the county, or across the country, homeowners agree hiring the pros takes the stress out of moving

By Betsy Burke Parker The average American moves 11.4 times in a lifetime, about once every six years.

The U.S. Census data might record the raw numbers, but what the stats don’t reveal is the hassle of moving.

It can be a painful process – packing, loading, shipping, unloading, unpacking, arranging and rearranging.

Are they or aren’t they? Are people moving more?

This year, the lowest percentage of people changed residences since such records have been kept — since 1948 — according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 2021, 27.1 million Americans — 8.4% — reported living at a different residence than they did in 2020, bureau estimates released in November. That’s down from 29.8 million people — 9.3%, who moved in 2020 and 31.4 million — 9.8%, in 2019.

It’s a trend decades in the making.

Census data shows that in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, about one in five Americans moved in a given year. But since the 1990s, that moving rate has been falling.

Despite the numerous stories about the pandemic driving an exodus — temporary or permanent — from cities, and a wacky wild real estate sales market, it turns out that most people stayed put last year.

The main factor keeping moving rates low, according to moving industry experts, is that companies relocated fewer employees than they did prior to the pandemic. “Working from home” has driven far more remodeling and home additions than moving.

Crazy real estate prices in recent months, both selling and buying, are more a product of low housing stock than people electing to relocate.

22

Fall 2021

Warrenton-based Major Moving can handle local to coast-to-coast moves, anything and everything from packing, loading, shipping, unloading to placement and more.

And trying to do it all without losing How it happened something, breaking anything or getting Major Moving got the catchy name cross with family members who are “just from the family’s military link. Mark trying to help.”

Lewis served in the U.S. Army 1981 to When it comes to moving, many peo- 1989. He was stationed at Fort Bragg in ple like to leave it to the pros.

North Carolina and in Germany.

Major Moving crews average 30 to 40 Matt Lewis’s maternal great-grandfamoves per month; they’re professionals at ther, Oscar Robert Warner Sr., served in what makes people quail. They know how the U.S. Army during World War II; he to do it with military precision, something retired as major. that relieves stress from what can be an Friends and family called him “Major,” anxiety-provoking situation. and it was an obvious business name, Business founders Matt Matt Lewis said. and Mark Lewis, some 13 “The bulldog is a crew members, five office symbol of the Marine staff and a few regular Corps, but it happens subcontractors have perto make a great logo. fected the carefully orNaming the company chestrated moves that are Major Moving allows us a trademark of Warrento honor our military ton-based Major Moving. heritage and celebrate Major Moving was those who make the sacfounded in 2015 by Matt rifice to serve.

Lewis. Like his father, “We provide a disMark, a Fauquier nacount to military famtive and Fauquier High ilies, as well as public grad, Matt learned the service employees and moving business from educators.” the ground up, working Both Lewises befor another local movlieve strongly in giving ing company while in Major Moving owner-operator back to area civics, too school. A few years lat- Matt Lewis, left, and his late – Major Moving has er, with financing help brother Antoin. long-sponsored Fauand a little elbow grease quier High football and from his dad, Major Moving became a boys basketball and junior disc golf. full-time focus. Today, they’ve expanded Twelve miles, all smiles to four offices.

The stress of moving, experts say, Matt Lewis serves as CEO and majority owner. Mark Lewis still helps out, but comes from the many moving parts to now spends more time preaching and at shift an entire household from one space his life-long career as assistant transpor- to another without major disruption.

From packing and unpacking services tation coordinator at Wakefield School. to local and long-distance moving, mov“At the heart of the reliable moving process are the moving pros making the ing professionals can handle some or all effort to understand what clients want,” relocation needs for clients. A few peoexplained move coordinator Michelle ple want to wrap up and stage their own Camparo. “Whether it is setting up the furniture and personal items, with the kitchen first, and identical to the old moving crew just putting it in the moving place, or if it requires delicate handling of truck, shipping to the new location and fragile collectibles and careful unpacking off-loading. of heirloom furniture, the Major Moving team has you covered.”

See MOVING, page 23 Life & Style

PHOTOS BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

Homeowners Sam and Tim Wirick were just moving across town, but they called in the pros of Major Moving to take care of shifting households.

MOVING, from page 22 Others want more. “Most people want us to do everything,” Camparo said. “Some people want to handle their own computers and televisions, but most want us to wrap, pack, ship, unload and unwrap.”

Making their second move in 10 years, Tim Wirick was happy to let Major Moving handle almost everything for his and wife Sam’s move last month.

They’d built their custom three-bedroom home in Bethel adjacent to Airlie in 2012. They loved the neighborhood, and the neighbors, Wirick said, but the couple and two young adult daughters wanted more space and a bigger yard.

“We’d ‘escaped’ Dumfries for Warrenton 10 years ago,” Sam said. “Now we’re moving to Bealeton for more space, but we never want to leave Fauquier County. We love it here.”

Both work in Prince William County – Tim for Omniride, Sam for Kaiser, but their commutes will be just a few minutes longer from the new house. It was a fair trade, Tim said, swapping a quarter-acre for nearly three.

The thought of packing

up a decade of detritus was daunting, Tim explains. Moving house themselves was just too much.

“We’d done it ourselves before,” Tim said, “but this time, we wanted the pros to handle it.

“So we called Major Moving. And we’re so glad we did.”

At the appointed hour one sunny winter weekday, a Major Moving truck backed into their Bethel driveway. Tim and Sam and their daughters had packed up most of their small items – they were still working when the Major Moving crew arrived.

But when five workers jumped out of the truck with packing tape and sheets of bubble wrap, the family stood aside.

From sofas to desk chairs, from china to side tables, Major Moving crew members carefully wrapped each item for protection, logging it onto a growing list of items and labeling it for the other end of the trip.

It took just minutes to wrap up each room. Then the packing started, looking a little bit like a choreographed dance.

Every crew member had their moves down pat, an overseer keeping everything in order.

“It’s like a puzzle,” explained crew chief Fernando

Move it on out: Tips for a successful move • Pack up and move valuables and special family items yourself.

• Place any items not intended for transport in a separate area.

• Be present on moving day.

• Declutter indoor pathways and staircases.

• Clear outdoor walkways and driveway of snow, ice and debris.

• Secure parking for the moving truck.

• Defrost refrigerator at least 24 hours before the move.

• Disconnect washers, dryers, icemakers and electronics.

• Take pictures of the current condition of home and furniture.

• Pack an essentials bag.

• Have a plan for kids and pets on moving day.

• Keep a broom, vacuum and cleaning supplies to tidy up as items are loaded.

• Consider preparing a cooler of cold drinks and snacks for yourself and the moving crew.

• For large appliances be sure to check your owner’s manuals to see if there are special instructions for moving.

• Don’t try to get rid of your children’s favorite toys before the move – even if it makes it easier to downsize and recycle. Kids sometimes have a hard time dealing with the change of the move itself.

• By law, a moving company can’t transport hazardous materials such as gasoline, bottled gases and other flammables, ammunition or explosives.

• Schedule disconnect times for utilities ahead of time. Cancel newspapers, cable, pest control, cleaning help and lawn services.

• Remember your change of address forms.

• Have some cash on hand for move day.

• Pack important and sentimental documents separately to be safe and easily accessible, such as children’s health records, passports, family records, insurance information and photo albums.

Ruiz as they loaded the truck.

He’s worked for Major Moving since 2019. He’s got an engineering brain, a helpful trait in this business. “It’s easy for me to look at a jumble of furniture and figure out (what order) it should go. Everything fits with everything else.”

The truck was neatly — tightly — packed in two hours.

The crew hopped in the cab and drove to Bealeton.

“It takes less time to unload,” Fernando Ruiz said as he carefully walked a small table down the ramp off the moving truck. “Everything is marked, and we just set it in the right place.

“Sometimes the homeowner will ask us to move a big piece of furniture to a different spot, but usually, we set it down and we’re out of there.”

Everything was out of the truck, essentially where it belonged in the new house, within an hour.

“The idea of sleeping in our own bed in the old house one night, and in the new house the next night was a big sell-

Life & Style

Moving house was a seamless, stress-free process using professional movers. ing point,” Tim said. “It was a really easy process.”

In addition to residential moves, Major Moving also handles industrial moves, shipping heavy equipment and commercial-sized items, as well as government office relocation, office moving, fine art moving, computer and electronics moving, medical and laboratory moving and cross-country moving.

Major Moving has offices in Ashburn, Leesburg and Haymarket as well as Warrenton. majormovingdmv.com Fall 2021

23

Classic combo: Cars, coffee, county roads.

What’s not to love?

Ask any auto enthusiast, and they’ll tell you: Fauquier is a natural for an ongoing affair with performance driving

By Aimee O’Grady Holder Trumbo may have grown up working in his family’s IGA grocery store in Marshall, but as a college student he spent a lot of time under the hood of the Volkswagen Beetle.

He had seven.

“I would tinker with one before selling it and moving on to another,” recalls the Scott District supervisor remembering his youthful ardor decades later. “I like the mechanical part of a car.”

While the Fauquier supervisor enjoys being an elected official, his true passion is still cars — classics and performance cars.

Fauquier car events • Buckland Farm Market, New Baltimore – Cars and Coffee events facebook.com/bucklandfarmmarket • Callaway Classics, Marshall – Cars and Coffee events, second Saturday of each month from April to October callawayclassics.com • Commonwealth Classics, Marshall – Cars and Coffee events, last Saturday of each month cwclassics.com • Arby’s Warrenton – Saturday Night Cruise-Ins for all car makes and models piedmontcorvetteclub.com • Messicks Farm Market, Bealeton – Cars events second Friday of each month messicksfarmmarket.com • Old Town Warrenton Father’s Day car show – facebook.com/warrentoncarshow • Orlean Market, Orlean – Cars and Coffee event, March 27 facebook.com/orleanmarket 24

Fall 2021

The local chapter of the Porsche Club of America holds monthly rallies.

Trumbo created H&H Auto Garage, a classic automobile and motorcycle storage garage in Marshall located in the former IGA supermarket.

Over the years, Trumbo’s focus has narrowed to high-performance sports cars — American and European.

Trumbo doesn’t play favorites — he can’t, or maybe won’t, pin down a favorite make or model, or a destination joy ride.

He even says he can’t name his favored East Coast racetrack because the answer changes; it depends on his mood.

Regardless of which car he takes to which professional track, Trumbo especially loves testing each one’s performance.

“On the racetrack you are free of street limitations and of course hazards,” he explains. “The racetrack is like a dog off a leash.

“On the track, the driver can see how the car handles at top speeds and enjoy the thrill of driving and pushing the car to its limits in a safe environment.”

