Less than three years after McGuffey Park received a controversial $700,000 make-over, work has commenced on a $75,000 repair job to correct several design flaws with what was promised to be a “world class” park.

For decades, sleepy little McGuffey Park sat at the top of Beck’s Hill relatively undisturbed, its trees lush, its shade plentiful, its play equipment vintage but serviceable; but ever since the extensive 2007 renovation, the park, which gave up 13 mature trees in the process, appears to have rejected the change.

According to city parks and rec director Brian Daly, play equipment has deteriorated, a faulty drainage system has turned the entrance stairways into waterfalls during rain storms; and new trees, grass, and shrubs have simply refused to grow.

“We have had a very hard time keeping things alive without irrigation,” says Daly.

Supporters of the park’s renovation, namely a group called Friends of McGuffey Park, a trio of Downtown moms who sold the idea to city planners and raised over over $279,000 in (more)

The Saturday afternoon sun illuminates a barn and sailboat in Greenwood yesterday. While yesterday was perfect for shooting skeet and other outdoor activities, today’s forecast just calls for a cold rain.

Sometime in the future the Downtown Mall and far-away places like the Hollymead Town Center, Forest Lakes, and the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport could be connected not by an often congested roadway, but by a 14.1 mile bicycle trail that would run parallel to Route 29. That’s the lofty goal of the Northtown Trail, the final plan for which was completed by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and recently endorsed by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization. But don’t start oiling the chain on that old bike just yet. The trail is to be built in stages, as big roadways projects like the Meadowcreek Parkway and McIntire Road Extended get completed, and it also depends on finding a way to cross the South Fork of the Rivanna River, either by the construction of a bridge as part of the Berkmar Drive extension project, retro-fitting the Route 29 bridge, or a bridge where the Norfolk/Southern railroad currently crosses the Rivanna. Closer to Downtown, to complete the route, a bridge that connects the eastern and western sides of McIntire Park will also have to built, a project that could cost as much as $400,000, according to city parks and rec officials, but that could be eligible for a VDOT transportation enhancement grant. Obviously, it could take years before any of this gets done. But folks with people-powered transportation can dream, can’t they? To check out the final plans for the Northtown Trail, click here (careful, it’s a big PDF). You can also send comments about the plan to Sarah Eissler at the TJPDC via email at [email protected] or by phone at (434) 979-7310 ext. 360.

A 21-year-old man became the 27th fatality at the popular Nelson County waterfall on November 22. Elias Lehman of Dayton, Virginia, slipped and fell 300 feet when he went past the barricade at the top to take photographs, reports the News Virginian. He was alive, but unresponsive as friends carried him down the trail, which took three-and-a-half hours. On the way, he stopped breathing and efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. In August, 61-year-old Charles Shillito died at Crabtree Falls in what authorities believe was a suicide.

According to the Hook’s latest count, there are 31 area wineries, which is enough to give Dish a hangover just thinking about trying to visit them all. Indeed, we appear to be surrounded by an army of wineries!

Well, it appears we will now have 32 wineries.

In early December, the Glass House Winery in Free Union plans to have its grand opening. Owners Jeff and Michelle Sanders, who moved here in 2006 and were featured in a story about “the lifestyle farming trend” in USAToday, have thrown their hats into the grape smashing ring with a few unusual twists.

Michelle is a chocolatier, so visitors will also be able to enjoy hand-made chocolates. But that’s not all. The tasting room features some unusual architecture, including a giant wine barrel turned into a doorway (which will be stained to smell like wine during the early December grand opening), a geothermal heat and cooling system, and a glass conservatory attached to the tasting room to house (more)

As seen from the 9th floor of the former Monticello Hotel.

As platoons of volunteers uncover the old bones of the Rock Hill gardens, the historic Park Street estate that’s now the overgrown back yard of the Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA), also unearthed has been the property’s complex history as a genteel country estate, a unique experiment in landscape design, a segregation era school, and a victim of growth.

The restoration effort has been largely organized by former City Council candidate Bob Fenwick, who, along with other preservation-mined folks, wanted to draw attention to the property so that the City and the FHWA, the Federal Highway Administration, follow through on an agreement, according to a May 2010 memorandum, to restore the garden and add it to the park system as part of the new 250 interchange project.

“It’s important as the home of the violin playing brother of Jefferson’s master builder, James Dinsmore’s, and as (more)

Despite recent cuts to its operating schedule and limits on what it will accept, the McIntire Recycling Center will continue to get the support of Charlottesville taxpayers— about $28,000 until the end of the calendar year— even while its usage has plummeted as more convenient options abound.

The City Council voted its position Monday, November 1 after the County of Albemarle, which also funds the operation, issued a request and City Public Works Director Judith Mueller explained how usage was dropping.

“The tonnage is down,” said Mueller. “For the current calendar year, it’s going to be about half of what it was in 2007.”

Mueller told the four present Councilors (Councilor Holly Edwards was absent) that even though the City offers free curbside recycling pickup, about a third of the McIntire’s traffic still comes from City residents.

“There’s a social atmosphere at McIntire that many people consider very special,” explained Mueller.

Yet two councilors gave other reasons why city residents should support McIntire, which typically sees people unloading materials from inside gas-chugging automobiles after painstaking sorting— a growing rarity in this area ever since a private firm began operating a MRF so efficiently that it won a City contract to sort and process the stuff left at curbside.

“We recycle so much,” said Councilor Kristin Szakos of her own household, “that we only put out garbage about once every four weeks. Ours is one of those cars coming in and unloading everything.”

Councilor David Brown pointed out that only by sorting can citizens and companies ensure that their old office paper becomes new office paper. “You can’t use newsprint or cardboard to make this,” said Brown, holding up a sheet of office paper.

The operator of the McIntire Center, the Rivanna Solid (more)

It seems like a simple question: How much will taxpayers pay to make Biscuit Run a Virginia park?

Nearly a year after the state’s under-the-wire purchase of the 1,200-acre tract that had been slated to become Albemarle’s biggest subdivision, the would-be developers and state officials appear to have successfully deflected inquiries about the value of tax credits that made the deal possible— even as the Virginia state senator who penned the legislation establishing such tax credits now calls the secrecy “disturbing.”

Meanwhile, tranquility-quashing plans remain to build 100 houses within the new park’s perimeter.

Such revelations come as sources point out that the 850-acre Panorama Farms– a recreation-ready tract owned by a family eager to protect scenic terrain from development– was passed over for the honor of becoming Albemarle County’s state park. Yet, it’s the secrecy surrounding the Biscuit Run deal that has drawn fire from both sides of the political spectrum.

