“Scenes from Behind the Wall” is a historic photography exhibit with a Floyd connection.   Scheduled to open on February 4^th at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts, the exhibit features images of East Germany, taken by Helmut Brinkman and Page Chichester just after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989/90.  Chichester, a photo-journalist and past editor of Virginia magazine, is the brother of Lee Chichester, Jacksonville Center’s developmental coordinator.

The black-and-white photograph series documents what life was like in East Germany under Soviet rule, which occurred for four decades following the end of WWII.  The exhibit was shown at the Virginia Museum for Fine Arts in Richmond and throughout the region from 1994 to 2009 as part of the museum’s Traveling Museum and Media Services.  In 2009 the large crates of photographs were delivered to Chichester’s mother in Roanoke.  Page Chichester, who grew up in Culpeper, currently lives in Germany, as does Brinkman, a German native.  “We’ve known it was available.  It was a matter of scheduling it in,” said Lee Chichester about the exhibit.  

The opening reception, which is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the 4^th, is creating a buzz of interest around the center and beyond.  It will feature traditional German refreshments and a gallery talk by Floyd Countians Barbara and Clemens von Claparede, West Germany natives. The von Claparedes will reflect on their memories of the Berlin Wall and discuss how it affected their lives.

Tom Freudenthal will also be on hand at the gallery talk, which will begin at 2:30.  “He was a newspaper editor in Berlin during the waning days of the wall,” said Jacksonville Center executive director, John McEnhill.

Holding up a photograph taken by Brinkman of children chiseling away at the wall, Chichester explained that everyone on both sides of the wall took part in chipping it away before heavy equipment demolished it. Chunks of the wall were sold as souvenirs and some of it was saved for museum purposes.  “Barbara has a piece she plans on bringing,” Chichester said.

The exhibit photographs reveal how far behind the time of the world that East Germany had fallen, Chichester said. “It was like time had not moved forward at all since the 1950’s.”  Describing the East Germans from the stories her brother told of his photo journey, she said the authorities were unwelcoming and suspicious, but the people were wonderful.

“They were really excited about having access to a whole world that they had been deprived of, but they were also concerned.  There were a lot of adjustments on both sides of the wall that had to be made for reunification.” Challenges were related to the communist indoctrination of East Germans and the wide economic gap between the east and the west, Chichester explained.  “It’s only been recently that Germany is beginning to feel like one nation again.”

Chichester noted that the exhibit experience is enhanced by her brother’s narrative and her sister-in-law Katharina’s perspective, which is outlined as a travelogue/dialogue in a 20 page catalog that will be available at the showing.  Their narratives add context to the striking images, Chichester said.  “As a German from West Berlin, Katharina remembers when the wall went up and what life was like.”

The concrete wall, completed in 1961, was built to stop emigration from East Berlin into West Berlin. “It divided families, a nation, political ideology and infrastructure,” Chichester said.  She described “No Man’s Land,” the space between two walls where East Germans attempting escape would be tripped up by mines and wire and shot by guards in towers.  “It’s important for us to remember,” Chichester added, referring to the expression, ‘if you don’t remember your history, you’ll be doomed to repeat it.’

Barbara von Claparede explained how Berlin, the nation’s capital, was an island surrounded by East Germany territory. She recalled the fear she felt traveling with her family through strict check points at the East Germany border to visit her grandmother in West Berlin. Visits were strictly timed and West German families were thoroughly searched.  “They went through every tiny thing in our backpack while we were standing out in the cold.  I can’t even describe the fear,” von Claparede said about one particularly tense border crossing when her grandmother was dying.

Von Claparede remembers her family putting together yearly packages of coffee, flour, lard and chocolate (only allowed items) and sending them to East Germans they didn’t know.  “Everytime we drove through the east zone we had packages of chocolate wrapped in newspaper. When we passed through bridges we could see East German kids standing on the bridges and we threw the chocolates out and could see the kids running down to get them.  It was all in secret. If the Stasi (the East Germany ministry for State Security) saw it, we’d be busted.”

Back home in West Germany, von Claprede, like other German children, was not taught about Hitler in school.  “It was taboo,” she said.   The lack of public acknowledgement of WWII history, coupled with the horrific stories her parents told of Hitler’s reign, made the Berlin Wall even more scary and confusing for von Claprede as a child.

Jacksonville Center gallery coordinator, Lore Deighan, says that having the von Claparede’s input will personalize the exhibit experience for her and bring a better understanding of that time in history and the emotional impact it had on those who experienced it.   “It captures a time and place that is very different for me,” she said.

McEnhill is so excited about the reception that he worked his vacation around it, to assure that he could attend.  Recognizing the historic importance of the exhibit, he plans to notifty schools and encourage school groups to attend.  He sees the exhibit as a welcome addition to the center’s gallery programming.   “This show is the start of an exciting change in the gallery program.  I encourage the community to keep an eye on the Hayloft Gallery exhibits this year. They’ll be something for everyone,” he said.              ~ Colleen Redman

Laurelsong Cook Staengl communed with nature by painting it.   Her large-as-life vibrant acrylic and watercolor paintings of marine life, wildlife and people “call forth the energies of healing and spirit,” said the artist, who passed away at her home on Winter Solstice Eve, December 21, 2011.

Laurelsong began painting before she could walk.  Her mother was an abstract expressionist and portrait artist from Manhattan during the Soho art scene of the early 60’s.  Her father was a theater producer and director who produced Sam Shepherd’s first plays in the Bowery of New York.

Growing up in Manhattan, Laurelsong participated in her mother’s art classes at an early age.  She lived in England as a teenager and studied watercolor, mechanical drawing, Chinese watercolors and life drawing at Laney College in Oakland, California.

In search of a healthy place to raise and school her two children, Laurelsong relocated to Floyd from California after receiving a tip from a New Yorker with ties to Floyd.  She arrived more than 20 years ago and quickly became active in Floyd’s independent Blue Mountain School as a parent and board member. She taught art and made jewelry.  Trained in several healing art traditions, Laurelsong was able to integrate her body work practice into her art.   “I believe that art can heal our bodies and minds.  Looking at art can touch our souls and color can vibrate us to a peaceful state,” she wrote in an artist’s bio.

Laurelsong’s husband Luke Staengl is a Blue Mountain School co-founder.  Although he and Laurelsong had known each other for many years, they reconnected on the dance floor at Floydfest when Laurelsong was visiting from Hawaii, where she lived for several years.   It was in Hawaii that her painting fully took off.   Inspired by the ocean, she painted on the beach, hoping that her seascapes would stir people to take better care of the ocean and its inhabitants.

Laurelsong and Luke were married on the Winter Solstice six years ago.  Re-grounded back in the mountains and supported to paint full-time, Laurelsong’s art blossomed further and she began adding wildlife, farm scenes and portraits to her body of work.   

During the six years of their marriage she and Luke traveled all over the world, including to the Middle East, India, Vietnam, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. Most of their trips were related to Luke’s business, PESCO-BEAM Environmental Solutions, an international company based in Roanoke that supplies environmental equipment and systems for recycling everything from acetone to xylene and motor oil.

