local

Trailblazing Women – Past and Present

The “South’s answer to Julia Child’s” and “Grand Dame of Southern cooking” was born in Orange County, Va., but many would not recognize her name. A special menu trail organized by the Orange County Office of Tourism until Memorial Day 2023, along with a soon-to-be placed historical marker near her birthplace at 14311 Marquis Road off State Route 20 in Unionville will try to change that.

Chef Edna Lewis (1916-2006) is hailed as the “South’s answer to Julia Childs”

Edna Lewis grew up in Freetown, Va. She learned to cook using local meat and produce, left home as a teenager and was able to become a celebrated chef in New York despite having no formal training, but it wasn’t a straight path. She was in her thirties before her culinary dream became a reality.

With an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients, Lewis was a progenitor of the farm-to-table movement. Even after her passing in 2006, Lewis’ cookbooks continue to influence the culinary world. Her 1976 book, The Taste of Country Cooking, s considered a classic and was featured in a 2017 episode of Top Chef.

Read my Richmond Free Press article on Edna Lewis here

In the present, Richmond gym owner Rhesa Weatherspoon opened the doors of RAW Affects in 2018, looking to offer the community something different and more personal than larger gyms. With a motto of ‘One Body, One Life, One Chance,’she focuses on a holistic approach to wellness.

She also coaches the Richmond area’s only all-female, all-black and brown power lifting team. Although they don’t all compete, members train together twice a week. Team co-captain DeAndra Lee says the gym’s supportive and encouraging environment is just as important as the physical, mental and emotional strength that members work on when they work out.

Rhesa Weatherspoon (left), owner of Richmond’s Raw Affects Gym, training power lifting team members for their next meet in March 2023
Photo credit: Regina H. Boone

The team competed in October 2022 and then returned to the gym to prepare for their next meet on March 2023.

Read my Richmond Free Press article on RAW Affects’ owner and her power lifting team members here

Performers Finding Their Way

It is amazing to me how often we meet a stranger (or interview a stranger) and find something familiar. Sometimes it’s a tie to a particular place. Perhaps we laugh and nod as we recognize our family in their stories about their family. Maybe it’s a shared experience or a realization that we have similar ways of thinking about life. Those links remind us that people can have a lot in common even if they seem very different. It just takes getting to know them a little.

This was the case with two people I got to know a little recently when I interviewed them for articles I wrote as a freelancer for the Richmond Free Press.

The first interview was with a young man who was recently promoted to company dancer with the Richmond Ballet. Garret McNally started out dancing tap at the age of three, eventually finding ballet as a young teen and realizing this was his passion.

When he told me about enrolling in a school that would allow him to finish high school and further his dance career, he said, “You probably haven’t heard of it.” But I had heard of University of North Carolina School of the Arts. My eldest’s long-time partner was a UNCSA graduate and my youngest considered going to college there. Needless to say, when I mentioned the “Fighting Pickles,” Garret was surprised and our something in common was found!

You can read the article I wrote about Garret for the Richmond Free Press by clicking here.

The second interview was with an alt/soul singer/songwriter who feels inspired by a variety of different cultures and musical genres. Tre. Charles was born in New York and now lives in Durham, North Carolina, but his musical career often brings him to Richmond, Virginia – a place he calls his second home.

Tre. spoke about moving a lot as he grew up – following his father’s jobs along the eastern seaboard from New York to Georgia and everywhere in between. After college, he spent time in California and Florida. Every region had its own cultures and musical styles and Tre. soaked them all in to create a sound of his own.

As we spoke, I could relate to what he calls his “nomadic upbringing.” Although I didn’t move around much as a child, once I was out of high school I made up for that by making my way from Connecticut to Australia before returning to the USA and traveling along the eastern seaboard myself – living for periods in North Carolina, Connecticut and now Maryland. Being able to relate to a similar experience was our something in common and also gave us similar ways of looking at life.

You can read the article I wrote about Tre. for the Richmond Free Press by clicking here.

Making Connections and Positive Changes

A freelance assignment for the Richmond Free Press was an opportunity to learn about not one, but two Richmond nonprofits whose work is helping community members make new connections and positive changes.

The first organization, Circles RVA, is doing this using something you may not think of when you think of resources – the “circles” of personal relationships and professional connections around each of us. Individuals struggling to overcome issues relating to poverty are paired with volunteer allies. The individuals, known as leaders, set personal goals and work toward achieving them with mentoring and encouragement from their allies. Read the story here.

Next up was NextUp RVA. It coordinates with providers to offer high quality after-school programs without cost to any student attending one of six different RPS middle schools. Participation promotes positive youth development through social/emotional learning, increased attendance, decreased behavioral issues and improved academic performance. Read more here.

