Anticipating the debut of skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Peter Hufnagel (pictured) decided last August to launch Virginia’s first high school skate team. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith
On one of those fall days that starts out cool and warms up in the afternoon, hinting at the change of seasons, a group of 15 to 20 young skateboarders gathers in the upper corner of the Charlottesville Skate Park. Ranging in age from about 10 to 19, the kids are dressed in everything from full-on protective gear, to nude torsos and cutoff shorts, to Dickies work pants and T-shirts emblazoned with brand names like Vans and Supreme.
They stand in a loose huddle, laughing and teasing one another. One kid razzes another about “not screwing things up this time.” Wearing jeans and a backwards ball cap, Peter Hufnagel, 38, squats and looks up at the kids. One teenager, who’s filming the group to post online, peels away and gets into position on the course.
“Don’t think about the dude behind you,” Hufnagel says. “Don’t think about the camera. Focus on the ledge and what you gotta do to nail the landing.”
With a shout, the oldest kid dashes down the narrow cement runway, leaps on his board, and ascends the high two-step ledge. He performs a 180-kickflip so big he nearly crashes into the kneeling videographer.
The lavish move animates the other kids. They jump on their boards, form a rolling line, and attack the ledge, launching into the air one after another. All land and swerve to avoid colliding with fellow skaters. Onlooking parents and kids applaud and shout approval.
Last in line, Hufnagel makes the run and lands safely. The kids celebrate with high-fives, chest bumps, and more shouting.
“Visit pretty much any skatepark in the state, and you’ll find a similar atmosphere,” says Hufnagel, director of innovation at the Miller School of Albemarle and a skateboarder since the age of 8. “There’s this amazing ethos of inclusivity. Skaters go out of their way to support one another and help each other improve.”
Hufnagel is on the cusp—in Virginia, at least—of a major trend. Anticipating the debut of skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he decided last August to launch the commonwealth’s first high school skate team. Eight students signed on. They practice daily, led by Hufnagel and local skating icon Bruce Vlk. The team’s success led Hufnagel to found the VAHS Skateboarding Series, a competitive league for middle and high school kids.
“The feedback we got from students was so overwhelmingly positive, it was clear we needed to find a way to get this sport into other schools,” says Hufnagel.
The goal is to build an interscholastic athletic community that allows kids to represent their schools in competition and connect with other young skaters statewide.
“These kids are passionate athletes,” Hufnagel says. “We think they deserve to have the same opportunities as kids that participate in traditional sports like football or basketball.”
Hufnagel is operating in familiar territory. In 2011, he developed the Miller School program that launched both the state’s first high school-affiliated mountain biking team as well as the first nationally sanctioned competitive interscholastic cycling league on the East Coast. Miller School’s cycling and mountain biking program has grown to about 50 riders, including Katie Clouse, winner of 21 national junior titles and the youngest member ever to make a U23 (under 23) world championship team. Virginia now has 35 interscholastic mountain biking teams and more than 500 student riders.
“Our plan is to replicate the success we’ve had with mountain biking for skateboarding,” says Hufnagel. “We’re going to follow the same template.”
The VAHS Skateboarding Series will likely launch at the Charlottesville Skate Park, with an additional two or three competitions held at other venues in Virginia. The events will be open to middle and high school teams and individual skateboarders alike.
“Getting these teams into schools is going to require building a certain critical mass,” says Hufnagel, who describes the events as rallying points for skaters. “To do that, we’re going to have over-the-top, professional-quality [events] production value. We want these kids to feel really special and walk away inspired.”
Hufnagel and Vlk are developing materials to help launch and sustain programs. “Right now, we’re putting together a packet that will include practice templates, rule books, risk-management protocols, liability insurance, and the like,” says Hufnagel.
He says he has been in discussions with brands including Red Bull and Nike to fund skaters’ insurance and train coaches. “We need to have the things in place that make it easy for an athletic director at a public school to say ‘yes’ when kids ask about starting a team.”
Though the league is inchoate (a website is still in production), word is getting out. Skaters at Staunton High School have petitioned their school administrators about forming a club team and joining the VAHS. Brian Culpepper, a SHS junior, was one of four schoolmates who took part in the ledge-jumping exercise at Charlottesville Skate Park in the fall. They see the VAHS as an opportunity for validation and a way to gain resources for their sport.
He and his friends skate nearly every day, working hard to improve. But because the school doesn’t have a team, “people don’t take us seriously,” he says. “That perception is what we want to change.”
Caption page 1: Waynesboro’s Autumn Olive Farms crossed two heritage breeds—Patterson Registered Berkshires and Ossabaw Island hogs—to create the signature AOF Berkabaw, a six-year project that the owners call “the perfect pig.” Photo: Zack Wajsgras
The rain lets up all at once and the sun burns through the clouds, turning the dreary October day startlingly warm and pleasant. Clay Trainum, 58, walks swiftly along a dirt farm road behind his Waynesboro home, cutting across a 14-acre field toward a row of about 10 wooden lean-tos. The triangular structures stand at the edge of a forest and are overhung by tree limbs—nut-bearing walnuts, oaks, and hickories, Trainum is quick to point out. Spaced at comfortable intervals and surrounded by scattered piles of hay, the huts give the impression of a small village.
“Pig houses,” says Trainum. He owns this, Autumn Olive Farms, with his wife, Linda. “You ready for a show?”
As if called, the pigs appear: About 10 big sows waddle into the light. They have bristly black hair, long white snouts, sagging teats and strong, squatty legs. A cross between heritage breed Berkshire and Ossabaw Island hogs, the 300- to 500-pound moms look more like wild boars than livestock. The safari-esque impression, however, is curtailed by chubby-cheeked mouths that seem to smile and dozens of curly-tailed piglets that scamper about their mamas’ hooves, playful as puppies.
Clay Trainum started his sustainable pig farm with his wife, Linda, in 2005. Their raise their animals well, with sheltering tents and plenty of good stuff to eat. Photo: Zack Wajsgras
The early autumn has been hectic at Autumn Olive Farm, but in a good way. Trainum and his wife manage about 500 acres and more than 1,500 swine with the help of their two adult sons. When the full heat of summer relents, birthing season begins, and the sows have delivered about 200 piglets in the past five weeks. Ranging freely through parcels like this one, they nest where they please. Most choose lean-to villages or piles of hay tucked under nearby trees and brush. Some opt for wilder spots in the woods—a burrow under a fallen tree, or a leaf-filled nook beneath a rocky outcropping. The Trainums monitor them closely to avoid losing animals to delivery complications.
On top of butchering about 30 pigs a week and delivering meat to Michelin-starred chefs in a territory that includes Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Washington, D.C., and southern Maryland, the job is grueling.
“It’s a tremendous amount of work to raise pigs this way,” says Trainum. “And to me, this isn’t just the right way, it’s the only way.”
By contrast, he describes the cramped, concrete-floored, indoor confinement pins found at factory farms—a “perverse nightmare,” he says, where animals may never see the light of day, much less forage for nuts and berries. “Creating a superior product, being environmentally sustainable, treating animals humanely? If it isn’t required by regulation, if it doesn’t maximize profits, it doesn’t matter.”
Presently, the Berkabaw sows are marching toward a patch of sunlight in a staggered single-file line, trailed by a goofy procession of piglets. Crossing the threshold, the big pigs plop down and commence rolling on their sides like sunning dogs. Some of the piglets take the opportunity to nurse. Others mimic their moms. Most bustle about and play.
“Would you look at that?” says Trainum, like a besotted grandparent. He explains how the pigs prefer to take shelter from the rain and gloom, then “throw a party when the sun comes back out.”
“It always lifts my spirits to see it,” he says. “It’s one of the joys of being a farmer, getting to know these animals and their habits so intimately.”
For Charlottesville-area diners, that intimacy—and the husbandry practices it informs—has led to the creation of what chefs say is a world-class terroir pork product.
“I serve pork from Autumn Olive Farms exclusively,” says Matthew Bousquet, executive chef of 1799 at The Clifton and previous owner and chef of northern California’s Mirepoix, where he won a Michelin star. In terms of flavor and uniqueness, “I’d put this meat up against anything in the world. It’s that good.”
High on the hog
The success of heritage-breed operations in Virginia like Trainum’s and the now-famousPolyface Farm, in Swoope, has inspired other farmers to follow suit. In turn, increasing awareness and demand among customers has fueled the rise of artisanal abattoirs and butcher shops.
“What we’re seeing is essentially a niche [culinary] renaissance centered around heritage-breed pork products,” says Mark Estienne, a Virginia Tech professor who oversees swine-related research at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
A butcher at J.M. Stock breaks down an AOF pig. “If someone takes home a Berkshire tenderloin from Autumn Olive, they’re gonna come back for more,” says Stock manager Alex Import. Photo: John Robinson
Though there are no official statistics (the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services neither keeps track of breeds nor categorizes swine farms by size), Estienne says that, of the state’s give-or-take 1,000 hog farms, the vast majority are small-scale producers raising heritage breeds. Most sell their products at local farmer’s markets or by contract with regional restaurants and shops.
