Charlottesville Breaking News

Wet capsule: Soggy city memorabilia retrieved at opening

hawes — Sun, 27 May 2012 21:54:48 +0000

If any water-proofing sealants had been applied to the Charlottesville time capsule dug up Sunday afternoon, they weren't evident during the public ceremony at which an array of water-soaked items were plucked from the 50-year-old metal box.

One after another, soggy papers and moist memorabilia were extracted from the container, which was unearthed from under nearly a foot of concrete, since one sidewalk had been built atop another.

"We should not be critical," said Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society board member Preston Coiner.

"The science of time capsules has changed a lot," agreed the Society's president, Steven Meeks.

The question of exactly where the capsule was located had vexed City officials for much of the past two years, but Crozet resident Tom Hartsell seemed to definitively answer the question after rummaging through his father's old 8mm films. In the silent segment he uploaded to YouTube last August, a beauty queen and an array of officials, all white of course, bury the capsule just outside the back door of the Charlottesville Circuit Courthouse.

Charlottesville City Councilor Kristin Szakos took subtle note of her womanhood and seemed also to hint that the mayor, Satyendra Huja, a Sikh who was absent due to travel, appears somewhat different from the city fathers of the Kennedy Era.

If the looks are more diverse, the dreams might be the same, as the May 27 event's final speaker, Charlottesville's first African American city manager, Maurice Jones, spoke of his childhood expectation that we'd all be flying around with jet-packs by now.

The unearthing was part of an array of events celebrating Charlottesville's 250th anniversary, and Historical Society's Coiner noted that the next Charlottesville time capsule will be planted December 23 and marked with granite.

"Take care of yourself," Coiner implored the crowd, "so you can say you were involved in two or three different time capsules."

FunStuff: Charlottesville events May 31 and beyond

lisa — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:40:21 +0000

Final First Friday at the Gallery
The accounting firm of Hampton and Everett has doubled as a gallery and opened its sweet office space at 107 5th Street SE for the past seven years, showing artists' works and selling them sans commission. But now they're moving, so this is the last chance to check out a First Friday reception at the Gallery. On display: bold colors by Anne Holland ("Crab Pickers" pictured) and Jenny Budd.
–>June 1, the Gallery at 5th and Water, 5:30 to 8pm, free

Ar-t-shirts
Artifacts owner Todd Hill started painting with friend Rollin Taylor. They added to each other's works and were so pleased with the results that they came up with an artistic entity called RTH using their combined initials. And RTH is launching a line of t-shirts with original designs that uses dye sublimated printing, which permeates the whole fabric, not just the surface. Their sale at the 111 4th Street NE shop kicks off with a First Fridays launch party, but Hill says it's an artistic rather than commercial endeavor.
–>June 1, Artifacts, 6 to 8pm, free

Indie folk?
When we hear a band described with the f-word, we sure don't expect to hear the rocking tunes of The Drowning Men, or titles like their album, Beheading of the Songbird. Yet the San Diego Reader describes their music as a blend of "folk and roots Americana with sing-along sea shanties and pirate chants, with side forays into Eastern European ethnic folk delivered with the rhythmic complexity of a Brecht-Weill opera." And they've toured with Flogging Molly. The Drowning Men have a new album, All of the Unknown, coming out in July, and they're playing with River City Extension.
–>June 1, The Southern, 8pm, $10 advance

Free fishin'
In case you haven't gotten your fishing license, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is offering a freebie for the weekend: go fish anywhere in the Commonwealth, except for those trout-stocked waters that require a special license. Sounds like fish for dinner.
–>June 1-3, your favorite fishing hole, free

United Nations of Comedy
Charlottesville must like Funnyman Skiba, because this is the second time the Washingtonian has been here in six months. He's host of the United Nations of Comedy series, which is based on the nutty idea that laughter can promote diversity and understanding. Skiba is a three-time all-star on BET's Comic View and cohosts the Raheem DeVaughn radio show.
–>June 2, Play On! Theater at Ix, 8pm and 9:30pm, $18

The British are coming
Charlottesville turns 250 years old this year, and the Virginia Festival of History is one part of the 50 celebratory activities planned throughout the year. The Festival of History, which began May 25, runs through June 3 and has 25 scholars lined up to talk about Charlottesville's wars, civil rights battles, architecture, religion, and culture, with an emphasis on living history. On Sunday, Court Square and Lee Park will be the scene of a reenactment of the British invasion of 1781. Music by the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Choir.
–>June 3, Lee Park, 10am-4pm, free

