The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - Is Lumpkins In Scottsville Permanently Closed?; Is Lumpkins Most Iconic Brand In Central VA?

Episode Date: June 14, 2024

The I Love CVille Show headlines: Is Lumpkins In Scottsville Permanently Closed? Lumpkins Closed? Who Should Buy The Rooster? Is Lumpkins Most Iconic Brand In Central VA? UVA Contract Extensions T. Bennett, B. O’Connor UVA AD Carla Williams: Her Top Week On Job? AlbCo BOS To Review Broadway Revitalization How Can We Make Ivy A Better Place To Live? College World Series: UNC v. UVA, 2pm, ESPN Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible, Rumble and iLoveCVille.com.

Good Friday afternoon, guys. My name is Jerry Miller. My phone is just absolutely blinging with notifications right now on this Lumpkin story that we're going to cover on the program. Demoralizing news. Demoralizing news about Lumpkins. It's closing. Is it permanent? Recently was purchased by new owners. Say what you want. Perhaps the business not run the best way under the new ownership group. The rooster is gone. The sign has come down. You're losing an icon if this business does not continue. All indications are it's permanently closing. You're losing a central Virginia icon since 1970. A motel, a breakfast eatery, a lunch eatery, a dinner eatery.

I mean, even more than that. You're talking about like the gathering spot for Scottsville. This is the proverbial cheers, if you may, where everyone knows your name. It is part of the charm and character of not only Scottsville, but the charm and character for anyone who's visited Scottsville to go tubing, to cut down Christmas trees, as my family does in that area every year,

to go enjoy craft beer, to enjoy the fireworks, to just spend some time in another locality that's close to where we live. You always pass by this damn rooster. I want to talk about Lumpkins from a historical standpoint, from an impact standpoint, and it's not just going to be about fried chicken and breakfast and a rooster in the front yard. It's going to be about how this brand was woven into a multi-generational story of Albemarle County and the town of Scottsville.

We'll talk on today's program, Carla Williams. The UVA Athletics Director, Carla Williams, she probably just had her most impactful week since she's taken this job. She's been the Athletic Director at the University of Virginia since 2017. In this week, a few-day stretch of professional clocking in and clocking out, Carla Williams extended the contracts of Tony Bennett and Brian O'Connor. When you talk the Mount Rushmore of most important or influential coaches at the University of Virginia, Tony Bennett, national champion,

Brian O'Connor, national champion, are on that Mount Rushmore. Probably throw a George Welsh in there. Maybe throw a Dom Starja in there. I'm just shooting at the hip here. A Bertadino there. But two of them that are certainly on that Mount Rushmore, Bennett and O'Connor, got contract extensions this week. We'll talk

about that on today's show. And speaking of the baseball team, the baseball team first pitched today, 2 p.m., UNC, National TV, ESPN. Virginia baseball's got a very good shot, as good a shot as any to win another national championship right now at this point of the season anything can happen bats can get hot pitching can get hot and you can ride a hot bat

or two or a hot arm or two to a national championship anything can happen you throw out the records, you throw out what's happened this year when you're in Omaha, anything can happen. We'll talk on today's program how you make the Ivy Corridor better. We've talked how you make High Street better. We've talked how you make Pantops better, how you make Keswick better. We've talked how you make Zion's Crossroads better, Louisa better. I love to take a look at various pockets of our community and brainstorm

ways of improving the quality of life for those that live there. Judah Wickower, Jerry Miller, live in our downtown studio, guys. Just a mere, what do you call it, 100 feet from the police department, Judah? 30 yards? 30 yards is 90 feet. I'd say a little further than that. 30 yards, what am I saying? You say a little further than that? Yeah.

Say 50 yards? Okay. We'll walk it out one day. A block away from the courthouses, right off the downtown mall. I don't know if you saw the photos that were on. Let's weave you in on a two-shot. Did you see the photos that were on Reddit yesterday? We love checking out Reddit with the houseless folks passed out around Hamilton's, the restaurant on the downtown mall. I did see that.

What in the H-E double hockey sticks was that? How would you put that in perspective? Just a second. I mean, I can see both sides of it. Both sides, wow. Go ahead. I mean, I understand the people arguing that,

oh, you know that they're homeless. It's not like you're just going to get the cops on them and kick them off the downtown mall. The police officers. We like to call them police officers. Okay. Do you understand the people that want to walk the downtown mall and not see people sprawled out next to planters? Defecating and urinating next to one of the most fantastic restaurants in our community. If you say so. Which part do you disagree with? I mean, were there pictures of that?

