FROM A LOCAL BOY breaking into big-time films to some new animal arrivals at George Washington Birthplace, today's column is for updates.
It starts with Fredericksburg's Danny McBride, a Courtland High School grad who's rubbing elbows with some big movie names these days.
I wrote about McBride earlier this year as he and some friends prepared to take their film, "The Foot Fist Way," to the Sundance Film Festival.
McBride got in touch last week to say that the movie, in which he acts with some friends from his days at the North Carolina School of the Arts, has been picked up by Will Ferrell's new company and will be released this fall by Paramount.
He noted that since Sundance, he's sold two film scripts--one sale involving Ron Howard's company, Imagine.
"And if that wasn't enough," said McBride, "right now I'm
It's a Paramount film, "Hot Rod," starring Andy Samberg from "Saturday Night Live" and produced by SNL's Lorne Michaels. It's being shot
Thanks to McBride for giving home folks an idea of what he's up to.
I'm hoping he'll keep providing updates so we all can vicariously feel what life in the movie biz is like.
On a different note, William Richards got in touch from Monterey to say thanks for "pressing a memory button and bringing back the days in the '50s when we did exactly what you described."
He was talking about a recent column in which I recalled summer high school days when we'd put five bucks worth of gas in our cars and ride from one little town to another in the Northern Neck in search of excitement, which usually eluded us.
His cruising took place in and around Fredericksburg.
"Gas was 22 cents a gallon then and everyone in the car would chip in 25 cents apiece," said Richards. "We could ride forever. God bless that sweet little town, Fredericksburg, that we lived in. And the loving people that we knew."
For those who enjoy animals, news came from George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County that there are new arrivals among the vintage-breed animals to be seen at the park.
Dick Lahey, the farm manager there, does a nice job keeping this column up to date on the animals the park keeps. The animals approximate the type of critters that might have been there when the Washington family ran the farm.
First, Lahey noted that farm workers picked up Jack, a hog Island ram.
Jack joins all of the ewe lambs from last winter and spring, adding to the slowly expanding family of sheep on the property.
Also new: eight piglets born last week.
Asked about how those new arrivals were doing in the heat this week, a staffer noted that mother and piglets seemed to get some relief from cooling mud in their pen.
Wonder if that would help those of us stuck in office settings?
I'll close with some helpful history from Paula Raudenbush, director of marketing and communication at other historic properties linked to our first president, George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation.
She said the group was glad
Raudenbush applauded the boat-builder's enthusiasm and bravery in attempting the feat, but said there's no evidence to link the first president to the famous ferry.
She said that in 2005, the foundation's staff did extensive research on the design and function of the Rappahannock ferry that would have been used in Washington's time.
One conclusion: "Neither George Washington nor anyone
Those who might be interested in what one of these ferries looked like can see photos of a model craft on the group's Web site: ferryfarm .org.
Thanks to Raudenbush for that heads-up on the ferry's history.
To reach ROB HEDELT:
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com