During their travels the couple rode on camels and visited a Roman coliseum and other archeological sites, such Petra, an ancient city in Jordan carved into rock. Laurelsong painted throughout their travels and enjoyed supporting indigenous people by purchasing local artifacts and goods, Luke recalled.

Described by her daughter, Onyia Cook Pemberton, as “the most compassionate person I know,” Laurelsong had always been interested in living in community with others.   Together, she and Luke founded Anahata, an intentional Floyd community focused on renewable energy and permaculture. Anahata’s non-profit Anahata Education Center was formed in 2007 to provide ecologically focused service, learning, teaching, and research and development opportunities.

In early 2010 Laurelsong opened the StarSong gallery at the Station in downtown Floyd, where she exhibited and sold her original works and reproductions and could often be seen working on a new painting.

“People love her work. They’re especially drawn to the dolphins and manatees,” said Deborah Carrino, a local artist who does custom design tile painting for showrooms across the country.  Carrino began staffing the StarSong gallery on Friday afternoons after Laurelsong’s diagnosis of ovarian cancer in the summer of 2011.  The gallery will remain open through the month of January on Friday afternoons, Saturdays and by appointment so that art lovers, collectors and friends can view and purchase Laurelsong’s art, Carrino said.

During Laurelsong’s illness, her daughter, Onyia, left her young twins in the care of their father on a couple of occasions and traveled from her home in Portland, Oregon, to be with her mother and help with her care.  Laurelsong’s son, Orion Ridella, moved into the family home in Floyd and became one of his mother’s primary caregivers, along with Luke and members of the Anahata community.  Laurelsong was also cared for by hospice and members of the larger community, who signed up to take overnight care giving shifts.

It was appropriate that Laurelsong was on the receiving end of so much care after giving so much to others over the years, Luke remarked about her last months.   “Her entire being was focused towards helping and healing others – and expressing her love for the world and its beings through her art,” he said.    ~ Colleen Redman

 Note:  The StarSong Gallery will remain open through the month of January on Friday afternoons from 3 to 8, Saturdays during the day and by appointment.  Laurelsong’s artwork can also be viewed at her website: geocities.com/laurelsong2/.   The majority of photos above were taken at the gallery and include a photo of Deborah and Luke.   The last photo is of Laurelsong, pictured with her work at her Cafe del Sol art opening  in 2007.

It’s been nearly a year since a group of Pittsylvania County residents traveled to Floyd County to give a power point presentation, alerting local residents about Virginia Uranium Inc.’s intent to mine and mill uranium in Virginia for use in the production of nuclear power. A reported 119 million pounds of uranium – worth as much as $10 billion is at stake for the company, which consists of Virginia investors, Canadian partners and land owners of the property in Pittsylvania County where the mining site is proposed.

Concerned about the radioactive waste associated with uranium mining and its risk to drinking water, human health, farmland, property values and tourism, a group of Floyd citizens formed UBAN, a grassroots organization named for the goal of keeping a 30 year statewide ban on uranium mining in place.

Throughout the year UBAN members have partnered with other Virginia groups to educate people on the issue. Members have staffed educational booths at festivals, hosted benefits, collected petition signatures, attended local and regional meetings and voiced their concerns to their representatives.

“Other countries are pulling away from nuclear power,” said UBAN member Anne Armistead. Since the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan the price of uranium in the global market has fallen, she reports. “Studies have shown that solar is already cheaper than nuclear.”

Armistead’s fear is that if the ban is lifted and uranium mining is allowed, it will ruin Virginia’s economy. “How many companies will leave if this happens? Who’s going to want to relocate here other than another dirty mining company?” she asked. “Clean water is our biggest asset to future jobs. Even the perception of such a dirty industry around dairy farms will have a negative effect.”

“Property values near the proposed site have already gone down,” said UBAN member Michael Kovick. Kovick recently contacted his insurance agent to ask about coverage for water contamination. There is none, he was told.

UBAN member Cheri Chalfant pointed out that Pittsylvania County is only 50 miles as the crow flies from Floyd. “We need to reach out to every person we know in this state. They need to let their delegates know that our water is more important than uranium.” She noted that full scale uranium mining has never been done in the east where floods and hurricanes would make the spread of toxic materials more likely.

Uranium mining and milling has been known to increase birth defects and cancer, particularly in those who live near the mines. The mining industry’s safety record in the past has not been good, Armistead said. “Church Rock in New Mexico is the biggest radioactive release disaster in this country. It was worse than Three Mile Island, but you don’t hear much about it.” A waste water storage system in Church Rock failed and radioactive water was released in 1979.

The National Academy of Science recently released its highly anticipated 22-month review on uranium mining. The report did not make any recommendations on the ban but pointed to “steep hurdles” that mining prospectors would have to overcome. It also highlighted the difficulty of storing radioactive waste for thousands of years, considering Virginia’s climate, geology and population.

UBAN members agree that, because the problem of permanent storage of the radioactive waste has not been solved, uranium mining can not be considered safe even if it is heavily regulated. “When they dredge up this low grade ore it will take 2,000 pounds to get 4 pounds of yellowcake. That leaves 1,996 pounds of toxic waste on the ground,” Kovick explained. “Some of it is released as particles into the air and it’s processed with water. That toxic water has to be stored. Everyone’s asking can you mine safely, but the real question is ‘how are you going to store the radioactive waste for 100,000 years?’ There is no way. Every facility breaks down in 50 years or so and is vulnerable to storms.”

UBAN members are unanimously concerned that Virginia Uranium, Inc., a well-financed and politically connected company that currently employs 14 lobbyists, will drown out the public voice and push for a General Assembly vote on lifting the ban before it can be thoroughly reviewed. Another concern is that if the ban is lifted land throughout the Appalachian Mountain chain, where uranium deposits are believed to be, will be open to mining.

Kovick refers to the rush to mine and mill uranium in Virginia as “irresponsible and irrational.” “On the one hand they are pushing this by talking about putting regulations in place. On the other hand they have lobbyists in D.C. trying to shut down any regulations that are here to protect the public right now. They’re speaking out of both sides of their mouth.”

A by-donation “Keep the Ban” benefit dance concert is planned for Thursday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Dogtown Roadhouse. Along with the scheduled music entertainment, Mighty Shakey and the RockuPyers, organizers plan to host an information table and have a guest speaker. They hope to inspire others to attend a Keep the Ban Lobby Day, hosted by the conservation community in Richmond on January 23rd. Mary Rafferty, a Sierra Club organizer and UBAN resource from Richmond, says the event will involve a morning workshop on lobbying, followed by a trip to the capitol to meet with legislators.

“This is our one chance. If people take one day out of their life to do this one thing and we make enough of a showing, we can have an impact and stop this.” Kovick urged.    ~ Colleen Redman

Post notes: UBAN members Michael Kovick, Anne Armistead and Cheri Chalfant are pictured at a meet-up at the upcoming benefit dance concert venue, Dogtown Roadhouse. Read the article I wrote for Natural Awakenings magazine on how the “Risks Outweigh the Benefits” HERE and a more recent excellent commentary in the Roanoke Times HERE. More information can be found at keeptheban.org.

The Wind in the Willows, the latest Young Actors Co-op (YAC) production, played to sold-out crowds with a November 26^th Saturday matinee and evening performances Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at the Sun Music Hall.

