C-VILLE Weekly | June 10 - 16,2026

Batch of vacancies on commissions totally normal, city says P.9

Keswick homeowners initiate civil suit in property dispute P.15

Markets, wine, ice cream—oh my! Here comes summer P.35

JUNE 10 – 16, 2026

Attracting ATTENTION

Nearly $1 billion in visitor spending has local tourism leaders aiming higher—and arguing over how to get there

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Hello, Charlottesville.

Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly.

What makes a place worth visiting?

Tourism officials might point to historic landmarks, major events, or beautiful scenery. And certainly those things matter. As Nathan Alderman reports in this week’s cover story (p. 22), Charlottesville and Albemarle are on track for what could be a record-setting year for tourism, with local leaders hoping to surpass $1 billion in visitor spending.

But I think what makes people choose one destination over another— and what makes them want to come back—is something harder to measure. They come for the restaurant someone insisted they try. The winery that was worth the detour. The coffee shop, bookstore, trail, festival, or local business that gave them a story to take home.

In other words, they come for the things that make a place feel like itself.

That’s also what Best of C-VILLE is all about. Every year, thousands of readers help create a guide to the people, places, and businesses that define this community—not because a marketing campaign says they do, but because locals do. If tourism is about attracting visitors, Best of C-VILLE is about identifying what they’re coming here to experience in the first place.

As voting (at bestof.c-ville.com) hits its midpoint this week, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to celebrate the people and places that make Charlottesville worth visiting—and, for those of us lucky enough to live here, worth calling home.

Sarah Lawson is a writer and visual artist living in Nelson County. The child of two librarians, Lawson has always loved books of all kinds. They write about local authors and books that have a connection to the Charlottesville community. Read their work on page XX.

Sarah Golibart Gorman is a writer and educator. Her food journey began in a peach orchard, sparking a respect for growers and a love of flavor. Gorman contributes to Garden & Gun, The Harrisonburg Citizen, JMU’s Madison Magazine, and Edible Blue Ridge. She also develops recipes and stars in cooking videos for Shenandoah Valley Orchards. Read her work on page XX.

Hey, thanks! These generous benefactors of C-VILLE have supported our work through our (now tax-deductible!) Save the Free Word campaign. To contribute, follow the QR code.

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Primary Care In Charlottesville Deserves the Spotlight

By Monica Schmude, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia

Primary care is where better health begins.

It’s where a parent brings a child for immunizations, where a physician catches high blood pressure before it becomes a crisis, where someone with diabetes gets the support they need to stay on track, and where prevention becomes real for families in our communities. When primary care works well, patients feel it. So do employers, health plans, and the healthcare system as a whole.

That is why it is so important to recognize the physician practices and clinically-integrated networks here in Charlottesville and across Virginia that are setting the pace for reliable, coordinated, patient-centered care.

This year, Anthem named Charlottesville Internal Medicine, a primary care provider office, and Fortify Children’s Health, a clinicallyintegrated network founded by UVA Health Children’s and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, among the top-performing care providers groups in the nation through our second annual Care Provider Recognition Program. The program honors the top 1% of primary care providers in our nationwide network of value-based care and evaluated provider partners for delivering the highest quality care and exceptional patient experience. Honorees were selected based on achieving health outcomes measures such as preventive screenings, immunization rates, chronic disease management, medication adherence, and demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and clinical excellence.

For Charlottesville, this recognition is more than an award. It is a reminder that some of the best healthcare in the country is being delivered right here at home.

Primary care practices do more than treat illness. They help prevent it. They coordinate across the healthcare system. They build trust with patients over time. And they create a better experience for people trying to navigate a complex healthcare environment.

In the healthcare system, primary care physicians and care teams are asked to do more than ever. They manage routine preventive care, help patients with multiple chronic conditions, address medication needs, coordinate referrals, and support people through life’s everyday health challenges. The strongest practices do all of that while keeping the patient at the center. When that happens, everyone benefits.

Just as important, better coordination and prevention can help avoid unnecessary complications and lower healthcare costs over time. These are not abstract goals. They are the building blocks of stronger communities, healthier lives, and lower overall healthcare costs.

That is why celebrating excellence in primary care is critical. Recognition shines a light on excellence. It affirms the work of physicians, nurses, and care teams who show up every day for their patients. It also helps raise the bar across the healthcare system by encouraging all practices to continue their own focus on improving outcomes and patient experience.

This year’s program is especially meaningful because it reflects growing momentum. In its inaugural year, the Care Provider Recognition Program honored 19 providers serving Medicare Advantage members. This year, the program expanded to recognize 45 medical practices and health systems serving members across employer-sponsored, Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage health plans. That broader reach allows us to spotlight more care providers who are making a measurable difference in the lives of the people they serve.

Fortify Children’s Health and Charlottesville Internal Medicine exemplify that kind of leadership. They deserve to be celebrated.

IN THIS ISSUE

Tourism illusion?

CULTURE

Sophia Terazawa on her w poetry collection and

editor@c-ville.com

Small Bites: Mel’s

news@c-ville.com

reporter@c-ville.com

NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

Sean Tubbs

ASSOCIATE CULTURE EDITOR

CM Turner arts@c-ville.com

COPY EDITOR

Susan Sorensen

DIGITAL EDITOR

Tristan Williams

CONTRIBUTORS

Rob Brezsny, Dave Cantor, Carol Diggs, Shea Gibbs, Andrew Hollins, Erika Howsare, Matt Jones, Sarah Lawson, Lisa Provence, Sarah Sargent, Kristie Smeltzer, Jen Sorensen, Julia Stumbaugh, Jake Solyst, Paul Ting, Eric Williamson

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JUNE 20: WNRN Presents: The String Cheese Incident Just Keep Spinning Tour 2026

JULY 18:

Alison Krauss & Union Station ft. Jerry Douglas with Special Guest Theo Lawrence

JULY 26: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Benefiting the Charlottesville Free Clinic

Aug 19: Dominic Fike

SEPT 5: WNRN Presents: Charley Crockett Age of the Ram Tour with Nat Myers

SEPTEMBER 8:

Sierra Ferrell

A WNRN 30th Anniversary show Support from The Brudi Brothers

SEPTEMBER 22:

Rainbow Kitten Surprise

SEPTEMBER 24:

Sam Barber

JUNE 12

FRIDAYS AFTER FIVE: MARIANA BELL w/ CHLOË ESTER 5:30-8:30 pm More Announcements Coming Soon!

JUST ANNOUNCED!

SEPTEMBER 4-ON SALE FRIDAY FOXTIDE

SEPTEMBER 19-ON SALE FRIDAY MILITARIE GUN WITH SPECIAL GUESTS SOFTCULT, SHADY NASTY, & DAZY NOVEMBER 12-ON SALE FRIDAY AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT WITH THE CODY SISTERS

Starting at 5:30pm THROUGH SEPT 11

FUNK

06-24| BABE HAVEN WITH SLOW FUNERAL & DESTRUCTO DISK 06-25| CHUCK RAGAN WITH KAI CROWE-GETTY AND WOODY WOODWORTH 06-26| NIRVANI - A NIRVANA TRIBUTE EXPERIENCE

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR APPROVAL AND CERTIFICATION OF ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION FACILITIES:

CHARLOTTESVILLE-GORDONSVILLE 230 KV REBUILD PROJECT

CASE NO . PUR-2026-00050

On April 23, 2026, Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion” or “Company”) filed with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) an application (“Application”) for approval and certification of electric transmission facilities in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. Dominion filed its Application pursuant to § 5646.1 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”) and the Utility Facilities Act, Code § 56-265.1 et seq.

Through its Application, the Company proposes to complete the following (collectively, the “Rebuild Project”):

• Rebuild approximately 8.7 miles of the existing 230 kilovolt (“kV”) CharlottesvilleHollymeade Junction Line #2054 by removing the existing 230 kV structures, which are mostly single circuit wooden Hframe structures, and replacing them with double circuit 230 kV monopole structures utilizing current 230 kV standards;

• Install approximately 8.4 miles of idle 230 kV conductors on the vacant circuit of the Company’s proposed 230 kV double circuit structures between Charlottesville Substation and Hollymeade Junction;

• Rebuild approximately 7.2 miles of the existing 230 kV Hollymeade JunctionGordonsville Line #2135 by removing the existing 230 kV structures, which are mostly single circuit wooden H-frame structures, and replacing them with double circuit 230 kV monopole structures utilizing current 230 kV standards; and

• Install approximately 8.4 miles of idle 230 kV conductors on the vacant circuit of the Company’s proposed 230 kV double circuit structures between Hollymeade Junction and Gordonsville Substation.

Dominion represents that the proposed Rebuild Project is necessary (i) to resolve identified North American Electric Reliability Corporation reliability violations projected to occur that, if not relieved, will severely impact the transmission system’s ability to maintain reliable service to the Company’s customers in the Gordonsville Load Area; (ii) to maintain the structural integrity and reliability of the networked transmission system; and (iii) to ensure that Dominion can adequately and reliably provide service for the load growth anticipated in the Gordonsville Load Area.

The Company states that the total length of the existing right-of-way to be used for the Rebuild Project is approximately 15.8 miles. According to Dominion, no new right-of-way is needed because the existing maintained electric transmission corridor is adequate to construct the proposed Rebuild Project. Dominion represents that given the availability of existing rightofway and the statutory preference afforded thereto, and because new rightofway would likely cause additional costs and environmental impacts, the Company did not consider any alternate routes requiring new right-of-way for the Rebuild Project. However, Dominion states that “the Company’s Underground Engineering Group did review underground construction of the Rebuild Project and determined that while it is permittable and technically feasible, constructing the Rebuild Project in such a manner would not be practical.”

Dominion states that the total estimated conceptual cost of the Rebuild Project is approximately $97 million (in 2025 dollars), which includes approximately $92.5 million for transmission-related work, and approximately $4.5 million for substation-related work (2025 dollars). Per the Application, the Company’s desired in-service date for the Rebuild Project is no later than December 31, 2028.

Description of the Route

The proposed Rebuild Project is located within the existing Charlottesville-Hollymeade Junction Line #2054 and Hollymeade Junction-Gordonsville Line #2135 corridor, which spans from the Charlottesville Substation (near the intersection of Coleman and Smith Streets in Charlottesville) to the Gordonsville Substation (near Lovers Lane in Gordonsville). The Rebuild Project traverses east/southeast from the Charlottesville Substation, loosely following Richmond Road (Rt. 250) and Interstate 64 before turning northeast and following Louisa Road/Gordonsville Road to its terminus at Gordonsville Substation.

For the overall Rebuild Project, the minimum structure height is approximately 70 feet, the maximum structure height is approximately 150 feet, and the average structure height is approximately 112 feet, based on preliminary conceptual design, not including foundation reveal and subject to change based on final engineering design.

All distances, heights, and directions are approximate. A sketch map of the proposal accompanies this notice. A more detailed map may be viewed on the Commission’s website:

scc.virginia.gov/consumers/public-utility/electricity-faqs/transmission-line-projects. A more complete description of the proposed Rebuild Project may also be found in the Company’s Application.

The Commission may consider a route not significantly different from the route described in this notice without additional notice to the public.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Comment that, among other things, directed the Company to provide notice to the public and provided interested persons an opportunity to comment on the Company’s Application.

To promote administrative efficiency and timely service of filings upon participants, the Commission has directed the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings, unless they contain confidential information, and required electronic service on parties to this proceeding.

Electronic copies of the Application and other supporting materials may be inspected at: dominionenergy.com/charlottesville-gordonsville. An electronic copy of the Company’s Application also may be obtained, at no charge, by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company: Andrew J. Flavin, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, 1001 Haxall Point, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or andy.flavin@troutman.com. Interested persons may also download unofficial copies of the Application and other documents from the Commission’s website: scc. virginia.gov/case-information

On or before July 8, 2026, any interested person may file comments on the Application by following the instructions on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/case-information/ submit-public-comments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to submit comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2026-00050.

On or before July 8, 2026, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation with the Clerk of the Commission at: scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, 5 VAC 5-20-10 et seq. (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii)the factual and legal basis for the action. Any notice of participation filed by a person not represented by counsel shall also set forth why the filer’s positions in this matter are not adequately represented by another party to this proceeding and cannot be expressed through written or oral public comments as provided for in this proceeding. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2026-00050. For additional information about participation as a respondent, any person or entity should obtain a copy of the Commission’s Order for Notice and Comment.

On or before July 8, 2026, any interested person may request that the Commission convene a hearing in this matter by filing a request for hearing electronically with the Clerk of the Commission via scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file electronically may file a request for hearing by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Requests for a hearing shall include: (i) a precise statement of the filing party’s interest in the proceeding; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; (iii) a statement of the legal basis for such action; and (iv) a precise statement why a hearing should be conducted in this matter. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-202600050.

A copy of any notices of participation and requests for hearing shall be served electronically on counsel for the Company, Commission Staff, and any respondents.

The Company’s Application, the Commission’s Rules of Practice, and the Commission’s Order for Notice and Comment may be viewed at: scc.virginia.gov/case-information

NEWS POLITICS

If you attended the June 1 Charlottesville City Council meeting, you may have been surprised when Councilor Michael Payne said, “there are a number of boards and commissions with vacancies,” and even more boards with terms expiring soon.

City website data shows that Council appoints roughly 160 positions (excluding ex officio and city departmental appointments) across 51 boards. Of those positions, 28 seats (17.5 percent) are vacant at press time.

According to the Clerk of Council’s office, this amount of openings is normal, especially at this point in the quarterly appointment cycle.

“I expect we’ll have many more applications three weeks before the deadline, and even more in the week prior to the deadline,” says Maxicelia Robinson, deputy clerk of Council.

Robinson’s prediction aligns with prior reporting and recent archival data. A capture of the city’s boards and commissions page from July 8, 2025, lists 53 openings, and retrieval of October 22, 2025, data shows 31 vacancies.

