Author Archive
Remington tattoo studio focused on artistry
Over three decades ago tattoos were viewed as less than mainstream. One wasn’t surprised when a soldier or sailor returned home with a small flag or state motto proudly inked on a youthful bicep. Beyond that, the industry had a somewhat seedy aura to it.
Towns often denied permits to such establishments because they weren’t sure what went on inside and local chambers likely had concerns on their impact within the business community.
But that was then. Today tattoos are a $1.6 billion industry; 45 million Americans have at least one and half of all millennials sport some ink. Moreover, 36 percent of 18-to-25-year-olds are displaying and 33 percent of urbanites and 25 percent of rural folks are decked out in living color. Three in 10 adults now proudly wear an image.
By any measure ink on skin has taken hold in the 21st century. Why?
Reasons abound with some theorizing today’s society seeks increased individuality and self-expression in the age of digital communication. A tattoo immediately shares one’s creative side and breaks through the silent world of texts and emails.
The art form has also evolved new terms for the ancient practice: body art, body bling, fashion ink and more.
To highlight the level of popularity, the 9th Annual DC Tattoo Expo was held in Arlington January 11 to 13. More than 400 tattoo artists were in attendance during the three-day conference talking shop with large crowds and tattooing those in need of a rose pedal or eagle.
Black Sheep Studios
An important reason for the surging popularity in tattoos today is the technical skill and artistry being brought to bear on epidermis canvases.
Joe and Jen Poteet are emblematic of a growing number of tattooists that are changing the industry’s reputation by force of their skill and creativity. Playing off the fading image of the art form, the shop is called Black Sheep Studios Gallery & Tattoos and is located at 204 Main Street in Remington.
When you walk through the doors of their establishment set your preconceived idea of an old-time tattoo parlor on the sidewalk. The shop is not a shop. It’s called a studio and for good reason.
The Poteets are artists first and tattoo mavens second. If you are going to make a lifetime commitment, you want to put yourself in the hands of creative experts. Black Sheep Studios are those hands.
“I was going to school to obtain a fine arts degree but didn’t know what I really wanted to do. Tattooing gave me a goal and a job. I got my apprenticeship at a shop in Maryland,” said Jen Poteet.
“I met my husband Joe there who also was a tattoo artist. We fell in love, got married and started a family.” Today the couple has five children ranging in ages from 9 to 23-years-old and live in nearby Summerduck.
They moved to Virginia after years of working in Maryland and opened their studio in November of 2017. “We really love the area and wanted to open our own place. Remington was the perfect location with its older buildings and lots of history.
“The business started off slowly and grew by word of mouth. The town and local people have been awesome in supporting the business. Today we’re seeing more people come in from throughout the county and beyond.”
Poteet recalls how the industry has changed over the last three decades. Back in the 90s people often selected their tattoo designs off the wall of a shop. In today’s internet era an unlimited amount of art is available online and customers show up knowing what they want.
“We started when you often began with just a sketch. We are still old-school and do a lot of hands-on designs. Because of our experience, we can pretty much do anything anybody wants. We are classically trained artists.”
Poteet observes that tattoos are not for everyone and reinforces their own practice is conservative. They do not do face tattoos. Recently a woman came in to have a hand tattoo done on her young daughter. “We told her we do not do hand tattoos on people under 18. We try to get them to understand that tattoos are forever.”
The couple’s studio has a clean, modern look with art for sale gracing the walls; both theirs and others. “We have some new artists display work because they might not have an opportunity to show it elsewhere. We like to help the underdogs.”
Art prices range from $10 for a small print up to $200 for larger pieces. Given the nature of the business, landscape art is not sold. The emphasis is on colorful portraiture, geometric designs and other intriguing subjects done in a modern format.
To further reinforce the inviting nature of the shop, the husband and wife team will on occasion set up their own easels in the studio and paint while customers visit.
Price tag
So what does a first-class Black Sheep tattoo go for? “The smallest design would be $50. An average one ranges from $150 to $200,” said Poteet. “Sleeves can cost a couple thousand dollars and may take several months to complete.” A sleeve tattoo extends from the shoulder down to the hand.
“A sleeve is a big project. Some people do it in pieces beginning with an outline and have it colored in over time. They generally go in knowing it’s going to take a long time.”
The studio will also enhance old tattoos and ones an owner may no longer care for. Relationships gone sour can dictate a visit to the studio. Walking around with an “I love Susie” tag when Susie has long vanished is not the way to enhance a memory.
Black Sheep Studios Gallery & Tattoos is opened Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. If the idea of sporting some ink intrigues you, settle into their online tattoo chair for more information at: https://www.blacksheepstudios.net/
Published in the January 16 , 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
Adopt-A-Highway volunteers labor to beautify the land
The numbers are remarkable: 52 billion pieces of litter cluttering the Nation’s highways and byways. That’s 6,700 pieces of stuff per mile. Consider one plastic bottle can take 450 years to decompose and a glass container one million years. This is no short-term problem.
Moreover, cleaning up the mess costs $11.5 billion annually.
It’s hard for most of us to fathom someone tossing soda bottles, beer cans and fast food detritus onto our verdant landscape. Yet it occurs around the clock, seven days a week. Over 80 per cent of littering is done intentionally.
Decades long educational efforts have had a positive impact, significantly reducing the litter rate in the U.S. but the reduction still leaves our roadways flashing and glittering with tons of trash.
The problem becomes more visible in winter and when lush vegetation withers and exposes the underbelly of motoring along the Commonwealth’s highways.
The mess is national in scope and a partial solution to the problem was discovered in Texas in the early 1980s. James Evans, an engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation saw debris flying out of a pickup truck bed.
Litter control was expensive so Evans enlisted local volunteer groups to clean up sections of the state’s highways. The Adopt-A-Highway program was born.
Today, 49 states have programs in place to keep America beautiful.
VDOT
The Orange Brigade
Here in Virginia, Joe Williams with the Virginia Department of Transportation oversees the Adopt-A-Highway program. It was established in 1988 to keep our highways free of litter and promote the safety, convenience and enjoyment of travel and to protect the public investment in the highway system.
“Our goal is to preserve and enhance the scenic beauty of our highways and adjacent areas,” said Williams. We partner with a nonprofit outfit called Keep Virginia Beautiful.”
The organization engages Virginians to improve the state’s natural and scenic environment. Volunteers are asked to sign up for a three-year commitment and require two cleanups a year. After individuals or groups report two trash sweeps, they can have signage placed along their assigned roadway with their name on it.
Orange trash bags and vests are provided to the collectors by local VDOT offices. After each collection report is filed, a VDOT truck picks up the collected bags.
Statewide there are 1,223 volunteer groups with 15,370 participants. In 2018, they cleaned 1,393 miles of roadway collecting 22,750 bags of trash while contributing 34,928 volunteer work hours.
That’s a lot of trash none of us had to look at as we motored to and from our destinations.
Here in Fauquier County, 35 groups with 196 volunteers collected 337 bags of garbage from 266 miles of roadway while
donating 132 hours of their time.
Virginia saves $1.35 million with volunteer trash collection.
So what type of trash do volunteers typically encounter? Beer and soda bottles rate high on the list but plastic bags and fast food refuse along with a variety of empty containers are also found in abundance.
One interesting observation is that spent wine bottles are rarely seen. One reason may be because those between ages 19 and 35 are three times more likely to litter than the over 50 crowd.
Or could wine consumers simply be more socially conscious? Our county vineyards would like to think so.
Angry Rednecks Against Littering
Yes, you read that correctly. There is an Adopt-A-Highway group in Fauquier County called Angry Rednecks Against Littering. Max and Penny Greiner have labored for 26 years cleaning up local roadways under that very moniker. Today they are responsible for three two-mile sections in the Catlett area.
“We moved here in 1991 because it was such a scenic area. But we soon noticed all the litter on the roads when we took our boys to baseball and basketball practice,” said Max Greiner. “There was a lot of talk among the local folks about cleaning up the roads but no one ever followed through. In 1992, we officially signed up as a volunteer family.”
So how did the unusual name come about? “I come from a deep redneck background and we don’t claim to be something we’re not.” That said, Greiner recently retired as a engineer working at the Pentagon so his redneck bona fides have been nurtured beyond any humble beginnings.
The Greiners also lay claim to one of the more unique Adopt-A-Highway reputations: their road sign is the most swiped in the state. “Our sign has been stolen at least 14 times over the years.
