C-VILLE Weekly | March 11 - 17, 2026 by C-VILLE Weekly

Election security in our area: What you should know P.9

$3.5 million in housing funds delayed for more info P.12

Oscar predictions from Violet Crown's benefactors P.31

– 17,

Hello, Charlottesville.

Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly.

3.11.26

My daughter is learning to read, which means that she’s sounding out everything she lays her eyes on: “Does O-M-N-I say ‘omneh’?” “What does ‘Seb’ mean?” “Does that say, ‘diamond’?” No sign goes unattended to, no detail unnoticed.

This week’s cover story (p.19), a warm-up for this year’s Cville Puzzle Hunt on March 14, encourages you to notice, too. Not words, per se, but your surroundings.

We’ve taken 34 photos of small things on and around the Downtown Mall—objects and details you’ve likely walked past dozens of times. Your mission is to identify at least 20 of them. Do that, and you’ll be entered to win a grand prize (and the quiet satisfaction of knowing you are paying far more attention to your surroundings than the average adult human).

Kids look at the world like it’s a puzzle to be solved. This week, we’re inviting you to do the same.

Hey, thanks! These generous

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Towns Ackerman

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Aaron Lawrence

Eric & Diane Lawson

Elizabeth Lawson

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This week’s contributors

Dennis O’Connor

Jessica Lino

D. Little

Phillip Long

Rob Lynch

Catherine Maguire

Greg Mallard

James Mandell

Jeff Martin

Virginia Masterson

Jeanne & Bob Maushammer

Erin Mayer

Kieran Mcdowell

Mary McIntyre

Gretchen McKee

Ruth McWilliams

James Mernin

Nicolas Mestre

Tim Michel

Parthy Monagan

Linda Monahan

Vic Monti

Hilary Moorman

Michael Morency

Harold E. Morgan

Michael Moriarty

Catherine Moynihan

Jim Mummery

Karen Myers

Monica Newby

Jennifer Newell

Sandy Newhouse

Kathy O’Connell

Diane Ober

Cynthia Van Osch

Annette Osso

Laila Ouhamou

Annette Owens

Timothy Palmer

Michael Pantano

Dashton Parham

Beale Payne

Susan Payne

Amanda Peacock

Joe Peacock

Elizabeth Perdue

Joann Peters

James Peterson

Damon Pettitt

Andrew Pevsner

Elayne Phillips

Sandra Pollock

Robin Powell

Anne Price

Ernest Pugh

Harry Purkey

Leslie Quenichet

Frances Racette

T. Radsky

Scott Ransom

Sarah Ratcliffe

Stots Reele

Marjorie Rein

Jonathan Rice

Cindy Richards

Kevin Richardson

David Robinson

Diane Rosin

Julia Rubarth

Tim Ryan

Carol Gilbert Sacks

Audrey Sarate

Claudia Scenna

Joan Schatzman

Sandra Schmidt

Eric Schultz

Karen Schuyler

Wendy Seay

James Seitz

Angilee Shah

Elaine Shaw

Chuck Shelton

Paul Shettel

Vaden Shields

John Smith

Kristina Smith

Rod Smith

Meredith Smoot

Mickey Speck

Maria Spence

Jim Spencer

David Stackhouse

Mariah Steele

Rod Stoner

Robert Strickland

Deborah Strong

Nichole Taylor

William Terrell

Emily Thiede

Reid Thompson

W. McIlwaine

Thompson Jr.

Prue Thorner

John Titus

Jessica Tobin

Erica Toy

Rose Trapnell

Jill Trischman-Marks

Susan Uland

Rick Vergot

Christina Walker

Steven Ward

David Waters

Chris Waugaman

Phoebe Weseley

Kelly West

Gary & Anne

Westmoreland

Richard Wiedemann

John Whitlow

Jay Wildermann

Marcia Wilds

Andrew Wolf

Natalie Yancey

Suzanne Yeaman

Nura Yingling

Kelly Zalewski

Kathleen Zenker

James Sanford is a graduate of Western Michigan University and taught journalism there for seven years. He’s been an arts writer, film critic, reporter, restaurant critic, and section coordinator, winning three awards from the Society for Features Journalism. Read his work on page 31.

Paul Ting developed an interest in wine while stationed near Napa Valley during his time in the United States Air Force. He holds a certificate in winemaking from the University of California, Davis, and professional certifications in sake, cider, and shochu. Read his work on page 27.

SERENITY RIDGE RETREAT CENTER

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

April 9–12, 2026

Spring Wellness Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Spend peaceful spring days with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche exploring meditation, breath, and gentle practices that help you slow down, reconnect with yourself, and renew your sense of well-being.

April 14–19, 2026

Five Elements Certification Program: Healing Ourselves, Healing the World with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Through the Elements Certification Program, explore the foundations of healing, awareness, and energy in a supportive environment that nurtures growth, insight, and lasting transformation.

Join us March 15th for Serenity Ridge Sundays: Open Community Gatherings Check our website for more information.

LIGMINCHA CHARLOTTESVILLE MONTHLY PRACTICE

Date: March 25, 2026 | Time: 6:30-8:00 PM

Learn More and Register: SERENITYRIDGEVA.ORG

Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Shipman, VA Ancient Tibetan Buddhist Teachings for Modern Times

Location: Jefferson Memorial Regional Library, Downtown Charlottesville

@ McGuffey Art Center

Tuesdays, 6:30-9:00 pm 8 weeks, Starting Mar. 17th johnahancock.com 434-939-7445

S ketching

w/Ink &Watercolor

@ SVAC

Wednesdays, 10:00 -12:30 pm 5 weeks, Starts Apr. 22nd johnahancock.com 434-939-7445

other Spring & Summer classes:

IN THIS ISSUE

Watercolor Sketching (McG, May 2nd) Sketching Outside (SVAC, June 3rd) Intro to Drawing (SVAC, June 20th)

Road extension, plus supes want more details.

CULTURE 25

27 The Working Pour: Octagon recognized among world wines.

29 Stages: Piedmont Duo at Old Cabell Hall

ED I TORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Caite Hamilton editor@c-ville.com

ART DIRECTOR

Max March max@c-ville.com

CULTURE EDITOR

Tami Keaveny tami@c-ville.com

SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Nathan Alderman news@c-ville.com

NEWS REPORTER

Catie Ratliff 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, Matt Dhillon, Carol Diggs, Shea Gibbs, Mary Jane Gore, Maeve Hayden, Andrew Hollins, Erika Howsare, Matt Jones, Sarah Lawson, Lisa Provence, Sarah Sargent, Kristie Smeltzer, Jen Sorensen, Julia Stumbaugh, Jake Solyst, Paul Ting, Eric Williamson

ADVERTISING

advertising@c-ville.com

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Bianca Johnson bianca@c-ville.com

REAL ESTATE & CLASSIFIED ACCOUNT MANAGER

Brian Hrozencik brian@c-ville.com

DIGITAL SALES MANAGER

Rob Davis rob@c-ville.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Stephanie Vogtman-Say stephanie@c-ville.com

Jacob Phillips jacob@c-ville.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Tracy Federico designer@c-ville.com

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Faith Gibson ads@c-ville.com

BUSINESS

PUBLISHER

Anna Harrison anna@c-ville.com

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Gregg Early development@c-ville.com

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Nanci Winter accounting@c-ville.com

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Billy

C-VILLE Weekly is Charlottesville, Virginia's award-winning alternative newspaper. Through our distinctive coverage, we work to spark curiosity and enable readers to engage meaningfully with their community.

TingPavilion.com

APRIL 19: Lake Street Dive with Carrtoons

MAY 7: Ole 60 with the Jack Wharff Band and Rob Langdon

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

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

SEPTEMBER 8:

Sierra Ferrell

A WNRN 30th Anniversary show Heavy Petal Tour

SEPTEMBER 22:

Rainbow Kitten Surprise

MARCH 20-ON SALE NOW BIRTHDAY COMEDY SHOW WITH CHRIS ALAN & FRIENDS MAY 8-ON SALE NOW BELLA WHITE MAY 9-ON SALE NOW EDDIE 9V JUNE 19-ON SALE NOW CALEB CAUDLE & THE SWEET CRITTERS WITH MURPHY CAMBELL MAY 16-ON SALE NOW ALEX ANGELICH WITH 7TH GRADE GIRL FIGHT & NEW BOSS

JUNE 24-ON SALE NOW BABE HAVEN WITH SLOW FUNERAL

UVA MUSIC EVENTS

Date/Time/Place

Saturday, 03/14, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 03/15, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 3/21, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 3/21, 7:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Sunday, 3/22, 3:30pm MLK PAC at CHS

Friday, 3/27, 8:00pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 3/28, 2:00pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 3/28, 3:30pm UVA Chapel

Saturday, 3/28, 8:00pm Brooks Hall

Sunday, 3/29, 7:00pm Old Cabell Hall

Saturday, 4/4, 3:30pm Old Cabell Hall

Friday, 4/10, 5:00pm 107 Old Cabell Hall

Event (* Denotes free events)

Katherine Tang's 4th Year Recital * Two Hands, One Breath: Where Air Meets Keys

UVA CMS: Piedmont Duo: I-Jen Fang, percussion, Ayn Balija, viola

Performance Showcase Recital * with L. Kim, J. Lawson, T. Ledbetter, E. Mayhood

Charlottesville Symphony All-American—Celebrating VA250

Michael Angelucci Piano Recital * works by Beethoven, Chopin, Granados & Grieg Michael Angelucci Piano Masterclass * co-sponsored by

OPEN HOUSE

Sat, march 14, 11a - 3p 206 w market st. Charlottesville, va

We’re throwing the doors open—come see what Common House is all about. Join a tour (every 30 minutes) to get the low-down on membership perks, private events, weekly programming, our culinary program and more.

RSVP here

“I

don’t foresee [voter fraud] being successful in any situation,” says Charlottesville Registrar Taylor Yowell. “We just have so many checks and balances.”

Count on it

ALDERMAN

NEWS ELECTIONS

“There’s a real risk of you getting caught, and even if you get away with it, what have you succeeded in? You’ve gotten one, two, maybe three more votes for your favorite candidate, and that’s just extremely unlikely to make any difference in any election.”

