Volunteers power annual light show
On November 22, one million lights illuminated the night at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden thanks to 300 volunteers who have worked for the past year to make the Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights happen. The annual event is a six-week holiday extravaganza of lights, botanical decorations, model trains, Santa sightings, music, crafts, dinners, a fire pit, s’mores, hot chocolate and... READ MORE
Historian makes history as Smithsonian secretary
A girlfriend convinced Lonnie G. Bunch III to jump out of an airplane when he was 17 years old. “I jump out, and I’m yelling, screaming, cursing,” Bunch — now the new head of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. — recalled in an interview with the Beacon. But he learned something important from the experience. “It taught me that I could do things that scare the... READ MORE
He brings orchids back from the brink
If your orchid looks sickly and droopy, swallow your pride. Extinguish your guilt. Don’t give up. There’s hope — and it’s found through Art Chadwick Jr., of Richmond’s Chadwick & Son Orchids. Orchids have a reputation for being finicky plants, even for experienced gardeners, but Chadwick believes otherwise. People just need to understand these beautiful plants and when they ... READ MORE
Sophia Loren comes to town
Take one look at Sophia Loren, who was born in 1934, and it’s clear she knows the secret of aging well. “There is a fountain of youth,” Loren once said. “It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” Loren, 85, is still bringing her passionate... READ MORE
Jazz promoter opens new club
Baltimore’s new jazz club, tucked between Fell’s Point and Harborplace, has been hopping since it opened last April. In its first week, Keystone Korner Baltimore featured legendary bassist Ron Carter. During the summer, lines snaked around the block as people waited to hear smooth-jazz-neosoul Godfather and vibraphonist Roy Ayers. The iconic Blood, Sweat and Tears keyboardist Larry... READ MORE
Women finally get their own monument
Clementina Rind, mother of five, probably never heard of “breaking the glass ceiling,” “women’s liberation” or feminism, but in 1774 she became the Virginia colony’s public printer, elected by the Virginia General Assembly on a two-to-one vote. Rind, who had taken over the Virginia Gazette newspaper after her husband died, never missed putting out an issue. And she didn’t... READ MORE
Try stand-up for a second act
A funny thing happened to Rich Madzel on the way home from Brooklyn one night: He decided to open a comedy club. The idea came to him about a year ago on the New Jersey Turnpike, as he and his wife were returning to Columbia, Maryland after visiting their daughter. “It occurred to me that I was bored and needed more to do,” said the now 81-year-old businessman and theater... READ MORE
Daphne Maxwell Reid enjoys the journey
Though she recently turned 71, when actress Daphne Maxwell Reid appears at the Senior Connections’ Empty Plate Luncheon in Richmond on October 2, audience members shouldn’t expect the Richmond resident to talk about her quiet, peaceful retirement. “I don’t retire,” Reid said. “I’ll take my pension, but I’ll still be busy.” Reid has been busy for decades. After... READ MORE
Coming around to cannabis
Dr. Matthew Mintz wasn’t an early proponent of medical uses for cannabis (the scientific name for the plant more commonly known as marijuana). In fact, he said, “I was a little skeptical.” Mintz, a board-certified internist and Washingtonian “Top Doctor,” attended George Washington University medical school and then practiced medicine while serving on GW’s faculty for the... READ MORE
Box, dance, sing and repeat
Like many of today’s retirees, Marty Lefstein, a former computer programmer who lives in Parkville with his wife, Gita, leads a busy life. He practices yoga, takes dance and boxing classes, and belongs to a singing group. What’s surprising to many is that Lefstein, 67, has had Parkinson’s disease for the past 24 years. But far from slowing him down, that fact encourages the... READ MORE