The play was YAC’s first auditioned production and featured veteran YAC actors, two of whom have been with the community theater troupe since its inception in 2005, said YAC founder/director Rose McCutchan.

Written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908 as bedtime stories to his son, The Wind in the Willows is a classic story that focuses on the adventures of four main animal characters that possess human qualities.   Level-headed Rat, who spends his time boating and reading books, is played by 15 year old Marsden Woddail.  Rat befriends Mole, played by 17 year old Coriander Woodruff, who goes through a transformation from meek to confident.

Rat and Mole join forces with a sternly wise Badger, played commandingly by 16 year old Bethlehem Cherrix. Together the trio helps their boastful friend Toad, whose latest fascination with motor cars (which he ultimately crashes) has landed him in jail. Ian Gammarino gives a memorable performance as toad with dramatic antics and physical comedy that frequently draws laughter from children and adults in the audience.  

With set designs that depict the English countryside on the banks of a river, the play runs about 90 minutes and has as many as 20 set changes, including one for a combat scene between the four friends and a gang of weasels and ferrets, led by the Chief Weasel, who is played by Floyd County High School senior William Yearout.  The combat scene was practiced in YAC rehearsals under the direction of Paul Rycik, an experienced stage combat teacher.

The play also includes two dance scenes, including one with Rat and Mole that takes place after the characters were drawn into the woods by an enchanting tune.  Rat and Mole have a fleeting visitation with an antlered being, representing Pan.  The alluring music, which returns later in the play, was composed by Woodruff and Woddail and gives a mystical underpinning that enriches the story.   Local dancers, Leia Jones and Reida Brown, helped with the dance choreography during play practice.

The set designs, lighting (including one lightening storm), the English accented deliveries, make-up and detailed costumes added to the entertainment.  Moveable set panels were made by McCuthan’s husband Haden Polseno-Hensley and painted by YAC parents.  Toad’s motorcar was built by YAC parent Patricia Woodruff out of a salvaged filing cabinet and two ironing boards.   Furs were borrowed from Charlotte Atkin’s vintage clothing collection.  Animal and human costumes were made by YAC parents Dr. Sue Osborn and Heather Spangler.

Parent and community involvement is an integral part of the success of YAC, which produces one or more theater productions per year and is funded by program ads, ticket sales, and private donors.  The Wind in the Willows program, listing the bios of actors, stage hands and lighting apprentice, thanked local sponsors, the actors (who practiced for months) and YAC parents for their supportive efforts.  “YAC would not exist without them,” McCutchan’s letter from the director read.     Colleen Redman

Note: A movie trailer for Wind in the Willows, created by Pat Woodruff, can be viewed HERE.  Search “YAC Wind in the Willows” at youtube.com for video clips of the play, like THIS one.

Last weekend marked the 17^th annual Winterfest. The turnout and weather were good. More than 25 area artists and artisans displayed their handcrafted works in the upper and lower levels of the center, providing festival goers with a variety of local gift-shopping options that included pottery, woodworks, jewelry, handmade hats, leather crafts, clothing, candles and more.  Local musicians played throughout the Friday evening and Saturday day long event.  Attendees enjoyed soup and sandwiches, hot chocolates and treats at the Jax cafe.  Children visited with Santa and made Christmas cards and other decorations.  I took photos for The Floyd Press, which appeared in this week’s issue.  The following is a sampling of some of my favorites.

Candy canes taste better when they come from Santa.

A Jax volunteer directs traffic as a group of attendees arrive.

A shopper examines a handcrafted wood bowl made by vendor Ricky Boyd of Boyd Wood Crafts in Floyd.

A mother and daughter create a Christmas card at the kid’s seasonal crafts activities, a Winterfest free event that is staffed by volunteers.

Ceramic and watercolor artist Sidra Kaluszka greeting visitors in her studio. Kaluszka’s studio is one of several residential art studio and business spaces available for rent at the center.

Jacksonville Center’s developmental coordinator Lee Chichester and educational program director Amy Avery strike a pose in the center’s festively transformed community room.  Pictured in the background are chestnut spilt rail fence vases made from salvaged fencing on the Blue Ridge Parkway by Linda Hearn.

Jewelry artist Carly Burke assists a customer, as local musician Ben Kirkland played guitar and sang.

A group of young women had fun trying on handmade hats made by Teagan Dobkin.

A Santa’s Helper and Jacksonville Center volunteer works her way through the festival selling treats from the Jax Café.

A pot made by Eric Bolling of Melungeon Forge & Pottery catches the eye of a shopper.  Pictured in the forefront are local honey and beeswax candles from beekeepers Dan and Kirsten Vest’s Locust Grove Farm.

~ Read more about the Jacksonville Center HERE.  Visit their website HERE.  Winterfest pictures from past years are HERE and HERE.

~ The following appeared in The Floyd Press on November 24, 2011.

Twenty-five of Scott Perry’s 36 Pickin’ Porch students performed at a fall/winter recital at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts Sunday afternoon from 1 – 4 p.m.   Performances by beginner, intermediate and advanced students included solos and ensembles of guitar, banjo, mandolin and ukulele instrumentation.

“I love to see the sharing of what they’ve learned with their friends and family,” said Perry, who teaches instrumental instruction in a variety of musical styles – including blues, jazz, old time, bluegrass, gospel, and rock – at the Pickin’ Porch’s Jacksonville Center location and at his studio in Check.  A seasoned performer who records under his own label, Oh Papa Music, Perry currently has students ranging in age from 5 to 70.

The Pickin’ Porch recital also marked the release of a second Student CD Project, a Christmas album of traditional favorites featuring vocals and instrumentals by Perry’s students.  Produced at Mountain Fever Recording Studio in Floyd, the CD is available for a suggested donation of $10 at the Jacksonville Center, Rite Print Shop and other venues around town.  All donation proceeds will go to the Floyd County Rescue Squad.

“It’s a natural progression that gives students a taste of the recording process,” Perry said about the Student CD Project. He reported that several of his students have gone on to do recording projects of their own.

~  For more information about the Pickin’ Porch and Perry’s instrumental instruction visit thepickinporch.com.

The following recently appeared in a special section of The Floyd Press, Who’s Who in Floyd County 2011. Read Part I HERE.

On the Route 8 side of town Natasha’s Market Café and Mickey G’s Bistro and Pizzeria are Floyd’s newest dining establishments. Natasha’s opened in the spring of 2010 with a slow food, farm-to-table focus. Chef/owner Natasha Shishkevish incorporates locally produced seasonal ingredients in her dishes. She currently has a good source of local mushrooms and recommends the savory cheesecake for lunch (not a dessert), made with a breadcrumb and parmesan crust and filled with smoked Gouda and cream cheese, local shitake mushrooms and roasted peppers. Stuffed ravolli with shitakes in a creamy mushroom sauce with herbs and sherry is a good choice for dinner this season, Shishkevish said.

The atmosphere at Natasha’s is a blend of elegance and comfort in a spacious art gallery setting. The wine and cheese bar, the banquette seating against one wall (upholstered benches accented with throw pillows) and the café umbrella seating outside adds to the relaxed dining experience. Shishkevish, who cooked at Château Morrisette and Oddfellas before opening her own restaurant also makes “grown up mac and cheese,” hosts a monthly sushi night, teaches cooking classes and does catering. Fall events at the café include a fashion show, dinner theater, and live music on Friday evenings.

