Country Zest & Style Autumn 2022 Edition

AUTUMN 2022

MY OH MY BRIAN NOYES’ CHERRY PIE A New Farm Cookbook From The Red Truck ALSO INSIDE:

Royalty in Warrenton Hooray for Honoring Tutti Ham Biscuit Heaven

Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits

110 E. Washington St. | P.O. Box 1380 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | 540.687.5588 | sheridanmacmahon.com

WIND FIELDS FARM MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

Circa 1853 colonial of stone and frame construction | House and property have been meticulously restored and maintained | 8 BR, 9 full BA and 3 half BA | 9 FP, antique pine floors, high ceilings, detailed millwork, gourmet kitchen | 466 rolling acres with mountain views | Long frontage on Goose Creek | Guest house, office, 8 stall center aisle barn with apt, 4 additional stalls, lighted sand ring, numerous tenant houses, greenhouse, circa 1800 lime kiln cottage | Property is fenced and cross fenced, ponds, creeks and mature woods with trails

$13,200,000

ALL’S WELL FARM MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

Prime Fauquier County location on the Atoka Road | 88.34 acres with bold Blue Ridge views | Neoclassical brick home with slate roof completely updated & expanded | 5 BR, 5 full, 2 half baths, 5 fireplaces, gourmet kitchen | 10 stall barn with attached indoor arena | Pool, pool house, tenant house | Beautiful gardens | Superb condition

$7,100,000

RUTLEDGE FARM MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

Premier Middleburg estate | Main house of stone and frame construction circa 1740 w/addition in 1820 | 6 BR, 3 1/2 BA, 5 FP, high ceilings, moldings & detailed woodwork | Equestrian facilities are unmatched | 85 lush acres. 4 barns totaling 27 stalls | 14 paddocks | Derby field | 218 x 80 indoor arena | 250 x 150 all-weather outdoor arena | 80’ lunging arena | Polo field (or 2 grand prix fields) | 4 board, double fencing & automated nelson waterers | Other improvements include 3 BR, 2 1/2 BA guest house | Farm office attached to 3 BR house | Machine shed | Carriage house w/apartment | Stone spring house/office | 3 BR apartment | Pond with gazebo

$5,450,000

(also available with 113 acres for $6,685,000)

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 sandra bravo GreenberG 202.308.3813

OUT WEST

BELLE VIEW FARM

RUTLEDGE FARM COTTAGE

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

Gracious home with impressive renovated kitchen | Hardwood floors, substantial millwork and fine finishes and 4 fireplaces | Perfectly sited to enjoy the views of surrounding farmland | 5 bedrooms, home office, large family room, newly resurfaced tennis court, wonderful pool with cabana and 4 bedroom guest house with workshop/3 stall stable | Large field for turn out, 1 paddock and lovely hay field | 32 acres in 2 recorded parcels

WATERFORD, VIRGINIA

74.11 acres | Frontage on Catoctin Creek, sweeping views, pond | 3 homes, all updated in excellent condition | “Stabler House” - 3 BR, 1 1/2 BA, FP & wood floors | “Oak Grove” - Stone and frame construction, 3 BR, 1 1/2 BA & wood floors | “Tenant House” - Frame construction, 2 BR, 1 BA, FP | Historic stone Quaker barn completely restored, 12 stalls, 4 stalls adjacent, 4 more stalls in pony shed | Board fencing, 8 paddocks, 6 run in sheds, water in every field | Property in Conservation Easement

MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

First time available guest house and broodmare barn on 28.62 acres | House completely updated, stucco exterior, metal roof, 3 BR, 2 1/2 BA, fireplace, 2-car garage | Barn, center aisle, 8 stalls, Blackburn designed, updated in last 5 years | Pastures in prime condition | 5 paddocks all with new board fencing

$2,150,000

$2,500,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

GRACE HILL FARM

CATESBY VINEYARD

104 & 106 S. PENDLETON ST.

$3,000,000

PHILOMONT, VIRGINIA

Period home, original portion circa 1768, portions 1850 & 1950 | Stucco exterior, metal roof, beautiful wood floors, 4 BR, 2 1/2 BA, 3 FP, spectacular living room with high ceilings | 30.29 acres, recorded in 3 parcels | Mountain views, frontage on Butchers Branch, campground site, old baseball field, room for horses

UPPERVILLE, VIRGINIA

44.55 acres of which 15 acres are producing grapes | 8.5 acres of Chambourcin, Traminette on 4.3 acres and Vidal Blanc on 2.1 acres | Vineyard infrastructure includes fencing, irrigation system and computerized well | Perc site for 4 bedroom home | Property is in conservation easement | Property can be converted to Residential use

$1,500,000

$1,300,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

Rare opportunity | 2 recorded lots with C-3 zoning in the town of Middleburg | 2 separate buildings with 8 offices, 5 storage bays and ample parking | All buildings are in excellent condition

$1,250,000 Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905 brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

Photo by Betsee Parker of Huntland

Ellie Wood Baxter, 100, celebrates the Upperville Horse Show where she has had many successful rides through the years. Here she greets Virginia Fout and Photo © by Vicky Moon Beth Fout in the hunter Ann MacLeod celebrated her 100th birthday. grandstand.

SAVE THE DATE! Sunday, October, 23rd, 2022 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

This Fall, Come Chill with Us and Enjoy BBQ & Bluegrass Photo by Joe Motheral

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Marshall Plan, Deputy Chief of Mission Luxumbourg, Gilles Bauer; Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk and Bjorn Fogerberg, counselor Swedish Embassy.

Maxine Janes and Teddy Symes celebrated the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Junior Committee at a reception hosted by Caitlin and Fletcher Slater at West View Farm in Upperville.

Grab the family and join us for the tastiest BBQ from the legendary Shaffer’s BBQ, and music by the iconic blue grass band, The Seldom Scene, while watching the sunset behind the Blue Ridge Mountains. After all, isn’t the preservation of that spectacular landscape what it is all about?

Reserve your tickets now!

Go to landtrustva.org/2022events/fieldpartytickets/ for current information and for tickets.

Register early for discounted pricing.

Photo by Jonelle Mullen

Caitlin and Fletcher Slater at West View Farm.

Sarah Wiles’ Picturesque Timeless celebrated the 4th of July in style at the 103rd edition of the Warrenton Pony Show.

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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ZES ST T & Sty t lel

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of NOTE

ZEST & Style ZES ST TStytlel &

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Personalities, Celebrations and Sporting Pursuits © 2022 Country ZEST & Style, LLC. Published six times a year

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PHONE: 410-570-8447 Editor: Leonard Shapiro badgerlen@aol.com Art Director Meredith Hancock Hancock Media Contributing Photographers: Doug Gehlsen Crowell Hadden Sarah Huntington Missy Janes Douglas Lees Karen Monroe and Tiffany Dillon Keen

Contributing Writers: Emma Boyce Sean Clancy Kerry Dale Philip Dudley Mike du Pont Carina Elgin Valerie Archibald Embrey Jimmy Hatcher Ellie Rose Killinger M.J. McAteer Peter Leonard-Morgan Joe Motheral Jodi Nash Tom Northrup Ali Patusky Melissa Phipps Pat Reilly Linda Roberts Eugene Scheel Anita Sherman John Sherman Peyton Tochterman John Toler Leslie VanSant Jimmy Wofford Louisa Woodville

For advertising inquiries, contact: Leonard Shapiro at badgerlen@aol.com or 410-570-8447

ON THE COVER A PIECE OF CAKE

Doug Gehlsen and Karen Monroe of Middleburg Photo

/ Country Zest and Style

Props are a wonderful thing for a photo shoot. They provide interest, give the subject more pos-ing options, and help tell the story. As the owner of the Red Truck Bakery, Brian Noyes was full of props, almost too many props. Cakes, pies, cherries, painted shoes, embroidered shirts, and his spectacular new cookbook.

What could be better for a photographer?

As a former magazine art director for the Washington Post, Brian fully understood what was involved and exactly what we wanted to convey to our readers. The best part: we shared it all at the end of the shoot.

/ @countryzestandstyle

/ @countryzestand1

www.countryzestandstyle.com 4

for the hummingbird.

Country

Distributed and mailed throughout the Virginia countryside and in Washington and at key Sporting Pursuits and Celebrations MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 798 Middleburg, Virginia 20118

ZE

BE ON THE LOOKOUT through this Country issue of

He appears in two ads and the first two readers to find him (one each) will receive a gift from THE RED TRUCK Rural Bakery, with locations in Warrenton and Marshall. Send your reply to badgerlen@aol.com

A RED TRUCK CLASSIC

M

y friend, Brian Noyes, had me at the photo and accompanying recipe for a pimento cheese and fried green tomato sandwich.

Holiday, birthday and house-gift giving will be made so easy-peazy over the coming months with the publication of Brian’s “Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook,” a follow-up to his first effort that so far has gone into six printings and still counting.

I’ve known Brian both as a colleague at The Washington Post, where he was an incredibly creative art director, and then as the founder and proprietor of the Red Truck Bakery. He opened his first shop in Warrenton, then added a second location with a far larger kitchen in Marshall, my go-to sinful luscious Photo © by Dillonkeenphotography treat location less than three miles Bab’s Creative Catering is named in honfrom my front door. or of the late great queen of ham biscuits Brian is a world-class baker and Barbara Page and her family continues that tradition. chef, not to mention a hell of a writer.

Better yet, his second book includes nearly 100 all-new, comforting recipes—sweet and savory—and its release coincided perfectly with our publication date of August 5.

So why the fascination with the pimento cheese creation?

I’ve covered a lot of golf over the years, including 25 Masters “toon-a-mints” at Augusta National in Georgia. A pimento cheese sandwich wrapped in a green cellophane bag is its signature item sold at concession stands all around the golf course. Better yet, when I started going there in the early ‘90s, it cost $1, then went up to $1.50 in 2003, the price in 2022 as well. I’ve had a few, to say the least.

I suspect the same will be true for Brian’s version, fried green tomato included.

Brian is on the cover of ZEST, with a story on his remarkable career as well as an excerpt from the book on the inside. We’re also writing about another local fabulous foodie—the great Tutti Perricone, a master chef and caterer in our area for many years, not to mention a woman with an angelic singing voice.

And check out our story and photo feature on the best little ham biscuits on the planet, made right in our own backyard.

The profile on Tutti was beautifully written by our newest young contributor, Ali Patusky, a rising junior at Fauquier High School. She’s thinking about a possible journalism career down the line, and judging from her first effort for ZEST, as well she should.

Our Autumn issue is loaded with plenty more intriguing stories and fabulous photos. And with Brian Noyes, Tutti Perricone and ham biscuits in the mix, time to add a little more ZEST and countless other mouth-watering possibilities into your life.

Leonard Shapiro Editor badgerlen@aol.com

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

D VEE O PR RIC IM P

ER ACT D R UNNT CO

Middleburg Country Estate

Aldie Commercial

Eagle Rest

Aldie Residential

30 acres $5,900,000 Spectacular Country Estate with manicured lawns, lush woodlands and towering trees. Superbly built in a classic Tuscan style architecture, it includes 5 bedrooms 8 1/2 baths, 8 fireplaces and wood, stone and marble floors.

.5 acres $1,050,000 Extraordinary opportunity to own an income producing property on John Mosby Highway in Aldie. Ideally located with great visibility, excellent parking and commercially zoned. A fantastic investment opportunity in this charming historic village!

18+ acres $3,095,000 Exquisite estate on a picturesque country road minutes from Middleburg! 7 BR / 8 BA, 10,000 SF of spectacular living space for a gracious & luxurious life style. Sweeping lawns & brilliant gardens, plus a free form heated pool & spa – all in a magical setting!

1 acre $1,290,000 Beautiful and completely renovated 4 BR, 4.5 bath historic residence with over 3000 SF of charm and superior quality! All new systems, Anderson windows, silestone counters, plus a one BR apartment above, with separate entrance. 2 bay garage.

Mary Ann McGowan | 540-270-1124

Brian McGowan | 703-927-4070

Jim McGowan | 703-927-0233

Brian McGowan | 703-927-4070

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Bloomfield Estate

LD

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23424 Sally Mill Rd.

Corgidale Farm

Willisville

95+ acres $2,100,000 Spectacular parcel ideally located just north of Middleburg outside of the historic village of Unison. Private and secluded, with views of both the Blue Ridge and Bull Run Mountains. Open fields, lush pastures and beautiful woodlands.

44 acres $1,995,000 Ideally located on a quiet country road just east of historic Middleburg. Gracious Cape Cod home is completely renovated and available immediately. Center hall floorplan, light filled rooms, huge gourmet kitchen, six car attached garage.

10+ acres $1,700,000 Stunning custom built colonial in pristine condition. Over 5000 sq. ft. with a fabulous open floor plan, 4/5 BRs, 5.5 BAs, granite counter tops, refinished HW floors, new carpeting and freshly painted. 2400 sq.ft. stable, 2 fenced paddocks, automatic waterers.

10 acres $1,695,000 Upperville – Exquisite 4 BR colonial offers approx 4200 SF of spectacular living space.

Completely renovated with extraordinary quality, this charming colonial offers every amenity as the current owners have just invested over $516,000 in improvements.

Jim McGowan | 703-927-0233

Brian McGowan | 703-927-4070

Brian McGowan | 703-927-4070

Jim McGowan | 703-927-0233

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21180 St. Louis

Wayside

116 N. Jay Street

Bell Lane

10 acres $1,395,000 Middleburg – Charming property includes all the amenities for a turn key equestrian’s dream. 3 BRs, 3 full and 2 half baths, with a luxurious new primary BR and BA. Riding ring, board fenced paddocks, 5 stall stable with heated tack room.

.63 acres $1,275,000 Upperville – Historic residence in lovely setting. Beautifully updated, high ceilings, 2 kitchens, a conservancy w/brick floors, walled in terrace w/gardens. Ideal for gracious entertaining. Guest cottage w/front porch, comfortable rooms and mountain views.

.12 acres $990,000 This gorgeous three level Town Home is wonderfully located in prestigious Steeplechase Run, in the charming village of historic Middleburg. Offering luxurious country living and a carefree lifestyle in a lovely, sought-after community.

25 acres $895,000 Berryville – Towering trees and lush open fields lead to this charming 4 BR colonial, sited on a gently sloping hillside. Mountain views are the backdrop to this lovely residence. This wonderful country home is an absolute treasure.

Brian McGowan | 703-927-4070

Mary Ann McGowan | 540-270-1124

Brian McGowan | 703-927-4070

Brian McGowan | 703-927-4070

Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.

Jim McGowan 703-927-0233

Mary Ann McGowan 540-270-1124

Brian McGowan 703-927-4070

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES Opening The Door To Horse Country For Generations

2 South Madison Street | PO Box 500 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | Office: 540-687-6500 | thomasandtalbot.com

Horses Are Not The Only Form Of Transportation At The Upperville Horse Show

Y

Photos by Tiffany of Dillonkeenphotography

es, it’s the Upperville Horse Show but...add a side of car show. Now in its eighth year, it’s invitation-only, and according to organizer John Denegre: “We focus on local cars owned by local folks, and our motto is “Great People with Great Cars.”

When Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin passed through, John Denegre asked which car he’d like to drive. He replied, “I don’t care as long as I can step on the gas and keep going.”

Joyce Mullins’ 1985 green Ford Delivery Van is a replica of a 1926 British Harrod’s delivery truck. The car show is dedicated to her husband, David Mullins.

Allen Richards’ 1931 Packard 845 convertible coupe, body

by LeBaron (one of three known), took the People’s Choice Award.

Diane Rigden’s 1962 powder blue Austin Healey Sprite, Model: Mk2. Points of interest: Full restoration completed in 2019. Motor built to Downton spec.1298cc, Stage 3, 100hp engine. Limited slip diff, much improved suspension and brakes. Rare hard top. Everything ‘62 period other than electric ignition, roll bar and aftermarket radiator

Gentlemen, start your engines.

John Denegre’s Aston Martin, with its 007 vanity plate.

& SAVE % SERVICE SERVICE

15off

REPAIR REPAIR

Built on Trust Since 1976

appletoncampbell.com 6

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

(540) 349-6701

Porsches and Horses All on the Same Day

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By Leonard Shapiro

inal Sunday spectators at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show watched world class equestrians compete, got a glimpse of visiting Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and also could hob-nob with road racing royalty if they walked around a display of gorgeously restored vintage automobiles near the main ring.

Bob Garretson, a long-time Californian now living in Warrenton, spent that day at the show along with his shiny yellow 1972 Porsche 911. He’s 89, and still loves driving that car, though at far slower speeds than the 200 mph he often reached while competing at iconic tracks like Sebring, Daytona and LeMans back in the 1970s and early ‘80s.

“I’ve been interested in cars all my life,” Garretson said. “My brother and my dad were both car nuts, too, and by the time I started to drive, drag racing was big. One day, I went to a road race and I realized these guys were driving at high speeds for twenty minutes, and it was only twenty seconds in drag racing. That was a lot more appealing to me.”

Garretson helped pay his way through the University of California-Berkeley by rebuilding V8 engines. He eventually settled in the Bay Area and worked in the computer business about the time Silicon Valley began to boom. He also opened a Porsche repair shop in Cupertino, California where Apple founder Steve Jobs was a client and became one of Garretson’s sponsors.

Garretson also raced Porsches, and one day in 1978, it almost cost him his life.

At the 24 Hours of LeMans, after driving for two hours and only three laps from a pit stop, he misjudged a turn and hit a guard rail.

According to his biography on the loveforporsche.com website, “When the car crashed, it rolled end-to-end and side-to-side. The wreckage…was spread over a quarter of a mile and left some of the body parts stuck in the nearby trees. The

Photo by Tiffany of Dillonkeenphotography

American racing legend Bob Garretson with his freshly restored yellow 1972 Porsche 911. car was totaled, but Bob Garretson escaped only with some cuts and bruises.”

In 1981, he won the 24-hour race at Daytona and ended that season by winning the first World Sportscar Championship based on high finishes in several other major races.

Garretson, who teamed with driving legends like Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Rahal and Rick Means over the years, retired from competitive racing in the early 1980s because “it just wasn’t fun anymore,” he said. He started a thriving computer chip business, lived in England for a dozen years and, with his wife Ruth, moved to Warrenton in 2017 to be close to their adult children and grandkids.

“I’ve had a great time with it,” he said of his love affair with cars. “My whole life.”

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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The family and friends of The Reverend Canon Dr. Betsee Parker, the 16th Baroness of Locheil, Scotland, congratulate her on being appointed a Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral in The Diocese of St. Helena, Diocese of Southern Africa, May, 2022.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

It's Show Time D Photo by Vicky Moon

Photo by Vicky Moon

Kim Shelly, Lois Tuohy and Pamela Rimes

Trish Poe, Charlie McCann and Ross Poe

ocumentary filmmaker Tom Davenport is a national treasure. He’s been devoted to his art and craft while living and working at his Hollin Farms in Fauquier County throughout his career. During a recent soldout event at Buchanan Hall sponsored by Betsee Parker, G. Fletcher Slater of Homebridge Financial Services in Middleburg and Country ZEST Magazine, Dulany Morison spoke about his great-great-great grandfather, Colonel Richard Henry Dulany, founder of the Upperville Horse Show. A captivated audience was most appreciative to see Mr. Davenport’s film. His body of work, beginning in the 1960s, also includes the Brothers Grimm and American Folklife. Go to davenportfilms.com

Photo by tarajelenicphotography

Filmmaker Tom Davenport spoke to a sold-out crowd about his impressive career and his work on his 1969 Upperville Horse Show documentary.

Photo by tarajelenicphotography Photo by Vicky Moon

Photo by tarajelenicphotography

Photo by Doug Gehlsen

Dulany and Elle Porter Morison

Sophie Langenberg and Amanda Scheps

Film aficionado Betsee Parker was on hand for the evening.

Buchanan Hall Director of Operations Montana Lanier Ruffner, Tom Davenport and Buchanan Hall Chairman of the Board, G. Fletcher Slater

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fall in love with horse country LD

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Aylor House 5 acres

$950,000

The Plains – Pristine brick rambler, wooded and private. Renovated, with 4 BR / 4 Full BAs. 1 BR / 1 BA lower level walk-out suite with kitchenette. 2-car attached garage, rear deck & fenced back lawn area, detached Workshop/Shed.

