Stafford Magazine | August/September 2021

Stafford

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The

Water Melon Man INSIDENOVA

Farmer from North Carolina popular, but something of a mystery

LOCAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS

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CONTENTS

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www.staffordmagazine.com Stafford Magazine is published every other month and distributed to over 9,000 selected addresses. While reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to Stafford Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to any such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. While ensuring that all published information is accurate, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any mistakes or omissions. Reproduction in whole or part of any of the text, illustrations or photographs is strictly forbidden. ©2021 Rappahannock Media LLC.

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AMAZING KIDS

Connecting Worlds Stafford students make a difference after meeting Ugandan video pals

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NEIGHBORS

Recognizing History Meet the local leaders behind Juneteenth celebrations

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COVER STORY

The Watermelon Man Popular farmer from North Carolina something of a mystery

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NONPROFITS

An Important Function Stafford Junction helps the county’s neediest

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BUSINESS

COMMUNITY NEWS

Testing Technology

Safety improvements at Port of Falmouth, Lake Mooney

New Stafford program works with entrepreneurs, Internet of Things

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SPORTS

Net Gain Local beach volleyball club generates growing interest

VOICES

A chat with the sheriff ON THE COVER: Gary Sessoms, known as the “watermelon man,” can be found many weekends in Stafford and surrounding areas.

Photo by Paul Lara.

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AMAZING KIDS

Connecting Worlds Stafford students make a difference after meeting Ugandan video pals

BY TRACY BELL

Students in Kelley Kruzel’s class at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School held video chats with students at a school in Uganda and were shown traditional Ugandan dances (left).

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A

n unlikely friendship developed last school year between a Stafford County fifth-grade class and students in Uganda. Since then, a series of video chats has blossomed into an even stronger impact than either group imagined.

Their teachers wanted to help their students learn about a different world, so they connected through the website, Empatico.com, which matches educators and their classes through live video all over the world.

Fifth-grade teacher Kelley Kruzel of Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School said that Tugavune Ronnie Wilson – known as Ronnie – reached out to her through the website and told her he teaches students at Green Valley Child Care Primary School

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in Uganda.

“I wanted my kids to see the world is different, that not every school is like Stafford,” Kruzel said.

Both teachers saw an opportunity – because what are the odds that local fifth-graders would meet a class of schoolaged friends in Uganda, had it not been for two teachers who wanted to show them a different world?

The website asks participants to fill out a questionnaire sharing the age range of their class along with their location in the world and available meeting times. Teachers can then review possible matches and reach out to other educators to connect as video pals.

The two classes met weekly on Fridays for an hour, and their first meeting was the first time many of the Ugandan students had seen a computer operate.

“They were completely shocked and wouldn’t talk to me or answer our kids at first,” Kruzel said.

The second time, Kruzel met with the Ugandan group by herself for two hours, and they peppered her with questions.

“They asked me if our trees lose leaves in the wintertime,” she said. Since it was winter, she walked outside to show them the bare trees.

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Kelley Kruzel

Tugavune Ronnie Wilson The two classes were fascinated by the many differences between them but also marveled over the similarities.

“We learned things like they have to walk to get water, their classroom has no air conditioning and no floors; the whole classroom was very basic,” said Bronx Behrens, a student in Kruzel’s class last school year. “We learned that they like sports and take end of year exams just like us.”

Zoey Borges Vazquez, another of Kruzel’s students, said that when her class found out the Ugandan students took endof-year exams, they assembled a box of treat bags and pencils.

“We also sent them the game, Uno,” Zoey noted, and wrote “encouraging letters and notes telling them how amazing they are.”

Excited to learn English, the Ugandan students showed the letters to their families

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021

and practiced so they could communicate more easily with their American friends.

“There wasn’t a lot of monetary value to the items we sent, but they made such a tremendous impact on the Ugandan students,” Kruzel said.

The two classes played the game “That’s Me” together, where their teachers described something they enjoy, such as sports or art, and students stood if it applied to them, too.

They learned lessons centered on kindness and culture and taught one another dances.

The Ugandan children learned the Macarena, and the American class learned a traditional Kiganda dance used to welcome visitors to Ugandan villages.

Penny Wars, a student-run fundraiser, raised close to $600 to assist the Ugandans

The Ugandan students open a package of treats sent to them by the Stafford class (left photo).

