Old Town Crier - August 2026

Well folks, here it is...we are midway through the Dog Days of Summer. We have already had recurring temps in the mid to upper 90's as well as a few over the 100-degree mark and August is supposed to be the hot month. Maybe global warming is not a myth as some think. I am 79 years old now and remember the days that I couldn’t wait to get out in the hot sun and on the water sans shirt and sunblock most of the time. Getting a good tan was paramount back then. Nowadays, not so much. Just working on a “healthy glow” this summer. In any case, I hope you all are staying “cool” – both figuratively and literally.

In celebration of the Dog Days of Summer, we published a piece that we ran a few years ago that lets you know that they aren’t just a by-product of our dogs having a tough time handling the heat. There really is some interesting history and even a little bit of an “out of this world/celestial” connection.

Let’s talk about what you can expect in this issue:

A Bit of History – Sarah Becker kicks us off with an interesting story of the power of the Irish Jig. Alexandria, after all, has Irish origins along with our Scottish heritage.

High Notes - Ron powers writes about a real favorite of young and old alike. We all danced and sang to Roy Orbinson in the 50s and 60s and on into the 70's. In 1989, Roy made a remarkable comeback in the music world. If you see Lani out and about, you can catch her attention if you start humming ‘Pretty Woman’-she says it’s her theme song and she does have a birthday this month.

Last Word - Miriam Kramer continues her search for books for summertime reading. Her passion began with In the Woods and continues with the recent trilogy by Tana French - The Searcher, the Hunter, and the Keeper.

On Stage Old Town - Mark Edelman enlightens us on to what is happening in our area, although the summer has thinned the ranks be sure to take in the Little Theater production of “Catch Me if You Can” that runs through the 8th.

Gallery Beat - Lenny Campello relates to the ups and downs of the artists in this industry and problems they encounter both internally and externally trying to get their work in front of the “right” people.

From the Bay - Adam Tremper tells us of the early 1900's in Solomons island and one of the cornerstones of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry

– The Lore Oyster House

To the Blue Ridge - Our pal and main Hunt Country connection, Meg Mullery, writes about one of her passions - therapeutic riding – as she highlights the role Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center plays in the lives of many.

Road Trip - Lani Gering brings us back to Solomons, Maryland with a visit to Annmarie Sculpture Gardens. This is a fantastic place where you can spend the whole afternoon under the canopy of 30 acres of woods all while seeing some of the amazing art from all over the world.

Caribbean Connection – Alexander Britell and crew give us the downlow on the Ninth Annual Caribbean Rum Awards taking place on St. Barth in October. Plenty of time to plan your trip. It is on my bucket list!!

Dining Out – In an effort to impart one way to keep cool in the heat, we highlight the 6 independent/small local chain ice cream and gelato shops in Old Town proper. Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, featured on the cover has been churning their wares since the 1940’s!

Let’s Eat - Judy Eichner gives us some “cold” soup recipes that sound interesting to me but I’ve never been able to wrap my head around soup that isn’t piping hot. I know there are some of you out there who are going to give one of these a try.

Let's Get Crafty – Tim Long takes a break from analyzing brews and trades it in highlighting two of his favorites...golfing and cigars. There is a mention of one of the Morgantown, WV favorite watering holes, the Fish Bowl, and their “little” 20-ounce schooners. I bet they are just fine but, hey, we have 32-ouncers here at the Fish Market in Old Town!

Grapevine - Matt Fitzsimmons has a great experience on the Sip and Savor Express train ride that runs out of Staunton! Operated by the Virginia Scenic Railroad, this adventure is a must try.

Exploring VA Wines – Doug Fabbioli reinforces the importance of bees to the agriculture community and to the well being of plants in and around the vineyard.

Beauty & Health – Genvieve LeFranc highlights tips on how to make the best of your makeup routine in this warm weather in First Blush, while Nicole Flanagan answers the question “Does Working Out in the Hot Weather Burn More Calories?” in Fitness and Ryan Unverzagt is back at it with the FitBall and one of the many exercises you can do with it in From the Trainer

Go Fish – Captain Chaconas imparts his wisdom in “Fishing with Confidence” and gives us tips on how to catch those bass in the Potomac River this month.

Open Space – Every month Lori Welch knocks it out of the park with her column. This month she reminisces about how and why she loves Alexandria so much. If you haven’t already checked her art exhibit at Nepenthe Gallery on Fort Hunt Road, you have until the 19th!

National Harbor – Not sure what really happened, but Lani has been all nostalgic about leaving the Harbor over 6 years ago. She explains in this column.

On another note, it looks like the City has finally decided to “pretty up” the 200 Block of King Street that was closed to vehicle traffic a year or so ago. I thought it would be fun to show you all what our August 1994 cover looked like again. This was our rendition of what the lower 2 blocks of King should look like as a Pedestrian Mall. Maybe they should have consulted with us!

In the meantime…Stay Cool my friends!!

august‘26

ON THE ROAD WITH OTC

Once again, our Western Colorado Old Town Crier fans and world travelers, Dave and Linda Allin, took the OTC with them on their trip to Scotland and Ireland. Dave tells us, “Early in the trip, when we were as hale and hearty as the knights of old, we climbed to the top battlements of Blarney Castle on the River Blarney northwest of Cork in southern Ireland. This tower includes a large and legendary block of limestone placed 85 feet above the base of the castle back in 1446. Visitors line up to kiss the Blarney stone to be rewarded with the gift of gab a few steps away from where Linda is displaying the OTC in front of the Blarney bell tower. And for those of you who have met Dave…we believe he may have kissed it somewhere along the way.

If you would like to see your photo in this space, take the OTC with you on your next adventure and take a high resolution photo or photos of you and yours checking us out and send it with information for the caption to office@oldtowncrier.com and put “On the Road” in the subject line.

By Lani Gering

This month we were all set on putting an image of one of the many amazing sculptures on display at the popular Annmarie Sculpture Gardens in southern Maryland on the cover since that would coincide with this month’s Road Trip column. However, after seeing how the Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream sign “pops” out in this photo, and the fact that they were part of the 50th Anniversary of the adjacent Fish Market last month and are featured in the Dining Out column, we just had to bring it home and use it. Really wish we had the resources to go back to our glossy covers, but you get the idea!

In the meantime, we hope you still enjoy our runner-up. If you think this outdoor work of art is swoon worthy, I highly encourage you to make a the trip to experience it in person- you won't be disappointed! We hope this photo from Annmarie Sculpture Gardens brings you the same amount of joy that it brought us and that you consider stopping by Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream on your next Old Town adventure to take the edge off of this heat with a cold, sweet treat. Photos also by Lani Gering.

Just when you think you have picked an obscure location for “Where Is It?”, someone guesses it pretty much right out of the gate. Thought for sure the July sculpture would take some time. Our winner, Doug Call, submitted the correct location mid-month after the June issue hit the streets! He lives in the Port Royal Condo complex in Old Town and picked his copy up in their foyer.

This beautiful piece of art is located in the promenade of the Venue complex (former space that housed the Crown Plaza Hotel) at 944 North Fairfax Street. This bronze sculpture by Zachary Oxman – “From challenge to triumph, Choreography of Wills embraces the enduring human journey” is described as a descending wing, humbled by struggle and challenge, becomes the support that raises the ascending wing upward in triumph and celebration.

Sticking with featuring local pieces of Public Art in our fair city, let’s see how fast one of you comes up with its location!

If you are the first person to respond with the correct location, you will receive a $50 gift certificate to one of the best French eateries in the DMV-Bastille Brasserie & Bar

In order to participate and qualify for the gift card, you will have to Like and Follow us: Facebook @oldtowncrier and Instagram @otcregionalmag

Send a PM with your guess and we will contact the winner each month via PM to arrange for prize delivery.

Events Around Town - August 2026

Summer in Alexandria is full of events and festivals worth planning around. The Annual Summer Restaurant Week brings exclusive, chef-driven menus to tables across the city, while the Annual Sidewalk Sale spills the city’s independent boutiques out onto the streets for one of the region’s most beloved seasonal shopping events. Add in excellent seasonal hotel rates and you have every reason to stay a little longer and explore a little further.

Whether you’re spending a long weekend or making a day trip from Washington, D.C., you’re in for an unforgettable experience in Alexandria, Virginia, voted a Travel + Leisure top 10 Best City in the US 2026 and a Condé Nast Traveler Top 3 Best Small City in the US 2025.

A nationally designated historic district founded in 1749, Old Town Alexandria hums 200+ independent restaurants and boutiques alongside intimate historic museums and new happenings at the waterfront, all surrounding the walkable King Street.

Through the 30th Rooted in Place: Occupied Alexandria Civil War Tour

Sundays at 9 am & 11 am-times subject to change Visitors Center

211 King Street

Explore the rich historical era of Civil War Alexandria and its occupation by Union forces. Discover signi cant places of interest such as hospitals, prisons, and military barracks. Gain insider knowledge and unique perspectives on the events that shaped not only this city, but also the nation.

Step back in time with your expert guide, Historian & Criminologist Madeline Feierstein, who has conducted extensive research on the sites you will:

– Follow in the footsteps of soldiers and citizens from the 1860s

– Learn about the unique experiences of African Americans, women, and POWs

– Visit original and untouched buildings in historic Alexandria

– Listen to real stories from both Unionists and Confederate sympathizers

Meet outside the Alexandria Visitor Center on King Street. Tours run 1.5 hours. For tickets, please visit www.madelinefeierstein.com/guidedtours. Contact Madeline at (301) 7081334 or madeline.feierstein@gmail.com

Through the 31st Torpedo Factory Art Center: Mourning in America

Recurring daily: 10 am – 6 pm

Torpedo Factory Art Center

105 N. Union Street Studio 14

Some of our most in uential citizens, carved in wood and printed on handmade paper from retired US Flags are featured in this exhibit. Re ect in the expressions of people like James Madison who understood that the Constitution alone could not preserve freedom.

A republic depends upon citizens who are informed, curious, and willing to participate thoughtfully in civic life. Knowledge allows people to distinguish fact from rumor, principle from passion, and temporary interests from enduring ideals. His words remind us that liberty is sustained not simply through laws, but through an educated citizenry committed to understanding both their rights and their responsibilities.

Join us in thoughtful re ection and participate in dialog as we honor our collective past while shoring up our future foundation.

8th

George Washington’s Mount Vernon: Purple Heart Commemoration

10 am - 12 pm

George Washington's Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway

Pay tribute to the oldest military decoration in the U.S. at the home of its founder, George Washington. Join Mount Vernon and members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart for the estate’s of cial National Purple Heart Day Commemoration Ceremony to recognize Purple Heart recipients.

Visit the Purple Heart Memorial Trail Marker, which was dedicated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and the Military Order of the Purple Heart to commemorate the establishment of the Purple Heart decoration.

Purple Heart recipients receive free admission to Mount Vernon all year.

14th

Alexandria Sidewalk Sale

Throughout Alexandria

This Sidewalk Sale is one of the longest-running seasonal summer shopping events in the D.C. region, featuring dozens of independent Alexandria boutiques stepping out of their storefronts and offering deeply discounted summer merchandise.

Alexandria Restaurant Week

Summer

of '26

For 10 days and two weekends, dozens of restaurants across Alexandria’s neighborhoods will offer special menus for in-person dinner. Plus, nd additional special offers and discounts at fast casual restaurants throughout the city. Go to VisitAlexandria.com for a complete list of restaurants and a menu book.

29th

The Around the World Cultural Food Festival

11 am – 7 pm

Oronoco Bay Park

Celebrating 10 Years Around the World, this event transforms into a global destination of food, music, and culture right here in Old Town. The Around the World Cultural Food Festival brings together the best of international cuisine, live performances, and cultural experiences—all on a vibrant waterfront setting.

This isn’t just a food festival—it’s your passport to the world. Join us as we celebrate a decade of bringing people together through food, culture, and community in Alexandria. Come hungry. Stay all day. Free Entry, Pet Friendly, Easy parking nearby and Metro accessible. Rain or Shine.

Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden: Corks & Corridors

5:30 pm - 9 pm

Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden 614 Oronoco Street

Begin the evening with a special guided tour of the historic house, offering a unique opportunity to explore its beautifully preserved rooms after hours in an intimate setting. Following the tour, enjoy a guided tasting of carefully selected Prince Michel wines, led by Prince Michel staff, who will share insights into the craft behind each pour. Sip, swirl, and unwind as you discover the stories behind both the museum and the wines—making for the perfect summer evening.

Tickets include a guided tour of the museum, an exclusive wine tasting, and light hors d’oeuvres. Glass and bottle purchases will be available for an additional charge. To ensure an enjoyable and intimate experience, each time slot is limited to 10 guests. For detailed information go the leefendallhouse.org or call 703-548-1789.

OLD TOWN FARMERS MARKET

Tavern Square

100 Block of N. Royal St.

Saturdays, 7 am – 12 Noon Year Round

The Old Town Market is thought to be the one of nation’s oldest continuing markets operating since 1753. It is said that George Washington sent his products from Mount Vernon to be sold here. Today the plaza is a mecca for farmers and artists to sell their wares. The Market is a primary source for meats, dairy, sh, fruits, vegetables and owers for all those who visit.

DEL RAY FARMERS MARKET

Corner of Mt. Vernon and Oxford Avenues

Saturdays, 8 am to Noon Year Round

This market is strictly a producer grown market.  Lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, sh and salmon, fresh mushrooms, baked goods, hard cider.  Farmers are within a 150 mile radius of Alexandria.  A non-pro t is featured each weekend.

LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS

OLD TOWN NORTH FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET

Montgomery Park 901 North Royal Street

Thursdays, 3 pm – 7 pm Year Round

Alexandria’s favorite dog friendly market! The Old Town North Thursday Market is a growers only market with a focus on produce from small family farms and local artisans. Products sold at the market include fresh fruits and veggies from Virginia’s Northern Neck, Micro Greens from an urban farm, Empanadas, Fresh baked pastries with a European air and much more.

FOUR MILE RUN FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET

4109 Mount Vernon Avenue

Sundays, 9 am – 1 pm Year Round

This market offers fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels and strives to re ect the diversity of Alexandria’s community. Local artisans display their arts and crafts as well.

Through mid-November

NOW or NEVER - By Alicia Eggert

Completion of the eighth in the City of Alexandria’s Site See: New Views in Old Town Annual Public Art Series, NOW or NEVER took place in mid-March. Sitting at the foot of King Street in Old Town until November is another “interesting” piece of work. It has been met with mixed reviews across the board. Here is the description at the site:

“Eggert’s artwork features two monumental sculptures that echo the visual language of signs and billboards. They stand face to face across a narrow passageway, one declaring NOW and the other replying NEVER.

The phrase “now or never” resonates on multiple levels. Collectively, it speaks to global challenges in which hesitation means opportunity lost. Individually, it reminds us that every moment is a turning point, an opportunity to choose one’s future and to live deliberately from this moment forward. By inviting people to move physically between the structures, the artwork underscores the possibility of nding common ground, even in polarized circumstances.”

We encourage you to take a look for yourselves and see what resonates with you.

The Dog Days of Summer Are Upon Us

“Make hay while the Sun shines, for when old Sirius takes command of the weather, he is such an unsteady, crazy dog, there is no dependence upon him.” - author unknown

Early July begins the "dog days of summer" which lasts until September. Depending on latitude and climate, the *actual dates vary greatly from region to region. Nearly everyone has heard this expression and knows that it refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer.

Some of the popular beliefs or claims connected with this period are that it is an evil time, there’ll be droughts and plagues, wine will turn sour, and humans will suffer from heat hysterics or go mad.

The Ancient Greeks believed that the "dog days" weakened men and women became aroused.

The phrase took on an ominous meaning by the 19th century. It was believed that dogs would most likely contract rabies during this period.

Today it’s a time to be laid back and carefree while sipping iced tea in sleepy contemplation.

The term seems a natural expression since dog’s pant

and lay as flat on the ground as they can to avoid the heat; however, it has nothing to do with dogs.

So where does the expression "dog days of summer" come from? And what does it really mean?