Looking forward to writing more and learning more about Richmond with future assignments.

A Tiddly, a Tag and as Many Ringing Chords as Possible … Yup, That’s Barbershop!!

When you think about Barbershop, maybe the first thing that springs to mind is an image, a stereotype if you will. Four old white guys in striped jackets and straw boaters singing songs from a hundred years ago. If that was the image in your head, you’re not alone. You’re also a long way from the truth, according to my Barbershop sources.

(more…)

Guiding Puppies Toward Lives of Service

For the latest issue of The Granby Drummer I spoke with Tony Cappelli, his wife Anne and their daughters Angela, 19, and Lizzy, 16, about their volunteer efforts as puppy raisers with Guiding Eyes for the Blind. You can read the article online here

Just one fact I learned was that there is an application process to request a guide dog placement. Simply proving a need because of blindness or visual impairment is not enough. Applicants must show that they are willing and able to take care of their dog should they be approved, they must commit to completing a residential training program and to ongoing follow ups for the lifetime of their pairing and must also show that they already possess good orientation and mobility skills.

When you hear the term “guide dog” the impression is that the dog is leading the way, but this is really not the case. Guide dogs don’t know where you want to go or how to get there – they take their cues from their handlers. What guide dogs learn, among many other skills, is intelligent disobedience – or the act of disobeying when following a command or direction would put their handler in danger.

The Cappellis have just finished raising their third puppy and are considering taking in another because they have found the experience to be enjoyable and rewarding, despite the time commitment and the effort required. The article has contact information for Northern Connecticut representatives, but for those who read this from outside the Granby area, you can reach out to Guiding Eyes for the Blind through their website or search other organizations in your area that you can volunteer with or donate to.

The Cappelli’s first black Labrador pup was Persia

Bette was the family’s second black Labrador puppy. Their thrid puppy came from her first litter.

Angela and Elsie

Lizzy cane training with Elsie

Recent Writings

The Granby Drummer is a local, all-volunteer newspaper in the town where I live. Having the opportunity to write for The Drummer has allowed me to learn a lot about the town where I live and the people who live there with me. In this post, I thought I’d share some of the stories I’ve written over the past several months …

Most recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with a local. middle-school student athlete named Addyson Earl. Addy has competed successfully in acrobatics, aspires to play soccer in college and participates in cross-country and basketball as well, all while being an honor roll student. You can read more about this talented, young lady he re.

At the beginning of March, I met Marti Long, owner of a local business, HOME Fine Arts and Antiques. The resulting article was in the April issue of The Drummer. Marti not only promoted her business during our conversation, but also that of the business next door which was having their Grand Opening when I was at HOME.

When our interview was finished, Marti took me next door to introduce me to Sarah Cowles-Gentile.Sarah and her team at The Whisk, a Connecticut catering business for over 40 years, were excited to be open for business at their newly relocated site in Granby. This article also appeared in the April 2018 issue.

It hasn’t only been personal profiles.

For a few months at the end of 2017 and into the start of 2018, I wrote the Board of Education reports for The Drummer. I also wrote this piece when the Registrars of Voters and teachers and students from Granby Memorial High School work together to have a Board of Education candidates’ forum prior to the town’s 2017 municipal elections.

I’m currently working on another story that will appear in The Granby Drummer’s July issue, and I’ll have some articles in upcoming issues of The Advocate as well. I’m looking forward to sharing what I learn from those with you soon.

Education Builds Pathways

Everyday, the realities of life for many at-risk children work against the achievement of their dreams. While there are those who transcend their circumstances, “it should not require heroism to be a child.”

These words were written by retired Gen. Colin L. Powell and Alma J. Powell in “Our Cause: A Letter to America” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of America’s Promise Alliance. The organization, of which Mrs. Powell is the current chair, has as its mission to “create the conditions for success for all young people.” A central idea to doing that appears on its website:

History is not destiny and education builds pathways.

Emily Griffey

I recently spoke with Emily Griffey about early care and education in Virginia. As Policy Director with the organization Voices for Virginia’s Children, she works to try to ensure that the resources, programming and opportunities needed for every child in the state to achieve their best outcome are available and accessible.

The Q&A of our discussion appears in Issue 5 of The Advocate and you can read it here

Antoinette White

I also spoke with Antoinette White, author of the self-published memoir “Who’s Protecting Me?” She sees herself as an example of how hard work, character and idealism can allow you to transcend your past.

“My main message is resiliency. Don’t let past pain define who you can become,” White told me. “If that can make a difference in just one person’s life, then that’s why I wrote this book.”

More about my conversation with Antoinette also appears in Issue 5 of The Advocate and you can read it here