They talk about how that's what was happening. How the staff is having to utilize water and cleaning bleach to clean up the spots of where this is happening. Yeah, okay. Well, yeah, I mean, that's... I mean, you would think... You'd think a fairly simple expectation of a restaurant, no matter how upscale or downscale the restaurant is, is to not have to clean up after people doing that kind of thing right outside their doors.

But there's not really anything we can do at this point, right? The police officers stuck between a rock and a hard place. And rightfully so. They shouldn't be the ones having to take care, move these people. There's a point where we all have to realize that this is getting completely out of control. And I'm going to get roasted by the meme accounts about this. But having the houseless population in drug-induced hazes

passed out in doorways or next to the tables of our downtown mall businesses and eateries, defecating and urinating next to them. Enough is enough. The wait staff and the back of the house and front of the house staff should not have to clean up after these folks. The ownership groups and the ownership teams,

our neighbors are these owners. Small businesses, just looking to keep the lights on, should not have to deal with this mess. The police officers who are called to handle this should not be put in this position. This is not policing. Eventually, we've got to say enough is enough. And what I saw this week

got to a point that is just disgusting and absurd. We'll talk Lumpkins. Scottsville's in an uproar right now. The rooster is gone. Yeah. The signs are coming down. The signs are down. Here's some pictures. You got photos on screen? Let's see. Here is, here's what it used to look like. The rooster and the Lumpkins restaurant and motel sign out front. And let's see, we've also got an old, old photo. This looks like, I'd say, what?

Definitely 80s, if not earlier. You can probably see it now. I mean, look at that. I mean, it's classic look at that style I mean when you see a photo and you have gentlemen with pleated khakis that are baggy that are over their white tennis shoes and button-down jackets that are way too long it's a much shorter style of the jacket today. Look at these hairstyles. I love history like this. The older I get, the more I appreciate content like this, pictures like this, memorabilia like this. Keep rotating the photos you have on screen. Established in 1970. Is this business permanently closed? It certainly looks like that. You go to the Lumpkins website,

it is now completely offline, and the URL has been parked by GoDaddy. There is no website anymore for Lumpkins. Here's a shot of a caterpillar-type machine

lifting the sign, and here's another one actually carrying the sign away. I mean, Scottsville's, Aaron King says this, Scottsville's not going to play over that rooster. They have photos of the Lumpkin signs coming down today. Spencer, who sent me a fantastic photo and is watching right now, said the sign was returned to the Lumpkins family, apparently. The rooster is still MIA.

Spencer, we appreciate you. Spencer Pushard, one of the best electricians out there. If you need a television mountain at your house or some AV work, Spencer Pushard is a fantastic person to contact. The link he sent us from Hollis and Bonnie Lumpkin says here are a few pictures of the

moving of the Lumpkin's restaurant sign this morning. This was from 54 minutes ago. The new location will be Hollis and Bonnie's residence. We hope to obtain Rodney Rooster as well. And they go on to say,

thank you, Scottsville, for your support and your many posted pictures over the years. It is impossible to post every picture, so here's a little flashback. And that's where I got these photos from. Juni Hu, thank you for the retweet. Judah, what do you do with the rooster? I mean, I'm

sure there are at least a few people that would actually just post that up in their front yard. A few people? I mean, obviously, I think I'm sensing some sarcasm here. Thousands of people, right? I mean,

there's a bit of a gap between saying you do something like that and actually putting something like that in your front yard. This is what I just don't want to happen, is the rooster. Sarah Williams watching on Twitter says, Mrs. Lumpkins is rolling over in her grave. Does the town of Scottsville consider preserving the rooster and positioning the rooster in some kind

of historical capacity around Scottsville where it will forever be commemorated or remembered? I asked the question, when Mel Walker died in Mel's Cafe, I asked the question, how will city council in Charlottesville commemorate and forever immortalize Mel's Cafe? And I hoped and I prayed and I crossed my fingers and I begged that it was more than just a plaque. There was a grocery store, a black-owned grocery store on the site of Taverding Grocery, now owned by Ashley Sieg, formerly owned by friend of the program, Annie McClure. And if you eat outside Taverton Grocery,

literally on the sidewalk by West Main Street, you can look on the outside of Taverton Grocery and you see a plaque commemorating or forever immortalizing this black-owned grocery store that was there. From my standpoint, that plaque does not do the history of this grocery store, what it meant to Vinegar Hill, Star Hill, and the Fifeville neighborhoods. The history behind it, that plaque does not do enough justice.