Above, the Stafford students hold up peace cranes they made.

in repairing concrete and installing a roof on their classroom.

Zoey said it made her happy that the students all wanted to learn and be kind.

When they could have spent money on candy or toys, she said, they donated it instead to help.

Kruzel still keeps in touch with

Wilson, but because Uganda has been in a COVID-19 lockdown, Wilson isn’t sure when his students will return. When they do, Kruzel said, student communication will certainly resume.

Kruzel said she noticed a change in her students, first connecting to learn more about the world, but ultimately gaining more than she expected. Wilson wanted his students to see a bigger world, and that was accomplished, said Kruzel, noting that the program also made her students want to make an impact.

“We read a lot of stories about how one person can make a change and I see this reflected in our school,” Kruzel said.

She recalled that one of her students came to school one day eager to find out how she could impact the community that day – so the class picked up trash. “I’m not sure if she would have had that thought if we weren’t already talking about ‘making change’ in Uganda every day.”

Tracy Bell is a freelancer living in Stafford County.

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NEIGHBORS

Recognizing History Local leaders organize Juneteenth celebrations

BY T R ACY B EL L |

P H OTOS BY DARED IG I TA L S

Pamela Yeung (in red, photo at left, and in black, photos below) and Eunice Haigler (second from left, bottom left photo) organized local Juneteenth celebrations that included performances, dances and costumes.

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P

op quiz: Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865 – but why?

Many know the answer, some have a vague recollection and others are staring blankly at this page.

Now that Juneteenth is a state and federal holiday, local organizers hope to make it a universally known day, celebrated by people of every color.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, when many enslaved people finally realized they were free – 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas, but has been celebrated more heavily in some regions than others, yet all over the world for more than 150 years. It also serves to celebrate Black culture.

Stafford County School Board member Pamela Yeung, who represents the Garrisonville District, put on a Juneteenth extravaganza earlier this summer and the summer prior.

She hopes that all children learn about Juneteenth in school.

“It’s a proud moment when your history is being recognized,” she said, “even though parts of history can be hurtful.”

Yeung said that she and fellow organizers wanted to help the community learn about Juneteenth, so they held the now-annual extravaganza at John Lee Pratt Memorial Park.

It included performances, dance, costumes, a variety of food, games, activities and fireworks.

Yeung, who hails from Holland and whose parents are from the Caribbean, said she wanted to infuse a historic, carnival-like feel into the program. Her inspiration for the event was Nyri Harris, whom Yeung met at a Black Lives Matter event in 2020. Harris told Yeung about Juneteenth’s importance, helped her brainstorm and assisted with the artistic components of the event.

When they first discussed making Juneteenth a local celebration, racial and political tensions were high, the pandemic was in its early stage and people were tired but longing for something to celebrate, Yeung said.

Chatham resident Eunice Haigler, a long-time local activist, could relate.

She attended Yeung’s event last year and contributed to it this year but has held her own Juneteenth celebrations in years past.

Enslaved people celebrated their freedom instead of becoming hostile or destroying things, Haigler said.

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This year’s Juneteenth celebration drew about 1,000 people to John Lee Pratt Memorial Park for a variety of activities.

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021

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Similarly, she wants Juneteenth to be about unity and celebrating.

“It’s a celebration of freedom for everyone,” said Haigler, who works as a district liaison for Del. Joshua Cole, D-28th, and first informed him about the history of Juneteenth.

Before Cole was a delegate, Haigler invited him through a mutual friend to sing at a Juneteenth celebration, and he agreed – but he had no idea about Juneteenth.

Fast forward a few years: Cole, now a delegate, introduced the bill that resulted in Juneteenth’s new holiday status. It was one of the first he worked on as a delegate, and he tipped his hat to Haigler for bringing it to his attention.

The legislation was actually in the pipeline previously, but with civil rights, race and equality issues at center stage in 2021, the bill made it through.

Haigler created a church race coalition before joining the grassroots organization, Virginia Organizing – which works to right social wrongs. She has worked on social issues and civil and racial rights as well as Medicaid expansion, immigration reform and criminal justice matters.

“We have to fight for what we believe in, not stand by and let the status quo take place,” said Haigler, whose focus is often personal – not just political.

Her own health battle left her partially blind, for instance, and she felt a pull to help others.

