Tag: #fauquier

FJB and Signs

FJB and Signs

WARNING! If you don’t like seeing the F-Bomb in print, you shouldn’t read this week’s blog. I regret using it here, but it’s germane to the vandalism that has taken place with political signs and a building here in sleepy little Fauquier County. There is, of course, stupidity everywhere. It’s always fun when it hits close to home.

The sign crew from the Fauquier County Democratic Committee (FCDC) has been installing large signs, with the permission of landowners, along the highways and byways of our lovely county to support the re-election of Jennifer Wexton to Congress. Due to redistricting, Fauquier County moved from the very RED 5th Congressional District, to the slightly BLUE 10th Congressional District. Congresswoman Wexton has served in Congress for the last four years. Before that, she was a State Senator and a prosecutor. She is a great public servant who actually listens, and we are doing everything we can to re-elect her.

We’ve installed over 120 large 4×8 and 4×4 foot signs around the county over the past month. We placed them on road frontage and properties of landowners who specifically granted permission for these signs. If you are driving through the county, they are hard to miss. Recently, someone decided to deface two of the signs and wrote FJB in spray paint on the signs. — sigh — FJB? What’s does FJB stand for, you ask? “Fuck Joe Biden” would be the correct response.

The homeowners called the police, who dutifully took their report. Several horrified Republicans offered to pay to have the sign replaced. The owners gracefully declined. Our committee planned to replace the sign (we have extras for just such occasions), but for now, the homeowners wants them left up, so EVERYONE can see what respect some idiots have for political signs.

FJB in Script….

Afterwards, I was looking around online, thinking maybe they were using FJB to represent something else. No, “Fuck Joe Biden” was the first thing that came up. And then there was a wonderful song titled “FJB” by Parradox. Here are a few of the lyrics, or as a certain former President might say, very fine lyrics, very special lyrics, probably the best lyrics ever:

“Fuck Joe Biden and that bitch Kamala, too

And fuck Nancy Pelosi, don’t think I forgot ‘bout you

You attention craving bitch, that’s all the fuck you want

You think you high and mighty, but trust me, you are not”

I contacted my counterpart, Greg, with the Fauquier County Republican Committee to see if he would sign a joint statement with me for publication in our hardcopy and online local papers, requesting people respect election signs. He readily agreed. A letter was drafted and we sent it to the papers, where it was published.

A Joint Letter to the Editor

In the next week, we had two roadside signs stolen.

Then, last Friday night, our FJB friends struck again. Maybe the miscreants who defaced our signs can’t read. Maybe they thought they were clever. Instead of spraying FJB on more signs, they decided to spray it on the side of a shop in downtown Warrenton. Yep. They graduated from defacing disposable signs, to defacing permanent buildings.

Graduating to Bigger Vandalism

I realize both sides have their nitwits, but c’mon, some people are just stupid. Just south of here about 30 miles, you can find farms and homes with 8×4 foot “Fuck Joe Biden” signs right there on the road side. You can also go to Amazon and buy your very own “Fuck Biden” banner to display outside your home. Certainly the 1st Amendment protects people’s right to say what they want, and that’s fine. I guess I should be happy they are displaying those signs on their own property. There is nothing wrong with proudly letting people know your command of the English language. I always wonder how folk driving by explain those signs to their kids in the back seat of the car.

You Too can Order this Fine Sign on Amazon

Still, I can’t help but wonder if the level of discourse has fallen enough, that it’s not toooooo much of a leap to go from seeing a “Fuck Joe Biden” sign on the side of the road, to cowardly scribbling FJB on a sign, or the side of a building in the dark of night. I’m sure their mothers, and many of their buddies are proud of them.

Keep scribbling. Show the world how ignorant you are. We have plenty of signs, and we are going to win this election.

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Addendum:

Thanks to my friends Irv, David and Colleen for their help with this blog.

Patsy, Duke, and Buchanan Hall

Patsy, Duke, and Buchanan Hall

How could you not possibly like a local place, where both Patsy Cline and Duke Ellington have performed in the past? Buchanan Hall, a small venue just down the road in Upperville, VA, hosted both of those greats during it’s storied past. The best part? The Hall continues as a focus for music and good times today with their weekly Farmers Market.