The "dog" in this saying refers to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky which rises and sets with the Sun. The ancient Egyptians named the star Sirius after their God Osirus, whose head resembled that of a dog. Both ancient Egyptians and Romans believed that the combination of the brightest luminary of the day (the sun) and the brightest star of night (Sirius) was responsible for the extreme heat experienced during the middle of summer.

In ancient Egypt, the New Year began with the return of Sirius. When it appeared, they knew that the "Nile Days" were at hand. It was a warning to the people who lived along the Nile River that the floodwaters were coming which added to the fertility of their lands. At this time the people would open the gates of the canals that irrigated their fields.

In recent years, the phrase "Dog Days" or "Dog Days of Summer" have been given new meanings. It’s

frequently used in reference to the American stock market. Summer is typically a very slow time for the stock market. Poorly performing stocks with little future potential are frequently known as "dogs."

Watch the summer sky for the Dog Star, Sirius. It can be seen with the naked eye. The star will appear to be brilliant white tinged with blue. When the air is unsteady, or when the star is low on the horizon it seems to flicker and splinter with all the colors of the rainbow.

Dog Day bright and clear

Indicate a happy year.

But when accompanied by rain, For better times our hopes are vain.

Publishers Note: We published this piece a few years ago and just ran across it looking for something else in the archives. After the very hot weather we encountered in July, we thought it might be a good idea to print this again.

*The 2026 Farmers Almanac indicates that this year they started on July 3rd and will run through August 11th , however, we have a sneaking suspicion it will be much longer.

CELEBRATE JOYFUL MOMENTS THE CELEBRATE JOYFUL MOMENTS WITHOUT RELEASING BALLOONS.

CARL TREVISON AND STEPHEN BEARCE

The Art of Passing It On:

Preserving Wealth and Wisdom Across Generations

There’s a quiet revolution happening in families across the country: conversations about legacy. For generations, money was a subject best left unspoken — taboo, mysterious, sometimes even divisive. But as the largest transfer of wealth in history unfolds, families are discovering that the real secret to preserving what matters isn’t just smart investing or airtight legal documents. It’s talking, planning, and preparing — together.

Make Wealth a Family Conversation

The most successful families treat wealth as a shared responsibility, not a private burden. That means inviting the next generation into the conversation early — well before the reading of a will. Don’t just talk numbers; talk values. Ask: What does stewardship mean to us? What are our hopes for the future? These discussions help build trust and clarity, helping ensure your legacy is about more than just assets.

Heather Hunt-Ruddy, Divisional President at Wealth & Investment Management, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, puts it simply: “Actively challenging the old custom of silence around money is more important than ever. The conversations we have today help ensure our legacy lives on for generations.”

Build a Team, Plan for Change

No one preserves wealth alone. The most resilient families surround themselves with trusted advisors — financial, legal, and tax professionals — who challenge their thinking and help them see blind spots. But the best teams also include family members who are educated and empowered to participate. Regular family meetings, sometimes with advisors present, help everyone understand the plan and their role in it.

“Your actions, decisions, and the conversations you choose to have will echo for generations,” Hunt-Ruddy notes. “A plan is only as good as its execution — and its flexibility to adapt with changes.”

Life rarely follows a script. Divorce, remarriage, illness, business transitions — these events can all impact your plans. The strongest strategies are flexible, reviewed regularly, and designed to adapt as circumstances shift. Build in “pressure valves” for shared assets, like buyout provisions or usage schedules for family properties. And make sure to revisit your estate plan after major life events or regulatory changes.

Model and Communicate Your Legacy

Mariana Martinez, Senior Family Dynamics Specialist at Wealth & Investment Management, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, says the most enduring legacies aren’t just about money — they’re about meaning.

Engage your family in philanthropy, volunteer together, or create a family mission statement. These actions reinforce values and foster unity, helping ensure your legacy is measured not just in dollars, but in impact.

“Building a legacy that lasts is a team effort. When families talk openly about their intentions and values, they can create a foundation of trust that can weather any storm,” Martinez said.

Transparency is key. Surprises may be fun at birthdays, but in estate planning, they often lead to confusion or conflict. Set clear expectations, revisit them often, and use open-ended questions to keep the dialogue going.

Hunt-Ruddy advises, “Normalize financial conversations as part of your family’s rhythm, like annual goal setting or milestone reflections.”

Wealth & Investment Management (WIM) off ers financial products and services through bank and brokerage affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company. Bank products and services are available through Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Wells Fargo & Company and its affiliates do not provide tax or legal advice. This communication cannot be relied upon to avoid tax penalties. Please consult your tax and legal advisors to determine how this information may apply to your own situation. Whether any planned tax result is realized by you depends on the specific facts of your own situation at the time your tax return is filed.

This article was written by/for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Carl M. Trevisan, Managing Director-Investments and Stephen M. Bearce, First Vice President- Investments in Alexandria, VA at 800247-8602.

Investment and insurance products are:not insured by the FDIC or any federal government agency, are not a deposit or other obligation of, or guaranteed by the bank or any bank affiliate, and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested.

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. ©2026 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

I

first learned to appreciate Irish music years ago when dealing with my father's Alzheimer's disease. "Because musical memory is often preserved in areas of the brain that resist damage, familiar Irish tunes and singalongs can instantly trigger positive emotions," Creative Ireland Wexford confirmed.

My father, born in music's vinyl era, was not communicating well. Frustration had overtaken him, as had occasional rage. One day, in the spur of the moment, I turned on the stereo and let crooner Bing Crosby serenade him. Soon after the song began, I found my father smiling. Crosby's deeply melodic interpretation of Ireland's Danny Boy had him tapping his feet: with a steady even beat in perfect 4/4 time. Fast forward: "a foremost initiative" of the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine is the development of music and rhythm-based therapies that address symptoms of certain neurological diseases. It is the distinct, underlying rhythm of Irish music that helps the body to move.

Today's researchers agree. Upbeat Irish jigs and reels can trigger vivid recollections of youth, heritage, and social gatherings. Looking back, dancing with my father was fun. Not only did he remember that I was his daughter--it is music's underlying rhythm that provides the pulse for social dancing--he also recalled playing his clarinet with the Evansville philharmonic orchestra. Ireland's traditional wind instruments include hornpipes, flutes, and high-pitched tin-whistles. Its "musical tradition goes back well over a thousand years," Boston's Library explained. "For nearly all of this time, it’s been an oral tradition passed on from one musician to another. It’s only been fairly recently that the music has been recorded in written and audio forms."

"The music can be found played in homes, pubs, reception halls and concert halls," the Library continued. "Many would argue that the best place to see it is in more casual settings. It is music to listen to, to dance to, to laugh with, and to cry with. Whatever the occasion, there is a song or instrumental piece that will fit the mood."

Alexandria's popular, Wammie Award winning Irish Breakfast Band fits the Boston Library's description well. As do two of Alexandria's King Street

Never Underestimate the Power of the Irish JiG...

restaurants: O'Connell's Irish Restaurant & Bar [112] and Murphy's Grand Irish Pub [713]. The latter offer weekly entertainment, entertainment which often includes traditional Irish music. For more information visit: danieloconnell.com and or murphyspub.com

The Irish Breakfast Band's many members describe themselves as "a community. A band that's easy to get into and hard to get out of."

Highly rated by The Washington Post , the Irish Breakfast Band's Kennedy Center debut included a program for children with special needs. More often than not, their Lyceum concerts sell-out immediately. In the 1840s The Lyceum [now the Alexandria History Museum] "operated as Lyceum Hall and hosted traveling performers from England, Austria, Spain, and Ireland."

The Band's popularity rests with its audience. The power “to establish a uniform rule of naturalization” rests with Congress. Emigrate describes the move relative to the point of departure. Immigrate describes the move relative to the destination.

As of 1795, U.S. citizenship required a five-year residency. “[T]he United States has never adopted any measure to encourage or invite emigrants,” Secretary of State John Quincy Adams wrote in 1819. “It has never held out any incitements to induce the subjects of any other sovereign to abandon their own country.”

“They come to a life of independence, to a life of labor—and, if they cannot accommodate themselves to the character, moral, political, and physical of this country, with all its compensating balances of good and evil, they may always…return to the land of their nativity,” Adams continued.

It is said the Irish arrived in Alexandria beginning in the 1820s, mostly in the 1840s and 1850s, Some came for religious reasons. Others for reason of the Great Potato Famine.

In 1820 Alexandria's population was 8,207 residents: residents mostly of English, Scotch-Irish, and African ancestry. In fact the U.S. Census did not record places of birth until 1850.

"As a result of increased interest in theories of racial hierarchy, “mulatto” [half-Black] was added as a category to both free and slave populations," A [short] history of the race question on the decennial census revealed. "Increased immigration, largely from Ireland, led to the introduction of a question about place of birth."

The latter change confirmed a measurable but small community of Irish immigrants in Alexandria working as laborers, "as domestic servants, grocery clerks, merchant shopkeepers and other."

U.S. Constitution, Amendment 14, Section 1, as ratified July 28, 1868, post-Civil War: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States….”

“We have not one-quarter the population in Virginia that we ought to have,” Governor Gilbert C. Walker said in 1872. “I go heart and soul for keeping our young men at home, but we want others to help us build up the Commonwealth. The importance of immigration is generally conceded…We want no pauper immigrants,

nor others to break down Virginia. We can keep that class out. What we want are honest, industrious, thrifty citizens—who will come and improve and build upon our lands." The top three countries of immigrant origin in 1890: England, Germany and the Irish Free State. Author James Truslow Adams first described the American dream in 1931, in his book The Epic of America. Though the Crash of 1929 signaled the beginning of the Great Depression, Adams argued there was also a spirit of progress. He coined the phrase then explained “that ‘American dream’ of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank…." Irish-Americans had a dream, a Celtic-American dream. Wrote the legendary Irish band Clannad: "Down the path of a hallowed place, Where music comes alive, With pipes and drums all the dancing is done, By a candle light...Rocking stones from long ago, Form a lasting sight, A shooting star on a magical night, It was A Celtic Dream."

“They came here—the exile and the stranger; brave but frightened—to find a place where a man could be a man,” President Lyndon B. Johnson [D-TX] said in his 1965 Inaugural Address. “They made a covenant with this land [and] it binds us still."

Depending on who one talks to Alexandria's Irish Breakfast Band was formed in either 1974 or the early 1980s. All agreed that "we learned Irish music because that's what our teacher Rob Thornburg [Old Town Music Store, 115 S. Henry Street]] played...For musical support, we decided to get together each weekend."

The Band grew and "after learning about ten tunes it accepted an invitation to play at a teachers convention.," fiddler and band leader Sean Doherty agreed. "Since the educators were a receptive audience, we played at a poetry reading and then a Georgetown bar... There was no stopping us," The Band, a Top Ten as of 2005, has played for parties, weddings, and First Night Alexandria. For D.C.'s National Christmas Tree Lighting and Alexandria's waterfront crowds. It also partners with schools of Irish Dance.

The Irish Breakfast Band has demonstrated broad appeal. Its 2015 cookbook, for example, includes a recipe for Breakfast Burritos. Concluded fiddler Sandy Hoar: "any mental health that I have had since [my welcome] I attribute to the Band." To the music's measured 6/8 or 4/4 beat.

"I threw myself into the music with a passion that surpassed my love for Broadway and standards, popular and requests," pianist Martha Beall recalled. For more information visit: https://www.irishbreakfastband.com. The Irish Breakfast Band has three full length CDs available.

About the Author: Sarah Becker started writing for The Economist while a graduate student in England. Similar publications followed. She joined the Crier in 1996 while serving on the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board. Her interest in antiquities began as a World Bank hire, with Indonesia’s need to generate hard currency. Balinese history, i.e. tourism provided the means. The New York Times describes Becker’s book, Off Your Duffs & Up the Assets, as “a blueprint for thousands of nonprofit managers.” A former museum director, SLAM’s saving grace Sarah received Alexandria’s Salute to Women Award in 2007. Email abitofhistory53@gmail.com

You Got It by Roy Orbison

In 1989, Roy Orbison delivered one of the most remarkable comebacks in rock history with “You Got It,” the lead single from Mystery Girl. Co-written with Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty during Orbison’s late-career creative resurgence, the song paired his unmistakable voice with Lynne’s polished production and the collaborative spirit of the Traveling Wilburys. Released just weeks after Orbison’s death, “You Got It” became both a commercial triumph and a poignant farewell, reaching the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. With its soaring melody, heartfelt declaration of devotion, and timeless rock ‘n’ roll craftsmanship, the song stands as a fitting capstone to Orbison’s extraordinary career: a final hit that reaffirmed his enduring influence and secured its place among his most beloved recordings.

Roy and the boys begin this classic tune with multiple layers of silky-smooth acoustic guitars shuffling and bopping around the mix. Drummer Phil Jones locks in with the guitars, laying down a straightforward beat accented by shuffling snare rolls that make the groove even more pronounced. Meanwhile, bad-boy bass player Jeff Lynne adds extra depth and bop with the smooth, round tone of his Höfner Club bass, played through a vintage Fender Bassman amplifier. For a subtle yet shimmering touch, Orbison agreed to tuck smooth-toned synthesizer chords beneath the guitars and drums. All of this musical magic makes way for the velvety vocals of the 52-year-old Roy Orbison, who delivers a performance that makes it easy to understand why he's considered one of the all-time greats.

After Roy expresses his unconditional love and devotion to the woman of his dreams in the first verse, the song swoops into the chorus. Here, Orbison delivers the central theme with the lyrics, "Anything you want, you got it / Anything you need, you got it / Anything at all, you got it." Supporting Roy's topline are some of the finest vocal harmonies in rock 'n' roll, giving the melodic hook maximum power and catchiness. Producer Jeff Lynne deserves much of the credit, as these lush harmonies are a hallmark of

his signature sound and can also be heard on other records he produced, such as George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set on You." Orbison and his band round out the chorus with a string section that adds a flurry of ascending notes, allowing the song's emotion to soar. This is followed by descending lead electric guitar notes that gently bring the listener down from the mountaintop of the chorus and into the second verse.

After a couple of perfectly crafted verses and choruses, the song shifts into a bridge section that keeps the ear happy and the heart soaring. It begins by extending the descending electric guitar line that closes the chorus while Roy repeats lyrics supported by vocal harmonies that steadily build tension before finally releasing into the main bridge progression. Over this progression, the background vocals deliver a smooth, catchy melody while Orbison lets out reverb-soaked moans and howls that communicate something beyond words.

Although Roy Orbison passed away in 1988, his music shines on in our hearts and continues to inspire and lift our spirits. Since his death, a holographic representation of him has been created giving thousands around the world a chance to listen to his music together at concerts. Currently there are no plans for future holographic tours, but if you would like to stay up to date on what’s happening in the world of Orbison’s music, you can follow on Instagram, Facebook, and X. If you would like to listen to “You Got It” or any of the classic songs in Roy’s catalog, you can find his music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and most other places music is streamed or sold.

About the Author: Ron Powers is an independent A&R specialist and music industry consultant and is constantly searching for, discovering and writing about new talent.

AFTER HOURS

Birchmere

703.549.7500

3701 Mt. Vernon Ave. birchmere.com

The Blackwall Hitch

571-982-3577

5 Cameron St. theblackwallhitch.com

Chadwicks

203 S. Strand St.

703.836.4442

Evening Star Cafe

703.549.5051

2000 Mt. Vernon Ave.

The Fish Market

703.836.5676

105 King St. shmarketoldtown.com

La Portas

703.683.6313

1600 Duke St.

The Light Horse

703.549.0533

715 King St. lighthorserestaurant.com

Murphys Irish Pub

703.548.1717

713 King St. murphyspub.com

O’Connell’s

703.739.1124 112 King St.

