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SAVIN G TH E CO RAL REEFS , O N E ADVENTU RE AT A TI M E LI F E + C U LTU R E

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A P R I L 2 022

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

The Gift Of Exploration

April 2022 PUBLISHER

Hann Livingston | hann.livingston@citylifestyle.com EDITOR IAL COOR DINATOR

Melinda Gipson | melinda.gipson@citylifestyle.com

Getting out into the world and exploring is, for me, one of the joys of living... it invites invites personal growth and expands our perspective. Having the freedom to get out and do (and see) new things, meet new people and learn was something we all sorely missed during the COVID years. The good news is that our world is opening up again. Growing up, one of the best gifts my parents gave me was travel. We joined family friends on a sailboat for a two-week tour of the Mediterranean Sea (they had sold everything and, as a family, spent a year sailing from port to port...lucky them). Later in high school, I studied and lived with a family in Spain for a summer. I did missionary work building cinderblock homes and teaching ESL in Reynosa, Mexico during another high school summer. I spent weekends with my Boy Scout Troop hiking and camping. All of these experiences shaped me. They gave me perspective and showed me that the world is a big, wonderful place with so much to offer if you took the time to look and learn. Explore is the theme of this issue. It is particularly apropos after the pandemic fugue. In it, we look locally and abroad. You can stay here in Leesburg for the Garden Tour or take a two hour drive and visit an award winning vineyard. Or take a trip with one of our Leesburg business owners who has dedicated her volunteer efforts to saving coral reefs. In terms of perspective, a local mother and daughter have written a book for children to help them explore the issue of race without sound-bite politics. We also talk to an innovator who is developing a new way to travel and explore. Aren't we all just humans, after all? At the end of the day, we are doing our best with the tools we have to move through life. Wouldn't it be a better world if we could look at the person next to us in each interaction and learn something? Ask a probing question. Explore another perspective without digging in to our own preconceived notions and concrete belief systems. You don't have to change, but you can learn. That, to me, is the beauty of our short lives on this planet.

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Proverbs 3:5-6 Leesburg Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Leesburg area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Leesburg Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the

L I F E ST Y LE LE T T E R

accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

I WAS TIRED OF LIVING WITH MY FIBROMYALGIA PAIN Fibromyalgia has been difficult to treat and even more difficult to understand, UNTIL NOW! Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. provides patients with much needed relief from Fibro symptoms! If you’re suffering from Fibromyalgia you understand this sentiment all too well. Local resident Elyse K. found herself at a turning point when she noticed her diagnosis had started to take a toll on her marriage.

And too often, these symptoms are only made worse because practitioners find it difficult to understand and even more troublesome to treat. It’s characterized by widespread pain in muscles, and tissues rather than “I was angry all the time because inflammation of the joints, muscles and tissues. of all the things I couldn’t do anymore because of my Fibromyalgia. That anger cycled Then your primary care doctors suggest dietary changes, pain through to depression and affected everyone around me, my liniments and, pharmaceuticals to the point where your life is no husband more than anyone. It longer ruled by Fibromyalgia. It’s made our lives miserable.” now ruled by a difficult routine Fibromyalgia affects the entire and pill regimen in order to avoid body. To make things complicated flare ups. it affects everyone’s body a little Elyse put it this way, differently. To make things even more complicated, those effects can “My life was no longer my own.” change on a daily basis. Some-times Eventually Elyse did her own you’re plagued with wide-spread muscle pain and fatigue, and other research and discovered that acupuncture can improve the days it’s a headache and quality of life in Fibro patients. heightened sensitivity to touch. Determined to find the best in the “I could barely stand to have the business, she discovered FIREFLY Acupuncture & Wellness lead by light weight of bedsheets Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. touching me, much less a hug from my husband.” Rachal has been successfully explains Elyse. treating difficult to manage, chronic This is what it’s like to suffer from pain cases for almost fifteen years. Fibromyalgia. Symptoms make She uses the time tested science of everyday life incredibly difficult. acupuncture integrated with Mundane, daily tasks are nearly modern medical advancements in impossible. healing and recovery. Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that

is commonly used to reduce various forms of pain. It works by reducing inflammation, stimulating the release of endorphins and offers much needed, effective symptom relief for Fibromyalgia. Then Rachal skillfully layers other non invasive therapies like ATP Resonance BioTherapy™ and other natural therapies for amplified, long-lasting results.

“I feel like a new person. My husband comes with me to my appointments. He spends most of it thanking Rachal for giving him back the woman he married. For the first time since we moved here, one of my neighbors told me I looked good! It’s a miracle she treated my Fibro, I don’t know how else to explain it.” If you’re looking for a practitioner and a clinic who understands your diagnosis and has a proven solution for chronic pain, look no further than FIREFLY. Elyse describes FIREFLY almost as enthusiastically as she does their treatments. “I love it here!” Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. is now accepting new patients and offering free consultations, but only for a limited time.

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APRIL 2022

inside the issue The Explore Issue

F E ATU R E D

D E PA RTM E NTS

24 Saving the Earth's Coral Reefs

Lifestyle Letter

City Scene

Business Monthly

Giving Back

Road Trip

LI FE + C U LT U R E

Our Town

AU TO + MA R I NE

Open House

HO ME + DES I GN

Kids Corner

EDU CAT I O N

Realty Report

Travel Journal

One Adventure at a Time

30 Virginia or the Veneto?

Only Barboursville's Winemaker Knows for Sure

36 John Langford Goes 'Back to the Future' to Change How We Fly

Electra.aero Puts Virginia in the Race to Build Hybrid Electric Planes

46 A Stroll Through Leesburg's Historic Garden Tour

T R AV EL

R EA L ESTAT E T R AV EL

Time to Stop and Smell the Flowers

O N T H E C OV E R

Photography: Marty Shoup, Blue Lion Multimedia John S. Langford III, founder and CEO of Electra.aero, reaches back to the past for lessons on how to chart a path for the future of hybrid flight.