But Juneteenth isn’t her first brush with civil rights.

As a teenager in the 1960s, she attended civil rights marches in Washington, where she said she was maced.

Years later, she was arrested during an immigration reform protest.

Now, she hopes to do her part for future Juneteenth celebrations, and envisions a gala, multiple parades and expansion beyond Stafford.

As for Yeung, she enjoyed putting Juneteenth together, despite a lot of work. Her first event drew about 300 people and this year’s about 1,000.

She stressed a gentler approach to the outcry over social issues and the importance of framing reactions to best educate young people and bridge a gap so that other races gain a better perspective.

For a while, she told everyone she came across about Juneteenth – including an aspiring rapper she met at Home Depot and a step team.

Yeung said she provided them a stage to perform, which made them feel like true celebrities.

Now, she’s looking forward to the next Juneteenth and what more it can become.

“I want it to be big,” Yeung said, “and I want it to be awesome.”

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Tracy Bell is a freelancer living in Stafford County.

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The

Water Melon Man Farmer from North Carolina popular, but something of a mystery

BY TRACY BELL | PHOTOS BY PAUL LARA

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H

e shows up in hot weather peddling oversized watermelons out of his white Ford pickup.

He can be elusive, but maybe that’s part

of the fun.

Garry Sessoms, a farmer from Roanoke Rapids, N.C., has become something of a celebrity in Stafford County.

For years, the fellow nicknamed “Watermelon Man” has made the trek to Stafford and surrounding areas, including Fredericksburg and Woodbridge. He brings peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, orange melons, squash and so much more, along with the star of the show: gigantic watermelon.

Sessoms arrives clad in his signature uniform: a straw hat, plaid long-sleeved shirt and overalls.

He carts in juicy, scrumptious looking fruits and vegetables in every color and lays them out neatly, then sits back in the blazing sun until the customers come.

And they do.

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These days, Sessoms is most often found in the 7-Eleven parking lot on the corner of Garrisonville and Mine roads in North Stafford.

And if he’s not there, plenty of people are looking for him.

They discuss it regularly on social media, with “Watermelon Man” sightings drawing excitement.

Locals who spot Sessoms will quickly report it to Facebook and other social media sites, while others hoping to chase him down at the right day and time sometimes fail to find him.

The posts go like this: “Garry, will you be in Stafford this week?”

“Anyone know where ‘Garry Watermelon’ is today?”

“Garry, are you at 7-Eleven tomorrow?”

Perhaps he plays into his own popularity, or maybe he’s just busy.

Sometimes Sessoms announces where he plans to be on his Facebook page, but not always.

People inquiring about his whereabouts don’t typically receive a reply from Sessoms in time to find him — which leaves them discussing the situation further.

They marvel at the taste and size of the watermelons.

One man said he wasn’t expecting a 50-pound watermelon, then commented on how delicious it was.

Others said they make visiting Sessoms’ stand an experience, chatting with him and taking their children along to meet “Watermelon Man.”

Some take pictures among the fruits and veggies and post them to social media — and Sessoms happily obliges them — or he’ll pose with children who’ve stopped by.

He even allows customers to taste samples before they buy.

Some say that Sessoms’ watermelons are pricey, at $10-$20 a pop. Others say they’re well worth it – so tasty and big that the charge makes sense.

Sessoms also sells his produce to vendors in North Carolina.

But last summer as the pandemic was in its early stages, locals posted that they were worried about “Watermelon Man” and hadn’t seen him. A rumor even swirled that he had passed away.

Soon, Sessoms emerged, to everyone’s delight, posting that he was alive and well – and just cautiously weighing how to proceed with his business during a pandemic.

So, as the season winds down, keep a look out for the last glimpses of Sessoms – a mysterious symbol of summer in Stafford – until next season.

Tracy Bell is a free-lance writer who lives in Stafford County.

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NONPROFITS

An Important Function Stafford Junction helps the county’s neediest

BY ERIC ALTHO FF

O

n a quiet stretch of the county near the intersection of Truslow and Enon roads, a repurposed house has become a home for many. This is where Stafford Junction, a charitable organization that serves Stafford County’s neediest residents, has operated for many years.

Mark F. Cartledge, the nonprofit’s executive director and CEO, moved to the area from the Washington suburbs a few years ago. “Being young to this community, I didn’t even really know we had homeless people and a poverty issue.”