The closest track is Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. Trumbo says his connection to the track was almost serendipitous: “I owned a mechanic shop and one of my customers was the owner of the track. We became friends and he invited me out to spend a day there. It was one of the best gifts I’ve gotten.”

Life & Style

Callaway Classics Callaway Classics is a classic car and truck dealership specializing in American-made vehicles primarily from the 1960s and 1970s. The Marshall business operates out of two buildings that had previously been the oldest Ford dealership in America.

The dealership hosts Cars and Coffee events the second Saturday of each month from April through October. It’s a relaxed car show where people bring their cars and hang out with other car people. There is no judging or assigned spots. Don’t have a classic or specialty vehicle? No problem. You’re more than welcome to stop by and check out everyone’s rides.

Owner Chris Callaway said that about 75 to 100 people attend each event, with about 40 to 50 show cars.

Over the years, Trumbo has spent almost as much time in the passenger seat as he has behind the wheel – he’s a high-performance driving instructor who offers other car enthusiasts a chance to see what their streetcar can handle.

He’s also a member, volunteer, sponsor and instructor of the Porsche Club of America.

The Porsche Club of America Diane Sullenberger joined the Porsche Club of America in 2009 after buying her first Porsche. “I wanted to learn more about driving and working on my car,” she said.

“Club members love to talk about their cars, and membership gave me a chance to learn from them as a new owner.”

Today, Sullenberger is a regional president in what’s the club’s largest region with 4,200 members. About 50 live in Fauquier.

The club schedules events and activities year-round; the only requirement for membership is ownership of a Porsche.

Last fall, the club held its first women’s-only driving clinic. “We involved all of our female volunteers for the day and had a waiting list as soon as registration opened,” Sullenberger said.

They wanted to remove the intimidation factor of what is usually considered “a man’s sport.” More women’s events are planned this year, she says.

Other club events include track days — non-competitive driving held at a racetrack. Competitive Autocross challenges drivers on cones courses set in spacious parking lots. They test performance and handling, but with the focus on safety, not speed, Sullenberger explains. “You can go as fast or as slow as you want.” On the track, drivers typically maintain fifth or sixth gear; Autocross is usually completed in second or third gear.

Off track, club organizers host 11 so-called “Drive and Dines” each year, single or multi-day events. Another regular autumn favorite is a club drive from a member’s home in Ashburn to Morais Winery in Bealeton. Almost 100 drivers followed a lead car, strictly observing posted speed limits on miles of scenic county roads.

The swell of moving – and parked – Porsches always commands attention. “People love to see sports cars,” Sullenberger said.

She drives a 2011 Porsche 911, calling it the iconic Porsche.

While the love of the make drew Sullenberger to the club, the people keep her there. “Our motto is ‘It’s not about the car, it’s about the people.’

“We’re an all-volunteer club, and without volunteers who are passionate about their Porsches, we wouldn’t be able to do any of the activities we enjoy throughout the year.” pcapotomac.org Piedmont Corvette Club Bob Talbot was bitten by the sports car bug at a young age. “When I was 12, I helped detail a neighbor’s 1971 Corvette convertible. It was blue with a while top. He gave me my first ride, and I was hooked,” said the Warrenton resident.

COURTESY OF THE PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA

Autocross tests precision rather than speed.

Some four decades later, Talbot bought his first Corvette. Today he owns a 2019 Z06, his third Corvette.

Talbot is a founding member of the Piedmont Corvette Club, a spin-off of the Culpeper Club which was founded in 2015.

“The main benefit is camaraderie around a shared interest – Corvettes,” Talbot said.

Like the Porsche Club, to be a member you must own a Corvette.

Piedmont Corvette has 42 members.

Outreach beyond their auto affinity includes supporting area nonprofits Hero’s Bridge, Fauquier SPCA and Wounded Warriors.

Club members participate in the Virginia International Raceway Charity Laps to support the Salvation Army. For Charity Laps, drivers pay a small fee to drive their car, any car, around the track for specified length of time. Proceeds are donated to a selected charity. Both the Porsche and Corvette clubs participate.

The biggest Corvette event in the world is scheduled in August in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

The Piedmont club meets monthly at Ledo’s Pizza in Warrenton, and rallies every Sunday at another county restaurant. piedmontcorvetteclub.com.

All-call for performance cars Every Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m., the

Warrenton Arby’s is the site for a car “Cruise-In.” Anyone interested in cars is welcome to come, in any car.

Classic cars, classic county tradition The longest-running Ford dealership, Leckner Ford in Marshall was open 1915 to 2019.

They closed three years ago and the building was sold.

The timing was just right for Tom Callaway. He’d retired from the flooring and installation business and sold his company the year before. A classic car devotee, he and son Chris, bought the prime real estate on the busy corner of U.S. 17 and Main Street, Marshall, and spent the next year remodeling the building.

Callaway Classics opened last April, specializing in sales and service of classic American-made cars.

A classic car is, officially, older than 25 years, but for classic car hobbyists, they prefer the cut-off date before EPA pollution regulations of 1973. Car enthusiasts explain this throttled the horsepower, and they count that as the last for true high-performance production cars.

Chris Callaway says it was an end of an era.

Callaway Classics hosts Cars and Coffee events monthly, on Saturdays, 8 to 11 a.m. “in good weather,” Callaway said.

“People with cars like to come out and talk about their passion. For anyone interested in getting into classic cars, this is a good place to meet people and start the conversation.”

When asked what’s so great about classic cars, Callaway maintains that the answer is obvious.

They look cool.

“People turn to look. Older people become nostalgic about the cars of their youth. Everyone knows someone who had a classic car.” callawayclassics.com

The Piedmont Corvette Club supports local charities and has weekly rallies.

Life & Style

Fall 2021

25

Preserve, protect

Local group takes action to maintain, improve Fauquier

By Lani Allen Blue Ridge views framed by pastureland and forested areas are preserved and untouched in Fauquier County, an invitation to visitors and residents alike to step back in time.

Much of the open space and historic towns and villages that have come to define Fauquier can be appreciated today largely due to the county’s tradition of rural preservation and conservation organizations. Two of the region’s most active ones — the Piedmont Environmental Council and Citizens for Fauquier County — are based in the county.

CFFC has been supporting agriculture and advocating for the preservation of open spaces and historic resources for more than 50 years, longer than any other organization.

CFFC’s sole focus is Fauquier County.

The group started in 1968; it was then known as the Mid-Fauquier Association.

It was created to oppose the development of 3,500 homes on the 4,200-acre North Wales estate just west of downtown Warrenton.

In 1967, a forecast of population growth projected that by 2000, Loudoun County would have 172,000 residents, and Fauquier County would have 235,000.

Fortunately, this projection missed the mark.

Thanks to decades of leadership favoring preservation and conservation, Fauquier currently has approximately 70,000 residents, while Loudoun has 420,000.

Approximately 26% of Fauquier is under permanent conservation easement and more than 90% of Fauquier remains rural.

CFFC president Kevin Ramundo was elected last year. He recognizes the importance of the grassroots effort to protect the county. “We’re not just against things; we’re for things, too,” Ramundo stressed, noting CFFC’s advocacy for Fauquier’s comprehensive plan, something he calls “a thoughtful blueprint of how the county should develop in the future.

“The plan aims to concentrate growth in ‘service district’ locations, so rural areas can be preserved and the county can deliver services more cost effectively.

That’s smart, managed growth and CFFC strongly supports this strategy.”

CFFC was an early supporter of development in Vint Hill and its recognition of 26

Fall 2021

Volunteers James and Montana Ruffner joined numerous CFFC board members in a recent roadside clean-up. They’re part of the Adopt A Hightway program keeping county roads pristine.

Citizens for Fauquier County: Humble-brags from 2021 • Getting the St. James Baptist Church in Bealeton on the Virginia and U. S. Registries of Historic Places • Joining the state’s Adopt-A-Highway program by committing to pick up trash on a road near Remington • Establishing a task force to determine how to balance utility-scale solar as a source of “green energy” with open space and agricultural priorities • Sponsoring the successful Upperville Farmer’s Market • For the first time, selecting a member of the agricultural community to receive the organization’s Kitty P. Smith Conservation Award the historical significance of the former army base. Vint Hill is in the New Baltimore service district, one of eight locations where the county wants to concenLife & Style

trate growth.

Ramundo also serves on the board of the Land Trust of Virginia. citizensforfauquier.org

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Faces & Places Running for a reason with veteran marathoners Story by Aimee O’Grady

INSIDE THIS SECTION

• Real estate’s moving fast this season • The heart-warming story of a VolTran connection • Studio Luxe makes a move — a few hundred feet — in Old Town

28

WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE GO

Fall 2021

They’re in it for the long haul Running for a noble cause

Bobby Brooks, left, and Rick Heppard ran 12 marathons in 12 months last year. to raise money for Hero’s Bridge.

Lace-up with Brooks, Heppard and Running for Heroes Bobby Brooks and Rick month in 2021, they logged Heppard are fighting for im- nearly 315 marathon miles. proved living conditions in Add more than 2,400 trainFauquier for aging veterans. ing miles.

Last year, Brooks, a U.S. The two Fauquier residents Army vet who served in Oper- trained in and around Waration Desert Storm, and Hep- renton, but marathons took pard, a U.S. Navy vet who saw them to Washington, D.C, action in Operation Enduring Pennsylvania and other venFreedom, gave themselves a ues in the region. remarkable challenge: Run – They invited area runners together – in one marathon to join them both training and every month in 2021 to raise competing. money and aware“We felt fatigue halfness for veterans’ way through the needs. year. It was a difAt the same ficult challenge time, the ento accomplish,” ergetic duo set Brooks said. out to raise “Our knees, funds for the backs and feet proposed Hero’s were beginning Bridge Village. to protest the It’s a groundamount of runbreaking effort, ning we were say planners, to doing,” said create a village Heppard. of small homes They raised for senior vetmore than erans. $10,000 for HeA noble ro’s Bridge. goal: 12 months, “This year, 12 marathons we want the Brooks and community to Heppard hit the become a part snow-covered of our effort,” trail last JanHeppard said. uary for their Molly Brooks, one of the origi- “The Veterans first run. Every nal founders of Hero’s Bridge Village will be

Hero’s Bridge Village Hero’s Bridge Village will be the first tiny home community for seniors in Fauquier.

Hero’s Bridge is a small regional nonprofit that addresses painful needs of older veterans. Some of the stories they share are gripping: • Doyne, a Vietnam veteran, fears dying alone and his body not being discovered for a long time.

He’s equally concerned about his dog, Porkchop, if something were to happen to him.

• Mike, also a Vietnam vet, has plumbing that freezes each winter often leaving him without water. Plastic sheets hang from doorways to trap the heat during the coldest days of the winter.

