ICONic Talk

Mark learns more about his co-host, Rachel, as she shares all about her passion for horticulture and how her local floral arrangement business, “Rachel’s Bloomers”, was developed and has grown over the years. https://www.rachelsbloomers.com Upcoming Events : Savor the World, international food, event - October 9, 5:30pm https://godfreymillercenter.org/savor-the-world/ Dino-Con - October 12, 10am-5...

Mark and Rachel dive into the latest happenings around Winchester and also sit down with Stephanie Ryall from the city’s Board of Architectural Review, who shares how the committee plays a key role in maintaining the historic character of downtown properties. Links for This Episode: https://www.winchesterva.gov/Services-Payments/Building-Development/Historic-Winchester-District#section-1 Upcoming...

Mark chats once again with local sports podcaster, Josh Kirby, from the “Kirby on Sports” podcast as they swap stories and insights about the local high school and professional football teams with predictions of the current season. Links for this Episode: https://kirbyonsports.com/ Upcoming Events: Fiddles and Fifths Bluegrass and Bourbon Festival - Saturday, September 13 https://visitwinchesterva...

Mark and Rachel sit down with local historian and volunteer at the Patsy Cline Historic House, John Flood, to reminisce about the storied life of the local singer/songwriter, Patsy Cline. Links for This Episode: https://visitwinchesterva.com/locations/patsy-cline-historic-house/ Upcoming Events : Annual Patsy Cline Block Party - Saturday, August 30, 10am-4pm https://celebrating-patsy-cline-inc.squ...

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://visitw...

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 “...

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...

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!

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.

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.

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 Com...

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

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 Litt...

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

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!

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.

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 Savo...

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 : S...

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...

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...

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 Comed...

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://winche...

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 an...

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-te...

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”...