Month: July 2018

Categories
Arts

Sundream. rocks hard with an emotional core

United through a Craiglist ad, Sundream. plays at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar on Thursday. Photo by Jacob Somerrio.

Craigslist isn’t just the go-to site for selling your car or finding a place to live—it’s also a surprisingly effective way to start a band. This is the realization John Tosches had last July when he posted on the site to gauge interest in a new musical project.

Jordan Chambers describes how he stumbled across Tosches’ Craigslist post: “It was like, ‘Hey. I’m moving to Charlottesville. I just want to record and play music. I don’t care what you want to do—but I’ll do it.’”

Tosches nods in confirmation. He and Chambers sit at a table in the main room of Tosches’ apartment, where a complicated motherboard of screens and keyboards takes up the back half of the room, indicating Tosches’ passion for creating songs.

Tosches and Chambers, Sundream.’s drummer and guitarist/vocalist, comprise one half of the band. The other members couldn’t make it—bassist Dale Hyldelund is picking up his 8-year-old daughter and the other guitarist/vocalist, Donovan Christopher, is in Fredericksburg—but Tosches solves that with a conference call. The absent members’ staticky voices chime in from a phone acting as the table’s centerpiece.

Chambers does most of the talking. He’s very laid-back, as if he’s been interviewed a dozen times before. His easygoing air seems more fitting for an acoustic singer-songwriter type than a member of an indie-pop, emo, alternative rock group—the way all the members of Sundream. agree to classify their sound. (Hyldelund also describes it as “taking everything in your refrigerator and deciding to make a big soup out of it.”)

One year into bandhood, Sundream. still cares about classification—and what better way to solidify your presence in the music scene than by releasing an album? The band’s self-titled LP, a seamless collection of ferocious, musing tracks, debuted last month. Though short—eight songs clocking in at 25 minutes total—it’s not soon forgotten.

According to Chambers, the songs are all about transitions. “Breakups, jobs, Donovan transitioning as a transgender man…” he lists off. “That’s a lot of life right there, and our album reflects that.”

“Strange Boy,” the track that specifically relates to Christopher’s transition, is one of the LP’s most powerful songs, and at two minutes, it’s also the shortest. Christopher’s vocals glide over moody guitars and drums, creating a subdued sound synonymous with the deeply personal subject matter. Christopher describes the track simply as “what being trans is like.”

“I made a video for it!” Tosches adds, conjuring the clip in question on one of the room’s myriad screens. It features Christopher’s singing, disembodied head with a background that initially shows what seems to be home video clips from various families’ Christmases and backyard barbecues (the whole thing is edited to look like VHS tape footage). As the song’s intensity increases, the images change to news footage. Headlines like “TRUMP BANS TRANSGENDER SERVICE MEMBERS” and “Caitlyn Jenner’s Courage Award: Does She Deserve It?” flash across the screen as Christopher belts out the song’s core—“They cannot tell me what to feel / I am nothing but a strange boy.”

The video, set to be released this month, indicates just how skilled the members of Sundream. are—whether it’s video editing, penning poignant lyrics or just knowing how to play well together. Nurturing a group dynamic is especially impressive for Sundream., because, as evidenced by the conference call, it’s not easy to get everyone in the same room. “We all have very separate lives,” Chambers says. “John lives in Charlottesville but commutes to Maryland every week for work. I work full-time at Milli Coffee Roasters. Dale lives out in Wintergreen, Donovan in Fredericksburg.”

Craigslist really was the vehicle that brought the musicians together, Chambers insists, in what he calls a “happy circumstance.” It’s a term he uses often, saying, “It explains us as a band. Things happen and we’re just gonna roll with the punches.”

The last track on their LP, “Here and Now,” an acoustic song described by Tosches as a “freakin’ banger,” fits this philosophy. “It’s about finding all these people in life who are important to you,” Chambers explains. “Even though they might be gone, we’re going to meet them again someday.”

Since the “happy circumstance” of Sundream.’s formation, the band has enjoyed several others—winning the first round of a Vienna, Virginia, battle of the bands competition, having the unconditional support of Tosches’ fiancée, Christina, a medical student who fills the roles of “merch girl and band mother,” and finding support in other members of the community.

