Month: July 2015

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Living Uncategorized

Chill Out: 24 ways to beat the heat this summer

File photo

In the air

The ground’s the limit

It doesn’t matter how hot it is on the ground, when you’re up in a plane going close to 100mph at several thousand feet, you’ll cool right down. Then, when you leap from that plane and plummet toward the earth at (more or less) 9.81 m/s, the chill factor only increases. Got the guts to do it? Skydive Orange can help make it happen. It’s pricey, sure—a single tandem jump runs close to $400—but you only live once, right?

Around the world

OK, so you’re down with going up, up, up, but not with the jumping out part? An early morning hot air balloon ride could be your ticket to cool down and soak in some views. Three local companies all boast perfect safety records, according to their websites, and send riders up when the weather cooperates:

Boar’s Head Ballooning
Boar’s Head is celebrating 35 years and is offering a special anniversary rate in July and August of $185 per person for certain rides.

Blue Ridge Ballooning
Rides start at $225 per person.

Monticello Country Ballooning
Rides start at $225 per person.

In the water

Tubing down the James with friends and a full cooler? What more do you need? Photo: Tom Daly
Tubing down the James with friends and a full cooler? What more do you need? Photo: Tom Daly

Learn how to swim

Can you swim? Eighty percent of American adults claim they can, but a better question is: Can you swim well enough to save yourself? According to a 2014 report by the Red Cross, 54 percent of Americans can’t perform all five critical water safety skills: stepping or jumping into water that’s over your head; returning to the surface and floating or treading water for one minute; turning around in a full circle and finding an exit; swimming 25 yards to the exit; and exiting from the water without a ladder if you’re in a pool.

So what’s your answer now? If it’s no, it’s time to develop stronger water skills and there are several ways to do that. The City of Charlottesville’s summer group lessons are already well underway, but private lessons are still possible, and if you find a friend or two to do it with you, the per person price drops. (Two people can get five 30 minute lessons for $188; three will pay just $248, and nonresidents pay just a bit more.) 970-3073

You can also check into lessons through ACAC (Albemarle Square: 978-3800; Downtown: 984-3800), and then you’ll truly be ready to enjoy all the water activities this area has to offer.

Swimming holes

Once you’ve learned to swim, you’ll be ready to take a dip in one of the swimming holes located in the Charlottesville area. Short hikes from the base of Sugar Hollow Reservoir will lead visitors to two of the most popular swimming spots in the area: Blue Hole and Snake Hole (and yes, the latter is named that for a reason, so if you suffer from ophidiophobia, you may want to reconsider). Another natural pool can be accessed by a more strenuous hike along Riprap Hollow in the Shenandoah National Park. The prize after a tough 3.4 miles on foot? A 50-foot wide swimming hole, offering a break to hikers hoping to complete the total 9.5 mile trail, or a reprieve from the sun for those wishing to swim.

Tubing (or canoeing or kayaking!) on the James River

Nature’s “lazy river” can be found just 25 minutes outside of Charlottesville in Scottsville, and two companies—James River Reeling and Rafting or James River Runners—offer a variety of ways to travel the river: tubing, kayaking and canoeing. And even though Albemarle County Police have announced a crackdown on misbehaving rivergoers, they’ve promised they’re not going to be busting anyone over 21 for drinking a beer while they float or paddle along. Reservations are required, and check out the overnight camping options if you’re looking to extend the fun.

James River Reeling and Rafting: 286-4386

James River Runners: 286-2338

Row, row, row your boat

The river isn’t the only body of water where recreational activities abound. You can swim of course at all three county lakes: Walnut Creek Park, Mint Springs Valley Park in Crozet or Chris Greene Lake north of town by the airport, but you can also rent canoes at Walnut Creek and Chris Greene for $5/hour. 296-5844

Inside

Comic wonders Amy Schumer and Bill Hader get laughs on the way to love in Trainwreck out later this month. Photo: Universal Pictures
Comic wonders Amy Schumer and Bill Hader get laughs on the way to love in Trainwreck out later this month. Photo: Universal Pictures

Movies

Summer is blockbuster season, and the big hits keep rolling out through Labor Day. Jurassic World started the summer with a bang, Magic Mike XXL has moviegoers dancing in the aisles, and some of the best is yet to come: Amy Schumer’s sure-to-be hilarious Trainwreck (July 17), the body-swapping thriller Self/less starring Ben Kingsley and Ryan Reynolds (July 10), Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle Southpaw (July 24) and the latest installment of Vacation (July 29). And as summer winds down, there’s Regression, a movie that claims to be turning the thriller genre inside out and starring Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke (August 28).

Stage

Had enough movies? Perhaps you’d rather take in your entertainment live. There are theater productions aplenty this summer starting with Live Arts, which brings Xanadu to the stage July 17-August 8. Heritage Theatre Festival presents I Love a Piano, a celebration of the life and music of Irving Berlin, from July 21-August 1; Violet, a story of a young woman with a disfiguring facial scar who embarks on a healing voyage, July 28-August 1; and Almost Maine, a love story set in a town so far north it’s almost Canada, July 23-August 1 (924-3376). Other live performances include the Ash Lawn Opera’s Madama Butterfly on July 10, 12, 16 an 18, and My Fair Lady on August 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8. Tickets are available at theparamount.net or 979-1333.

Cooking classes

With daily temperatures exceeding 85 degrees, the only place you’ll want to turn up the heat is in the kitchen. And the Charlottesville Cooking School in the Meadowbrook Shopping Centre is a fine place to hone your culinary skills. Summer classes include Paella from Spain on July 10, Greek Summer Grilling on July 17.

Other cooking class opportunities abound at Pippin Hill Farm, Boar’s Head Inn and at the Williams-Sonoma store in The Shops at Stonefield (973-2155).

