Mark and Rachel sit down with Winchester-native, William Orth, as they swap stories and reminisce about what Winchester was and how it has evolved over the years! Upcoming Events : Moonlit Movie Series - Friday, August 15, 8:30pm: “Mufasa” https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/moonlit-movie-series-mufasa/ Winchester Greek Festival - Saturday/Sunday, August 16-17 Greek Orthodox Church https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/winchester-greek-festival/...
Aug 15, 2025•51 min•Ep. 161
Learn about the value of internships, on-the-job training, and relational marketing in a small town like Winchester as Mark and Caleb chat with Dario Savarese of Full Circle Marketing and one of his current summer interns, Lauren Racer. Full Circle Marketing https://www.fullcirclem.com Sunset Series on Thursday nights - July 31 https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/sunset-series-robbie-limon/ SSMT “Living Legacy Endowment Fund” Event - August 3 https://tickets.su.edu/25-ssmt-special-events/25-08-s...
Jul 31, 2025•46 min•Ep. 160
Mark chats with J. Robert Spencer, famed for leading roles on Broadway in the “Jersey Boys” original cast and his Tony nomination in the musical “Next to Normal”, as he plans to come back to his Shenandoah University and SSMT roots to host a special event at SSMT to assist the “Living Legacy Fund”. https://www.su.edu/blog/2025/07/10/shenandoah-university-to-hold-special-performance-to-benefit-ssmt-living-legacy-endowment-fund/ https://tickets.su.edu/25-ssmt-special-events/25-08-ssmt-benefit-conc...
Jul 26, 2025•37 min•Ep. 159
Mark, Rachel, and Caleb share their takes on what the top Winchester attractions are and how they compare to online lists - and learn what they know and don’t know about local history!
Jul 17, 2025•42 min•Ep. 158
Listen how the desire to help and serve our community drives this local couple to create businesses for people’s personal fitness, personal pets, and personal well-being as the ICONic Talk crew chats with John and Kristin Moore.
Jul 03, 2025•57 min•Ep. 157
Join Mark and Rachel as they chat with Jeremy Blaustein and Elizabeth Albert of Shenandoah Summer Music Theater to explore how this vibrant local company keeps the arts thriving in our Winchester community with behind the scenes conversations and previews of the upcoming season.
Jun 19, 2025•59 min•Ep. 156
The team sits down with Jared Mounts of Jake’s Bait and Tackle to discuss the joys of outdoor activities along with his journey as a teacher, coach, and ultimately a leader in our local fishing circles. Links for the Episode: Frederick County Bass Homepage Local Events: MSV Pottery Show & Sale Hop Blossom Craft Beer Festival Belle Grove Garden Fest Father's Day Car Truck Show, Middletown Community Park...
Jun 05, 2025•48 min•Ep. 155
Mark and Caleb sit down with Abby Linaburg, co-owner of Wholesome Media, to talk about the latest social media marketing trends and share practical tips to help you promote your brand more easily and effectively. Links for the episode: Wholesome Media Homepage Upcoming Local Events: Healing Field of Honor ICONic Talk local sponsors: ICON Media Mark Francis Realtor...
May 22, 2025•52 min•Ep. 154
Learn all about Claudio’s Pizza as Mark, Caleb, and Rachel chat with co-owner, Tommy Buono, as he shares his passion for soccer, pizza, and our local Winchester community - plus get the recap of last week’s Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival! Links for the Show: Claudios Pizzeria Home Page Upcoming Events: Garden Fair - May 10-11, Blandy Farm Murder on the Orient Express - May 9-24, Winchester Little Theater ShenCoLab - May 17, Shenandoah University...
May 08, 2025•48 min•Ep. 153
Mark, Rachel, and Caleb share their past experiences with The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival and chat about the various events that they are excited about! Links Below: The Bloom’s Events: https://www.thebloom.com/events.html Past ICONic Talk episode about Apple Blossom… All Things Apple BlossomICONic Talk · April 7, 2022 All About ApplesICONic Talk · March 30, 2023...
Apr 24, 2025•46 min•Ep. 152
Caleb and Rachel officially join Mark as the co-hosts of ICONic Talk and talk about the hopes and dreams of how this podcast can impact the local community and beyond…with plenty of jokes and cackling at the same time!
Apr 10, 2025•58 min•Ep. 151
What would you like to see open up in our Winchester area? Mark invites friends back to the show to discuss their viewpoints of that topic - Caleb Pearson and Rachel Racey.