Community is essential to Sundream.. “We’re just trying to put you in a better headspace,” Chambers says. “All the songs deal with really heavy subjects, but at the end of the day, we want to end on a hopeful note. We’re happy guys who are really excited to be together and creating a community around music.”

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: MUSE at the Paramount

Hardcore indie rock’s Muse is iconic to the point that fans are filling theaters to watch the rockers fill stadiums via the Drones World Tour broadcast in HD. It’s not quite a live show, but the 360-degree recording, which showcases the best of the band’s 2015-2016 concerts on the big screen, will make you feel like you’re right there among the headbangers.

Wednesday, July 18. $10-12, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 979-1333.

Categories
Living

The Clifton’s facelift includes a renewed focus on the food

Free Union Grass Farm's duck features prominently in a new dish at The Clifton. Photo by Tom McGovern

By Jenny Gardiner

The Clifton Inn is undergoing a season of renewal—and a name change to The Clifton. New owners the Westmont Capital Group brought in the coveted design team from Tennessee’s posh Blackberry Farm to put a fresh face on the property, and capped it off by hiring Michelin-starred executive chef Matthew Bousquet, who owned and ran the acclaimed Mirepoix in northern California with his wife, Bryan. With a large cultivated garden at his disposal, as well as wild herbs, fruits and vegetables on the 100-acre Keswick property, the place is a foraging haven for chefs. And Bousquet and his staff take full advantage of what nature has yielded when planning the menu for 1799, the dining spaces that include the newly renovated library, the spruced up veranda, and the terrace, gazebo, wine cellar and chef’s table, which seats six and provides diners with an up-close-and-personal view of the kitchen staff’s creative process. The Copper Bar, which abuts the various dining spaces, has also been given a facelift.

Clifton chef Matthew Bosquet says the bounty of local produce and products is the best he’s ever worked with, such as Free Union Grass Farm’s duck, in the dish above. Photo by Ashley Cox

“Seasonality is really strong in my cooking,” Bousquet says. “And the local food here is probably the best I’ve seen. You have a lot of young people starting farms and doing something fascinating, and it’s all really good quality. There’s a lot of experimentation and they’re all interested in trying it.”

Bousquet incorporates his classical French training while working with local Virginia products, as well as taking into account that his audience is not only locals, but visitors to the inn who come from all over the world.

“Hopefully our guests experience as much as we can get out of the garden, as much really great quality local super fresh stuff that is as seasonal as possible,” Bousquet says. “Foraging on grounds is unique to here—one of my sous chefs is really good at it—and it’s a great property for it. There are things in every little corner.”

And he’s enjoying working with items from local purveyors like Free Union Grass Farm’s duck.

“It’s by far the best duck I’ve ever worked with,” he says. “We got a batch of cherries in, and we put a super light pickle on them to preserve them and serve the duck with them.”

After moving to Charlottesville, Bousquet worked for a few years filling in as a chef in restaurants around town and raising his now-10-year-old daughter when his wife took over the front of house at Keswick Hall.

“Charlottesville is terrific. We just love the community—it’s been great,” Bousquet says. “You have a lot of different communities and cultures in the area through the university—that was very important to us because we were looking for that exposure to all aspects of community life.”

He adds that his daughter teases him that he’s got that one Michelin star, and one day she’s going to go for two. In the meantime, he’s happy to be manning the kitchen at Clifton.

“I wake up every day and I want to start cooking,” Bousquet says. “And I want to just cook good food and really keep developing it.”

The 1799 bar and restaurant is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Betting on this

MarieBette Café & Bakery plans to open a second location this fall on Water Street, next to Roxie Daisy, according to Charlottesville 29 blogger and C-VILLE columnist Simon Davidson. “The offshoot will serve MarieBette’s bread and pastries, with an increased emphasis on coffee, to fuel downtown workers and residents. Unlike MarieBette, itself, there will not be restaurant table service at the offshoot, but there will still be seating, as well as breakfast and lunch items, which customers may eat-in or take to-go,” according to the post.

Coming home

Asado Wing & Taco Company is aiming for a mid-August opening in the former Café Caturra location on the Corner.

Charlottesville native Ian Anderson, who with several partners, including a UVA grad, opened their first location near VCU a few years ago, says the group is excited to return home with their restaurant, which specializes in wings and tacos, natch.