Best in show
Unlike the Westminster dog show, at Eastminster, you don't have to have a champion thoroughbred pooch. Prizes are awarded for best costume, best trick, best rescue, and best owner or celebrity look-a-like. Or maybe musical chairs is your canine's forte. This is the 25th Eastminster and donations go to the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA. Owners and observers can wear costumes, too. Registration begins at 4pm.
–>June 3, Keswick Hunt Club, 5pm, donations

Look3
It's a festival time of year, and the Festival of the Photograph kicks off June 6 with a chat with National Geographic underwater photographer David Doubilet, whose work already adorns the Downtown Mall trees. Free exhibits of photographers like Stanley Green are all over town (Green is at 306 E. Main Street). And Friday and Saturday nights at the nTelos Pavilion, the photographs of professionals and up-and-comers will be projected starting at 9pm.
–>June 6, David Doubilet at the Paramount, 7:30pm, $15

Woman sing
Since 1984, the Charlottesville Women's Choir has been singing songs of peace, social justice, and the environment– a cappella. Holly Near, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Annie Lennox are among the musicians they'll cover, along with a few traditional tunes. Proceeds from this Sunday afternoon concert at downtown's day-shelter go to Urban Agricultural Cooperative of Charlottesville, which helps subsidized housing residents with their gardening skills.
–>June 3, The Haven, 4:30pm, $5-15 suggested donation

Last transit of Venus
From Earth it will appear to be a tiny dot making its way across the surface of the sun. The transit of Venus is extraordinarily rare– a pair of them occur eight years apart, and then it's another hundred years before it happens again. (That means you and I won't be around to see the next one in December 2117.) JMU's John C. Wells Planetarium is making the most of the occasion, bringing out the telescopes and sun-safe glasses, and encouraging picnicking while Venus watching. Clouds don't cancel– the event moves inside for a webcast from Hawaii.
–>June 5, Astronomy Park in Harrisonburg, 6pm, free

Smooth things over
With this jazz ensemble, smooth is the name of the game, as jaunty keyboards and soft strings predominate, and we couldn't find any tracks that include vocals. Remember the opening theme of the classic television sitcom Taxi? That's what we thought of when hearing "Tailgating," one of the original compositions by the Larri Branch Agenda. Maybe you'll put them on your Saturday night agenda, when they'll play jazz standards and songs from their Labragenda release.
–>June 9, Fellini's #9, 10pm, $5

This week's "FunStuff" was compiled by Lisa Provence, and next week's "FunStuff" will be compiled by another newsroom staffer. To get your event considered, send a press release to event@readthehook.com.

Justice at last: Broke Wintergreen finds deep-pocketed buyer

hawes — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:42:03 +0000

Wintergreen Resort– stung by a pair of weak snowsports seasons, challenged by state officials over tax credits, and losing its credit line– has found salvation in the arms of one of the region's richest people, James C. Justice II, the billionaire who yanked the venerable Greenbrier resort out of bankruptcy by building a glitzy casino.

The stunning turnaround comes months before a potential day of reckoning, as money was reportedly running out for the mountaintop playground in Nelson County. Three weeks ago, in response to inquiries from journalists, Wintergreen officials conceded that they'd hired a turnaround firm to assist with a transaction to rescue Wintergreen Partners Inc., the many-membered corporation that owns the the resort's facilities.

News of the deal came in a Friday-afternoon announcement. The May 25 release noted that while the corporate board had green-lighted the deal, Wintergreen's Class A equity members would need to approve the merger in advance of a planned pre-June 30 closing.

"We intend to take this property to the next level and see tremendous opportunities as we work with the Wintergreen management and staff in developing new membership programs and vacation packages," Justice said in a prepared statement.

The resort's financial problems, simmering for years, erupted in December when it defaulted on a multi-million-dollar line of credit from Bank of America. A potentially catastrophic factor was a challenge to the $4.6 million in tax credits Wintergreen tried to claim for putting its sprawling Crawford's Knob tract under conservation easement. Wintergreen claims it eventually won a "favorable" ruling without revealing how much of the credits it was allowed to keep.

The resort– which also includes an acclaimed tennis center and two golf courses– recently failed to pay the Wintergreen Property Owners Association the expected fees and dues the past two quarters, according to the May property owners newsletter. To raise cash, the resort began asking owners to pay their dues five to six months early.

The new owner doesn't appear to have such liquidity problems. Three years ago, after the storied but bankrupt Greenbrier resort seemed headed to the arms of the Marriott hotel company, Justice swooped in to buy the place for about $43 million and promptly began constructing a glitzy casino under the famed north lawn. In July 2010, the casino opened to star-studded fanfare, including a performance by Lionel Ritchie.