TALES FROM THE HUNT FIELD

The Scent of a Woman

Tail Race 6 acres $825,000 Welcome to your own private oasis on a quiet gravel road near the village of Aldie.

Contemporary home offers over 2,600 sq. ft of living space nestled on a wooded parcel. 3 BRs / 3 full BAs. Open floor plan.

Many upgrades, Verizon FIOS internet.

Photo by Middleburg Photo

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An Orange County Hound in full flight over a coop.

But the hounds stuck to their task and soon followed a line off the trail to the right.

Tober Chlair

Quailwood

1.49 acres $735,000 Upperville – 3 BR/2BA Cape nestled down a side street in the quaint village of Upperville.

2,300 sq ft of living space with an open floor plan. Wonderful location within walking distance to the Bluewater Kitchen, Hunter’s Head, post office, churches and more

3 acres $665,000 Middleburg – Charming move-in ready ranch, open floor plan with 3 BRs / 1.5 BAs on the main level and walk-out lower level.

The house has a surprisingly spectacular back yard with small creek, mature trees, and distant views of an old barn.

Cricket is a Middleburg native who deeply values farm and horse country and is an active advocate for its protection and preservation. She is an avid equestrian and remains heavily involved with the local community. When you’re ready to fall in love with Horse Country, call Cricket.

Cricket Bedford Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

(540) 229-3201 THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES Opening The Door To Horse Country For Generations 2 South Madison Street | PO Box 500 | Middleburg, VA 20118 Office: 540-687-6500 | thomasandtalbot.com Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.

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By Mike du Pont

e met at Byrnley. It was a cold, damp January day and we were soon hunting the woods at Whitewood back where it borders on Rockburn Stud.

The trails were wet and sloppy and you’d have thought the scenting would be good. I’ve hunted for 44 years and haven’t yet figured out scent. But this much I did know, scenting conditions with the Orange County Hounds clearly were tough that day.

After much hard work, hounds picked up a line on the trail in all that slop, though admittedly, it wasn’t much of a line.

With many horses going up and down that trail, many foreign and misleading smells can be left on the path, all camouflaging the scent you must have. But the hounds stuck to their task and soon followed a line off the trail to the right.

The lead hound that day seemed to be a nice bitch. I mentioned her to Huntsman Melvin Poe who said, “yes, that’s Jonquil, one of our best bitches.”

I made it a point to keep my eye on her the rest of the day. Still, as hard as those diligent hounds worked and try as they might, that line got weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared altogether.

Then came the magic!

The pack abandoned that vanished line and, led by Jonquil, returned to the trail where she last had something of the scent. She refreshed her nose and the rest of her companions did likewise. Jonquil then led the pack off to the left and soon picked up the line and off they went.

No, it was not a great run. But to see Jonquil lead the pack back to where they last had the scent and then to do something with it, that just made for a wonderful day. Good girl Jonquil, and many thanks.

Mike du Pont is a long time Middleburg area resident and a former Master of the Orange County Hounds.

7/22/22SUSTAINABLE 1:10 PM MIDDLEBURG COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

HERE & THERE And speaking of museums, for those heading to the upstate horse mecca in Saratoga Springs stop by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Be sure to see the saddle used by Hall of Fame jockey and Virginia native Jerry Fishback. He had success at Saratoga, winning many races, including the New York Turf Writers Cup, in a career that spanned more than 20 years. Our favorite Dunkin’ Donuts devotee, Fishback rode 301 steeplechase winners.

His first sanctioned race came in 1964 at Middleburg.

In the 1970s, he led all steeplechase jockeys in wins in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1977. In addition, he was the leading steeplechase rider in earnings in 1977, 1978, and 1985. He won virtually all major steeplechase races, including six editions of the Temple Gwathmey (with six different horses), four editions of the Colonial Cup, and six editions of the Tom Roby Steeplechase at Delaware Park.

Fishback entered the Hall of Fame with the class of 1992.

Photo by Virginia Jenkins.

Put this one on your list of places to visit and things to do. A short hop to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley’s exhibit, “Origami in the Garden.” Inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding, the outdoor exhibit includes eleven larger-than-life metal origami sculptures throughout the seven acre garden. More inside the Glen Burnie House all on display until November 13, 901 Amherst Street, Winchester, VA 22601.

Details https://www.themsv.org/

Photo © by Len Shapiro Photo © by Vicky Moon

Jim, Mary Ann and Brian McGowan at the Upperville Horse Show

Stan Stevens Fauquier Livestock Exchange employee gets his goat up at a recent auction.

Photo © by Len Shapiro

Gus Rabadi of Warrenton has his eyes on a bunny at the auction near Marshall.

MIDDLEBURG COMMON GROUNDS

Breakfast & Lunch Served All Day

Coffee, Tea, Beer & Wine

114 W. Washington Street • Middleburg, VA • 540.687.7065 Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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A Well-Deserved Honor for Oh So Talented Tutti become as familiar and important as the oaks that grace the historic show grounds,” the show’s website utti Perricone has never reads. “They are in fact themselves, ridden a horse, but there ‘Upperville Oaks.’” she was on Saturday, Asked about her initial reaction June 11, being celebrated to being added to the wall, she as one of the newest members said, “I was shocked. But I also felt of the Upperville Colt & Horse honored that they wanted to do that.

Show’s Wall of Honor as a tribute I thought it was really sweet…I love to her years of hard work and everybody that’s up there.” overall devotion to the oldest show Perricone is no stranger to the in America.

Tutti Perricone hospitality and food industry, Perricone has lived in Middleburg especially locally. her entire life, growing up as the “It was my first and only job,” she said. “I was a youngest of six children who lived a mile out of town bus girl at L’Auberge in Middleburg…a French off Foxcroft Road. She’s worked in various local restaurant.

Then I went from there to the Red Fox, restaurants until 1986 when she opened her own, the and I was at the Red Fox for eleven years. Then, Back Street Café. Her popular eatery and catering when Mosby’s Tavern opened, I went there and I was business was located in the Middleburg building now the bookkeeper.

From Mosby’s Tavern, I opened up occupied by Best Thai Kitchen. my own restaurant in 1986. I had it for 26 years. That “My contribution has never really been financial, was the Backstreet Cafe.” it’s always been through services there.” Perricone From that Federal Street location, she did catering said. “As far as my computer books go back, and it’s and ran the restaurant, no easy feat. probably further than this, I started catering there in “Don’t ask me how I did it,” she said, “because it 2007. So every year I do the evening cocktail parties and the Wall of Honor lunch. I’ve always really loved was a tiny little building.” the Upperville Horse Show. It seems like a very wellIn 2011, she closed the restaurant and decided organized event that everyone looks forward to.” to focus on catering. She also was approached by The Wall of Honor was established in 2005 as a way to Middleburg Academy to prepare student lunches, pay tribute to people and horses who have contributed with the opportunity to use the school’s kitchen for to the show’s success. “Those who return year after the catering business. She did that until the school year to work on the committee or compete have closed in 2020, and the Middleburg Community

By Ali Patusky

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Turn your charitable donations into a legacy that benefits your family and your community.

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Charter School offered her a similar job soon after.

“I do lunches for kindergarteners through fifth graders, which is adorable,” she said. “I love it. I make them homemade food and they always get fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Perricone attended that school as a child when it was the Middleburg Elementary School, “and now I’m back there in another capacity, and it’s really sweet.”

In addition to her considerable culinary skills, she’s also known around the area as an accomplished singer. She’s had two one-woman shows, her most recent in 2020 as a tribute to her late husband, Vince Perricone, who passed away in 2019. She also has worked with her good friend Tom Sweitzer, cofounder of Middleburg’s innovative music therapy center, A Place To Be. “When he first came to Middleburg, he was teaching at the Hill School,” she said, “and he did a lot of plays there. I used to be one of his actors.”

Her favorite part, of course, was the music.

“I’ve always loved to sing,” she said. “When I had my restaurant I would sing on special occasions like Valentine’s Day and New Years. I’ve never done it professionally. I always say I want to be a lounge singer when I grow up, so we’ll see what happens.”

Perricone clearly has had a lasting impact on most everyone she meets. As one of her closest friends, Cricket Bedford, said, “What I love best about Tutti is she not only literally ‘feeds’ all of us around her with her delicious food, but she feeds our souls with her genuine warmth and kindness. Just try to find a photo when she’s not smiling.”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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THIS & THAT

Your Plate Reimagined Dine al fresco or in our newly renovated restaurant and celebrate summer’s fresh flavors with sweeping views of the Virginia countryside.

Photo courtesy Anne Gittins Photography

Let’s call this “All in the Family.” John Coles was the very proud father as daughter Sloane Coles on Souplesse jumped to the victory in the $10,000 Welcome Stakes at the Loudoun Benefit Horse Show, with owner Sarah Hellman in front. The event was sponsored by Cricket Bedford, Thomas & Talbot Real Estate.

Photo © by Vicky Moon

Leah C. Palmer of Horse Country Design, LLC, with co-workers Andrew Camp and Trent Craig. The group enjoyed a ringside box during the week of Upperville.

Monica Fernandi life coach, yoga instructor, and the founder of The Awakened Soulmate coaching program, also teaches water yoga at Salamander. For twenty years she’s helped people of all ages walk their authentic path and true potential by accepting who they are in the moment. She now has a new book out on her 108 Method to overcome trauma and life difficulties. Visit her at The108Method.com. Also on Amazon.

RESERVATIONS AT 888.598.6340 MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro.

AT

harrimansgrill.com

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Photo © by Leonard Shapiro.

Carol Holden hosted a dinner party for Charlotte Williams, long-time events coordinator for the West Virginia Breeders Classics.

S A L A M A N D E R

R E S O R T

&

S PA

Jose Medina of Santa Cruz Produce was back out and selling at the Archwood Green Barns Farmer’s Market in The Plains two weeks after he was robbed of produce at his farm in Montross. Friends and neighbors helped get him a supply to sell. Visit him and others on Sundays.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Oatlands Historic House & Gardens

Jim Donegan has more than 40 years of experience as an ISA Certified Arborist — he was one of the first to become certified. With his leading knowledge and leadership, he has created a well-respected and professional tree care company that focuses on providing you and your trees the utmost care. Jim has worked in many historical places across the northern Virginia and D.C. area including but not limited to the White House and Oatlands Historical House and Garden.

Donegan’s Tree Service is the leading tree care company in the region that offers tree inventories to property owners who have more than 50 serviceable trees on their property.

WHAT MAKES A TREE INVENTORY SPECIAL?

• Helps prevent costly tree loss damage • Mitigates unplanned budget expenditures • Protects property and property values • Helps generate a 3-to-5 year maintenance plan • Labels and records species names, width, and height • Create a unique identifying tree ID number • Collects GPS coordinates for all trees tagged • Helps to keep trees healthy • Helps to prevent hazards • Provide information to calculate Carbon and Carbon Dioxide sequestering totals and yearly yields • Reduces liability by providing accurate and up-to-date information with urban forestry metrics such as total of all trees species, age, size, condition and diversification

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The house floated up suddenly through the twilight of the rain. It was all there--stocky central box fronted by tall pillars…” from “Her Last Case,” November 1934 by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

A collection of Thomas Wolfe stories.

AS EVER YOURS:

The Lost Generation M Photos by Tiffany of Dillonkeenphotography

axwell Perkins, the esteemed Charles Scribner’s Sons book editor in New York, was very familiar with Welbourne, a country estate near Middleburg. He met Elizabeth Lemmon in 1922; she was the great-great grandaughter of John Peyton Dulany, who purchased it in 1833.

Perkins was smitten with Lemmon’s southern splendor and maintained A lifetime of artifacts. a long-distance (often steamy, yet platonic) letter relationship with her until his death in 1947. A portion of those letters has been published in the book As Ever Yours.

Perkins urged writer Thomas Wolfe to visit the bucolic countryside in the early 1930s.

His work in “Hound of Darkness” includes a story called “The House at Malbourne.”

Following a visit to Welbourne, Wolfe described the fictional house as: “not unlike the one at Mount Vernon, save that it is situated in a hollow rather than on a hill and, lacking somewhat the delicate austerity and precise design of its more famous neighbor, it yet surpasses it in warmth and naturalness.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald also set “Her Last Case,” his 1934 short story (first published in the Saturday Evening Post), in the Virginia countryside. The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Association recently put together a fascinating program that focused on this captivating bygone era.

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Dulany Morison, a seventh-generation member of Welbourne’s founding family, is a man in full.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Turney McKnight chats with Director of Education Travis Shaw of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area who presented the background and history of the “As Ever” program. “The furnishings of the room represent almost every style and period of the past century and a half.”from “The House at Malbourne” by Thomas Wolfe.

From Thomas Wolfe: “It is a tragic house.”

George Morison is a member of the family that can trace their roots.

Adult beverages were served.

A guest at the reception was perhaps channeling F. Scott Fitzgerald’s main female character. “Beyond that she felt suddenly strange and foreign and frightened; it was the arriving at a new lonely place with a storm in the air.”

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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Make NOTE

M

enggu Boutique first opened in the beautiful and historic village of Middleburg on July Fourth, 2022. It is registered under AD Bahadir LLC. Within just a few weeks of our grand opening, this unique shop has already gained a reputation for its beautiful dresses made from high-quality fabric. We are proud to have customers raving about the quality of our clothes.

All the clothes in our store are designed by a selection of the most exciting fashion designers in France, Turkey, and Italy. We offer blouses, shirts, and suits for all seasons.

Shoes made in Turkey and Italy, handbags made in France, and exquisite handcrafted jewelry are also available in our boutique. Our selection of necklaces, bracelets, and rings are made with rubies and emeralds from Turkey.

In addition to clothing and jewelry, AD Bahadir LLC provides dresses for weddings, engagements, and birthday parties. We also offer a full variety of services for weddings, including décor, floral arrangements and catering.

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If it’s Labor Day weekend, then it’s time for the 123rd Warrenton Horse Show, August 31 to Sept. 4. As part of the festivities, a silent auction tent will feature treasures of all kinds. Thursday evening Sept. 1 highlights the $500 Hogan Horse Transport Schooling Jumper; $500 Children/Adult Jumper and $1,500 Jumper Classic; Friday features Local Hunters and two Warrenton Horse Show Derbys, each worth $1,500. Saturday evening Sept.

3 includes the $5,000 Warrenton Toyota & Miller Toyota Hunter Classic and Sunday Sept. 4, there will be Foxhunter classes starting at 10 a.m.

They include Warm Up, Junior Field Hunter, Fox Hunters, Hunting Pairs, Ladies Hunter Hack, Junior Hunter Hack, Gentleman’s Hunter Hack, Hunting Staff, Ladies Side-Saddle, Fox Hunter Corinthian Class, Hunt Teams and the Hunt Night Championship. Warrenton Horse Show grounds are located at 60 E. Shirley Ave. For more information, call 540-347-9442 or visit warrentonhorseshow.com. Admission: adults $10, children under 12 free.

Join the Goose Creek Association on Saturday, Sept. 10 for canoeing the Goose Creek and a litter clean-up. Details: info@goosecreek.org This just in from Oak Spring Garden Foundation. They are offering open registrations for 2022 Fall Tours on Thursday, Sept. 22 and Friday, Sept. 23. The landscape and the doors to the late Bunny Mellon’s walled garden will be open for visitors to experience Oak Spring in its early fall glory. Visitors will also see the foundation’s Biocultural Conservation Farm on the adjacent Rokeby Farm property, right in the midst of the fall harvest season. As Mrs. Mellon once said, “Once you fall under the spell of gardening—of growing things, of putting together colors, textures, forms, heights, materials—you will carry forever a cure.” Details: info@osgf.org.

The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Foundation is hosting its 24th annual conference on the Art of Command in the Civil War, Friday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. to Sunday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. at the Middleburg Community Center.

A panel of nationally renowned Civil War scholars will explore the momentous events that took place during the Second Battle of Manassas. Learn about the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign in the summer of 1862, and discover the thoughts behind the strategy of Generals Pope and Lee as they encountered one another on the same ground fought over a year earlier in 1861. Speakers and topics include: Jim Burgess - “Changes to the Interpretation of the Second Manassas Battle over the Years”; John Hennessy—”Architects of Defeat: Pope and McDowell at Second Manassas”; Kevin Pawlak—”August 27th, 1862: A Critical Day in the Second Manassas Campaign”; Jeffrey Wert—”Toward Greatness: Lee and His Army from the Seven Days to Second Manassas”; Allen Guelzo—”The Unhappy Fate of General Fitz John Porter”; Scott Patchan— ”From Dred Scott to Chinn Ridge: The Story of Supreme Court Justice John McLean and his Son, Colonel Nathaniel McLean”; John Hennessy—”Revisiting ‘Return to Bull Run’: Reflections After Thirty Years” and Eric Wittenberg—”General Stuart’s Role in the Second Manassas Campaign.”

Full registration includes Friday and Saturday talks, Saturday night dinner, and Sunday battlefield tour. Partial registration includes Friday and Saturday talks. Additional tickets to Saturday’s dinner are also available. Details: call 540-687-6681.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Sweet Elephant Bestows its Luck on Lauren Connolly

W

By Linda Roberts

hat is a Sweet Elephant? Probably not what you imagined, but park downtown in the county seat of Clarke County and let your nose lead you to “the sweetest place in Berryville.”

Residents of Clarke County and the surrounding area know the Sweet Elephant bakery for its delicious baked goods, custom-designed cookies and cakes and its popular banana pudding, also found in the sweets case.

Lauren Connolly and her husband Larkin hit on the name some years back when Connolly was operating her bakery business out of her home kitchen and selling baked treats at the Berryville Farmer’s Market. Her orders had the kitchen and dining room of their home filled to overflowing, their home’s basement had become a kitchen, and the couple knew it was time to make a change.

“The business just kept growing,” says Connolly, a former purchasing manager for a building supply company, who grew up loving to stay in the kitchen and bake.

When the Connollys found that 23 West Main Street was up for sale they took the plunge and bought the building in 2020. Sweet Elephant came to life.

“I’ve always loved animals and the elephant’s upturned trunk is a symbol of good luck,” says Connolly. The name seemed to fit and a friend, Carla Grisi, helped with a logo, a slogan and other marketing items for the business.

Photo by Linda Roberts

Laura Connolly with a very Sweet Elephant Treat.

Connolly fretted that the building, at about 700 square feet, might be too small for her growing business but the couple put in an offer anyway. “Our first offer fell through,” she says, but eventually they made another bid and the little building was theirs.

Now her mother, Sophee Mason, along with Julia Stang, Katie Rounds, Sue Wright and several parttime employees help Connolly fill a steady stream of orders for custom-designed unique cakes and special-order cookies along with staple sweets, which are always available for her walk-in customers. The banana pudding, a popular hit at Sweet Elephant, has its own place in her display case.

The majority of Sweet Elephant’s business is “grab and go,” says Connolly who keeps her display case filled with her take-out treats. She and her staff bake 20 to 30 dozen cookies a day and around that they are filling custom orders.

“We were a cookie company in the beginning,” says Connolly, who reflects that chocolate chip and molasses ginger snap are still among the favorites that her customers want. For customers who want a cup of coffee to drink on the spot with a scone or cookie, Sweet Elephant offers a small counter and stools.

The shop also promotes the wares of other local businesses. “We like to keep things local and try and support one another,” laughs Connolly. Cordial Coffee of Berryville and Lone Oak Coffee of Winchester along with Lynette Carlisle’s freeze-dried candies, called “Artic Delights” of Berryville may be found on the shelves. Across the street Homespun, the deli and farm market store, is a steady customer of Sweet Elephant’s cookies and brownies.

“I try to take Sundays and Mondays off,” says Connolly, who can be found in the shop Tuesdays through Saturdays as those are baking days. The bakery is open for customers from Wednesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Connolly advises that custom orders need “about three to four weeks” advance notice and asks that brides place their orders for custom cakes “about five to six months” in advance.

Sweet Elephant: sweetelephantbakeshop@gmail. com; Facebook @thesweetelephant; or Instagram, @ thesweetelephantbakeshop.