“We decided to open in Charlottesville because we have ties to the city,” Anderson says. “So when the decision to expand came up, it was the first place we looked, because we know it’s a cool little town with a great college to support it.”

Categories
Arts

Black Mac puts a contemporary look on Macbeth

With Black Mac, Ti Ames directs one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays in a new light. Photo by Tristan Williams.

Ti Ames loves William Shakespeare. Or rather, Ames loves the plays of William Shakespeare.

It’s a love that started when Ames played a fairy in The Tempest at Live Arts at age 9, and it grew when, at 16, Ames became the first black actor to win the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition in 2012.

Now 23, Ames loves how Shakespeare’s verse feels alive like a heartbeat and its ability to “make people feel something more than they have ever felt” in a single moment.

Ames believes that Shakespeare wrote “to tell the stories that he wanted to tell,” malleable, universal stories that reveal our shared humanity.

With Black Mac, the Charlottesville Players Guild’s original retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a black aesthetic, which runs through July 29 at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, Ames tells the story that Ames wants to tell.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is about two Scottish soldiers, Macbeth and Banquo, who upon returning victorious from a battle are given three prophesies by three witches. The witches hail Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and king; they hail Banquo as the father of kings to come. Throughout the play, Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, obsess to the point of madness over the prophesies.

Macbeth isn’t Shakespeare’s bloodiest play (that’s Titus Andronicus), but it’s his greatest thriller. Most productions play up the blood, the gore, the ghosts and the madness. Not Black Mac. “This show is about what happens when you let greed take over and you don’t learn from that lesson,” says Ames, who developed Black Mac with guidance from actor, director, writer and Oberlin professor Justin Emeka. It’s less sensational, more embellished reality, performed in the round, with the house lights on and minimal set pieces and costumes.

Eleven black actors play Community Members who are cast in The Community’s annual production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (a clever mirroring of the Charlottesville Players Guild’s mission of fostering a community of black theater artists here in town). A single father and his son are cast as Banquo and his son, Fleance. Two best friends, one who made it out of the hood and one who did not, are cast as Malcolm, son of King Duncan, and Macduff, a soldier. Those members of The Community who Ames says “have told it the most”—black women—are cast as the three witches.

But the actors alone don’t make Black Mac black. “Blackness [influences] the story in every way,” says Ames.

The witches are goddesses dressed in white, three Yoruban Orishas, deities of the Yoruba people of various West African nations.

Lady Macbeth’s famous “unsex me here” monologue is an African dance in which she calls upon her ancestors for strength. Malcolm throws serious shade at Macbeth once he suspects Macbeth has killed King Duncan. The latter is Ames’ way of showing the importance of balancing sadness and humor, something Ames says Shakespeare’s plays—and black people—do both well and out of necessity.

While Ames has changed very few words in the play, it “has been completely reimagined in the black vernacular,” says Black Mac producer Leslie Scott-Jones, who plays the Community Member playing the role of the Orisha Oshun and a few smaller, one-off parts.

“That’s the great thing about working with Shakespeare,” says Scott-Jones. “It is literally a universal language; you can bend it, twist it to your will. Once you understand what’s being said, you can put any spin on it.”

“Surprisingly,” reciting Shakespeare’s verse is “a lot like spitting raps,” says Louis Hampton, who plays the Community Member cast as Macduff. Hampton’s one half of the local hip-hop group The Beetnix, and he says once he got familiar with the message, the meter and the words, it flowed.

Black Mac adds unique significance to one of Macbeth’s most dominant themes. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth want children and cannot have them. This fuels Macbeth’s jealousy of Banquo, a father who is told his descendants will be kings. In Black Mac, it’s not power, money or fame that haunts the couple—it’s the lack of a legacy, says Ames.

“For black people, that’s one of the most important things to us, that we have that history to look back on,” knowing that despite slavery, peonage, Jim Crow and more, black people have been able “to make something beautiful,” says Ames. Without a child, a legacy, Mac (played by David Vaughn Straughn) and Lady Mac (played by Richelle Claiborne) have “nothing to keep them going,” says Ames.

Ames knows that Black Mac is not what most people expect when they think of Shakespeare. That’s the point.