“People have come by and pulled it out with their tractors and other ways to possess a souvenir for their bars and garages. VDOT has been spectacular about replacing them. They are now embedded in concrete with steel posts,” said a smiling Greiner.
A note of caution to those tempted to become a souvenir hunter. In Virginia, stealing a state sign is a Class 1 misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of one year in jail or a $2,500 fine or both.
For individuals or groups interested in joining the cadre of county volunteers helping to keep Fauquier roadways beautiful, Linda Wilson, Adopt-A-Highway coordinator, is the person to call or write.
Wilson can be reached at (540) 347-6448 or linda.wilson@vdot.virginia.gov. Her office is located at 457 E. Shirly Ave.
Wilson also provides the needed orange bags and vests for a properly attired volunteer. Additional information can also be found at https://keepvirginiabeautiful.org/
If you are considering ways to contribute to the commonweal, removing litter from our scenic byways is an exceptional way to serve. Consider grabbing a bag and making the world a cleaner place to live and drive.
Published in the January 9, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
State Farm Insurance seeks reduction in distracted driving
Fact #1: Distracted driving crashes are under-reported and the National Safety Council estimates cell phone use alone accounts for 27 percent of all car crashes.
Fact #2: The fatal crash rate for teens is three times greater than for drivers 20 years of age and older.
Fact #3: 88 percent of teenagers ages 13 to 17 have or have access to a cell phone.
Houston, we have a problem.
Generation after generation older folks have clucked and wagged fingers about the shortcomings of the upcoming generation of young folk.
From Elvis and his road to perdition called rock and roll to today’s millennials who are deemed not contributing to society’s well-being, it seems youth is always taking it on the chin from adult swings.
The latest discontent is the constant use of cell phones by teenagers. The charge may be accurate but it’s also one that could be leveled at many adults. There are over 7 billion cell phones worldwide feeding the addiction.
The omnipresent “device” has shown a startlingly capacity to make a person forget where they are. But once a user—especially a young one—slips behind the wheel of a vehicle, it becomes a life or death issue.
Technology itself is seeking fixes to the problem; one feature is to remind drivers they are driving before they can accept a message.
But another approach is to reach out to teens in an interactive way to show them how lethal the combination of wheels and cells can be. The approach might be characterized as, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”
State Farm initiative
Carmen Rivera manages the State Farm Insurance Company in Warrenton. She has worked for the insurer for over two decades assuming management of the local office last year. She has three full-time agents and two-part timers at her Warrenton Village Shopping Center office.
She is also the mother of two adult children and a proud grandmother. With a strong maternal instinct and a career in insurance, she observes, “You see things that you would hope you never see. One of them is children involved in distracted driving. It’s a huge responsibility to get behind the wheel of a car.”
To help counter the problem she took advantage of a program sponsored by State Farm to educate youthful drivers on the hazards of driving, with a strong emphasis on the misuse of cell phones. The effort includes both classroom instruction and simulated driving conditions.
She visits local high schools and speaks to driver education students on the responsibilities and dangers of driving. “One of my points is to get them to understand the horrific accidents that can occur from distracted driving.
“And they are not usually just fender benders. I also talk about how accidents and tickets can impact their insurance premiums. I emphasize the need to keep two hands on the wheel and two eyes on the road at all times.”
More dramatically, however, is Rivera’s collaborative efforts with Virginia state police to simulate actual distracted driving conditions and its consequences. The program takes place at local high schools and involves the use of a four-seater golf cart that acts as a “vehicle” to create highway scenarios.
And less one thinks a golf cart is a golf cart, think again. The training vehicle—officially designated a Distracted Driver Simulator—is a tricked-out vehicle with doors that sport the colors and logo of a Virginia state police cruiser. A first-time reaction in seeing the little guy is likely, “Hey, that’s cool.”
“Liberty High was the first school where I actually performed the distracted driving course. We had over 150 students participate. We try to replicate on the road situations and tell the children, ‘this is what you are going to encounter’.”
The exercises take place in school parking lots lined with rubber cones to create a “road”. The cart is driven by a student with a police officer riding shotgun and two students sitting in the back seat. A series of real-time “tests” are then administered.
To make it fun and realistic, the students are told they can chat, tap fellow students on the shoulder, pretend they’re changing a radio station, and even text while driving. In other words, actions students often do while behind the wheel.
To further increase reality, on a section of the course drivers must choose to wear either daytime or nighttime goggles that impair vision and replicate driving under the influence or night time driving; many cones get knocked over.
Most dramatically, however, is when each student is told to text a friend while behind the wheel. “When they try to text and drive the “car”, even very slowly, they run over all of the cones. We emphasize that’s what happens in a controlled environment. In the real world, a split second can change everything.”
Rivera urges her students to stow phones in purses, glove compartments, or even in back seats so as not to be tempted to respond to incoming messages.
Weather permitting, the next on course training will take place in December at Kettle Run High School.
To date, Rivera has conducted three classroom sessions and one distracted driver session at local high schools. “I absolutely will continue the program in the years ahead as long as it’s beneficial to the students. I hope it helps the children and shows them driver responsibility.
“But a one-day classroom or driving session cannot fully prepare these children for real-life scenarios” so all efforts must be undertaken to combat the scourge of distracted driving.
Rivera showcases how one person can make a difference when passion and knowledge are brought to bear to solve a community problem.
For more information on her full community involvement, visit her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/WarrentonStateFarm/
Published in the January 3, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
Old Dominion pouring tumblers of whiskey success…and more
The distillation of beer and wine dates to the 8th century. An alchemist named Geber developed the alembic still, noting that the heated wine from the vessel released a flammable vapor “of little use, but of great importance to science.”
Little did he know of its joy as a social lubricant.
In Virginia, the history of distillation was largely driven by the failure of the English to make palpable wine. As with any business endeavor, the Virginia Company, who sponsored the intrepid colonists, was created to make money.
Upon landing in Jamestown in 1607, the newcomers noted it was a land “where wild vines grew so profusely, cultivation would produce veritable rivers of wine.” Alas, ‘twas not true. The wine tasted awful.
Home pot still
The inability to make wine set the stage for the distillation of fruit and grains and led the young Nation on a course of distilled spirits production, largely maintained until craft beer and artesian wine gained traction in the 1980s.
Wine and beer are produced through fermentation and while spirits by distillation. The former is a spontaneous action—albeit managed—the latter fully controlled by man. Distilling is simply removing the alcohol in wine and beer, aging it and then bottling.
Today, Virginians are circling back to their whiskies, gins, brandies and more. The industry is poised for dramatic growth.
George Washington might be smiling as he gazes down on what’s unfolding in his native state. In the 1780s, Washington was producing 11,000 gallons of rye whiskey a year at Mount Vernon. He was the largest producer of spirits in the young country.
Elijah Craig, a Baptist preacher from Orange County, Virginia is credited with producing the first bourbon in the late 1780s. His secret was to age the alcohol in charred oak casks, a process that gives bourbon its reddish color and unique taste.
Colorful Past
Rich in fabled history, Virginia does possess a few skeletons in its liquor closet; most notably the production of moonshine.
In the distance past, distilling was an economic necessity, enabling farmers to convert any surplus corn crop into a lighter weight liquid easily deliverable to market via mule trains. Twenty-four bushels of corn could be converted into two eight-gallon kegs of whiskey.
Whiskey farming enabled the backwoodsmen to buy nails, sugar, coffee and other necessities.
These hardy pioneers peacefully distilled until 1791 when the Federal government implemented an excise tax on whiskey. The frontiersmen’s wrath erupted in the form of the Whiskey Rebellion as 5,000 hot-tempered home distillers descended on Pittsburgh in an unsuccessful attempt to torch the town.
In 1794, George Washington, in command of 13,000 troops persuaded the rebels to forgo their cause without any loss of life. Illegal distilling was driven into the hills and hollows of Appalachia.
As for the traditional moonshine trade in Virginia, in 1941, the ABC Division of Enforcement seized an all-time high of 1,771 illegal stills. In 2011, a collaborative four-day air and ground operation between the ABC and Virginia State Police resulted in the discovery and destruction of just 25 inactive but operational stills in Franklin, Pittsylvania and Carroll counties.
Clearly things have settled down since the heyday of moonshiners.