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APRIL 2022

city scene

Where neighbors can see and be seen. 1

AMANDA POFFENBERGER

SCOTT SIKES

ART PITTMAN

JEFF SCUDDER

SCOTT SIKES SCOTT SIKES

BILL VOCKE

1: Competitor at the Paul VI's Unified Sports Boys Basketball game at PVI on Jan 18th 2: John Champe's Ralph Martino’s slam dunk in 52-44 win against Osborne HS on Feb. 12. 3: Broad Run Girls Basketball defeated Loudoun Valley Feb 18th, to win the Dulles District Final 4: Unity Reed HS swimmer competes at the Cedar Run District Championship swim meet Feb. 1st 5: Broad Run wrestler in meet against Lightridge Jan. 11. 6: Dominion gymnast finishing on beam at Loudoun Valley five-team meet Jan. 20. 7: Stone Bridge high jumper competing at Feb. 2 Potomac Districts Winter Districts Championship. Photography courtesy of Viva Loudoun

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APRIL 2022

business monthly A round-up of exciting news from local businesses.

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Photography Melinda Gipson

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Links to The Coder School's summer camp schedule at the Ashburn and McLean locations are: Ashburn thecoderschool.com/ locations/ashburn/#camps and McLean thecoderschool.com/ locations/mclean/#camps The school, which values combining both physical and mental stimulation also continues its Kick N Code camps in partnership with Loudoun Soccer (start by registering with Loudoun Soccer, then follow the link to The Coder School or call 703-777-9977) and Skate N Code camps in partnership with Ashburn Ice House.

Scan to read more.

Photography ION International Training Center

Spring & Summer Fun Camps at ION International Sign-up is open for ION International Training Center for both day camps and a two-day intensive skating camp with Olympic champion Coach Valentin Nikolayev April 23-24, for all levels of skater. See ionitc.com/ camps/ for details!

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Photography Clay & Metal Loft

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The Clay & Metal Loft Summer Camps Begin June 20 From Fun with Drawing to Kids Clay to Mixed Media and beyond, kids can print, paint, draw, shape clay or even create their own comics during The Clay and Metal Loft’s summer camps. See: theclayandmetalloft.com/sawyersummer-camps-schedule to sign up.

CONTINUED >

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B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY C O N T I N U E D

StageCoach Theatre Company Posts Summer Camps Summer Camp Intensive Musical Camps (Auditions April 9 & 10) June 20 – July 8 Into the Woods July 25 – August 4 Legally Blonde the Musical (rising 9th grade to 2022 high school graduates) *** July 5 – 8 and August 15 – 19, Improv Camp July 11 – 15: Acting Camp “Frankenstein’s Amazing Wind-Up Friend” July 18 – 22 Young Cabaret Camp (ages 6-9) August 8 – 12 Acting Camp “Wonderland vs. Oz” Open to ages 10 – 19 unless otherwise noted. See stagecoachtc.com/ Photography Stage Coach Theatre

Scan to read more.

School of Rock Ashburn Summer Camps From Rock 101 Band Camp to its signature Rock School Band Camp, the School of Rock Ashburn is ready to take you AND your kids from rookies to rockers! It all starts June 20 See schoolofrock.com/music-camps/ashburn. (Music camps are divided into camps for kids, teens and adults so each age group has a chance to find their own groove.

Photography School of Rock Ashburn

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Healthy Elkhorn Coral

Saving the Earth's Coral Reefs ARTICLE BY ELYSA LEONARD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY AQUARIUM DIVERS FOR CORAL SOCIETY

One Adventure at a Time Elkhorn Coral hung on PVC pipe to seed coral nurseries

G IV IN G BAC K | TR AVEL

Elysa cleaning a Staghorn Coral Tree at Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire

By day, Elysa Leonard is the owner of Splash Communications, an Ashburn-based online marketing, PR, website design and social media company. But in keeping with its tagline, “Don’t just make a ripple, make a Splash!”, the diminutive marcom maven is also helping to save the world’s coral reefs. It all started with a contract for the Baltimore Aquarium where she is a volunteer diver. There she first heard about and then met Michael Anderson, a volunteer diver for the Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey. Over the past two decades, Michael witnessed the decline of coral reefs along the Florida Keys and Florida’s eastern coast, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Bonaire on his personal scuba diving trips and (sorry, we can’t resist) “dove” into both the causes of coral depletion and what was being done in efforts to restore the reefs. What he learned about the latter was that most efforts in replenishment rely on volunteer divers who have to pay to become certified in coral restoration, which deters most recreational divers. So, he created a new organization to combine the forces of more professional aquarium divers to travel to the most devastated areas around the world to save the coral reefs. It’s called Aquarium Divers for Coral Society, and it’s just starting to make waves. In keeping with our “explore” theme, Elysa, the group’s marketing director and a board member, told us about her adventurous passion project. Q: Tell us more about the Aquarium Divers for Coral Society. ELYSA: ADFC is Michael’s initiative. His idea was that aquarium divers like himself have untapped skills that can be put to good use doing coral restoration work.

Aquarium divers already do intricate work underwater so have unique skills and near-perfect buoyancy control which gives them the delicate underwater coordination needed to help restore damaged areas without injuring living coral. The 501c3 charitable organization is made up of mainly aquarium divers who want to help coral restoration efforts around the world. Globally, this pool of talent includes hundreds of aquarium divers who, combined, could have an immense impact. It will truly make a difference in the health and survival of coral reefs! Our organization is open to not only aquarium divers but any certified divers that want to learn about coral restoration and support our work. See aquariumdiversforcoral.org Q: How does Coral Restoration work? ELYSA: Coral Restoration’s main goal is to keep endangered coral species from extinction. Corals are not plants but tiny animals that live attached to the ocean floor. Staghorn and Elkhorn corals are two of the most recognized on the Endangered Species Act, where more than 25 coral species are listed. In the Caribbean, their population has declined by more than 90 percent! They thrive in shallow water in Florida and the Caribbean and tropical water around the world. ADFC has been working with coral restoration organizations to develop a restorative process called fragmentation. Genetically similar corals are hung from a tree made of PVC pipe. There they grow until they are large enough to be out-planted where they can thrive and become a healthy new thicket of coral. The new corals are attached to the ocean floor with zip ties, cement, or in some cases just wedged together to create a secure structure.

CONTINUED > AP R I L 2 0 2 2 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / L E E S BUR G

ADFC Members and Buddy Dive Staff at Buddy Dive Resort. Elysa Leonard 3rd from left, Michael Anderson, 4th from left.