“It ought to be transparent,” says State Senator Creigh Deeds, who served as patron of the land preservation tax credit system that became law a decade ago. “People ought to be able to judge for themselves whether its a good deal or not.”

In a rare occurrence during politically polarized times, conservative radio show host and former Republican city councilor Rob Schilling agrees.

“It would be one thing if the developers just decided they weren’t going to build it,” says Schilling. “But for the state to get involved, and then start wheeling and dealing behind closed doors? I don’t think that makes many people very happy.”

***

Located south of Charlottesville, sprawling Biscuit Run farm was purchased in 2005 for a record-shattering $46.2 million by a group of investors called themselves Forest Lodge LLC. Publicly headed by developer Hunter Craig and including Dave Matthews Band manager Coran Capshaw and at least one member of the Dave Matthews Band, the team justified the gasp-worthy price by the promise of a 3,100-home development inside the County’s designated growth area. The plan promised— in addition to giving the developers a return— to give Albemarle $41 million in proffers (deal sweeteners such as money and roads) in addition to a 400-acre park and a permanently expanded tax base.

But as the real estate market tanked in the years following the purchase, Forest Lodge found itself shouldering an immense debt load and unable to move forward on the development. By November 2009, Bluefield, West Virginia-based First Community Bancshares alerted shareholders that the Biscuit Run loan was in “early stage delinquency” but assured that it was “adequately secured” by the large tract of undeveloped land.

Were wealthy developers about to get bailed out by high-level politicians? (more)

Vintage Virginia Apples and the CoveGarden Ruritan Club are hosting the 10th Annual Apple Festival at the Albemarle CiderWorks on Rural Ridge Farm in North Garden on Saturday, November 6 from 10am to 5pm.

It’s going to be a real fall affair for the whole family, with hay rides, fresh cider, apple butter making and Brunswick stew by the Ruritans. There will also be a bunch of artisanal food and craft vendors, and an apple pie contest sponsored by In The Kitchen. Music? They got that too. Faster Than Walking, Jim Waive, and Applejack Jam will be jamming.

And adults can sneak away to the tasting room for some hard cider.

And you could learn something. Workshops on heirloom apple tastings, pairing artisanal cheeses and apples, growing a winter salad garden, planting your own trees and more will be offered throughout the day.

For more information go to vintagevirginiaapples.com or call 434-297-2326.

Cars backed up for miles on Saturday, October 9, snaking from Route 53 onto Route 20 South and then even further— onto Interstate 64 at exit 121. It prompted the temporary closure of  Route 53. But those who assumed an accident was to blame for the traffic-stopping snarl were wrong: it was the allure of apples and the call of Carter Mountain, where the annual Apple Festival was taking place.

“It probably was one of our best attended festivals,” says Cynthia Chiles, whose family owns both Carter Mountain Orchard and Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet.

The mountain-top business doesn’t keep attendance records, says Chiles, but she believes the possibly record-breaking turnout was thanks to a confluence of events: a perfect fall day, the ripening of popular varieties Fujis and Granny Smiths, and the fact that there was no home UVA football game to distract families looking for some bonding time at a mountain that stands 1278 feet above sea level and over 400 feet above nearby Monticello. (more)

Runners and walkers finish the “Chocolate Chase,” a 5K run and walk that’s part of the 4th annual Chocolate Festival. The event— held in downtown’s Lee Park on the morning of Saturday, October 16— is sponsored by First United Methodist Church.

The gardens of Rock Hill, a historic Park Street estate that’s now the overgrown back yard of MACAA, the Monticello Area Community Action Agency, are getting a makeover thanks to some community activists. Event host Sabrina Youry convened teams of volunteers on Sunday, October 10 to remove deadfall and debris from what she calls a “magnificent but neglected” eight-acre space. It was all part of a worldwide set of events conducted on 10/10/10 and said to consist of over 7,000 projects in 183 countries— a “global work party” to fight global warming. “What better way to bring appreciation/awareness/reverence for the environment than to offer the community a beautiful, accessible green sanctuary,” Youry said in an email before the event. Afterward, Youry described the turnout as “great,” with over 20 people showing up to lend a hand. However, restoring the Rock Hill gardens has been on the radar of local preservationists for some time, especially after it was discovered in 2008 that the historic landscape would be affected by the interchange for the Route 250 Bypass and the future Meadowcreek Parkway (part of which opened Tuesday, October 12 as a temporary Rio Road construction detour). Pedestrian and bicycle access into McIntire Park has been designed to pass through the intersection, but preservation activists argued that the Rock Hill gardens should have been studied as a place that would provide such access to McIntire Park. Indeed, former City Council candidate Bob Fenwick has been organizing efforts (more)

It’s one of Charlottesville’s top family destinations: the top of Carter Mountain which holds an annual apple festival. There, visitors can take in panoramic views and sample fresh apples and the famous apple donuts which— we discovered— start with “Karp’s” dough from CSM Bakery Products. Missed the festival? It happens again the following Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10.

UVA’s new volleyball courts gleam under their new lights, installed earlier this month. Nets? Any day now. (Photo taken 7:35pm, Tuesday, September 14.)

There’s a new controversy for the Albemarle Parks Department. The same Department that decided to curtail the summer swimming season in advance of what might have been a frolicksome long Labor Day weekend— to save $6,000— has now gone forward with three playground replacements for a total cost to the County of $360,000. (It was the Newsplex’s Mark Tenia who first revealed the swimming ban; it was NBC29’s Dannika Lewis who broke the more recent story– though a real estate blogger Jim Duncan found it first of all.) —last updated 12:22pm with Jim Duncan mention

The 4th annual Heritage Harvest Festival combined music and food with a love of the land and a walk through Virginia’s agricultural heritage. And the September 11 installment was the first time this Festival took place right on the West Lawn of Monticello. —>See SLIDESHOW

The Gordonsville Municipal Airport has been getting some extra attention recently. Known to aviators at KGVE and owned by the town that shares its name, it’s actually privately run and recently assisted by a relatively new group of volunteers called GAPS, or Gordonsville Airport Preservation Society. Last Saturday, August 28, a reporter took a little ride with one of the volunteers, Skip Degan, who also occasionally shoots aerial photos for the Hook.

The way that a pilot named Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger saved all 155 onboard his disabled commercial jetliner was the feel-good story of 2009. Locally, however, the “Miracle on the Hudson” helped launch some bad feelings in the Forest Lakes neighborhood.

Since the incident and following a series of Congressional hearings and the release of previously confidential FAA data on bird strikes, thousands of the geese across the country have been rounded up and slaughtered as part of the airline industry’s efforts to make flying safer.