Village houses will be 400-square-foot dwellings, which planners say creates a tiny environmental footprint with added sustainability qualities such as solar power. herosbridge.org/village

Join Brooks and Heppard on their 2022 Running for Heroes quest: March 20 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon shamrockmarathon.com March 25 Heroes Bridge 5k walk on the Warrenton Greenway April (date TBD) 3 to 5 mile bird-watching hike Sky Meadows, Paris May 22 Marine Corps half-marathon or Semper Five 5k Washington, D.C. June (date TBD) 8 to 10 mile hike July 2 Firecracker 5k funrunracing.com August (date TBD) Death Ridge Brewery 5k September (date TBD) 3 to 5 mile bird-watching hike Sky Meadows, Paris Oct. 9 Army 10-miler Oct. 30 Marine Corps marathon Nov. 5 RFH hike Nov. 24 Turkey Trot 5k funrunracing.com December (date TBD) Jinglebell 5k to 10k outreach@herosbridge.org

housing for our aging veterans, but it will be a community village, where everyone in the community will come to meet with and support veterans.

“This year, our fundraising efforts will include the community. We invite people to become recurring monthly $26 donors or use the opportunity to do peer-to-peer fundraising.

“We chose $26 because that is the number of miles in a marathon. If anyone wants to make a $26.20 recurring donation (to be precise since a mar-

athon is 26.2 miles), we will gladly accept it.”

The dynamic duo created a list of 2022 activities to appeal to people of all athletic abilities and varied interests in walking and running.

“We did the math and realized if the two of us raised $10,000, how much could be raised if others joined us,” Brooks said. “The entire nation benefited from the efforts of our aging veterans, we each need the opportunity to return the favor.”

Faces & Places

Fall 2021

29

Moving for your health

Occupational therapist Christie Pride employs holistic approach with adults, kids

By Alissa Jones Patients sometimes call Christie Pride “a miracle worker.”

Founder of Warrenton’s Authentic Health in 2018, Pride demurred that this title is a little strong, but she acknowledges the holistic approaches she uses to link emotional and physical well-being — along with diet and nutrition — are the building blocks to a healthy life.

Pride, a licensed occupational therapist, has spent more than three decades in her profession. She earned her masters degree in early childhood special education, enabling her to offer pediatric occupational therapy, along with cranial sacral therapy and specialized kinesiology.

Pride believes that an all-encompassing approach to health is the long-term answer to recovery in a world of quick fixes. The Warrenton resident

has five grown children, four grandkids with another on the way, so she recognizes every stage of development in the human body, and what can go wrong.

“Traditional medicine can’t always deliver,” Pride maintains, adding that her personalized approach involves asking lots of questions and helping her patients dig deep to find the root of the problem.

And she calls on a higher power. “I pray.”

She uses biofeedback with adults as well as manual palpation of body parts to assess muscle integrity and tension before moving forward with treatment.

Varied modalities, such as cranial sacral therapy, help Pride treat everything from back injuries to headaches.

“It increases flow of cerebral spinal fluid,” she explains, “relieving compression in the spine, the bones of the skull

PHOTOS BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

Nutritionist Natalia Schroeder and occupational therapist Christie Pride are partners in Authentic Health in Warrenton.

Authentic Health Address: 173 Keith St., Suite 3, Warrenton Phone: 888-271-0505 Website: authentichealth78.com and the sacrum, as well as detoxing muscle tissue.”

Patients are wowed by what seems to be Pride’s magic touch.

“Both my adult special needs child and I have seen Christie,” said patient Cindy Wilson. “Christie has made

There’s a therapy for what ails you Physical and occupational therapies are rehabilitative and have similar goals, to improve movement, and develop strength in the body.

• Orthopedic physical therapy treats injuries of the musculoskeletal system.

• Cardiovascular and pulmonary therapies address the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.

• Pediatric physical therapies help children and babies with problems related to the muscular and skeletal system.

• Geriatric physical therapy helps older patients with muscle strength, coordination, and balance.

• Neurological physical therapy addresses neurological problems.

• Art therapy uses the creative process to im30

Fall 2021

prove physical, mental and emotional well-being.

• Color therapy uses colors to heal physical and emotional problems.

• Talk therapy (psychotherapy, counseling) uses communication to help treat emotional and behavioral challenges.

• Massage therapy helps relieve the body of pain and stress through the manipulation of soft tissue.

• Yoga therapy is the application of body positions and exercises, breathing and meditation techniques to improve mental and physical health.

• Autism therapy uses behavioral and sensory techniques to improve abilities and reduce symptoms.

Faces & Places

such incredible progress with my daughter, and I wish she had had access to Christie in her earlier years. As for myself; I had given up ever being done with pain – until Christie.”

Pride leans on kinesiology, the study of body movement, to address physiological, anatomical, biomechanical and neuropsychological processes of movement. The natural and gentle therapy helps relieve chronic issues and frees the body of stress.

“When I work with clients, I facilitate healing and freedom in stuck areas of movement,” outwardly, or within the body, Pride says.

Working with children, Pride adds, is a special challenge, but one she embraces.

She endeavors to “organize the body to center.” Birth trauma and injury can cause physical, emotional and learning challenges, someSee THERAPY, page 31

THERAPY, from page 30 thing Pride says OT can help overcome.

“Sensory integration is the foundation for posture control, emotional regulation, learning, speech and language production. Getting to the root of underlying issues reconstructs the foundations,” Pride says.

A goal is to make progress without always relying on strong drugs. “After a terrible car accident, I was left with debilitating pain and stiffness in my neck,” said Rebecca Grabich. “I had bruising and pain throughout my torso and legs. After each session with Christie, I experienced more and more comfort.

“The pain and stiffness continually decreased until they were gone. When treatment was finished, I was better than I had been in many years. My mobility had returned, I was pain-free, and it was all accomplished without any medication or pain relievers.”

Food for thought Healthy eating is a necessary ingredient for a healthy overall lifestyle. Because it fit neatly with her holistic approach to health, Pride brought registered dietician Natalia Schroeder on staff in 2018 and made her a business partner in 2021.

Schroeder has a PhD in nutrition and 15 years of experience in nutrition counseling.

She helps clients discover foods that bring vitality to their specific body type. She says eating disorders affect the entire family, not just the patient; she calls her therapies a family affair.

“When I started working with Dr. Schroeder, I had pre-diabetes and needed a dramatic change in diet,” Noelle Snyder said. “Dr. Schroeder taught me the importance of knowing foods and how they interact with each other and my body. She not only provided dietary education that was my body-specific, but also provided step-by-step coaching so that I would be successful.”

Christie Pride sometimes uses light massage on her patients to assess muscle integrity and tension.

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Faces & Places

Fall 2021

31

Q and A

‘I wasn’t born here, but I got here as quick as I could’ Realtor Eric Diello traces the steps that bought him and his family to Hume (*they say they’re here to stay)

By Betsy Burke Parker Eric Diello loved where he grew up in a rural area near Syracuse, New York.

There were farm fields to run in, he says, little creeks to play in, and lots of neighbor kids to do it with.

It was safe and pretty – plenty cold, but green and open, and he was part of a huge family, the youngest of eight siblings.

Since childhood, though, Diello has been on a sort of a worldwide walkabout, moving from New York to British Columbia, to England for grad school. He took a look at most of Europe while he was there.

Fauquier County, Virginia wasn’t even on the radar.

He came back to the States and landed in Seattle for 15 years, where he met and married his wife, Anne, and raised two boys. His father was a real estate agent, and it was natural for Diello to follow his dad into the business. An older sister and his aunt were also agents.

He worked in pharmaceuticals in Seattle, but also kept a hand in real estate with investment properties.

They liked it there, but something was missing from life on the West Coast, Diello maintains.

A couple years ago, the family decided to move back east.

“Growing up in New York, I had an uncle that lived in Maryland,” Diello said, explaining how they narrowed the search to the mid-Atlantic region. “I loved it around here, and that always stuck with me.”

A chance drive with friends four years ago on Atoka Road north of Marshall sealed the deal. It took a few years for Diello and his family to prep for the big shift, sell their Seattle home and identify a perfect Virginia real estate company for him to join.

But a string of fortuitous decisions they made last fall led to what Diello calls the perfect home, in a perfect part of the county, perfect for raising their family like he was raised. A perfect set-up, he calls it. inFauquier: You should be a natural at real estate – you have a lot of family ties.

But it nearly didn’t go that way?

Eric Diello: To be honest, it almost didn’t happen. I grew up in upstate New York, and studied nursing at Syracuse University, following an older brother into the medical trade.

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Fall 2021

Eric Diello is a licensed real estate agent with Middleburg Real Estate.

My father was a real estate agent more than three decades, an older sister, an aunt, too. I worked at dad’s sales office to earn money when I was at Syracuse, but nursing was where I thought I’d end up.

Until I didn’t.

We had a vacation home in British Columbia in eastern Canada, and I taught skiing out there. I changed my mind about nursing after, well, after actually working as a nurse, and started grad school at the University of British Columbia, studying business.

Then I decided to go to England – Loughborough University in Leicestershire near Nottingham north of London. On breaks, I saw 26 countries in 18 months. It was wonderful.

I came back to Vancouver, and one of the best things that happened there was I met my (future) wife working at a Starbucks in Seattle. I connected my study in nursing with business and went into pharmaceuticals.

I worked in Seattle for 16 years. But I was still interested in real estate. We had two property management companies – bought and sold rentals and single-family homes in the Bellevue area. inF: Trace the west coast-east coast migration.

ED: After 16 years out there, we wanted to head east.

I had my heart set on Charlottesville at first – it’s not too far north, not too far south, relatively safe, very pretty, reasonable cost of living.

You know, really, I could go anywhere in the nation to work, in real estate or pharmaceuticals.

I remembered back in 2018 a friend had taken us for a drive on Atoka Road.

I joked to Anne that ‘I hope you like this.

We’re going to live here one day.’

Faces & Places

inF: But it wasn’t a joke.

ED: No, not a joke. This area had everything we wanted – land, history, open space and Anne has horses so it being horse country was a draw.

We rented in Delaplane for a few months in 2018, but our house in Washington didn’t sell so we moved back.

Last year we put it on the market, and in that crazy time, we had six offers and sold it in 15 days.

We moved to Virginia in August, and we closed on a place (southeast) of Hume Oct. 1. I’d seen the sale ad on my phone.

When we saw the mountain view headed down Keyser Road, the long driveway, the beautiful barn, the beautiful house and got a feel for the neighbors on this beautiful road, we just fell in love.

We toured around, went to Hume. I fell in love with Hume, too. It’s this tiny little town of nothing, nothing to offer, but, you know, that’s everything to us.