The Board of Zoning Appeals, which is appointed by Charlottesville Circuit Court, meets once a month, provided an application has been submitted, to issue decisions on zoning appeals. While all five of the BZA seats are filled, one of the three alternate seats on the quasi-judicial board is open. The alternate seat opened up early following the resignation of Cecilia Mills in February, who held the seat for more than four years.

Two seats for affordable housing beneficiaries are currently open on the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund Committee. The group makes recommendations to Council and city leadership on the use of affordable housing funding and priorities. The group meets as needed and comprises nine members. Seats are split evenly between

city staff, at-large community members, and affordable housing beneficiaries.

The Community Development and Block Grant & HOME Task Force also has two openings with specific residency requirements. Seats reserved for the 10th & Page and Ridge Street neighborhoods are currently vacant. The task force is charged with advising and making recommendations to Council and the Planning Commission regarding usage of grants in areas like economic development and affordable housing. The group meets as needed.

As implied by the name, the Historic Resources Committee is an advocacy group for the preservation and “documentation and interpretation of local history” through collaboration. Seat 8 is currently vacant following the February resignation of Jalane Schmidt, who served on the committee for almost a decade. More seats on the committee, which meets monthly, will open at the end of June.

The Housing Advisory Committee brings together housing professionals from different sectors once a month to update Council on for-profit and affordable housing needs across the city and region. The open seat on the HAC is designated for a real estate professional, and has been open since former member Philip d’Oronzio completed his term at the end of 2025. Per the city website, eligible candidates include brokers, lenders, for-profit developers, and architects.

A Charlottesville seat on the Jefferson Area Board for Aging Board of Directors is also open following the exit of Elayne Phillips at the end of March. The group oversees leadership and priorities for JABA, and meets every other month.

The five-member Local Board of Building Code Appeals has an opening for its property manager seat. As the name suggests, the group meets as needed to weigh appeals from building and structure owners who “request

modification of the code in erection, alteration, or repair.”

Youth and business seats on the Sister Cities Commission are open. The SCC coordinates with each of Charlottesville’s partner cities on cultural exchanges, activities, relationship building, and more. The group meets once a month, and includes 10 local representatives and a member from each of the sister cities in France, Ghana, and Italy and the friendship city in Guatemala.

Three seats on the six-member Towing Advisory Board are vacant, with one slated for a citizen alternate and two designated for towing industry members. The group

“I expect we’ll have many more applications three weeks before the deadline, and even more in the week prior to the deadline.” MAXICELIA ROBINSON

IN BRIEF

All the news you missed last week (in one sentence or less)

meets at least once a year, and recommends any needed changes to the towing ordinance. Both the towing industry seats have remained vacant since their most-recent members finished out their terms in June 2025 and June 2023, respectively.

On the Tree Commission, one of the two seats reserved for low-income neighborhood representatives is currently open. The 13-member group meets every month and advises on tree canopy preservation efforts and the latest goings-on with local leaves. The seat has been vacant for more than a year, and is open to designated portions of the Barracks Road, Rose Hill, 10th & Page, and Venable neighborhoods.

The Vendor Appeals Board has two vacancies (and only one active member, LaQuinn Gilmore). The group meets as needed, and is intended to “provide an impartial avenue of appeal” for vendors regarding awards and other local government decisions. The open seats were last occupied in June 2023 and June 2025, respectively.

With nine open seats, the Youth Council has the most vacancies of any board or commission in the city due to a large class of graduating senior representatives. Meetings are held once a month during the school year, and are intended to inform City Council on local youth priorities and potential improvements.

The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority also has two open seats, but closed its application window on June 1. New members may be appointed as soon as June 15.

Interest in the openings has been varied, according to Robinson. At press time, the city has received applications for current or upcoming vacancies on the following boards: CAHFC, Jefferson Madison Regional Library Board, Piedmont Family YMCA Board of Directors, Planning Commission, Retirement Commission, and SCC.

C

A full list of current and upcoming vacancies can be found at boards.charlottesville.gov.

Spot check Virginia Department of Health stats show state measles cases rising, mostly in Buckingham County, and primarily among patients who either haven’t been vaccinated or don’t know their vaccination status. Cop out? Albemarle County Police Chief Sean Reeves has been on medical leave since May 8, with an uncertain return date; that information didn’t become public until a June 3 Daily Progress report. Evan leavin’ Charlottesville Assistant City Manager Evan Pilachowski resigned after being on the job for less than five months. RNA Okay UVA research team identifies chimera RNA—unusual genetic instructions only found in women, made from a mashup of two X chromosomes’ genes—whose presence seems to help limit or prevent severe infection from diseases like COVID-19. Special delivery Charlottesville residents donate 7,647 pounds of food to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s Stamp Out Hunger campaign. Battery charges Charlottesville, Scottsville, and Albemarle residents can now safely dispose of lithium-based batteries—preferably removed from their devices—at the Ivy Solid Waste & Recycling Center. Fair shake As part of its Tuesday, June 16, grand opening at Stonefield, Shake Shack will donate $1 from every burger or chicken sandwich sold to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

DEVELOPMENT

Learning costs

School’s out for the summer, but Charlottesville’s investment in education continues.

In a June 5 statement, the University of Virginia announced a $43.4 million gift to its School of Education and Human Development to support the creation of a local early childhood learning center.

The donation is the largest in the education school’s history. Official community and organization partnerships were not announced at press time, but plans for the center include a potential sliding tuition scale and space for more than 100 students.

The gift is the latest donation from UVA alums Kathleen and David LaCross.

“Providing high-quality educational and developmental experiences at the youngest ages sets children up for success in school and in life,” said Kathleen LaCross at the June 5 announcement. “David and I are proud ... to support an initiative that promises to positively impact children and their families, educators, the Charlottesville community, and [UVA].”—Catie

Ratliff

Interception!

The University of Virginia and North Carolina State scrapped plans for a football season opener in Brazil, with the first game of 2026-27 returning to Scott Stadium.

According to June 3 statements from UVA and NC State, the Brazil game was canceled after the game’s promoter, Athlete Advantage, told the ACC and schools “the event could not be conducted.”

College Football Brasil, which was promoting the matchup as “the first CFB game in South America,” was advertising the event on social media as recently as May 18.

At press time, the game is expected, but not confirmed, to take place on August 29.

Fans who purchased tickets or travel packages through College Football Brasil’s website will receive refunds, according to the group’s website.—CR

CPC shuffle

Woodard Properties buys Water Street lot for $15 million from Charlottesville Parking Center BY SEAN TUBBS

One of Charlottesville’s most prolific developers has added another high-profile property to its portfolio by purchasing a parking lot where the City Market operates on Saturdays for seven months of the year.

“Woodard Properties has acquired the surface lot at 100 E. Water St., converting our leasehold interest in the property into ownership,” said CEO Anthony Woodard. “The Charlottesville City Market will continue to operate as it has. We value the Market’s role and support its continued presence downtown.”

The company paid the Charlottesville Parking Center $15 million for the 0.99-acre property, a price that is more than three times the assessed value. According to Charlottesville City Assessor David Milton, this transaction will not count toward the real property assessment in 2027 because it is not considered a valid sale.

Woodard Properties began leasing the surface parking lot at a time when the company was planning to build a 10-story building called Market Plaza on the adjacent block of 200 E. Water St.

In 2014, Charlottesville City Council selected Woodard to develop the lot, and granted a special use permit for additional height and density in April 2018. The project was abandoned several months later after the Board of Architectural Review rejected a certificate of appropriateness on a 5 to 3 vote in August 2018. The city continues to own all but one of six lots that make up the adjacent block. Another subsidiary of Woodard Properties paid $5 million for a 0.167-acre property in June 2014.

“This was an option that had the amount of the sale agreed upon when the lease was written [in 2014],” Milton said in an email.

Two days later, CPC paid $9.1 million for 1150 Fifth St. SW to a subsidiary of Riverbend Development called RBD Bent Creek, LLC. That is the site where a Wawa franchise recently opened and CPC now collects its rent.

This transaction is also not considered a valid sale because it utilizes Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Service code to allow capital gains to be transferred to another property tax-free.

“I think these sales are more indicative of the lease and extenuating circumstances than they are of actual market value,” Milton said.

CPC owner Mark Brown had no comment.

The company continues to collect at least $1.8 million a year from the City of Charlottesville for the ground lease of the Water Street Parking Garage at 200 E. Water St.

Woodard said there are no plans to pursue any development of the city-owned site, but the company’s commitment to Charlottesville is demonstrated by this latest purchase.

“Woodard Properties pursued the acquisition of this site because it has the potential to add to the vibrancy of downtown,” Woodard said. “We have a long-term commitment to the city and have been part of Charlottesville for almost 50 years.

The company is also seeking to build a seven-story residential building at 601 Albemarle St. and a five-story mixed-use building at 801 Cherry Ave.

REAL ESTATE NEWS

Encroachment exception

Supervisors allow building to remain within stream buffer BY SEAN TUBBS

When Katharine DeGeorge and Jeremy Kent bought a house on 7.86 acres in May 2022, previous owner David A. Powell signed an affidavit stating he knew of no violations of county ordinance nor any issues related to securing permission to build on the property.

That turned out not to be true, and the couple is now suing Powell in Albemarle Circuit Court.

“Over a decade ago, the prior owner, a class A contractor, had, to our knowledge, not gotten permits or inspections for several buildings on the property,” said Nicole Scro, an attorney representing the couple. “He [also] hosted weddings as a business.”

After DeGeorge and Kent had their own wedding on the property in 2023, they held two others for friends and soon received a violation notice from the county after a neighbor complained. An inspection revealed that multiple structures had been built on the property without a permit, including a three-car garage with finished space.

The garage and its driveway were also built within 100 feet of a stream, which is prohibited by Albemarle’s water protection ordinance. That means it would have to be removed unless the Board of Supervisors granted a special exception.

“We want to preserve the structures while still achieving compliance,” Scro said. “It is not a small structure to move or to demolish.”

Just over a quarter acre of stream buffer is affected and the couple has offered to mitigate the issue by planting ornamental grasses on 11,688 square feet of land to offset the disturbed buffer area, as well as an additional 12,000 square feet of trees.

Kent said the couple has spent more than $100,000 on the plan and other steps to become compliant.

“We’re not business people and we’re not construction people, and we didn’t really know the law,” Kent said.

County planner Rebecca Ragsdale said staff would not have approved the building where it is, but there are no threats to water quality now that construction is complete.

“There are no unstabilized areas and the stream is in good health,” Ragsdale said.

Supervisor Ann Mallek was the lone vote against the special exception at the June 3 meeting, and said the couple should have done more due diligence before purchasing the property. She said Albemarle has previously required other buildings in the buffer to be moved.

“It is up to the county to have consistent application of its requirements in order to have fairness and respect for the rule of law in Albemarle County,” Mallek said. “People have called me and said, ‘Well, why should I be following the rules if other people don’t?’”

Other supervisors had more sympathy for the couple and noted that one of the conditions for the exception is that the finished space in the garage cannot be used for homestays.

“It’s really a sad situation because we have a couple that purchased this land, had an affidavit saying that everything had been permitted, then found out it wasn’t permitted,” said Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley.

Supervisor Mike Pruitt said it would cause more environmental damage to demolish or move the structure.

“It’s got to take several days, significant additional runoff, significant debris, CO2 and building materials, yada, yada, yada,” Pruitt said. “That is a real environmental harm.”

A hearing is scheduled in the civil suit for June 25 at 9:30am.

Annie Gould Gallery

WHITE HALL ESTATE

Viticultural Pedigree, mountain views, custom build

$4,200,000 | MLS 674329 | 37.57 acres

$8,800,000 | MLS 665249 | 212.57 acres

Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

1810

$3,275,000

Contemporary

$1,995,000

JEFFERSON LAKE FARM

3 cottages, 1,156 contiguous acres & river frontage

$7,865,000 | MLS 677397 | Palmyra Steve White, 434.242.8355

Turnkey, custom design, countryside cottage

$2,600,000 | MLS 675824 | Keswick Mark Mascotte, 434.825.8610

434.981.0076 W. Faulconer, 434.987.9455

Jim Faulconer

434.981.0076

jfaulconer@mcleanfaulconer.com

Private lot, 7,825 sq ft, covered porches

$1,190,000 | MLS 675549 | Keswick

J. Faulconer, 434.981.0076

W. Faulconer, 434.987.9455

ELDERBERRY PLACE

Walnut Hills neighborhood, private, 4-BR, 5-BA

$995,000 | MLS674034 | Earlysville

Bridget Archer, 434.981.4149

Pam Dent, 434.960.0161

BELMONT LOFTS

Elevated city living, souring ceilings, rooftop patio

$829,000 | MLS 674857 | Charlottesville Liberty Kalergis, 434.962.9911

Comfort meets convenience & 2,211 sq ft

$599,000 | MLS 676693 | Charlottesville

Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

Tim Michel, 434.960.1124

EAST JEFFERSON ST

Renovated 1923, 3-BR, 3-BA, outdoor deck

$1,090,000 | MLS 676405 | Charlottesville

J. Faulconer, 434.981.0076 W. Faulconer, 434.987.9455

Custom build, quiet lane & 4,400 sq.ft.

$980,000 | MLS 675547 | Keswick

J. Faulconer, 434.981.0076 W. Faulconer, 434.987.9455

SPRING CREEK

Views of Golf Course, 4,762 sq ft. & 1st floor primary

$799,000 | MLS 674087 | Zion Crossroads Charlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

Adjacent to Rivanna River, 5,600 sq ft., private lot

$975,000 | MLS 676962 | Palmyra J. Faulconer, 434.981.0076 W. Faulconer, 434.987.9455

Welcome home to this charming Albemarle County property offering the perfect blend of comfort, character, and convenience. The kitchen serves asthe heart of the home with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a breakfast bar, and plenty of space for gathering with family and friends. Thoughtful detailsthroughout add timeless appeal, while the cozy wood-burning fireplace creates the perfect spot to relax on cooler evenings. Flexible living spaces make it easy to workfrom home, host guests, or simply enjoy everyday living.