But the mass killing has outraged bird lovers and ruffled feathers at Forest Lakes where 90 Canada Geese were rounded up and killed in early July. Some Forest Lakes residents have come forward to say that despite their neighborhood’s proximity to the airport, Forest Lakes geese actually pose little risk to planes.

“It’s hypocrisy, and it’s all about money,” says resident Arthur Epp, who lives in a house overlooking a lake where the geese once swam and raised their young.

While federal officials say the geese killing will bolster the safety of the flying public, Epp says there’s plenty of data to back up the claim that the airline industry is most concerned with making people think they’re safer.

Who is right?

(more)

The ghost bike that stood as silent witness to the April 19 accidental death of bicyclist, UVA graduate student, religious philosopher, and homeless shelter volunteer Matthew Steven King, has been removed. The oily remnants of the tribute candles that had surrounded the original tribute remain on the sidewalk at the corner of 4th and West Main Streets. Clarified at 9;40am Saturday, August 28 to replace “Grease stains from some of the offerings” to “The oily remnants of the tribute candles…” (thanks to a commenter for the assistance!)

A new seafood restaurant is opening in Charlottesville, featuring some of the best seafood dishes from the waters of the Gulf Coast, including hush puppies, oysters, jumbo shrimp and baked flounder. Now, before you start salivating— sorry if you already are— Dish has to tell you there’s catch: The Gulf Café has no physical location and serves no real seafood. The virtual restaurant, which will open on the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina at www.thegulfcafe.com, is an attempt to bring awareness and financial support to those affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill. The site will allow seafood lovers with a desire to help those who bring it to our tables to place “virtual orders” off an extensive “virtual menu” specific to the Gulf region. All proceeds will go to non-profit organizations in the Gulf region that are mitigating environmental damage and assisting those in need. While the café won’t satisfy our appetites for shrimp gumbo and oyster po’ boys, founder Chuck Moran hopes it will be a fun way for foodies to satisfy their appetite for charity. “The effects of the spill are so devastating,” says Moran, a local web designer and marketing expert who founded the website with a staff of volunteers. “I felt I had to do something to help the people, the animals and the environment. This spill truly impacts all of us.” So how does this work? Well, browse the Gulf Café’s menu of pictured items, select how many you’d like to order, then press checkout to enter your credit card information. Currently, all proceeds will go to the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “Commercial fishermen face unemployment short-term and possibly long-term, which is why the first grant from our Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund went to support a center where fishermen can go for business help,” says Marco Cocito-Monoc, a Greater New Orleans Foundation director. The Gulf Café also features an “Oil Spill” page with up-to-date news and video on the cleanup and effects of the disaster. Visitors can also interact with The Gulf Cafe staff and community via Facebook (search The Gulf Cafe) and Twitter (twitter.com/TheGulfCafe).

As global temperatures rise, so does Charlottesville’s profile in a worldwide debate. Two events last Friday highlighted the anger and frustration felt on both sides as Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli continues his quest to peek at the early musings of Michael Mann, the former UVA climate professor and creator of the doomsday-invoking “hockey stick graph.”

“Ken Cuccinelli wants to take away the most precious things we can leave to the next generation: a healthy environment and a healthy and strong university. Don’t let the history books read, ‘When climate scientist Michael Mann was ignored, the planet burned up.’”

So said Ryan McElveen. The 2008 UVA graduate had been hoping that at least 50 people would appear for the protest he launched with some emails and flyers. He chose Friday, August 20, because that was the day that a judge, just a mile away, was hearing arguments on whether Cuccinelli’s inquest could move forward. Turns out that’s also the eve of move-in for the fall semester at UVA.

“Bad timing,” McElveen admitted (more)

Attention, beer lovers! Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 11. That’s when Starr Hill Brewery and Beer Run will be hosting their Top of the Hops beer-tasting extravaganza at the Charlottesville Pavillion. There’ll be more that 150 beers to sample, plus some food, live music, and even a Brew University Education Tent with seminars on food pairings and how to brew your own beer. Check out the event’s website at topofthehopsbeerfest.com/charlottesville/ for ticket information for the 3-7pm event.

The sun sets over over the Blue Ridge and Beaver Creek Reservoir, a Crozet-area water body whose 104-acre surface provide anglers and occasional sailors— such as the one piloting the 14-foot Hobie Cat seen here— with recreational opportunities. While beautiful, the evening of Thursday August 12 offered almost no wind after 6pm. (The captain of the ship explained the boat’s hand-painted moniker, “Alright Janice,” as a reference to a tv commercial about another kind of wind.)

Over the weekend, guests held to secrecy at the year’s most talked about $3 million wedding, which created mayhem in the little town of Rhinebeck, New York, enjoyed some Virginia wine from Pat Kluge’s vineyard. “Kluge’s SP Blanc de Blanc and SP Rosé sparklers were served at Chelsea Clinton’s rehearsal dinner and reception,” says Kluge’s Kristin Moses, who was also held to secrecy about the event. “ It’s cool that Virginia wine, as opposed to the many New York wines at this New York state wedding, and Kluge were able to get that spotlight.” Of course, it didn’t hurt to know the Clintons, as Pat Kluge and her husband Bill Moses do. While Kristen, Bill’s daughter, says they weren’t invited to the high-security nuptials, they sent wine as a wedding gift. “But then the caterer called and asked if they could serve it at the wedding,” says Moses. “So they must have liked it.” For those who missed the coverage, the Chelsea Clinton Wedding Watch website will get you all caught up.

Longtime Crozet school teacher Patricia Ann Byrom, who, with her husband, Robert, donated what will be Albemarle’s largest park, died June 29 at age 77. The 600-acre Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve on Route 810 in the northernmost part of the county is under construction and scheduled to open this fall.

Like beer? Why not help make it. The folks at the Blue Mountain Brewery are inviting people to come out on August 2 from 10am to 7pm for their annual Hop Picking. If you volunteer you get a free sandwich and a side. They’ll be brewing 1,000 gallons of Cascade Tribute pale ale with the hops you pick, and the rest will be tried and used in their Full Nelson.

Gordonsville Airport-based flight instructor Skip Degan spotted this patriotic scene in a farmer’s field in the Orange County community of Somerset: Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, and “We the People.” Unlike crop circles, this art doesn’t appear to have been executed by aliens— unless of course they’re resident aliens hoping to get invited to take an oath of citizenship at Monticello.