I'm curious to see if Scottsville, a town with its own elected officials, choose to forever immortalize a 54-year-old business that has become the cheers of the town and the surrounding community. And from what I've heard, one of the best breakfasts around. And then you ask the question here. In a two-week period of time, ladies and gentlemen, Central Virginia, Charlottesville, and Elmore County have lost Lumpkins and Mel's Cafe. Yeah. In a two-week period of time, you've lost, and I understand there's a GoFundMe that's going on to save Mel's Cafe.

They're trying to raise $20,000 for this GoFundMe. Last I looked, they were halfway there, and the GoFundMe was slowing down. I've had very real questions and sincere questions. How can anyone carry on the legacy of Mel's Cafe when it's Mel you went to go see, who's now in heaven. Yeah. Okay. In a two-week period of time, we have legitimately lost two of the most iconic brands this community knows.

Mel's Cafe has been in this community for decades. Mel Walker opened in 1984. He closed it down five years later And then in 95 he reopened the business This guy's got a business that's been around for 40 years Lumpkin's been around for 50 years What is more significant from a locally owned business closing down? Loss of history

You're talking very few with this kind of history. Riverside Lunch. Stephanie Wells Rhodes watching the program. Her family tied to Riverside Lunch. The Virginian Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in the city of Charlottesville. Since 1923, the Virginian's been serving food on the UBA corner. Owned by Andy McClure. His first owned restaurant.

Timber Lakes on the downtown mall. C&O restaurant. I just saw Dean Maupin, the chef and owner, 30 minutes ago, right off Market Street, said hello to him. But you've got very few

businesses in Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville that have the history, the legacy, the generational impact of Mel's Cafe and Lumpkins. Yeah. Minsters, Riverside, Timberlakes, Mickey Tavern. Yeah, I was just going to mention that. I mean, in a 10-day, they say things happen in threes.

What's the next one, folks? Don't jinx us. That's what they say. I know. Less than two weeks, you lost a Mel's Cafe and a Lumpkins. I'll close this topic with this and then ask you if you have any thoughts or perspective on it. I'll relay it live on air.

Kevin Higgins watching in Greenwood, his photo on screen. He says, if it took a crane to remove the sign, how the heck was the rooster removed without anyone knowing? That rooster was easily seven foot plus. Fantastic question. Is that Higgins?

Kevin Higgins. You can just ask it online. You don't have to cover the mic. And I also think that they can hear us even though your hand is... And your face is on screen. Not anymore. What happened to the rooster? Yeah.

Eric King, I got a question for you. What happened to the rooster? Spencer Bushard, what happened to the rooster? Nancy, what happened to the rooster? Spencer Pushard, what happened to the rooster? Nancy, what happened to the rooster? I want to see how Scottsville's elected officials and leadership handle this. I can't believe there's not a market for these places. I mean... Running a food and beverage business in 2024? Yeah, I know that.

But of all the ways to get into the food and beverage business, having a 50-plus year legend... See, I disagree.

You disagree? Taking over a business like Lumpkins or Mel's or the Virginian or C&O like Riverside or Mickey Tavern. I mean, look at what happened with

the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the non-profit, when they were looking to buy Mickey Tavern. This deal fell through. The nonprofit, Thomas Jefferson Foundation, was buying an icon in Mickey Tavern. And some of the changes that they were going to make to optimize the model was to hire a third-party food and beverage operator from Pennsylvania to run the business more efficiently because they were concerned about the bottom line.

That created such an uproar that folks that were stalwarts, employees of Mickey Tavern, were going to lose their job or have to retrain or reapply to keep their job. That uproar was so significant and tangible that it was one of the reasons the deal fell apart. When you're buying a Mel's or when you're buying a Mel's or you're buying a Lumpkins, you're not just buying a business, you're buying expectations.

You're buying history. You're buying like Jonathan comes in there, I like my coffee, two sugars, a little bit of milk. If you give me three sugars and too much milk, I'm going to be angry with you. You're buying responsibility. In a lot of ways, it would just be easier to take something from scratch. Jump in here, Judah Woodcower. I get it, but I feel like Mickey Tavern is a special case. I mean, it's more than just a restaurant. It's got all those outbuildings.

Some of them are gift shops. They were, I mean, just the whole surrounding behind that, the whole shopping the business out to a Pennsylvania group and the possibility of the employees having to reapply for their jobs was pretty absurd. Is it absurd? Yeah. Someone buys a business. Somebody buys a business that's running smoothly, hopefully. Do we know it's running smoothly? No, of course we don't, Jerry.

