Category: 434

Ryan Jones bought Pro Camera on West Main from Bill Moretz just a few months ago, but he’s been helping put the place in the national flashlight for several years.

Jones, who studied media and photography at the University of Virginia, has turned himself into a go-to resource for analog camera repair. He’s been entrenched in the local photography community since his uni days, but he’s never formally studied the mechanics of cameras. Moretz, a master technician, showed him the way of the shutter.

“He gave me some pointers, and I was able to step in and start learning,” Jones says. “I just took to it—kind of had the knack. I’ve taught myself a good majority of the repairs, but it is a constant learning process.”

As Pro Camera’s lead technician since 2020, Jones became an indispensable part of the team when Moretz began working from home due to COVID. Moretz decided to retire officially by the end of the year and sold the business he founded in 1983 to Edward Bricker. 

About six months ago, Jones decided it was time to move on. He had a job lined up with another photo firm in Pennsylvania and was on his way out the door when Bricker crunched the numbers. If Jones left, he figured he’d lose too much repair revenue to stay out of the dark room.

He offered to sell the place to Jones, Jones accepted, and the nearly 40-year-old business was saved.

“The position we occupy in the market is unique because this is an industry that is and has been on the decline for many years,” Jones says. “And almost because of that, it has allowed us to position ourselves advantageously and capture what is left of a dying market.”

According to Jones, other camera shops the country over claim they offer repairs on old equipment but actually send the devices to Pro Camera. The out-of-town repair submissions come from Chicago, New York, California—”all over the world,” Jones says.

One of the keys to keeping the flagging hobby afloat, according to Jones, is making sure components are available to repair old cameras. As more time passes since manufacture, designs go out of production, and camera makers stop supporting their legacy products, it becomes increasingly difficult to harvest old parts from other broken down machines. Jones has taught himself rudimentary machining and metalworking and even dabbled in 3D printing to address the component supply issue.

But as smartphone cameras become better with every new product release, how can an industry like analog photography compete? Jones says it’s not about competing for the old school shutterflies—that race to the next best thing in color and resolution misses the aesthetic point for pixel purists. And for the new school, those pro-level pocket computer/cameras have their well-documented downsides. 

“Film is coming back, depending on who you ask,” Jones says. “For older folks going back to it…it is an economy of nostalgia. And young folks are finding film and the way it features in their social behavior is healthier than the digital forms of media.”

Jones says he remains committed to his ties to the local film community, which he developed working on a long-term photo ethnography of the Woolen Mills neighborhood while in school. And he only hopes to strengthen those ties. He wants Pro Camera, once a somewhat sterile storefront, to be a place for pixophiles to congregate, feel comfortable, and share ideas.

Is Charlottesville the next big not-so-point-and-click hot spot? Hard to say. Still, Jones says he’s just getting started.

“We have a lot of different goals,” he says. “The first is the marathon of manufacturing and continuing to learn how to keep these cameras circulating. But we also want Pro Camera to be approachable. …If you’re entering the store, we would love to sell you something, but we also want you to share your thoughts and share the space.”

Maybe you thought LEGO was just for kids. But for 19-year-old Liam Mohajeri Norris and his mother Emily, those little plastic shapes may win them a title, a trophy, and a cool $100,000 on in the “LEGO Masters” reality competition series. 

And, Liam admits, “I do have the dream of working for LEGO.”

Roll tape back to 2004, when UVA grads Scott and Emily Norris moved back to the Charlottesville area with their new family. Emily, who was homeschooling Liam and his brothers, was on the lookout for creative toys, and scored a huge bin of used LEGO at a Waldorf School yard sale. The rest, as they say, is history.

Emily remembers Liam starting out with open play, and then working on sets to discover more ways the blocks could be used. Then came MOCs (LEGO-speak for “my own creations”—there’s a lot of jargon in serious LEGO work). His parents got into the scene as supporters and “artistic advisors,” says Emily. 

Then, Liam recalls, “We had a FIRST LEGO League team that my mom coached.” At 13, Liam started a LEGO Design Club that met at the local library. Then he and his mother taught a LEGO design class at the Community Homeschool Enrichment Center; Emily, who has a master’s degree in education, says LEGO play is a good way to do team building with middle schoolers. Soon Liam was running a LEGO workshop for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia on Cherry Avenue, and working out new designs with the online LEGO community.

The family moved to Tucson in 2021, but the LEGO work continued. Emily designed a studio space in their home, with places for Scott, Liam, and his brothers to work on their individual projects. Liam, now a freshman at the University of Arizona majoring in film and television, has his own YouTube channel called Brixter where he posts LEGO tutorials. He recently posted a design to LEGO World Builder, an online portal where builders can pitch their designs to other enthusiasts—and to LEGO.

What is the appeal that’s kept him playing LEGO for more than a decade? “I like that it uses both the creativity and the engineering parts [of my mind],” says Liam, citing his interests in both robotics and math. And the weekly challenges on “LEGO Masters” aren’t just making cool shapes. In the Wild West challenge, the competing teams had to design a LEGO bull rider that could survive riding on an actual mechanical bull—and look good doing it. In the Jurassic Park episode, the teams had to construct a dinosaur action scene that could stand up to live special effects—Liam and Emily (the first mother-son team in the series’ four-season run) won that round.

Liam finds working with LEGO both relaxing and therapeutic. “I like that creating with LEGO is physical, not just digital—being able to look and interact with what I’m making,” he says. “I enjoy thinking about how other people interact with it.” 