The folks out at Keswick Vineyards will be hosting a benefit auction for their vineyard manager, Daryl Bagley, who was recently diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Bagley has worked in the Virginia wine business for 25 years. The event will be held this Friday, July 9 from 6pm to 9pm. “Agricultural work doesn’t always leave one in the best financial circumstances, and unfortunately Daryl does not have any life insurance to support his wife and girls,” say the folks at Keswick on their website. The silent and live auction will include some rare wine lots (including signed bottles by Dave Matthews), great packages from hotels and B&B’s, professional chefs, and cooking classes. Jazz musician, Joshua Walker, will be playing live all evening and Harvest Moon has generously offered to cater the event. For more information contact the vineyard at [email protected] or 434-244-3341. If you are unable to attend the event and would still like to contribute to Daryl and his family please mail checks (payable to Ann and Daryl Bagley) to Keswick Vineyards at 1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick, VA 22947. For credit card donations click here.

While local foodies love their locally grown food, the people who grow it are not having an easy time of it in this hot weather, according to the DP’s Bryan McKenzie. “I just came in from the garden where nothing is growing and where I was tilling dust,” Corky Shackleford, 80, a Stony Point farmer, tells McKenzie. “Everything is brown. You’d think it was winter.” Indeed, the hot weather appears to be hurting farmers across the state. “One more week without rainfall and we will be in an extremely critical situation. All crops have stopped growing and are in survival mode. This includes all row crops, alfalfa and grass hay,” Jon Repair, of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Agency in Rockbridge County, tells the DP. Unfortunately, Jerry Stenger, director of the University of Virginia’s climatology office, says we’re in for more heat and little rain during the next two weeks.

Like peaches? Or, like the late Duane Allman, just want to eat one for peace? According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), you’re in for a treat this year.

“This has been a strange year for weather,” says Matthew J. Lohr, VDACS Commissioner, in a recent release, “and frankly, we didn’t know what to expect. But so far, it’s been a great year for peaches. With good rains followed by heat, and with no major natural disasters, Virginia growers have been able to produce a crop of large, sweet peaches with good color and great taste this year.”

The peach harvest has started about (more)

A hog-laden pickup truck was parked in the 400-block of East Market Street at 7:58am, Saturday, June 26. Perhaps they on their way to the Charlottesville Livestock Market?

After less than a year, L’s Burrito and Juice Co. owner Lyndon Larson has decided to call it quits June 1. Larson, a New England Culinary Institute grad, operated the popular cart on the Downtown Mall serving up northern New Mexican burritos and tacos. According to his Facebook page, Larson has already boarded a plane for Spain where he’ll cook on a yacht for the summer. “Charlottesville just isn’t my kinda of town,” writes Larson. “Thanks to all the people that made this chapter in my book/life possible. Good luck and do not accept mediocracy.” In the meantime, if there’s anyone out there who wants to carry on the tradition, the burritoaire’s cart is for sale. The cart has a 24-inch griddle, two standard steamtables, a giant soda cooler, and “plenty of storage,” writes Larson. It’s health code-inspected, and he also has commissary kitchen equipment. $11,500 takes all. “No tire kickers, please.”

Live music on the deck at Rebec Vineyards in Amherst, Virginia by Chakadelic Delight (An electric merging of jam, modern rock, intertwined with originals). Fifteen wine selections available, and local foods. June 17th 6pm-dusk.

C’ville Foodscapes, one of a trio of new businesses offering home gardening services, will be handing out grants in conjunction with Quality Community Council to help low-income Charlottesville-area residents enjoy their own vegetable gardens in time for the fall growing season.

“When we founded C’ville Foodscapes, it was our goal to provide the knowledge and know-how people need to grow healthy foods in their own yards,” said Patrick Costello, co-owner of the company. “We recognize that for some this is an unaffordable luxury.”

To help fund the new program, the company is seeking donations to the QCC Garden Grants fund. The amount of money raised will determine the amount of the grants.

“We’ll work within those boundaries to do something,” says C’ville Foodscapes co-owner Wendy Roberman, “but we can’t know what that will be until we see the funds and the needs.”

So far, there are plans to hand out one grant this summer, with C’ville Foodscapes working with the winning recipient to build a garden tailored to their needs. In addition, C’ville Foodscapes will visit the grant recipient in the spring to get them started on their spring garden.

A panel of three, including someone from Charlottesville’s Department of Social Services, QCC, and C’ville Foodscapes, will review applications. The deadline for applying for a grant is July 15, and the award(s) will be announced on August 15. More detailed information, as well as applications, are available at www.cvillefoodscapes.com

In the meantime, those wanting to support the program can send their tax-deductible donations to “QCC Garden Grants” either by mail or in person to “Attn: Garden Grants Program,” Quality Community Council, 327 W. Main St. Suite 101, Charlottesville 22903.

The City announced today that it will be opening its pools this weekend ahead of the official June 11 season start. Onesty Family Aquatic Center, Washington Park Pool, and the McIntire Wading pool will be open May 29-31 and June 5 & 6. Note: the slide at Washington Park will be closed Memorial Day weekend for structural repairs, which will be completed as soon as possible. Residents can also take advantage of discounted seasonal pool passes through May 31. For more information call 970-3260.

On Saturday, June 5 the Charlottesville City Market will host its first annual ‘Dots Day’ forum, i.e. ‘Connecting the Dots in our Local Food System,’ which will allow City Market-goers to learn more about our local food system. Shoppers and chefs alike will find resources to identify local growers, home gardening and poultry-raising tips, community garden information and volunteer opportunities, seasonal cooking demonstrations, food preserving tips, and much more. The goal of the events, say City Market organizers, is to “encourage greater participation in strengthening our local food system.”

Earlier this month, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors made it a little easier for local farm wineries to make a buck— which will make it easier for foodies to enjoy what they produce.

Surprisingly to some, existing zoning prohibited farmers from using farm stands that weren’t on their property, limited the size of their on-farm stores and what they could sell, restricted the number of events they could have and the number of people they could invite, and prohibited them from operating restaurants. But the BOS amended all that, allowing farmers to sell stuff at remote stands, expand on-site shops to 4,000 square feet, sell whatever they want, and hold unlimited events per year, inviting up to 200 people, even more with a special use permit.

Alas, though farm wineries still can’t operate restaurants, they can now have kitchens to make things like appetizers, finger foods, and soups.

James Skylark, a.k.a. the Butter Boy, rises at 3am to press fresh juices and move the homemade butter he made the day before from his freezer to the insulated coolers he’ll pack into his car with other gear to set up at the Charlottesville City Market before 7am. This is his first year at the Market— or Markets to be more precise, since there are three separate markets around town this year.

“Most people don’t know about all the markets,” says Skylark, who contacted Dish recently to remind folks.

