Dynamic Duo: MoJa embraces lifelong musical lessons

It isn’t the quest for red-carpet accolades, social media props, YouTube views or Spotify listens that drives MoJa. The Charlottesville-based quartet, co-fronted by violinist Morwenna Lasko and guitarist Jay Pun, wants to make better art. “We don’t view making music as a commercial enterprise,” says Pun. “Rather, we think of it as a continual process […]

2015 Year in Review

Looking back on the last year, it’s clear why Charlottesville was named the No. 2 most exciting city in Virginia (actually, we’d make the case for No. 1). Our town was propelled into the national spotlight for high-profile events such as Martese Johnson’s altercation with ABC agents and Jesse Matthew receiving three life sentences in […]

Kid’s menu: Schools offer healthier options

It’s 3:30pm on a Tuesday at Jackson Via Elementary School, and students as young as 5 are biting into fresh Pink Lady apples twice the size of their hands, nodding to one another in approval. They enthusiastically drain small cups of locally pressed apple cider, and several kids raise their hands to ask for a […]

Volunteer core: ‘Tis the season to give back

The holiday season is a time when giving and sharing is on everyone’s mind. And that is especially true of volunteers who give their time and share their skills with numerous organizations in the community year-round. So many organizations rely on volunteers for not only day-to-day upkeep tasks such as touching up paint or mending […]

Local haunt: The Moon ghost of Albemarle

Reports of the ghost’s frequent appearances had everybody buzzing. The fantastical newspaper accounts mesmerized the entire state—no one more so than the students at the University of Virginia. Thoroughly intrigued, a crowd of 40 students tramped the 16 miles to Church Hill, the John Schuyler Moon property in southern Albemarle County where the hauntings were […]

Mix masters: Charlottesville’s MMA Institute

It’s 5:30pm and the gym of Charlottesville’s MMA Institute is alive with the leathery crackle of boxing gloves and the muffled, scuffle-thud rhythm and squeak of bare feet on padded flooring. There is the litany of sharp nasal inhalations and grunts as well as the barked instructions of a squadron of coaches. Housed in the […]

Food and Drink 2015

It’s a mouth-watering time to be a food-lover in Charlottesville. The solid foundation of our dining landscape—built by C&O, Mas, Fleurie and others—has paved the way for a new generation of culinarians. Now, we’re reaping the benefits of past and present as we head into our foodie future with scene-stealing newcomers like the little Neapolitan […]