VIEWPOINT: AFGHANISTAN: Lessons We Should Have Learned
By John L. Horton Come September 20, I shall celebrate my 81st birthday. As such, I am a 30-year (October 15, 1958 – November 1, 1988), retired, Marine sergeant major, 100 percent disabled, Vietnam combat veteran. Come September 11, 2021, America...
Legacies of 9/11
By Tom Robotham On the evening of September 10, 2001, I was watching Band of Brothers with my then-8-year-old son. At one point, he asked me if I’d ever been to war. “No,” I told him. “I was lucky. I missed the Vietnam-War draft by just a couple of years. I...
Small Charities Benefit from Millers Bikes & Brews
(Jeff Miller of Millers Energy tests his bike out at Benchtop Brewing Company) By Jeff Maisey What better way to reacquaint yourself with the scenic Elizabeth River Trail than by participating in Millers Bike & Brews 2021? The bicycle ride begins at 2 PM on...
Monarchs Ready to Roar
(Head Coach Ricky Rahne stands ready to reestablish ODU’s football program as a winner. Photo by Jeff Maisey) By Jeff Maisey Faster, stronger, now. When the Old Dominion University Monarchs return to the football playing field in September, they’ll do so with a new...
Beach Vacation v. Climate Vocation
(An elevated view of the Intercoastal Waterway with Holden Beach barrier island sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean. Writer Skip Stiles and family vacationed here during the summer. Photo credit: NC’s Brunswick Islands) By Skip Stiles Bursting at the seams, back...
ESSAY: Musical Riches Await
(Virginia Symphony Orchestra's new music director Eric Jacobsen) By Tom Robotham Recently, for another publication, I wrote a piece about the dawn of a new era for the now 100-year-old Virginia Symphony. As of July, the orchestra has a new music director—cellist and...
ESSAY: Remembrance and Renewal
Words & Photo by Tom Robotham Late last month, I spent a week in New York City. It was my first visit to my hometown since 2018, and in the days leading up to the trip, I had a lot of mixed emotions. On the plus side, I was looking forward to spending time...
Contemporary Art Museum Rebrands
By Jeff Maisey Let’s spell this out so there’s no confusion: Virginia Museum Of Contemporary Art. After more than a decade, the colorful MOCA logo with a splash of gray paint serving as the letter “o” has been replaced by a more slender design stacking the...
The Magic of the Market
(A handy, fashionable bag is what every market-goer needs.) Old Dominion’s University Village comes alive every Saturday By Jim Roberts Opening a brick-and-mortar business in the middle of a global pandemic might not seem like a wise move, but Ty and Christine Harrell...
ESSAY: SIMONE BILES: A PHENOMENAL (GOAT) REALITY
By John L. Horton We have just witnessed Simone Biles winning her spot on the United States Gymnastics Team, June 25-26, in St. Louis, Missouri. Biles’ two-day total score of 118.098 was more than two points ahead of runner-up, Sunisa Lee. What an...
The New Maestro
(Maestro Eric Jacobsen on the cover of Veer Magazine. Illustration by Walt Taylor) By Montague Gammon III The newly appointed twelfth Music Director of our Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Eric Jacobsen, flew into town from his current home in Brooklyn late last month,...
CLASSICAL MUSIC: From Boston with Glee
By Montague Gammon III The Norfolk-bound Boston Trio’s founding member and pianist, Ms. Heng-Jin Park, is probably most gleeful classical musician you’ll ever encounter. In the course of one telephone chat she chuckles, chortles, laughs out loud, and generally...
ART: This Mortal Toil
(Kent Knowles, Untitled) By Jeff Maisey The Linda Matney Gallery has unveiled an ambitiously engaging new exhibition thematically centered around the human psychological condition associated with emerging from a global pandemic and similar transformative experiences. ...
MUSIC: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Circles Back
By Jim Morrison Consider one measure of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's longevity and relevance: the group of California kids playing in a jug band scored their first big article on a page alongside The Byrds and The Doors in Tiger Beat magazine. Not Rolling...
MUSIC: The Family Stone Takes You Higher
By Jeff Maisey Sly & The Family Stone will forever be remembered as one of the most influential funk/soul/pop groups of the 20th century. The band formed in 1966 and was notable not only for its multi-cultural makeup of musicians, but also in the blending...
ART: For Life & Limb
(Trumpeting: “I created this painting at my studio in downtown Washington, D.C. after a stay in Norfolk and learning about the history of the Attucks Theatre.” — Matt Sesow) By Betsy DiJulio Everyone, it seems, has heard of Matt Sesow even if they don’t own a...