“Tuesdays are much easier,” he says. That’s when he opens up shop at the new Pen Park Market that runs from 3 to 7pm. “Families come to make a night of it, with plenty of room in the shade for picnics, plenty of parking, and a playground right there for the kids. You won’t be elbow-to-elbow with other shoppers.”

If you’re a no-nonsense type, says Skylark, the Farmers in the Park at Meade Park, open on Wednesdays from 3 to 7pm, is your best bet for a quick stop to pick up fresh goods. “It’s like a compact, no-frills grocery market,” he says, “and you can also catch a quick bite, a cold popsicle, or a sweet lemonade.”

Of course, while the Downtown Saturday Market presents an early-morning challenge for vendors like Skylark, he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“No market in the area can match its variety and scope,” he says. “Shopping there is an experience in itself.”

On Sunday May 30, Wintergreen Performing Arts will host the Festival of Wine and Food. Enjoy an afternoon of wine, jazz, light fare, and the cool mountain air. Proceeds will support the performance and educational activities of the arts organization. Wineries on hand will include Barboursville, Cardinal Point, DelFosse, First Colony, Flying Fox, Horton, Kluge, Mountfair, Rockbridge, and Veritas. Tickets are $20, available the day of the event, which will run from noon until 5:30pm at the Evans Center at Wintergreen Resort. For more information call 434-325-8292 or email [email protected].

Dish wants to remind folks that the Earlysville Farmers Market, in only its second year of business, is now open on Thursdays from 4pm to 7pm, offering local produce, eggs, fruits, plant starters, cut flowers, orchids, homemade salsa, bagels, various sweets, wine, local artisan wares, fragrant and nourishing lotions, and more. The market will be at Earlysville Green for another week, but then it will move to the Buck Mountain Parish parking lot on May 27. Both locations are about two miles west of the airport. For more information, contact market manager Wendy Russo at 434-978-2058 or [email protected].

While there were several burning bushes downtown Sunday at 3:26pm, God didn’t appear (at least not in any obvious way). The May 9 incident destroyed an approximately 20-foot swath of evergreens between parking lots for the Citizens Commonwealth Center and the Omni hotel. There were no injuries, though at least one car might need a repainted hood.

Randy Salzman submitted his essay about the perils of America’s energy gluttony to the editor on April 7. On the day it was published (which was, appropriately, April 22, Earth Day), one of his more dire predictions came true: a deepwater offshore oil rig sank.

The General almost seems to tiptoe through the tulips in Lee Park.

Massanutten Resort, near Harrisonburg, may have closed its ski season in late March, but a few slivers of snow lingered on until at least 2pm on Thursday, April 15, as seen in this image by pilot/photographer Skip Degan. A few miles to the north, in the George Washington National Forest, the plume from a prescribed burn rears its head. Meanwhile, Massanutten is fighting a lawsuit filed last month over an allegedly paralyss-causng 2009 accident that occurred on its sledding hill. –last updated 10:50am Tuesday, April 27

April around here isn’t just spring— it also includes Historic Garden Week in Virginia. That official commemoration and floral adulation runs April 17-25. Locally, the good garden viewing is Sunday and Monday, April 18-19, for the Friendly Gardens of Blandemar, Grand View and Gillums Ridge Road, all tucked away in southern Ivy.

Horse & Buggy Produce, the area’s largest exclusively local food purveyor, is giving time-conscious customers something new this season: pre-boxed produce. “A certain segment of our subscribers who really desired the convenience of a pre-boxed share,” says company owner Brett Wilson. “So we’re going to pack it up so they can grab it and go.” Founded in 2006 and based on Valley Mennonite-grown produce, Horse & Buggy celebrates its fifth season this year, and the new service carries a fee about $3.75 per week. Wilson offers one caveat: “We’re probably not going to put the watermelons in the box.”
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The controversial-but-approved windmill farm headed to Highland County will finish construction this summer, say the owners in a Roanoke Times story. The project— which has been accused of threatening bats and migratory birds— was the subject of a 2006 Hook cover story. The developer, Highland New Wind LLC, points out that the site, an already bald mountain-top farm, won’t require the usual deforestation and will make the county a net exporter of energy. However, UVA environmental sciences researcher Rick Webb takes a dimmer view of the project’s enviro and financial credentials. “It’s getting ridiculous,” says Webb. “This makes at least four or five times now that Highland New Wind spokesmen have announced that construction is imminent— I think they are fishing for investors.” A message left with a Highland New Wind representative was not returned. —last updated 12:28pm, Tuesday April 13
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The 35th annual Charlottesville Ten Miler on Saturday saw a record number of entrants, at 2750, and a record numbers of finishers, at 2344, according to the running race’s organizers, who released the full results. Running vet Mark Lorenzoni tells the tale in the Progress— including the fact that the Olympic Gold winner Frank Shorter handed out the awards.
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Best of What’s Around, Dave Matthews’ vision for an organic farm operation serving the local community, began as a CSA in 2002, but last year Matthews and his wife, Ashley Harper, announced on the farm’s website that a “difficult decision as a family” was made: to cease operations. For months, the Scottsville area operation has been dormant, the equipment languishing, the fields barren…until the  Local Food Hub recently stepped in. “The Matthews have always had a certain vision for a community-oriented working farm and learning place,” says the Hub’s Emily Manley, who says she doesn’t know why the couple decided to stop its CSA. “They approached the Local Food Hub to explore some opportunities,” says Manley. “Turns out our goals and objectives were and continue to be in line with what they are looking for— and vice versa.” The seventy-acre, certified-organic farm will now become (more)
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The Charlottesville City Market kicks off this Saturday, April 3 at 7am in the Water Street parking lots. There are 111 vendors this year, 15 more than last; and First Street will be closed to accommodate them. There’s also a new market this year, The Market at Pen Park, which will open Tuesday, May 4 in Pen Park off of Rio Road. Like the Farmers in the Park at Meade Park, which opens Wednesday, May 4, the Pen Park market will be open from 3pm to 7pm. “So many vendors have asked to be a part of the market,” says City Market manager Stephanie Anderegg-Maloy, “ but we didn’t have room for them. Now we do.” Anderegg-Maloy says that 25 additional vendors have already signed up for the Pen Park market, which will be similar to the City Market in the variety of vendors on hand. Anderegg-Maloy wants to remind people that the Charlottesville 10-Miler is on Saturday as well, which runs across the West end of the Downtown Mall and down Water Street, so it might be a good idea to enter via Garrett Street. Oh, there’s also a new market vendor website this year [vendors.charlottesvillecitymarket.com], where vendors can create a listing and provide detailed information about who they are and what they offer.
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The County’s 1,200-acre Biscuit Run has been getting all the attention lately, after its would-be developers sold it to the state for $9.8 million plus an undisclosed number of tax credits. But Albemarle is not the only place where private land is turning public. The City of Charlottesville has announced the recent acquisition of 27 acres of parkland adjacent to Meadow Creek.