I was up all night thinking about that beautiful, perfect property.

We made an offer. inF: Not the only one, I bet.

ED: Yeah, they had six offers, but I ‘advised’ myself like I advise clients. Make your offer the best offer. I had reduced real estate fees on my end, and I tried to have as few contingencies as possible.

Good communication was key. inF: How are you liking living here?

ED: The neighbors are as beautiful as the area.

Our next-door neighbors are new here, too. They moved from San Francisco.

Between the two of us, there’s 72 acres, six kids – five boys. There’s enough space for them to meet at the back of the properties and go a little feral.

See DIELLO, page 33

DIELLO, from page 32 They run the trails, play in the creek.

Where I grew up looked like this, with more cows than people. When we’d go out to play, mom would say ‘have fun, just don’t come home ’til dark.’

It was a great place to grow up, and this is, too. inF: You’re working in Virginia real estate now?

ED: Yes, I put my license with Middleburg Real Estate, the oldest real estate company in town. They sell residential and commercial properties, raw land and everything in between from West Virginia to suburban Maryland.

We have almost 80 licensed agents – several brokers, and eight MRE offices. I work out of Middleburg, and I love it. inF: The modern real estate game is a real game, isn’t it? Realtors have to know their inventory, especially these days.

ED: Home shoppers playing around on Zillow are usually actively looking for property. These are active potential

clients. My phone rings when someone “clicks” on a property.

Like with so many things, it comes down to dialogue. Your agent – listing agent or buying agent – needs to know the local market. inF: Advice for home shoppers?

ED: The window for temptingly low interest rates is going away, and that will impact your purchase power. But if you pay attention, and have everything ready, you can still find great properties. inF: Home ownership is pretty important?

ED: The biggest eye opener for most people is that real estate owners have 44 times the net worth of the average nonhome owner.

Forty-four times.

That’s amazing if you think about it.

You have to make good choices, all through your life. It starts with families sitting around the dinner table and talking openly about money, about investing, about owning versus renting, learning about taxation. inF: Speaking of taxes,

Humorist Will Rogers on real estate He was a cowboy, a vaudeville actor, screen actor, humorist and newspaper columnist, and Will Rogers was rarely at a loss for words. He had plenty to say about investing in land.

Industry professionals agree that while Rogers’ advice was mostly designed for a laugh, there’s 100 percent truth behind his pithy comments on real estate.

• Buy land. They ain’t making any more of the stuff.

• Don’t wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait.

• Find out where the people are going and buy the land before they get there.

• America is a land of opportunity and don’t ever forget it.

• I argue with the wife over what little pieces of real estate investments we should try to pay on and hold, and which we should let go back. We always said ‘put it in land, and you can always walk on it.’ We did, but no buyers would walk on it with us.

• A realtor is an old-fashioned real estate man with a neck tie. that’s a huge benefit of owning versus renting?

ED: It doesn’t matter how much money you have if most of it goes away to taxes.

The tax benefits of real estate ownership are enormous.

There’s no financial vehicle that offers the same benefits. inF: You’ve moved around a lot in your life. Do you see someday leaving here, too?

ED: No way. I don’t picture us ever leaving here. I already want

more land, because conservation is critical, very important to keeping this area how it is.

We moved here for a reason, and now we’re part of the conversation to keep this place from changing to look like Anytown, USA. We chose to live here and realize that it’s OK to drive 25 minutes to a grocery store.

Look around. It’s easy to see why we came here.

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New to the area, tailor-designer finds enthusiastic clientele in Fauquier Eliana Garcia went from the big city to country life, but she’s loving everything about her adopted home (including the view off her back deck that’s sure to inspire her next clothing line)

By Betsy Burke Parker Following the lead of world-famous immigrant fashion designers Oscar de la Renta and Diane Von Furstenberg, a local seamstress and budding designer is living the American dream.

Eliana Garcia was born and raised near Cali, Columbia, moving some 2,200 miles north to Fauquier County in November 2021.

Garcia’s Summer Vintage line – swimsuits, crop-tops, gauzy pants’ sets, formal gowns – was inspired by her South American heritage and equatorial surroundings. Vibrant colors, light materials, soft lines and delicate textures were right for tropical Columbia, Garcia said in halting English.

She recognizes the fashion tastes – and needs – of her new home west of Warrenton draws may require a vision reboot.

But the university-trained designer is eager to embrace everything about the unique Piedmont culture she’s finding here as she explores the area with her husband, Lorens Gregorio. They are discovering a world of difference, but plenty of similarity, between Cali and Turnbull.

“I came here with a sewing machine and my experience,” said Garcia, 30. She struggles to find the right English words.

“She grew up surrounded by fashion,” translated Gregorio, also 30. He jumps in to help trace Garcia’s giant move from cosmopolitan Columbia to rural Fauquier. His parents are Mexican, but he was born in San Diego. “Her grandmother was an expert seamstress, doing alterations for neighbors and friends in their town, and her mother sold sporting clothes and designed her own line,” he said.

Garcia had established her own line in Columbia, but from half a world away, she already recognized the lure of coming to the U.S. “The American dream, you know,” Gregorio shared Garcia’s increasingly animated story. “She knows about getting the chance to make it. She’ll start here in Virginia.”

See DESIGNER, page 35 34

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Designer and tailor Eliana Garcia models one of her Summer Vintage line in her native Columbia. She lives in Warrenton now, and is considering a new country couture line.

Faces & Places

American fashion: A true melting pot Fashion designer Prabal Gurung immigrated to New York from Nepal 20 years ago. He told the Associated Press that he “came here to chase the American dream of hope, of possibility.

“I was a kid from Nepal who never saw any fashion designers in my country. For me, coming here knowing no one, really trying to live my dream … is validation for me that I was doing the right thing.

“The path that I took was the right one.”

PHOTO BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

Eliana Garcia arrived to Virginia with her sewing machine and the traditional American dream to build a new alterations business and maybe a new design line that reflects her new surroundings.

DESIGNER, from page 34 In the world of fashion, hers is not an uncommon story. Immigrants have built some of the most important fashion houses here, from Carolina Herrera to Jason Wu. The patterns, contrasts and textures of their clothing are as colorful as the flags and stories of the designers who create them and the workers who bring them to life.

Garcia said she’s “inspired by them.”

An international love story Garcia and Gregorio’s love story is, like so many, a maze of random choices leading to a surprise ending.

They met on tiny San Andres Island off the east coast of Nicaragua where both were vacationing in April, 2017.

She’d traveled a few hours north to the Columbian island resort for a week of fun in the sun with friends; he’d traveled nearly 2,000 miles from Northern Virginia, a relaxing getaway before the busy summer construction season.

“I was working two years straight, non-stop, and wanted to get away for a break,” Gregorio explained how he chose the easily accessible Caribbean resort from internet ads and photos of the sumptuous beaches.

“I was walking out of a liquor store with a tequila bottle,” he remembered the instant everything in his life changed. “Eliana and her friends were sitting outside, drinking (traditional Columbian) aguardiente.”

He was smitten, besotted by Garcia’s natural beauty. After a brief internal debate about the wisdom of approaching a group of pretty girls, he strolled over and offered to exchange a shot of his traditional homeland liquor for one of hers.

She said yes.

After sharing sips, all of them went dancing at a club.

“I was leaving the next morning,” Gregorio said. “I figured we’d never see each other again. I figured that was it, one magic night dancing with a beautiful girl.”

A chance vacation the next year took him close to Garcia’s hometown, and Gregorio leaned into his boldness once more. They’d stayed in touch a little after San Andres, but it was a big step. “I contacted her and we met near Medellin,” he said, strengthening the initial spark into a deeper friendship.

They arranged to meet the following year in Cancun, planning a trip to Mexico City in the summer of 2019. There, she met his family, and they began treating the long-distance fling as a future permanent relationship.

They met in Buena Ventura on the Pacific coast of Columbia in November, 2020.

Gregorio proposed on the beach.

She said yes.

Gregorio remembers being nervous. “I was happy when she said ‘yes.’”

Gregorio works as a builder and contractor in Northern Virginia, building decks, fences, porches and kitchen projects, and he was excited to introduce his fiancee to the beauty of Fauquier County. “My parents came to America from central Mexico (before he was born) to make a life,” Gregorio said. “I had a great opportunity to start a business here,” following another brother to the Warrenton area a few years ago.

He’d bought a fixer-upper in Turnbull near the Fauquier Springs Country Club in 2019, nearly an acre adjacent to hundreds of acres of rolling farmland near the Rappahannock River. He knew Garcia would love it, and that she, too, would find plenty of work in the area.

Gregorio doubled-down on remodeling the house, preparing for their Dec. 4, 2021 wedding.

Faces & Places

Garcia arrived with a few suitcases and a little sewing kit in November. She says she felt excited, but a little scared.

“I left everything,” she admited. “My family, my business. I feel lucky to be here.

“There is more opportunity (for a young fashion designer) in America,” and, she added through Gregorio, she’s found the perfect place to launch an alteration and seamstress business while she reorients to local tastes and fashion needs.

She sees potential for creating a “country classics” clothing line, drawing inspiration from her new surroundings.

Garcia studied fashion design at university in Columbia, making her own clothes starting as a child – with her mother’s help at first. She said she’s always taken cues from nature around her: her Summer Vintage line grew from the Carribean and Pacific beach vibe of northern and western Columbia. She’s thinking of a new line – Virginia Vintage is a possible name – with colors and textures extracted from her views of the farm fields, hardwood forests and the distant Blue Ridge out the back door of their Turnbull home.

“Eliana did a great job changing out a collar on a coat for me,” said Sheila Quinn, one of Garcia’s first Virginia customers. “It was a simple job, but required a lot of skill to make it lay right. She pulled it off, and was fast, and was affordable.

“I think she’ll find more business than she can handle around here, and I’d be totally interested in seeing what she designs once she gets a feel for the area.” facebook.com/summerv91 Fall 2021

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“Positive investment in people has an immeasurable impact on the world.”

- DANIELLE ELLIS

Character, defined Hear what three Fauquier community leaders have to say about the importance of the invisible, intangible content of this crucial human trait

By Danica Low

char·ac·ter | /ˈker-ik-tər/

1. the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation; made famous in a Martin Luther King speech.

2. one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual.

Character is intangible. You can’t see it, although you can witness character-led acts of service and impact. You can’t touch it, although you can feel the effects of good or poor character judgments.

As a culture, society has adopted a generalized definition of character as it pertains to good morality, service to others and selfless dedication to a greater good.

“I have a dream,” said the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in what became a world-famous speech, “that my little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Former Kettle Run High principal Major Warner became deputy superintendent of Fauquier County Public Schools in 2016. A graduate of Fauquier High, he credits much of his adult character and success to his own teachers and parents.