Justice made his fortune in coal, but he holds another golf mecca in the form of Charleston-area Resort at Glade Springs. Last year, he purchased a 4,500-acre tract southeast of Monticello in Albemarle County but reportedly declined to say why.

With his corporate office in Roanoke and his coal-mining operations headquartered in Wise, Justice himself lives just over the border in the West Virginia city of Lewisburg, where he coaches the high school girls basketball team. He's the "richest regular guy" according to a recent profile in the Washington Post Magazine.

–developing story; may be updated–-

Attached Documents:

news-wintergreen-jamesjustice.pdf

Country indeed: Renovated vernacular invites light, exudes character

Samantha Masone — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:47:04 +0000

Address: 6173 Blackwells Hollow Road
Neighborhood: Blackwells Hollow, northwestern Albemarle
Asking: $299,000
Assessment: $302,000
Year Built: 1936
Size: 2,656 finished sq. ft.
Land: 2.0 acres
Curb Appeal: 7 out of 10
Listing Agent: Julie Holbrook & Justin Christmas, Charlotte Ramsey Realtors, 434-989-4415 & 434-989-1830

Located just off historic Browns Gap Turnpike near the Shenandoah National Park, this is a 1930s vernacular, a once-simple farm house that has been expanded and updated over the years. With gambrel roofs, skylights, and views of the Blue Ridge, the house defies easy explanation.

Hidden from view and screened from traffic noise by the dense growth of trees and shrubs that front the two-acre property, the house adjoins a gravel parking area that provides easy access to a vestibule with a tile floor and built-in de-booting bench. The kitchen beyond is warm and welcoming with seating at both the center island and in the breakfast area. Modern accoutrements like solid surface countertops, ceramic tile floors, and stainless appliances are balanced by glass-front cabinets, a drop-leaf table, and a refinished Hoosier cabinet.

Double French doors lead from the kitchen to a great room with a vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace. Oak floors, built-in cabinets, and oversized furniture make the room comfortable rather than cavernous, and skylights and clerestory windows allow plenty of natural light.

Access to the rest of house is slightly less straightforward. A full bath off the great room leads to an oddly configured hallway. Just beyond are a parlor, currently serving as a man-cave, the master suite, and a staircase that leads to the second level.

The master bedroom is spacious and modern with a vaulted ceiling, skylights, and a generously-sized Palladian-style window. A large soaking tub set in front of a matching window in the bathroom offers views of the private yard.

A den, a small laundry room, and a dining room finish out the living areas on the main level. Upstairs are two additional bedrooms and an impressive amount of under-eaves storage space.

A wide porch runs along the front of the house and wraps around one side, and the backyard is wide and open with a terrace/deck combo that runs the length of the house and maximizes the views. A hot tub offers the possibility of stargazing while relaxing, and the detached garage includes a workshop perfect for creative endeavors.

This is not a home without limitations. The layout is choppy and may take some getting used to; there’s no bathroom on the second floor, which may deter some purchasers; and the closest grocery store is nearly 20 minutes away in Crozet.

But that’s not to say that these potential negatives aren’t balanced by positives. Despite its age, the house is filled with light thanks to the numerous windows, skylights, and French doors found throughout (there are five sets of doors in the great room alone). Outdoor enthusiasts will be pleased to note that there’s a swimming hole right down the road, and the nearby Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve Park offers opportunities for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking.

As for the distance from the conveniences of town? The drive out to Blackwells Hollow is long, yes, but also quite lovely, winding past old farms and new wineries and offering glimpses of the Doyles River when the lush vegetation bordering the road parts to allow room for a driveway.

Two price reductions to this listing since its introduction to the market in March indicate significant motivation on the part of the seller. Compared to other listings of comparable size in the Western Albemarle school district, this renovated house is priced quite competitively and, for those who seeking a light-filled home imbued with character, may prove quite a find.
~
Every two weeks, a brave local seller invites the Hook in for a candid, warts-and-all review. Email to schedule yours today.

Stonewall lost: Pictures recall burned Natural Bridge mansion

hawes — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:57:26 +0000

O turn thy rudder hither-ward awhile,
Here may thy storme-bett vessel safely ryde;
This is the port of rest from troublous toyle,
The world's sweet inn, from pain & wearisome turmoyle.
–lost carving above the fireplace at Stonewall Lodge

Shortly after last week's Hook was going to press, with its tale of a roadside attraction-destroying inferno, we received a folder containing images showing how the demolished Haunted Monster Museum appeared during much of the 20th Century when it was a gracious mansion and lodge.

