Look who found the photo op spot at the Cape May Ferry Dock! As I write my notes for this issue the weather today is a very pleasant mid 60’s. A few weeks ago we had temps in the high 70s and low 80s. I guess that was Mother Nature finding her summer footing. May is widely known as the peak spring month in the northern hemisphere, characterized by blooming flowers, warmer weather, and the start of the summer vacation season. It is heavily recognized for honoring mothers (Mother’s Day), military service (Memorial Day), and labor (May Day), while also serving as a major month for health awareness. We also celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5th. Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. We continue to support our Mexican friends by doing our share of consuming tacos with a few margarita’s on the side. Putting together our plan for Cinco de Mayo 2026 now! On Memorial Day (May 25), we pay tribute to America’s heroes and celebrate the start of summer with many events during Memorial Day Weekend throughout America. In the D.C. area we have the Memorial Day parade and National Memorial Day Concert. This is a great time to visit the many National Memorials throughout the area. Check out the feature on the history of this day in this issue. We want to say congratulations to Don and Jenny Restrepo of Old Town Shoe & Luggage fame on 30 years of repairing shoes and luggage here in Old Town. We have known them from the beginning. See the Business Profile for some more insight to their success. In A Bit of History this month, Sarah Becker reminds us of the…
By Bob Tagert As I write these publisher’s notes today on March 28, in major sections of America there are No Kings demonstrations going on to protest our current president and administration. There is a protest here in Alexandria on north bound Route 1 near Potomac Yards. Being a full supporter of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, I commend those who are taking the time to let others know how they feel. We can only hope the message gets through to those who need to hear it. We celebrate Easter early this month on the 5th, Earth Day on the 22nd and Arbor Day on the 24th. After we finish off the contents of our Easter Baskets, it’s time to celebrate Mother Earth on Earth Day 2026. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. I remember going to the mall in Washington, D.C. to join the early celebrations and John Denver was usually there to entertain. To learn more about Earth Day, read Sarah Beckers A Bit of History column. There is still cause to worry about the future of our planet today. Right on the heels of Earth Day is Arbor Day. This is a day that probably goes unnoticed by the majority of our population. Celebrated on the last Friday of April, the first Arbor Day occurred on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It’s estimated that nearly one million trees were planted on this day. By 1885, Arbor Day had become a legal holiday in Nebraska. On that day, thousands of Nebraska City citizens turned out for one big party, including 1,000 schoolchildren who formed a parade. Within 20 years of its creation, the holiday was celebrated in every American state except Delaware, which eventually joined in. One of the traditions has been to plant a…
Pictured above: Former Alexandrian, L’Auberge Provencale’s Drew Chaney and the author on the porch of the Inn and Restaurant. As I sit here and pen these notes, the former 10-foot stack of snow/ice left over from the mess Mother Nature dealt us earlier in February is down to a mere 4 feet. Woot! I don’t have a Farmers Almanac so no clue what is on the horizon for this month but sure hope it’s on the upswing. I have seen a few signs of life where crocus and snow drops were brave enough to pop up in the snow. Bring on the tulips. I get a good amount of grief from my partner/quasi editor about my Publishers Notes writing style but I like to give you a heads up on some of what you can expect to see on the next 47 pages. This March recap: What is in a name? Find out this month in the Business Profile as the popular store at 915 King street, Ten Thousand Villages, rebranded themselves late last month changing their name to The World Crafted on King. It remains an organization driven with a passion for fair trade but with a more locally owned flair. In A Bit of History Sarah Becker writes that although we have come a long way in civil and personal rights…she wonders out loud…have we really? In Last Word, Miriam Kramer reviews Victorian Crimes in a London Fog. The author weaves his memorable characters together with occasional super natural touches. In Gallery Beat, Lenny Campello congratulates Artists and Makers Studios for 11 years in business and the National Gallery of Art had an open call for local folks. In From the Bay, Lani Gering writes about our favorite band and friends, the Eastport Oyster Boys, as they celebrate…
