Category: 2023 Best of C-VILLE Staff Picks

When it comes to burying our dearly departed, most of us know what
 to expect: embalming chemicals, expensive coffins, concrete vaults, and other things that may not be so good for the environment. 

But is all that really necessary?

If you ask Stephanie Bonney, the answer’s a hard no. Green burial is “a more responsible way to take care of the Earth—the planet we live on,” says Panorama Natural Burial’s general manager. 

During a Panorama green burial, no toxic embalming chemicals are used, and bodies return to the earth in biodegradable boxes or burial shrouds, because “we are only introducing materials that nature can use to nurture new life.” Bodies are buried at three-and-a-half feet, where “soil is more nutrient rich, and organisms are better at doing their jobs.” (And in case you’re wondering, there’s never been a reported case of a naturally buried body being dug up by predatory animals—the farthest they dig into soil is 12 inches.) Simple river rocks, set flush to the ground with a name and birth and death years, marks the graves.

“We’re essentially going back to that principle in Judeo-Christian tradition, which is literally ‘dust to dust,’” says Chris Murray, whose family has owned Panorama Farms in Earlysville for 70 years. With the “current conventional funeral burial practices, the body basically never turns to dust.”

It was a few days before prom, and a Charlottesville  High School senior was worried. The full-length, midnight-blue dress she ordered online had finally arrived—and, even with three-inch heels, it dragged on the ground. So her mom reached out to her regular tailor, “and they told me I was too late, that there was no time to shorten the dress,” she says. 

On the recommendation of a friend, the pair turned to Kim’s Alterations on the Downtown Mall. Not only did a quick fix save the day, er, night, but the work was beautiful, says the mom. “We were thrilled!”

And the mother and daughter are not alone. According to Alicia Henry, Kim’s “is the best.” Henry says she’s shown up at the York Place shop with “everything from 1920s breeches to modern linen dresses, and [the tailor takes] care of it all with such precision. She [even] helped me with a design idea—repurposing a vintage bustier using 1940s crepe fabric—and she nailed it.”

To commemorate a century in business, His Barber Shop cut it up in April with a barbershop quartet, snacks, and visits from veteran barbers of 50 years. Founded in 1923 by Albert Staples as Staples’ Barbershop, the Barracks Road mainstay is now owned by Chris Bryant, who was also the shop’s first woman barber.

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early five years ago, Sharon Stone turned the page. With one kid in high school and the other going off to college, she decided to do something that would eventually touch many children’s lives. 

“I got the idea [for The Free Book Bus] one day, and I ambitiously made the website and the Facebook page that day, even though I didn’t have a bus,” Stone says. “My husband’s super into buying vehicles online, so he sold his truck so we could buy our first bus.” 

The Free Book Bus provides a wide array of reading material, ranging from children’s board books to books at an adult reading level. There’s something everyone, with a sports section, graphic novels, nonfiction, and more. Books also come in a variety of languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Dari, Nepali, Swahili, Spanish, and French. 

After an influx of refugees to the Charlottesville area last year, Stone bridged a need gap by publishing a coloring book called Welcome to Charlottesville, which was translated into seven languages. To help teach English, the book goes through the ABCs of Charlottesville (of course, B is for Bodo’s). 

In addition to books, The Free Book Bus provides personal hygiene products, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and other items that Stone says “bring joy” to the bus’ visitors. After receiving requests for perfumes and makeup, Stone now offers lipstick, Bath & Body Works cologne, and sheet face masks. Visitors on the bus can take one book and two personal care products. 

While there is no formal volunteer program, Stone sometimes receives extra help. Faith Cabell began working on The Free Book Bus in 2020. Cabell had lost her favorite book in a house fire, found another copy aboard the bus, and soon after, started helping Stone. 

Now, Cabell shows up whenever The Free Book Bus visits her neighborhood, which is typically the second Wednesday of every month. Besides reminding children of when the bus will arrive, she also helps kids select the books they’d like to read. “When I see children see something that they particularly want, and they’re happy and they’re smiling, that’s most rewarding,” Cabell says. 

In addition to the tremendous impact The Free Book Bus has left on the greater Charlottesville community, it’s reached other states, as well. Stone has spoken with someone who’s starting a bus in Kentucky, and people have approached her about franchising the nonprofit or rolling out buses in nearby counties. For now, though, Stone will continue changing children’s lives in the Charlottesville area, one book at a time.

The best thing about receiving a flower delivery is, well, everything—the idea that someone thought about you enough to order you a beautiful bouquet, the smell that lingers through the house as soon as you bring the arrangement to the table, the fact that roses even exist in this broken world. But, like many of the best things in life, flowers don’t last forever, so it’s definitely not a gift that keeps on giving—unless it is? At Hedge Fine Blooms, a three-month subscription will run you $255, and afford you (or someone special) a bundle of blooms on your doorstep each month.

The history of the B.F. Yancey School Community Center building spans more than six decades. The building was a segregated school until 1967, when it became a desegregated Albemarle County Elementary School. In 2019, The Yancey Community Center opened its doors, and since then it has offered countless opportunities to area residents. 

Yancey Community Center Program Coordinator Ed Brooks knows the impact the building has had on the Esmont community: His mother attended the segregated school, and his three children recently graduated from its elementary. Now he helps organize and run the dozens of programs and opportunities available, including those that focus on the center itself, such as the current exhibit about the building and community’s history, “African American Education in Esmont: Making a Way Out of No Way.” 