MICHAEL GILBERT, DIRECTOR OF UVA’S KARSH CENTER FOR LAW AND DEMOCRACY

Election season has come early to Virginia, with voting now open for the April 21 referendum on the state’s proposed plan for mid-decade redistricting. Nationally, President Donald Trump and Republican leaders are pushing for what they call stricter election security measures as this fall’s midterm elections approach. Amid all the ballot-box buzz, how safe is voting here in Virginia? For all its complex details, the answer boils down to: Election officials aren’t stupid.

Charlottesville Registrar Taylor Yowell and Albemarle County Electoral Board Chair Bucky Walsh both described a gauntlet of redundant, common-sense safety measures designed to block any attempts at fraud long before they reach the final vote tallies.

Election security starts with registration. Either you’ve already presented documents providing your identity to the DMV, whose data election officials double-check when processing online applications, or you provide that proof yourself upon registering in person at your election office. That data includes sensitive details, like your Social Security number. “We’re going to make sure that that is not a Social Security number associated with any other person,” Yowell says. Election officials’ system flags any potential duplicates for further investigation.

When you register to vote in person, you’re mailed a registration letter at your home address, rather than receiving it immediately at the office. The address has to be a real, physical place; no P.O. boxes allowed. This further layer of security helps to prove that you live where you say you do. Absentee ballots can only be mailed to the address on your registration.

If you move, the Virginia Department of Elections checks with the post office for change-of-address and mail-forwarding forms. The Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records also updates death records weekly with election officials to make sure there’s no ballots cast by the deceased.

Once voting begins, officials track every voter and their status using secure tablets called “poll pads.” Their system knows, for instance, if you’ve requested an absentee ballot, but shown up to vote in person. If you do cast a ballot in person, it’ll make sure your absentee ballot isn’t tallied. In Albemarle and Charlottesville, secure drop boxes for completed absentee ballots are bolted to the ground, locked tight, emptied daily, and monitored on video 24/7. On Election Day, poll workers keep constant custody of any dropped-off absentee ballots.

At the end of each day of voting, Walsh says information gathered on poll pads is “harvested over a private network that is not connected to the internet. It’s taken back to a central machine, and then that machine is uploaded into the state’s voter registration system so that we have a record that this voter has already voted in this election.” Officials’ poll books are updated each morning with fresh information from the central database.

Virginia’s Election Day voting machines never connect to the internet, and officials keep paper ballots to check against electronic tallies. Before each election, officials and observers from both parties test every machine together, scanning sample ballots with different combinations of markings— correct or incorrect—to ensure the system records results correctly.

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

The machines are then wiped clean. Both the plug-in drives on which ballot data is stored, and the machines themselves, are physically marked with tamper-evident seals. Machines are securely stored in undisclosed locations under lock, key, and round-the-clock video surveillance.

Evidence of voter fraud in Virginia is scant at best. An online database from the right-wing Heritage Foundation lists only 36 documented incidents between 2007 and now, only two of which involved actual, failed attempts to cast a single fraudulent vote. Between 2007 and 2024, Department of Elections data recorded 50,775,323 votes cast in Virginia elections.

“I’ve been here since 2020,” says Yowell. “If I remember correctly, I think we’ve had one experience of someone that was attempting to [vote twice], but we, of course, caught them when they came on Election Day.” Yowell says the voter was elderly, possibly confused, and appeared to have made an honest mistake.

“There’s a real risk of you getting caught, and even if you get away with it, what have you succeeded in?” says Michael Gilbert, director of UVA’s Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, and an expert on election security and fraud. “You’ve gotten one, two, maybe three more votes for your favorite candidate, and that’s just extremely unlikely to make any difference in any election. So the costs and benefits don’t add up.”

“Although it’s always possible to improve some regulations and procedures here and there, I’m not aware of any proposed changes to our voting structures that would make our elections meaningfully safer than they already are,” Gilbert says. “And if we’re not very worried about fraud, which I think we should not be, anti-fraud measures that are going to layer on more requirements are very hard to justify.”

“I think we’re spot on,” says Walsh, asked whether officials could do even more to make elections safe. “I believe Virginia does this as well as, if not better than any other state in the country.”

IN BRIEF

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

Lines untangled Despite a last-minute legal slap-fight, early voting is under way for the April 21 referendum on Virginia’s proposed mid-decade redistricting; more info at elections.virginia.gov. STEM? GTFO Even as biotech jobs grow quickly in our area, a CvilleBioHub report finds that more than two-thirds of people who earn bioscience bachelor’s degrees locally head elsewhere for employment. Wee development Charlottesville City Schools’ new, permanent public preschool to be built on the campus of Walker Elementary School. Re: leaves Charlottesville Utilities will help customers plant 200 free trees; if you’d like one, email utilitiesoutreach@charlottesville.gov. Niiiiiiiice Blue Ridge Disc Golf Club (see our February 4 issue!) raised $2,000 for local food banks, in gorgeous 60-degree weather, at its annual Ice Bowl.

In the name of

Caravan of Hope makes a Charlottesville stop on pro bono LGBTQ+ legal tour

BY CATIE RATLIFF

Caravan of Hope, a month-long multi-state tour providing pro bono LGBTQ+ legal services to communities in the southern and midwestern United States, made its first stop of 2026 in Charlottesville on March 2.

The initiative, led by Philadelphia-based lawyer Angela Giampolo, is “focused on protecting identity, family security, and longterm stability.”

From blue major metro centers like Chicago, Illinois, to deep red areas like Amarillo, Texas, Giampolo is partnering with local cocounsels to bring services like name changes, gender marker updates, and basic estate planning to underserved communities.

“I like to choose a smaller metro area,” she says. “From a safety perspective, I’d rather go to an area where there’s queer communities and safety, and have folks that are in more rural, maybe dangerous, areas drive to the safe area to avail themselves [of] the resources.”

Between lost wages and logistics, Giampolo says the collective cost of Caravan of Hope is easily “in the six figures.” But donors, like the client who provided the winterized RV needed for the 17-city trip, help make the 2026 endeavor possible.

PFLAG Greater Charlottesville donated to and promoted the caravan’s service day at IX Art Park.

“The process of changing legal documents to reflect the name and gender you know yourself to be takes time, legwork (including transportation), money, and a strategy to know what order to handle things in,” says Maria Stein, president of PFLAG Greater Charlottesville. “A name change might just take a week in the court system once you turn your paperwork in, but you need the correct paperwork in order to apply for the

name change. In terms of money, it costs $10 to change gender on a birth certificate. Each certified copy costs $12, and you want to get a few of those certified copies. Add to that the time and cost of getting to Richmond, and it all adds up.”

Rather than navigate it alone, or pay hundreds of dollars in hourly fees for an attorney, the caravan offers pro bono help with the often-confusing legal process. In Charlottesville, Giampolo says the caravan helped with 15 name changes, and aided nine more people in creating wills and powers of attorney.

With marriage equality being challenged in the courts, Giampolo says older, tried and true methods of establishing legal ties like wills, trusts, and powers of attorney are key. “For decades, as unsexy as it sounds, estate planning has been our number one impenetrable, inseverable line of defense.”

In addition to more typical LGBTQ+ legal service inquiries, answering questions about the proposed SAVE America Act—a proposed national voter ID law that would require additional documentation for voter registration—is now also a major element of the caravan’s work.

If adopted in its current form, the SAVE America Act would require states to collect citizenship information for all voters, and demand that voters show photo ID displaying their citizenship status to vote. Virginia REAL ID does not display citizenship status, and would need to be accompanied by a document showing citizenship. Documents showing proof of citizenship could include birth certificates, passports, or naturalization certificates. A person whose name on photo identification does not match their citizenship document would need to bring additional documents explaining the difference.

“If your name currently, in any way, differs from the name on your birth certificate, it can take up to 12 weeks to get a new birth certificate. Most people have issues voting in one day, let alone having to prepare 12 weeks in advance of said day,” says Giampolo. “It is a massive voting suppression technique.”

Beyond the LGBTQ+ community, the largest group potentially disenfranchised by the SAVE America Act would be straight married women.

“For LGBTQ folks in particular, one of the added layers of issues is for trans, gender diverse, and nonbinary folks; it requires them to out themselves at the voting booth,” Giampolo says. “Straight women … the marriage certificate is the bridge between why the name on the birth certificate differs from the name on their ID.”

“Regardless of how you’re impacted or why you’re impacted by the SAVE Act, it will

take months in order to get documentation if you don’t have documentation, and so you need to get on it now,” she adds.

Stopping in places like Charlottesville allows Giampolo to not only reach people in surrounding areas with fewer access points, but to use her social media following as “Your Gay Lawyer” to connect LGBTQ+ residents with existing local resources they may not be aware of.

“This is a reminder to me that we need to be doing more visible work in this space,” says Kristin Clarens, pro bono coordinator for the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association.

While pro bono legal services for the local LGBTQ+ community have been continuously available, more visible efforts like public name change clinics have been on pause amid safety concerns in the current political climate.

“We’ve built kind of an organic network here. … It was a real eye-opener that somebody like [Angela] would look at our state and see us as a place that was likely to have an unmet need,” says Clarens.

C-VILLE reached out to the Rivanna Area Queer Center, the Queer Liberation Front, and individuals who have dealt with the legal name change and gender marker update process for this story. None of C-VILLE’s contacts reported difficulty accessing LGBTQ+ legal services in Charlottesville at press time.

“[Local Bar leadership] have already talked about … reviving those clinics, now that we have [a] more protective state administration,” Clarens says. “Also, making sure that we’re doing proactive outreach to our partners that support people in this community, to make sure that we’re not missing any opportunities to provide support.”

Angela Giampolo, a Philadelphia-based attorney known on social media as “Your Gay Lawyer,” kicked off her 17-city LGBTQ+ legal access tour in Charlottesville on March 2.

NEWS REAL ESTATE Punching through

UVA planning to extend Copeley Road to Barracks Road area BY SEAN TUBBS

The University of Virginia tends to keep its plans close to the vest, but sometimes keen observers can get a glimpse of its future by poring through property sales.