Cartledge estimates that up to 7% of Stafford residents live in poverty, particularly in neighborhoods such as Foxwood Village and Olde Forge. While

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Mark Cartledge (top photo) with a group of youth from Stafford Junction, which offers numerous programs (bottom photo) at its facility at Truslow and Enon roads. below the national rate of 13% (according to the Urban Institute), this means a substantial number of Stafford residents go to bed hungry.

Taking care of Stafford County’s neediest and most underserved wasn’t easy even before the pandemic. With COVID-19,

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021

Stafford Junction had to step up to meet – and surpass – issues of want that the pandemic only exacerbated.

Before March 2020, the Junction handed out 150 Tide-Me-Over-Bags each month, with provisions for a meal to feed a family of four. After COVID arrived, that number soared to 6,000.

“I didn’t have any more staff, so we relied on a lot of volunteers,” Cartledge said of those early days of lockdown, during which his organization also delivered personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer and other supplies to the community.

Stafford Junction is a faith-based initiative that serves seven low-income neighborhoods, many of which include trailer parks and low-income housing, along with seven schools. When grant money dries up – which it does, often – Stafford Junction relies on charitable donations.

“During the [first months] of COVID, we did pretty well raising money,” Cartledge said, “but it didn’t take long – about six months after the outbreak – that we started seeing cuts across the board.”

Cartledge spent 45 years working for the YMCA, where he was responsible for ensuring enough money came in to cover various programs and activities. But the YMCA could count on membership dues and other “earned income,” whereas Stafford Junction relies solely upon donations large and small. But in Cartledge’s three years with the Junction, he has shepherded the Building a Better Tomorrow Campaign, which aims to break the cycle of poverty.

His goal this year is to raise $115,000 to offset operating expenses as well as to engage in additional community outreach. If the fundraising goal isn’t met, that means cuts elsewhere.

Furthermore, the board of directors will see changes soon as its chair and longesttenured member, Steve Acock, will be stepping down.

“I’ve used what knowledge and skills I’ve [acquired] in 45 years in the Y [at the Junction], particularly in staff and board development,” Cartledge said. He added that he has grown the board from a halfdozen members to its current roster of 15.

“So we not only have a body, we have a job

Another program, called HUGS, aims to reach at-risk toddlers early, and the Summer Junction program melds outdoor activities with lessons designed to ward off the learning slump when school is out.

Summer Junction also includes a Blue Line Baseball program, in which the youth are taught both sportsmanship and fundamentals of the game by members of

Recent activities at Stafford Junction have included paddleboarding and learning about forensics.

PHOTOS BY GREG MINOR

description, and that job description is not easy on personnel.”

Cartledge has two full-time staff members, both of whom speak English and Spanish. Many of the families they serve are undocumented, but Stafford Junction doesn’t believe in asking for naturalization status – or any other status, for that matter – of those they help.

“We’re faith-driven, so everybody is worthy of a ‘hand up,’” instead of a handout, Cartledge said. “Whether you agree with the politics of immigration or not, it really doesn’t matter to us, because our job isn’t to play politics. Our job is to make sure we are taking care of families and kids – and helping them hopefully get out of generational poverty.”

Among Stafford Junction’s educational programs are Brain Builders, an after-school tutoring program that offers a STEAM curriculum, with the “A” standing for arts.

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Stafford Junction’s programs include (clockwise from left) the Blue Line Baseball Program with the Stafford Sheriff’s Office, a summer learning program and food distribution.

the Stafford County Sheriff 's Office, who volunteer their time.

“Kids are not necessarily brought up to appreciate authority, particularly sheriffs and/or police, so this gives [them] a great opportunity to interact with” law enforcement, Cartledge said. Sometimes the officers even bring their police dogs, which further delights the children. “The kids see [police] at an early age in a very positive way.”

Stafford Junction uses two minivans

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donated by Sheehy Toyota to bring children to the facility for classes as well as programs in life skills and early childhood development. Cartledge says bringing the kids on-site allows for better learning and fosters a sense of daily structure they might be lacking at home.

“Everything we do, we try to make it fun, because if it’s not, the kids don’t want to come back,” he said. “We practice values like caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. When kids show any of

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021

those values, we give them little beads [so] they have the opportunity to go home and tell Mom and Dad how they earned” the trinkets.