3721 SEDGEWICK LN

Experience the ideal blend of low-maintenance living, modern comfort, and unbeatable convenience in one of the Charlottesville area’s mostdesirable communities. The stone exterior creates beautiful curb appeal and welcomes you home. Inside, a gracious foyer opens to a spacious family/rec room perfectfor movie nights, game days, or a relaxing lounge space. A private bedroom and full bath on this level offer the flexibility for guests, a home office, or multigenerationalliving. Upstairs, the open-concept main level is filled with natural light thanks to the added windows only an end-unit townhome provides. The upgraded kitchen isdesigned for both everyday living and entertaining, flowing seamlessly into the dining area and out to the rear deck for easy indoor-outdoor gatherings. Retreat to thetop floor where the spacious primary suite features a large walk-in closet and a spa-like bath with dual vanities, a relaxing soaking tub, and separate shower. Twoadditional bedrooms, a full bath, and laundry complete the level. All this in Rivanna Village, just minutes from I-64, Pantops, Downtown Charlottesville, and UVA. Comesee your new home! MLS# 677456 $475,000

the area’s most sought-after communities! MLS#678065 $595,000

BAYWICK CIRCLE

Fabulous mountain views and golf course frontage with fenced yard. The popular Fairview floor plan was expanded and slightly modified. Tremendous great room with a 2 story wall of windows and stone fireplace overlooks the back terrace and beautifully landscaped yard. State of the art, gourmet kitchen opens to the sunroom and great room. Light-filled and in pristine condition with many recent updates. The lovely turned staircase leads to the open second floor loft and 3 bedrooms. Set on a small quiet circle with a center island green space. $995,000

ROLLING VALLEY COURT

Great views from this elevated lot. Beautiful morning light! This home offers 5 bedrooms, great kitchen appliances, a wonderful floor and screened porch. Lovely mature trees behind the home make the property feel private.$675,000

GORDONSVILLE ROAD

Mulberry Hill Circa 1900 in the heart of Keswick Hunt Country. Set on over 22 acres of beautiful land, offering the opportunity to build an estate home and stables on the back portion of the property. The stately residence features a 11’x23’ grand entry hall with 10’ ceilings. The original 2 over 2 home was added on to over the years. The light filled dining room and kitchen additions overlook the backyard. Wide cased openings with fine woodwork and trim lead to the parlor and living room. The one bedroom guest cottage is currently rented. Both residences qualify for historic renovation tax credits. Wonderful for gardening and has a bold stream. A charming county property. $1,390,000

N WASHINGTON STREET

Circa 1895. A pristine, boutique, residence, offering timeless elegance with contemporary living. A unique find in the convenient, upscale Newtown neighborhood. No expense was spared during the full sympathetic renovation. Top of the line kitchen features premium appliances; Sub Zero refrigerator, Kitchen Aid gas range, warming drawer, “rain-fall” marble countertops and butler’s pantry Spaquality baths with heated floors and luxury finishes. Other features; 9’ ceilings, open staircase, heart pine floors, working transoms and built-in cabinetry. Charming rear courtyard overlooks the spires of downtown. Set on a quiet one way street, just 2 blocks to wonderful restaurants and shops. $595,000

SERENITY RIDGE RETREAT CENTER

Ancient Tibetan Buddhist Teachings for Modern Times

Join us in the serene foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and in Charlottesville!

June 26–July 11, 2026

The Clear Light of One’s Natural Mind ~ A Meditation Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Step away from the busyness of daily life and into the beauty of Serenity Ridge. Enjoy meditation, time in nature, and practical guidance for bringing more peace and clarity into daily life—open to all. Dzogchen teachings and practice from the ancient texts of the Twenty-One Nails and Six Lamps, and direct guidance in a retreat setting. The second week of the retreat will include four days in silence.

Options to attend: June 26–28; June 26-July 4; July 5–11or join us for the entire retreat from June 26–July 11.

June 20, 2026

Serenity Ridge Open House. Begins 9:30 a.m. with a tour and dharma talk with Lama Kalsang Nyima. Check our website for more information.

MONTHLY PRACTICE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE

Location: Jefferson Memorial Regional Library, Downtown Charlottesville

Date: June 24, 2026 | Time: 6:30-8:00 PM | Led by Lama Kalsang Nyima

Learn More and Register: SERENITYRIDGEVA.ORG

Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Shipman, VA

Dive rsit y IN THE Park

A Race Amity Event

Sunday, June 14, 2 - 4 pm

Forest Hills Park

Music, food, games, art

“Race Amity” promotes friendship & collaboration between people of different races and cultures to break down segregation, biases, and misperception of each other.

Event is co-sponsored by the Baha’is of Albemarle County and the Unity Church.

Performance by the Esmont Community Choir! everyone welcome

Tour wars

wars

Charlottesville and Albemarle anticipate a banner year for visitors—but structural challenges and behind-the-scenes disputes could endanger regional tourism’s future

BY NATHAN ALDERMAN

We’re so back. Tourism spending in Charlottesville and Albemarle surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2024, as visitors poured $989.8 million into the regional economy. With Monticello and other historic sites celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary, and the Downtown Mall marking its 50th year, the area’s aiming to boost that haul past $1 billion in 2026. Regional tourism looks great—at first glance.

Look closer, and you’ll find signs of potential trouble.

The state of tourism

“While tourism is not the single largest industry, it is one of Albemarle County’s significant economic pillars,” says Ashley Hernandorena, business development manager for Albemarle County Economic Development.

According to Hernandorena, top economic drivers for the city and county include health care, at more than $8.5 billion; higher education, topping $3.3 billion; and national security and biotechnology, each contributing more than $1.2 billion a year in spending.

Tourism—defined as visits from people living 50 or more miles away—pays for a healthy chunk of regional budgets. According to the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, that $989.8 million in 2024 spending translated into $27.7 million in tax revenue for Albemarle County (around 6.7 percent of its $408 million in 2024 revenue) and $20.8 million for the City of Charlottesville (roughly 9.1 percent of its $228 million in 2024 revenue).

Albemarle County drove those gains, with tourism spending up 6.5 percent in 2024. Charlottesville tourism dollars fell 0.8 percent in the same period, for an overall regional increase of 3.5 percent year over year.

“I wouldn’t say that that slight decrease would mean that Charlottesville is struggling,” says Anna Whitlow, director of marketing for the Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It’s not such a sharp decrease or decline to indicate that there’s any sort of larger issues there.”

Whitlow says more consumers are using digital tools to book travel at the last minute. That makes short-notice trips to the area easier for travelers, but less predictable for businesses.

“We invest in advertising out of our market through digital advertising, streaming, television advertising, and some print, as well as search engine marketing and things like that, to encourage people who are in the mindset to play and travel to come and play and travel here,” Whitlow says.

At Charlottesville Albemarle Airport, CEO Jason Burch is waiting to hear whether the airport will land a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to enable nonstop flights between Charlottesville and Boston. (Previous years’ grant winners were announced anywhere from July to October.) Securing that route could yield $21 million in annual benefits to the local economy, including a new influx of tourist traffic.

Monticello, UVA, and the Downtown Mall represent the area’s three biggest tourist draws, according to Greer Achenbach, executive director of Friends of Charlottesville Downtown, a

nonprofit group created in 2021 to promote the Mall. By tracking pings off nearby cellphone towers, Friends of Charlottesville Downtown measured a 4 percent increase in Mall foot traffic in 2025, with 2.8 million visits.

Achenbach says Mall visitors have rebounded from their 2020 lows, but still trail 2019 levels. “Anecdotally, the merchants tell me that most of their money comes from tourists,” she says. To attract more visitors, FCD has installed a network of security cameras for public safety, launched a marketing campaign including video ads, and planned a 50th birthday bash for the Mall with a concert, parade, and light show on July 3.

Monticello “registered more than 2,000 guests in just the first couple of days after opening registration for this year’s July 4 ceremony,” says Jenn Lyon, director of marketing and communications. Monticello reports years of steady attendance, with around 300,000 people annually. Nearby Highland, home of former President James Monroe, reported more than 26,000 visitors in 2025—up from its 2021 pandemic trough of around 14,000, but still far below the 42,409 who showed up in 2019.

In 2023, Wine Enthusiast magazine named the Monticello American Viticultural Area the nation’s top wine region. Albemarle County’s wineries hope to continue building on their reputation at this year’s Wine Week, slated for June 22 to 28. During its first year in 2023, its assorted events drew an estimated total of 300 to 500 people, says Monticello Wine Trail Executive Director Tracey Love. This year, the organization expects roughly 1,500 Wine Week guests, compared to last year’s 1,200 to 1,800. Since visitors to Wine Week explore other local attractions and amenities as well, Love says “the overall tourism impact is greater than ticketed attendance alone.”

Dying on the vine?

Despite this rosé outlook, cold reality might sour wineries’ fortunes. An April 21 frost damaged wine grapes and other crops across Virginia. Temperatures plunged to 28 degrees, killing nascent grapes on many vines. Damaged vines can sprout a second round of fruit, but winemakers say that crop tends to be much smaller.

The Virginia Vineyards Association surveyed the Commonwealth’s growers in the freeze’s wake. Other counties suffered damage to a greater percentage of their grapes, with some reporting 100 percent of crops afflicted. But Albemarle, with more bearing acres than any region of the state, had the largest reported acreage damaged—nearly 58 acres, or 67 percent of the county’s total grape crop, was reported lost.

Virginia wine sales fell 11 percent between 2022 and 2025, per Virginia Wine Board data—part of a national trend of declining wine consumption. “I think our decline is either on par or slightly less than what you’re seeing with the national average,” says Annette Boyd, director of the board’s marketing office. Aging baby boomers are drinking less, she says, and there just aren’t as many people in later generations to make up for the lost consumption.

As a result, she says, “wineries are having to fight a little harder for attention, and to

get people to come out and visit their place.” Boyd says wineries make 72 percent of their sales direct to customers. “Virginia wineries are very dependent on tourism to drive people to their tasting rooms,” she says. “When you’re a small winery, if you’re selling a bottle of wine at your tasting room, you’re selling it for the full retail price. If you’re

selling it to a distributor, you’re selling it at wholesale price. You’re getting 40 percent of the retail price of that bottle.”

Though area hotels look solid at first glance, the hospitality industry also faces structural struggles. As of March 2026, yearto-date demand for rooms had risen 6 percent over the same period last year, according to the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Revenue per available room ticked upward by less than 1 percent, with higher occupancy rates more than compensating for slightly lower average room prices.

But a recent check of hotel availability a few days before the typically packed UVA graduation weekend found that while many area lodgings were sold out, a number of hotels, especially at the lower-priced end of the market, still had rooms open.

“Historically I would say no, that’s not normal,” said one source familiar with the local hospitality industry. The openings of the Forum by Kimpton and the Virginia Guesthouse mean the area has more available rooms. “I don’t think we’ve added that many students to the graduating population to be able to all of a sudden fill all of those, plus the Airbnb short-term rental inventory,” the industry insider says. “I think we’re probably teetering on too many rooms in the market.”

“Hoteliers always feel like there’s too many rooms,” says Bill Chapman, owner of the upscale Oakhurst Inn and Little Mod Hotel (and co-founder of C-VILLE). He says both of his hotels have had healthy business on weekends in particular and this spring in

general. Despite the new lodgings in town, “I think the pie is growing.”

However, both agree that hotels face high labor costs. “A lot of our labor in our industry comes from over the mountain,” the insider says. “I think we’re paying almost $18 for front desk agents, where I talked to some of my friends in [other nearby states],

and the equivalent position is $15 an hour. … It’s not like we can just all automatically add that to every guest room.”

Rising food costs further constrain hotels’ profit margins. “Food costs have gone wild in the last three to four years,” the source says. “We can’t or don’t want to always just pass all that along to our consumer, because it’s already expensive.”

Restaurants are feeling a similar pinch. “The struggle in the restaurant industry continues to be the same,” says Antwon Brinson. He heads the Charlottesville chapter of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, or VRLTA, and his Culinary Concepts AB trains aspiring chefs and matches them with jobs in local restaurants. “The margins are small. We’re not tech. Staffing is hard. … It’s always going to be an uphill battle.”

Asked how tourism impacts area restaurants, Brinson says, “It’s everything. … There’s so many people that come to this area, and when you’re here, everyone needs to eat. They’re going to go to the restaurants, they’re going to patronize the bars, they’re going to spend money in these areas.” Tourists provide around 60 percent of local restaurant revenue, according to city, county, and convention and visitors bureau data.

“I don’t want a good moment in a good season to take focus off the fact that there is pressure both from the consumer side and from the backend cost side that is squeezing our industries,” says Tommy Herbert, director of government affairs for the VRLTA.

Tax turmoil

The CACVB board has often discussed ways to increase weekday hotel stays, says Albemarle Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, who currently serves on the Convention & Visitors Bureau’s board. “If you get people staying in hotels, they’re going to go to the restaurants in Charlottesville. They’re going to go to the wineries in Albemarle County. They’re going to visit UVA. They’re going to visit Monticello. They’re going to visit Highland.”

Those hotel stays fund the city and county’s tourism promotion efforts. And that money’s currently the core of a simmering dispute between the county and local businesses over how it’s being spent.

Virginia law lets cities and counties tax any business that rents living spaces for less than 30 days—the transient occupancy tax. Both Charlottesville and Albemarle collect 9 cents for every dollar spent on lodging. But while cities can essentially do whatever they want with that money, state law imposes stricter guidelines for counties.

“It’s kind of like a layered cake,” says Charlottesville VRLTA member Roy Van Doorn, owner of City Select, which designs and publishes local tourism brochures. “The first 2 cents the county can spend any way they want. The next 3 cents, the county should allocate for tourism promotion. From six to nine … the county can use it any way they can.”

Those restricted 3 cents, by law, must be “designated and spent solely for tourism and travel, marketing of tourism or initiatives that, as determined after consultation with the local tourism industry organizations, including representatives of lodging properties located in the county, attract travelers to the locality, increase occupancy at lodging properties, and generate tourism revenues in the locality.”