The pictures sent by Ann Gill recall a stunning structure, a Queen Anne Victorian built of gray rusticated limestone and nestled mere footsteps from another dazzling work of stone, Natural Bridge, one of the so-called Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

Gill, the granddaughter of the last individual owner, says that her late grandmother told her that the building was originally a residence, a wedding present from a man to his bride around the turn of the 20th Century. Gill says her grandparents operated it during their ownership, which lasted from the mid-'30s to the mid-'50s, as an inn called the Stonewall Lodge.

Besides an unusually modern wall of glass facing a backyard forest, the old house featured a unique feature in the form of a stanza from an old poem inscribed in marble and set into the fireplace mantel. Despite the inscription's promise that this would be a "port of rest," the owners of Natural Bridge let the place decay. The lawn became a scrub forest, and the mansion fell prey to decades of disuse and vandalism.

The era of neglect ended in 2002 when a plucky Barnum of the Blue Ridge, a fiberglass artist of wacky roadside attractions, turned it into a haunted house. As reported last week, Mark Cline– or "Professor Cline," as he's known in the roadside world– parlayed the house's crumbling grandeur into a weird world of horrors. But Cline's decade of mirthful terror came to a sickening halt in the early evening of April 16 when a fire of unknown origin consumed the structure, taking with it countless fiberglass figures from the playfully twisted mind of Cline.

To Gill, who lives in Kilmarnock, the destruction came as a shock.

"It just made us all so ill to hear about that fire," says Gill. "My sister says her childhood was squished."

Now 64, Gill recalls several visits to see her grandparents there as a little girl in the 1950s, and she still keeps the 1948 letter that answered one of the mysteries of the mansion. On stationery from New York's upscale University Club, the correspondent informs Gill's grandmother the source of the quotation over the fireplace.

The passage comes form "The Faerie Queene," an epic poem written in the 16th Century by Edmund Spenser. In the days before a few internet keystrokes could render the answer, the letter's author reveals "a great deal of pleasure" in providing the information. Unfortunately, at some point during the years before Professor Cline haunted the place, the inscribed stone was removed from the building.

Gill crossed the state a few years ago to see the old place for what turned out to be the last time. She says she found the Haunted Monster Museum too terrifying and had to flee through the "chicken door." Afterwards, however, she introduced herself, and Cline allowed her to stroll through the house where she'd played as a child– with the lights on.

Those who toured Cline's Haunted Monster Museum, enveloped by trees which hid an array of dinosaurs and other human-gobbling figures, might be surprised to learn that the front forest was once a rolling lawn. Several small cottages and a low stone retaining wall– the latter of which may have inspired the name her grandparents bestowed– were once part of the complex but all long gone before the fire. These features are visible in the photos from Gill's archive, along with the dramatic interior staircase and the expansive verandas that gave a view toward the mountains beyond the natural wonder.

"Believe me," says Gill, "It was an awesome place."

Mitt-picking: Choosing Condi Rice a game changer

Hook Contributor — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:05:55 +0000

By Juan Williams

Washington's favorite gossip game– speculating about the vice presidential pick– now gets serious.

Now that Mitt Romney has a lock on the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination, his next step is to introduce himself to America as a general election candidate. It will be tough. He begins with negative favorability ratings– especially compared to President Obama.

The ABC News/Washington Post poll shows 47 percent of Americans holding an unfavorable opinion of Romney with just 35 percent viewing him favorably. Obama has a 21-point advantage with a 56 percent favorability rating.

Romney is fighting the image created over the primary campaign in which he came across as an out-of-touch rich guy, pandering to the right wing by flip-flopping on the moderate Republican positions he held as governor of Massachusetts.

Romney also has to flip the script on the perception that he is "Your Father's Oldsmobile": a patrician, white Republican male with no sense of the changing racial make-up of America or the reality that women are now power players in the workplace and in politics.

The biggest move he can make to change his image is via an eye-catching pick for the number two slot on the presidential ticket.

A recent CNN/ORC poll asked Republicans and Republican-leaning independents to pick their preference for Romney's running mate. At the top was a surprise choice: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She attracted 26 percent support. Rick Santorum won second place with 21 percent support. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio were tied for third place with 14 percent each. At the meeting of state GOP chairmen in Arizona recently half of them told a National Journal reporter they wanted Romney to pick Rice.

Rice would be a political game changer for the 2012 race.

Yes, she would be the first African American woman to be on a major party's presidential ticket, at a time when the GOP is losing ground with minority and female voters.

But she is more than that because– unlike some other prospects– her selection can never be dismissed as racial tokenism. She is an experienced political player who has scars from previous battles; former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are still taking shots at her in their latest books.