But before the current boom there was a bust. By the close of the 1980s, the shift toward “vertically integrated” farming models had reduced the number of Virginia swine farms from about 4,000 to well below 500. In short, says Estienne, one or two corporate farms “bought out the competition, contracted with most of the remaining farmers and dominated the market.”
Though once the norm, the number of heritage animals in Virginia had been in sharp decline since at least the early 1960s.
The animals are finicky, need plenty of space, and perform poorly in intensive farming models, says Estienne. Through time, heritage breeds were replaced by hybrids bred for placidity, and speedy maturation for increased yields. As a result, traditional favorites like Ossabaw Island Hog, Mulefoot, Large Black, Guinea Hog, Choctaw, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and Red Wattle nearly vanished.
But that started changing in the mid 2000s, says Estienne. The heritage breed renaissance began at farmer’s markets feeding the locavore and farm-to-table revolutions. Discerning customers looked for environmentally sustainable, humanely raised meats, spurring the demand for free-range pork.
“Ten, 15 years ago, everybody was rediscovering heirloom tomatoes,” says Alex Import, who manages JM Stock Provisions. “Now, the same holds true for heritage-breed meats.”
First and foremost is the taste.
“Farmers like Clay Trainum go insanely over the top to produce meat that tastes fabulous,” says Bousquet. Of course, there’s the freshness factor: Meat from an Autumn Olive Farms hog slaughtered on Monday arrives at 1799 within 48 hours. But that’s just the beginning.
The pigs are left to forage, feasting on nuts that have fallen from the reforested hickory, oak, and chestnut trees. Farmers supplement their diets with organic grain. Photo: Zack Wajsgras
Roaming hills and hollows for forage builds healthy muscles. Forests and grounds are curated to maximize edibles like wild roots and tubers, nuts, berries, and fruits. Fields are planted with a mix of rotating seasonal crops like pearl millet, winter barley, sunflowers, buckwheat, cowpeas, beans, sun hemp, squash, pumpkins, peanuts, and more. Supplemental feed is made from organic, sustainably-raised local ingredients. Hormones and antibiotics are anathema.
Combined with a climate Estienne says is ideal for raising pigs, the practices minimize stress, which produces better meat, according to studies by food scientists and agronomists, including Estienne.
“On one hand, you have a natural dietary diversity that’s unparalleled throughout the world,” says Import, who has traveled to porcine hot spots in Europe to study under artisan butchers and charcuterie makers. “On the other [hand], you have farmers that truly care about, and are hyperattentive to, their animals’ well being. And I’ve yet to have a customer that doesn’t taste the difference. If somebody takes home a Berkshire tenderloin from Autumn Olive, they’re gonna come back for more.” Though Import declines to provide specific numbers, he says JM Stock sells out of pork products made with Autumn Olive meat each week, and the shop’s clientele is steadily growing.
Fat is flavor
Added value for heritage breeds comes from the fact that, like heirloom tomatoes, different types bring different culinary qualities. Whether evolved or developed through centuries of selective breeding, musculature and fat-storing characteristics can vary drastically from breed to breed, says Estienne. From a culinary perspective, the result is a wide range of flavors, textures, and taste sensations.
Ossabaw Island hogs, for instance, are descended from Iberian swine released by Spanish explorers on an isolated island on the Georgia coast in the 1600s. The animals subsequently developed exquisite foraging instincts and a feast-or-famine gene that supercharged their capacity to store fat. In an ecosystem like the one at Autumn Olive Farms, Ossabaws produce what Import describes as a “crazy, funky, ultra-woodsy, deliciously nutty, hard fat.” Its unique texture and low melting point combine to create a sumptuous and velvety mouthfeel, making the fat ideal for charcuterie blends.
Berkshires, meanwhile, hail from England—the shire of Berks—and are believed to have entered the historical record sometime in the mid-17th century. Their popularity led to the founding of the American Berkshire Association in 1875, the world’s first breeders’ group and swine registry.
“From a butcher’s standpoint, Berkshires produce an ideal carcass,” says Import. “The meat-to-fat ratio is essentially perfect. You get these amazing dark red cuts with hard, white fat and exquisite marbling.”
Bousquet serves dishes incorporating both breeds at 1799. He uses lard from Ossabaws to make breads, as well as for frying and seasoning. A favorite fall dish pairs Berkshire pork belly with foraged chokeberries, pureed butternut squash, kale, and slivers of caramelized heirloom apples.
“I’ve worked with a lot of pork in my career and this is the best I’ve ever eaten,” says Bousquet. (Other chefs with Michelin stars who serve Autumn Olive Farms pork include Patrick O’Connell from The Inn at Little Washington and John Sybert from Tail Up Goat, in Washington, D.C.) Bousquet adds that heritage breed producers in Virginia’s mountain region (and greater Appalachia) have the potential to become for the U.S. what Black Iberian farmers are for Spain. “This meat is a true and authentic expression of the terroir. It’s as close as anything I’ve ever seen, anywhere, that absolutely goes with the region.”
The good earth
Trainum says he’s thrilled eaters have rediscovered heritage pork—and are thereby helping rescue rare breeds and related flavors from the brink of extinction. But he’s equally happy the sustainability practices he uses at Autumn Olive Farms are being adapted elsewhere.
At 1799 at The Clifton, chef Matthew Bousquet serves Autumn Olive Farms pork shoulder with escargot, garlic butter, pinot noir sauce, fried parsley, and a sunny-side-up egg. Photo: Tom McGovern
“In my experience, folks that raise heritage breed pigs strive to be good land stewards,” says Estienne. “They believe in going the extra mile to minimize negative environmental impacts.”
Trainum takes the ethos a step further. “Our goal is to have a net-positive effect,” he says. “And everything we do keeps that goal in mind.”
Fodder crops like legumes work double duty, feeding pigs and adding nitrogen to soils depleted by decades of monocultural farming techniques. Allowing crops to decompose naturally builds topsoil and increases water retention. Rotational grazing techniques distribute manure evenly and obviate the need for artificial fertilizer. Forested stream buffers are a minimum of 100 feet wide (about three times the recommended distance, according to Trainum). Pigs cool off in sequestered man-made lagoons and drink from watering tanks. Estienne says such measures help control runoff and keep pollutants out of waterways.
Meanwhile, acres of fallow corn fields have been reforested with hardwood trees; over 1,000 have been planted on the farm to date, and more are added each year. Trainum envisions a future where farm and delivery trucks run on electricity or biodiesel produced onsite.
“To me, this is a win-win-win-win situation,” says Import. He works with a topshelf product and serves as a go-between for customers and farmers that, together, want to improve the way the world eats. “I think of it like, we’re all holding hands, dancing together toward a future where this is the model.”
In about 10 years,Virginia Chestnurs 1,000 trees will be fully mature, and should each produce 50 to 100 pounds of nuts a year. Photo by Stephen Barling
Nestled in Nelson County’s Lovingston hill country lie the orchards of one of the East Coast’s newest nut-growing operations, Virginia Chestnuts. Spanning 45 acres, the farmstead rests at the end of an isolated stretch of unpaved backroads that culminate in a steeply winding mile-long gravel driveway. Overlooking a series of knolls carved into the mountainside stands David and Kim Bryant’s Dutch Colonial-style farmhouse. Gazing out from its wraparound porch, the wind-blustered tops of more than 1,500 adolescent chestnut trees give way to a hollow brimming with oaks, walnuts, sycamores, maples and poplars. Like a foreshortened highway, the canopy corridors westward toward a horizon of Blue Ridge Mountains.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” says Kim, a 54-year-old New Jersey native, almost shouting as I follow her down the driveway into the upper orchard. “We visited this property a little over 15 years ago and fell head over heels in love. We knew right away this was where we were going spend our retirement.”
It’s mid-October, and the chestnut harvest is in full swing—hence the noise. Patiently steering his John Deere tractor through row after row of trees, David, also 54, tows a harvester under the limbs and surrounding grass, gathering bushels of nuts. About as wide as the tractor and low to the ground, the implement looks like something you’d spot scooping up golf balls at a driving range, and operates basically the same way.
“The thing about chestnuts is, they aren’t ripe until they’ve fallen from the tree,” says Kim. “And once they’re on the ground, to ensure maximum freshness, you want to get them up immediately.” Harvest season runs from late September through October.
Wielding a red five-gallon bucket and a handheld picker reminiscent of a rolling cylindrical cooking wisp affixed to a broom handle, Kim joins her 12-year-old son, Houston. Shuffling along behind the tractor, they gather the hard-to-reach nuts manually. “The harvester grabs most of them, but some get kind of buried, and you have to dig those out by hand,” says Houston. “When it’s quiet, it can drive you a little crazy, ’cause you’ll be walking along and hear more of them falling right behind you. You just have to be patient and keep going.”
