By Timothy Long “When out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter, I spang from my bed to see what was the matter.” These words from Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, almost applied to the situation, but not quite. It was not the night before Christmas; it was Thanksgiving morning. And I was not in bed. I was on a couch in my parent’s rec room. This is where you ended up when you were the youngest child and you came home for the holidays. The fact that you’re 24 years old doesn’t matter at all. You got the couch. I can still hear my mother on the phone with anyone who was coming to visit, “Oh, it’s fine. You can have the spare bedroom. Timmy can sleep on the couch.” That statement ruled my childhood. You see, I was not only the youngest sibling. I was the youngest of all the cousins on my father’s side of the family. So, if anyone came to visit, for any occasion, I was condemned to sleep on the couch. And the clatter was not St. Nicholas. That noise would have been welcomed. It was my two oldest nephews playing “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots”. Not only was the two-robot battle loud, but the accusations of cheating had begun to fly. Sibling rivalry can be vicious and noisy. I glanced at my watch. It was eight o’clock in the morning. I had been asleep for approximately four hours. At this point in my life, I looked forward more to Thanksgiving Eve than Thanksgiving Day itself. Thanksgiving Eve was then, and remains today, the biggest bar night of the year. And this one had not been disappointing. It had been a long night of debauchery with cousins and…
Pictured above: “Stories From My Soul”, Mixed Media, 2025 by Dianne Bugash By Kevin Mellema Exclusive breaking art news. We can now report that the mammoth “Women Artists of the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) Survey Show” is adding yet another venue to the list. Namely, the Falls Church Arts gallery. Founded in 2003, they have been quietly growing, and gaining strength, with multiple moves along the way. Now occupying the ground floor gallery space at 700-B West Broad St., in the Kensington Building, in of course the heart of Falls Church City. With this show, they formally step out of the local and onto the greater DC area arts scene. Getting back to the show…The “Women Artists of the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) Survey Show” has surpassed all expectations, hopes, and fantastical imaginations. It’s blown past the 600 artists exhibited mark, and now resides alone at the top of the mountain. Nobody can recall anything of this scale on the D.C art scene, and with good reason. It’s now considered the largest curated fine arts show in American history. The glass ceiling broke on this puppy a long time ago. We’re in volcanic eruption territory. More like an entire side of the mountain is now missing. The brainchild of Lenny Campello (this column’s regular author) has suddenly found himself lashed to the front of a runaway train that somehow keeps getting cars and passengers added onto it. It’s tempting to call Lenny the ‘Genghis Khan of the DC art scene’, but he didn’t exactly set out to be the unifying leader conjoining 19 disparate fiefdoms into one all-consuming art attack. Rather, it happened organically. Mind you, this didn’t exactly materialize out of the ether either. It’s a bit of a layered story and involves a handful of key factors. Firstly, we should point out that Lenny…
By Doug Fabbioli As the leaves are turning colors and the outdoor temperatures are dipping downward, many people start thinking about the ever-growing holiday season. Seasonal decorations are appearing in the stores and economic talking heads are discussing the latest predictions of how people will spend their hard-earned money this season. I want to promote the idea of gifting and sharing locally grown and crafted wines with your family and friends. Our industry continues to work, learn and grow to create high quality wines for you and your loved ones to enjoy. A full-bodied red wine may be appropriate for your Uncle, while a bright and fruity sparkling wine may be appropriate for a family care giver. In addition to those wines, many wineries are making fruit wines, port style wines, ciders and dynamic white wines as well. Local wineries and wine shops are looking forward to helping you make your selections for the season celebrations and gifts. If you are having a celebration, consider serving local wines to your guests. Picking a few wines that are special to you and telling the story of why you made your choices makes it even more special. Some folks may work at or own businesses that give gifts to clients or staff. Some wineries will help to create custom labels for a wine to enhance your gift. There may be a bonus to buying wine in quantity so ask your seller if they offer discounts. Wine is not the only local holiday item you can buy for your loved ones. Some may be food related, some are artistic, some may be very functional and some items might be just darn silly. The magic happens when you see the person you are buying for in the item that you are purchasing! Many crafters are…