And her expertise on foreign policy, as a former secretary of state, would compensate for Romney's lack of international experience. As a governor and a businessman, Romney dealt almost exclusively with domestic policy.

Keep in mind, Rice has a strong political spine. She flew in the face of anti-immigrant fervor from the GOP right wing recently by standing up for immigrants. She opposed individual states, beginning with Arizona, passing laws to increase pursuit of illegal immigrants. That position– politically daring in the modern-day GOP– will be a big help as the Romney campaign tries to win over Latino voters.

There is another critical reason why Romney should pick Rice. Over the last few months, she has partnered with Joel Klein, the former chancellor of the New York City public school system, to draw attention to the crisis in American public education. They co-chaired a Council on Foreign Relations panel that examined the failure of public education as a threat to America's national security.

They found that 75 percent of American young adults do not qualify to serve in the military because they have criminal records, are physically unfit or– the biggest reason– have inadequate levels of education. One out of every four American students fails to get the high school diploma needed to join the military.

This includes about half of the nation's black and Hispanic students, who drop out of high school. Even more disturbing is the report's finding that 30 percent of the young people graduating from America's high schools don't do well enough in math, science and English on the aptitude test to serve in the military.

The report also screamed out that the U.S. State Department is unable to find enough foreign-language speakers to serve as interpreters and translators.

"The education crisis may well be the greatest threat to our national security," Rice explained at a recent speech before the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "The crisis in K-12 is producing unemployable people who will ultimately be on the dole because they will have nowhere else to go."

In his election night speech in New Hampshire, Romney said he wanted to "stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice."

Rice has exactly the right message to jump start the education debate.

By putting Rice on the ticket, Romney could reform his image and give the education reform movement a boost. And win or lose in November, he will have created a political legacy for himself and done his country a great service.
~

Fox News political analyst Juan Williams serves has been the senior national correspondent for National Public Radio as well as author of the bestseller "Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965." This essay from the Featurewell service originally appeared in the Washington newspaper called The Hill.

Veneer

Bill Emory — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:54:30 +0000

Stone veneer being applied to a building on the “Shops at Stonefield” site.
~
Commentator Bill Emory puts up a new photo nearly every day at billemory.com/blog.

Beer buzz: New laws a boon for local breweries

Dave McNair — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:52:50 +0000

Unlike Virginia wineries, breweries in the state haven't been able to sell beer for on-site consumption without having a restaurant. All that began changing on May 15 when Governor Bob McDonnell signed two bills that have craft brewery owners hopping for joy.

"This is a big one for breweries," says Steve Crandall, founder of Devils Backbone Brewing Company up near Wintergreen Resort. "Mark Thompson over at Starr Hill Brewery always told me that a rising tide lifts all boats, and it sure does."

Indeed, Crandall, along with Thompson and a slew of other Virginia brewmeisters who make up the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild, managed to convince lawmakers to pass SB 604 and HB 359 in less time than Crandall thought possible, a sign of how the brew biz in the state has grown.

Basically, SB 604 will allow breweries to sell beer and offer on-premises tastings just as wineries do. HB 359 will let breweries make beer for other labels under special contract. It also ends some rather silly distribution procedures.

For instance, Taylor Smack of Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, recently opened a second brewing facility in nearby Colleen. Under the existing regulations, beer picked up by truck from the new brewery and headed for Blue Mountain, just down the road, must first be driven to a distributor's warehouse in Richmond, where it must sit for 24 hours before getting trucked back to Blue Mountain.

What's more, Blue Mountain was also required to come up with a restaurant concept for the new place. Come July 1, when the new laws take effect, none of that will be necessary. When Blue Mountain Barrel House has its grand opening on July 1, it'll be one of the first of its kind in Virginia. Devils Backbone, too, has an existing tap room at a location in Lexington called The Outpost that will benefit from the new legislation.

"Most of these are just stupid laws still on the books from the 1930s," says Smack. "A lot of credit goes to the other brewery owners in the area, who really pushed for this."

Still, lawmakers could be kicking themselves for not getting it done even sooner. Three years ago, Thompson says, he personally pitched the bills to the Governor, and while a staff member followed up with him the next day, the state may have missed out on a chance to generate millions in revenue and create more jobs.

Earlier this year, three major craft-brewing companies from out West– Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues, and New Belgium– chose locations in North Carolina to build their first breweries on the East Coast. New Belgium plans to build a $175 million brewery in Asheville; and Sierra Nevada, which looked at 200 possible locations this side of the Mississippi, is investing over $100 million in a new facility in nearby Mills River. One of the main reasons cited for the choice? North Carolina tweaked its laws, allowing beer makers to sell for on-site consumption.

