Cultural preview
Halcyon days: Scarce oil and great baseball
Published on Jun 12th, 2003
0 comments It was crappy to be American in 1975. Residual malaise from Vietnam, Watergate, and the oil crisis, writes Doug Hornig in one of the more evocative phrases in his book, The Boys of October, left “the...
Green Wintergreen: Love your mother (nature)
Published on Jun 12th, 2003
0 comments Now that winter’s abundant snow has finally melted, there are more than a few good— and very green— reasons to pile the kids, dogs, bikes, and golf clubs (or just your nature-lovin’ self) in the car...
Ain't that a shame? Late night at Live Arts
Published on Jun 12th, 2003
0 comments Forget Dave Letterman and Jay Leno and their bevy of curvy actresses and likeable musical sidekicks. You can now opt for a more novel version of late-night entertainment if you’re shameless enough....
Slipping away: Photos catch life on the sly
Published on Jun 12th, 2003
0 comments World traveler and photographer Will Kerner returns to the McGuffey with an exhibit of photos from Guatemala and Argentina. As with his previous Cuban spread, Kerner finds much that catches his eye...
Elementary! Help Mr. Holmes catch the crook
Published on Jun 5th, 2003
0 comments Several years ago, my kids pulled a dusty tome, three inches thick, off the bookshelf…their father’s ancient copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes. We’ve read aloud all 60 of these famous detective...
Storytime: Strong lyrics set jamgrass band apart
Published on Jun 5th, 2003
0 comments Straight from the opening note of “Ricky Dunbar,” the first song of jamgrass band Cast Iron Filter’s (CIF) March performance at the Outback Lodge (the Outback folks were kind enough to give me a copy...
Helpful? Readers rate Bronfman book
Published on Jun 5th, 2003
0 comments Here’s a confession that will shock none of you. The Hook’s Words columnist doesn’t always read the book in question. There are occasions when poor planning has sent me scurrying to Amazon’s “Look...
Fun for all: Follow herd to Nelson fest
Published on Jun 5th, 2003
0 comments If, in the past 10 years, you’ve never taken the scenic drive down 29 South for Nelson County’s Summer Festival, which takes place on the gorgeous grounds of the Oak Ridge Estate, this might be the...
Variety shows: Heritage opens 30th season
Published on Jun 5th, 2003
0 comments The Heritage Repertory Theater box office opened for business this week. Now in its 30th year of production, HRT is the summer professional theater operating out of the University of Virginia’s Drama...
Getting straight: Exhibit answers common question
Published on Jun 5th, 2003
0 comments When I last visited the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal art gallery, I was accosted by a short, fuzzy-headed woman clearly in thrall to a certain object in the exhibit.  “Would you like to know how the...
Get Rhythm: Scottsville fete makes a big splash
Published on May 29th, 2003
0 comments In her book Scottsville on the River, Virginia Moore describes the “front porch era” of her sleepy little town in southern Albemarle in idyllic terms: a place where the Number 10 train arrived every...
Growing up: Devon's new CD goes Upstate
Published on May 29th, 2003
0 comments By my calculations, Devon Sproule, or “Devon” as she’s better known around town, is at most 21 years old. She’s been written about in The Village Voice and The New Yorker, has toured nationally, and...
Keene for camping: Teddy went a-birdin' at Pine Knot
Published on May 29th, 2003
0 comments Nestled in the woods near Keene is an unassuming clapboard cottage. Its unassuming appearance makes it surprising that this rustic abode was once a Presidential retreat. Back in the early part of the...
Happy trails: Hike the wilderness... of Pantops!
Published on May 29th, 2003
0 comments With the Blue Ridge Mountains just a stone’s throw away, it’s easy to overlook the many trails in Charlottesville’s own backyard-– Monticello Parkway and Ivy Creek are a few of my favorites. But I’m...
Experiments: Science and humor under the lights
Published on May 29th, 2003
0 comments Paul Zindel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, The Effect of Gamma Rays on the Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, depicts one of the most tragic mother figures in contemporary theater history. Beatrice...