“This land is not going to be playgrounds,” says Chris Gensic, parks and trails planner for the city, explaining that the heavily-wooded tracts, much of the terrain in floodplain, will instead protect the creek and help get the city-wide trail system together.

Eighteen of the recently acquired acres lie behind the Seminole Square Shopping Center, donated by Ja-Zan LLC, the real estate corporation owned by siblings Jay Jessup and Suzanne Jessup Brooks, who also operate the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia.

The remaining land is about eight acres near Holmes Avenue. The city purchased 2.3 of those acres for $10,300, and the remaining six were (more)

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The heavy snowfalls and cold temperatures accompanying the Snowpocalypse and Snowmageddon are showing their effects. Charlottesville flower blooming and amphibian-growing have started later than usual, and in particular, the little tree frogs known as spring peepers have just begun peeping. Is this cause for concern?

“They’re going to have to get active pretty quickly to reproduce before predators get active in the ponds,” says nature writer Marlene Condon. “They really have a narrow window in which they can reproduce.”

Condon says that a quick shift to hot weather could limit the peeper populations, which serve the dual purposes of limiting insects and feeding hungry animals. Amphibians such as the peepers need a stretch of cool weather in order to reproduce.

“There are years,” says Condon, “when the conditions are just never right.”

Over in the world of flora, the bellwether winter jasmine at the corner of University Avenue and Rugby Road bloomed on Wednesday, March 10, the latest yellow eruption in (more)

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There appears to be a backyard revolution going on in Charlottesville, as two businesses designed to help folks grow their own food have, well, cropped up. C’Ville Foodscapes and Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest are nearly identical in their missions and services, offering to design and build gardens, consult on planning and growing them, and assist in maintaining them. Both offer harvesting and composting advice, and the folks at Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest even offer chicken-keeping services. But will this urban farming movement catch on as the two companies hope it will? According to Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest co-founder Guinevere Higgins, our survival may depend on it. “At some point, our food system is going to have a very rude awakening— be it a spike in gas prices or an outbreak of food-borne illness, or a massive food recall,” says Higgins, who also founded CLUCK, the Charlottesville League of Urban Chicken Keepers. “And those best positioned to weather those upsets will be home gardeners.” Similarly, C’Ville Foodscapes co-founder Wendy Roberman and her partners Sky Blue, Sam Pierceall, Kassia Arbabi, Patrick Costello, and Angel Shockley have approached the venture with a sense of mission. “We believe everyone has the right to healthy food, and we want to help people achieve this,” says Roberman. Of course, before the two businesses came on the scene, local Grammy-nominated songstress Adrienne Young had already (more)
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Downtown denizen Wick Hunt says he snapped this image of a gray fox in a yard on Altamont Circle on Sunday, March 7. Unlike the potentially rabid, human-biting, sweater-stealing fox that plagued the Lambeth Field area (until a fox was captured and killed), this one exhibited no violence, says Hunt.
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“Snowmageddon” is definitely on its way. Here’s the latest report from the Hook newsroom. Be sure to check in here for updated reports like this throughout the day and tomorrow.

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“Why would you want to write about some house I’m building?” That was developer Wendell Wood in a Hook cover story last February, when asked about the mansion he was building. The “real story” he said was the expansion around National Ground Intelligence Center and the prospect of 1,500 new jobs. “Now that’s a story,” said Wood.

Indeed, Wood’s developments along Route 29 over the last 30 years have been an ongoing story that earned him plenty of economic kudos and conservation-minded critics, but as the size of his new house becomes apparent (even from miles away), one may recall his reluctance to talk about it.

“It’s just,” he said with a smile, “that people hate me enough as it is.”

According to County records, Wood’s new house will tip the scales at 15,554 finished square feet with another 14,269 square feet of unfinished basement, decks, and porches— putting it within range of Patricia Kluge’s 23,000 square-foot Albemarle House and making it not only one of the biggest houses ever built in Virginia but also (more)

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Former park ranger Bruce W. Bytnar discusses and signs copies of his memoir, A Park Ranger’s Life Thirty-two Years Protecting Our National Parks, at New Dominion Bookshop on Saturday, January 16 at 11am.

From the author’s blog: “I started my National Park Service career in 1975 as a seasonal employee at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. I later worked at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, and three districts on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia. During this time I worked as an interpreter of historic, cultural and natural resources, a federal law enforcement officer, wildland and structural firefighter, resource manager, emergency medical technician, search and rescue worker, supervisor, manager, mentor, and instructor. It was a rich and productive career that produced an inordinate number of experiences and stories.”

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With at least part of its $34 million loan already declared in “early stage delinquency” by the lead lender, Biscuit Run’s conversion to a state park may leave several banks with millions in losses.

In a November 6 federal filing, Bluefield-based First Community Bank notified its shareholders of the potentially massive problem but assured them that the loan was “adequately secured” by a “large tract of undeveloped land in Virginia.”

What First Community may not have counted on was Governor Tim Kaine’s eagerness to add new parkland or on the generosity of Biscuit Run owner Forest Lodge LLC, a consortium publicly headed by Hunter Craig.

Craig spent several years before County staff winning the right to eventually develop 3,100 homes on the 1,200-acre tract in southern Albemarle. On December 30, however, Craig’s group sold the land to (more)