By the Gastronomes For those of us who live in Alexandria and particularly Old Town, we are aware of all of the beauty and history that surrounds us. However, sometimes we just don’t take advantage of some of those historical places that also serve a vital function. I have lived in the Old Town area since 1977 and have only dined at Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant once or twice. It is more than a historic attraction, it is an everyday go-to restaurant. Over the last forty some years I have developed my favorite restaurants and watering holes, but Gadsby’s never enters my mind. However, seeking somewhere steeped in tradition for this column, we decided we would make a return visit to this elegant building on 138 North Royal Street and have a nice lunch. We did make reservations and were a bit early but got seated immediately. We are glad we did, as the dining room was filling up fast for a Thursday at noon. To set the stage for your experience, here is a bit of history for you: Founded as a seaport in 1749, Alexandria has always greeted visitors from near and far. Taverns, like Gadsby’s, provided travelers with much needed rest, food and drink, the latest news, a place to make business deals and to hold political discussions, and a variety of entertainment. The site known as Gadsby’s Tavern consists of two buildings, a circa 1785 Tavern and the 1792 City Hotel. Named after Englishman John Gadsby, an entrepreneur who leased the buildings and operated them as tavern keeper from 1796 until 1808, the tavern and hotel were the center of Alexandria’s economic, political, and social life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The buildings were threatened with demolition in the19th century, however, American Legion Post…
It has long been a dream of mine to celebrate one of the major winter holidays in the Caribbean or any tropical locale for that matter. I have celebrated Christmas oceanside in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware but it isn’t exactly the same sitting on my sand mat with palm trees behind me and an umbrella drink in my hand. This month Alex and his crew have supplied us with some fabulous information about the remote Seiri del Mar in Belize and how to celebrate Thanksgiving in Punta Cana and a Winter Festival in Cancun. Time might be short to book for this year but it certainly gives you plenty of time to plan for 2026. – Lani Gering Why This Beach Resort Is One of the Best-Kept Secrets in Belize By Alexander Britell and Guy Britton The beach at the Seiri del Mar resort in Belize. The moment you arrive in Hopkins you know you’ve found it. You rumble down the dirt road, past the beach shacks and the palm trees, just ahead of the creek. Hopkins, set in the eastern middle of this spectacular country, is one of those beach towns you fall in love with instantly, one of those places you can’t imagine even exists anymore. It’s a place of cold beers, uncrowded sand, friendly smiles and the sense that you’ve escaped the world, or somehow transcended it. And it’s also home to one of the country’s best-kept secrets: Seiri Del Mar. Whether you’re on the main drag, hanging at the Driftwood, or paddling to nearby Kalipuna Island, the is the sort of place you want to live while you’re here. And at this 18-unit residential resort, that’s exactly what you get: a luxurious, easy, comfortable beachfront resort with huge rooms, direct access to the access to the sand and one of the best…
By Barbara Leary On a Saturday inside the Cornerstone Craftsman workshop, a group of Alexandria teens is finishing the seams on the drywall sheets they hung earlier. Under Lead Instructor Rene Merino’s watchful eye, they take turns applying the mud and setting the tape, smoothing the rough edges to create a foundation for what will come next. It’s a metaphor for the work of Cornerstone Craftsman, the early-stage Alexandria nonprofit organization recently recognized as the 2025 “Rising Star” at the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s Best in Business Awards. The brainchild of Executive Director Roberto Gomez, Cornerstone Craftsman works with youth from low-income backgrounds to smooth their rough edges and help them acquire the foundational skills for stable, rewarding careers in the building trades. Through its innovative pre-apprenticeship program, which combines technical instruction and hands-on learning with mentoring and support services, the organization is on a mission to break the cycle of generational poverty. As the Rising Star award demonstrates, the community is taking note. “It’s more than an award,” says Gomez. “It’s the business community saying that these young people matter, that they are the future of our workforce. That belief in the kids, and our mission, makes the Chamber’s recognition especially meaningful.” An Idea Whose Time Is Now That mission aligns with a workforce need that is growing more urgent. A recent survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America found that 94% of contractors are finding it difficult to fill open positions. Meanwhile, young people are rethinking what success looks like after high school. As they weigh the rising cost of college and the threat of AI-driven job disruption, more of them are turning to technical education programs as a result, and for good reason: The trades offer stable, living wages and ample opportunities for growth. “All…
7th – 9th Alexandria Film Festival 12 pm – 11 pm Now in its 19th year, the Alexandria Film Festival brings independent films of all genres to the city of Alexandria through its signature, multi-day festival of screenings and Q&A panels with filmmakers. Beginning November 2 and continuing November 7-9, the festival will offer 60 feature-length and short films in venues across the city including Patagonia Old Town, Charles E. Beatley Library, the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, and Virginia Tech’s Alexandria campus. Following the screenings, film directors, producers, and actors in attendance will discuss their films and answer audience questions. The festival’s full program and tickets are available now at AFFfilmsthatmatter2025.eventive.org. Through December 31st Lives Bound Together – Slavery at Mount Vernon Recurring daily 9 am – 5 pm George Washington’s Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway Explore the lives of the 317 enslaved people who lived and worked at Mount Vernon in new exhibit. Discover how they formed families, built tight-knit communities, earned a living, and acquired personal possessions. Uncover the voices of the enslaved through ancestral histories and recently-excavated archaeological artifacts. Learn about the legacy of Washington’s decision in his will to free those enslaved to him—the only founding father to do so. 703-780-2000, mountvernon.org Through December 31st Union Navy Exhibition Open Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site 4301 W. Braddock Road A new exhibition, “Aboard Ship with the Jack-Tars of the Union Navy,” opened October 2nd. The theme focuses on the U.S. Navy during the Civil War, and is being held in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy on October 13, 1775. The Federal Navy, which began as a small and unprepared force at the outbreak of the Civil War, quickly expanded to succeed in blockading over 3,500…
