Photo Gallery: A Weekend for Springtime and Farms in Western Loudoun
It was a warm weekend for touring western Loudoun—and visitors had plenty of things to see and do.
Loudoun’s Spring Farm Tour returned with dozens of local farms, ranging from the traditional to the brand-new.
It was a chance for visitors to meet the farmers, see how farms work, and maybe even play some games or buy some local goods. There were also farm tour prizes for high scores on Loudoun Farm Tour challenges, with prizes such as gift baskets of Loudoun-made products and family four-packs of passes to the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum. And the Spring Farm Tour also coincided with Hillsboro’s Gardens in the Gap and Middleburg’s Art in the Burg, giving visitors to western Loudoun plenty to do, see and shop.
Visitors to the Town of Hillsboro’s Gardens in the Gap at the Old Stone School enjoyed food, drinks, crafts, musical performances and “Eat, Drink & Be Literary,” a lecture by Chef Nora Pouillon.
And this year the Middleburg Arts Council and the Town of Middleburg gave Art in the Burg a fresh face for 2022. On top of the art on display like paintings, pottery, sculptures and photography, this year the event also included the Art in the Ox pop art exhibit inside Old Ox Brewery, a fashion show, the Hunt Country Music Festival, local chefs offering cooking demonstrations, and short musicals throughout the day.
Middleburg-based Silo Ceramics displays their functional ceramic art at Art in the Burg Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Sanda Marino displays some of her encaustic art, created with a mix of wax, pigments and heat with techniques dating back to the first century CE, at Art in the Burg Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Brian Yarnal of Fueled Motorcycles brought something different to Art in the Burg on Saturday, May 21 with a display of Ducati motorcycles and related artwork, parked behind Old Ox Brewery. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Jackie Oduro showcases her handmade creations from Boutiqueafrique at Art in the Burg on Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Andy Lavin decided to exhibit and sell his sketches—which he said he creates during long meetings and down time—for the first time at Art in the Burg on Saturday, May 21, getting a positive response to his artwork. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Alpacas hide from the heat inside the barn at Double 8 Alpaca Ranch in Neersville, a stop on the 2022 Loudoun Spring Farm Tour. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
David Olorunda, a member of the Alpaca and Llama 4-H Club of Loudoun County, stands with Star Spangled Banner, a silky llama, at Double 8 Alpaca Ranch in Neersville. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Alpacas hide from the heat inside the barn at Double 8 Alpaca Ranch in Neersville, a stop on the 2022 Loudoun Spring Farm Tour. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Christina Andreyko, a member of the Alpaca and Llama 4-H Club of Loudoun County, stands with Vicki Vale, an alpaca, at Double 8 Alpaca Ranch in Neersville. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Cannabreeze Hemp Farm Director of Cultivation Justin Everhart displays a jar of CBD distillate, a purified form of CBD oil. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Varieties of hemp on display inside the shop at Cannabreeze Hemp Farm near Lovettsville, a stop on the 2022 Loudoun Spring Farm tour. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Hemp plant seedlings sprout inside Cannabreeze Hemp Farm near Lovettsville, a stop on the 2022 Loudoun Spring Farm tour. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Hemp plant seedlings sprout inside Cannabreeze Hemp Farm near Lovettsville, a stop on the 2022 Loudoun Spring Farm tour. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Terri Pruitt’s hand-woven basketry was among the artisan crafts on display at Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Nonprofit Sustainable Honeybee Program President Richard Whitlow teaches a young visitor about honeybees at Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Father-daughter team Makena and Mike McLaughlin this year opened Stonehedge Flower Farm near Hillsboro, selling their flowers for the first time at Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Rich Corpe, owner of Red Truck WoodWorks in Purcellville, displayed a guitar made of local wood at Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Rich Corpe, owner of Red Truck WoodWorks in Purcellville, displayed some of his creations made from local wood at Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Father-daughter team Makena and Mike McLaughlin this year opened Stonehedge Flower Farm near Hillsboro, selling their flowers for the first time at Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Father-daughter team Makena and Mike McLaughlin this year opened Stonehedge Flower Farm near Hillsboro, selling their flowers for the first time at Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now] 
Mike McCabe plays onstage during Hillsboro’s Gardens in the Gap Saturday, May 21. [Renss Greene/Loudoun Now]
Thanks for this lovely photo essay. I know Western Loudoun sometimes feels abused and/or neglected. It’s good to see the area showcased in such a positive manner. Happy Spring Loudoun! P.S. — Renss Greene is not only a talented writer. She’s a great photographer!
I agree that Renss is a talented author and great photographer, but “she” is a he (Renss being short for Rensselaer, a good old Dutch name).