If you're going to buy a business, you have to figure out a way to add value to it, to make it... If you spend money to buy something, you need return on your purchase. How they're going to get return on the purchase is by optimizing the model. Okay. I mean, you're coming at it from a – I get it. that we should just tear down all the old places because eventually they're all going to run out of

either owners or famous chefs or whatever. And if everything is just a matter of how much money can I make off this, then yeah, just close it down and start something else that's cheap. It's disappointing, but if that's your take on things, then yeah, screw posterity and just let's look at the bottom line. Well, anyone who's going to be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on something has to look at the bottom line. All right. Well,

I mean, that's kind of the end of the discussion then. I don't think it's the end of the discussion. I think it just puts in perspective how difficult it is to buy a business with that kind of history. Okay. In a lot of ways, if you're starting something from scratch, it's like if you're in a relationship and you and your girlfriend break up.

And then a couple months later, you choose to get back together with your girlfriend. When you're choosing to get back together with your girlfriend, you have all this history from the first relationship. It's not like you can start the second relationship or get back together without erasing all the pain or all the positive or all the good and the bad times. Of course that's going to be present. When you buy a business, anyone that's going to come in is going to have all the expectations of what that business already was. You're not starting something from scratch as a new owner. Right.

You can also capitalize on that familiarity, the people that will come back there because of the rooster, because of the food. The Lumpkins owner, the current Lumpkins owner, they bought it from the family a short

while ago. And now it's closed. The current owners are not Lumpkin in any surname or capacity. They bought it from the second generation operator a very short while ago. And now it's out of business and the rooster has been roosternapped. This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Carrying on a business with this kind of history and legacy is a level of responsibility that most entrepreneurs

would struggle to manage. Because most entrepreneurs and small business owners are just trying to keep the lights on. Like, how in the heck is someone going to continue Mel's legacy and Mel's Cafe's vision when they're not Mel? Yeah, that's fair, but people have done it before. Vanessa Parkel watching the program right now. It depends on why the business is for sale. Mickey Tavern is a different situation. If you want to get Vanessa's photo on screen. Mickey Tavern is a different situation than Melzer Lumpkins where owners pass away or

retire. Those mom and pop places may be running smoothly, but those owners aren't going to work forever. 100%. 100% VP. Queen of Orleansville watching the program over there. You got some props from Tim Carson on the Real Talk show this morning, VP. Kevin Higgins says, the story is this. You're talking a seven-foot-plus chicken. What happened to the rooster? No one knows. Yeah.

This is purely speculation. I would hate if that rooster was rooster napped in any capacity without approval. And without anyone seeing a giant rooster go rolling down the road. How the hell do you rooster nap a seven-foot rooster without anyone knowing? Yeah. You had the dumbest armed robbery in the history of armed robberies earlier this week at the ATM on Long Street, the Bank of America, next to the CVS, the base of Pantops. Two masked men. I don't know if that's the dumbest, but ski mast wearing armed robbery. Robbers go to a bank where there's cameras everywhere. Their Nissan is captured all over the cameras. They go to an ATM worker who's servicing the ATM and they choose to risk significant time behind bars, armed robbery, gun, ski masks. What do they get away with? A couple hundred dollars? If that. If that. This is a worker working on an ATM. At least

rob someone who's using the ATM. The max you can withdraw on a day is 500 bucks. Instead, they robbed a worker. It's the second dumbest robbery in the history of Central Virginia, and obviously there's a bit of hyperbole here. Someone kidnapping, rooster napping, a seven-foot rooster? How the hell do you do that?

And where do you put it? Where do you hide a seven-foot rooster? No, seriously. Is it in a tarp in someone's backyard? Could be. Is it hidden in the woods? You can't get that thing in a basement. How heavy is a seven-foot rooster?

What's it made out of? Does anyone know? They needed a crane to get the sign out. You want fodder for your cocktail party? Here's some fodder. In less than two weeks, we lost two of our most iconic brands in central Virginia. Maria Marshall Barnes says this,

Lumpkins was poorly ran after being sold. Hours and days were so inconsistent, 110%. Once it got out of the Lumpkin family, it became not a passion project. But see, isn't that an argument that these types of places can be profitable if somebody takes them on? And I mean, talk about, you mentioned the Virginian. And that was bought by somebody that was passionate about keeping the brand and the history alive.