Posing: Smith can't forget the shoot
Published on May 29th, 2003
0 comments The University of Virginia Art Museum’s fresh new exhibit of work by photographer Rodney Smith is a retrospective, and there are surely some early photos on display: a still life with a bowl of fruit...
Eclipse! Moon around Thursday night
Published on May 15th, 2003
0 comments One weekend when I was a teenager, a group of friends and I lit out of town for the family cottage in the country. The sun had long set by the time we rolled up the dirt road that ended at the...
Still got "it": Crenshaw's 20-year itch
Published on May 15th, 2003
0 comments If you are like me, you have had more late night conversations revolving around the statement “Generally speaking, meaningful pop musicians just lose it after a few years of productivity,” than you’...
Ride it out: Stick with White Buffalo
Published on May 15th, 2003
0 comments The trick to reading Peter Skinner’s debut novel, White Buffalo, is not to put it down. This is a book with a powerful pulse and a disdain for traditional storytelling. Once you enter its flow, it is...
Monroe's merlot? Ash-Lawn hosts wine festival
Published on May 15th, 2003
0 comments Raise your glasses. It’s time to toast President James Monroe, winemaker. Does that sound funny? That’s because, despite his efforts, Monroe was much more skilled at governing a new nation than he...
Fun for funds: Live Arts hosts musical fete
Published on May 15th, 2003
0 comments If you’ve ever been to a musical play in Charlottesville, you have probably seen local star Doug Schneider. He has performed on every stage in town. From appearing in Four County Players’ community-...
Fading: Orr's work mirrors Eurydice's fate
Published on May 15th, 2003
0 comments Clearly, the Orrs have cornered the market on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Poet Gregory Orr has retold the entire story in short poems that he subsequently published as Orpheus and Eurydice. And...
Music for Moms: Annual Tandem event rocks
Published on May 8th, 2003
0 comments I just got back from the spring jazz concert at my kids’ school, and I’m still buzzing. Music at Tandem Friends School could be the hottest scene around. These talented young musicians don’t just...
The ruckus returns: Mary Prankster's all over the map
Published on May 8th, 2003
0 comments When I ask you to “Please ignore the gentlemen to the right and left of Ms. Prankster in the above picture,” it’s not because of any Wizard of Oz-type shenanigans-– singer/songwriter Mary Prankster...
Delusional? We're all in on the silence
Published on May 8th, 2003
0 comments Derrick Jensen is calling you a liar. He’s calling me one too. It’s because we collude in the silencing of A Language Older than Words, otherwise know as erosion, cause and effect, or even the Truth...
Seniors celebrate: Local Center welcomes Warner
Published on May 8th, 2003
0 comments Charlottesville’s Senior Center is one happening place, especially these days, because the non-profit organization, whose mission is to enrich and empower healthy seniors in the community, just...
Fun with Foley: One-man show delights
Published on May 8th, 2003
0 comments Andrew Bennett, renowned actor at the Abbey Theater in Dublin, Ireland, and narrator of the acclaimed film Angela’s Ashes, brings his one-man show, Foley, to Charlottesville for a two-night run as...
Everyday objects: Fitts elevates the mundane
Published on May 8th, 2003
0 comments Once or twice a year, it seems, Michael Fitts finds an opportunity to show his work, and that’s a good thing. The painter knows his way around sheet metal, does minimalism like a bug collector, and...
Being green: It's easy at UVA Museum
Published on May 1st, 2003
0 comments It’s spring. Luminous shades of green are everywhere. This Sunday they are especially prominent at the University of Virginia Art Museum where the Young Friends of the Museum are sponsoring the...
LSDelighted! 63 Crayons spread their love
Published on May 1st, 2003
0 comments Sure, sure, we all know it’s what’s inside that counts. But first impressions usually determine if one person ever gets close enough to another to see any insides at all, making first impressions...