By Lani Gering Since we celebrate “Earth Day” this month, I went on the search for a fresh face who has a deep respect for our planet and works on a daily basis with like-minded people who strive to preserve it to interview. After putting a few “feelers” out, a mutual friend told me I might want to talk to Ashlie Dolce. Little did I know that this Ashlie – now 27 years old – is the very same Ashlie that we have known since she was a teenager working at the front door of Old Town’s iconic Landini Brothers Restaurant. Ashlie started as a Hostess at the front door when she was 18 years old. Over the next 7 years, she moved up the hospitality ladder at LB’s eventually ending up as a Manager and the Events Coordinator. All the while, she was furthering her education at George Mason University where she graduated with a degree in Business Management. It isn’t easy maintaining a full-time job and carrying a full load at school at the same time and still carve out some personal time. In this day and age, there aren’t many people her age that take on this task. Ashlie told me that keeping the environment healthy and preserving our Blue Planet has been a priority in her life. She has participated in river clean-up programs while encouraging friends and family to join in and she was instrumental in improving the recycling program while at George Mason. She told me, “There was a huge issue with students not knowing Fairfax County “recycling rules”. One of my senior year projects was to provide informational signage for recycling by the bins on campus.” I have to admit that I have to revisit the rules for Alexandria every so often myself….
By Lani Gering w/F. Lennox Campello Many of you who are faithful readers of the OTC may remember that this phenomenal artist was the subject matter of our Gallery Beat column in the July 2017 issue. Fast forward to 2023, were happy to be invited to the opening of his exhibit at the Nepenthe Gallery in Fort Hunt last fall and had the pleasure of meeting Lee and his parents in person. It was a very enlightening experience and opened our eyes to what is possible if you really put your mind and talents to work no matter the obstacles. We are always looking for interesting art and cool photos for our covers and decided we should feature on of Lee’s originals. When I saw the image of “The Lion Family”, I immediately thought of our March issue since we all know that “March comes in like a lion…” We also thought it would be a good idea to feature Lee in this column since it ties in with the cover image. In doing my research, I ran across F. Lennox Campello aka Lenny’s aforementioned Gallery Beat column. After reading it again after almost 17 years, I decided I could no way trump what he wrote. He was very happy to do some updating for us and we offer you the following: This month I want to use this forum to discuss the work of a highly talented DMV area artist whose singular work came across my attention 7 years ago – Lee Jaworek. Quoting from his own website (http://www.leejaworek.com/), Lee Jaworek “calls his art Artism® – seeing the world through the prismatic lens of Autism. Lee is a young artist with Autism who tries to express his perception of the world through his art; the challenges — the triumphs…
By Bob Tagert After doing this publication for over 36 years, one of the fun things we get to do is to write about the personalities we have encountered along the way. This is one of the ways we get to meet and know about the individuals who make up our community. With Noelie Rickey, that is no exception. We actually met Noelie and her business partner Markos Panas at an Old Town Business Association mixer. They were both delightful and easy to talk to. Markos has a story of his own but we will save that for a later date. He and his father John founded Bread & Water Company in the Belle View Shopping Center where he eventually hired Noelie…but that is putting the cart before the horse. Noelie was born in Seattle, Washington in the late1960’s, in the heart of the Peace, Love, Sex, Waterbeds era. “That was a formidable time in my life”, she tells me. “When I was three years old my mom and dad divorced and my mom moved us into a Commune. It was a full-blown commune – one big house full of hippies,” she said with a smile. “My mom didn’t have a car so we hitch hiked everywhere. That was what you kind of did in the early 60’s into the 70’s,” as she giggled. Noelie remembers how living in a commune took constant negotiations. It is clear that she learned that skill well. “I remember being in conversations with adults as a kid. You had to think for yourself. We would have negotiations for the current night’s dinner, and then tomorrow night’s dinner. You know, that has always stuck with me as I got older,” she says. “A lot of our conversations were centered on getting along, and how do…