And I know that we are in a different time period post-COVID, but... Andy McClure is a very unique animal. I know Mr. McClure very well. That's fair. Andy McClure is a McIntyre School of Commerce UVA graduate who came out of the University of Virginia and took a job on Wall Street. He is astute, sophisticated, and savvy. On top of that, Andy McClure worked at the Virginian as an undergraduate student at UVA, where he pretty much worked every position.

Wedding tables, bar backing, bartending, hosting, back of the house, take the trash out, make the food. And he's told us stories many times, Andy McClure, on this show, when he bought the Virginian as a very young man because he realized that working on Wall Street was not for him. He worked every single role and job at the Virginian, often so exhausted he would be sleeping in the boobs when the business was closed instead of going home. He put so much sweat equity into that business that there were times where he had checks renting out to him, a stack of them, that he would not deposit. They would just sit on a desk. And he did that to preserve the health of the business and to get runway and momentum and longevity for the business.

He sacrificed. He's an anomaly. He's not the norm. John Blair watching his photo on screen. Sounds, seems to me like that's the difference between, uh, uh, between making something like that, uh, continue to be profitable and someone who's just worried about the bottom line. There's very few people that would do what he did. That's fair. There's very few people that will buy a business, go work in the business, scrub the floors, take out the trash and clean the toilets of the business they just bought. Yeah.

Very few will do that. John Blair says this, Jerry, you're right on track about preserving the chicken. Danville preserved part of the home of Dan River Mills sign and put it in downtown Danville. Here's a link to the story. And here's the sign in its original form. He shares that on the comment section of my LinkedIn page. Ginny Hu watching the program. Rooster napped.

Hilarious. Reminds me of my hometown of Suffolk when the cow statue disappeared from Bennett's Creek Farm Market. Farmer's Market. It was a scandal. Did someone rooster nap this damn chicken? Is that what brought the business down? The rooster napping?

It's a joke. I'm sorry. You're taking it way too seriously. Well, you deliver it so seriously. I wasn't sure if that was a joke. Okay. Hopefully that did not take the business down. I would say it's the inconsistent hours and the lack

of making this a passion project. If I was an elected official in the town of Scottsville, or if I was the town manager of Scottsville, I would be suggesting this right now. Let's utilize a little bit of taxpayer resources to preserve and immortalize this rooster in some capacity. And we should put it somewhere in downtown Scottsville. to preserve and immortalize this rooster in some capacity. And we should put it somewhere in downtown Scottsville.

Maybe you do it by the park. Dead center. Somewhere where people can see it. Because that's how your town charm is remembered. Yeah. If you don't do that, pretty soon we're going to be living in communities that look like Main Street USA. And no one wants that. All right.

What's the next topic on the talk show due to WIC hour? You sent me the headers? Oh, you did send me the headers. Thank you. Oh, the contract extensions. Rotate the lower thirds on there between the contract extension for Tony Bennett and Brian O'Connor and AD Carla Williams. Is this her top week on the job? I was having this conversation this morning with Michael Guthrie and Tim Carson prior to the show.

Michael Guthrie, Tim Carson, and I were talking about in a one week's time. In fact, I'll give you the exact days here. On the same damn day, on the same day, Carla Williams yesterday extended and made the announcement that Tony Bennett's contract would be extended. Bennett's extension will keep him under contract at UVA until April 30, 2030. If Tony Bennett is UVA's head coach on April 30, 2026, the contract has an automatic one-year rollover extending him until April 30, 2031. Also on the same day, Carla Williams announces this. Brian O'Connor has agreed to an extension of his contract that will keep Brian O'Connor in Charlottesville through the 2031 season. We basically have two coaches that are on the Mount Rushmore of UVA coaches

under contract through the 2031 season. The athletic director, Carla Williams, who in a lot of ways is an icon herself, I'll let you know why here, she's the first African-American woman in the Power Five conferences to hold an athletic director's title. She's very much a behind the scenes AD. You can make a very legitimate argument that yesterday was Carla Williams' most significant day on the job since she took the role over for Craig Littlepage in 2017.