Museums

Charlottesville has a handful of great museums to explore, including The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia on Rugby Road, which has several shows hanging this summer. Over at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection on Pantops, you’ll find Tony Albert’s “Brothers,” a show responding to police violence against aboriginals. And don’t miss the Night at the Museum events on July 16, August 20 and September 17 from 5-9pm.

Other museums include the three presidents’ mansions:

Monticello: A day and house tour pass gets you guided tours of Thomas Jefferson’s home and gardens, access to the Visitor Center and additional exhibitions.

Montpelier: At James Madison’s home, about 25 minutes north of Charlottesville, you’ll find tours of varying lengths daily.    

Ash Lawn-Highland: James Monroe’s abode is now owned and operated by the College of William & Mary, and tours are offered throughout the summer.

At night

Gaze into the heavens at McCormick Observatory on the first and third Fridays of each month. Photo: Jack Looney
Gaze into the heavens at McCormick Observatory on the first and third Fridays of each month. Photo: Jack Looney

Stargazing

For millennia, man has looked to the heavens for guidance. Although most of us don’t use the stars to get home anymore, they’re still a pretty sight. Enjoy the original night life at the McCormick Observatory, where the public can peer through professional telescopes on the first and third Friday night of each month. Call the Public Night Hotline at 243-1885.

Starry Night

If you’re satisfied to use nothing but your own eyeballs to view the heavens, and you like your ears to get in on the action too, then try Veritas Starry Nights, a once-a-month outdoor event at the Afton winery that features a live musical act, food and, of course, wine if you’re old enough. The next event is July 11 and features Beatles cover band Abbey Road. On August 8, The Dickens take the stage. $15.

Drink it in

Starr Hill Brewery is just one stop on the Brew Ridge Trail. Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
Starr Hill Brewery is just one stop on the Brew Ridge Trail. Photo: Rammelkamp Foto

Hops

Hop on the self-guided Brew Ridge Trail to visit some of the area’s most popular breweries this summer. Included on the trail are Blue Mountain Barrel House (Arrington), Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland), Wild Wolf Brewing Company (Nellysford), Blue Mountain Brewery (Afton), Starr Hill Brewery (Crozet) and South Street Brewery (Charlottesville). Most of the breweries along the trail are full service restaurants and family appropriate. A trail map and itinerary is available on brewridgetrail.com, as is a list of transportation services offering brewery and winery tours in Nelson County and surrounding areas.

Grapes

The question is where to begin when it comes to winery visits in Charlottesville. A good start is the Monticello Wine Trail website, which has links to 32 Central Virginia vineyards from Glass House Winery in Free Union to Prince Michel Vineyards and Winery to Blenheim and Cardinal Point, and lists events including Keswick’s dog friendly Yappy Hours, musical events and more.

Apples

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, it seems pretty clear you’ll feel much better if you down some cold, fresh cider this summer. From Bold Rock Hard Cider in Nellysford to Castle Hill Cider in Keswick (castlehillcider.com) and Albemarle Cider Works in North Garden, ciders are surging as one of this area’s biggest attractions.

Underground

Check out how creative nature gets underground at Luray Caverns. Photo: Luray Caverns
Check out how creative nature gets underground at Luray Caverns. Photo: Luray Caverns

Cave people

As earth’s surface temperature soars, deep underground in Luray Caverns, it remains a cool and steady 54 degrees. Located about 90 minutes from Charlottesville in Luray, the caverns offer numerous spectacular features: Giant’s Hall, a massive calcite formation known as Titania’s Veil, and the world’s largest stalacpipe organ. There’s also the Luray Valley Museum on site.

If you’ve already done Luray but are yearning for a new subterranean exploration, there are a couple that are even closer to town. Grand Caverns in Grottoes (540-249-5705) is about an hour from downtown Charlottesville and has features including the Bridal Chamber and a red-lit space called Dante’s Inferno. You can also check out Shenandoah Caverns in Quicksburg (540-477-3115) or Endless Caverns in New Market (540-896-2283) for more stay-cool adventures.

Cool kids

front view portrait of a boy (10-11) jumping on trampoline

Swimming is always a blast with kids, but if it’s raining, someone’s sunburned or has swimmer’s ear, you need indoor options, so here are a few:

Bruce A. Elder Antique and Classic Automobiles This Staunton museum includes an original Ford dealership that dates to 1911 and boasts rare finds like a 1926 Model T, a Richard Petty race car and a 1968 Mercury Cyclone GT. It’s open most Fridays and Saturdays (call ahead to check), and tours are given throughout the day. 114 S. New St., Staunton. (540) 885-0500

Jump Kids bouncing off the walls? No worries at Jump, a trampoline emporium located in the former Carmike theater. 284-8248

Bounce & Play The littler ones in your life can play safely and mom and dad can chill in a comfortable seating area. Seminole Square. 973-1111

Laser Tag After they outgrow Bounce & Play, kids can head over to the former Office Depot store at Seminole Square for Laser tag. Summer hours are Mondays from 9:30am-1:30pm, and Friday-Sunday 9:30am-1:30pm. 973-1111

AMF Keglers Lanes Keglers’ newly renovated bowling facility on 29N is always cool. 978-3999

Discovery Museum A classic on the Downtown Mall that features a series of rotating exhibits and activities as well as some permanent displays. 977-1025

Up in the mountains

Outdoor summer fun at Wintergreen includes a zip line. Photo: Wintergreen Resort
Outdoor summer fun at Wintergreen includes a zip line. Photo: Wintergreen Resort

Wintergreen

Don’t think you should wait until ski season to visit Wintergreen Resort. You’re guaranteed a slight heat reprieve as you gain altitude, and in addition to the Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival, which brings a slew of nationally renowned musicians to the mountain for a series of concerts and events, there are a variety of ways to beat the heat. Summer tubing will send you flying down the hill on inner tubes with special plastic tracks taking the place of snow. A full list of activities and booking options can be accessed on the Wintergreen Resort website.

