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Episodes

190

Latest episode

Sep 2026

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About the show

Join Mark Francis and Rachel Racey along with their local guests as they chat about community, local happenings, and all things Winchester, Virginia!

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60 recent

September 24, 2026Episode 18952 min

189. Trustworthy Financial Advisors

Listen to how a true partnership with a community and those who live in it can translate into a career path where honesty and trust is paramount as Mark and Rachel chat with Financial Advisor, James Imoh, and his Registered Branch Associate, Todd Houser, from Edward Jones. https://www.edwardjones.com/us-en/financial-advisor/james-imoh Upcoming Events: Oktoberfest - Saturday, September 26, 12:00pm-10:00pm https://friendsofoldtown.org/event/oktoberfest/ Frederick County Farm Crawl - Saturday, September 26, 9:00am-5:00pm https://frederickcountyhomesteaders.com/farm-crawl/

September 10, 2026Episode 18830 min

188. The Status of Fall in Winchester

Mark takes the time to unpack local new updates, seasonal fall things to do in Winchester, give real estate market reports, and share upcoming local events all in one special episode! Upcoming Events: September 12, 1pm-8pm: Fiddles and Fifths https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/fiddles-and-fifths/ September 18, 5pm-10pm: Friday Night Fall Concert https://www.westoaksfarm-market.com/events/friday-night-farm-concert-cazhmiere September 19-20, 10am-5pm: Shenandoah Valley Apple Harvest Festival https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/shenandoah-valley-apple-harvest-festival/ September 20, 2pm-3:30pm: Revelutionary War Guided Walking Tour https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/revolutionary-war-guided-walking-tour/

August 27, 2026Episode 18734 min

187. The Local Lo-Down!

Mark and Rachel reconnect and share all things new in their worlds, including updates on local news stories, local real estate news, and upcoming local events as we inch closer to Labor Day weekend! Upcoming Events: - “Thursday on the Farm”, August 27 @ The Homestead Farm at Fruit Hill Orchard https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/thursday-on-the-farm/2026-08-27/ - “Hungry for History” Food Event, August 28 - September 7 https://visitwinchesterva.com/hungry-for-history-food-event/ - “Pickle-Chester”, August 28 @ West Oaks Farm & Market https://www.westoaksfarm-market.com/events/pickle-chester - “First Friday”, September 4 @ Downtown Walking Mall https://friendsofoldtown.org/event/first-friday/2026-09-04/

August 13, 2026Episode 18652 min

186. Improving Winchester One Person at a Time

Learn about the psychoeducational evaluation services provided by Buffie Kulton and Heidi Buckner from Psychotherapy Associates of Winchester, as they discuss their comprehensive methods of analyzing those with academic difficulties, learning challenges, or behavioral concerns for children, adolescents, or adults, all with the goal of creating a pathway to greater life success for their clients. https://www.psychotherapyassociatesofwinchester.com/evaluaton-services Upcoming Events: “Rally on Valley”, Saturday, August 15 https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/rally-on-valley-motorcycle-show/ “Middletown Car, Truck, and Tractor Show”, Saturday, August 15 https://www.middletownva.gov/2026/02/26/middletown-car-truck-and-tractor-show/ “Winchester Greek Festival”, Saturday/Sunday, August 22 and 23 https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/2026-winchester-greek-festival/2026-08-22/

July 30, 2026Episode 18529 min

185. Preparing for the “Empty Nest”

Mark and Rachel swap stories, surprises, and a few hard-earned lessons when preparing for kids to leave the “nest” - parents prepare for their new “normal” and everyone figures out what “independence” really means! Additional podcast on data centers to enhance last episode’s conversation: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519?i=1000778112770 Upcoming Local Events… - Frederick County Fair, July 27-August 1 https://www.frederickcountyfair.com/ - West Oaks “Peaches and Beaches, Saturday, August 1, 11am-5pm https://www.westoaksfarm-market.com/events/peaches-and-beaches-festival - Route 11 “Yard Crawl”, Saturday, August 8 https://www.shenandoahcountychamber.com/Rt-11-Yard-Crawl