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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Fifth Annual BIKE THE GRAVEL: Tour de Conservation Easement

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scenic one-of-a-kind ride through private properties in Fauquier and Loudoun counties takes place on September 24 in the fifth annual Bike the Gravel: Tour de Conservation Easement event. The ride begins and ends at Buchanan Hall in Upperville starting at 9 a.m.

“This event has become a wonderful outreach tool for us,” said Sally Price, executive director of the Land Trust of Virginia (LTV), a nonprofit organization that partners with private landowners who voluntarily protect and preserve properties with significant historic, scenic, or ecological value.

“The best way to talk about conservation easements is to physically show people what we are protecting for us all. The private properties our bike riders get to experience are stunning but more importantly, they create a network of protection, meaning our roads stay scenic and in many cases gravel, and we all benefit from the natural resources being protected.”

The experience features three routes through five protected properties. It includes the Beastly Gravel Grinder (65 miles), the Grand Gravel Paradise (34 miles) and the Gorgeous Gravel Explorer (18 miles), allowing bicyclists of all levels to enjoy a spectacular fall day riding in the countryside.

“We’re making some tweaks to this year’s courses to include some new roads that have never been on our ride that really showcase what this special area has to offer,” said Michael Catlett, course designer for Bike the Gravel. “We have some of the best gravel rides in the entire country and the popularity of this event demonstrates that. The event has grown every year and this year we’re capping it at 500 riders. In prior years we’ve had people come from all over the country.”

“We’re thrilled with the number of brand-new registrants we are already seeing,” Price said.

“With every new rider we welcome, that is another opportunity to educate them about why conservation easements are such a critical piece of our country’s effort to conserve land. Our government agencies cannot afford to buy it all for parks.

“We need private citizens working with land trusts to take this important step if we’re going to stand a chance to protect the natural resources we need, such as farmland, forests, and waters. With each cyclist, we hope for a new advocate for conservation easements.”

Registration fees vary from $65 to $90 depending on the route, and includes pre-ride donuts and coffee, fully stocked rest stops, post-ride lunch and beer and more.

All proceeds benefit LTV’s mission to preserve quiet country back roads and open spaces for all to enjoy.

The 2022 Bike the Gravel: Tour de Conservation Easement is sponsored by America’s Routes, Old Bust Head Brewing Co., Maverick Bikes, and Lost Barrel Brewing. More: http://www.landtrustva.org.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Edwina Mason: Remembering Millwood

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By Linda Roberts

ust back from a trip to Hawaii with friends, Edwina Mason invited a visitor into her photo-filled living room one recent hot summer day to talk about growing up in the Clarke County village of Millwood. Mason, now 84, has vivid memories of the tiny town and what it was like for a Black youngster in the 1930s and ‘40s.

“I was born in a four-room log cabin— two rooms down and two rooms up,” Mason Photo by Linda Roberts said. “And I was the third in a family of nine children…six girls and three boys.”

Edwina Mason looks at a family Mason was born at home in 1937 with a history researched and commid-wife assisting her mother with the birth. plied by her first cousin, George “I’ve lost track of how many of the others Holmes, Jr. Her family members who were also born at home,” she added. are descendants of Nathaniel Mason recalled the Millwood of her youth Carter, a slave who worked at the as a “tight knit little community where Carter Hall plantation at Millwood. everyone knew everyone.” The small log The village of Millwood was foundcabin eventually burned, but by that time ed to serve the plantation’s needs. her family had already relocated to larger quarters in the heart of the village.

“I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, Mary Carter Holmes, who worked at Powhatan estate (which later became Powhatan School) doing domestic work,” she said.. Mason also did baby-sitting and helped her mother, Mary Mason, who served at dinner parties in the neighborhood.

Black children in grades one through six attended a two-room school in what is now often referred to as the Millwood community center. After sixth grade, they took a school bus to Johnson & Williams School in Berryville where Mason graduated from high school in 1954.

“I was 16 when I graduated as I skipped a grade,” she said. “I never went to an integrated school.”

In her early childhood, Mason said, Black and White kids “all played together, but as we got older we stopped…I guess we just knew it was time.”

Not allowed to go to the roller rink, the Black children still skated, but in the street. They also went swimming, but not at a pool. The creek that ran through the village was their option on hot summer days.

Carter Hall, a historic estate adjoining the village, also provided excellent water for drinking from a spring on the property. Black children played there and used their wagons to haul drinking water home in jugs.

While Millwood has one store now, the popular Locke Store. When Mason was growing up there were three general stores in the village and one belonged to her uncle, George Holmes. It was a favorite spot to visit for Mason and her brothers and sisters who eagerly sought out the store’s penny candy selection.

The Black children all attended Sunday School at St. Simon, known to many local residents as Bishop’s Chapel at Christ Episcopal Church. Mason, who moved to Berryville in 1980, now attends St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in town and remembers years ago in Millwood when she attended Shiloh Baptist Church next to what is now the post office.

“I was a Baptist in the morning and an Episcopal in the afternoon,” Mason recalled.

Mason raised two children on her own and has seven grandchildren. She’s proud of her life as a single mother.

“I didn’t give up and I did what I had to do,” she added, including domestic work and employment as a teacher’s aid in Boyce and Berryville. In 1989, she car-pooled to a new job at the Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna and retired in 2006.

Many older residents of Millwood Mason knew have passed on and “I’m the older generation now.” More than 40 years ago, she moved to Berryville to establish her own life and “be on my own.”

She doesn’t go to Millwood much any more because it makes her sad.

Still, if anyone asks about her home town, “I will always say I am a Millwoodian.”

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alnell farm NEW TO MARKET

Sadler’s Joy: A Champion in the Flesh and in Bronze

By Laura W. Smith

M

y sculpture, “Thrill at the Wire,” is based on one of many fabulous finishes by the championship racehorse, Sadler’s Joy, bred and owned throughout his long and thrilling racing career

by Rene and Lauren Woolcott at Woodslane Farm in The Plains. He is now standing at stud in Turkey.

It’s fitting that he’s also made of bronze, because he really is that tough and that gorgeous, and always brings great joy. The sculpture depicts his come-frombehind victory in the $200,000 Pan American Stakes on April 1, 2017 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida.

541 +/- acres

$8,000,000

Alnell Farm is home to 541 +/- acres of beautiful rolling hills and pasture located in Flint Hill, Virginia. This scenic property is surrounded by unspoiled countryside and expansive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering a private and quiet escape to enjoy. The farm consists of 7 residences, a 10-stall barn, and 8-acre spring fed pond, all protected by conservation easement. The property also offers a 9-bay machine shed, 3 silos, multiple storage buildings, a machine shed, fenced pastures and 7 paddocks that support the livestock and agricultural uses of the farm.

The prime location of this property allows for the luxury of private living in Virginia’s stunning horse country, but also provides the convenience of being under one hour to DC and Dulles International Airport.

When you’re ready to move, call Will.

will driskill Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

(540) 454 -7522 THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES Opening The Door To Horse Country For Generations 2 South Madison Street | PO Box 500 | Middleburg, VA 20118 Office: 540-687-6500 | thomasandtalbot.com Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.

2208_ZEST-Will.indd

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Sadler’s Joy in bronze in “Thrill at the Wire.”

Jockey Julien Leparoux is riding him; they had just traveled from the very back of the pack to the lead The sculpture was inspired by Sadler’s Joy in a matter of seconds. The photo victory in the 2017 Pan American Stakes made it look as if the other horses at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida. were standing still and Sadler’s Joy won by a head for his first triumph in a graded stakes race.

Julien has an incredibly light touch and is perched on the horse in such an elegant way, and I thought the photo of his victory would make a good sculpture.

Sadler is perfectly balanced and relaxed as he extends his stride, reaching and stretching out to the wire using his entire body.

Sadler’s Joy has been carefully raised and managed. His name alludes to his inbreeding to Sadler’s Wells. His dam, Dynaire, is by the stamina source Dynaformer (by Roberto) out of Binya (by the Group 2 winning Sadler’s Wells horse, Royal Solo).

Sadler’s Joy has beaten the best turf horses in the world at the Grade 1 level with a turn of foot unrivaled by any other son of Kitten’s Joy. He has been consistently excellent and has earned the chance to become an influential sire like his sire Kitten’s Joy. Sadler’s Joy was trained by Tom Albertrani and won or placed in 18 graded stakes. His best performances were wins in the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T) and Pan American Stakes (G2T) in 2017, the Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) in 2018, and the Red Smith Stakes (G3T) in 2019. He was third in the 2018 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T). He retired with seven wins, four second and eleven third place finishes in 37 starts and earned $2,679,910 over his exemplary career.

Editor’s Note: Laura W. Smith is the business manager at Woodslane Farm and has studied horses and art throughout her life. Her oil painting of Holy Bull in the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland was one of her most recognized works and hangs in Noble House in Middleburg. She started sculpting horses in bronze in conjunction with Artists in Middleburg and the Wegner Metal Arts. She’s a graduate of the University of Virginia and lives in Purcellville with her husband Bruce, horses, a dog and three cats. She’s a member of the Middleburg Hunt and hosts an internet program called Horsing Around Virginia.

MIDDLEBURG COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022 7/22/22 SUSTAINABLE 11:05 AM

10.22.22

VAGOLDCUP.COM

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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VIRGINIA POLO: A Never-Ending Commitment to Excellence

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By Peyton Tochterman

ack McLean, a four-year captain of Virginia Polo and a senior at the University of Virginia, had a message for his teammates at halftime of the 2022 national collegiate championship game this past April 9. They were tied, 3-3, with the University of North Texas and it was Jack’s last chance to win a national title.

His first year, Virginia was poised to win but lost to Texas A&M in the finals, “a tragic loss for us,” he recalled. They would have been favored the next two seasons, but the pandemic forced cancellation of the 2020 postseason and the entire 2021 season.

And so, McLean, a Pittsburgh native, drew on three years of hardships and disappointments when he spoke to his teammates that memorable day. “I didn’t say much,” he recalled. “I reminded them that we have the best horses, the best coach, the best facilities, the best program, and the best riders. Relax. Have fun. And we’re on our home turf.”

Virginia then dominated the second half in a 13-7 triumph, and the team finally was able to hoist the championship trophy. And the UVA women’s team also won a national title, beating the University of Kentucky, 17-9. McLean credits the donors, the facilities, and the coaching with the program’s longstanding success, both men and women.

“We are 100% donor funded,’ he said. “The horses, and the facilities, all donated. And we have the best of everything.”

Dick Reimenschneider, UVA Class of ’59, said, “It’s been this way since the beginning.”

He played as an undergrad, coached while in law school in Charlottesville, and is the head of the team’s endowment program. He’s also been inducted into the International Polo Hall of Fame.

Virginia Polo was started in 1953 by students and local horsemen, and Riemenschneider, a Bluemont resident, has been an enthusiastic supporter almost from the start.

“I didn’t have any money, so in sixth grade I became a groom to pay for riding,” he said.

“UVA had a program by the time I was ready for college, and it was donor-supported and student-run. I was used to pay to play, so it was a good fit.”

In those early days, he said, “We had one team—Varsity— and didn’t have a facility like the other schools. The students ran the program,

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The University of Virginia men’s and women’s polo team each won the national championship in 2022, plenty of reason to celebrate. and it was donation-based like now. We didn’t just learn the game. We learned horsemanship.”

Julia O’Reagan, class of ‘12 who grew up on and now runs Foxlease Farm in Upperville, agreed.

“I applied to UVA to play with the best and for the best,” she said. “I love that the program is run by students. We feed the horses, bring them in and turn them out at night. Whether you are on the club team or the varsity team, you have to do the work.”

She also won a national championship while in Charlottesville, and both men’s and women’s teams won national titles in 2022. Lou Lopez, head coach of the program for 19 years, credits the success to both the athletes and the alums.

And it’s just not about the varsity program either.

There’s a club team, a high school team and the program has introduced nearly 1,400 people to the sport. It also runs an introductory boot camp for beginners, and hosts several summer clinics.

Aleco Bravo-Greenberg (Class of ’90), a Middleburg resident and current Virginia Polo board member, is also a major supporter.

“I’ve seen kids from a young age develop through the years and rise through the ranks to become exceptional leaders,” he said. “They learn to pursue a worthy endeavor and be steadfast in their commitment to succeed, well beyond UVA and polo.

“We are the most affordable program,” he said.

“We have a great reputation tied to an exceptional university. Our quality of horses has raised the level of the game considerably. It’s very sophisticated. All our horses are donated. And we have the best facilities in the country.”

“The horses’ lives depend on our students’ care.

And they take exceptional care of their mounts.

Students learn leadership and accountability outside their normal academic responsibilities that come with attending a remarkable university. They take that positivity into the rest of their lives.”

The team trains and plays at the 75-acre Virginia Polo Center, located just five miles from the campus.

The facility includes a 400-foot by 150-foot lighted outdoor arena, a 250-foot by 100-foot indoor arena, and a regulation 300-yard long, 160-yard wide outdoor Bermuda grass polo field.

“What’s next for the program,” said BravoGreenberg, “is our continued commitment to excellence.”

That, and a winning mentality. Virginia Polo has won 22 national championships — and its teams have reached the finals 46 times.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

the virginia fall races P.O. BOX 2 MIDDLEBURG, VA 20118

10 • 8 • 2 2

W

hether your horsey preference is steeplechase or racing on the flat, there’s truly something for everyone as fall approaches.

Several annual big-time events will be staged all around the Middleburg area in the coming months, with additional racing at Colonial Downs. And now that pandemic restrictions have eased dramatically from a year ago, significant crowds and a major uptick in wagering also seem likely.

THROUGH SEPT. 7: COLONIAL DOWNS For flat race fanciers, Colonial Downs Racing presented by Woodford Reserve continues its nine-week, 27-day campaign, highlighted by the 19th running of the Grade 3 Virginia Derby on Sept. 6. Racing at Colonial Downs takes place every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. through Sept. 7 between Richmond and Williamsburg in New Kent.

“With increased purses, an expanded stakes schedule and more race days, we’re looking forward to hosting horsemen and horsewomen, players and patrons from across the country again this season,” said Jill Byrne, Vice President Racing Operations. “Colonial Downs offers a fantastic facility for horses and staff and two of the best surfaces known for safety and sound returns to the barn.”

OCT. 8: VIRGINIA FALL RACES AT GLENWOOD PARK The rolling open space at Glenwood Park offers the best view and venue in Virginia steeplechase racing. Horses and jockeys will contend for total purse money of $140,000 over the pristine turf course amongst the century old oaks of the Virginia countryside.

The $30,000 National Sporting Library & Museum Cup returns as the marquee race of the day, a timber race run over three and one quarter miles, and the $25,000 Magalen O. Bryant Memorial will run in memory of Mrs. Magalen O. Bryant, an entrepreneur, conservationist, and staunch supporter of thoroughbred racing in the US and Europe.

OCT. 22: INTERNATIONAL GOLD CUP AT GREAT MEADOW The International Gold Cup, as always, will feature a fun day of tailgates and racing in beautiful Virginia horse country with seven races and total purses of $330,000, up from last year’s $275,000 and a 1930 stunning trophy from the King of Spain.

Al Griffin, co-chairman of the Gold Cup along with Will Allison, said he anticipates a crowd in excess of 20,000 for the event.

“We expect to fully be free of pandemic restrictions for the International Gold Cup,” Griffin said. “We are working on enhancing betting opportunities with smart phones as well as a tent geared toward younger racegoers in their 20s to 40s. Purse money will also be back to previous norms.”

Save the date for the 68th running of the Fall Races Thundering hooves over the rolling open space at Glenwood Park the best view and venue in Virginia steeplechase racing Please visit www.vafallraces.com for ticket information or contact the race office secretary@vafallraces.com

540-687-9797 Glenwood Park • Middleburg • Virginia Held for the Benefit of INOVA Loudoun Hospital Foundation and Glenwood Park Paul Desmond Brown (American, 1893-1958) The Water-Aintree, 1931 print, 11 1/2 x 19 inches

National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of Nancy Searles, the artist’s daughter, 2011• © Estate of Paul Brown

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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A

Watch the rtistry of Horse Racing Come Alive!

Sat., October 8, 2022 Post Time 7:00 pm

Featuring the Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders Classic and the Breeders Classics Races Original Art: Robert Cover

West Virginia Breeders Classics, Ltd. P.O. Box 1251 | Charles Town, WV 25414 www.wvbc.com | 304-725-0709 Carol Holden, President | Theresa Bitner, Exec. Secretary

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Cup of COFFEE

It’s Always Been Miles To Go Down the Road in that Chevy Cavalier, the Honda Civic, the road felt like a path to greatness. The car, a

By Sean Clancy vehicle for your success. The trip, a bowling lane of life. Each mile, a building block to 00,748. something big.

I noticed it on the odometer As I drove into Colonial Downs, trainer somewhere between Colonial Downs Mike Stidham and assistant Hilary Pridham and Middleburg on July 12. A second were driving out, a win, a second, a third place finish and a 12th in the books, driving and a sixth in the books. They were heading home, through a storm, miles on the car, time up the road, a trip or two to Saratoga on the on the clock. horizon, they watched Princess Grace win the Where and when my Subaru Outback Dr. James Penny from the road, a win always flipped over the magic number of 100,000 was shortens the ride. somewhere lost at a somewhere mile marker As I was leaving Colonial, jockey Trevor between a somewhere racetrack after another McCarthy and valet Richie Ramkhelawan somewhere card. wedged a tack bag into the trunk of I used to stop and take a moment when McCarthy’s Honda Accord as he headed these moments came and went. In a Chevy north, trying to scale the chasm from New Cavalier, purchased with purse money from Sean Clancy Kent to New York.

Riverdee (the horse) in 1988. And in a Honda “See you at Saratoga, kid.”

Civic, purchased with cash from Saratoga winners in 1994.

“I’m on my way, ” he said with a smile.

I had crashed the Cavalier, on a wet mile on a wet highway Literally and figuratively.

His enthusiasm for Saratoga palpable, from Atlantic City to Saratoga, trying to get back to Hall of a Mid-Atlantic track rat trying to make it big, the miles up the Fame trainer P.G. Johnson’s for first set that summer. I made it road feel like stones across the stream. for first set, the car didn’t.

On one of the phone calls on one of the legs of the most The Honda Civic rolled past 100,000 on the way to Saratoga a few summers later and was ticking past 199,000 when I recent road trip, Dad asked me if I was still excited for Saratoga. crashed it into the back of a ChemLawn Truck on a slick road I hemmed and hawed, started and stopped, like a son does when (notice a trend) near my home in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, he’s talking to his dad about things that matter, things shared.

“It’s nothing like it was but, yeah, I’m excited. I don’t know the airbags hitting me like the Saratoga turf had done a few times before. The guy in the ChemLawn truck gave me a ride if excited is the right word. I guess I’m looking forward to it. I love the place. It’s different. It’s long. Two months. Forty racing home.

A Honda Accord didn’t get close to the milestone, I hated days. It’s hot. The sport is top heavy, there aren’t the stories that car, traded it in just to get if off the books. A silver Subaru there were 20 years ago. It’s pressure. Annie has to take up Outback passed the precipice on the way from Keeneland to the slack at home. No Sunday help. There’s a tree branch in the Maryland Hunt Cup, my nephew Ryan and I stopping at the front field. The garden’s a mess. Miles is growing up. You a lookout for a picture and a pop. My nephew Jack wound know, there are costs now. It’s just different. It’s changed.”

I could see Dad nodding his head. My 87-year-old father up with that car, a few more miles registered and recorded. It retired at the beach thinking about all his journeys to Saratoga didn’t get to 200,000. And now, another car, another partner, and Suffolk, Rockingham and Rolling Rock, Pimlico and Penn, has hit the mark, well, has rolled past the mark without notice.

Charles Town and Charleston. Horses and hotels, entries and Like a birthday without a cake. exits, road tolls and life tolls – all his miles on all his cars.

The miles, the years, pile on, tick on as we embark on I’ll see you on the road. another Saratoga.

Life changes. An apprentice jockey, a wanna-be journalist, First published in The Saratoga Special. www.thisishorseracing.com.

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Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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An Artful Gift Passed on to a New Generation

2022

The 123rd

WArrenton Horse sHoW PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Something New

PHOTO BY SUSAN CARTER

Something Old

T

By Jodi Nash

here’s much scientific debate over whether great aptitude, be it musical, athletic, mathematic or artistic, is genetically inherited, or developed through nurturing and practice. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Research does clarify (and common sense reinforces) that the best performers only reached their high achievement level because they started learning and practicing from an early age ~ and spent more time than most perfecting their skill day in, day out.