 Chef Michael Gucciardo, owner of Mickey G’s Bistro and Pizzeria, has a way with capers and roasted red peppers. He also has a dedicated Floyd following from his past years cooking at the Pine Tavern, so when he opened his own authentic Italian food restaurant in the winter of 2010, it was well received.

A chef’s special at the old world-themed restaurant might include pan seared sea scallops in an orange rosemary sauce with roasted garlic and caperberries, or a signature pasta like rigatoni in an asiago cream sauce with asparagus tips and porcini mushrooms. Gucciardo’s pasta sauces, whether tomato, creamy or olive oil based, are always flavorful. His brick oven pizzas are popular, both for in house dining and for take-out, as are his homemade cannolis for dessert. The restaurant is open on Tuesday’s when many other Floyd restaurants are closed.

Floyd also is home to a Hardees and a locally-owned Pizza Inn and Subway. Several convenient store/gas stations serve short order favorites. Midway Grocery in between Floyd and Willis is “the hot dog capital of Floyd. “People stop from all over because of the sign out front: 864,000 hotdogs sold,” a member of the family that owns the restaurant said.

In Willis, Dino’s is a family-owned diner billed as a “Greek Hillbilly Restaurant.” “We make the best gyros because my dad is from Greece,” said the owner’s daughter/manager, Vana Sopikiotis. Jim’s Grill has been serving short order country cooking in Willis for 16 years.

County restaurants along the Blue Ridge Parkway include Tuggles Gap Restaurant, Mabry Mill Restaurant, The Woodberry Inn and Château Morrisette Winery. Villa Appalaccia Winery (milepost 170) serves local bread and cheeses, salamis, olive and hummus with their wines, made on-site from mostly Italian grape varieties that have been grown on the owner’s Patrick County winery since 1989.

Tuggles Gap Restaurant and Motel was built in 1938 in preparation for The Blue Ridge Parkway. Initially a gas station that sold snacks, the motel was added later. Today the restaurant, just off the Parkway near milepost 165, serves a menu of Southwestern and all-American food. Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant also sells travel supplies and hosts live music most weekends and Art on the Parkway in the fall.

Owned by David Morrisette since 1986, Chateau Morrisette Winery (milepost 171) offers fine dining Friday and Saturday night and lunch Wednesday through Saturday (except for the month of October when lunch is served every day). Ala carte brunch is served on Sundays from November through May and the restaurant’s June through October brunch buffet is a crowd pleaser.

A dinner meal paired with one of Château Morrisette’s award winning wines might include cashew crusted, locally farmed rainbow trout, truffled honey butter, “Southern Style” collard greens, sweet potato hash with Vidalia onions and apple-wood bacon. Visitors can tour the flower gardened grounds, enjoy scenic mountain views, partake in wine tasting at the Winery and gift shop next door, and participate in the Chateau’s seasonal festivals.

Meadows of Dan’s Mabry Mill Restaurant and Gift Shop (milepost 176) is known for its buckwheat pancakes that, up until recently, were made from flour milled onsite at the 1910 water-powered gristmill. Opened from May to October 31st, the restaurant dates back to the 50’s and serves full breakfasts all day, as well as sandwiches and dishes like Parkway pork chops, pot roast and more. Visitors can tour the gristmill, sawmill, blacksmith shop and other cultural exhibits on the grounds.

Woodberry Inn is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 174.1. Tucked in the woods with a small lake on the grounds, the Inn is owned by Angie and Shep Nance. “Our Woodberry burgers are popular,” said Shep Nance. He noted that the Shrimp and Grits, shrimp and andouille sausage over polenta grits, topped with a spiced ham and mushroom gravy, is another customer favorite. The Inn has a full service bar and serves lunch on weekends and dinner Thursday to Monday.

With its bistro, café, cantina, roadhouse, tavern, wineries and grilles, serving everything from gourmet to home-style cooking from countertops, tabletops or curbs, Floyd County has something for every taste.

~ Colleen Redman

Read part I HERE.   Photos: #1 & 2 are Natasha’s. #3&4 are Mickey G’s. #5 is Villa Appalaccia. #6 is Tuggles Gap. #7 is the Château Morrisette Winery.

The following is a slightly edited version of what recently appeared in a special section of The Floyd Press, Who’s Who in Floyd County 2011.

When Lee Hooks and his wife Gail took ownership of the Blue Ridge Restaurant in the spring of 1987, there were only a handful of places to eat in the county. Today, there are more than a dozen to choose from, including everything from fine dining establishments to locally owned franchises, from Mexican to Italian and farm-to-table fare.

Throughout the growth of Floyd’s dining options, The Blue Ridge Restaurant has remained popular. The downtown mainstay across from the county courthouse was converted from a bank in 1924. It features home-style country cooking seven days a week in what Lee Hooks describes as a “laid back atmosphere.”

The special of the day on a recent weekday lunch hour was chicken pan pie, prepared by Hooks, who started working in restaurants when he was 15 and was managing one in his native North Carolina before purchasing the Blue Ridge. “We use dry soaked beans, real mashed potatoes and serve green beans everyday,” he said, adding that the restaurant takes orders for its homemade pies.

Hooks pointed out an old bank safe that currently serves as a refrigerator, and the check-out counter that was a bar during the restaurant’s previous incarnation. Greeting customers as they filed in for lunch, he said, “The locals are our meat and potatoes. They’re the reason we’re here. The tourists are the gravy and dessert.”

Within view of the Blue Ridge Restaurant, on the west side of the courthouse, is another restaurant housed in a building that dates back to the early 1900’s. Oddfellas Cantina opened in 2000 and was named after the fraternal order of Oddfellows Society, said to have met in the upstairs of the building and/or next door in what was known at one time as Oddfellows Hall.

Owned by Kerry Underwood and Julie Arrington since 2007, Oddfellas is open for lunch and dinner (closed Mondays) and specializes in “Appalachian Latino” cuisine, vegetarian dishes and entrees made with locally raised beef. The restaurant’s chimichanga burrito is a satisfying customer favorite that comes with all natural chicken, local beef or organic tofu. Daily gourmet specials – such as grilled pork chop with plum wine sauce or squid ink homemade pasta stuffed with crabmeat and served with clams and mussels in a fresh smoked tomato broth – are prepared artfully by Chef Paulina Giorgio.

Oddfellas art-filled décor is a mix of old-time charm and hip coffeehouse style. It features a dramatically draped stage where live music is regularly performed, including a monthly Irish night, an old time jam night and an open mic every Sunday at dinner. A new tapas bar serving light fare, beer and wine opened in October in the upper level of the cantina. It will be quieter than the restaurant, conducive to conversation, where customers “can eat and get a beer for under 10 dollars,” Underwood said.

El Charro Mexican Grill is a downtown family-owned restaurant that serves traditional Mexican fare in the lower level of the Winter Sun building, a one time textile factory that was renovated in the last decade. The atmosphere at El Charro, which opened in 2007, is festive and stylish. The booth seating and overhead TV gives the restaurant a casual sports bar feeling. Fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas and tacos are all on the menu. If it’s your birthday you can wear the oversized house sombrero and eat a complimentary ice cream dessert while servers and friends sing ‘happy birthday to you.’