"I think those moves really kicked this new legislation here in gear," says Smack. "It's a huge windfall for North Carolina, and we're talking millions and millions of dollars, because they are seen as a more beer-friendly state."

Indeed, Crandall thinks that those moves were a real wake-up call for Virginia lawmakers.

"It really put the efforts of our Guild on the radar," he says.

It also puts them in the spotlight. Moving forward, Crandall realizes the Guild must responsibly manage its new freedom so that tap rooms don't become "crazy bar scenes."

Plus, according to Crandall, there may be more legislative arm-twisting left to do.

"Like wineries, we'd like to be able to use remote licenses to sell and promote our beers at festivals," he says. "For the time being, we still aren't allowed to do that."

Guide to a death-defying summer o' 2012

Hook Staff — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:49:58 +0000

Mint Springs provides a beach with mountain views. Skinny dipping at Mint Springs
Oh, wait– that's not allowed. But even with a swimsuits-not-optional policy, Albemarle County has three excellent lakes for swimming, fishing, and picnicking, with beaches, shelters, grills, hiking trails– and bathrooms. To the south is Walnut Creek, which has 15 miles of trails, canoe rentals for $5 an hour, and an 18-hole disc golf course. To the north, Chris Greene Lake offers a fenced, one-acre off-leash dog park, a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier, and canoe rentals. And west of Crozet, Mint Springs is stocked with trout and is home to the memorial for Piedmont Flight 349, which crashed into Bucks Elbow Mountain above the lake. And you might see a bear.
–>Swimming 11am to 7pm, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, $3 Albemarle residents, $4.50 others

Long summer days make easier to catch a sunset after work. Sunset on the Blue Ridge
It's easy to forget just how close the Blue Ridge Parkway is, and what a spectacular place it is to watch the sunset with a bottle of wine, although that would be illegal. We meant to say, how spectacular it is to watch the sunset with a nonalcoholic beverage. This excursion works best spur of the moment on a long summer evening. From downtown Charlottesville, it's about 50 minutes to our favorite spot, Ravens Roost, which is about 11 miles south along the Parkway. And if you'd like a cold beer to go with your sunset, the deck at Blue Mountain Brewery down Route 151 is pretty amazing, too. Just get there before the sun drops behind the mountains.
–>30 minutes before sunset, any nice day, Blue Ridge Parkway, free

What's not to like about free music after a long week? Fridays after Five
This quintessential Charlottesville favorite, now in its 25th year, combines the best of summertime when the living is easy: music and cold beer. What better way to celebrate the end of the week than to stroll down the Mall to the nTelos Pavilion and catch a live band. Tout le monde comes out on a warm evening, and upcoming local favorites include the Chicken Head Blues Band May 25, Baaba Seth June 8, and Indecision June 15. Did we mention that it's free– and that your beer purchases help support local charities?
–>Fridays, 5:30pm, nTelos Pavilion, free

Monticello is serious about celebrating the 4th of July. Monticello on the 4th
There really isn't a more meaningful way to celebrate the 4th of July than at the home of the guy who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and it's something you can't do anywhere but Charlottesville. New American citizens are sworn in in front of the World Heritage Site; a naturalized American citizen like I.M Pei, Sam Waterston or Tracey Ullman speaks. This year it's Olympic gold-medalist Nadia Comaneci. There's lots of flag-waving in the best possible way– without politics. The event starts early, leaving plenty of time to cook burgers on the grill and catch fireworks later in the day. Fans are provided; sunscreen and hats are recommended.
–>July 4, 9am, Monticello, free

Route 20– the Constitution Route– wends its way north to Barboursville. Wine tasting at Barboursville
While there are plenty of wineries around, we like this one because its wines are some of the best in Virginia– and it has ruins. Founded in 1976, Barboursville is one of the oldest wineries in Central Virginia. The ruins date back to Christmas Day in 1884, when the house designed by Thomas Jefferson for Governor James Barbour burned. The haunting brick structure still stands with its octagonal room in the center of the house. Barboursville Vineyards has a wine museum, the highly-regarded Palladio restaurant, and a tasting room where just $5 gets you a glass and samplings of 16 to 20 wines. Buy a bottle of your favorite and picnic like it's 1829.
–>Monday-Saturday, 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm.