David (above) and Kim Bryant bought their 45-acre Nelson County farmstead in 2002, with the hopes of nurturing a viable chestnut-growing operation. Photo by Stephen Barling
From the orchard, the nuts are brought into a large packing and processing shed and run through the peeler, an automated, industrial-sized device that removes their leathery dark-brown shells. “After that, we package them in little burlap bags and store them in special humidity-controlled refrigeration units to ensure freshness,” says David. From there, orders are taken online, and the nuts are shipped to restaurants, individuals and retailers ranging from down the street to Maine and the coasts of Florida.
After the harvest, around the first of November, the Bryants had gathered more than 4,000 pounds of chestnuts. By December 17, aside from a small cache saved for personal consumption and developing value-added products like flour and chestnut butter, the nuts had all been sold.
“It’s a pretty grueling couple of months,” David admits. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Wipeout
What makes the success of the Bryants and other orchardists so remarkable is the fact that, prior to 1984, the trees they’re growing didn’t exist—at least not properly. In fact, just under 70 years ago, the American chestnut tree had very nearly been wiped from the face of the Earth.
“What happened was, American orchard growers started importing Chinese chestnut trees around the turn of the 20th century and, in doing so, accidentally introduced a virulent pathogenic fungus to the native population,” says Tom Saielli, science coordinator for the American Chestnut Foundation’s Mid-Atlantic region. Headquartered in Charlottesville, Saielli is responsible for overseeing ACF research orchards and planting teams in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky.
While the Asiatic varieties had developed a natural resistance to the fungus, American trees were highly susceptible. Known as the chestnut blight, it enters a tree through a wound in the bark. Killing vascular tissues, the blight chokes off nutrient supplies above the point of infection, causing rot and ultimately toppling the tree. First detected in the Bronx Zoo in 1904, by 1950 the fungus had decimated the U.S. population.
“We went from having, like, 4 billion mature chestnut trees to zero in less than half a century,” says Saielli, his voice thick with grief. What he means by mature is, while the vast majority of American chestnuts were killed outright, an estimated 400,000 survived.
“That number surprises people,” he says. “They’ll say, ‘Hey, that means the trees didn’t die out after all.’ And that’s true. But those trees are really just shoots growing from the stumps of living root systems, which will never mature, because they’re still susceptible to the blight. There are no sexually mature pure American chestnut trees in the wild.”
And thus, no chestnuts.
Food chain
Spanning north to south from Maine to lower Mississippi, and east to west from the Atlantic coastline to the Appalachian Mountains and Ohio Valley, the American chestnut tree was once the keystone species of East Coast forests. Reaching nearly 10 feet in diameter and standing upward of 100 feet tall with canopies equally as wide, the trees were impressive and more abundant than oaks.
“In some areas, the American chestnut comprised as much as 30 percent of the forest,” says Saielli. “In terms of historical importance, the trees were the quintessential American species. They held an unparalleled position in our culture.”
In wild forests, American chestnuts were the single most important source of food for wildlife along the East Coast. Meanwhile, the trees were lauded by gastronomists and restaurateurs as producers of the finest chestnuts in the world, celebrated by farmers for their capacity to nourish livestock (both as raw nuts and as milled feeds) and cherished by lumberjacks, carpenters and furniture-makers for their strong, straight-grained wood.
“On one hand, it was a particularly valuable tree commercially, because it grew faster than oak,” says Troy Coppage, president of 187-year-old Madison-based furniture company, E.A. Clore Sons, Inc. Specializing in fine handmade furniture, Coppage says his forebearers worked with the wood often. “It was rich in tannins, which made it extremely resistant to decay. It didn’t have the radial grain pattern of other hardwoods. And it was abundant.” All of which made the American chestnut incredibly popular.
“At this point, the only way you’ll get the wood is by salvaging it from old homes or buildings,” says Coppage.
And by about the time Nat King Cole turned 30, roasting American chestnuts on an open fire was an impossibility.
Then something miraculous happened. In 1983, inspired by the discoveries of various horticultural geneticists, the American Chestnut Foundation formed with the intention of restoring the iconic tree to the forest.
Photo by Stephen Barling
One such figure was Florida-based botanist Robert T. Dunstan. Fueled by his success using backcross breeding to save French grapevines from a bacterial pathogen known as Pierce’s Disease in the 1930s, by the early 1960s, Dunstan had developed a similar program for chestnuts. The discovery came about after a friend sent him clippings from one of the last standing American chestnut trees, which he then grafted to root-stock and crossed with Chinese trees hoping the latter would pass on their genes for blight resistance, and thereby create a blight-resistant hybrid with American characteristics.
Five years later, when the hybrids reached sexual maturity, Dunstan backcrossed his best specimens with their American parents. Inoculating the resultant saplings with blight, he culled the group, selecting only those with the highest blight-resistant characteristics for additional backcross breeding.
By the early ’80s, Dunstan had achieved his goal: His Florida orchard was chock-full of nut-bearing, blight-resistant chestnut trees exhibiting mostly American traits. And it is this tree—known as the Dunstan chestnut—that is now being grown by most commercial chestnut orchardists in America, including the Bryants.
“They have the sweet, hardy flavor of an American nut but aren’t as big as the Chinese varieties,” says David Bryant. “And they don’t yield as much as the Chinese trees either. But it’s that true American taste we’re after. That’s what’s important.”
Culinary reintroductions aside, with its focus on restoring true American chestnut trees to the wild, the ACF took the backcross breeding methods even further. “In our orchards, we continued the backcrossing process for another seven generations, until we got a tree retaining no Chinese characteristics whatsoever beyond blight resistance,” says Saielli. Aside from the resistance, the genes of these trees are in every way identical to what you’d find in a sample gleaned from the 1700s. This, Saielli says, “should enable the trees to compete and re-establish themselves in their natural setting.” (Whereas the Dunstan chestnut, which still exhibits some Chinese characteristics, would inevitably be outcompeted in the wild.)
While the first such location was established in Meadowview, Virginia, southwest of Roanoke, there are now three backcross orchards within a half-hour drive of Charlottesville, and another half-dozen within an hour. The orchards are located on private property and, due to the associated costs of maintenance, typically that of an estate.
With each generation of trees taking between five to 10 years to reach sexual maturity, the backcrossing process has been painstakingly slow. Now, 30 years later, the first blight-resistant pure American chestnut trees are finally being reintroduced to the forest. To date, the ACF has established more than 680 planting locations on a total of 1,883 acres of public and private land. And according to Saielli, that’s just the beginning.
“Our oldest orchards are now producing trees that are ready for the wild and, as the newer ones catch up, we’ll be scaling up planting operations accordingly,” he says. “Ten years from now, that will be our primary focus. In 30 years, we’ll have planted tens of thousands of acres.”
Growing up
“We bought this land in 2002 knowing we wanted to use it for agricultural production, but had no set specific idea about what that would entail,” says David Bryant, a former software entrepreneur. “Then I stumbled upon an article about growing chestnut trees. When I showed it to Kim, she got really excited. We did some additional research and realized this was it. We were going to grow chestnuts.”
After two years of prepping and planning, the couple planted a five-acre experimental crop of 100 chestnut trees in spring 2004. At first, the endeavor was pretty rocky—within a couple of seasons, the deer had basically killed off the plantings.
“It was a blow, but we decided to stay the course,” says Kim. “We did some more research and followed up by planting another thousand trees in 2007.”
Aided by protective sheathing and other improvements, the Bryants’ saplings survived. A year later, inspired by their success, another 400 plantings were added, increasing the orchard to 23 acres. Looking ahead, the couple invested in $25,000 worth of harvesting and storage equipment. By 2013, the trees were set to produce their first sellable nuts.
However, Mother Nature intervened again when cicadas ravaged everything. “The damage was extensive and led to the loss of both 2013’s and 2014’s crop,” says David. “For a while, we were holding our breath. We didn’t know if the trees were going to pull through. But in 2015, they bounced back, which was a tremendous relief.”
That year, the Bryants harvested 8,000 pounds of chestnuts. In 2016, despite heavy May rains that left many of their blossoms unpollinated, the trees performed similarly. This year, a late frost that damaged early spring blossoms, combined with a summer drought, more than halved production.
“The weather can be a finicky ally,” shrugs Kim. “But at this point, the trees are well-established and will start regularizing and producing more as they mature and grow tougher.”
The Bryants’ farm. Photo by Stephen Barling
In about 10 years, the Bryants’ trees will be fully mature. In addition to being hardier and less susceptible to weather and pests, they each should produce 50 to 100 pounds of nuts a year. By then, the orchard will have been thinned to around 1,000 trees. Low-balling the estimate, that’s 50,000 pounds of chestnuts a year. Considering the nuts sell for a retail price of $8 per pound, the economics are attractive, to say the least.