Massanutten

Not much further away than Wintergreen—about an hour’s drive northwest in McGaheysville—Massanutten is another mountain resort that keeps you busy and cool year round. The biggest non-snow attraction is the Massanutten Water Park, a sprawling indoor/outdoor complex of water slides and other wet and wild activities. And just like Wintergreen, there’s zip lining, a climbing wall and summer tubing.—Timothy DeSimone and Kathleen Smith

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News

Big box bickering: Why some locals are wailing over Wegmans

This rendering shows the backside of 5th Street Station. Courtesy of Valerie Long

The Fifth Street development project, now known as 5th Street Station, is soon to be a big box retail sanctuary with almost half a million square feet of space, an abundance of parking and a buffet of popular brands—and it only took about two decades to build on this historically sought-after plot of land previously owned by Grand Piano and Coran Capshaw, that once housed a landfill.

Since the ’90s, ideas for the site have been repeatedly pitched, supported, shot down and deferred. Approved in 2008, 5th Street Station is officially underway, promising popular shops like Wegmans, Field & Stream, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Mattress Warehouse, Panera Bread, PetSmart, Sprint, Great Clips, Hair Cuttery, Lee Nails, Jersey Mike’s Subs and the Virginia ABC. Eight other leases are currently in negotiation.

And, as the story goes, many are thrilled to have these big brands within reach.

“Wegmans—that’s the best thing since sliced bread. They make Whole Foods look penny-ante,” says Blake Caravati, owner of Vector Construction and former mayor of Charlottesville.

Though Vector isn’t involved with this project, Caravati stays on top of local construction.

“The only unfortunate part is that it’s in the county,” he says, jokingly, as a city resident acknowledging that a large sum of tax dollars will be pumped back into Albemarle as a result of the shopping center.

However, not everyone is excited about the presence of this big box development.

Mike Meintzschel, nature lover and local resident of over 20 years, is concerned about the project’s negative impact on Moores Creek. And he has photos to back it up.

According to Meintzschel, he and other residents of the Willoughby neighborhood thought they had reached an agreement with the developers, a “small victory” he says that has not been fulfilled. The developers, he says, originally planned for the shopping center to be situated closer to Moores Creek, one of the area’s most polluted water traces which surrounds three sides of the development, but agreed to push the shopping center inland far enough that it would not interfere with the watershed, and to stabilize the floodplain by filling it in with dirt.

“They’re right up against the creek, there’s no denying that,” Meintzschel says, concluding that “the preliminary stuff that we see along the creek bed is not what we expected.”

He doesn’t like the rock that’s been put around a few storm drains, and says the stones are small and one storm could wipe them all away. Meintzschel says the developers “just sort of threw the rocks down,” while the county and city set a better example by meticulously laying larger rocks around storm drains during other restoration efforts on Moores Creek.

“What’s happening doesn’t match the intelligence of the city,” he says.

But the attorney for the developers, Fairburn, Georgia-based S.J. Collins Enterprises, says they have volunteered to go beyond what the county required to carry out a number of site improvement projects. Those efforts include cleaning up the old landfill on the property two years earlier than mandated, implementing stream bank improvements to Moores Creek and removing invasive plant species that are crowding out native species on the riverbank, says Valerie Long of Williams Mullen law firm in an e-mail. The developer also plans to implement a water treatment facility to detain polluted water that runs off the highway and treats it before it reaches the creek.

Richard Randolph, planning commissioner for the Scottsville district where 5th Street Station is located and a Board of Supervisors candidate, says he gives the developers the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s easy for one to take photographs and point fingers, but this is a process of transition and it’s not completed,” he says, noting that the health of Moores Creek actually increased from a very poor rating to a rating of poor in nonprofit StreamWatch’s latest assessment, which was released in June.

According to Randolph, the results of the assessment are “hardly a point where we declare victory,” but he hopes to see the water quality of Moores Creek improve further with the help of S.J. Collins and “there is an expectation that it will.”

The health of Moores Creek isn’t the only concern locals have, and even Caravati, a fan of the project, notes that access to the shopping center could be “a bit strained,” as Fifth Street is already a busy road during rush hour. He says traffic is usually backed up from cars that are headed downtown from I-64, and 5th Street Station will add to that congestion.

On the bright side, folks living on the south side of town won’t have to make the long drive up Route 29 North just to get to an upscale grocery store, says Long. She says this new convenience for southsiders may result in reduced traffic congestion on Route 29, and the long-awaited connector road between Avon and Fifth streets will also significantly improve the transportation network.

And beyond traffic or stream health, there’s the undeniable glee that many people seem to feel from the impending arrival of the beloved grocery chain.

“We are told that shoppers come from up to 90 miles away to shop at Wegmans,” Long says.

Categories
News

New laws: What’s legal, what’s not

Delegate Matt Fariss hopes industrial hemp will be a crop that helps revitalize Southside, and now it’s legal for universities to grow it for research. Illustration Jason Crosby

Virginians may begin to see hemp production and more public breastfeeding with the new laws that went into effect July 1, several of which were inspired by local events and people.

Jesse Matthew, the man accused of killing UVA student Hannah Graham and linked by DNA evidence to the case of slain Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, prompted legislation for DNA collection for certain misdemeanors, a measure pushed by Albemarle Sheriff Chip Harding. The Matthew case also prompted a law requiring prominent notation on college transcripts of those under investigation for sexual violence. The discredited Rolling Stone article about rape at UVA resulted in a couple of laws that change how sexual assault on campus is reported.

Other laws span topics ranging from how the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control is run—an authority replaces its board—to coalbed methane gas to special license plates.