On May 31, 2024, an entity connected to UVA’s real estate foundation paid the University of Virginia Credit Union $10.5 million for three properties on Arlington Boulevard. Later that year, a Board of Visitors panel was told a study for a new road was underway.

On March 5, the idea entered the public realm as the BOV’s Buildings and Grounds Committee reviewed additions to the Major Capital Plan, the way UVA tracks development of new structures and infrastructure. One addition is $100,000 for design of the Copeley Connector Road.

Copeley Road currently runs from Ivy Road through North Grounds before turning to the east where it terminates with Emmet Street.

“The 2019 North Grounds Athletics plan recommended road construction from Copeley Road to the Millmont and Arlington Boulevard intersection to relieve congestion during peak commute times and for patrons

when they’re exiting the large [John Paul Jones] arena events,” said Lois Stanley, UVA’s senior vice president for operations.

The 2023 Grounds Plan: A Framework for Campus Planning also calls for the road to be built alongside a multi-use path.

“This would greatly improve safe connectivity between Grounds and the Barracks Road Shopping Center,” reads page 38 of the plan.

Few details about the scope of the future roadway were mentioned at the meeting, but the UVA Foundation owns all of the land immediately to the south of Millmont Street’s intersection with Arlington Boulevard. In December 2019, the foundation paid $10 million for Arlington Park Townhomes and its 2.12 acres. In June 2020, the foundation paid $10 million for an apartment building just to the south.

The UVA Foundation is a result of an agreement signed in 1986 between Albemarle, Charlottesville, and UVA to set expectations about how each would approach growth. The foundation pays real property taxes to the city, but that stops when the Board of Visitors formally takes ownership.

Other additions to the major capital plan include $13 million for construction of a multipurpose practice field and $12.5 million for two new Health System buildings. The plan will come back for formal approval at the BOV meeting in June.

Members of the Buildings and Grounds Committee were also briefed on the schematic design for a second structure

on Ivy Road that the School of Data Science wants.

“We’ve been working on the development of the Emmet Ivy Corridor since the Board of Visitors approved the framework plan in 2016,” said Alice Raucher, architect for the University of Virginia.

The School of Data Science opened in April 2024.

All of the land within the corridor was once on the city’s tax rolls, but the UVA Foundation slowly bought up property for decades before it was ready to develop. Businesses spanning from the Cavalier Inn to the former Wings Over Charlottesville eventually closed to make way for the new UVA precinct.

A hotel and convention center called the Virginia Guesthouse will open in April. The Karsh Institute of Democracy and a 780-bed student housing complex are currently under construction. The latter has one wall facing Copeley Road, directly across from Blume on Ivy, a 231-unit luxury student housing development that will include, among other amenities, a golf simulator, swimming pool, and rooftop deck with a jumbotron and firepits.

Math request Albemarle supes delay vote on $3.5 million in housing funds to get more details on process

THE ALBEMARLE COUNTY board of Supervisors had been expected to approve $3.5 million in funding for affordable housing projects at its meeting on March 4, but held off due to concerns over how staff generated recommendations of what to fund.

“I think it would be prudent to hold these materials and do a little bit more of a deep dive,” said Samuel Miller District Supervisor Fred Missel.

The Albemarle Housing Investment Fund was created in 2019 to provide support for the first phase of Habitat for Humanity’s redevelopment of Southwood, according to Stacy Pethia, Albemarle’s director of housing.

Last April, supervisors approved a $5.2 million transfer to the fund in the current fiscal year.

“It’s really designed to support affordable housing projects that are one-time cost, so no ongoing support throughout this fund,” Pethia said at the March 4 meeting.

Last July, the Board of Supervisors approved a new set of rules to introduce a competitive process where candidate projects are ranked according to a series of metrics and reviewed by staff. Projects must score at least 75 percent and four of seven applications crossed that level in the first cycle.

“There’s a maximum number of scores you can get for rental housing project applications, homeownership applications, and so forth,” Pethia said.

An application from SupportWorks Housing for its Vista 29 project resulted in a recommendation that it receive $317,495 to cover the costs of a federal energy efficiency grant that was rescinded.

Piedmont Housing Alliance sought funding and will receive nearly $1.2 million to renovate 194 rental properties it operates within Albemarle.

The Local Energy Alliance Program will get $605,500 for its work with low-income house-

holds. Habitat for Humanity got a $918,000 grant as well as a $450,000 loan for rental units at Southwood.

The new rules also give staff the opportunity to designate a portion of the funding to fill pressing needs. Staff recommended contributing $110,000 to the Salvation Army’s new family shelter.

“There’s a lack of family shelter beds for homeless families within the county, so it’s really important to get those up and running,” Pethia said.

The approval was on the supervisors’ consent agenda, which means it would not have been discussed unless a request was made by one of the Board’s six members. Details on each application were not in the packet and several elected officials had questions.

“The document that we received … looks rushed,” said Supervisor Michael Pruitt of the Scottsville District. “There looks to be some working calculations, numbers at the bottom of the

Excel spreadsheet that I don’t understand.”

Pruitt suggested waiting on a vote until the numbers could be reviewed. He also took issue with staff holding on to some of the county’s money for projects to be brought forward to the Board later.

Jack Jouett Supervisor Sally Duncan agreed with a pause but said county investment in housing is one of her priorities.

“Spending this $3.5 million on housing is a good decision that I think should be publicly recognized and obviously we need to spend much, much more on it,” Duncan said.

Supervisor Ned Gallaway said it is time for the county to finally appoint a committee to work on housing issues. It has been almost five years since the Board adopted an affordable housing policy that had several dozen strategies. One of them called for such a group to be formed.—Sean Tubbs

A 2019 UVA plan recommended road construction from Copeley Road to the Millmont Street and Arlington Boulevard intersection, which would relieve congestion during peak commute times and after events at the John Paul Jones Arena.

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will wait to approve millions for affordable housing projects until it receives more information from staff.

RAVENS PLACE

Wonderful floor plan. Great, nearly flat yard. Many updates and improvements include: 2025 new roof, refrigerator, dishwasher, range, microwave (all stainless steel) 2020 shed remodeled, new front door and shutters. Primary suite remodeled with walk in shower. $480,000

RETRIEVER RUN

Top Quality, custom home in Ivy, set on 5 acres w/ mountain views. Extended living space w/ swimming pool and full size tennis/sport court. Covered terrace pavilions overlook the expansive lawn. Bright, expansive interior spaces.Vaulted great room opens to the gourmet kitchen and breakfast room. 2 primary suites on the 1st floor.The upper floors feature 3 additional suites and a billiard room.Terrace level features a family room w/bar, movie room, craft/ hobby room, home office and a full bath. Mechanical room houses a Geothermal system w/ room for storage. Home also includes a central vacuum system, irrigation system and an invisible fence.

$2,350,000

HATTON FERRY LANE

Fabulous renovation of a 1880 gem in Albemarle County. Hatton on The James is an historic estate, set on 13.9 acres fronting on the James River. Lovingly & authentically restored. The 500 sq. ft. wrap- around porch extends the living area. Light pours in through the banks of windows. The open, double staircase leads from the center hall to the second floor landing. Extensive gardens and walkways. Numerous perennials and hardscapes made of flagstone, brick, soapstone terraced parterre & mature gardens. Property includes a charming one bedroom guest house, gardener’s shed and a writer’s studio. Easy access to Water activities. $1,895,000

Annie Gould Gallery

✔

✔ I’m investing in digital ads, but how can I tell if they’re delivering results?

✔ Who can execute smart, effective marketing for my

Very nice Townhouse in convenient River Run. New roof and gutter leaf filters. Well maintained. Easy access to town and Penn Park. Easy walking distance to the Community pool.82

In plain sight

34 snapshots. 20 answers. One Downtown Mall scavenger hunt that invites you to look closer at Charlottesville’s most

familiar street BY C-VILLE WRITERS

How well do you really know the Downtown Mall? For this week’s cover, C-VILLE turned our cameras toward the bricks and storefronts (and, in some cases, store interiors) of Charlottesville’s most walked stretch, capturing 34 close-up images of details you might pass every day without noticing. It’s part observation test, part love letter to the city’s quirks. Grab a friend, head downtown, and enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Identify 20 images and their locations correctly and you’ll be entered to win a prize package that includes a $100 gift card to Bizou, a $50 gift card to New Dominion Bookshop, two tickets to a show at Ting Pavilion, and a C-VILLE tote bag. Just remember: Don’t forget to look up!

Morning Downtown Book District Walking Tour 10:00 AM-11:30 AM Morning tour full.

Evening Downtown Book

District Walking Tour 4:00 PM, Rain or shine.

Evening Downtown Book District Walking Tour 4:00 PM, Rain or shine.

Friday, March 20

Untold Stories: Maverick’s Monacan Homeland

11:00 AM, JMRL Central Library

Thursday, March 19

Everything Human: A Writing Workshop 4:00 PM

Center for Community Partnerships (CCP)

Everything Human: A Writing Workshop 4:00 PM Center for Community Partnerships (CCP)

Let’s Get Cookin’ With Comics 4:00 PM, Virginia Humanities, Jefferson School

Untold Stories: Maverick’s Monacan Homeland 11:00 AM, JMRL Central Library

Boldness and Burden: Women Through Time 12:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Martyrs and Chickens: Confessions of a Granola Mennonite

Silent Book Club with Albermarle Ciderworks

5:00 PM, Albemarle CiderWorks

Let’s Get Cookin’ With Comics 4:00 PM, Virginia Humanities, Jefferson School

Present Perspectives, Past Stories: Multigenerational Novels

4:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Martyrs and Chickens: Confessions of a Granola Mennonite

12:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center Classroom

5:00 PM, Albemarle CiderWorks

Tangleroot: A Play of Shadows

5:00 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Present Perspectives, Past Stories: Multigenerational Novels 4:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Shadowed Valor: Stories of Black Soldiers and Veterans 4:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center

12:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center Classroom

Paradox: Stories in American History 12:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

Shadowed Valor: Stories of Black Soldiers and Veterans 4:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center

Shenandoah Fantastic: Mystic Whispers from the Valley’s Vales 4:00 PM, 2nd Act Books

5:00 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

The Summer We Ran 6:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Virginia Humanities Headquarters Open House

Adulting: Relationships, Work, and Families

1:00 PM, JMRL Central

Adulting: Relationships, Work, and Families 1:00 PM, JMRL Central

Afternoon Downtown Book District Walking Tour 1:00 PM, Rain or shine.