“Those numbers certainly have us excited,” says Laura Brown, director of the Local Food Hub, which serves as Virginia Chestnut’s exclusive Charlottesville distributor. Primarily selling to chefs and retail markets, this year, LFH has filled orders for Red Pump Kitchen, Threepenny Café, The Clifton Inn, Cavalier Produce, Feast!, Timbercreek Market and restaurants in Richmond and the Washington, D.C., area.
“As people continue to realize these nuts are making a return, demand stands to rise, which will in turn fuel more production,” says Brown. That means more farmers and, yes, more chestnut trees.
Taste makers
In the kitchen of Charlottesville’s Timbercreek Market, chef Tucker Yoder is busy preparing a sorghum and chestnut panna cotta with puffed sorghum, roasted pumpkin seeds and candied squash. The dessert is sweet and savory, with a hardiness that brings to mind firelit winter celebrations in an Old World lodge.
“Cooking with local farm-raised ingredients is always special, but this is particularly true for chestnuts,” says Yoder, adding that it’s not often you get the chance to cook with something that, at the time of your birth, was believed to be essentially lost. Ten or 15 years ago, the nuts would likely have been purchased from orchards in California. Before that, from distributors importing from French orchards specializing in growing Asian varieties. “Buying chestnuts locally is great, because you know the product will be incredibly fresh and the flavor is considerably better than any frozen or jarred product.”
The chestnut panna cotta at Timbercreek Market. Cramer Photo
Describing the chestnut’s flavor profile as “creamy, mildly nutty and slightly earthy,” Yoder says the nuts pair well with squab, pork, duck, chicken, cream and pretty much any type of squash.
Meanwhile, just outside of town, at North Garden’s Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, executive chef Ian Rynecki is also cooking with nuts sourced from Virginia Chestnuts. “For entrées, I like to pair them with either fresh pasta or earthy mushrooms, and typically serve them roasted, pureed and folded into additional components,” he says. One example is the hen-of-the-wood agnolotti with roasted chestnut cream, Anjou pear and Parmesan cheese dish that currently graces his menu. “But they also blend fantastically into crèmes or pureed for dessert dishes, as French pastry chefs love to do,” he says.
Rynecki recently moved to Charlottesville from New York City, where you can still buy roasted chestnuts from street vendors. “It’s such an amazing thing to be able to do,” he says. “You’d think the chestnuts would be really nutty, but they’re actually a little on the sweet side. If roasted correctly, they have these amazing earthy notes, reminiscent of a sweet potato. It’s a really special flavor. You taste them and realize these nuts were beloved for a reason.”
The Bryants saw that reverence first-hand this year when they roasted chestnuts at Dickie Brothers Orchard. Most guests were testing chestnuts for the first time.
“People told us the stories their grandparents told them about eating chestnuts,” Kim Bryant says, “which kind of naturally led to us all talking about Christmas and traditions in general.”
Specifically, how they can change, fade, get lost, be rediscovered and made anew.
This story was changed at 9:55am January 12 to reflect the differences in the Dunstan chestnut and American chestnut.
Third grade teacher Kimberly Schwartz leads students in a Spanish lesson as part of Cale Elementary’s dual immersion program. Photo: Eze Amos
Five years ago, Cale Elementary School principal Lisa Jones instituted a Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools program for her incoming class of kindergarteners and rising first- and second-graders. For three years, offerings featured typical FLES programming—that is, 120 minutes a week of instruction in Spanish. However, as Jones saw it, that wasn’t enough.
“By the time they reach fifth grade, on average, children who’ve participated in a FLES program will have a good working proficiency of the second language,” she says. “And we were proud that our students had gained access to that resource. But research shows, it’s immersion that produces true fluency.”
Thus, two years ago, with the backing of the Albemarle County School Board, Jones introduced a voluntary Two-Way Immersion Dual Language program. Families of children in grades K through three were given the option of having their children
be involved. Meanwhile, participating students spent half the day studying in Spanish, the other half in English. “The dual language program uses two languages for literacy and content instruction,” explains Jones. “It provides the same academic content and addresses the same standards as other educational curriculum, only, instruction is in the partner language 50 percent of the time.” In other words, for half the day, students spend their classroom hours reading, writing, learning and conversing in Spanish.
While students can opt out of the program, the idea is for them to stick with it through at least fifth grade, and preferably beyond. “This approach produces students that are fluent in two languages,” says Jones. “When they graduate from fifth grade and enter middle school, they’ll be equipped with a skill-set—they will be able to read, write, listen and speak in two languages.”
Approaching its third year, Cale’s dual immersion program is growing. Expanded to include fourth- and fifth-graders, enrollment has increased to 60 students. In third to fourth grade, four classrooms are devoted to the program, while in fourth to fifth grade, there are two. Each classroom features two teachers—one managing Spanish instruction, the other English. Of the participating students, about half speak Spanish as their native language. According to Jones, everyone benefits. “Research shows that, for non-native English speakers, partial instruction in the native language helps them learn the new one faster and more efficiently,” she says. “Meanwhile, for English-speaking students, learning the second language early on increases their ability to master it.” Furthermore, having access to peers who are native speakers of the desired second language means students can practice their skills beyond the classroom.
Citing bilingualism as the global norm, and monolingualism as the new illiteracy for the 21st century, Jones says Cale’s program falls on the right side of progress. “On the one hand, research shows studying a second language aids children’s cognitive development,” she says. “On the other, if students can speak fluent Spanish and English, they can communicate with around 80 percent of the world’s population, or 5.7 billion people. In both cases, we believe that’s a win.”
Budding trend
Immersive, two-way dual language education in the U.S. was developed nearly 40 years ago. Since then, its popularity has grown immensely. During the first two decades of implementation, the number of programs remained relatively low—in the mid-’80s, just 30 were known to be in existence. However, in the last 15 years, that number has risen dramatically. In a recent study conducted by the Center for Applied Linguistics, 315 programs were documented, most of them Spanish/English programs in public elementary schools. EW
As winter sets in caves offer surprisingly balmy family adventures. With temperatures hovering around 53 degrees, a subterranean visit provides hours of active outdoor fun sans the cold. From paved walking tours to rigorous guided explorations through wild caverns, the following resources will help you take advantage of the region’s many spelunking opportunities.
Luray Caverns (Luray)
Discovered in 1878, Luray has the largest series of caverns on the East Coast and is the granddaddy of American grottos. Featuring massive cave formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, mudflows, flowstone and mirrored pools, a 1.5-mile hike through the caves offers eye candy galore. Don’t miss the Great Stalactite Organ—a lithophone that taps stalactites of various sizes to produce tones similar to those of xylophones, tuning forks and bells. Adults $27, children $14. luraycaverns.com
Outdoor Adventure Experiences (Dayton)
In addition to rafting, fishing, hiking, canoeing and climbing, OAE offers guided tours of various wild caves throughout the Shenandoah Valley. Options vary in intensity and tend to include some degree of crawling, squeezing through narrow passages, rappelling and climbing into and/or out of pits. Tours are scheduled both day and night, with the most intense experiences featuring wading or even swimming through underground streams and lakes. Adventures are open to everyone over 4 feet tall. Starts at $160 for groups of two to four. outdooradventureexperiences.com
Skyline Caverns (Front Royal)
Opened to the public in 1939, Skyline Caverns is one of the only caves in the world where you can view anthodites. Made of calcite, the rare clusters of perfect, six-sided crystals blossom like sea urchins from the cave’s ceiling. Tours are offered daily, and feature about 1.8 miles of subterranean walking. Adults $22, children $11. skylinecaverns.com
Lost World Caverns (Lewisburg, West Virginia)
Offering both standard walking tours and wild caving experiences, LWC is great for families with wide age gaps. The walking tour is just more than a half-mile long, with the highlight being the 30-ton Snowy Chandelier, one of the nation’s largest compound stalactites. Meanwhile, wild tours take four to five hours to complete, feature a picnic lunch and carry visitors through more than a mile of fantastic chambers and passageways. Gear is provided and participants should be prepared to get muddy. Walking tours are $6 for kids under 6 years old, $12 for anyone over 13. Wild excursions run $79 a person. lostworldcaverns.com
Perched high in the surrounding mountains of Crozet is the stunning and solitudinous modern home of Rod and Maggie Walker. Located in Albemarle County and overlooking the Sugar Hollow Reservoir, the 1,500-acre property is accessed by way of a lengthy country road that, after winding through forested hills and over single-lane bridges, arrives at the estate’s 2.1-mile driveway.
Climbing more than 1,000 feet—and delivering a Blue Ridge Parkway-worthy vista of the valley below—the drive opens onto a broad meadow bowled in on three sides by the high forested slopes of mountains, including the Shenandoah National Park. Nestled atop a knoll just below the peak of Middle Mountain, like some old-world estate handed down from generations immemorial, the Walker House appears to have been birthed by the landscape itself.