Stafford Junction’s other programs include Wellness on Wheels, which delivers meals and brings care providers to people’s homes to perform health screenings. The Junction also offers GED and English as a Second Language classes, and arranges free babysitting for students during class time.

The Junction works with various schools and civic organizations. During his tenure, former Sheriff Charles Jett approached local churches about helping out, and Cartledge has built on Jett’s groundwork within the faith community.

When it comes to ending systemic poverty, Cartledge reiterates that what Stafford Junction offers is a “hand up.”

“We provide the programs, we provide the services, but they really have to take the initiative in the program to do the work,” he said. “If they don’t do the work, then they’ll fail. We work really hard so that they won’t.”

But he can’t do it alone. Cartledge stresses that donations of time and

financial resources are crucial to keeping Stafford Junction going. Tutors are especially needed.

“My mother was a single parent raising four kids, pretty much hand-to-mouth,” he said. “So we’re kind of hand-to-mouth here, but we make it work. And what we find is people three years ago didn’t know about Stafford Junction. [Then they] find out what we do and how we support families in the community that really have nowhere else to go and connect them with resources – from health and wellness to everything else a family might need.

“We try to do as much as we can.”

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To volunteer or to make a donation to Stafford Junction, visit http:// staffordjunction.org/getinvolved/#volunteer.

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BUSINESS

Testing Technology New Stafford program works with entrepreneurs, Internet of Things

BY TRACY BELL

D

rones that fly in the dark.

Smoke sensors for vulnerable roads and forests.

Virtual-reality goggles showing off an ideal downtown Stafford.

Those are the kinds of technologies that can be evaluated and tested in Stafford County’s new technology testbed, which was established in the spring and is already attracting plenty of buzz.

Called the Virginia Smart Community Testbed, the project is receiving a boost from a $215,000 grant to the Stafford County Economic Development Authority that will help establish a regional Internet of Things accelerator program in the Rappahannock region. The funding is part

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of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s allocation of $11.1 among various Growth and Opportunity of Virginia grants to stimulate the economy.

The grants will help better position Virginia communities in a post-pandemic economy, according to Northam. “These projects demonstrate how regional collaboration can drive innovation and deliver positive economic results, including diversifying our workforce, supporting entrepreneurs and upgrading our infrastructure.”

The first of its kind in Virginia, the testbed is at 2143 Jefferson Davis Highway, next to Stafford’s government center and close to newly-established 5G mini towers –

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a flourishing tech project with Verizon. The county and its partner, the Commonwealth Institute of Technology (or CIT), held a ribbon-cutting for the testbed May 25.

John Holden, Stafford’s economic development and tourism director, said the grant money will be used in part to develop the nonprofit Regional Internet of Things (or RIoT) entrepreneur accelerator program in the testbed. The Internet of Things is a system of interrelated, internetconnected objects that can collect and transfer data over a wireless network without human intervention.

“This is just the start,” Holden said in a county announcement, noting that the program, planned to operate in person, will be based on the needs of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It was scheduled to kick off this summer and continue through the fall with the first Virginia Internet of Things accelerator program expected to be launched by the end of the year.

Last year the county initiated programs with the RIoT – an economic development organization expanding its programs to Stafford, Fredericksburg, King George and surrounding localities in GO Virginia Region 6. Expanding to the testbed “just made sense,” according to Holden.

Tom Snyder, executive director of RIoT, which began as a Meetup group in 2014, added that the data economy cuts across all business sectors.

“Our mission is to work with communities, business leaders and entrepreneurs to help them expand their enterprises and create jobs,” he said.

Meanwhile, other programs and events are in the works.

Later this year, the Stafford Economic Development Authority will launch Veterans Business Bootcamp 2.0, a series of Stafford business networking events and more.

One event, called RIoT’s Lunch and Learn, was first held in the testbed July 15, with a plan to focus on various educational topics for entrepreneurs. The first one centered on employee retention and research and development credits.

Stafford and CIT, which is based in Richmond and Herndon, established the testbed to serve as a “living test laboratory” for new “smart technology” in the state.

Holden said that the expanded entrepreneur programs and new accelerator program

Stafford County officials held a ribbon-cutting for the testbed in late May.

emerged from significant work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We all worked together,” he said, “from King George, the City of Fredericksburg and Stafford to engage entrepreneurs and assess their needs and work to address them.”

