Home Care In Lovettsville, VA

Lovettsville is in an unusual position: It’s surrounded by a cornucopia of farms, but it doesn’t have a large enough population to warrant its own big-box grocery store.

John DeSaix, along with the rest of the board of the Lovettsville Co-op, plans to change that.

“I really believe the key way to help keep western Loudoun rural is to provide a place year-round where the local producers can know there’s somebody who can buy their produce,” DeSaix said. “Having more local food makes us more independent, and plus the quality is better.”

The Lovettsville Co-op is finally moving toward a physical store after signing a lease in January for a site on the south side of the Lovettsville square/circle with developer Lovettsville South, LLC.

At the co-op board’s annual meeting in February, DeSaix announced the proposed layout of the 5,000-square-foot, environmentally sustainable store, with a local beer and wine section, produce section, a grab-and-go deli and grocery aisles stocked with 75 percent natural and organic foods and as much local products as seasonally possible. The store is also designed with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind.

There will be no self-serve hot bar or salad bar. All eating areas will be outdoors, and the parking lot will include spaces for curbside pickup.

“The good news is — we didn’t design it prior to COVID,” DeSaix said. “Our store will be designed to be consistent with best practices.”

The co-op is now raising funds for its capital campaign, enlisting owner-members who will help back the construction and opening of the store, with plans to begin construction in September of this year and open one year later, in September 2022.

While everyone in the community will be welcome to shop at the store, member-owners receive additional, lifetime benefits.

There will be periodic in-store discounts on owner appreciation days, discounts for events like cooking, canning and wellness classes, the ability to vote for the co-op board and a share in the profits based on how much they shop there. And if a member-owner makes a loan to the co-op during the capital campaign, they will not only help open the store but will also earn interest on their investment.

This is one of the major differences between a normal supermarket and the Lovettsville Co-op — DeSaix said that while the Lovettsville Co-op will have paid staff and a full stock of groceries, funds and profits from the store will return to the community.

To help people of all economic backgrounds access healthy local food, the coop will also work with state programs and local food banks.

“Co-ops are special,” DeSaix said. “They’re all about the community coming together and creating something that’s mission-driven.”

“This is being financed primarily by the people of Lovettsville; people in the community,” he said.

Getting to this point has been a more than 10-year journey, DeSaix said.

The original Lovettsville Co-op board held its first meetings in 2010, and eventually started negotiating with Lovettsville for the use of the fire and rescue building.

By 2019, however, Lovettsville — and community interest — had grown. A market study suggested that the firehouse wouldn’t provide enough space.

Working with Gary Large of Eco Developers, they found an affordable space for what will become the flagship store of Lovettsville’s town square.

Since November, DeSaix said dozens of new member-owners have signed up from Lovettsville, Maryland and the community at large.

“It’s just exploded,” he said. “There’s a lot of excitement in the town.”

To find out more about the Lovettsville Co-op, visit lovettsville-grocery.com.

Navy veteran Jeff Boogaard added a small plot of cannabis plants to his Asian water buffalo farm in Lovettsville, Virginia, in 2019, as an experiment — and the following year, he pivoted his farm entirely to the crop.

What is now the Cannabreeze Farm is planting its fifth season of cannabis crop right now, but he is not growing hemp for fiber production. Cannabreeze is entirely about CBD, or cannabidiol, the substance derived from hemp that has health and wellbeing benefits but not the psychoactive properties of marijuana’s THC.

Cannabreeze, with just over 12 acres, is part farm, part destination, with an on-site shop selling CBD rubs and balms, oil drops, edibles, drink infusers and even pre-rolled joints and flower buds for smoking.

The farm also has picnic areas, holds its own occasional events and is available for private events bookings.

“One of our number one objectives really is to educate the community to help remove the stigma of this plant,” Boogaard said. “We have festivals right here on the farm property just to have people come and embrace it and be more comfortable.”

Boogaard and his team grow, dry and produce their CBD products on-site. Extracting CBD oil from cannabis is a complicated, multi-step, multi-day process. At Cannabreeze, that includes one of only three custom-made machines in the U.S. used for a large part of the process.