“Michel Cousteau once told me: ‘You can’t care about saving something that you don’t know exists.’ For me, that summarized the whole ‘raison d’etre’ for aquariums.”

Much of our work involves cleaning coral trees in underwater nurseries. The trees quickly become covered with fire coral and algae and need to be scrubbed using hand tools so the algae does not smother the newly growing corals. Good buoyancy is important when doing this work so divers do not damage the corals they’re trying to save or any of the other parts of the reef. Q: Why did you want to get involved? ELYSA: It sounds simplistic, but I own a marketing and public relations company, Splash Communications, splashmarcom.com and have been looking for a charitable

G IV IN G BAC K | TR AVEL

organization for my company to support for a long time. I wanted to work with a charity that fit my company brand. I have been volunteering for the National Aquarium in Baltimore for more than 15 years. I love to dive and I am passionate about saving these ocean environments. My position at the aquarium gives me a unique opportunity to teach people about this extremely important yet very fragile ecosystem that needs our help to survive for future generations. Working for the aquarium gives me a platform that I can’t take for granted. Michel Cousteau once told me: “You can’t care about saving something that you don’t know exists.” For me, that summarized the whole “raison d’etre”

ADFC Members celebrate a great dive visiting the Coral Forest off of Klein Bonaire.

for aquariums. Their sole purpose is to show people the underwater magic of a place they may never otherwise see. Coming from a marcom background, I could see that ADFC needed Splash’s help. We created the logo, icon and website and I have joined the Board of Directors as the publicity chair. Even with Covid travel restrictions we recently completed three trips to Bonaire and Curacao to get certified and help support Reef Renewal Bonaire and Coral Restoration Curacao with their coral restoration. Bonaire, a Dutch island, is one of the most pristine reef systems in the Caribbean Sea, but even there, the reefs have suffered and the restoration work is designed to keep it stabilized. There, we were put to work cleaning coral trees on location at Buddy Dive Resort’s Reef and in a much larger area off of Klein Bonaire. We also helped dismantle a pop-up nursery that was being relocated. Bonaire is doing great work to restore and bring back Staghorn and Elkhorn corals. We were able to more than double their numbers in the water on this trip and, as travel opens up, plan to bring in many more divers to help the reefs expand. We have upcoming trips

planned to the Florida Keys in July and August and will return to Bonaire in November of 2022. Q: How can we help? ELYSA: Check out our website, aquariumdiversforcoral. org. Join our organization and show your support. If you are a diver, join us for a coral restoration trip, get certified, and help restore the reef. We want to do more of this valuable work and funding would help us accomplish our goal of increasing the coral reef by 20%. We have webinars throughout the year presented by practitioners in the field that you can join. They offer real-time information about the work being done to restore and renew coral reefs throughout the world If you want to learn to scuba dive, I highly recommend Nautilus Aquatics nautilusva.com. They have two locations in Sterling and Vienna. They are locally owned and the dive instructions are very safety conscious and work with teens and adults. I also recommend watching the documentary, Chasing Coral. It will tell you even more about why we are doing what we are doing.

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Library 1821

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Virginia or the Veneto? ONLY BARBOURSVILLE'S WINEMAKER KNOWS FOR SURE

Driving south on Rt. 15 to either Rt. 29 through Madison County or 522 through Culpepper, the winding, tree-lined back roads of Virginia give way to gently rolling vineyards not so different from Italy’s Veneto wine region (to the north of Venice). “Venice?” you say. “This is Virginia.” True, but why an eighth-generation Italian wine making family based its new world expansion in humble Orange, Virginia, back in the mid-1970s, shouldn’t be a mystery. So says the now legendary winemaker, Luca Paschina, who is celebrating his 33rd year at Gianni Zonin’s Barboursville Vineyards (bbvwine.com). Paschina likens Barboursville’s estate founder to Magellan for his perseverance and intuitive embrace of a region that would become home to more than 200 wineries in the wake of his success. In his own online history of Barboursville, he lauds Gianni for relying on tradition, science and humility to achieve extraordinary acclaim for Barboursville wines on both sides of the Atlantic. Barboursville’s bottles not only perennially grace the Governor’s Cup case selection, but also rate scores in the mid- to high90’s in competitions from coast to coast. Barboursville’s signature red is called Octagon, named after the shape of the estate Thomas Jefferson built for Governor James Barbour, completed in 1821 about the same time the estate’s ancestral winery, Casa Vinicola Zonin, was founded. With rich aromas of currant, sweet tobacco and dark chocolate, the Octagon 2017 vintage blended Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot won a Gold Medal in both the 2020 and 2021 Governor’s Cup Competition, scoring 94 points from James Suckling. It also scored 96 points plus a Platinum medal as the Best Bordeaux Blend in last year’s IWC Sommelier Challenge. We’re not so much about rating wines as helping our readers use them to create great experiences, so the important thing to know here is that, within

a 2-hour drive from downtown Leesburg, you can be transported to a truly extraordinary wine experience that seems a world away. Upon arrival, give the front door a miss and instead hang a left into Library 1821. The broad terra-cotta tiled hall (with walls hung with grape-picking baskets) leads to one of the premier wine tastings in the Commonwealth. In the Library, select wines are offered in flights ranging from the mid-$20’s to the mid-$40’s. You can add a light meal of classic baked cannelloni with veal, Mortadella and farm-raised port filling with Parmigiano Reggiano bechamel, best paired with the Nebbiolo Reserve or Octagon. Alongside a sampling of three whites and three reds – and maybe just one smidge of the Octagon 2014 or 2015 – your meal is followed by a finish of Tiramisu with Philéo NV. Whatever you select from the trattoria style menu will be superb so long as you don’t come on a Tuesday when the Library is closed! Among the wines offered for tasting in February were three sparkling wines, actually grown and bottled by Barboursville’s sister winery in the Italian Veneto, a delectable Sauvignon Blanc Reserve (2019, 2014) an award winning Viognier Reserve 2020, and several unique varietals like Vermentino and Fiano Reserve, Allegrante Rose, Philéo NV, and Paxxito (2017), all a nice contrast to the still extraordinary but more common Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Merlot. If you are a Viognier-o-phile, treat yourself to the 2010 Viognier Reserve. It’s not on the menu, but quite possibly the best white wine we’ve ever tasted. Packed with floral aromas and flavors of tropical fruit, honey and orange, it virtually sparkles on the tongue. 2010 was hot and dry, leading to a more concentrated, luscious harvest, but not all the vineyard’s varietals have fared as well with the increasingly warm temperatures.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELINDA GIPSON