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Stranded commuter? Nope. Deer-hunting slows for no season, as this 9:46am, December 24 photo seems to indicate.
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The Blue Ridge Swim Club (established 1914), like most outdoor pools in these parts, appears to have shut down for the season. The stream-fed pool, reportedly the longest in the County, also appears to have been drained for the winter.
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In an effort to lure more family spectators and create a faster, flatter course, the 2010 Charlottesville Marathon has changed its route to cover the paved portion of the Rivanna Trail— twice. (Runners in the April 17 event will, however, have to exit the Trail before reaching the home of Trail-blocking, settlement-winning Shirley Presley.) It’ll be the first time the course has been run along the Rivanna River, and a glance at the 2007 and 2010 course maps indicates less time in Free Union; more time downtown. Also new in 2010 is an 8K Road Championship with a cash purse of over $3,000, according to a release.
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Complete with a video showing him field-dressing a deer, Charlottesville insurance exec Jackson Landers, whose deer-hunting class for urbanites has been getting local ink from his mother and other writers, made the big time Wednesday, November 25, in the New York Times.
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A cache of leaked emails that show some leading global warming theory proponents acting less than nobly has caught the attention not only of the New York Times but also of the Charlottesville-based scientist often slammed by the errant emailers. “This is not a smoking gun; this is a mushroom cloud,” UVA’s state climatologist Pat Michaels says in the Times story.
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The 313-acre Ingles Ferry Farm, site of a New River crossing operated by Mary Draper Ingles, the pioneer woman whose incredible trek back from her kidnapping by Shawnee warriors inspired Follow the River, the 1981 best-seller (that just happens to be the favorite book of late banking icon Hovey Dabney), will be preserved with conservation easements.
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An allegedly trespassing hunter named Jason D. Cloutier reportedly mistook a 23-year-old Ferrum College student for a deer November 17 and squeezed the trigger on his high-powered rifle, killing the young woman, who was collecting frogs for a science project. The fatally-injured Ferrum student has been identified by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as Jessica K. “Jess” Goode of the Winchester area. In a same-day press conference, filmed by Roanoke tv station WSLS, the campus police chief, Libby Clegg, offers a tip: “Everyone in the woods needs to be wearing blaze orange this time of year— everyone. Even your pets.” While multiple hunter deaths are sad if frequent occurrence every year in Virginia, this is the first nearby death of a non-hunter in memory— though the still officially-unsolved 1997 backyard killing of Janice Garrison on Lonesome Mountain Road in Albemarle still resonates. “This is extremely rare,” says Game Department spokesperson Julia Dixon. “There are no records of a non-participant ever being killed in a hunting-related incident in Virginia.” Last year in Washington state, however, a woman was mistakenly killed for allegedly looking like bear. And in the most notorious case, in 1989, a mother of twin one-year-olds was slain in her Maine backyard by a longtime hunter who allegedly mistook her white mittens for a deer’s tail. In the Ferrum incident, officers with the Game Department charged the 31-year-old Cloutier of Ferrum with manslaughter, reckless handling of a firearm, and trespassing to hunt. The incident occurred on county-owned property about a mile from the Ferrum College campus. Media reports indicate that Cloutier was the first or among the first to call 911. –the story above was cobbled together for our print publication from the dispatches below: 4:11pm update: “This is extremely rare,” says Game Department spokesperson Julia Dixon, in response to a reporter’s question. “There are no records of a non-participant ever being killed in a hunting-related incident in Virginia.” 1:57pm update: The fatally-injured Ferrum student has been identified by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as Frederick County native Jessica K. Goode, and she is pictured on the new Facebook memorial page. 8:19am original: An allegedly trespassing hunter named Jason D. Cloutier reportedly mistook a 23-year-old Ferrum College student for a deer and squeezed the trigger on his high-powered rifle, killing the young woman, who was collecting frogs for a science project. In a same-day press conference November 17, filmed by Roanoke tv station WSLS, the campus police chief, Libby Clegg, offers a tip: “Everyone in the woods needs to be wearing blaze orange this time of year— everyone. Even your pets.” *** While multiple hunter deaths are sad if frequent occurrence every year in Virginia, this is the first nearby death of a non-hunter in recent memory— though the still officially-unsolved 1997 backyard killing of Janice Garrison on Lonesome Mountain Road in Albemarle still resonates. Last year in Washington state, a woman was mistakenly killed for allegedly looking like bear. And in the most notorious case, in 1989, a mother of twin one-year-olds was slain in her Maine backyard by a longtime hunter who allegedly mistook her white mittens for a deer’s tail. In the Ferrum incident, officers with the Game Department charged the 31-year-old Cloutier of Ferrum with manslaughter, reckless handling of a firearm, and trespassing to hunt. The incident occurred on county-owned property about a mile from the Ferrum College campus. Media reports indicate that Cloutier was the first to call 911. While an anti-hunting group maintains a list of horrific accidents, others such as Charlottesville resident Jackson Landers teaches safe hunting as a way to get fresh, free-range meat. –original posting 8:19am; original headline: “After hunt killing, a blaze orange warning” –second headline: “Hunter-slain Ferrum student identified”
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For nearly 140 years the Hatton Ferry has been taking passengers across the James River near Scottsville, but unless local government or private funds can be raised by the end of the year, it’s curtains for America’s last remaining pole-driven ferry.

Although the historic ferry was rebuilt twice, once after it was destroyed by Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and again after a record flood in 1985, it’s finally being done in by the Virginia Department of Transportation’s multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, which has already claimed over 600 jobs and 19 highway rest stops.

“Despite the national attention in September, VDOT doesn’t want to save it,” says Steven Meeks, president of the Charlottesville Albemarle Historical Society, who had (more)

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Scary incident of bear vs. a pair of 400-pound pigs in Augusta County. (The bear won.)
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Light streams over a forest of bamboo, an invasive species spotted October 17 near the Lewis Hills subdivision in western Albemarle County.
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In reporting on the City Market’s record breaking sales this year, which was $1,085,646, up $1,467 from last year’s record, several local media outlets reported that the Water Street Saturday market would be closing on November 7. But fear not foodies, you’ve got three extra Saturdays. According to market manager Stephanie Anderegg-Maloy, the Market’s last day will be November 28. So what’s the secret to the Market’s success? “Great vendors, great customers, and a fun place to be,” says Anderegg-Maloy.  “The City Market is like a huge party on Saturday morning.  It is a joy to be involved every weekend. When you walk around the market on Saturdays you are surrounded by laughing happy people (one of them being me!), beautiful sights and wonderful smells, friendly people.  The market seems to touch every sense.” And don’t forget. The Holiday Market, which will be located in the City Market spot, begins on November 28 and runs until December 19.
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Back in July, avid hunter Jackson Landers wondered on his blog if anyone would be interested in a semi-formal class on how to deer hunt from a locavore’s perspective. After all, what better way to eat local than to hunt for your own food? Of course, it’s hard to imagine local foodies more accustomed to shouldering a tote bag at the farmers market than a .30-‘06 through the woods in camouflage gear actually shooting and gutting a deer, but Landers says the response was immediate.

Landers, a broker with Landers Underwriting, was bombarded with emails showing interest in the class, from people as far away as San Francisco, which forced him to limit the class size. Today, he says he has about 10 people taking his class, which is in its fourth week.

“The curriculum that I’m teaching is largely a natural sciences approach rather than coming from (more)

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On Saturday, October 17 award-winning Keswick Vineyards is having its first-ever “Lucy-style” grape stomping event, inspired by the famous “I love Lucy” episode in which Lucille Ball makes a mess of things in an Italian grape vat. In fact, the folks at Keswick are encouraging you to dress up as Lucy by offering a 5 percent discount on wines if you do. There’ll also be a “best Lucy” costume contest, with prizes for the best female and male impersonations.

