Vice president Vance makes surprise visit to Little Washington

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, walking up Main Street in Little Washington to Patty O’s Bakery Sunday morning. (Photo/Courtest Ryall Smith)

‘Everybody deserves a day off … that was my hope for him’

When innkeeper Amanda Huff answered the phone at the Foster Harris House bed and breakfast last Friday morning to take a lodging reservation for the next night, she never could have imagined to whom she would be serving her fresh-baked ginger scones less than 48 hours later. 

She wasn’t given a guest’s name for the room reservation. The person on the other end of the line only said that the guest was a “protectee” of the U.S. Secret Service. 

 “I had no idea who [it was] until the day of … I made an educated guess, you know, there’s only so many people that need this level of protection,” Huff said. 

Her guess turned out to be correct. 

Vice President JD Vance checked into the bed and breakfast around 10 p.m. Saturday after dining at The Inn at Little Washington with his wife, Usha Vance.

Huff was there to greet them, and said she assumed they would want to go straight upstairs to their room, called the Compton Room. Instead, the couple spent time downstairs socializing with her and their staff, sitting in a nook in the kitchen since large windows in the living room made it a safety hazard. 

Throughout the short stay, about 50 Secret Service agents and security personnel took shifts at the bed and breakfast, and were all very “polite and kind,” Huff said. 

The Vances and their team rented all five guest rooms and were the only guests there. Secret Service agents also stayed at other nearby lodging establishments. “They booked up everywhere else,” she said.

Innkeeper Amanda Huff hosted Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, Saturday night at the Foster Harris House. ““I’ve hosted some pretty amazing people, but it was an honor to be able to host him.” (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

“It was honestly so cool, there’s no other word for it,” she said. “I’ve hosted some pretty amazing people, but it was an honor to be able to host him.”

Huff put together a gift basket for the Vances full of Florentine cookies from Walker Bakeshop and chocolates from Wholehearted Chocolate, both from Sperryville, and a welcoming handwritten note. She said the vice president thanked her for the personal gift and told her he thought it was very kind. 

“I told him I wanted him to experience more of the delights and charm of the area, and he appreciated that,” Huff said. 

The Vances told Huff that they had known about Little Washington and its charm, having visited about 10 years ago. “I was like, ‘come back any time,’” she said. 

Security staff arrived at the Foster Harris House within several hours of that Friday morning call from the Secret Service, Huff said, and “prepped” the house for the Vances’ arrival, securing all of the rooms. 

Huff said the Vances were “lovely and kind.” She said they were mindful that “their footprint’s very large,” and “very appreciative” of the hospitality they and their staff received. 

View of Secret Serivce and other law enforcement cars parked down the length of Main Street in Little Washington. (Photo/Courtesy Joanie Ballard)

By around 6 p.m. Saturday, that footprint was clearly visible. Main Street and some side streets closest to The Inn at Little Washington and Foster Harris House were lined with black SUVs, sheriff’s deputies, members of the Secret Service, U.S. Park Police and some K-9 units. Most  of Main Street was closed for through traffic.

While the Vances were dining at the inn, four protesters gathered on the sidewalk across the street from its main entrance, holding cardboard signs with phrases like “not my kind of hillbilly” and “hands off our country,” and at one point chanted, “Let them eat cake.” 

Throughout the night and into the early morning hours, security personnel, including sheriff’s deputies, could be seen in the pouring rain, amidst a sea of lights, some blinking blue ones, from law enforcement vehicles. Some officers and agents huddled under a small white tent to protect themselves from the rain, near the corner of Main and Porter streets, a couple doors from the Foster Harris House. 

On Sunday morning, the Vances took an early walk up Main Street to Patty O’s Cafe, returning to the bed and breakfast for breakfast on its porch. 

Hampton district resident Elizabeth Conley peacefully protesting with a small group outside of The Inn at Little Washington Saturday evening. Protestors said more passersby voiced support for their message than opposition. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

A group of about a half dozen protestors stood at the corner of Porter and Main streets Sunday morning. One of them, Eve Brooks, a member of the Rappahannock County Democratic Committee, emailed the Rappahannock News that some of the protesters shouted to the Vances their concerns about the conflict in Gaza and immigration as they passed by.

“Vance responded, ‘Have a nice day,’” Brooks wrote. 

Huff, who is from Florida, said her interaction with the vice president and second lady reminded her why she moved to Little Washington — for its charm, peace and hospitality. 

“I think they had just a lovely, restful time … People flock here for a reason,” Huff said. “Everybody deserves a day off. And so that was my hope for him, is that he just felt like he could take a day off and rest, and eat some really yummy scones.”