New Food Upgrades for Fans at ODU Football Games

Courtesy of ODU Whether you’re a season-ticket-holding, expert tailgater or a casual observer, by now you’ve probably heard the hoopla about ODU’s recent $67.5 million reconstruction of Ballard Stadium, home of ODU Football, with its vastly improved seating, technology and amenities for players and fans alike. But what you may not have heard is that, [...]

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Virginia is for Restaurant Lovers Campaign Highlights Local Cuisine

The long-running “Virginia is for Lovers” marketing campaign just got a little more flavorful. In early October, the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (VRLTA) partnered with the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) to launch “Virginia is for Restaurant Lovers” to shine a spotlight on the Commonwealth’s 15,000 restaurants and unique food experiences. “When it comes to Virginia cuisine, our food [...]

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Giving Back Awards: Equi-Kids

At Equi-Kids, making a difference for the life of another gives them their greatest sense of purpose. “For some people, it’s a smile or a word from some of the families, it’s tears and hugs or the look on a proud parent’s face when they see a child accomplish something they were told they’d never [...]

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Giving Back Awards: Daniel’s Grace

Imagine you have a stomach virus. You schedule a check-up with your general practitioner, well aware of the suggested remedy of rest and antibiotics. Now imagine that your seemingly routine appointment reveals an ailment far more severe than a fever or the flu; a number of tests and doctor referrals later, you learn that you [...]

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Giving Back Awards: Navy Special Operations Foundation

Special Forces: NSOF Executive Director Suzanna Fisher and Director Adam Fleck. Photo by David Uhrin “I transformed. I had to accept a new set of circumstances, and resolve to thrive anyway,” writes Brad Snyder in his inspiring book A Fire in My Eyes, which chronicles his journey from being permanently blinded by an improvised explosive [...]

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The New Boar’s Head Resort

For years Charlottesville’s iconic Boar’s Head Resort has been quietly updating its image. But last May it unveiled the equivalency of a facelift: a $15.5 million renovation of its central inn and restaurant aimed at redefining Southern hospitality for the 21st century. “The past three years have brought a lot of positive changes,” says Communications [...]

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Gluten-Free Dining at 350 Grace in Ghent

Among the offerings at 350 Grace, Willie Moats’ new Ghent restaurant (in the space formerly occupied by Pasha Mezze): Carolina-style shrimp and cheesy roasted red grits; fried green tomatoes and lobster deviled eggs; biscuits with honey-maple-bourbon butter. It’s obvious he’s dipping into the South’s larder. And it’s obvious to those who’ve enjoyed his novel culinary [...]

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Top Dentist 2019: Dr. Shaun Rai

Dr. Shaun Rai truly loves being an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. A typical day for Dr. Rai is primarily filled with office-based oral surgery, which includes removal of wisdom teeth, surgical management of impacted teeth, dental implant surgery, bone grafting and delivery of the highest-quality outpatient anesthesia in a safe, comfortable manner. His practice of 19 [...]

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Empowered Plant Cakes: Healthy and Delicious Desserts

Paige Welch, who’s vegan, wanted to make a salubrious cake for her son’s first birthday. So she whipped up a plant-based peanut butter and raspberry chia jam confection, devoid of cane sugar, artificial ingredients and preservatives. It was delicious. And the root of her business, Empowered Plant Cakes. In the gabled cottage at Leaping Lizard [...]

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Virginia is a World-Class Higher Education Destination for Students

For Virginia residents and out-of-state students alike, the Commonwealth’s higher education institutions offer exceptional value and a wide range of programs to meet the needs of all types of students. Whether you are a student athlete looking to play at the collegiate level, a nontraditional student seeking to advance your career, an aspiring doctor or something [...]

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A Guide to Acing Financial Aid for College

High school seniors sweat two questions every fall: Will I get into college, and how will I pay for it? Chances are, they and their families started agonizing over these challenges years ago, and that’s good: Their forward thinking is beneficial, especially when it comes to paying the high price of higher education, which ranges [...]

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2 Local Professors Develop Life-Saving Technology

The energy buzzing through a college campus is generated by more than curious students: Faculty members—and their vision for the future as they double as professors opening minds and researchers improving the world—ignite their communities with possibilities. That’s especially the case with two professors who recently received honors and grants to continue developing new technology: [...]

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2019 Holiday Shopping Guide

Not sure what to get Great Aunt Vivian (who you only see once a year)? Need some inspiration as you shop for "the husband who has everything"? Look no further than our 1st Annual "Look What I Found" Holiday Gift Guide—a round-up of unique gift ideas all found in local stores. Look below to get [...]

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Dazzling Dancer Performs with Ballet Virginia for The Nutcracker

On Her Toes: Isabel Cary, Ballet Virginia. Photos by David Uhrin In a tutu and pointe shoes, balancing on the tip of her toes, arms raised, poised posture, this is Isabel Cary en pointe. Along with her sparkling crown and bodice, Cary will gracefully dance on stage as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen [...]

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Bakers Wanted for Inaugural Great Chrysler Bake Off

The Chrysler Museum is encouraging artists to put down the paintbrush and pick up a whisk for the first-ever Great Chrysler Bake Off. A nod to the popular television series The Great British Bake Off, the iconic museum is challenging local bakers to create art-inspired treats for a chance to be crowned the first place winner [...]

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3 Great Holiday Baking Recipes

While I love spending time in the kitchen crafting creative, garden-to-table meals, I have a special passion for baking. Like most beginners, I started out “by the book.” But over the years, I started tweaking and adjusting my own recipes to bring them to perfection.  If you’re ready to stop following along on the cake box and [...]

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Virginia Beach Home Made with Hemp Pays Homage to a Lost Friend

Photos by David Uhrin We all know of architectural wonders built in the name of romantic love. Think Agra’s Taj Mahal and Versailles’ Petit Trianon. But tucked at the end of a quiet street in Virginia Beach’s North End is one built in the name of brotherly love. The home of Belynda and Michael Meehan [...]

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Bar Crawl Reimagined with Norfolk Pedal Tours

Whether you like to bike and brew, pedal and pour or cycle and sip, Norfolk Pedal Tours has you covered. The 15-seat touring vehicle is fueled by the cycling power of its riders and takes Coastal Virginia residents on a boozy, behind-the-scenes ride of Ghent and Granby Street bars. Behind the region’s first-ever biking bar [...]

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New Book ‘A South You Never Ate’ Covers Eastern Shore Cuisine

’Round sunset, lights on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel appear like twinkling diamonds. Bernard L. Herman illuminates the land they lead to, Virginia’s Eastern Shore, in his new book A South You Never Ate (UNC Press, $28). A gastronomical Margaret Mead, he spotlights the communities of this slender 70-mile stretch between bay and ocean via foodways, [...]

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Taste by the Bay at The Tides Inn

Before closing for the season on Dec. 1, The Tides Inn hosted its seventh annual sell-out event Taste by the Bay. The celebration of Virginia libations, regional art and Northern Neck food draws hundreds of visitors to the idyllic resort every November. The 2019 event was particularly popular for sipping, shopping and savoring. The sprawling resort transforms its [...]

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