The two year old Dogtown Roadhouse, located on the top level of the Winter Sun building, grew out of the traveling pizza truck that owners Jon Roberts and Scott Smith dished up their Dogtown pizzas from. Roberts’ hand-built woodfire pizza oven, like the one he and Smith hauled to festivals and private parties, is prominently placed in the Roadhouse, casting a warm hearth-like glow. Bar seating surrounds the oven on two sides, giving customers an opportunity to watch pizzas being made and topped with locally sourced ingredients while enjoying a craft beer on tap. The Roadhouse deck overlooks the Warren Lineberry Park and the restaurant opens up to the Sun Music Hall, where the owners regularly host community events and feature performances by acclaimed musicians and bands from near and far.

At the historic Floyd Country Store, which recently celebrated its 100th year, you can play checkers, buy penny candy and get “simple classics” for lunch, such as grilled cheese, pulled pork barbeque and homemade stew. The downtown Country Store, renovated in 2005 by Woody and Jackie Crenshaw, also serves old-fashioned ice cream sundaes and has a bakery case full of locally-made desserts.

Delicious locally-made baked goods are also served across the street from the Floyd County Store at the Black Water Loft coffee house.Owned by the McCutchan family, the loft is a cozy place to sip fruit smoothies or fresh organic fair trade coffees and teas, including lattes and espresso.

Just north of town on Route 221, DJ’s Drive-in serves up what owner Mike Schumann describes as “classic American food.” The manner in which the restaurant’s burgers, hotdogs, fries and salads are served is also classic. Food is delivered curbside, Happy Days style. “It’s been a restaurant for at least 60 years,” said Schumann, a 1998 Floyd High School graduate who has worked in the restaurant since his parents purchased it in 2001 and became the sole owner in 2010. Fall specials at DJ’s, originally called “The Dairy Barn,” are sweet potato fries and pumpkin pie shakes.

Further north on Route 221, 1.5 miles from Floyd’s one traffic light, is the Pine Tavern, which, according to the restaurant’s webpage, began in 1927 when food was served in the lobby of what was then known as The Pine Lodge. Currently owned by Reed and Jane Embrey, the tavern’s home style menu includes the tried and true recipes of Reed Embrey’s grandmother. Fried chicken, country ham, grilled catfish, fresh biscuits, fruit cobblers and more are served family style or individually in a parlor-like setting that includes a fireplace and a framed display of old-time portraits. The Embreys host live music and dancing at the adjacent Pine Tavern Pavilion, which is also available to rent for weddings and other events.

Before Ray’s was a restaurant it was a service station that sold sandwiches. Ray Hatcher took over his family’s business, also on Route 221 north, and named it Ray’s Restaurant “some 40 years ago,” said longtime employee and manager Joyce Howery. The Restaurant and Lounge has a full bar, pool tables and weekend pool tournaments. A lunch buffet is served Wednesday through Friday from 11:00 to 2:00. Friday night’s all-you-can-eat buffet draws a crowd and includes fish, roast beef and gravy and other meat choices, along with a variety of vegetables, a salad bar and dessert bar, and all the fixings.

Read Part II HERE.

Photos: 1&2 Blue Ridge Restaurant. 3&4 Oddfellas and the tapas bar. 4 El Charros. 5 Dogtown Roadhouse. 6.The Floyd Country Store. 7. Black Water Loft. 8. DJ’s. 9. Pine Tavern.

A cowgirl caravan of women traveling with vintage campers was back in Floyd over the weekend for a “Sisters on the Fly” Blue Ridge Hoedown at Daddy Rabbits Campground in Willis.   Campground owner Marian Smith said the number of campers doubled from last year’s inaugural hoedown and that the campground was at its capacity with 46 campers.

Founded in 1999 by two sister siblings who wanted to share their love of fly fishing and outdoor experiences, Sisters on the Fly has a membership of more than 2,000 women from across the country.   Fort Chiswell sister Sue Wenner, who organized the hoedown, said the sisterhood holds about 50 national camping events a year and that she attended about seven this year, including the National Cornbread Festival in Tennessee and Saddle Up in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Cowgirl campers came from Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey.  Most arrived on Thursday and enjoyed an evening BBQ, prepared in part by Wenner’s husband, and live music performed by fellow sisters.  “Thursday is the only time men are allowed,” Wenner said.

Also on the Thursday-through-Sunday schedule was a Dutch oven potluck around the campfire, an evening of old-time music and dancing at the Friday Night Jamboree and an antique shopping excursion into town to look for items to further personalize campers and camp sites.  At least one sister had plans to go fly fishing in Burkes Fork Creek. ~ Colleen Redman

Post Notes:   Sharon Lambert and her 1963 Safari gypsy wagon camper, complete with a crystal ball, is pictured in photo #1.  Lambert, who hails from Tennessee, bought $200 worth of material at Floyd’s Schoolhouse Fabrics last year to make a crazy quilt (pictured in photo #2) for her gypsy camper.   Carolina Cowgirl April Fuqua is pictured with her dog named Loretta Lynn at the door of her camper in photo #4.    See a post on last year’s Cowgirl Caravan to Floyd HERE.

A fashion show luncheon emceed by designer and artist Jeanie O’Neill took place Saturday in the sunny gallery setting of Natasha’s Market Café.  The show featured O’Neill’s originally designed and locally-made apparel and her one-of-a-kind bags. Also featured were originally designed handmade clothes from the Winter Sun, accessories from the Harvest Moon and items knitted from wool sold at Wooly Jumper Yarns.  

O’Neill introduced each model and gave a commentary on the outfits. Some pieces had names, like O’Neill’s “Jackie O” jacket.   The models strolled through the restaurant stopping at dining tables so that attendees could get a closer look and ask questions.  Many of the tables had been reserved specifically for the show but some lunch customers were surprised by the fashion show festivities. 

A gift certificate from Jeanie O’Neill’s Gallery and Boutique was awarded to a fashion show “fashionista” with a September birthday.  A door prize from Troika Gallery, awarded to the oldest attendee (91), played out like an auction bidding comedy skit. 

 Fresh garden greens, quiche, Mexican lasagna, crab cakes and lemon cheesecake with blueberry topping were some of the dishes enjoyed by guests.

Blue Mountain School hosted a Harvest Festival for students, parents and friends on Thursday September 22nd.   It was the school’s first event of the 2011/2012 school year and gave school director Shelly Emmett an opportunity to show visitors the school’s new expanded early childhood classroom, which has moved into a building of its own.   “We’ve had a waiting list,” Emmett said about interest in Blue Mountain’s School early childhood program.  The class, taught by Stefanie Schafer, is made up of 3 ½ to 5 year olds who attend 3 to 4 full or half days.

The afternoon festival activities included a corn toss game, apple cider making and a play performed by students, based on the Greek mythology of the queen of the underworld, Persephone, whose appearance in spring represents new growth and whose yearly return to the underworld represents the end of the harvest time and the dying of plants in winter.