The programs and resources available at Yancey Community Center include yoga classes, a food pantry, a community garden, and a basketball court, and it partners with agencies ranging from Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging to the Blue Ridge Health District and Friends of Esmont to provide even more.

Thanks to the many new services and opportunities at the center, “I think people are beginning to now say, ‘Wow, the county is really stepping up this game to provide equal services to the urban ring residents as well as to the rural,’” Brooks says. “It has meant a lot in terms of helping people to think of themselves as full-fledged county citizens.”

“Save the bees!” they say. “It’s important!” they say. But how does one actually do such a thing, if you’re only a budding apiarist? That’s where the Central Virginia Beekeepers Association comes in. Founded in 1982 by two long-time beekeepers, the organization helps novices with classes, monthly idea-exchange meetings, and local events (check the group out at the Albemarle County Fair). Members will connect you with an experienced mentor and, even if you’re not interested in beekeeping, they can help you find someone to safely remove a swarm if you have one.

Like New Yorkers with the Empire State Building or Washingtonians with their monument, Charlottesville residents may only visit UVA when guests come to town. Fortunately, the University Guide Service offers a free, hour-long historic tour of the Lawn area daily during the academic year, providing a whole different perspective on our company town.

UGS student volunteers go through a semester-long training program to develop one tour geared to UVA applicants, and another version for visitors, tourists, and locals interested in learning more about the history of the university. 

“Everyone thinks UVA and Jefferson,” says rising third-year John Beddell, current UGS chair. “People are amazed at how much history we cover.” They are also surprised to learn that UVA’s founder and architect died after serving only one year as its president.

The guides aim to tell a complete story—not just about the Academical Village, but also about the enslaved laborers who built and worked on Grounds; UVA’s development in the context of Charlottesville’s history; and efforts over the years pushing for change at the institution. A tour focusing on UVA’s Black history is offered every Sunday afternoon. Specialty tours can also be requested—the history of women at UVA, children’s tours, or large-group tours.

But—no surprise to area residents—no tours are offered on days with home football games.

For artists and art appreciators alike, McGuffey Art Center is the place to be.

Housed in a former elementary school (the classrooms were transformed into studios, galleries, and a gift shop), the artist-run cooperative was established in 1975, and celebrates all things creative, with exhibitions, classes, workshops, camps, and more. 

“The City of Charlottesville leases this historic building to McGuffey at a discounted rate as part of its commitment to making art of all kinds—visual arts, dance, music—accessible to the public,” says McGuffey Art Center Operations Manager Bill LeSueur about the space that is home to more than 45 renting artists and 100-plus associate artists.

From individual artist spotlights to all-member shows, McGuffey’s galleries include a wide variety of work, such as L. Michelle Geiger’s “Flotsam,” which shows how discarded and recycled materials can be transformed into stunning ocean scenes, or the annual Summer Group Show that features recent work from both renting and associate members.   

“In addition to members’ work, McGuffey’s exhibition schedule makes room for other groups in our community, including area high schools and The Charlottesville Black Arts Collective,” says LeSueur.

Classes offer creatives of all ages an opportunity to expand their skills in a wide range of mediums, from ceramics and painting, to fiber arts and performance arts (to name just a few). Whether you’re trying out a potential hobby or are an experienced artist, classes like Drawing Essentials and Introduction to Machine Sewing offer adults and older teenagers an opportunity to build their skill sets.

For younger artists, a variety of courses engage participants’ imagination. While most of McGuffey’s classes are meant for children 5 years and older, Blue Ridge Music Together is a year-round gathering for children from birth to kindergarten. Five- to 12-year-olds can try their hands at sculpting, drawing, and painting, or attend one of the center’s many summer camps. 

Outside, the center paints its love for the arts with two rotating mural projects: Karina Monroy’s La Cultura Cura; Somos Medicina covers McGuffey’s north wall with vibrant butterflies and pomegranates that decorate the entryway, while the Red Shed Mural Project, showcasing the work of Laura Lee Gulledge and her students from the 2021 Street Art Camp, delights with swirling hues, neon green, and pink flora, all branching along an amorphous blob on the building’s, well, red shed.

Post-pandemic, McGuffey has continued its virtual offerings, which are available online. Check out the center’s figure drawing video or watch one of the numerous artist talks or poetry readings. Throughout the summer, the center also hosts Thursday Evening on the Lawn, which has something for everyone, with music, dancing, life drawing, open artist studios, and food trucks.

Later this year, McGuffey holds its annual Día de los Muertos celebration. “Organized by member Estela Knott in 2011 along with a number of groups in the community, this joyful holiday brings hundreds of volunteers and participants together for a day of prayer and remembrance of friends and family who have come before,” says LeSueur, who adds: “We are a community of artists dedicated to practicing our art and to passing on the creative spirit.”

Calling all bookworms. Er, more specifically, nature bookworms. In January, with the help of its Junior Naturalists, Ivy Creek Foundation added a Little Free Library to its regular offering of walking trails, wildflower gardens, and educational opportunities. Located in the parking lot of the Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic River View Farm, the lending library includes nature education books and Charlottesville- and Albemarle-related Black history books.