Albemarle

Charlottesville 365; Apple Harvest Festival at Carter Moutain Orchard, October 9 – 10, 2010

October 8, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · Leave a Comment 

The Apple Harvest Festival at Charlottesville’s Carter Mountain Orchard is fun for the whole family! The Orchard is winding down for the season, and officially closes it’s weekday hours at the end of November, but this is one of their final festival events before the end of the year!

If you’ve never been to Carter Mountain, you are missing breathtaking views, delicious apple cider donuts, fresh, juicy fruit, and a great place to just idle a Charlottesville afternoon away! Carter Mountain Orchard has free admission and is open seasonally with different fruit available for picking for the majority of the year. From the apple festival to tree-ripened and white flesh peaches, to nectarines, pumpkins for halloween, and fresh garden vegetables, the picking is plentiful nearly year-round.

If you are thinking about visiting Carter Mountain Orchard, check out their website first- it has daily updates about the different sections of the orchard that are open each day, as well as which fruit is prime for picking. The upcoming Spring Fling Festival is a fun two-day event, filled with hayrides, crafts, delicious food, and a souvenir shop full of lots of homemade goodies to bring back for friends and family.

Located off of Route 53, near Michie Tavern, PVCC, and Monticello.

Carter Mountain Orchard Apple Harvest Festival:

October 2, October 3, October 9, October 10 from 9AM – 6PM

Whether or not it’s an official festival, Carter Mountain is a great place to take a quiet stroll, to bring the kids for an afternoon of fun, or to bring your spouse for a picnic lunch. It has breath-taking views all around and is a great, low-cost opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. The traffic is typically very busy at the beginning of each picking season, especially during the months when it is only open on the weekends, but during the weeks at mid-day it is peaceful and quiet.

Map to the Apple Harvest Festival

1435 Carters Mountain Trail Charlottesville Virginia 22902

Charlottesville 365; Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, Fall 2010

October 4, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · 1 Comment 

This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, one of my favorite annual events in Charlottesville! The Arts and Crafts festival is located in Crozet, VA (which is part of Albemarle County), in the Claudius Crozet Park. It attracts artists from all across the region; this year boasting over 100! All types of artists are represented, including clay, drawing, pastels, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, wood and more. There is truly something here for everyone! Not to mention, opening day on Saturday could be a great opportunity for some last minute Mother’s Day shopping! Or Sunday could be a great day to take the kids so mom actually get’s a day off!

In addition to all of the incredible art, there is all-day live entertainment, children’s activities, and wine tasting for the adults! This years vineyards include Flying Fox (one that I’ve heard so much about but have yet to try!), DelFosse, Mount Fair, Mountain Cove, Stone Mountain, and Well Hung Vineyards (who I’ve never heard of before, but whose creative name and logos got a chuckle!). One of the entertainment highlights is Kid Pan Alley, which is a duo of musical artists, Paul Reisler and Terri Allard, who travel from school to school creating music with students and inspiring them to create their own. This two day event is truly packed with fun things to do, and all of the proceeds go to benefit and maintain the beautiful Claudius Crozet Park, a well-known and well-attended park that is a highlight of the area.

For the kids- the Arts and Crafts Festival has face painting, sand art, make-your-own crafts, and of course the added benefit of all of the future benefits that will be returned to the park!

The 30th anniversary is sure to be a hit, and it is a perfect opportunity for gift shopping, wine tasting, and a day of outdoor enjoyment!

Will we see you there?

Festival Schedule

• Saturday October 9; 10:00am – 5:30pm
• Sunday October 10; 10:00am – 5:00pm

Admission

Gate Admission is $6 for adults, and children under 12 are free. Admission to the wine tent after entering gate is $8 and includes a souvenir glass.

Visit Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival’s facebook page for updates.

Visit Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival’s website for details!

Great photos of the Arts and Crafts Festival courtesy of their website;

Map to Claudis Crozet Park;

And, of course, if you like the Crozet area, here are some nearby homes to check out;

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 112. See more city of Crozet real estate.
(all data current as of 5/22/2012)

1. $172,000 : 1511 Buck Rd, CROZET
   
   2 beds, 1 full bath

   Home size: 800 sq ft

   Lot size: 17,946 sqft
2. $995,000 : 2519 White Hall Rd, CROZET
   
   6 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 6,034 sq ft

   Lot size: 9.48 ac
3. $279,500 : 1433 Ballard Dr, CROZET
   
   3 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 2,800 sq ft

   Lot size: 20,037 sqft
4. $210,000 : 5102 Browns Gap Tpke, CROZET
   
   3 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,535 sq ft

   Lot size: 21,780 sqft
5. $169,900 : 1849 Thurston Dr, CROZET
   
   3 beds, 1 full bath

   Home size: 1,124 sq ft

   Lot size: 3.92 ac

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Charlottesville365; 2010 Blue Ridge Home Builders Parade of Homes

October 4, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · Leave a Comment 

2010 Annual Parade of Homes!

The Blue Ridge Home Builders Parade of Homes is an annual Charlottesville tradition that always occurs across two weekends (this year- October 9-10 and October 16-17) and showcases the best in new construction that Charlottesville has to offer. I know that for many people in Charlottesville who like to keep their eye on real estate, this is one of the most fun real estate events of the year! What better than touring through beautiful mint condition homes that are decorated impeccably to get great new ideas for your own home?!

I just had the privilege of judging several of the homes for the “Realtor’s Choice Award” that is awarded annually for each price range, and here are a few of my favorites you should be sure to check out if you’re in the market for new construction!