Albemarle County contributes roughly half of this restricted chunk of TOT revenue to the Convention & Visitors Bureau. That’s about $1.35 million for fiscal 2027, per the bureau’s budget, compared to just under $1.5 million contributed from the city. The amount each locality contributes to promoting tourism—30 percent of the first 5 percent of TOT revenue—is written into the city and county’s revenue-sharing agreement.

Aside from a sliver devoted to arts, festivals, and culture, the county spends the other half of that 3 percent of TOT revenue to help fund its Parks & Recreation department, including classes, camps, hiking and biking trails, community centers, and special events.

Critics of the county’s funding approach, including the VRLTA, say that split is a problem.

“They’ve taken half of the marketing money and spent it on what traditionally residents should pay,” says Van Doorn. While the department’s offerings might appeal to tourists while they’re in town, “nobody comes to Charlottesville and Albemarle county based on our parks and rec. That’s not marketing and promotion.”

“If others that are outside of the county aren’t part of this organization, aren’t part of the county, they certainly have their opinion, and we have ours,” LaPisto-Kirtley says.

Albemarle County staff declined to be interviewed for this article, but they provided documents laying out the legal argu- Monticello reports

ment they made in response to letters from the VRLTA.

The county’s attorneys say that by attending a single meeting of the bureau’s board on December 15, 2025, the county has met the legal requirements for consulting members of the lodging industry; three of the board’s 15 current members work for local hotels or resorts.

“For them to say that they are talking to the lodging industry, and that they’re always consulting with the CACVB … it’s a bunch of BS,” says one former member of the Convention & Visitors Bureau’s board, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. “They never once came and did that song and dance.”

The county’s attorneys also note that the bureau—staffed by county employees—promotes outdoor recreation on its website and in its strategic plan. They say the county’s not required to gather visitor data that might show whether parks drive tourism, citing potential privacy concerns. But they do mention races and other events at local parks that draw out-of-town visitors.

The bureau’s 2024 annual report shows recreation contributing $158.6 million to the local economy, representing roughly 16 percent of all visitor spending.

“It’s a stretch,” another former board member says. “It’s convenient to be able to have that dedicated stream of funding coming from an outside source that you can then spend on an internal service, but I think it goes against the spirit of the law.”

The county’s bluntest argument cites a 1999 opinion by Virginia’s attorney general, which essentially states that local governments can define “tourism” however they want when deciding how to spend TOT revenue.

“We’re not saying it’s ours instead of theirs,” Van Doorn says of the parks and rec funding. “We’re just saying, of the 9 cents collected on TOT, three of those cents have to go to marketing visitation. We’re competing against other parts of Virginia, other parts of the country. Tourism is a very competitive business, and so we are, I would say, underfunded, and have been for a long time, to properly and appropriately market to a variety of locations to visit us.”

Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Courtney Cacatian “has given presentations before, showing how [the bureau’s] way underfunded compared to CVBs in similar markets,” says Chapman. “If Courtney says it’s underfunded, then I tend to believe that.”

“There is no ceiling to what can be done with more resources to bring more visitors to the area,” the VRLTA’s Herbert says. “I think that focusing funds there would produce greater dividends, especially in the context of tourism development, than funding parks and rec projects. … Folks can’t come be a visitor unless they’re aware of the place.”

On the county’s side, LaPisto-Kirtley says she believes that “we’re following the agreedupon funding formula, which I believe works.” Whitlow declined to comment on the disagreement between the VRLTA and the county over that 3 percent of the TOT, or on how the bureau might spend extra funding. But she did say that when the American Rescue Plan Act sent the bureau additional money during COVID, the bureau devoted those surplus dollars directly to marketing and advertising.

For every dollar Albemarle County spends funding the Convention & Visitors Bureau, it collects roughly $20.50 in tourism-related tax revenue.

Board battles

Everyone we interviewed on the record praised the Convention & Visitors Bureau’s staff, especially lauding Cacatian, who took over the executive director role in 2019. But when CVILLE spoke with two former members of the bureau’s board on condition of anonymity, both described an often dysfunctional environment in which power struggles between the city and county made the bureau’s job harder.

Both former members say county supervisors on the board have protected the county’s power and influence relative to the city. Both recall supervisors threatening to pull the county’s funding from the bureau if they didn’t get their way.

Former Member A recalls county representatives on the board insisting on a county-based tourism promotion office in Crozet’s old train station to match the city’s office on the Downtown Mall—an effort that fizzled out during COVID, and has since been replaced by mobile visitor centers.

Both speak about the county’s repeated displeasure at the relatively small size of Albemarle’s name in the bureau’s logo. “If you’re promoting tourism or travel to people in D.C. or Northern Virginia, does anybody actually know Albemarle County, or where we are, or what it is?” Former Member B says. “No, they know Charlottesville, or they know wineries.”

“As a board member, we always thought we were doing a pretty good job of satisfying the interest of both the city and the county,” says Former Member A, describing a period before Cacatian began leading the bureau. “And then at some point it became clear that we weren’t. There was pressure coming back, particularly from the county side, of ‘you need to do more for the county.’ … It seemed like we were spinning our wheels and not really doing

what the bureau should have been doing, which is marketing the area outside the area to bring tourism in.”

“You look around at the other peer cities,” Former Member A says, “and a lot of their convention and visitors bureaus are separate nonprofits that are funded by the jurisdictions … and don’t have political representation on their boards at all. A group of us were arguing that’s the direction we need to go with this, and it was very clear the city and the county were not going to relinquish any control whatsoever.” Instead, they say, both entities added elected officials to the staff members already serving on the bureau’s board, cementing their influence over its operations.

LaPisto-Kirtley paints a different picture of current relations between the city, county, and CACVB. “I tease the [heck] out of Charlottesville … absolutely, all the time, every chance I can get,” she says. “But it’s all with respect, kindness, love, appreciation for both. We’re all getting along great. What you’re saying, I haven’t heard of that, and I’ve been on the CACVB for [three or four] years.”

Banding together

At CHO, Burch has a big vision for the airport’s future, including a new terminal—and he believes that the airport can’t achieve it alone. “We’ve got to figure these things out

as a community,” he says. “I think it’s about the ability to talk to everyone and find out how we’re going to do this.”

To sweeten CHO’s application for that $1 million federal grant—and its pitch to airlines to add direct flights from Boston— Burch says the community has chipped in another $600,000 in cash and in-kind contributions, including media air time. The experience, he says, has made him realize the importance of closer coordination with other local stakeholders.

“We have made it our goal to be a stronger partner of the community,” Burch says. “I’ve had conversations with [Cacatian] over the last [few] weeks about the potential of a strong partnership, and I am stoked about it again. We spend so much time looking at the runway and looking at the destinations that sometimes we don’t look at our own community and ensure that we’re fitting it correctly.”

Brinson believes this kind of cooperation is exactly what the region needs to thrive.

“I love the Charlottesville-Albemarle region,” Brinson says. “I think that it’s always going to be a destination. I think that what we’re doing really well is maintaining that. I think the opportunity is being able to take that to the next level. How do we scale it? And I think by supporting travel and tourism, it really creates the space for us to be able to win on a bigger level.”

Our retail store is open regularly and we carefully curate and host a variety of 21+ events, supporting local artists and artisans, to bring cannabis lovers together. Whether you are passing through the city or found your forever home in Charlottesville, Virginia, The Hidden Leaf will continue to provide a safe haven for all of us. We look forward to welcoming you with open arms in a

and hidden place, where you are seen and known.

WEDNESDAY 6/10

TRIS-TEN-OUT-OF-TEN (NO NOTES)

Nashville-based Tristen brings a melody-driven brand of indie rock carried by charming vocals and clever writing. In folky tracks reminiscent of the classics that emerged from the Topanga Canyon scene in the ’60s and ’70s, and peppier tunes that draw from honky-tonk and Western stylings, the artist channels vintage sounds through intimate, narrative-driven lyrics and arrangements. The addition of playful pop and gritty rock riffs grounds her work in the present. $23.85, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

CULTURE TO-DO LIST

SATURDAY 6/13

TERRI-FIC FOLK TUNES

Rivanna Roots welcomes the Terri Allard Band to the river for some kickass Americana music. The six-piece outfit fronted by C’ville-area folk icon Allard comes together for the first time in three years to perform a set of full-throttle originals peppered with choice covers. The band features standouts up and down the line, including Gary Green, Eddie Hall, Sonny Layne, Jeff Saine, and Jim Taggart. Allard’s father and son will sit in for a few songs, making the event a family affair. Scuffletown with Matty Metcalfe performs in support.

$17–20, 6:30pm. Rivanna River Company, 1520 E. High St. frontporchcville.org

Wednesday 6/10

music

Holly’s Open Mic Night. Mic check to all musicians, poets, and everyone in between. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St.

The Wavelength. Vintage rock, blues, and original tunes for your mid-week music boost. With special guest Jon Bisgaier on drums. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com

Tristen. Nashville-based recording artist who has built a reputation for crafting melody-driven songs rooted in clever, story-forward lyricism. $23, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

words

Rare Book School Lecture: Women’s Libraries & Their Afterlives. Drawing on examples from the 17th century through the early 19th century, this lecture examines what a library can be, with Elizabeth Canning, board member of the Book Club of Washington. Free, 5:30pm. Harrison Auditorium of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, 170 McCormick Rd. rarebookschool.org

Shonae Hobson: How Indigenous Fashion Weaves Culture and Connections. Exploring the intersections between Indigenous Australian art and contemporary fashion practices. Free, 2pm.

stage

Bent Theatre Comedy. Fast-paced, off-the-cuff comedy featuring plenty of surprises and a whole lot of fun. Free, 7pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Elmo’s Got the Moves Make unforgettable memories with your little ones at the all-new Sesame Street Live show coming to your neighborhood. $29–74, 6pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net words

Why Is “Doing History” Important?: A Conversation with Christina Shutt. Executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum reflects on the power of history to connect human stories and enact change in the present. Free, 6:30pm. James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Pkwy. highland.org

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. An escape room meets a pub crawl. Visit the Preston Avenue breweries, crack codes, unravel riddles, and sample Charlottesville’s best brews. Players get $1 off pints at each brewery. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. Like an escape room but at a winery. Crack codes and unravel riddles while sampling Charlottesville’s best wine, beer, and cider. Play when you want and go at your own pace. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Friday 6/12

music

Barstool Rodeo. A musical tribute to Widespread Panic’s original lead guitarist, Michael Houser, brought together with the idea of recreating classic Widespread Panic setlists from the 1990s and early 2000s. $23, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Beleza Duo. An evening of funkalicious samba soul—music that moves you from the inside out— with Madeline Holly-Sales on vocals and keys, and Berto Sales on guitar, voice, and loops. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Richelle Claiborne & Friends. An eclectic mix of genres and attitudes, built around Claiborne’s soulful voice. Free, 6pm. Chisholm Vineyards at Adventure Farm, 1135 Clan Chisholm Ln., Earlysville. chisholmvineyards.com

The Greenhorns. A seven-piece band from Charlottesville blending New Orleans funk, jump blues, R&B, and a little jazz. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St.

The Natural Hawk at Offbeat Roadhouse. A collaborative effort in making authentically original rock music that evolves into pure good feeling. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

Travis Elliott. Singer-songwriter blending catchy alternative pop hooks with punk energy and Americana grit through originals and covers. Free, 5pm. Valley Road Vineyards, 9264 Critzers Shop Rd., Afton. valleyroadwines.com

Waverly Milor & Rob Martin. Roots, blues, and Americana tunes. Free, 5pm. Bottle House, 608 W. Main St. bottlehouse.net

dance

Bellair After Hours and Square Dance. An evening of dancin’, swingin’, and good company led by former Bellair Farm employee Fiona, and The Bootscoot Square Dance Party. $10, 5pm. Bellair Farm, 5290 Bellair Farm. bellairfarm.com

stage

As You Like It. The noble Orlando wins a court wrestling match—and Rosalind’s heart—but before their love can take root, she’s banished from court. $40–75, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

SCAN Scottsville Summer Shorts. A local playwright festival featuring short works by Whitney Bangley, Andrea Fine Carey, Elizabeth Rose Fuller, Tom Green, Langden Mason, Sean Michael McCord, Marty Moore, and Courtney Walker. Pay-what-youcan, 7:30pm. Victory Hall Theater, 401 Valley St., Scottsville. scottsvillecenter.org

words

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

classes

Butterfly and Moth Pins. Learn how to make a Lepidoptera pin using a specialized barbed needle to apply dyed wool to your choice of felt base. Beginners and returning students welcome. Ages 12+. $35, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com etc.