Bright future
With a legendary past and an unlimited future, the Commonwealth today is home to 70 licensed distilleries, up from 30 just five years ago. Whether your glass longs for bourbon, rye, single malt, legal moonshine, gin, brandy, rum or vodka bottles are available from all quarters of the state.
Even more exotic spirits such as aquavit, absinthe, pastis and a variety of flavored liqueurs can be found in the Commonwealth.
And nothing succeeds like success. In 2017, Virginia distilleries sold spirits valued at over $14 million. The state is riding the wave of craft spirits driven to an extent by commercial brewers who recognized mashing grain was just a step away from a more ‘spirited’ enterprise.
The industry’s impact on Virginia’s economy is valued at $163 million. It supports 1,477 full-time jobs, paying wages of $60 million. Over 296,000 spirits lovers dropped by a craft distillery last year.
Chuck and Jeannette Miller own Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper. Featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Moonshiners” show, theirs was the first craft whiskey distillery in the United States. “We were also the first to introduce “farm-to-table” spirits. We feel our pioneering spirit set a path for others to follow,” said Chuck Miller.
Concurrent with the industry’s expansion is accolades pouring in on the success of master distillers around the state. The Virginia Distillery Company in Lovingston won the Whiskey Magazine award for Best American Single Malt Whiskey for its Virginia Highland Malt.
The A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg was awarded the World’s Best Bourbon title for its John J. Bowman Bourbon Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It was the second time the distillery had been thus recognized.
By any measure, Virginia craft distilling is on a flavorful roll.
In support of the burgeoning industry, the Richmond based Virginia Distillers Association is focused on legislative and marketing efforts that will propel the state even further forward in the future.
“I think Virginia is going to be the next Kentucky or Tennessee as far as distilling goes,” said Amy Ciarametaro, executive director of the association. “We have the provenance more than any spirits region in the country. Our story is rich and layered beyond the Jamestown settlement.”
Ciarametaro points out that unlike our neighboring states also known for whiskey production, 70 percent of Virginia’s product is produced largely by raw materials grown in the state. Kentucky and Tennessee bring in a considerable amount of neutral spirits from western states for production and aging.
“I won’t give a number for Virginia’s future growth but we will absolutely see a lot of growth, especially in small and medium distillers maturing into larger ones. It’s coming down the pipeline,” said Ciarametaro.
The importance of the Virginia spirits industry—coupled with the wine and craft brewery trade—cannot be understated on the impact on the state’s tourism efforts. The Old Dominion is gifted with the richest historical story in America. Showcasing that history in concert with a thriving libation industry can only produce positive benefits for the state and its citizens in the decades ahead.
As Mark Twain reminded us over a century ago, “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.”
For a list of Virginia distilleries and much more break the seal on this valued website:
https://www.abc.virginia.gov/products/virginia-products/virginia-distilleries
Published in the Winter 2019 edition of Dine, Wine and Stein magazine.
Hope Center of Fauquier Warming Station comes blanketed with love
For the vast majority of us the idea of being homeless is unimageable. No rented room, no apartment, no home. Simply roaming the streets seeking shelter wherever. And yet, it’s a condition that over a half a million people in the U.S. experience every night.
Poverty, mental illness, and addiction come to mind when the subject of street people surfaces. In fact, 20 percent of those seeking shelter out of doors are mentally ill or suffering from chronic substance abuse. The rest are poor, stuck in low paying jobs, experiencing domestic violence or simply cashless in a wealthy Nation.
The resources brought to bear to counter the problem at the national level are staggering: $11 billion annually. Still the plight persists. Social service agencies nationwide struggle to deal with what seems an intractable condition.
The case can be made that human nature will always include those who cannot—for whatever reason—care for themselves. Our better natures and belief in the respect of the individual compels us to act. “There for the grace of God go I.”
The dated term Noblesse oblige encapsulates the concept that nobility requires a person to fulfill social responsibilities. Before charity, justice.
But family, work and social commitments often bury our obligations to the less fortunate as we focus on the pressing needs of our own lives. So, it is unique when a small group of people band together to help what many believe to be a hopeless situation.
Enter Reverend Tyrone Green, pastor of Hearts Delight Baptist Church. The pastor works in concert with two other churches, Zoar Baptist and Mount Horeb United Methodist Church. All three are located in Catlett and augment Fauquier and Culpeper Counties in assisting the homeless.
Hearts Delight Baptist
Reverend Green was the youth pastor at Oak Shade Baptist church in Catlett for 10 years before being asked to lead Hearts Delight Baptist. The church was founded 150 years ago and has a long history of serving the community.
The congregation may not have realized they were bringing a whirlwind on board when they asked Green to take charge. They learned soon enough. “My pastor at Oak Shade told them I was going to drive them crazy. And that’s essentially what happened. I don’t sleep. I love working in prison ministries, the singles ministry and more.
“What the world needs now is not just to hear about the love but to see the love,” said Green.
Within minutes of meeting Green, a listener can get swept up in his enthusiasm. Here is a man who sees every problem as an opportunity. And has the charisma to ignite that passion in others.
“To tell the truth, I see a lot of churches but I don’t always see a lot of God’s love in those churches,” said Green. That’s not a problem at Hearts Delight.
Oak Shade Baptist where Green honed his ministry skills is one the largest African-American churches in the region with some 200 members. Hearts Delight has about 50 members and it gave Green the opportunity to take charge on his own terms. A responsibility he eagerly embraced.
“Hearts Delight is not just an African-American church. We don’t do colors. We do Jesus. It was a great opportunity and honor for me to make the move in January 2016.” In almost three years at the helm much has been accomplished.
Green believed his focus was to embrace the entire community through his church. He sponsored talks by a number of local and state politicians and successful men and women in the private sector.
Ken Harvey, a former linebacker with the Redskins and sports columnist for The Washington Post, and Tracey Morgan, an award-winning broadcaster and highly respected Gospel music show host were among guest speakers at his active program.
Additionally, he held community-wide fairs at his church, mother-daughter teas, and painting classes for people who had never seen a blank canvas. He even organized distribution of free turkeys with side dish ingredients to the all police and first responders in Fauquier and Culpeper County.
No avenue to build the love of God was ignored.
Warming Center
In the midst of his growing activism Green began getting calls asking for help with the homeless problem. He learned the local governments had only so much room and limited resources to tackle the vexing issue.
“I told them, ‘you have a partner to help you’.” Hearts Delight joined forces with Zoar Baptist and Mount Horeb United Methodist to create the Hope Center of Fauquier Warming Station.
The first step was to gain more information on the scope and nuances of the situation. Working with the Culpeper Housing & Shelter Services he learned how they ran their shelter and when their 15-bed facility reached maximum capacity.
“CHSS provided a lot of information. For example, I thought if you offered a homeless person a place to stay, they would accept it. Not so. They first have to learn to trust you,” said Green.
It’s emblematic of street life that it hardens individuals and makes them wary of strangers, no matter how well-intended they are. Once the learning curve was mastered, the Warming Station began serving the needy.
It is open seven days a week from November 1 until March 1. The police or county shelters contact the center and arrange to have a person stay in one of the three participating churches. Each church provides up to five days lodging per person on a rotational basis.
In each church a multi-use room is set up with cots, blankets and pillows. Food is also served. “We let them sleep there but also have someone available to talk with them. But our main focus is not to minister to them. We want them to see the love of God not just hear the word.
“Some nights there is no one there and other nights one or two people. We do not want anyone to die during the winter months because they have no place to stay,” said Green.
It’s reassuring when a community comes together to meet a need, especially if that need involves a possible loss of life. It’s also reassuring in a world of increasing self-centeredness that average citizens can extend a hand to pull someone back from the abyss.
For more information, contact person and phone number to access the Warming Center visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/HopeWarmingCenterFauquier/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
Published in the December 26, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
European-style cuisine. American execution. Yesteryear ambiance.
It’s always exciting to be the first to discover something. Isaac Newton and gravity. Christopher Columbus and America. Alexander Fleming and Penicillin. James Watkins and DNA.
Oh, and you and the Three Blacksmiths. Yes, the Sperryville dining establishment is gaining that level of traction. If you haven’t broken bread there yet, consider becoming an epicurean discoverer.
The village is tucked a few miles below Skyline Drive where it crosses Thornton Gap.
Over 100 years ago, it was a sleepy little hamlet of 300 souls. Back then it supported five general stores, six mills, an apple packing plant, saloon, barbershop, pharmacy and…three blacksmiths. Not a lot has changed over the ensuing decades, including the population.