“I hope that people will see and say that I model what I believe,” said Warner. “In my profession, we have to let the young people see us doing what we say and believe. There is no room for hypocrisy in that belief or action.”

Warner defines character in the words of writer and civil rights activist, the late Maya Angelou.

Major Warner 36

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What defines a person?

“I believe a person to be best defined by their compassion and empathy for others.”

- MAJOR WARNER

“I believe a person is defined by the way they choose to live their lives, their standards and how they make people feel when in their presence. You can draw people to you and influence them by being true to your word, showing that you care, and trying as much as you can for your actions to line up your words. All of this is your character, and it is what people will most use to define you.”

- DANIELLE ELLIS

“To stand firm in what is true and sure, to be always relied upon to serve and sacrifice for others.”

- SCOT SMALL

How do you live out good character, or character as MLK describes, day to day?

Danielle Ellis “In one of the simplest and most meaningful quotes ever to be written, she said, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ To me that is character, when you leave someone feeling better, you have intentionally done something for good, and good is everything.

“Actions define how people perceive us, and character is an action-based belief, in my opinion.”

Senior program manager at the PATH Foundation, Danielle Ellis is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a 2019 graduate of Leadership Fauquier.

“Character is doing what you know is right, and making amends when your understanding has evolved,” Ellis said.

Ellis served in the U.S. Army and worked at the Department of Defense before she was hired as executive director of Fauquier Family Shelter Services. New in her role at PATH, Ellis works with non-profits in Culpeper, Fauquier and Rappahannock.

Warner and Ellis were both positively impacted early in life by their own parents. Warner said his mother and father inspired his commitment to charity and led with character.

Faces & Places

“Be respectful, kind, courteous. No matter what the circumstances, I have a responsibility to give each person the best that I have.

They deserve that, and I truly believe if I do this, then I am more likely to get that back.”

- MAJOR WARNER

“I work to understand differing viewpoints and have compassion for others. I believe there can be more than one way to gain resolve in any given situation, so humility is an important part of what drives my character.”

- DANIELLE ELLIS

“First, have a full grasp on what you believe to be true and sure.”

- SCOT SMALL

“I come from a family of service-focused people,” added Ellis. “Teachers, social workers, non-profit leaders and local government service members. They are my inspiration.”

Regional director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Midland’s Scot Small has a background in business and marketing. His three grown daughters were all high school athletes.

“I watched my (own) mother serve and give ... throughout my entire life,” said Small. “She never complained and always served with a happy heart. You could just feel the love pouring out of her. She is still at it, pouring into others’ lives without concern of her own.”

See CHARACTER, page 37

CHARACTER, from page 36 On his leadership blog, Small wonders, “Do we have more characters in society today than we have character? It certainly seems that way.”

Small says his vision is to create a community of high school and middle school coaches and athletes who demonstrate good character, inside and outside the classroom, on and off the field.

“It would then be unstoppable,” said Small. “A person can be the spark that ignites transformation in the hearts of others. This spark can become a fire that moves throughout the world bringing transformation.”

Warner has a similar view on the positive effects that a single effort can have. “Leave each person you engage with every day feeling better than they did before they met you,” Warner said. “In this way, you can actually take a seed and sew it into a larger community, creating the ripple effect needed to impact change. This one simple strategy is in everyone’s control.”

Scot Small “One person can impact the world by investing in others,” Ellis added. “Planting seeds of time and encouragement into other people has yielded the most fruit in the lives around me.

“I have had many instances of people letting me know how my small gesture made a big impact on their lives and the people in their sphere of influence. I feel the same way about the mentors, teachers and other people who have invested in me.”

“Positive investment in people has an immeasurable impact on the world.”

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Mentoring and inspiring generations of leaders — that’s what people of action do.

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Fall 2021

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VolTran gives a lift to Fauquier Hear how driver Cindy Burbank went above and beyond

By Aimee O’Grady Cindy Burbank moved to Warrenton in 2010 following her retirement with the federal government, where she worked for 35 years after graduating from Georgetown University.

To learn about her new community, she looked for volunteer opportunities and selected VolTran, a charity lift program for those needing rides in Fauquier County.

With only one part-time paid employee, VolTran relies on volunteers like Burbank to help fill ride requests from the stream of clients who call in to its regional call center.

In late summer 2019, Burbank started her day as usual – reading the daily ride requests. She didn’t know it at the time, but the one she chose made all the difference, both to driver and passenger.

A request caught her attention: an elderly man needed a lift to visit his wife. She’d moved recently to a nursing home due to declining health.

It pulled at Burbank’s heartstrings; she could imagine how sad he must be.

“He lived in Markham, and his wife had been moved to a nursing home in Gainesville,” Burbank recalled their first meeting. She would be driving to his house on Montoya Farm in Markham from her place in Warrenton, then to the nursing home in Gainesville.

“I knew that I would be signing up for a long-term commitment if I offered a ride to this gentleman,” Burbank said.

But her heart said “yes,” and she called Truman Moore.

It changed both their lives.

Looking back, looking forward Born in Fauquier County in 1942, Truman Moore and his wife of 30 years - he married the former Mabel Elkins in 1972, were living in a small log cabin on a beef cattle farm in rural Markham at the northern 38

Fall 2021

end of Fauquier County. It was there he spent the last years of his lifelong farming career.

When Moore retired, the farm owner allowed the couple to continue living in their little house on the property.

Moore had worked with hay, silage, milk cows, layer and broiler chickens, crop management and even got to work cattle on horseback.

During their drives to visit Mabel, Moore told Burbank his life story, bit by bit, mile by mile. The two struck up a friendship.

Each brought to the relationship a different life perspective: Burbank had spent decades commuting to office jobs in Washington, D.C. Moore spent his life outdoors, working the land and livestock.

“Truman gave me a grounding and a connection to a simpler, less hectic life,” Burbank said. “Truman takes life as it comes, never complains and lives without fuss or ado.”

Moore started to dig deeper as their travels continued, sharing stories from his youth. He recalled working on a crop and cattle operation in then-rural Centreville that his grandfather managed when he was 9.

He remembers acres and acres of wheat, oats, corn and cattle.

When Moore was 22 – it was 1964 – he was gored by a bull on the same farm. He was taken to Prince William Hospital where he spent a painful week being treated for a broken rib and punctured lung.

Moore was the second patient at the then-brand-new hospital.

“I began to bring him to the nursing home to visit with Mabel once a week,” Burbank said of their shared new-normal. “I would drop him off in the morning and return later in the afternoon to bring him home,” said Burbank. “They were so happy to see each other. The couple was completely devoted to one and other.”

PHOTO BY JESSICA BROOKS/PATH FOUNDATION

Volunteer driver Cindy Burbank visits with her friend, Truman Moore.

As summer moved into fall and the holidays approached, Burbank began to worry about Moore. “I knew that spending Christmas together was very important for Truman and Mabel, but my own two sons, who live out of state, were planning to visit and I wanted to visit with my family as well.”

She asked the other volunteers at VolTran for help, telling Moore’s story and relating how important it was to him.

VolTran came through.

Gary Pinson responded to her request. “He offered to take Truman in the morning, and I was going to bring him back home,” Burbank said. “It was a relief to know they’d be able to be together on Christmas.”

With Christmas Day settled, Burbank began to help the couple with gifts for each other. She said, “Mabel pulled me aside during one visit and asked for my help in getting Truman gifts from her, which I was able to do. For Mabel’s gifts, I took Truman to Walmart to pick out some things.”

It would be their last Christmas together.

In early 2020, the pandemic hit and nursing homes went on lockdown. Moore could only speak to Mabel on the phone.

He could tell she was failing.

Faces & Places

One day in May, Moore called Burbank to let her know that Mabel had died.

Burbank supported her friend during the difficult time. “I helped him make the arrangements with the funeral home, where he was able to view Mabel,” she said. “When I brought him home, I realized he needed something appropriate to wear to her funeral.”

She again turned to VolTran.

“Libbi Moore, the VolTran coordinator, and I were able to collect appropriate clothes for Truman with help from his former employer at the farm.”

The day of the funeral, Burbank made the sad drive with Moore to the service and, later that same day, to collect Mabel’s items from the nursing home.

Burbank took it upon herself to write Mabel’s obituary, and she worked with Moore to make arrangements for his own funeral and burial beside her.

She agreed that it went way beyond the description of volunteer driver duties, but Burbank believes that she and Moore share a special bond – one that was cemented over hundreds of miles of Fauquier County roads and one brought to life by VolTran.

Prospective volunteer drivers are invited to get involved. voltran.org

Studio Luxe moves to Main Street, making room for Little Luxe boutique for girls

By MacKenzie Earl A strange and joyful parade greeted Main Street visitors the afternoon of Oct. 8 in Warrenton. Brandi Norrel moved her Studio Luxe Boutique from Fifth Street in Warrenton a block and a half to a bigger Main Street location.

Because the two locations were so close, Norrel orchestrated an overnight move. The original location closed at 3 p.m. on a Friday and had its grand opening on Main Street at 10 the next morning. Since it didn’t make sense to rent a truck to travel 1,000 feet, lines of women’s clothing racks made the journey down 5th Street, through the crosswalk, and up the Main Street sidewalk to the new location at 92 Main Street Suite 102.

Norrel opened Little Luxe in the original shop location – offering for the first time a shopping experience for girls aged 8 to 16 on Fifth Street.

“Warrenton is a small community with a heart for people and a heart for small businesses – people were so supportive and helpful. People dropped off doughnuts when we were moving, helped with coffee runs. The woman who delivers our mail painted our dressing room.”

Norrel loves the huge display window at the front of the store that lets in beautiful natural light – and allows much more space to showcase what the boutique has to offer.

This display window has a rotating display of mannequins styled with the shop’s latest clothes and accessories.

And customers love it.

Kelly Hall, a regular at Studio Luxe, shared, “I have a closet full of clothes, but find myself only wearing the items I have purchased at Studio Luxe because I love them so much more! Brandi has a gift for finding items that are unique, but on trend.”

Norrell’s phone is often buzzing with clients asking her to hold a dress or let her

PHOTO BY CARSON MCRAE/MCRAE VISUAL MEDIA

Little Luxe is a place where Brandi Norrel welcomes the younger set, a new shopping option on Main Street. know when their favorite styles come back in stock. And she is happy to help.

Norrel explained that her customers are not in danger of showing up to a party wearing the same outfit as anyone else.

Products are often available for a short time or in small quantities; the inventory is different every time customers walk into the shop.

Khadijah Jackson, a friend and associate of Norrell, said “She’s brought a new chapter to the Fauquier retail market by catering to those whose tastes’ gravitate toward today’s styles. You won’t find ‘traditional’ with Brandi or the Luxe brand.”

