By Bob Tagert As I sit here the day after Thanksgiving and write these December Publishers Notes, I find myself getting into the spirit of the season. We got together with friends last evening to share Thanksgiving dinner. It was good to be standing at the grill again – haven’t had my own since 2014 – roasting local oysters for everyone! As usual, there was laughter, being a year older and catching up on the last year. It was also a time to give thanks for many things especially our good health. When December rolls around I always drift back in time to 1987 as my friend Dave Underwood and I were putting the final touches on our eagerly anticipated first issue of the Old Town Crier in January of 1988. Now this December we are burning the midnight oil pulling together our 432nd issue as we finish up our 36th year. I am thankful for all of the fine people that help bring the Old Town Crier to all of the good folks in Alexandria and “From the Bay to the Blue Ridge”. In hindsight, the only thing that I really contributed in those early days was to recognize the opportunity, come up with the name and sell the ads. It is really all the folks who have come into our realm over the last 36 years that made it work. This month’s issue brings you words to live by. Lori Welch Brown tells us why December is the most wonderful time of the year in her Open Space column, while Ron Powers writes of the immortal Cher and her contribution to Christmas cheer with her new album “Christmas”, and the stand out track “Christmas Ain’t Christmas Without You” in High Notes. If you all watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving…
By Bob Tagert We are almost at the end of 2023 and what a year it has been. War is declared in the Middle East, countries are evacuated and humanitarian aid is being hampered. At home, a few firebrands turned the House of Representatives on its ear where they can no longer hear the voice of Americans. As I write this, there was finally a consensus for the Speaker of the House so it looks like we are in the process of getting the US back in business. We needed a fresh breeze to blow over this landscape so we decided to visit the Museum of the United States Army in the Road Trip column. The cover this month is indicative of that experience. With this article we celebrate Veterans Day every day not just on the 11th of this month. Visiting this museum is a must see. Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and this means that the Christmas holiday is right on its heels. In fact, the area tree lightings take place the day after and the big celebration of the holiday season is the first week in December. See the calendar of events. As in years past, we dedicate a good portion of the November issue to Thanksgiving. It is a time to gather with friends and family and count our many blessings as well as a great excuse to eat as much as we want. I love the humorous tone that Tim Long took in writing his Let’s Get Crafty column. In addition to a bit of “poetry”, he has some great ideas for the perfect libation and smoke to accompany your Thanksgiving adventures. Lori Welch Brown embraces Thanksgiving as well in Open Space as she laments about “Gratitude”. In all seriousness, this is a month to really…
By Bob Tagert It is officially fall now and the weather started to turn at the end of September. It was a brutal summer. Hopefully this fall will be cool and we can get out the blue jeans and sweaters. The October issue is one that we always look forward to putting together. Lani is a huge proponent of all things Halloween as is evident with her infatuation with Witches and Stingy Jack – see the special feature on both. For some reason she forwent a piece on the “Day of the Dead” this year but watch for it next October. Getting out in the country side this month is a must do. Whether it is a full-on drive on Skyline Drive (see Road Trip) in Shenandoah National Park or a trek to one of the many corn mazes, fall markets or steeplechase races in the Blue Ridge. Not to be discounted, however, is the countryside bordering the Chesapeake Bay. A day trip down Route 2 with side trips toward the water is a treat as well. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that October is Virginia Wine Month. We have been strong supporters of the Commonwealth vintages for 35 of our 36 years. There are some amazing vineyards within an hour of Old Town with varied styles in both tasting rooms and wines. And….a good portion of them also brew beer on premise – this appeals to a lot of the guys out there. The majority of the wineries celebrate this month with special events to boot. “Follow In My Wake…”-Jimmy Buffet Banana Wind album September brought a bit of sadness to a lot of us with the passing of Jimmy Buffet on September first. Unlike all of the true Parrot Heads, I only attended one live…
