Much like the COVID-19 pandemic over the past 15 months, the rain that blanketed Culpeper overnight Friday into Saturday often showed no signs of letting up.
Emily Jennings, Culpeper Star-Exponent
Culpeper piano teacher Brittany Bache, a Blue Ridge Chorale accompanist, plays Culpeper s first public piano after it is unveiled outside the town Visitor Center on Monday, May 5, 2021 in Culpeper Va. (Emily Jennings/The Star-Exponent via AP) May 08, 2021 - 6:25 AM
CULPEPER, Va. - Where do pianos go when they arenât wanted anymore?
One place now is Culpeper, which has started a programâCulpeper Keysâof positioning donated pianos outdoors around town, so anyone in the community can tickle some music out of the old ivories, day or night.
On Monday, Culpeperâs first such piano was unveiled in a ceremony beside the townâs train depot and Visitors Center, which will be the colorfully decorated pianoâs new home.
Outdoor piano brings music downtown in Virginia community
EMILY JENNINGS, Culpeper Star-Exponent
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1of3Culpeper artist Jordan Wilson poses with the piano whose artwork she designed and painted, now part of the Culpeper Keys program at the town Visitors Center, on Monday, May 3, 2021 in Culpeper, Va. (Emily Jennings/The Star-Exponent via AP)Emily Jennings/APShow MoreShow Less
2of3Culpeper piano teacher Brittany Bache, a Blue Ridge Chorale accompanist, plays Culpeper s first public piano after it is unveiled outside the town Visitor Center on Monday, May 5, 2021 in Culpeper Va. (Emily Jennings/The Star-Exponent via AP)Emily Jennings/APShow MoreShow Less
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Most of us dream but little comes of it.
Tori Gelbert dreamt of something andâwith lots of help from the Culpeper communityâis making it come to life.
Seizing on her inspiration, more than two dozen students and adults are creating outdoor classrooms in what was a schoolâs largely unused central courtyard.
The idea came to Gelbert in her sleep one night, though the principal of Emerald Hill Elementary School said she was embarrassed to admit it.
The principal, a runner who used to coach track, had dreamt of holding the grand opening of a track built inside the wings of Emerald Hill, which are grouped around a central courtyard where a few teachers used to take warm-weather lunch breaks on four picnic tables.
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Since March, one unfortunate theme - unsurprisingly, the coronavirus - dominated discussions amongst government officials at all levels.
If somehow the coronavirus was not mentioned during a town council, board of supervisors or school board meeting, reminders remained of the otherworldly situation in which the world found itself.
After stay-at-home orders were issued, local government operations continued via electronic means for a while. Citizens were encouraged to remain civically active by submitting emailed public comments and tuning in to live-streamed meetings. Once municipal buildings reopened to the public, social distancing precautions such as cordoned off rows of seats were implemented.