In addition to the farm store, its products are available online, and at 15 D.C.-area farmers markets. Cannabreeze also has a partnership with Lost Rhino Brewing Co. in Ashburn for non-alcoholic CBD-infused seltzers. The current one is called Pineapple Dream.

The Virginia General Assembly legalized possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana and authorized sales for non-medical use starting in 2024, and Boogaard says making the switch from hemp to marijuana would be very easy. They’ve already tackled the learning curve for growing the plant.

“Think of a red tomato versus a green tomato,” Boogaard said. “We would just be planting a THC-dominant seed rather than a CBD-dominant seed. We are also in the process of installing three fully-automated greenhouses so we can grow year-round.”

But marijuana would not choke out Cannabreeze’s CBD ambitions.

“Our ultimate goal is to grow more compatible CBD in the health and wellness community and make it aesthetically pleasing and very nice to smoke, at the same time as delivering the quality of what we call plant medicine to our customers,” he said.

Boogaard says marijuana does have mental and physical health benefits similar to CBD.

“THC has a lot of medicinal value as a plant. It is not as robust as other cannabinoids like CBD and CBG,” he said. “But it does have tremendous value, especially in areas of pain and major stress disorders.”

The name “Cannabreeze” is a reference to both the product and the farm’s location on Breezy Meadow Lane in Lovettsville, and while catchy, Boogaard has some regrets about choosing it. The name prevents him from advertising and marketing on most social media platforms, which prohibit cannabis-related marketing.

For Boogaard, CBD is also personal.

A few months after that first crop in 2019, his then 22-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer. While he makes no claims CBD had any impact on her recovery from cancer, he believes it did help with the symptoms and the anxiety of treatment.

“What I learned is that chemo does far worse damage to the body than the actual cancer, and CBD helped her get through that, both physically as well as emotionally,” he said. “I really believe that it was providence. That God was telling me it was something that I needed to continue, and that’s why I did more research on this amazing plant. I’m a big believer that this is a big game changer when it comes to health and wellness.”

His daughter is two-and-a-half years in remission.

Cannabreeze is located at 13554 Breezy Meadow Lane in Lovettsville, Virginia.

“Coming across Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome (VA61) was totally the universe at work,” says Thomas Pomeroy, the current owner of the airfield. “I was living in Texas at the time as a former Continental pilot, now United pilot, and was based out of Houston. When they announced that merger, it was an opportunity to come back to the D.C. area. I lived in Maryland in the mid-90s and love this part of the country.”

“I came up and started looking for airpark properties, since I had already been living at an airpark in Texas,” Pomeroy continues. “Prior to Texas, I had lived in Florida and both those states have dozens of airparks. In Virginia? Not so much. I literally was driving all around looking for airparks and getting frustrated. I pulled out an old sectional and saw this airfield and another one that’s right across the street. There are two private airfields right next to each other, somebody at one of them should know where the airparks are.”

“So I wandered around the roads based on the sectional, found the two airstrips, and then learned that this one was for sale. My first thought was that I would never be able to afford it. But the real estate market and interest rates were both at rock bottom. So it all just fell into place.”

When Pomeroy purchased the airport in 2013, it was a quiet property that held memories of a more lively past.

“The airport was initially started in 1970 by a gentleman named Jan Scott. He was a highly accomplished Norwegian pilot that came over and had the good fortune to be one of only 10 pilots out of 100 interviewees to be hired by American Airlines in 1966. He was the one who developed this airport, built the buildings on it, and had quite a glider operation for a while. But he ran into some hardships with the county because he was renting hangars to the glider club. That was seen as a commercial business, and he didn’t have the zoning or permits to do that. Things then kind of calmed down, if you will,” Pomeroy explains.

Scott was active in the Vintage Sailplane Association, and the airfield had been home to a number of rare classic and antique gliders, as well as a de Havilland Tiger Moth.

“I’ve been slowly trying to reinvigorate things since purchasing the airport. But in the last couple of years things have really started to take off. We, and when I say ‘we,’ Linda [Sanbower-Burke, Pomeroy’s life partner, is included] was instrumental in the airfield’s operations and, especially, coordinating our first fly-in event in September 2021. It simply would not have happened without her.

