Mel Walker wasn’t much for reporters. He was a busy man. When asked to go on the record—about his chicken, one of his trendy new neighbors on West Main Street, or C’ville soul food in general—he’d offer a look that was one part “I don’t have time for that” and two parts “you’ve never written […]
Mel Walker wasn’t much for reporters. He was a busy man. When asked to go on the record—about his chicken, one of his trendy new neighbors on West Main Street, or C’ville soul food in general—he’d offer a look that was one part “I don’t have time for that” and two parts “you’ve never written […]
Sitting on the floor of his bedroom, Carter cracked like an egg. It was December 1, 2020, the doldrums of a Covid year; technically Carter was in a Zoom class, but attending his sophomore year of Charlottesville High School from home had long lost its novelty, so Carter was scrolling through Instagram when a simple […]
Local soccer fans considering making the trip to New York or Los Angeles for the 2026 World Cup or 2028 Olympics needn’t go that far for a fix. In fact, they’ll only have to travel as far as St. Anne’s-Belfield, where Charlottesville Blues FC is looking to seize on the growing popularity of American […]
A chilly March night, and the indoor space seems to be unheated. It’s not designed to be comfortable; it’s an industrial building in Harrisonburg repurposed as a climbing gym that also hosts music, and it has a concrete floor, a loft reached by a ladder missing a rung, and odd couches and crates. People bob […]
April is here and so is Charlottesville’s annual Tom Tom Festival, flooding the downtown area with events, music, and people. The festival has grown substantially in its 12 years, and is slated to span five days, from April 17-21, with a medley of different showcases including panels on technology, entrepreneurship, social justice, and consciousness. With […]
On a recent cool morning in Gordonsville, a cadre of a half-dozen cops in street clothes assembled next to the local fire department. Their commanding officer for the day, Lt. Patrick Sheridan of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, was ready to get started. “8:25!” Sheridan shouted. It was the time that the trail was laid; […]
The Virginia Festival of the Book is back in action March 20-24, with five days of panels, parties, and events to celebrate all things literary. Renowned authors flock to our city for engaging talks, everyone on the Downtown Mall has a book or two in their arms, and our too-long reading lists get even longer. […]
Colorful lights paint the stage as Peggy Lee’s “Big Spender” plays over the loudspeaker. Sparkling from head to toe like the overhead mirror ball, a woman wearing a sequin dress and dripping in costume jewelry swaggers and sways onstage, proudly brandishing a championship wrestling belt. “Zsa Zsa Gabortion,” a persona that’s equal parts Zsa Zsa […]
The past 10 months have proven to Charlie Anne and André Xavier that life can change in an instant. It was early morning on September 10 when Charlie left the couple’s home to do some final construction work at their soon-to-open Patch Brewing Company in Gordonsville. Less than an hour later, a fiery explosion left […]
Most athletes are hitting the end of the road by age 40. Martina Navratilova hung up her racket at age 38. Soccer star Abby Wambach scored her last goal at 35. When Jessica Coleman turned 40, she was just getting started in her sport. Four years later, she won her first national bodybuilding competition, and […]