Rock It Grill

703.739.2274

1319

I fell in love with Tana French’s writing when I discovered her Edgar Award–winning first novel, In the Woods, at Olsson’s Books & Records, where I worked on South Union Street in Old Town. Her Dublin Murder Squad tales comprise the backstories and inner visions of various detectives. Linking these views of private lives, I felt like I was entering French’s own solar system, with each personality a compelling world of its own. It gave me a glimpse of Ireland through crime, nostalgia, an eerie peripheral vision, corruption, social inequities, and outrage at injustice. Her recent trilogy, The Searcher (2020), The Hunter (2024), and The Keeper leaves the Murder Squad but not murders or deaths behind. It focuses on the inhabitants of a rural Irish town, Ardnakelty, and the retired American police officer, Cal Hooper, who roots himself there.

Recently divorced and weary after twenty-five years on the Chicago police force, Hooper retires to the west of Ireland, choosing it as a place to find quiet. He discovers a small community that appears peaceful with its agrarian beauty and independence from city bustle. In time he discovers sinister secrets locked away, although long-term residents know each other’s histories and dirty laundry.

As he works to patch up his dilapidated cottage, Trey Reddy, a kid from a local ne’er-do-well family, commandeers him to assist her in finding her missing older brother, Brendan. At thirteen, Trey travels through life like a feral cat. She operates on her own after her father leaves her exhausted mother with three younger children, Trey, and Brendan to mind. The town sees the Reddys as poor and worthless, leaving Trey almost as much of an outsider to local culture as Cal himself.

As a mystery The Searcher builds tension slowly, while French adds atmosphere with her detailed depictions of natural beauty, tart-tongued townies, Cal’s adjustment to local living, and the trust that gradually develops between him and Trey. This novel is no thriller. It is a twig-by-twig nest, a character study with a thread of menace that becomes more apparent as it winds through the story.

The second book, The Hunter, builds upon the previous mystery. Trey has grown older and closer to Cal Hooper. As a maturing teenager, she helps him

THE SEARCHER, THE HUNTER, AND THE KEEPER

construct and refurbish furniture for the community. He grows to love her like she is his own child, helping her build her worth and position in Ardnakelty through teaching her the life skills she never receives at home. While resisting involvement with residents after his initial encounters in The Searcher, Cal becomes involved with a local, independent woman named Lena Dunne, who also stays shy of most doings in town. To help establish and protect Cal from local tensions, Lena agrees to a marriage engagement. Against his instincts, Cal also joins a venture with area farmers only to protect Trey from them. Trey’s gladhanding wastrel of a father has reappeared with a get-richquick scheme for locals. It inadvertently offers Trey an opportunity for vengeance against the community that has hurt her with its secrets and tendency to solve problems without police involvement.

In The Keeper, Cal and Lena are still engaged two years later. When a local woman engaged to the son of a local powerbroker turns up dead, Cal works with those farmers who have finally become friends to investigate. By now he has established ties in the community with those who care about their land on a deeply instinctive and cultural level.

Tana French has never shied away from focusing on Ireland’s socioeconomic issues. In the Dublin Murder Squad novel Broken Harbor, she describes the devastation left in Ireland after the Irish Tiger economic boom collapsed. Here she touches on the problems for a rural community when young people leave for jobs in cities, weakening traditional social structures and leaving them open to opportunism. Cal’s network now considers him both a partner and a leader in its cause of keeping the community safe. Lena, who has resisted engagement with Ardnakelty for years, also investigates the young woman’s death, becoming a target while uncovering corruption that threatens to destroy the town.

Tana French writes gorgeous prose. An exceptionally gifted novelist, French could describe a whitewashed wall and bowl you over. That being said, the first and third of these two books move slowly. If you are a fan of the Dublin Murder Squad’s story lines and

pace, you may not want to trudge through a plot that creeps along for at least the first hundred out of over four hundred pages. I ultimately prefer her previous series because it offers compelling character building with more action.

The second-person narration in these books removed me from the immediacy and fever-dream quality that made her first-person works so propulsive and poignant. Her prose has changed over the years from the dazzling, running-brook descriptions of the characters who inhabit In the Woods. She has adopted a streamlined, tight narrative style that started becoming evident in her most recent Dublin Murder Squad book, The Passenger, and her first separate novel, The Witch Elm.

If you read The Hunter and The Keeper in order as the second and third novels after the Searcher, you may find them a quicker read That being said, The Keeper is long and dense with descriptions of the land and people that make up Ardnakelty, continuing French’s focus on recalcitrant inhabitants who now show the courage to fight political and corporate powers threatening irrevocable change.

Although Cal Hooper, Trey Reddy, and Lena Dunn are the most prominent individuals in these books, Ardnakelty itself is an equally important, uneasy character of its own. It represents the camaraderie, suffocating atmosphere, iron-clad loyalties, and internal divisions of an insular culture. It instinctively closes ranks against visitors while solving its own problems. In this last novel in the trilogy, Cal, Trey, and Lena, not to mention their allies or opposition, must find a way to navigate and appreciate its complications and nuances or abandon the community altogether.

About the Author: Miriam Kramer worked at Olsson’s Books & Records before it closed in 2008, welcoming Old Town, Alexandria, residents to a unique place where employees with encyclopedic knowledge of literature and music enriched the community. As a global nomad, she has lived, studied, or worked in diverse countries overseas. With her experience writing and studying international affairs, she has promoted democracy, international media, the arts, peace building, and citizen diplomacy during her career.

ONSTAGE:

Though their ranks have thinned a bit before the new season begins, our DMV theaters nevertheless give us every reason to cool off in the air-conditioned comfort of their spaces this month. Spend a few bucks at one of the following box offices and keep free speech alive!

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Little Theatre of Alexandria

Now through August 8

The celebrated Stephen Spielberg film made it to Broadway in this musical comedy gift from composer Marc Shaiman, lyricist Scott Wittman and book writer Terrence McNally, all Tony® Award winners at the top of their games. Based on the true story of one of history’s most outrageous impersonators and the federal agent whose dogged pursuit fi nally lead to the miscreant’s capture, the musical gets the local treatment from the gang at LTA. Tickets at www. thelittletheatre.com

AS YOU LIKE IT and OUR TOWN

American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA Now through August 9

A bit outside the DMV and just past Charlottesville on the Interstate and Amtrak, you can enjoy Shakespeare the way audiences did it back in the 1600s (well, except women, mostly, play female characters now). The Blackfriars Playhouse is a faithful recreation of the venue where James Burbage and company produced some of the Bard’s greatest hits. This summer, you can spend the weekend and catch productions of Shakespeare’s trippy comedy “As You Like It” and an American classic—Thorton Wilder’s “Our Town.” They close off Main Street, so you can promenade along, dine alfresco and people watch to your heart’s content. And for those of you missing a leader of gravitas not greed, Woodrow Wilson’s home and library are a few blocks away. Tickets at www. americanshakespearecenter.com

CRAZYSEXYCOOL—THE TLC MUSICAL

Arena Stage

Now through August 9

Arena continues its series of Wow! Broadway try-outs (“Damn Yankees,” “Dear Evan Hansen” etc) with this dynamite musical about one of the biggest female vocal groups in pop history, the aforementioned TLC. Writer/ director Kwame Kwei-Armah wears both caps admirably, telling the trio’s tale in the most touching terms while keeping the bass line throbbing. All technical elements were superb and the three young ladies leading the company—Holli Gabrielle Conway as T-Boz, Stoney B. Woods as Chilli and the especially poignant Jade Milan as Left Eye Lopez—more than confi rmed their Broadway acting chops. Chloe O. Davis’s choreography and David Holcenberg’s arrangements and orchestrations are top notch; and the DMV’s own delightful diva Felecia Curry delivers a Tony nom worthy performance as TLC’s manager and Left Eye’s guru. You know it’s good when half the audience is mouthing the lyrics and pumping their elbows. Tickets at www.arenastage.org.

MEAN GIRLS

Now through August 23

Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Tina Fey of 30 Rock fame adapted her hit movie into this new musical, nominated for twelve Tony Awards. When Cady, who grew up on the African savanna, fi nds her family transported to suburban Illinois, the culture shock is magnified when she runs into the queens of campus, the ruthless Plastics, and their leader, most popular girl Regina George. Can Cady learn to fit into high school’s unforgiving pecking order? Musical comedy fun ensues when she gives it a try and proves two can play a mean girl’s game. Tickets at www.tobysdinnertheatre.com

OLD TOWN AUGUST

SLEEPING BEAUTY: THE TIME TRAVELER

Now through August 23

Adventure MTC

A new spin on an old favorite fi nds Sleeping Beauty transplanted back to the year 1000, when Charlemagne rules all of Europe and his poor daughter Aurora is cooped up in the castle. From far off 2026, Rollie comes time traveling by to help Aurora fi nd her way home. In Glen Echo Park, where kids get a fi rst taste of musical theater. Tickets at www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org

A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER

Olney Theatre Center

Now through August 23

After his mother’s death, our gentleman hero Monty learn that he’s a distant relative of a fabulous rich family. Hoping his newly discovered kin will help him out fi nancially, he’s disappointed to learn that, as the eighth in line to the family jewels, he’s unlikely to inherit much—unless something happens to the other seven. Follow along and keep count of the murderous mayhem in this Tony ® Award winning Best Musical. Tickets at www.olneytheatre.org

WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG

The Wharf Riverfront Park

August 6-29

While their name home is being built, the folks at Theatre Alliance bring us THE musical event of this, our 250th anniversary. From the iconic anthem “This Land Is Your Land to timely protest songs like “All You Fascists Bound to Lose,” there’s a truth and sincerity in Woody Guthrie’s music—and an honest effort to raise up his follow man. Tickets at www.theateralliance.com

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES

Keegan Theatre

August 15- Sep 6

Two kindred spirits fi nd their way back to each other across a lifetime of scraped knees, broken bones, and a whole host of imperfect moments in this new comedy by award-winning playwright Rajiv Joseph. Beneath the play’s sharp wit and darkly comic edge lies a tender story of love, resilience, and the quiet ways we hold on to one another. Tickets at www.keegantheatre.com

THE NOTEBOOK

National Theatre

August 18-30

Allie and Noah, from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart across the decades. Based on the popular film. Tickets at www.broadwayatthenational.com.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

Signature Theatre

August 25- Nov 1

Those keepers of the Sondheim flame out in Shirlington dig into the composer/ lyricist’s masterwork about friendship, ambition and the compromises that shape a life. Matthew Gardiner directs the show twenty years after its last Signature production. Tickets at www.sigtheatre.org

FREDDIE: A GIRL

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop

August 27- Sep 13

Taffety Punk is back with a gripping tale about the Oversteegen sisters, teenage girls who fought in the Dutch Resistance during World War II by luring Nazi officials into the woods. Tickets at www.taffetypunk.com

About the Author: Edelman is a playwright who loves writing about theater. He is a lifetime member of the Broadway League and a Tony® voter. Catch his monthly podcast at www.onstagedmv.org.

Photo credits: Notebook by Matthew Murphy; Crazy Sexy Cool by Daniel Rader; Mean Girls by Jeri Tidwell; Sleeping Beauty by Cameron Whitman; As You Like It by Madison Patterson.

It’s All In the Eye of the Beholder!

Recently I was reading the sad online posting by a local DMV artist whose work had been rejected from a juried competition.

She was clearly devastated by the rejection, and many fellow artists (including myself) jumped in to send her cyberspace hugs and words of advice.

One of the key weapons that artists must develop in order to salvage their creativity, morale, and wits is thick skin. And most artists usually learn really quickly to develop that thick skin and also learn to graciously accept malicious criticism, constructive criticism, and negative criticism. Art is subjective – not objective, and thus why to some eyes, a work of art is great, while the same work, to other eyes, is a piece of dreck.

Artists also need thick skin when it comes to art criticism – I believe that it was Andy Warhol who noted that any published criticism was good, and that bad criticism was even better.

Another quizzical thing to me, is how fond people who are not artists, are about giving advice to artists.

Along that vein, perhaps one of the biggest voids between art critics and the other side of the fine arts equation (artists, gallerists, and curators), is that most art critics seem to be fond of always giving the other side advice, when they should just stick to criticism… right?

This advice is generally not only usually wrong (except when I give it – of course!), but often naive to the extreme of being laughable. Such as the critic who once wondered online why most galleries didn't publish nice fancy catalogs with each exhibition, and recommended that gallerists did this in order to be taken seriously by art critics.

Gallerists who read this advice immediately filed it in the round file while at the same time they try to balance the gallery books using magic in order to pay all their bills on time.

But I digress… the point here is that artists need to understand that being rejected is always unpleasant, but part of the “game.”

You can also “game the game” – by that I mean the opposite of being rejected is when an artist is not only accepted into a good juried art exhibition/show, but also then the juror awards the artist one of the prizes.

My advice? Now there’s a pretty decent chance that this particular juror at some level connects with your artwork – this means that you stalk the juror and the next time that he/she is a juror somewhere else for a different show, there’s a pretty good chance that they’d react positively to your work again.

See my logic?

New topic– some memories from the last few decades as an artist, curator, critic and gallerist:

• The time that a couple came into the gallery, he complaining of the price of an omelet at the Original Pancake House, and then he buying out the entire exhibition!

• The artist who complained because we were selling too much of the artist's work.

• The young man, who while looking at black and white infrared photographs of Scotland actually asked if everything in Scotland was really black and white.

• The hundreds of people through the years who stand at the front of the gallery door and ask how much does it cost to come in.

• The photographer who shipped a massive photograph, framed under glass in a flimsy cardboard box without any protection and then almost had convulsions when informed that his work had arrived nearly demolished.

• The painter who shipped his small painting is a massive wooden crate meriting inclusion in the Fort Knox Hall of Fame, and paid more for shipping than the painting's price.

• The joy and pride caused by the first time that a museum acquired one of my works.

• The guy who knocked a framed piece down, broke the glass in the fall, and then said: "It was broken before it fell."

• The famous multi-millionaire who (after attempting to haggle for a photograph selling for $300), said: "If I have this delivered to Great Falls, can I save on the sales tax?"

• The California collector who bought an $11,000 painting on the Internet, sight unseen.

• The super rich artist-wanna-be who always shows up at a crowded opening, wants you to look at his or her photographs of an African safari and asks: "What does one have to do to sell stuff in this store?"

• The delight in the face and eyes of an art student making his or her first gallery sale ever.

• The first time that we got a review in a national art magazine.

• The first time that a show sold out before it actually opened up to the public.

• The people who ask every once in a while: "Does anyone actually, ever buy art?" And the

many times that I actually ponder the same question.

• The time that the really expensive magazine ad had the wrong opening date.

• The local DC area museum curator who never comes down to DC galleries, but who acquired one of our artist's works while it was on loan to another gallery in another city.

• The first time that a museum asked to borrow work for an exhibition.

• The collector who said on the phone: "Just pick one of her paintings that you'd think I would like and put a dot on it."

• The time that the city fathers of Washington, DC wanted to prohibit galleries from serving wine at the openings.

• The first time that one of our artists received a review in the New York Times.

• The first time that a museum in another country acquired work by one of our artists.

• The first time that a museum asked for one of our exhibitions to travel to the museum.

• The rich "artist" who wanted us to exhibit her really ugly paintings; each one boasted to have over $60,000 of precious stones embedded into the thick, impasto paint.

• The time that a collector wanted to buy a nude painting of a man, but wanted the artist to paint over the genitalia.

• The first time that one of our exhibitions was featured on television.

• The first time that we got a review in an international art magazine.

• The dozens and dozens of "collectors" from Nigeria who email us everyday and who want to buy everything in our "art store" if only we send them our banking details so that they can wire the payments to it.

• The invited curator who "curated" a show of mostly his friends and colleagues.

About the Author: F. Lennox Campello's art news, information, gallery openings, commentary, criticism, happenings, opportunities, and everything associated with the global visual arts scene with a special focus on the Greater Washington, DC area has been a premier source for the art community for over 20 years. Since 2003, his blog has been the 11th highest ranked art blog on the planet with over SIX million visitors.

Devil with the Blue Dress

“She’s a real humdinger and I like it like that.”

There is lots of new inventory in the shop and you can order online. Choose your style, your size and color, including the tie dye blue (but no brushstroke). From Christopher Calvin. Jane Seymour Hat by Walleroo. Jewelry by Sarah Cavender Metalworks. Handmade in Oxford, Alabama.