MUSIC: Back on the Road with Blackberry Smoke
(Blackberry Smoke brings its special blend of hard Southern rock to Portsmouth. Photo by Joe Lopez.) By Jim Morrison For Charlie Starr, the frontman of Blackberry Smoke, being off the road after two decades touring -- and making a living -- with his band was the...
THEATER PREVIEW: The Earth Remembers
(Puppets, including this giraffe, featured in Earth Remembers were built by Black Light Puppet Theatre.) A world premiere collaboration at Virginia Stage brings people and history together By Montague Gammon III A hip-hop history of Hampton Roads, a one hour song...
MUSIC: Styx Returns with Prog Rock Gem
(Styx: Chuck Panozzo, Ricky Phillips, Todd Sucherman, Tommy Shaw, James “JY” Young, Lawrence Gowan. Photo by Rick Diamond) By Jeff Maisey It may still be the best of times for classic rock band Styx. The group will perform August 10 inside Chartway Arena on the...
ART: Women Amplified
(April Bey, And I’m Calm, Calculated and Perfectly Aligned, 2020, Watercolor, drawing, acrylic paint, epoxy resin, hand-sewn African fabric, oil impasto, 40 x30 inches. Courtesy of the artist.) By Betsy DiJulio Virginia MOCA’s unabashed embrace of women-identifying...
Prepare for 757 Battle of the Beers
The Garage Brewery won the last Battle of the Beers event. Photo by Eye of the Storm Photography courtesy of Beach Ambassadors. By Jeremy Bender More than 30 regional breweries will vie for this year’s 757 Battle of the Beers crown. The event is held on the grounds...
Suffolk Surprises with Superb Suds at Nansemond Brewing Station
(Sample a variety of beer styles in scenic downtown Suffolk at Nansemond Brewing Station. Photo courtesy of the brewery.) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Locals may know the Nansemond River, that the Nansemond Native American tribe lived along the river, or that...
Still Tasty After All These Years
TASTE OF SUCCESS: (L-R) Peter and Jon Pruden have enhanced and expanded the specialty gourmet food brand known for its delicious sandwiches, prepared food items, and spot-on wine selection By Marisa Marsey As nightmarish as the past year and a half was, Hampton Roads...
RESTAURANT NEWS: 1608 Crafthouse Rebounds
(1608 Crafthouse’s Bacon Cheeseburger is a popular menu item.) By Jeff Maisey Kevin Sharkey was prepping for the fifth anniversary of his 1608 Crafthouse on Pleasure House Road in Virginia Beach when the pandemic struck in March 2020. He’s been battling ever since...
Fountain Flows into 757
By Jeff Maisey There’s a new hard seltzer in town — Fountain. Made in New York City, this new, upstart brand is fun — from the well-carbonated bubbles, zesty citrus and berry flavors to the eye-catching packaging — screams fun. After enjoying a few cans over a recent...
Driving You to Drink: Beer Touring in Hampton and Newport News
(Members of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society gather for a pre-beer photo. Photo courtesy of Diane Catanzaro.) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Who is ready to get out of the house and visit a bunch of breweries? We’ve put together a little beer tour...
RESTAURANTS: Local Brands Expand
(Owner Bob Roberts has Redwood Smoke Shack expanding with a new Virginia Beach location. Photo courtesy of Redwood Smoke Shack.) By Marisa Marsey Some of our favorite homegrown eateries are expanding – opening a new location, introducing a new concept – making us...
A Coterie of Charcuterie
(Katie Huger, owner of Long Board Charcuterie, curates exquisite, customized boards to celebrate special events as well as every day.) By Marisa Marsey There’s a joke circulating at fromageries: “How do you irritate a cheesemonger? Ask for a charcuterie board with no...
NATO Festival Beer Brings People Together
(Brew Day at The Bold Mariner Brewing Company in Norfolk) By Jeff Maisey In what has now become a Norfolk NATO Festival tradition — born five years ago — a collaboration beer pairing The Bold Mariner Brewing Company and NATO Headquarters will be featured at the...
Fox Tail Wine Bar Adds Flavor to New Phoebus
(Interior view of Fox Tail Wine Bar. Photo by Michael Fernando.) By Jeff Maisey “I felt like the type of experience we’re offering did not exist in this neighborhood and there was an opportunity to bring something new, fresh and exciting to a community that was...