As I sit here mid-afternoon in the last week of January, we have already hit the high temperature of the day – 26 degrees at noon. This has been a cold brutal week and if the weather experts are right, isn’t going to get above 38 going well into February. My hopes that, at some point this month, we have more moderate temps. Seems like Mother Nature has given Jack Frost custody of the DMV. On a “warmer” note, we think we have a pretty decent issue for you this month. We celebrate Black History and Alexandria has several activities taking place celebrating all month long. In addition to those celebrations, we have President’s Day on the 16th and the George Washington Parade and Valentine’s Day taking place in tandem on the 14th. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday on the 17th. I don’t really go crazy with it but I know several who love it more than Cinco de Mayo. Guess it depends on whether you like Hurricane’s or Margarita’s better! Our Special Feature this month is “Why we celebrate Presidents Day” which began with the celebration of George Washington, our very first president. It is always a pleasure to introduce a new business to our readers in our Business Profile. The fragrance experts at Arielle Shoshana: Your Perfume Playground are looking forward to creating your personal scents and introducing you to the nuances of fragrance. In A bit of History, Sarah Becker illuminates Abraham Lincoln and his contributions to our nation. In today’s political environment, this is a very pleasant and refreshing commentary. Enjoy. In Financial Focus, our buddy Carl Trevison explains the tolls for financial fitness. In Gallery Beat, Lenny Campello laments about failed art fairs in the DMV but…
Pictured Above: Bob, Lani and Dave in the late 1990’s. Photo by Chester Simpson Well, here it is, New Years Eve 2025 with 2026 rolling right in. It is dark out and we are still trying to get this new issue to the printer. By the time you read this you will already know we were a few days late. This January, we begin our 38th year of bringing the Old Town Crier to readers literally “From the Bay to the Blue Ridge”. It seems like just yesterday that David Underwood and I started the Crier. We had grand ideas…and little know how. However, it all worked out with a LOT of help from our friends. Dave was a fantastic traditional graphic artist and he took on the role of learning that new technology…the personal computer. He was responsible for the majority of the layout each month and we started with dry mounting print galleys to paper “boards”. If you want some clarification on that process, give us a call and we can run you through it! We did our first layout in Dave’s dining room and we made a mess. We were lucky enough to procure office space on North Henry Street and moved the production there. It was very time consuming to say the least and required a decent amount of space and several pieces of equipment. Today, our designer, the talented Erin Koons, puts the pieces of the puzzle together digitally in her home after Lani “supplies” her with the text and some of the images. All done remotely with smart phones and laptops from our apartment that serves as the “office” or anywhere we might be that has access to wifi. A short time after that first issue hit the streets, we got a call at…
By Bob Tagert The holidays have rolled around. Hard to believe I am penning my last publishers notes of the 2025. This is another milestone for us, as we started the Old Town Crier in January of 1988, thus now celebrating our 38th year. Seems like yesterday but I sure look a lot older. Hopefully, like a fine wine, we have improved with age. In keeping with the theme, we did just that and embarked on our Road Trip adventure by walking right out our front door. Old Town is a very special place to be during the holidays and it is nice to call it home. Outlining this issue: Holiday Features – Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Probably the latter since there are way more than one holiday that is celebrated during the season. Lani Gering highlights a few in this space. Joining in in this section is one of our honorary owners and a huge part of the soul of the Old Town Crier, Frances Killpatrick, as she gives us her take on Christmas Calories – A Holiday Fantasy. I actually believe every word of her missive. Folks, this woman can write! Love ya Frances! A Bit of History – Sarah Becker looks at the real-world relationship of politics, religion and personalities as they relate to the holidays with a Q & A with another local historian, Brack Stovall. It is an interesting read for this point in time. Arts and Entertainment – Gallery Beat columnist Lenny Campello heads to warm Miami to report on Aqua Art Miami…it is part of the Annual Art Basel Week Miami that is one of Lenny’s favorite shows. Ron Powers takes us back to one of the most popular songs in 1968, Mony Mony by Tommie James and the Shondells as he…