Rapture Karaoke. Hosted by Thunder Music. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Thursday 6/11

music

Batesville Open Mic Night. Music, singing, poetry, spoken word—everyone is welcome to participate. Hosted by Jordan Redifer and Mark Douglas. Free, 2pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Berto and Vincent. A night of wild flamenco rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com Doug Bethel. Trombonist Bethel and an all-star cast of C’ville greats perform standards and contemporary jazz classics. Free, 7pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Bob Bennetta Trio. Live jazz. Free, 6:30pm. Afghan Kabob House, 200 Market St. afghankabobhouse.com

Brookhouse. Innovative indie rock from RVA. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

Fridays After Five: Mariana Bell. Intimate and subtle, yet powerful and poignant, singer-songwriter Bell performs upbeat soulful pop rock. With Chloë Ester. Free, 5:30pm. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tingpavilion.com

Josh Mayo and the House Sauce. Friday night high-energy sounds. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Lost in the Supermarket: The Clash Tribute. Experience the legendary punk energy and antiestablishment musical mayhem that made The Clash punk rock icons. With Cake Fight. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Matthew O’Donnell. Traditional folk musician and singer. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Mother Greenstone. Classic rock, blues, soul, and jam. Free, 9:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Nathan DiNapoli. Acoustic guitar takes on jazz, bossa nova, funk, and country music. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

Author Event: Autumn K. England. England reads from their new novel, Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous. A conversation with New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award–winning author Alix E. Harrow follows. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

classes

Paint + Sip: Dockside Dreams. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials included. $36–40, 6pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. blueridgebrushes.com

Watercolor Happy Hour. Uplevel your skills, or simply experience the joy of painting and creativity for its own sake, among like-minded people. All supplies for watercolor painting provided. Ages 15+. $25, 5:30pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, June 11. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Fun Fridays. Teens ages 11–18 finish each week this summer with a new, fun experience. Registration required. This week: Water Marbling Workshop. Free, 2pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

Paramount On Screen: World Cup: USA vs. Paraguay. The 2026 World Cup is here, and the community is invited to watch the USA v. Paraguay match live on the big screen. Free, 9pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Pride Drag Bingo. Hosted by CAKE POP! and Daya B. Tease. $15, 6:30pm. Botanical Plant-Based Fare, 421 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. botanicalfare.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, June 11. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Saturday 6/13

music

180 Band. Playing your favorite rock and dance tunes from the 1960s through today. Free, 6pm. Chisholm Vineyards at Adventure Farm, 1135 Clan Chisholm Ln., Earlysville. chisholmvineyards.com

Blake Esse. Culpeper’s own country singer. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

Creedence Clearwater Recital. Premier Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band plays all of your favorite songs. $10, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Her Checkered Past. Anne O’Brien and Frank Bechter perform music by the hearth that will warm your heart. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Jimmy O. Toe-tappin’ musical stylings featuring your favorite Motown, funk, and blues tunes. Free, 6pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

Josh Mayo. Beautiful music and one-of-a-kind voice to cure whatever ails you. Free, 9:30pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Pink Lady Slipper. Southern-flavored jam rock originals and covers. With Brendan Lane & The Sugar Packets. Free, 9:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Rivanna Roots: Terri Allard Band. Local folk legend brings her six-piece band for kickass Americana. With Scuffletown. $17–20, 6:30pm. Rivanna River Company, 1520 E. High St. frontporchcville.org

Swansong. Pushing the boundaries of musical possibility through classical, rock, soundscapes, soundtracks, jazz, and tango. Free, 5pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

The LockJaw Classic Rock Band. Four-piece blues rock band covering primarily ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s classic rock music, plus some country and R&B tunes for variety. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

Theocles & The Muses. Soul, folk, and pop blend together seamlessly to create catchy grooves. $16, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

The Pollocks. Indoor pub-style show with firstcome seating, general admission standing, and plenty of room for dancing. $10, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesville market.com

The Wavelength. Vintage rock, some blues, and original tunes. Free, 2pm. Brewing Tree Beer Company, 9278 Rockfish Valley Hwy., Afton. brewing treebeer.com

dance

Gimme Gimme Disco. One epic night dedicated to celebrating the best of disco. Your crowns await, dancing queens and kings. $27, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

stage

As You Like It. See listing for Friday, June 12. $40–75, 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

PAGES CULTURE

Seeking the oracle

In conversation with poet Sophia Terazawa BY

SARAH LAWSON

Sophia Terazawa is a Vietnamese-Japanese poet, novelist, and performance artist whose work explores diasporic identities and experiences of exile as well as polyvocal and experimental forms of writing. She is the author of four books, including Oracular Maladies, her new poetry collection, and Tetra Nova, her debut novel. Terazawa teaches in Virginia Tech’s MFA creative writing program and was recently named a finalist for the DAG Prize for Literature. We spoke with her about her work.

C-VILLE: When you think about your work as a performance artist, poet, and novelist, what are the throughlines you see?

Sophia Terazawa: I think it’s a reflection of how I’ve navigated my identity as someone who is always moving between worlds. There’s a lot of fluidity in my background and it’s a reflection of the fluidity that I bring not just to the page but to the stage. I find that there are so many limitations within each genre but when you put all of those genres together, you get to make this hydra that, for me, is super exciting. … I embrace the possibilities of my work not being in one container at any point. They’re always in conversation with other worlds, even beyond my own knowledge.

How much of Oracular Maladies feels representative of your personal experience as opposed to another world that you’re conjuring?

I think it’s a little bit of both. Oracular Maladies, in a nutshell, is about a Vietnamese diasporic performing arts extravaganza called “Paris by Night,” [which] is a wild production that I grew up watching on VHS tapes. We would always have this musical production in the background and it became an anchor to the homeland. As I grew up, I started to realize that this show became almost a simulation of what a diasporic identity might be. … It became almost this perverted mirror effect of what it means to be Vietnamese in exile. And I wanted to honor that history and acknowledge that there is no such thing as purity in the diaspora.

As someone who is of mixed ethnicity, it’s always been a point of tension for me ... “Paris by Night” gave me a really wonderful opportunity to point at the ways in which we might be constantly grappling with the sense that we will never return to a sense of purity or a rooted sense of who we are. There’s an element of futurism with that: How can we imagine a future for ourselves that encompasses all of our multitudes, all at the same time?

There are undercurrents of longing, grief, and forgiveness in your work. How do you feel poetry and fiction are uniquely able to grapple with these themes?

I find a really strong distinction between the two. For me, poetry is entirely an embodied experience … in the way that I think of Oracular Maladies as the way one might visit the Oracle of Delphi to get their fate.

I surrender myself completely to this outof-body experience that is poetry. My job is to transmit a sense of the vibrations of a language that is beyond my own understanding … It’s very much on a felt basis. I feel my way through sounds or I feel my way through an experience. And so the idea of making meaning out of it, for me as a poet, is not a priority.

Fiction, for me, and maybe prose to an extent, is that act of making meaning first. So I try to understand a story or I try to help someone who is outside of myself make meaning of something that might, on the surface, seem meaningless. It’s a very different register. Where poetry is of the body, prose for me is entirely of the mind.

How has it been sharing Oracular Maladies with others?

I recognize that my work is always in conversation with somebody or something else. When I was first starting, I was a very reactive writer. I would only write if I had a strong pain or if I was deeply hurt, and I was in conversation, trying to speak back. I find now though, since my books are published, it’s like the conversation has ended. These books are like an echo of a painful conversation I might have had with history … but what I’m most excited about is figuring out ways to draw an audience into a conversation that is just out of the frame of the book.

What are you working on now?

I am working on my second novel, which just got picked up. It’s an experimental novel that is still trying to grapple with form and narrative. In short, it’s an account of three summer months of being scammed by psychics, but really what it’s looking at is the sense of the oracular and the sense of knowing what you know even if you don’t have the language to speak it into truth. I’m really curious about the future of writing … and in conversations around AI and these technological advances that are, day by day, surpassing our abilities to think, to imagine, and maybe in some cases to speak for ourselves … I am really curious about the future of the book, as its own monument to something that might otherwise be dying for us as a human species. So it’s a very hopeful but also nihilistic answer. The project that I’m working on is the project of the written word in relation to our own humanity.

“Where poetry is of the body, prose for me is entirely of the mind.” SOPHIA TERAZAWA

CULTURE TO-DO LIST

Saturday 6/13

SCAN Scottsville Summer Shorts. See listing for Friday, June 12. Pay-what-you-can, 3pm. Victory Hall Theater, 401 Valley St., Scottsville. scotts villecenter.org

words

New Dominion Storytime. Readings from recent storybooks and the classics kids know and love. Rain or shine. All ages welcome. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. newdominionbookshop.com

Poetry Reading: Lucas Martínez and Sophia Terazawa. Martínez is an artist, teacher, and language worker. Terazawa writes prose, poetry, and performance scores. Free, 4pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

classes

Crochet for Beginners. Learn the basics of crochet. Leave with a crochet hook and a small crocheted washcloth. Ages 12+. $35, noon. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Learn to Knit. Learn the basics of knitting. No experience needed. Leave with a pair of knitting needles, the beginning of a scarf, and enough yarn to finish it. Ages 12+. $35, 2pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Needle Felted Jellyfish. Learn how to make a beachy hanging jellyfish decoration using a specialized notched needle to sculpt dyed wool. Suitable for beginners and intermediate students. Ages 12+. $35, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Needle Felted Succulent Series: Star Cactus. Needle felt a star cactus using a specialized notched needle to sculpt dyed wool, and “plant” your cacti in real mini terra cotta pots. Suitable for beginners and intermediate students. Ages 12+. $35, 12:30pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, June 11. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Charlottesville City Market. Explore fresh produce, local foods, and handmade goods from 100+ local vendors. Free, 9am. Charlottesville City Market, 100 Water St. E. charlottesville.gov

Family Studio Day. Create artworks inspired by the “HOT PINK” group exhibition. All ages welcome, no experience needed. Free, 10am. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. secondstreetgallery.org

Paramount On Screen: Jaws Directed by Academy Award-winner Steven Spielberg, this classic set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. $9–11, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

PDC Pollinator Festival. Learn about native bees, wasps, butterflies, and more with expert guides while watching them flutter and buzz around PDC’s all-native botanical gardens. Free, noon. Piedmont Discovery Center’s Quarry Gardens, 1643 Salem Rd., Schuyler. quarrygardensatschuyler.org

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, June 11. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Sunday 6/14

music

Gold Top County Ramblers. Carving out its own mountain sound somewhere in between high octane

traditional bluegrass and hand clapping modern folk music, based on roots music, rock, and blues. Free, 2pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Patrick & Aaron Olwell and Friends. An energetic and eclectic Irish jam session in the orchard featuring fine renditions of traditional tunes. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Second Sunday Bluegrass Jam. Musicians gather in a circle to jam and the audience sneaks a spot to watch from the perimeter. Show up with instruments if you got ’em. Otherwise, just show up. Free, 2pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Uncle Pen. Taking listeners on an intimate and high-energy journey through the classic and lesserknown corners of the bluegrass universe. Free, 1pm. Chisholm Vineyards at Adventure Farm, 1135 Clan Chisholm Ln., Earlysville. chisholmvineyards.com

Willie DE. Solo acoustic bluesy rock sounds. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

stage

As You Like It. See listing for Friday, June 12. $40–75, 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

SCAN Scottsville Summer Shorts. See listing for Friday, June 12. Pay-what-you-can, 3pm. Victory Hall Theater, 401 Valley St., Scottsville. scottsville center.org

classes

Collage and Stitch: Multimedia Art on Paper. Learn tips and tricks for collaging on cardstock, plus backstitch and running stitch techniques to add to your composition with embroidery thread. All materials provided. Ages 12+. $25, 11:30am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Downtown Lantern Making Workshop. Create your own lantern for the community lantern parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Downtown Mall. Ages 13+. $25, 1pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. downtowncville.com

SATURDAY 6/13

BETTER THAN THE BOOK

The original summer blockbuster, Jaws splashed onto the scene in June of 1975, and 51 years later audiences still can’t get enough of Steven Spielberg’s teeth-gnashing, Narragansett Beer-swilling, small town politicking, boatbashing action masterpiece. The terror-inducing titular great white shark has scared people out of the water for decades, and since this classic still boasts its original PG rating from the MPAA, you’re free to traumatize the next generation of would-be swimmers and sailors. $9.75–11.75, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Needle Felted Veggies. Make soft and colorful veggie decorations using a specialized barbed needle to sculpt dyed wool. Beginners and intermediate students welcome. Ages 12+. $35, 2pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Paint + Sip: Summer Bouquet. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials and first drink included. $40, 3pm. Starr Hill Downtown, 946 Grady Ave. Suite 101. blueridgebrushes.com etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, June 11. $15, 12pm. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market, Charlottesville, , USA.

Paramount On Screen: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. With a contract to perform a drag show way out in the Australian desert, Tick, Adam, and Bernadette journey across the Australian Outback in their battered, pink tour bus “Priscilla.” $11, 2pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, June 11. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Monday 6/15

music

Ramona Martinez. Local favorite serenades with her signature mix of country western and mariachi. Free, 5:30pm. The Fitzroy, 120 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. thefitzroycville.com

dance

Bachata X. Improve your dance skills through a fun 90-minute bachata bootcamp. $25, 7:15pm. The Phoenix Dance Studio, 629 Berkmar Cir. zabordance.com etc.

Cretaceous Craft Crew. Make awesome dinothemed crafts and hang out with friends. Ages 10–15. Registration required. This week: Beaded Succulents. Free, 4pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

Tuesday 6/16

music

Evan Honer. A sound built from the ground up, evolving from acoustic Americana into something wider, pulling in indie and alternative-pop textures. $37, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Jon Spear. Local singer-songwriter stylings. Free, 7pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

Tuesday Jazz with Jeff Massanari. A cast of great players joins the guitar virtuoso. Free, 6:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

words

Profs & Pints Charlottesville: The Road to Mass Surveillance. On the proliferation of automated license plate readers and the threats that they pose to our freedoms, with Steven Keener, director of the Center for Crime, Equity, and Justice Research and Policy. $13–17, 5:30pm. Graduate Charlottesville, 1309 W. Main St. profsandpints.com

etc.

Geeks Who Drink Trivia. Good trivia, good times. Teams of two to six people compete to win prizes like gift certificates and pint glasses, plus bragging rights. Free, 7pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com Teen Space Tuesdays. Teens ages 11–18 are invited to beat the heat and discover a new craft or activity. This week: DIY Bracelets. Free, 1pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

SMALL BITES CULTURE

Sweet scoops

A walk to remember, and SugarBear grows

BY SARAH GOLIBART GORMAN

Astretch of West Main now carries a little more history. On May 30, the city unveiled Mel’s Walk, an honorary street designation recognizing the life and legacy of Melvin Eugene Walker, the longtime owner of Mel’s Cafe. Between Seventh and Eighth streets NW, beside the restaurant’s longtime home, the newly named block honors the Charlottesville native who spent 39 years feeding the community homestyle Southern comfort food. For generations of locals, it’s a fitting tribute to a man whose impact reached far beyond his famous fried fish sandwiches.