Sounds like a grape stompin’ good time, with music provided by Rock River Gypsies. The cost in $25 per person, which includes a glass of wine and the chance to get your feet sloppy. You may have to join Keswick’s Wine Club for this, but hey, its free. Call 434-244-3341 for more information.

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It may be getting chilly, but don’t forget the Charlottesville City Market is still open. In fact, while the Market typically runs from April through October, this year the season has been extended to November 21. Also, the Charlottesville Holiday Market, which begins November 28, has been moved to the Market location in the Water Street parking lot. While current hours are every Saturday from 8am to Noon, November hours will be 8am to 2pm. So get on down there for fresh produce, crafts, herbs, meats, and baked goods before the season ends!

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NBC’s Today show put on a remarkable story— complete with nuptials— on the under-the-axe Hatton Ferry Monday.
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Turkey vultures enjoy the leftovers of the tailgating scene at the Foxfield Races on Sunday at 4:58pm. And then they took flight.
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According to this morning’s Daily Progress, an Albemarle-hired expert has declared that B.F. Yancey Elementary School holds insufficient land for the jumbo-sized septic field it might need to expand. But what if the folks at Worrell Water, themselves experts in answering the call of nature with a call to nature, and popular in progressive school districts, could get involved? (We’ll follow up Monday…)
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Photographed September 13, Jackson P. Burley Middle School is home to the Bears— and now the bears. TV reports were aflutter all weekend with news that a mama and two cubs treed themselves. Latest: they’ve moved on. –last updated Monday at 4:23pm
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Radio talk show host Coy Barefoot sent us this one snapped near his house in Western Albemarle, snapped around 10 on the morning of Sunday, September 20.
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After years of discussions and planning, major improvements to Forest Hills Park, located off Cherry Avenue, are finally becoming a reality. The $1.2 million project was put on hold by City Council last fall, due to budget concerns, but according to Parks & Rec director Brian Daly they were able to piece together funding earlier this year to update the 7.35-acre neighborhood park, the first such improvements in over half a century.

Indeed, Daly says the park’s existing wading pool, which will be replaced with a fancy new “sprayground,” is over 50 years old. The last major renovation of a city park was McGuffey Park, the little 1.1-acre park and playground next door to the McGuffey Art Center on Second Street NW. That park improvement cost the city $400,000 (the total cost of the project, thanks to $300,000 in private donations, was (more)

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On October 10 you won’t want to miss the fifth annual Pancakes for Parkinson’s breakfast on the Lawn at UVA, where students flip thousands of flapjacks to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Founded in 2004, the event has raised nearly $100,000 for the Foundation. This year’s breakfast will take place before UVA’s Homecoming football game against Indiana University, so organizers are hoping for a big turnout. So you better get there early if you want some pancakes, especially those chocolate chip ones. The breakfast is free, but donations are strongly encouraged.

According to a statement released by organizers, over five million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease— a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder whose symptoms typically progress from mild tremors to complete physical incapacitation. There is no known cure, and current treatments mask symptoms but do not alter or slow disease progression. In the United States, 60,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year alone.

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With rocks already starting to slide down terrain so steep it’s easier to climb than walk, a man who survived mountain-ripping Hurricane Camille 40 years ago now worries that a neighbor’s logging project could do what Camille couldn’t: bring the surface of Dudley Mountain crashing down through his home.

“When I see this,” he says gesturing to the logged property above him, “I get irked.”

Maupin says he’s worried— especially with hurricane season here— that a severe rain could cause cause the felled forest above him to liquefy, as happened in Nelson County during the 1969 mega-storm that killed 126 people.

And Maupin’s further irked at what he calls a “lackadasical” attitude by the county and the forestry department in enforcing laws about logging and land clearing, and he says that (more)

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On Saturday, September 26 there’s a fun and food filled event happening at Green Acres Lake in Stanardsville, the Green Acres Lake Festival.

According to organizers, the event will feature live music all day with Ice House Road, Country Poor Bluegrass, and Burntmill Band, with a “little local hootenanny in between.” There’ll be kayaks and canoes (courtesy of Blue Ridge Mountain Sports) to take out on the lake, games on the beach for all ages, a kids fishing tournament, arts and crafts, a big flea market, loads of raffles, and plenty of good festival food.

The event is a benefit for the Greene Acres Property Owners Association to thwart mosquito infestation of their lake. Last year, the dam there sprang a leak and they had to drain it for repair, which drained the fish population. Now they want to restock it to ensure that it has a healthy ecosystem, which means plenty of fish next year to eat all the mosquito larvae. You can go the Greene Acres website to find out more.

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Suburban fears may rise as word spreads that singer (and recent JPJ performer) Jessica Simpson watched in horror as her tiny poodle-maltese slipped into the clutches of a coyote before her eyes at home in California.
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It turns out that the little grey fox captured and sacrified for a rabies test died in vain, as the test that claimed its life appears, according to published statements from a health official, unable to provide a clean bill of health.

“It was a decision that was not really made rationally,” says local wildlife author Marlene Condon. “Just because it was the first fox to get into that cage doesn’t mean you can condemn to death without having good reason to do so.”

Statements by Dr. Lilian Peake, director of the state Health Department’s Thomas Jefferson District, indeed suggest that if the test were to help the bite victims or provide firm evidence about the absence of rabies, than it was as doomed as the captured animal.

Peake was quoted in a Daily Progress story after the fox’s death as saying that (more)

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A bunny rabbit hangs out with a plastic yard dog in Western Albemarle August 30. Neither appeared rabid.
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After UVA’s recent bout of small mammalian terror, in which two students were bitten and a sweater was swiped, both the university and Charlottesville community can safely say they’ve seen an animal reined in as officials announced the capture and subsequent euthanization of a fox Wednesday. But was it justice? The capture has some people questioning the actions as rash and cruel, and wondering if it was the right fox— or merely an innocent animal unjustly handed a death sentence.

“It’s a shame to kill this animal to make it look like the authorities are doing something to protect the public,” says Crozet nature writer Marlene Condon, who was horrified (more)

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Ever wonder what a king’s grant looks like or how it launched the career of a now 83-year-old farmer? The Crozet Gazette has farm tales from Dan Maupin (who played a cameo in a 2003 Hook story about the collapse of apple farming).
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Ever wonder what Mint Springs Valley Park’s sand beach looks like from a clearing in the woods just below the summit of Bucks Elbow Mountain on a muggy summer Saturday when the Park temperature is around 90? Well, now you can end your wondering. Photo shot at 2:01pm August 15.
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