“I want people to start thinking differently about how we do theater. Because this should not be ‘the black version of Macbeth.’ It should be Macbeth. It should be Black Mac. It should be exactly what it is.” And forget what your English teacher might have implied, Ames says, because Shakespeare is for everyone.

Ames hopes audience members will exit the auditorium after the show saying, “I never thought of it like that.”

“No, you didn’t,” Ames would say to them with a smile. “And welcome.”

Black Mac

Jefferson School African-American Heritage Center

Through July 29

Categories
Arts

Living Picks: Week of July 18-24

Peach with leaf isolated on white

Food & Drink

Ol’ Fashioned Peach Festival

Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22

Carter Mountain Orchard is hosting its eighth annual Peach Festival, complete with games, hayrides, food and a pie-eating contest for all ages. Free, 9am-7pm Saturday, and 9am-6pm Sunday. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trail. 977-1833.

Family

Night at the Museum

Thursday, July 19

Enjoy food, beer and live music at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum. There will also be a kids zone, as well as the opportunity to explore exhibitions. $5; members free, 5- 9pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum, 400 Worrell Dr. 244-0234.

Nonprofit

Cool Community Benefit Square Dance

Friday, July 20

Support the Rockfish Valley Volunteer Fire Department by doing your best do-si-do. Pay what you will, 7:30-10pm. Rockfish Valley Volunteer Fire Department, 11100 Rockfish Valley Hwy., Afton. 361-2470.

Health & Wellness

Families Run Together

Saturday, July 21

Come out for a series of morning running games with Ragged Mountain Running Shop. Both parents and children must participate. Free, 8- 8:30am. Brooks Family YMCA, 151 McIntire Park Dr. 974-9622.

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: Vibe Fest at IX

Vibe Riot’s frontman Jaewar has a desire to be the “Bob Marley of hip-hop.” And as the head of a local collective whose music is alternately politically relevant and shamelessly feel-good, he’s well on his way. Vibe Fest seems like the next logical step for a group that seeks to “give context and color to society’s many shades of gray.” The funky, friendly act headlines alongside several local music and art performances.

Friday, July 20. Free, 7:30pm. IX Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. 970-3260.

Categories
Living

These hidden spots will keep you cool this summer

Cool off at Blue Hole (pictured) and other local spots this summer. Photo by Tom Daly

By Sashank Sankar

There are three types of people during the summer. The first choose to stay within the comforts of air conditioning. The second like to be outdoors, but not too far from civilization, only venturing to swimming pools and local parks. The third have an adventurous streak. And if you fall within that category, there are plenty of options for cooling off around Charlottesville.

The following swimming holes are tucked into the heart of nature, which means they require a few miles of hiking to reach them. And while the hikes vary in length and difficulty (although they’re all doable for novice hikers), they offer great views of the Blue Ridge Mountains—perfect for your next Instagram post. Plus, after a long hike, the best reward is diving into refreshing water.

Blue Hole

Location: Parking is available at 6796 Sugar Hollow Rd., near the Charlottesville Reservoir. Walk along the trail for about 1.5 miles.

Hiking: 3 miles out-and-back. It is a little steep, so bring enough water and take your time.

Cost: Free

Fun fact: Blue Hole is a common nickname for swimming holes, and this specific spot used to have a rope swing. Unfortunately, the tree that held the rope fell down a few years back, so it isn’t there anymore. But there are plenty of trees to create a new one, if you’re up to the challenge.

Riprap Hollow

Location: Park at the Riprap Trail parking area at milepost 90 on Skyline Drive, in Shenandoah National Park.

Hiking: 9.8-miles round-trip. Recommended for more experienced hikers.

Cost: $15-30

Fun Fact: Although a difficult hike, the swimming hole is located 3.4 miles into the trail, meaning you don’t have to complete the whole thing. More time for swimming!

Paul’s Creek

Location: The trailhead (and parking) is located off Paul’s Creek Court in Nellysford.

Hiking: 1.2 miles round-trip, an easy hike.

Cost: Free

Fun Fact: There are three natural water slides at Paul’s Creek.

White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run Trail

Location: Parking is available in the White Oak Canyon lower parking lot, off Chad Berry Lane, inside Shenandoah National Park.

