With the exception of what Town Administrator Martha Semmes termed an eminently manageable "March Curveball" Middleburg benefitted greatly this year from mild weather. The Town's snow removal budget was relatively "untouched," she noted, "which allowed us to continue progress on hail storm repairs to Town Buildings." Most of the roof damage will be completed by the end of April.

Business & Economic Development Director Search
Middleburg received more than 150 applications for the job soon to be vacated by the retiring Cindy Pearson. The town reached out to thirteen "finalists" and interviewed ten by phone. Semmes has now reduced the field to five top candidates, from whom a smaller number will be selected for face-to-face interviews.

Semmes retained the services of the Springsted recruiting firm to determine whether or not Middleburg's salary range for the position was competitive. "While we are in the ballpark," Semmes reported, "we are lower than the closest comparable position in Warrenton."

Free Parking
At their regular monthly work session on Thursday, March 23, 2017, Town Council unanimously adopted amendments to Chapter 89 of the Town Code that introduces new rules and penalties for motorists "Stopping, Standing and Parking" their vehicles in Middleburg. Middleburg's removal of its parking meters and institution of timed free parking was a work long in progress and strongly supported by the business community. Moves in the opposite direction in the eastern part of Loudoun County have yielded reductions in the patronage of visitor-dependent businesses and lawsuits by some of those affected.

Middleburg Museum
Council Member Bridge Littleton, who also serves on the Board of the Middleburg Museum Foundation, briefly recused himself from the Council at their March work session, and as a Museum Board member thanked the Council and staff for their assistance in moving the long-awaited project forward. Following Littleton's remarks, Council, minus Littleton, approved a Special Use Permit for the Museum Foundation with three key restrictions: First, that it must comply with the provision of the site plan and architectural drawings submitted by Turnure Architecture effective November 21, 2016; Second, that Town regulations governing required offsite parking for the Museum be met before occupancy of the building; and Third, that the Museum Board obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project from the Town's Historic District Review Committee.

Councilmember Mark Snyder noted that "it was unfortunate that there was no mechanism in place to waive the parking requirements for a museum in the C-2 District" and indicated that he would also like to relaxation of the tight parking restrictions for restaurants and retail extended into the C-3 District.

Council Approval Salamander Conservation Easement Amendment - Protection of Open Spaces
At the same work, session Council approved a "Second Amendment" to the "Deed of Open Space Conservation and Vacation" between the Town, Salamander Development, and The Potomac Conservancy and authorized Mayor Betsy Davis to sign the Deed on the Town's behalf. The agreement reflects Salamander's ongoing commitment to working with the Town to maintain its natural and scenic resources and, working with the Conservancy, to protect those assets in perpetuity.

Christmas in Middleburg Review
Jim Herbert, Chairman of the Christmas in Middleburg Committee, reported to Council that in 2016 his organization "did a number of things differently regarding audience and visitor promotion." For one thing, he said, they "throttled back on the use of social media IN ADVANCE of the event, and instead used it AFTER the event "to encourage people to return to Middleburg through the Christmas season and into January."

The goal, according to Herbert, was "to reduce the attendance" from the unwieldy 25,000 estimated to have attended the event in one day in 2015.

Increasing off-site parking fees to $20/car, he said, also played a significant role in reducing the size of the crowd "back down to a more easily managed 14,000 people. Of the one thousand three hundred total cars parked in paid lots, Herbert reported, nine hundred fifty pre-paid for their permits.

Doubling the shuttle bus capacity from the parking lots to the town also helped a lot.

The current working attendance goal for the 2017 event is a slightly larger, but still manageable 17,500.

There were roughly 82,000 visits to the Christmas in Middleburg website October through the first half of December.

The new safety-driven crowd control barricades were a tremendous success, not only improving the flow of the parade but its "look and feel" for both spectators and photographers.

Most important, however, was their effect in preventing children from "rushing out in front of the horses and mechanized vehicles."

Forty "advertising banners" for the barricades were made available to both help cover their cost and thank key supporters. Twelve banners thus went to "Angel Sponsors" at no cost. Twenty-eight were sold.

