Take a look back to some of the key moments in 2022 that defined Rappahannock County.
Jan. 3: A heavy snowfall causes more than a thousand county residents to lose power, some for as long as a week.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Jan 5: Wakefield Supervisor Debbie Donehey is re-elected board chair of the Board of Supervisors and Hampton Supervisor Keir Whitson is elected vice chair.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Jan. 20: Rappahannock County School board members vote to make masking optional for students.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Jan. 24: TheBroadband Authority receives a $1 million grant from the PATH Foundation to help cover the cost of universal broadband in Rappahannock.
Jan. 28: Rappahannock Buildings Committee reports that multiple public buildings in the Town of Washington are in need of major repairs. It notes that both the county courthouse and the jailhouse can be used safely for only one more year.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Feb. 8: The Board of Supervisors and School Board jointly send to legislators a resolution declaring that the state’s formula for providing funding puts school districts in small rural counties with high property values at a clear disadvantage.
Feb. 22: The Town of Washington’s new Post Office finally opens. The town’s residents had been without their own Post Office since September 2019.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Feb 25: The high school girls varsity basketball team wins the regional championship by defeating Buffalo Gap High School. The team makes it to the state semifinals before losing to the same Buffalo Gap team.
(Photo/Holly Jenkins)
March 1: The public schools remove its COVID-19 mitigation measures for both students and staff.
March 1: Rappahannock Food Pantry reopens for in-store shopping.
March 1: Shenandoah National Park begins requiring hikers to obtain tickets in advance to climb Old Rag.
(Photo/Ben Peters)
March 7: The Board of Supervisors declines to vote on a resolution by Jackson Supervisor Ron Frazier to pull out of a regional broadband initiative if representatives of the developer, All Points Broadband, don’t meet with the board by April 1.
March 23: An emergency vehicle, manned by paid paramedics working part-time for the county, goes into service to support volunteer rescue companies.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
April 4: Rush River Commons property owner Chuck Akre tells the Board of Supervisors that the proposed Phase 2 of the project, which would be on land currently in the county, will not include additional housing.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
April 4: The Board of Supervisors votes to allow internet service provider Shentel to back out of a plan to provide wireless broadband in a portion of the county. The company had decided to leave the wireless internet business.
April 9: The Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point steeplechase returns to Ben Venue with 10 races.
April 9: Settle’s Cars and Trucks celebrates its 50th year in the county.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
April 22: Wakefield Country Day School marks its 50th year in Rappahannock.
April 23: The Fodderstack 10-K Classic is run for the 44th time.
April 30: SperryFest, including the “Great Rubber Duck Race” on the Thornton River, returns.
Sperryfest 2022 duck drop (Photo/Luke Christopher)
May 2: The Board of Supervisors approves a budget for fiscal year 2023 that lowers the property tax rate by 18%.
May 2: By a 3-2 vote, the board also agrees to join seven neighboring counties in the high-speed fiber optic broadband project proposed by All Points Broadband.
May 3: The Give Local Piedmont fundraiser contributes $345,500 to nonprofits serving Rappahannock.
May 9: The county’s school district hires Erica Jennejahn as its social worker, filling a position open since December, 2021.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
May 11: The Inn at Little Washington retains its Michelin 3-Star rating for the fourth year in a row.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
May 21: The Piedmont Environmental Council celebrates its 50th anniversary.
June 2: Lord Fairfax Community College officially becomes Laurel Ridge Community College, due to Thomas Fairfax’ legacy as a slave owner.
June 14: Ground is ceremonially broken for the first phase of the Rush River Commons project, which would go on to endure future delays preventing construction from actually beginning.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
June 22-25: The Amissville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Carnival returns after a two-year COVID hiatus.
July 4: The county’s Fourth of July celebration returns to Ben Venue Farm in Flint Hill.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
July 11: The Washington Town Council rejects concessions sought by the county’s Board of Supervisors in exchange for a boundary line adjustment to accommodate the proposed Phase 2 of the Rush River Commons development.
July 15: A state-funded traffic study recommends lowering the speed limit on Route 211 near Shenandoah National Park, and also expanding sidewalks and crosswalks in Sperryville and Flint Hill.