This suits the locals just fine. Growth is not embraced in Rappahannock County as it is elsewhere. The county has some 2,500 fewer residents today than in 1850. Seriously.
But what it does have is eight wineries, two breweries, two distilleries, many inns, restaurants, quaint shops and the internationally known Inn at Little Washington. All nestled in one of loveliest regions in Virginia.
The population is small but the delights are multitudinous.
The most recent illustration of this bucolic gem is the appearance of the Three Blacksmiths restaurant at 20 Main Street, its namesake originating from the important shops of a century ago.
Created and executed by John and Diane MacPherson, the creative duo are not interlopers from distant parts. Rather, they are an established team with a reputation for hospitality and food earned while operating the Foster Harris House bed and breakfast for 13 years in little Washington.
Their sous chef Ethan Taylor rounds out the Three Blacksmiths team.
Conceived in Europe
After selling their popular inn in 2017, the MacPhersons undertook an extended tour of Europe staying and dining in small inns to embrace their magical ambiance.
“Our building and the space we created came from a lot of inspiration and travel in Europe. We wanted something that would fit the village and also have a timeless European sense to the exterior and interior,” said John MacPherson.
The result is a simple yet classic two-story building with European style windows creating an understated but elegant look. “It looks good here but would also look good in a little village in Austria or France.”
The building they had purchased was a blank palette ready for a total make over. McNeill Baker Design Associates designed the exterior and Jolly Construction Inc. completed the work.
The interior of the establishment was completed by the owners, family and friends. The dining room was not designed with a specific concept in mind. Rather, it evolved slowly as the build-out unfolded and turned out better than the coupled had anticipated.
“It has the feel of those wonderful restaurants in the French Alps or Austria. There is a lot of wood and no modern touches of glass or chrome. It feels like it’s been here for a while. It’s warm, inviting and not crowded,” said John MacPherson.
In fact, a crowded venue will never be encountered at the Three Blacksmiths. And not because of a lack of business. The dining room has been mostly sold out since opening on June 9, 2018. But consider it seats only 16 guests and there is just a single sitting each evening.
Diners experience a relaxed and evenly paced dinner that bears a close resemblance to enjoying a repast at a friend’s home. Service begins at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and satisfied guests often drop their napkins on the table around 10 p.m.
Local Focus
In creating a typical dinner the MacPhersons seek local and regional ingredients to the extent possible. Given where the restaurant is located, sourcing menu items typically means a drive of less than five miles from Sperryville.
If you are what you eat, dining at the restaurant conveys honorary residency in Rappahannock County.
The establishment has 15 “partners” who supply much of what appears on your table. The purveyors include local wineries, breweries, a distillery, farms and gardens.
A typical menu in late summer included a tomato salad, Maryland crab cakes with watermelon gazpacho, sweet corn tortellini with Burgundy truffles, duck fat braised lamb loin, Applewood ice cream and grilled nectarine Napoleon.
Focusing on the last menu item John MacPherson said, “I went to the orchard last week to get nectarines for dinners that week. The owners understood my needs and hand-selected the fruit by the condition of its ripeness. Three trays were provided according to the days it was predicted they would ripen.
“You can’t get that level of service unless you actually know the farmers and they know you,” said John MacPherson.
Each course is paired with either a Virginia, domestic or international wine. “Our distributors are set forth to find unique wines that are often difficult to locate.”
Time to dine
The responsibilities for each meal is segmented by kitchen and dining room assignments with the owners involved when each course reaches the table.
Upon arriving, guests are seated in leather captain’s chairs or a sofa surrounded by a palette of rich brown flooring and walls with an exposed wood ceiling. The immediate impression is one of relaxation.
Diane MacPherson has responsibilities for the dining room and John MacPherson and Ethan Taylor craft dinners behind an open-viewed kitchen at the back of the room.
Once seated, you are served an introductory flute of sparkling wine, often from Barboursville Vineyards. “It’s a beautiful expression of a sparkling wine and guests are always surprised it’s not a champagne and that it comes from Charlottesville,” said Diane MacPherson.
Throughout the evening wines are individually paired with each course. While some of Virginia’s best wines are served, quality selections from all points worldwide will grace a typical meal.
“It’s wines we have enjoyed in the past but often very hard to find. We want to introduce people to some very interesting things they may not have tasted before. That’s the impression we’re trying to create during dinner,” said Diane MacPherson.
And there is a specific goal to the dinners. “The best way to describe our food is we try to assemble an entire menu instead of simply a number of dishes one after another. Without question our ingredients make a flavorful difference.
“The dinner has a kind of arc to it. It feels like it’s moving in a certain direction. We accomplish that with a minimum number of ingredients and without too much fuss. Most of our dinners don’t have 20 components to them. We find something we really like and use it,” said John MacPherson.
Reaction to the restaurant has been positive and gratifying to the MacPhersons. “Working the dining room, I probably hear more because of my interactions with the guests. Recently several guests said it was the best dinner they’ve ever tasted. That’s really nice to hear,” said Diane MacPherson.
Payment for the dinners is unique. The multi-course tasting menu costs $99 per person plus a $70 alcohol charge; gratuity and tax not included. Both reservations and payment are made online.
A $50 deposit per person is levied when reservations are made. On the morning of the dinner the remaining bill is charged to the guest’s credit card. “When guests arrive they just sit down, enjoy their meal and leave when they’re finished. There’s no business transactions during dinner,” said John MacPherson.
With just a few months of experience under their aprons, the owners are enjoying the newest chapter of their hospitality dreams. “We’re having a lot of fun. It’s hard work but we come in every day and there’s no feeling of stress. The only stress we have is getting ready for the dinners and that’s really nice.
“It’s very satisfying to get to do this with the people you want to work with and a place you want to do it in,” said Diane MacPherson.
For information on the current menu, photo gallery, reservations and more swing by the region’s latest fine dining venue at: https://www.threeblacksmiths.com/
Published in the 2018-19 Winter Issue of Dine, Wine & Stein magazine.
Lack of funding often stops the cameras from rolling
Creative artists have long suffered from a lack of capital and the ensuing ability to sustain a living. Even Mozart struggled financially because musicians were not held in high regard in his day. And yet, he was one of the finest composers in the history of music.
The same can be said today about a legion of underfunded artists. The talent and imagination to create is thwarted by a lack of capital. Enter Ron Newcomb, stage right.
Newcomb, 45, and a resident of Bealeton is many things: former Marine, former police officer, holder of an MBA degree, and a filmmaker who toils daily in the information technology sector to put bread on the table.
But his heart is in film.
“There’s no sustainability in filmmaking. Instead of looking to others to solve the problem I believe the local community can do that through the power of equity crowdfunding.”
Say what?
If the accepted business term is new to your ears, you’ll likely be hearing more about it. Due to a change in financial regulations a few years back, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission now permits the solicitation of money online that provides equity ownership in the company being invested in.
Prior to the change, small investor equity creation could not occur. “Instead of one or two wealthy people funding a project as in the past, now we can mobilize an army to fund a film project ourselves,” said Newcomb.
Taken to its logical conclusion, the new form of raising capital paves the way to keeping dollars in the local economy where it originated. Further, it can boost local employment and give artistic voice to its investors.
When Tip O’Neill, the late speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives said, “All politics is local,” he encapsulated crowdfunding’s potential.
Under Newcomb’s scenario anyone, but especially a writer, actor or filmmaker, could make an investment as small as $100 in his company, Mid-Atlantic Studios, and become much more than just a passive investor. Moreover, if the film that’s produced turns a profit, a share is returned to the investor.
Examples of how an individual could benefit from this risk-reward financing provide an intriguing picture of the logic behind the concept. “An investor can draw an actual check if the film is profitable but he also can become a member of the cast and crew.
“They will get notices about such opportunities to participate in the filmmaking. A writer will also have an opportunity to submit other projects for the studios’ consideration. When production actually begins, all the hires will be local talent.”
Moreover, Newcomb has a library of film he has created over years on the art of filmmaking. If an investor bumps up his stake in the firm to $250, he gains assess to the library.
Leverage in the company jumps even further with an investment of $10,000. “You would actually become an advisor and help greenlight projects to the final stage of filmmaking.”
Often such regional projects are spearheaded by West Coast companies who fly in to produce a film with much of the needed management and talent in tow. Newcomb points out today is the golden age of television with episodic films being produced by Netflix and many others offering serials running for months based around a common story.
