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By Wendy Gooditis Every time my husband and I go somewhere nice, we fantasize about buying a house there as a getaway. Our vacation-home fantasies have taken the form of weathered-gray, old-fashioned beach houses, ginger-bready Victorian cottages on a lake or river, sleek little condos near ski resorts — just to name a few. But […]
By Jess Clawson This month concludes a series on the history of vocational and technical education in the U.S. This installment focuses on the evolution of vocational education during the Progressive Era and current developments. Jess Clawson has a Ph.D. in education history from the University of Florida. “When I went through school and graduated […]
Story and photos by Claire Stuart In Colonial America and during the settlement of the west, “the blacksmith shop was the hardware store of the day,” says blacksmith Phil Travis, who teaches a series of classes in this vital traditional craft. He explains that the town blacksmith made all the essential tools (and tools for […]
Digital Overexposure and Cultivating Stability by JiJi Russell As screen technologies rapidly expand, and indeed dominate, so many aspects of our society today, I invite you to consider the following perspective offered by wellness professional Dr. Brian Luke Seaward: “In a culture defined by short attention spans, training your mind to focus on one thing […]
By Maral S. Kalbian, Clarke County resident Photo courtesy of Michael Hobert On Thursday, March 31, Clarke County lost our well-loved and highly dedicated journalist, Val Van Meter. Even though she wasn’t from Clarke County and didn’t even reside here, Val’s service to this community was an important part of Clarke County history. Val […]
15 Rhythm Future Quartet Barns of Rose Hill. 95 Chalmers Court. Berryville. The acoustic jazz ensemble, Rhythm Future Quartet, has a straightforward agenda: to keep the spirit of Gypsy jazz alive and expanding in today’s musical universe. The virtuosic foursome, named for a Django Reinhardt tune, offers up a newly minted sound, influenced by […]
By Karen Cifala I didn’t realize this, but like most people I tend to interchange the words Dementia and Alzheimer’s, when in fact there are nine different types of dementia — Alzheimer’s is one of them. Dementia is a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities that are severe enough that they […]
As we enter the final throws of the Presidential primary season, one in which televised debates and commercials lost the G-rating for family viewing long ago, we can’t help but observe how the breakdown in manners and civility now permeates public life and, sadly, sometimes interactions among neighbors that often take place entirely in the […]
Pony Club teaches youth horsemanship, responsibility, teamwork By Jess Clawson Youth in Clarke County and the surrounding areas are working together to learn about good horsemanship and support Clarke County land conservation through the Blue Ridge Hunt Pony Club. BRHPC is a branch of the United States Pony Club (USPC), a national organization for youth […]