Industrial hemp

In a bill carried by Delegate Matt Fariss, whose district includes southern Albemarle, industrial hemp can be grown for university-affiliated research projects. Licensed growers can’t be prosecuted for possession, but restrictions ensure Virginia is not the new Colorado. The concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, which is responsible for the “high” felt when using cannabis, within industrial hemp cannot exceed the federally mandated level of 0.3 percent.

Medical marijuana

While possession of weed is considered a Class I misdemeanor and punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine for a first time offense in Virginia and loss of a driver’s license for six months, medical marijuana got an OK to treat epilepsy if it’s in the form of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil issued by a medical practitioner.

Unfriend your boss

Workers need not censor their Twitter status after a rough day at the office, as boss access to applications such as Facebook and Instagram has been significantly limited. Employers can no longer demand that current or future employees disclose their social media passwords. The law also stipulates that employers cannot require an employee to add them to their list of contacts, meaning fewer “likes” from the former and a lot more privacy for the latter.

Tailgating bikes

Drivers need to be cautious when trying to catch a glimpse of these specialized plates, however, because motorists are prohibited from following other vehicles, including non-motorized vehicles such as bikes and mopeds, “more closely than is necessary” —or what the road-raging-guy in front of you calls tailgating.

Specialized plates

Do we really need more special license plates? The Mathias Bill authorizes license plates with the legend “Cure Childhood Cancer.” Newport News Shipbuilding and recipients of the Legion of Merit Medal get their own plates, too.

Two state songs better than one?

After “Carry Me Back To Old Virginny” was removed as Virginia’s state song for racist lyrics in 1997, the Old Dominion was without an anthem—until now, when we have two. The General Assembly made “Our Great Virginia,” with lyrics by Mike Greenly and arranged by Jim Papoulis, the official traditional state song, and “Sweet Virginia Breeze,” by Robbin Thompson and Steve Bassett, the official pop song.

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Living Uncategorized

The Flat’s new owners promise same tasty food and more local restaurant news

Brian Gaffney and Bennett Toms are the new owners of The Flat creperie. Photo: Martyn Kyle

The Flat’s new owners promise same tasty food

What happens when one of the smallest restaurants in Charlottesville puts a small sign in its small window saying it’s closed for renovation? We hear that behind the tiny façade of The Flat on Water Street, big things are happening.

Former owner Lauren McRaven, who was inspired by street food in Scotland to launch the popular crepe shop, has found a calling in another country. After going on multiple missions to Haiti over the past few years, she decided to sell her C’ville restaurant and move to the island nation semi-permanently.

Enter new owners Brian Gaffney and Bennett Toms. Gaffney brings with him the restaurant experience, including a stint working with McRaven at The Flat about eight years ago. Toms has the business smarts. The two have been looking to open a grub joint together for some time, and the availability of the off-the-mall hole-in-the-wall was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.

“I recently decided I wanted to be my own boss,” Toms says. “Brian brought this plan to me, and it sounded perfect.”

Gaffney and Toms are currently finishing a minor remodel on the small crepe counter, repainting the interior and exterior and “sprucing things up a bit.” They plan to keep the menu and vibe the same for the most part when they open on July 10 and continue working with McRaven’s local suppliers. But they do have a few ideas to maximize the tiny space and “keep the product cold and fresh.”

Gaffney says his last job in the local food biz, at smoked meat standout Ace Biscuit & Barbecue, was an inspiration for opening his own small casual restaurant. The guys at Ace “are fantastic and helped us out a lot to open this place,” he says. Gaffney and Toms hope to have a soft opening for friends and family a few days before their July 10 grand unveiling.

McRaven will have been in Haiti running a guest house for about five months by then, but she’s maintained at least one link to C’ville. She purchased a food trailer to take The Flat mobile last year and plans to keep it so she’ll “have something to come back to.”

“Brian and Bennett are great guys, and I’m excited to see what they do with [The Flat],” she says.

Dough boy

Donut Connection franchisees have had an odd relationship with Charlottesville. The Long Street location, which is still open for business but not listed on the Donut Connection website, bizarrely started advertising burritos on its façade about two years ago. Thank God that’s over.

The latest franchisee, Anish Adatia, opened up shop next to World of Beer in The Flats @ West Village in late June, and if his busy schedule is any indication, he’s off to a fast start. Adatia has on three occasions said he was too preoccupied to speak with C-VILLE about his confections.

According to corporate spokesperson James Morton, The Donut Connection Co-op Corp. is a retailer-owned cooperative. Some of the nearly 100 Donut Connections in the country are apparently derivative of the defunct Mister Donut chain. “We have the best of both worlds as a retailer-owned cooperative,” says Donut Connection board member Jim Edwards of Washington, Pennsylvania, who operates four of the joints.

That notion will certainly be put to the test in Charlottesville, where the Connection will have to do battle with old standby Spudnuts, up-and-comer Duck Donuts, mobile fried dough slinger Carpe Donut and good ’ol Dunkin’.

Veg out

You may have noticed a familiar face at 110 Second St. NW, the little takeout window across from Fellini’s. Greenie’s owner Kathy Zentgraf, whose vegetarian and vegan menu has been a staple at the City Market since 2010, has teamed up with Vu Noodles owner Julie Vu Whitaker and set up shop in the little spot off the Downtown Mall.

It was a serendipitous meeting when Zentgraf and Whitaker’s paths crossed at the vegetarian festival last year: Both were creating health-conscious vegetarian dishes and both were searching for a commercial kitchen. They started discussing their separate businesses, the Second Street space became available and it all just sort of fell into place, they said.

“It was very organic how it all happened,” Whitaker says, adding that she’d had her eye on this location ever since starting her wholesale noodle bowl business.