And that’s a lot of people—one site estimates about 400 million worldwide (including APOL, “adult players of LEGO”) have tried their hand with the little bricks. Two million viewers are keeping an eye on the “LEGO Masters” competition. 

What’s his next MOC? “A lot of the time, I’m just playing around,” says Liam. “I may have an idea, other times I’m just experimenting.” Once that led Liam to build a lion carrying a tiny African village on his back, made of more than 5,000 LEGO bricks; next time, who knows what he’ll create.

It’s a gorgeous Virginia fall. The UVA football season is nearly over, but you’re not quite ready to start your holiday shopping at area stores, and the online pre-holiday bargains can wait. So spend your weekend participating in another popular autumn pastime: exploring beautiful back roads, stopping at country markets for sandwiches or snacks, and buying local. Head out in almost any direction, and see what you find.

Polly’s Folly

Drive south on Route 29 toward Nelson County, and you’ll see the signs for Polly’s Folly. Owner/jack-of-all-trades Polly Davis Doig bought the almost-derelict used furniture store in 2019. “I had to gut the place,” she recalls, “but I’ve always liked a fixer-upper.” A career journalist tired of reporting the news, Davis Doig dreamed of creating the kind of community hub she remembered from growing up a farmer’s daughter in a tiny town with one store that had been started by her four-times-great-grandfather. Polly’s Folly opened in December 2020. 

Next to the bar where you can order breakfast, coffee, pastries, sandwiches, quiches, and draft beers are four cooler cabinets full of local beers, wines, cider, kombucha, and cheeses (including pimentos, of course). Along the other walls and scattered on tables throughout are more displays of fresh produce, Virginia food and beverage products, dime candy, snacks, and the work of local craftspeople. North Garden-based woodworker Alex Pettigrew walked in one day and “asked if I would sell his stuff,” says David Doig, who jumped at the chance. Pettigrew put the Davis Doig in touch with several other local artisans, from Muddy Creek Pottery in Lovingston to musician and jeweler Gina Sobel. (Particularly unique: the grocery carry-alls, made from recycled cat food and feed bags.) Polly’s Folly is still evolving; watch for upcoming music events in the outdoor space behind the store. And just so you know, it’s the only place to get Shenandoah Joe’s Polly’s Folly blend—“dark like our soul,” says Davis Doig with a grin.

Batesville Market

The Batesville Market has been the heart of this little town since the 1880s—it’s seen so much traffic over the decades, the front entrance’s wooden step has been worn away to the sill. Kristen Rabourdin bought the store for $1 in 2020, when the then-owners needed to move on but wanted to ensure the store stayed open for the community. Rabourdin moved to Batesville in 2004, and loved the place. “This store is an extension of everyone’s living room,” she says.

During the pandemic, the market became a lifeline for the community (“grocery delivery services don’t come out here,” she notes). Rabourdin took the slower times as an opportunity to build a patio/performance space outside, which now hosts live music (from Irish and bluegrass to The Pollocks) and special events like Batesville Apple Butter Weekend and Oktoberfest. The market’s kitchen prepares breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and caters as well. There’s plenty of grab-and-go food and drink, and shelves of local wines, ciders, snacks, and specialty foods (like The Little Things shortbread buttons from Belmont’s Found. Market Company). Don’t forget to browse the jewelry, pottery, wooden crafts, notebooks, and cards, and soaps and creams from Afton Mountain Apothecary. Hanging above the bar is a double row of beer glasses and steins, many of them individually labeled for the Batesville Mug Club (“we’re the No. 1 beer bar in Batesville,” Rabourdin jokes). As the current owner, she sees herself as part of a long tradition. “People come in and say, ‘I came here as a child.’ Many of the local kids come here to get their first job—I’m not going to turn them away. I’m a steward until the torch passes.”

Simeon Market

A charming former gas station on the road between Monticello and Highland, Simeon Market was acquired by next-door neighbor Jefferson Vineyards as a way to provide food to vineyard hoppers. The market was launched in 2019 by co-owners Ashley Sieg (of Tavern & Grocery) and Billy Koenig (of the late-lamented bakery Sweethaus), aiming to create a country café and meeting place for both tourists and locals. Then came March 2020. During the pandemic, Koenig says, “We did mostly retail business—people didn’t want to sit and stay.” But as traffic and tourism has rebounded, so has the market. It now offers a selection of breakfast and lunch items to go or to enjoy on the little tables inside or outside, with lovely vineyard views. Or combine the prepared foods, lots of specialty items from crackers and condiments (pick up some Jam According to Daniel preserves) to beer and wine, and locally made tablecloths, napkins, and cutlery into the ultimate vineyard picnic basket. 

Browse the craft items (jewelry, scarves, Christmas ornaments, birdhouses, and more) to find gifts for the next birthday or special occasion. But do not leave without a couple of Koenig’s specialty: Vivi’s Cupcakes, in flavors from classic to creative (black-eyed Susan, grasshopper, salted caramel, and funfetti). Named for Koenig’s daughter, Vivi’s also does specialty cakes in its online business, but after years in the hectic restaurant business Koenig enjoys his little bit of country. “It’s magical out here,” he says. 

KEEP GOING

Baine’s Books and Coffee (Scottsville)

A good choice for a rainy weekend—pick up a book and a pastry or sandwich, sit down, and while away an hour or two. Then head down the block for some arts and crafts shopping.

Wyant’s Store (Whitehall)

The opposite of trendy, stocked with necessities from beer and sandwiches to fishing lures and motor oil. 

