By Bob Tagert

Well here we are folks, starting another year of bringing you the Old Town Crier Regional Magazine with information of not only Alexandria but also info from the “Bay to the Blue Ridge”. In the beginning, with the personal computer in its infancy, we had to send our articles to Pica and Points, a new business in Old Town that set the type into galleys (think one long strip of one column of a newspaper article) that we then separated into columns and pasted down on huge boards (large pieces of heavy paper stock) that we took to our printer for processing into the final product. Ads were designed by hand using exacto knives and preprinted graphics. It was a pretty complicated process compared to what we do today but it definitely was a labor of love. Today, it is pretty much all done digitally including the transfer of all documents. It is comforting to know that if all hell breaks loose and we lose our digital capabilities, we could carry on if we could get our hands on a correcting Selectric typewriter and a waxing machine (get in touch with us if you want me to explain that “gadget”.)

The computers and digital world have made the production and the printing of the Crier each month a lot easier and it has also allowed for more print competition. We have managed to put out an edition every month for the last 37 years including the year of the pandemic – the OTC is the only local publication of its kind to continue to print. This January issue is our 444th edition. I hope that you enjoy it!

Let’s take a look at what is in store in this issue. For the last several years we have used these pages to recap where we went on our monthly Road Trips and looking back on 2024, we sure did have some fun experiencing some new places and revisiting some old favorites. Speaking of favorite places, the Caribbean Journal Staff partners provided a look at the 11th annual edition of the Caribbean Travel Awards in Caribbean Connection. It is getting colder…might be a good time to book a fight to the islands and there are lots of fabulous places to pick from.

We have been writing about the evolution of Virginia wines since day one and Exploring VA Wine’s Doug Fabbioli asks the question…”Who’s making your wine?”. In Grapevine, Matthew Fitzsimmons explores the 2024 Virginia vintage year as well as other high points. Tim Long addresses the age-old question “What came first, the bread or the beer?” in Let’s Get Crafty. You can ponder this along with him with a shot of Baby Jane Bourbon and a Rocky Patel in hand.

Chef Glenn Morel provides his technique for putting together the “Ultimate” Beef Wellington in his Let’s Eat column. It is a bit of a process but well worth the effort especially if want to impress a guest. Dining Out took on a bit of a different vent by highlighting our amazing restaurant advertisers. Restaurants have been a major part of the backbone of the OTC over the years. Landini Brothers, The Fish Market and Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub have had an ad in all of the aforementioned 444 issues!

It is cold in Hunt Country with not too much going on so Julie Reardon decided to do something a bit different and write about the “2024 Word of the Year” in her To the Blue Ridge column. Molly Winans provided her annual “Frostbite Sailing” piece in From the Bay. Being a sailor myself and having had to sail in some pretty cool temps, I don’t really see the attraction to intentionally freezing your face off but several of my die-hard sailing pals live for it.

The Arts and Entertainment section is host to Lenny Campello’s Gallery Beat as he writes that his proposal for a Women Artists of the DMV Show in 2023 is actually coming to fruition in September of 2025. Way to go Lenny! In Last Word, Miriam Kramer reviews American Dirt, a popular book about the migrants struggle in America. Mark Edelman outlines what live theater is doing during the month in On Stage while Ron Powers reviews “The Adults Are Talking” by The Strokes in High Notes. I may just have to take a listen on this one.

In this age of Big Pharm, Sarah Becker writes about the beginnings of the Alexandria apothecary shop and National Pharmacist Day in A Bit of History. In Open Space Lori Welch Brown takes a humorous look at how to view January in her popular Open Space column. In Fitness Nicole gives her Annual New Year Resolution Pep Talk and Genvieve LeFranc gives us some tips on how to save $$ on beauty products. This and much more await in these 48 pages.

I toast each and every one of you who take the time to read us each month and welcome to those who are new to the game. Wishing you all the best in the New Year!