“We held the event in conjunction with the town of Lovettsville’s Oktoberfest. Lovettsville was originally a German settlement and has a well-known Oktoberfest event at the end of every September. Unfortunately, the town’s celebration was canceled at the last minute because of residual COVID-19 concerns.

Even without the town’s Oktoberfest taking place, Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome still can accommodate a healthy crowd of people.

“We went ahead with our event, since it was entirely outdoors, and it was a huge success. It went far better than I could have ever imagined! Linda invited the Flying Circus out of Bealeton, Virginia, to come up. They brought a Stearman and were selling rides. Justin, who is the organization’s president, was hesitant at first because he wasn’t sure how many people would be here and whether it would be worth his while. By the end of the day, he had sold 26 rides all by himself. He had only gotten out of the airplane one time during that period. At the end of the day, he was turning people away. He asked to come back the next year and bring two guys with him to offer more rides.”

In 2022, the second fly-in event occurred at the aerodrome. There were more patrons and aircraft there than at the first year’s event, which was just one metric that proved the event was a success.

“At our most recent fly-in the ‘Circus’ brought two Stearmans and a Waco, which was really awesome because the Waco has a bench seat. They could take two people up for rides, so they were taking couples and parents with younger kids. It was so awesome to see the kids getting out of the airplane with huge smiles on their faces. They did 56 rides and we had over a thousand people visit the field that day. We’ve been billing the event as an ‘Oktoberfest, Wings and Wheels.’ It’s a fly-in and cruise-in, with lots of vintage cars and airplanes, live music, and various vendors. The concept has been a really big hit, and our neighbors and entire community have been tremendously supportive!”

All that said, there is still some fallout from the 1970s. The county’s decision surrounding Scott’s operations at the airfield still impacts its usage today. But Pomeroy is optimistic that aligned priorities will be mutually beneficial for both the airport, the town of Lovettsville, and the county at large.

“We are in the process of pursuing help from county officials to review the zoning to see if we could entertain guests overnight. Not being able to stay overnight has been a deterrent for people who want to fly in and go into town to enjoy the Oktoberfest activities and patronize local businesses.”

Nonetheless, the couple and others are involved in ensuring the airfield’s positive contribution economically and socially to the Lovettsville area’s future. “We want to offer more fly-in events in the future and provide opportunities for area residents, both young and old, to experience, first-hand, the fun, thrill, and joy of vintage and recreational aviation,” says Pomeroy. “We also have high hopes that, with the county’s blessing, we will be able to offer limited opportunities for pilots to fly-in and enjoy northern Virginia’s booming tourist attractions.”

Pomeroy expresses that the 3,000-foot turf airstrip is presently in good condition, although “it’s ideal for taildraggers, but can be a bit of a challenge for high-performance tricycle gear aircraft and those with limited turf experience” (because of the runway surface’s rolling high and low spots). And as its name implies, the airstrip is the perfect place for older aircraft. It’s already host to a special collection of Czech taildraggers, in addition to the litany of unique aircraft that fly in.

“The name Lovettsville Vintage Aerodrome kind of tells the story,” Pomeroy says. “The focus here is on classic and vintage aircraft, but everybody is welcome to come in and visit. Ideally—and this may be a few years down the road—it would be nice to have a dozen vintage aircraft hangared here. I have a small collection of Zlin aircraft, the old 526-series aircraft. We hope to do a new building where those aircraft can be stored and be visible to the public in a museum-type situation.”

Grant Boyd is a private pilot with eight years of experience in aviation business, including marketing, writing, customer service, and sales. Boyd holds a Bachelor's and a Master's of Business Administration degree, both from Wichita State University, and a Doctor of Education degree from Oklahoma State University. He was chosen as a NBAA Business Aviation "Top 40 Under 40" award recipient in 2020.

LOVETTSVILLE, Va. - In Northern Virginia, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office was asked to investigate a claim of potential voter intimidation at the polls.

This has to do with a volunteer poll worker who came across Facebook ads they found to be a threat.