Wine about

Clear your calendar and grab your wine glass: Monticello Wine Week returns June 22 to 28 with a full week of vineyard parties, winemaker dinners, the Rosé Festival, sparkling brunches, golf, and immersive food-andwine experiences across Charlottesville and the Monticello AVA. The festivities culminate in the Gold Medal Celebration, where the coveted Monticello Cup winner will be announced live. This year, judges awarded 41 Gold Medals to wines from across the region, showcasing everything from sparkling rosés and crisp whites to bold reds. If you needed an excuse to spend a week sipping your way through Virginia wine country, consider it poured. Find more info at monticellowinetrail.com.

Market season has sprung

Farmers markets are bursting back to life with tender lettuces, spring onions, and the promise of tomatoes, peaches, and sweet corn just around the corner. Saturday shoppers can fill their baskets at the Albemarle Farmers Market, Charlottesville City Market, Scottsville Farmers Market, and The Farmers Market at IX Art Park, while Sunday brings the Starr Hill Market Can’t make a weekend market? Midweek options abound. Shop Farmers in the Park on Wednesdays from 3-6pm, where June kicks off Wind Down Wednesdays with live music and beverages from local Charlottesville Ale Trail breweries. Or swing by the Little Market at Lampo on Tuesdays beginning at 3pm for a smaller-but-mighty dose of local food and community.

Stack the cones

Good news for ice cream lovers: SugarBear Ice Cream is expanding with a second loca-

tion, just off Ivy Road near The Market at Bellair and Selvedge Brewing. The new shop will offer indoor seating and the same scratch-made ice cream crafted with local ingredients that earned the original East High Street location a devoted following.

On the menu? Standouts include Anaji, a dairy-free collaboration with Pearl Island Catering. The spicy virgin piña colada flavor features coconut, lime, ginger, maple syrup, and a touch of scotch bonnet. Or try Blue Ridge Breakfast, a cinnamon-cardamom oatmeal ice cream swirled with Jam According to Daniel’s strawberry jam, or Birthday Cake, packed with housemade yellow cake and rainbow sprinkles. Meanwhile, the original location is now scooping seven days a week for the season. Summer just got a little sweeter.

A new stop at Foods of All Nations

Need a quick Mediterranean fix? Safran Moroccan Mediterranean has opened a new outpost inside Foods of All Nations, tucked just beyond the meat and seafood counter. Stop by Monday through Friday for fresh Moroccan and Mediterranean fare, or grab something from the stocked graband-go case if you’re swinging through outside lunch hours. Consider it one more

reason to leave the grocery store with a little more than you planned.

More of Mas

MAS Tapas is showing off a refreshed new look. After a winter renovation, the beloved small plates spot reopened in March with a more modern, moody vibe: sleek dark woods, exposed brick, soft lighting, and candles flickering at every table.

Even better news? Lunch is on. MAS is now open Fridays and Saturdays starting at 11:45am, with a streamlined ordering system that ditches the old paper checklists (except for daily specials). A refreshed cocktail menu rounds out the glow-up, making midday feel more like golden hour.

Shake it on

The wait is over! Shake Shack is officially opening its doors on June 16 at 10am in The Shops at Stonefield. The much-anticipated Charlottesville Shack will mark launch day with a feel-good kickoff: $1 from every burger and chicken sandwich sold will benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, helping provide more than three meals per dollar donated.

Early birds, take note: The first guests in line will snag special Shack gifts, because nothing says grand opening like a side of swag with your ShackBurger.

MORE TO CHEW ON

THURSDAY 6/11

Meritage Blending Workshop. A handson workshop where you get to be the winemaker. $50, 6pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

FRIDAY 6/12

Taste of North Garden Dinner. An intimate evening featuring food from local chef Ian Rubenoff, elegant wines from Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery, and traditional, and dry ciders from Albemarle CiderWorks. $100, 6pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

SATURDAY 6/13

Wine Cocktail Class. Discover how to elevate your favorite wines into refreshing, creative cocktails perfect for any season. $30, 11am. Revalation Vineyards, 2710 Hebron Valley Rd., Madison. revalation vineyards.com

SUNDAY 6/14

Armchair Expedition for Chardonnay. Wine educator Ann Czaja leads an exploration of Old and New World chardonnay styles. Small bites accompany the wines. $49, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

THURSDAY 6/18

Between The Wines. Bringing together literature, conversation, and Virginia wine, Charlottesville author Samantha Jones and her novel Yesteryear, paired with sauvignon blanc from Septenary Winery. Free, 5:30pm. Commerce Street Books, 499 W. Main St. commercestreetbooks.com

SATURDAY 6/20 & SUNDAY 6/21

A Berry Fun Weekend. Celebrate the flavors of summer with live music, familyfriendly activities, delicious seasonal treats, and peachy competition with a pie- and cobbler-eating contest, bobbing for peach cider donuts, and a pie walk. Free entry, 9am. Chiles Peach Orchard, 1351 Greenwood Rd., Crozet. chilesfamily orchards.com

SATURDAY 6/20

Mount Ida Farm-Raised Beef Dinner. A three-course dinner that highlights a creatively prepared beef element paired with fresh seasonal produce from neighboring Bellair Farm. With guest chef Michael Berry of The Bradbury. $84–96, 5:30pm. Tasting Room & Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve, 5931 Blenheim Rd. mountidareserve.com

THE WINE DOWN -

WHAT’S DELISH AT LOCAL WINERIES?

53RD WINERY AND VINEYARD

A note from Winegrower and Owner, Dave Drillock

Our Wine of the month is the release of our 2025 Quintessential Rose!  This dry, Provence style rose has aromas of wild strawberries, raspberries and melon with a hint of pink grapefruit at the finish.  It was awarded a gold medal at the recent American Wine Society Wine Competition along with our Gentile Press Rose.

We invite you to visit our serene, meadow-like location in rural Louisa County. We pride ourselves on being genuine and approachable, eager to share our passion for wine without any scripted lines or memorized facts, just a warm and welcome atmosphere.

We are a Winery that just wants to be a Winery!  And……

Thank You for Voting!  We’re thrilled to share that we won Best Winery, Best Winemaker, and Best Wine Selection in the Best of Lake Anna Readers’ Choice Awards!

Upcoming Events

June 13th: National Rosé DayElevate your day of rosé with our award winning Rosé and Grazing Delights Experience! Join us in the pavilion for a relaxed food and wine pairing featuring our 2025 rosés. We’ll walk through each wine together, talk a bit about how they’re made, and pair them with bites that really let them shine. Your experience will also include a Riedel crystal rosé glass to take home—perfect for enjoying rosé all summer long. Live Music: Jim O’Ferrell 1:00-4:00pm

June 14th: 53rd Uncorked: Our next edition of our Wine Education Series.  Sip with Confidence: Taste Like a Pro.  You will learn a simple, approachable way to taste and talk about wine with more confidence. Led by Gabe Routh, WSET Level 3 in Wines

June 20th: Wine Club

Appreciation Day

Enjoy a special wine tasting in the pavilion and spend your day at 53rd.  Not a wine club member, no problem.  You can enjoy the full experience for $17/person.

Live Music: By a great entertainer, Nate Oyler 1-4pm

Food Truck: Beaverdam Grill

June 27th: Live Music: The very popular Scuffletown 1-4pm

July 5th: Continue the celebration of the 250th anniversary of our great country!  Join us at the production facility for a guided tasting with our winemaker, Chelsey Blevins, featuring Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Franc dominant blends from multiple vintages, along with light fare.

For more details, please check our website at www.53rdwinery.com or call us at 540-894-1536.

Cheers!

Open 7 days a week, 11 am – 5 pm Sat/Sun. 12-6 pm

13372 Shannon Hill Rd Louisa, VA 23093 (540) 894-5474 • 53rdwinery.com

DUCARD VINEYARDS

2024 Black Bear

Black Bear is a red wine blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Tannat that is a complement to our Shenandoah white wine. Both celebrate the treasure that is our National Park that borders us just out our back lawns. Named one of VinePair’s The 30 Best Red Blends for 2026

We are open 7 days a week throughout the month of June with live music every weekend. Visit our website and our social media pages for the most up to date listings of our upcoming live music and events!

Saturdays & Sundays- Live music every Saturday and Sunday through the month! Come to DuCard for the afternoon with family and friends and enjoy a variety of live music (no cover). Bring a picnic or select some local fare from our lite noshing menu to pair with our awardwinning wine for a fun afternoon in our amazing mountain setting.

June 14th – Armchair Expedition Chardonnay: Ever wonder why one wine is so different than another?  Have trouble deciding which wines you like best, and explaining why?  Do you hear a lot of wine jargon that you don’t really understand? Join wine educator, Ann Czaja, DipWSET, to explore Old and New World Chardonnay styles. One of the wine world’s most versatile grapes, Chardonnay often falls into two distinct camps: those who love it and those who hate it. For wine drinkers who politely (or vehemently) decline, it’s usually because their first experience was a mass produced, inexpensive oak and butter bomb. But Chardonnay can assume many forms, from beautiful bubbles, to still wines ranging from crisp & steely to round & robust. Let us change your mind about or introduce you to new iterations of the grape beloved by winemakers worldwide. The session will be at 2pm. Small bites will accompany the wines, and some wines will be available for purchase at the end of each session.

Session price:  $49 per person (Wine Club discounts apply, email us for WC reservations), advance reservation required, and space is

limited. Buy your tickets online!

July 4th – British Invasion with music by AbbeyRoad: What would be more appropriate for America’s 250th anniversary than…. A British Invasion (again).This time with tunes from AbbeyRoad – the Ultimate Beatles Party Band, playing the hits from The Beatles, “all day and all of the night’ – until it’s time for fireworks down the street. We’ll also have grills for you to bring along and burn your own hot dogs and burgers. Appropriately, we are charging a TARIFF of $12 per person in advance and $20 at the gate. You’ll receive a souvenir DuCard logo wine glass to take home. WC member tickets are complimentary! Reserve your advance tickets from our website!

Open daily

Mon-Thurs. 12-5 pm Fri. 12-9 pm Sat/Sun. 12-6 pm

40 Gibson Hollow Ln Etlan, VA 22719 (540) 923-4206 www.ducardvineyards.com

EARLY MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS

At Early Mountain, our world class wines are featured in a restaurant grounded in the same sense of place. Reserve your table for indoor or outdoor seating and enjoy our latest releases alongside an à la carte menu or seasonal wine-paired prix fixe.

The Meadow is open for the season! We’re offering a casual picnic-style menu, paired with wines by the bottle, glass, or flight. No reservation needed, weather dependent.

Tasting Room Hours

Thursday–Monday: 11:00 AM–5:30 PM

Fridays: 11:00 AM–8:00PM

Closed Tuesday and Wednesday Upcoming Events & Experiences

Lunch in the Vineyard with Maya Hood White & Jon Ruel

June 27, 2026 | 11:00 AM–1:30 PM

A rare opportunity to spend the afternoon in the vineyard with Maya Hood White and Jon Ruel.

Walk the vines overlooking the estate as conversations unfold around the decisions that shape what ends up in the glass. Then take your place at a table set among the vines for an open-air, familystyle lunch with wines selected for the season.

Summer Supper Somm

July 11, 2026 | 6:00–9:00 PM

Our second annual Summer Supper Somm returns following a sold-out debut and one of last year’s most talked-about events.

This five-course, wine-paired dinner highlights peak-season heirloom tomatoes from Village Garden RVA, brought to life through Chef Tim Moore’s artful and expressive approach.

Friday Dinner Hours & Chef’s

Table

Fridays | 5:30–8:00 PM

Enjoy dinner hours every Friday! Later evenings invite you to enjoy seasonal dishes on the patio or in the Tasting Room as the sun sets. The Chef’s Table experience offers an intimate, seven-course menu paired with select wines. Seats are limited.

Scan to plan your visit.

6109 Wolftown-Hood Rd, Madison, VA 22727

(540) 948-9005 www.earlymountain.com

EASTWOOD FARM AND WINERY

SPARKLING BLANC DE BLANCS & VIRGINIA OYSTERS

Celebrate the spring season with a glass of our sparkling brut Blanc de Blancs and oysters on Friday nights! Salty Bottom Blue will be here every Friday night this spring serving their delicious raw and grilled oysters, which pair beautifully with a glass of our gold medal Sparkling Blanc de Blancs. Delicious to enjoy on its own, with Salty Bottom Blue oysters, a toasty seasonal flatbread or warm crab dip, or with one of your other favorite menu items. Let us pop the cork on a bottle for you!

Upcoming at the Winery:

Virginia Oyster & Wine Celebration | Every Friday

Enjoy our Virginia Oyster & Wine Celebration every Friday night this Spring! The oysters are prepared by Salty Bottom Blue. Enjoy them in a relaxed, fun atmosphere with live music from 5-8pm on the stage in our tasting room.

Porch Nights | Every Thursday (NEW!)

There’s something about a porch at golden hour that makes the world slow down in the best possible way. At Eastwood Farm and Winery, we’re leaning into that feeling all season long with Porch Nights — our weekly Thursday gathering featuring outdoor live music and an easygoing atmosphere. Grab a seat on our covered veranda or at one of our many picnic tables, relax with the sparkly lights overhead, fireflies in the fields, and a glass of porch-sipping wine in hand - join us for your new favorite Thursday tradition. Bring the family, the dog, a few friends, or just yourself. No reservations, no cover — just good music, good company, and spring evenings done right.

Wine Slushies are Back! Cheers to the beautiful weather with a refreshing wine slushie:)

Music Bingo | Sunday, June 14th and 28th, July 12th and 26th 2-4PM (open 12-5PM)

Everyone loves singing along with their favorite songs and who doesn’t love a competitive game of Bingo? Music Bingo brings together the best of both worlds for a high energy game that is fun for everyone. Simply listen to the music, match the songs to the titles on your music bingo cards, and win great prizes!