Mar 27, 2025•38 min•Ep. 150
Mark shares his take on what the current real estate market looks like in Winchester/Frederick County, as well as the one year follow up report to the NAR settlement that happened last year. Upcoming Events : Friday, March 14, 6:30pm-9:30pm @ West Oaks Market “St Patrick’s Party” https://www.westoaksfarm-market.com/events/st-pattys-party-at-west-oaks Saturday, March 22, 6:30pm-8:00pm “Sip and Savor” - live theatrical sitcom https://friendsofoldtown.org/event/sip-savor-a-live-theatrical-sitcom/ M...
Mar 13, 2025•24 min•Ep. 149
Learn all about the potential future of money in this conversation with local Bitcoin expert, Gary Krause, as he shares his perspectives and knowledge on the pioneering of this leading crypto-currency. Shenandoah Bitcoin Club: https://shenandoahbitcoin.club/index.html US News story on Bitcoin (February 18, 2025) https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/the-history-of-bitcoin Upcoming Events : Shenandoah University, “Monte Python’s Spamalot”, February 27 - March 2 https://www.su.edu/performs/e...
Feb 27, 2025•41 min•Ep. 148
Gain a greater appreciation for servers in the restaurant industry as you hear some of the behind-the-scenes stories with Mark’s chat with long-time server at “Roma Old Town”, Rachel Racey. For show notes: Roma Old Town: https://romawoodfiredpizza.com Upcoming Events : History Conference: Washington’s First War, Feb 14-15 https://www.shenandoahatwar.org/washington Restaurant Week - Winchester, Feb 17-23 https://www.winchesterrestaurantweek.com “Coldest Night of the Year” Walk, Feb 22 Support for...
Feb 13, 2025•53 min•Ep. 147
Gain some insights on what life in Winchester is like for young adults as they look to navigate and balance a career, a social calendar, and even dating, as Mark chats with Caleb Pearson. Links for this episode: Keystone gatherings, Thursday evenings @ 7pm Fellowship Bible Church https://fbcva.org/keystone Chocolate Escape, Saturday, February 8, 2pm-5pm Downtown Winchester https://friendsofoldtown.org/event/chocolate-escape/...
Jan 30, 2025•41 min•Ep. 146
Mark chats with Dr. Diane Schnoor, as she shares how her passions in education, story-telling, and the arts, all led her to her current career path of mentoring and assisting educators around the world with her company, “Dr. Diane’s Adventures in Learning”. Today’s Guest: Dr. Diane’s Adventures in Learning https://www.drdianeadventures.com Upcoming Events : Friday, January 17 @ 8:00pm Improv Comedy with Porkchop Volcano https://allevents.in/winchester/improv-comedy-with-porkchop-volcano/10000108...
Jan 16, 2025•48 min•Ep. 145
Discover the future vision for downtown Winchester and the transformation of “Winchester Main Street” into “Friends of Old Town” as Mark sits down with Executive Director Brady Cloven for an insightful conversation. Friends of Old Town: https://www.facebook.com/people/Friends-of-Old-Town/61566981196869/?_rdr Upcoming Events : Jan 3 - 18, Winchester Little Theater, “The Witness Tree” https://winchesterlittletheatre.org/production/the-witness-tree/ Jan 15, “Friend of Old Town” meeting @ Winchester...
Jan 02, 2025•40 min•Ep. 144
Mark shares parts of his favorite ICONic Talk conversations from 2024 and breaks down what makes this podcast so special to our local Winchester community. Upcoming Local Events: Nutcracker by Virginia Youth Ballet @ John Handley High School December 21-22 Walking in a Winter Wonderland @ Clearbrook Park Evenings running until January 1 New Year’s Eve Celebration – Glow Party / Laser Light Show and “Apple Drop” December 31, 1:30pm-12:00am...
Dec 19, 2024•38 min•Ep. 143
Listen how Dr. Colette Sabbagh fell in love with our town of Winchester when she and her family moved five years ago - and learn from her what it takes to get connected and be a valuable member of the community. (And there are some bonus tips on good practices on flu/cold prevention!) Upcoming Events : Nutcracker Tea, as The Tea Cart December 5-29 https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/nutcracker-tea/ Follow the Star, at Fellowship Bible Church December 8 and 9 https://fbcva.org/followthestar Winch...
Dec 05, 2024•38 min•Ep. 142
Mark chats with local historian and author, Mike Robinson, as he unpacks the “tales” of Winchester over the centuries, giving a fun way to reflect and be grateful for our local community in this Thanksgiving season! Links for the episode: Winchester Tales: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057264977086 Upcoming Events : Saturday, November 23, 11am-4pm “Winter Wonderland Christmas Market” War Memorial Building @ Jim Barnett Park https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/winter-wonderland-chris...
