Virginia

On a Wing with a Prayer – The Flying Circus

Day Trip Destination: Bealeton, Virginia

This Fido-friendly day trip brings families back to the good old days, with humor and heart-pounding suspense.

How many flight attendants can talk you through turbulence, check your carry-on bags and hop out on the wing to remedy technical difficulties?

Jana Leigh McWhorter ran off to join the Flying Circus eight years ago, and she’s been one of its star attractions ever since. On weekdays she’s a mild-mannered flight attendant with a regional airline, resisting temptation and keeping her feet firmly planted inside the plane. But weekends are an entirely different story.

Jana is a wing walker with the 41-year-old circus, one of a lively crew of aviators who have made it their mission to re-enact the barnstorming days of the 1930s on a bucolic 200-acre park in Fauquier County – just one hour but decades away from the nation’s capital.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a living history lesson. A heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, schmaltzy salute to the good old days.

Every Sunday from May through October the gates open at 11 a.m., and the show starts at 2:30 p.m. with a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Pilots in antique flying machines perform feats of derring-do, cruising at low altitude, grouping in tight formation, and re-enacting skits that made barnstorming popular between World War I and World War II.

The announcer laces humor with history, turning the day into one big patriotic smile that will send you home Googling about the glory days of aviation. A laid-back feeling accompanies aeronautical antics, and the audience chuckles as a biplane drops flour bombs on an outhouse-bound Black Baron. Similar shtick ensues.

But the mood suddenly shifts when our wing walker of the day – in this case Jana — takes to the air sharing a vintage biplane with her pilot. And, at just 200 feet above the ground and 80 miles per hour, she gracefully steps out onto the wing. Without a net. Or a ‘chute.

The audience lets out a collective gasp and there is complete silence as the plane makes an upside-down loop. Thoughts swirl through my head: Jana Leigh McWhorter! Get in that plane this instant! OMG, can I breathe yet?

Apparently not. Our daredevil defies both gravity and death, dangling by what must be the strongest ankles in Virginia. When the plane finally lands and blood pressure returns to normal, the gates to the airfield swing open and we’re all invited to meet the performers.

History buffs appreciate this rare opportunity to see meticulously restored antique planes up close, while kids swarm the pilots and wing walker seeking autographs for posters. I was just glad that everyone was on the ground, safe and sound.

To make the most of your visit to the Flying Circus, arrive at 11 a.m. and enjoy old-timey radio broadcasts featuring big band-era music and historic news stories. Ads for exciting “new” products like the state-of-the-art Studebaker contribute to the ambiance.

Set up a picnic spread and visit the gift shop to book a plane ride to take before or after the show. A trip up in a one-passenger piper cub is just $40, and biplane rides range from $70 to $130. Passengers must be 16 or older to take the aerobatic ride, which includes a turn spin, loop, roll and hammerhead.

And while the planes may stage a few dog fights, the Flying Circus is Fido-friendly as long as pets are on leashes. We brought a big water dish for our Goldendoodle Norton, because it gets hot out in the sun and furry friends need to stay hydrated. Refills are available in the restrooms, as well as from the spigot behind the snack bar.

Human companions may want to try the snack bar’s other offerings, including snow cones, floats, cheeseburgers, pork BBQ, nachos, frozen candy bars, beverages and, occasionally, lemon meringue pie … a fitting dessert for a day that celebrates the past.

Upcoming themed shows include a Motorcycle Day on July 31 with half-price admission for motorcycle riders, and the Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival on August 20 and 21, starting at 6 a.m. each day. The final show of the season is on October 30.

Just a quick detour south down Route 28 is the Moo-Thru, found on the corner of Kings Hill Road and the James Madison Highway in Remington. Hand-dipped scoops are served up on homemade waffle cones, in addition to root beer floats, banana splits, milk shakes and sundaes.

This is real ice cream made by real dairy farmers from happy Holsteins that graze along the Rappahannock River, just a mile away. Flavors include Blackberry, Blue Angel and my personal favorite, Mounds Bar. The Moo-Thru is open every day of the week.

Covered outdoor picnic tables make the Moo-Thru dog-friendly, and they offer a special Pup Cup – vanilla ice cream with two milk bones on top – for just $1. Country music plays while the kids get their ice cream fix and the dog slurps up his treat. It really doesn’t get much better than this.

When you go …

• Admission to the Flying Circus is $10 for adults and $3 for children ages 3-12.
• A $2 discount coupon is offered for completing a brief survey online.
• Several picnic tables are found beyond the parking area.
• The picnic pavilion is available to rent for parties and reunions.
• Bench seating is provided, but for more space bring fold-up chairs and blankets.
• Tailgating is also an option.
• Restrooms are abundant and clean.
• Scouting group rates and sleepovers are offered.
• Richie Road (Route 644) in Bealeton is not recognized by some GPS systems.
• The Flying Circus recommends taking Route 17 South to a left on Richie Road.
• Most dogs enjoy the setting, but some may not respond well to loud noises.
• Bug spray, sunscreen and hats are recommended.
• Don’t forget the water dish!