His first round of investment is seeking to generate $100,000. If he doesn’t get the funding by April of next year the opportunity goes away. “It can’t stay open in perpetuity. You must have a window of opportunity.”
If he achieves his goal, his production company will undertake three film projects. The first two have been written by him and a third will be submitted by a member investor. “The third project will be left open giving people an opportunity to submit ideas of their own.
“If we do well, it will be the gift that keeps on giving. We just roll those funds back into the studio and keep on producing films,” said Newcomb.
The first two projects offer a glimpse into the entrepreneur’s imaginative creativity. The first is a western sci-fi project set in space and the second a futuristic dystopian tale of what would happen if America broke out in civil war and how the tragedy would unfold.
Newcomb points out another problem within the film industry. “We are graduating people from film schools at a large rate with the expectation there’s going to be a job waiting for them on the other end. That’s just not the case in our region.
“All these young people are graduating but there’s no jobs for them so they end up moving out of the area. The only way we are going to solve the problem is we ‘the collective’ come together.”
To learn more about the opportunities being offered by Mid-Atlantic Studios and listen to a brief video on the concept, visit the company’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Movie-Television-Studio/Mid-Atlantic-Studios-286561085496786/
Published in the December 19, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
Contributions to county mental well-being recognized by Chamber
On November 3, an integral part of Fauquier County’s mental health system was recognized by the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce as Nonprofit of the Year.
The award was presented to Executive Director, Sallie Morgan, at the Chamber’s 32nd Meeting & Awards Gala held at the Stoneridge Events Center. Morgan has headed the organization since 2011.
“We were delighted to receive the award,” said Morgan. “I do think we do good work. What the award said to me is the community really values the whole struggle to improve mental wellness in the community. It’s an issue our community is embracing and engaging in.”
Established in 1964, the organization is a grass roots nonprofit advocacy and action group working to increase awareness of mental health and substance abuse and decrease the stigma often associated with mental illness and addiction.
In the early sixties there were no mental health services in Fauquier County and few, if any, providers. “People came together and said we need to do something about it. They formed the association and then went on to obtain a grant from the state to start the very first mental health clinic in the community,” said Morgan.
Over five decades later both organizations are thriving and providing much needed comfort and cure for depression, addiction and a host of other mentally related illnesses.
A few years after the clinic was created, the state established the Community Services Board and the clinic became part of the board, known today as the Fauquier Behavioral Health Clinic located on Hospital Hill.
It is a separate organization from Morgan’s association but both entities work closely together.
For many years the association operated with no paid staff. In the early 2000s, a large private donation triggered the hiring of its first executive director who subsequently moved on in 2010.
The vacancy created an opportunity for Morgan who had been working for the Community Services Board for over 30 years. “I was looking to make a change. I had been involved in the direct delivery of services so the Mental Health Association was a great opportunity to look at the system itself. That’s what drew me to work for the association,” said Morgan.
Until last February, Morgan was the only staff person. In a coordinated effort, a strategic planning process was undertaken that culminated in the decision to bring an additional person on board. “We hired a fabulous young woman, Brittany Dwyer, as a community outreach coordinator.”
A third part-time staff member, John Waldeck, is a behavioral health consultant. Waldeck ran the clinic for many years and is deeply knowledgeable about the challenges facing the community.
Much has been accomplished with these three professionals guiding the association.
Cutting to the heart of how Morgan views her role is her mantra: “There is no health without mental health. You really can’t separate the two. If you can improve mental health status, your physical health will improve.
“More than half of us are going to face a mental health issue some time in our lives.”
Accomplishments
One of the unique obstacles in delivering mental health cures is drawing out sufferers who are often reluctant to discuss their problems. Experience shows that many people are fearful of seeking help or even talking about their struggles.
The average time from when a person starts experiencing symptoms to actually getting treatment is 10 years. “One of the main things we are trying to accomplish is providing enough information and education to reduce the stigma of seeking treatment.
“We’ve become much more involved in working with substance abuse which is hard to separate from mental health issues. Often people start off self-medicating and it exacerbates whatever mental issues they are experiencing. One of the primary things we do is provide information and refer people to treatment for either condition,” said Morgan.
Just one example of reaching deeper into the community is the recent launch of its redesigned website.
Even a cursory look at the site impresses with its scope of help available to those in need. It provides information on programs, resources, publications and more.
The pain and heartache of an emotionally suffering person is highlighted in the list of resources available to treat a spectrum of problems such as: anxiety, bullying, depression, bipolar disorders, eating disorders, PTSD, suicide, substance abuse, and schizophrenia.
One important group targeted for improving well-being is young people. Research shows about half of mental health issues emerge about the age of 14 and a full 75 percent present by 24 years of age.
“You can make a huge difference with young people in building low self-esteem because mental health issues often develop from that. We put a lot of emphasis on working with our school system and other organizations that deal with young people.
“We have about 25 organizations that come together, including law enforcement. We have a good system for identifying those children who are struggling.”
Morgan sees three components to her organization’s success: A good prevention program. A process to identify those in need. And solid intervention strategies.
One point of pride in executing this three-pronged effort was a survey of over 1,400 middle and high school county students. A significant amount of information was gained about opioid and other substance abuses among this vulnerable cohort.
On a positive note, Morgan says the high rate of neonatal drug births and overdose deaths of just a few years ago appear to be easing. “A big difference came from working with the sheriff’s department and the town police. Also, the introduction of Narcan has seen the death rate go down.”
Narcan is a drug often administered by first responders and works by rapidly reversing the effects of an opioid overdose by restoring normal breathing.
The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County accomplishes a great deal on a modest annual budget of $250,000. Anyone wishing to help support its efforts will find a donation link on its website at: https://fauquier-mha.org/
Published in the November 14 , 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
Discovery Publications honored as Small Business of the Year
Take a successful, loving couple and watch what happens when they get creative. More success.
On November 3, the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce recognized the accomplishments of Kathy Harper and her late husband Bill by naming Discovery Publications Small Business of the Year.
The launch of their publishing company fittingly occurred on lover’s day February 14, 1991. It originally targeted readers in a four-county area, including Fauquier. Today, there are two publications, Discover Fauquier and Discover Western Prince William, closing in on three decades of success.
Many of its readers characterize the free distribution paper as “the good feeling publication,” because of its focus on positive stories about local businesses.
Sadly, Bill Harper passed away of pancreatic cancer in 1996, but Kathy Harper and her staff of 14 have carried on and created a legacy for the man who conceived the idea for the paper.
Bill Harper was marketing director for Jefferson Savings and Loan Association and had previously started a similar paper called Leesburg Today. “The Discover publications were the brainchild of my husband and was first published on Valentine’s Day 27 years ago.
“Bill had requests from local businessmen to help them promote their businesses during a recession. The paper started in a one room office in the Ben Franklin store,” said Harper.
The Harpers hired a graphic designer, Susie Eastridge, after its first issue was released. She has been with the paper ever since. One of the hallmarks of the paper is the length of service of many of its employees; a justifiable point of pride for Harper in an age of employment hopping.
Prior to his death, Bill Harper taught his wife the marketing business. As a quick study and successful career woman in her own right, the lessons paved the way for the subsequent long running success of the company.
Today, her daughter Katie Quadrini is the sale representative for the Western Prince William edition of the paper. “Katie has worked for the paper for years, even when she was in school,” said Harper.
Her son Paul was in the Marine Corps for seven years attaining the rank of captain before leaving to begin a separate career of his own.
The two newspapers are published about 10 times a year generating some 85,000 copies per issue; 36,000 for the Fauquier edition and 41,000 for the Western Prince William paper. They are delivered free to residents via direct mail.
In addition to company profiles, a hallmark of the paper is editorial support for local businesses and nonprofits, including the hospital and sheriff’s department.” We focus on the positive slant. Our mission has always been to support the community with high quality advertising and friendly articles. A typical paper will range from 36 up to 56 pages,” said Harper.
In 2011, the publication launched a home and garden show held each spring so local businesses and clients can connect face-to-face. The 8th annual show was held at Fauquier High School last April.
The show brings together artisans and businesses in a tradeshow format and features a host of items for sale to beautify home and garden. Shopping, food and live entertainment make it a fun event.
