By Bob Tagert

Well, here we are again, another 30 days to pontificate what the world has been up to and to see what is in store for the future. Let’s hope we aren’t in another government shut down by the time this issue is in print. All we can do is follow the words of Little Orphan Annie and sing…the sun will come out tomorrow.

Moving on…according to the Weather Channel, 2025 is on track to be one of the hottest years in a long time, right behind the leader – 2024. I have hopes that they will miss the mark and that the October days and nights will be cooling off so we can ignite those fire features and sit around them with our jeans and jackets on and sip a beverage or two after a day of leaf peeping.

If leaf peeping isn’t your gig, you might want to consider a trip to the beach. October is a good time to do just that. No crowds, free parking, no lines at restaurants and still days warm enough to walk the shore line. Check out our recent visit to Rehoboth, Delaware in Road Trip.

October is Virginia Wine Month! We have supported our Commonwealth vintages for almost 35 years now. If you are a leaf peeper, you can tie in some stops at several great wineries during your drive. Matt Fitzsimmons highlights a few of them in Grapevine. The majority of winery/vineyard sales happen in the tasting room so please stop in, do a tasting, have a glass or two and pick up some bottles to go. Along that same vein, Doug Fabbioli applies some basic truths to wine making in his Exploring VA Wines column. One of them being “You can make bad wine from good grapes, but you can’t make good wine from bad grapes!”

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. In honor of it, please check out a bit of the history behind this celebration and how BreastCancer.org in tandem with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, located here in Old Town, are helping women and men who are fighting this disease cope and what you can do to help as well. There is an annual Pink Gala on the 17^th. Tickets are on sale now and selling out fast, check out the ad in this issue.

We asked Elizabeth Hughes to look into the workings of one of Alexandria’s premier organizations in support of women who are at risk – Together We Bake – and highlight them in Business Profile. In keeping with honoring women, Gallery Beat’s Lenny Campello continues his praise of The Ladies of the DMV On Exhibit in the area.

Lori Welch submitted another great Open Space collum as she fills us in on traveling solo abroad to Dublin, Ireland to attend an artist’s retreat. What loomed a bit daunting in the beginning blossomed into a once in a lifetime experience.

Local Alexandrian Brack Stovall filled in for Sarah Becker as he wrote the final chapter on “Colored Rosemont” in A Bit of History. A permanent Historical Marker has finally been erected where the last standing home from the era is located on Wythe Street.

We ventured out to Clarke County near Bluemont, VA for this month’s Dining Out experience. Be sure to see what the Horseshoe Curve Restaurant is all about. It is really close to Twin Oaks Tavern Winery and Bear Chase Brewery so you could hit all three in one day. Tim Long featured Bear Chase in a previous Let’s Get Crafty column. This month he expounds on the beers and bourbons he encountered on a trip to his wife’s alma mater, Ole Miss, in action against the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

In the Bay to the Blue Ridge section, Ryan Gullang tells us about all of the new “bells and whistles” available at the largest sailboat show in the US in Annapolis this month in From the Bay while Julie Reardon expands on the power of the corn maze in To the Blue Ridge. Heading a bit farther south, Guy Britton highlights the benefits of traveling to the British Virgin Islands in the “off season” in Caribbean Connection. He says it’s a good idea to head out now.

Regarding health and beauty, with the holiday season approaching this month, Nicole Flanagan gives us some good advice on staying the course in Fitness. In From the Trainer, Ryan Unverzagt explains the many benefits of Bodyweight Training and Kim Putens gives some stellar advice on the ins and outs of keeping lipstick long lasting.

All of this and much more awaits inside the following pages, however this is probably the first year that we haven’t published a Halloween piece in an October issue. I am starting to feel a little guilty since I know many people who literally LOVE the holiday. That is why I sign off with this photo of two jack-o-lanterns and my message to say Have a Happy Halloween and tell you not to do anything that I wouldn’t do…Bob