Abbey Road runs through Winchester. 🎸

Nickname Poll Results!

The results of the poll to decide the nickname for avid fans of Winchester Wire is Winstigators! Thanks to everyone who voted!

I’m going to start working on official Winstigators Gear here in the coming weeks. Hats, tshirts, hoodies? Let me know.

Abbey Road Runs Through Winchester.

By the early part of the 1960s, vinyl records had taken over as the most popular format for music consumption, replacing early shellac records. Vinyl records produced a better sound, were more durable and also allowed for longer playtime.

In addition, the decade saw the emergence of pop and rock ‘n’ roll superstars such as Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Who and most notably, The Beatles. Vinyl records from these artists became signs of identity, rebellion, and change during the decade’s social and political unrest. Record stores became hubs for music discovery and community, further boosting vinyl sales and impact on the culture. Music fans also found the large format and liner notes to give a deeper meaning to the music, enhancing the connection to their favorite artists.

For the music business, it was perfect storm; a great new medium for people to listen to music, exciting new artists that were constantly pushing the envelope and redefining their genres and legions of young people who were in love with discovering new things to listen to.

Head south on Valley Avenue in Winchester and you’ll come across Shawnee Drive. Take a left on Shawnee and about a half a mile down, you’ll find the massive Trex plant on your right. In 1969, the land where Trex now stands belonged to Capitol Records and it’s where they launched a record pressing plant, their fourth largest in the country behind Scranton, PA, Jacksonville, IL and Los Angeles. Capitol opened this plant due to the sheer demand of vinyl records from popular bands in the late 60s, especially The Beatles. Soon after opening, the Winchester plant became Capitol’s prime record producing facility for the East Coast, surpassing Scranton.

The Winchester record plant played a large role in sustaining Beatlemania in the late 60s and beyond. The facility was equipped with more tools for automation in the pressing process and was also designed to be more cost effective than the other plants. Due to these advances, Capitol was able to print more Beatles records faster and more reliably.

Millions of key albums from the Beatles catalog were pressed in the Winchester plant such as Abbey Road, Hey Jude and their final studio album, Let It Be. These albums were also pressed in Capitol’s other plants but the one Beatles record that was exclusively pressed in Winchester was their Christmas Album.

Is there a way to know that your vintage Beatles album was pressed right here in Winchester? There sure is.

Records from the different facilities feature different “plant marks” on the runout groove which is the mostly smooth part of the record between the end of the music and the label in the center. The mark for a record pressed in Scranton is IAM in a triangle, while Jacksonville records have a stamped “O” or “0” and LA’s is a six pointed asterisk.

Some people think the plant mark for the Winchester facility is a wine glass turned on it’s side, but it’s actually a crude sketch of a Winchester rifle.

The Winchester facility kept producing vinyl records throughout the 70s and 80s and also produced 8-track tapes and cassettes. In 1987 it was announced that the Winchester facility would be closing and the doors shut in 1989. If you’re interested in seeing all the different artists that had albums pressed in Winchester, you can visit this link which has a comprehensive rundown.

Help find a missing necklace charm!

I know a lot of Winstigators subscribed based on the reddit posts, but if you haven’t seen this post in r/winchester, a young lady lost the charm on her necklace at Apple Blossom. The charm holds the ashes of her grandfather and it’s very special to her. If you’ve happened to come across it or know someone who did, please contact her on reddit!

Events and happenings in Winchester and the surrounding territories:

Wednesday, May 7th

The Pub, Bunker Hill WV - Trivia Night, 7pm

Dirt Farm Brewing, Bluemont - Happy Hour 3pm-5pm (half price pints!)

Shenandoah Axe Company, Front Royal - Family Night 5-8pm

Jim Barnett Park Rec Center, Winchester - Family Game Night, 5pm-8pm

Thursday, May 8th

50/50 Taphouse, Winchester - Trivia Night, 8:30pm

Dirt Farm Brewing, Bluemont - Happy Hour 3pm-5pm (half price pints!)