Hunt Country Corner Market (Free Union)

No crafts, but sandwiches, deli, and fully prepared dinners to go. Check out the week’s menu and reserve yours.

Greenwood Grocery (Crozet)

Gourmet sandwiches, local produce, and specialty food and drink on your way to/from Route 151, Wintergreen, and Afton.

Stony Point Market (Barboursville)

Look over the selection of funky crafts, then treat yourself to a cheeseburger and a root beer float. And, if the idea of running a community/country store inspires you, this one is currently on the market.

Mountain View Tea Room (Tyro) 

Really out in the country! Stop on the way to or from Crabtree Falls.

Hailey Ballard has an unusual job. When she’s not teaching first grade, she brings a bit of magic to local kids as a princess. Well, a queen, to be precise. 

Back in 2020, Ballard started working for the Albemarle County Public School District in the middle of the pandemic. The district organized a drive-by character parade for students, where teachers dressed up, decorated their cars, and drove and walked around local neighborhoods. “I decided I was going to go all out, and I dressed up as Elsa,” says Ballard. One of Ballard’s co-workers noticed her costume, and a year later asked if Ballard would come to her daughter’s birthday party dressed up. It was a light-bulb moment for Ballard. 

“That was my first party,” says Ballard. “I thought, ‘Why haven’t I been doing this all along?’ I have the background of working with kids, and I did a lot of theater and music in middle school and high school, and I’ve always kind of missed doing that—performing.”

That year Ballard founded Character Connections, a company that allows her to bring her love for performing back into her life in a meaningful way. 

Character Connections currently offers eight movie-inspired characters who can make appearances at birthday parties, including the Ariel-inspired Mermaid Princess, the Tiana-inspired Bayou Beauty, and the Rapunzel-inspired Tower Princess. Ballard offers a variety of party packages for every occasion, with the most basic starting at $155 for a 30-minute appearance from one princess.

The most popular package, the Royal Princess Party, features a one-hour visit from one to two princesses. The Royal Princess Party kicks off with a storytime (princesses always come prepared with a book or two), and a special coronation ceremony, where the birthday kid is presented with a keepsake rhinestone tiara and an autographed certificate. Then it’s time for all the guests to get glitter tattoos, which Ballard has found to be a huge hit with kids and adults alike. The princesses’ appearance wraps up with photos, dancing, and, of course, a royal rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

Other packages include party games, makeovers, and manicures, but Ballard also offers custom parties for people looking for something specific, or who want appearances from three or more princesses.

In the one year Character Connections has been open, Ballard has already brought on six other performers to help meet the demand, many of whom also work with children in their day jobs. “Our cast is amazing,” says Ballard. “They’re all so professional. I’ve been lucky to find this niche of workers.” Each character has its own intricate costume, wig, makeup, and accessories, but it’s the enthusiastic performance and charm of the actors that gives kids an unforgettable experience. 

Ballard’s favorite character to play is the Snow Queen, an Elsa-inspired character. “She’s our most popular character,” says Ballard. “She’s always so much fun, and I love being able to get a little bit better at playing her at every party.” Getting to perform is a highlight for Ballard, but the best part of the job is giving kids a truly magical experience. “It is an absolute joy to bring this to kids. This is what I look forward to all week, getting to have these moments. The kids are overjoyed when we walk in. They can’t believe it, they’re so excited.”

Ballard has big plans to keep sharing the magic. On top of birthday parties for all ages, Character Connections can perform at company events and weddings, and the princesses regularly appear at community gatherings, such as the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the Grand Illumination, and more. She also hopes to introduce more characters to the lineup, including superheroes, and would love to one day have a permanent space to host tea parties and special events. 

You wasted your summer streaming Netflix. That’s okay. The area’s fall fests are just what you need—they’ll get you outside, where you’ll enjoy some crisp air and boost your vitamin D for the winter months.

Here’s a look at 11 autumn events that are sure to keep you going until the temps plummet.

Charlottesville-Albemarle Black Business Expo

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Black Business Expo, “designed to celebrate and encourage the success of Black-owned businesses locally and beyond,” has been going strong for six years. This year’s event is slated for September 24 at Ix Art Park. 

The free festival, which runs from 10am-7pm, allows Black-owned businesses to highlight their wares against a backdrop of DJ sets, live bands, and panel discussions. Expo organizers say more detail on entertainers and speakers is coming soon, but the business pitch contest at 3pm will likely be the can’t-miss spot. blackbusinessexpo.org

Virginia Film Festival

Okay, so this one won’t get you outside. But the 30-year-old Virginia Film Festival, to be held from November 2 to 6, has become a premier destination for filmmakers and filmtakers alike. The fest draws thousands to venues around town for film premieres, panel discussions, parties, and more. VAFF has yet to release a screening schedule for this year’s event, but notes that last year’s films earned 33 Academy Award nominations. Past festival speakers have included Ethan Hawke, Martha Plimpton, and Danny Strong. 

VAFF says its mission is to offer diverse films of all genres, including comedies, dramas, documentaries, and shorts. It also features a regional focus on Virginia, bringing the festival home for Charlottesvillians, and drawing on UVA academics and cultural experts for film discussions.

VAFF managed an in-person fest of sorts last year, and festival director Jody Kielbasa says this year will mark the event “returning to its traditional format.” “These past two years have brought significant challenges across the arts world,” he says. “And we are hopeful that the current, declining pandemic trends will continue and allow us to gather in a more traditional way and with fewer restrictions.” virginiafilmfestival.org

Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival

The Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival is so hot it’s held twice a year. This year’s fall installment, October 8 and 9 at Claudius Crozet Park, will feature more than 120 artisans, live music, art demos, a children’s area, food trucks, adult beverages, and raffle prizes. Full scheduling and ticket sales went live on September 1. Volunteers are also still welcome to sign up.