Choose your style, your size and color, including the tie dye blue (but no brushstroke). From Christopher Calvin. Jane Seymour Hat by Walleroo. Jewelry by Sarah Cavender Metalworks. Handmade in Oxford, Alabama.

ART EXHIBIT THROUGH AUGUST 19

FEATURING OLD TOWN CRIER COLUMNIST AND ALEXANDRIA NATIVE LORI WELCH BROWN

Join us for ART + WINE + CHEESE on Thursday, July 16, 6-7:30 PM featuring Old Town Crier Columnist and Alexandria native Lori Welch Brown

“ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON, DC”

"Woman balancing on a Jackson Pollock landscape", 2026 F. Lennox Campello. 32x40 inches, mixed media original painting on 600 weight paper.

Exclusively representing the works of F. Lennox Campello Price and additional images upon request. “A woman in love with abstraction” - 2021 16x20 watercolor on paper with embedded electronic images that rotate every 5 seconds.

– Washington City Paper

Exclusively representing the works of F. Lennox Campello Price and additional images upon request. Alida Anderson Art Projects, LLC, Washington, DC www.alidaanderson.com / info@alidaanderson.com

We are of cially an online store only. Check us out at www.imagineartwear.com (703) 548-1461 // csimagine@aol.com

Monday – Sunday, 11am – 5pm 1124 King Street l Alexandria, Virginia 22314 703-548-1461 l www.imagineartwear.com csimagine@aol.com

The Joseph C. Lore Oyster House & the Legacy of a Great Family

In the early 1900s, Solomons Island was a busy center of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry. Among the most important local businesses was the oyster house operated by Joseph C. Lore Sr. and his family.

Lore came to Solomons from New Jersey in 1888 to buy oysters for the Philadelphia market. He soon became more directly involved in the seafood trade. For a time, he bought and sold soft crabs, but the growing oyster industry led him to establish a packing operation of his own.

In 1922, Lore built his fi rst oyster house, a one-story building set on pilings over the water. From this location the company bought, processed, and shipped fish, crabs, and oysters from the rich waters of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay. J. C. Lore oysters were shipped all over the United States.

Like many waterfront structures of the time, it faced the constant threat of storms. In 1933, the powerful Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane swept through the region and destroyed the original building.

The business did not disappear. In 1934, a new oyster house was built, larger and more durable than the fi rst. From this facility the Lore company continued operations for decades.

The packing house eventually closed in 1978, as changes in the oyster industry and labor shortages made it difficult to continue. Today the building is preserved and operated by the Calvert Marine Museum, where visitors can see one of the best-preserved Chesapeake Bay oyster packing houses.

The Lore business was a family affair. And many descendants of the Lore family still live in Southern Maryland today. For generations, the family helped shape the working waterfront of Solomons and played an important role in the community that grew up around the seafood industry. The descendants of J. C. Lore continue to build on his legacy by strengthening our community.

Tours take place on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays tides and weather permitting. Admission is free and there is an interpreter on site. Detailed info at CalvertMarineMuseum.com or by calling 410-326-2042 ext. 8068.

Plan Your Visit: SpookySolomons.com, VisitSolomonsMD. com, CalvertMarineMuseum.com

About the Author: Adam Tremper is the founder of Spooky Solomons Ghost Tours on Solomons Island, Maryland.

A local historian and storyteller, he focuses on sharing the region’s rich history, folklore, and maritime heritage through carefully researched narratives. His work highlights the people, industries, and traditions that shaped the Chesapeake Bay Community, from the oyster trade to local legends passed down through generations. His historical ghost tours tell the stories of the people who once lived and worked on beautiful Solomons Island. And how history, legend, and lore can still inform our connection to the past, present and future.

Fun Facts from the Calvert Marine Museum Library

The Oyster Shuckers: Oyster shuckers at the J.C. Lore & Sons were mainly local African American women and men who were paid a set rate for each gallon of oysters they opened. An experienced shucker can open about ten to twelve gallons of oysters per day. The best can produce about two gallons of shucked oysters an hour.

Pay scale from the J.C. Lore & Sons oyster house:

• 1924 - 25 cents per gallon

• 1941 - 35 cents per gallon

• 1952 - $1 per gallon

• 1974 - $1.50 per gallon

Did you know...

• In 1607, oysters were so numerous in the Chesapeake Bay that it took three to five days for them to filter all of its water. Today it takes the population of oysters over a year to complete the task. Each oyster filters about 50 gallons of water a day.

• Oysters can live in waters with salinity levels between five and thirty-five parts per thousand. The Patuxent River is a perfect location for oysters with average salinity levels from ten to eighteen parts per thousand.

• Oysters may live up to twenty years. They become legal for harvest when they reach three inches in length or are about three years of age.

• Enemies of oysters include oyster drills, cow-nosed rays, crabs, "MSX", "Dermo", silt run-off, nutrient pollution, and of course man's desire for the delicacy.

• No two oysters are the same and the type of benthic location can help determine its shape. If an oyster is partly covered by silt on a soft bottom it becomes elongated in shape. Harder surface bottoms tend to make the shape more rounded.

• Shuckers sort oysters by size. The largest are called “counts,” medium-sized oysters are called “selects,” and the smallest are called “standards.”

• Until the mid-1980s, oysters were the most valuable commercial fishery in the Chesapeake Bay.

• J.C. Lore & Sons oyster house is built on fill made of discarded oyster shells from the oyster shucking houses of Lore and Woodburn.

• J.C. Lore & Sons oyster house was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in 2001.

Sprout Therapeutic Riding & Education Center

Loudoun County is thriving with new homes, data centers, and a new brewery seems to open every month. But on the outskirts of the county in the town of Aldie another kind of thriving happens every day.

In 2011, when Aldie was a sleepy little town on Route 50, Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center began operations. It opened on a 27-acre parcel of land, two horses, a barn, a paddock, and a desire to improve the lives of people with disabilities through a collaboration with horses. Today, Sprout’s herd has grown to 22 horses who partner with 185 students of all ages dealing with a variety of cognitive, physical and behavioral challenges. Sprout founder Brooke Waldron grew up with horses and has a deep appreciation for the unique relationship between horses and humans. She believes we are not bound by our limitations, but are called to achieve personal greatness and invest in one another. This ethos is embraced by all associated with Sprout-students, instructors, staff and volunteers. Brooke is so much more than the founder of Sprout. She is its heart, soul and brains. Her management and leadership skills are evident as she oversees an equestrian center with 20 dedicated staff members that include instructors, physical therapists, a barn manager and assistants, as well as front office personnel. Then add more than 100 weekly volunteers, all working together to provide lessons and programs six days a week, ten months a year. Programs in the barn include clinicalbased therapy using the movement of a horse to support functional physical improvement, adaptive riding/driving, and hands-on instruction on horse care and barn management. Outside of the barn, students and all associated with Sprout have the opportunity to participate in group activities with book club and exercise classes, 4-H club, and fun projects like contributing to the annual Sprout cookbook. The entirety of the programming uses a holistic approach that takes into account a person’s physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being. Its goals are to create an integrated community and, as always, shift the focus to what is possible both on and off the horse. This reaching for the possible gives student’s self-confidence to face challenges and achieve in every aspect of life.

Equine therapy has a surprising history. It dates back to 600 BC Greece where Hippocrates documented the physical benefits of horseback riding. Modern practice evolved in 1946 when Scandinavia used therapeutic riding to treat polio victims. By the 1960s, it expanded into formalized therapeutic riding. In 1969 the North American Riding for Handicapped Association (now PATH Intl) was founded in the United States to create safety guidelines and certify instructors.

Full disclosure: the author has volunteered at Sprout for several years and witnessed what can only be described as miracles. My friend Nancy is back in the saddle at the age of 70-something after being diagnosed with MS years ago. A mechanical lift takes her from wheelchair to therapy horse Peter with the help of the amazing instructor Vicki and a team of volunteers. Nancy and Peter engage in a lesson involving the walk and trot gaits and balancing on the horse in jockey position. Nancy amazes her doctors with her core strength and positive attitude. Given her disability, they can’t believe riding a horse in a lesson every week is possible. Sprout’s favorite word!

Sprout is a tax-exempt charitable organization. Caring for the horses is a large part of Sprout’s budget. But Sprout donations also go toward ensuring that no student is turned away through subsidizing more than 50% of each student’s lesson cost.

The annual September black-tie gala is only one of several fundraisers throughout the year. Donor contributions, volunteer manpower, and in-kind donations allow Sprout to provide on-going therapeutic programs and build a community. Therapy horse, Spot, an Appaloosa aptly named due to brown dots on a white body, will be honored at the gala as the Horse of the Year. See ad on the Hunt Country page for details.

For information on lessons, programs, events, tours of the facility contact info@sproutcenter. org or visit Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center on Facebook.

About the Author: Meg Mullery is a contributing writer and Blue Ridge distribution “assistant” to the OTC and just a great all-around person. She is a Middleburg resident who has retired from her real estate career and continues volunteering at Sprout.

HUNT COUNTRY

Wild & Free 2026 Gallup Gala

September 12th – 6 pm – 11 pm

40685 John Mosby Highway Aldie, Virginia

The Sprout Gala is our annual celebration of service! This black-tie event begins with valet parking upon your arrival and includes:

- Elegant cocktail hour with signature drinks!

- Delicious dinner!

- Robust silent and live auctions!

- Dancing the night away to the lively sounds of Virginia’s favorite dance bands!

Guests also have the opportunity to tour our barn, meet our horses and see our programs in action through the premier of the annual Impact Video.

All proceeds support the Sprout Center's mission to empower and uplift our community, making this a night not just of celebration, but of impactf ul change. Don't miss this opportunity to gallop into a brighter future together and become a part of our herd!

For tickets and more detailed information, please visit: https://sproutcenter.org/events/the-gallop-gala/

BY

Experience The Magic and Whimsy of Annmarie Sculpture Gardens!

It was an extremely warm day in southern Maryland last month and I was looking for something a bit “cooler” to do that didn’t involve fi nding an adventure that included subzero air conditioning. I used to make fun of people walking round with sweaters, etc. in the middle of the summer until it FINALLY dawned on me that they must know their indoor destination was going to register temps in the 50’s! In any case, I decided that a stroll through Annmarie Sculpture Gardens might be just the ticket. It was a stellar decision.

After checking in at the desk in the Arts Building (you can also check in at the Welcome Booth at the entrance of one of the paths) and making my $5 donation, I picked up a map for the fi rst time on a visit. I am usually zeroed in on a particular location or event when I have visited in the past but this time, I was there to just take my time and check it all out.

I started with a walk around the Arts Building and checked out the current “Winging It: Bird Art” exhibit on the main floor. While not a huge fan of birds in general (long story why), there are some very interesting sculptures and amazing paintings on display. There were also a group of day campers getting all squared away for their educational “walk about” and there was some sort of major activity taking place in the artLAB as well. Heading out the back door and circling back to the Welcome Booth and what I deem the main entrance, I had my map in hand as I walked along. As I entered the forest – it really is 30 acres of woods – and the Sculpture Trail, the temperature went from the low 90’s to a very pleasant high 70’s give or take. Keep in mind, I have walked these paths more than once over the last several years but this is the fi rst time I actually made the effort to really pay attention to how absolutely amazing this place is. (Full disclosure, however,

one year I went specifically to take in the Fairy & Gnome home trail a few years ago and did pay attention to all of those fun creations since I was writing about it.) My fi rst “revelation” was when I figured out that the very happening detour off of the trail on to an elevated winding boardwalk-type path through the woods that I have walked before is actually a piece of art! Yes, this wood and steel structure is called “A Surveyors Map” and is the creation of Jann Rosen-Queralt and Roma Campanile from Baltimore. Constructed in 1998, it is “representative of the roads, crossroads, zig zags and benchmarks that constitute one’s memories, like a surveyors map”. A bit “too deep” for me but now that I know I have been inside actual art, I am very impressed with it. There are several places to sit along the trail and options to take different directions while still ending back close to where you started. Not quite half way through my trek and stopping at several of the sculptures along the way, I sat down to answer some texts and emails (it was a working day) in a bright blue Adirondak chair in front of the jaws of the huge Megalodon Shark Jaw sculpture by Henry Langley III. It is representative of the many local prehistoric shark teeth discoveries along Calvert Cliffs. Most of which are housed in the Calvert Marine Museum just down the road in Solomons - another fun place to visit in Calvert County. After taking care of business, I continued on the path checking off the sculptures on my map as I went along. There are so many varied and interesting pieces on this property that I didn’t have time to fully check them all out up close but will circle back to them at some point in a future visit.

I do wish that I had had the foresight to take a bottle of water with me and maybe even a snack but I knew I was headed for early dinner after my visit so the thought didn’t cross my mind. I suggest that if you are taking kids or wanting to have a

picnic of sorts (no alcohol allowed), packing some light eats and beverages is a good idea. Be very cognizant of taking out everything you take in!!

To give you a better understanding of what you can expect on your visit, here are some key highlights and attractions, many of which I mentioned above:

The Sculpture Trail: A beautifully paved loop that winds through 30 wooded acres, featuring permanent and rotating large-scale works, including several on loan from the Smithsonian Institution.

Fairy Lolly & “TreeMendous” Trail: A whimsical, natural outdoor children’s play area filled with handmade fairy houses, gnomes, and interactive hidden

Smithsonian Affiliation (2003): A massive milestone occurred when Annmarie became an official Smithsonian Institution Affiliate. This prestigious partnership granted the garden long-term loan privileges, allowing world-class works from the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to be permanently integrated into the Maryland forest.

The Arts Building Expansion (2008): To transition the park into a year-round arts destination, the award-winning indoor Arts Building opened to the public. Funding for the facility was a collaborative effort between the State of Maryland, Calvert County Commissioners, and the non-profit support groups Friends of Annmarie Garden, the Koenig Private Foundation, and Ann’s Circle, Inc.

surprises. Fairy Lolly creative play area, community-crafted "Talking Benches", and large-scale boulder carvings crafted by resident artists.

The Arts Building: A large indoor facility housing two distinct rotating art galleries, the Nature Nook educational space, the creative re-use "artLAB," a pottery/clay studio, and a gift shop.

Recent Milestones & Growth: The campus eventually expanded from its original 30 acres to a robust 50-acre forest and meadow landscape. It has evolved into an interactive community art space, featuring continuous additions like the children's

General Visitor Information

Hours: Outdoor grounds are open Monday–Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday–Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Note: The indoor Arts Building opens at 10:00 AM daily and is typically closed on Tuesdays.

Seasonal Events: Widely famous for major community events, such as its annual 3-day Artsfest in September Garden in Lights winter walking experience Authors Note: The Garden in Lights is a not to miss experience.

For those of you who are interested in the history of the property, I conjured up my Google search pals and offer the following background information:

Chronological History & Evolution

The Visionary Purchase (1960): Francis Koenig, a prominent Washington D.C. architect and developer, originally purchased the 30-acre parcel of land in Solomons, Maryland, purely as an investment. Over the next three decades, the family repeatedly rejected massive fi nancial offers from developers to preserve the forest.

The Donation & Early Years (1991–2002): Realizing the land was a perfect opportunity to give back to the community, the Koenig family officially deeded the property to Calvert County in 1991. Over the next decade, walking paths were cleared into "hallways" through the woods, and the garden's fi rst six permanent sculptures were commissioned and installed. The very fi rst piece commissioned was “A Tribute to the Oyster Tonger, A Chesapeake Waterman” (1994) by Antonio Tobias Mendez, which honored the local maritime culture.

Standard Admission: An affordable $5 for adults, $4 for seniors/military, $3 for youth (ages 6–17), and free for children 5 and under. Annual members get free daily entry. Pricing varies for special ticketed events.

Pet Policy: Leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds during regular daily visits, but pets are prohibited during major festivals and special events.

Directions: From the Beltway: Take Route 4 South toward Prince Frederick Continue on 4 South past Prince Frederick toward Solomons and watch for the Dowell Road left hand turn. You will see a Hilton Garden Inn and the Ruddy Duck restaurant and a very tall flag pole with a very big flag flying at the turn. Left on Dowell Road and the Garden is less than 1/4 mile on left. Keep in mind that they have several events for kids and adults alike on a regular basis as well. Check out all of the details you need to know at www.Annmariegarden.org.