Leg up
If you're looking for a pleasant place to walk, run or ride a bike, it's hard to beat the Thomas Jefferson Parkway. Although the path goes up the side of Carter Mountain, the gentle five-degree incline means you can jog or bike the two miles from Route 53 to Monticello without gasping too hard for air. The ride down, of course, will be a breeze. For those who prefer to leave the beaten track, trails crisscrossing the adjacent 100-acre Secluded Farm are open to the public and offer a chance to frolic in fields and scramble up and down steeper slopes. Dogs on leash are welcome.
–>daily, sun-up to sundown, Route 53, free

Bend it like Satchidananda
There's no shortage of yoga studios in Charlottesville, but anyone looking for something a little more intensive– oh, say, an entire weekend of nothing but asanas and meditation– might enjoy a weekend getaway to Yogaville. Forty-five minutes from Charlottesville on 600 acres in Buckingham County, Yogaville was founded by the late Sri Swami Satchidananda in 1980. The centerpiece of the ashram is the Light of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS), which is shaped like the flower for which it's named, and which features altars for all of the world's major faiths. Private or shared accommodations are available, or pitch a tent to save some cash.
–>Single or multi-day stays available, $20-$140 per night

No license? No problem! Driven crazy?
Kids driving you crazy? Let them drive! A quick trip over Afton Mountain to Waynesboro– exit 94 off I-64– and your teens and pre-teens can be behind the wheel of a Go-Kart at Fastrax. Kids at least 56 inches can drive the standard karts, and a junior version might appease younger, shorter siblings. Those over 16 can get behind the wheel of a faster "sprint kart." Also on site: batting cages, miniature golf, and an arcade.
–>Daily hours vary, $4-7 per go-kart ride; batting, arcade extra

Booked!
Reading happens year round, but it's hard to deny that summer affords extra opportunities for kicking back with a good book. And there may be no better place to get a big pile of them than the Green Valley Book Fair in Mount Crawford, at exit 240 off I-81 near Harrisonburg. With half a million books at discount prices, the Fair is fantastic for stocking up on gifts for the rest of the year. And for those rainy summer days when you're wondering what the heck to do, grab the kids and hit the road for some reading.
–>May 12-28; June 30-July 15; August 18-September 3, 9am-7pm daily

Berry fun
Picking berries is fun; eating them is even better, and summer's the time to do both. While there's strawberry picking aplenty at various local orchards, you can go slightly more exotic at Grelen Nursery in Orange County, less than an hour away, where blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are ripening and ready to be plucked. Get ready for stained fingers!
–>Mon-Sat: 8am-3pm, Sunday: 11am-3pm; 15111 Yager Road, Somerset

Go to war
About an hour up Route 20 North, you can go to war this summer. According to local paintballers, WarPlay Paintball in Rhoadesville has some of the best real-to-life scenario set up fields, making you feel like you're in a real battle. And in the summer, when you can't wear layers of thick clothing, the sting of those paintball pellets tend to be more deadly. Of course, the folks at WarPlay will set you up with the right safety equipment, and the refs will keep things under control, but are you ready to risk that shot to the arm or thigh? Indeed, WarPlay was founded by two U.S. Marine vets, and they've designed fields that make for chaotic firefights, where contact with the enemy takes only about 50 seconds. –>Saturday & Sunday, 9am-4:30pm, WarPlay Paintball, $35

Quarry diving
About 40 minutes south of town, in Schuyler, Virginia, the landscape is dotted with abandoned soapstone quarries, some of which have flooded and become attractions for thrill-seeking swimmers and cliff divers. Rising up 30 to 90 feet, the plateaus of cut stone make for perfect diving platform into the cool water below. But be wary. This little adventure is not for the faint of heart or anyone with vertigo. And it is on no map or in any guide book. In fact, it's been a secret adventure challenge for UVA students. To get there, head down Route 29 South about 20 miles, turn left on to VA-6/Irish Road and go 6 miles, then turn right onto Schuyler Road. Go about 1.5 miles and you will see a large quarry through the forest on your left. Proceed at your own risk.
–>Seasonal, Schuyler, Virginia, free

Ashley Pillar helps two youngsters cross the James. Ride the James
Head down Scottsville way and ride the last existing poled ferry still operating in America. Things like timber and farm produce were carried across the James by the Hatton Ferry over 100 years ago, then loaded on to freight trains. At a nearby store, people picked up mail and items shipped into Hatton, and the ferry was an important transportation link between Buckingham and Albemarle counties. In 2009, the ferry was nearly shut down by the state highway department, but a nonprofit was formed in 2010 that saved it. Today, it's a living bit of American history, and a lovely way to experience the waters of the James River. It operates on Saturday from 9am to 5pm, and on Sunday from noon to 5pm between April and October.
–>May-October weekends, Hatton Ferry, times above, $2 per person and $5 per vehicle

