Farmers Markets A Big Plus for Communities

By Marilyn Pribus – “I used to ask my students where their food came from,” says North Garden Farmers Market Manager Kathy Zentgraf. “’The grocery store,’ they’d reply, so I’d explain to them about where their meat and produce came from before it got to the grocery store.” Farmers markets, she notes, are a great […]

Vacation Every Day In Your Waterfront Home

By Celeste M. Smucker – Enjoying a waterfront lifestyle is high on the list of many home buyers searching for the perfect place to live. Fortunately, in our area, they have plenty to choose from ranging from a house on a local lake, to a home on the James River, to a rural property with […]

Playing in the Water: Messing About in Boats

By Ken Wilson – The air is hot, but the water is not. Paddle it, ski it, plunge a line into or just plain jump in—the cool, cooling water of our lakes and streams and rivers refreshes our bodies and our minds in the always, shall we say, atmospherically challenging Virginia summertime. Here are just […]

Dreaming Big At IX Art Park

by Ken Wilson –  The Wizard of IX can help your dreams come true. Independent filmmaker Brian Wimer was first the “instigator” of the IX Art Park, nestled between Monticello and Elliot Avenues in Charlottesville, then he was its “executive director,” and now he’s officially its “Wizard.” And why not? As Wimer notes with the […]

Independence Day 2018: Honoring History Where it Happened

By Ken Wilson – An Albemarle County landowner named Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. James Monroe, had a place just up the road and James Madison, mentored by Jefferson and hailed as “the father of the Constitution” settled in nearby Orange County. These men made history—our American history—and their […]

Home Buyers Love Walkable Neighborhoods

By Marilyn Pribus –  These days, people shopping for a new abode often have “walkability” close to the top of their list of wants. Especially as gas prices are again on the rise, the thought of not having to get out the car keys to go places you want to go is appealing. Walkability basically […]

The Hills are Alive: Wintergreen Music Festival

By Ken Wilson – They flock to the Blue Ridge Mountains every summer and they coalesce into something extraordinary. Experienced professional and aspiring student musicians join discerning music lovers at Wintergreen for four stimulating weeks of classical music, with a little bluegrass, Broadway, and what-have-you on the side. The resulting festival, says Artistic Director Erin […]

Moving Like a Pro

By Marilyn Pribus – Even when you’re moving to a wonderful new abode, the mechanics of getting your belongings from the old place to the new can be confusing, even overwhelming.  Fortunately, practicalities have improved since our ancestors trundled belongings from one cave to the next. Unless it’s a do-it-yourself move, the place to start […]