The Painter’s Fire at James Monroe’s Highland 4:00 PM, James Monroe’s Highland

S.E.L.C. 2026 Reed Award Ceremony 5:00 PM, CODE Auditorium

Virginia Humanities Headquarters Open House

6:00-7:15 PM, Virginia HumanitiesJefferson School

Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age

2:00 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (only Simulcast available)

Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age 2:00 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (only Simulcast available)

Poetry Reading From Broadsides 6:00 PM, Virginia Book Arts

Stories of Meaning: Voices of Adult Learners

6:30 PM, V. Earl Dickinson Theater at PVCC

Custom Made Woman: A Life in Traditional Music 2:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Same Page Community Read: The House of Eve

Custom Made Woman: A Life in Traditional Music 2:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

6:00 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Same Page Community Read: The House of Eve 6:00 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Our Ancestors Were Messy Live Podcast

7:30 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Stan and Gus: Art, Ardor, and the Friendship That Built the Gilded Age 2:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

The Felon’s Ball 6:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

UVA MFA and Alumni Reading 6:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Details:

The Type V City 2:00 PM, 2nd Act Books

Details: VABook.org

The Type V City 2:00 PM, 2nd Act Books

What Never Dies: Poetry and Memoir 2:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center Classroom

How I Learned to Read (true story):

What Never Dies: Poetry and Memoir 2:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center Classroom

Attached to the Living World: A New Ecopoetry Anthology

3:00 PM, JMRL Central Library

Attached to the Living World: A New Ecopoetry Anthology 3:00 PM, JMRL Central Library

Baldwin: A Love Story

4:00 PM,Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Baldwin: A Love Story 4:00 PM,Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Bibliographical Society Annual Meeting 4:00 PM, UVA Special Collections Library

Broken Trust: Gripping Thrillers

4:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

Broken Trust: Gripping Thrillers 4:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

How I Learned to Read (true story): Storytelling Event and Festival Kickoff 8:00 PM, Firefly, includes Appetizers & Drink Ticket. Age 21+ only.

Virginia Festival of the Book 2026

Words on Pages to the Screen: Unlocking the Power of Story

AM, Common House

9:00 AM, Common House

End of Days: Ruby Ridge, the Apocalypse, and the Unmaking of America

Good Trouble, Spell Freedom: Unknown Histories in Civil Rights

Saturday, March 21

12:00 PM, JMRL Central Library

2:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center

JMRL Book Swap

AM, JMRL Central Library

10:00 AM, JMRL Central Library

Liminal Spaces: Poetry and Verse

Letterpress Demo with Adrian Matejka & Virginia Book Arts

Stories of Place and Belonging

4:00 PM, Old Metropolitan Hall

Sparks of War: Historical Fiction, Mimosas, and Coffee

AM, Doyle Hotel

10:00 AM, Doyle Hotel

12:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

2:00 PM, Virginia Book Arts

Literary Marketplace and Wine Lounge

Longing and Loneliness

2:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

Childhood is Magic: Stories of and People

Childhood is Magic: Stories of Land and People

Noon-6:00 PM

Old Metropolitan Hall Cellar

The American Game: History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse 4:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

The American Game: History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse

4:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

AM, JMRL Gordon Avenue

10:00 AM, JMRL Gordon Avenue

Disillusion and Dissolution: Novels

AM, Old Metropolitan Hall

Radical Doubt: Turning Uncertainty into Surefire Success

10:00 AM, Old Metropolitan Hall

Executive Powers in the Modern Presidency

Queer Virginia: New Stories in the Old Dominion

Radical Doubt: Turning Uncertainty into Surefire Success

12:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center

Executive Powers in the Modern Presidency

AM, JMRL Central Library

Queer Virginia: New Stories in the Old Dominion

2:00 PM, The Beautiful Idea

The Textures of Women’s Lives: Poetry and Fiction

4:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center

The Textures of Women’s Lives: Poetry and Fiction 4:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center

Uncanny Appalachia

12:00 PM, McGuffey Art Center

Tales Out Of School: Psychological Thrillers

10:00 AM, JMRL Central Library

Historical Mysteries: Seekers Secrets

Uncanny Appalachia

2:00 PM, CODE Auditorium

Known Within: Poetry and Lived Experience

Tales Out Of School: Psychological Thrillers

12:00 PM, The Vault

Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance

2:00 PM, The Vault

Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance

2:00 PM, The Vault

4:30 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Historical Mysteries: Seekers and Secrets

AM, Residence Inn Event Room

The Book of Clouds and the Lyrical Divine

10:00 AM, Residence Inn Event Room

Man-Made: Searching for Dads, Daddies, Father Figures, and Fatherhood

AM, McGuffey Art Center

The Book of Clouds and the Lyrical Divine

12:00 PM, 2nd Act Books

Man-Made: Searching for Dads, Daddies, Father Figures, and Fatherhood 10:00 AM, McGuffey Art Center

Protest and the Story of America

Where We Stand: Poetry

2:00 PM, 2nd Act Books

12:00 PM, 2nd Act Books

Under Pressure: Characters on The Edge

12:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

2:00 PM, 2nd Act Books

Claire McCardell: Special Reception 5:00 PM, Paramount Balcony Lounge

Being Dope: Hip Hop and Theory through Mixtape Memoir

12:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

Whirls of Time: Fiction

Protest and the Story of America

AM, Paramount Lounge

Being Dope: Hip Hop and Theory through Mixtape Memoir

2:30 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Whirls of Time: Fiction

12:00 PM, Old Metropolitan Hall

10:00 AM, Paramount Lounge

Forces of Nature and Flames of Resistance

Rural Existential: Memoirs in Verse AM, New Dominion Bookshop

Rural Existential: Memoirs in Verse

High Stakes and Whatever It Takes 6:00 PM, The Vault

2:30 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Paradiso by Dante Alighieri, translated by Mary Jo Bang

6:00 PM, Old Metropolitan Hall

Paradiso by Dante Alighieri, translated by Mary Jo Bang 6:00 PM, Old Metropolitan Hall

Love Thy Stranger

3:00 PM, JMRL Central Library

Forces of Nature and Flames of Resistance

12:30 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

10:00 AM, New Dominion Bookshop

Body Poetic: The Personal Meets the Political AM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

12:30 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

A Bit of Whimsy! Imaginative Books for Kids

Love Thy Stranger 3:00 PM, JMRL Central Library

Reflections on “The Cause” 6:00 PM, Residence Inn Event Room

VPM Building Brains 90by5 Afternoon Storytime

3:00 PM, VPM Charlottesville

The 2026 Carol Troxell Reader: Port Anna 6:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

A Bit of Whimsy! Imaginative Books for Kids

1:00 PM, JMRL Gordon Avenue

A Miserable Revenge: A Story of Life in Virginia with a Staged Reading

4:00 PM, CODE Auditorium

The American Revolution at 250 6:00 PM, CODE Auditorium

4:00 PM, CODE Auditorium

The American Revolution at 250 6:00 PM, CODE Auditorium

The Body Poetic: The Personal Meets the Political 10:00 AM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Building Brains 90by5 Morning Storytime

VPM Building Brains 90by5 Morning Storytime

AM, VPM Charlottesville

Art Work: On the Creative Life with Sally Mann 1:00 PM, Paramount Main Theater

Behind the Screens: True Crime T.V.

4:00 PM, The Vault

Behind the Screens: True Crime T.V.

4:00 PM, The Vault

Claire McCardell: Author Talk and Historic Fashion Demo 6:30 PM, Paramount Main Theater

11:00 AM, VPM Charlottesville

Roots and Resilience: Stories Heart for Children

Roots and Resilience: Stories of Heart for Children

AM, JMRL Gordon Ave Library

Before We Wake - YA Paranormal Graphic Novel Signing

1:00 PM, Hello Comics

11:30 AM, JMRL Gordon Ave Library

Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that

Made an American Icon

Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon

PM, CODE Auditorium

1:00 PM, Hello Comics

Beyond the Beyond: Literary Fiction and Poetry

4:00 PM, The Beautiful Idea

Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 20122025 6:30 PM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Coming Into Our Own: YA Fiction

2:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

12:00 PM, CODE Auditorium

Bisexuality Beyond Binaries

Middle Grades that Matter 4:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

2:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Ding-Dong-Dead: Murders in the Building

Bisexuality Beyond Binaries

PM, The Beautiful Idea

Ding-Dong-Dead: Murders in the Building

2:00 PM, Old Metropolitan Hall

12:00 PM, The Beautiful Idea

Sunday, March 22

Middle Grades that Matter 4:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Perseverance and Resilience: Supporting Veterans Through Poetry

2:00 PM, Old Metropolitan Hall

Field Notes From an Extinction 12:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

The Links Inc. Brunch 11:00 AM, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Perseverance and Resilience: Supporting Veterans Through Poetry

4:00 PM, Center for Community Partnerships (CCP)

Field Notes From an Extinction 12:00 PM, New Dominion Bookshop

Rebellion 1776 with Laurie Halse Anderson 1:00 PM, Monticello

Turn Up, Turn In: 2026 Festival Authors Party 8:30 PM-10:30 PM, Doyle Hotel. Includes appetizers and drink ticket. Age 21+ only.

4:00 PM, Center for Community Partnerships (CCP)

The Write Start: Moseley Speed Critique 1:00 PM, JMRL Central Library

Turn Up, Turn In: 2026 Festival Authors Party 8:30 PM-10:30 PM, Doyle Hotel. Includes appetizers and drink ticket. Age 21+ only.

