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June 2025
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John William Van de Kamp

John William Van de Kamp is a retired Air Force Colonel. A graduate of the Air Force Academy and Creighton University, he served in the Strategic Air Command and the Pentagon and State Department in national security strategy. He has also served as an opinion columnist for the Annapolis Capital Gazette.

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Virginiana

How Teddy Roosevelt Got The Military in Shape

It was a cold, overcast day in mid-January, 1909. Theodore Roosevelt, known as Teddy or T.R., 26th president of the United States, was holed up at the White House. The trust-buster, Rough Rider, and hero of San Juan Hill with his horse, Texas, had a keen interest in staying fit. e’d hiked the Alps with […]
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Wright at Twilight

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The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical

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A New Experience at the Virginia Scenic Railway

Virginia Scenic Railway Adds Dome Car for Spectacular Valley Views The popular Virginia Scenic Railway just upped its game with a vintage dome car offering breathtaking 360° views of the Shenandoah Valley. The “Shenandoah”—built in 1948 as the “Silver Palace” for the California Zephyr—now gives passengers an unmatched vantage point on three-hour excursions from Staunton. […]
by Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves

Mom Hiked the Appalachian Trail with 13 Kids in Tow

Nikki Bettis stood on the jagged summit outcrop of Shenandoah National Park’s 4,011-foot Stony Man, awed by westward panoramic views. Her heart swelled with emotion as she turned to watch her 13 kids shoulder their loaded backpacks and fall into a clamorous single-file line heading back to the Appalachian Trail (AT).  “We were in an […]
by Eric J. Wallace

Williamsburg Archaeologists Uncover Secret Garden

In Colonial America, a grand garden was the ultimate status symbol—the 18th century equivalent of a Lamborghini. So when archaeologists at Colonial Williamsburg uncovered John Custis IV’s property, they struck horticultural gold: the remains of a football field-sized garden alongside his Jacobean manor house. Custis, a tobacco magnate and Martha Washington’s first father-in-law, went all […]
by Madeline Mayhood