Culture Tried It

Tried It in C’ville: Intuitive Dry Cutting

What Getting an intuitive dry haircut. Why To have a ’do I love that grows out even better. How it went It’s been sunroof season ever since I got the cut—weather be damned! I arrived at an unassuming row of businesses and found master stylist Lune Wynyard’s workspace nestled in a therapist’s office. The cheery, […]

Kristie Smeltzer | April 15, 2026

Culture

Tried It in C’ville: Emergency Food Network

What Driving food to the distribution center for the Emergency Food Network. Why Everyone should have access to nourishing food. How it went  Like with most volunteer opportunities, I got more out of it than I gave. The Emergency Food Network is an organization that I have volunteered with in the past and recently rejoined. […]

Kristie Smeltzer | March 25, 2026

Culture

Tried it in C’ville: Cville Dance Co-Op

Every time a period film comes on, I bemoan that community dances are no longer a thing. I love dancing and find there are not enough opportunities to dance in the company of others (especially now that I’ve entered my midlife renaissance). While clubs were fun back in the day, I recently sought a different […]

Kristie Smeltzer | February 25, 2026

Culture

Tried it in C’ville: Glass-blowing at Studio 1050°

What do you give people who have everything—especially if they’re decluttering? Experiential gifts have been the answer to that question for some in my family. We did a paint-n-sip night once andhad a lot of laughs, made memories, and left with our own (kinda) matching piece of art. Studio 1050°, a local flameworking and glass […]

Kristie Smeltzer | December 17, 2025

Culture Entertainment

Tried it in C’ville: Blue Ridge Mountain Maze

While some mourn summer’s passing, I’m dancing in my sweater. These brisk mornings conjure fond memories of attending fall festivals and carving jack-o’-lanterns. Searching for a way to celebrate my favorite season led me to the Blue Ridge Mountain Maze. I’ve wanted to venture through a legit maze ever since seeing Labyrinth in 1986, so […]

Kristie Smeltzer | October 29, 2025

Culture Recreation & Fitness

Heed the call of foam-covered battle

For those of us who grew up dueling with long cardboard tubes from the center of wrapping paper rolls, our days of swordplay needn’t be over. (My nephew dubbed those tubes “DOOT-da-doos” because they also double as instruments.) In my mid-life renaissance, I’ve leaned harder into my weirdo ways. I play Dungeons & Dragons weekly […]

Kristie Smeltzer | September 24, 2025

Culture

Get caught pink-handed

Part of summer’s joy is its bounty of seasonal produce. When wild blackberry bushes in the yard of my childhood home presented their delicious fruit, I knew we’d reached the pinnacle of summer. While store-bought berries are tasty, nothing beats ’em fresh from the vine. For a local delight, Chiles Peach Orchard, on the outskirts […]

Kristie Smeltzer | August 13, 2025

Culture

Retracing and rethinking

I’m a sucker for a historical walking tour. Treading where our forebears trod to see current spaces through their historical context reshapes our understanding of places that we thought we knew. Such experiences enable us to learn, in greater detail, about people of the past whose lives were very different from our own. The Albemarle […]

Kristie Smeltzer | July 23, 2025

Culture Living

Healing within and beyond

Living in a college town comes with challenges (think crosswalks on the Corner between classes). It also comes with wonderful benefits, such as access to the expertise and research of renowned faculty members through UVA Lifetime Learning programs. What Participating online in UVA Lifetime Learning’s Meditation, Altered States, and After-Death Communication event. Why Interest in […]

Kristie Smeltzer | June 11, 2025