Zentgraf and Whitaker opened the Greenie’s and Vu Noodles combo window just in time for Tom Tom in the spring. For now the hours they’ve settled on are Monday-Friday lunch, and Wednesday and Friday dinner. The menu is simple, featuring two of Whitaker’s noodle bowls (one with fish sauce, so not entirely vegetarian) and spring rolls, and Zentgraf’s collard wrap and jackfruit vegan BBQ. Whitaker will dust the noodle bowls with as much Vietnamese spice as you can handle, and the vegan BBQ is shockingly similar to the real thing—and just as sloppy, especially with slaw thrown into the mix. 

“I wanted to make something healthy, that wasn’t going to hurt anybody,” says Zentgraf, a born-again vegetarian whose original plan in 2010 was to market her homemade Italian sausages.

Keep an eye on the Greenie’s’ Facebook page for menu and hours updates.

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Arts

Staying underground: Steel Wheels’ roots rock festival grows its musical identity

Trent Wagler (second from left) of The Steel Wheels and Jeremiah Jenkins of Black Bear Productions co-founded the Red Wing Roots Festival three years ago. This year’s lineup features highly regarded talent such as Punch Brothers, Robert Earl Keen and The Wood Brothers. Publicity Photo

Trent Wagler is a storyteller. The Steel Wheels front man tells stories when he’s writing songs. He tells stories when he’s on stage. And he tells a ripping story about the genesis of the Red Wing Roots Festival.

Wagler says he and his three bandmates, standup bass player Brian Dickel, fiddler Eric Brubaker and mandolin player Jay Lapp, had been traveling to music festivals for years. On top of all the great tunes and camaraderie they saw on the road, they started to realize these events could really bring together a community. The best ones—like Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in southwest Virginia and MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina—are all about togetherness. Each of them, Wagler says, seemed to bring a sense of pride to their own little corner of the country.

As Wagler gets to the peak of the story, the part where he says the fest his band hosts in Natural Chimneys Park just outside Harrisonburg brings together the community there, he gets modest.

“MerleFest was the first one that really impacted me, seeing how it was bigger than a one weekend music experience,” he says. “And while we didn’t have the audacity to think, ‘That’s what we’re going to do,’ we kept coming home and saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring some of our favorite musicians who maybe don’t have an audience here to people in the valley?’”

Whatever the genesis, when the Red Wing Roots Festival runs its third installment from July 10 to 12, it’ll be with a solid lineup of roots music stars and local standouts playing to a devoted group of about 3,500 fans.

No, the festival is never going to be as big as, say, Arrington’s growing Lockn’—the festival grounds have a natural border that will never allow the accommodation of more than about 4,000. But Wagler and co-founder Jeremiah Jenkins say that’s exactly how they want it.

“We are not trying to scale up,” Jenkins, who founded Harrisonburg’s Black Bear Productions, says. “We want to be good neighbors, and we want to provide a festival that people can rely on being comfortable, safe, clean, enjoyable, easy to access and good for all ages.”

Make no mistake, neither Jenkins nor Wagler wants to allow the size of the grounds or the size of their egos to keep them from landing big names in bluegrass, folk and beyond. While The Steel Wheels are the host band and technically the headliners, they’ve made a habit of inviting acts with much wider name recognition than themselves.

In past years, it’s been The Devil Makes Three, Trampled By Turtles, Del McCoury Band and Sam Bush. This year, mandolin master Chris Thile’s Punch Brothers will take the stage, as well as gritty Texas songwriter Robert Earl Keen, warbly blues-country trio The Wood Brothers and edgy Americana songstresses Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan on the I’m With Her tour.

The host Steel Wheels will of course do its part, playing a gospel set and a kids set along with their headliner jam on Saturday night and a collaboration free-for-all to close the festival out on Sunday that will feature any number of musicians.

“We consider ourselves the headliner, but we’re not deluded enough to think we’re a bigger name than some of these bands,” Wagler said. “It’s unique because it is our festival, and people know our name in this area, but yeah, some of these artists are really exciting.”

How unique the festival is might be a matter of contention. Artist-led musical weekends continue to pop up all around the country—Wilco just completed its Solid Sound festival in Massachusetts, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is preparing to kick off his first ever Eaux Claires festival on July 17. Locally, the Red Wing concept closely aligns with The Festy Experience, founded and hosted by The Infamous Stringdusters.

Then there are the festival add-ons, the additional experiences Red Wing Roots will offer on top of the music: Thoughtfully sourced food, local craft beer, workshops, kids activities and outdoor adventures. This is the same direction most festivals that draw fans to campgrounds for multiple days are going.

But Red Wing does offer a couple of unique riffs on the theme that are sure to make it worth driving an hour from Charlottesville. The outdoor activities are extensive, with nearly onsite mountain biking and hiking trails, nearby fishing and caverns and even a festival grounds swimming pool. As for the workshops, don’t miss the guitar roundtable reconciling the styles of jazz virtuoso Stephane Wrembel and progressive bluegrass guru John Stickley.

Still, at the end of the day, it’s all about the music, Wagler says. On top of the headliners, Jon Russell of The Head and the Heart, Shook Twins, Spirit Family Reunion, U.K. import I Draw Slow and Staunton stars The Judy Chops are sure to play roots-rockin’ sets.

“I think it’s an exciting thing to be a part of creating a Virginia musical identity. We want to create an experience where musicians want to come back,” Wagler said. “I am keenly aware that a music festival can bring people of different minds together. We want to do something that celebrates people’s sameness, and music is a great way to do that.”