A Week o f Tastings and Parties at the World’s Premier Rum Com p etition!

The Ninth Annual Caribbean Rum Awards Return to St. Barth for 2026. This annual event, owned and produced by Caribbean Journal, returns to St. Barth with platinum sponsors Tradewind Aviation and WIMCO St. Barth Properties.

Anchoring a week of tastings, judging, beachfront programming and the most-watched rum competition in the Caribbean, this annual event has emerged over its nine-year run as the premier rum competition in the region! This week-long celebration highlights Caribbean rum craftsmanship by gathering distillers, sommeliers, rum experts, brand executives and rum enthusiasts on one of the most-coveted islands in the Caribbean for a curated, multi-day program. Held, once again, on the beautiful island of St. Barth, this five-day schedule is built around the competition itself with a series of signature parties, tastings and culinary moments across the island.

This year’s event will run Oct. 26-30! You have plenty of time to make plans to take part in this premier island event!

The Schedule

The week opens on Monday with the signature White Party at Les Îlets de la Plage, the long-running beachfront kickoff of the Caribbean Rum Awards week.

Tuesday is the heart of the program — the official Rum Judging, with the Caribbean Rum Awards panel evaluating entries from across the region’s distilleries in a closed competition that determines the year’s winners.

Wednesday brings the signature Beach Party, one of the most-anticipated nights on the St. Barth social calendar.

Thursday is the exclusive VIP Rum Tasting, an invitation-only evening featuring this year’s competition entries alongside the broader collection of Caribbean rums that have come to define the Caribbean Rum Awards experience.

The week culminates on Friday with the signature Rum Pairing Dinner, a multi-course evening that pairs Caribbean rums with chef-driven cuisine in one of the most-loved nights of the event’s annual calendar.

Why This Matters for Caribbean Rum

The Caribbean Rum Awards have become the premier rum competition in the Caribbean over nine years of programming, with a judging panel and a competition structure that have helped elevate the global profile of Caribbean rum at a moment when the category has been gaining significant international momentum.

The competition is judged in an annual international blind tasting by a panel of global rum experts, with a field that runs across eight categories — spanning the breadth of Caribbean rum from white and aged molasses-based expressions to the full range of rhum agricole, the iconic sugarcane-juice rum of the French Caribbean. The most prestigious of those categories are the Uber-Premium Molasses and UberPremium Rhum Agricole divisions, comprised exclusively of rums retailing for more than $400 per bottle — a true collection of heavyweight rums. The winners of those two categories then go headto-head for the event’s signature title: the World Championship, awarded annually to the world’s

greatest rum and widely considered the most prestigious individual rum honor in the Caribbean. Caribbean rum has long been one of the great underrecognized spirits categories on the global stage, with the region producing some of the most distinctive aged, blended and single-cask rums in the world. The Caribbean Rum Awards are designed to spotlight that craftsmanship — recognizing the distillers, the master blenders and the brands that have shaped Caribbean rum into the category it is today.

“What started as a celebration of the region’s distillers has become something genuinely larger — a platform that puts Caribbean rum in front of the global audience it has long deserved,” said Alexander Britell, founder and editor in chief of Caribbean Journal and founder of the Caribbean Rum Awards. “The talent coming out of the region’s distilleries right now is extraordinary, and the Caribbean Rum Awards exist to make sure that talent gets the recognition it has earned. We can’t think of a better place to do that work than St. Barth, and we’re proud to be entering our ninth year of this event.”

The Partners

The 2026 Caribbean Rum Awards are presented in partnership with two platinum sponsors — Tradewind Aviation and WIMCO St. Barth Properties — both of which have become central to the event’s experience on the island.

Tradewind Aviation is the premier private aviation operator into St. Barth and the Caribbean, with regularly scheduled service between San Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua and St. Barth’s Gustaf III Airport,

alongside private charter service across the region. The carrier is one of the most-used arrival options for Caribbean Rum Awards guests heading to the island.

WIMCO St. Barth Properties is the leading villa rental operator on St. Barth, with an extensive portfolio of premium villas across the island and a long-running role in shaping the St. Barth luxury travel experience. The partnership integrates the Caribbean Rum Awards programming into one of the most-recognized hospitality operators on the island.

“As we enter 2026, our partnership with the Caribbean Rum Awards continues to be a source of pride and purpose,” said Victoria Johne, general manager of Wimco St. Barth Properties. “We look back with gratitude at what we’ve accomplished together, and we look ahead with renewed enthusiasm for another year of celebrating the extraordinary craftsmanship that defi nes Caribbean rum. This year, we’re committed to deepening our collaboration and expanding the global recognition these remarkable distillers deserve. Thank you for inviting us to be part of this ongoing mission — together, we’re not just promoting a spirit, we’re preserving a legacy and creating unforgettable moments for rum enthusiasts worldwide.”

St. Barth and the Caribbean Rum Awards

St. Barth has become the natural home of the Caribbean Rum Awards.

The eight-square-mile French Caribbean island sits in the heart of the Lesser Antilles, with one of the most-recognized luxury hospitality scenes in the entire region — anchored by a roster of iconic hotels, world-class restaurants and a dining and bar culture that has long made it one of the most-talked-about destinations in the Caribbean.

The combination of St. Barth’s culinary scene, its geographic position at the heart of the rum-

producing Lesser Antilles, and its long-running role as a gathering point for the Caribbean’s hospitality and culture community has made it an ideal stage for the rum awards. The annual event has become one of the most-anticipated weeks on the St. Barth calendar.

The Bigger Picture

The 2026 edition of the Caribbean Rum Awards lands at a particularly strong moment for Caribbean rum.

The category has continued to gain meaningful international recognition over the past several years, with Caribbean rums increasingly featured on the world’s leading spirits lists, in award-winning bars and across the global high-end cocktail scene. The Caribbean Rum Awards have been one of the most visible drivers of that growing recognition — and the 2026 edition is positioned to extend that work.

The week is shaped around the same principles that have defi ned the event since its inception: celebrating the distillers, recognizing the craftsmanship and putting the region’s most extraordinary rums in front of the audiences best positioned to champion them.

The 2026 edition marks the ninth annual Caribbean Rum Awards — putting the event one year out from its decade milestone, and continuing one of the signature gatherings on the broader Caribbean hospitality and culture calendar.

For more, visit the CaribbeanRumAwards.com

Publishers Note: We are happy to partner with Alexander Britell, Founder and Editor in Chief of the Miami, Florida based Caribbean Journal and his staff contributing to the OTC and our Caribbean Connection Section. Check out the popular online magazine/website at caribjournal.com for valuable information on all fabulous travel options and things of interest in the Caribbean.

DINING GUIDE

AMERICAN

1799 PRIME STEAK & SEAFOOD

110 S. Pitt Street

571-404-6001

ADA'S ON THE RIVER

3 Pioneer Mill Way

703-638-1400

AUGIE’S MUSSEL HOUSE

1106 King Street 703.721.3970

BLACKWALL HITCH

5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090

BOB & EDITHS DINER 1743 King Street

703-664-0043 bobandedithsdiner.com

CHADWICKS

203 Strand St. 703-836-4442

CHART HOUSE

One Cameron St. 703-684-5080

CITY KITCHEN

330 South Pickett St. 703-685-9172 fatcitykitchen.com

COOPER MILL 10 Duke St. 703-566-1278

EDDIE'S LITTLE SHOP & DELI

1406 King Street 571-312-8615

EVENING STAR CAFÉ

2000 Mt. Vernon Ave.

703-549-5051

EXECUTIVE DINER & CAFE

1400 Duke Street 703-299-0894

FRANKIE'S KITCHEN & COCKTAIL BAR 823 S. Washington St. 703-512-2118 frankiesoldtown.com

GADSBYS TAVERN

138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288

HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050

HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969

HOME GROWN 1600 King Street 703-705-4955

HOPS 'N SHINE 3410 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-566-1509

HUMMINGBIRD

220 South Union Street 703-566-1355

JACK'S PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372

JOE THEISMANNS

1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777

JULA'S ON THE POTOMAC 44 Canal Center 571-800-6644

JUNCTION BAKERY & BISTRO 1508 Mount Vernon Avenue 703-436-0025 junctionbakery.com

KILN - HOTEL HERON 699 Prince St. 703-662-1900

KINGS RANSOM 728 King Street 571-319-0794

LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313

THE LIGHT HORSE 715 King Street 703-549-0533

LOST DOG CAFE

808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511

MACMILLAN'S SPIRIT HOUSE 500 Montgomery St. 703-665-6690

MASON SOCIAL 728 Henry Street 703-548-8800 mason-social.com

MURPHY'S GRAND IRISH PUB 713 King St. 703-548-1717 murphyspub.com

NORTHSIDE 1O 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-888-0032

OAK STEAKHOUSE 901 N. St. Asaph St. 703-840-3395

O'CONNELLS RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 DanielOconnells.com

PORK BARREL BBQ 2312 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-822-5699

THE PEOPLES DRUG 103 N. Alfred Street 571-257-8851

RAMPARTS 1700 Fern St. 703-998-6616 rampartstavern.com

RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. 703-347-7545 riverbendbistro.com

ROCK IT GRILL 1319 King St. 703-739-2274

ROYAL RESTAURANT 730 N. St. Asaph St. 703-548-1616

RT'S RESTAURANT 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-684-6010 rtsrestaurant.com

SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266

SLATERS MARKET 1552 Potomac Greens Dr. 703-548-3807

SMOKING KOW BBQ 3250 Duke Sttreet 703-888-2649

SONOMA CELLAR 207 King St. 703-966-3550

SOUTH BLOCK 106 N. Lee Street 703-465-8423

SOUTHSIDE 815 815 S. Washington St. 703-836-6222

SWEET FIRE DONNA'S

510 John Carlyle Street 571-312-7960

THE MAJESTIC 911 King St. 703-837-9117

THE STUDY 116 South Alfred Street 703-838-8000

T.J. STONE'S GRILL HOUSE & TAP ROOM 608 Montgomery St. 703-548-1004 tjstones.com

TOASTIQUE GOURMET TOAST & JUICE BAR 1605 King Street 571-312-1909

UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com

VIRTUE FEED & GRAIN 106 South Union St. 571-970-3669

VOLA’S DOCKSIDE GRILL & HI-TIDE

LOUNGE 101 North Union St. 703-935-8890

THE WAREHOUSE BAR & GRILL 214 King St. 703-683-6868 warehouseoldtown.com

ASIAN

ASIAN BISTRO

809 King St. 703-836-1515

CAPHE BANH MI VIETNAMESE

407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800

INDOCHEN 1625 King Street (571) 404-6050

KISSO ASIAN BISTRO

300 King Street

703-888-1513

MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710

MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600

NASIME 1209 King St. 703-548-1848

RAILBIRD KITCHEN 804 North Henry St. 703-577-9023

SIGNATURE THAI 722 King Street 707-888-2458

SISTERS THAI 503 Montgomery St. 571-777-8154

TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 Canal Center Plaza 703-683-8878

UMIYA SUSHI 3000 Duke Street 703-564-1800

CONTINENTAL

ALEXANDRIA BIER GARDEN 710 King Street 703-888-1951

CEDAR KNOLL GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-780-3665

OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN 1024 Cameron Street 703-717-9361

FRENCH

BASTILLE 606 N. Fayette St. 703-519-3776 bastillerestaurant.com

BEN' YAYS 1028 King Street 703-495-3888

FONTAINE CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151

JOSEPHINE 109 South St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776

LE REFUGE

127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661

LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854

MAISON BREIZH AT BASTILLE 1205 Pendleton St. 703-863-0159 maisonbreizhva.com

TWO NINETEEN RESTAURANT 219 King St. 703-549-1141

ITALIAN

ALDO'S ITALIAN KITCHEN 2850 Eisenhower Avenue 703-888-2243

ANDY’S PIZZA 107 N Fayette St 571-319-0497

BUGSY'S PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313

EPICURE ON KING 703 King Street 703-838-9090

HANDOVER BY THE SLICE 728 King Street 571-319-0794

IL PORTO RESTAURANT 121 King St. 703-836-8833

LANDINI BROTHERS 115 King St. 703-836-8404 landinibrothers.com

LENA’S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA & TAP 401 East Braddock Rd. 703-960-1086

MIA'S ITALIAN KITCHEN 100 King Street 703-997-5300

PIECE OUT 2419 Mount Vernon Avenue 703-398-1287

REDROCKS NEAPOLITAN BISTRO 904 King St. 703-717-9873

THOMPSON ITALIAN 1026 King Street alexandria@thompsonitalian.com

MEDITERRANEAN

BARCA PIER & WINE BAR 2 Pioneer Mill Way 703-638-1100

DELIA'S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. 703-329-0006

ELAINE'S 208 Queen Street 571-970-0517

TAVERNA CRETEKOU 818 King St. 703-548-8688 tavernacretekou.com

PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194

VALLETTA PORT 682 N St Asaph St. 703-512-4122

VASO'S MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO 1118 King Street 703-566-2720

VASO'S KITCHEN 1225 Powhatan Street 703-548-2747

SEAFOOD

HANK'S OYSTER BAR 818 N St. Asaph 703-739-HANK

FISH MARKET 105 King St. 703-836-5676 fishmarketoldva.com

THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834

WHISKEY & OYSTER 301 John Carlyle 703-567-1533

INDIAN

BOLLYWOOD MASALA 211 King Street 703-512-0175

DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd. 703-660-6085

DIYA 218 North Lee, 2nd Floor 703-706-5338

NAMASTE 1504 King St. 703-970-0615

MEXICAN LATIN SOUTHWESTERN

CASA TEQUILA 1701 Duke 703-518-5312

CHOP SHOP TACO 1008 Madison Street 571-970-6438

DON TACO TEQUILA BAR 808 King St. 703-988-3144

LOS CUATES 1116 King Street 703-548-2918

LOS TIOS GRILL 2615 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-299-9290

LOS TOLTECOS 4111 Duke St. 703-823-1167

TAQUERIA POBLANO 2400-B Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-TACO (8226)

TEQUILA & TACO 540 John Carlyle Street 703-721-3203

URBANO 116 116 King Street 571-970-5148

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream…

We know, we know, we know that this headline is wayyyy dated and probably as over used as playing Sweet Caroline and Country Roads at almost every sporting event in the DMV and beyond! However, in the spirit of the many days of way to hot weather in our midst last month and possibly much of this month, it is fitting.

Before we get any further into this piece, we are fully aware that there are several other ice cream/ custard/gelato outlets in the city of Alexandria and they deserve coverage as well but there are only so many pages we can devote to the subject. Hence the highlighting of the 6 independently owned/small local group shops dedicated to ice cream, gelato, and frozen treats located in Old Town Alexandria proper. The following is a combination of info obtained directly from the establishments themselves with a few comments of our own regarding those that we have frequented over the years. Every one of them has impressive selections of flavors and sizes. You should be able to fi nd something for everyone in your party at each of them.

Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream

109 King Street

Phone: (703) 836-5676

Website: popsoldfashionedicecream.com

Pop's is a highly-rated, long-running ice cream parlor known for its nostalgic, 1940s vintage atmosphere; it features a retro black-and-white checkered floor and serves premium, small-batch ice cream made right on the premises. “Ray "Pop" Giovannoni aka Mr. Ray had been in the ice cream and dessert business since the 1940s. Much of Pop's early career was spent catering events at the White House serving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt her favorite ice cream. In 1998, he left behind his little black book of recipes. Today, Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream continues the same legacy that made the First Lady so happy.”

We can attest to the quality of the ice cream they put out at Pop’s. We also think it has the most legitimate “Ice Cream Parlor” feel of those that existed in the “old days”. Like most of the shops highlighted here, seating is minimal inside with access to a few tables and chairs out front so it is best to grab some extra napkins on the way out the door and take a walk to the waterfront and enjoy your treats.