Hiking: 7.3 miles round-trip. Difficult and recommended for more experienced hikers.

Cost: $15-30

Fun Fact: There are five waterfalls on this trail—perfect for anyone who’s looking for picturesque views as well as a swimming option.

Snake Hole

Location: Parking is available at 6796 Sugar Hollow Rd., adjacent to the Charlottesville Reservoir. It is the second river crossing you come across.

Hiking: 1.6 miles round-trip. A relatively easy hike, although a little steep.

Cost: Free

Fun Fact: This swimming spot is in the same location as Blue Hole, but getting there is an easier hike and a shorter distance. Bonus points if you hit both in one day!

After a long hike, the best reward is diving into refreshing water.

Categories
News

Not healed: #ResilientCville showcases residents’ distrust of officials

A panel of local and regional leaders addressed questions from the public about preparations for the proposed August 12 anniversary rally at a city-sponsored event exactly one month prior. Photo by Jeff Gleason

By Jonathan Haynes

Indignation hung in the air during the July 12 city-sponsored #ResilientCville event as around 150 Charlottesville residents filed into the pews of Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church to confront a panel of public officials about the city’s failure to contain white supremacists on August 11 and 12.

The crowded panel—consisting of Assistant City Manager Mike Murphy, Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney, Virginia State Police Captain Craig Worsham, UVA Vice President of Safety and Security Gloria Graham, Albemarle County Police Captain Darrell Byers and Charlottesville Fire Chief Andrew Baxter—sat center stage, while Charlottesville spokesman Brian Wheeler jotted minutes on the side.

Before fielding questions, each member gave a brief statement explaining his or her approach to the one-year anniversary of August 12, stressing that enhanced interagency coordination was integral to their plan.

A strident Jeff Fogel was the first resident to the microphone, and his accusation that law enforcement has refused to acknowledge last year’s failures received a lively applause. The Reverend Alvin Edwards stepped in and told him he needed to ask a question.

Brackney said, “We acknowledge gaps, then we respond to those, and that’s how we learn.”

But demands for the police force to acknowledge its mistakes continued throughout the night. At one point, someone asked Brackney to list city police failures. She declined.

Some audience members suggested they would take self defense into their own hands. One denizen said that her complaints to law enforcement last year had been ignored and suggested that she would rely on vigilante groups instead. “I do not trust the fascists, Nazis, or KKK,” she said. “I do trust the antifa. Will you trust us?”

Graham and Worsham admitted that many of the crimes reported by citizens last year went unanswered and reiterated that their new approach will involve communication among agencies and will take citizen complaints more seriously. For her part, Brackney said she understood that many citizens don’t trust law enforcement, and many city authorities, including herself, are new to Charlottesville.

Panelists did not address antifa.

Regarding UVA, someone touched on the university’s new assembly policy, which requires people who are not students to obtain a permit to assemble on grounds. Graham noted that students are exempted from the policy, but also maintained that the policy would not regulate the content of speech. She was met with a chorus of boos.

Toward the end, someone questioned the scheduling of that night’s event, which conflicted with the pilgrimage to the lynching memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and precluded Mayor Nikuyah Walker and City Councilor Wes Bellamy from attending.

Wheeler took responsibility, declaring it an oversight.

While few preparations were divulged, Worsham said many VSP will be present on August 11 and 12 this year, and in Charlottesville in various uniforms during the week leading up to that weekend—and they’ll be ready to make arrests this time.

Brackney said there will be multiple road closures and parking restrictions. She also said she was “shamed” police stood by last year, and promised that wouldn’t happen again.

Categories
News

‘Crime against humanity:’ Jail urged to stop voluntary ICE reporting

Nearly 50 activists went to the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail’s July 12 board meeting to protest its policy to voluntarily report undocumented inmate release dates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Staff photo

When incarcerated undocumented immigrants are released from the local jail, they exit through the sally port, where they often have an unfortunate encounter. It’s not unusual that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent will be there waiting for them.

In a July 12 Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail authority board meeting, jail superintendent Martin Kumer said 25 undocumented immigrants were taken from the ACRJ by ICE between July 2017 and June 2018—because staff voluntarily reports those inmates’ release dates to the federal immigration agents.