Nov 21, 2024•50 min•Ep. 141
The results are in! And so Mark breaks down the winners and losers nationally and locally, and what you can anticipate in our local area as now that the election season is behind us. Links for the episode: Election results: https://enr.elections.virginia.gov/results/public/frederick-county/elections/2024NovemberGeneral https://enr.elections.virginia.gov/results/public/winchester-city/elections/2024NovemberGeneral Financial implications: https://nypost.com/2024/11/06/business/trump-projected-whit...
Nov 07, 2024•18 min•Ep. 140
Learn about the status of the current fall real estate market along with some of Mark’s favorite things about fall - including top podcasts he listens to! Upcoming Events : Ravenwood Faire, Oct 25-27 @ Fred Co Fairgrounds https://ravenwoodfaire.us/tickets/ Haunted Tour of Historic Blue Ball Inn, Oct 26-27 https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/haunted-tour-of-the-historic-blue-ball-inn/2024-10-26/ Little Shop of Rocky Horror Murder Mystery Dinner, Oct 31 @ Wayside Inn https://visitwinchesterva.com/...
Oct 24, 2024•19 min•Ep. 139
Mark chats with Bob Hess, a former local public servant in both Frederick County and Winchester, who displays his passion for government and history as he breaks down the landscape of our local political affairs. Links associated with this episode: https://www.winchesterva.gov/Government/Voting https://www.fcva.us/departments/office-of-elections-voter-registration/elections...
Oct 10, 2024•31 min•Ep. 138
Mark connects with Dave Compton, a Pastor a Congregational Care & Seniors at Fellowship Bible Church, as they discuss all things related to the high quality of life for retired adults in Winchester, which is consistently one of the top retirement towns in the country. Links for the episode: Fellowship Bible Church, Seniors gatherings Events: September 28, 7:30pm - Shenandoah University, Symphony Orchestra concert October 3-6 - Shenandoah University, Legally Blonde October 4-6 - North-South S...
Sep 26, 2024•31 min•Ep. 137
Mark shares a bit of his own personal story of what led him to Winchester and his various career paths, all leading up to hear more about how he spends his time on a daily and weekly basis to best serve those he works with. Upcoming Events : Charity Dog Walk and Pool Pawty - Saturday, September 14, 10AM-3PM Sherando Park and Pool https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/charity-dog-walk-and-pool-pawty/ A Scottish Evening at the Battlefield - Saturday, September 14, 6PM-7:30PM Kernstown Battlefield ht...
Sep 12, 2024•30 min•Ep. 136
Mark tackles some of the listener’s tough questions about the new NAR settlement. Upcoming Events: August 31: ● Exoticon: Exotic Pet Expo: 9AM-4PM. Millwood Station https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/exoticon-exotic-pet-expo/ ● Patsy Cline Block Party: 10AM-4PM. 608 South Kent Street Winchester, VA 22601. https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/patsy-cline-block-party/ September 7: ● Comic Expo: 11AM-3PM. War Memorial Building https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/comic-expo/ ● Picklechester Festival...
Aug 29, 2024•30 min•Ep. 135
Mark gives his opinions and thoughts on the new changes in the real estate market due to the NAR settlement - what are the things the media ISN’T telling you! Related Links to the Show: NAR Reminder - https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/national-association-of-realtors-reminds-members-and-consumers-of-real-estate-practice-change CNN post - https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/12/economy/nar-realtor-settlement-august-commissions/index.html Today Show video - https://www.today.com/video/how-changes-to-real-es...
Aug 15, 2024•42 min•Ep. 134
Learn more about how you can declutter your home before selling by using a local storage unit facility, Allied Self Storage, as Mark chats with Mallory Frogale and Merideth Reyes in his on-site conversation with them. Self Storage units in Winchester Events: 1) West Oaks Peach Festival - Saturday, August 3, 11am-5pm 2) Sunset Series at Bowman Library - Thursday, August 8, 6:30pm-8:30pm 3) Rt 11 Yard Crawl - Saturday, August 10, 7am-“until you drop”!...
Aug 01, 2024•35 min•Ep. 133
Mark chats with local author, historian, and ancestry researcher, John Flood, as they dive into local roots and even things from the Wild West! UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS: Friday, July 19 ● Film and Float: Elemental -7-11PM -Sherando Pool -$10.00 - https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/film-and-float-elemental/ ● Glow All Out 5k -7:45-9:30PM -Evendale/Byrd Campus - https://visitwinchesterva.com/event/glow-all-out-5k/ Saturday, July 20 ● Kevin Riley Community Day and Craft Show -9AM-2PM -Food Vendors -F...
Jul 19, 2024•38 min•Ep. 132