The Creamery

110 King Street

Phone: (703) 549-4527

Website: creameryalexandria.com

The Creamery is “one of Alexandria’s longest running ice cream store. Founded in 1984 by Charlie Lindsey, when he saw a for lease sign and an opportunity. Having learned Ice cream making, and with close cooperation from his wife, Lynne, as well as his friend and fellow restauranteur Tim Jackson, they came up with the handcrafted recipes that we still use to this day. As such, The Creamery has a tradition of excellence and quality making distinctive, small batch ice cream. Our mission is to bring joy to all of our customers!”

For those of you old-timers out there, the Creamery operated under “The Scoop Grill & Homemade Ice Cream” under the aforementioned Charlie and Lynn Lindsey’s ownership. Unlike Scoop’s, breakfast and lunch items are not offered at the Creamery. It is now strictly an ice cream joint.

Dolci Gelati

107 N Fairfax Street

Phone: (571) 290-0684

Website: otdolci.com

Dolci, founded in 2006 by master pastry chef Gianluigi Dellaccio, is located in the heart of historic Old Town Alexandria just a half a block off of King Street,

“serving authentic Italian gelato, locally roasted espresso, and a selection of house-made sandwiches and pastries.”

We have enjoyed the coffee and pastries at Dolci a few times over the years and they have not disappointed. I wondered if it was part of a chain, but according to info available, it is not a corporate chain, but rather a small, locally owned regional group with just a few independent artisan storefronts in the DMV.

Pitango Gelato & Coffee

115 S Union Street

Phone: (571) 982-0797

Website: pitangogelato.com

Union Street opened as their very fi rst franchise-owned location. They churn every batch of gelato and sorbet on location in each of the shops to ensure peak freshness. All of their products are free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Full disclosure, neither of us has tried any of the offerings at Pitango but have had friends who are Italian gelato aficionados that attest to the fact that theirs is very authentic.

Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats

200 Commerce Street

Phone: (202) 630-6455

Website: mmmgoodies.com

Goodies is located pretty much off the beaten path (upper King Street) in the refurbished Ice House on Commerce Street so you have to make a concerted effort to go there. Making the effort is worth visiting this highly popular, 1950s-inspired walk-up dessert stand serving legendary Wisconsin-style vanilla bean frozen custard. They specialize in handcrafted, small-batch custard made fresh daily. In addition to purchasing it by the cone or cup, trying the Boogie Woogie Turtle Pecan Sundae (featured on the Food Network), the Donut Sandwich or one of the nostalgic floats & shakes like the Route 66 Root Beer Float is a must.

We met owner Brandon Byrd when he and his partner Rozell Moore opened in one of the kiosks along American Way in National Harbor. They previously operated out of “Gigi” – a refurbished 1952 Metro Van – around the DMV with a concentration in DC. It was an exciting move for them to open in the historic Ice House here in Old Town in 2021! I can personally attest to their products and highly recommend the Route 66 Root Beer Float! You might just want to order it on August 6th as we celebrate National Root Beer Float Day 2026

Casa Rosada Artisan Gelato

111 S Payne Street

Phone: (703) 349-1001

Website: crgelato.com

Casa Rosada bills itself as a “family owned and operated business who brings a taste of world-class Argentine gelato and sorbet to Alexandria”. They indicate that all of their treats are produced onsite with the highest quality natural ingredients, giving customers the most authentic Argentine dessert experience in the DC-metro area with all frozen treats produced on-site.

Directly translated from Spanish, Casa Rosada means "pink house" - inspired by the Argentine presidential palace, also called "Casa Rosada." We think they are stretching it a bit saying that the building they are housed in half a block off of Upper King Street on south Payne Street, originally built in the 1870's, is the only pink colored house on the block. It is way closer to maroon but it is the closest thing to pink on the block. They are pretty much the new kid in the independently owned gelato realm here in Old Town and we have yet to try their wares, but are looking forward to our fi rst experience.

Baby It’s Hot Outside!

When traveling through North or South America, Southern Italy and/ or Provence in France in the warm and hot weather you will fi nd many restaurants with a variety of cold soups on the menu. This is especially true when the weather is exceedingly hot. People everywhere enjoy a cup or bowl of cold soup with a side salad and a crusty bread as the temperatures rise.

Here are three recipes for soups to try as the warm weather continues to engulf us.

Icy Cucumber Soup

- 2 medium cucumbers

- 1 small onion

- 2 tablespoons chopped chives

- 2 teaspoons sugar

- 1 ½ teaspoons prepared mustard

- 1 cup sour cream

- 1 quart buttermilk

- 2 teaspoons salt

- Dash of white pepper

Coarsely grate cucumbers and onion into a mixing bowl. Add chives, sugar, salt, mustard and sour cream. Gradually stir in the buttermilk. Let ripen in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Serve icy cold with a sprinkling of chives on top. This recipe will serve about 6 people.

Summer Squash Soup

- 48 to 64 ounces of chicken broth

- 1 medium onion chopped

- 10 medium yellow squash chopped

- 3 ounces package of cream cheese

- 1 teaspoon curry powder

- 16 ounces of sour cream

- Salt and pepper to taste

Combine onion, broth and squash in saucepan and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add cream cheese, curry powder and salt and pepper and puree in a blender or food processor. Serve cold with a dollop of sour cream. This soup can also be served hot, if preferred.

Chilled Orange Carrot Soup

- 3 tablespoons of butter

- 4 cups of thinly sliced carrots

- ½ cup sliced onion

- ¼ teaspoon of fi nely ground ginger

- 3 cups chicken broth

- 1 ½ cups orange juice

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Optional Garnishes – orange slices, grated carrots and chopped fresh mint

In a large saucepan, melt the butter, add the carrots, onion, ginger and sauté until tender. Stir in two cups of chicken broth, bring to a boil, and cover. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30-40 minutes. In a blender or food processor, puree half of carrot mixture at a time until nearly smooth. Return to pan or bowl, stir in remaining broth and orange juice and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve topped with a slice of orange, grated carrot and mint.

The Back Nine Wasn’t

Pretty... But the Cigars Sure Were GREAT.

The mountain may have won, but we smoked victory cigars like pros.

We’re on the 14th tee on the Mountain Course at Lakeview Golf Resort in Morgantown, WV. My college fraternity brothers and I were in town for our annual golf outing. Two days of old guys trying to act like college kids again.

I lined up my tee shot. The fairway is narrow. They’re all frigging narrow. All of the greens are crowned, small, and today, they’re rock hard. Most shots that hit the green bounce right off. Not really a problem since our group rarely hits the green.

We’re on top of the mountain at this point, probably about 1500 feet above sea level. Some of the cart paths seemed to go straight up. And soon, they’ll go straight down. The views from each hole are dazzling. This course is beautiful, but challenging

I’m smoking a La Aroma De Cuba Connecticut Robusto. It’s a perfect golf cigar, mild but flavorful. The cashew, almond, honey, and melon flavors are great for a hot summer day. I put my cigar down and tee off. The shot goes right and lands just off the fairway. It’s playable. Playing golf ad smoking cigars are a natural pair. This piece will offer a bit of advice on the particulars of cigar smoking.

You should always ask before firing up a cigar. That’s the proper etiquette. But I didn’t need to ask this time. I’ve known these guys for longer than any of us would like to admit. We were smoking cigars together back when we had no idea what a good cigar was. We all lit our cigars to start the back nine. My fraternity brother Dave took a picture when we did. It was probably the last time we smiled. The back nine is tough.

Cigars are about enjoyment. They’re not for everyone, I get that. Neither is beer nor bourbon. But for those who are delighted by smoking a good cigar, it’s a beautiful experience. Enjoying a hand rolled premium cigar is about more than simply lighting it. It’s an experience rooted in tradition, patience, and respect for the craftsmanship that goes into each and every one. Proper cigar knowledge begins with selecting a cigar appropriate for the occasion. It’s summer, and even though we’re up in the mountains, the afternoon was going to be warm. So, a milder cigar, for me, would be appropriate. The ring gauge, or thickness of the cigar, also makes a huge difference. I chose a robusto, which has a ring gauge of 50, it’s a thicker cigar. Cigars are produced in a variety of shapes and sizes, known as vitolas. Larger ring gauges generally offer a cooler, slower smoke. So, they’re perfect for a hot day on the course.

Before lighting a cigar, inspect the wrapper for imperfections and cut only enough of the cap to create a clean draw without damaging the cigar. Light the foot slowly using a butane lighter or wooden match, avoiding candles or fluid lighters that can impart unwanted flavors. Rotate the cigar while toasting the foot to ensure an even burn before taking your first puff.

Two golf carts drive up behind us; it’s four of our fraternity brothers. They look exasperated and have given up. These guys don’t play a whole lot of golf.

“We’re heading to Mario’s Fishbowl.” Murphy says, “You guys want to join us?”

“No thanks. We’ll see you guys at the fraternity house.” I replied

There was a cookout planned at the fraternity house after we finished golfing. Where I knew we would be drinking. Mario’s Fishbowl is one of those classic college bars. It’s been in Morgantown since the 1950s. They serve giant 20-ounce fish bowls of beer! While quite impressive, they aren’t quite up to the caliber of our very own Old Town Fish Market 32-ounce schooners. I do love the place. But it’s probably not the best idea after drinking during a round of golf. Plus, we wanted to finish our round.

Tim’s Whiskey and Cigar Recommendations

After a couple of holes, we pull up to the 17th. A smile crosses my face. This one’s a par 3, and the green is at the bottom of a cliff. I had seen holes like this on television and in social media videos, but I had never played one. Hitting the balls off the cliff was a blast. The cart slid a couple of times on the way down to the green. We were never in danger. But the trip down was a bit disconcerting, nonetheless. The cart path isn’t as steep as the cliff, which had a slope of 170 degrees.

We finish the seventeenth hole and plow through the brutal par five eighteenth hole before we head to the fraternity house. My fraternity little brother, Miguel, always handles the cookout and makes a mean brisket. After eating, it’s time for us to light up a victory cigar. We didn’t actually win anything, the mountain won, but we made it through the course. I fired up one of my favorite cigars, My Father Le Bijou. It’s peppery and earthy with a steaklike taste, a perfect post BBQ cigar.

Unlike cigarettes, cigars are not to be inhaled. Cigarette smokers often find it hard to switch to cigars for this reason. Instead of inhaling, the smoke is gently drawn into the mouth, allowing the palate to appreciate the complex flavors. A premium cigar should be smoked slowly, typically one puff every 30 to 60 seconds. This prevents overheating, which can create a harsh, bitter taste.

As we stood on the patio of our fraternity house, the stories from our glory days began to flow. The laughter roared as we ribbed each other with memories from our college days. The actives, current members of the fraternity, and a few of the recently graduated alumni chuckle and giggle as they told us the story of how they accidentally flipped over one of the carts while we were golfing. Thankfully, no one was hurt. And I’m sure drinking wasn’t involved. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Knowing that they were fine did make the story more enjoyable. And we all smiled again knowing that, decades from now, they’ll be sharing that story with future active members. Friendship and brotherhood are wonderful things, as are great cigars. Cheers!

About the Author: Timothy Long is an educator, writer, consultant, and experienced restaurant operator. Email: tlong@belmarinnovations. com. Instagram and Twitter: @wvutimmy. Blog: What is that fly doing in my soup? http://whatflyinmysoup.com

All Aboard... Sip & Savor Express

Do you love wine? Do you love trains? Do you love sweeping views of the Virginia countryside?

If you answered “yes” to all of these, then the Virginia Scenic Railway (VSR) has the perfect trip for you.

The railway's “Sip and Savor Express” combines the nostalgia of vintage rail travel with local wine or cider. This three-hour, nonstop journey features a curated charcuterie board and a guided tasting led by an onboard expert.

The Sip and Savor Express is one of several themed excursions offered by VSR. Other options include Ales & Rails, Murder on the Menu, and Sunday Brunch.

What is the Virginia Scenic Railway?

The VSR was founded in 2022 by the Buckingham Branch Railroad, Virginia’s largest short-line railroad. It features modernized 1940s-era passenger cars that give it a throwback vibe.

I first learned about the Sip and Savor Express when several wineries posted photos of their trips. Curious to know more, I contacted VSR media representative Kristen Decker, who gave me the lowdown during a phone interview.

“It’s been really successful! Offering a Virginia wine option was the natural extension of our ‘keep it local’ theme, and we’ve gotten a lot of interest from both our customers and local vineyards. So far we’ve featured over a dozen wineries including Granite Heights, Fifty-Third Winery, and Afton Mountain. Other wineries such as Domaine Finot will be featured in the future.

Our guest wineries do an interactive tasting, plus offer glass and bottle sales on the way back. They pick a menu of four wines, which vary by time of year. It’s a relaxing way to enjoy the scenery.”

My Departure from Staunton

That pitch was enough for me to sign up for the next trip (I scored the last ticket).

My train rides are usually about going from Point A to Point B. This was the first time my ride was all about the journey, not the destination.

Istarted in Staunton, a historic town known for the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse and its proximity to Shenandoah National Park. We moved at a leisurely pace toward Waynesboro, passing through small towns and farms before heading into the Blue Ridge Tunnel.

We emerged from the tunnel in the Afton area, just outside Charlottesville. I could see Pollak Vineyards in the distance, then Chiles Peach Orchard up close.

My trip's wine director was Jason Hayman, Director of Production for Hazy Mountain Vineyards, who walked us through their four wines.

We started with his Rosé, a dry, crisp blend of Merlot and Blaufränkisch topped off with a touch of Nebbiolo. Next was their Grüner Veltliner. Since Grüner prefers cooler climates, this was grown at Little North Mountain, a highelevation site in the Shenandoah Valley. It's zingy for a white, with white pepper and a rich mouthfeel.

Then we sampled their Pinot Noir. Jason explained, "Pinot is fun to grow sometimes, and not fun to grow most of the time," reflecting how difficult the variety can be. Their Shenandoah site is one of the few places that can even attempt it. Stylistically, the wine is very different from what you might expect from Oregon, leaning on soft fruit notes rather than earthy ones.

We concluded the tasting with their Cabernet Franc, a wine Jason clearly loved talking about: hardy in the vineyard and versatile in the cellar.

The tasting also came with a charcuterie board that doubled as my dinner. It was long gone by the time we disembarked. Tours run from both Louisa and Staunton on Fridays and Saturdays, with new trips posted 30 to 45 days in advance.

To learn more, check out https://www. virginiascenicrailway.com

About the Author: Matthew Fitzsimmons is a blogger who has visited nearly every winery in Virginia –most of them twice. Track his progress at https://winetrailsandwanderlust.com/.

Bee a Little Helpful

As a farmer, I have learned that my job does not end with growing grapes and selling wine. I have learned, and tried to preach, that stewardship of the land and the ecosystem is important to all of us. I try to find balance with climate change, development pressure, the rising costs of farming materials and labor, versus ensuring biodiversity and soil health, carbon sequestration and value of a crop. The balance does not make for an easy day or career. With all that stress and pressure in mind, helping the bees and other pollinators is something we can all feel good about.

Four of my clients have beehives set up at their farms. Bees are not critical to grape growing but they sure are important to the biodiversity and balance that our lands need. Here at Fabbioli Cellars, they pollinate our raspberries that we use in our Raspberry Merlot and our Ladies Man cider. Macy at 48 Fields uses the bees for her apples and honey for her cider. At Whites Ferry brewery and Winery, we are incorporating the honey into a special wine coming out next year. Michelle at Twin Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont just wanted to help her little corner of the world with some beehives. Little did she expect a bear to break through the fencing and attack one of her hives! With a Facebook post and a few phone calls, we were able to get the help we needed to save the bees and brood that we could and rebuild the hive. Vanessa from Beacon Hill Honey came to the rescue with boxes to harbor the homeless bees THAT DAY and transport them back to her farm.