Nearly 50 community activists showed up at the meeting to protest the board’s decision to continue reporting release dates to ICE, which passed in a 7-3 vote in January.

Local activist Matthew Christensen, the first person to speak during the public comment session at the meeting, called the jail’s voluntary reporting a “crime against humanity,” and others noted how “extremely cruel” it is to report someone who “came to make a better life for themselves and their families.”

These community members had demanded that the board take another vote at its July meeting, which did not happen. Approximately 2,900 people have signed a petition asking the board to stop its voluntary reporting.

“Because this matter was considered and acted on in January and no new substantive information directly relevant to this policy has been presented, there has been no compelling reason to place this matter on the agenda for another vote,” says a July 1 letter signed by Kumer and jail board chair Diantha McKeel, who also sits on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.

When undocumented people are taken into the jail and fingerprinted, staff is required by the state to notify ICE. Along with requesting their release dates, ICE has also asked for ACRJ staff to hold undocumented people beyond their release time, which the jail’s authority board voted against in 2017. ICE agents must be present at the time of a person’s release to take them into custody.

When authority board member and City Councilor Wes Bellamy motioned in January to comply with notifying ICE during the fingerprinting process, but nix the voluntary release date reporting, it wasn’t received well. He amended the motion to only voluntarily report release dates for undocumented immigrants with felony or DUI charges, and still lost the vote.

“We are sure members of the community would agree there are individuals who have committed specific crimes that should not be released back into our community,” says the letter from Kumer and McKeel. “It would not be reasonable or realistic to form a community consensus on specifically what crimes those would be.”

A list provided by the jail of the 25 undocumented people from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala hauled off by ICE between July 2017 and last month shows that some were charged with nonviolent crimes, including driving without a license, public swearing or intoxication, failure to appear in court or possessing drugs.

Some were convicted of more serious crimes such as drunk driving, domestic assault, abduction, malicious wounding or carnal knowledge of a child between the ages of 13 and 15, and the record shows that ICE picked up six undocumented people before they were convicted.

Showing up for Racial Justice organizer Mark Heisey used his public comment period to read from a letter signed by 17 community groups.

“If a judge has decided to release someone on bond, or if someone has already served their sentence, that indicates that a judge has decided that the person is no longer a danger to the community,” the letter says. “By calling ICE to incarcerate someone for civil immigration infractions, ACRJ is subjecting undocumented community members to additional incarceration based solely on their legal status and not on the crime they have been accused of committing.”

The board members have also said they don’t know enough about each undocumented inmate’s history to determine whether he is a danger to the community, should he be released.

“While you may not know everything about undocumented inmates at the ACRJ, we do know a lot about ICE,” says the letter given to the board. “We know they imprison people in the most inhumane for-profit prisons in the country. We know they separate families and lose children. We know people have died in their custody. We know they are construction internment camps on U.S. military bases. We know they sexually assault people in their custody.”

Several members of the board weren’t present, including McKeel and Bellamy, who are both on the civil rights pilgrimage to the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama.

Outside the jail, Heisey said, “I’m confident that Wes would have pushed back against a lot of the narrative.”

But he said he’s glad that board members are considering holding a work session to re-evaluate their policies before their next meeting, which is in September.

And the irony of McKeel missing the meeting wasn’t lost on Heisey.

“She’s too busy celebrating civil rights victories of the past to be on the right side of civil rights struggles of the present.”

Categories
Real Estate

Vacation Every Day In Your Waterfront Home

By Celeste M. Smucker –

Enjoying a waterfront lifestyle is high on the list of many home buyers searching for the perfect place to live. Fortunately, in our area, they have plenty to choose from ranging from a house on a local lake, to a home on the James River, to a rural property with its own pond. 

Whatever the setting, water adds value to our lives and calls to us for many reasons.  A big one being that it takes the edge off  day-to-day stress and provides a tranquil and relaxing place to hang out.  And that’s true whether we are working, vacationing or retired.

Fortunately waterfront or water access living doesn’t have to be something we enjoy only occasionally while on vacation or visiting a lucky friend or relative. The many waterfront opportunities in our area offer housing styles and price ranges to suit a wide range of buyers who want to experience more vacation in their lives.

