ICONic Talk

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”...

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/202...

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/ Li...

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

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, Sympho...

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/...

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...

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...