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Some readers may remember Barboursville’s makers from Italy, France, South Africa, from the West remarkable Sangiovese, but Luca had to stop produc- Coast, the Finger Lakes and the Carolinas. I don’t believe ing it because increasingly hot summers dramatically in bringing a certain style to Virginia and adapting the curbed the vines’ production. Luca’s attention to grapes to it. It’s the other way around. The climate and climate and its nuances is surpassed only by his appre- soil we have here naturally dictates how you approach ciation for which kinds of grapes thrive in the Orange the wine, and the proof is in the pudding. A bottle of County terroir, along with the characteristics they 20-year-old Virginia wine is perfect and beautiful. Why assume based on their environment. should they be changed?” Since 1991, he has systematically put aside bottles of all Not changed – but enhanced, by the extraordinary the estate’s wines and tasted them periodically – imagine! talents of The Palladium Restaurant’s Executive Chef Three decades worth! What Michael Clough. Now that you he came to appreciate was know all the rewards a trip to that the vineyard’s white Barboursville offers, consider wines age surprisingly well, spending “An Evening With “they retain a great expresMorels,” Saturday, April 30. sion of freshness and aroDinner will include Timballo matics.” As a result, in 2018, al Parmigiano Reggiano he began to blend them, con Spugnole, a Parmigiano finally producing white Reggiano flan with crispy wine’s answer to Octagon, morels; local Mesclun greens and aptly named the resultand ramp vinaigrette served ing blend Nascent. with Chardonnay Reserve From harvest to release, 2020; house-made Tagliatelle Nascent’s predominant pasta with sauteed Morels, fava Viognier is aged for a year beans, ramps and Caromont not in stainless steel as Farm Pecorino served with is the Viognier Reserve, Cab Franc Reserve 2016; but in 660-gallon, thickfoie gras and Morel-stuffed staved casks of very low roasted quail in a Nebbiolo porous, lightly toasted reduction with asparagus and Austrian oak. It’s then soft polenta served with a preChef Michael Clough (foreground) moved to stainless steel, view of Nebbiolo Reserve 2019; with Cesare Lanfranconi along with its sediment, and Rice fritters with white where it is mixed with chocolate sauce and blueberry Vermentino and Falanghina, each of which had been gelato with Philéo NV. Book early (540-832-7848) as this simultaneously aging in used barrels of neutral French one will sell out weeks in advance. oak. Together, the result is very fragrant with intense Also keep your eyes peeled for those wines that have aromatics – “very dramatic, bright and refreshing,” Luca already taken gold medals in this year’s Governor’s Cup says, perfect with a plate of pasta with muscles and oil. competition: 2020 Vermentino Reserve, 2020 Sauvignon Luca’s painstaking methods have evolved over time Blanc Reserve, 2018 Paxxito, and 2019 Nebbiolo Reserve. to create a unique style that the Italians can now learn Luca also especially likes the 2019 Cab Sav and Petit from. “Moving wine from barrel to barrel gives it a bit Verdot Reserves, 2019 Cab Franc Reserve and 2019 of oxygen so that it evolves differently and becomes Goodlow Mountain Cab Franc. With or without recogsofter and more supple,” he says. Humbly he adds, “But nition, “What we aim for is consistency,” Luca says, to it’s a two-way street. Look at Virginia, we now have wine exacting, high standards.

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Luca Pachina, Into His Fourth Decade as the Winemaker of Barboursville

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Artist rendering of Electra's Commercial Air Taxi

John Langford Goes 'Back to the Future' For Electronic Flight

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JOHN LANGFORD GOES 'BACK TO THE FUTURE' TO CHANGE HOW WE FLY Locked in traffic on the Beltway, surrounded by Teslas, have you never wondered why there aren’t electric planes? Aeronautical engineers have been working on an economical approach to electronic propulsion in aircraft for decades. Until recently, batteries haven’t been light enough or efficient enough to store energy at remotely the same ratio as jet fuel. In fact, they still aren’t – and batteries aren’t the only problem. If such batteries are charged on a grid powered by coal, they’re not that much better for the environment than the fuel itself. Now, however, some 200 electric aircraft programs are underway nationwide, and one local aviation pioneer may be zeroing in on a solution that could put an end to such traffic jams – eventually – while simultaneously curbing the carbon footprint of air travel, all without building elaborate aircraft charging stations. Impossible, you say? You might not think so if you knew that this same pioneer had already flown aircraft using some of the same stored energy principles of his new, cutting-edge hybrid electric plane prototype while he was still an undergrad at MIT forty years ago. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but we draw this parallel because we’re not just telling a story about how Fairfax-based Electra. aero (electra.aero), a next-generation aerospace company, is working to build electric,

ultra-short takeoff and landing airplanes that fly more people and stuff quieter, further and more affordably. We’re also exploring how inspiration, ingenuity and entrepreneurship work together to shape our future. Electra’s Founder and CEO is John S. Langford III, and he’s rewriting the book on both manned flight and what drives innovation. “What we’re trying to do with Electra is be part of the decarbonization of aviation, which is the only way to make it sustainable in a world that needs to move carbon emissions to zero in the next twenty years,” John explains. Air transportation produces 915 metric tons of CO2 every year, 12% of the transportation sector, but its effect on global warming is likely higher because emissions are released at high altitude. Electra’s solution, to at least the short-haul flights, is a hybrid plane that pairs an aerodynamic technique called “blown lift” from wing-mounted propellers with a hybrid-electric propulsion system to deliver many of the operating characteristics of a helicopter more cheaply than today’s fixed-wing aircraft. (See artist depictions.) Under Langford’s supervision with about 15 full-time employees and 30-40 contractors, Electra is building a fullscale hybrid demonstrator aircraft that will begin flight testing later this year out of its test facility at the Manassas Regional Airport.