The Walkers’ great room—encompassing the kitchen, dining and living spaces—is unified by the use of wood, from the ceiling’s white pine rafters to the hickory floors. “We sometimes refer to the house as Seven Timbers, for the seven different types of wood we used,” says homeowner Rod Walker. Photo: Peter LaBau
According to Peter LaBau, the Charlottesville-based architect who brought the design to its completion, the effect is both desired and intentional. “Rod and Maggie wanted the home to give visitors the sense it had been there forever,” he says. “There are no other visible structures around and, as it’s such an overwhelmingly beautiful natural landscape, we wanted to be sure the home fit naturally.”
Toward achieving that result, the Walkers and LaBau chose to implement a design incorporating as many materials harvested from the site as possible. Inspired by early 20th century society estates that once speckled the hillsides of what is now the SNP, as well as the architecture of the countryside of France and Normandy, the Walkers opted for a stone and stucco exterior surrounded by terraces and crowned by an array of steeply peaked roofs with slate-style shingles.
Photo: Peter LaBau
“Originally, we were going to bring in the stone from elsewhere,” says LaBau. “However, we realized there was all this amazing Catoctin formation green bluestone available right here, and we decided that would provide the natural look we were looking for.”
Gathering the stone from the site, a team of expert masons worked to shape and affix it to a shell of Insulating Concrete Form block, making the home’s walls 18 inches wide. While the Walkers loved the structural integrity, they were concerned the thickness might lend the house a fortress-like feeling, so they avoided tucking the home into the hillside. “We wanted it closer to the edge of the downhill slope, that way we could be out there with all the wildlife,” says Rod. “It was important for us to feel like we’re right here in the middle of everything that’s going on.”
Photo: Peter LaBau
In other words, the couple wanted the home to have the feel of a mountain sanctuary, a quiet outpost lying at the heart of the ever-changing mountain seasons, from which they could observe the shifts and movements of their wild neighbors—the trees, birds, deer, turkeys, bears and so on.
Because there are such beautiful views, unlike a traditional French country-style home—which would feature fewer and smaller windows with thick muntins—the house’s numerous windows are large and unembellished. Focusing on the trim and surrounding features, LaBau compares each opening to the frame of a magnificent painting: No matter where you are in the house, the view is always prominent and presented in an interesting way. Two of his favorite examples are the great room’s French doors, which open onto a large terrace, and the master bedroom’s south-facing projecting bay.
Photo: Peter LaBau
In addition to the stone, timber for rafters, hardwood floors, cabinets, trim, archways and wainscoting was harvested on-site as well. Similarly, procuring the wood was a bit of a process. Working with LaBau to determine applications and quantities, Rod would have his farm manager sustainably harvest a given variety of trees from unseen nooks throughout the vast, wooded property. Meanwhile, a sawmill was set up near the building site, with some completed pieces being sent elsewhere for kiln drying.
Outside, locust was used for window and door surrounds, and the front door itself is made from repurposed chestnut beams that had been stored for nearly a century in an old barn on the property. On the large screened-in porch, there are locust supports and an extravagant, timber-framed mortise and tenon rafter system. In the great room, there are hickory floors and white-pine rafters (which were hung green and allowed to settle). A wide walnut arch inspired by a chapel on the coast of Maine spans the study, complementing a plank ceiling and wainscoting of the same persuasion. Rod’s office—which opens upward to a second-story library and a pyramid-shaped tower with a wood-planked walnut ceiling—features sycamore cabinets trimmed in dark walnut. A third-story attic observatory is surrounded by windows on all sides and its walls are trimmed in sassafras and cedar paneling.
“In honor of all this, we sometimes refer to the house as Seven Timbers, for the seven different types of wood we used,” explains Rod, who adds that sourcing materials from the property is a huge point of pride and a conversation starter as well.
In the study, a wide walnut arch inspired by a chapel on the coast of Maine complements a plank ceiling and wainscoting. Photo: Peter LaBau
Another point of pride was the local artisans LaBau employed to help make the Walkers’ house a reality. There was Nelson County builder Matt Robb, of Robb Construction; Madison-based third-generation mason, Jeff Cianciotti; Waynesboro blacksmith Dale Morse, who designed custom iron railings for the terraces, hinges and hardware for doors, a hammered iron handrail for the stairwell leading to the second-story, and more. Three innovative woodworkers and cabinet-makers—including Chris Kerr and the late Tom Pastore, both from Madison, as well as Shawn Burkholder, who is from Stuarts Draft—whose cabinet and casement work is featured throughout the home. Lastly, timber-framers George Allman and Pablo Gonzalez, of Gordonsville-based Timbersmiths, Inc.
“You really have to give credit to the Walkers for their willingness to use so many talented local craftsmen to ensure this project got done just right,” says LaBau. “There was a real air of collaboration and creativity, and, because of that, the results are something that is astoundingly unique.”
Beyond daily living, the Walkers enjoy sharing their give-or-take 4,000-square-foot home with family and guests. With three grown children and a big extended family, the Walkers say they love to entertain and get everyone together in their home all at once. “While there are just two guest rooms, there are lots of additional sleeping options found throughout the home,” says LaBau, referencing the use of pull-out sofas and a variety of sleeping nooks.
According to the Walkers, it was always important for them to be able to share this space —not to mention the grounds and its spectacular views—with those they love, and to establish traditions they hope will last for generations to come.
Three Notch’d’s new home at IX features 23-foot ceilings, an open kitchen, long bench-style seating and plenty of wood accents. “The idea was to create a sense of openness and community,” says president and founder Scott Roth. Photo: Stephen Barling
In August of 2016, Three Notch’d Brewing Company turned three years old. At the time, it had already established three taprooms, including its original 10,000-barrel brewing facility on Grady Avenue, plus locations in Richmond and Harrisonburg. It was around then that Three Notch’d announced plans to build a fourth restaurant and brew pub at the IX Art Park in downtown Charlottesville.
But the owners weren’t seeking to build just another taproom. “We wanted to create a flagship location that would be a tourist destination and serve as an anchor for our brand,” says Three Notch’d president and founder Scott Roth.
Looking to industry titans like Founders and Stone for inspiration, Roth and company sought to do two things: offer high-end food in a cool, German brew pub atmosphere and expand its brewing operations.
Facing a one-year deadline, the team had to quickly find a building that could accommodate both ends. “We were looking for something big enough to house a 30,000-barrel-a-year brewing and bottling operation, that would allow for 18-wheelers to come in and out with minimal disruption, have tremendous aesthetic potential and be centrally located,” says Roth, “which was a lot to ask.”
After considering more than 50 buildings, the company narrowed the list to three before settling on the IX location and beginning a 15,000-square-foot buildout with the help of local architecture firms Design Build Office and Formwork.
The first major hurdle was deciding how to modify the floor to handle the weight of the brewing equipment. “There was a 2-inch concrete slab, and it didn’t take a lot of brain power to realize that wasn’t going to cut it,” says Roth, whose degree happens to be in engineering. “The operative questions were, how much steel do we need and how are we going to get it in there?”
Initially, the company considered cutting out the floor and creating a subterranean facility. However, with daily grain deliveries and product shipments, the design would have required elaborate ramps and elevators. Instead, they chose to add a new building, which was cost effective and carried the benefit of providing additional restaurant space.
“Before, we were going to have a small, 100-foot restaurant with a 50-foot event space, but the addition enabled us to almost double that,” says Roth. “Overall, we wound up with a 17,400-square-foot facility, with 5,000 of that being allotted to restaurant space.”
Following a principle of communality and integration, the design team opted for an open interior featuring a lot of glass and natural light, and sought to affect a seamless transition from inside to out. Positioned around the brewery, the restaurant features a huge glass window through which patrons can see its copper vats, tubes and innerworkings. “More than a sense of transparency, we wanted visitors to feel like they’ve become a part of the operation, like they’re sitting right there, feeling its heartbeat,” says Roth.
With 23-foot ceilings, an open kitchen, 20 raw-pine columns, tons of wood accents, long bench-style seating and huge windows and doors opening onto the IX park, the dining room feels like a modernized take on an old-world beer hall. “We didn’t want to fill it up with booths and four-tops,” says Roth. “The idea was to create a sense of openness and community. We put in the big tables and kept things open to try to minimize isolation. We want people to come in and mingle. We want them to get together and feel like they’re part of a larger group.”
Helping to solidify the communal identity are murals painted by local artist Christy Baker, depicting Revolutionary War hero Jack Jouett’s legendary ride along the moonlit Three Notch’d path to warn then-governor Thomas Jefferson of advancing British cavalry. “Charlottesville is a historical town, and, in our own small way, we want to honor that history while seeking to make our own mark on it,” says Roth. “This is where our brand got started, this is our home.”