Rescuing the bee victims and cleaning up the crime scene of the criminal bear was not in my skill set. So, I looked up Vanessa at Beaconhillhoney.com and learned about her operation a bit. It ended up that we found the ultimate queen bee who is tirelessly spreading her knowledge and passion for bees. Beekeepers recognize that respecting and connecting with the world of bees can make liquid goodness as well as a better ecosystem! Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing your passion, mentoring and technical skills in a way that makes this a better place to be. So, back to wine. Honey can be diluted with water to a point where the sugars will ferment creating mead. Also, it can be added to a wine or beer to sweeten and flavor that product. Honey can taste and look different depending on where the bees sourced the nectar and pollen. So please respect the bees, visit the wineries, buy local farm products and help keep the good stuff happening in our communities. None of us get rich doing what we do, but value of the process, passion and spirit is too important to put on a balance sheet!

About the Author: Farmer, winemaker, entrepreneur, educator, and leader, Doug Fabbioli has been accelerating the growth and quality of Virginia’s wine industry since 1997. With his wife Colleen, Doug is the owner/operator of Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, VA. He is the founder and director of The New Ag School, which focuses on teaching the next generation of farmers and agriculture-related leaders. No wonder they call Doug Fabbioli the Godfather of DC's Wine Country.

OPEN THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY 11-5 PLEASE CALL FOR RESERVATIONS FOR GROUPS OF SIX OR MORE

The FitBall Ab Exchange is Back!

Iknow, I know, I know…some of you were getting a little tired of me featuring workouts with a FitBall last year but you have to admit that it is good exercise and it is something you can do inside in the AC. This month’s exercise is one I have recommended several times over the 15 plus years I have been penning this column - the FitBall Abdominal (Ab) Exchange. This is a great exercise for the rectus abdominus – pretty much the muscle that extends from your sternum to your crotch.

The start position is shown in Figure 1. The FitBall is held off the floor with your arms extended straight above the head. Notice how the feet are also held above the floor about a foot or two. This position elicits muscular tension through your core. Next, bring the ball over the top of your body while simultaneously raising your legs to “meet in the middle”. Obviously, the leg and arm muscles will be doing some work during this motion, but focus on contracting the abs to help bring the back of the shoulders off the floor to really make the repetition count.

So now that the FitBall is at the top, switch it from the hands to the feet by placing it between the inside of your ankles (figure 2). It might take some practice before this transition becomes smooth. Squeeze the ball with your legs to secure it for the ride down. Slowly lower the ball, back of the shoulders, and your arms toward the floor. Notice again how the arms and ball never touch the floor because you want to keep tension on the abs the whole time during the exercise (figure 3).

Try at least ten reps if you’ve never attempted the FitBall Ab Exchange. This is an advanced abdominal exercise that requires significant core strength to perform multiple sets and reps. I hope that I have given you another solid core exercise that you can add to your abdominal repertoire! Until next time…Stay fit during the “Dog Days of Summer”!

About the Author: Unverzagt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University. He is a certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength & Conditioning Association and a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

Does Working Out in Hot Weather Burn More Calories?

Afriend and I went out for a run last week, the temperature outside was still about eightyfive degrees and humid. As you can imagine, it took all of five minutes at a reasonable pace and we were both covered in sweat before we were even breathing hard. My friend asked me if we were burning more calories running in hot weather. I said no, we are just dehydrating faster than if we were running in cold weather.

When you go for a walk in one-hundred-degree weather, don’t be fooled that the sweat pouring off your body is excess fat just melting away.

The fact is that you will burn about the same number of calories walking in hot weather than you would walking in cooler weather. If you were to step on the scale immediately after your workout you will initially weigh less, but once you re-hydrate, you replace the water weight that you lost during the workout.

The most important thing to remember when working out in hot conditions is to keep your body hydrated. Your body can burn calories much more effectively if it is well hydrated, so the more water you drink the better you will feel, and the better your body will be able to cool itself. When working out in warmer weather, you should be doing whatever you can to keep your body cool in order to avoid any heat related illnesses. The same goes for exercise classes like hot yoga. A hot room may offer some advantage in terms of muscle flexibility, but

as for calories burned it is going to be about the same as a cooler yoga class. As for those individuals who believe that working out in one of those plastic “sweat suits” will help them lose weight, they are wrong. In fact, those suits are ineffective and can be very dangerous. For one, they don’t allow the sweat to evaporate off the skin, which is the body’s primary way of cooling itself. Another problem is that it can allow any toxins that may be in the suit to seep into the skin and cause illness.

In case you are wondering, the only time extreme temperatures affect the number of calories burned is when it is so cold that you begin to shiver. Shivering is an involuntary response where muscles clench in order to generate heat to keep the body warm. If you are so cold that your teeth are chattering and you have to do jumping jacks to keep warm, you can burn up to three times more calories than normal. That being said, I still would not recommend going running in a bathing suit in December.

The safest and most effective way to increase your calorie burn during a workout is to change things up and stay hydrated. Especially in this August heat, keeping your body cool and well fueled is going to be your greatest advantage. Heat related illness can come on quickly, so be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day as well as when you are exercising or playing outside.

All year long I yearn for summer’s arrival. It’s the perfect season for so many things—backyard barbeques, eating al fresco and festive fireworks. Everyone has an extra spring in their pedicured step from the sunshine and long days.

and light. The last thing you want is a muddled, caked-on look that’s sliding by noon; and the more makeup you put on, the more is at risk of melting off.

However, once we round the corner into the oft-blistering August heat, each of us looks forward to cooler weather, and no longer having to deal with our makeup literally melting off our faces.

As a makeup junkie, I often find myself struggling in the summer months when it comes to my cosmetic routine. I want to look as polished as usual, but often find my typical regime to be too much in the muggy humidity and temperamental climate. Now is the time to ditch heavy layers of makeup. August can be one of the most brutal months of all, so you’ll want to keep your makeup nice

While most of us know how to treat our skin during the far more forgiving climate of autumn, keeping your makeup in place during the scorching heat of summer seems impossible. But follow my tips for the stay-in-place essentials you’ll need to give your makeup a fighting chance, withstanding soaring temperatures, and you’ll be sure to beat the heat.

Wear Primer

sweating. Try MAC Prep + Prime Skin, a skin protecting cream with SPF 50 for the rays—it’s specially formulated with oil-absorbing powder for the heat and humidity. Other favorites include Smashbox Oil-Free Primer, which keeps skin from looking flaky if yours tends to be on the dry side; or L’Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Professional Color Correcting Primers, available in three oilfree formulas for different skin types. Apply to moisturized skin before concealer and foundation and set with powder for a flawless, airbrushed finish.

Use Powder

Primer, Powder, Papers & Eye Shadow that POPS!

shine. Use a large fluffy brush to dust a translucent loose powder across your T-Zone. Because it’s colorless, it will absorb oil while still maintaining that fresh, dewy look. Dust some loose powder on your nose, chin, upper lip (my personal sweat spot), and the center of your forehead. Keep a light hand to ensure the rest of your face remains glowy.

Use Oil Blotting Papers

Japanese Blotting Papers. If you’re a loyal drugstore junkie, try Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets. Stash these babies in your desk, purse, glove box—heck, anywhere! All it takes is a quick dab over your face to soak up excess oil without messing up your makeup.

Choose Creamy Cosmetics

I started using primer on a regular basis for a more polished finish to my makeup, and summer is when primer is most certainly not an option. Primer is the key to long-lasting foundation and color, and all you need is a pea-size dot of a lightweight, oil-free formula to help blot away oil and prevent

If you’ve done your makeup but then run down the street for a coffee, you can expect a thin sheen of shine to ruin your handiwork. This is where miracle-working translucent powder saves the day. Translucent powders provide shine control without adding any noticeable color or texture while absorbing excess oils, setting makeup, and reducing

Trust me, I get it. You’re probably thinking that you’ll be re-powdering approximately every fifteen minutes throughout the day with this season’s record high temps. This constant adding of extra layers will leave you with product buildup and looking a cakey mess, which is almost worse than a sweaty one! Instead of applying more and more powder each time you spot yourself getting shinier, use an oil blotter to get rid of excess shine. If you’re feeling fancy, try Tatcha Aburatorigami

Protecting your makeup is really as simple as choosing the right formulas that will keep your color locked in place. When sweat and powder products mix, the result just isn’t pretty, so opt for a cream version of a product when you can. Cream formulas of eyeshadows, blushes, and bronzers are the way to go. Sheer cream shadows tend to cake less in hot weather, and they look so pretty when glistening in the sun. For eyes, try a highly pigmented eye color that goes on creamy but dries to an intense, vibrant finish that is long-wearing without weight, caking, or creasing.

Keeping Things Cool In the Garden!

While the list of gardening tasks for August is shorter than in many months, there are still ongoing tasks to perform in the garden. The hot temperatures of mid-summer make it tough to spend much time working in your garden, so take advantage of any cooler days to take care of grooming and weeding. Right now, your primary concern will be assuring an ample supply of water for your plants. Weed control is also very important, because with the warmer weather and increased watering, weed seeds will germinate and grow faster, and mature to the point of producing more seeds. Take advantage of your spare time to keep the weeds cultivated out of all parts of the garden.

Here are a few August gardening tasks and projects that you can do to help keep your garden looking it's best for the rest of this season:

Proper Watering

Watering can be the biggest task this month particularity if the weather gets really hot. Vegetable gardens, most flowering plants, and the lawn all need about one inch of water every week to keep them green and looking nice. Be sure to water thoroughly, and deeply each time you water. When possible, do your watering in the morning or early afternoon so the soil has a chance to warm up before the cooler evening hours set in.

Of course, if you planted drought resistant plants in your garden, you won't have to water as often, but the principal of deep watering still applies.

Be sure to check the hanging baskets and container grown plants every day during hot weather and about every second day on moderate summer days. Don't just check the surface, push your finger an inch or two into the soil to be sure there is adequate moisture below throughout the root area. Water them thoroughly each time you water, but be careful not to over-water them.

Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs

Take out a few minutes to pick off the old dead flowers on your annuals, as well as the spent flowers on perennial plants. A little time spent on grooming the plants will make a big difference in the overall appearance of the garden. By removing the spent flowers, the plants will not go into the seed producing stage and should continue to flower longer into the season.

Spring flowering perennials can be divided and transplanted this month or next. Be sure to do this during the coolest part of the day and water the plants thoroughly after transplanting.

Lawn Maintenance

Prune your hybrid roses in late August to promote the most fall blossoms. Remove about a third of the vigorous growth. Any stems that cross each other should be removed, as well as those that are in the center of the plant. Weak, spindly canes and any damaged by black spot fungus should be removed. Maintain a spraying schedule to control insects and disease.

Contrary to popular belief, a brown lawn isn't necessarily a dead lawn. Grasses go dormant in times of drought, but will quickly return to life with the fall rains. If a lush green lawn is important to you, and you don't mind mowing, water it regularly, and deeply. If a water shortage is expected, or you hate tending to grass, you may choose to just let your lawn go dormant, and water it as seldom as once a month. Raise the cutting height of the mower. Taller grass cools the roots and helps to keep the moisture in the soil longer.

Shrubs and Trees

Summer blooming shrubs should be pruned for shape after they have finished flowering. Remove any dead or diseased branches.

Various Odds and Ends

Keep the weeds pulled, before they have a chance to flower and go to seed again. Otherwise, you will be fighting newly germinated weed seed for the next several years. Weeds in the garden are harmful because they rob your plants of water and nutrients, harbor insects and diseases, and, on occasion grow tall enough to shade your flowers and plants. Change the water in your bird bath regularly, and keep it filled. Standing water is less healthy for the birds, and may become a breeding ground for mosquito larvae.

Continue to watch for insect, slug and snail, or disease damage throughout the garden, and take the necessary steps to control the problem.

Publishers Note: This column provided courtesy of TheGardenHelper.com. Log on to the site for a full range of gardening tips.

TAnimal Hoarding:How We Can Help

oday, Americans are increasingly aware about animal welfare. This is partly because abuse, including animal hoarding, is now widely reported. Pet lovers respond by wanting to adopt hoarded animals. And everyone wants animal hoarding taken seriously and addressed quickly, with no recurrences. So how can we help?

Defining Animal Hoarding

Hoarding is obsessive behavior that can include animals, not just things. Generally, animal hoarding occurs when humans keep too many animals in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Hoarders may not provide the food, water, meds, vet care, space, exercise, and shelter the pets need.

Hoarders almost never hate or mean to abuse animals. They just can’t care for them. People who hoard need help; so do their animals. The consequences for humans are serious, and for pets, potentially fatal.

Virginia Laws and Penalties on Animal Hoarding

Animal hoarding cases have led many states to enact laws against having too many domestic animals in a building. In Alexandria, animal hoarding can be prosecuted under Virginia’s laws against animal cruelty and neglect.

The City of Alexandria sets limits on how many companion animals a resident may have, currently five dogs and four cats. Permits are required to have more

animals, or their humans will be subject to housing code or zoning violations.

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria investigates cases of animal cruelty and abuse, including hoarding. Extreme neglect, serious injury, or animal deaths can be prosecuted either as a misdemeanor or a felony. Conviction can mean that the animals are seized, forfeiting the human’s right to them. Misdemeanor convictions may mean a 5-year ban on animal ownership, felony convictions a court-ordered lifelong ban. Reporting animal hoarding fairly and accurately is therefore extremely important.

Spotting Animal Hoarding

What are some signs of animal hoarding? Look for three things: the animals’ condition, where they’re kept, and how their humans behave.

The animals may appear underfed, emaciated, injured, or unable to move normally. They may have untreated veterinary problems, including infections, parasites, and breathing or skin issues. Some may be afraid of humans, unsociable, or aggressive. In overcrowded spaces, animals may have multiple offspring; some may be inbred. Dead animals might be in a space with living ones.

Hoards often have unsanitary conditions: feces or urine on floors, decay, or garbage. They may stink intensely. The building may be cluttered, broken down,

or with blocked exits and windows. Flies, other insects, and vermin might infest the property.

Hoarders might be isolated, not allowing outside visitors. They often neglect their own health and believe their animals are healthy and happy. Despite horrific conditions, they might keep bringing new animal’s home.

Reporting Animal Hoards

Experts advise treating animal hoarders cautiously and with sensitivity. If you suspect a neighbor has an animal hoard, take these steps.

Document Your Concerns

Officials need accurate information about hoards. Note the address and its condition. Estimate how many animals are being hoarded, including species or breeds. What signs of neglect, injury, or illness have you seen, in the animals and/or hoarders?

Contact Animal Care Authorities

In Alexandria, contact the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) or the city’s Hoarding Task Force [see Resources]. You can report anonymously. Animals rescued from hoards are taken to the AWLA shelter for vet care and rehabilitation, then offered for adoption.

Contact Human/Social Services

If hoarders appear to need help with physical or mental health concerns,

call Adult Protective Services [see Resources] for a welfare check.

Don’t Confront Hoarders

Dealing with hoarders yourself could backfire and make life worse for the animals. No matter what you see, don’t remove animals yourself. This could be considered theft. Hoarders might react in a way that harms you, the animals, or themselves.

Adopting/Fostering Hoarded Animals

Hoarded animals may need more loving care than other adopted or fostered pets. Your new pets may be fearful, unsocialized, and unused to an “unhoarded” place. They may react timidly to a well-maintained home and carpet, or grass in a clean backyard. The world may seem terrifying.

Consult your veterinarian or animal rescue about your new pet’s specific needs. At first, your pet may want to stay in one “safe” spot—a bedroom or bathroom with food, water, and bedding—and might guard all this closely at first. Find ways to help your pet relax.

Hoarded pets may have veterinary conditions and may need more initial vet visits, medication, or dental work than other pets. Animal rescue will have treated them for parasites and other diseases, including skin or respiratory infections. But these pets may need carefully managed diets or other routine veterinary care.

Hoarded animals may not have been housetrained or know how to react well to people and other animals. A regular walking schedule (dogs) or easy access to multiple clean litterboxes (cats, rabbits) will help foster good habits. Vets suggest using a harness instead of a collar on animals who aren’t used to a leash, reducing the pressure on the animal’s neck. Your pet may need time to adjust to being walked, but a daily routine helps ease this transition.

Above all, allow your new pet time to adjust to you. Never force an interaction with an animal who isn’t ready. A timid pet can become a more loving, confident animal, with patience and devoted care. And treats!