Buchanan Hall has existed since the late 1920s, when General James A. Buchanan allegedly decided to build the Hall for his daughter’s wedding. Construction was completed in ‘33, in the middle of the depression. Eventually, the Hall belonged to the community, and a Board of Trustees was set up. The problem was, the Trustees may not have always had the best judgement on who could use the Hall. Some of their clients were “questionable”.

A few years ago, an undated note to the Trustees was found – “I had little problem last [night] with some guys fighting [over] girls, so the security guards put him out [he shot] in the air two or three times and I call the sheriff [but] I take care of the problem for now on… no drinks is allowed and no ins and outs. Thank you Romeo Ferguson.” … Another note from Ferguson read, in part: “To the hustlers, leave the guns at home or in your cars . . . this is a nice place to have fun at – think about it!”

As you can see, Buchanan Hall has a varied history…;-)

But oh, did it draw the crowds. On the local level, there was the likes of Chauncy Brown and his band for dances that drew folk from Middleburg, Warrenton, and even DC. It turns out Brown was often the drummer for Duke Ellington’s band from 1930-37.

An undated photo of Chauncy Brown

They also drew major talent over the years. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who was friends with Woody Guthrie, influenced Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Band and others, performed a couple of times. And then of course, you have Patsy Cline and Duke Ellington – both appeared at Buchanan Hall. Patsy was originally from nearby Winchester, Virginia, so perhaps her appearing was not such a huge surprise. She played many local venues in the early 50s before making it big and moving to Nashville. Duke on the other hand held a national reputation from the 1930s – I’ve wondered if his work with Chauncy Brown is what drew him to Upperville, however, I can find no confirmation.

Can you imagine sitting in a 200 seat theater and hearing Patsy sing “Crazy”, “I Fall to Pieces” and “Walkin’ After Midnight”, or Duke playing “In a Sentimental Mood”, “Satin Doll” and “Take the A Train”? It would have to be both sublime and amazing….

In addition to having the piano in common, Patsy and Duke both appeared at Buchanan Hall

Time passed and by 2000, Buchanan Hall was in disrepair, and locals decided it was time to renovate the structure and grounds. Through donations, the Hall was eventually restored.

Since then?

Buchanan Hall has served in a number of roles. Community Center, wedding venue and event location to name a few. As examples, it continues to host parties and happenings in conjunction with the Upperville Colt and Horse Show, the oldest such show in America. In 2018, it hosted an American Roots Music Revival that sold out over the course of several evenings. And last year, the inaugural Piedmont Pride event, including a drag cabaret brunch, was held there.

I was excited to recently learn the Buchanan Hall Farmers Market is returning again this year. The market is every Wednesday from 4-8 pm from May 18, 2022 through October 26. This isn’t just any farmer’s market. You can of course purchase farm fresh meats, produce, and artisan goods. Even better is grabbing something from one of the food trucks, buying a glass of beer or bottle of wine from one of the local producers, and then pulling up a big piece of lawn and watching a band playing outside the entrance to the Hall. They always have a live band. It’s a pretty good way to spend a Wednesday evening.

Wonderful live music can still be heard at Buchanan Hall on Wednesday evenings during the summer.

I recommend you give the Farmers Market a try this summer on a Wednesday evening or two. While there, wander inside and take a look at the pictures of Patsy, Duke, and Chauncey. Remember those days gone by, while having a wonderful evening in the present.

Addendum:

– Buchanan Hall is located at 8549 John S Mosby Hwy, Upperville, VA 20184. You can learn more about it here: https://www.buchananhall.org/ .

– If you want a taste of the past, Buchanan Hall sells CDs of a performance by Chauncy Brown. You can learn more about him and his performances at Buchanan Hall here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2006/07/02/chauncey-browns-dance-party-lives-on/65f0b146-1698-4efc-b0fd-625a62e4a3ee/?utm_term=.2232396ebaab

– Much of the history I’ve discussed in this blog came from the Buchanan Hall website itself, and a Washington Post article from a few years ago – Chauncy Brown’s Dance Party Lives On (link is above).