ARTICLE BY MELINDA GIPSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTY SHOUP, BLUE LION MULTIMEDIA, MELINDA GIPSON, ELECTRA.AERO *All Electra aircraft images are artist renderings.

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Electra engineers JP Stewart and Oliver Masefield in front of one of the Electra electric propellers. Eight of these go on the Technology Demonstrator aircraft

John holds an Estes model of NASA's Artemis Rocket, Destined for the Moon

“Helicopters can take off and land almost anywhere, but they’re also noisy and very expensive. They cost on the order of five times the equivalent fixed-wing airplane,” John says, in detailing just one of the problems Electra is trying to tackle. Being able to take off and land in a small space is one of the key criteria necessary to enable air-taxi service in urban areas. But commercial short hops are only the beginning. Distance for electric planes is an issue because of the limited capacity of today’s batteries to store and use energy even in concert with more conventional jet fuel. But Electra’s hybrid electric aircraft is designed to run on sustainable aviation fuel or “biofuels” like those Boeing is working to create. The best way to visualize the transformative effect of biofuels on flying is probably the scene in 1985’s Back to the Future, Part II where Doc Brown throws banana peels and beer into his “Mr. Fusion” flux capacitor to take off in his redesigned DeLorean time machine. (“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!”)

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John diagrams how Electra's hybrid system works

All Electra needs is 100 ft. of “runway” -enough room to make a Tyson’s Corner rooftop or even a soccer field viable for take-off and landing of a piloted plane flying up to nine people. The commercial driver is an economical, shared flight service that would dramatically cut travel times between large, nearby urban areas, a pot of gold that has come to be known by Wall Street as “Advanced Air Mobility.” (Longtime readers will remember our story about a Leesburg lawyer who flies himself to Richmond and back to avoid traffic on Rt. 95 in our very first issue. But that’s travel for one, by a trained pilot, not a pathway to democratize or economize air travel.) Going back to our original question, the short answer to why it’s not as easy to build an electric plane as an electric car is because batteries are heavy, and weight is important in airplanes. More propulsion-efficient carbon fuels pollute the atmosphere and speed global warming. Electra’s breakthrough design, which pairs biofuels with batteries that can be self-charged in flight, is the beginning of the answer, John believes. “It isn’t going to happen overnight; it will happen in stages,” he adds, as both the propulsive efficiency of biofuels and the lightweight storage capacity of batteries improve. Both the Air Force’s Agility Prime Program and NASA’s Glenn Research Center appear to have endorsed Electra’s combination of eight “blown lift” propellors forcing air over the wing using flap systems to dramatically shorten the plane’s takeoff and landing radius. Electra has proven its concepts with a number of U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research or SBIR contracts, leading to a Phase III award that will accelerate Electra’s development. Typically, such awards bring with them not just funding, but also defense-level proof tests that clear a path towards the Defense Department buying several aircraft for its own use, which is one path companies tread

to bring manufacturing costs down to size. Agility in Electra’s case is matched by stealth, as it runs much quieter than a helicopter. And, once on the ground, it could be run like a generator to power communications or other equipment necessary in a remotely operated base. The same configuration could also transport humanitarian organizations like Doctors Without Borders to hotspots ready to operate. John says the U.S. SBIR program is, “one of the greatest programs the government has. People love to talk about government programs that don’t work, but you rarely talk about the programs that are spectacular successes, and the SBIR program is one of those.... When I talk to colleagues in other countries, they cannot believe that the U.S. government will give you money to start a company without taking any equity.” The fact that the program is run competitively means that only innovators need apply, and DOD supervision makes the receiving companies run as efficiently as possible. “Small companies are more agile and innovative, so the government program manager gets his or her money’s worth,” while driving American competitiveness and innovation. SBIR money was fundamental to the success of John’s last company, Aurora Flight Sciences, which John founded in Manassas in 1989, and sold to Boeing in 2017. Over the last 30 years, the company has earned more than 100 patents on advances in autonomous piloted and unpiloted flight and advanced composite manufacturing, among other things. The bigger companies become, the more pressure their shareholders put on management to curb research and development, John opines, citing principles from The Innovator’s Dilemma by Harvard professor Clayton Christensen. Among other theories the book expounds on why, faced with transformative change, great managers make exactly the wrong decisions about their growth path.

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“I’VE ALWAYS SUBSCRIBED TO THE MANTRA, ‘THINK BIG; START SMALL; ACT NOW.’” Running a smaller company like Aurora, he enjoyed the autonomy of being able to research and develop a number of potential solutions before settling on those that offer the best economics, “plus I’m more suited to a small company environment,” he allows. “I’ve always subscribed to the mantra, ‘Think big; start small; act now.’” Aurora had the opportunity to do a whole series of vertical takeoff and landing designs for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA. As a result of this experience, for his money, extremely short takeoff and landing hybrids will beat the economics of both pure electric or hydrogen powered and vertical lift vehicles for the foreseeable future. Besides fueling his thirst for innovation – providing the start-up capital for Electra– the sale of Aurora also fueled another of John’s passions: educating the next generation of innovators. Through a series of unforeseen events, he was made aware that the model rocket company Estes Industries (estesrockets.com/) was available for sale out of bankruptcy and bought it. Founded in 1958, the family-owned company has built and sold hundreds of the model rockets that fueled the imagination of young students like himself. John saw his first Estes catalog in 5th Grade and acquired his first rocket on his 11th birthday. “And I literally never looked back,” he said. “I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and ended up going to MIT” – mostly because of the MIT Rocket Program team he met via the various model rocket society competitions he entered around the country. Note that Estes is still a family-owned company, currently run by John’s daughter-in-law,

Mallory Langford, from the Electra offices in Fairfax. The company still produces models of nearly every noteworthy real rocket, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin’s Blue Shepherd and NASA’s Space Launch System Artemis, the largest rocket ever made. With its Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. Artemis I’s first “wet” dress rehearsal before launch was scheduled to take place in March as we went to press. Estes, as before, continues its strong support for The American Rocketry Competition, or TARC, sponsored by the National Association of Rocketry (therocketcontest.org). This year as for the last 65, TARC will draw the top 100 student rocket teams from among around 5,000 to compete in the finals on May 14 at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia. Their challenge: to build and fly a model rocket that carries two raw large hen eggs, mounted sideways, to an altitude of 835 feet, stays airborne for between 41 and 44 seconds and returns the rocket to the ground safely. The importance of the competition in inspiring the next generation of aerospace engineers is incalculable, John says. “It’s backed by the Aerospace Industries Association and the AIAA – all of the big companies in aerospace – as a workforce development initiative. A host of new companies are competing for the same talent pool. Will they go to work for Boeing or Lockheed or Facebook or Google? The industry concluded that we have to up our game in inspiring and recruiting and mentoring the next generation. It’s also how you build CONTINUED >

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Image of Electra’s hybrid eSTOL aircraft at New York’s Downtown Manhattan Heliport.