Current Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club President Sam Lindblom helped form Monticello High’s mountain biking club when his son started school there two years ago. Today, Western Albemarle, Albemarle and Charlottesville high schools have teams as well. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
As an avid mountain biker, Dave Stackhouse immediately started looking for like-minded riders when he relocated from Maine to Charlottesville in 2007. The search quickly led the 68-year-old veteran mountain biker to what was then a relatively new area organization, the Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club.
“The club had been formed in 2003 out of a growing necessity to create an organization that could integrate and represent the interests of the area’s mountain biking community,” says Stackhouse. “When I joined, it was just sort of getting its sea legs. We had about 40 members, and our activities were pretty limited.”
While the group had worked to construct a few trails at Walnut Creek and Panorama Farms—which is no longer open to mountain bikers—by Stackhouse’s estimation, most weren’t up to snuff. “At that point, we had no real background in trail-building, so those ‘legacy’ trails were installed in a way that we’d now call ‘not up to spec.’”
Furthermore, the efforts had largely been spearheaded by enthusiastic individuals or bike shops, and therefore lacked coherency. What was missing was a comprehensive, long-term vision, and a step-by-step strategy for implementation.
Stackhouse, a lifelong mountain biker who rode with several groups in Maine, landed a seat on the group’s board within a year. In 2010, he became president of the organization.
“I guess I sort of brought an outsider’s perspective to the table, which was probably attractive,” says Stackhouse.
Dave Stackhouse, a lifelong mountain biker, led the Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club to become involved in local trail building and maintenance. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
Upon joining the board, one of Stackhouse’s first moves was to advocate for acquiring chapter status through the International Mountain Biking Organization. Becoming a representative of the IMBA, the unifying body for mountain bikers worldwide, would instantaneously legitimize the organization. Additionally, having formed in 1988, the group would provide CAMBC with a wealth of resources, training and mentorship.
“They’ve been around for a long time and are very active in helping chapters implement sustainability standards for trail-building, as well as coaching them through developing the kind of local partnerships with city, county, public and sometimes private entities, which will allow for land use,” says Stackhouse. “They’re a huge advocate for the sport, and a conduit for putting that knowledge to use.”
After securing chapter status under Stackhouse’s leadership, CAMBC quickly adopted sustainability standards for trail-making. Members underwent training and learned how to create trail systems that would provide users with the most enjoyable ride, while having no adverse effect on the environment. Meanwhile, CAMBC beefed up its outreach. The group started emailing more newsletters, developed social media platforms and began hosting open rides and dinners on a weekly basis for riders of all skill-levels, beginners included.
A main goal was to get more kids riding, and to let families know how easy and fun the sport was. In short, all you need is a bike and a helmet. “A lot of people think that you need really fancy equipment and have to go blazing through the woods at breakneck speed, hitting jumps or something like that, but it really isn’t the case,” says Stackhouse. Mostly, it’s about getting into the woods, getting some exercise and enjoying nature. “If you want to buy a really nice bike and go fast, of course, there’s that option,” he adds. “But you certainly don’t have to. And that’s something we wanted people to know.”
Simultaneously, the organization launched a campaign to reach out to local nonprofits and organizations. Cultivating relationships with UVA, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Fluvanna County and elsewhere became a priority.
“The idea was to educate these organizations and the public at large, letting them know that we existed, were willing to do the legwork to create and maintain networks of sustainable trails and, in turn, how those trails would benefit the community at large,” says Stackhouse.
CAMBC volunteers compiled comparative data, created PowerPoints and verbal presentations, and met with a number of officials, ranging from folks at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and UVA, to various Parks & Recreation representatives and more. After four years of hardcore planning and legwork, their labor paid off. By 2012, CAMBC had procured numerous Memorandums of Understanding—which Stackhouse describes as a kind of legal handshake between organizations—wherein CAMBC was granted permission to modify, create and maintain trails on various properties.
But early in the summer of 2012, the derecho came through and more-or-less demolished the entire area trail system. “There were trees down everywhere, and the work required to get it all up and running again was tremendous,” says Stackhouse. In seeing the forest through the trees, so to speak, he saw the opportunity to create a community partnership with the Rivanna Trails Foundation. The mountain biking organization had amassed a hundreds-strong email list and could easily pull together 50 volunteers for a given day of work, Stackhouse says. So he offered help in fixing area trails and making them sustainable.
After RTF agreed, CAMBC members and associates attacked the project with vigilance. While removing the trees, they fixed trouble spots on the trail. “There were multiple sections that, due to erosion and poor planning, had become dangerous, and were yielding injuries,” says Stackhouse. “As we cleaned up, we rerouted and fixed these. Sometimes, it was a quarter-mile stretch, sometimes 100 yards. It took many, many hours, and a whole lot of patience.”
The end result was two-fold. On the one hand, erosion was put into check, and a more nature- and user-friendly trail system was created. On the other, impressed with CAMBC’s diligence and its offer to take over maintenance of the system, the RTF decided to allow biking on its trails.
“Before that, sure, people were riding out there, but they were doing it illegally,” says Stackhouse. “What that agreement did was establish a 35-mile network of pristine, perfectly sustainable trails for riders right here in the city. Now, you can commute, take the kids out or get off from a hard day of work and jump right on the trail. It gave us access to trail riding right outside our back doors, which is something not a lot of cities have. It’s unique, and very special.”
The partnership sent a message: Charlottesville was ready to define itself as a full-on bike-friendly community. With the Rivanna Trail serving as a pilot of sorts, it became much easier for CAMBC to secure rights to other properties. And as more and more trails were installed in parks throughout the area, more and more people began to ride, creating momentum in the biking community.
Interscholastic revolution
Simultaneous to Stackhouse’s taking the helm of CAMBC, other seeds for the area’s mountain biking future were being planted. In 2010, having accepted a post teaching English at the Miller School of Albemarle, 36-year-old UVA graduate Peter Hufnagel pitched a revolutionary idea.
“I’d ridden on the UVA cycling team throughout college and my wife, Andrea Dvorak, was racing professionally, both as a road cyclist and a mountain biker,” says Hufnagel. “So, I understood better than most the realities of a young person trying to become a top-tier cyclist—it’s very, very hard. Support is typically minimal, and that makes it tough to excel. Meanwhile, I was working at this small, very progressive school and thought, ‘Why don’t we try to develop the world’s premier high school cycling program?’”
In retrospect, he admits the idea was a bit ambitious, but at the time it seemed perfectly rational. “I’d traveled all around the world and ridden in so many races in so many great places, and I realized that, right here in Charlottesville, we have some of the best roads and trails in the world,” he says. “Given the school’s student-first approach, it seemed logical that we should create a team, and seek to really put the area on the map.”
Pulling several all-nighters, Hufnagel developed a presentation outlining a strategic 20-year plan, which he pitched to the school’s administrators. Essentially, he intended to create a niche program that would offer mountain bikers and cyclists from around the world a home at which to pursue their sport at the highest level, while still getting a quality education. “The notion was sort of like a Hogwarts for cyclists,” he says with a laugh. “I had this vision of building something for the kids that would feel that special. Anything less than that wouldn’t cut it.”
To Hufnagel’s surprise, the administration bought in. With the school’s small class size and hands-on teachers, the program seemed a perfect match.
Andy Guptil and retired professional cyclist Andrea Dvorak helped found MSA’s mountain biking and cycling program, with the goal of creating a nationally recognized racing series. MSA’s cycling program now includes 30 riders from the U.S. and other countries and has featured five national champion riders. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
Hufnagel began working with his wife and her then-coach, professional cyclist Andy Guptil, to develop the program. “We’d get together and talk about what we needed to do to make this a viable reality,” Hufnagel says. “At first, I’d sort of rope them into a hypothetical conversation and they’d play along, but, with time, they got invested.”
Helping matters was the fact that both Guptil and Dvorak were in the process of retiring. Additionally, Guptil was dating Hufnagel’s sister, and the two had decided to move to Charlottesville. Within a couple of years, both Guptil and Dvorak took coaching positions at MSA.
“In a lot of ways, it kind of felt like the stars were aligning to make this happen,” says Hufnagel. “Things were just falling into place. But there was still a lot to be done.”
For one thing, if MSA was going to have a legitimate racing team, it was going to need to develop a means of competing. Furthermore, that means had to have weight: To attract serious cyclists, they needed to provide a channel into the collegiate and professional ranks.
Hufnagel’s solution? To create a nationally recognized racing series.
In spring 2011, working with Guptil and Dvorak’s contacts, he helped found the first USA Cycling-sanctioned interscholastic mountain biking series in Virginia, the Virginia High School MTB Series. Allowing student-riders to earn points, gain standing and qualify to compete in national-level competitions, the series would serve as a conduit for professional and Olympic teams.