The test bed focuses on four priorities, according to CIT: public safety, data

security and training, economic development and tourism, and 5G technology and broadband expansion.

However, entrepreneurs may propose technology outside those categories.

Holden sees the testbed as a “smart tech” testing hub, and a setting where, in the coming weeks and months, the county can ideally return to business networking and

other in-person events and programs.

The testbed allows technology companies and entrepreneurs to show off cutting-edge technology in the real world, which drives faster innovation, and allows developers to test technology for possible pilot and educational programs.

It will also allow Stafford and the state to be a tech hub and secure a position at the forefront of adopting smart community technology across the country and world, according to Stafford’s economic development department. It will ideally serve to attract other technology businesses while retaining current companies and becoming a widespread resource.

Tracy Bell is a freelancer living in Stafford County.

For more information, visit CIT.org, GoStaffordVa.com and RIoT.org.

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SPORTS

Net Gain Local beach volleyball club generates growing interest

BY DAVID FAWCETT

The 108 Beach Volleyball Club has grown to over 20 members since its formation five years ago.

COURTESY PHOTO

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F

ive years ago, Maddie Hart and her father, Donnie, approached Keith Russell about coaching Maddie in beach volleyball.

At the time, Russell oversaw club volleyball teams, but he shared an affinity for beach volleyball. He discovered the sport while stationed in Hawaii with the Marine Corps.

Russell agreed to coach Hart on one condition: She needed a partner. Russell mentioned the opportunity to Abby Sharlun, who agreed to join Hart.

Interest grew from there. The two received attention from Division I colleges, which was no surprise. Both were talented indoor volleyball players to begin with.

But beach volleyball itself has become the fastest growing sport at the Division I level over the past five years.

In addition, no Virginia high school offers beach volleyball nor does any in-state

college other than as a club sport. If you lived in the area and wanted to compete in beach volleyball, Russell’s club was your only option.

“When [Hart and Sharlun] made the conversion, it was eye-opening,” Russell said. “All these college offers started coming in. Other girls gravitated toward the club.”

Since starting with Hart and Sharlun, the 108 Beach Volleyball Club has thrived in terms of success and numbers. It has expanded to over 20 girls who hail from the Fredericksburg and Richmond areas and split their practices between the Massad Family YMCA in Stafford and Glover Park in Ashland.

Three players from the club so far compete in Division I: Sharlun (Fredericksburg Christian graduate) is at Coastal Carolina; Hart (Riverbend High School graduate) is at the University of Tampa, and Paityn Walker (Colonial Forge)

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is at Eastern Kentucky. Walker received a full four-year athletic scholarship.

Teams from the club’s three age groups (U-18, U-16 and U-14) have received 28 bids to nationals.

Ina Aoelua, a Stafford High School senior, learned about the club in the summer of 2019. A friend of hers invited her to play in a sand tournament.

Once she started practicing with the club, Aoelua decided to give up indoor travel volleyball and pursue beach volleyball full time.

“In beach volleyball, I get more volleyball touches,” Aoelua said. “I won’t get rotated out and it’s only my partner and I covering the sand court. I have to figure out my opponents’ strengths and weaknesses and play it to my advantage.”

Aoelua said she enjoyed learning from and playing for Russell.

“108 BVC is more than a club,” Aoelua

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“108 BVC is more than a club.

We’re a family.”

Keith Russell oversees 108 Beach Volleyball Club.

— INA AOELUA STAFFORD HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR COURTESY PHOTO

said. “We're a family. He’s my other ‘dad’ on the court. Like my own dad, he pushes me to do better. If I fall, we talk about it, learn from it and get up even stronger. Coach Keith wants this for me.”

Aoelua said the opportunity to play for the club has increased her chances to secure an athletic scholarship and play beach volleyball in college. Since joining 108 Beach Volleyball, Aoelua has competed in nationals, and she won “Queen of the Beach” in Florida earlier this year by being the last player standing among about 70 teenagers.

“Coach Keith’s practices have helped me tremendously in the recruiting process because I have worthy video clips to send to colleges,” Aoelua said. “Coach Keith has mentored me to be the player I am today.

He has corrected my old habits, taught me

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better techniques and how to be a better all-around player.”