Vicky Town, who introduced herself to those in attendance as a “traveling storyteller,” directed and narrated the play.  Town is currently working at Blue Mountain, a contemplative progressive independent school, in collaboration with the school’s music teacher Kari Kovick.  The play performance included a trio of singing students who wrote songs for the occasion under the guidance of Kovick.

More celebrations are in store for the school as it commemorates its 30^th year anniversary this year.   The anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the school’s dynamic development over the past generation and attain some goals that will ensure the longevity of Blue Mountain School for another generation to come, Emmett has said.   ~ Colleen Redman

Note: Visit bluemountainschool.net for more information.  Watch video clips of the play HERE and  HERE

~ The following appeared in The Floyd Press on

An opening reception for more than 25 visiting paper artists was held at Troika Gallery on Friday.  The artists were in Floyd for a quinquennial retreat on papermaking and to celebrate the 25^th year anniversary of Hand Papermaking magazine, which all the artists are associated with.

Collaborative pieces of pop-up art made by the artists with handmade paper were on exhibit at the gallery.  Portfolios of calligraphy and handmade paper pieces were presented as a fundraiser for the magazine. Floyd papermaking artist Gibby Waitzkin had new work on display.

The group of visiting artists, who lodged at the Hotel Floyd for the weekend, enjoyed refreshments, mingled with those in attendance and viewed a short film on the paper art of Helen Hiebert, titled “Water Paper Time.”  Some stopped by the Friday night Jamboree.  The weekend retreat was scheduled to be held at Waitzkin’s Sarvisberry Gallery and Studio.  A luncheon meeting at Natasha’s Market Café was also on the retreat itinerary.

Waitzkin’s apprentice Grant Figura wore white gloves as he showed the whimsical paper pop-up works and encouraged others to put on gloves and touch.   A ticket hung from one red piece that read “To Pandora from Zeus” and warned “Do Not Open (ever).”  Everyone who viewed it was curious and delighted to see that it opened in accordion style, revealing a spiral of handmade paper snakes.

~ The following appeared in The Floyd Press on September 29. 2011.

At the UBAN Keep the Ban benefit concert, held at the Pine Tavern Pavilion on Friday, musician Ember Swift gave a looping demonstration, incorporating a “Keep the Ban” chant into the mix at the start of one of her engaging songs.

Michael Kovick, accompanied by his Mighty Shakey band mates, Rusty May, Dave Fason and Brad Miller, sang an original song with a refrain of “corporation’s not a person.”  Kovick, who along with Miller is a member of UBAN, also sang a new song he wrote about the “Roanoke Basin Blues” …  If minin’ wins, then poison bleeds to water … That’s just the way the whole thing goes …  Just ask anyone livin’ next door to a uranium mine … what goes around … comes home.

UBAN organizer Anne Armistead introduced Mary Rafferty in between band performances.  Rafferty, a Sierra Club grassroots organizing manager from Richmond, addressed the crowd from the stage, saying,   “My job is to work with communities to help protect the air we breathe so we don’t get sick and to insure the water we drink doesn’t make us sick.”

Rafferty talked about the radioactive waste created from uranium mining, which is deadly for 100’s of thousands of years, and stated that Virginia’s wet climate makes it unsuitable for uranium mining and milling and vulnerable to toxic pollution of the water supply.   She told those in attendance that the issue of lifting Virginia’s nearly 30-year old ban on uranium mining to benefit a few landowners and investors is a political issue.  “Get out and vote,” she encouraged.

Freeda Cathcart, who is running for the Virginia House of Delegates, also spoke and encouraged people to vote in November.  Cathcart, a community organizer who has a home in Floyd and Roanoke said she felt a sense of urgency to run for political office, especially because of the threat of uranium mining in Virginia, which has traditionally been done in dry climates that are sparsely populated.   She invited attendees to Roanoke Saturday morning to hear former U.S. Virginia Representative Tom Perriello speak.

Natasha Shishkevish of Natasha’s Market Café provided food for the benefit.  The well fed crowd was not shy about taking to the dance floor.  They cheered on the efforts of Floyd UBAN, which is part of a statewide coalition coordinating efforts to keep Virginia’s ban on uranium mining in place.

As a fundraiser, “It was defiantly a success,” said Armistead. “The people of Floyd are just so generous. We wanted to make it affordable to everyone so we had a suggested donation of $5- 10 dollars.  Most people paid the max and some paid more.” She said.     Colleen Redman

Post Notes: Floyd UBAN meets at 7:00 on second Tuesday of each month at the Jesse Peterman library. Pictured above are Mighty Shakey, Ember Swift, and Mary Rafferty and volunteer gate keeper Virginia Neurkirch.  Read more about the Keep the Ban on VA uranium mining efforts HERE.

The new Plenty! Fresh Food Bank is located on Webbs Mill Road in the garage adjacent to the Plenty! office and Community Garden.  The Food Bank will provide canned and fresh food to individuals and food pantries in Floyd in addition to the surplus produce that Plenty! already provides to the community.

Willis resident Martha Bowers (center), along with her husband Jimmie, was one of the volunteers who helped set up the new Plenty! Food Bank. Here, Bowers introduces Brenda Weeks, who is inquiring about volunteering, to Plenty! co-director Karen Day (left).

Tara Milligan from Americorps Vista coordinates hunger relief programs in the New River Valley. Milligan (pictured far right) poses with a group from Virginia Tech’s SERVE (Students Engaged and Responding through Volunteer Experiences) who she invited to attend the Plenty! Food Bank opening.

Refreshments made with local food were served and attendees gathered for a blessing circle.  Floyd resident Nii Anang (center), a native of West African and one of the evening’s drummers, led the group in a blessing.

Food Bank donations have already begun arriving.  Plenty! co-director McCabe Coolidge (pictured to the right in grey shirt and khaki pants) said the non-profit group recently joined Feeding America and were able to purchase snacks for Plenty!’s Healthy Snacks school program at a greatly reduced price.

Note: Watch a video of the Food Bank opening HERE and HERE.  Visit the Plenty! website HERE.

~ The following was published in The Floyd Press newspaper on September 15, 2011

Floyd centenarian Effie Brown attended an exhibit of her hand-sewn quilts and quilt block designs at the Old Church Gallery on Saturday.  Gallery director Catherine Pauley said that, along with Brown’s full-size quilts, the exhibit features close to 30 patchwork patterns that Brown quilted and donated to the community through the gallery.

With names like Bear Claw, Nine Patch, Rising Sun and Pine Tree, the squares represent traditional quilt pattern examples and are accompanied by handwritten descriptions and histories, written in longhand by Brown.  One pattern, the Log Cabin, dates as far back as ancient Egypt and was discovered wrapped around a mummy in a tomb.

Brown said she grew up with quilting and is self-taught, preferring to hand sew her quilts.  “I can’t get the corners to meet with a sewing machine,” she said.  After finishing her last quilt, Brown stopped quilting when her husband suggested that she spend more time with him.  He lived for five more years after that.

As the gallery’s guest of honor, the 100 year old former school teacher and Check Elementary School principal greeted a steady flow of visitors and told stories of growing up in the county.

When asked about her secret to long life, she said, “I worked on the farm my whole life.” She remembered when she was 15 years old, her father had a stroke and it was up to her mother and her to mow, rake and put up the hay. Her mother got stung by bees and so Brown was in charge of the chore, which was done with horse drawn equipment.