By Bob Tagert As our summertime heat has tumbled into fall, the drop in temperatures has been a welcome change but …whoa, not so fast. Let me wear a few long-sleeved shirts before I need to dig into the sweaters and jackets. Maybe my old body has caught up to my adolescent mind. Like my favorite sweatshirt says…” I just want to go sailing, and ignore all of my Old Man problems!” I guess I’m whining… We celebrate Veteran’s Day on the 11th and Thanksgiving on the 27th and some of our writers incorporated those themes in their columns. A Bit of History writer, Sarah Becker is back at the keyboard after a couple of months well deserved hiatus with her column highlighting the origins of Veteran’s Day and the impact it has had on us over the years. Thanksgiving sparked a bit more participation. In Let’s Get Crafty, Tim Long remembers when the family got together and he was the youngest of the clan. He got the couch every time. Tim also reveals why he looks forward to Thanksgiving Eve rather than Thanksgiving Day – it’s in the beer. In Let’s Eat, Charles Oppman shows how to repurpose some of that leftover turkey into some gumbo. We’ve got to try this! We wanted to cover something that said Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day for the Dining Out column and the closest we could come in Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant. George and the soldiers are technically Veterans and some of the dishes they serve were maybe served at Thanksgiving back in the day…it’s a stretch but it was a very good experience. I think many locals think of it as a “tourist” trap but that is not the case. I have to admit this was only the 2nd or 3rd time in…
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,…
By Bob Tagert As we head into the final months of 2025, the heat has begun to leave as temps in the high 70s, low 80s are becoming the norm. It has been a blistering summer, but fall is on the way. To escape the heat, we headed south to the Virginia mountains and Love Ridge Mountain Lodging to do the R&D for Road Trip. With fall approaching, a slow drive down Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway may be the perfect fall escape. HINT: Don’t go on the weekend when leaf peeping is in full tilt. We haven’t published a real “themed” issue for quite some time but decided to give a little extra ink to those Senior Citizens among us, myself included. We corroborated with Carolyn Worthington, the force behind Healthy Aging® Month and she provided us with some great information for seniors in our Special Feature “Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself”. In Business Profile, Lauren Davis writes about “A Compassionate Guide at Life’s Edge” – lessons we all should learn as we have loved ones who are moving on from this life. Elizabeth Hughes interviewed our good friends and two of Alexandria’s best, Kathy and Bob Condon, in Personality Profile, as they let us in on some of their secrets for growing older with zest! From the Trainer’s, Ryan Unverzagt writes about something we all need to understand…balance. At 78 years old, this is a subject that is dear to my future. Every month Ryan brings a great focus on our diminishing physical capabilities. Here is a partial round-up of more that awaits you in this issue: If your political anxiety is peaking, read Miriam Kramer’s review of Fever Beach in Last Word and relieve some of that stress. In To the Blue Ridge, Julie Reardon…
By Bob Tagert Here it is, the middle of summer and it sure is hot! The air temperatures have consistently been in the mid to upper 90’s and there are days that the humidity is back to the norm of 30 years ago here in NoVA. You may pick up on a bit of a theme going into this issue as we are trying to keep it “cool”. Probably our best effort is taking you on a Road Trip to the subterrestrial world of Luray Caverns located in the Shenandoah Valley in Luray, Virginia. This is a worthwhile discovery for all ages. It is truly another world and worth the drive. Think about strolling among stalactites and stalagmites for an hour or so in 54-degree temps. Very cool… A bit closer to home we thought featuring Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream here in Old Town in the Dining Out column was only appropriate since at least you can keep yourself “cool” on the inside with a scoop or two. We also list the other ice cream/custard/gelato centric businesses in Old Town proper in tandem with the column. In Business Profile we welcome a new contributor, Elizabeth Hughes. She comes to us with an extensive background in entertainment journalism in conjunction with editing in national, regional, and community publications. We are looking forward to more contributions from her. Elizabeth profiles the shops participating in the annual Sidewalk Sale this month (see calendar for details). Make sure you tell them that the Old Town Crier sent you when you are out there getting all of the good deals. In From the Bay, we are happy to spotlight (no pun intended) Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, one of the most visible (pun intended) landmarks in the Chesapeake Bay just south of Annapolis. Our thanks…
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