Norrel particularly loves working with women to help

them find clothes that make them feel good. “There are no rules in fashion. We can all feel beautiful and we all deserve that. “Everything gets easier when you feel good. You are able to put your best foot forward — whether it is as an employee, a friend, a mother.

Everything is easier when you feel good.”

Norrel has settled into the new location seamlessly. “I didn’t have side street blues,” Norrell explained, “but people who only walk Main Street when they come to town – it is great to capture those new customers.”

Norrel believes in collaboration over competition. She feels that different types of small businesses help make

Warrenton a destination – whether people are looking for Studio Luxe, fair trade, men’s clothing, they can find it in Old Town. Norrell considers her small business neighbors her extended family.

Norrel uses social media to promote this cooperative philosophy. As a self-proclaimed “Social Media Queen,” Norrel uses multiple platforms to promote Studio Luxe and other small businesses.

Jackson said, “Brandi has also contributed to Fauquier’s sense of community — I mean what business do you know of that goes out, visits other businesses, and promotes them on social [media] as if she owns them?”

See LUXE, page 40

“Family is first. I wanted to be Trinity’s mom more than anything. Owning my own business allows me the flexibility to never miss a game; to stay home on snow days, etc.”

- BRANDI NORREL Faces & Places

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“Don’t save that outfit for a ‘special occasion.’ Wear it today and make it special.”

BRANDI NORREL

PHOTO BY CARSON MCRAE/MCRAE VISUAL MEDIA

Brandi Norrel helps a customer at Studio Luxe.

LUXE, from page 39

Little Luxe

Norrel opened her second store, Little Luxe, at 9 South Fifth Street – the original Studio Luxe location – just three weeks after reopening Studio Luxe on Main Street. The space has been transformed into a sanctuary for girls.

There is bright pink decor, glitter and a ring light positioned so customers can take

well-lit selfies and film tik toks with their friends.

Norrel described the clothes offered at Little Luxe as “miniature adult clothes, fun and trendy pieces with sophistication.”

Little Luxe is a second home for Norrel’s 13-year-old daughter Trinity. Since Studio Luxe first opened in 2019, Trinity has grown up in her mother’s business. “I’m the facilitator; she’s probably the chief deci-

sion maker. She’s always had ideas, but now there is a space to make her ideas come into fruition,” Norrel said.

As soon as Little Luxe was announced, Norrel had girls asking to help set up the store, unpack boxes and be involved at Little Luxe. These young women now serve as Little Luxe’s “junior stylists,” and have been wholeheartedly welcomed into the brand

by Norrell and her daughter.

Norrel shared, “I just pay the bills. It’s their space.”

The girls help in the shop after school, give feedback about what they like and enjoy the space created especially for them. Norrell explained that the junior stylists learn valuable life skills while unpacking things and talking with staff. “They absorb things like a sponge.”

The 10 middle school girls drop off their backpacks at Studio Luxe on Main Street and walk down to Little Luxe after school. “They are excited about this space and how it makes them feel,” Norrel said.

In the spirit of community collaboration that Norrel inspires, the junior stylist team volunteered for Gumdrop Square; they helped to both put up and take down the holiday decorations.

Mothers who love Studio Luxe have been bringing their daughters into the store since 2019. Now these young women have a space just for them. Norrel said, “These are girls that we’ve watched grow up over the past few years; I want them to know that anything is possible.” f a c e b o o k . c o m /s t u dio-luxe-boutique

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Faces & Places

Real estate: A couple’s perspective

Agents David and Mary Anne Hajtun remember what it was like to be first-time homebuyers. The pain they recall guides their business model. mansion. “I’ve done a little with commercial leases too, and I have agents I can partner with.”

“In 2019, my wife and I bought our first home with David and Mary Anne,” said client Nate Knight. “We didn’t know what we were doing. We were scared and confused but trusted his experience.

“We had more questions than anyone, and he helped navigate our stress with ease.

David was patient with us. He set us up for success, and …. we are now buying our second home with them.”

By Alissa Jones Home is where the heart is.

Nothing rings more true for real estate agents David and Mary Anne Hajtun.

Married 16 years, they have been helping sellers and buyers make their dreams come true since 2015, though real estate was a second career for both.

It was his idea, but she provided the impetus.

Fauquier High grad David Hajtun had built a name as a tech whiz, working in IT and web management for almost a decade since age 20. Mary Anne Hajtun, a native of Warrenton, worked in youth ministry in her church, but both felt like they were spinning their wheels in temp jobs rather than building careers.

Mary Anne Hajtun finally spoke out after listening to her husband complain, again, about their living paycheck to paycheck. “I’d spent the first 10 years of our marriage talking to my wife about real estate,” he recalled. We had no money to do anything, so we’d have ice cream and drive around looking at houses.”

He said his wife finally reached a breaking point. “She said, ‘either shut up about it, or do it.’

“So, I did it.

“That was the fire I needed,” David Hajtun said.

They refinanced their home in 2015 so he could take the real estate classes at a small real estate school in Gainesville. David Hajtun called it the best financial decision he ever made.

Like most newbie real estate agents, his first year in business was all about rentals, but it ended on a high note with his first sale, a single-family home in Haymarket.

It wasn’t a surprise when Mary Anne Hajtun followed her husband into the business.

“David was doing a great job

David and Mary Anne Hajtun enjoy helping their clients find the perfect home to meet their growing needs. in real estate,” she said. “He needed someone to help show houses, and sit for inspections, so I took online classes, took my real estate license exam, and began helping him in 2019.”

“She is fantastic support,” David Hajtun said. “Mary Anne does a lot of behindthe-scenes work, including social media. She loves showing

homes too. She doesn’t like the contract and negotiation side of things so much, but that’s my favorite part, so we work together well.”

The Hajtuns sell all types of properties – single-family homes, townhomes and land.

The smallest property the Hatjuns sold was 1,200 square feet, the largest as a buyer’s agent for a 13,000 square foot

Faces & Places

Setting the stage On the sales side, the Hajtuns stage every property they market to make it shine, and hire a professional photographer to reflect the best attributes. Not surprisingly, David Hajtun’s best real estate advice is basic. “Getting a home inspection … is just one of those wise decisions,” he said. “I give my clients the absolute truth, whether they want to hear it or not.”

David Hajtun said he feels a deep sense of responsibility to help his clients avoid unexpected expenses and one of the ways he does that is by educating them from day one on making wise decisions before buying.

“Investment properties can be very lucrative, but they can also be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing,” he cautioned. “I’m the guy who will at times burst people’s bubbles, I’m not the one who will just tell them what they want to hear just to get their home listed. I never give anyone fluff, I give them facts and numbers to back what I’m saying, from day one I give them real.

“I have a heart for firsttime buyers. I remember how it was when Mary Anne and I were buying our first home,” he said. davidandmaryanne.com Fall 2021

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Fare & Flair Heat up from the inside with spiced wine and brandy Story by Janie Ledyard Photos by Betsy Burke Parker

INSIDE THIS SECTION

• The time is right for pen and paper and garden planning • We’re finding comfort in these traditional seasonal dinner recipes • Local brews get a winter flavor infusion

LIVING WELL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

One benefit to the winter season: Mulled wine warms you, naturally And if it’s not already in your recipe repetoire, it should be – so simple by using this slowcooker method Cozy mugs of steaming mulled wine makes the relentless cold of the season better.

It’s easy – add a few bottles of wine, some brandy, honey (local is best) or maple syrup, spices and citrus peel to a slow-cooker and heat it up.

This is a “recipe” you can recreate to your own taste: Mulled wine is simply wine that’s spiced, sweetened and served warm. Make it more stout with a shot of hard liquor, or not, as you choose.

In Germany, it is called Gluhwein or “glow-wine” and the shot is rum or amaretto. In Scandinavia they serve Gløgg,

Spiced, warmed wine is a perfect cocktail-hour or after-dinner treat in winter.

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adding blanched almonds, raisins and port. Spain’s sangria is similar, although it’s served chilled and filled to the brim with cut fruit. British wassail is a mix of ale, wine or hard cider sweetened with spices, ginger and citrus and served hot.

Whatever your tastes, it’s easy to find one to suit the temperature, or your mood, every day remaining this winter.

There’s a single rule to remember: careful not to mull whole spices for too long – you’re not aiming for a mug of potpourri. Use a bit of restraint not to overdo your spices, too – a couple cinnamon sticks and three or four whole cloves flavor an entire recipe of mulled wine.

In a slow-cooker on low, it takes an hour to heat a bottle of wine. Resist the urge to heat on high as this boils much of the alcohol away.

Mulled wine improves as it sits – flip the cooker to “warm” after an hour; flavors mellow and the spices will perfume the whole house.

Serve in heat-proof glass

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Slow-cooker mulled wine Serves 10 to 12 2 bottles red wine 1/2 cup brandy 1/2 cup maple syrup or local honey Optional spices: 4 whole cloves 2 whole star anise pods 2 cinnamon sticks Peel of 1/2 orange, lemon or lime, white pith removed Combine all ingredients in slow-cooker. Cover and heat on low for one hour.

Lower heat to “warm.”

Ladle into mugs or heatproof glasses and garnish as desired.

mugs or standard coffee mugs.

Set out colorful bowls of individual garnishes – orange, lime or lemon slices, strips of citrus peel, fresh cranberries, cinnamon sticks, star anise pods or sugared coffee stir-sticks.

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Comfort food skews tasteful, cozy, filling Put your own twist on traditional fare this season

By Sandy Greeley Comfort food engenders a sense of well-being and protection against the elements, often bringing back memories of childhood meals and fireside chats.

Chile con queso Serves 8 to 10 2 tablespoons butter 1 onion, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, mashed 1 jalapeno, diced 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded, then diced One 2-pound block Velveeta cheese, cut into squares Two 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles ½ cup chopped cilantro Taco chips for serving In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and garlic.

Stir for a few minutes until they start to turn golden. Add the diced chiles and cook three minutes more. Add the cubed cheese and the diced tomatoes with the liquid and reduce the heat to low. Stir the cheese until totally melted, then stir in the cilantro.

Serve warm with chips.

Corn and crabmeat soup Serves 2 to 3 1 can creamed corn 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 pound crab meat, picked clean of shell and cartilage 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger Dash sesame oil Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

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Food writer Valentina Wein notes in her “Cooking on the Weekends” that comfort foods are calming and warming, and usually fairly easy to make.

Here are some of our favorite go-to winter dishes.