Her family (the Kings) had an apple orchard and it was Brown’s job as a young girl to cut apples for drying after school.  Her mother sold the dried apples to buy sugar and other supplies, Brown remembered.  The cut apples were spread out on the family wagon shed roof to dry.   In the winter, apples were strung by the woodstove and hung from the ceiling in the house.

“There were always apples in the fruit bowl,” Brown said.  Recalling the old saying about an apple a day keeping the doctor away, Brown joked that she ate three a day.

With her 101st birthday coming up in December, Brown is grateful for her good health.   “I saw the doctor a couple of times and he said, ‘I can’t find anything wrong with you,’” she said.   ~ Colleen Redman

Post notes: Brown’s exhibit of quilt blocks can be viewed on Fridays 4 p.m. to 6:30 and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Old Church Gallery on Wilson Street. Watch a video clip of Effie Brown reciting a poem she memorized in grade school HERE. In another clip she talks about growing up on the farm in Floyd County HERE.

~ The following was published in The Floyd Press on August 25, 2011

Kalinda Wycoff and Theresa Cook have been business partners for 20 years and friends for much longer than that.  In 1991  Wycoff, Cook and their co-partner for 18 years, Christine Byrd, opened the New Mountain Mercantile.  It was the first shop in Floyd with a primary goal of promoting regional arts and crafts and providing artists and artisans with a local venue.

“If you look at our original purpose, we’ve been very successful,” said Wycoff, referring to the number of art venues and galleries that exist in Floyd today.   Representing approximately 50 artists, the store carries a range of jewelry, pottery, candles, aromatherapy items, furniture, home and garden accessories, fabric art, wood craft, fine art and photography on a consignment basis.

“On any day we don’t know what kind of art is going to come through the door. That keeps it fresh for us,” said Wycoff, a Florida native whose mother was from Martinsville and whose great-grandfather was born in Floyd.   Along with handmade and handcrafted merchandise, the store also has a selection of boutique gift items, clothing, gemstones, beading supplies, books by regional authors and CD’s by local musicians.

Wycoff, a mother of six grown children, remembers the early days of the Mercantile when the Blue Ridge Restaurant was the only place to eat in town and when she made daily visits for snacks at the Harvest Moon, which was located across the street in the noteBooks and Black Water Loft building.

At that time, Action Video was located next door, where Republic of Floyd Emporium is now housed.  The Mercantile had a stockroom, office and workshop upstairs before it was remodeled into an apartment by the building’s owner, Peter Bartell.    As a business consisting of three families, they kept a crib upstairs for the youngest children.   All of Wycoff’s children have helped in the store at various times and most have had after-school jobs there.  “My kids grew up in this store,” she said.

Two years after the opening of the Floyd store, Wycoff, Cook and Byrd opened another New Mountain Mercantile in Roanoke’s Tanglewood Mall.  At the height of their expansion they owned three stores, including one on the Roanoke Market. The women also each ran businesses, apart from the Mercantile. Cook headed up OLIVUS, an artist’s collective of local arts and crafts that Cook took on the road.  Byrd, who left the Mercantile in 2009 to spend more time with her family and go to massage school, had her first aromatherapy business.  Wycoff owned and operated her own tie dye business called Color the World, which is still active today.

In 2000, as the economy began a downward spiral, the women closed the Roanoke stores, realizing that sales from the Floyd store were carrying all three stores.  To accommodate all the display fixtures and merchandise from the closed stores, the Floyd store took up the whole lower level of the downtown building.   Since then, the store has been downsized back into its original space, sans the upstairs office space.

Throughout the two decades of the Mercantile’s history, its owners have had many employees.  “The people who have worked for us have been like extended family,” said Cook, who was born in Norfolk into a Navy family.  “They are dear friends that we are still in touch with,” Wycoff said.

Today, Deb Smith, who has worked at the Mercantile for more than a decade, manages the store.  “We couldn’t make it without her,” Wycoff said.   Wycoff’s sister Katherine Wycoff Verity has also been a steady employee for more than a decade and is currently the shop’s back-up worker who fills in when needed and “makes it all work,” said Wycoff.

To celebrate the Mercantile’s 20^th year anniversary, special events are scheduled throughout the month of September, beginning with a balloon sale on Saturday morning, September 3rd. The first 50 customers to make a purchase will be invited to pop a balloon at the check-out counter for a chance to win shop discounts, gift certificates and gifts donated by consignment artists.

Also on Saturday from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Christine Byrd will be introducing The Botanical Apothecary, her new aromatherapy business.  She will be answering questions about aromatherapy, giving information about the safe use of essential oils and dispensing samples.

Charles Lytton, author of New River: bonnets, apple butter, and moonshine, will present a book signing and reading on Friday, September 9^th at 4 p.m.  Lytton’s book is part memoir, part history of the region, part cookbook and part country lore.

Meet the Artist events throughout the month will include one with award winning artist Shelley Koopmann and her husband and business partner husband Bill Koopmann on Sunday the 18^th from 12:00 to 2 p.m.  Koopmann, who lives in Smith Mountain Lake, works primarily in pastels. Her original art and prints are popular with Mercantile customers.

On Friday the 23^rd from 4 to 6 p.m. another Meet the Artist event will feature local potter Jayn Avery.  Avery is one of the Mercantile’s core artists and holds the honor of being the store’s top seller for the past 20 years. Refreshments will be served at all events and sales will be featured throughout the month.

As more and more people are making Floyd a destination, Wycoff and Cook say they are hopeful for the future of downtown and are proud of what the Mercantile has accomplished. “There are not a whole lot of businesses around here that have lasted 20 years,” said Cook.  “We just couldn’t sit by and watch the 20 year mark pass by without celebrating it. It’s huge,” added Wycoff.   Colleen Redman

Note: The Mercantile is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m during non-winter months, with extended hours till 8 p.m. on Fridays.  An anniversary picnic for past and current employees and current consigners will take place at Theresa Cook’s house on September 4^th.  Mercantile owners and staff can be reached at 745-4278 (4ART).

The following was published in the summer issue of All About Her, a regional newspaper insert magazine.

If you drive through Floyd County in late spring, you’ll notice family garden plots ready for planting.  In the summer those same plots are filled with corn, tomatoes, beans and more.

Although many Floyd Countians home garden, very few grow vegetables for sale at local markets, as they did up until the early 1960’s when, due to economic pressures, many farmers began to farm part-time and concentrate on agricultural commodities sold outside the county, such as beef cattle, dairy and Christmas trees.

The families of King Brothers Farms and Orchards in the Bent Mountain part of Floyd and Roanoke Counties have never stopped full-time farming.  For seven generations they have carried on the mountain tradition of growing and producing food for themselves and as a way to make a living.  Today, two brothers, their wives and sons raise beef cattle, wholesale and retail apples and peaches from their orchards, and sell a wide variety of homegrown vegetables at the Roanoke City Market.

“We’ve always farmed,” said Gladys King, standing by the pre-Civil War King family home, which sits on 150 acres.  Above the property is a 20 acre apple orchard.  Three acres of peach trees are spread out beyond the barn. The family also farms an adjacent property in Roanoke County and a nearby piece that was passed on to King by her family, the Connors, who were also farmers.