• 838 Belvedere Boulevard; Belvedere (Wendell Gibson)
• 854 Belvedere Boulevard; Belvedere (Stonehaus)
• 760 Belvedere Boulevard; Belvedere (Piedmont Realty and Construction)
• 821 Cole Street; Belvedere (Southern Development)
• Blandemar Farm Estates (Doug Kingma)
• 848 Colridge Drive; Kenridge (Craig Builders) Attached Home.
• 2123 Sundown Court; Pavilions at Pantops (Southern Development) Attached Home.
• 5237 Raven Stone Road; Foothill Crossing (Craig Builders)
• 393 Claremont Lane; Old Trail (Craig Builders) Attached Home.
• 2580 Palmer Drive; Keswick Estates (Alexander Nicholson)
• 118 Turkey Trot Lane; Spring Creek (Piedmont Realty & Construction)

But I just bought a home/am not looking to buy a home!

Whether you are in the market to buy a home or are just looking for fun and interesting remodeling ideas for the home you’re already in, this is really an excellent opportunity to learn more about our local builders, learn about the local new construction landscape, and check out the new and upcoming trends in real estate construction.

For a full list of the 28 homes on display in the 2010 Parade of Homes, click here!

Just don’t get all googley-eyed and forget to involve your favorite Realtor!

Remember: If you are currently in the the market to buy a home, many of these developments are represented by salespeople who are employees of the builder and who aren’t licensed real estate professionals. I always recommend getting involved with a Realtor before making any significant real estate decisions!

Which home is your favorite??

Dates: Saturday October 9 – Sunday October 10, AND Saturday October 16 – Sunday October 17, 12P – 5P.

Below is a chunk of the full map that can be found on the Parade of Homes Site;

Charlottesville365; Second Annual Cville Pie Fest- Sunday October 3

October 1, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · Leave a Comment 

Coming up this Sunday- is the second annual Cville Pie Fest!  A free event, fun for the whole family, and in support of a great cause.

First devised in 2009, by a handful of social media gurus tweeting, chatting, and blogging about how fun it would be to have a pie competition, this has now become an annual event celebrated in Charlottesville.

The pie fest is free to attendees, who pay only for $1 samples of each of the pies.  Celebrity guest judges taste test and announce the winners, and everyone gets to enjoy great company!  All of the proceeds go towards PACEM, which is the non-profit People and Communities Engaged in Ministry, which spends it’s time and dollars providing shelter to the homeless of Charlottesville, during the cold winter months.

Judging is done with a list of specific criteria and point scoring.  From the PieFest Website;

When judging the pies, our panel of judges will be considering the following criteria:

1. Overall flavor. No one wants a pie that doesn’t taste good, so this is the single most important judging criterion. It is worth twice of what any of the others are. Be sure that your pie is tasty, preferably delicious, and ideally divinely flavored. 10 points.
2. Crust. The crust separates a good pie from a fantastic pie. People who are serious about pie are very serious about crust, and a poor crust will virtually ruin a pie experience for them. 5 points.
3. Presentation. They say you eat with your eyes first. A beautiful pie will make the judges hungry for more, and they will be expecting greatness. If you can make your pie look as great as it tastes, you will be on your way to a winning pie. 5 points.
4. Originality/Traditionality. This is a specialty of the Cville Pie Fest. Sometimes a pie will transport you back to your childood, reliving the ideal life of the best apple pie you’ve ever eaten. They will remind you of holidays, and favorite relatives, and all of the good times you’ve ever had in your life when a pie has been present. These are the Traditional Pies. Other pies break new ground in pie making. There may be a flavor combination never before dreamed, or something that would ordinarily be a whole fruit that is, instead, a custard pie. Whatever it is, we may never have seen it before. These are the Original Pies. Cville Pie Fest pies should be one or the other. A minor deviation from tradition will get neither points for Originality nor Traditionality, but going big one way or the other could get you the full points for this category. 5 points.

Join us for the PieFest- no need to RSVP, just show up!  Sunday October 3 from 3P – 5P.  Located at the Haven at First and Market.

Charlottesville365; Monticello’s Inaugural Wine Festival

September 15, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · Leave a Comment 

Don’t miss an incredible opportunity to try 10 of Virginia’s best wineries in a one-of-a-kind location

– Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of the Independence and third president of the United States.  Jefferson is considered America’s first distinguished viticulturist and was the wine consultant for other founding fathers including Washington, Monroe and Madison.

For the first time, on Saturday September 18, Monticello will host a wine festival.  The event will take place on the historic West Lawn, with music from the Afton String Quartet and the Virginia Gentleman Fine Men’s Acappella.

Wineries:

• Afton Mountain Vineyards
• Barboursville Vineyards
• Gabriele Rausse Vineyards
• Jefferson Vineyards
• Keswick Vineyards
• King Family Vineyards
• Kluge Estate
• Pollock Vineyards
• Veritas Vineyards
• White Hall Vineyards

During the festival you can tour Jefferson’s home, hear live music on the West Lawn (after normal visiting hours) and enjoy the rare opportunity to walk Jefferson’s historic garden after hours.  Local wine experts will be on hand to answer questions about our region’s finest wines and how they compare to the vintages that Jefferson enjoyed.

Information

www.monticello.org/winefestival

September 18, 6-9 p.m. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

You can purchase your tickets online or by calling the reservations office at (434) 984-9881. Tickets are $55.  Same day tickets are also available.  Ticket price includes general admission, a walk-through house tour, commemorative tasting glass, wine tastings, and parking.

Gourmet bread and cheese boxes available for an additional $30 (serves two).

Reserved tables for 8 or more are available and include premiere seating, a gourmet cheese platter, three bottles of wine and a special tour of Jefferson’s wine cellar.  Please call Kathy Del Rosso at 434-984-9826 to purchase a reserved table.

testing subsubnav under Albemarle

August 21, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · Leave a Comment 

Local Utility Company Contact Information

July 10, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · Leave a Comment 

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