“Every CACF is unique because of the incredibly talented artisans who showcase their new work, as well as new musical performances and artist demos,” event director Ewa Harr says. 

Don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite artists at the show, with winners announced Sunday at 4pm. Event pricing is $6-12. Parking is free. crozetfestival.com

Fall Fiber Festival

The name says it all: The Fall Fiber Festival and Montpelier Sheep Dog Trials is not only a celebration of traditional fiber techniques, but also a thrilling dog show. The family-friendly event, baaa-ck this year on October 1 and 2, teaches folks about the fiber-producing animals and shearing, spinning, and weaving their wool and other materials.

​This year’s Fall Fiber Festival schedule is dotted with ​animal exhibits, dog demonstrations, fiber arts demos, fleece sales, fiber and crafts vendors, workshops for adults and children, music, food, and more. Day-of festival tix are $10; advanced sales are $8; kids 12 and under get in free. The festival’s advertising volunteer, Michele Mangham, says more information and updates are coming soon, and she’d like to “thank ewe” in advance for attending. fallfiberfestival.org

Heritage Harvest Festival

Organizers have reimagined Monticello’s Heritage Harvest Festival, a longtime favorite of locals and regional travelers, as a live and virtual series of food, farm, and gardening classes and discussions. The nationally recognized event has tried to hew closely to its traditional format for new programs, with a stated mission of “emphasizing the power of place at Monticello.”

For this fall, two events are currently on the docket: The apple and cheese tasting on October 22 promises to be directly in the Monticello wheelhouse, and wreathmaking workshops are planned for multiple holiday-adjacent dates. Keep an eye out for more info on the scheduled events and more. heritageharvestfestival.com

Overland Expo

If you want to understand the Overland Expo, you must understand the overlander. Trending hard in the last few years, overlanding attracts self-reliant folks who want to jump in their Jeeps, find remote destinations, and camp in the wild, surviving on nothing but their wits.

Overlanding’s premiere festival just happens to light on Arrington, Virginia, for one of its four regional events. This year’s Overland Expo East will attract consumers and industry types to its trade show and 175-plus classes, slideshows, demos, and activities focused on the overland lifestyle. The latest in camping, vehicle, and motorcycle equipment and services from more than 200 exhibitors will all be on display, and attendees can take in the October 7 to 9 event while camping overnight in an open, grassy field surrounded by trees. Organizers expect thousands of attendees and offer happy hours, a film festival, charity raffles, and parties after the daily show closes and the evening descends.

General admission to Overland Expo East is $25 for Friday, $35 for Saturday, $17 for Sunday, or $70 for the weekend. A variety of camping packages are also available. overlandexpo.com

Fall Festival at Brewing Tree Company

When local beer industry legend Mark Thompson set up his own shop at Brewing Tree Beer Company in Afton, it was a chance for him to brew the beers he loves—trends of the moment be damned. That meant a focus on more traditional lagers and ales, which you often find in European pubs.

Fall, replete with malty brews like Oktoberfests and marzens, is therefore a time for Thompson to shine. And on October 29, droves can descend on his small taproom for the Fall Festival at Brewing Tree Beer Company. In addition to Philinda Vienna Lager and Twice as Weiss, currently on tap, the event will feature pumpkin chucking, apple-focused baked goods, and local vendors. brewingtreebeer.com

Crozet Winter Brews Festival

The Crozet Winter Brews Festival says, “Forget you, cold, we’re drinking outside.” Held for the last three years in early December at Claudius Crozet Park from 11am to 5pm, the one-day event, this year on December 3, promises “mountain views, craft brews, and wonderful people.” The festival features dark and wintry beers, with a focus on Virginia brewers. Headed up by Starr Hill Brewery, the event has featured Rockfish Brewing Co., Random Row Brewing Co., Albemarle CiderWorks, Three Notch’d Brewing Co., Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Selvedge Brewing, and Old Bust Head Brewing Co. in the past. Organizers award a best in show to the top-rated festival brew, as well as second and third place honors. crozetbeerfest.com

Oktoberfest at Blue Mountain

You can do Oktoberfest at Blue Mountain one of two ways. Head out and enjoy malty brews and live Euro-themed music once during the nine-day stretch of celebrations, or go every day for an oompah-fueled, mind-bending roller-coaster ride. 

It all starts on September 30, with the addition of live music by Molly Murphy to Blue Mountain’s usual Full Nelson Friday ($3 pale ale pints). Then it’s into the heart of the fest—live oompah music and cloggers on Saturday, more oompah Sunday, a German beer tap takeover on Monday, keg bowling Tuesday, steal the boot and accordion music on Thursday, Fretwell and Full Nelsons on Friday, and two more days of oompah music over the final weekend. German food specials and festive costumes are also on tap. Comfortable dancing shoes and a hollow leg are encouraged. bluemountainbrewery.com

Wine & Garlic Festival

After a two-year hiatus, the festival where it’s “chic to reek” is back. The 2022 Virginia Wine & Garlic Festival will bring garlic-lovers from all over the country to Rebec Vineyards in Amherst County October 8 and 9. Now in its 30th non-consecutive year, the festival will have garlicky grub galore, four stages for live music, vino from Rebec and 10 guest wineries, and for the kids, a bounce house, petting zoo, face-painting, balloon artists, clowns, and magic shows.