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: Spamalot

Heritage Theatre Festival finds its grail in a production of the Broadway musical version of Monty Python’s Spamalot. Photo: Michael Bailey

Camelot may be a silly place, but the trademark tongue-in-cheek humor of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gillam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin has kept audiences coming back for over 40 years. Lovingly ripped off from the cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python’s Spamalot puts the British troupe’s iconic surrealist comedy together with the irreverent parody of Arthurian legends and twists the two into Broadway musical form. The Tony Award-winning play covers all the beloved bits from the original film, from killer rabbits to flatulent Frenchmen.

Through 7/5. $40, times vary. Culbreth Theatre, Culbreth Rd., UVA. 924-3376.

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What a weekend! Fireworks, concerts, parades and more mark July 4 holiday

Photo: Jack Looney

Friday, July 3

Keith Morris and the Crooked Numbers An original singer-songwriter with deep roots in the South. He plays on the lively feelings of rock ‘n’ roll and the desire to road trip in an old convertible through dusty and sprawling roads. Free, 5:30pm. nTelos Wireless Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall.

The Astronomers and Shagwuf Local rock band with a taste for pop blends the progressive mainstream melodies with out of this world orchestral and dance-rock that makes them the stars that their name claims. Accompanying them is the punky Shagwuf who invokes the harder parts of rock to embrace a quirky way of looking at the world through unique guitar riffs and exciting vocals. $5-7, 7pm. The Southern, 103 S. First St., Downtown Mall. 977-5590.

LUV Murray Schisgal’s dark but exciting comedy is a whirlwind of emotions and decisions. Two old college friends are reunited when Milt saves his friend Harry from plummeting from a bridge. But the thought of death causes Harry to rethink his life with his wife Ellen and whether or not jumping is better than the misery they have together. $15-30, 8pm. Ruth Caplin Theater, 109 Culbreth Rd. 924-3326.

2 Wishes A duo comprised of Southerner Joy Kuhar and the New Orleans native Mike D’Antoni are known for their tight harmony, classic favorites and jazzy melodies. The pair will be accompanied by band members Joe Tucker, a bassist and pianist, drummer Mike Barnes, and Deloy Moore on dobro and mandolin. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. 975.0094.

Saturday, July 4

The Annual Newsplex Fireworks Food, fun, local bands, and games for all will end the patriotic celebration of our nation’s freedom. Free, 6pm. McIntire Park. 970-3260.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream A classic Shakespearian comedy set in the faerie world tells the story of fantasy, love and magic wrapped up in confusion and disaster that evokes laughter and suspense at every turn. $20-46, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. (540) 851-1733.

Twerk-Off Part II The 4th of July holiday bash features performances by Black Odyssey and music by DJ Flatlinelay and DJ B-Easy for an Independence Day blow-out. 21-plus. $10, 11pm. Main St. Annex, 219 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. 284-8561.

Delta Junctions Hailing from Crozet, Virginia, this original trio resurrects old delta blues into a living embodiment of funk, soul and rock with compelling vocals, driving guitar, powerful bass, and a harmonica snapping up attention. Free, 3pm. Mountfair Vineyards, 4875 Fox Mountain Rd., Crozet. 823-7605.

53rd annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony Monticello hosts its 53rd annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony, honoring the genius of Thomas Jefferson and welcoming new citizens to the United States. Governor Terry McAuliffe joins as guest speaker. Open house walking tours follow the ceremony. Free, 9am. Monticello, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. 984-9800.

Independence Day at Ash-Lawn Highland Ash-Lawn Highland, which was home to United States President James Monroe, will host an Independence Day celebration and commemoration of Monroe’s death, who died on July 4, 1831. Activities include live music, children’s crafts, and historic games. Picnics are welcome, and visitors can bring their own food or purchase sandwiches and salads from the Museum Shop. Events run from 9am-6pm, and all activities are free. Ash-Lawn Highland is located on 2050 James Monroe Parkway. For more information, call 434-293-8000.

Old-timey fun The Frontier Culture Museum will put on a 4th of July celebration with events including readings of the Declaration of Independence, music, games, and contests. Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. Activities begin at 9am and end at 5pm. Concessions will be available for purchase. The Museum is at 1290 Richmond Road in Staunton. For more information, call 540-332-7850.

4th of July celebration in Scottsville The town of Scottsville will host its annual 4th of July Parade on Saturday, complete with musical performances and new floats. The parade begins at 9am and will be followed by a fireworks show over the river that can be viewed from the bridge. Vendors will be at Dorrier Park during the day, and music will be played from 6-9pm. The fireworks show will begin at dusk. The Independence Day activities are free, and all ages are welcome. Scottsville is 20 minutes south of Charlottesville on Rt 20. For more information, call 434-531-6030.

Stanardsville parade A “small-town-America” 4th of July parade will be held in downtown Stanardsville on Saturday. A parade down historic Main Street will be followed by Independence Day festivities on the Court House Square, including a reading of the Declaration of Independence and musical performances. Food, ice-cream, and soft drinks will be available for purchase. 10am-3pm. Stanardsville is located in Greene County, about 40 minutes north of Charlottesville. For more information, email thestanardsvilleparade@gmail.com.

Earlysville parade The Earlysville Area Residents’ League hosts its nineteenth annual Fourth of July parade at 1 pm. Lineup for parade participants will begin at 12:30 pm along Earlysville Forest Drive, and at 1 pm the Earlysville Volunteer Fire Company will lead the parade onto Earlysville Road for the parade route northwest to the grounds of the Union Church. Paraders and watchers are invited to lunch at the Buck Mountain Episcopal Church grounds and dessert at the Union Church sponsored by the members of Chestnut Grove Baptist. A detour around the parade route will be provided. For more information contact Leo Mallek at 434-987-4192 or Ann Mallek at 434-996-6159.

Friday-Sunday, July 3-5

4th of July Jubilee Wintergreen Resort is holding a weekend-long festival featuring music, a block party, a movie under the stars, chairlift rides, family games and a firework show. Space is limited. 855-699-1858.