The Tea Cart, Winchester - Mother’s Day Tea (runs through 5/11)

State Arboretum at Blandy Farm, Boyce - Blandy Field Notes: Flowering Trees 5:30-6:30pm

Friday, May 9th

Lost Barrel Brewing, Middleburg - Live Music: Part Of It All 5:30-8:30pm

Vibrissa Beer, Winchester - First Responder Fridays - (20% off food and beverage to all responders!) 11am - 11pm

Stone Branch Arts Center, Front Royal - Ink & Drink (make your own bookplate) 7pm-10pm

Clarke County Fairgrounds, Berryville - Rat Fest & Swap Meet (Saturday, too) Classic Cars, burnout contest and more, 8am

Winchester Little Theatre, Winchester - Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express, 8pm

Laurel Ridge Community College, Middletown - Live Theatre: Anne Of Apple Blossom Valley

State Arboretum at Blandy Farm, Boyce - Peak of Spring Migration Bird Walk 8am-10am

The Monument, Winchester - Hayden Coffman, 7pm

Bear Chase Brewing, Bluemont - Standup Comedy Night, 7pm

Bright Box Theater, Winchester - Breach The Silence: Saint Diablo & Devil In Disguise (local metal show) 8pm

Saturday, May 10th

Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery, Front Royal - Untamed: Exploring The Essence Of Unrestrained Spirit (exhibit opening reception) 6-9pm

Clarke County Farmer’s Market, Berryville - 8am-noon

Stone Branch Arts Center, Front Royal - Kickflip: Randolph Macon Academy Skateboard Show, 11 am-5pm

Breaux Vineyards, Purcellville - NYC Club Comedy Night, headliner Brett Raybould, 7-9:30pm

Dirt Farm Brewing, Bluemont - Dirt Don’t Hurt Hiking Club - 3.5 mile hike, 9:30am

Lost Barrel Brewing, Middleburg - Live Music: Amy Lewin Coots 4-7pm

Backseat Events, Winchester - Double Duran (Duran Duran cover band) doors at 7pm

Locke Store, Millwood - wine tasting noon-3pm

James Charles Winery, Winchester - Moms and Macarons noon-5pm

Shenandoah River State Park, Bentonville - National Eastern Box Turtle Week (all days this week through Saturday, 1-3pm)

State Arboretum at Blandy Farm, Boyce - Garden Fair, Mother’s Day Weekend (includes Sunday) 9am-4pm

Hogback Mountain Pony Rides, Strasburg - Intro To Riding and Horsemanship (ages 3 and up) noon-1:30pm

Jim Barnett Park, Winchester - 65th Annual Apple Blossom Antique Car Meet 8am - 3pm

Downriver Canoe Company, Bentonville - Shenanduro Mountain Bike Race

Sunday, May 11th

West Oaks Farm Market, Winchester - Mother’s Day Celebration Brunch 11am - 3pm

Dirt Farm Brewing, Bluemont - Mother’s Day Brunch & Bouquets (reservations required), brunch starts at 11am.

Lost Barrel Brewing, Middleburg - Mother’s Day Brunch, 11am

Locke Store, Millwood - wine tasting noon-3pm

Chester Street Tavern, Front Royal - Open Mic Sunday, Live Music 1-4pm

Main Street Gazebo, Front Royal - Farmer’s Market 8am-noon

Alamo Draft House, Winchester - Hung Up On A Dream: The Zombies Documentary, 10:30 am

Alamo Draft House, Winchester - Film Club: Dredd, 5pm

Monday, May 12th

Dirt Farm Brewing, Bluemont - American Craft Beer Week + Concord Grape Sour Release

Lost Barrel Brewing, Middleburg - Worlds Okayest Trivia, 6:30pm

Tuesday, May 13th

Vibrissa Beer, Winchester - Trivia Night, 6:30pm

Stone Branch Art Center, Front Royal - Beyond The Lens (self portrait workshop, photography and mixed media, additional classes include 5/20 and 5/27 ) 6:30 pm

Hiring!

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Have fun out there!