News from Earth and Fire -- April 18, 2006
Spring is here!
... and that means it's time for the 16th Annual Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival in downtown Leesburg. How thoughtful of the town of Leesburg to welcome Earth and Fire to town by putting on such an event right in front of the gallery! It seems the least I can do is to be open over the weekend.
Because of all the deliveries of new inventory, I've made friends with the UPS guy, the FedEx Ground guy and even the DHL people in Chantilly, who managed to track me down to deliver a package that had been sent to the Vienna address by accident. Sign*A*Rama of Leesburg tells me there's a good chance the Earth and Fire Gallery sign will be ready by the end of the week. So it looks like the gallery is going to be in good shape -- at least the ground floor.
I look forward to seeing some familiar faces this weekend!
Next week, the gallery will be open during the mid-day hours (from 11 - 3), then it will be back to daily operations on Tuesday, May 2. Normal gallery hours will shift an hour later at the new location to Tuesday - Saturday 11 - 6 pm. I hope this will make it easier for some of you to drop by after work.
And don't forget the first Friday of each month, when Earth and Fire will be open until 9:00 pm, as part of the First Friday Gallery Walk.
What's so great about Leesburg?
A month or so ago, I crossed the street from the gallery and went in to the Georgetown Cafe and Bakery to see about getting something for lunch.
The Georgetown Cafe and Bakery, the Colonial Inn (upstairs) and the Bella Luna Restaurant
The atomosphere is casual and colonial -- just the kind of place you'd want to duck into for an interesting lunch. On a whiteboard outside, I saw that the special for the day was a stuffed avocado and I decided I didn't even need to see a menu. I went in and placed an order to go. While I was waiting I introduced myself as a new neighbor, and in turn, I met Richard Scovel. The more I chatted with him while my avocado was being stuffed, the more I realized he is a really interesting guy. So, I thought I'd begin a multi-part feature in the newsletter and introduce you to some of the people and businesses in my new neighborhood. Kind of a cross between "Everybody has a Story" (from the CBS weekend morning shows) and Stephen Colbert's (Comedy Central) "Better Know a District.
Yesterday, I wandered across the street with my little steno pad and sat down for a more formal interview with Richard.
Richard Scovel
Richard grew up in Lansing, Michigan. As a music major, studying piano, he came to Leesburg for a concert and fell in love with the town. He stayed and went to graduate school at the University of Maryland. He was trained as a classical concert pianist and he still plays. In fact, his first CD will be available at the Cafe in a few weeks. At one point he had a baby grand piano in the window of the Greentree Restaurant, and he used to play there. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The Cafe was opened in 1969 when it was purchased by Fabian Saeidi, who previously owned The Georgetown Cafe in Georgetown. Although Richard has worked at the Georgetown Cafe in Leesburg since 1980, he's only been there full-time for the last ten years. Richard's favorite menu items at the Georgetown Cafe are the crab cakes and the fish and chips.
(The stuffed avocado is really, really good too!)
You only have to talk to Richard for a few minutes before you realize he is intensely interested in the history of Loudoun County in general and Leesburg in particular. He lives in a historic building just a few blocks away (must be nice to walk to work every day!). He said Morven Park is the best-kept secret in Leesburg. He also gave me several pages of interesting little tidbits about the town. For example, downtown Leesburg is the 7th largest preserved historic area in the country.
If you need to use the "necessary rooms" at the Georgetown Cafe, you will pass near the registration desk for the Colonial Inn (also owned by Mr. Saeidi), which is a 10-room bed and breakfast directly upstairs. You can also walk directly into the Bella Luna Restaurant (yes, Mr. Saeidi owns that, too). Richard grabbed a few room keys and took me upstairs to look around at the Colonial Inn. Each room is unique and decorated in different colors and styles. Although the building was built in 1742 (!), the upstairs has only been a bed and breakfast since Mr. Saeidi opened it in 1969.
Also part of the Saeidi business enterprise in Leesburg is The Greentree Restaurant, which Mr. Saeidi purchased in 1979.
The Greentree Restaurant
The Greentree is directly across the street from the gallery at 15 So. King Street. The Greentree has a more romantic environment, with a fireplace and candle light in the evening. They also serve a bread pudding that will tempt you beyond rational thought.
If you should drop in at the Cafe and see Richard, I hope you'll tell him you're there because of the newsletter. And if you have any questions about historic Leesburg, he's definitely the one to ask.
New work
I've updated the artist pages for Marty Fielding and Chris Baskin and I'm expecting work any day now from Barb Campbell. Next week, I'll also have a few more pieces from Sequoia Miller
Have a good week.
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