Russell said the club name came from a tournament Hart and Sharlun participated in together. The two trailed during a set and were feeling the effects of playing outside under the sun for a long time. During a timeout, Russell encouraged them to push through, saying the duo needed to give 100% effort for eight seconds (the timespan for an average rally.)

In other words, Russell wanted them to focus on the task at hand. It worked. Hart and Sharlun came back to win.

From there, the two players wrote 108 on their arms. Then their parents started mentioning it. It took off from there. “[Beach volleyball] takes a lot of commitment,” Russell said. “You have the elements. In the sun or rain, you have two

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021

people on the court.”

Running 108 Beach Volleyball Club is a hobby for Russell. He has a full-time job as the deputy director of information technology for the state of Virginia and is also the father of twins Kolton and Kennedy, born Feb. 26.

He only charges what he needs to meet expenses. Everything else is devoted to help grow awareness of the sport and increase an athlete’s chances to play it in college.

Russell said he likes beach volleyball over indoor volleyball for one primary reason.

“Indoor is about power, but beach is about placement,” Russell said. “It’s about strategy rather than hitting the ball hard.”

David Fawcett is sports editor of InsideNoVa and a Stafford County resident. You can reach him at dfawcett@insidenova.com.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Buoys installed on Lake Mooney

County emphasizing safety at Port of Falmouth The Historic Port of Falmouth Park is a popular destination for residents of the county and visitors from across the region, especially during the summer.

Stafford County officials say interest in the park increased exponentially last summer during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued this summer. The county has expanded efforts to educate visitors on safety with signage, safety videos and a personal flotation device station. Members of the Friends of the Rappahannock and Stafford Fire and Rescue’s swift water rescue team are also visiting the park on weekends to engage with visitors on safety.

“We want park visitors to understand the dangers and unpredictability of this river,” said Crystal Vanuch, chair of the Board of Supervisors and representative of the Rock Hill District. “We are striving to continuously evaluate our efforts to keep the community safe,” Safety measures include: • A Historic Port of Falmouth Page on the Stafford Parks website at

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staffordcountyva.gov/hpof.

A dedicated river safety video in English and Spanish at staffordcountyva.gov/hpof • New safety signage with warnings about the dangers of the river • Personal flotation device station • Presence of the Friends of the Rappahannock and the Swift Water Rescue Team on weekends The section of the Rappahannock River that the park fronts may often appear benign, but dangers lurk beneath the surface, the county said in a news release. The river has a strong current that flows from above the Falmouth Bridge, which can be extremely unpredictable due to storms and events upstream from Fredericksburg.

In addition, the river is tidal below the bridge, meaning the levels change throughout the day. The bottom is rocky and slippery with a wide range of sizes of rocks. Additionally, the flow from upstream brings debris that can be hidden underwater.

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Stafford County has installed four numbered navigation buoys at Lake Mooney to make the recreational waterway safer.

The effort was a collaboration between the county’s utilities department and swift water rescue team.

The Swift Water Rescue Team worked on a similar effort with the city of Fredericksburg to install numbered mile marker signs on the Rappahannock.

While boating and fishing on Lake Mooney are encouraged, swimming in the reservoir is prohibited. The no-swimming policy is in place to protect the quality of the reservoir for water supply purposes and protect residents from dangers associated with swimming in a reservoir.

The navigation buoys were installed to help boaters more accurately pinpoint their location while on the lake. The swift water rescue team reports that each year it responds to calls from people in distress on the lake. These navigational buoys will help provide clear reference points in the event of an emergency.

Buoy number one is located about 200 yards from the boat launch, and the remaining three buoys are placed at the mouth of each of the three lake coves. A sign with a map will be placed at the boat launch to help educate the public about the buoys and how to use them.

Pure Barre opens at Embrey Mill Pure Barre, the largest barre franchise in North America, held a grand-opening in July for its new location at Embrey Mill Town Center.

Pure Barre is a total body workout focused on a series of low-impact, highintensity movements.

Pure Barre Stafford is owned and operated by Kim Salzano, a local fitness instructor who originally was a trained Pilates teacher.

“I have seen firsthand how people change and see real results,” Salzano said.

“Overall, our boutique fitness studio will be the community’s new favorite place to get an incredible workout, meet friends and shop for quality athleisure brands.”

Each class features musically driven choreography for a continuously fresh fullbody workout.