Paint & Sip | Sunday, June 28th and July 26th 12-2PM (open 125PM)

Grab a glass of wine (or your favorite drink!) and let your creativity

flow in our relaxed and fun Paint & Sip classes. Whether you’re an experienced artist or a first-time painter, the talented instructors of Blue Ridge Brushes will walk you through the painting process as you create your own masterpiece. Ticketed Event - Reserve Your Spot On Our Website

Meritage Blending Workshop, June 11th 6-8PM

Join us for a hands-on workshop where you get to be the winemaker! You’ll sit down to a table with beakers and flasks, and our winemaking team will walk you through the steps of making a great blend. Plus, there is some friendly competition involved and one of the team’s blends will be deemed the winner! Ticketed Event - Reserve Your Spot On Our Website

Juneteenth Celebration | Friday, June 19 12-4 (Open 12-8PM) Celebrate Juneteenth at Eastwood for a wine release party with Tasha Durrett of ZC Wines, a special wine & cupcake tasting with Krissy Cakes, a flower bouquet popup with We Grow and music all day! Curious about Juneteenth food traditions? Looking for a unique way to honor the day? Join Black Women Who Wine on Friday, June 19. See Schedule & Details On Our Website.

Father’s Day Maker’s Market and Live Music| Sunday, June 21st 12-5PM

Join us for a funday celebrating Dad and all the father figures in your life!  Celebrate with a laid back afternoon the whole family can enjoy.  Shop at the artisan maker’s market, savor live music on the stage, and treat dad to a cold beer, crisp cider or one of our award-winning wines. July 4th Weekend and Wings over Wine Country 250th Celebration | Thursday, July 2 - Sunday, July 5th

Celebrate Independence Day weekend with great food, wine, beer & cider, good friends and live music all weekend long! On Saturday July 4th we have a special treat in store with a visit from Buddy the Bald Eagle and the Wildlife Center of Virginia.    July 4th Weekend and Wings over Wine Country 250th Celebration | Thursday, July 2Sunday, July 5th

Celebrate Independence Day weekend with great food, wine, beer & cider, good friends, live music and free tastings of Eastwood’s VA250 celebration wines all weekend long! On Saturday July 4th we have a special treat in store with a visit from Buddy the Bald Eagle and the Wildlife Center of Virginia

Thursday, July 2: Porch NightsLive Music by Ty Burkhardt  5-8PM (Open 12-8)

Friday, July 3: Virginia Oyster & Wine Celebration 5-8PM, Live Music by John Kelly 5-8PM (Open 12-8)

Saturday, July 4:  Celebrate the 250th with Wings over Wine Country (1-3PM).  Meet amazing animal ambassadors from the Wildlife Center of Virginia - including animals like eagles, hawks, opossums, and reptiles and enjoy Eastwood’s new VA250 wines featuring Buddy the Eagle! While there will definitely be animal ambassadors to meet, which specific animals, including Buddy, are always subject to the health and welfare of the animals on the day of the event.

Live Music 12:30 to 3:30PM; Zuzus Hot 5 from 5-8PM (Open 12-8)

Sunday, July 5: Live Music by Brian Franke 1-4PM

Summer Maker’s Market & Blueberry Food and Beverage Celebration, Sunday July 19 Summer is Blueberry Season at Eastwood! Join us Sunday, July 19 for free tastings, including of our blueberry wheat beer and blueberry cider as well as a local maker’s market. In addition to the popular blueberry lemonade wine slushies for adults, we will also be featuring a special nonalcoholic blueberry slushie for the kids (for one day only)! Eastwood’s full menu will also be available, including many delectable blueberry-inspired specials.  Open 12-5 PM, with live music 1-4 PM

MUSIC AT EASTWOOD!

Join us for the popular Porch Nights every Thursday with live music on the veranda and  Eastwood After Dark on Saturdays featuring upbeat, danceable music from 5-8pm (in addition to our more mellow Saturday afternoon music program).  Eastwood also hosts a range of live performances by talented local and regional musicians every Friday

night and Sunday afternoons.  See the Winery Calendar on our website for details.

Every Thursday (open 12-8PM): Porch Nights Live Music on the Veranda 5-8PM

Every Friday (open 12-8 PM): Live Music and Virginia Oyster & Wine Celebration, every Friday 5-8PM

Every Saturday (open 12-8 PM): Live Music 12:30-3:30PM + Eastwood After Dark with Live Music 5-8PM

Every Sunday (open 12-5 PM): Live Music or Music Bingo (See the Winery Calendar on our website for details.)

Also Open Monday through Wednesday 12-5 PM and Thursday 12-8PM

What about the kids?

Kids can share in the experience with their own juice tasting flights and cheese boards!

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

Winery Hours: Sunday-Wednesday (12-5 PM); Thursday-Saturday (12-8 PM)

We look forward to welcoming you to our tasting room, seven days a week. Join us for award-winning wines, beer, and cider, as well as a delicious lunch/dinner menu. Escape to Virginia Wine Country, only five miles from Downtown Charlottesville. Open year-round, seven days a week.

Pet friendly and large groups are welcome. Ample indoor and outdoor seating.

Rt 20 near the intersection with Avon Extended (5 mi from Downtown Mall) Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 264-6727 www.eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

HARDWARE HILLS VINEYARD

2025 Chardonnay

June is wine club release month and our loyal members are in for a treat!  Locally sourced Monticello AVA fruit has given way to a delightfully lightly oaked and crisp Chardonnay that we just released!  This newly bottled wine is flying off the shelves!  If you love your chard with a little oak but not overpowering butter, this could be the wine for you.  Consider becoming a member of the club for bottle discounts, but surely stop in to try this new gem.

Have you checked out our Social Media yet?  Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.  We promise a few laughs!

June 11th - 5:30 p.m. MUSIC

BINGO Night at the Hills!  If you’ve never played before, we promise a night of musical favorites, laughs, wine, food and prizes!  Join us for this popular event.

June 12th - BIG NIGHT AT THE HILLS!  Back 40 East Band will be here along with Cousins Maine Lobster truck.  It is our wine club release celebration but everyone is invited!  Arrive early for great food and best seating.  Tables are reserved for wine club members.  Doors open at noon, the food truck starts at 4 and music begins at 5:30!

June 14th - 2 - 4 p.m. SUNDAY B-I-N-G-O.  Good old fashioned Sunday bingo!  Grab your friends and come hang out with us for a prizewinning afternoon.  $5 cover charge.

June 18th - 6:30 p.m. Friendly Feud Night.  SURVEY SAYS!  Gather your team and come see how many answers you can match from popular polled questions.  This night is a hilarious round of thinking outside the box and teamwork!

June 19th - 5:30 p.m. Live Music with Carl DeTroia  Carl is a new performer to the hills and loves taking requests.  Join us for a fun summertime evening of great music, wine and food.

June 26th - 5:30 p.m. Live Music with the Kevin McMahon.  A Lake Monticello favorite and all around great guy.  Come sip and sing along to your favorite tunes.

June 27th - 5:30 p.m. KARAOKE NIGHT at the Hills! DJ Next2None will take all your requests and get you on the mic.  This night is a blast and we can’t wait for you to join us.

Hours- New Saturday Summer hours!  Open late all summer until 8 p.m.

5199 W River Rd, Scottsville, VA  434.286.4710 • www.hardwarehills.com

KESWICK VINEYARDS

June at Keswick Vineyards!  June is one of the most beautiful times of year at Keswick Vineyards. The vines are waking up, the views are lush and green, and there’s no better time to settle in with a glass of wine and enjoy everything the season has to offer.

Live Music Every Saturday | 12–4 PM

Spend your Saturdays enjoying great wine, live local music, and beautiful vineyard views.

Wine Down Wednesday | Every Wednesday | 5:30–8:30 PM Unwind midweek with live music, great food, and your favorite Keswick wines.

Barrel & Board Food Truck | Wednesday–Sunday | 12 PM–Close

Enjoy handcrafted bites perfectly paired with your favorite wines. Last food orders taken 30 minutes before closing.

Father’s Day | Sunday, June 21 | Live Music 12–4 PM and a Brat and Beer special

Virginia’s Most Rewarding Wine Club—Now Even Better! Our wine club is now fully customizable while still offering all the benefits you love: exclusive events, incredible savings, and first access to new releases. There’s something special about May in the vineyard, and we’d love to share it with you. Come sip, savor, and make the most of the season with us!

Hours: Open 7 Days a Week Sunday–Tuesday & Thursday | 10 AM–5 PM

Wednesday | 10 AM–8:30 PM

Friday–Saturday | 10 AM–6 PM

Food, flights, and open bottle service end 30 minutes prior to closing daily

1575 Keswick Winery Drive

Keswick, Virginia 22947

Tasting Room: (434) 244-3341 ext 105 tastingroom@keswickvineyards.com www.keswickvineyards.com

MERRIE MILL FARM AND VINEYARD

2024 Reserve Petit Verdot

We’re thrilled to present our 2024 Petit Verdot — a bold red that thrives in Virginia’s unique climate and soils. This exceptional vintage received special treatment: over a year of French oak barrel aging followed by additional bottle rest to marry the flavors. On the nose and palate, it opens with concentrated dark stewed fruits — black cherry and plum — that segue into an earthy, savory midpalate. Gentle waves of toasted French oak lend soft vanilla and a whisper of baking spice, while fine-grained tannins and a lingering blackpepper finish give structure and length. Rich and complex now, this Petit Verdot will continue to develop gracefully over the next decade.

Friday Sundowner’s Free Music Series - every Friday from 5:308:30pm, May through October. Friday night we love to create a family friendly atmosphere, supporting local up and coming musicians from all over Virginia, offering a full food menu, and our award winning wines while enjoying the beautiful sunset over our western facing vines and music from our talented artists.

Sundays Blues and Jazz-1:004:00pm every Sunday, May through October, featuring the best local Jazz and blues musicians, the perfect way finish the weekend relaxing on our patio with wine and great company.

The schedule for the month of June into July:

6/5: Matt Tyrrell 5:30-8:30 pm

6/7: Goddard Duo 1:00-4:00 pm

6/12: Justin Paciocco 5:30-8:30 pm

6/13: Mackenzie Roark 1:00-4:00 pm

6/14: Mackenzie Roark 1:00-4:00 pm

6:19: Ramona and the Holy Smokes

5:30-8:30 pm

6/21:  John D’earth 1:00-4:00 pm

6/26:  Carleigh Jane Scherer 5:308:30 pm

6/28: Bruce Middle 1:00-4:00pm

7/3: Johnathan Paige Brown 5:308:30

7/5: Eliot Currie 1:00-4:00pm

June 13th - Bi-annual art festival: 25-35 local artists vend their art work, free and open to the public, free painting and activities for kids and adults alike, live music and food all while supporting local artists

June 20th - Merrie Mill 5th Anniversary Party- Celebrating our 5th year with an annual Open Air dance party Featuring Sounds of Love with ENAMOUR and various DJs, dancing and celebrating into the evening! 21 and over. 6:0011:00pm- tickets can be purchased via our events calendar on our website.

Hours: Friday 10:30 – 9 pm; Sat –Monday & Thursday 10:30 – 5:30 pm

594 Merrie Mill Farm Keswick, VA 22947 (434) 365-3006 www.merriemillfarm.com

PRINCE MICHEL VINEYARDS

June is the perfect time to slow down, soak up the sunshine, and enjoy the fresh flavors of the season—and Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery is the perfect place to do just that. Nestled in the heart of Virginia Wine Country and proudly woman-owned, Prince Michel combines rich winemaking tradition with a warm, welcoming atmosphere that invites you to relax, reconnect, and savor every sip.

This month, we’re featuring our Rapidan River Semi-Sweet Rosé, a light-bodied, beautifully balanced wine that captures the essence of summer. Crisp and refreshing, it opens with aromas of fresh strawberry, watermelon, and rose petal, finishing with a soft lingering note of red berries. Its clean, fruitforward character makes it an easy favorite for warm afternoons, outdoor gatherings, and casual celebrations.

Perfect for warm-weather entertaining, Rapidan River SemiSweet Rosé pairs beautifully with the flavors of summer. Enjoy it alongside picnic favorites such as chicken salad croissants, fresh fruit and cheese boards, grilled seafood, garden salads, and light pasta dishes. Its subtle sweetness and bright berry character also make it an excellent match for watermelon, strawberries, prosciutto, and soft cheeses. From casual weeknight suppers to weekend gatherings, this rosé is a refreshing companion for the season’s best moments.

Beyond the bottle, Prince Michel offers more than just exceptional wine. From guided tastings and scenic vineyard views to delicious dining options and craft beer at Tap 29 Brew Pub, every visit is designed to create memorable experiences. Celebrate summer all June long with Rapidan River Semi-Sweet Rosé, our Wine of the Month. Club members save 20%, and nonmembers save 15%, throughout June.

Upcoming Events & Weekly Specials

Live Music every Friday–Sunday (lineup available on our website) Trivia every Monday, 6:00–7:30 p.m. Tuesday Beer & Wings Specials Happy Hour every Thursday, 3:00–5:00 p.m.

Open 7 days a week starting at 11:00 a.m.

154 Winery Lane, Leon, VA  22725 (540) 547-3707 www.princemichel.com A Woman-Owned Business

VIRGINIA WINE COLLECTIVE

Expanded Hours, Wine, Beer and Pizza

Join us at Eastwood Farm and Winery’s new production facility and downtown bar and lounge featuring a pizza shop menu, beer on tap, and winemaker wine flights.  The  Collective is now open every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5-10PM with revamped loft and shuffleboard.

Upcoming at the Collective: Winemaker Pop-Ups | Select Fridays 6-8PM (Open 5-10PM) Enjoy free samples and tour the facility with some of our independent winemakers on Fridays! Check out events on our website: (https:// eastwoodfarmandwinery.com/ virginia-wine-collective/) and Facebook page as we will be adding more dates.

June 12: Julie Linker - Delve Wines

June 19th:  Jake Busching - Jake Busching Wines

June 26th: Josh Cataldo - Cataldo’s Perfezione

Winemaker Karaoke | Every Other Wednesday, May 13th and 27th;  June 10 and 24th from 7-9PM (bar and dining room still open to the public 5-10PM)

Join us up in the loft at the Collective every other Wednesday evening.  No cover required.