By Bob Tagert Here it is, September 2023, and the local sports scene is on the upswing. After an awful start, the Washington Nationals are now one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Washington Redskins aka Commanders have new owners and a new intensity as well as a new quarterback. Not necessarily “local” but very near and dear to my heart, World Cup Rugby starts in France on the 8th. For World Cup Rugby check out your favorite sports bar for the schedule. Fantastic sport to play and watch. Life is looking good. This year marks a banner year for the Historic Alexandria Homes Tour. They celebrate 80 years of letting us tour some of the most beautiful and unique homes on the east coast. See the calendar of events for details. As the weather turns a bit cooler it is a great time to get out and about. For those who read us in the Bay and Blue Ridge areas, it is a great time to visit Alexandria and discover the charm of Old Town and its surrounding “suburbs” – the likes of Del Ray and North Old Town. The outdoor dining will be at its best with the cooler weather and there are many offerings. We paid a visit to one of our longtime favorites in the 200 Block of King – The Warehouse – in this month’s Dining Out. For those of us who live here, the weather is perfect for a visit to southern Maryland and the Calvert Marine Museum where you can “Discover the Otters” and take a cruise on their Skip Jack. This is a great place to take the family. September is also a good time to think about getting in some early holiday shopping. We can’t think of a better way…
By Bob Tagert As I write the August Publishers Notes the heat index this week is forecast to be around 105 or more degrees. Scientists say that the first two weeks of July were the hottest on record. The averages temperatures for August range between 69 to 89 degrees. Hopefully August will be a little kinder to us. There is a silver lining to the heat and the rain – see the photo of me standing in front of our friends hydrangeas. I am about 5’11”. These are amazing. Also amazing, are the sunflowers on the cover that will be in full bloom this month. Will be worth the drive to see them. (See About the Cover) One sure way to escape the heat is to head to the beach. This past month we took a Road Trip to Ocean City – Maryland not Jersey. The cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean were exactly where I left them years ago. There is always something calming about the ocean…there can be hundreds of folks around, but it is just you and the surf rolling in. Was good to spend time with a longtime friend and meet some new ones along the way. As summer is winding down, tourist season is in its last throes. Families are fitting in the family vacation before school starts and trying to jam in everything as Labor Day is fast approaching. This means lots of foot traffic on lower King Street here in Old Town. While I am all for the ‘pedestrian mall’ in the 0 and 100 blocks, the amount of people crossing Union Street on a weekend is unreal. Alexandria might want to consider getting a “crossing guard” so vehicles can pass through the intersection without worrying about hitting someone – especially those who…
By Bob Tagert We welcome all to the second half of 2023 and our July issue. After 35 years and 6 months of producing the Old Town Crier, this will be our 427th issue. Sometimes I wonder how we continue to do it. Clearly it is our wonderful writers who come up with a new story every month and also to the relentless drive and character of Lani Gering who pulls it all together each month. We are also blessed to have a good relationship with photographers Chester Simpson, Rick Latoff, David Sites and Lee Moody who share their beautiful art form with us and who have graced our covers over the years. This month the USA celebrates its 247th birthday. In holding with this celebratory mindset of Americana, we roll back time with this issue…Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet! I remember going with my dad and brother to see the Washington Senators play baseball at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. Those were the days when the men wore shirts and ties and Fedoras. The dress is much different these days where team paraphernalia is the norm and a huge revenue source for franchises. This month we brought a little bit of the old magic back by attending a Bowie Baysox game (Road Trip article) and biting into a ball park hot dog. Being a local, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Orioles and it was good to see some of the talent they have coming up the ranks in the Baysox. I have to admit that I am a bigger fan of the Nationals these days and enjoy games at Nats Park but being at a small venue like Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie watching a game up close and personal without breaking the…
By Bob Tagert Well here it is, the middle of the year. It seems like only yesterday that we were just getting over the shortest day of the year and anticipating the days getting longer. After June 21st the days will begin to get shorter. How does time pass so quickly…am I watching it too closely? I guess that at a certain age these dates become the mile markers in life. I need to remind myself to just stay in the present. Rather than reiterate what content lies within the issue – like I have for the last several years – I thought I would just let your fingers do the walking through the pages. I am very proud of the caliber of our contributing writers and their missives. It is hard to believe that we have six contributors that have been with us continuously for over 25 years – Steve Chaconas, Sarah Becker, Lenny Campello, Julie Reardon and Lori Welch Brown. That is dedication and along with all of our writers, our well rounded content reflects the “fruits of their labors”. Speaking of writers, our Take Photos and Leave Footprints columnist, Scott Dicken, is taking a hiatus for a few months starting in July. He is making a big move and will be back on board when his life gets back to some semblance of normalcy! One goes, another comes on board. Welcome to Glenn Morel as he pens the Let’s Eat column. Many of you have contacted us about the color in portions of the May issue. Our printer had a problem with the ink saturation and hopefully that will be corrected going forward. It was most apparent in the A Bit of History column penned by Sarah Becker – the oversaturation of the background of the column…