“We have people that have come as kids, and now they bring their families,” says Svet Kanev, Rebec’s current owner and winemaker. “After the festivals, they put it on their calendar for the next year. It has become a tradition.”

Kanev says that this year’s event will feature a number of new vendors and, as a seafood-lover, he’s excited about the shrimp, fish, and—of course—garlic dishes attendees will get to taste. Early-bird entry, available until midnight on October 6, is $20 to $28. Parking is free of charge and ample, Kanev says. rebecwinery.com

SVBCC British Car Festival

British carmakers might not bring to mind the sexiness of the Italian Ferrari or the precision of the German BMW. But with Jaguar, Austin-Healey, MG, and Triumph Motor Company all hailing from England, the country certainly has its own style. “It’s a niche,” says this year’s SVBCC British Car Festival chairman Wes Maupin. “Enzo Ferrari once said the Jaguar E-Type XKE was the most beautiful car ever designed.”

The U.K.’s automotive styling is on full display at the SVBCC British Car Festival, coming back to Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro on October 1 for its 41st year. One of the longest-running British car shows on the East Coast, the event invites anyone with an interest in autos to come out for the eye candy. Those owning British cars can enter them into the show. Prizes are given out in a variety of classes, including modern “minis,” British DNA/kit cars (vehicles linked to British styling, engineering, or manufacture), and British motorcycles.

The festivities, including an on-site food vendor, door prizes, and special car displays, begin with Crullers & Coffee at the Car Show at 9am. Maupin says to register early so he and his team can set the number of classes for which they’ll award trophies. 

“We are always surprised with the quality of the cars that come to the show,” Maupin says. “One of the things that makes our show unique is the proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. It’s a windy and beautiful trip to and from the show.” svbcc.net

“I’ve lived in both very red and very blue places,” says Sally Hudson. “But I never felt my vote really mattered—until 2016.” Donald Trump’s election spurred Hudson into politics—and to being elected the first woman to represent Charlottesville in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Public service came naturally to Hudson. Her father had a law degree but became a Unitarian minister, moving from assignment to assignment around the Midwest and Plains states; her journalist mother worked with community education programs. “I grew up very oriented to community service—helping at soup kitchens and shelters,” Hudson says. “But I wasn’t politically engaged until post-Trump. I was 27, I had always voted, but for the first time I thought my vote could be pivotal.”

By this time, Hudson, who earned an economics degree from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from MIT, had accepted a teaching post at UVA’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. The Trump backlash, the events of August 2017, and the growing push for racial reckoning led many people who hadn’t been politically active into the fray. 

“I wasn’t part of that first anti-Trump wave,” Hudson says. “I was just becoming politically awakened. But a whole new wave of people got active, and changed the face of politics in Virginia.” In her view, the old guard “didn’t know how to use all that young energy—classic party politics didn’t find a home for them.” 

The result was a surge in grassroots activist groups advocating for single-issue changes or a more progressive agenda. Redistricting reform became Hudson’s launching pad. “I’m a sincere believer in small-‘d’ democracy,” she says, “and that only works if we have real elections and real races.” Gerrymandering’s negative impact isn’t only racial or party segmentation, in her view. “It creates confusion [about who represents who], and lack of accountability. And when people don’t feel their vote matters, they stop voting.”

Through her organizing work with FairVote and OneVirginia, Hudson got to know a lot of politically committed and activist locals—especially women. “I started nudging these women to run for office, but many couldn’t.” A Delegate’s $17,640 salary isn’t much if it’s your only income, she notes, and the job requires attending the two-month legislative session full-time. “So they began urging me to run.” 

Hudson’s announcement in December 2018 that she was challenging long-time incumbent David Toscano for the 57th District’s Democratic candidacy surprised (and put off) some people. When Toscano decided to retire, Hudson ended up running against two-term city councilor Kathy Galvin and winning with 65 percent of the vote.

As a political novice, why didn’t she start with a run for a city or county office? “Much of what inspired me was deep democracy work, and that’s [addressed] at the state level,” Hudson says. “Politics is not a ladder—you don’t have to work your way up. Each of the roles has a very different job to do, so you go where your skills are the best fit.” 

Hudson’s first term just happened to be a Democratic “trifecta”—the party held the governor’s office and majorities in both legislatures for the first time in 28 years. Those were heady times. “We made progress in rolling back a lot of bad laws,” from abortion restrictions to voter suppression measures. “What we passed [gun safety measures; a higher minimum wage; Medicaid expansion; pay increases for teachers; clean energy measures] was popular with many Virginians, but had been [held back] due to gerrymandering.” 

Her first legislative session ended in February 2020—and then the pandemic hit. Hudson’s reaction was “to grab an oar” and make sure her constituents got what they needed in this upended world, whether that meant PPE for health care works or unemployment checks for the newly out of work. Getting their unemployment insurance was “the No. 1 reason people called my office,” she says.

As a workforce economist, Hudson’s skills were an asset in taking on the state’s archaic unemployment compensation system—something she cites as one of her major accomplishments. But, with the House’s new Republican majority, she lost her seat on the Commission on Unemployment Compensation, set up to oversee system reforms. In an August article on richmond.com, the oversight panel’s chair, Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), commented: “That’s too bad, [Hudson’s] the one with the most knowledge on this stuff.”

Another issue Hudson pushed hard was a bill she sponsored to allow local governments to vote on tax increases to fund school improvements. The bill passed the Senate, but died in the House Finance Committee. “It’s one of those issues where I knew there was no more that I could have done,” she admits, vowing to keep working on loosening the Dillon Rule restricting the autonomy of localities like Charlottesville.

