Erika Howsare, Author at C-VILLE Weekly

Shirts to sweat in: Rhoback makes polos for a “young golfer” demographic

In 2014, when Matt Loftus was about to enter the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, he knew he wanted to start a business, but he didn’t realize how quickly it would happen. Loftus and a group of friends had partnered that summer with the clothing company Vineyard Vines in a marketing campaign that […]

Erika Howsare | March 5, 2019

Living

Star-struck: For a planetarium visit and so much more, Harrisonburg is out of this world

Some day trips have a singular purpose (i.e., “We’re going to the zoo!”), while others consist of a medley of experiences in the same general location. My family’s recent Saturday in Harrisonburg was one of the gumbo type. My husband and I and our girls, ages 5 and 8, saw a planetarium show, then visited […]

Erika Howsare | February 6, 2019

Made In C-VILLE Magazines

The other three percent: Local clothes make the town

Here’s the next level, folks. You might be eating local and shopping local, but are you wearing local? The garments we don often come from very faraway places and seem to just appear out of nowhere; an oft-reported statistic from the American Apparel & Footwear Association states that 97 percent of the clothes sold in […]

Erika Howsare | December 5, 2018

Made In C-VILLE Magazines

Woven in: Andrea Korotky nurtures a lifelong passion for her craft

The eight-harness loom that Andrea Korotky bought in mid-1970s New York is still a daily companion, standing in the corner of her Charlottesville studio. When the weaver sits down to the loom—which is roughly the size of an upright piano—her more than 40 years of experience are obvious in the fluidity and confidence of her […]

Erika Howsare | December 5, 2018

Living

Mummy outing: A day with kids at the VMFA (and other places)

It’s worth it to drive to Richmond on a rainy day. It might actually be the best time to make the trip—instead of moping around home or doing errands, you defy the weather and make a bold strike for the capital city. After all, there’s lots to do there. Like, mummy-viewing—which was enough to get […]

Erika Howsare | December 5, 2018

Living

Chip chip hooray: Exploring the Valley’s light, crispy attractions

Believe it or not, there are some things Charlottesville still doesn’t have, which is a great reason to get out of town now and then. Another great reason is that many towns within striking distance of Charlottesville are attractive and thriving. When a friend and I, with our combined five kids, pulled into Harrisonburg on […]

Erika Howsare | October 24, 2018

Unbound

Into the woods: 14 favorite Charlottesville-area hikes, from easy to “ease up!”

If you think that the end of summer means it’s time to put away the hiking boots, think again. Fall and winter in Virginia are fantastic seasons to walk in the woods—for 15 minutes or a whole day. It’s easier to see the mountains we live among when the trees aren’t fully in leaf, and […]

Erika Howsare | September 19, 2018

Magazines Unbound

A life in leaves: Charlottesville artist rocks the botanical world

When Lara Call Gastinger posts a page from her natural journal on Instagram, it routinely garners a few thousand likes. “Lush life!” comments one follower on a recent post. “How wonderful your talent,” says another. “Gorgeous.” “Wonderful work.” In the photo, a drawing pen—the printing worn off its shaft by Gastinger’s hand—lies in the center […]

Erika Howsare | September 19, 2018

Magazines Unbound

Keep the garden going: Stretching the seasons with fall and winter veggies

As I write this, it’s mid-August, and my vegetable garden has the crazy look it always does this time of year—overflowing its boundaries here, bare and shorn there, roiling with weeds in more places than not. We’re getting food out of it (zucchini, peppers, hey-need-some-basil?) but it’s not that pretty to look at, and it’s […]

Erika Howsare | September 19, 2018

Living

Into the cavern: At Luray, there are so many reasons to stay

Tourist trap: It’s such an ugly term. Of course there’s reason to beware of over-hyped destinations. But—especially with kids in tow—there’s also a certain enjoyment in surrendering, now and then, to the spectacle. I don’t know of anyplace in Virginia where that’s a truer statement than at Luray Caverns. The Caverns, as our guide on […]

Erika Howsare | September 19, 2018