The-Burg.com - Central Virgina's Arts, Culture and Entertainment Weekly

We’ve feared them. Anne Rice interviewed them. Buffy slayed them.

Vampires have long been a part of our popular culture, usually as the villains of the story, the scary creatures that lurk in the dark and hide under our beds.

Sunlight spills through smudged windows over a collection of potted plants in the dim hallway on the top floor of The Virginian Apartments.

It’s a modest garden. Green stalks and puckered flower buds lean toward the rays of autumn light.

For David Sickmen and Montana Lautenschlager, the tiny garden is a symbol of life in an apartment building with, at times, a darker past.

In this feature we catch up with Central Virginians who have gained notice in the entertainment world.

When H.G. Wells’ book, “The War of the Worlds,” was published — and well into the 20th century — Mars was considered mysterious, an ominous red spot in the night sky.

Verdi’s “La Traviata” first premiered in 1853 to catastrophic results.

“It was booed off the stage on opening night,” says Craig Fields, artistic director of Opera on the James and director of the company’s upcoming production of “Traviata,” which is scheduled for one performance at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15.

With Halloween just around the corner, folks will soon sit down to carve ghoulish faces and single-tooth grins on their favorite pumpkin, creating one-of-a-kind jack o’lanterns. In keeping with the season, the following is a conversation with Richard K. Erskine, a certified executive chef and president and owner of Southeast Culinary College. Erskine teaches a pumpkin-carving class at the college, and here offers some of his best pumpkin-carving tips:

The first thing you notice when pulling up in front of the Art-n-Soul Gallery on Oakley Avenue is the clothesline hanging in the front window.

Unframed paintings are strung along the line, ready to be matted and framed and bought as is.

“Over 100 years ago, when an artist finished a painting, she would hang it on a clothesline,” says gallery owner Beth Colville. “If someone wanted to buy it, they didn’t have to bug her. They could just take the painting and leave the money on the clothesline. It was a time when everyone trusted everyone.”

Monday is a holy day for Sean Davis, 16, and his group of skater friends.

On Monday, they head to Scene 3 Boardshop in Forest to skate the mini-ramp inside and hangout.

“It’s like our Sabbath,” Davis says.