This term, Hudson sees “protecting the progress we made” as a top priority—which is not to say she doesn’t see more work that needs to be done. Before the recent teacher pay increases, she notes, “Virginia was dead last [nationwide] on teacher salaries, and we’re really behind on school construction and upgrades. The Medicaid reimbursement is still too low, and we’re in a maternity health crisis, especially for women of color.”

How does this agenda fit with what she hears from her constituents? “Schools, housing, and health care—those are their concerns,” Hudson says—even in a district she describes as having deep inequalities. On a positive note, she thinks recent issues ranging from reproductive rights to voting access and education have raised awareness of the importance of representation at the state level. 

“More people are coming to see how much state government matters,” she says. “The Federal government can [fund initiatives], but it’s the state that makes sure that [help] gets to your door at a price you can afford.”

Well into her second term, how does Hudson feel about this new career she’s taken on? “It’s really fulfilling work,” she says emphatically. She sees a huge part of her job as “triage—connecting constituents with the people who can solve their problem.” An example she cites was the threatened evictions at Mallside Forest Apartments this past summer—not a state issue, but when a constituent facing eviction called Hudson’s office, she connected them with both the appropriate county supervisor and with Legal Aid Justice Center. 

“A big part of the job is to be visible and accessible,” Hudson says. “There’s no substitute for showing up in person—it gives people a chance to talk to you. I can be on any constituent’s doorstep in 15 minutes.” 

To Hudson, her two jobs are complementary: “As a teacher and as a public servant, I believe government works better when people know how government works.” And then she heads off to yet another constituent meeting.

Down the street from the medieval cathedral at the stony heart of Valladolid, Spain, sits the Millennium Dome, a geodesic igloo made out of neon-edged hexagons that slot together like jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Inside the dome, thousands more jigsaw puzzle pieces wait in sealed boxes. Contestants from 40 different countries sit at white tables, poised to rip open their box when the timer starts the qualifying round of the 2022 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships.

A Spanish competitor readies his puzzling fingers. A Turkish puzzler eyes the timer. A Ukrainian contestant nods to her blue-and-yellow supporters.

Behind her American flag, Charlottesville preschool teacher Stephanie Owen waits. She has traveled almost 4,000 miles from Virginia to race against the fastest jigsaw puzzlers in the world.

As a child, when she was home sick from middle school, Owen used to spend her days putting together jigsaw puzzles. As an adult, a positive COVID-19 test renewed her childhood puzzling habits.

“Our family has always been a jigsaw puzzle family,” Owen says. “My grandparents always have a puzzle out on the table when we go. We always do a puzzle with our friends on New Year’s Eve.”

One pandemic night, out of curiosity, Owen set up a clock and time-lapse camera, then watched herself move through a 500-piece puzzle in under one and a half hours.

That’s when she began to wonder if there was such a thing as a jigsaw puzzle race.

When the timer starts, the 60 contestants in Owen’s qualifying round unwrap an image of black dog sitting before a wall of paintings of black dogs. 

The sound of cardboard on plastic reverberates through the quiet dome as contestants begin sorting pieces. Each one wants to be the fastest to put all 500 into place.

Some competitors flip over each piece before categorization. Others create color-based piles. The bravest start assembly with most pieces still untouched. Owen begins shaping the border. Officials patrol the aisles in bright yellow World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation vests with cameras and watchful eyes.

Owen methodically spirals inward until all that is left is every puzzler’s nightmare: A wide expanse of fur, one of the most difficult textures in jigsaw.

Her mouth is dry. She cannot waste the moment it would take to sip water, nor can she spare a glance upward when a burst of audience applause signals the first puzzle has been completed. She can only stare intently at her remaining pieces.

“I tried to just stay in the moment, doing the thing that I was there to do, which is putting the pieces together,” Owen says.

With one hand she shoves the 500th piece of black fur into place. With the other, she slams her palm upon the table, signaling her victory to the judge.

Owen is the second American and 15th competitor to finish her qualifier. She has registered the best time of her puzzling career, and earned a spot in the final round of the 2022 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. 

Day one is over, and for the first time in 58 minutes and 41 seconds, Owen has enough time to unscrew the cap of her water bottle.

In late 2021, Owen’s Google search for jigsaw puzzle races turned up an upcoming Zoom-based competition. She wondered if it could possibly be real. 

Days after she signed up, a puzzle wrapped in unmarked paper arrived in Owen’s mailbox. A sticker warned her not to open the package until the timer started for her first-ever speed puzzling competition.

Under the watchful gaze of her laptop camera, Owen crushes her previous times when she completes the 500-piece puzzle in one hour and 30 seconds, giving her a win and the confidence to register for the world championships.

“I think something about the atmosphere and the pressure of it pushes me to think less, and take less time on things, and make faster decisions,” Owen says. “Knowing that I’m competing against other people, not just myself, gives me a thrill.”

Owen’s friends are fascinated by her home puzzle library. They’re stunned when they learn she has an official JPAR score, the puzzling statistic based on the difficulty of competitors’ puzzles.

In contrast, by day two, Valladolid is no stranger to puzzle fever. In cafés and bars around the dome, patrons ignore drinks in favor of practice jigsaws.

A visitor can find puzzles everywhere, from the stones of the cathedral to the hexagons of the Millennium Dome to the rows of white tables where Owen and her nearly 200 fellow competitors wait for the final round to begin.