An Electra eSTOL aircraft flies over Geelong, Australia from an airport operated by Skyportz, Australia’s trailblazing air mobility infrastructure developer.

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Felix Moritz, George Bucsan, Tim Moser, Diana Siegel, JP Stewart and Peter Daetwyler discuss Electra’s new hybrid-electric airplane.

Mallory Langford, President of Estes Industries

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Artist rendering of Electra's military configuration

diversity in the workforce, whether it’s women in aerospace or people of color, you have to work with kids when they’re making career decisions... and trust me that’s well before you think they’re making career decisions. Just having a role model and opportunities, that’s what we’re trying to do here.” Here again, John puts his money where his mouth is; one-third of Electra’s top teammates are women, and he’s opened the doors of his start-up to 10 interns from around the country for the summer. Connections carry throughout your career, he adds. At Aurora, getting involved with AIA, meant being seated alphabetically at meetings, which is how John forged a relationship with the folks at Boeing who bought his first company. Lockheed Martin, both a local and industry connection, is now an investor in Electra. Just hitting the “high” notes of his own career, as an MIT undergrad John worked at the Carter White House designing national policy for aeronautical research and development. While at MIT, he program-managed both the Monarch precursor to and the Daedalus 88 aircraft, the human-powered plane that flew the 115 km from the Iraklion Air Force Base on Crete in the Mediterranean Sea to the island of Santorini in 3 hours 54 minutes. In the process, the aircraft set new records in distance and endurance for a human powered aircraft, and John credits Monarch as ancestor to Electra’s principle of alternating between stored and in-flight generated energy. (Daedalus, for its part, was named for the mythic Greek engineer who built wings of wax and feathers to escape his Cretan exile and whose son Icarus melted his wings when he flew too close to the sun.) Straight out of MIT undergraduate school, John headed to Lockheed’s (now Lockheed Martin’s) “Skunk Works,” famous for its Advanced Development Programs, where he worked on the then secret F-117 stealth bomber. He founded Aurora in 1989, straight out of grad school.

John as both entrepreneur and mentor has always believed in competitions as a way to advance innovation. It was a competition that inspired the Daedalus program, and competitions that have advanced the science of flight -- like the Orteig Prize, Kremer Prizes, DARPA Grand Challenge and NASA’s Green Flight Challenge -- are too numerous to mention here. So, naturally, as the past president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, he’s championing a National Aeronautic Association/Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race from Omaha to Kitty Hawk awarding a prize to the zero-emission aircraft turning in the fastest time (naa.aero/events/ pulitzer-electric-aircraft-race-2/). John pitches such a contest as the “Electric Airplane Acid Test,” and is ready to pit Electra against all comers. The combined market value of the top 10 companies competing for a stake in the regional Advanced Air Mobility market is on the order of $6 billion, he reckons, so it won’t be without raising substantial additional capital. The company is in the middle of a Series A funding round that it hopes to wrap up by summer. Next year, a Series B would lead to the first commercial, 9-passenger plane. “The total addressable market for trip distances of between 50 and 250 miles is likely in the trillions” of dollars, John says, so the payout for those who succeed in the market is substantial, but so are the risks of failure. “Maybe 5%-10% of startups in the field will succeed, so you want to know what you’re doing. But for those who have the risk appetite, and are properly calibrated about the time frame and the cost, it’s a great time to be an investor in aviation.” And, it’s a great time to have a near zero emissions plane that can get in and out of small spaces without a conventional runway, with no power stations, at less than the cost of a conventional airplane. “We think that is going to be a very big deal,” John says.

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A STROLL THROUGH LEESBURG'S HISTORIC GARDEN TOUR ARTICLE BY SHAYDA WINDLE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RONALD ROGOS

This year, the Leesburg Garden Club and FauquierLoudoun Garden Club will be hosting Historic Garden Week in Leesburg’s old town region on Sunday, April 24 from 1-5 pm and Monday April 25, 10 am-5 pm. This year’s tour is especially exciting as many private homes will open their doors to visitors for the first time since 2020. With so much to see, we’ve broken down the Leesburg walking tour for you, which begins at St. James Episcopal Church and ends on Cornwall St. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at vagardenweek.org/tours/leesburg/. St. James’ Episcopal Church -- 14 Cornwall Street, NW St. James was built in 1897 by DC architect Leon E. Dessez. The church is a Richardsonian Romanesque structure and includes a sanctuary illuminated by two signed Tiffany windows, in addition to several windows built by the Heaton Firm. The building was damaged by fire in 1929 and was rebuilt in 1931, according to its original design. The grounds include a variety of exotic and native trees. 21 Wirt Street, NW This 1894 home is an excellent example of a Queen Anne-style house that has been modernized over the years. The home features multiple porches, unique interior décor, and a blending of old and new furniture and art. The gardens are filled with abundant spring bulbs and perennials, including mature tree peonies

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and weigelia. Mature American boxwood and viburnum frames the rear yard, creating a hedge for privacy. The site features flowering fruit trees, a vegetable garden, a small fishpond garden, statues, and beautiful arbors. 209 Cornwall Street, NW The Colonial Revival home, designed by Joanne Tiffany, was built in 1950. The property was previously owned by the Harrison family, who were active with the Garden Club of Virginia and other local organizations. The current owners completed an extensive renovation in 2015. The half-acre lot features Japanese holly, Chinese snowball viburnum and climbing roses. Two Japanese lilac trees provide fragrant blooms and shade on the rear patio. A row of 165-year-old boxwoods anchors the back of the property. Dogwoods, Amelanchier, hellebores, daffodils, and tulips are just a few springtime blooms featured on the property. 211 Cornwall Street, NW (Garden Only) 211 Cornwall is a Federal-style home, with the original 2-1/2 story brick section constructed in 1788. The yard is organized in four distinct areas which are marked by small ornamental trees, boxwoods, and yew hedges. The side yard is framed with hellebores, star magnolia, dogwoods, and hydrangeas. The central formal garden, surrounding the focal sculpture of Diana the Huntress, follows a tranquil white and green color palette with peonies, hydrangea, white lavender, and roses.

ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH

21 WIRT ST.

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21 WIRT ST., REAR

211 CORNWALL ST.

21 WIRT ST., PORCH

211 CORNWALL ST.

21 WIRT ST., TULIPS

215 CORNWALL ST.

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“The Leesburg garden tour will take place near some of the best shops, restaurants, and art galleries our town has to offer.”

215 Cornwall Street, NW 215 Cornwall is a federal-style brick home built in 1824. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the home underwent several expansions to include a dining room connecting the main house to the kitchen, a wing with a family room and bedrooms, and a guest cottage at the rear of the 3/4-acre property. The current owners converted a rear porch into a breakfast room adjacent to the original kitchen and restored the brick patio designed by acclaimed landscape architect M. Meade Palmer. The gardens include boxwood, spring bulbs, and flowering trees.

Other Places of Interest The Leesburg garden tour will take place near some of the best shops, restaurants, and art galleries our town has to offer. Be sure to check out Global Local on 103 Loudoun Street Southwest, which features a variety of fair-trade products and local artisan-made goods to find the perfect keepsake. If you need a break from walking, stop by Trinity House Café on 101 E. Market Street, a lovely café and market occupying the George Head House, a late 18th century Federal-style home listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here are a few more landmarks which have been maintained by the Garden Club of Virginia over the years: Oatlands Plantation and Gardens – 5.5 miles south of Leesburg on Rt.15. This Greek Revival mansion was built around 1805 and once the center of a thriving 3,400-acre plantation. It includes terraced gardens, a portion of which was restored by the Garden Club of Virginia with funding from Historic Garden Week tours. George C. Marshall International Center – 217 Edwards Ferry Rd. Formerly called Dodona Manor, this was the home of General George C. Marshall and his wife, Katherine. He was the architect of the European Recovery Plan and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. The 3.8 acres of grounds and gardens were restored with support from the Garden Club of Virginia. The property is on the Virginia Landmarks Register and is designated a National Historic Landmark. Leesburg Garden Club Centennial Tree Walk at Ida Lee Park – 60 Ida Lee Dr., NW. A native tree walk was installed by the Leesburg Garden Club in honor of its 100-year anniversary. The walk begins behind the Rust Library and follows Old Waterford Road to the northwest end of the park.

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AP R I L 2 0 2 2 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / L E E S BUR G

ARTICLE BY MELINDA GIPSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEVERLY SAMUEL

Excerpt

MAKE NEW FRIENDS BEVERLY AND ALYSSA SAMUEL WRITE A SIMPLE PRIMER FOR KIDS ON INCLUSION

K I D S C OR N E R | ED U CATION

Alyssa Samuel loved growing up and attending Loudoun County Public Schools, in part because of the wide diversity of the lifelong friends she made in the community. With all the bickering lately that has leveled the national spotlight on Loudoun’s School Board, she and her mom Beverly thought it might be time to simplify things for the kids. Together they’ve written a colorful, engaging children’s book for elementary students called, Make New Friends. Without preaching, and as told through the eyes of blond-haired, blue-eyed Ava, you learn to appreciate how people may look, dress and eat differently, but can all appreciate and learn from each other. The message

Authors Alyssa and Beverly Samuel

Book Cover

AP R I L 2 0 2 2 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / L E E S BUR G

MAKE NEW FRIENDS

is diversity, equity and inclusion without all the big words and stereotypes. When people of different backgrounds and cultures live and learn together, readers learn, they share core values and can form lasting friendships. It’s a first effort by both authors, and clearly a labor of love. Says Beverly, “this book was written to shed light on how parents can teach their children about diversity and inclusion in a non-threatening, fun way. It is based on our life experiences living here in Loudoun County, and the opportunity my children had to make diverse friends.” Asked about their blond protagonist, Beverly says, “We wrote it from Ava’s perspective because we thought that would have the greatest influence. There are quite a few books written about diversity from a black perspective, and Alyssa was often the only black student in her class. She had white friends, Chinese friends, Latino friends and a friend that was in a wheelchair all through high school. As we all begin to break down barriers to making diverse friends, we believe white families will begin to embrace diversity more. That’s why we told the story from her perspective.” Like most Americans, the racial and social unrest of the last 18 months disturbed the Samuels. “We thought we could help people look beyond seeing each other by race. If you go into classrooms and cafeterias, you will often see the same race groups congregate together. I believe that when people start to make friends with people who are different than they are, then those barriers start to come down. People begin to understand that they have a lot in common and share core values.” The book and associated facilitators’ and children’s activity guides are available from iUniverse (universe.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/836399make-new-friends, and Amazon (amazon.com/ Make-New-Friends-Beverly-Samuel/). Finally, we can’t help but note that the colorful, happy illustrations come from an Indian illustrator the authors found through Upwork. We hope there’s much more in the works; we can’t help rooting for Ava and all her new friends.