Sometimes they ease into it gradually, spending vacations on the water a couple of weeks a year while still working.  Then they decide to purchase a second home and add occasional weekends to their time away.  As they feel their stress dissolve, their weekends in the second home  get longer and longer until finally, they find themselves living on the water full time.

If water calls to you, contact your REALTOR® today. You will be amazed at the number of opportunities that are affordable and nearby.

Options Galore
Lakefront communities with multiple amenities, both tangible and intangible, are popular in our area with numerous options for eager water lovers. 

Vicki Wilson, Principal Broker with Monticello Country REALTORS®,  relocated to the gated community of Lake Monticello after she and her husband enjoyed visiting there for years with the 4th of July fireworks an annual high point.  “We loved it so much, we built our waterfront home here twenty years ago,” she said, “and never left.” 

A big part of what Lake Monticello offers is its close-in location just 15 miles from Charlottesville. 

“Buyers are attracted to Lake Monticello because of the quality of life offered by the community and the entire Charlottesville area,” said Patsy Strong, Principal Broker with Strong Team REALTORS®.  “Whether people are looking for the fun and relaxing waterfront lifestyle or the world-class experiences in Charlottesville, Lake Monticello offers an opportunity for people to have both,” she added. 

Lake Monticello residents can also find many essential services close to home.  The community has a “small, hometown feel, with city conveniences,” Wilson said, adding “we have a newly renovated clubhouse, and golf clubhouse [and] there are several new restaurants, shops and businesses open here. You don’t need to drive [to town] to get the services of a city.”

For buyers who want a quieter, gated community, nearby Blue Ridge Shores in Louisa County may be an option.  Its private lake has five miles of shoreline, and features fishing, water skiing (but not jet skis), tubing and boating. Swimming is also popular there and the community maintains three beaches.   

If you want to live near water and also love horses, consider Louisa’s Shenandoah Crossing with its 60-acre lake plus equine center and stables. Home owners also enjoy hiking and golfing, or cooling off  in the pools or at the water park.

To the east, Lake Anna overlaps Louisa and Spotsylvania Counties with a small section extending into Orange.  Dave Guna, owner of Lake Anna Island Realty in Mineral explained that it is the second largest lake in Virginia, with multiple communities and many different housing options to choose from.

As recently as 15 or so years ago, Lake Anna was “the best kept secret,” Guna said.  Today it is increasingly popular due in part to the fact that it is an easier, quicker drive than the ocean front.  As a result, he is seeing more full time residents there, up from 30 percent in the 1990s to closer to 65 percent today. 

A surprising number of Lake Anna residents commute to DC via the train, Guna continued, or drive to Charlottesville,  just a 45 minute commute on the Interstate. Residents go to both Fredericksburg and Richmond for jobs as well.

Smith Mountain Lake, the largest lake contained entirely within the Commonwealth, is located west of Charlottesville near Roanoke.  With over 500 miles of shoreline and multiple communities overlapping two counties, buyers will find everything they need.

Described as the “hidden jewel of the Blue Ridge,”  by REALTOR® Deb Beran with Deb Beran Properties, the lake was created from a dam and reached full capacity over 50 years ago.

Architect and broker, Leslie Becker, owner of SML Properties International and Premier Vacation Rentals at Smith Mountain Lake, is a long time Smith Mountain Lake resident.  She relocated after searching for lake communities from Virginia to Pennsylvania.  She cites the return on investment from property ownership as a big reason for her decision along with easy access to DC and the Northeast via the bullet train out of Lynchburg, and direct flights to LaGuardia from Roanoke.

River Front
Flowing from the mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, the James River “has been an active part of our lives for a long time,” says Paul Kilgore with Montague Miller and Co. Active in Amherst County Real Estate for over 30 years, Kilgore knows the river well. 

When rail took over water as the main means for transporting goods from west to east, tracks were built along the river, zigzagging back and forth across it and effectively eliminating 50 percent of river frontage, Kilgore notes. 

In some cases, high steep banks also limit river access, Kilgore continued, while boaters may find parts of the river too shallow to navigate.  There are exceptions, however.  The area above the Reusens Dam has consistently deep (5 to 17 feet) water sufficient for any kind of boat.