Ravensburger, the German company that manufactures the puzzles used by World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships, presents finalists with the world premiere of a brand-new puzzle. When the timer starts and Owen opens her bag, she is greeted with a never-before-seen 500-piece rendition of a row of pastel-colored doors.

As always, Owen begins with the border.

When Owen slots her final piece into place, just over one hour has passed. She has officially ranked among the top 50 fastest jigsaw puzzlers in the world.

When she first began competing, Owen worried too much puzzling would burn out her love for her favorite hobby.

But it only took one day after her return to Charlottesville before she was back at Shenanigans, selecting her next jigsaw puzzle.

“I would love to do more competitions,” Owen says. “I don’t have any more on my schedule at the moment, but I’m hoping to find more in-person competitions, along with virtual ones. … It’s a mental exercise for me. It’s meditative. It makes me feel good about myself.”

Two years ago, Brian Lindgren got hit by a car. He broke several bones, but the most important was his left pinky. Lindgren is a violist. He needs his left pinky. 

This was the summer of 2020, the height of the pandemic shutdown. Musicians were already struggling. Lindgren was heading into the final year of an M.F.A. at Brooklyn College in New York, and he wasn’t sure what would be waiting for him on the other side. In some desperation, he took a step he never thought he’d take: He applied to Ph.D. programs.

As a master’s student, Lindgren’s main project was to design and build an electronic viola. He’d first had the idea as an undergraduate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, but it had lain forgotten for over a decade, as Lindgren made a life for himself writing, performing, and producing music in New York City. He grew up playing the viola; he studied viola at Eastman; he loved the viola. But Eastman also introduced him to the world of electronic music. With electronic music, he says, you get to work with an “infinite sonic palette.” The world of electronic music also seemed more accessible, more open to experimentation, than the sometimes rarefied world of classical strings. But back then, he didn’t yet know how to combine these things he loved. 

At Brooklyn College, he found a way. “I was a hybrid person,” Lindgren says, “which can be very challenging in our assembly-line kind of world. But this program”—an M.F.A. in Sonic Arts—“was really geared towards musical explorers.” He took a class with Doug Geers, famous for his own technologically charged compositions, all about building electronic musical instruments. That first semester, he hacked together the first prototype of his new instrument. It was an a heavily modded acoustic viola, all black, with heavy white cables snaking out from the fingerboard and the new pickups he had constructed. Orange, green, blue, and white wires tangled around the tuning pegs. Lindgren describes it as “Borg-like.” This was EV 1, and it worked.

But he wasn’t satisfied, and he spent several semesters more in independent study with Geers, refining the concept. Another of his teachers challenged him: The music he was creating with his new instrument sounded just like something he could have created without the instrument, he said. What was he really trying to do here? (That teacher was Morton Subotnick, a pioneer in the world of electronic music and a co-inventor of one of the earliest analog synthesizers, so the challenge was one to take seriously.) He re-envisioned the instrument from the ground up. He learned CAD and circuit design. He experimented with ways of combining analog and digital sounds. He joined a long line of composers who invented instruments to achieve a sound no existing instrument could produce. In a mad dash at the end of his degree program, he finished EV 2, a sleek black wedge, like a viola’s fingerboard without a body, built from scratch on a 3D printer. 

Then he put it in a drawer. As he began his Ph.D. in composition and computer technologies at the University of Virginia last fall, he wanted to start with a blank slate. It was time to figure out what was next, and he wanted to open himself up to the opportunities the new environment would offer. But his passion for the instrument has continued to smolder. 

Lindgren’s pinky healed, thankfully, though it now has a permanent bend to it. The Telemetry Music Series, which showcases experimental sounds, provided Lindgren a few opportunities to perform this year—at The Bridge, at Old Cabell Hall, and even outside on the Downtown Mall. He’s slated to play this fall at a conference in North Carolina and a festival in Connecticut. He’s bursting with new ideas for composition.

As we talked, Lindgren sat in one of UVA’s makerspaces and the 3D printer hummed away behind him. EV 2.5 would be ready in three more days.

For such a small city, Charlottesville sure has an insane amount of celebrity connections. Ask any townie and you’ll hear so many conflicting tales it can be hard to sort fact from fiction. Take the late playwright Sam Shepard, who lived in Scottsville with Jessica Lange in the mid-’80s. Rumor has it he did his writing at The Virginian, got banned from Miller’s, and had a standing squad car ride home from Dürty Nelly’s. Here’s a breakdown of some more of our favorite celeb rumors buzzing around town.

Does Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson live in Charlottesville? 

Well, not quite. The wrestler-turned-actor actually owns a large farm in Orange County, about 30 minutes outside the city—and he’s there more often than you’d think. In 2019, Johnson tweeted that “the great state of Virginia has quietly become my home for years now,” and he and his family frequently visit the farm to “recharge, recalibrate, and reset.” Social media posts show Johnson fishing for bass, hanging with thoroughbreds, and working out in perhaps the greatest home gym to ever exist—talk about a staycation. Back in 2017, before Johnson’s home gym, aka the Iron Paradise, was built, he could be found pumping iron at the old Gold’s Gym, where he recorded a viral video of himself chatting with a few lucky fans who spotted him post-workout. 

Did Jennifer Aniston get married at Pippin Hill? 

