CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Cape Charles Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a regular meeting on October 8, 2024, at 10:00 A.M. at the Cape Charles Civic Center to address several appeals and variance applications.

Among the cases to be considered is an appeal from Paul Chandler regarding a Zoning Administrator’s decision from May 31, 2024. The decision cited that Chandler’s property at 204 Bay Avenue was in violation of multiple sections of the Cape Charles Zoning Ordinance (CCZO), including Sections 2.4.2 (A) (1), 2.4.3 (1), 8.16, and 8.17. The property is located in the Residential-1 (R-1) Zoning District.

Another appeal, filed by Frank Wendell Jr., challenges a July 8, 2024, decision from the Zoning Administrator. Wendell’s lot, located on the 500 Block of Madison Avenue (TM #83A3-1-273), was cited for a violation related to the parking of a vehicle on an underdeveloped lot without a residence. The citation was based on violations of CCZO Sections 3.2 and 2.9. Wendell’s appeal seeks to overturn the Zoning Administrator’s ruling.

The Board will also consider an application from Robert and Kathie Naylor for a variance to the setback requirements for their property at 113 William Scott Lane (TM# 90-32-B345) in the Bay Creek Development. The Naylors are seeking relief from the planned unit development (PUD) setback requirements under CCZO Section 3.12. They have requested a side yard setback of 3.1 feet, with their application authorized under CCZO Sections 2.6.3 and 2.6.4.

All of these properties fall under Cape Charles’ Residential-1 Zoning District or PUD guidelines. The meeting will provide the applicants and the public an opportunity to voice their concerns and seek resolutions.

CAPE CHARLES, Va. — Cape Charles Capital Projects is advancing several key initiatives, according to a report from the Capital Projects Manager.

Efforts continued this week to move forward with the Inner Harbor Bulkhead Rehabilitation, Phase 3, and the Strawberry Street Sidewalk infill projects. The manager contacted potential bidders for both projects, aiming to secure contractors for these essential infrastructure improvements.

Coordination is ongoing with the architectural consultant HBA regarding a potential alternative site for the new municipal offices, a key step in the planning process. Additionally, the team continued to work closely with Virginia American Water on the KW 1&2 pipelines project, ensuring alignment between the town and the utility company for future water infrastructure needs.

In a related effort, the Capital Projects Manager ordered supplemental “back-in only” parking signs for the north side of Mason Avenue, improving clarity for parking regulations along the busy street.

CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Cape Charles Code Official has reported a busy week of inspections, permits, and ongoing projects, as detailed in the latest update.

The Code Official conducted 32 inspections and issued 12 permits across the town. Additionally, one rental inspection application was processed, and one rental inspection was completed. In collaboration with the Zoning Administrator, the Code Official addressed various ongoing projects and focused on an ongoing code enforcement case on Fig Street. The property owner has provided the necessary documentation for a contractor to apply for a permit to bring the structure back to a weathered-in state, though the permit application has not yet been received.

Plan reviews are also underway, including a new home in the Hollies, for which more information has been requested, and an upcoming renovation project at 201 Mason Avenue, with plans received and under review.

Looking ahead, the Code Official executed the contract for the 2025 Fourth of July Fireworks Display, sending the deposit to the vendor. The office also met with a Bay Creek representative regarding address changes in the Muirfield Village area.

The report also included a follow-up on a complaint related to the ongoing work at the new Village J subdivision. Concerns were raised about clearing and the potential burning of brush. The Code Official has followed up with the developer to ensure compliance with local burning regulations and safety protocols before any burning is initiated.

The department remains active in managing the town’s building codes, inspections, and future development projects.

CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Cape Charles Public Works team has wrapped up a productive week, addressing a range of maintenance tasks and operational needs throughout the town, according to the Public Works Manager’s report.

In response to an OSHA assessment, electrical issues in the police department were resolved, while the HVAC units at the library were cleaned and fitted with new filters. Seasonal changes were also addressed as beach trash cans were removed, and sand was cleared off the Community Trail on Bay Avenue. Additionally, the ongoing cleanup of the Public Works yard continued, though some progress was slowed by internet issues toward the end of the week.

Routine maintenance tasks were completed, including the weekly servicing of the Central Park fountain and vehicle maintenance. The John Deere Gator and the beach cleaner were both serviced, with the beach cleaner stored away for the off-season.

The team also handled normal brush and yard debris pickups, hauling away approximately 850 cubic yards of brush—equivalent to five full truckloads—to be recycled. Daily trash pickups continued as usual, with a total of 48 municipal trash cans being serviced. Residential trash cans were also addressed, with three new cans delivered, two lids repaired, and two cans removed.

Seasonal grass cutting, weed-eating, and edging were conducted at several locations, including Stone Road, the municipal building, West Monroe Avenue, Keck Wells, the Public Works storage yard, and the Civic Center.

Work orders and reports of concerns were addressed as well, with two library work orders and two town signage work orders completed.

