Feature Articles

by Jackie Nunnery -  There’s always been a love of theater in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. One hundred years ago, folks traveled to Reedville, Kilmarnock or Irvington when the James Adams Floating Theatre came to town. These days the theaters may be on land, but they are still...

Story and photos by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi -  At the center of Warsaw’s Main Street is Old Rapp Taphouse, a brewery, restaurant and beer garden that adds a bit of nightlife to a town that once rolled up its sidewalks after dark. Andy Beale’s Old Rappahannock Development Company transformed a commercial...

by Larry Chowning -  When the late John Frye wrote the history of the Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden fishery in 1978 there were still a good many fishermen around who could recall why he named his book “The Men All Singing.” For generations, fishermen pulled nets by hand and as a way...

It’s 4:15 a.m., the sky is in the transition from black to indigo still clad with stars, salt is in the air and a Tyler Childers tune is playing. Before any rooster can crow, Captain Cory Rice and First Mate Troy Ward of Northumberland are untying their lines from...

by Tom Chillemi –  Many modern expressions evolved from nautical terms, like the word “ship.” Today we ship things by mail, truck, plane and occasionally by ship. Here are just a few of those water words: • Above board — Meaning honest and open, may have its origins on the seas. The...

Story and photos by Jackie Nunnery –  First, there’s the name, pronounced mare wär. There is a long-accepted term in winemaking, terroir, that describes how environmental factors shape the way grapes, and ultimately wine, taste. The story goes that a food writer coined the term in 2003 to describe the...

by Jackie Nunnery –  Mathews-based crafter Tamara Rollins says she has been “crafting things from natural resources since I was a child, from homemade paper to rose-petal beads and pine cone roses.” Rollins is using that love of nature to create a line of care products with natural ingredients, the...

Twenty-four hours is not enough time to explore all that Colonial Beach has to offer. I realized that on a recent visit as I was leaving town and making note of what I’d missed seeing and doing. The tiny Westmoreland County town packs a ton of fun into its 2.8...

by Jackie Nunnery Scanning the horizon, they intently search the riverbanks and trees for signs of life. “Over there” says Betty Waldrop softly yet excitedly, pointing at a heron camouflaged near a piece of driftwood as it too looks intently, in this case, for lunch in the waters. Bob Waldrop,...

Photos and story by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi  Brunch at Reedville Market comes with crazy cocktails, whopping portions and delicious desserts I’m ashamed to say it’d been quite a while since I made the drive from lower Lancaster County to Reedville to dine. In fact, the last time I’d visited 729 Main Street...