Gotta have a bit of true confession here. Our original “Personality Profile” subject got ambushed by an overwhelming amount of holiday activity and we just couldn’t carve out enough time to spend together last month to do her interview any justice. We look forward to introducing you all to one of Alexandria’s “Most Interesting Women” – obviously sans the beard and Dos Equis in hand – in the February issue. In the essence of time and a looming pre-holiday deadline, we turned to the “experts” at the anomaly called Wikipedia to garner some scoop on one of January’s “Most Interesting Babies” – Baby New Year. The Publisher of the Old Town Crier has had some personal experience portraying said “baby” at a couple of New Year’s Eve parties over the years but it was so long ago I couldn’t find any of the photos to scan…he looked fine in his diaper, sash and top hat back in the day. From the files of Wikipedia: The Baby New Year is a personification of the start of the New Year commonly seen in editorial cartoons. He symbolizes the “birth” of the next year and the “passing” of the prior year; in other words, a “rebirth”. Baby New Year’s purpose varies by myth, but he generally performs some sort of ceremonial duty over the course of his year such as chronicling the year’s events or presiding over the year as a symbol. History Early known instances of having babies as parts of new year’s traditions date back to ancient Greece. Modern use was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century. Legend The myth most associated with him is that he is a baby at the beginning of his year, but Baby New Year quickly ages until he is elderly (like Father Time, with whom he is often associated) at the end of his…
By ©Kathy Weiser-Alexander Although Uncle Sam (initials U.S.) is the most popular personification of the United States, many Americans have little or no concept of his origins. If pressed, the average American might point to the early 20th century and Sam’s frequent appearance on army recruitment posters. In reality, however, the figure of Uncle Sam dates back much further. Portraying the tradition of representative male icons in America, which can be traced well back into colonial times, the actual figure of Uncle Sam, dates from the War of 1812. At that point, most American icons had been geographically specific, centering most often on the New England area. However, the War of 1812 sparked a renewed interest in national identity which had faded since the American Revolution. The term Uncle Sam is said to have been derived from a man named Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied rations for the soldiers during the War of 1812. Samuel Wilson, who served in the American Revolution at the age of 15, was born in Massachusetts. After the war, he settled in the town of Troy, New York, where he and his brother, Ebenezer, began the firm of E. & S. Wilson, a meat packing facility. Samuel was a man of great fairness, reliability, and honesty, who was devoted to his country. Well liked, local residents began to refer to him as “Uncle Sam.” During the War of 1812, the demand for meat supply for the troops was badly needed. Secretary of War, William Eustis, made a contract with Elbert Anderson, Jr. of New York City to supply and issue all rations necessary for the United States forces in New York and New Jersey for one year. Anderson ran an advertisement on October 6, 1813 looking to fill the…
By Lani Gering I had the pleasure of sitting down with the OTC’s longtime friend Charlotte Hall for a few minutes on one of the unseasonably warm afternoons in late February. Most people that know Charlotte know that she is a very self-deprecating individual and it is hard to get her to talk about herself. She would rather talk about all of the characters she has met in her tenure in Alexandria than about what she has accomplished. Having been in the area myself for 31 years, she and I know quite a few of the same people and there are many – several who have been profiled in this space at one point in time. In my attempt to keep this column “personal”…One of my favorite things about Charlotte is the nicknames she has acquired along the way and the stories behind them. A few of them are highlighted below. The last time we really had a chance to talk about things was in the middle of the pandemic in 2020 when the 100 Block of King Street was first closed off and sidewalk/street dining was allowed. She was instrumental in making the closure of this block – and later the “0” block aka the space between Union Street and King down to the water – to vehicle traffic a permanent fixture allowing for a pedestrian mall feel. It has been a huge success. Just take a trek down to those blocks on any nice day/evening and you will see what I mean. During this discussion Bob Tagert, OTC Publisher, dubbed her the “Queen of King Street” and it caught on. Charlotte has been an integral part of the Old Town Alexandria community for over 30 years going back to her days with Potomac River Boat Company – now…
The mention of Cupid typically conjures up images of a cherubic infant wielding a bow and arrow, but this wasn’t always the case. Long before the Romans adopted and renamed him—and way before his association with Valentine’s Day—Cupid was known to the Greeks as Eros, the handsome god of love. Cupid and Greek Mythology One of the first authors to mention Eros (circa 700 B.C.) was Hesiod, who described him in “Theogony” as one of the primeval cosmogonic deities born of the world egg. But later accounts of the lineage of Eros vary, describing him as the son of Nyx and Erebus; or Aphrodite and Ares; or Iris and Zephyrus; or even Aphrodite and Zeus—who would have been both his father and grandfather. Armed with a bow and a quiver filled with both golden arrows to arouse desire and leaden arrows to ignite aversion, Eros struck at the hearts of gods and mortals and played with their emotions. In one story from ancient Greek mythology, which was later retold by Roman authors, Cupid (Eros) shot a golden arrow at Apollo, who fell madly in love with the nymph Daphne, but then launched a leaden arrow at Daphne so she would be repulsed by him. Cupid and Psyche In another allegory, Cupid’s mother, Venus (Aphrodite), became so jealous of the beautiful mortal Psyche that she told her son to induce Psyche to fall in love with a monster. Instead, Cupid became so enamored with Psyche that he married her—with the condition that she could never see his face. Eventually, Psyche’s curiosity got the better of her and she stole a glance, causing Cupid to flee in anger. After roaming the known world in search of her lover, Psyche was eventually reunited with Cupid and granted the gift of immortality. In the poetry of…