July 28: Keir Whitson, vice chair of the Board of Supervisors, suffers a heart attack while visiting his parents in Wisconsin. He is unable to engage directly in the county’s business until late September, when he joins a Broadband Authority meeting by Zoom.
Aug. 1: The Board of Supervisors votes to build a footpath across county property to provide better access to the Town of Washington’s new Post Office.
Aug. 9: Rappahannock hires Bonnie Jewell as assistant county administrator.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Aug. 23: Fire destroys Gid Brown Hollow home of Shannon and Robert Ennis. Community responds with a fundraising drive.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Aug. 24: William Richard Settle, co-founder of longstanding local business, Settle’s Cars and Trucks, dies. He was 85.
Sept. 7: At the first public hearing on a potential new county courthouse, the proposed design by the Wiley-Wilson consulting firm receives a largely negative response.
Sept. 19: With board member Keir Whitson absent for health reasons, the Broadband Authority is deadlocked on a vote to authorize initial payment for a countywide broadband project.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Sept 24: The John Jackson Piedmont Blues Festival returns to Eldon Farms after a two year COVID hiatus.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Sept. 24-25: Fourteen farms or food venues in the county welcome visitors during the annual Farm Tour weekend.
Oct. 1: The Headwaters Foundation stages its first Harvest Festival at Eldon Farms, replacing the nonprofit’s Taste of Rappahannock fundraiser.
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Oct. 3: By a 3-2 vote, the Broadband Authority approves all future funding for broadband expansion to All Points Broadband. The vote comes after the company threatened to delay work in Rappahannock when the county was late with its first payment.
Oct. 14: On Homecoming night, the high school’s eight-man football team scores a dramatic, last second touchdown to defeat Chincoteague, 36-33
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
(Courtesy/Photo)
Oct. 22-23: Shenandoah National Park had its biggest weekend of the year, with about 18,000 visitors. More than 5,000 arrived through the Thornton Gap entrance.
Nov. 5-6: About 40 local studios and galleries participate in the Fall Art Tour. Some studios had more than 500 visitors during the weekend.
Nov. 8: Democrat Jennifer Wexton is reelected to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, although her Republican opponent Hung Cao receives more than 57 percent of the votes cast in Rappahannock County.
Nov. 8: In an uncontested race, Joe Whited is elected mayor of the Town of Washington.
Nov. 11: The high school’s varsity volleyball team defeats Middlesex to earn a spot in the state semifinals. But it lost its next match.
(Courtesy/Photo)
Nov. 11: The high school’s boys cross country team competes in the state meet, placing 27th.
Nov. 14: Ribbon-cutting for the new walking path at the elementary school. It was funded by the school district’s Parent Teacher Organization.
(Courtesy/Photo)
Nov. 15: Fauquier County Public Schools Superintendent David Jeck filed a $15 million lawsuit against Fauquier Hospital and three hospital staff/agents alleging negligence in the 2021 death of his son David, Jr.. Before he died of several causes, including gastrointestinal bleeding, the younger Jeck was in talks to purchase and become head chef at Headmaster’s Pub in Sperryville.
Dec. 4: TheChristmas in Little Washington parade returns after a two-year pandemic pause. This year’s theme was “It’s a Wonderful Life, Rappahannock!”
(Photo/Luke Christopher)
Dec 6: The Buildings Committee reviews three conceptual redesigns for a new county courthouse after a fiery public response to the initial proposal earlier in the year sent the committee back to the drawing board.
Dec. 12: The Washington Town Council unanimously approves the final site plans for the Rush River Commons mixed-use development.
Dec. 13: The Sperryville Community Alliance and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources hold a town hall meeting to discuss updating and expanding the boundaries of the village recognized as historically significant by the National Register of Historic Places. The project, which is also intended to incentivize property owners to rehabilitate their properties via tax benefits, drew concerns from some residents and officials.
Dec. 22: The Rappahannock News names both Nan Butler Roberts and Doug Schiffman Citizens of the Year. The two moved away from the county last year after working to uplift disadvantaged groups through education initiatives.
(Courtesy/Photo)