She took the basketball coach that is, in a lot of ways, the face of the athletic department, and took the baseball coach that, in a lot of ways, is the face of the athletic department, and extended them both on the same day. At a time when Chris Graham of the Augusta Free Press did a Freedom of Information Act request, and he uncovered that Bennett was not extended. And that was being used against the basketball team from a recruiting standpoint. So she had to respond and react quickly, getting Bennett inked for more years so recruiting was not impacted by the fact that he only had a couple years left on his contract, Tony Bennett. And then you got Brian O'Connor

who took a program over. Brian O'Connor took a baseball program over that was on the cusp of being turned into a club sport at UVA. Not a varsity sport with scholarships, but a club sport. He took a program over and a stadium over where on a good day,

you'd have a few dozen people in the stands. On a good day. He took a program over that is now routinely, almost every home game is a sellout. He's in the College World Series for the third time in four years. He's a national champion. And since he's taken this job,

Brian O'Connor has the winningest program in all of college baseball. This is Carla Williams' most impactful day on the job, and that is realistic and not exaggerated in any capacity. People should give this lady props. No doubt. Virginia baseball's got North Carolina on the docket. 2 p.m. if you put that lower third on screen. UNC, UVA, 2 p.m., ESPN, College World Series. Virginia won the Who's Beat UNC earlier this season

at Davenport, at the Dish. Evan Blanco's getting a start. He's 7-3 with a 3-5-7 ERA. 86 strikeouts and 85 innings pitched. Well done, Carla Williams. That's some fodder for your cocktail party this weekend. Is this the most significant day since Carla Williams has taken the job? All right.

You want to set the stage for the Broadway headline? Yeah, there's a... Make sure we get that lower third on screen, please, sir. Mm-hmm. Let's see. Kevin Higgins says, there is nothing more important in the world right now than finding the rooster. Enough is enough. We need to know where the rooster is. Yeah. What is the most iconic branding in Central Virginia? Obviously, it's the UVA and the V Sabres. UVA and the V Sabres is the most iconic branding in all of Central Virginia. Obviously, it's the UVA and the V-savers. UVA and the V-savers is the most iconic branding in all of Central Virginia. Give me some branding. We're talking signage. We're talking logo. We're talking color palette for signs. We're talking like a symbol. What is more iconic? If you put the Lumpkins lower third back on the third headline

is Lumpkins most iconic brand in central Virginia. Can anyone give me a brand or signage that is more iconic than Lumpkins? There's businesses that are more iconic than Lumpkins, Riverside, Timberlakes, the Virginian all have longer history. Minsters, longer history. But I'm talking branding element, an effing seven-foot rooster standing in the front of the business where people go by and can't miss it. Think of something in central Virginia that's more iconic than that. Almost at the entrance to Scottsville. At the entrance, almost at the entrance to Scottsville. At the entrance. Almost at the entrance to Scottsville.

At the entrance to Scottsville. The gateway to Scottsville. Yeah. Give me a more iconic branding element, not including UVA. UVA beats that. Than a seven-foot rooster. No, seriously. Anyone.

Help me with that answer. Judah, help me with that answer. I'm not going to include the golden arches of McDonald's. That doesn't count. I'm not going to include the Ford sign that's on pantops. That doesn't count. Local. What you got?

Anyone. Nooks. C&O you mentioned before. I know. They're not the same as a seven-foot rooster. That's what I'm saying. Can you describe the Nooks sign? Can you describe the C&O sign? I can describe the Nooks sign. I can describe the Nooks sign. But could most? Right?

I don't know. Could most describe the Virginian sign? Probably not. Definitely not. Right? Could most describe the Minster sign? I'm not throwing shade at them. It's orange. Can most describe the Riverside sign? It was recently updated. Rob Neal says the Bodo sign. That's a fantastic suggestion from Rob Neal. Please get his photo on screen. Rob Neal, there's one that could rival the seven-foot rooster, the Bodo sign. But can you describe it?

I could describe the Bodo sign. Could you? I don't think I could. When's the last time you've eaten at Bodo's? A few weeks ago. It's a bagel with the word Bodo's bagels on it. And white. Okay.

I'm starting to see it. It's not very clear though it's an effing bagel and it with white letters photos you see it i mean it's it's still not as iconic as a seven foot rooster kevin higgins says the kfc bucket the shoney's big boy now the rooster i can't take much more of this kevin higgins you've made the program better today philip dow says so sad for scottsville scottsville is up at arms right now philip dow lives in scottsville has the rooster been rooster napped sounds like it it sounds like the rooster's been kidnapped rooster napped it's crazy i mean i can't even who's got who's got a big enough uh flatbed pickup truck to carry that thing off 27 foot u-haul john blair says not quite central virginia but the clock tower in stanton is pretty iconic in the valley great suggestion i know the clock tower well.