By Lani Gering There is something about a 4 legged dromedary that has graced the grounds of Historic Mount Vernon during the holidays for the past 14 or so years that captured our hearts vicariously about 5 years ago. While visiting the Inn at Mount Vernon during the Christmas holidays, we met a few of the members of the team that take care of the livestock at Mount Vernon. During our conversation we found out that there was a camel named Aladdin in residence during the holiday season. My first thought was, “how fun is that”? And…as it turns out, Aladdin is quite the character. I thought it only fitting that we revisit him this year. I met with Livestock Supervisor and camel handler extraordinaire Lisa Pregent at the farm on Mount Vernon the day after Aladdin arrived for the 2022 holiday season. The special enclosure that is home to Aladdin through January 7th had just been erected a few days before my visit. It was interesting to me that they do this every year as opposed to just leaving the shelter in place year round. This is a labor intensive project in that it also has to be deconstructed each year. The intricacies of running the animal side of the operation at Mount Vernon would probably astound most of you. I was surprised to find that the sheep and pigs that reside here are descendants of the same rare heritage breeds that were residents on the farm when George Washington was manning it and they adhere as closely as possible to the same practices of animal husbandry that they did in the 18th Century. Lisa is a local gal who has been working at the farm since she was 17 years old. Having had an extensive background with horses…
By Lani Gering In the 30 years that I have been living in Alexandria and the almost 28 years that I have been associated with the Old Town Crier, I have met literally hundreds of people who have peaked my interest in one way or another enough to think others in my realm should know about them. Sherrie Beckstead is one of those people. Like many others we have profiled, I met her at an informal social engagement. We exchanged pleasantries as all civil people do but this polite gesture turned into a very interesting conversation that ranged from soup to nuts. We just clicked. And….we are two totally different personalities. She is very professional and reserved and me…not so much. She is a very humble person and we didn’t really talk about what she did for a living or the social circles that she travels in. When we decided that Sherrie would make a great personality profile, we met again, and I did my due diligence and discovered the depth and scope of her work and a few of her passions. In addition to her role as a partner in one of areas premier jewelry companies, there isn’t enough room in this column to print the many philanthropic boards she now serves on and has served on in the past. And…she has been profiled in pretty much every high profile magazine in the DMV and we are very happy that she agreed to being profiled in this space. Sherrie keeps her personal life very close to her vest but I do know that she misses her late husband, Sid Beckstead, very much and she occupies much of her time carrying on causes I believe they supported together. Her new position on the Board of Directors and work the Cloverleaf…
By: Meg Mullery Admit it. Spotting a celebrity is fun. A “meh” day turns exciting when you realize the familiar dude ordering a latte played Owen Wilson’s buddy in that movie about crashing weddings. Not so in the village of Middleburg in rural Virginia where the sport of celebrity sightings is as common as the sport of polo. This tony enclave for the horsey set boasts a plethora of restaurants, boutiques, antique shops, wineries and upscale hotels, all serving as a magnet for the rich and famous for decades. Jackie Kennedy could be spotted attending church in Middleburg and on horseback galloping through fields following a pack of hounds. Elizabeth Taylor shopped at the local Safeway when married to Virginia’s beloved Senator John Warner. Last year, the Boss himself cheered on his daughter, Jessica Springsteen, an equestrian show jumping champion and Olympic medal winner, at a prestigious horse show. One exception exists. While generally adopting a blasé attitude toward celebrities, catching a glimpse of long-time resident Robert Duvall provides the jolt that enhances your day and makes you want to call a friend and say, “Guess who I just saw.” Mr. Duvall, fondly remembered for his award-winning portrayal of Texas Ranger Gus McCrae in Lonesome Dove, is much like Gus. Gracious. Feisty. Funny. Genuine. Mr. Duvall’s unique status notwithstanding, recently Middleburg’s typical insouciance toward celebrities has been subsumed by the excitement and anticipation of a sighting of another sort. Meet Little Yellow Sofa. Named “Sofia”, at first glance she looks like just another pretty couch. But scratch her upholstery and discover a Little Yellow Sofa imbued with a certain je ne sais quoi combined with an aura of gravitas and, yes, even mysticism. Little Yellow Sofa, silently, mysteriously and randomly, manifests herself in absurd settings. She makes cameos at the…
View More