Hair Stories/A Poetry Workshop 3:00 PM, The Fralin Museum of Art

Hair Stories/A Poetry Workshop

3:00 PM, The Fralin Museum of Art

Rebellion 1776 with Laurie Halse Anderson 1:00 PM, Monticello

Untold Stories in Jewish History 1:00 PM, UVA Bookstore

Scoper Lecture in Christian Thought: Telling the Truth 3:30 PM, UVA Old Cabell Hall

THURSDAY 3/12

SHOTS ‘N’ GIGGLES

The Harlem Globetrotters 100 Year Tour marks a century of amazing athletic feats and breaking racial barriers by a basketball team that’s older than penicillin, electronic television, and sliced bread. What started as an exhibition squad of Black players from the South Side of Chicago has grown into a worldwide phenomenon of dazzling dunks, trick shots, and unrivaled roundball entertainment. The latest iteration of the team, which includes Hammer Harrison, Hot Shot Swanson, and Torch George, takes on perennial rivals The Washington Generals. $45, 7pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. johnpauljonesarena.com

CULTURE TO-DO LIST

Wednesday 3/11 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.

Pentagram String Band. Satanic bluegrass band from KCMO plays a blend of gothic folk, punk, and thrash metal. With Yes Ma’am and Little Foot. $25, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

The Wavelength. Vintage rock, blues, original music, and more for your mid-week music boost. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com

dance

Richmond Ballet. An evening of exquisite dance featuring classical pieces from the company’s vast repertoire and new works on the cutting edge of the art form. $17–23, 7:30pm. Piedmont Virginia Community College, V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. pvcc.edu

Weekly Swing Dance. Beginner-friendly swing dance lessons teach the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and blues. No partner needed. Stay for social dancing after the class. $10, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com

stage

Emma Jane Austen’s most mischievous matchmaker bursts onto the stage in Kate Hamill’s effervescent adaptation of this beloved classic novel. $30, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

words

Her Excellency Anniken Huitfeldt, Ambassador of Norway to the U.S. Ambassador Huitfeldt speaks on issues important to Norway and Europe, the relationship with the United States, and takes questions from the audience. Free, 2pm. The Center for Politics, 655 Leonard Sandridge Rd. centerforpolitics.org

Storytime at the Garden. Bring a blanket or chairs for stories and rhymes outside. Ages 2–4. Free, 10am. Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, 950 Melbourne Rd. piedmontgarden.org

classes

Acrylic Paint Cloud Workshop. Hone your painting skills through focused demos, practice, and design exploration. No experience necessary, all materials included. $30, 6pm. Blue Ridge Brushes Studio, 1110 E Market St #13h. blueridgebrushes.com

Create with Nature. Partake in a nature-themed art activity with Bruce Gatling-Austin. Geared for ages 2–4, but all ages welcome. Free, 10:30am. Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, 950 Melbourne Rd. piedmontgarden.org

Finding Your Voice: Artist Statements & Elevator Pitches. A professional-practice workshop for emerging and mid-career artists focusing on clearly and confidently writing and speaking about their work. $40–50, 5:30pm. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. secondstreetgallery.org

Paint + Sip: Vibrant Sunset. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials and first drink included. $44, 6pm. Starr Hill Brewery Tap Room, 5391 Three Notched Rd. blueridgebrushes.com etc.

Green Drinks Eco-Friendly Monthly Meetup. Meet environmentally minded folks and hear from guest speakers from local organizations and businesses making a positive impact on our planet. Free, 5:30pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

THROUGH SUNDAY 3/29

SLICE AND A HAIRCUT

Murder, mayhem, and musical numbers collide in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece—winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Book (by Hugh Wheeler), Best Original Score, and Best Musical—follows an unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19thcentury London and exacts a bloody revenge that also rehabilitates a failing pie shop. Ken Wayne and Holly Breivik star in this captivatingly cannibalistic show that’s strictly for adult audiences. $12–20, times vary. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

Thursday 3/12 music

Batesville Market 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 Sales & Vincent Zorn. Lively flamenco rumba with Latin and Cuban influences. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

stage

Emma See listing for Wednesday, March 11. $30, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

salt-heavy. Artists Jennifer Harrison Newman and Ayesha Jordan debut a multi-sensory performance examining relationships to sedimented histories of physical place. Free, 5pm. Helms Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama.virginia.edu

classes

Creative Happy Hour with Sarah Hand. A portrait-painting workshop using bright acrylics to paint whimsical new friends, led by exhibiting artist Sarah Hand. $35–40, 5:30pm. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. secondstreetgallery.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

Mahjong for a Cause. An evening of tiles, community, and purpose—all in support of Reclaimed Hope Initiative. Take a 101 lesson or jump into open play. Free, 5:30pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

The Harlem Globetrotters 100 Year Tour. From gravity-defying dunks to game-changing tricks, experience the team that redefined basketball. $45, 7pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. johnpauljonesarena.com

VA250 Historic Trivia Night. Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with VA250-themed trivia. Up to five players per team. Prizes for winners. Hosted by quizmaster Olivia Brown. Free, 6pm. Michie Tavern, 683 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. michietavern.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 3/13

music

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

Darkside Experience: A Tribute To Pink Floyd. A veteran group of musicians based out of Southwest Virginia meticulously recreate the sonic imprint and feel of the Pink Floyd experience. $12–15, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Ian Gilliam & The FireKings. Blues, rockabilly, honky-tonk, and rock ‘n’ roll. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

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

Michael Clem & Rusty Spiedel. C’ville stalwarts share the stage. Free, 5:30pm. Bottle House, 608 W. Main St. bottlehouse.net

The Barons. Various sounds from Virginia natives, ranging from heavy-hitting indie rock to a lighter fair of introspective love songs. With No Composure. $19, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

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

dance

Boot Scoot Square Dance Party. Beginnerfriendly square dancing. Big Silo plays driving oldtime favorites to teach you how to move to the music. No experience necessary, all ages welcome. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

Friday the 13th Dance Night. A late night of boneshaking bangers at the ramen bar. Ages 21+. Free, 9pm. Bad Luck Ramen, 522 Second St. SE Unit E. badluckramen.com

stage

Cinderella (Youth Edition). A magical, familyfriendly musical where kindness, courage, and a touch of fairy-tale sparkle make dreams come true. Perfect for all ages. $18–25, 7:30pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd. Ste. 3. phoenix theatreworks.com

Emma See listing for Wednesday, March 11. $30, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street An unjustly exiled barber returns to nineteenth century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. $12–20, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

The Vortex & Friends. An improv-comedy show taking audience advice and spinning it into a world of characters and scenes. $10, 7pm. McGuffey Art Center, 201 Second St. NW. bigbluedoor.org

Twelfth Night, or What You Will Shipwrecked and alone, Viola disguises herself as a man and stumbles into Shakespeare’s most tangled love triangle. $35–75, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespeare center.com

classes

Blue Ridge Brushes Painting Class. Paint a bouquet design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials included. $40, 6pm. Blue Ridge Brushes Studio, 1110 E. Market St. #13h. blueridgebrushes.com

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, March 12. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, March 12. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Saturday 3/14

music

A Night In Nashville. Timbo and Lonesome Country and Rebecca Porter and the Rhinestone Roses perform amid a celebration featuring a country casino room, silent auction, raffles for prizes and concert tickets, a custom photo booth, and more. $150, 6:30pm. Three Notch’d Brewery, 520 Second St. SE. frontporchcville.org

Brisk. Taking you back in time to get your authentic ’90s–’00s alt-rock fix with all the classic bangers. Free, 7pm. Pro Re Nata, 6135 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. prnbrewery.com

Dusty Hedgehog. Traditional Irish music trio. Free, 12:30pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Irish Music with An Lár. Fast-paced jigs and reels, lyrical waltzes and melancholy airs, and Irish folk ballads of love and adventure. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

Josh Mayo and The House Sauce. One of C’ville’s finest rockers performs with his band. Free, 10pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Katherine Tang’s Two Hands, One Breath: Where Air Meets Keys. Tang’s fourth-year recital present a diverse program featuring works for both flute and piano. Free, 3:30pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu

LockJaw Classic Rock Band. Covering fan favorites spanning the decades from the ’60s through the ’80s, and beyond. Free, 5pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Matt Palmieri. Country music. Free, 2:30pm. Fallen Tree Vineyard and Farm, 4593 Clark Rd., Crozet. fallentreevineyard.com

Speidel, Goodrich and Friends. Lively tunes from a collection of local favorites. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com

St. Patrick’s Day Party. Chamomile & Whiskey and The Currys perform a special show to celebrate the holiday. $23, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

SunSquabi x Manic Focus. A night of Coloradobased electronic music. $32, 8pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesouthern cville.com

The Pollocks. Rocking acoustic sounds. $10, 7pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Together in Song: Songs of Democracy. The Oratorio Society of Virginia hosts its annual benefit concert, featuring a program of patriotic favorites. $10–40, 4pm. First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St. oratoriosociety.org

Vincent Zorn. Rumba flamenco guitar, live looped into layered compositions in real time. Free, 2pm. Hark Vineyards, 1465 Davis Shop Rd., Earlysville. harkvineyards.com

Work Wear x Dominy x Anna Leonard. Highenergy indie rock sounds from across the mid-Atlantic. $12, 7pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. Suite 2. superflybrewing.com

THE WORKING POUR CULTURE

In excellent company

Barboursville Vineyards’ Octagon named one of world’s top wines

BY PAUL TING

Virginia wine has earned increasing recognition in recent years, but its reputation has not always traveled as far or as well as its best bottles deserve. Within the state, great wines have inspired loyalty, pride, and serious respect. Elsewhere, they are still too often received as a curiosity or a pleasant surprise.

That is part of what makes the recent recognition of Barboursville Vineyards’ 2017 Octagon by Decanter magazine feel so meaningful: At the end of last year, the 2017 Octagon was named among the magazine’s top American wines, and then, early in 2026, it was included in the publication’s top selection of merlot-based wines.

That list included bottles from regions such as Bordeaux, Tuscany, and Napa Valley, placing the 2017 Octagon in company rarely kept by a Virginia vintner. The news casts an even brighter light on Virginia wine, and particularly on the Monticello AVA.