Sunday, July 5

Crozet’s Independence Day Parade & Celebration The fun west of town starts with a parade to Claudius Crozet Park through downtown at 5pm. The parade will be followed by a community celebration from 6-10pm with events including: live music from LockJaw, kids’ games, bounce houses, laser tag, and pony rides. Traditional Fourth of July fare will be on sale, and fireworks begin at 9:30pm in the park. Claudius Crozet Park.

Free Union Independence Parade People of all ages are encouraged to decorate a wagon, bike, scooter, dog, or float to participate in the Free Union Independence Parade on Sunday. The parade will feature music by local artists as well as appearances by Ms. Liberty, Uncle Sam, fire engines and horse people, and folks in costume. The parade begins at the Free Union Church of the Brethren at 4pm and ends at the Free Union Baptist Church on Millington Road. Free. 434-973-7361.

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Arts

Album reviews: Jason Isbell, Sharon Van Etten, Our Friend and the Spiders

Jason Isbell

Something More than Free/Thirty Tigers

“Are you living the life you chose? / Or are you living the life that chose you?” These two lines aptly sum up the tone of Jason Isbell’s latest release. This electrifying collection of 11 songs is loaded with palpable tension between being held captive by something (or someone) and being free, and realizing that freedom isn’t always enough if you don’t know how to handle it. “Speed Trap Town” plays like a lament after realizing you’ve broken free from a small town only to become trapped in a larger one, and while “To a Band That I Loved” starts with all the promise and excitement that initial attraction brings, heartbreak sometimes still awaits in the long run. “Children of Children” furthers the notion that life can live you, recognizing that the effect of your existence on someone else’s life can be shackling. Isbell’s scratchy, slightly twangy drawl is engaging, and the raw combination of Americana, folk, country, blues and rock is an undeniable feast for the ears, mind and heart.

Sharon Van Etten

I Don’t Want to Let You Down EP/Jagjaguwar

Over the course of four new tracks and a live version of the rarity “Tell Me,” Sharon Van Etten ambles through a series of stark emotional landscapes and paints exquisite portraits of relationships in states of bliss and disarray on her new EP. The title track is poignant with its universal refrain, and she bares her soul on “I Always Fall Apart,” admitting how she responds to crises. “Just Like Blood” is filled with telling lines like, “Shot me up like a gun/Then you run like blood,” matched with a lazy rock beat that’s slowly dying out, and when she opens “Pay My Debts” with the line, “It took me years to find true peace,” it’s hard not to pay rapt attention to the rest of the story. Van Etten is often subtle in her delivery, but whether crooning to an ambient folk melody or letting an Americana rock groove take over, she certainly doesn’t let the listener down.

Our Friend and the Spiders

It Will End Quietly/self-released

Between the heavy doses of rock which populate this album, the insanely catchy—if at times slightly off-kilter—melodies, and singer-guitarist Mathieu Morin’s soaring vocals (mash Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds together with Muse’s Matthew Bellamy and you’re not far off), make this pure fun. “Keeping on Marching” has the sort of anthemic, fist-pumping, arena rock bombast that fans of Muse can appreciate, while “The 55” is a slow boiler which explodes towards the end. “The Sight of Sin” and “Deranged” play like kissing cousins with cascading guitars and psychedelic rock perfectly mirroring the unsettling content within each track and “Bleeding the Sky” is filled with so many ominous chords you’ll think the Apocalypse has arrived. Rock music, at its core, is supposed to be a damn good time, and this is indeed that.

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Arts

In the wings: Ash Lawn Opera’s Madama Butterfly alights the Paramount stage

Executive director Kevin O’Halloran and hundreds of community members prepare for Ash Lawn Opera’s season opening with Madama Butterfly at the Paramount on Friday. Photo: Chris Pecoraro

Every summer, Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall floods with a subtle siege: opera singers, orchestra members and technical crew members from all over the country. Unlike participants in traveling productions, they arrive to co-create a few gem-like original performances, shows that debut at The Paramount Theater under the direction (and extended logistical planning) of Ash Lawn Opera.

But for Kevin O’Halloran, the new executive director of Ash Lawn Opera, the biggest collaborative participants are Charlottesvillians themselves. In other words, it takes a village to host an opera.

“We work with lots and lots of community members to house our artists,” O’Halloran says. This summer, 103 out-of-town guests, including cast members and instrumentalists, will arrive about a month in advance of show time to live with more than 70 local families, many of whom have hosted professional musicians every summer for years.

Those professionals include very highly trained opera singers who come from leading opera houses across the U.S. In this season’s production of Madama Butterfly, for example, Ash Lawn has engaged four people whose resumes include the Metropolitan Opera. For local families, that means eating breakfast with artists who are performing at the highest levels of their profession.

Local rehearsal spaces are also contributed. “People are rehearsing both at the IX Art Park, our evening art space and Charlottesville High School for daytime rehearsals,” O’Halloran says.

For the summer’s “significant costuming enterprise,” which includes performances of My Fair Lady as well as Puccini’s 1904 classic, “we have a large room in one of the Jessup family buildings on Water Street downtown where our costumers are putting things together right now.”

The company even rents a barn at Morven Farm to build sets that will be transferred to the Paramount for the collaborative process of staging the opera.

“The cast and musical director and orchestra, we’re all working to try and tell the story the best way possible,” says Charles Murdock Lucas, the award-winning North Carolina-based scenic designer developing the set for Ash Lawn Opera’s Butterfly.

In opera specifically, says Lucas, designers not only need to interpret the libretto but the music. “Pace, rhythm, tone, the flavor of music can only be played in a certain way,” he says. “Unlike the script, which makes it a more rich and full experience in some ways.”