Photo by Jodi Nash If that’s the case, then ten-year-old Morgan Fine art is definitely in young Settle has a jump on it. Her great- grandfather, Morgan Settle’s gene pool.

Wesley Dennis, was a gifted and iconic artist, most famously known for his illustrations of Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. Born in 1903 in Falmouth, Massachusetts, he grew up on Cape Cod, always loved horses, and had a natural gift for drawing.

Wesley ultimately moved to a Warrenton farm where he raised his two sons, Reid and Morgan, the late and beloved long-time manager of the Middleburg Tennis Club. Like her great-grandfather, sixth grader Morgan Settle loves animals. She always had a crayon and coloring book in her hands as a toddler and she’s now constantly creating art in a multitude of mediums.

Her mother, Devon Settle, Wesley’s granddaughter, is executive director of the Fauquier SPCA, where Morgan can often be found drawing or painting, or working as a volunteer.

She does small clay miniatures of animals, food plates, mushrooms and fairy houses, sketches in colored pencils and oil pastels, and paints with acrylics, mostly on canvas. Working with a neighbor, Pam Pittinger, an accomplished professional artist, Morgan is constantly sharpening her skills.

“I like doing art because I get to experiment and find my own style,” Morgan said, adding that she’s a great admirer of her great-grandfather’s unique artistic style, as well. “Then I try to improve it.”

Something Borrowed

Her home and bedroom walls are filled with his art, both sketches and paintings, some cherished originals, some prints, all remarkable for their animation, energy, and animal expression.

If personality exists across the entire animal kingdom, as scientists now suspect, then Wesley Dennis had an intuitive sense of it. To the untrained eye, it clearly looks as if Morgan has that same focused creative passion and talent.

Wesley Dennis moved to Boston at 17, and family legend has it he first secured paid work by passing off his older brother’s work as his own.

As a young adult, Wesley moved to Paris to hone his skills with renowned artist Lowes Dalbiac Luard, famous for his charcoal drawings and paintings of horses. Returning from France in 1932, Wesley frequented the racetrack in Boston, sketching horses, and selling the sketches often to the owners of the winners.

Something Blue

August 31- september 4 Thursday evening features Jumper Classics Saturday evening features Hunter Classic Sunday: Foxhunter classes and Ladies Sidesaddle Warrenton Horse Showgrounds @ 60 E. Shirley Ave. 540-347-9442 and warrentonhorseshow.com adults $10, children under 12 FREE

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He eventually illustrated over 150 books, including Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty and John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. He also wrote and illustrated a few of his own, among which are “Flip,” and “Flip and the Cows.” Marguerite Henry discovered his work when she entered a children’s library and pulled “Flip” out of the stacks. They collaborated for 20 years, publishing 16 books.

Wesley humbly called himself an “illustrator,” but in fact produced some exquisite stand-alone art work. And these days, his great-grandaughter seems to be carrying on the tradition.

For more on Wesley Dennis, visit the exhibition “Storied Friends: Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis” running through September 11 at the National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

BOOKED UP

FOX, HORSE, DEER

T

he Warrenton Horse Show is pleased to announce that writer Jack Russell (that’s right) will be on hand to sign copies of his book Fox World on Sunday, September 4 at 6 p.m. as part of the Hunt Night Festivities.

Mr. Fox’s story of animal courage and spirituality is based on true events. The reader is taken under the canopy of an urban forest on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. for a year-long walk with a weary sales executive and his muse, a wild red fox. Aged, ill and injured, both fox and man seek healing in their journey, not only for themselves, but for the ecologically stressed forest that is under siege. Drawn in by the fox’s courage and the plight of his forest as destruction looms, the man decides to take a stand and help the fox and his animal friends. Richly graced with gorgeous nature photos and infused with insights that can only be imparted by those who have come to genuinely appreciate life, Fox World is an exhilarating walk in the woods you’ll never forget. The showgrounds are located at 60 E. Shirley Avenue in Warrenton.

For more information, visit https://warrentonhorseshow.com/ horseshow.cfm.

In HORSE, one of the hottest new books around, it’s all about a discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in the attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history. Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks has written a captivating story of courage, obsession and inequality across our history. Available at Second Chapter Books in Middleburg.

In Deer Man, writer Geoffroy Delorme also steps into the woods.

He describes becoming a creature of the forest, working to blend in with the deer without disrupting them, and living without a tent or sleeping bag. Slowly, the deer allow him into their world.

He witnesses births and deaths, loves and battles, ostracism and friendship over the cycles of their lives.

Above all, he experiences the beauty, pain, fear, and the joy of a life lived within nature, not separate from it. In his seventh year in the forest, Delorme meets a woman walking through the trees. He knows he can stay in the forest and die with his friends, or he can leave, and speak their truth and wisdom to a human world that desperately needs to hear it. Published by Greystone Books and available on Amazon.

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Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

Warrenton 540-347-7100 143 Washington St Warrenton 29

A Royal Romance With A Whiff of Warrenton

D

By John T. Toler

etermining “superlatives” for over the past 100 years, some may argue that the “Romance of the Century” was the courtship and marriage of England’s King Edward VIII (1894-1972) and Wallis Warfield Simpson (1895-1986), a twice-divorced American socialite.

The eldest son of King George V (1865-1936), Edward was the heir-apparent to the English throne.

The prospect of a foreign-born divorcé with a questionable past marrying the King caused great anxiety among English government and establishment figures. In the U.S., the courtship and marriage had all of the elements of a fairy tale—a forbidden love affair, high-level intrigue, and sacrifice.

There are local connections to this story. As a child, Wallis visited her aunt, Mrs. George Barnett, at Wakefield Manor near Front Royal. Later, she attended summer camp at Burrland outside of Middleburg, owned by Foxcroft founder Miss Charlotte Noland.

One of her steady beaus was Lloyd Tabb, whose parents owned Glenora near Middleburg.

In December, 1913, Wallis made her debut into Baltimore society, made possible by her uncle, Sol Warfield. She became a popular figure among the young Baltimore set, and was soon looking for a husband. In April, 1916, she accepted an invitation from her cousin, Corrine, to join her and her husband, Lt. Commander Henry C. Mustin, a pioneer naval aviator, at his post at Pensacola, Florida.

That’s where she met Lt. Earl Winfield “Win” Spenser, also a Navy aviator who swept her off her feet. They announced their engagement in September, and were married on Nov. 18, 1916.

However, Win had a drinking problem, made worse by a twisted sense of humor that hurt and humiliated Wallis. His superiors became aware of his alcoholism, and his career was destined to go nowhere.

What followed were a series of non-flying assignments, and in 1923, he was assigned to a gunboat off Canton, China. Wallis joined him at Hong Kong, but she soon learned he was bisexual and when he was recalled to the States in 1925, she stayed behind.

Wallis came home in September, 1925, and while staying at her mother’s home in Baltimore, she proceeded with the divorce. She met with her cousin Corrine at Wakefield Manor, who introduced her to their family attorney, Aubrey “Kingfish” Weaver of Front Royal. He advised her to take up a one-year residency in Virginia and file there.

Wallis relocated to Warrenton, arriving on Oct. 5, 1925. She first stayed at Oakwood, the home of Major and Mrs. Sterling Larrabee, old friends of Corrine’s, before taking room 212 in the old Warren Green Hotel, now part of the courthouse complex in Warrenton. She quickly renewed acquaintances, including Lloyd Tabb and Phoebe Randolph, a former classmate from the Arundell School in Baltimore.

On Dec. 6, 1927, Wallis’s divorce petition was submitted to Judge George Latham Fletcher, and granted on Dec. 10.

While she was staying at the Warren Green, she took up with Ernest Aldrich Simpson, a married man in the ship trading business with ties to London.

He divorced his ill wife, and he and Wallis were married on July 28, 1928 – seven months after her divorce was final. It proved to be an “open marriage” that exposed Wallis to the highest levels of British society while in London.

Wallis had met Edward, then Prince of Wales, before her presentation to the Royal Court in 1931, and the mutual attraction between them became a serious relationship. With the death of King George V on Jan. 19, 1936, Edward acceded to the throne, and speculation that Wallis would be the next Queen ran rampant.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Photo courtesy of Richard Gookin

At the hunt meet held honoring the Duke and Duchess at Oakwood on Oct. 20, 1941, Edward and Wallis’s old friend, Phoebe R. Pool, were photographed with Amory S. Carhart, MFH of the Warrenton Hunt.

Photo courtesy of the Fauquier Club

Wallis and Edward at Clovercroft, posing with British school children sent there to escape the war in Europe.

Wallis was still married to Simpson, and she petitioned for a divorce decree on Oct. 27, 1936. In the meantime, she and Edward conducted their affair quite openly, much to the dismay of the Royal Family and members of Parliament. The mood was different in America, where the possibility of Wallis becoming Queen, or at least married to a King, was quite exciting.

Resistance to the marriage in England resulted in Edward abdicating the throne in a radio address on Dec. 10, 1936, when he spoke of stepping down “…for the woman I love.” His brother George became King George VI, and Edward was named Duke of Windsor.

Edward and Wallis were married on June 3, 1937, in a ceremony that none of the Royal family attended. In his new role, the Duke held several minor government assignments. He was appointed governor of the Bahamas, where they spent most of World War II. On October 19, 1941, the Duke and Duchess came to Warrenton, where Wallis’s friends had arranged a weekend of events honoring the couple. Arriving on Friday, they spent the night with the Larrabees at Oakwood, and on Saturday morning enjoyed a hunt meet and breakfast staged by the Warrenton Hunt.

After the war, the Duke and Duchess were based in France and traveled extensively. Admired and respected throughout his reign, King George VI led his people through the horrors of WWII. With his death in 1952, his daughter Elizabeth II became the much-loved Queen of England who serves today.

Learn Why Families Are Choosing Foxcroft This Fall Discover what makes us experts at educating girls • Designed with girls in mind, courses are interdisciplinary, collaborative & hands-on • 1:5 facutly to student ratio supports individual learning in an in-person setting

“Before Foxcroft School, Madi was that quiet girl in the back of the class who was afraid to speak up.

• Nationally recognized riding & STEM programs • Students thrive intellectually, socially, and emotionally guided by intentional co-curricular & residential life program

Now she’s the president of her class.”

Contact our Admission Office today to learn more about the opportunities that await at Foxcroft School.

— Current Class of 2025 parent

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Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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A SAM HUFF LEGACY:

The West Virginia Breeders Classic on Oct. 8

Photo © by Vicky Moon

Carol Holden, president of the West Virginia Breeders Classics, with West Virginia native and NFL Hall of Famer, the late Sam Huff, co-founded the Classics in 1987 with more than $26 million in purses through the years.

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S

By Bill Cauley

am Huff was the kind of a guy who never took no for an answer.

A Hall of Fame middle linebacker for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, Huff, who died last year at age 87, had a lot of influence, both in football and in horse racing circles.

He loved horses and horse racing. The West Virginia native and son of a coal miner who lived out his final years in Middleburg, was devoted to the sport.

He owned horses, and was an influential figure on the horse racing scene at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in Charles Town, West Virginia.

When racing officials there wanted to have a major event centered around the track, Huff took the lead and was instrumental in helping create the West Virginia Breeders Classic racing series, which celebrates its 36th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 8.

“Sam was the driving force behind its creation,” said Carol Holden, Huff ’s long-time partner and president of the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic. “He and I had gone to the Maryland Million before, and wondered why we couldn’t do this type of event in West Virginia. At the time, I was an administrator of the West Virginia Thoroughbred Development Fund.”

Holden said she told Huff there weren’t enough horses available that were sired

by West Virginia stallions to start such a venture. Still, they decided to press on.

They reached out to Maryland Million officials in an effort to begin the slow process of establishing a similar event for West Virginia.

“At the time, Sam was a color commentator for Redskins’ radio broadcasts,” Holden said. “He was also involved with the Marriott Corporation. With his connections, he was able to get a lot of people interested with the advertising end of it.”

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Home is where the horse is.

Photo by Coady Photography.

MUAD’DIB was the winner of the $300,000 2021 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic in Charles Town run over 1-1/8 Miles in 1:55.09, owned by David M. Raim and trained by Jeff C. Runco, with jockey Arnaldo Bocachica.

Arch A. Moore Jr. was the West Virginia governor at the time and familiar with the Maryland Million, Holden said. He and other state officials were soon on board with the idea for a major racing event at Charles Town.

“Everything began falling into place, at the right time, with the right people, the right circumstances” Holden said. “Yes, Sam didn’t know what “no” meant.

He just got it all organized.”

The first West Virginia Breeders’ Cup series was held in 1987. There were many questions going forward with this new venture. Would it be a success? Would it last? How much would it cost?

“When we first started, we had no money,” Holden said. “I had said something to Sam about getting a loan. No way was he going to do that.”

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The former ownership of the race track did agree to loan the group $10,000, which had to be paid back within 10 days of the race.

“One of the stories I like to tell is I was so happy when we got the sponsorship money that we actually went to the bank and got a checkbook,” Holden said. “I had kept going to the bank and getting cashier’s checks prior to that. We actually got a checking account.”

Onion Juice was the first winner of the West Virginia Breeders Classic in 1987 in a race with a $100,000 purse. The 2022 Classic has a $1 million purse.

“There’s a race now which bears Onion Juice’s name,” Holden said. “He was what they call a ‘Saturday Night Horse.”’ He was one of the regular horses here that would be in the big allowance race on Saturday night.”

That first Classic race was exciting, Holden said. “We didn’t have enough races that year for a full card,” she added.

But that changed over the years as the series gained in popularity and there are now nine races contested that night. Post time for the West Virginia Breeders Cup Races will be 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8.

“You’re going to see a whole lot of good horse racing,” Holden said.

All thanks mainly to a man who didn’t know the meaning of the word “no.”

WEST VIRGINIA BREEDERS CLASSICS, LTD. wvbcmbn@frontier.com

Penny had Secretariat.

We have

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that run 300 years deep.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Ribbons All Around At Upperville Photos © By Dillonkeenphotography

A

ribbon at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show represents a lifetime of memories. Just ask Schuyler Riley, who rode Katherine Gallagher’s Robin de Ponthual to victory in the $216,000 FEI 4* Upperville Jumper Classic.

"I love this horse,” Riley said. “In the last year he's figured out how to go fast...I've been riding him for a few years now. He just gets better and better as he ages. I decided today to trust everything we tried. I thought we had to go as fast as possible."

There were rosettes all around. Of course, we advocate good sportsmanship and shall always cherish one moment a few years ago when an adorable leadline rider told her handler: “I already have a rainbow ribbon.”

To which the reply was: “Now you have two.”

Everly Brewer on Brooke Brewer’s Lovebug.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

At Warrenton WOW, It’s All About the

THE BACK HH

F

By Leonard Shapiro

BRAVE IN EVERY BITE

Photos © by Leonard Shapiro

Fen Gardiner, operations manager at WOW.

our years ago, Ralph Crafts became a true believer in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, otherwise known as HBOT. He was about to undergo surgery on both knees and his thumb and was told by his doctor that if he had HBOT treatments a day before and two days after the operation, it could make a huge difference in his recovery.

“It was incredible,” said Crafts, 75, a Take a dive in this WOW former Marine pilot who went on to own hyperbaric chamber. various businesses in high tech software, design and construction and has lived in the Marshall area for the last 26 years. “Four years ago, I couldn’t squeeze a tube of toothpaste with my left thumb. I now have full use.”

Crafts and his wife Bobbie, who also has benefitted greatly from what are known as “dives” into a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, are the founders and owners of a relatively new local business—Warrenton Oxygen Wellness, as in WOW. And “Wow!” it is for an increasing number of clients who have used the four hyperbaric oxygen chambers located in a 3,500-square foot space at 170 West Shirley Avenue. The facility opened in January and the client base has been growing steadily ever since for the $150 per 90-minute dive sessions.

According to WOW’s website, “HBOT is simply a technique for delivering high-purity oxygen to every cell in your body, while you lie back in a pressurized hyperbaric chamber. During your therapy, referred to as a dive, you can listen to music, watch TV, read, or sleep—all you have to do is breathe. Your treatment protocol is tailored to your specific healing goals.

“Every cell in the body needs oxygen, and most illnesses and injuries are made more severe and difficult to overcome when the supply of oxygen is inadequate. HBOT is a simple, powerful, drug-free, and effective procedure for ensuring ample oxygen for literally every cell in the body. In use for more than a century, HBOT can be either a stand-alone source of healing or a complementary treatment for drug, radiation, physical, and other standard therapies.”

Operations manager Fen Gardiner oversees an eight-person staff at WOW. He’s seen scores of clients with a wide variety of ailments or injuries benefit from their so-called dives, including great improvement in combatting long-Covid symptoms like breathing and sleeping difficulty, brain fog and lack of energy.

“People will say, ‘I haven’t taken a deep breath like that in months,’” Gardiner said, citing the example of a 13-year-old girl who had long-Covid problems “and up until a couple of weeks ago, she couldn’t get out of bed. After five sessions, she’s volunteering as a camp counselor and keeps getting stronger.”

In its brochure, WOW states that, “While HBOT is not the primary treatment for many injuries and illnesses, it is known to help with a wide variety of health and wellness issues.”

The brochure lists twenty-five different physical or mental conditions where HBOT can be effective, including addiction and substance abuse, traumatic brain injury, migraines, arthritis, stroke, wound healing, Crohn’s and Lyme disease.

No medical prescription is necessary for treatment at WOW, but sessions, with some exceptions, are generally not covered by insurance,.

“Is this a silver bullet? No,” Gardiner said, adding that, “It’s not a cure. But in many instances it can be a way to get people over the hump where the body can start to take over and really make a difference in how you feel and what you can do.”

HH

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H 37

Soil and Septic Go Hand In Hand for Mark Smith

M

By Leonard Shapiro

ark Smith is a third generation soil consultant, a man who still loves to get his hands dirty out in the field when he’s not running his bustling business based on Marshall’s Main Street.

His grandfather, Verlin Smith, started Soil Consultants Inc. based in Fairfax County in 1960 and his father, Donn Smith, took over the business, ran it for 25 years and moved it to Manassas.

Mark Smith’s company “In 2010, I opened Soils Inc. and handles soil and septic. we’ve been growing ever since,” Mark Smith said. “In the beginning, I was working out of the dining room in our house. We moved to another location in Marshall five years ago, and we outgrew it and moved here last year. That first year, it was just me. Now we’ve got 28 employees between the two companies.”

There’s another equally busy branch of the business called Virginia Septic, formed when Smith bought out two other local septic companies.

“That made us a one-stop shop for all types of sewage disposal,” he said.

“We can install, operate and maintain septic tanks and we pump them for both residen tial and commercial. We do a lot of wineries, breweries, churches, pretty much anything that’s out there.”

And Soils Inc. has a healthy client base as well. That company does soil testing for on-site sewage disposal systems as well as design work, storm water management, permitting and geotechnical-testing to make sure the soil can support foundations for new homes or commercial buildings.

It’s all been a natural fit for Mark Smith, who said he knew what career path he wanted to follow as a young teenager. He regularly went out on jobs and worked in the office of his grandfather and father’s business, including plenty of time digging pits with a backhoe.

He graduated from North Carolina State in 2005 with a degree in agronomy and not long after completed the necessary requirements to become a licensed professional soil scientist. He married his wife Ashley in 2010, the same year he started the business, and they and their three children live in Hume, a 20-minute drive to the Marshall office located in a former Atlantic Union branch building.

His company has jobs all around Northern Virginia and occasionally its crews will wander elsewhere around the state, including the Northern Neck. “A lot of our clients come to us by word of mouth,” he said. “People will call and say ‘I’ve had three different people refer us to you.’ You always like to hear that.”

Smith said he still thoroughly enjoys being out in the field because “I just like working outside. And watching the business grow has been fun and rewarding.

We have a great staff, really good, dedicated employees, and I like creating relationships with clients. I’ve had some clients who have been with us right from the start.”

He also has no qualms taking on difficult projects, “We pride ourselves on getting the job done,” he said. “For example, sometimes there’s a limited space in a drain field, but we’ll find a way to shoehorn it in there and make sure we stay within all the regulations. We’re creative and we think outside the box. And we’ll figure out a way to get it approved.”