In 2013, rumors began swirling on celeb gossip sites that Jennifer Aniston got married on the DL to then-fiancé Justin Theroux in a quickie wedding at Pippin Hill Farm & Winery. An elusive comment from a Pippin Hill employee at the time that neither confirmed nor denied the claim fueled gossip, and the unnamed tipster even claimed to know who the caterer was. Though the picturesque vineyard is certainly the perfect place for a private and exclusive celebrity wedding, turns out there’s no truth to this rumor. Jen and Justin actually tied the knot two years later in an intimate Malibu ceremony ordained by Jimmy Kimmel.

Russian royalty?

Does the name Anastasia Romanov sound familiar? You probably know the Russian Grand Duchess from the Disneyfied version of her story, as told in the 1997 film, Anastasia. Her real life is far more tragic. The youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Imperial Russia, Anastasia was murdered, along with her entire family, by a group of Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918. Rumors immediately began circulating that Anastasia had actually escaped the murder attempt and was in hiding. Two years later, a woman now known by the name Anna Anderson came forward and declared herself the lost grand duchess. Long story short, Anderson was actually a Polish woman who was institutionalized in a mental hospital in Berlin at the time she made her claims, and she would go on to become the world’s most notorious Anastasia imposter. With the help of her supporters, Anderson made her way to America, and in 1968 settled down in Charlottesville, where she married history professor J.E. “Jack” Manahan, and lived until her death in 1984. You can still visit her grave at the University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium—just look for the tombstone labeled H.I.H. Anastasia of Russia.

Did Tina Fey write Mean Girls about Western Albemarle High School? 

It’s common knowledge that the comedian and actress was at least partly inspired by her alma mater, UVA, when she wrote the Mean Girls script—the name Cady comes from her college roommate, Cady Garey. There’s also a lesser-known rumor that one of Fey’s old roommates (who still lives in Charlottesville) went to Western Albemarle, and the roommate’s tales of cliques at the local school are what partly inspired Fey. We’re not sure how well this word-of-mouth whisper holds up, especially when Fey has admitted to drawing from her own experiences as a mean girl, and from the nonfiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes. It would be so fetch if it were true, though.

John Freeman has found his home in the booth. 

The career play-by-play announcer and UVA grad returned to Charlottesville to become the “voice of the Cavaliers” for the men’s football and basketball teams last November. He’d been the primary commentator for several university sports—lacrosse and even some men’s basketball—years ago, but he’d never spoken for the football team.

Before coming back to Charlottesville, Freeman spent five years calling games for Nashville’s pro soccer club. This year will mark his first full season as UVA sports’ top broadcaster. Freeman recently talked to 434 about the move and what’s next.

434: How did you find out you’d gotten the biggest broadcasting gig at your alma mater?

John Freeman: It started rather chaotically. I got a call from my predecessor, Dave Koehn, on a Tuesday, and that Saturday I was calling a football game. I grew up in Crozet and listened to the Virginia Sports Radio Network my whole life, and in a four-day span, I would be calling a game on the network at Louisville. It all started with a one-game contract.

You’ve called a lot of sports over the years but not much football. Is it a challenge going to a new sport?

I guess. My career philosophy has been to never say no to anything. I called the Charlottesville Ten Miler one time from the back of a moving vehicle. We were just trying not to fall out. You really do learn broadcasting best when you’re doing it under pressure.

Do you have a favorite sport to call? 

I always say my favorite sport to call is the one in front of me. When I’m in football mode, my favorite sport is football. I just love broadcasting. If UVA wanted me to call tiddlywinks, I would enjoy it. As far as football and basketball, they are distinct. Football is a marathon—almost six hours of broadcasting when it’s said and done. And the booth for football is outdoors; if it’s going to be 95 degrees for the first game, that’s a physical toll when you‘re sitting there and talking loudly for five hours. Basketball, you can really lock in and get lost.

But football is a little slower, right?

You’d be surprised. There’s more to describe. If I have downtime, I talk about what song the band is playing, what color the sky is, what the cheerleaders are doing, the smell of grilled hot dogs in the air.

What does being the “voice of the Cavaliers” mean to you?

Growing up here, we would go to games and listen to the broadcast on the way home, so I’ve been listening to the Virginia Sports Radio Network ever since I was kid. I used to call games off friends’ video game systems. I would make little prep boards. Then in high school, I interned with [former “voice of the Cavaliers”] Mac McDonald the second I got my driver’s license. I went to Western Albemarle, and I would get up at 5 in the morning, when Mac hosted the sports report. I would be cutting audio by 6am.

What’s made you successful in this line of work?

I wasn’t born with golden pipes—nor do I have them now—and I’ve always been jealous of people that just have them. I would like to think my voice is palatable enough, but I think it’s meant I’ve had to rely more on vocabulary and pace, description and inflection. I‘ve had to work harder at those things.

Is there another step up for your career after this?

I don’t see anything that would be better than this. I get to call a national championship-caliber basketball team and an FBS football team. I don’t need another rung—I’m not sure if there is another rung. I’m not going to go to the Commanders in the NFL. This job is rewarding, and I’m part of the community. I get to represent a school that my parents went to, and the reward to me personally is so much greater.

What’s the outlook for the football and basketball teams this year?

Man, I’m completely biased. Two national championships and a Heisman Trophy? Honestly, I think for football, there are a lot of unknowns and a lot of knowns. The offense is going to be record-breaking when it comes to our quarterback [Brennan Armstrong]. If they can find themselves 2-0 or 3-0 and get some momentum under Tony Elliott, it could be a surprise season. The basketball team should be much-improved. I see no reason why they shouldn’t make the NCAA tournament. After growing up watching 15 and 15 UVA basketball teams, I’m still in a state of shock that we are now consistently ranked in the top 10.