But the story is not just about an outstanding bottle—it’s about the journey Virginia producers have been on for decades. And for Barboursville, the recognition is about more than a single acclaimed vintage. It reflects the winery’s place in Virginia wine and the long stewardship of winemaker Luca Paschina. (Last week the winery announced its sale to an undisclosed investor group, and confirmed Paschina as CEO and president going forward.)

Founded in 1976, Barboursville is one of the Commonwealth’s original modern wineries and remains one of its defining estates. In a region that seems to have spent much of its history proving itself, Barboursville has long been among the wineries defining its character. Its significance lies not only in longevity, but in a sustained commitment to excellence. Nearly 50 years on, its best bottles continue to shape the conversation around how serious Virginia wine can be.

No figure is more closely associated with that work than Paschina, who arrived from Italy in 1990 and has become one of Virginia wine’s most respected voices. He describes Octagon as an early ambition of his winemaking. “Since I arrived, I had the vision to make the best wine I could,” Paschina says.

His first attempt came during the 1991 vintage, though he notes that the vines available then were older plantings with weaker genetics. It was not until 1997, with younger vines, better sites, and improved clonal material, that the wine began to look more like the Octagon Barboursville is known for today.

Octagon did not come about because of clever marketing or artificially elevated pricing. Rather, it was shaped gradually through observation and experience, dedicated vineyard work, and disciplined winemaking. Central to that approach is the decision to make Octagon only when the vintage produces excellent fruit. Paschina explains that the wine has not been made in every vintage. “2000 as well as 2003 and 2011 were mediocre and Octagon was not produced,” he says. That selectivity is part of the wine’s credibility. It speaks to the standards behind the label and the seriousness with which Barboursville has treated its most ambitious bottling.

This is not the first excellent Octagon, and Paschina points to a string of other vintages he considers exceptional or close to it, including 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014, and 2019. The 2017 also earned inclusion in the 2025 Governor’s Cup Case, affirming its standing at home. Still, recognition from Decanter lands differently. Praise from within the Commonwealth has long been there and certainly matters, but this kind of attention places Octagon, and Virginia wine, into a wider conversation.

Octagon quietly makes a compelling case for merlot, an underappreciated grape variety. In Virginia, it can be overshadowed by cabernet franc or petit verdot, two varieties that draw more attention from local wine drinkers. But merlot has been a steady performer here and can be especially useful in blends. Paschina puts it plainly: “Merlot has always been at the core of the blend, and it is slightly more reliable than franc when it

comes to delivering a very good wine even in a difficult growing season. Its advantage is its lower vigor in the rainy season and earlier ripening.”

That observation points to another easyto-miss truth about red wine in Virginia. As competitions like the Governor’s Cup have shown, some of the state’s strongest wines are not single-variety bottlings, but Bordeaux-style blends built from grapes like merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and cabernet sauvignon. The benefits of blending in wine are not unique to Virginia, but in a region where weather can shift dramatically from year to year, blending offers flexibility and precision. Here, the skill and experience of a winemaker like Paschina can make a real difference, shaping wines with more balance, complexity, and consistency than any one grape provides on its own.

Octagon is one of the clearest expressions of this idea. Certainly, this latest recognition is a significant honor for Barboursville and for Paschina, whose work has helped define one of Virginia wine’s signature bottles. But it also suggests something about where Virginia wine is headed. The state’s best producers no longer need to be framed as charming exceptions, or recognized only within the state. They are making wines of character and excellent quality, and the global wine world is beginning to respond.

Paschina has met the honor with characteristic gratitude, calling himself “a fortunate man,” and saying it left him feeling “like I am touching the sky with my fingers.” After more than three decades of work, that reaction feels well earned.

Luca Paschina has been blending the merlot-based Octagon Barboursville since 1991. In January, Decanter magazine named it one of the top 20 merlots from around the world.

TO-DO LIST

’VILLE TO ’VILLE

Pull on your boots and tip back your hat for A Night In Nashville, a countryThe Front Porch and local music education. Try your luck in silent auctions, raffles, and the casino room as downhome sounds Timbo and Lonesome Country make their way up from Music City with soulful sounds steeped in Americana trappings, while regional Appalachian honky-tonk purveyors Rebecca Porter and the Rhinestone bring complementary soulful melodies with fearless lyrics full of emotional intensity and grit. Food and bevs included, ages 21+. $150, 6:30pm. Three Notch’d Brewery, 520 Second St. SE. frontporchcville.org

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street See listing for Friday, March 13. $12–20, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

Charlottesville Ballet Presents: A Fairy Tale

Step into a world of magic and wonder with a charming, 45-minute narrated ballet perfect for young audiences, where fairy tale characters come to life. $18–85, 10:30am and 1pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown

A night of swingin’ tunes and vintage moves begins with a swing dance lesson before the band breaks into lively New Orleans sounds. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

America250:

This sweeping multidisciplinary performance traces the arc of the American story through dance, opera, theater, poetry, and music.$30–95, 4pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

See listing for Wednesday, March 11. $30, 7:30pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

A newly devised play starring Morgan M. Younge honors the stories of Black Appalachian women and girls. Free, 7pm. Helms Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. drama.virginia.edu

Oscar Worthy: An Improv Comedy Show. Goat Rodeo Comedy Co. presents an awards-season show made up on the spot from audience suggestions. $5–15, 7pm. Light House Studio: Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lighthousestudio.org

The Hound of the Baskervilles. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the moors with a look of terror on his face and paw prints by his body, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called to unravel the curse of the hound. $35–75, 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. americanshakespearecenter.com

Twelfth Night, or What You Will. See listing for Friday, March 13. $35–75, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. american shakespearecenter.com

words

New Dominion Storytime. Reading from both 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

classes

A Celebration of Fiber Arts. Experience the joy of working with wool, learn a new skill, and meet some of Virginia’s most talented spinners, weavers, and more. Hands-on activities for all ages. Free, 11:30am. Northside Library, 705 W. Rio Rd. jmrl.org

Color Mixing with Confidence in Watercolor: Mixing Greens. Demystify the essential elements of color theory as applied to watercolors and equip yourself with the ability to use these principles confidently in your own painting. Ages 15+. $40, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

The Piedmont Duo: I-Jen Fang and Ayn Balija

Roll over, Beethoven—the spring 2026 portion of the UVA Chamber Music Series is not built on composer names that a novice would recognize, or pieces played on standard instrumentation configurations.

They’ve already done a bassoon-focused event, so try this on for size: percussion and viola. The Piedmont Duo highlights two music professors, I-Jen Fang and Ayn Balija, performing percussion- and string-related interpretations of pieces written in the last 40 years or so. A few were even penned in this century.

The 90-minute performance is built on a program of six compositions intended to “explore how memories shape and re-shape our lives.” Barring an expository speech before each piece, instrumental music often requires a great deal from our imagination; it’s on us to hear the stories we concoct from the nonverbal narratives unfolding.

“Limestone and Felt” (2012) upturns the viola-driven piece from Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw by taking the cello part to the marimba, a natural shift given the plucky, slapping arpeggios that define the brief work.

Charles Knox’s plainly put “Music for Viola and Percussion” (1987) continues with a deep dive into tense soundtrack drama where the drawn-out plaintive sound of the viola counters alternately with a playfully sinister marimba and ag-

gressive, hurried timpani. I could not tell you what either piece is about.

Charlottesville resident Brian Simalchik’s “Overlooks” (2016) provides a 15-minute flutter into eight brief movements, reflecting the natural beauty of locations in Shenandoah National Park, New York’s Hudson Valley, and other protected areas—information he has shared online.

The Duo continues with “Three Brazilian Tunes” by Pittsburgh-by-way-of-São Paulo transplant, Latin Grammy-nominated Flávio Chamis. Fang and Balija also take on Kenji Bunch’s “Four Flashbacks” (2014), a short work that aims to succinctly capture aspects of the Portland Oregon-based composer’s experience living in New York City—from hectic to contemplative.

The afternoon closes with Elise Winkler’s “The Allegory of the Cave” (2019), based on the famed story from Plato’s Republic. The intriguing work proceeds in a lyrical interplay between the instruments that leads to discovery and disbelief.

Will you be able to hear when the protagonist burns his eyes upon first seeing the sun, or his blindness upon returning to the cave?

Old Cabell Hall

Sunday 3/15

Crochet for Beginners. Learn the basics of crochet. Leave with a crochet hook and a small crocheted washcloth. Ages 12+. $25, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Move, Meditate, and Create. Yoga and meditation teacher Kara Snapp leads a mindful movement practice and meditation to spark your creative flow. Ages 16+. $50, 1:30pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, March 12. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market, Charlottesville, , USA.

Family Studio Day. Use stencils, markers, and other materials to make a friendly portrait of a pal with exhibiting artist Sarah Hand. All ages and abilities welcome. Free, 10am. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St SE. secondstreetgallery.org

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, March 12. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Sunday 3/15

music

Amelia Day. A musical jack-of-all-trades standing at the intersection of folk, rock, and pop. $19, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Pat Anderson. A roots rocker with tough-minded country-rock sensibility. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducard vineyards.com

Sorry for the spoilers, but no matter how incredible Fang and Balija play, you’d need to have an otherworldly sense of hearing to pull that storyline from the sound.—CM Gorey

St. Paddy’s Musical Cheer. Raise a glass and singalong to the traditional Celtic music of Matthew O’Donnell. Free, 2pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

St. Patrick’s Day Pub Sing-Along. Blake and Chris lead an evening of rousing call-and-response and sing-along songs. Free, 3pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com

Tara Mills Band. An original blend of folk, bluegrass, and Americana. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshouse winery.com

UVA Chamber Music Series #5: The Piedmont Duo. Percussionist I-Jen Fang performs with violist Ayn Balija. $15, 3:30pm. Old Cabell Hall. music.virginia.edu

stage

Emma See listing for Wednesday, March 11. $30, 2pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. See listing for Friday, March 13. $12–20, 2:30pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org

The Hound of the Baskervilles See listing for Saturday, March 14. $35–75, 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. american shakespearecenter.com

classes

Mosaic Monarchs. Celebrate the approach of spring by crafting beautiful paper butterflies and moths. All materials provided. Registration optional. Free, 1:30pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

STAGES CULTURE

Oil Painting for Everybody: Floral Edition. Learn to paint a floral composition in an approachable and organized format. Beginner-focused, but all levels welcome. Ages 14+. $45, 2pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Paint + Sip: Gently Down The Stream. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials included. $40, 2pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

etc.