A source shared this complaint with FOX 5.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told FOX 5 in an emailed response, “the LCSO was made aware of the post and determined it did not rise to the level of a threat or intimidation.”

The Facebook posts referenced show a Facebook ad for an AR pistol on sale – a firearm some politicians and activists might describe as an “assault-style weapon.”

The post was made on September 20th and no longer appears to be online. It shows an image of the firearm – but it is the wording the complainant took issue with.

One post with the firearm price also reads “…the election is just around the corner…”

Another post reads … “I want to see you in a nice AR pistol for the election.”

The person who made the complaint believes this is an example of voter intimidation.

The complainant told FOX 5 they are concerned with armed people showing up to the polls and pointed toward the gun shop owner, who they claim, has encouraged attendance at past events where protesters have shown up armed.

These past events were also events held in support of 2nd Amendment rights.

RELATED: DMV voters concerned about potential for intimidation at polling places

FOX 5 also spoke with the gun shop owner, Warner Workman, who owns Minuteman Arms in Lovettsville, VA. He called the concern comical.

Workman tells FOX 5 he referenced the election in the ads because of the Democratic candidates and their stance on guns if a Biden-Harris ticket wins.

“They heavily advocate for this – basically the banning, the import and the manufacturing of AR-style platforms. They’re just simply semi-automatic rifles…” said Workman in part of a Zoom interview on Sunday.

Workman went on to say “I’m just a Second Amendment retailer encouraging all law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights. People are going to read into what they want.”

Warner also confirmed he was recently contacted by authorities about the Facebook ads.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s office says it’s been working closely with federal, local and state partners “to monitor any credible threats regarding polling locations.”

The Sheriff’s Office says if anyone has concerns regarding illegal activity at the polls, to either call 9-1-1 or contact the LSCO at: (703) 777-1021.

Lovettsville Oktoberfest Committee Chair Jeff Schutte resigned from his position on Friday in an email to the Town Council citing friction with the council and town staff. The action comes less than a month before the town’s annual festival.

“I simply can’t attempt to lead this group anymore, facing the constant headwind that we’ve endured,” he stated in the email.

Schutte said he was proud of the work that the committee had done, but that he was frustrated with actions by the Town Council to override decisions he felt were within the committee’s purview.

“My biggest thing, and this goes back to I would say two or three months ago, has been that there never really seemed to be a clear understanding on anyone’s part, including my own, as to the relationship between the committee and the town council and the town staff,” he said.

He said he was asked by former Mayor Nate Fontaine in 2022 to bring back Oktoberfest after a two-year hiatus following COVID and the committee and council came together to organize the festival.

“We just got it done last year and we all played very nicely,” he said. “And I think that some of us probably got comfortable with that. Because it did go off really well last year and we didn’t take the time last October, November, December, to sit down and map out which group was really going to make this decision and that decision.”

Schutte said some of the particular points of conflict between the council and the committee related to whether to allow political candidates to be sponsors of the event and whether to allow One Family Brewing to participate in the event after the deadline for interested parties to apply had passed.

Schutte said while he was frustrated with the situation, he was still looking forward to attending the event.

“The most important thing that the public needs to know about is that the event is still 100 percent on,” he said. “We’re still showcasing the town and all the wonderful businesses.”

The Lovettsville Town Council and Oktoberfest Committee released a statement Monday assuring the public that the festival will still take place. “Under new leadership, the Lovettsville Oktoberfest Committee and Town of Lovettsville are excited to welcome you back for Lovettsville’s 28^th annual festival that includes all the traditional festival favorites.”

Town Manager Jason Cournoyer said in an email to Loudoun Now that, “the Town Council remains steadfast in proceeding with the festival and values the committee’s continued dedication in supporting, coordinating, and executing this year’s festival.”

He said he understands the effort and hours of work that community volunteers put in to make the event happen and he’s grateful for their contribution.

“When you volunteer at the level that’s required for these committee members, I think any reasonable person can understand the impact that can have on work, life balance and everything else,” he said.

Cournoyer said that the committee’s Vice Chair Lizzy Fontaine will take the lead in running the committee along with support from the council.

The event is scheduled for Sept. 22-23.