Experience breeds success
Achieving the role of a successful publisher is not surprising when one considers Kathy Harper’s resume. She logged her first career at the United States Information Agency working at the Voice of America and for its Office of General Counsel.
“I worked in Canada, Iran, London among other places telling the American story. What I do today is tell the Fauquier and Prince William stories. Both Bill and I had communications backgrounds; me with the government and him in the private sector. We were also good communicators together,” said Harper.
The job is not without its challenges. Recently she received a compliment from a hospital employee for all the paper had done to support its programs, adding, “How do you guys make money with it being free?”
Harper explains it’s not easy given the cost of paper and postage today. “It’s very expensive to produce the paper. We have no subscriptions so we need to make money on the advertising.”
A loyal community of businesses is key to its survival so the laser-like focus on showcasing merchants in the two counties served is critical for success.
A testimonial from Ashley Simmons with Sky Meadows State Park is representative of the feedback Harper often receives, “Thank you for helping Sky Meadows State Park reach a wide audience with information about the fun things people can enjoy at our park.”
Another supportive comment came from the past president of the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, Cooper Wright, who said, “I hope everyone had a chance to see the wonderful article on the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra in the March edition of Discover Fauquier.
Kathy Harper reflects the positivity created by the Discover newspapers saying, “Life has been a good ride for me. I can’t say I regret any of it. I’m sad my husband isn’t here to share all of the good stuff that has happened with the paper. But I know he watches down on me and my employees.”
To catch the latest editions of Discover Fauquier and Discover Western Prince William visit: http://www.discoverypubs.com/
Published in the December 5, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
Ten steps to a healthier you
Seasonal long-range forecasts are fun to peruse but don’t hold your breath they’ll come to pass. When we can get accurate weekly forecasts down pat, we might be more inclined to believe a three month one.
But, warm, cold, wet or dry you can be certain all of it will be visited upon us during our coming Mid-Atlantic winter. Now is the time to prepare for the messy onslaught to maintain peak health.
Spring will ultimately prevail and you want to be healthy to enjoy the returning balmy breezes.
A host of information is available from the internet on how best to survive and thrive during the winter months. But perhaps the most reliable source of enlightenment is to chat up a physician who has experienced winter’s woes first-hand and seen what it can do to his patients.
Fortunately, Fauquier County has a singular resource on the subject matter in the person of Dr. William Simpson. Simpson, co-founder of Piedmont Internal Medicine, has 25 years of experience under his stethoscope.
The good doctor sold his practice last year and this spring launched Doc At Your Door. It’s a throwback to how medicine was practiced a century ago. The concept is gaining traction as modern medicine becomes increasingly more impersonal.
We caught up with Dr. Simpson as he darted around the Fauquier County region visiting both homebound and ambulatory patients in their homes. His “office” has four wheels and fires up whenever there’s a need to treat patients ranging from youngsters to septuagenarians and older.
Dr. William Simpson
So doctor, what are your recommendations?
1.Protect yourself with flu and pneumonia vaccines. Everyone over six months of age should get a flu shot. The shots are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are proven safe.
The vaccines have been used for years and we see positive outcomes with their use. People with shots have less incidence of infection and if infected it’s less severe. The older you are the flu shot is even more important.
You also should have both pneumonia shots. They are typically indicated for people over 65. The first is called Pneumovax23 and protects against 23 types of pneumonia. A year after the first shot you should get a second one called Prevnar13 which protects against an additional 13 types of pneumonia.
Anyone over 70 that comes down with pneumonia can have a terminal outcome so it’s important to avoid infections with these shots.
If you do get the flu, get anti-viral medicine within 48 hours of the first symptoms. It can really diminish the severity of the flu.
- Wash your hands frequently and that includes using hand sanitizers in restaurants. You are handling menus and salt and pepper shakers that other people have touched. In restrooms grab a paper towel and turn the water off with the towel.
Also, don’t share or accept food from other’s plates or drinks at parties.
- Avoid getting damp and chilled. It’s not the dampness and chilliness that’s the problem. But if you have a virus in your system or not enough sleep, it allows those viruses to propagate.
- Be aware of enviromental dangers such as frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, shoveling snow, power outages, and stranded vehicles. Orthopedists see a spike in injuries after ice storms. The point here is be alert to these potential dangers and act in preventive ways to avoid them to the degree you can.
- Watch your weight. During winter there is a tendency to gain weight. You’re eating more and are often less active. It’s important to watch the calories; eating slowly is important. Avoid going back for second and third helpings and drink lots of water.
New Year’s resolutions are often centered on diets. But remember, the faster you lose weight the faster you are likely to gain it back.
- Avoid crash workouts. Jumping on a treadmill for 45 minutes to make up for a lack of exercise or to lose weight can result in tendinitis and shin splints. Start any exercise program slowly. Again, this is time of year orthopedists see a lot of such injuries.
- Take shorter showers and back off the real hot water which can dry the skin out. Avoid deodorant soaps like Dial and Safeguard and use ones like Dove which are gentler on the skin that don’t dry it out as much. Use body creams on dry areas to reduce itchiness.
- Be alert to stomach reflux. Don’t lay down for two hours after eating dinner because that aggravates the reflux response. Nicotine and alcohol further worsen reflux so eliminate tobacco and reduce alcohol consumption.
- Be alert to Seasonal Affected Disorder, or SAD. With diminished daylight during winter, depression can become a problem. Increasing the lightning in your home will help counter the problem. Also, the use of bright light therapy can help counter the effects of the syndrome. Such lights are widely available for home use.
- Finally, any urge to rake leaves or trim landscape during the winter months should be undertaken with caution. While the leaves of poison ivy plants will have dropped, the vines can still inflame skin with a rash. Be cautious when handling them.
All good advice. And for those medical emergencies or flu symptoms that needed immediate treatment, consider calling Dr. Simpson. A house call by this experienced professional may well be just what the doctor ordered. Visit his office at: https://docatyourdoor.care/
Published in the December 5, 2018 edition of the Fauquirer Times.
Online and local shopping take sting out of the madness
Gird your loins. The dreaded date this year is Friday, November 23. Fittingly, it will also be the advent of a full moon. Howlin’ at the cash registers.
But before we launch into strategies to survive one of the busiest shopping days of the year, how did Black Friday get its name?
Interestingly, the first event occurred 149 years ago. And it had nothing to do with shopping malls.
The forces behind the original use of the moniker were Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, two ruthless Wall Street barons who conspired to buy as much gold as possible, drive the price up and make a killing by selling it off. At least that was the plan.
Unfortunately—or fortunately—the conspiracy collapsed on Friday September 24, 1869 sending the stock market into a nosedive and bankrupting much of the American citizenry, both rich and less so. The first Black Friday was born.
Fast forward to Philadelphia in the 1950s. A pattern emerged of suburban shoppers and tourists swamping the city in advance of the Army-Navy football game held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.
Cops had to work long hours to control both the rabid shoppers and the ensuing shoplifting. It was literally a black Friday event. Years later the term spread nationwide but carried with it a negative aura.
But the term itself had appeal to retailers who conjured up a more benign meaning for the label in the late 1980s, deigning the loss of profits as being in the red and successful sales scoring in the black. The “red to black” concept took hold and Black Friday became today’s shopping extravaganza.
Thirty percent of annual retail sales occur between Black Friday and Christmas. A bonanza for retailers trying to turn a profit and consumers looking for great deals.
Keyboard buying
Remember the early days of Amazon.com when the naysayers claimed the business model wouldn’t prevail? My, my, the power of a determined individual. Today, Jeff Bezos is the richest man on the planet; from zero to $147 billion in 24 years.
Imagine if Jeff had asked you to invest $50,000 in his little enterprise back then. Your return on that money would have been an incredible 14 million percent. And yes, 22 individuals coughed up the $50k. Lucky ducks.
It’s helpful to highlight Amazon’s success because in 2017 consumers spent $454 billion at their keyboards. Today, online sales rival in-store purchases.
And while Black Friday conjures up hordes of shoppers clawing at each other to score a 55-inch television, millions of shoppers dodge the crowds by peacefully tapping their keyboards.
The top five U.S. online retailers are Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, Etsy and Target. Expect to see tens of thousands of items on sale during the four-day weekend by these and a legion of other retailers with online presence.
Monitor the top websites two weeks in advance of Thanksgiving to learn what specials will be offered and exercise your credit card beginning on Turkey Day. You might also consider keeping some of your powder dry until Cyber Monday when the digital world unleashes a second wave of deals.
