Traffic at the busy intersection of Alexandria Pike and Main Street had stopped at 9:45 Wednesday morning.
Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat, squinted as he greeted Warrenton Mayor George Fitch, a Republican and one of four men campaigning to succeed him.
"How are you doing?" Mr. Fitch asked.
"Never a dull day," Mr. Warner replied with a sly smile.
The mayor would say later that Democrats and Republicans could always put aside partisanship to promote historic preservation - precisely the reason Mr. Warner came to Warrenton this week.
After a harried "walking tour" of Old Town, the governor and National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe honored the revitalization efforts of 18 Virginia towns, including Warrenton.
Since 1988, the Partnership for Warrenton Foundation Inc. has helped encourage more than $20 million in private investment to refurbish downtown buildings.
The towns Wednesday received Virginia Main Street Milestone Awards from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
Most of Warrenton's Main Street shops open at 10 a.m. But, on Wednesday, many opened a half-hour early so their owners could meet the popular 50-year-old governor, who at more than 6 feet tall towers over most people.
He wore a rumpled blue blazer and pumped his arms wildly as he shook hands with passersby.
Six-year-old Parker Culver and his brother, Bailey, 8, had come to the doorway of their grandmother's floral shop with bouquets for Mr. Warner.
"Hi, I'm the governor," Mr. Warner told the boys.
Their grandmother, Teresa Bowles, has owned and operated Designs by Teresa for 11 years. The circa-1889 Italianate building stands Main Street and Alexandria Pike.
A 3,049-square-foot addition to the shop, completed last February, extends 54 feet down Alexandria Pike behind it.
Ms. Bowles lives in well-appointed apartment above the shop. She and her daughter work together there most days.
"It's that kind of unique character that can only happen in a downtown environment," Mr. Warner later said of the family business.
Already behind schedule, the governor took his time touring Old Town businesses. He spent five minutes talking to the Culver brothers.
One of his handlers tugged at his jacket, telling him, "We've got a lot of these to do."
So, the governor marched down the sidewalk and into the Town Duck, a gourmet shop operated by Annette Johnson.
Mayor Fitch and his wife, Patricia, own the old building.
Mr. Warner headed straight for the wine racks and picked out a bottle from Pearmund Cellars, a winery near New Baltimore. Ms. Johnson charged him $15.75 for it.
Brown bag in hand, the governor continued his tour.
A gaggle of white- and gray-haired women - members of the Red Hat Society - greeted him at La Chapeau Rouge.
Barbara Ebbets, who owns the shop, wore the society's signature red hat. The group caters to women 50 and older.
Amid laughter, Ms. Ebbets gave the governor the "honorary" Red Hat title of "Knight Warner of the Royal Sassy People of Virginia."
"What I do for this job," Mr. Warner quipped as he put on a red ball cap.
More than 100 showed up to hear Mr. Warner and National Trust President Moe laud the value of historic preservation - something near and dear to many in Fauquier.
Since the Virginia Main Street program began in 1985, investors have spent more than $300 million on revitalization efforts in participating towns and small cities.
More than 9,600 jobs were created in the process, Mr. Warner told the audience.
Sixty cents of every dollar spent downtown, stays downtown, Mr. Warner explained. That's compared to just 20 cents for every dollar spent at a chain store, or just 6 cents for every dollar spent at a so-called "big-box" store, such as Wal-Mart.
"Main Street is working. That's the message," echoed Mr. Moe, who for the past 12 years has led the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
A noted author, Mr. Moe said preserving historic downtowns can prevent urban decay and spur local economies.
"This is my ideal of a small town," Mr. Moe said of Warrenton.
The Partnership for Warrenton Foundation claims to have a "waiting list" for merchants who want downtown space.
A native of Duluth, Minn., Mr. Moe has become a leading advocate of controlling "sprawl," the kind of rampant development he said continues to choke downtown economies to death.
Warrenton and the other towns that received state awards Wednesday should serve as models of "smart growth," Mr. Moe said.
Their success debunks "the myth that historic preservation is a frill."
But, small towns such as Warrenton, which has about 8,000 residents, face an uphill battle against suburban sprawl.
"Not everyone knows what causes it," Mr. Moe explained.
Yet, government policies and practices "at all levels," he said, contribute to it. Tax and land-use codes often favor building newer developments over refurbishing older ones.
"Every place looks more and more like any place," Mr. Moe said.
And, he added, some circles have started to call America a derogatory name - "Generica."
Mr. Moe suggests towns limit the size of chain stores, seek to build a "close-in residential base" and even enact a "temporary moratorium" on new development.
"Communities should be shaped by choice," he said.
