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Editor’s note: There was no lacking for big stories in the Williamsburg area this past year. Politics, tourism and electrical power were among some of the mostly hotly debated topics among readers.

The Gazette’s staff has put together a series of stories outlining the top stories of 2015. We will then take a look at the stories we expect to see in the upcoming year in the Saturday, Jan. 2 edition.

Locals have long recognized the richness of arts, culture and innovation cradled in Williamsburg. But Williamsburg’s reputation continues to grow, and 2015 opened new eyes to the gems of this community.

Here’s a look at some stories that prove why.

Da Vinci exhibit draws unprecedented crowds

“Leonardo da Vinci and the Idea of Beauty,” a six-week exhibit displaying more than 20 of the master’s drawings, broke attendance records at the Muscarelle Museum of Art. With a week still left to display, the exhibit exceeded 52,000 attendees, surpassing the 51,000 who attended the museum’s 2013 Michelangelo exhibit, “Sacred and Profane.”

Attendees expressed surprise at the exhibit’s location in Williamsburg, said Muscarelle director Aaron De Groft in April. But the exhibit illustrated the museum’s potential, and the potential contained within Williamsburg’s art scene.

The Muscarelle will continue pursuing this potential, especially in light of a recent $2.5 million commitment from Joe and Sharon Muscarelle to expand the museum, which is the largest ever contribution to the museum. The Muscarelle’s next international show is planned for 2017.

Clinic continues founder’s legacy

Dr. Jim Shaw and wife, Cooka, started a small ministry in a church room in 1995, with a vision to offer faith-based health care to those medically disadvantaged. Vision became reality. In the last fiscal year, Lackey Free Clinic in Yorktown saw more than 12,500 patient visits from around the Peninsula.

A well-respected physician and beloved leader, Dr. Shaw died July 29 at age 70, but not before the clinic celebrated 20 years in the spring. His legacy will live on, embodied in Lackey’s services.

2015 was filled with milestones among Williamsburg’s charitable community, continuously growing and innovating. Fifty years later, Child Development Resources remains a leader in early childhood development, and Literacy for Life and FISH celebrated 40 years.

An Occasion for the Arts canceled

With Hurricane Joaquin projected to pass through Williamsburg, the 46th annual An Occasion for the Arts was canceled. It was only the second cancellation in festival history.

But cancellation merely served to build excitement for the 2016 festival. AOFTA witnessed a 38 percent increase in artist applications for the 2015 festival, and it’s likely the variety and volume of interested artists will continue to grow.

A number of new festivals debuted in 2015, achieving success and growing Williamsburg’s cultural richness including Winter Blues-Jazz Festival in January and the culinary-inspired Harvest Celebration in November.

A gallery returns to Merchants Square

Amid the bustle of Merchants Square, a hollow space remained in the former Gallery on Merchants Square, closed since 2014. Until Gulay and Clyde Berryman revived the space with the Williamsburg Art Gallery in October.

An artist herself, Gulay Berryman’s desires the gallery to become a hub of creativity. In addition to the local, regional and international art displayed, the gallery has hosted several cultural events, including a curtain-raiser event for Opera in Williamsburg and a pop-up dinner by the Underground Kitchen.

Giving back to the community is the most important thing, Berryman said in an previous interview.

Symphonia goes international

Toward year’s end, the Williamsburg Symphonia received its first invitation to an international festival. The Symphonia has long been a local gem, but in its 31 years, the group hasn’t performed outside the Peninsula.

A trip to the 41st annual Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts in January 2016 will expose the Symphonia to new audiences, and it could certainly be a key to opening future doors.

“The caliber of the musicians playing in the Williamsburg Symphonia is probably the best it has ever been,” executive director Carolyn Keurajian said early December. If this, and the international invitation, are any indication, good things lie ahead.

Bridges can be reached at 757-275-4934.