Smith likes to say the company’s unofficial slogan is “We believe highly in customer service and providing quality work quickly. We have an extremely high level of customer service that our clients have grown accustomed to.”

Dirty hands, included.

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

39

The National Sporting Library & Museum celebrated ten magnificent years of literature, art and culture of equestrian, angling and field sports.

Photos © by Vicky Moon and Leonard Shapiro

The captivating sculpture of Rokeby Stables’ Sea Hero by Tessa Pullan greeted guests.

Photo by Tiffany Dillon Keen

Ambassador Richard Viets

Bruce Ann and Shock Gillet

Charles Seilheimer and Cathy Brentzel

David Wright and NSLM Executive Director Elizabeth von Hassell.

Cricket Goodall, Julia Jitkoff and Ross Peddicord, Executive Director of Maryland Horse Industry Board

Nicole Watson, Brad Davis and Bailey Davis

Photo courtesy of NSLM by Tony Gibson

Robin Keys with Cook and Kelly Edens

Virginia Guest Valentine and Jimmy Hatcher

Russell Jones and Donnan Sharp Will Nisbet, Development Director at The Hill School, and Dulany Morison

Salamander Officially Breaks Ground for Residences

T

By Leonard Shapiro

he official ground-breaking ceremony for the 49 luxury homes comprising the “Residences at Salamander Resort,” took place on a recent sweltering mid-July afternoon. And as Chris Randolph of South Street Partners told close to a hundred guests, “obviously, the ground has been broken.”

Ceremonial shovels, souvenir construction helmets and glasses of champagne were the order of the steamy summer day. With a backdrop of heavy machinery, soon-to-be-buried pipes, and acres of dirt all around, Salamander Resort & Spa founder Sheila Johnson, several of her corporate partners in the project and Middleburg town officials posed for pictures as they turned over the ceremonial first shovels of soil.

“We did a ground-breaking here 15 years ago (for the resort) and look at this now. It’s just amazing,” said Johnson. “My vision, I can’t say enough about it, is finally coming to fruition. It was not just to build the resort to become an economic

Vice Mayor Peter Leonard-Morgan and Sheila Johnson break gound.

Middleburg Town Manager Danny Davis.

engine for the Town of Middleburg, but also to expand our lifestyle brand of Salamander...I’m very excited about this.”

Randolph, a partner in South Street Partners, a private equity real estate investment firm headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and Charleston, S.C. said that sales on five residences have already closed, with four more closings scheduled in the next few weeks.

He also indicated the entire infrastructure phase will likely be completed within the next two to three years. All 49 homes in two different

Photos © Leonard Shapiro

Cold drinks on a hot day.

neighborhoods, ranging from 3,500 to 5,500 square feet, will be done in about five years. Prices start at about $2 million, with homesites ranging from 0.4 to 1.3 acres.

Randolph said the first correspondence between his company and Salamander occurred in 2015 and “this has been a long time coming. Nothing gets done without a lot of work…We knew there would be some bumps in the road. We didn’t envision a pandemic…But right now, this is kind of a pinch-me moment.”

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

It’s All About the Brain at Janelia Campus

By Joe Motheral

T

he Janelia campus of the nationally renowned Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is located along the Potomac River near Ashburn. Some 400 scientists utilize a state-of-the-art facility that includes laboratories, equipment and even living quarters, all the better to study the human brain.

It opened in 2006 after Howard Hughes Medical Institute near Ashburn. acquiring land originally owned and occupied by the late artist, Vinton Lidell Pickens, who lived there until her death in 1993 in the Normandy-style house on the campus. She’d been active in Loudoun County as an original member and chairman of the planning commission and was mainly responsible for the highway signage ordinance limiting billboards on county roads.

The new building was designed by renowned architect Rafael Viñoly and Robert H. McGhee, HHMI’s architect and senior facilities officer. It was constructed along the upper bank of the Potomac, and to honor her memory, HHMI named the campus after a mix of Mrs. Pickens’ two daughters’ names: Jane and Cornelia.

For decades, HHMI has employed scientists at host institutions across the U.S. to pursue basic research questions, a model that has provided key discoveries and new lines of research.

According the Janelia website, “In 2017, we moved to a 15-year research model. We plan to develop a given research area for roughly 15 years to gain traction and attract outside interest, at which point we’ll cycle to a new area of focus. This approach enables Janelia to stay at the frontier of science, advancing one to three research areas at any point in time.

“To date, Janelia scientists have made a number of biological advances, including foundational analysis of the complex neural connections and computations that underlie behavior. And we shared the tools necessary to make these advances with the research community.”

HHMI scientist Dr. Eric Betzig won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his role in developing super resolution microscopy.

“That’s basically a way to use light microscopy to see something smaller than a wavelength of light, which is otherwise impossible,” according to HHMI spokesman Michael Perham. He added that other scientists have been recognized because, “They study questions in neuroscience, advanced microscopy, and cell biology.”

The public has been able to attend lectures in a program called “Dialogues of Discovery.” HHMI scientists and experts from around the world speak about developments in their various fields. Since the pandemic, HHMI has resorted to Zoom sessions but hope to open their doors again later this year.

The HHMI building is truly an architectural masterpiece. It faces the Potomac with a glass wall overlooking a pond that offers the feeling of being out in the open while walking the terrace level. Lunch in the large open terrace dining room is served daily at noon, and scientists engaged in various areas of study around the building often sit together to discuss their respective projects.

“It’s an exciting time for the Janelia research campus,” said Senior Director of Administrative Operations, Cory Schreckengost. “We have very recently expanded and enhanced our campus through several infrastructure investments.

“We’re in the process of expanding our research programming into 4-Dimensional cellular physiology, and forward-looking strategic objectives include an even stronger emphasis on open science and community engagement.”

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Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

43

CHURCHES Photos © by Leonard Shapiro and Vicky Moon

Logan Wiley Whetstone with Olivia Vogel and Jill Vogel at the Trinity picnic.

The congregation at Mt. Pisgah

The choir at Mt. Pisgah

T

he Rev. Jonathan Adams of Trinity Episcopal Church took a short trip up the road and around the corner in Upperville to Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church to address Rev. Philip C. Lewis’ congregation. The occasion was the 145th anniversary of the church. Meanwhile, at the outdoor chapel at Trinity, a special Sanctuary service took place followed by a community picnic.

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The Rev. Jonathan Adams

Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church recently celebrated its 145th anniversary

The outdoor chapel at Trinity

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Reconciliation Begins with Relationship

I

Simultaneously, there remains a lot of push and static around reconciliation, and much of what is written or said these days seems to have a formulaic approach to resolving century old issues. They began long before Phil and I walked on this earth. And yet, these issues are as real, and as deep as they were a century ago, or more.

By The Rev. Jonathan V. Adams

first met Pastor Phil Lewis of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Upperville early on in my time here. It was only my second week as the new rector at Trinity Episcopal Church and I knew from the very start he was going to become a good friend.

I asked Phil what our responsibility as ministers in the community looks like.

His answer was just as profound as his earlier reply to me.

“Change the narrative,” he said. “Stop talking about what we should do, and start doing it.”

If you’ve ever been in the presence of Pastor Lewis, you’ve also been in the presence of kindness, gentleness, meekness and genuine humility. Phil is the textbook definition of a “Gentle Giant” and he has quickly become a “Spiritual Giant” to me, as well. Over the past two years, our mutual respect has grown into a true friendship.

I pressed him on this answer, and he offered a key word—“relationship.”

There is so much truth in his simple, but profound reply. Everything begins with relationship: As Christians we believe we’re in a relationship with God, and God with us. A family, a group of friends, a neighborhood, or a community are founded on being in relationships with each other.

We were visiting the other day and I asked him what does “societal” racial reconciliation look like and how do we accomplish it?

He simply said, “It’s this,” referring to our The Rev Jonathan Adams of Trinity Episcopal Church with friendship. There was never a magic moment Pastor Philip C. Lewis of or a direct conversation, just a simple moving Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church toward one another in mutual respect. congregation.

Over the past 24 months, I’ve gone from simply liking Phil, to loving him as a neighbor and as a friend. We’ve shared laughs and tears, joys and sorrows, all while holding each other up in mutual support – both personally and professionally.

There is an intentionality to our friendship that has opened the door for honest conversation on a variety of subjects, and most recently we’ve been able to share thoughts on the subject of reconciliation.

These are relationships that will lead to friendships and have the potential to become the love of another human being. What’s most interesting is that our honest conversations haven’t pushed us away from one another. Instead, they’ve actually led us even deeper into relationship, and into friendship.

Phil and I ended our most recent time together by praying for each other, and for our local communities. This is not new because we always end our time together by praying. Yet on this occasion, it seemed even more special. We felt closer to God and to each other as we pushed away another obstacle in the way of full friendship, and understanding.

We both felt safe to ask each other honest questions. We both felt comfortable in answering and confessing our own prejudices.

During our prayer time we found ourselves praying both for the younger generation, and for generations to come, with a hope that one day our kids and grandkids would see beyond color and difference, to the true beauty of humanity, reconciled in relationship, and surrounded by love.

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540-837-1856 | www.visitlongbranch.org Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

45

The Magnificent Mister Mayberry Story and photos by Dillonkeenphotography

I

n the early light of a hunt morning, riders are likely to see a little blue truck driven by a gentleman with a friendly smile pulling into the fixture and planning to follow the hounds in search of fox, equipped with sound amplifying earphones and a story ready to tell.

Richard Mayberry was born in Warrenton on September 15, 1935. His father was a foxhunter, and they would hack to the nearby hunts, mostly Casanova, before he went into the service.

He served in the Marine Corps, grooming and exercising the horses at Quantico for 18 months and served six years in the military.

Afterward, he spent two years at Rockburn, owned by the late Hubert Phipps. He kept the horses in shape, groomed them and rode eight to ten hours a day.

Once he left there, Paul Fout found him a job working for the Kennedy family. He took on the role of a groom there, something he was particularly good at. He had the horses beautifully turned out for every foxhunt.

Following the Piedmont Fox Hounds near Beaver Dam Farm modern day use of professional type products was to put mineral oil on a rag and rub the horse to bring out the shine, always careful not to use too much. It was almost an art in itself to get the amount just right.

Next, he worked for Jordan Bentley at Kentfields for six and a half years. “Richard is a good man,” said Jordie Bentley, Jr. “He cannot be replaced. Farm managers are not what they used to be.”

Nowadays, braiding is mostly done on Opening and Thanksgiving meets. Back in the day, horses were braided “each and every time no matter what,” he said. This took an hour per horse and he usually braided six horses per hunt.

Mr. Mayberry worked for the Arundels for 36 years. He did “everything” there--baled hay, put the hay in the barn, did work on the grounds like mowing and removing rocks. He also rode, trained, and brought the horses there.

Mr. Mayberry’s favorite grooming trick before the

Still fond of the Arundel family, he shows a great

46

Richard Mayberry affinity for Great Meadow in The Plains, established by the Arundel family and now called Great Meadow Foundation. He can be seen there frequenting the Gold Cup races in the fall and the spring.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

MODERN FINANCE

Swimming Naked Can Be a Bad Idea

A

By Philip Dudley

nother crypto corpse has risen to the surface in what continues to be a reckoning in the world of cryptocurrencies following the Terra UST/Luna collapse. The varsity crypto squad on the field at this moment is searching for answers but need not look any further than leverage, greed and ego. Three Arrows Capital (3AC) checks all three boxes.

Philip Dudley 3AC repeated history when leveraged bets turned sour and the firm founders Su Zhu and Kyle Davies pressed their luck and lenders came calling. That ultimately resulted in a wipeout of approximately $20 billion as the 3AC leveraged house of cards collapsed. Yes, you read that correctly $20 BILLION to zero.

So, what happened?

It appears what we have here is a classic Madoff-style Ponzi scheme wrapped in massive leveraged trades. The fund was able to borrow money from nearly every institutional lender in the space, some of which, have become insolvent themselves as the collapse caused an unforgiving downward spiral.

It’s believed that new borrowed money was used to pay interest on existing loans. All the while, the books were “being cooked” to show impressive asset growth in order to borrow even more.

In reality, its collateral coverage ratio (the percentage of a loan that’s backed by a discounted asset) was quite small. As Warren Buffet, the “Sage of Omaha” once said to his shareholders, you don’t know who is swimming naked until the tide goes out.

The tide went out and 3AC was swimming naked.

While the collapse of Terra UST/Luna certainly contributed to 3AC’s weakening collateral, many believe the fund’s leveraged position in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (Ticker: GBTC) is to blame for the initial downward spiral.

One needs to understand the GBTC to understand how it might have been at the root of the problem. It’s a closed-end trust that holds Bitcoin but often trades at a premium or discount to Net Asset Value (NAV) due to other liquid investment vehicles available on the market.

The hot trade in 2020 was to borrow GBTC, lock it up in the trust, wait until the lock-up expired and then sell at a premium to spot Bitcoin. Sounds like an easy way to make money, and 3AC made plenty as the largest holder of GBTC. But what happens when the trust trades at a discount to NAV? As the bull market in Bitcoin progressed, there were fewer buyers of GBTC in the secondary market. That, in turn, put downward pressure on the premium to the point that eventually a discount to NAV prevailed and is still present.

3AC seemingly made a costly error by doubling down on GBTC with more leverage and the belief that the discount to NAV would disappear when the GBTC was approved by the SEC as a spot Exchange Traded Fund. Neither have occurred, so now we have another case study of a leveraged arbitrage trade gone bad.

3AC’s thesis regarding GBTC is not wrong in my humble opinion because I also believe the SEC will approve a spot Bitcoin ETF and the discount to NAV will close.

You must have the time and the capital for the GBTC thesis to play out. 3AC had neither. Where the fund erred was its web of over-leveraged bets and the market proved once again to not care one iota about which lamb was sacrificed.

Remember, always use leverage wisely or you, too, might be caught swimming naked.

Philip Dudley is the founder and Managing Partner of Dudley Capital Management, LLC based in Middleburg.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

A Day and a Lifetime at The Saratoga Races

I

By Leonard Shapiro

t was August, 2018, and as always, Ann MacLeod was right where she belonged—sitting in her clubhouse box overlooking the finish line on opening day at the Saratoga Race Course. Old habits are hard to break, don’t you know.

“The Widow,” as she’s affectionately known to her legion of friends back home in Upperville, was celebrating 60 years since she first started coming to “The Spa” and its iconic thoroughbred racetrack. It’s quite an iron-woman streak, only because she had to miss one year to give birth to her son, Colin Bruce.

MacLeod has been a Saratoga fixture since 1958.

She goes there to watch the races, to regularly attend concerts, plays and the ballet at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and to play lawn tennis on the grass courts at the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club.

A few years ago, before a morning tennis match in Saratoga against then jockey Jerry Bailey and his wife, MacLeod had a bit of strategic advice for her own partner before they took the court.

“Always lob the jockey,” she told me.

MacLeod’s love affair with Saratoga began with her love affair with her late husband, Colin “Sandy” MacLeod, who passed away in 1977. They owned a 150-acre farm in Upperville and bred racehorses.

Sandy MacLeod also was a trainer, and for a good part of every year, they had barn space at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga.

Their own space back then was the 60-foot boat they lived on—The Dunvegan, built in 1924 and also

Photo © by Vicky Moon

Photo © by Valerie Embrey

The stillness of dawn at Saratoga. the name of their Virginia farm. It was anchored at Lookout Point on Long Island, conveniently located for short, 20-minute commutes to the nearby racetracks.

For Saratoga, the MacLeods embarked on a threeday cruise that included chugging out briefly to the ocean, making their way to the Hudson River and then heading upstate to Schuylerville. They docked the boat there for Saratoga’s summer race meet, a 10mile drive from the track.

After her husband’s death, the Dunvegan was sold and MacLeod spent her upstate nights on dry land at

At the races one afternoon: Leonard Shapiro and Ann MacLeod. several locations around town. For many years, she shared a small house that was always easy to find. You only had to look for a flamboyance of plastic pink flamingos she stuck in the ground out front.

Every day, after some morning tennis, she’s up in her box, usually surrounded by nearby patrons she’s known for years.

One afternoon a few years ago, a fellow with a thick New York accent dressed in a designer suit dropped by and sat down in MacLeod’s box. Soon, they were engaged in a spirited conversation. At the time, MacLeod had no idea who she was talking to until a friend later told her she’d been yakking with Al Pacino.

For sure it’s been a rich, rewarding and fascinating life for Ann MacLeod, who also shows no signs of slowing down save for a little loss of hearing. She has many Saratoga summers to recall.

This article was written in celebration of Ann MacLeod’s 96th birthday and has since been adapted for her 100th this past June.

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49

Kinloch Farm Beefing Up Its Local Hoofprint

T

By Leonard Shapiro

here’s no fancy building, no gaudy roadside billboards or signage to alert potential customers to the Kinloch Farm store’s truly understated location less than a mile from the village of The Plains. And so far, word-of-mouth has been the main promotional tool.

A simple sign is posted just outside the store’s front door, with a drawing of a cow, the words “Historic & Regenerative Farming” in small type arcing over its beefy body and the name—KINLOCH FARM— underneath, along with the days and hours of operation: “Open Thursday-Sunday 10 am-6 pm.”

“We’re easing into this,” said Mike Peterson, Kinloch’s farm and conservation director since October. “We want to do it the right way and take all the right steps to produce an outlet to sell the very best grass-fed beef and partner with other likeminded producers.”

The store is located on Old Tavern Road at what has been serving in recent years as the popular Archwood Green Barns Farmer’s Market on property owned by The Plains Redevelopment Corp.

(TPRC), a Currier family agricultural holding, that includes the farmer’s market of 24 years.

According to Linked In, “Kinloch Farm operates at the intersection of agriculture and conservation. We take the approach that agriculture and conservation are intrinsically intertwined…We strategically integrate our historic line of Aberdeen Angus cattle to complete nutrient cycles throughout our grasslands and native

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro

meadows to promote diversity, wildlife habitat, ecological health, and animal nutrition.”

Peterson said his role is “to establish an outlet to sell it. It’s a great location, right off I-66 near Middleburg. And we gladly and proudly carry other people’s products—pork and lamb from Hidden Creek Farm in Delaplane, for example, chicken from Rucker Farm in Flint Hill, locally produced honey.”

Peterson is aided and abetted by Bobby Doane, the gregarious store manager and sales director who describes his role as “working alongside Mike to grow the beef business from the ground up.”

Kinloch’s Aberdeen Angus beef is Certified Naturally Grown. The brood cow herd is now up to about 220 head with a total of 400 animals grazing on 800 acres of the farm. And both Peterson and Doane have years of experience in the farm-to-table process.

Peterson grew up on an Illinois dairy farm, has cooked in restaurants that included a stint at the Inn

Kinloch Farm’s Bobby Doane and Mike Peterson. at Little Washington and also owned a farm store in Sperryville before moving to Kinloch.

Doane is a Seattle area native, spent many years with Whole Foods and joined the now closed Gentle Harvest store in Marshall as its manager and marketing director in 2016. He also helped found the Marshall Farmer’s Market.

“My vision for Kinloch is that we don’t want it to be just a tourist location,” Doane said. “We want it community oriented where our producers can also mingle with our local customers. We’re getting a lot of local traffic, and we’re getting more and more repeat guests every week.

Said Peterson, “it’s a place for the community to come in and know they can trust that what we have to offer is produced with total integrity. What I like is the farmer and the customer can come in here, they can talk with each other and they can learn from each other. We see it all the time.”

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Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

51

Mapping the Memories of Fauquier’s African-American Communities A

By Pat Reilly

large quilt greets visitors at the entrance to the Afro-American Historical Association (AAHA) in The Plains.

Patches of cloth in earth-toned designs appliqued in the shape of an 1868 land plat tell a story of Blackwelltown. Each patch represents a lot with the names of the owners on it. The significance of those lots lies in the date. It’s 1868, post-Civil War Virginia. The landowners were all African-American.

AAHA Collections Manager Norma Logan made the memory quilt, and AAHA co-founder and director Karen Hughes White can reel off the family ties of the landowners as if they were still her neighbors. She’s been researching, documenting and preserving the history of African-Americans in her native Fauquier for more than thirty years. Her goal, she said, is “a more complete history” of the county than what she learned in its schools.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

“A lot of these places have nothing left,” Kendall said.