Story copyright 2011, Elaine C. Jean. All rights reserved.
Photos copyright 2011, Paul N. Jean. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Sea of Tranquility at the White Oak Lavender Farm

Destination: Harrisonburg,Virginia

This day trip is all about country comfort … a hearty breakfast, a delightful family farm and a museum full of cozy quilts. What a wonderful way to recharge after a busy week!

If you’re taking a day trip to a farm you need to eat like a farmer. A stop at Cristina’s Café in downtown Strasburg – just a quick detour off I-81 south of Front Royal – can make that happen.

Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. everyday (and until 3 p.m. on Saturdays). The kitchen, aka Cristina’s Culinary Lab, turns out fabulous omelets and breakfast sandwiches made with local free range eggs, as well as biscuits and gravy and fluffy pancakes made with natural ingredients. This is a healthy take on stick-to-your-ribs comfort food.

A variety of platters are offered for a variety of reasons: The Mountain Man if you’re very hungry, the Hangover if you partied a bit too hearty the night before, and the Mexican if … well, if you like Mexican food. Lunch includes soups, sandwiches and café favorites such as empanadas and quiche.

The beverage of choice is coffee – espresso macchiato, café au lait and cappuccino, as well as bottomless cups of the strong, black stuff. It’s fair trade, organic and delicious. And like any coffee house worth its beans, Cristina’s features live music on Friday and Saturday nights along with dinner, and on Sundays with brunch.

A visit to the White Oak Lavender Farm on the outskirts ofHarrisonburg will lower your blood pressure and raise your spirits several notches. Here Julie and Rick Haushalter grow over 30 varieties of lavender and distill the essential oils and florasol for use in their own line of bath, body, aromatherapy and culinary products.

A tour of the farm is $5 and departs at 11 a.m. everyday except Sunday from the gift shop, where a Zen-like tranquility fills the air along with intoxicating scents and new age music. If they’d have had a sofa here, I probably would have missed the tour.

Julie guides visitors through fields and shares her farming philosophy and mission, educating us about the healing powers and stress reducing qualities of this fragrant member of the mint family. Her portable still for steam extraction of the bud’s essence is the only technology you’ll see in a place where just about everything is done by hand.

It wouldn’t be a farm without animals, and White Oak’s menagerie is ridiculously cute. Alpacas, sheep and miniature horses share acreage with full-size equines, and Quest is almost famous because his grandsire was Triple Crown winner Secretariat. Kids can enter the Rabitat and cuddle the Flemish Giants – not as scary as it sounds, since they are a docile breed of bunny.

The tour lasts about an hour and includes the opportunity to pick 20 stems of lavender, so you can bring that peaceful, easy feeling home with you. Back at the shop, White Oak Lavender Farm’s soaps, shampoos, lotions, aromatherapy oils and sachets are featured, along with live plants and edible items such as lavender salt, pepper, sugar, tea and even chocolate.

A sign advises us to “Keep calm and carry on,” an encouraging bit from the British Ministry of Information in 1939. Julie explains, “Lavender can help us with that, allowing us to relax our bodies enough to find our coping skills.” Ever in search of legal forms of relaxation, I departed with a big bag of reasonably priced products and newfound optimism.

Picnics may be brought in and eaten at tables with umbrellas near the Rabitat or on your own blanket around the duck pond. The fall bloom is beginning now and will extend into October, so the time is right for a day trip.

Civil War history surrounds you in the Shenandoah Valley. The Battle of Cross Keys was fought directly across the street from White Oak Lavender Farm, and the farm itself was used as a Union camp.

Numerous buildings in the area were built prior to the war and survived the fighting. One of them is the Warren-Sipe House in downtown Harrisonburg, currently home to the Virginia Quilt Museum.

Designated the official quilt museum of the commonwealth by the General Assembly, its 9,000 square feet offer an opportunity to learn about the fine art of quilting and see examples of work by both traditional and contemporary artists.

The main exhibit area is found on the first floor, along with the Civil War Gallery. Additional exhibit areas on the second floor display quilts from the permanent collection and antique sewing machines that range from your great grandmother’s Singer to the plastic model you stitched doll clothing on.

Special exhibits are presented several times a year, and “Unity in Diversity – A Collection for Country School Quilters” will be on display from September 14 – December 17. The collection pays homage to the quilting bees and guilds that dot the landscape and provide a place for members to stitch, chat and admire each others’ work.

The museum holds tea parties three times a year, and the next scheduled event is on December 3 at 1:30 p.m. A limited number of tickets are available for $20 each, and reservations are required by calling (540) 433-3818.

Activities for kids are scattered throughout the museum, and a gift shop on the first floor features quilting books, patterns, ornaments, cards, mugs and jewelry for the favorite quilters in your life. Or, better yet, just bring them by for a visit.

Story copyright 2011, Elaine C. Jean. All rights reserved.
Photos copyright 2011, Paul N. Jean. All rights reserved.