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, March 12. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Ides of March Pinball Tournament. A twostage tournament playing across James Bond, Godzilla, and Guardians of the Galaxy machines, plus the re-themed CDD machine. Cash prizes for top-four finishers. $10, 1pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Live-Scored Screening: Adventures of Prince Achmed Presenting the 100th anniversary of the oldest surviving animated film, with live musical accompaniment by Matt Marshall, in honor of Women’s History Month. $9–10, 2pm. Violet Crown Charlottesville, 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. charlottesville.violetcrown.com

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, March 12. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

WTJU Family Radio Day. A family-friendly peek into the broadcast studios. Enjoy storytime, music making, and an audio activity. Designed for ages 4–8. Free, 10am. WTJU 91.1 FM, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

Monday 3/16

words

Profs & Pints: Tariffs, Corruption, and Sugar. A look at how capitalism and empire changed the food we eat, with David Singerman, assistant professor of history and American studies at UVA. $13–17, 5:30pm. Graduate Charlottesville, 1309 W. Main St. profsandpints.com

etc.

Not Bored Games. Teens 11–18 are invited to play a board or card game introduced by other teens. This month: “SpongeBob What Do You Meme?”. Registration requested. Free, 5pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org

Tuesday 3/17

music

St. Paddy’s Day with BRIMS. Music from the Blue Ridge Irish Music School, and more. Free, 6:30pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com

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

Keeping the Crown

The trio that saved our downtown cinema forecasts the Oscars

BY JAMES SANFORD

And the Oscar goes to… The Testament of Ann Lee!

You won’t hear that at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, but you would if Rachel Baker, Annie Galvin, and Lindsay Meck had their way. The three Charlottesville women facilitated the sale of the Violet Crown Cinema to an LLC last year, preserving the property as a movie theater when it seemed likely to be turned into a housing project. (Es Vedra Cinemas in Austin, Texas, leases the property and will continue to operate the theater and restaurant.)

The “Violet Triumvirate,” as they call themselves, come from journalism and media backgrounds, and they relish seeing films on the big screen—and the Academy Awards season is a special time of year for the trio.

It can also be a time of disappointment and sour surprises when your favorites don’t get Academy recognition. “I think that we can say [of Testament] that’s one of our favorites, if not our favorite,” says Baker. “And it was totally wiped out. It’s not up for any Oscars, it didn’t get any nominations.”

The overlooked musical is a portrait of the founder of the Shaker sect and her attempt to create a utopian community in 18th-century New England, and stars Amanda Seyfried in the title role. “She was robbed,” says Meck.

They also have strong opinions when it comes to the films that did get nominated.

“I am a One Battle [After Another] fan,” Meck admits. “Like, a strong One Battle fan.”

“My five-word review of One Battle is: ‘Dumb movie, very well made,’” says Galvin. “And my husband and I can’t talk about it anymore … because he really likes it.”

Galvin’s favorite movie of the year is Come See Me in the Good Light, a chronicle of the poet Andrea Gibson, nominated for Best Documentary. Galvin discovered it at last year’s Virginia Film Festival.

“It was a full theater,” she says. “My friend brought a box of tissues, kind of as a joke, because she just knew it was going to be really emotional, and we were just handing tissues out. … I don’t know this person, but I’m giving her a tissue and we’re both literally crying at the same time. And it was such a perfect movie to see with other people.”

In the Best Actor category, Meck sees two strong candidates: Wagner Moura of The Secret Agent and Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme. “I think they’re really both compelling performances.”

Violet Crown Cinema staff picks:

 “In any other year, One Battle After Another, Sinners, and Marty Supreme would be the uncontested best piece of art to come out. The fact that all three were released in the same year is a testament to how 2025 has been the best 12-month stretch for cinema in over a decade.” Cade Wiberg, supervisor

 “My wife and I have made it a tradition to watch all of the Best Picture nominees each year. This year feels especially meaningful because many of the films explore fatherhood, and we’re expecting our first child. She says I’m exactly like Leo in One Battle After Another—and I don’t think it’s because we bear any resemblance.” Mitchell Waranch, supervisor

When it comes to making predictions, Baker says it’s often a clash between the brain choice and the heart. Pegging Chalamet as likely, she would love to see Ethan Hawke take the Oscar (for his role as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon).

“I loved Blue Moon; the perfect Violet Crown movie,” Galvin says. “I feel like, especially in dark times, it’s just fun to get super-invested in something.” She notes that having discussions, “little mini storms and conflicts,” is fun and more important than the awards.

“Well, this year, you know, Hamnet is kind of becoming the villain,” Baker says. “And I’ve decided that I’m back. I’ve gone all the way around. And now I love Hamnet again.”

“You want to root for the underdog,” Meck says.

“Yeah, I want to root against the people who are rooting against it,” Baker says, adding that her preferences are Marty Supreme, Sinners, and Sentimental Value Meck has mixed feelings about Hamnet. “I saw it at the Violet Crown and it was completely full, every seat. And everyone was sobbing—except for me. And that was such an uncomfortable feeling. I was like, ‘Did I miss something?’” Even so, she has high praise for Best Actress nominee Jessie Buckley and says it is unbelievable that Paul Mescal is not up for Best Actor.

“Jessie Buckley is a lock for me in Hamnet,” Meck says. “It’s hard to imagine someone giving more to a role than that.”

“For supporting actress, I think it’ll be Teyana Taylor [One Battle After Another],” says Baker. “I would be amped [for anyone on that list] if their name was called, especially maybe Wunmi Mosaku—her performance in Sinners was just incredible. So, maybe she would be my top heart pick, but I would be happy with any of them winning.”

 “My top three of the year are all up for the top honor, with my No. 1 film, Sinners, having a great shot, [but] I am disappointed that The Testament of Ann Lee got completely snubbed.” Brian Carlson, hospitality manager

 “The nominees this year, by and large, tend to be sad, dark, and unendingly beautiful with their themes of loss, oppression, and flawed humanity. I’ve watched all the Best Picture noms and I think I can resolutely state that, with the exception of F1, they are all superior to Love Story (1970) and Crash (2004).” Cameron Polson, general manager

Rachel Baker, Annie Galvin, and Lindsay Meck saved Violet Crown Cinema from demolition.

One unforgettable week of music, art, ideas exploring how we act boldly, bridge divides, and shape the

THEME

2026 HIGHLIGHTS

Innocence, Justice, and the Courage to Confront a Broken System : A Conversation with John Grisham and Deirdre Enright

Wednesday, April 22

Join bestselling author John Grisham and Deirdre Enright, founder of the UVA Innocence Project, for a powerful conversation at the Paramount Theater on justice, wrongful conviction, and the moral courage required to confront systemic failure.

CIVIC FUTURES SUMMIT

Wed. April 22

Join 75+ regional leaders exploring community flourishing.

Internationally recognized journalist and Presidential Precinct CEO Toyosi Ogunseye shares lessons from courageous reporting and global democracy work, exploring how citizens and leaders can strengthen civic culture.

INNOVATION SUMMIT

Thur. April 23 - Fri. April 24

Join 150+ technologists, investors, and entrepreneurs exploring the future of innovation.

LÄRABAR founder Lara Merriken shares how a kitchen experiment became a national brand and what it takes to build a values-driven company in a fast-growth world.

BADGES & TICKETS

Unlock five days of inspiration, connection, and transformation.

ALL TOM TOM EVENTS CIVIC FUTURES SUMMIT INNOVATION SUMMIT INVESTOR ROUNDTABLES DANCE PARTIES TOMORROW GALA AND MORE!

Lara Merriken

Toyosi Ogunseye

FOR FUN PUZZLES

SUDOKU

Interrupted” (1999 drama)

42. 1991 Red Hot Chili Peppers hit

44. Out on the briny

45. ___SmithKline (pharmaceutical company now known by its initials)

46. “Bed” or “home” ending

48. Cute animal reaction

50. Andes dweller, maybe

54. Undeveloped expanse

58. In a suitable way

59. Bugs Bunny antagonist Elmer

60. Energetically excited

63. Reach by phone

64. Compulsion

65. Michelangelo work in St. Peter’s Basilica

66. 2025 Pixar film

67. One with a cr ystal ball

68. Rescue shelter resident

69. Japanese bread?

DOWN

1. Shaq’s surname

2. Lily variety

3. Lois Griffin or Marge Simpson

4. “Thx” preceder

5. Grab a bite

6. Publication with a lot of backbone?

7. Fish in a flat can

8. Concerning sight

9. “Keep your hands at ten and two,” say?

10. Dull sound from a weight

11. Space pioneer Gagarin

12. Elton John achievement

14. Hamilton, when focused on molecular particles?

21. Time period for Taylor Swift

23. Put cargo on

25. Like ___ from the blue

26. Car toon spun off from “Beavis and Butt-head”

30. Elevator company

31. Challenge

32. Jazz singer Fitzgerald

33. Rap’s Snoop ___

By Rob Brezsny

Aries

(March 21-April 19): In theater, breaking the fourth wall means acknowledging the audience. An actor steps out of the pretense that what’s happening on stage is real. It’s a disruptive moment of truth that can deepen the experience. I would love you to break the fourth wall in your own life, Aries. It’s a favorable time to slip free of any roles you’ve been performing by rote and just blurt out the more interesting truths. Tell someone, “This isn’t working for me.” Or say, “I need to be my pure self with greater authenticity.” Breaking the fourth wall won’t ruin the show; it will be more fun and real and entertaining.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): English speakers like me use the terms “destiny” and “fate” interchangeably. But a scholar of ancient Sumer claims they had different meanings in that culture. Nam, the word for “destiny,” was fixed and immutable. Namtar, meaning “fate,” could be manipulated, adjusted, and even cheated. I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because I believe you now have a golden chance to veer off a path that leads to an uninteresting or unproductive destiny and start gliding along a fateful detour.