Lemon meringue pie Serves 6 1/4 cup cornstarch 3 tablespoons flour 1 3/4 cup sugar 2 cups boiling water 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 egg yolks, slightly beaten 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 2 tablespoons butter 1 large baked pie shell, 9 to 10 inches Filling: 4 egg whites 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 cup sugar In a double boiler, mix cornstarch, flour, sugar, and salt.

Add boiling water and cook until thick and clear (medium heat). Pour a small amount of the hot mixture on beaten egg yolks and stir. Pour beaten egg yolk mixture into double boiler, stir and cook until thick (medium heat). Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, grated rind, and butter. Let cool.

To make the meringue, beat egg whites with cream of tartar on medium speed of mixer until frothy. Add sugar 2 tablespoons. at a time while beating, until stiff peaks are formed when beaters are raised. When placing on top of lemon filling, do the edges first and then fill in the center.

Pour into baked pie shell.

Cover with meringue and bake in a 400-degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until brown.

Let cool before serving. If you cut pie with a knife dipped in cold water, the meringue will cut nicely and not tear.

PHOTO BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

This winter pork stew can be customized with different beans and different spices to suit your taste. Serve piping hot in pre-warmed ceramic bowls.

Cuban pork and black bean stew Serves 8 1 pound dried black beans ½ cup tomato paste 3 cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon grated orange zest ½ cup orange juice 1 tablespoon cumin 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 large onion, thinly sliced 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 pounds boneless or bone-in pork shoulder Salt 2 tablespoons olive oil In a large bowl, cover beans with cool water and soak overnight. Rinse and drain.

In a large slow cooker, whisk together tomato paste, broth, orange zest, orange juice, cumin, oregano, red pepper and garlic.

Stir in beans and onion.

Sprinkle pork with salt. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork, turning with tongs, until brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Place pork on top of bean mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until beans are tender and pork is cooked through and easily shredded, 6 to 7 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Shred pork and serve with cooked white or brown rice, sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.

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Brrrr, beer in winter

Warm up to these super local selections

By John Daum If you moved to Fauquier County even as recently as 15 years ago, the best you might have hoped for in terms of sort-of local-ish beer might be the occasional offering from Richmond’s Legend Brewery Company.

Their classic Brown Ale, which was eventually renamed The Virginia Original, was indeed a harbinger of things to come in the Commonwealth, though. Looking back, the change from brewing desert to a shining oasis was excruciatingly slow.

Fast forward to today, and anyone lucky enough to move to the Virginia Piedmont region is delighted to discover here a rich landscape of breweries, distilleries and wineries welcoming thousands of visitors throughout the year.

Whether you’re a multi-generational local or a new arrival to Fauquier – a “been here” or a “came here” – there’s lots to take in on the area’s beer roster.

Some of the best local beer is brewed right here in the county seat — Wort Hog Brewing Company in Old Town Warrenton. With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, including a great rooftop bar, this is a fantastic place to try new offerings and to linger

Beer and pork sliders at Wort Hog Brewing Company in Warrenton

over old favorites.

You’ll find about a dozen beers on draft on any typical day, including something for just about anyone in your group. For the craft beer lover, order up a pint of Brass Knuckle Sammich. This beer is a bold Imperial IPA with a rich palette of hops and a crisp layering of bitterness on the back-end that is very enticing.

If you want to go even bigger, ask for a snifter of Legacy 2021. According to head brewer Ben McLauchlin – formerly at Tin Cannon Brewery in Gainesville — this dark Imperial Stout was aged for a year and half in Bourbon barrels, which gives it an enticing flavor profile. It tops out at 16% ABV so it makes for a great slow sipper over an order of pork sliders from the kitchen.

If you are traveling with someone who likes their beer with a sweeter finish, be sure to sample Orange Dreamsicle, a lower alcohol Cream Ale that balances more acidic citrus flavors with an appealing blend of vanilla cream.

Just up the street from Wort Hog, Warrenton’s Old Town is filled with fun and unusual stores for a full day of shopping and great restaurants to please even the pickiest of eaters. It’s also home to another great local beer stop, Altered Suds. To reach the brewery, you need to enter from Main Street and head down a flight of stairs or enter from the side street, where there are a number of picnic tables set up for sunny Virginia afternoons.

Over the past year, sour beers have continued as one of the most popular beer styles around. You will not be disappointed with Altered Sud’s very own Strawberry Fluff.

This beer will knock you over with its delicious combination strawberries and marshmallow, brewed with an inviting

Local brews have become the toast of the town, with seasonal flavors providing more punch, and a little warmth, in winter. under-layer of sour notes that compliments the sweeter elements.

For lager lovers looking for something a little unusual, order up a pint of Thoughts of the Mad. This looks and smells like a traditional German Schwarzbier, but has a lighter touch of maltiness that is nicely refreshing.

For a more traditional IPA, the brewery’s first beer, Late to the Party, is a perennial crowd favorite and is a great choice for sipping outside with friends.

If you are looking for a farm brewery experience, shift down the road to visit Powers Farm and Brewery. Unlike some breweries that use a few ingredients from their land in the brewing process but rely mostly on commercial ingredients, Powers is a working organic farm that is committed to using locally sourced ingredients from their farm in every beer they brew.

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Farm-grown ingredients include hops, flowers, herbs and fruit.

A trip to Powers can be a true discovery for anyone not familiar with beer styles that use such ingredients. A good place to start would be Raspberry Saison, which is made with their very own saison yeast and fermented with an abundance of raspberries that give it a refreshingly crisp and tart flavor. Another great offering would be the Butternut Brown Ale made with all Virginia malts and an enticing blend of local butternuts and pumpkins which create highly enjoyable ale that is easy on the palette yet full of character and depth.

For anyone in your group that is interested in a non-alcoholic beverage, be sure to sample some of their home-made kombucha flavored with fruits from the farm. And if you have kids in-tow, you can’t go wrong with the Birch Rootbeer.

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Prohibited or not, we love our libations Hear the wild stories of county raids when making moonshine was hidden in the hollows

By John Toler The history of alcohol beverage production in the U.S. goes back to Colonial times. Virginian George Washington distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon; Thomas Jefferson had his vineyards at Monticello.

Large-scale production of booze was concentrated in cities, naturally, though private citizens made – and sometimes sold – homebrews without government controls or interference.

By the 1900s, it was apparent that America had a drinking problem. A growing number of progressives and rural churchgoers sought to prohibit production, possession and sale of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. in an effort to get it under control.

It was argued that abuse of alcohol contributed to family violence and political corruption and some communities had actually introduced local prohibi-

Relics of the past, moonshine stills - which must be registered with the Virginia ABC Board - are in the hands of museums and collectors.

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Prohibition resulted in illegal distilleries, mostly found in remote places. This photo, taken in the 1920s, shows Sheriff W. Stanley Woolf (in black jacket and tie) standing over a large still found in Fauquier County. tion laws on their own. The loss of the tax money collected on alcohol sales was inconsequential, supporters argued, compared to moral and social costs.

A powerful grassroots effort headed by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, later, by the Anti-Saloon League, managed to get Prohibition mandated in several states. By early 1919, 36 states had approved the proposed 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and the U.S. officially became “dry” with ratification a year later.

Virginia had set its own prohibition legislation in 1916, inadvertently creating an illegal cottage industry almost custom-designed for the still-rural Piedmont.

According to the 2009 book, “250 Years in Fauquier County, a Virginia Story,” three years after national prohibition, Fauquier County jailer J.W. Shirley reported that of 89 prisoners in the jail in 1922, 23 were there for liquor violations.

Virginia’s cottage industrialists pushed back, by 1923 being the third-largest producer of moonshine in the nation. The rough, mountainous Free State area just south of Marshall led in production, but southern Fauquier moonshiners contributed to the shadow economy.

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Fauquier sheriff in the 1930s, W. S. Woolf (1885-1966) was charged with enforcing Prohibition laws. Among reported raids, in January 1932, lawmen took down a moonshine operation with a 450-gallon copper still in Rectortown, destroying 35 gallons of moonshine and 2,500 gallons of mash.

End of Prohibition With the passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933, Prohibition was repealed; from then on, alcohol production was heavily regulated — and taxed.

In November 1938, Officer J. Keith James and two tax officers — “Revenuers” — raided a distilling operation found deep in the woods below Elk Run. There, they found a 100-gallon still, seven fermenters and 300 gallons of mash. The perpetrator, a 31-year old man, was taken into custody.

On July 27, 1940, a raid on an operation near Morrisville resulted in the destruction of a 150-gallon copper still and 300 gallons of rye mash. A September raid near David (on present-day Quantico Marine Corps Base) yielded a 150-gallon still and 400 gallons of mash.

See PROHIBITION, page 49

PROHIBITION, from page 48 Four days later, law officers found a small operation in the woods 300 yards from John Marshall Highway near Markham; they found, upended and destroyed a 60-gallon still and 100 gallons of mash.

Dangerous business A raid conducted at the end of September could have had fatal consequences. A law enforcement team entered a building on the Tharpe place near Delaplane, where brothers Jesse and Philip Tharpe were allegedly operating a still.

Officers were met by Jesse Tharpe, who fired a pistol concealed in his pocket. One deputy was hit in the leg.

Tharpe fired a second shot, wounding himself and ending the standoff.

Both were taken to Dr. J. W. Sinclair in Warrenton; Tharpe was later indicted by a grand jury in federal court in Alexandria for the shooting.

The Tharpe brothers were charged with “unlawful manufacture of ardent spirits.” The still was confiscated.

A raid of an operation near Catlett in April, 1941 resulted in destruction of 250 gallons of mash and 4½ gallons of whiskey. Four men were arrested.

After that, brewing moonshine appears to have gone deeper underground.

On Sept. 8, 1960, deputies Luther Cox and John Swain, along with Game Warden Gordon Wilkes, crept up on a still in the woods near Conde south of Marshall.

“The fire was going and the whiskey was coming through,” Cox recalled.

Found at the site were eight barrels of mash and nine gallons of 120-proof whiskey.

A week later, the lawmen and an ABC investigator discovered a 50-gallon copper still and 100 gallons of mash near Hume. No one was found at the scene, but the equipment was duly destroyed.

A 1962 raid in Bristersburg led by Cox uncovered an industrial-size 1,800-gallon still.

“It was a big operation,” Cox recalled. “They were pumping water uphill with a 2 ½-inch hose.”

One serious collector has put together a complete collection, with stills and a vintage Ford “moonshine runner” loaded with the ingredients.

In January 1964, deputies Cox and Bill Olinger, along with Virginia State Troopers Charles Baber and Ronald Willis, raided a home on Va. 28 (Catlett Road) near Calverton where a local man was fermenting mash in containers on his back porch in a 60-gallon still heated by two

bottled gas stoves. He was arrested and the operation was dismantled.

It is believed that the last raid on a still in Fauquier County was in the early 1980s.

