Halloween happenings this weekend in Sperryville and Washington, and how Shenandoah National Park's 75th anniversary celebration this year connects to its closest neighbors -- us.
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Tourism
The Rapp for Oct. 28
Sperryville column for Oct. 28
Refresh your face and your fridge without leaving Sperryville; terrific coverage of Rappahannock County in the Examiner and The Washington Post.
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Letter: Visitors Center is welcome, welcoming
I have stopped by the Rappahannock County Visitors Center twice in recent weeks and found it a warmly welcoming experience. The layout and decor of the office are attractive and cheerful. But more important was the genuine “welcome, glad you’ve come” reception from manager Sandra Maskas and volunteer Bruce Sloane that made me appreciate...
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The Rapp for Sept. 30
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Visitors Center, which has been well-visited so far; "City Island" is RAAC's movie this Friday at the Theatre; on Saturday at the Theatre, some lovely songs by a trio of special performers; in Sperryville, Haley Fine Arts celebrates its 10th anniversary with a show by 10 artists starting...
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Editorial: Autumn’s bounty — events
Even in this era of cyberspace travel, it’s still impossible for one physical body to be in two places at the same time, as my family and I discovered this past weekend. So much was happening right here in Rappahannock — the Farm Tour, the start of the Castleton fall concert series, the Rappahannock...
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It’s Farm Tour weekend: Come on by!
The weekend ahead in Rappahannock County is the time to find out: • what “mob” grazing is, • why malting one’s own barley is important, • what heirloom apples taste like, • how to spin and dye yarn, • where to find 20,000 baby trees in one place, • where to step off along...
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Rapp Central: Almost ready for prime time
The former Sperryville Antique Market at 3 River Lane is home to several new businesses — one about to open, another already operating and a third heading into home stretch. The historic building, which was built as an apple packing house and served as the county’s first farmers coop, is now called Rappahannock Central....
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Historical Society rallies through the countryside
From contributed reports How many of us as kids enjoyed the story of Mr. Toad in “Wind in the Willows” cavorting about the countryside in his open-topped jalopy? On Saturday afternoon, Oct. 2, the Rappahannock Historical Society will offer the opportunity to revisit those memories and to make new ones for participants in its...
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Bank’s donation to Visitors Center
Rappahannock National Bank President Mike Leake, left, presents a $2,000 check Monday to Sherri Fickel, right, chair of the county’s Tourism Advisory Group. County Administrator John W. McCarthy stands with them in front of the new Visitors Center on U.S. 211 just outside Washington. The bank’s donation helped provide needed computer equipment for the...
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Washington ‘tourist home’ request to be withdrawn
The sale of a house on Mount Salem Avenue in Washington that was the focus of a request by its owners to rent it out as a tourist home has been negotiated. The tourist home special use application before town council will be withdrawn. Denise Chandler of Country Places Realty reported the home at...
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Visitors Center is ready
Starting tomorrow, Sept. 3, visitors to Rappahannock County will have an official starting point. A Rappahannock County Visitors Center, subject of much discussion and not a little dissension earlier this year, will open its doors for at least three days a week — Friday through Sunday — beginning this Labor Day weekend. The center...
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The Rapp for Sept. 2
Slower speeds in Sperryville, a 25th anniversary for the county's oldest continually owned and operated B&B, and Drew Ernst returns for more large doings at Sperryville's Haley Fine Art.
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Letter: A helpful Guide
When Maureen Harris advised me that you had kindly provided 200 copies of the Rappahannnock News’s annual “Guide to Rappahannock County” for the information packets for the Shenandoah District of the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs’ semi-annual district meeting, I was ecstatic. We are doing our best to showcase all that Rappahannock has to...
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Artists and galleries chosen for annual tour
What does a master blacksmith whose forged iron works are at the National Cathedral, a landscape painter whose work is in the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies program and a sculptor and potter who works in natural forest materials and functional clay all have in common?
They, along with another 55 other...
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Magazine features Rappahannock as go-to destination
This month’s issue of Old House Interiors magazine features a story on Rappahannock County as a go-to destination for those who love historic architecture.
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Farm Tour set for Sept. 25-26
This year's Rappahannock Farm Tour on Sept. 25 and 26 hopes to capitalize on the good showing during the 2009 farm tour when 500 visitors -- not including children -- attended.
Those encouraging results, prompted the Office of Tourism, the Virginia Extension Service and a few volunteers to organize this year's tour.
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Tourist home proposal draws support, raises eyebrows
Steve Ray and Andrea Wooten have found themselves in the position of a lot of folks trying to sell a home. It's just not happening right now in the current economic climate.
Desiring to move out of their home at 418 Mount Salem Ave. in Washington but not wanting to leave it vacant or renting...
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Water issues override Hazel River designation
State Scenic River recommendations might be entering a period of drought in Rappahannock County.
At the end of a day during which it heard dismaying estimates of drought-related crop damage in the county, and heard others caution against “giving away” river-related rights to the state for a variety of reasons, the county Board of Supervisors...
