Goodbye and Thanks!

Goodbye Lorton Patch readers! This is my last submission to you. I'm moving out, skipping town, sailing on, untying the horse from the post at Lorton Station and riding off into the sunset. 

It has truly been a privilege working in and getting to know the Lorton community over the last two years. At the onset I wondered what the locality would yield, and it soon revealed itself to be an oasis for local news.

My only regret is not reading Irma Clifton's account of the great escape story from when she worked at Lorton Prison. But, since Lorton Patch is sticking around, I'm hoping that the story will eventually be published and that Irma will let the world in on a plot that could be picked up by Hollywood and catapult the Workhouse Arts Center into global consciousness! Hey Irma - I want to read that story! Picture it - "The Shawshank Redemption"... in Lorton.   

The Workhouse Arts Center is a great source of news. It seems to have all the ingredients for success - a visually striking campus, talented resident artists, a wide range of programs and classes and the financial support of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. But now the Workhouse can't pay over $52 million in bond debt and its future rests in the hands of Fairfax County and Wells Fargo. 

Now a new Workhouse tenant, the Metropolitan School of the Arts, has 12 full-time high school students (50 are anticipated for next year) in the Workhouse's Building 4, and founder and president Melissa Dobbs sees the property as the future home of a private boarding school for youngsters serious about careers in the arts. It will be interesting down the road to see that campus full of students running under those brick archways to class with canvases under their arms.

The constant struggle over the Meadowood Barn and the surrounding controversy behind the Bureau of Land Management renovating the aging structure is another story that will continue. Will renovation mean the end of horse boarding at the barn and what will be the fate of barn manager Allison Mills and her staff? Site plans have been made, community meetings have been conducted and voices raised, and now BLM is back to square one with a reduced budget (the result of sequestration) and is creating a new environmental assessment of the barn. 

Lorton's Gunston Hall - the 550-acre plantation that belonged to founding father George Mason - also saw its share of trouble over the last two years. The Board of Regents sacked the executive director and went through the long process of hiring a replacement through a national search. 

So, where am I going? I'll continue to write and photograph in DC for multiple publications, and will continue working abroad. During my time with Patch I photographed and wrote in Algeria, Kenya and South Sudan - and each time returned with a new level of understanding that brought a unique perspective to many of the Virginia stories that I covered.   

As the corner has been rounded, I've passed the home stretch and have reached the finish line with over 450 of my fellow Patch colleagues across the country whose last day is today, Oct. 15, I've compiled a list of my favorite stories and photo galleries with Patch: 

Remembering Ray Rainwater

What Is Terry McAuliffe Up To?

Photos: President Barack Obama, Bill Clinton Campaign at Jiffy Lube Live

2012 In Photos From A Patch Photojournalist  

Election 2012: Not Your Everyday Q&A with Gerry Connolly

Interview: Five Guys Co-Founder Jim Murrell on Expansion Plans, Family and Junk Food

Living Off the Water: Meet the Harley's of Mason Neck

PHOTOS: The 2013 Virginia General Assembly Convenes in Richmond

Rebuilding Together Keeps Families At Home

The Burden of BRAC: An Interview with Bill Euille

Capturing Reality: Artist Nicholas Zimbro on Mastering His Craft

Photos: Justin Beiber Headlines Star-Studded '99.5 Jingle Ball 2012' Concert at GMU Patriot Center

Photos: Virginian Tim Kaine Sworn Into U.S. Senate

Interview: Col. Gregory Gadson the War Hero, Movie Star and Commander at Fort Belvoir

I'd like to express appreciation to my many Patch colleagues. Special thanks to Mary Ann Barton, Raytevia Evans, Sherell Williams, Jessie Biele, Greg Hambrick, Todd Richissin, Beth Lawton, Sharon McLoone, Drew Hansen, Guv Callahan, Leslie Perales Loges and Susan Larson. Working with you guys was a pleasure, and I look forward to running into you in the future and reminiscing over those years spent chasing stories under intense deadlines across Northern Virginia. 

Folks, thanks for reading and checking out my stories and photos over the last couple years. 

Take care, 

James Cullum