Chris Militzer/Miliman 12 Photography
Carrying on a tradition as old as Alexandria itself, Town Crier Benjamin Fiore-Walker has opened hundreds of events in and around the city.
From parades and festivals to local events, Fiore-Walker has appeared in period costume as the town crier for more than seven years. Fiore-Walker hails from another historic city — he grew up in suburban Philadelphia — and came to Virginia for graduate school in 1991.
Although he always had a strong interest in history, he didn’t make it his career. Instead, he went to the University of Virginia for his doctorate in neuroscience, and joined the faculty at Georgetown University.
He now works at the American Chemical Association and lives in the West End of Alexandria with his wife and two children, ages 9 and 11. Over the years, he has volunteered at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, promoted history as a pedicab tour guide in Alexandria, and married his wife at the Woodlawn Meeting House in a Quaker ceremony in period dress.
In 2011, Fiore-Walker received two emails from two friends almost simultaneously. Both emails contained the City of Alexandria’s press release looking for a new Crier. The Office of Historic Alexandria was holding a “cry off” for those who wished to audition for the role.
Facing stiff competition from local actors, Toastmasters and historians, Fiore-Walker briefly considered backing out — but his grandfather had always encouraged him to never let an opportunity pass and to give things a shot when he could.
Knowing little about being a crier, Fiore-Walker hit the Internet and eventually stumbled across a cry from the late 16th century in Scotland. The public service announcement about minding your kitchen and coal fires was written in a rhyming scheme.
He got the role, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Here's our Q&A with Fiore-Walker:
Alexandria Living Magazine: Did you always love history?
Benjamin: I was always a history enthusiast. When I was in grade school and high school and had to do history — especially American history — my mother said not to think of it as having to memorize names and dates but to think of it as a story.
Is this a talent or a skill?
It’s both. The skill is writing the cries because they’re essentially poems, and that’s technical. The talent comes into the pageantry of it, and being able to stand in front of people to deliver something.
Were you loud as a little kid?
Probably. I did notice through this process that my dad had a town crier voice, but he never yelled. … I think for me, I wasn’t always like that, but I probably always had it because I used it as a college professor to project to students who were sleeping in the back.
Which cry are you most proud of?
The proudest moment as crier was for a group of nephrologists — they study the kidney and run dialysis. I worked in the glomerulus, which is the structure in the kidney that does a lot of the filtering, and was able to rhyme it with something.
When you aren’t the Old Town Crier, what are you doing?
I sew. I do Revolutionary War reenacting, too, but essentially just getting together with my neighbors. We have a really tight-knit neighborhood, and we get together for neighbor nights and our kids play outside.
What’s your favorite thing about Alexandria?
It has got be the people. … Also, the history of Alexandria, especially as an African-American, is so varied. I love the character of it.
What would you change about Alexandria if you could?
Traffic – that would be the biggest thing. That’s the one that gets me. And it’s not limited to just Alexandria. Oh, and parking.
