PICK: Darden Towe Scavenger Hunt

Soulful search: Tired of the indoors and in the mood for a little outdoor adventure? Look no further than Darden Towe Park’s Solo Scavenger Hunt. Download a scorecard, find clues, search for items, take photos, and connect with new people by posting online. It’s an old-fashioned adventure game for all ages, and an interactive way […]

PICK: Spanish Bread Pudding Cooking Lesson

Teaching Treat: Budin de Pan, a sweet bread pudding and a popular breakfast offering in many places around the world, isn’t something you’ll find on most American tables. But now, with the help of The Happy Cook’s online cooking series and chef Soledad Liendo, a graduate of the International Institute of Culinary Arts in Buenos […]

Local chefs unlock creativity during virus lockdown

As lockdowns hit the area this spring, it seemed like everyone and their mother broke out the sourdough starter—professional chefs included. Travis Burgess, co-owner and chef at Bang!, Bizou, and the new pasta-to-go spot Luce, experimented at home with a cast-iron sourdough focaccia that only an enviable few will ever get to try. He admits […]

PICK: The Crozet Car Show

Going the distance: The Crozet Car Show is taking a different route this year. In keeping with current efforts to socially distance, the typically stationary annual event is hitting the road for a cruise through Old Trail and Crozet. Spectators are encouraged to wear masks as they line the streets to cheer this parade on […]

PICK: Creative Mornings with Irène Mathieu

Healing words: Creative Mornings has been connecting art and maker communities since 2008. The international series offers unique insights into the topics that bind us, through small gatherings in public spaces around the globe. Pre-COVID, CM promoted a belief in “face-to-face connections, in learning from others, in hugs and high fives,” but it pivots online […]

Pick: Wintergreen Music x Veritas Vineyard

Wine online: Missing summer socials? Wintergreen Music and Veritas Vineyard & Winery are coming together to bring you an evening of virtual wine tasting with musical accompaniment for each sip. Artistic Director Erin Freeman chooses the perfect tunes to match winemaker Emily Hodson’s rosé & petit verdot. Seat yourself outside, chat with other attendees, and […]

Doo it right: Diagnostic tests for your pets at home

While many diagnostic tests require that a patient be physically present, it is not uncommon for a veterinarian to ask pet owners to collect samples like urine or stool at home. While the request seems simple enough, we often forget that people don’t necessarily know how to go about it or what we really do […]

Musical journeyman

The range of guitarist Miles Pearce’s talent is as breathtaking as his euphoric playing. He traverses the fretboard through classical, jazz, folk, Hindustani classical, flamenco, Brazilian samba, Argentine tango, South Indian Karnatic vocal, and West African rhythms—and if that’s not enough, he also lists experimental music on his bio. Pearce teaches privately and online, and […]

Gathering swarm: Local beekeepers reflect on an unusual spring

While we humans have been preoccupied this spring, with pandemic worries and urgent national conversations, the natural world has seen other dramas unfold that most of us haven’t even noticed. Unless you’re a beekeeper, you wouldn’t know that this has been a very odd spring for honeybees. Carrie Meslar is the managing director of the […]