Unbelievable. It's been roosternapped. Sarah Williams on YouTube says, a local family gave that to Mrs. Lumpkins, the rooster. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I am genuinely dispirited about this. All right, go back to the Broadway. Kevin Higgins says,

the only thing close to a seven-foot rooster now is the gorilla at Silverback. Denver Riggleman's family's distillery interesting what's the Broadway storyline I gotta get off the rooster um let's see uh

the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is looking at ways to revitalize the Broadway Street area. And this is right around the area of, what is it, Wolf's? The Wolf Factory. Wolf Factory, yeah. Yeah, you know where the Wolf Factory is, right?

Yeah. This is where Selvage Brewery used to be. Broadcloth, the restaurant, used to be. The campus of Willow Tree Apps. And I think the Wolf Factory made it clear that revitalizing that area has not only an economic impact, but a viability. The developer of the Wolf Factory, my neighbor, Brian Roy. Great guy. Fantastic guy. He did a fantastic job with that project. Now, some would say in Woolen Mills that it's created traffic safety issues with people

driving down Market Street to get to the Wool Factory. How, what kind of safety problems? Have you driven down Market Street all the way to get to the Wool Factory? Yeah. Not recently. Not since they opened that place up. There is. Obviously houses everywhere,

families everywhere. That road is not maintained, is not situated or intended to be a gateway to a popular restaurant or brewery or a gateway to a campus of app developers. Now, the brewery has since moved to Ivy Road. Yeah. So traffic, I assure you, has diminished since it moved. But that's the only knock I have heard on this project.

Brian Roy incorporated the Rivanna River, the Rivanna Trail. He incorporated the history of the factory, the look and feel of it, the execution, the design, the aesthetic, the feng shui. Fantastic. The execution, the design, the aesthetic, the feng shui, fantastic. Taking Broadway and utilizing it for economic development, I think is a brilliant idea. Yeah. You're talking a gateway to Charlottesville and a gateway from Charlottesville to Albemarle. You're talking the Rivanna Trail and the Rivanna River. You're talking potential bike, walking, hiking, accessibility.

I've said so many times on this program that Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville should work in cohesion or conjunction to take the Rivanna Trail and make it way more economically impactful. They can make it economically impactful by making it more biker-walker friendly. A lot of it is, but there are patches that are not. They need to up the security and safety from police on this trail. I mean, good Lord, a couple months ago we were talking about a guy on the Rivanna Trail that was inappropriately touching women.

And now they think they've caught him again. Let's hope. Let's hope. I'd love to see the Rivanna Trail and the Rivanna River turn into what we see in San Antonio in some capacity, where you can do little stalls for vendors, food, drink, shopping. You're starting to see the emergence of this at the base of High Street with Sugar Bear. Yeah, I've got some pictures.

With Hogwaller Brewing and the Rivanna River Company. Right across from Riverside, Hogwaller Brewing, Sugar Bear, and put the photos on screen if you want. Just let them know they're on screen. And the Rivanna River Company, they are taking that part of the Rivanna Trail and the Rivanna River and are creating economic development around the river. Yeah, definitely.

Live music, good food, cold beer, tubing, rafting, canoeing, hiking, biking, ice cream, families, singles, couples, date night. That's what Charlottesville and Albemarle County need more of 100% more walkability, more places to stop without having to drive down a road that changes it's name three times

You could take that high street success and somehow connect it with Broadway. Yeah. Peter Krebs would be a fantastic person to talk to about this, of the Piedmont Environmental Council. Someone let Peter know we're giving him some props on this show.

How you connect that high street success with the Rivanna River and the Rivanna Trail all the way to Broadway in the Wool Factory. That would require Almaril County and the city of Charlottesville to work together. Where else could you connect it? I mean, I think that's a fair question as well. Dude, I used to live in Redfields. Redfields is south side Charlottesville,

right over the city, Almaril County line and Almaril County. Redfields is down Fifth Street extended. Redfields is a phenomenal neighborhood. One of the best neighborhoods, Redfields. And when I lived in Redfields, my wife and I, before children, our lives obviously have changed with children.

Before children, we walked from Redfields to Azalea Park. At Azalea Park, we, there's a, have you ever been to Azalea Park? Yeah. In the back of Azalea Park, there's a crossing of the river where you can cross on this, like, they've laid out this, like, rope bridge. Nice. That you can cross. We went from Azalea Park through Wegmans on the trail. Yeah.

From Wegmans all the way to the back to Willoughby. And basically, we're in downtown Charlottesville. Nice. Just walking the trail with our dog. Dogs at the time. Yeah. Three German Shepherds at the time. The Rivanna Trail and the Rivanna River

should be utilized by the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau and the economic development teams of both Charlottesville and Albemarle County as a marketing mechanism. 100%. That would attract so many from outside central Virginia to the area to experience this magical loop. It would drive incremental revenue and it would only cost a little bit of marketing and some upfitting. What's next on the docket?

