Entries by vaobserver

Beating Back The Dam

The seldom told story of an idea to flood Clarke County by building a chain of dams along the Shenandoah and Potomac By Colleen Lentile Imagine driving through Berryville or Boyce and instead of seeing the vast, beautiful countryside speckled with farms and historic landmarks, you see water. Lots of water that covered acres of […]

Surround Sound at Sono Luminus

by Jennifer Lee Sitting in Daniel Shores’ office chair and listening to a recording made at Sono Luminus studio in Boyce is like seeing a 3-D movie for the first time. Seven precisely placed speakers articulate a depth and clarity of sound that transforms the listener to a cathedral filled with the enveloping sonic experience […]

Artful Innovation In The Village

A Visit to Duvall Designs Gallery by Jennifer Lee Contemporary art and modern furniture displayed in a cabin over two centuries old creates a distinctive congruence of form and function at the Duvall Designs Gallery in Millwood. Husband and wife Jay and Peggy Duvall opened the gallery in September 2012, and in just a year […]

Community News: CCHS Class of ’63

Dispatch from Class of ‘63 By Alice Hummer The class of 1963 celebrates 50 years since graduating from Clarke County High School. The Class Reunion celebration and dinner will be on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 6:00 pm at John H. Enders Fire Hall. To kick the day off, the class will be touring the […]

Orange Dogs Fly North

Orange Dogs Fly North By Doug Pifer On the last day of the art workshop I was leading, where a year ago I saw my first Hickory Horned Devil, I saw another rare insect. A giant swallowtail, a wanderer from the south, came sailing in to quench its thirst in the wet mud next to […]

Around Clarke County, July-August ’13

July 15 Seeing Trees Nature Camp July 15–19. Blandy Experimental Farm, Boyce. 9am–noon. For children in grades 2 to 4. Outdoor exploration, observation, crafts, and more! $90 for FOSA members; $100 non-members. Register on-line at www.blandy.virginia.edu or call 837-1758, ext. 224. 15 Explore and Discover Nature Walk at CraftWorks Join master birder Joette Borzik for […]

Bar C Ranch On Tour

Bar C Ranch On Tour By Annie Young Farms are teeming with life. It’s partly why people are drawn to them. People love the idea of places where life is sprouting up, growing and crowing all around us. Bar C Ranch is overflowing with a huge diversity of life. I challenge anyone to find a […]

Cheryl Ash: Positive Powerhouse

Cheryl Ash: Positive Powerhouse by JiJi Russell Spending some time with Cheryl Ash is to experience a balance of opposites: She’s sophisticated yet folksy; bohemian but fully grounded; confident yet self-effacing. When I sat down with her at the Barns of Rose Hill on a recent Saturday afternoon, she gave me the impression that she’s […]

Down On Main Street

Joyce Badanes: The Art of Making Art   Fiber artist Joyce Badanes will be demonstrating one of the more interesting ways to create pattern on silk scarves using three  Japanese shibori techniques on Saturday, July 20th from noon till 2pm at Berryville Main Street’s Fire House Gallery. Badanes has mastered many types of fiber art […]