Councilmember Phil Miller objected "that some people, including residents and visitors, said "they did not like the advertisements" as it made the event too corporate and blocked the view of small children."

Herbert noted that Miller's concern was precisely the reason the banners, only eight feet long, never appeared on two consecutive barricades, always leaving an open spot for kids.

Herbert also suggested the town consider renting bleachers for the parade. Elevated viewing from Madison Street, the space between Middleburg Bank and the post office, selected cross streets, and, with Safeway's cooperation, the grocery store parking lot, Herbert noted, are worth considering.

Finally, Herbert also reported that some of his group's "primary funding would not be available next year. The Middleburg Business & Professional Association (MBPA) had already notified him that it "would not be able to make its usual $4,000 contribution" for 2017.

The 2016 parade's balance sheet showed $78,000 in income: $4,000 from the MBPA, $9,000 from the Town, and a $1,500 "donation" from the Middleburg Hunt, which sent 140 riders to the morning Hunt Parade.

Middleburg's Future
The Middleburg Future's Group held a work session on Monday, March 27, 2017, at the National Sporting Library & Museum's Conference Room, organized and hosted by the Middleburg Business & Professional Association. Myra Gossens, a facilitator hired by the Middleburg Business & Professional Association, led the group in a discussion regarding the future of Middleburg from a business/economic development perspective.

The Group includes members who also serve on the Middleburg Town Council and the Middleburg Economic Development Advisory Committee. Because three members of the Town Council were in attendance at the meeting, a quorum of the Council existed technically. As a result, Mayor Davis has formally certified that "No town government business was conducted during the meeting."

Shakespeare in the 'Burg's fourth year proved to be a special one, with a new venue (The Hill School's Sheila Johnson Center for the Performing Arts), and a new acting company (Shakespeare in the Square, New York City).

Shakespeare in the 'Burg cochairs Genie Ford and Jo Ann Hazard, expressed their appreciation to all those who helped bring back the festival for its fourth year, especially the Hill School, as well as Foxcroft School, which provided housing for the acting company. The Town Council of Middleburg was also recognized for its ongoing support of Shakespeare in the 'Burg, and it's belief that the arts are important to residents and visitors alike.

The play this year was The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and the acting company also did staged readings of three one-act plays from among the more than 200 submissions to the playwriting competition. Shakespeare in the Square came to town the weekend of April 1-2, and brought a new and delightful approach with it.

It was, in the words of one audience member, "simply magical."

Shakespeare in the Square presents performances that they say are "Shakespeare's plays as Shakespeare intended." That means an uncluttered performance that focuses on the incredible language and humanity of the plays, as well as interacting with the audience. In this performance, a few lucky people were even plucked from the audience to play an important—but silent—role, that of Crab the dog. This led to laughter and some interesting spontaneity on the part of all involved.

While "The Two Gents" is not as well known as many of the Bard's other plays, it is believed by scholars to be Shakespeare's first play and it includes many of the themes he would pursue throughout his playwriting career—friendship and loyalty, fidelity, conflict and women dressing as men!

On Sunday, April 2, Shakespeare in the Square actors performed staged readings of three winning plays from the one-act playwriting competition, which is an important part of Shakespeare in the 'Burg. Their acting skill brought these plays to life, despite the lack of props and costuming—again letting the words be the focus. During an extended talkback session, the actors were able to share with the audience how they interpreted the works and what such readings can mean to struggling playwrights.

The staged readings were preceded by a champagne brunch, and the actors were able to mingle with audience members before going back into the theatre that was home for three days.

This level of intimacy was a hallmark of the weekend. When the plays were performed in Shakespeare's day, the audience was always close to the performers and often expressed themselves loudly as the play went on. Shakespeare in the Square's ethos is to recreate as nearly as possible that experience. No special effects. No elaborate sets or costumes--just the powerful and beautiful language that William Shakespeare left us to enjoy.

Each year, Shakespeare in the Square performs two plays in Washington Square Park, for free, in front of what the company describes as "under the sun and in front of a loud, standing, possibly distracted audience." While that may sound strange to many, the result can indeed be magical.