Encompassing Charlottesville

On March 24, four teams of reporters met on the steps of the Rotunda to attempt a challenge that would test their journalistic instinct to the fullest. The task they faced: to discover, research and write a story by midnight that night. All interviews were to be completed, all photos developed. The driver for each team drew a direction out of a hat, which would determine the road they would take out of town - Route 20 North, Route 29 South, Route 250 East or I-64 West. Twelve hours and 20 rolls of film later, the reporters had captured the nuances of life that flavor our area, the lesser-known parts of Charlottesville's periphery that make this Southern town what it is. From travelers just passing through to Virginia natives who color the culture, each team of reporters stumbled over intriguing stories of everyday people. What follows are their four stories.