About the Author: Steph Selice volunteered as an adoption counselor at King Street Cats in Alexandria for seven years.

Resources

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria Tipline https://alexandriaanimals.org/alexandriasanimal-services/

AWLA Animal Services Team: 703-746-4444 (24/7 dispatch) AnimalServices@alexandriaanimals.org

Alexandria Hoarding Task Force For multi-faceted cases that may involve human health or structural hazards hoardingtaskforce@alexandriava.gov

City of Alexandria https://www.alexandriava.gov/olderadult-services/program/adult-protectiveservices#:~:text=APS%20is%20a%20 part%20of,email%20the%20Hoarding%20 Task%20Force

PETS OF THE MONTH

https://dars.virginia.gov/ Telephone Intake Line: 703-746-5778

Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

After hours toll-free hotline: 1-888-832-3858

TDD: 703-836-1493

Emergency Mental Health Services: 703-7463401 Nuisance Abatement Hotline: 703-746-4311

alexandriaanimals.org Mon-Tu-Th-Fri, 12-7 pm

Hector is a big boy with an even bigger heart. This four-year-old pup is very friendly, affectionate and clearly happiest when he is spending time with his favorite people. While he enjoys walks and a play session with a canine friend, Hector can also be a 67-pound laid-back companion. After a quick run around, Hector is ready to settle in for what he likes best; cuddles and snoring on your lap. He is almost housetrained and is crate trained. His adoption fee is sponsored by Vola's Dockside Grill.

Tonka is a distinguished senior gentleman. However, at the golden age of 12, he's still spry enough for a jaunty walk and sniff session whenever your heart so desires. He seems to be house-trained and although we have seen that he is clearly still full of life, Tonka would likely get along with another laidback animal. He is easygoing, affectionate, and loves a little snack from time to time, but let's be honest- who doesn't? And if you ask him, he's always deserving of another. We are positive you will love him as much as we do.

Talk about a looker! Fenix is a gorgeous brown and white Dalmation who is estimated to be about 3 years old. He is a very active dog that would thrive with an active family who can match his enthusiasm for adventure. He seems to like other dogs, too which makes long walks or outings to the park a breeze- and something he is always more than willing to accompany you for. He has super leash manners is exceptionally smart and can't wait to put his good listening skills to good use in exchange for a t-r-e-a-t or two.

Fishing with Confidence

Of the hundreds of fishing lures owned by anglers, there’s always one favorite in every tackle box. It might be the first lure always tied on or one that just stays tied on every fishing trip, but confidence baits are a real thing. This could be a lure category, special color, or one lucky lure that never fails. In any case, there’s something magical about the lure that gives a fisherman confidence. And once it’s on the end of the line, it stays put until confidence is lost.

Twenty years ago, Robert Montgomery, author and long-time Senior Writer for BASS Publications whom I refer to as "O Great One", asked for my thoughts about confidence lures. Jokingly I responded, “the one fish is biting”. However, after some thought and recounting several guided fishing trips, it was clear confidence was in the eye of the angler.

Montgomery’s first book, Better Bass Fishing--Secrets from the Headwaters published in 2009 and still in print, reveals tips from pros and guides across the country. Among the great common-sense tips, angling secrets, and fishing locations, Montgomery delved into angler psyche. “If you want to become a better angler, don’t just study bass behavior. Study your own.” Enter the concept of confidence baits.

According to Montgomery, “Confidence baits sometimes are more an accident of timing than they are truly superior lures.”

Across the deck, every pro to weekend angler has a confidence bait or two or three. Go-to baits are in the ready especially when the bite is slow. Montgomery theorizes a bait becomes an angler favorite because they grew up throwing it or because it was tried on a day when the fishing was tough and it produced.

But it’s the psychological boost a confidence bait gives you when the bite is slow that’s important. Perhaps it heightens your concentration making you more eager to fish. This confidence translates to more attentive casting and detecting subtle bites. Montgomery says, in short, throwing a confidence bait makes you a better angler.

One of my guide clients, who repeatedly mentioned how proficient he was with soft plastic lizards, was not successful with the soft plastic choice I had made. This bait was working, but not for this client. I suggested a break. I looked at the sky, looked at the water, and then suggested we switch to lizards. Immediately he began to catch fish. He had a confidence bait.

But, to become better at bass fishing, pay attention to the conditions when the confidence bait produces. Noting the water depth, clarity, wind direction, and weather conditions will be cues for using the bait. Also determining where bites occur in relation to cover, structure, and current can unravel angling mysteries. Montgomery says anglers should benefit from the “confidence” throwing a favorite bait provides but also be smart enough to realize that bass probably aren’t biting it because it’s your favorite or because it is vastly superior to others. He says it’s likely, “They’re biting because of a complex combination of favorable variables, of which the lure is just one.”

Luck for many anglers is the accidental discovery of a confidence bait. However, Montgomery says, to be a better bass angler, work on developing a couple of these baits. He advises there are many variables playing into whether a bass is going to bite your bait. “Some we understand. Some we think that we understand. And some we don’t even know about.” The environment below the surface is very different from that which we are familiar. It’s not up to us what makes a fish bite. Occasionally, we choose the “right” bait. Montgomery finds fish will bite because they’re in an aggressive feeding mode, or because we’ve found a concentration of fish that stirs itself into a competitive frenzy when a lure passes through. In reality, just about anything in your tacklebox might work.

Thick grass is best at higher tides when the sun is up and hot! Work hollow frogs on Gamma 50-pound test Torque braid slowly, stopping frequently. White frogs are easier to see. Punching mats with 50-pound test Gamma Torque braid is also effective. Tungsten weights ½ ounce on up with strong

As a guide, it’s my job to put the right bait in the hands of my clients for them to be successful. Most times this involves me demonstrating how to use the lure while catching fish. Many times, I’ve had success on the first cast, which immediately gave them confidence in replicating my catch as I sipped my coffee. With many guide trips, my two clients and I were using identical setups, with the lure color the only variable.

As I caught fish, I observed my clients noticing the color difference. Often, I would switch to give them the confidence lure. Sometimes that would work. However, often I would continue to catch fish while they were stymied. At this point, it was easy for me to drive home the presentation tips I provided, which they had ignored. Sometimes a lure is more than a confidence lure.

As for Montgomery, he continues to author fishing books as the conduit to not only improve angling success for all experience levels, but to confidently impart angling enjoyment to anglers of all ages. Cindy Sue and the Lunker Club is about family, fun, and fishing, with a tribute to BASS and some legends of bass fishing included.

About the Author: Capt. Steve Chaconas is a Potomac bass fishing guide & freelance writer. Potomac river reports: nationalbass.com. YouTube channel NationalBassGuide.

hooks and small soft plastic craws allow baits to punch through. Bass usually hit on the drop.

In scattered grass, try jigs and bladed jigs, black/ blue, craw, and white patterns. Use markers to paint blades black, except for white baits. Swim jigs with thinner weed guards, hooks, and lead heads come through grass and hook fish easier. Use 1420 pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line and a 7’ rod. and bladed jigs, black/ blue,

Lovin’ is All I Got for ALX

Photo by Lee Moody

I seriously cannot believe it’s August.

Where has the time gone? I feel like a parrot repeating the same thing over and over, but seriously— where has the time gone? As I get older, time feels more and more like a sprint and less like a marathon. I just had my first taste of blue crab and I’m staring down the barrel of back-to-school sales and boot collections. Whoa, Nellie. I still have more hot dogs and ice cream in my future. I haven’t even heard the crack of a ball against a bat yet. I love that sound! Granted, I spent most of June and July painting getting ready for my show at Nepenthe Gallery (insert cheesy self-promotion here). Paint brushes are down for a minute—just long enough to grab an icy cold margarita, enjoy these last dog days of summer, and consider all the reasons I love Alexandria because awhile back, Nepenthe put out a call to artists for its upcoming exhibit, Alexandria Experience. Artists were asked to submit works that ‘reflect the artist’s reverence and/or affection for Alexandria.’ Sign. Me. Up.

Where do I begin? Where do I stop? I’m not sure I can adequately express my love in words, let alone images as my roots (and love) run deep.

My mom grew up in Del Ray. I was six years old when my grandfather passed, but I’m told he was at

one time the mayor of what was then called Potomac. Although I grew up in Woodbridge, Mom was always finding excuses for us to come to Alexandria—mostly to her favorite restaurant, The Dixie Pig. In my many, many years of enjoying delish BBQ and coleslaw, I have never encountered any that holds a candle to the Pig.

Before we could nestle into those cozy booths, we had to do a drive by at the places she grew up—first, a house on Windsor Avenue, and then the house they moved to when she was a teen—the house at the corner of Russell and Bellefonte where her wedding pics were taken out on the front lawn before they trotted off to the Del Ray Baptist Church to exchange vows.

Whenever I drive by that house, I can see my mom and her sisters lined up on the front lawn. Mom with her tea length dress and veil, my aunts in sweetheart necklines, pearls, white gloves, and hats.

When I moved out on my own for the first time, I headed to an apartment off Duke Street. I could walk to the infamous Bombay Bicycle Club for karaoke nights—to this day, whenever I hear, ‘Baby Got Back’ by Sir Mix-a-Lot, I’m thrown back to the late 90s and a spot in the 22304.

As time passed and income increased, I was able to buy a very small condo in the 22314. In the late 90s, the north end of Old Town was a ghost town compared to what it is today. I remember my dad telling me I could buy a townhouse in Dale City with a two-car garage for what I paid for the 725 sq ft loft (a total steal by today’s standards), but I put my foot down. I wanted to be an Alexandrian! I had already fallen in love with Old Town—well maybe more accurately, with The Fish Market, Portner’s, Tiffany Tavern, and of course, Bullfeathers.

Old Town had a vibe (a word rarely used in the 90s, btw). You walked down the street and knew people. You felt safe. It felt like a really cool neighborhood. Sure—there were tourists, always tourists, but there were familiar faces. And dogs. Always dogs. Another reason to love Old Town. It’s always been one of the most dog-friendly places I know.

After a decade in Old Town, I grew out of my space— and my friends and family were tired of walking up three flights of steps to visit me. It was time to relocate. While my income had increased, it had not grown enough by Old Town standards. My realtor gently suggested that I move across town to Del Ray.

At first, I balked. What?! I wanted to be where the action was. Sure—Del Ray had Mt. Vernon Avenue, but it didn’t have King Street. It wasn’t the 22314. But then I found a place I LOVED and the deal was done. I was now a 22301 girl.

Now I look back and wonder why I ever batted an eyelash about moving into Del Ray. First, Mom, who had passed away earlier that year, would have been thrilled that I was back in her old stomping grounds. Actually, I’m pretty sure she helped broker the deal. Second—Del Ray had its own unique vibe. It was hip and edgy in a way Old Town wasn’t. And—Old Town was still within throwing distance—not my throws, but you get my drift. My Saturday morning runs got a little boost, but still had me going past familiar haunts. And now I had new places—St. Elmo’s, the Y, Mancini’s, Monroe’s, Taqueria Poblano. And Kiskadee. God, I miss shopping there.

That period in Del Ray ended up being one of the happiest times of my life. I had great, fun neighbors. My heart still yearns to walk out the door and see Jason and Lisa embarking on a new home improvement project. We were all on the verge of adulthood and careers and figuring life out while tending to lawns and DIY’ing before DIY was a TikTok thing. We did it because we were broke! My husband, XXL, still tells the story about calling me for a date while I was helping Jason jack hammer his patio so he could surprise Lisa with a new one when she got home from a trip. “Remember when we first met and you used power tools?”

If we weren’t on my front porch, we were cooking out in the back yard alley. We all loved each other so much we installed a gate in the chain link fence that separated our houses because someone, aka Robert, may or may not have injured himself jumping between yards to retrieve a beer out of the cooler. Not that life was all about partying—okay, maybe it was, but mostly what I remember is the people. Life in Del Ray was amazing.

I haven’t traveled a ton, but when XXL and I started thinking about where to retire, we both said two things—1) we wanted to be near the water, and 2) we wanted someplace like Alexandria. Turns out there is no place like ALX—it is truly one of a kind.

About the Author: Lori is a local writer, painter and pet lover who loves to share her experiences and expertise with our readers. She has been penning a column for the OTC for over 25 years. Please follow Lori online on Medium for more missives like this.

Back in the Day...

Idon’t know why I have been feeling so melancholy about not living in the Harbor anymore. I really miss sitting on the very large balcony of my secondfloor condo with a glass of wine as well as spending time on the party room balcony overlooking the waterfront at the bottom of American Way. Not being able to just walk to the Gaylord to check out all of the action there on a regular basis is another thing I miss. It has been at least six years since the damned pandemic ensued and loss of advertising revenue forced my hand and I had to give up renting the condo I loved in One National. I guess having lived there for almost eleven years and loving it like I did, made a big impact on me. Maybe running into Vivian, the current and my favorite ONH Manager, the last time I dropped copies of the Old Town Crier off there “triggered” me. You have no idea how much seeing and reminiscing with her made me smile.

Much has changed in these last six or so years. Some for the better and some not so much. There are more attractions including Spirit Park that opened in 2023 with my very favorite sculptures in the Harbor (more so than the Beckoning at the entrance and the Awakening on the beach at the Plaza), the bison family on the knoll behind it. More recently the addition of the impressive Wildlife Wonder Boat sculpture that arrived in late April. There are more on the water activities with Freedom Boats as one of the newest. I have featured all of these in past columns.

The Capital Wheel has added Saturday Night live music to their lineup and there seem to be a few more festivals in the mix these days during the year. New restaurants are popping up as old ones have closed down and new storefronts are opening as others

close but at a glance, it looks like the closings are out in front of the race. I am still in mourning at the loss of Bond 45 and the whole west side of the 100 block of Fleet Street – Public House, Brother Jimmy’s and Irish Whisper (both of which were one very large restaurant called Harrington’s in the beginning). The closing of the only market of any sort in the Harbor, Potomac Gourmet, was a huge loss to the residents and remained vacant for quite some time but the space just opened a Michelin Guide recommended authentic Chinese restaurant, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao. It appears that dumplings are its specialty and I understand it will be the restaurant’s first location south of Manhattan. Sounds like it will be worth a try. Another place that opened a few years ago that brought a welcome new element to the Harbor dining scene is the popular Brazilian Steakhouse, Fogo de Chao. I have yet to experience the full meal presentation at this location but have had some great cocktails and small bites during their Happy Hour. Definitely going to take in lunch there with friends soon.

There have been other eatery openings in the last few years that will appeal to those of you who like eating in airports. Most all of the familiar chains the likes of Auntie Ann’s, Cinnabon, Carvel and Dippin’ Dots are at your disposal on Waterfront Street. None of these remotely appeal to me except maybe Cinnabon!

I won’t touch on the many changes in the retail outlets here since my departure and I have never been a big shopper, however, I do make purchases on a semiregular basis at Savanah’s Candy Kitchen and the Pepper Palace, both of which have been hanging in there for quite a few years!

I fully confess that this probably isn’t one of my best Harbor columns, and the fact that I moved back to Old Town Alexandria doesn’t mean I still don’t have a deep affection for all of my friends that still live and work in the Harbor. I love it every time I am over there and I take pride in showing my out-of-town visitors everything I love about it. In fact, I had the pleasure of showing it off to friends visiting from Tennessee on the 4th of July!! We rode the wheel and everything!

SpecialAugustEvents

8th

Veterans Makers Market: A curated open-air marketplace featuring goods produced by veteran business owners. Stroll the white tent displays on August 8.

8th & 9th

Water Lantern Festival: A magical evening event where attendees launch personalized lanterns onto the water. It features food trucks and local music at National Harbor SouthPointe starting at 5:30 PM. 29th

FOX 5 DC Summer Zip Trip: A lively, interactive community morning broadcast showcasing local businesses and entertainment right in the harbor from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

Details on these events and the recurring Summer in the Harbor events can be found at nationalharbor.com.

Treat yourself to some summertime fun on the Blue Ridge Whisky Wine Loop!