The keyboard is the easiest and most painless way to start tackling the Christmas gift list.
Going local
Regardless of the growth and popularity of online shopping, carrying plastic bags filled with goodies is an irresistible exercise for millions. The excitement of scoring a deal and walking out of a brick and mortar store with arms full of discounted merchandise can be shopping nirvana.
Dozens of Fauquier County stores will be offering great deals on a wide variety of merchandise so traveling deeper into Northern Virginia to visit malls and big box retailers is not necessary.
Our own Peeples, Marshalls, Warrenton Jewelry & Gifts, Jos. A. Banks, The Town Duck, McClanahan Camera & Sound, Carter & Spence, Tuesday Morning, Hobbies Etc, and many more local shops will be offering discounts.
Walmart will understandably get nationwide press for its deep discounts on electronics, toys, video games and other popular items. Our own Supercenter will be no exception. But balance the temptation of larger stores with the pleasure of a slower paced hunt at smaller businesses.
Thrift shops can also be a source of gently used kids’ toys, sports equipment and more. It’s a given you will not find more attractive prices on merchandise when considering a not new purchase.
If one is tempted to wade deeper into the shopping madness sans a long drive, Prince William County beckons with numerous retailers just 20 minutes away.
Swing by The Shops at Stonewall, Somerset Crossing, Virginia Gateway and other shopping centers scattered around the I-66 corridor. These venues are home to large retailers and smaller, gentler places to pull the credit card out.
And while we’re indulging in our annual buying spree for family and friends, let’s not walk past the The Salvation Army Bell Ringers without dropping some folding green in the red kettles. The Army’s 25,000 “soldiers” will collect over $130 million nationwide this season for the less fortunate.
Let gratitude be your attitude during the Christmas season by contributing to the Army or your favorite charity.
So, how best to prep for Black Friday? Start now to compile your gift list then scour the upcoming avalanche of radio, TV, newspaper and digital ads when they hit.
Plan ahead to save ahead.
Published in the November 21, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
Warrenton veteran chambers third career as gun shop owner
Flying for the better part of a day at 70,000 feet qualifies as one remarkable job. Throw in the fact you’re piloting a U2 spy plane in the 60 degree below zero stratosphere on missions worldwide and you’d be hard pressed to lose the, “So what did you do for a living?” contest.
And yet, in a quiet gun shop on 5th street in Old Town Warrenton, there is a certified gunsmith selling high-end firearms whose resume belies a career that is the envy of many a wannabe adventurer.
Meet Dave Russell, 53, sans helmet and flight suit, who would argue his 24 years in the United States Air force was never thrill seeking but dedicated service to the Nation.
Dave Russell
“My father was in the Air Force and retired from Luke Air Force base from where we settled in 1983. I attended the Air Force Academy graduating in 1987,” said Russell.
He went on to pilot training in Miss. and became a T-38 instructor for four years. “I was a second lieutenant teaching other second lieutenants. That was interesting.” It was also an early signal of a man on the move.
From there he spent seven years flying AWACs, the Air Force’s long-range radar surveillance and control center aircraft. Think of a modified Boeing 707 with a huge pancake mounted on the rear of the fuselage. A plane with eyes and ears.
“I flew in the Middle East, Central America, the Pacific and a lot of places in between. It involved service from Desert Storm to Operation Southern Watch to three missions tracking Russia bombers flying in American airspace. I held all the pilot positions during that period with a crew of 40 on board,” said Russell.
In a big jump up the career ladder he was then accepted into the U2 program and spent a decade piloting the sophisticated aircraft based out of Calif.
For the more “experienced” among us, the U2 is associated with the dramatic downing of the spy plane in 1960 piloted by Francis Gary Powers. Today, there are some 33 such aircraft in operation with at least one flying somewhere round the clock.
Missions can span a wide range of objectives, including combating ISIS and other terrorist organizations. The high-tech cameras and sensors on board can detect a human figure at 70,000 feet.
Asked to describe a notable U2 assignment he said there were many but not enough time to describe them. Pushed further, he offered as a brief example the surveillance of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
“After Karina, I flew the first sortie over New Orleans sending imagery film back to FEMA and other disaster relief people. The images showed the extent of damage and what roads weren’t flooded so relief workers could find clear avenues of approach,” said Russell.
To emphasize the technology used, film was again shot as 70,000 feet. Why not closer? Because the camera equipment is focused for use at high altitude and can achieve the broadest area of coverage.
His last U2 flight was in 2007 and after military retirement he went on to other work in the intel community spending six years as a defense contractor.
Gun shop
After circling the globe for three decades, Russell chose to settle down in Warrenton and turned an avocation into a small business. Highflyer Arms is aptly named after his sky-high career.
Why gun sales? “When I was a young man in high school I was on the rifle team and in the ROTC. I shot every day through my high school years. I picked up an affection for firearms and for working on them,” said Russell.
During his years at the Air Force Academy he also instructed cadets on firearms use. If ever a job after his military career was foreordained, it was in gun sales and repair.
He opened his shop, located at 17 S. 5th St. Suite #O, in April 2004. “I’m certified in gunsmithing so we also have a smithing operation”, that enables customers to have repairs done on their firearms in addition to purchasing a wide selection of guns. His four employees are all veterans.
While rifles and shotguns are part of the shop’s stock, they are not a big segment of he business. Today, many buyers are interested in handguns for home and personal defense.
Russell is aware of the controversial role handguns play in today’s society but makes a case of their use in law and order.
“Virginia is a welcoming environment for concealed carry weapons and the vast majority of citizens are doing so safely and lawfully. There are studies showing where lawfully armed citizens engaged an active shooter, the situation was resolved faster than if there had been no one to intervene and counterattack.
“We have seen a growth in concealed firearms because Virginia allows it,” said Russell.
Engraving
A natural outgrowth of the gun shop is a new business both he and his wife Angie recently opened called Flying High Engraving. Again, his U2 career provides the name for the new shop located across the hall from the gun shop.
“Instead of sending engraving jobs out we now can do the work ourselves.”
The idea for the new venture came because Angie and her parents and brothers had been involved in engraving. The Russells were looking to expand their business and engraving both firearms and a host of other items was a natural fit.
Almost any object can be highly personalized by the professional engraving available at the shop, including trophies, coffee mugs, coasters, mementoes and more.
So, what’s next for the Russell family who seemingly have not slowed their pace of achievements since the beginning? “We are going to continue to run both these shops for a while and at some point, retire and spend time with our kids and grandkids,” said Russell.
The couple have two daughters and three grandchildren who live out of state. Both are married to military men so it’s obvious the rest of this story is yet to be written.
To learn more about the products and services of these high-flying enterprises visit the Russells at their website and on Facebook at: https://www.highflyerarms.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/flyinghighengraving/
Published in the November 14, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
VDOT saving lives one rumble strip at a time
What if every vehicle in Fauquier County could magically possess a lifesaving safety feature? With no direct cost to the owner.
“Sign me up,” would echo countywide.
Well rest easy and take no action. Over the next three years driving throughout the Piedmont will be safer than ever before. We have the Virginia Department of Transportation to thank for this gift of life.
VDOT has started a rumble fight that’s opposite of a word associated with harm. Instead, the department is saving lives and winning the opening rounds of an important roadway skirmish.
Rumble strips have been around for over half a century having first been installed on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey in 1952. Typically embedded on the side of interstate highways, they alert inattentive drivers with a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the vehicle wheels to the driver.
If rumble strips could talk, their message would be, “You’re leaving your lane and headed for disaster.”
The safety feature goes by numerous nicknames including sleeper lines, alert strips, audible lines, sleepy bumps, wake up calls, drift lines, and most graphically, drunk lines. Call them what you may, but “guardian angels” might be the best moniker.
A case could be made that for the last several decades installation of rumble strips on interstate highways was the reverse of where they first should have been installed. Why?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises twice as many highway deaths occur on rural roads than urban and suburban streets and highways. Nearly 55 percent of all on-road fatalities occur on rural roads yet fewer than 20 percent of the U. S. population resides in small towns and rural areas.
One of the most dangerous acts any of us perform each day is getting behind the wheel and cruising through our scenic countryside.
“Some of the things that make Virginia beautiful can also make our roadways fairly dangerous,” said Nathan Umberger. Umberger is VDOT’s Culpeper District traffic engineer and tasked with managing the district’s highway safety improvement program.