Fair game
Looking for thrills and spills? Attend one or more of the county fairs in the area. We're talking demolition derbies, motocross races, tractor pulls, fireworks, bear shows, camel rides, and even pig racing. The first one kicks off in Orange County on Thursday, July 26, where, in addition to a watermelon eating contest, and a frog jumping contest (okay, not so dangerous), you can try your luck on the "raging bull" mechanical heifer. Next up, the Greene County Fair beginning on July 31. See beauty queens kissing hogs, a smash up derby (watch out for flying car parts!) and even watch your kid in a tug of war contest. Then, of course, there's the Albemarle County Fair starting on August 2, to be held this year at Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe. At the Augusta County Fair August 7 you'll get to see bull riding and rodeo events, plus motocross. Finally, there's the Rockingham County Fair over in Harrisonburg beginning on August 13, where you'll see screaming tractors pulls and even a wild lawn mower race.
–>July 26 thru August 15, various county fairgrounds, $2-$4

Ride into the sunset
Hiking in the mountains is fun, but what about making a horse do it for you? Located about an hour north in Syria, Graves Mountain Lodge offers one-hour, half-day, and full-day horseback rides that take you through the lovely mountains and orchards of Graves Mountain and the valley of Syria. Former rodeo rider, horse trainer, and skilled guide Eddie Birckhead runs the show, offering expert advise on matching riders with horses, calming and coaching first timers and children, and making sure your guided trail ride is safe and fun. Hour-long rides are $40 per person, and half-day and full-day rides, which require a 4-person minimum, will run you between $115 and $220 per person. Kids eight years and older can ride, as long as they are at least 54 inches tall, and the rides are "walk only." Sorry, no galloping off into the sunset. For more information, call Graves Mountain Lodge at 540-923-4231.
–>By reservation, Graves Mountain Lodge, $40-$220

Walk into Swannanoa
It doesn't get much grander– or much quirkier– than Swannanoa. Suppose you owned a turn-of-the-century palace made of carrera marble in a Renaissance style. And suppose it were located atop Afton Mountain with views of both the Shenandoah and Rockfish Valleys. You'd open it for a sum so small that it would be hard to say no. And that's happening again this summer. The 2012 dates (as told to us by phone, 540-942-5201, since there's no website): May 26-27, June 2-3 and 23-24, July 7-8, August 4-5 and 11-12, September 1-2 and 29-30, October 6-7, 13-14, and 20-21, November 3-4.
–>11:30am to 5:30pm, atop Afton Mountain, $6 but kids 12 and under free

Get sprayed
Not near a pool or a lake? Don't have time to go to the ocean? Between May 12 and October 7, Charlottesville Parks & Recreation offers a great way to cool off for free– three spray grounds throughout the city at Forest Hill Park, Green Leaf Park, and Belmont Park. The newest, at Forest Hill Park, includes a variety of fun features, like a hoop squirting water you can run through, a trough high above your head that drops water, and even a fake fire hydrant that spews water. Over at Greenleaf Park, the spray ground is touch sensitive and features a mushroom fountain and other interactive features. At Belmont Park, there's probably the biggest "water faucet" you'll ever see. There's also a lot of shade at the three parks; forest Hills with its huge oaks and views of Carter's Mountain, Greenleaf with its whopping 14 acres of hardwoods and evergreens, and Belmont Park with its big oaks and new large shelter. The spray parks are open daily from 10am to 8pm.
–>May 12-October 7, city parks, free

Property auctions

Hook Staff — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:33:03 +0000

May 31 at 11am at the Albemarle Courthouse
Property: 5020 Harris Brook Lane, North Garden
Debtor: Jeanette B. Cowan
Original amount owing: $66,332
Bidder brings: 10 percent sale price
Info: Wittstadt Title & Escrow 866-503-4930

June 1 at 1pm at the Albemarle Courthouse
Property: 1608 Townwood Court
Debtor: Moises Loredo, Carol Loredo Alvarez, and Luis Carlos Flores Ugalde
Original amount owing: $190,500
Bidder brings: $19,000 or 10 percent sale price
Info: Rosenberg & Associates LLC 301-907-8000

June 6 at 4pm at the Charlottesville Circuit Court
Property: 235 Hartmans Mill Road
Debtor: Wallace C. Dowell and Antoinette R. Thomas
Original amount owing: $156,000
Bidder brings: $15,000 or 10 percent sale price
Info: Shapiro, Brown & Alt LLP 757-687-8777

[This compilation was culled from published accounts of auctions scheduled by creditors. Such plans may change if the alleged debt is satisfied.]