If the river life appeals to you, call an agent well versed in the area and be aware that while building  lots are available, they are hard to find, Kilgore warns.  Still, with “stealth and a little luck,” (plus a knowledgeable agent) you can find the right property, Kilgore assures.

A Hot Market
“The market at Lake Anna is doing very well,” Guna said, “especially waterfront homes.”  He added that water access homes are also moving. 

“The market is coming back,” said Libby Sandridge with Dockside Realty who specializes in Lake Anna properties.  While there is still inventory, the number of sales are up with 112 sold properties  compared to just 100 this time last year.

Lake Monticello’s market is also impressive.  “There have been 135 homes sold year-to-date  compared to 125 [sold at] this time in 2017.  There are some remaining waterfront lots on the market as well,” Wilson said. 

“I am pleased with the sales we have seen in the Lake Monticello waterfront market this year,” Strong says.  “To date in 2018, there have been 4 waterfront homes closed, and an additional 9 waterfront homes pending with prices ranging from $345,000 to $760,000. By comparison, there were 25 waterfront homes sold here in [all of] 2017.” 

“Currently, there are only 7 waterfront [homes] on Lake Monticello’s active market.”  However, Strong concludes, “I am anticipating more waterfront homes coming on [the market] later this fall, enabling waterfront home sales to exceed last year’s total.”

Lack of inventory is an issue for river front properties, Kilgore reports.  When homes and lots “come on the market they sell quickly,” he said as there is a lot of buyer interest.  He called the river a “unique destination,” with species of fish not available anywhere else.

Water Access Homes Available for First Time Buyers
First time buyers who want to live in a water community can still find homes in their price range. Wilson reports that home prices for current listings at Lake Monticello start at $139,000, well within the first timer range.

Similarly, at Lake Anna there are lake access homes starting at $169,900 Sandridge said.

Buyers Who Love the Water
While retirees, people anticipating retirement, and second home buyers are the obvious candidates for waterfront and water access property, this is changing as more people telecommute or work a business out of their home. 

Sandridge reports that “Lake Anna still remains a second home community, however we are seeing more primary home buyers due to Dominion Power and other local companies not to mention that today many jobs are giving employees the option to work remotely.”

The availability of high speed internet makes it easy to work from home at Lake Monticello Wilson said.  These residents can enjoy the lake all day long.  The Lake is “a great stress reliever” she continued,  offering amenities from boating, fishing and swimming, to “star gazing, playing a round of golf, tennis or enjoying the playgrounds with your kids or grand kids.”

At Lake Monticello  “the buyers for waterfront homes are diverse; some are well into retirement, others retiring in several years, and still others are purchasing a weekend getaway for their growing young families,” Strong adds.  “Interestingly enough, they all purchase here with [the] idea of enjoying a more relaxed waterfront lifestyle, which they immediately find at Lake Monticello!” 

Young families with children are becoming more common at Smith Mountain Lake, Becker notes. Often they are entrepreneurs who work from home.  However, the health care sector is a big draw bringing people willing to drive the half hour or so to their jobs, she concluded. 

She estimates that about half of the buyers are people looking for a second home who plan to retire there and half are full time residents.  While there are exceptions, most second home buyers come from no more than three hours away, minimizing the drive and assuring they won’t be too far from family and friends when they do finally move there for good.

The Right REALTOR® is Essential
“Choose a brokerage that specializes in waterfront properties and homes,” Wilson said, a sentiment echoed by the other agents.   

“Location counts more than any other single factor,” Sandridge explained in reference to Lake Anna’s unique and multi-faceted market.  This is one of many reasons that “it is important to be careful and make sure you are receiving advice from a local experienced Lake Anna agent,” she added.

Always ask your agent about the depth of the water and whether it is controlled, Becker advises.  The water depth of Smith Mountain Lake is “controlled within five feet,” so it will always be deep enough for boats.

If you are a seller of  a waterfront or water access home, you also need to call your knowledgeable local REALTOR® to help you set a reasonable price and offer helpful advice and negotiation expertise when you receive a buyer contract.

If you are looking for the perfect second home, a place to enjoy retirement, or just love the idea of living on the water, there are many options available.  Contact your agent now for more details.

Celeste Smucker is a writer and blogger who lives near Charlottesville.