Looking back, Hufnagel describes the first year as a major learning experience, and, starting with just three riders, as grassroots as it gets. “We featured six races and had four teams competing,” he says. “Blue Ridge School had a team, St. Christopher’s had a team, and there was a composite group from Harrisonburg. We’d pulled riders from the cross-country team and anyone else who was interested. There was no production value. While we had some protocols in place, we were basically making it up as we went along.”
Today, however, things are different. For the past two years, MSA has won the state championship. It routinely tops regional leaderboards, has graduated four riders with UCI professional contracts, has featured five national championship riders and had four riders selected to the UCI World Championship Team.
Next spring, if you attend a VAHS MTB Series race, you will encounter a scene reminiscent of a pro-level event. Only, it’s for kids. Riders tear through the woods, zipping around bank curves, navigating technical segments and hitting an occasional jump. “We’ve become hugely competitive, and offer events for elementary school kids on up to the high-schoolers,” says Hufnagel. “In 2018, we expect 32 teams will participate, which makes for something like 450 riders.”
Meanwhile, MSA’s mountain biking and cycling program has grown to include 30 male and female riders hailing from all across the U.S., Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republicand elsewhere. The team routinely includes athletes who compete in top-tier national and international events, and, last year, featured a rider who signed with Aevolo Cycling, one of the world’s premier U-23 teams.
Going public
Looking to expand MSA’s program to include a fall season, Dvorak spearheaded a partnership with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association in 2014. The organization, formed in 2009, had been instrumental in developing mountain biking as an official high school sport, mostly in the western U.S., in states such as Colorado, California, Oregon and New Mexico.
“The success at Miller proved to private schools across the state that having a mountain biking team was a viable investment,” says Dvorak. “But while we’d had a lot of success on that front, our goal was always to make the sport more mainstream. We wanted it to be viewed like basketball, soccer, football or whatever.”
For that to happen, they’d have to find a way to get mountain biking into public schools. Hence the partnership with NICA, which led to the formation of the Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League, a pilot league aimed at doing just that.
“The great thing about NICA is they provide a blueprint and resources for implementing programs that meet high school league standards,” says Dvorak. “They train, certify and vet the coaches. They provide insurance. They have standardized rule books. They supply trail-building information. You name it.”
When current Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club President Sam Lindblom, 45, learned about what was going on, he decided to take a chance.
“My son was going to be entering Monticello High School in the fall of 2015, and was really into mountain biking,” he says. “Considering what Andrea was doing, I decided to phone the athletic director and see if the school was interested in developing a program.”
When Monticello athletic director Matthew Pearman got Lindblom’s call, his immediate response was, “Why not?”
“Sam was really passionate about the idea and presented it in a manner that made perfect sense,” says Pearman. “As an AD, my goal is to enable as many students to participate in sporting activities and represent their school as I can. Basically, Sam said: ‘My son is really into mountain biking and he has enough friends to make a team. What can we do?’ It seemed like something we should try to make happen.”
Initially, the two decided it was best to form a club. As with MSA four years before, they were breaking new ground. “Normally, in my profession, when something comes up, I pick up the phone, call another AD and ask how they handled this or that situation,” says Pearman. “But in this case, there was no one to call. We were the first public school in the state to do this. So, there was a big learning curve. We had to take it step by step.”
Current Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club President Sam Lindblom helped form Monticello High’s mountain biking club when his son started school there two years ago. Today, Western Albemarle, Albemarle and Charlottesville high schools have teams as well. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
As luck would have it, each step of the way, Lindblom and Pearman were met with positive reception. Principals, superintendents, parents, school board members—they were all overwhelmingly supportive. “Of course, we had to do our due diligence and follow the process, but we didn’t meet with any opposition, and that made things a lot easier,” says Pearman.
Bit by bit, the two worked to develop a model that, they hoped, other public schools would be able to follow.
“That first year, I basically had no idea what I was doing,” laughs Lindblom. “We were kind of like the Bad News Bears. We had to figure things out and learn as we went along. We had to develop practice schedules, secure locations to ride, get funding for jerseys, cut trails, adopt mission statements. It was a lot to get thrown into.”
Naturally, Lindblom began consulting with his friends—many of who were adamant riders, and also parents. Seeing what he was doing at MHS, in spring 2016, a number of those friends sought to found teams of their own. Their efforts led to the formation of teams at Western Albemarle, Albemarle and Charlottesville high schools.
“It was really cool how it happened,” says Lindblom. “We were all getting together and talking about this, and maybe some people would come out and help at a practice, and they’d end up walking away saying, ‘Hey, I think I’d like to do this at my kid’s school.’ It was totally grassroots. We were all riding together at CAMBC, and our kids were racing on the Charlottesville Racing Club team, so it was neat to see this very public development blossom out of that community.”
Elsewhere across the state, other schools were taking notice as well. “I started getting a lot of calls,” says Pearman. “Athletic directors were phoning to ask me how we’d done it, what were the risks, how did it work, that sort of thing. Suddenly, we sort of found ourselves having achieved what we set out to do. We’ve basically become the go-to program for how you incorporate this sport in a high school setting.”
Riding into the future
The Miller School hosted the opening race of this fall’s Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League series on its student-built trails. The 3.3-mile course offers a 535-foot elevation gain and, according to official race info, “starts off with a challenging climb from the lower soccer field onto a gravel road before jumping into a short section of windy singletrack. Off the singletrack, riders will continue to climb up a doubletrack section of trail before riding over the flyover towards a fun, machine-built descent. A power climb under the flyover to the highest point on the course is followed by a fast and then twisty downhill before a final singletrack section into the finishing, opening field.”
Pearman says it’s phenomenal how far high school mountain biking has come in such a short period of time. “There were probably 600 spectators in attendance, with hundreds of riders from 30 different teams,” he says. “There were people lining the trails in the woods to cheer on the racers. It looked like a professional event. It blew me away. It was really incredible.”
In the last two years, Monticello High has grown its roster to 17 riders. It’s climbed the ranks to become the second-ranked public school team in the state, and sixth overall. In other words, it’s started to develop a healthy culture of competition.
“The most amazing thing is what happened when these kids started representing their various schools,” says Lindblom with a chuckle. “It was instantaneous rivalry. We ride together all the time and yet, they’re out here taking it really seriously in this super good-natured way. They talk trash, they watch the points standings, they want to get better. It’s cool to see that kind of investiture. They take pride in what they’re doing. And they’re being active and experiencing the outdoors in the process.”
Across town, senior Miller School standout Gus Myers, who wore the leader jersey until the last race of last spring’s VAHS MTB Series and rides for the Kelly Benefits U-23 professional development team in the summers, expresses similar sentiments. “This is a really, really special program—nothing like it exists anywhere else,” he says. “Before I came to MSA, I was this weird kid that spent all my time on a bike. People didn’t understand, and they didn’t really support me. But here, I’m surrounded by this amazing group of kids that are doing the same thing I am. Our coaches and teachers care deeply about what we’re doing. I have a support structure that allows me to thrive and push myself as hard as I can. It’s been pretty magical to find that.”
Myers grew up in Ivy, but moved to New Jersey with his parents two years ago. He has attended MSA since his freshman year in high school, and is now a boarding student, which he says lets him focus on cycling and mountain biking pretty much full-time. With competitive seasons in the fall, spring and summer, the only time he isn’t racing is for a couple of months in the winter—and even that time is chock-full of training (mostly long cardio-heavy rides in the mountains). At MSA, mornings get underway at 6, with riders meeting in the weight room for a workout. After that, they eat breakfast, and attend school from 8am to 3pm. Then it’s off to the bike room and practice, which runs until 5:30pm, at the school’s dirt track. Then they eat dinner and attend a mandatory study hall until around 9:30pm. Weekends are devoted to races, and the team is sometimes on the road for weeks at a time, traveling to places like California, Vermont or even Europe to compete.
It’s a grueling schedule, but Myers says it’s worth it. For most riders—Myers included—the end goal is to obtain a professional level contract, or to secure a spot on a strong collegiate team, which could yield an eventual pro contract.
“To compete at this level means you have make a lot of sacrifices,” he says. “We have tutors on the road with us, and our teachers put in a lot of Skype and email sessions. We do everything together as a team, and our lives basically consist of schoolwork, sleeping and biking. It’s really demanding, but with the school’s help and support, you sort of get into a groove and it becomes a routine.”
Looking to the future, Lindblom, Hufnagel, Dvorak and Stackhouse are all in agreement: As the sport goes more and more mainstream, and more and more kids get involved, things will continue to expand.
“I think what we’re seeing now is an intimation of the real growth to come,” says Stackhouse. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we started planting these seeds some years back, and we’re reaping the first big harvest of those results.”
