By Bob Tagert

As I write Publishers Notes today, March 29th, the afternoon temperature is to reach 84. Spring has definitely arrived. There is a slight chance of rain this morning but clearing later. Last week we had a beautiful clear day and decided to flip a coin to see which way to drive for our Road Trip adventure. The coin flip said to head south-west…so that is what we did. We ventured to Skyline Drive for a leisurely, uncrowded Sunday drive from Thornton Gap to Front Royal. Read why now is a good time to visit this beautiful park along the Shenandoah Valley on pages 24 & 25.

Lots of other great reads in this issue. The following is a hint as to what we have covered this month.

The Business Profile is about Carol Supplee and her store Imagine Artwear. This was a bittersweet piece for me to pen since Carol will be closing her “brick and mortar” store soon. An upside for you shoppers is that everything is on sale now and there are some excellent buys on her high-end, one-of-a-kind clothing, accessories and merchandise. Stop by and give this classy woman a fond farewell.

In Personality Profile, Lani gets to know one of Alexandria’s newer creative talents as she profiles writer and producer Tess Banion…quite a talented lady.

In A Bit of History, Sarah Becker asks, “Is the Character of Our Nation In Jeopardy?” This is a great read about what history tells us that may indicate what we are in for in the next few years.

In Last Word, Miriam Kramer changes mediums and reviews one of Netflix’ new popular and controversial series as she steps into a violent world as she discusses Adolescence. It is getting a lot of press from several sides of the story.

With the nice weather rolling in, it is a great time to visit one of Virginia’s fine wineries. In Exploring VA Wines, Doug Fabboli explains the teamwork involved with a successful winery. In Grapevine, Matt Fitzsimmons lets us know the winner of the Annual Governor’s Cup and the winner didn’t come at a big surprise. You have read about the winner in these pages more than once. Matt also gives a rundown on the winners for this year’s Governor’s Case.

In Let’s Get Crafty, Tim Long takes us all out to the ballgame. Spring, baseball and beer! His whiskey and cigar pick’s this month are some really good ones as well.

We went back to an old favorite restaurant for Dining Out this month. Vaso’s Kitchen in North Old Town. Even though it has been a couple of years since we have visited, it felt like we had just been there yesterday. Some very sincere Greek hospitality and great food keep people coming back.

Chef Morel had a very busy month “personal cheffing” and couldn’t get his toque rounded up in time to meet the Let’s Eat deadline so he gave us permission to print a fantastic lamb shank recipe that Chef Charles Oppman wrote for us a few years back. I’m not a big fan of lamb but his version sounds pretty damn good.

In From the Bay, our own Lani Gering explains the year-round availability of oysters. In To the Blue Ridge, Julie Reardon lets you know about tailgating, spring Steeplechase and Point to Point races and antiquing as the grass turns bright green and flowers are popping from the ground and on trees.

Alex Brittel and crew have put together a great piece in the Caribbean Connection. Remember the popular Beach Boys hit Kokomo? Well…we learn about whether or not that’s where you want to go and I bet you do.

Rounding out the issue, Capt. Steve Chaconas gets back to the “Old School” ways of fishing in Go Fish. He talks about younger anglers and who are relying on technology and electronics and without them, most likely wouldn’t catch a thing.

Lori Welch Brown takes the gloves off and ventures into a confused and broken world, while remembering yesterday in Open Space and Lani Gering again writes about the new changes and the spectacular new technology that lights up the Capital Wheel in her National Harbor column. All of this and much more inside.

Want to also remind you that Earth Day 2025 is on the 22^nd. I feel like we all need to treat every day like it’s Earth Day. In these last few months in particular, it is amazing how much litter we have seen along our roadsides as we travel the DMV doing our monthly distribution. There are several activities taking place in the metro area and you can check local happenings by going to the Earth Day website at www.earthday.org.

The Old Town Annual House and Garden tour takes place this month as well. While I have never taken the tour myself, my flower loving friends say this is a local event not to be missed. Check the calendar for details.

I am going to close out by wishing all who celebrate Easter a very “Happy One” on the 20th! It is one of Lani’s favorite holidays and, yes, she still likes to get an Easter basket so….I am on it.