Pure Barre Stafford is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Stafford mourns former Supervisor Pete Fields

Peter J. Fields, who represented the George Washington District on the Board of Supervisors from 2000 to 2007 and was elected by his peers as Chairman in 2003, passed away in early June.

Fields was a strong proponent of slow growth, supporting many of the measures the board has taken in recent years to preserve open areas, according to a news release. He was also a professional classical guitarist.

“On behalf of the Board and the citizens of Stafford County, I extend our deepest condolences to Pete Fields’ family,” said Crystal Vanuch, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “It takes a lot of dedication and time to serve as supervisor for two terms and we greatly appreciate Mr. Fields’ service.”

Fields supported charging fees to developers based on the impact on traffic.

He was also an early proponent of removing environmentally sensitive areas from housing-density equations, raising proffers for rezonings, raising project review fees for developers and cutting densities in half on projects where housing was not clustered to preserve open space.

“It is evident that Pete Fields really cared about the George Washington District as well as the county,” said George Washington District Supervisor Tom Coen. “Mr. Fields clearly loved his adopted home of Stafford County.”

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE …

Our Readers Have Spoken Meet the Winners in the October/November Issue Of Stafford Magazine www.staffordmagazine.com S TA F F O R D M AG A Z I N E

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VOICES

A chat with the sheriff

BY DAVID S. KE RR

I

n many communities in Virginia, the sheriff manages security at the courthouse as well as a host of other administrative duties but doesn’t directly participate in day-to-day law enforcement. These localities have a police force for that.

Stafford County is different.

We have an elected sheriff, David Decatur, who manages all aspects of law enforcement in the county.

Everything from the occasional violent crime to domestic disputes, thefts, drug crimes, fraud, breaking and entering, and traffic enforcement is within the purview of the Stafford Sheriff ’s Department.

Recently I talked with Sheriff Decatur to learn how he is handling the job and in particular how he is coping with the stresses and demands of modern policing.

The sheriff ’s department has 300 employees. Of these, 220 of these are deputies and 32 are detectives. There are 11 to 12 cars on patrol during each of the department’s three shifts (the A shift, B shift and the midnight shift). There is also a special traffic unit. The key point Decatur stressed is that no matter the weather the sheriff ’s department is always working, even on holidays.

One question I had for the

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sheriff, in light of concerns nationally about police behavior, concerned de-escalation training.

Namely, how are deputies trained to defuse a situation so they aren’t forced to use their weapons?

Decatur takes this issue seriously, saying guns are a last resort. The department has vastly increased its training on the dynamics of confrontations and teaching deputies techniques to calm situations, so they don’t become violent. Role-playing is an important part of this training.

The department has instituted a mandatory 40-hour “crisis intervention” training program for all officers, along with holding continuing discussions, in training sessions and daily briefings, on de-escalation techniques to keep dangerous situations from getting out of control.

Decatur was also eager to talk about race relations. In the light of the murder of George Floyd, and other tensions around the country and locally, his philosophy “is that we have to know our community, and we have to understand our community – all of the community – and they need to understand us.”

Decatur said he and his deputies put a lot of effort into doing outreach, holding meet and greets, visiting AfricanAmerican churches, and attending community association and club meetings. He also is proud of the youth baseball camps and junior deputy programs the department sponsors. He sees each approach as a way to build “trust in the community.”

He is also proud of a recent documentary directed by a current Stafford deputy, Jim Klock, and produced by David Barrett (producer of CBS’s “Blue

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021

Stafford County Sheriff David Decatur

Bloods”) on the challenges Black police officers face. Many of those interviewed were Stafford officers. It’s called “The Thin Black Line” and premiered at the Museum of the Bible last month in Washington.

One question I asked him, with the country immersed in a debate over policing, is what he looks for in a new deputy. As many in law enforcement would agree, good policing often begins with good hiring practices. New officers tend to be young, but the traits Decatur wants to see are high emotional intelligence, a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, an ability to accept coaching, and an understanding of the importance of working together – not just with other officers, but with the community as a whole.

Policing will never be easy, but Decatur approaches it with that alltoo-rare attitude – namely that his job is to make a difference.

David Kerr is a Stafford resident and an adjunct professor of political science at VCU. He worked on Capitol Hill and for various federal agencies for many years.

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