GO-TO RIDES
Cor Carelsen
Owner of Crozet Bicycle Shop
Claudius Crozet Park. “For beginners on up to a seasoned rider looking for a good evening ride, I’d recommend starting at Claudius Crozet Park and following the trail down past the dog park along Licking Hole Creek. The trail starts out really easy going, so a beginner can ride until he or she feels uncomfortable with a hill or whatever, then turn around. If you want to go further, the loop is about seven miles total.”
Mint Springs Park
Mint Springs Park. “Located at the water reservoir within riding distance of Crozet, the park is maintained by Albemarle County and features various loop trails, about five to six miles in total. It’s very accessible and, with lots of elevation changes, you can really challenge yourself.”
Blue Ridge School Trail. The school is in St. George and has around 15 miles of trails of various difficulty levels, all of which are well marked and well maintained. The trails are very flowy, with not too many jumps, and feature some technical climbing and slow descending. Pro tip: “When you get there, go to the climbing tower at the trailhead, where you’ll need to register and sign an indemnity form.”
Daniel Sebring
Manager of Blue Ridge Cyclery, Charlottesville
Rivanna Trail
Rivanna Trail. “This is a perfect option for riders of all skill levels. It’s right here in the city, and you can hop on it and do anywhere from one to 35 miles. You can go to O-Hill and get technical stuff, or Carters Mountain and get some good climbs. Plus, it’s great for a car-free commute.”
Sherando Lake Recreational Area. “Located just outside of Waynesboro, for avid riders, this is a gold-mine of trails. The area is in the George Washington National Forest, and offers days worth of rides. Features lots of big climbs, 360-degree views and expert rides.” Pro tip: Pack a serious lunch and plan to be out there for the full day.
Dave Stackhouse
Former Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club president
Preddy Creek. For families and those getting into the sport, this is a great entry-level location. Situated on 571 acres of wilderness, it offers more than 8.6 miles of trails with plenty of easygoing beginner rides. In the future, look for an expert loop, which is currently being developed.
James Burris
Owner of Black Dog Bikes, Staunton
Montgomery Hall Park
Montgomery Hall Park, Staunton. A great option just outside of downtown Staunton. Features around six miles of loops, some of which overlap to create bigger rides.
Braley Pond Day Use Area. Located 15 minutes outside of Staunton in North River, this is part of the famous Shenandoah Mountain Trail, and is in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forest. There are some smaller loops, but I like the Road Hollow to Bridge Hollow ride, with a descent to Braley Pond. It’s about 25 miles total, is for avid riders, and takes about three hours to complete. Expect rock gardens, off-camber side slopes, fast descents—in other words, a little of everything.
Lift-serviced resort rides
Wintergreen Resort
As the first location of the lift-served mountain biking program in the Mid-Atlantic region, Wintergreen deserves special kudos. With miles of expert and intermediate trails designed by former pro mountain biker Brad Stone, the course is no joke. It features an array of full cross-country loops, and an event-worthy 5.2-mile expert route with 1,000 feet of vertical change.
Massanutten Resort
With 30 miles of trails on its western slopes and a sweet bike park, Massanutten offers days of riding fun. A lower lift services beginner and intermediate trails, while an upper lift provides access to advanced trails. Additionally, there’s the 70-mile-long Massanutten Trail, which offers tons of elevation change, mountain views and rocky single-track.
Beleza's new kids' album blends classic songs—"I've Been Working on the Railroad," for instance—with the duo's flamenco sound. Photo: Ashley Twiggs
If you’re looking for a spicy night of dancing, not much beats Beleza. With a sound rooted in Latin- American and Spanish flamenco traditions—including lyrics sung in Portuguese, Spanish and English—the group performs either as a duo or a full band, and serves as the vehicle for the creative musings of husband and wife, Humberto and Madeline Sales. Described as “funkalicious samba soul,” while the couple’s repertoire is very much Latin-influenced, it’s also extremely diverse.
Indeed, a Beleza show features a blend of stylistic inflections ranging from samba, funk, soul, blues, bossa nova, jazz and flamenco, with a dusting of electronic sampling thrown in for good measure. While the genre influences are clear, the compositions are invariably run through the blender of Humberto’s Brazilian influence (he was raised in Salvador, Bahia). And now, the duo has added one more element to the mix: children’s music.
“Last year, we released a family-friendly album called Just for Fun,” says Madeline. “While it might seem like something of a diversion for us, it brought together so much of what brings us joy in our daily lives—a focus on family, friends, our students and good old-fashioned fun.”
With young nieces and nephews, and a studio dedicated to educating young Charlottesville area guitarists and vocalists, the two spend most of their days and many evenings surrounded by children. When a close friend suggested they do an album dedicated to the age group, they were struck by the idea. “We’d never considered it and immediately felt an excitement at the possibility of putting together a compilation focused on the whimsical and lighthearted nature of childhood and those that are young at heart,” says Humberto. “We felt inspired to create music that would celebrate the spirit of both.”
While it features arrangements of kiddie faves like The Jungle Book’s “I Wanna Be Like You,” “Little Liza Jane” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” Just for Fun is sophisticated and swinging, and appeals to more than just children. “The criteria for our song selection was to find songs that would be musically interesting and allow us to put in a tinge of humor and mischief,” says Madeline. “Essentially, we wanted this to be something that everyone could listen to together and love.”
Featuring Madeline’s old-school, Ella Fitzgerald-esque jazz-meets-soul vocals, and Humberto’s seamless ability to blend the rhythmic, harmonic and melodic complexity of Brazilian folk and samba music, and classical/flamenco guitar techniques with funky American jazz, Just for Fun more than achieves its goal. “We had such a blast making this album,” says Humberto. “We feel it is a success, and that’s left us with a desire to want to record more within the genre.”
In fact, looking to the future, Madeline hopes to record a lullabies project combining songs from America and Latin America alike.
Shenandoah National Park provides plenty of hiking, biking and even canoeing opportunities. Photo: Jack Looney
As temperatures drop and water attractions become less appealing, don’t let that keep you from venturing outdoors. Whether it’s soaring through a Shenandoah Valley forest, soaking up Blue Ridge Mountain views or exploring area biking trails, these four family-friendly activities will get you and the fam out of the house and exploring.
HIKE
Shenandoah National Park
Since its formation in 1935, the 200,000-acre Shenandoah National Park has become one of America’s most beloved natural treasures. And for good reason. There’s Skyline Drive, which winds its way through 105 miles of 4,000-foot Blue Ridge peaks and there are more than 500 miles of hiking trails—including 101 miles of the iconic Appalachian Trail—and 80,000 acres of designated, backcountry wilderness. Streams, creeks and rivers slice through the park, creating 15 showcase waterfalls. Here are two of the park’s trademark hikes.
Stony Man Mountain
Located at milepost 47 on Skyline Drive, the hike to Stony Man’s 4,011-foot summit offers some of the best vistas in the Shenandoah National Park. At 1.6 miles total, and featuring a hair under 900 feet of elevation change, the walk is relatively short and undemanding (read: perfect for small kids!). For a bonus, hike down to the peaks of Little Stony Man and check out the rock walls. They’re popular with climbers and, for those who are interested, offer ample opportunity for sport.
White Oak Canyon Falls
While the canyon sports six cascading falls total, the upper falls is the biggest, and drops 86 feet. To get there, head to milepost 42.6 of the Shenandoah National Park on Skyline Drive and park at the lot for the White Oak Skyline Drive Trailhead. The hike to the upper falls is a 4.6-mile round-trip, with plenty of scenery to go around. To upgrade your adventure, continue past the upper falls for another 1.35 miles and check out the 35-foot lower falls.
In terms of mountain-biking culture, Charlottesville can hang with the best of the Blue Ridge towns. With numerous bike shops, plenty of mountains in Albemarle, Nelson County and beyond, proximity to the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson national forests, and a thriving, highly active chapter of the International Mountain Biking Association—the Charlottesville
Area Mountain Biking Club—the city is an all-terrain cyclist’s ideal basecamp.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran, attend one of the CAMBC’s weekly events and nab a guided tour of one of 13 area parks and private riding sites featuring well over 100 miles of trails.
Need a rental? Call Crozet Bike Shop at 996-7224. Prices start at $45 for a 24-hour rental.
ZIP-LINE
Virginia Canopy Tours
Enjoy hours of adventure zip-lining through the hardwood forests of Bentonville’s 1,600-acre Shenandoah River State Park. With views of the Shenandoah National Park, Massanutten Mountain and the Shenandoah River, there’s eyecandy galore. Lines run 90 feet above the forest floor, reach speeds of more than 40mph, and culminate in a 1,035-foot zip from a high ridge to a final rappel down a rock face. In addition to the lines, a sky bridge and eco tours offer visitors bonus fun and educational opportunities, while 24 miles of multi-use trail provide hike and bike time in the woods.
Prices start at $89, with kids zooming for half-price on weekdays. Children must weigh at least 70 pounds, and be 10 years of age or older. For more info, visit zipthepark.com.