By Sarah Becker ©2025 Wrote poet Walt Whitman in 1867 in Old War Dreams: In midnight sleep of many a face of anguish, Of the look at first of the mortally wounded (of that indescribable look,) Of the dead on their backs, with arms extended wide, I dream, I dream, I dream… …Long have they pass’d, faces and trenches and fields.” Unlike the Civil War, World War I is referred to as ‘The Great War’…”the [global] war to end all wars.” WWI ceased temporarily on November 11, 1918, terminated as per the terms of the June 28,1919, Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty was signed in France, in the Palace of Versailles. ”It was President Woodrow Wilson [1913-1921, VA-D] who first proclaimed Armistice Day on November 11, 1919. Said President Wilson in November 1919: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…” The 1919 celebration was a day observed with parades, public meetings and a brief suspension of business. An Act, approved on May 13, 1938, [52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a)] declared November 11th not only a legal holiday-but also a Day to honor WWI veterans and further promote the cause of peace and justice. The title Secretary of War was abolished; changed to Secretary of Defense in 1947 [The National Security Act of 1947]. If only Trump’s self-described Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, a 2003 Princeton University graduate with a degree in politics, understood Congress’ 20th century changes Said Virginia Military Institute graduate…
By Miriam R. Kramer This column from May 2018 reveals the accurate warning signs former FBI Director James Comey saw in his dealings with President Trump during his first administration. Comey was indicted last month on charges of making false statements to Congress, the result of President Trump’s pressure to punish him for his refusal to play by Trump’s rules. Comey’s lawyers argued that President Trump had been pressuring the Justice Department for years to exact retribution again him, going against all legal and presidential norms while violating Comey’s right to freedom of speech. He pleaded not guilty in October 2025 to one count of false statements and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding in relation to his 2020 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Perhaps in light of today’s surreal atmosphere of eroding democracy, the column below seems quaint in Comey’s wish to live up to his ideals. I hope it is not. I hope that as the president’s urge to smash constitutional rights continues, a good portion of the American public will stand up for those norms and rights that belong to the democracy we live in, and unify in seeking to retain them. [Article below edited for length.] In his fascinating memoir and treatise on leadership, A Higher Loyalty, former FBI Director James Comey discusses his trajectory in government service up until he unwillingly became a political lightning rod during and after the most bitterly contested and partisan presidential election in modern American politics. Comey became one of the best-known names in America before the 2016 elections, when he announced in late October that the FBI was re-opening an investigation into Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server for classified documents. Incurring the wrath of Democrats for potentially swinging the election towards President…
By Ron Powers In 1973, Faces offered one of their most tender and enduring works with the title track “Ooh La La.” Co-written by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood, the song closed out what would become the band’s final studio album. Because neither Rod Stewart nor Lane felt their own vocal takes did justice to the song, producer Glyn Johns famously tapped Wood for lead vocal: An unusually personal turn for the guitarist and a choice that would define the track’s emotional resonance. With its simple acoustic frame, wistful melody, and reflective lyrics about regret and learning too late, “Ooh La La” transcended its era. Though it wasn’t a chart juggernaut, the song found renewed life over the decades: cited among the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” and woven into films, covers, and the enduring legacy of Faces’ bittersweet swan song. Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood get the song going with their acoustic guitars, employing a simple two-chord progression along with a lead line foreshadowing the song’s central hook. After the acoustic guitars lay down a folksy and nostalgic emotional base, Wood sings the first verse while using no vocal effects. This creates an up close and intimate feeling and complements lyrics that feature Wood telling a story about his grandfather giving him advice about relationships. Kick drum taps are also heard here and there throughout the beginning of the verse and finally give way to a beat composed of shaker, bass drum, and rimshots. As these musical and lyrical elements weave together, Faces set the stage for a seamless transition to the classic singalong chorus of “Ooh La La”. For the chorus we hear Wood sing out the lines “I wish that I knew what I know now / When I was younger / I wish that I…
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