“Without the story map, they are only a memory.

It’s preserving the memory of these places for the future.”

Now, with a partnership with the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), much of the information AAHA has unearthed and archived is finding a 21st century home in an interactive online version of a memory quilt that can be accessed by anyone at AAHAFauquier.org.

Called simply “the story map,” this exhibit fleshes out the African-American communities that blossomed after the Civil War close to where residents found freedom.

“People tended to stay in the area,” White said, adding that a community often began with a church and a school. They might have taken their names from a former plantation or landowner (Morgantown or Blackwelltown) or a landscape feature (Crest Hill, Frogtown).

Before the Civil War, Fauquier County’s population was slightly more than fifty percent Black. Today, African-Americans represent eight percent of the population. After emancipation, former enslaved persons had to apply to the state to remain in Virginia.

“The people who lost the war made it difficult for free Blacks to survive here,” said White, citing atrocities and fear campaigns as well as the loss of jobs over voting. “It was not a pleasant time.”

create a map. Kendall said she was “amazed and impressed” by what AAHA provided. “It’s the most important body of research on African-Americans I’d ever seen.”

The story map allows users to view layers of history: schools, churches, communities peopled with photos of congregations, families, and buildings. Family names and occupations are based on primary research. More recent aerial views from PEC drone photography provide visual context.

Both women cited the critical assistance of Dan Stell, director of the Fauquier County GIS Department, for helping them bring the map idea to fruition.

Community foundations helped cover the costs.

“This is national history from a local standpoint,” said White, who credits the idea for the story map to Kristie Kendall, PEC’s Historical Preservation Coordinator. Kendall recalled a “lightbulb moment” when she and White were identifying significant African-American sites and White asked how they could make the information more accessible to the wider community.

PEC already was using GIS (government information systems), which can mesh information from databases and geographical coordinates to

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White is already imagining a future when universities come on board to help glean information from state and national databases; more people learning about the project and sharing the personal diaries of landowners, family photographs and oral history.

“This is the story of a county that wants to preserve all of its histories,” she said. “I would like to host more conversations with people coming to terms with our history.”

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53 ~ Photo Restoration

From Local Royalty, the Best Ham Biscuit on the Planet Photos © Tiffany of Dillonkeenphotography

C

onsider the ham biscuit. It’s small, savory and a staple in this part of Virginia. Now, let’s take it one step further. For forty years, the local Queen of the Ham Biscuit was the late Barbara Page {March 28, 1937 - May 12, 2022). No gathering of any size could be complete without her culinary work on a silver platter.

Although Barbara has passed away, her biscuits live on made by daughter Patti Page Brown. Daughter Sandra Page Walker, son James Page, Jr. and son Michael Page assist.

Often referred to fondly as Babs or Bobbi Ann Page, Barbara grew up in Loudoun County with her parents, Mary and George Johnson. She moved to Clarke in 1986. One of seven siblings who left school after the seventh grade, she began working at age 14, often cleaning and cooking. She married James E. Page, Sr. in 1954 and they had five children. From her experience in the kitchen, she started Bab’s Creative Catering, which continues.

Our biggest question of all is “What’s the secret to this biscuit business?” The answer came from Babs’ daughter Patti Page Brown, a retired CPA and a doppelgänger of her mother.

“Honey butter.”

Patti Page Brown

54

Ham Biscuits

Sandra Page Walker

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

James Page, Jr.

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Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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By Joe Motheral

ene Dennis has an architectural degree from Virginia Tech and has applied his experience and training to design and build a house for his family with features that complement its environment. He’s constructing it with lumber from dead ash and oak trees at his Sage Hill Farm in Leesburg.

Dennis said the house uses what he described as “energy inertia,’’ meaning that, “when my house is heated up by the sun, the masonry in the walls absorbs the heat and slowly releases the heat when the temperature drops. Insulation on the outside of the masonry walls traps the energy inside the house, the masonry absorbs the heat during Photo by Joe Motheral the summer keeping the house at a comfortable temperature all year Rene Dennis and his wife, Sherry, in front of their environmental friendly house. round.”

The front of the house has an overhang that faces south and is calculated to naturally control the amount of sunlight coming in, depending on the time of year.

“In the summer, there is little direct sun coming inside,” he said. “In the winter, the sunlight enters.”

Dennis said the morning sun will wake the household up.

“In the summer the sun moves fast overhead, in the winter the sunlight lingers.

Most of the sunlight comes into the house from the large amount of south facing glass. The sunroom on the south side of the house can be easily opened and closed with a large sliding door for further climate control.”

Dominion Energy will supply electricity for the lighting, geothermal heating and cooling, and computers. But the electric usage will be low, and with the southern orientation of the house, solar panels could be easily installed once he believes it’s financially worthwhile.

“In addition, the house is heated with a 6,000-pound masonry stove. In the winter it produces heat from the wood that is bountiful where I live and is considered to be ‘carbon neutral’” Sitting inside the partly constructed house recently on a 90-degree day, it was noticeably cooler.

The house also will be supplied with ground temperature apparatus.

“A heat pump connected to a 2,500-foot underground pipe will use ground temperature,” he said. “At a depth of six feet, it has a constant of about 50 degrees.”

He explained that the underground pipe circulates a liquid that either gathers or releases heat. The liquid is compressed to extract or in reverse expanded to absorb heat; coils are either heated or cooled and a fan blows the heat or cool into ducts to distribute the temperature in the house.

The entire front of the house will be a greenhouse with tropical plants, the better to lessen carbon dioxide and “we’ll have more oxygen in the house besides looking great.”

The house has been painted in yellow and green color, a nod to his Norwegian ancestry. He estimated the cost to be in the $300,000 range, and hopes to move in this coming winter.

“The color configuration is typical of a village in Norway,” he said. “It fits the ambiance of the surroundings. Yellow and green reflect where we are surrounded by pasture.”

Rene, his wife Sherry and their children have lived for years in an older house he laughingly described as a “hovel.”

The same will not be said about the new one.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

A Historic Road Down by the Riverside

E

By Joe Motheral

dward’s Ferry Road is named after Edward’s Ferry that operated from 1791 to 1915 across the Potomac River near Goose Creek east of Leesburg.

There’s also an Edward’s Ferry Road in Maryland leading up to the ferry landing on that side of the river.

In June, 1863, about 70,000 Union forces marched down Edward’s Ferry Road and crossed the Potomac River into Maryland on their way to Gettysburg. They managed to get across on a pontoon bridge constructed of rowboats and wooden planks.

The remains of stone buildings—a stable, granary, ice house, and a well structure built around 1880 by Charles Paxton—are now part of the Northern Virginia Park Authority’s Wilderness Park located on the east end of Edward’s Ferry Road.

A short distance west is the site of an old inn known as Cattail Ordinary. A British subject, Nicholas Cresswell, wrote in his journal in an entry dated Thursday, September 19, 1776 that, “Mr. Kirk insisted on me dining with him. Expected I was gone aboard the fleet. Lodged at the Cattail.”

The late Mary Harris owned the Cattail Farm along Edwards Ferry Road. At the outset of World War II, she lived in Shanghai, as the daughter of a British diplomat stationed there. They were interned by the Japanese and later were exchanged for Japanese internees.

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The family ended up in Portuguese East Africa where she worked for the English espionage agency MI5 as a coder. She met and married Huntington Harris, a member of the OSS, and they later moved to Leesburg. The Cattail name derives from a creek with cattails that runs through the Harris property, now in an environmental easement.

The Sage Hill farm across the road from the Harris farm is owned by the Eeda and the late Alfred Dennis. In an interview several years ago, Alfred pointed out several prominent swales along the road. “That’s a Confederate entrenchment,” he said. “It was likely designed to keep an eye on Union troops coming up Edwards Ferry Road on their way to Leesburg.”

When Noah Markham of the Civil War Trust saw those trenches, he said, “Outside of possibly Vicksburg and Petersburg, these are the most imposing and wellpreserved Civil War entrenchments I’ve seen.” The Dennis property has yielded rifle slugs and pieces of Confederate and Union uniforms.

Eeda Dennis grew up in Nazi-occupied Norway. Her father once told her that if it hadn’t been for General George Marshall and the Marshall Plan, her family would have starved after the war.

She once met General Marshall when he was out painting the gates at the entrance to his Leesburg home known as Dodona Manor on Edwards Ferry Road. He lived there for 12 years and Eeda Dennis has served on the board of Dodona Manor.

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laudette Colbert, an Oscar-winning movie star, was doing theater in Washington with co-star Joseph Cotton. She had been a frequent guest at Sun Valley, Idaho when Averell Harriman had been the CEO of the Union Pacific Railroad and also founded the resort.

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Averell and his wife, Pamela, invited her to lunch one Sunday at their Middleburg estate near Foxcroft school.

Some months before, we had gone to Jeanne Paisley’s to try out a field hunter for Mrs. Harriman. The horse didn’t quite suit Pamela, but she did spy a glorious looking two-year-old in a paddock and since Averell had not yet bought her a birthday present, she decided the two-year-old would do just nicely.

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As a three-year-old, the horse was sent to Scott Williamson for training And Mrs. Harriman and I had planned to go see him school the horse that Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Harriman thought Colbert would have a Sunday matinee so we booked the schooling session for late afternoon. It turned out there was no matinee, and Colbert was very interested in seeing the colt.

So over to Scott’s place we three went, with Pamela driving, Claudette Colbert sitting next to her up front and me in the backseat answering questions. After the colt had performed, it was back to the Harrimans we went, with the same order of seating.

Early the following year, the Harrimans were scheduled to go to Barbados with friends by private jet, so it was decided that I also would go along to see a horse we had bought for Mrs. Harriman to hunt. Katie Prudent had him in Florida trying to determine if it would make a decent show horse.

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The jet had a back-of-the-plane seating area and after a while the Harrimans and their guests, including me, ended up there for lunch. I was seated across from a guest named Bubbles Hornblower, the widow of film producer Arthur Hornblower who had been a pal of Pamela’s. Harriman’s second husband, Leland Hayward. (Her first husband was Randolph Churchill, the son of Winston Churchill.)

54

After lunch, Pamela decided to take a nap and she put her newspaper over her face. Mrs. Hornblower and I got to chatting and I asked her how long she was staying in Barbados. Three days with the Harrimans, she said, and the rest with a friend from back home in Hollywood.

From behind the newspaper, Mrs. Harriman awoke and revealed rather loudly that Mrs. Hornblower’s host in Hollywood would be a certain Academy Award winning actress born in France. She won the Oscar for the 1934 film, “It Happened One Night.”

Said I, “Of course I know Claudette Colbert.”

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Perspectives on Childhood, Education, and Parenting

Off to Another Fine Start “I believe in starts. Once you have the start, the rest is inevitable.”

Joey Fagan, from the movie “The Commitments” seeking a place, along with thirty or so others, on the outskirts.

By Tom Northrup

A

s an educator for most of my life, September—not January—has marked the first month of the year for me.

A fresh start, a new beginning for school, new challenges.

Tom Northrup In thinking about what to write for this “back to school” edition of ZEST, memories of my first faculty meeting, over a half century ago, became powerful and vivid. Fresh out of college with no experience, I had been hired to teach fourth grade and to coach basketball and track at a Kindergarten through Grade Twelve independent school in Philadelphia.

The opening meeting in September was held in the school’s library, a formal wood-paneled room with a walk-in fireplace and a long, dark rectangular wood table, which seated about sixteen. The headmaster sat at one end, with his back to a stained-glass window. As I entered, it was apparent that those sitting at the table were the more senior faculty members. I would be

Nervous and somewhat intimidated, my mind wasn’t processing much of the content or discussion.

However, I do recall that one of the veteran teachers made a comment I strongly disagreed with, and I debated whether to raise my hand to speak.

Summoning courage, with my heart pounding, I made my point. For the remainder of the meeting my brain was replaying and editing what I had said, and wishing that I had not spoken.

After the meeting, Dan Charles, a longtime and beloved history teacher in his 60s, introduced himself, put his arm around my shoulders, and said, “Tom, I’m glad you are with us and hope you enjoy teaching as much as I have. It’s a great life.”

In his book, “The Culture Code,” Daniel Coyle explains the conditions which outstanding workplaces embody. The first, and the one I believe most essential, is “to build safety—and create a sense of belonging.”

Until he died five years later, Dan Charles continued to check in with me to see how I was getting along, to offer encouragement, and to help me learn the craft of teaching. He became crucial to my sense of being part

of the school from the very beginning.

After his death, the school yearbook had a page dedicated to him, with his picture, and a caption which read, “Somehow you can’t believe that he’s not just around the corner.”

After every class, Dan Charles was outside his classroom in the hallway, greeting, observing, conversing with his students and colleagues.

He was an outstanding history teacher, both knowledgeable and inspiring. His students loved his class, and they consistently performed well on standardized tests.

But perhaps his most significant and enduring legacy was the lesson his students and fellow teachers learned from him in the hallway outside his classroom, “around the corner”—the importance of feeling you belong. His presence, day after day, communicated a profound message—he wanted to be with us, we counted, students and teachers.

It became important to me to try to carry forward what I learned from him. What a fortunate way to start a career.

Long-time educator Tom Northrup is Head of School Emeritus at The Hill School in Middleburg.

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Junior Kindergarten through 8th Grade Middleburg, VA Since 1926 TheHillSchool.org

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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Honoring Andrew Looney With a Special Brand

Andrew Looney and Tati Jones.

By Leonard Shapiro

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here is a small but growing herd of Angus cattle out in the Nebraska hinterlands with a rather unique brand seared into their hind quarters. It has an upside down capital A over a diamond right underneath. They call it “The Diamond in the Sky” herd, with a terribly poignant and profound meaningful connection to so many in the Middleburg area The “A” stands for Andrew, the late Andrew Looney and 22-year-old son of Mary and Gregg Looney. So sadly, he was killed tragically in a single vehicle accident in April, 2021 not far from where he was working at the 50,000-acre Rocking J Ranch near Cody, one of Nebraska’s largest cattle operations in the northwest corner of the state.

Andrew grew up in Unison, was a graduate of The Hill School and Middleburg Academy and had completed the final 24 credits in his agri-business major he needed to graduate from Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He finished his studies remotely while also working full time at the ranch and was scheduled to graduate with his class last May, only two weeks after the accident.

He’d been an enthusiast of the great outdoors and all things horse and cow growing up in a Middleburg area that afforded plenty of opportunities to pursue

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The Diamond in the Sky herd. his passions. He was a fine rider and enthusiastic fox chaser who also worked with the cattle at Whitestone Farm near Aldie while still in high school and college. He had gone out to Nebraska as an intern on the ranch to see if the work and the lifestyle suited him.

Did it ever.

About a month into that internship, Andrew was offered a full time job at Rocking J. It included a place to stay, a horse of his own and plenty of opportunities to learn as much as he could about the cattle business. He had even purchased a few cows.

He also had met a special girl, Tatiana (Tati) Jones, now a senior at the University of Nebraska who lived nearby and came from a family also involved in the cattle industry. She loved it as much as Andrew did and after his death, she continued to stay in touch with the Looneys back in Virginia.

Earlier this year, Gregg and Mary reached out to Tati with an intriguing idea.

They knew she and Andrew had talked about possibly starting their own herd, so the Looneys told her they wanted to help her do that, and also register the Diamond in the Sky brand. The Looneys purchased 14 Angus heifers, and Tati would be responsible for the herd’s care and maintenance.

“She was all on board to do it,” Gregg said. “We got them, and all of them have calved, so the herd has

A special brand, already doubled.’’

“Andrew’s dream was to have his own ranch, his own cattle,” Mary said. “He was in the process of applying for his own brand. We ended up finishing the application and Andrew’s brother Henry, Gregg and I did the design. We think it’s really special.”

Any profits from the herd will go to Tati and Henry, a senior at the University of Colorado. The Looneys have also started what they call the “Passion and Dreams Scholarship” in Andrew’s memory for students in grade school through high school, including a scholarship at Cody-Kilgore High School, and have contributed to scholarship funds in his name at Hill and at Andrew’s Delaware Valley alma mater.

The Looneys obviously consider Tati part of their family, and hope she’ll keep working with the herd as long as she likes.

“As long as she wants to participate, it’s there for her,” Gregg said. “But cattle are liquid. We told her that if her life goes a different way, if she goes in a different direction, we totally understand.”

Andrew’s younger brother Henry also will be involved. He’s trying to round up some of his fraternity brothers for a trip to the ranch this fall to help with the branding of the Diamond in the Sky herd. Henry already has some experience with that brand. It’s tattooed, right above his heart.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

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Senator Jill H. Vogel August Legislative Update

he 2022 legislative session extended well beyond the regular calendar this year, with votes on controversial bills, judges, and the budget delayed until summer. The legislature considered a total of 3,143 bills and resolutions and passed 841. Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed 33 of the bills and amended 117.

The session had added significance with the transfer of power to a new Governor, Lieutenant Gov-ernor, and Attorney General. Virginians elected a Republican statewide for the first time since 2003. In this inaugural, all three were elected Republicans. Not surprisingly, the transition brought an immediate shift in high profile policies related to taxes, education, public safety, VDOT and DMV, to name a few, as well as an audit of government efficiency generally.

I introduced legislation on a variety of subjects including bills to: • create penalties for sending unsolicited sexually explicit images to another via electronic media (SB 493) • establish Dept. of Corrections work group on restorative housing (SB 108) • allow local funds for charitable institutions (SB 319) • permit mini-trucks on certain highways (SB 320) • revise autism spectrum disorder definition for purposes of health insurance (SB 321) • amend The Plains town charter regarding elections and terms of office (SB 322) • address reporting of overdoses (SB 323) • protect the privacy of charitable giving information (SB 324) • allow Emergency Shelters Upgrade Assistance Grant Fund payments to certain facilities (SB 353) • establish risk limiting election audits (SB 370) • revise organization of State Board of Elections (SB 371) • implement training to reduce human trafficking (SB 467) • revise Dept of Elections administration (SB 610) • address collection of sales and transient occupancy tax for accommodation intermediar-ies (SB 651) • implement last four digits of Social Security number for absentee voting (SB 652) • provide for same day registration for in person absentee voting (SB 697) • retention of badge for certain law enforcement officers (SB 743) • amend Virginia Constitution exempting certain asset forfeiture (SJ 32) • provide money for Winchester airport • allocate resources for equine retirement therapy • increase money for respite for parents of special needs children • create a Loudoun state park The bigger controversies centered around two of the Governor’s major initiatives, the gas tax holiday, and a repeal of the grocery tax. The gas tax holiday died in the Senate but a reduction in the grocery tax survived. Marijuana, gaming, and education also drew long debates, and judges were not resolved until the final hours of session in June.

In the end, we filled judicial vacancies across the Commonwealth and appointed two new justices to the Supreme Court of Virginia. The House and Senate finally adjourned sine die in June.

The most significant bill passed this year is the Commonwealth’s two-year budget. It ended in compromise and passed with overwhelming support, 88-7 in the House and 32-4 in the Senate.

It increases the standard income tax deduction, from $4,500 for individuals and $9,000 for joint filers to $8,000 and $16,000. It ends the state’s 1.5 % grocery tax and cut taxes on military pensions. It includes $19.2 billion for education, more than any allocation in history even when adjusted for inflation. It includes a 5 percent raise for teachers and state employees and increases money for law enforcement.

Other bills that passed and became law July 1 allow law enforcement to use facial recogni-tion technology; reinstate requirement school principals report misdemeanors to law enforce-ment; make Sunday hunting legal on public land; allow door delivery of alcohol; eliminate license requirement for medical marijuana; make it a misdemeanor to carry more than 4 ounces of mariju-ana in public; make switchblades legal but they cannot be concealed; prohibit cats/dogs from being sold for animal testing; allow Virginia college athletes to earn sponsorships; require Parole Board votes to be public andallow localities to provide tax exemptions for military spouses.

That’s the rundown and it is certainly an honor to serve our community in the Senate. I hope you will always call if there is some way that our office can help you.

We welcome your feedback and encourage visitors to the Capitol. Please contact our office any time that you have questions or concerns. I can be reached during the General Assembly session at 804-698-7527, P.O. Box 397, Richmond, VA 23218 or email at district27@senate.virginia.gov.