“We look very closely at the amount of fatal crashes and crashes overall. We ascribe to vision zero deaths. We want all road users to arrive safely at their final destination.” Residents will notice with greater frequency either centerline or roadside rumble strips appearing on county roads in an effort to achieve that goal.
From 2014 to 2018, there were 255 fatal crashes in the nine-county Culpeper District that stretches from Fauquier County to Albemarle County; virtually all of the Piedmont. During that same period there were 67 fatalities in Fauquier County.
Cost & safety
There are numerous ways to improve roadway safety. These include widening pavement, clearing tree lines, grading and flattening slopes and other roadbed redesigns. But it comes with a high price tag. The cost-benefit-ratio of rumble strips is dramatic.
“I can cover 40 or 50 miles of roads with rumble strips for $100,000. But $100,000 doesn’t even pay for a tenth of a mile for paving or other road changes,” said Umberger. “It’s a very cheap countermeasure. Our goal is to cover the entire Culpeper district over the next three years for somewhere between $2 and $3 million.”
VDOT contractors perform the installation of the strips. At a price of 50 cents a foot, the installation cost covers traffic control, striping and any needed repainting of the road surface.
The machine used to lay down the strips is a modified version of what is used to mill worn roadbeds in preparation for repaving. The machine has a similar grinding head that can be adjusted to a specific width, depth and spacing.
Picture a custom-designed ice cream scooper with rotating teeth carving out dips in the roadbed that will produce the, “May I have your attention please” sound.
The machines are capable of covering up to 20 miles a day.
Umberger points out the three-year program will proceed with roadbeds that are in good surface condition. Application will not be undertaken with roads awaiting resurfacing since to do so would require reapplying the striping after the new paving occurred.
In the Culpeper district there are 70 miles of interstate highways, 732 miles of primary roads and 4,153 miles of secondary roads. The interstates have had the strips for years and the goal is to have all targeted roads stripped by 2022. There will be no installation of rumble strips on residential streets or in neighborhoods.
Results & concerns
Umberger underscores it’s still too early in the program to guarantee what the final outcome will be. But the past is prologue.
One dramatic early example of success is on Route 211 as it leaves Sperryville and ascends upward toward the Page County line to the entrance to the Shenandoah National Park.
From 2005 to 2010, there were 75 non-animal crashes on that stretch of roadway with an injury crash rate of 420 per 100 million vehicle miles travelled and a fatal crash rate of 39 per 100 million miles travelled.
From 2012 to 2017, after the rumble strips were installed, the same roadway experienced 44 crashes, or a 41 percent reduction, and injury crash rate reduction of 56% and a 100 percent reduction in fatalities.
A similar reduction of all parameters of highway safety occurred after the strips where in installed on Route 20 in Albemarle County north of Irish Road to the Orange County line.
Clearly, the promise of significantly saving lives and reducing injuries in the Piedmont is impressive. However, Umberger stresses he’s only into the first year of the accelerated program and the overall numbers are not yet where he wants them to be.
“The early results have been very good and we hope we can continue to see the success grow.”
Notwithstanding the obvious benefits of the program, Umberer opines there are some complaints associated with the strips.
“Some people don’t like the noise when their vehicle run over the strips. Others hear occasional road sound from their residences. We really need people to understand we are trying to get people to stay on the road and increasing drive awareness,” said Umberger.
The leadership and employees of VDOT are to be commended for aggressively pursuing policies that protect the lives of loved ones and friends.
Our part of the compact is to keep eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Safe journey.
Published in the November 14, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
Warrenton resident leading collaborative effort to protect small businesses
The nightmare is all too real. A small business powers up its computer and prepares for a day of commercial gain. But something is amiss. The computer is operating but access to critical files appear to be frozen.
Then the dreaded email arrives. Pay now or lose all your data.
Another victim held for ransom.
The world of hacking is an omnipresent danger in our modern digital world. From the loss of personal information to threats against national security, there is seemingly no limit to the destructive force of those intent on causing harm.
But the danger to small firms is particularly pernicious. Who does one turn to to pursue the bad boys if the attack is launched against a company with limited resources?
A 21st Century Jesse James, without horse and gun, has you standing next to your computer with your hands held high in the air. The solution? Pay the requested $5,000 or more in Bitcoin and move on.
“Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to small businesses. Someone can totally freeze your computer by encrypting the data and forcing you to pay a ransom for the keys to get it back,” said Charlie Tupitza, CEO of the National Forum for Public Private Collaboration.
But why not call the cops? Because the local police and the county and have no jurisdiction. Call the FBI. About 99 percent of cyber attacks are below the threshold Feds will respond to.
You’re on your own.
Tupitza, 63, and a longtime resident of Warrenton, has spent his career supporting small businesses who do not have the resources to protect themselves.
“Professionally I’m in the middle of the cyber war. And we truly are at war.
“Right now, small businesses are being attacked by organized crime and Nation states because they have a lot of information. And because they are often the gateway to larger businesses,” said Tupitza.
The gold in the hard drives is intellectual property rights, financial holdings information, government contract data and much more. Criminals might attack a number of small firms holding government contracts to aggregate the data for illegal purposes.
Moreover, such attacks may not result in a demand for ransom because the hackers are after bigger fish and simply using several smaller fish to tap into the supply chain of information they are really seeking.
Collaborative effort
Given the challenges facing smaller entrepreneurs, Tupitza realized creating a “circle the wagons” approach could tap into many sources for the benefit of all. Among many of his cyber activities, he sponsors conferences where there were no main speakers. Rather, representatives from both small and large firms gathered to share ideas for the commonweal.
“We don’t want to delve into a specific company’s business. We want to keep the conversation at a common level and share good practices among all the participants.
“Picture 64 people in a room divided into tables of eight. Each participant has one minute to state why he or she is there and what they expect to get out of the meeting. We want everyone to come down from the cyber summit into the fertile valley of collaboration,” said Tupitza.
The result generates numerous ideas and recommendations for combating digital threats.
While there are insurance firms offering policy protection from attack, Tupitza highlights how such apparent help can be destructive.
“Some firms ask you to complete a detailed survey of 60 to 65 questions about your system. It may take two weeks to compile. And you may have very little knowledge about what you’re actually answering.
“If your agent asks more than five or six questions about your system, don’t answer them. You may make yourself even more vulnerable to attack.”
Tupitza also meets regularly with a host of Federal agencies to help them align messaging coming from the Federal government to small businesses.
“Cyber is confusing enough. Companies hearing from government agencies, lawyers, accountants, consultants, product providers and others make it very confusing to figure what should be done.”
As a licensed insurance consultant and president of RightExposure Tupitza also seeks to align insurance industry messaging with both Federal standards and product and service providers to make the subject matter easier to understand.
What to do
There a number of actions firms need to take to help protect themselves:
*Back up all data on a weekly basis; preferably on a recognized Cloud source.
*Maintain a strong firewall on your network with up-to-date patches.
*Create strong passwords with at least nine characters containing a capital letter, special characters (such as # ! % *) and a number.
*Scan your computer for viruses, spyware and other vulnerabilities on a routine basis.
*Visit only websites you trust, open only emails from known contacts.
For more information on the broader scope of his organization visit Tupitza at both: https://nfppc.org/ and http://rightexposure.com/
Renaissance Man
While cybersecurity is clearly a passion for Charlie Tupitza, it is not his end all.
“I am very energized and I don’t see myself slowing down on the subject of cyber security. There is so much need for small businesses to have help and it’s so much fun to contribute.
But, I also believe sitting kills.”
It’s obvious his life does not begin and end in the digital world when you consider the complete man.
He is a resident of Warrenton. Both of his children are graduates of Fauquier High School.
Let’s take a deep breath and see how Mr. T spends his off hours:
Coached youth soccer in Warrenton for four years and six years in Reston; hosts a weekly Christian men’s breakfast group; active member of Hope Christian Fellowship in Vint Hill; member of the Samaritans Pursue Program helping people in need after natural disasters; hikes, bikes and plays disc golf; member of the U.S. Masters Swimming National Championship Committee; founded the Warrenton Masters swim team.
And yes, still works full-time.
“Most importantly, however, is my faith in God, love of family, helping others and supporting small businesses. I am blessed with good health and good friends.”
Indeed, Tupitza embodies what makes Fauquier County a valued place to live and work.
Published in the October 24, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.