Wine Pairing Dinner | Saturday, June 27, 5:30PM \Ticketed Event

In collaboration with Monticello, join Emmy-award winning food historian, Deb Freeman, and James Beard nominee Chef Leah Branch of The Roosevelt for a “Feast of Reason Dinner” at the Virginia Wine Collective.  Monticello’s Feast of Reason dinners are

designed to invite conversation by gathering the community around the table to share food and ideas. The dinners that Jefferson hosted at Monticello and at the White House were known for remarkable food and conversation. Inspired by this timeless tradition and the extraordinary legacy of enslaved chefs such as Edith Hern Fossett and James and Peter Hemings, Feast of Reason creates space for curiosity, listening, and meaningful conversation.

Featuring wines from Eastwood Farm and Winery, Jefferson Vineyards, Septenary and other Monticello Wine Trail wineries as part of Wine Week 2026.

Seating is limited for this one-night event.

Co-Sponsors:

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

Getting Word African American History Department

Ticketed Event - Reserve Your Spot On Eastwood’s Website

Production Tours and Guided Tastings

We look forward to welcoming guests to the Virginia Wine Collective for tours and guided tastings. Please email our Wine Collective Coordinator, Gabrielle Thomas, if you would like to schedule a tour or guided tasting. She may be reached at gabrielle@ eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Large Party Reservations

Interested in making a large party reservation for your group? Reach out to mary@eastwoodfarmandwinery. com to book.

About the Collective

Eastwood designed the Virginia Wine Collective to include nine winemaker suites and an incubator alongside the main production area. The suites provide a space where independent winemakers can anchor a license and make their wines. The Collective has been designed to reduce the costs associated with independent winemaking, and thereby support further innovation and talent in the Monticello AVA.

Over 21 Policy

You must be over 21 to visit the bar, lounge and dining room at the Collective.

Current Winery Hours  Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 5-10PM

1585 Avon Street Extended Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 264-6727

https://eastwoodfarmandwinery.com/ virginia-wine-collective/

FOR FUN PUZZLES

SUDOKU

BY MATT JONES

28. Ring newbie, maybe

30. “Have I Got News For You” airer

31. Lost it

32. Symbols representing Saint Petersburg two name changes ago?

36. Cushining material for floors

37. Oil drilling structure

38. Work on getting a head?

39. Achieve

40. Do some tailoring

43. Gather

44. “By gum!”

46. Island near Molokai

47. Speaker maker

48. Kicked out of competition, for short

49. Put on the appearance of

50. Choice connections

51. Singer Rawls evened out a yard?

53. Peace sign

54. Nearly spill over

55. “Semper Fi” follower

56. Mag figures

57. “West Side Story” gang

58. Declared DOWN

1. ___Collins Publishers

2. 1960s-’70s space program

3. Coarsely irreverent

4. “Where the Crawdads Sing” author Owens

5. Ar thur Laffer’s specialty, for short

6. Novel

7. Periodic fast-food offering with pickles

8. Like some dairy animals

9. Crafted

10. Actor Sheridan of “Ready Player One”

11. Bag lunch item in plastic

12. Like ruby anniversaries and South Dakota

13. Gemstone quality

18. Electrical system

22. Saxophonist with a 1987 instrumental hit

24. Song in an ad

By Rob Brezsny Cancer

(June 21-July 22): Restoration ecologists work to revive damaged prairies. They’ve discovered that seeds of many native plants can lie dormant in the soil for years, waiting for the right conditions to germinate. If they remove invasive species and restore the land’s natural cycle of controlled fire, wildflowers long absent from the landscape spring back to life. With this metaphor in mind, Cancerian, consider what dormant possibilities may lie buried in your own psyche. What seeds did you plant long ago and then forget? What dreams or talents are waiting for you to clear away the choking overgrowth and create space for them to emerge? Old potentials may be patient, not dead.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Better than any other sign, you understand that ego and generosity can be collaborators rather than enemies. Your charismatic radiance is often a public service. When you express your interesting beauty, you give others permission to tap into their own luminosity. The world always craves your unique flavor of audacious joy, and especially now. The rest of us need your intense insistence that flair and flamboyance are forms of resistance against the forces that would diminish life’s splendor.

Virgo

(Aug. 22-Sept. 22): Many people struggle with what could be called “imagined ugliness,” a condition clinicians refer to as body dysmorphic disorder. It usually involves fixating on a supposed physical defect, or even on a flaw that exists only in one’s mind. I suspect that almost everyone carries a trace of this tendency, including you and me. The good news, though, is that the current astrological climate is ideal for you to at least partially shatter its spell. You are poised to transform your self-image so vigorously that you begin to regard yourself as a flawless exemplar of quirky, one-of-a-kind beauty.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Golden Gate Bridge, which is a few miles from my home, is painted continuously. Painters start at one end, work their way across, and by the time they reach the other side, it’s time to start over. The job is never finished; maintenance is the permanent condition. Some people find this depressing, but I find it oddly liberating. It means the bridge doesn’t have to achieve some final, perfect state. It just has to be tended. Similarly, you don’t have to fix everything once and for all, Libra. The relationships, projects, and internal states you’re concerned about aren’t meant to reach completion. You shouldn’t worry about trying to finish what’s meant to be an ongoing practice. Just keep starting the cycle again.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY FOR FUN

(May

21-June 20): “Dear Oracle: Why do we always have to start at the beginning? I’d much prefer just jumping into the middle of things. Right now, I would love to bypass all the tedious baby steps I’m being forced to take as I try to get some momentum going. Please slip me a few clues about how to fast-forward directly to the fun stuff.—Bored with the Groundwork.” Dear Bored: Your timing is

perfect. The planetary omens say you are now authorized to vault over the preludes and prologues and dive right into the heart of the action.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Innovative theater director Viola Spolin was a Scorpio. She taught that the best scenes emerge when the actors avoid trying to control outcomes. Instead, they fully commit to the reality they’re creating together. Spontaneous responses are their gold standard. Let’s make this a keynote for you in the coming weeks. Your assignment is to give yourself heartily to improvisation. The most interesting magic will happen as you relax into the collaborative process, trusting it to guide you toward beauty and meanings none of you could have scripted alone.

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Musicologists distinguish between “perfect pitch” and “relative pitch.” A person with perfect pitch can sing or identify a specific note without hearing any other music beforehand. Relative pitch is the ability to recognize musical notes in relation to other notes. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, relative pitch will be a more useful metaphor for you than perfect pitch. Don’t insist on perfect clarity about what’s right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, worthy and unworthy. Instead of obsessing on fixed standards, practice relational discernment. How does this choice feel compared to that one? How does a person behave in this context versus another? For you right now, truth lives in the intervals and connections.

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The best way to eliminate a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Now is an excellent time to acquire more expertise in this art. Start by choosing a specific habit that drains your energy, time,

or self-respect. Then identify what that habit is secretly trying to give you, like comfort, distraction, or a sense of control. Your mission is to find a healthier behavior that offers a similar payoff without the damage. For example, maybe you go online and binge-scroll through bad news because you imagine it soothes your anxiety. Instead of that, read an uplifting book or listen to serene music for a while. Be concrete: When the itchy habit hits, what exactly will you do as an alternative?

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1905, 26-year-old Albert Einstein worked full-time as a clerk in a Swiss patent office. During his off-hours, he wrote four audacious papers that fundamentally changed how physics understood space, time, light, and matter. He accomplished his revolution without the sponsorship of a renowned university or laboratory. His example suggests that we can perhaps re-imagine and recreate the world even if we’re not supported by glamorous circumstances. I suspect this principle applies to you these days. Breakthrough insights and earth-shaking realizations may arrive while you’re doing ordinary tasks. Be alert for the flashes that arise in seemingly routine and modest situations.

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): Ethnobotanist Wade Davis documented how different cultures perceive entirely different realities despite inhabiting the same physical world. It means that two people can stand in the same forest and see different forests through their cultural lens and personal mythology. This is simultaneously the prob-

lem and the opportunity you face, Pisces. You and others in your orbit are inhabiting divergent realities that superficially seem the same. If you hope to reconcile the differences, you must first acknowledge them as real. You’re dealing with fundamentally different ways of constructing meaning, not just small misunderstandings.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): Many of you have a fraught relationship with discipline. You recognize you need it if you want a life rich with epic adventures. Yet you sometimes resist planning ahead or organizing your resources, fearing it might dampen your immediate pleasures. The problem is that when you skip the planning and organizing, the short-term fun you default to may turn out to be unsatisfying. That’s the challenging news. The encouraging news is that you’re now in a cycle when you can transform how you relate to discipline. I bet you can render some of those old patterns obsolete.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): Gemologists evaluate opals less for flawless uniformity than for their mesmerizing play-of-color. They study how light interacts with a stone’s microscopic internal structure to produce vivid, shifting hues. The most prized opals aren’t necessarily the most perfect in shape, but the ones whose internal pattern and rainbow-like displays are most vibrant, varied, and alive. This is a marvelous metaphor for you in the coming weeks. I hope you don’t obsess on consistency or smooth away your complications. Let the world see your play-of-color.

Expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes: RealAstrology.com, (877) 873-4888

ORDER OF PUBLICATION Case No. CJJ-37, 315-08, 09 VA. CODE § 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

Charlottesville Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Charlottesville Dept. of Social Services v. Kieonna Hawkins & Mohipul Rajroop

The object of this suit is to terminate the residual parental rights of Kieonna Hawkins & Mohipul Rajroop of a male child M.R. born to Kieonna Hawkins on 6/4/2014.

It is ORDERED that Kieonna Hawkins & Mohipul Rajroop, appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before July 14, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.

3/23/26 Areshini Pather DATE JUDGE

P.S. THE HOTSEAT

Here kitty kitty

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is in the thick of its busiest time of the year: kitten season. And thanks to an influx of adorable furry little friends, the shelter is running low on supplies, especially kitten milk replacer and canned wet food (to help out, go to caspca.org/ donate). C-VILLE recently spoke with Lauren Thomas, CASPCA’s events and fundraising manager, about goings-on at the nonprofit and ways the community can pitch in. Thomas gave us the scoop on the org’s fostering program, her favorite shelter resident, and the “zoo” she lives with.

Pronouns: She/her

Hometown: Charlottesville

Job: Events and fundraising manager at the CharlottesvilleAlbemarle SPCA

What excites you the most about what you do? The relationships I am able to form and build along the way. I have the opportunity to plan fun, engaging events that bring our community together, showcase adoptable animals, and raise funds that aid CASPCA in caring for the many needs of the population we serve, from intake to adoption. Every person (and pet!) has a story, and I am thrilled to be able to experience life alongside them. What are some of your biggest challenges? The biggest challenges come when animals are injured, sick, scared, or need special attention. It’s not unusual for a dog or cat to present differently in a shelter environment vs. home, which can sometimes increase their length of stay. While we aim to keep each animal as happy and healthy as possible, the shelter can be a very loud, unfamiliar place, something that would be alarming for anyone.

Tell us about the CASPCA fostering program: Fostering is such an important step on a pet’s

journey to their adoptive home. There are many different reasons an animal might need to be fostered: kittens and puppies too young to be spayed/neutered; nursing mothers and their litters; animals recovering from major surgery or minor illness; or animals that need training, socialization, or a shelter break. The time commitment can vary depending on the animal’s specific needs or how much time you are willing to help. CASPCA provides fosters with the majority of supplies needed, along with veterinary care and any necessary medications. If you want to join our crew of amazing fosters, apply at caspca.org/foster.

Do you have a favorite animal who’s been at the shelter a long time? Hands down, Chip! He is a 5-year-old hound, and is just the goofiest guy. He loves people, gentle pats, and exploring all that the world has to offer. Everyone adores Chip. We can’t wait to see him off to his new family—soon, hopefully.

How many animals looking for forever homes arrive every week? Approximately 65.

Do you have any pets? I sure do! Three cats (Archie, Scout, and Tilly) and two dogs (Henley and Ozzy). It’s a zoo in my house, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What are you listening to right now? Recently, it’s been Kesha on repeat.

Best advice you ever got: You cannot expect more from someone than they are willing or able to give.

Proudest accomplishment: Buying a house in downtown Charlottesville in my 20s

(shout-out to Mom and Dad for the help!).

Best part about living here: My family. We are all within 20 to 30 minutes of each other, and I see at least one of them daily. They helped shape who I am today, and we are each other’s biggest cheerleaders, always.

Worst part about living here: The dating scene!

Bodo’s order: Chicken salad with lettuce, tomato, and onion on everything

If you could be reincarnated as a person or a thing, what would you be? A little dog, definitely. I get to eat, sleep, play, and demand treats and cuddles all day.

Favorite movie and/or TV show: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and “The Righteous Gemstones” Favorite book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Who’d play you in a movie? Keke Palmer

Subject that causes you to rant? Language acquisition. As a former German teacher, I love this topic, and will always talk your ear off about it.

Best journey you ever went on: Two weeks in France in May 2023 with some besties from middle school. We got to see Beyoncé in concert and it was stellar.

Favorite word: Luftkissenfahrzeug, aka hovercraft. It breaks down into three parts: luft = air; kissen = cushion/pillow; fahrzeug = vehicle.

Hottest take: The Lord of the Rings movies are just really long walking videos. And they are boring.

JUNE 24

US Mint at Monticello: Celebrating the Declaration Coin

Join Monticello and the United States Mint for a celebration of the new Declaration of Independence Semiquincentennial Coin.

JUNE 28

1.776 Montalto Challenge

This popular 1.776-mile race up Montalto mountain features steep climbs and scenic views. Presented in partnership with Ragged Mountain Running & Walking Shop.

JULY 3

Dom Flemons & The Traveling Wildfires at the Paramount

An unforgettable evening of live music, rich with story from the “American Songster,” blending folk, ballads, and blues.

JULY 2

Culinary Diplomacy Project: Dinner with Cristeta Comerford

Join the former White House Executive Chef to explore how food bridges cultures, fostering understanding and connection.

4

Independence Day at Monticello

There’s no better place to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence than Monticello on July 4! Ceremony begins at 9 a.m. Family-friendly activities all afternoon.