Lake of the Woods Democratic Club
The LOW Community Center was buzzing when a large crowd of happy Democrats showed up on June 19 for the LOW Democrats’ annual Flag Day picnic. Guest speaker for the occasion was Shannon Mort of the Orange County African-American Historical Society, who spoke about Gordonville’s “waiter-carriers,” the ladies who sold chicken and other food to to train passengers in the mid to late 19th Century.
The Lake of the Woods Democratic Club will hold its annual summer picnic on Juneteenth, June 19, from 5-7 p.m. in Marion Pronk Hall at the LOW Community Center.
The program for the event will be a presentation by Shannah Mort of the Orange County African American Historical Society on Gordonsville’s “waiter-carriers,” the “Fried Chicken Ladies” who sold food through the windows of trains passing through the town of Gordonsville in the 19th and early 20th century.
Tickets purchased in advance are $15 per person, which includes a fried chicken dinner with lots of sides — mac & cheese, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw and dessert. They can be purchased by credit card through the link below. Admission on the day of the event will be $20.
Watch a video on Gordonsville’s waiter-carriers, on Visit Orange Virginia
Journalist Jeff Schapiro congratulated local Democrats on their impressive victories in the the fall elections, but was careful to warn them not to get “too cocky.” Schapiro, a scholar from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, regaled attendees at the club’s annual holiday luncheon with anecdotes about his long experience as an observer of Old Dominion politics and his expectations for the success of Abigail Spanberger as Virginia’s first woman governor. More than 80 people attended the gala event at the Old House Vineyard in Culpeper County and saw a new slate of club officers be elected for the 2026 calendar year.
Jeff Schapiro, one of Virginia’s most experienced and knowledgeable political observers, will address Lake of the Woods Democrats at their annual Holiday Luncheon on December 11.
The festive year-end event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at the Kearney Pub at Old House Vineyards, 18351 Corkys Lane in Culpeper. Tickets for the luncheon cost $25 per person and can be purchased online. More information is available on this web page. Reservations must be made and payment received no later than Dec. 1.
Earlier this year, Schapiro joined the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia as a Center Scholar. The non-partisan Center for Politics promotes the value of politics and the importance of civic engagement. It operates on the principle that “government works better when politics works better, and politics works better when citizens are informed and involved participants.” The center was founded in 1998 by professor and political analyst Larry Sabato.
For nearly 45 years Schapiro was a political reporter for United Press International, Virginia Business magazine, and The Richmond Times-Dispatch, earning him a statewide reputation as one of the Commonwealth’s most respected journalists. His years on the beat — as a reporter and a columnist — parallel Virginia’s emergence as a competitive state prized by both political parties as well as the nationalization of its politics.
In 2015 Schapiro was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture. He is also a member of the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association Hall of Fame.
Schapiro has spoken about Virginia politics at colleges and universities across the Commonwealth and before civic, professional and business organizations. He has appeared on C-SPAN, BBC, NPR and American cable news outlets and podcasts.
Since 2001, he has appeared Friday mornings on Virginia public radio, most recently on Roanoke-based Radio IQ, In partnership with commentator Michael Pope he appears regularly on Virginia Public Radio.
Schapiro is a native of New York City and a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor’s degree in history.
He and his wife, Clare, a food and culture writer for several Virginia newspapers and magazines, were married in Richmond in 1988 by Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Charles Thomas. They are the parents of an adult son.
William B. Taykor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine brought a message of hope and optimism to the LOW Democratic Club’s annual Flag Day Picnic on June 21.
The senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, who had recently returned from Ukraine, reported that Russian invaders had made very little progress in their unlawful war. He credited support from the United States and Europe for helping the Ukrainians protect their sovereign territory.
The picnic inside the LOW Community Center was well attended by a convivial crowd who enjoyed a delicious fried chicken dinner and conversation.
Also on hand was Forrest Miller, our Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, who asked for the club’s help in turning the 63rd House District blue again.