July 17, 2026Episode 18431 min

184. The Data Center Debate

Dive into the big current local topic of discussion with Mark and Rachel as they discuss the pros and cons of data centers coming to our local community. Frederick County site: https://www.fcva.us/departments/public-information/dc-faq Winchester Star article: https://www.winchesterstar.com/winchester_star/board-to-consider-ordinance-disallowing-data-centers/article_b87af9ff-4836-5293-ad46-91540371fd86.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawTCEeBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExVm1jVkpVVGtrWWl3bHdVc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHvwxnzm_-jaJekW3pw8U70Vk9IiArOVa1XpyEjIIRgGH1seG0y5iLunB6dyl_aem_O_E68Wn36UelMabqYAnVeQ Shenandoah Valley Electric Coop https://svec.siraza.net/resources/nps/260603-nps-campaign-2.html Upcoming Local Events: Monty Python Pub Crawl - Friday, July 17 https://friendsofoldtown.org/event/monty-python-pub-crawl/ Shenandoah Summer Music Theater https://www.ssmtva.org

July 3, 2026Episode 18321 min

183. Celebrating the 4th!

Mark and Rachel cover all of the topics of the holiday, including the weather, soccer, local events and even medical tips in the special 4th of July episode. City of Winchester activities: https://www.winchesterva.gov/News-Happenings/Events/Rockin%E2%80%99-Independence-Eve https://friendsofoldtown.org/event/va250-old-town-jubilee/ Frederick County activities: https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/july-4th-celebration/ Soccer song of the summer! https://youtu.be/safzyuZNCGI?is=j6pI-rQqABdTL2OD

June 18, 2026Episode 18213 min

182. World Cup is Here!

Mark records this episode from the beautiful city of Seattle, Washington, one of the cities hosting this summer’s World Cup - and the United States team is showing promise of making this an exciting summer. Learn about Mark’s passions for soccer and some of the upcoming events happening back in Winchester over the next couple of weeks. https://www.ussoccer.com/ Upcoming Events: Friday, June 19 - Juneteenth Celebration https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/juneteenth-celebration-3/ June 14-20 - FredCo’s Love Your Farmer Week https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/fredcos-love-your-farmer-week/ Friday, June 26 - Moonlit Movie Series: Mufasa https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/moonlit-movie-series-mufasa/ Friday, June 26 - MSV at Night: Michelle Lockey https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/msv-at-night-rebecca-porter-the-rhinestone-roses/

June 4, 2026Episode 18135 min

181. Parks and Rec

Mark and Rachel sit down with members of Frederick County’s Parks and Rec Department, Andrew Keefauver (Superintendent of Recreation) and Becky McGraw (Program Supervisor) to discuss all of the many events, activities, and opportunities they offer to our community. https://www.fcva.us/departments/parks-recreation Upcoming Events: Thursday, June 4 - “Sunset Series” at Bowman Library Ampitheater https://www.facebook.com/events/921274610955230/?rdid=hBg3ms9Lh785E0ig&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1B5CBNkqCa%2F Sunday, June 14 - Juneteenth Celebration at MSV https://www.themsv.org/events/juneteenth-celebration-3/

May 21, 2026Episode 18047 min

180. Social Graces in Your Dancing

In a unique episode, Mark and Rachel get inspired by the owner of Social Graces Ballroom Dance Studio, Freddie Ciampi, and one of his dance instructors, Theodora Soutsos, as they share the impact that dancing can have on your overall well-being - and look for a special dance instructional lesson in our video post on YouTube! https://socialgracesballroom.com/?utm_campaign=gmb&utm_source=gmb Healing Field of Honor - https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/healing-field-of-honor-2/ Sunset Series at Bowman Library - https://www.fcva.us/Home/Components/News/News/1686/ Gardens at Night summer series at MSV - https://www.themsv.org/events/gardens-at-night-3/