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

61

The Mission: Go Native, Protect Pollinators

By Linda Roberts

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endy Dorsey may have potted over 2,000 native plants this growing season, but her work as a grower and seller of these hardy plants comes down to each individual plant.

A wife and mother of two grown children, Dorsey, 54, takes the nurturing of her plants seriously.

“I want each plant to have the chance to succeed,” she said while looking over a table full of young plantings.

And succeed they do at her Yellow House Natives nursery just outside Berryville Wendy and Tupper Dorsey where each plant receives ample moisture and proper amounts of sun and shade to flourish on its own.

Dorsey’s little retail nursery overlooks husband Tupper’s thousands of young trees of all varieties raised in orderly rows to be sold wholesale to landscapers.

The Dorseys are modern-day farmers—she nurtures native plants, he’s an expert in what tree grows best where. They follow a life that Tupper inherited and one Dorsey stepped into when she married him. With a smile, she recalls her father saying when she wed Tupper that “you married the farm.”

Dorsey has not always had dirt under her fingernails. A native of State College, Pennsylvania , she moved to Virginia in the early 1990s. She has a master’s degree in psychology and taught for a number of years at Shenandoah University before starting her own business two years ago.

She admitted that she had the idea of “if you build it they will come.” With the movement in the nursery business of promoting native plants, she selected an appropriate time to tap into this expanding trend.

“Being a gardener is harder on my body than teaching,” Dorsey said, “but easier on my soul.” A lover of the outdoors and growing things, she confessed she couldn’t hold down an indoor job now after two years in the nursery business.

Noting that native plants were growing in America before the European settlements arrived, Dorsey said most of her plants are native to Virginia although some originated in other parts of the east coast and now grow well in this state’s soil.

Behind her thriving crop of native plants, Dorsey has another mission—to look specifically at growing plants that attract pollinators and add to and support the cycles of nature. Her business card reads “Yellow House Natives, native perennials grown locally. Specializing in plants that are pollinator friendly and have environmental applications.”

Plainly put, the Dorseys appreciate nature and care deeply about the way they manage the acreage that supports both their businesses.

Yellow House Natives has an increasing customer base spread by word of mouth, her participation in local plant sales and events, Facebook and the Virginia Native Plant Society.

“My customers come from all walks of life and I meet the nicest people,” Dorsey said, adding that interaction with clients also gives her the opportunity to utilize her teaching skills answering their questions about native plants.

“I have visitors who have small lots, who are trying to make a difference in the environment with native plants, as well as others who have large tracts, who want to incorporate natives on a big scale,” Dorsey said. “I enjoy helping the customer who may buy two plants or a carload.”

Yellow House Natives is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon.

Appointments can be made for other times as well. Contact Wendy Dorsey at 540-5395399 or YellowHouseNatives@gmail.com.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Talk About a Blood Hound T

to lap up the goodies. A nurse brought a needle connected to a bag, then shaved an area opposite the dog’s jugular before injecting the needle to start drawing blood. All the while, the donor continued snacking.

After three minutes, the process was over.

By Joe Motheral

he Blue Ridge Veterinary Blood Bank in Purcellville operates under the same safety and sanitary principles as the Red Cross and similar organizations serving humans, with a far different clientele.

The collected blood “is put into a centrifuge and separated into plasma and red blood cells,” Pratt said.

“The plasma is stored in a freezer while the red blood cells are put into a fridge.”

It focuses on the canine population by having dogs donate blood that Blood Bank manager Jocelyn Pratt said is used to treat dogs locally and nationwide needing transfusions to fight disease or help heal injuries.

“It’s for illnesses in dogs the same way human blood is used,” she said. “Any dog can get cancer, besides other diseases. We currently have 350 donor dogs (of all breeds) in our program.”

According to its literature, the Blue Ridge Blood Bank is the largest all canine volunteer veterinary blood banks in the U.S. “Our donor base consists only of willing canine companions,” Pratt said, adding that staff members are specially trained to handle pets. “We will be starting a new site in Leesburg in August at Leesburg Veterinary Hospital.”

Dogs who qualify as donors must meet certain requirements, and must be at least nine months old and up to seven. They have to be healthy and happy, weigh at least 40 pounds and be at an ideal body weight. They also have to be vaccinated for rabies and distemper

Photo by Joe Motheral

Blue Ridge Blood Bank Manager Jocelyn Pratt and doggie donor Tango. and undergone monthly heartworm, flea and tick prevention of some kind year-round. Finally they should be willing to accept “food and love.”

Greyhounds and Pit Bulls have a universal blood type, Pratt said, meaning that their blood can be used for any dog needing a transfusion.

During one recent blood drawing session from a donor dog, a large St. Bernard came in and was escorted to a table where the staff members and a veterinarian started by feeding it peanut butter and cheese.

One staffer laid down beside the dog, who continued

The Blood Bank is always on the lookout for new donors. If an owner is interested, they must call Blue Ridge and arrange to bring their dog in for testing.

“During the first visit,” Pratt said, “our team will assess your dog’s personality and willingness to donate.”

During the initial testing, a small blood sample is taken for screening. If the blood passes inspection and the owner wishes to continue, Blue Ridge requires a one-year commitment involving five to seven visits.

A canine donor can reap a number of benefits, including a wellness exam, blood typing, heartworm and Lyme disease testing, as well as screening for tick borne illness and Brucella.

The dog also gets a bandana that reads, “I saved a life,” and, perhaps best of all, a bag full of treats to take home.

Blue Ridge Veterinary Associates is located at 120 E. Cornwall Lane in Purcellville. Details: www.dogsdonateblood.com.

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

63

A RED TRUCK JOURNEY That All Began in Orlean Photos by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo

F

By Leonard Shapiro

or Brian Noyes, the idea of making a significant career change and moving into the bakery business began to percolate in the cozy kitchen of a refurbished farmhouse just on the outskirts of the tiny town of Orlean, Virginia.

A Kentucky Bourbon Cake, Virginia Peanut Pie, Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook, custom made VANS shoes make life bowl of cherries for Brian Noyes.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

And now, 17 years later, with thriving bakeries in Warrenton and Marshall and a national clientele that includes at least one former president, Noyes is about to release his second book. It features all manner of scrumptious recipes, charming anecdotes and eyepopping photography, mostly from around Orlean and Fauquier County.

These are dishes of cheer, no matter the season—whether it’s in the middle of July or with a snowstorm blowing at your door— that will inspire you to wander through your farmers’ market or local grocery and fill a basket.

It’s called “The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook: Sweet and Savory Comfort Food from America’s Favorite Rural Bakery.” Publisher’s Weekly describes it as “a delectable odyssey through the flavors of the South…A must-have for lovers of Southern cooking.”

– Brian Noyes

A California native who had always enjoyed baking going back to his high school days, Noyes and an uncle in Florida often exchanged cakes, pies and recipes over the years. He also spent many childhood summers in North Carolina with a grandmother who’s credo was something he still takes to heart—“cooking is about creating comfort, not just feeding people.”

Approaching 50, cooking and baking was a happy hobby for a man who had established himself as a gifted The Red Truck is never far away. magazine art director for publications like The Washington Post, Smithsonian and House & Garden. Even as he navigated the publishing world, Noyes took courses at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg.

In 2005, he and his architect husband, Dwight McNeill, purchased their Orlean farmhouse and also bought a red 1954 Ford F-100 pickup truck online that had belonged to Tommy Hilfiger. Noyes came out on Fridays and soon found himself spending hours in that farmhouse kitchen making cakes, pies, bread and granola. He started selling his creations at The Village Green, a charming Orlean antique shop, and out of that red truck at other local country stores.

They always sold out.

Noyes also offered products on-line and one of his quiche creations found its way to a July 4th picnic attended by N.Y. Times food writer Marion Burros. She wrote and asked him to send her some Christmas food samples she would feature in a major story for the holidays.

“It came out in December,” Noyes said. “We went from 24 hits the day before to 57,000. That’s when I thought it was time to make the move. I had turned 50, and I liked the bakery idea.”

In 2009, Noyes opened the original Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton in a converted Esso gas station. Six years later, a second location with a far larger kitchen opened in Marshall, and the rest is local culinary and literary history.

Some of that history also includes a connection to President Barack Obama that began when Noyes first opened the Warrenton store toward the end of a crippling recession.

“There were so many nights when I was upstairs at the farmhouse fretting about payroll, paying the suppliers,” he recalled. “Obama was just coming into office, and it would have been very easy to shut it all down. But by the end of his term things had changed pretty dramatically.”

Not long after the Marshall store opened, Noyes wrote a note to President Obama, relating his early struggles, then thanking him for getting the economy going. He told him about the new store, that he now had 50 employees and was shipping thousands of items across the country.

He never really expected to hear back. But a few weeks later, Cody Keenan, a White House speechwriter, was heading out to Little Washington for dinner and dropped off a note from the president at the Marshall bakery. Keenan also bought several items for his staff and a pecan pie for the president.

Noyes emailed Keenan to thank him and told him he also would recommend Obama try the sweet potato pecan pie with bourbon.

“Within an hour, the email from Cody came back and said, ‘Let me check,’” Noyes recalled. “Twenty minutes later I got another email from Cody. ‘POTUS says yes.’ I fired up three pies and drove them to the White House myself.”

It’s a long way from that cozy kitchen in Orlean to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and for Brian Noyes, what a joyous journey it’s been. You can read all about it in his charming new book.

READ MORE >>

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE

TRUFFLE CAKE I

knew that my training at King Arthur Baking Company’s campus in Norwich, Vermont, was worth the cost after I learned to make this cake there. It’s deeply fudgy and rich, gluten-free, and just plain spectacular. I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years and played with the topping to come up with a feathery design that’s easy to replicate at home. My team at the bakery ships these all over the country, and the only quibble we’ve received is that the top turns goopy if the UPS box is left outside on a hot summer’s day. That complaint was quickly withdrawn in a second cheery email from the cake’s recipient after he’d dragged his finger through the melted chocolate on the plastic wrap, eating it clean.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE MAKES ONE 8-INCH CAKE FOR THE CAKE: 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan 1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips ¾ cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest, or ¼ teaspoon pure orange extract ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground espresso 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3 large eggs FOR THE GANACHE & GLAZE: 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed 1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a metal 8-inch round cake pan with butter (a cake or tart pan with a removable bottom works best here) and place an 8-inch parchment round in the bottom.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chocolate chips, stirring until melted and well combined.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and the orange zest and beat on low speed until well blended, about 30 seconds. Keeping the speed on low throughout, add the salt, espresso, vanilla, and cocoa powder, beating for another 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat again for another 30 seconds. Add the melted chocolate-butter mixture, and beat just until combined. Continue to scrape the bowl and the paddle (where the zest may collect) with the spatula as needed.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula and eliminating any air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a skin has formed on the top and the center appears set and not shiny. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then run a paring knife around the edges of the cake (which may be crumbly) and invert it onto a serving plate. Let the cake cool completely.

5. Meanwhile, make the ganache and glaze: In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips over low heat and then whisk in the heavy cream. Remove from the heat to cool and thicken. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons water to make a glaze, adding more confectioners’ sugar or water, as needed, so that it’s opaque and thick enough to pipe through a small tip inserted into a pastry bag (or clip off a bottom corner of a freezer bag just enough to create a small hole).

6. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate ganache on top of the cake, right to the edge (if it drips down the sides a bit, that’s okay). Let it set for 1 minute, then pipe parallel lines of the white glaze across the ganache. Quickly run the tip of a thin knife perpendicularly across the lines, alternating directions from one side of the cake to the other to create a zigzag feather pattern. Let set completely before serving. Keep the cake well wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 weeks—just don’t refrigerate, as that tends to dry out the cake.

From The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook, Copyright © 2022 by Brian Noyes, Photograph by Angie Mosier, Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/ Publishers, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. ClarksonPotter.com

"Education is the bridge between you and a successful life."

Congratulations to Wakefield's Class of 2022! May you continue to seek the challenge, make a difference, and live extraordinary lives.

Wakefield School, The Plains www.wakefieldschool.org Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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Plains Community League All About Good Works

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By Emma Boyce

chool lunches were just as important nearly a hundred years ago as they are now. That’s why, when they noticed several children going without lunches during the Great Depression, a group of women in The Plains founded the beginnings of The Plains Community League. And yes despite its long history and countless good works, some still don’t know it’s there.

TPCL has obviously evolved since the 1930s. In its current incarnation, the 501c3 nonprofit group acts as both an educational and social resource for children and adults. Under the direction of Program Director Erica Young, TPCL aims to expand even further.

community is to know that we are here and we are open to any suggestions. We want everyone to have what they need.”

With summer in full swing, TPCL already boasts a full schedule of fun for residents of all ages. They host weekly programs, including Toddler Tuesdays, crafts on Wednesdays, and afternoon games on Thursdays.

In early August, TPCL partnered with Grace Episcopal to combine the second annual School Free Market with an Ice Cream Social and Carnival.

Students were able to pick out free school supplies followed by ice cream and games.

An Upperville native, Young has a background in community organizations and also taught preschool at the Middleburg Community Center, overseeing their summer programming, as well.

“I think I go a little overboard with making sure that we’re doing the best that we can here, but it’s a great group of people,” Young said. “I love the community. Their saying is, ‘neighbors helping neighbors,’ and that can’t be more true. We all are in it together.”

“My goals are huge,” said Young, who joined TPCL in January. “I think the biggest goal for the

TPCL offers English as a second language (ESL) classes every Wednesday night. Among the most

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TPCL offers English as a second language (ESL) classes every Wednesday night. Among the most valuable resources for students is their free tutoring, a program that began twenty years ago. And they also provide college scholarships for a number of local recipients. valuable resources for students is their free tutoring, a program that began twenty years ago. And they also provide college scholarships for a number of local recipients.

“After Covid, it was like starting from scratch,” said Young, who had to seek out new volunteers post-pandemic. “The biggest priority at that time was the tutoring program because they were going from completely virtual learn to back in house.”

Although TPCL became an even more invaluable asset during Covid, providing an “Internet Cafe” for families and students without internet access, Young’s biggest hurdle was returning to in-person learning. Despite the learning curve, Young introduced herself to local schools and formed a relationship with the Windy Hill Foundation.

“It’s looking great right now,” said Young, who constantly posts tutoring fliers and meets with students in case emails fall through the cracks.

This fall, TPCL will partner with The Plains Service Station and Grace Episcopal to host Music in the Plains on October 1. The day will kick off with a car show at Grace, followed by an afternoon of music, food, and, of course, a little swag for participants.

“We want everyone to join together and make it a fun community,” she said.

When Young is sitting in her office inside the John Page Turner Community House, she listens for the sound of chairs creakily rocking on the porch. She encourages visitors and she has the popsicles and coffee to keep them coming back.

Program Director Erica Young Helping hands abound inside The Plains Community League

“All should know that they may contact me any time,” Young said. “I’m very passionate about the job. TPCL is here for so many reasons. We want to hear from the community and the community does not stop at the lines of the Plains. Anyone is welcome.”

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1959 MILLWOOD RD | BOYCE, VA | $610,000 Absolutely rare find in historic Millwood: two cottages on one property.

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Anne McIntosh | REALTOR® 703.509.4499 annewmcintosh@gmail.com

Maria Eldredge | REALTOR® 540.454.3829 maria@middleburgrealestate.com

LEARN MORE AT mcintoshandeldredge.realtor

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Sandra Gilliam with her mascot Charlie.

The Village Green in Orlean, No S Necessary

S

andra Gilliam could easily be described as the Godmother of the Red Truck Bakery, mainly because her Orlean friend and neighbor, Red Truck founder Brian Noyes, got his start selling all manner of goodies—granola, cookies, pies and cakes—out of her own eclectic antique-and-everything-else shop called The Village Green more than a decade ago.

“Every Saturday morning there would be people in the parking lot waiting for Brian,” she said. “He’d put it out there on the front table, leave for the day and I’d sell it. He’d come back at the end of the day for the money. He was quite a promoter, an amazing guy.”

The same could probably be said of Gilliam, an 84-year-old bundle of energy who has a little of everything in The Village Green, from the work of local artists, antiques, cheese, crackers, wine, honey, stuffed animals, bird mobiles and lots more. She’s open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and make sure to say hi to Charlie, her adorable and terribly mannerly Border, Jack Russell and Cairn terrier.

Real People.

Real Results. oakviewbank.com | 540.359.7100

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This one is our favorite.

MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022 Member FDIC

There are goodies galore throughout the multi-room Village Green building.

The Village Green is well worth an outing to Orlean.

Experienced Attorneys for ALL Your Legal Needs Family Law Criminal Defense

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There are a number of old copper molds for what can be called classic congealed salads.

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For walking, hiking or working in the garden never ever wear cotton socks. They absorb the sweat and cause blisters. Here we have the perfect pair.

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540-347-3022

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

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SEEN & SCENE

Country ZEST is pleased to announce that Dr. M. Norris (Norrie) Adams will be returning to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical center in Leesburg as Clinical Assistant Professor of Equine Surgery. “Yes, the surgical rock star is returning,” one official at the center confirmed.

Photo by Leland Schwartz

Lennart Lundh, Dana Westring, Lena Lundh, Patricia Wulf and Richard Lew at the Community Music School of the Piedmont’s 14th annual Candlelight Concert. The concert, the school’s sole fundraising event, was held in the ballroom of Nancy and Tom Dungan’s Elysian Fields. The concert included cello student Katelyn Qureshi, who played a movement from the Eccles Sonata in G minor. The Paragon Philharmonia Wind Ensemble performed a program of Mozart and Beethoven pieces specifically composed for bassoon, clarinet, oboe, and horn. “We’re back!” Executive Director Martha Cotter exclaimed.

Photo © by Tiffany of Dillionkeenphotography

Robert Matthews of Stonehall Farm was a keen spectator at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show.

Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton with Pamela Jones, chair of the board at Oatlands, were among those out for an early evening tour of the historic home and gardens near Leesburg.

At Summit, it’s our goal to give you personalized service and attention that goes beyond what’s expected. With a variety of account options and plenty of great features and bene�its, you’ll �ind that we’ve created our accounts to be as unique as our customers, designed to meet a diverse range of �inancial needs. Whether you are looking for Flexible Checking Options, Competitive High Interest Accounts, Tailored Business Solutions, Innovative Financial Technology, or Exceptional Commercial and Personal Lending, we are here for YOU.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Photo by Bri West Photo © Leonard Shapiro

Sgt. Howard Craig of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department made a recent stop at Common Grounds in Middleburg to meet and greet local residents.

Photo © by Leonard Shapiro

Always nice to see Page and Jud Glascock.

The Piedmont Environmental Council recently held an Open House and Family Day at their Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows near Gilbert’s Corner in Aldie.

Doug Tallamy, the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, recently spoke at the National Sporting Library & Museum to discuss his books, Nature's Best Hope and The Nature of Oaks, and his approach to conservation for everyone to play a role in the future of the natural world.

This destination wedding took place in Hawaii on June 12, and back in Middleburg, proud papa Paul Aliloo of Aliloo Rugs in Middleburg has been beaming ever since over the marriage of his daughter, Arezu, to Chase Sova.

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

73

At Morven Park, No is Not an Answer

L

By Bill Cauley

ike almost everything else curtailed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Leesburg’s Morven Park went into semi-hibernation.

Although closed for most major events, including wedding receptions and horse shows, the park remained accessible so that visitors still could walk on the trails, maintaining physical distancing, of course.

“People were tired of being at home, being cooped up,” said Stacey Metcalfe, executive director/CEO at Morven Park. “Having the opportunity to come here, socially distancing, walking around the property. I think it was a good thing during that time.”

Now, just over two years later, Morven Park—often described as Loudoun County’s 1,000-acre backyard—is back in full swing, with plenty of activities available for young and old.

Metcalfe, who took the position at Morven Park in January, 2021, was in the right situation when the top job came open.

“I was fortunate enough that I was a trustee here,” said Metcalfe, who formerly worked at INOVA Loudoun Hospital. “I was actually asked to lead a search committee to find a new executive director.”

All she had to do was look in the mirror.