By Bob Tagert With the warm months coming early this year and you feel the need to celebrate, you might want to think about making a trek to Southern Delaware and the Boardwalk Plaza in Rehoboth before the season gets in full swing -see this month’s Road Trip column. If you are a planner, check out this month’s Caribbean Connection and learn the history of and how to make the perfect “Painkiller” and plan your winter getaway to Sandcastle and Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke. It is May so that means we are celebrating Mom. Doug Fabbioli thanks the women in his life of growing grapes and making wine, starting with his mother in Exploring VA Wines. Lani Gering interviewed Sarah Drewry of Sarah Drewry Photography in Business Profile. Sarah is a mom who, today, has a photography studio concentrating on mothers-to-be, infants and families. In Open Space, Lori Welch Brown remembers her mom…like it was yesterday. The arts and entertainment section features Lenny Campello’s Gallery Beat – see who first coined the phrase DMV and also learn about the regions up and coming female artists – , Ron Powers High Notes tells us why Cindi Lauper’s hit, Time after Time, is timeless; while Miriam Kramer give us her opinion of Ted Lasso in Last Word. Are bald eagles still on the endangered species list? In From the Bay we learn about the explosion of them over the last 50 years in the Chesapeake Bay region. Julie Reardon talks about the similarities between “faster horses, younger women and older whiskeys” in To the Blue Ridge. Grapevine finds Matthew Fitzsimmons sitting down with Luca Paschina of Barboursville Vineyards and discussing the future of Nebbiolo wine in Virginia while Tim Long recalls a bad experience with tequila in his youth and…
By Bob Tagert March came in like a lion and is going out like a lamb with above average temps and normal breezes. It looks like April will be our spring! Let’s take a look at some of what we have inside this issue: Join us on our Road Trip this month to the greening of the mountains, while Open Space Lori Welch Brown is confronted with April Showers and May Flowers. We celebrate Earth Day on the 22nd. You can read about this year’s theme in this month’s special feature and To the Blue Ridge Julie Reardon tells you how to Stop and Smell the Roses. Winemaker Doug Fabbioli takes a look at what locally grown wines might work for this spring in Exploring VA Wines and discover five new Virginia wineries with Matt Fitzsimmons in Grapevine. Keeping with the adult beverage category, Let’s Get Crafty Tim Long tells us his favorite place to take his growler. In High Notes Ron Powers goes retro with “She Drives Me Crazy”! With all of the hullabaloo about library censorship, Sarah Becker celebrates National Library Week in A Bit of History. Last Word’s Miriam Kramer meets the author and the subject of the book she read on her way to Table Mountain, South Africa –Trevor Noah. Scott Dicken takes us truck overlanding in Africa in his Take Photos, Leave Footprints column. It appears that spring is finally upon us. Outdoor dining in Old Town will get into full swing and the tourists will start pouring in. Hopefully folks driving through Old Town will slow down a bit and also quit drifting through stop signs and pedestrians need to look both ways when crossing a street and not at their cell phones. Let’s all be safe out there and remember to wear white…
This weather is so crazy, I don’t know what month it is. It is definitely going to be an early year for the Cherry Blossoms to bloom. Among the nearly 4,000 Yoshino cherry trees near the Tidal Basin, there is one that consistently flowers a week to ten days before the others. It is so reliable, National Park Service officials call it the “indicator tree,” and use it to predict when the rest of the trees will bloom. The 200 Okame cherry trees lining the shoreline of National Harbor are already in bloom. Read about the in the National Harbor column. Spring is on the way folks. Lots of good stuff in this first edition of spring. If you are looking for an excuse to head to the islands this June, check out Rum Week in the Caribbean Connection. If Rum isn’t your thing, Matt Fitzsimmons went exploring the wineries of the Northern Neck in Virginia in his Grapevine column. Ingleside Vineyards is one of the wineries visited and the first winery we wrote about 36 years ago. Owner Doug Flemer has been a good friend for many years. In Exploring VA Wines, Doug Fabbioli laments on the challenges of warm weather for the farmer while winter weather might not be all gone. In Let’s Get Crafty, Tim Long asks if you are Irish – I think we all have a bit of Irish in our souls. In From the Bay, Molly Winans explains her reluctance to burn her socks at the Annual Eastport Sock Burning – a ritual celebrating the vernal equinox. In To the Blue Ridge, Julie Reardon brings us the spring guide to hunt country steeplechase racing. Gallery Beat author Lenny Campello explains the true value of the Trawick Prize. Lori Welch Brown coaches us on how…
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