Most old moonshine stills are now in the hands of collectors, and must be registered with the Virginia ABC Board.

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Planning the vegetable garden – A perfect winter project

By Sally Harmon Semple The middle of winter is a great time to start planning this year’s vegetable garden.

Want to try a new veggie, expand or build your first garden or simply increase yields?

A few easy preparation steps in winter will put you on the right path.

1. Look at your garden site like it’s the first time you’ve ever seen it.

• Discover where it is sunny, where it is shady and what times of day.

• An easy way to find the hottest places in your yard is to see where the snow melts first. Snow melts also give a clue about where soil drains well, compared to where it ices over.

• Take a picture when the snow is partially melted to help you remember the best placement for sun-loving plants.

• Most vegetables need an inch of water every week, applied in the form of rainwater, irrigation water or both. Some vegetables, like tomatoes and melons, prefer more.

• Too often, vegetables are stressed waiting for the afternoon rainstorm or gardener that did not come.

• If your water source is not convenient enough to make watering easy, plan now for how you will get that water Veggie guide for Fauquier’s zone 6b and 7 • Spring-loving (and, bonus, partial shade tolerant) – arugula, beets, carrots, chard, collards, kale, lettuce, parsley, radish, spinach, turnips • Heat-loving and full sun required – basil, green beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, okra, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes 50

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Plant a space you know you can handle so you don’t get overwhelmed with work next spring and summer. source closer. Taking the time to bury a waterline and locate a spigot next to your garden will save you time hauling and hose reels and will make you a more reliable waterer.

2. Daydream – What do you want to grow?

• Grow what you like to eat.

• This sounds obvious, but many gardeners grow a crop out of convention or because their grandmother grew it, not because they love that vegetable.

• It’s OK if you don’t like zucchini – try something new instead.

• Also, grow what likes your plot, and include time-tested, reliable varieties that have performed well.

• If you’re willing to grow

your garden, each season try a new variety or a vegetable you’ve never grown before.

3. Put it on paper.

• Sketch out where in your garden you are going to put all these gorgeous vegetables.

• This helps maximize productivity of your garden space and will help avoid planting the same thing in the same spot two years in a row.

• Consider plant height.

Place tall and trellised vegetables on the north side of the garden so they won’t shade the shorter crops.

• Consider shade tolerance.

Most vegetables want full sun, but shade-tolerant leafy vegetables can be grown in partial-shade areas of the garden.

Play with your plans on graph paper, before you start digging.

• Give your plants breathing room by reading space recommendations on the seed packet or vegetable planting guides. Crowding plants diminishes yield and accelerates spread of disease and insects.

• On the other hand, too-distant spacing hinders pollination in some crops such as corn, wastes garden space and creates more places for weeds.

• Crop rotation is key: Don’t plant vegetables from the same family (e.g. tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes) in the same location every year. Disease and insects that attack one type of plant are likely to also damage closely related plants.

A three-year crop rotation will discourage pest and pathogen populations from building up in the soil.

• This is the time to plan for spring and fall crops.

Here in Fauquier, we have three trustworthy seasons for crops – spring, summer and fall. Summer crops are, of course, most prolific, and often are productive into the fall. Tomatoes, squash and peppers can carry your garden, but early season letSee GARDEN, page 51

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GARDEN, from page 50

Do your homework for healthy garden soil To minimize pests and pathogens, do not plant vegetables from the same family in the same spot every year.

Plant families: • Nightshade (Solanaceae) – tomatoes, tomatillos, pepper, eggplant, potatoes (not sweet potatoes) • Gourd (Cucurbitaceae) – squash, zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, melons, gourds • Mustard (Brassicaceae) – broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, turnips, radishes, arugula • Amaranth (Amaranthaceae) – spinach, chard, beets • Aster (Asteraceae) – lettuce, endive • Legume (Fabaceae) – beans, peas, peanuts

tuce and other greens can start in March. That space can be given to hot weather plants – late-producing tomatoes, sweet potatoes, when the spring crop stops thriving.

4. Get real.

• Now that you’ve developed a grand plan, take a step back. How much time can you devote to your garden on a regular basis? Rightsize your garden so weekly weeding, watering and pest control is a ritual you can enjoy, not another unfinished chore.

5. Buy and build • Order seeds in February to ensure enough time if you’re starting seeds indoors. Seed starts need at least six weeks inside.

• Winter also features local seed exchanges, or check with neighbors and friends who garden for new varieties. Most seed packets contain more seeds than the small home gardener will

use, so consider sharing.

• Identify the plant supports your crops need before you plant. Spend the last of winter building a trellis or stakes for climbers when you have more time.

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Heuchera – A four-season garden workhorse Shade, cold, no deterrent to this leafy lovely

By Tom Baughn Heuchera are all-season plants, providing attractive foliage even in winter.

Colors range from lime green to deep purple, and shades of yellow and gold, depending on the varietal.

When planting this shade-loving plant, select brighter colors if you’re planting in full shade and intersperse deeper hues between bright-colored selections so they’re not overlooked.

Heuchera’s spikes of white and red flowers attract hummingbirds spring and summer, and in the fall, the leaves take center stage, lasting all through winter as one of the few plants in the region that really lives up to the all-season moniker.

The heuchera species villosa is especially robust. Some villosa bloom in late summer and early fall and their foliage

persists better in the winter. Favorite for this area are Georgia Peach, Caramel, Southern Comfort and Citronelle.

Reliable Purple Palace, tellima grandiflora, is a robust, if prolific, specimen.

Early 20th-century doctors used heuchera for its astringent and antiseptic properties as well as a poultice for boils or sores that would not heal. East coast native Americans used it “to treat sores, wounds, ulcers and as a base in powders meant to treat cancer,” according to author Dan Heims, whose book “Heucheras and Heucherellas” is a botanist’s bible.

When planting heuchera, be patient: they’re often slow to take root and sometimes difficult to establish. When it matures, though, it will reward you by producing an excellent ground cover. In addition to garden interest in the middle

of winter, heuchera retain their leaves year-round, therefore denying weed seeds the light they need to germinate when spring comes.

The secret for successful cultivation in the mid-Atlantic region’s sometimes clay-heavy soil is to plant heuchera seedlings on top of six-inch high mounds of improved, rich humus soil. When there is less than an inch of rain, water once a week during growing season.

For the first two years, it is critical to mulch around plants with shredded leaf mulch once or twice a year.

There are two basic types of heuchera, woodlanders and crevice dwellers. Woodland varietals thrive in more shade and richer soil. Crevice dwellers, like an alpine plant, do better cultivated with more sand in the soil, and they need more light.

Relatively speaking A native full to dappled shade broadleaf evergreen to semi-evergreen, in Zone 7, the perennial heuchera genus is in the saxifragaceae family. Common names are alumroot or coral bells.

Heuchera, bred with tiarella, produce heucherella, known by the common name of “Foam Flowers.”

Heuchera plants come in a rainbow of colors and shades; the perennial foliage provides excellent ground cover, showy even in winter.

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Growing courage as a 61-year-old It only took two tiny wheels and a midget motor (and a helping hand from a friend) I’ve ridden bumpy trains and taken memorable solo drives cross-country, managed to stay atop a galloping horse and once stuck with a reluctant, zig-zagging donkey in Italy.

I’ve been the passenger on many a motorcycle ride, navigated mopeds on busy streets in Portugal and rode a wobbly lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

My most daring feat was running down a cobblestone street in platform heels as a teen living in Europe.

Yet somehow the thought of getting on a motorized scooter as part of research for a magazine article paralyzed me with fear.

Scooters are cute, right?

They come in fun colors, and the electric rides I’d seen on street corners in the city looked fun and youthful.

The previous experiences

ALISSA JONES THE LAST WORD with fear-free mobility all happened during more agile decades of my life, and now, at age 61, I couldn’t imagine zipping down a public road standing on a small metal frame supported on tiny rubber tires propelled by a midget motor.

Heck, lately, I’ve been known to trip walking up the stairs.

A chance meeting changed that perspective.

While doing research for the piece I wrote in this magazine on the new scooter proposal in Old Town Warrenton, I met a

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Fall 2021

John Zuelrke found new mobility with his electric bicycle. man about my age who’d suffered a life-changing trauma as a teen. John Zuelrke was pushed down a flight of stairs at a party by another teen when he was 16. He suffered a blood clot in the brain and has had medical problems ever since.

Several years after the incident, he began experiencing Grand Mal seizures; with his epilepsy diagnosis, Zuelrke lost his driver’s license.

Zuelrke lost one type of freedom but he discovered another.

Zuelrke had ridden bicycles all his life, he says, so the thought of swapping a car for an electric-propelled bike was not a problem. He was thrilled to tame the transport challenge, and since has become a fixture in his town, scooting around and retaining his mobility.

Zuelrke says he’s logged hundreds of miles traveling on his Class C paddle-assisted electric bike. About two years ago, Zuelrke’s wife, Maryjane, purchased one as well so she could accompany her husband. But Maryjane, too, was initially apprehensive.

The pair was on an anniversary trip in Arizona a few years back. Zuelrke suggested they rent electric bikes and go on a ride together around the scenic lake at their resort.

Maryjane recalls her apprehension at the prospect, but in the end she agreed.

“It was so much fun,” she admits, “and I actually found it more exhilarating than scary.

The Last Word

“Biking gives us something to do together.”

“As a disabled person, this is my only means of transportation,” and an important part of retaining an amount of independence, explains Zuelrke. “I have the need for it, but I also have the need of being with my wife and best friend, so it’s become recreational as well.”

Zuelrke says he and his wife can drive 40 miles on what they call “date days.” They live in San Diego, and especially like riding on the coast, but as Zuelrke says, “there’s nowhere we can’t go.”

They’ve traveled to Coronado and even to the Mexican border. Their favorite date day is riding the Coaster Train to Oceanside, having lunch at their favorite cafe then riding their electric bikes back home.

“It’s an all-day affair,” says Zuelrke. “Each date is a priceless memory.”

As motorized mobility becomes more attainable, Zuelrke says he hopes more people – disabled and not – will discover the fun and pleasure of scooter transport.

Hearing Zuerlke’s real-life experience both humbled me and gave me the courage to give the stand-up scooter a whirl.

Literally.

Still nervous, I buckled on a helmet, stepped aboard and drove away. The scooter felt sturdier and more stable than I thought it would, and after one block, I wanted to go another, and another.

None of my fears materialized – I did not trip getting on, and I did not fall off.

Zuelrke and his wife get full credit for helping me find the moral to this story, even though I didn’t realize it would have one. What I first believed to be intimidating, embarrassing and perhaps too daunting a challenge became achievable, with the help of some friends.

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