Oh, how do you make Ivy better? Right? Yep. So I love talking about various areas and highlighting how you can make them better. I know Phil Delaney, Kevin Yancey, you've corrected me on this. Does someone know, does Phil Delaney own the late Phil Delaney? Does his family now own the Todd's Berry Pizza area in Ivy? Anyone help me with that? Tod's Berry Pizza, that little like shopping area in Ivy, that needs to be revitalized immediately. I'd love to see a Dave Fafara, Dave Fafara lives that way. I'd love to see a Dave Fafara. Dave Fafara lives that way.

I'd love to see a Dave Fafara Shenandoah Joes in that Todsbury strip. I'd love to see a Pizza Place return in that Todsbury strip. I'd love to see another locally owned restaurant and bar in Watering Hole that's maybe sports friendly. Selvage is doing a good job of filling that role right now. There is significant affluence, density, and traffic from the Crozet split or the bypass splits to call it Ivy Square Shopping Center that UVA bought for like $22 million a little while ago. So much upside there. And I think one of the ways to make that area even better

is the revitalization of that Todsbury retail location. Christian Kelly is the owner of Dooner's Restaurant. He's a friend of the program. That restaurant's absolutely banging. That shopping center that has where Savvy Rest is located next to Dooner's Restaurant, that has a significant upside. I don't think it's fully utilizing its potential. The shopping center where Savvy Rest is that has so much more potential than it's showing right now. Someone's going to do it. Who's going to do it?

I don't have that answer, but someone's going to do it. That's how I'd see you make an Ivy better. Maria Marshall Barnes says the Lucky 7 sign is iconic. Vanessa Parkle said the Bodo sign would be more iconic primarily due to visibility. If you rarely go to Scottsville, you don't see the 7-foot rooster. That's fair. Yeah. She also says the challenge with Hogwaller is parking and walkability to Sugar Bear is great for those in the neighborhoods nearby.

Not so good for me in Earliesville. All fair comments. Right. Hogwaller, have you been to Hogwaller? Any place specific? I mean, I've... Hogwaller Brewery. No. You should. I've not stopped there yet. They have a... It's either on Monday or Tuesday where you can get a draft beer a shot of bourbon and a cheeseburger for like 20 bucks

that's a damn good deal and the cheeseburger is excellent alright that's the show on a Friday any closing thoughts anything else you want to add stay cool out there it's cracking 90 today

how you staying cool work Stay cool out there. It's cracking 90 today. How are you staying cool? Work. Work? Yeah. How are you staying cool? Suggestions for the viewers and listeners. Oh, well, definitely Sugar Bear.

They get that wonderful ice cream. They got some fun games in the courtyard off the side. Have you been to Sugar Bear? That's where I got the photos. Oh, those were your photos? Yeah. Oh, nicely done, Judah Wickauer. I didn't know those were your photos. Yeah, they

gave me some little dog treats for Liza. And they've got the great serving cups. They were out of a few things. So I want to go back and try their root beer floats. And definitely want to try their, what is it? It's some kind of like some type of

latte. It's a coffee ice cream. Nice. It sounds absolutely delicious. And their spoons are a lot of fun. I don't know if you guys can see, but it is pink. And in the next picture, when it's in the

frozen ice cream, you see the color of the spoon change to purple. They're heat sensitive. So, you know, for people who are children at heart like me or for actual children, it's a fun place to go. I like it. Ginny is listening to the show in the car while running errands, and she says, my youngest and I are in the car, and she told me we can't get out of the car

until Jerry gets an answer about what happened to the rooster. They can't get out of the car? Oh, man. So we're going to have to stay on the air? Beatrix Kutner walking by. With her two dogs. With her two dogs. She's an influencer of significant promotions.

Do you know how many followers Beatrix has on Instagram? I do not. Beatrix has, it's an astounding amount, and they follow her for her art and fashion. Beatrix Ost now, excuse me. I've seen some of her... 60,000 followers on Instagram. I've seen some photos of her metal...

I guess they're like... They're kind of like mannequin statues. Really cool stuff. Noteworthy artist and fashionista, Beatrix Ost. All right, that's the Friday show. We hope you guys enjoyed it. Judah Wittgower,

always a kid at heart. Yours truly, about as immature as it gets. This is the I Love Seville show from downtown Charlottesville. Thank you kindly for joining us. We'll see you guys on Monday. Take care. Thank you.