May 18, 2021
With leaves fully emerged, the quarries’ warm-weather acoustics can be evaluated. So, a trio of musicians came last week to test instruments and locations for the Victory Hall Opera Company’s production exploring natural sound on July 24 and 26. The featured photo shows Katy Ambrose playing the alpenhorn as quarrydog Skyla adopts the RCA Victor pose.
Katy and I-Jen Fang tried French horn and various percussive instruments on the high North Quarry bridge— to astonishing effect.
Miriam Gordon—standing in for both tenor Adam Diegel and soprano Tracy Cox—sang across the water in various directions, here toward a South Quarry wall. It was a fine demonstration of the power rock walls and water have to amplify music and create magic.
The audience for Soundflight will walk along the main trail to see and hear a sequence of performances at various points around the quarry pools. Both dates are sold out, but ideas for next year are already being discussed.
May 10, 2021
May 7 was a beautiful day at the Quarry Gardens for Piedmont Master Gardeners to celebrate the graduation of 26 newly minted Albemarle County EMG interns. The day’s program featured trail walks led by QGs’ owners, a buffet lunch with mentors in the picnic pavilion, and distribution of certificates, t-shirts, and gifts.
Over the past three months, these volunteers received 55 hours of expert horticultural and environmental instruction on such topics as soils, botany, integrated pest management, and plant disease diagnosis, after which they completed a written examination. As new interns, they will be expected to complete 50 hours of volunteer project service within one year to become certified EMGs. This year’s online classes allowed nearly 40 volunteers from five surrounding counties to join the Albemarle County group.
Extension Master Gardeners bring science-based information and recommendations from Virginia Cooperative Extension to the public through a wide range of educational and service projects. The Quarry Gardens is one of those projects. Volunteers assist the Center for Urban Habitats in maintaining the gardens as well as guiding visitors. We are proud to be their partners.