With Halloween on the horizon, this is the first installment of the Mirror’s All Hallows series.

The sound of the violin emerges, eerie and haunting, setting the stage for an ancient tale. It’s midnight. Death raises his bony hand and summons the dead to dance in the graveyard. Under the eerie moonlight, skeletons come alive, bones rattling in a macabre waltz. This is the musical narrative that unfolds in Danse Macabre, a symphonic poem composed in 1874 by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, one of his most recognizable and enduring works.

Danse Macabre (translated as “Dance of Death”) is based on an old superstition: when the clock strikes midnight on Halloween, Death plays his violin, summoning the dead from their graves for a wild dance until dawn. What makes this work so compelling, beyond the spooky folklore, is Saint-Saëns’ masterful use of orchestration and storytelling through music. It is both a sinister and playful piece, one that blends the morbid with an undercurrent of joy, capturing the eternal tension between life and death.

A Haunting Opening

Saint-Saëns opens Danse Macabre with a quietly unsettling harp, playing twelve chimes—midnight has struck. Then, the solo violin enters, tuning its strings to an unusual interval: the devilish tritone, often called diabolus in musica or “the devil in music.” This dissonant interval immediately sets the tone, as the violin, representing Death himself, calls forth the souls of the dead.

The violin melody is both ominous and alluring, leading the orchestra into a frenetic, whirling dance. It mimics the skeletons’ clattering bones as they rise from their graves, drawn irresistibly to Death’s call. The xylophone, often considered one of the most unusual instruments in classical orchestration, plays a starring role here, imitating the rattling of bones with a mischievous energy. It’s a sound that could almost make one smile if it weren’t so deeply unsettling.

The Waltz of the Dead

At its core, Danse Macabre is a waltz, albeit one with an unsettling edge. The violins swirl and weave, their melody dancing lightly between major and minor keys, as if the line between life and death has become blurred. This central waltz theme is captivating in its repetitive, hypnotic quality, suggesting that Death’s dance is both inescapable and eternal. No one can resist the pull of this spectral revelry.

As the skeletons whirl faster and faster, the music intensifies, leading the listener into a state of excitement and suspense. Here, Saint-Saëns shows his skill as a composer, layering the orchestra in a way that builds both drama and tension. At its height, Danse Macabre feels chaotic, the energy barely contained as the dead frolic through the night.

The Bones of Musical Craftsmanship

Saint-Saëns was a master of musical storytelling, and in Danse Macabre, every note serves a narrative purpose. The use of specific instruments—the eerie solo violin, the bone-like xylophone, the urgent strings—creates vivid imagery without a single word being spoken. Each section of the orchestra plays a role in telling the story of the dead’s midnight dance, with a recurring melody serving as the spine of the composition, around which the other musical elements swirl like restless spirits.

Saint-Saëns also uses a traditional Dies Irae theme in the middle of the piece, though it’s subtly woven into the orchestration. The Dies Irae, a Gregorian chant from the Catholic Requiem Mass that speaks of Judgment Day, has long been associated with death in classical music. In Danse Macabre, it’s almost like an inside joke, a wink from Saint-Saëns to those who know its significance. The theme is distorted and twisted, much like the dead themselves, into something both recognizable and grotesque.

The Dawn and the End of the Dance

Just as the skeletons’ dance reaches a fevered pitch, the piece abruptly softens. The first light of dawn appears, and with it, Death’s grip loosens. The souls of the dead must return to their graves. The violin, once so commanding, now fades into the background, the dance coming to a reluctant close as the skeletons return to rest. A rooster’s crow, imitated by the oboe, signals the end of the night’s revelry, and the music fades into quiet reflection.

The entire piece lasts just over seven minutes, yet in that time, Saint-Saëns creates a complete world—a dance between life and death, chaos and order, the macabre and the joyful.

Legacy and Influence

Danse Macabre was not immediately embraced by all upon its debut. Some critics found the piece too programmatic, too playful with such dark subject matter. But over time, it became one of Saint-Saëns’ most beloved works, influencing not only classical composers but crossing over into popular culture.

The piece has been featured in countless films, television shows, and even cartoons, often in association with spooky or Halloween-themed scenes. Its memorable melodies and vivid imagery have cemented it as one of the most iconic works of music associated with the supernatural. Today, Danse Macabre stands alongside Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique as one of the most famous pieces in the genre of eerie, programmatic music.

A Dance Beyond the Grave

At its heart, Danse Macabre is about more than just Death—it is about life’s fleeting nature, the inevitability of death, and the strange beauty found in the balance between the two. In Saint-Saëns’ hands, the dance of the dead is not just something to fear, but something to behold, to appreciate, and perhaps even to smile at. The dance of death, it seems, is also a celebration of the life we all must one day leave behind.

As the final notes of Danse Macabre fade into the quiet, Saint-Saëns leaves us with a reminder: even in death, there is movement, rhythm, and a certain haunting joy.