Planting seeds: Montpelier, the home of President James Madison, and later, the duPont family, is a former plantation dedicated to historical preservation and education, but its events are not just about the past. Montpelier’s Horticultural History offers an exploration of the evolving and very much alive ornamental gardens of the great house. Virtually explore the lush, verdant […]
Love them or hate them, zombie stories remain popular because they represent the nagging fear that the problems we allow to persist will eventually overpower us. Zombies are husks, barely recognizable as humans, possessing our shape and our need to consume but lacking morality, symbols of our collective failure as a society. In the 52 […]
Business not as usual In recent weeks, many local restaurants that decided to take a pandemic pause have started to phase back into action, including well-loved spots like Al Carbon, Bizou, Brazos Tacos, Little Star, Luce, Tavola, and Tilman’s. These restaurants are reaching customers through online ordering with delivery, curbside pickup, or no-contact handoff of […]
At any given time, at least 20 percent of Alan Goffinski’s headspace is occupied by pizza. “Pizza’s the best,” he says. It’s his favorite food, and he has no qualms about admitting it: “If anyone tells you [their favorite food is] anything else, they’re lying.” “Pizza’s there for the best times,” Goffinski continues sincerely, not […]
It’s a steamy 88 degrees, on average, in Charlottesville in July, and that’s not factoring in the humidity—making it vital to have spots to cool off outdoors. But as summer approaches and many businesses reopen, swimming options remain few and far between. Here’s our guide to where you can (and can’t) hit the water, and […]
Shawn Decker remembers the first time he heard Depeche Mode. He was 12 or 13, and getting a ride home from his friend’s brother when he noticed the music coming out of the car stereo. “What is this?!” he asked. The vulnerability of the lyrics, the mood of the new wave/synth-pop sound—it was unlike anything […]
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection is checking in with its artists to see how they are faring through the pandemic, what they’re working on, and how their artistic and cultural perspectives shape their experiences in this strange new time. Next in the Meet the Artist series is Julie Gough, a Trawlwoolway artist from Tebrikunna in Northeastern […]
Beastie bests: In 1986, the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill became the first rap record to top the Billboard chart, and the trio from New York City went on to sell over 20 million albums. Filmmaker Spike Jonze shot the Beasties to new heights with his video for Ill Communication’s “Sabotage,” an homage to 1970s […]
When rising fourth-year and singer-songwriter Merritt Gibson heard the news that the University of Virginia would be moving classes online for the rest of the academic year, she was devastated. She missed her friends—an integral part of her UVA experience, Gibson says. Then she began to mourn the abrupt disappearance of her daily routine, the […]
Reposted from 2015. Larry Kramer died from pneumonia on May 27, 2020. Larry Kramer has had his finger on the pulse of what it is to be a gay man for the past 50 years. His 1978 novel, Faggots, and its depiction of the partying, promiscuous ’70s made him a pariah on Fire Island. His […]
The tradition of neighbors helping neighbors has taken on new meaning during the time of coronavirus, pushing many of us to become creative in figuring out ways to help each other. There’s no better example of this than in the Charlottesville-area food community, where business as usual came to a screeching halt two months ago. […]
Bowerbird Bakeshop debuted at Charlottesville City Market’s annual holiday market in late 2017, at a shared table on a side row that got little foot traffic. Pastry chef Earl Vallery had just moved to town after helping launch Whisk bakery in Richmond, and before that, teaching at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in […]
Outdoor options may be limited this summer, but gardening is definitely having a moment. Whether you’re a veteran dirt-lover or a total beginner, there’s never been a better time to dive in and cultivate some earth (or even a window box) near your home. Here are some ideas to spur you along. Dig in: Tips […]
Hop on this: Are you curious about how long baby joeys stay in their mother’s pouches? Or maybe you’d like to learn more about Aboriginal art? In the webinar Roos Galore, Lauren Maupin and Fenella Belle focus on central and northern Australia for a comprehensive look at depictions of the beloved bouncer from down under […]
Peas and love: Accomplished chef Ian Redshaw (James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Rising Star Chef Mid-Atlantic, former partner at Lampo and Prime 109 restaurants) teaches a virtual cooking class on how to make the most of ingredients from your garden or local farm while keeping it simple and artful. Redshaw will cook online, answer […]
Outside chances: The environment is getting a healthy respite right now thanks to less human activity around the globe. Is it possible to get back out there with intention and a newfound respect? Two area authors consider the role of nature in our lives during Leah ‘n’ Lulu’s Virtual Picnic, an immersion in “environmental writing […]
Special something: Musical Suspects, well-loved veterans of the Charlottesville music scene, go live with their eclectic sound as part of The Front Porch’s virtual benefit concert series Save the Music. Matt Horn leads the tight- knit group with his boisterous voice and grooving trombone. Featuring drums, guitar, saxophone, and brass, this funky band of local […]
The coronavirus pandemic can be a frightening time. In this constant state of isolated vigilance, we worry about the health, safety, and prosperity of ourselves and others. But as the weeks drag into months, it is human nature to find silver linings. You may be honing your skills in the kitchen or learning a new […]
Booked Up: Next in the The Virginia Film Festival’s Beyond the Screen series is a virtual discussion of The Booksellers, a documentary that captures the traditions, eccentricities, and future plans of New York City’s rare booksellers. The film is dense with detail, showcasing the players who run this interesting world. Joining the conversation are the […]
A few years ago, Leslie Scott-Jones was wandering around the Aquarian Bookshop on West Main Street in Richmond, looking for lavender incense. Walking by a table of tarot card decks, she received a message from one of her maternal great-grandmothers: “That one.” Scott-Jones stopped—she’d learned to listen to these messages when she received them—looked at the […]
Saved by song: If anyone can Save the Music, it’s Ti Ames and Ivan Orr (pictured). Powerful vocalist Ames, well-known for their thespian talents (writer, director, and the first black actor to win the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition in 2012), is accompanied by pianist, vocalist, and saxophonist Orr, for an evening of song that […]
Born to jam: Since mid-March, Charlottesville jam band Kendall Street Company has been keeping fans tuned in to its multi-genre musical adventures through the Containment Entertainment series (old episodes are available on KSC’s YouTube channel). From closing out a live concert festival and hosting special guests such as Erin Lunsford, to “a bildungsroman featuring historical […]
Remember live music? Us, too. There’s reason to be extra grateful for recorded music right now (and for all the artists streaming sets into our living rooms), but it’s not the same as packing into a whatever-sized room with a bunch of other people to hear some tunes played just for you. Sweating, swaying, swooning, […]