Lucas develops these emotional heights by pulling from historical research, the time and details of where the story takes place, and applying his talent to shaping the audience’s focus. For Butterfly, he found inspiration in Japanese historical photography archives, woodblocks from 1868 to 1912, and the 2000-year-old ceremonial staging traditions of kabuki theater.

He also followed Puccini’s libretto, which describes the moment when Pinkerton sees the home he’s rented. “He’s a U.S. sailor, a Westerner, and sees sliding panels and doors and how open it is. It’s an indoor/outdoor type of space, and [Pinkerton] comments on how changeable it is, like a house of cards.”

This description helped inspire the vision of a house abstracted, a platform with a roof hanging above it that makes careful use of Japanese aesthetics. “The composition of object and space around object [led me] to create a very big open space that is the home, isolated in the jewel box that is the Paramount Theater,” Lucas says.

The depth of careful construction and aggregate talent of Ash Lawn Opera’s 38th season is a testament to the organization’s transformation since it started in 1978. The first was the company’s move indoors, to the climate-controlled Paramount, after 30 years on in the sweltering July and August humidity of Ash-Lawn Highland. “It was fun, but the regular thunderstorms proved challenging,” O’Halloran says.

With the move came a concerted effort to shift from a summer festival led by a purely volunteer-based community organization to a full-grown company. In 2010, Michelle Krisel, a former vocal coach, agent, and special assistant to Plácido Domingo, came on board as the general director. Her mission was to grow a younger and more diverse audience, especially folks in their 30s and 40s, while continuing to fund the organization.

“The industry standard is that tickets only fund one-third of the budget and the rest needs to be raised,” Krisel says. “That fits into how I make my choices.”

In her first years, she chose repertoires that required children, shows like La Bohéme, The Magic Flute, The King and I and The Music Man. “That’s how I met the parents,” says Krisel. “Then I created a donor group just for them, and I encouraged them to be housing hosts.”

Ultimately, her efforts to build loyalty among the new demographic resulted in doubling Ash Lawn’s season, budget and audience “at a time when opera companies are shrinking and going out of business,” she says.

Krisel now acts as artistic director, working alongside O’Halloran. “It’s a huge challenge for the opera to find 103 beds, but that’s how we make new friends,” she says. “Once you’ve hung out with an artist, you become an insider.”

O’Halloran sees even broader benefits. Now that the company is “producing music at a level where we can attract the best talent, [Ash Lawn Opera] is a treasure right here in Charlottesville,” he says. “I think we should feel proud as Charlottesville residents that we’ve been able to sustain a professional opera company that, over the last six years or so, has become a very fine regional presence.”

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Arts

Film review: MacFarlane drives Ted 2 off the laugh track

If Ted 2 proves anything, it’s that Seth MacFarlane cannot be trusted with his own success. MacFarlane—a demonstrably talented, funny and often thoughtful individual—has a nasty habit of doing something fun and original that connects with critics and audiences, only to capitalize on his success with vanity projects that rely more on smugness and self-satisfaction than jokes or anything entertaining.

The revelatory first few seasons of “Family Guy,” full of madcap silliness and inspired absurdity, are a far cry from the show in its current form, which appears to be nothing more than MacFarlane & Co. making themselves giggle in a recording booth and then animating it. (This is to say nothing of the see-if-it-sticks spinoffs. Two of them.)

A capable singer with a genuine knack for putting on a show, he followed up his pleasant if forgettable albums with an infuriatingly smug turn hosting the Oscars. Then, tellingly, his first instinct after the success of Ted was to make a single-joke movie starring himself and cramming it full of the most predictably gross jokes he could think of, filming A Million Ways to Die in the Old West off of what was apparently the first draft of the script.

Ted 2 may not be the same sort of spastically unfunny tragedy as MacFarlane’s last live-action outing, but his ego is still behind the wheel of this vehicle while his talent takes a nap. The movie begins with newlyweds Ted and Tami-Lynn deciding to start a family. Yet with Ted’s physical inability to father a child and a series of mishaps in securing a sperm donor, the couple decide to adopt. This alerts the authorities to the fact that Ted is not technically human and therefore does not have any legal right to raise a child, hold a job or even be married, so the gang employs the aid of stoner attorney Samantha L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) to fight for his right to personhood.

Yes, the advertising campaign around #LegalizeTed refers to a plot based around Ted’s efforts to claim that he is a person, not property. The ensuing references to slavery—alternately joking and Sandler-esque in sincerity—are neither funny nor poignant. Either would have been nice, neither is to be found. Insensitive and ill-timed as this story thread is on its own, it’s also offensively predictable, as is almost every joke in Ted 2, crude or not. If you think something is about to happen, it almost certainly is but not in a form nearly as funny as it needs to be to justify the gag’s existence. Guess what timely joke is made when Tom Brady makes his cameo? Guess what happens when Ted and John are left alone in the sperm bank with a room full of deposits? Guess what costumes Patrick Warburton and Michael Dorn wear to Comic-Con? And so on.

There is genuine charm in Ted 2’s predecessor, and some slivers of that can’t help but be carried through to the sequel. The bond between John (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted feels real, and Wahlberg is more effective and endearing as the goofy, supportive friend than as the emotional lead in the first movie. Seyfried does her best with the material and breathes life into a character that was written as stoner dude wish fulfillment. But it’s not enough to steer Ted 2 away from being a vanity project for MacFarlane’s particular brand of arrogance, which comes across as the 40-year-old equivalent of that kid from grade school whose idea of hanging out was making you watch him play video games. He is a massively talented guy. Maybe he just needs a few more bombs before he does something worth seeing again.

Playing this week

Dope

I’ll See You In My Dreams

Inside Out

Jurassic World

Mad Max: Fury Road

Magic Mike XXL

Max

San Andreas

Spy

Terminator: Genisys

Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
244-3213