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): The coming months will be a favorable time for you to shed the fairytale story of success that once inspired you when you were younger and more idealistic. A riper vision is emerging, calling you toward a more realistic and satisfying version of your life’s purpose. The transformation may at first feel unsettling, but I believe it will ultimately awaken even deeper zeal and greater creativity than your original dream. Bonus: Your revised, more mature goals will lead you to the very rewards your youthful hopes imagined but never quite delivered.

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): Even if you’re not actually far from home, Cancerian, I bet you’re on a pilgrimage or odyssey of some kind. The astrological omens tell me that you’re being drawn away from familiar ideas and feelings and are en route to an unknown country. You’re transforming, but you’re not sure how yet. During this phase of exploration, I suggest that you adopt a nickname that celebrates being on a quest. This will be a playful alias that helps you focus on the pregnant potential of this interlude. A few you might want to consider: Journey Seed, Threshold Traveler, Holy Rambler, Map-Edge Maverick, or Wanderlust Wonderer. Others? Choose one that tickles you with the sense that you are being born again while you travel.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Love is more than a gentle glow in your heart or a pleasurable spark in

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY FOR FUN

(Feb. 19-March 20): Can you compel acts of grace to intervene in your destiny? Can bursts of divine favor be summoned through the power of your will? Some spiritual scholars say, “Absolutely not.” They claim life’s wild benevolence arrives only through the mysterious tides of fate—impossible to solicit and impossible to predict. But other observers, more open-minded, speculate that your intelligent goodness might indeed attract the vivid generosity of cosmic energies. I bring this up because I suspect you Pisceans are either receiving or will soon receive blessings that feel like divine favor. Did you earn them, or are you just lucky—or some of both? It doesn’t matter. Enjoy the gift.

your body. When fully awakened and activated, it becomes a revolutionary way of being in the world that invites you to challenge and rethink all you’ve been taught about reality. It’s a bold magic that alters everything it encounters. You can certainly choose a milder, tamer version of love if you wish. But if you’d like to evolve into a love maestro—as you very well could during the next 12 months—I suggest you give yourself to the deeper, wilder form. Do you dare?

Virgo

(Aug. 22-Sept. 22): Octopuses have neuron clusters in their arms that enable them to “think with their limbs.” Let’s make them your spirit creature for now, Virgo. Your body’s intuitions are offering you guidance that might even be as helpful as your fine mind. This enhanced somatic brilliance can serve you in practical ways: a creative breakthrough while doing housework, a challenging transition handled with aplomb, a fresh alignment between your feelings and ideas. I hope you will listen to your body as if it were a beloved mentor. Trust your movements and physical sensations to reveal what you need to know.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I love your diplomatic genius: the capacity to understand all sides, to hold space for contradictions, to find the middle ground. But right now it’s in danger of curdling into a kind of self-erasure where your own desires become the one thing you can’t quite locate. Another way to understand this: You are so skilled at seeing everyone’s perspective that you sometimes

lose track of your own. Here’s the antidote I recommend: Practice the revolutionary act of having strong opinions, of preferring one thing over another without immediately undercutting your preference with a counter-argument. I guarantee that your relationships will survive your decisiveness. In fact, they will deepen as people locate the real you beneath your exquisite balance.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): New love cravings have been welling up inside you, Scorpio. These cries of the heart may confuse you even as they delight you and invigorate you. One of your main tasks is to listen closely to what they’re telling you, but to wait a while before expressing their messages to other people. You need to study them in detail before spilling them out. Another prime task is to feel patient awe and reverence for the immensity and intensity of these deep, wild desires.

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you are fulfilling your birthright as a Sagittarius, you are a philosopher-adventurer with a yearning for deep meaning. As you seek out interesting truths, your restless curiosity is a spiritual necessity. You understand that wisdom comes from collecting diverse, sometimes contradictory experiences and weaving them into a coherent worldview. You have a fundamental need to keep expanding and reinventing what freedom means to you. All these qualities may make some people nervous, but they really are among your primary assignments now and

forever. They are especially important to cultivate these days.

Capricorn

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In traditional navigation, “dead reckoning” means finding your position by tracking your previous movements. Where you have been tells you where you are. But it only works if you’ve been honest about your course. If you’ve been misleading yourself about the direction you have been traveling, dead reckoning will get you lost. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because I really want you to rededicate yourself to telling yourself the deepest, strongest, clearest truths. Where have you actually been going? Not where you told yourself you were going or where other people imagined you were going, but where your choices have actually been taking you. Look at the pattern of your real movements, not your stated intentions. Once you know your true position, you can chart a true course for the future.

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’re entering a rambling zigzag phase. Each plot twist will branch into two more, and every supposed finale will reveal itself as the opening act of another surprise. Fortunately, your gift for quick thinking and innovative adaptation is sharper than ever, which means you will flourish where others might freeze. My suggestion? Forget the script. Approach the unpredictable adventures like an improv exercise: spontaneous, playful, and open to the fertile mysteries.

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

CLASSIFIEDS

DEADLINE

We are hiring! We are hiring!

PRICING

classifieds.c-ville.com

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville is accepting proposals from qualified contractors for vertical construction for 25 residential units in Village 3 of the redeveloped Southwood community. The contract award will be based on several factors, including experience, schedule, and price. Equal opportunity employer and female/minority owner businesses are encouraged to apply, as well as protected groups such as those covered in Section3. Proposal packages are available by request.

To obtain a proposal package including the final site plan, drawings, and HFHGC specification manual please contact:

Employment Legals

Noah Gaylor

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville 1801 Broadway Street, Charlottesville, VA, 22902 By phone at (434) 293-9066 Or email at ngaylor@cvillehabitat.org To see a complete job description for each position, visit arcpva.org/careers

ORDER OF PUBLICATION Case No. CJJ-4, 882-07-00 VA. CODE § 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

Charlottesville Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Charlottesville Dept. of Social Services v. Unknown Father, Gabriel Cerritos and Cecily Bolden

The object of this suit is to terminate the residual parental rights of Unknown Father, Gabriel Cerritos and Cecily Bolden of the minor child S.B. born to Cecily Bolden on 4/5/2025.

It is ORDERED that Unknown Father, Gabriel Cerritos and Cecily Bolden, appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before April 22, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.

2/20/26

Areshini Pather

DATE JUDGE

ORDER OF PUBLICATION Case No. CJJ41703, -04, -05

VA. CODE § 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

Charlottesville Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Charlottesville Dept. of Social Services v. Unknown Father & Katelyn Breedan

The object of this suit is to terminate the residual parental rights of unknown father of the minor child B.B. born to Katelyn Breedan on 11/27/2023.

It is ORDERED that Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

2/25/26

Areshini Pather DATE JUDGE

ORDER OF PUBLICATION Case No. JJ41782-04-00 JJ41782-05-01

Commonwealth of Virginia VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Charlottesville Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Charlottesville Dept. of Social Services v. Unknown Father & Sam Diaz

The object of this suit is to terminate the residual parental rights of unknown father and Sam Diaz of a girl child I.S. born to Emily Sherman on 2/12/2025.

It is ORDERED that Unknown Father & Sam Diaz, appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before April 15, 2026 at 9:30 a.m.

2/11/26

Areshini Pather DATE JUDGE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PROJECT/MATTER: Special Use Permit (File No. 11.10.2 m.3) • 137 East Main Street, Scottsville, VA Multi-Family Housing in a Commercial District

DATE: Monday, March 23, 2026

TIME: 7:00 PM

LOCATION: 401 Valley Street, Scottsville, VA (2nd Floor)

PURPOSE: The Scottsville Planning Commission and Town Council will hold a joint public hearing to receive public input on a proposed Special Use Permit to allow apartments (multi-family housing) within a commercial building located at 137 East Main Street, Scottsville, VA.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

• In-Person: Members of the public are invited to attend and provide testimony at 401 Valley Street, Scottsville, VA (2nd Floor).

• Online (Zoom): Join by computer or mobile app. A direct meeting link will be made available prior to the hearing.

• Written Comments: Written comments may be submitted by email no later than Wednesday, March 18, 2026, to: Admin@scottsville.org

ACCESSIBILITY: The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Elevator access is available. Individuals requiring additional accommodations should contact the Town of Scottsville in advance of the hearing.

The Town of Scottsville welcomes public participation in this process.

Notice is hereby given that GoSolo Transport LLC, 2771 Aldersgate Way, Charlottesville, VA 22911, has filed an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity that would authorize: 1. Passenger transportation as a Common Carrier over Irregular Routes, providing service in the Cities of Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Counties of Albermarle, Virginia and; 2. The transportation of Medicaid recipients throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Carrier as defined in Section 46.22000 et seq. of the Code of Virginia.

Any person who desires to protest the application and be a party to the matter must submit a signed and dated written request setting forth (1) a precise statement of the party’s interest and how the party could be aggrieved if the application was granted; (2) a full and clear statement of the facts that the person is prepared to provide by competent evidence; (3) a statement of the specific relief sought; (4) the name of the applicant and case number assigned to the application; and (5) a certification that a copy of the protest was sent to the applicant. The case number assigned to this application is MC2600107TA.

Written protests must be mailed to DMV Motor Carrier Services, Attn: Operating Authority, P. O. Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269-0001 and must be postmarked on or before March 27, 2026.

Any protest filed with competent evidence will be carefully considered by DMV, however, DMV will have full discretion as to whether a hearing is warranted based on the merits of the protest filed.

P.S. THE BIG PICTURE

In full bloom

It took 30 volunteers 390 sheets of paper to create the nearly 400 handmade flowers that grace the stage of Live Arts’ Emma Kate Hamill’s lively take on the Jane Austen classic opened on Friday, March 6. Volunteers ranging in age from 6 to 80 spent more than 300 hours creating the set for the show, which runs through March 22, bringing Austen’s matchmaking comedy—and several gardens’ worth of paper blooms—to the stage.