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APRIL 2022

realty report A sample of recently sold properties in Leesburg. N E I GH BO RH O O D

ORIGIN AL PRICE

SO L D P RIC E

%SO L D/ O RIG

DO M

B DRM S

B AT H S

$1,195,000

$1,350,500

113%

3.55

Catoctin Creek Overlook

$924,827

100%

3.5

Coton Commons

$850,000

100%

3.5

Evergreen Meadows/Stowers

$725,000

$783,000

108%

3.5

Exeter

$839,900

$865,000

103%

3.5

Beacon Hill

Exeter Hills

$765,000

$780,000

102%

4.5

Goose Creek Club TH

$769,900

$750,000

97%

225

3.5

Greene Mill Preserve

$769,900

$815,000

106%

3.5

Heather Knolls

$999,990

$1,072,500

107%

3.5

$1,250,000

$1,315,000

105%

6.5

Lansdowne on the Potomac Det

$979,915

100%

2.5

Northlake

Meadow Brook Farm

$940,000

$975,000

104%

3.5

Old Wheatland

$1,484,075

100%

7.5

Paeonian Springs

$850,000

$907,000

107%

2.5

Potomac Crossing

$799,900

$840,000

105%

3.5

Potomac Station

$899,000

$975,000

108%

4.5

Reserve at Waterford

$949,000

$950,000

100%

3.5

96%

When it comes to buying and selling homes virtually, “Rely on Pam”! River Creek Det

$1,195,000

$1,150,000

River Creek TH

$875,000

$935,000

107%

4.5

Spring Lakes

$925,000

$950,000

103%

3.5

Stonebrook Farms Hamlet

$995,000

$1,041,000

105%

4.5

Waterford Meadows

$800,000

100%

3.5

Waterford Ridge

$1,249,900

$1,325,000

106%

5.5

After retiring further south, we decided to sell our River Creek home after leaving it on the rental market for over ten years. Selling an older home in a high-end neighborhood, with a tenant in place, with $150k of needed updates, long-distance and during COVID-19 pandemic—this could have been the ultimate real-estate horror story. Instead, it was one

of the easiest, smoothest house sales I’ve ever experienced. Pam handled everything and quickly sold the house for more than the asking price. Pam is the most professional and capable agent that I’ve ever worked with. —Former River Creek Residents

TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT US AT: Pamela Jones, Inc. Dave Jones, GRI

TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT US AT: Pamela Jones, Inc. Cell: (703) 587-7440 Office: (703) 724-9494

Dave Jones, GRI Cell: (703) 587-7440 Cell: (703) 587-7550 Office: (703) 724-9494 www.ETSellsFineHomes.com

Cell: (703) 587-7550 www.ETSellsFineHomes.com

AP R I L 2 0 2 2 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / L E E S BUR G

Visit Music City

Getaway to Nashville

and ‘Write Your Own Music City Story’

Write your own music story. That’s exactly what the chefs, artists, historians, musicians and impassioned locals of Nashville want visitors to do as they dive into this culturally diverse and oh-so-friendly city. Our team of local lifestyle fanatics at City Lifestyle are thrilled to collaborate with Visit Music City to present a customized visitor’s guide and exclusive GIVEAWAY* to this city rich in experiences that only Nashville can give. As the largest city in Tennessee, Nashville boasts an impressive array of destinations, including luxurious hotels such as the Sheraton Grand in the heart of downtown, Urban Cowboy, Noelle and The Hermitage Hotel, which houses the upscale restaurant Drusie and Darr, led by world-renowned chef Jean-Gorges. Come and enjoy a truly elevated dining experience that reflects the new era of Nashville. When ready to absorb the historic side of the city, the centuries-old landmark and winery, Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery, offers guests “historic tours, family tours, wine and food pairings, bourbon tastings and chef-inspired food and wine pairings” that are unparalleled in their local experience. Likewise, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery carries an incredible story of origination and bottles a remarkable 1860 family recipe that made Tennessee Whiskey world famous. Let’s talk about one of the most anticipated—the food scene! Three things Nashville is known for are hot chicken, barbecue, and meat & three restaurants. Nashville has amassed a lot of attention over the last 10 years for its exquisite food scene, with

T R AV E L J OU R N A L | TR AVE L

several James Beard award-winning chefs and an incredible independent restaurant scene. People know how good the food scene is, but if they really want to find those independent chef-driven restaurants like Rolf and Daughters, FOLK, Bastion, Locust, or Henrietta Red, these are the chefs that garner a lot of attention that you won’t want to miss. For the art lovers at heart, Nashville’s ever-growing arts scene is as diverse and approachable as its music scene. Murals, streets art, public art, art galleries and museums are all a part of experiencing Nashville’s visual art offerings. Music history venues such as the new National Museum of African American Music will complement your old favorite Frist Art Museum, Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, and Grand Ole Opry experiences. According to @visitmusiccity, “Everyone should do the Grand Ole Opry one night; it’s not just about the music, it’s a piece of history and the world’s longest running radio show.” Last but not least is the music scene. Whether you’re into blues, jazz, honky tonk, rock, symphony or quite literally any genre of music imaginable, Nashville has it all. Spend one night on Broadway hopping bar to bar, sit orchestra-side at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, tour and take in a show at the 130-year-old Ryman Auditorium, then experience a songwriter’s night at The Bluebird or The Listening Room Cafe. The music is different every night everywhere, so one is best served by referring to visitmusiccity.com for their Upcoming Concerts Calendar to soak up all the magnificent sounds.

“Nashville’s ever-growing arts scene is as diverse and approachable as its music scene. Murals, streets art, public art, art galleries, and museums are all a part of experiencing Nashville’s visual art offerings.”

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WIN a 3-night Weekend GETAWAY to Nashville! City Lifestyle and Visit Music City are giving one lucky winner and a guest the chance to explore Music City with a uniquely curated hospitality itinerary! With three days filled with complimentary hotel, food, entertainment and shopping experiences, the only thing you need to do is arrange transportation to and from Nashville. This giveaway will close on April 30, 2022. The trip must be taken by the end of 2022. For a chance to win, follow @citylifestyle and @visitmusiccity on Instagram and tag unlimited friends and family on the April 1st giveaway post for additional entries to win

$3,200 MUSIC CITY GETAWAY FOR 2 INCLUDES: • • • • • •

3-nights at Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown Dinner at Drusie & Darr Tour at Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery Tour & Tasting at Green Brier Distillery $500 Gift Card to Nordstrom in The Mall at Green Hills VIP Star Card – an attraction pass good for two people to experience the best attractions in Nashville • Music City Gift Bag *Star Card is not available to the public, this is an exclusive offering in collaboration with Visit Music City.

Scan the code to ENTER to WIN at @citylifestyle on Instagram!

T R AV E L J OU R N A L | TR AVE L

CALL US FOR A FREE ESTIMATE

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