Author and scholar Hilary Holladay, whose Substack publication “Byrd Street” has filled the gap left by the virtual dissolution of local journalism in Orange County, will speak to the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club on August 13.
The meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. in Classroom I of the LOW Community Center.
Holladay, a former writer for The Orange County Review, founded Byrd Street in 2024 after the county’s only local newspaper was purchased by an out-of-county company who does not provide any local reporting. Byrd Street is available at byrdstreet.substack.com.
Holladay is the author of several books, most recently “The Power of Adrienne Rich: A Biography,” published by Princeton University Press. Her published works include poetry and fiction as well as biography and journalism. she was the inaugural Sharp Writer in residence at the College of William and Mary in the fall of 2025.
Holladay holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in English from the College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She founded the Jack and Stella Kerouac Center for American Studies and ran a series of conferences on Kerouac and the Beat Generation for more than a decade. She was a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and taught at James Madison University and the University of Virginia.
LOW turns out to welcome Rep. Vindman
More than 100 Lake of the Woods voters turned out July 18 to welcome U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman and to support his re-election as congressman from Virginia’s 7th District. The Congressman described his accomplishments during his first term and his plans for the future and answered questions on a variety of topics. The General Election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
Summer fun
Our Flag Day picnic
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.
Pay your 2026 club dues
Membership dues for the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club are $35 per person for the calendar year. Your 2026 membership is due for renewal on January 1, 2026.
This fee covers expenses of running club events and donations to the campaigns of Democratic candidates supported by club members.
Dues may be paid conveniently online by clicking the “Pay Now” button below or by mailing a check for $35 to The Lake of the Woods Democratic Club, P.O. Box 1351, Locust Grove, VA 22508. If you prefer, you can bring your check to any LOW Democrats’ meeting or event and give it to the treasurer directly.