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The Rapp for July 22
The passing of Amissville 'cornerstone' Paul Poling; the impressive showing of Rappahannock County's 4-H Club at the Culpeper-Madison-Rappahannock Farm Show; a Hospice benefit July 31-Aug. 1 kicks off a new Rappahannock 'Artisanal Wineries Trail'
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Sperryville: Link hosts Castleton rehearsals and more
Improvements and goings-on at the Link, music on the deck at Thornton River Grill, improved veterans benefits and the Sperryville Volunteer Rescue Squad's good looks.
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The Rapp
A Rappahannock Fourth in Sperryville (and a patriotic reading in Washington), plus news of two wineries' achievements with Google and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
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Sperryville: A summer season in full swing
Residents and visitors alike soaked up the official opening of summer on Memorial Day weekend in a variety of ways.
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From a pit stop to the Blue Rock
Said Hawa’s dream all his life has been to own an inn. After turning off of U.S. 211 for a pit stop at the Blue Rock Inn in 2008, his dream came to life. “I came in to use the bathroom,” Hawa said, chuckling. “Afterward, I looked around. I loved the land. The view...
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Visitors Center to open soon
Developed on a shoestring budget that will rely on the voluntary support of private donors — and the fees it will charge for tourism-related businesses who wish to place information there — the Rappahannock County Visitors Center is starting to look amazingly lifelike. A renovation crew is working most days at the Visitors Center...
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Town’s sewer in operation
Washington’s long-awaited $4 million sewage-treatment plant quietly went live on April 19. At Monday’s Washington Town Council meeting, Councilman Gary Schwartz reported that the plant received its state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) operations certificate April 16, “and as of today, we have 17 connections in operation,” he said. Those included the new plant’s...
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The Rapp
The Sperryville Volunteer Fire Department is looking for a few good underwriters to help put on its fourth annual Rappahannock County July Fourth Celebration, and the new Visitors Center is hoping to train more than a few good volunteeers on May 12.
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Sperryville: It’s Mother’s Day once again
Mother's Day, Shenandoah National Park news and 69-year friends celebrate their 89th birthdays.
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Rivers run through Richmond’s recognition
On a sultry day last week tailor-made for cooling off in the nearest river, Gov. Bob McDonnell declared the Jordan, Hughes, Russell Fork and Blackwater the latest additions to Virginia's scenic rivers system.
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Sperryville: Thriving through the village — and beyond
Restoration of property and business expansion continues in Sperryville and environs. Investment in our village conveys the belief by individual entrepreneurs that our charming village will not only survive recent economic distress but will, in fact, thrive. At 23 Main Street, owner Bill Pumphrey was delighted when his crew removed the hand-split lathe and...
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The Rapp
Go, Gavin, Go Gavin Jenkins, an 11-year- old Rappahannock County Elementary School fifth-grader, has a dream of becoming a professional automobile race driver, and this year he is on his way to accomplishing his dream. As a dirt track go-kart driver, Gavin won the Capital City Speedway Championship for his class at this, his...
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Right or wrong, it’s the Fodderstack!
By John W. McCarthy The Fodderstack 10K Race is at 9 a.m. Oh, and we’re moving the starting line. Last year, for the first time, the Fodderstack 10K Race began at precisely 9 a.m. The race started fine with no pile-up of over-eager type A runners, no children pushed aside by the overly aggressive,...
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Calendar: Rapp Happenings
The Rapp Happenings section lists events, generally in Rappahannock County, on a space-available basis. (The rappnews.com web site will always list all calendar items we receive.) If you your event absolutely must appear in the paper, on a certain date, please call Rappahannock News advertising consultant Patti Engle at 540-878-2417. Listings must be received...
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Fodderstack again? Oh no. Oh . . . yes!
By Max Fidler “Max, get up! It’s time to go,” I heard my mother say. I dreaded the sound of those words as I snuggled in my bed. Yeah, all I needed was a family excursion after a long week of school. I wondered if we were going to an art museum or something...
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Wasmund and Copper Fox: looking good
There are more, ongoing achievements to report for Rick Wasmund and his Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville’s River District. Wasmund’s Barrel Kit — a two-liter American White Oak mini-barrel of either Single Malt Spirit or Rye Spirit — just earned “Best New Beverage” top award at Virginia’s annual Food & Beverage Convention in Richmond....
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Sullivan house, Schmidt photos featured in magazine
John and Beverly Sullivan’s historic Washington home, The Meadows, is the featured cover story in the June issue of the national magazine Old House Interiors. The article, photographed and written by Rappahannock County residents Franklin and Esther Schmidt, depicts a full house tour and describes the history of the Sullivan house dating back to...
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Editorial: Rappahannock Playground?
Pop quiz: what’s the most popular tourism destination in Virginia? Colonial Williamsburg? No. Then it must be Mount Vernon? Sorry, no. Okay, then, it’s got to be Monticello? Wrong, again. It’s a sad state of affairs to report that the answer is Potomac Mills. Sad because most people would apparently prefer to spend money...
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Chef Gerard Pangaud helps restart Rapp’s Blue Rock
Just a brief story about a restaurant not closing in Rappahannock County: Not only is Washington’s Blue Rock Inn shooting for an April 15 reopening — after bankruptcy, new ownership and nearly a year of renovation — but its new owners have hired award-winning chef Gerard Pangaud to get the place started. “Chef Gerard...
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The Rapp
RCHS athletic director to be replaced; a day of Food Pantry fund-raising; Theatre sees Redd -- jazzmen Chuck and Robert.
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