“When I realized I wanted to take on this role, I had a lot of experience in reading through, and understanding, what the board of trustees wanted to accomplish,” she said. “First and foremost, I think the most important thing was making sure that the community knew that Morven Park was here for them.”

Morven Park, where Westmoreland Davis, Virginia’s 48th governor resided from 1903-1942, is a private facility but open to the public. Metcalfe, who got married at the park, calls it her “happy place.”

“I kept thinking: ‘this could be a great job,’” Metcalfe said of her decision to apply for the position. She knew if she didn’t act right away, the job might not be available in three years.

“I love this place,” Metcalfe said. “I’m a runner. I run here.”

Coming out of the pandemic, Metcalfe knew she had to do more to make Morven Park more user-friendly, and most important, do away with a “no” syndrome.

“When I drove up the lane, I noticed there were all these signs that said ‘no’ to one thing or another,” Metcalfe said. “No photography, no this, no that. You’re coming up the lane and you’re presented with a lot of no signs. That was my No. 1 thing.”

Metcalfe wasn’t about to wait for maintenance workers to handle it. “I physically pulled up all of those signs,” she said. “I wanted to make sure the community knew they were welcomed.”

There are still rules and regulations for Morven Park, but Metcalfe said there’s a right and a wrong way to do things.

“There are ways to present these rules and regulations without having to unnecessarily bombard people with a lot of no’s,” Metcalfe said. “I wanted to make sure the community knew we were an asset to them. I called my team together and told them we actually have to do something about these signs.”

Metcalfe said no significant changes have been made since she took over the park. “I think the big thing was just better communication,” she said, adding thatstaffing changes were minimal.

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

BOOK SALE Calling All Book Lovers!

September 17 10 am-4 pm

LWVA Clubhouse, 19375 Magnolia Gr. Sq., Lansdowne Woods

YOU ARE INVITED TO MEET LOCAL AUTHORS –

Robert Fells, Pam Fessler, Barbara Galvin, Kara Laughlin, Mark Leepson, Phil Lemic, Vicky Moon, Travis Sample, Karen Schaufeld, Hugh Sockett, Sharon K. Solomon, Bronwen Souders, Janet Taliaferro, Rachel Thompson, Dorothy Vazzanna, Sharon Virts, Dan Wallace, and Bonnie Wohlford,

Photo by Bill Cauley

Morven Park Executive Director Stacey Metcalfe “We were fortunate in that we have a pretty small, and a nimble, staff here,” Metcalfe said. “Most of our roles could be done from home (during the pandemic). We did not have to furlough or let anyone go. Maintenance crews remained in place. We just did a lot of re-thinking.”

Once the re-boot began, it was just a matter of resuming already-existing programs, which includes the International Equestrian Center, resumption of various horse competitions, bringing the Center for Civic Impact back up to speed, and involvement with local schools.

MYSTERY & SUSPENSE, SCI-FI & FANTASY, ADULT & CHILDREN’S FICTION & NONFICTION – Hear their words, buy their books, and attend informative workshops on writing and publishing.

Free & Open to the Public, donations for Ashburn Vol. Fire & Rescue Dept.

Presented by LWVA Writers Workshop, khughes868@aol.com

“When the schools shut down, we had to work at how we could get our lessons, which are free, out to those kids while they were in remote learning,” Metcalfe said. “We had to pivot, we had to think differently.”

And through it all, Morven Park has remained one of Loudoun County’s premier attractions, both for residents and tourists.

Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

75

Common Grounds: 10 Years of Grounding Our Community

I

By Carina Elgin

Christian Ellis’ artisanship as a barista. “Christian will not let his standards down, and it really shows,” he said. While Catherwood had high praise for the double espresso, he was also effusive about valuing the generosity and kindness the Ellis family shows their customers and the community.

Suzanne Obetz, executive director of The Middleburg Museum, often has business chats at the shop.

“I love it here,” she said. “It’s where I come to schmooze. I love how community focused the Ellis’ are, always donating to events. I also love running into so many people I know.”

Caroline Elgin and her service dog, Shelly, are regulars. welcomed with open arms, smiles and the only wheelchair ramp in town. A graphic artist, the coffee mugs specially designed for the shop are still best sellers, and she values how supportive the Ellis’ are of her.

Kaylee Bauerle, who works at The Play Room toy store a few doors down from Common Grounds, said “Common Grounds has quickly become my favorite spot, thanks to the very welcoming environment the owners and employees provide. It’s definitely a staple in this beautiful town and made me fall in love with Middleburg even more.”

Christian Ellis said he’s simply grateful for longtime customers who keep coming back, or new ones who have just discovered the shop.

“The support of the community makes all the hard work worthwhile,” he said. “And that’s helped us fulfill a desire to make a difference in our community.”

n the ten years since Duane and Cyndi Ellis and their son, Christian, opened the doors of Middleburg Common Grounds, their popular coffee shop has become the town’s epicenter.

Located directly across the street from the post office, Common Grounds is now the place “where you always meet someone you know,” having taken over the morning meeting void left by the closing of the iconic Coach Stop restaurant.

The coffee is delicious, the pastries plentiful, and the creative soups, salads and sandwiches always hit the spot. The baristas can whip up a full array of trendy beverages, but there’s beer and wine also at the ready.

The works of local artists are featured on the walls, and there are seats for every occasion: practical tables to reconfigure for any size group, high top stools and two comfy chairs. The outside seating, with lovely seasonal plantings, provides a great view of who’s around in town, and four smaller tables on the porch have a devoted following.

Any weekday morning, the occasional business suit mingles in the line with those in their horsey duds, as well as gals in tennis skirts or yoga pants.

Middleburg Police Lieutenant Shaun Jones makes Common Grounds his first morning stop each day.

He’s often involved in friendly bantering as he “grabs some tea and hears from the locals what’s going on in town.” On the weekend, its’ a tourist destination.

Jonathan Catherwood was Common Grounds’ very first customer. A self-proclaimed coffee-aholic,

Jonathan Catherwood was first in line when Common Grounds opened ten years ago. he eagerly awaited the opening back in 2012, stopping by each day to check on progress, until one day, finally, there was an “Open” sign. C a t h e r w o o d readily admits he’s gone there two or three times a day ever since.

Originally from London, Catherwood said, “I’ve traveled all over for business, and I really believe Common Grounds’ espresso is the best in the United States.”

He attributed the quality of the product to

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Photo by Carina Elgin

The main house at Hidden Trail Farm.

PROPERTY Writes

A Horsey Hideaway at Hidden Trail

An expansive living room features vaulted ceilings and a stone fireplace.

H

idden Trail Farm is a magnificent 107-acre horse property within minutes of Middleburg and in prime Orange County Hunt territory.

From the picturesque Young Road, two driveways access the property. The first leads to one of the finest indoor arenas and the second driveway is a graceful, park-like drive, which parallels a creek and passes the eight-stall stable and fourbay equipment barn/machine shop.

The drive gently curves to the elegant Country French main residence and the log cabin style second home and heated pool. Custom built in 2002, the stone and stucco main residence features large open rooms, with expansive views of the countryside.

Special features include wide plank flooring planed by a local artisan, a Clive Christian custom kitchen with imported French limestone countertops, a gathering room with fireplace and spacious breakfast area, a formal dining room with bow window, a dramatic great room with vaulted ceiling and fireplace, music room, solarium with limestone flooring, and an executive office with paneled walls and full bath.

The second level offers a luxurious primary suite with fireplace, sitting room, spacious closets and an expansive bath. There also are three en suite bedrooms and an additional room perfect for a nursery or office.

The lower level offers an inviting family room complete with bar, wood-burning fireplace and French doors leading to the backyard. Also on this level is a wine room with brick flooring, an exercise room, billiards room, hobby room, half-bath and storage room.

The indoor arena

The horse facilities include an eight-stall, center aisle stable with 14’ x 14’ stalls, wash stall, tack room, lounge and large hayloft. Behind the stable is a four bay equipment barn/ machine shop. From the stable, it’s a short walk across a stone bridge to the indoor arena, beautifully crafted with Alder wood beams. The design was greatly influenced by one of the area’s Olympic riders.

This exquisite property offers beautiful land with gently rolling hills, serenity, privacy and gorgeous views. Hidden Trail Farm is truly a wonderful horse property.

The dining room offers an ideal entertaining space.

Hidden Trail Farm 7163 Young Rd. , The Plains VA 20198 107-plus acres | $5,750,000 John Coles Thomas & Talbot Estate Properties 540-270-0094 Country ZEST & Style | Autumn 2022

77

LETTER from PARIS

A Moveable Feast in a Tour de France

T

By John Sherman

he medieval town of Bargemon sits 40 miles (about 183 twists and turns) above San Tropez. Fortunately, car rental agencies in France are discouraged from renting to those of us over 80. So the chore fell to my travel companion. It was odd and engaging to actually see beyond the next hairpin. Provence this spring day was spread out with poppies and wild mustard—and fields and fields of budding grape vines. And the green/gray of regimented olive orchards.

The town seemed concocted by a set designer, with all the props of an imaginary France. Its narrow streets are cobbled. Umbrellas shade small cafes that face out onto a square with a central fountain.

Gitains and Gauloises are still smoked at a local bar.

There’s the church and the eight hundred old stone ramparts looking out at a dramatic mountainous terrain. And, of course, bistros and brasseries, with their sidewalk menu boards and bright awnings.

One evening, we slid down to La Compana and managed to bluff our way into this small dining room of six tables. Husband chef. Wife waitress, who moved around the room like a dervish, joking and laughing as she went.

I ordered oeufs en meurette followed by foie de veau. Over the years, memories of my dear mother’s menu of liver cooked grey and the very edible onions and bacon, had mellowed. I requested saignant, rare, raising the eyebrows of my dinner partners. It came with haricots verts and frites. Oh, yes.

A couple of days later we drove north to see their Grand Canyon. We stopped off for lunch in the small village of Comps Sur Artuby. The Grand Hotel Bain had a good feel on this sunny midday. We sat under a sycamore tree. Skimming the hard cover menu, I felt a sudden excitement, as there, under hot entrees, appeared two of my dream plates. Cheek by jowl: tete de veau with a sauce ravigote and tripes de boeuf facon niçoise.

My wife, a former chef, speaks euphemistically about the “extremities.” Our restaurant’s kitchen at the Ashby Inn would bridle at dishes foreign to them—-along with bluefish (too oily). I would tout sweetbreads and liver; they would plead not to put “freaks” on the menu.

“A complete turn off. A money loser.” I reluctantly backed off, though I had a major victory with bluefish.

For sheer taste and adventure, I will head directly for the offal. Well, maybe not Rocky Mountain oysters. The old expression that meat is most tender near the bone. That may be true, but it’s the outer cuts that have the most character. Filet mignon is nothing but a marshmallow compared with, say, a bavette—-never mind the tail of an ox.

PETA devotees may now be excused. This is not for the faint of heart.

Tete de veau is just that, a calf ’s head. It comes with many recipes, but is essentially the head, tongue and brain boiled in various stages. The platter traditionally shows sliced tongue, chunks of head meat and chopped brains—-served with a sauce

ravigote, a dressing of olive oil, mustard, egg, capers and cornichons.

The day’s menu, however, listed a terrine of tete de veau, a far less dramatic and more palatable for most. Like most terrines, it carries the boiled offal pieces with chopped carrots and other colorful vegetables encased in gelatin. On the side came a generous dollop of ravigote. The stares of curiosity and distaste from my companions only heightened the pleasure.

I ordered a bottle of Morgan from Beaujolais, light and slightly chilled, to match the terrine and the heat of the afternoon.

Tripe, the honeycombed lining of a cow’s second stomach, is one of offal’s most heady celebrities. I would walk a mile through snow for a steaming bowl of tripe. Like many of its cousins, it demands skinning and cleaning and boiling. Bland by itself, it gets its flavor from the spices and sauces they’re cooked in.

The kitchen produced the classic Tripes a la Niçoise. The tripe is cooked by itself, cut into bite size pieces. It’s then sautéed in olive oil, before adding calves feet, tomatoes, white wine, bouillon, garlic, onions and a myriad of spices and herbs. The

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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022

Roma and John Sherman pot is often sealed with a mix of flour and water and put in the oven for up to 12 hours. With minimum cooking time left, in go Parmesan—-and, of course, a measure of the local eau de vie. Pret a manger.

The chef ’s wife, a stout woman with gapped teeth, set down steak frites, trout meuniere, a composed salad before my table mates. As she presented the tripe—-a shimmering bowl of deep red sauce with a side of boiled potatoes—-she gave me a slight smile of approval. I had just been inducted to the vaunted Societe des Amateurs de Tripes. The tripe had a subtle chewiness, bathed in a light tomato sauce.

At my urging, we sprung for a bottle of Pouilly-Fume from the Loire, where I was stationed in the army in the 1960s—-defending France with fixed bayonet from imminent attack from the East. It’s where I received my baptism at French tables. Quenelle of river pike, goose liver, decomposing pheasant.

And the deep satisfaction of taking detours from the common coq au vin, steak frites and boeuf bourguignon, through the darker, richer passages of the beast. There lurk the savors and textures that history’s most celebrated gourmands—the Gargantuans—sought.

18781 FOGGY BOTTOM RD | BLUEMONT, VA $1,950,000 NO HOA, VERY PRIVATE WITH GORGEOUS MOUNTAIN VIEWS!!!

Offering a lovely custom 6,000+ sq ft all brick home on 20+ private serene acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. With equal distance to Purcellville and Middleburg this property is an excellent commuter location! With a private paved driveway off a paved road, you will feel the abundance of character and charm as you pull through the stone pillars and around the circular driveway. Being just around the corner from Great Country Farms, Bluemont Vineyard, and Dirt Farm Brewery, this home offers year-round enjoyment of the outdoors for kids and adults, such as, wine tasting, picking strawberries, peaches, pumpkins or apples, fishing, wagon rides, mazes, farm play areas, egg hunts, or even do your weekly shopping at the farm market.

This property has been meticulously cared for making it completely turnkey, offering elegant living inside and out! Interior features include, two fully finished levels of living space with 9' ceilings on the main level and 8.5' ceilings on the lower level, first floor primary suite with two large

4 BD | 5 BA | 6,064 SQFT | 20.2 AC VALO2030256

closets, a tub and steam shower, along with a private covered brick porch. The massive kitchen has granite counters, a large island with a preparation sink, a built-in desk, a sub-zero refrigerator, and a built-in booth breakfast nook.

More features include, custom crown moldings, two fireplaces, huge Anderson windows, a skylight offering lots of natural light, built-in book shelves, hardwood floors, whole house intercom and stereo system, and French doors to a stunning three season room.

The lower level is the entire footprint of the home and presents a finished entertainment area with two large bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms and large closets, a climate controlled wine closet, several built-in shelves, daylights out to a rear slate terrace, and has lots of windows providing tons of light & gorgeous views.

Just on the opposite side of the home is a huge three-car attached garage and a house generator.

Some outdoor features include a large frame board and batten shop/building that is 36.5' X 85' with a full bath, HVAC system with heating and central air, full loft with custom drop stair access,

metal roof, 12' ceilings, a garage door, concrete slab, and a water hydrant along with a second metal shop/building that was built in 2017 and is 36' X 90' with steel beam construction, central HVAC with heat and air conditioning, built-in humidifier, concrete slab, and a one-car garage door. Together these buildings would make the perfect workshops, garages, storage, could even be converted back into space for horses, ideal for all hobby enthusiasts!

The property is gently rolling with extensive landscaping, beautiful mature trees, a large fully fenced raised bed organic garden and lots of valuable quartz beneath the trees in the Southern corner. Nearly all of the land is open, would be great for land use, and is exceptional for all of your outdoor adventures.

New roof and skylight 2021, gently used hot tub 2019, and fire-pit with stone wall seating 2019. The detail, quality, and charm is truly apparent and the setting is incredibly tranquil too. Just picture yourself relaxing in the hot tub, with panoramic views, surrounded by the beauty of nature in your own backyard! No HOA- bring all the animals!

Jan- May 2022

00 Lee Hwy | Washington SOLD: $365,000 | 25.07 AC

21173 Trappe Rd | Upperville SOLD: $2,400,000 | 4 BD | 3/1 BA | 100.04 AC

23532 Chase Hollow Ln | Middleburg* SOLD: $2,950,000 | 6 BD | 7/2 BA | 25 AC

18279 & 18285 Foundry Rd | Purcellville SOLD: $1,100,000 | 4 BD | 3 BA | 6 AC

104 Roseville Ct | Boyce SOLD: $640,990 | 6 BD | 3/1 BA | .68 AC

16802 Chestnut Overlook Dr | Purcellville SOLD: $1,305,000 | 5 BD | 5/1 BA | 3.24 AC

16272 Hamilton Station Rd | Waterford* SOLD: $1,321,000 | 4 BD | 3/1 BA | 11 AC

*Represented Buyer. Photo used with permission of listing agent.

KRISTIN DILLON-JOHNSON REALTOR® | Licensed in VA

C 703.673.6920

ATOKA

PROPERTIES

O 540.338.7770 x 313 kristin@atokaproperties.com 115 N 21st St (PO Box 190 | 20134), Purcellville, VA 20132

12

Years Licensed REALTOR®

KDJREALESTATE .COM CORPORATE OFFICE: 10 E WASHINGTON ST, MIDDELBURG, VA 20117 | 540.687.6321 | LICENSED IN VA, WV + MD | ATOKAPROPERTIES.COM

OPENING THE DOOR TO HORSE COUNTRY FOR GENER ATIONS

LD

W

NE

SO

Hidden Trail

Chilly Bleak

Sanctuary

Ashcroft

107+ acres $5,750,000 The Plains – Exceptional and surrounded by magnificent countryside with views. Stone and stucco residence, beautiful terraces.

Geothermal heating/cooling, heated 20’ x 40’ pool, 8 stall center aisle stable with 14’ x 14’ stalls. Stunning indoor riding arena.

152 acres $3,500,000 Open, gently rolling pastures and fields in prime Orange County Hunt Territory.

Historic home dates to 1820. 5 BR / 5 BA with stone terrace and pool. Two Stables - 15 stalls and 6 stalls, Kraft Walker, 8 paddocks, 6 fields, 3 cottages.

50 acres $2,695,000 In the heart of Virginia Wine Country, 8,300 sq ft house custom built in 1996 by Castlerock Enterprises. 5 BRs / 5 1/2 BAs, 5 fireplaces, 12-foot ceilings, open floor plan.

Views of vineyards, woods, mountains and farmland. Very private, yet not remote.

86+ acres $2,200,000 White Post – c. 1830 3 BR / 2 full, 2 half BA brick home offers privacy and incredible views. 3 acre pond. Farm office w/attached 3 car garage. Many improvements including renovated bank barn for entertaining family & friends. Great Clarke Co. location.

John Coles | 540-270-0094

John Coles | 540-270-0094

Chris Malone | 540-253-5050

Cathy Bernache | 540-424-7066

D

W NE

Swain Mountain Farm

Locust Grove c.1815

N LA

Aurora

Wilson Road

67+ acres $1,995,000 Reconfigured acreage, beautiful views!

4 BR / 5.5 BA fully restored estate 3 miles from Marshall and rte. 66. Potential easement value, composed of 3 parcels for a total of 67.58 acres. Additional acreage available. Seller is related to the listing agent.

19+ acres $1,580,000 The main house was built in 1815, it is listed on the Virginia and National Historic Registers. Rolling pastures, large old trees, a pond, and complete privacy. Custom designed stable built in 2011. 3 board fenced pastures, run-in shed with electricity and water.

3 acres $1,100,000 Built in 1799, has all the charm and character of a 200 year old house with the modern amenities of one that has been well-loved and beautifully cared-for over the years.

Located just outside the town of Berryville in historic Clarke County.

93 acres $950,000 Marshall – This property is comprised of multiple parcels (4 DURs), includes 32 cleared and fenced acres. And UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC - No power lines to ruin your views! The lots have significant easement value. Seller is related to the listing agent.

Isabella Wolf | 703-338-7452

Susie Ashcom | 540-729-1478

Cary Embury | 540-533-0106

Isabella Wolf | 703-338-7452

Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.

THOMAS & TALBOT ESTATE PROPERTIES Opening The Door To Horse Country For Generations 2 South Madison Street | PO Box 500 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | Office: 540-687-6500 | thomasandtalbot.com