“I was told the kitchen was down there,” King said, gesturing downhill in the backyard.   “They always kept the kitchen away from the house because the kitchen is usually what caught on fire.”

She explained that Floyd centenarian and retired Check Elementary School Principal Effie Brown was a boarder at the house when she first started teaching.  Effie, who later taught Gladys’ husband Howard (Chip), would walk to the Pine Forest Schoolhouse, which is now a private residence.

Pointing to some dents in the home’s red painted bricks, King remarked that her husband’s mother was told by her grandmother (who was a child during the Civil War) that they were marks from soldier’s cannon shots.   “This house has been in my husband’s family since it was land granted,” she said.

Speaking about the benefits of locally grown food, King said, “It taste better and it’s better for you.” She explained that cheap food from outside the country is not a bargain when it comes to health.  “You don’t know what their regulations are.  You have no idea what they sprayed with. It could be DDT” (banned in the U.S. in 1972).

Another benefit of farm life is working outside in the fresh air, “even when you don’t want to be,” King joked. She recalled one Christmas Day when it was 20 below zero. “We had cows down, tractors that wouldn’t start, and a renter that didn’t know how to start a fire.”

King and her sister-in-law Nancy, who have four grown children between them, do the vegetable farming on ten acres, starting their plants in greenhouses.  “When the children were little, they’d help us in the morning and we’d take them swimming in the afternoon,” King said.  Today, during peak growing season, everyone still helps out.   “You work hard.  When we’re into vegetables, it’s seven days a week,” said King, who vacuum-pack freezes or cans some of their homegrown vegetables for her family.

During apple season, the King family hires half-a-dozen workers to help pick red delicious, golden delicious, stayman, rome, and some old varieties of apples.  From September to November, they sell from a shed on the farm, which is about 3 miles off highway 221.  Customers also have the option of picking their own.

Further down the road from the homestead and orchard, the King brothers, Will and Howard, and Howard and Gladys’s son, Mark, took a break from fixing a fence to chat.   Will King explained that they use mostly organic growing practices on the farm and spray the orchards only minimally when necessary.  The conversation turned to the recent infestation of stink bugs and all the damage they have done to Virginia fruit crops.  The brothers, who cattle farm year round, agreed that there is a lot more for farmers to worry about than weather these days, referring to the accidental importation of bugs, beetles and moths with no natural enemies to keep them under control.  They also commented on how important it is that children know where their food comes from.

Gladys King, who works part time as a tax assistant during tax season, is an active member of the local Farm Bureau Woman’s Committee, whose goal it is to educate children and the public about the benefits of farming and to bring agriculture into the classroom.   Four years ago King designed a prototype afghan to benefit the committee’s work.  Available for sale at the Floyd Farm Bureau and at the town’s Harvest Festival, the afghan features a map of Floyd, a County seal and images of all the farming commodities produced in Floyd.

At one time King’s family raised pigs, chickens for eggs, and slaughtered their own beef.  Her Mother-in-law, who lived in family home until her passing about a decade ago, kept a milking cow.  King feels fortunate that her family has been sustained by the land and that they are able to provide quality food for others.

“You have to love it,” she summed up the farming life.  “God’s been good to us.  Not everyone’s lucky enough to have what we have.”   ~ Colleen Redman

~ The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on July 28, 2011 and on their online site HERE.

Tucked behind the 4^th green of Primland’s award-winning golf course and overlooking the Dan River gorge is the new Golden Eagle Tree House, which was dedicated during a weekend event that also included the opening of a six mile section of the original Appalachian Trail and the book launch of A Field Guide to the Nature of Primland and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The tree house ribbon cutting took place on Saturday and was attended by four of the eight children of the late Didier Primat, founder of the 12,000 acre Meadows of Dan mountain resort.

Billed as “a civilization-in-the-wilderness escape,” the 385 square foot cedar tree house is the latest addition to Primland’s accommodations that include cottages, homes, and guest rooms and suites in the green LEED certified Lodge.  Designed in France by La Cabanc Perchee, the pre-fabricated get-away is built on stilts and features a wooden bridge walkway at the entrance and a back deck that centers around a large chestnut oak tree and offers a bird’s eye view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Inside the tree house is a furnished living room, a bedroom, kitchen and bath.

Along with members of the Primat family, many of whom traveled from their homes in Geneva, Switzerland, were members of the Patrick County board of supervisors and chamber of commerce, area news reporters, publishers and broadcasters, Senator Roscoe Reynolds, a representative of Congressman Morgan Griffith and Delegate Ward Armstrong.

In the ceremony’s opening remarks, Primland’s vice president and Meadows of Dan native, Steve Helms, explained that the tree house was named for a golden eagle that a Virginia Tech doctoral student was recently able to capture on the property and fit with a tracking devise for research.  It was a rare documentation of such a bird this far south, Helms said.

Helms outlined Primland projects in partnership with Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and the Conservation Management Institute.  These include water quality research, cold water fishery management, wild bird management, a botanical survey and geocaching, a popularized type of treasure hunting using a Global Positioning Device (GPS).

Scott Klopfer of Virginia Tech’s Conservation Management Institute, who also spoke at the presentation, explained that geocaching is “a low impact recreational opportunity for guests to explore the trails of Primland while also learning about its natural and cultural history in a unique and active way.”  Participants follow rhymed clues that lead to hidden cache jars filled with fun nature facts, puzzles, word searches and more.

Klopfer is co-author of A Field Guide to the Nature of Primland and the Blue Ridge Mountains, another manifestation of the Virginia Tech/Primland partnership.  The guide is geared towards beginner naturalists who want to learn the identification of birds, butterflies, mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, flowers and trees of the area. “Recognition is the first critical step in bringing appreciation which translates to awareness of the importance of natural places like this and the overall quality of life,” said Klopfer, who co-authored the book with Michael St. Germain.

Patrick County board of supervisors’ chairman Roger T. Hayden also addressed the crowd. He commended the Primat family for carrying on their father’s love of nature and being good stewards of the land, saying, “We’re proud to have them in Patrick County.”  Hayden also noted his appreciation of the jobs that Primland has provided to the people of Patrick County.  “We went from tobacco to this,” he said.

Delegate Ward Armstrong described Primland as “the jewel in the crown of Patrick County.”  Linda Reynolds, standing in for husband Senator Roscoe Reynolds who arrived later, said she and her husband have been ambassadors for Primland, telling people how special it is when they travel.

“We hope we’ll see more tree houses to come,” said Primland general manager Mara Bouvier, who led tours through the tree house.  Visitors also enjoyed a tree climbing demonstration by Bob Wray of Blue Ridge Tree Climbing and a guided nature walk that allowed them to experience the unique biodiversity of Primland first-hand.

Saturday’s event included a book signing and presentation by authors Scott Klopfer and Michael St. Germain entitled Primland’s Four Seasons. Sunday’s schedule, in celebration of the restored six mile section of the original Appalachian Trail, included live bluegrass music, local vendor demonstrations and more.

Other activities available at the resort include hunting, fishing, ATV riding, tennis, skeet shooting, mountain biking, movie theater viewing, casual and fine dining, stargazing at the resort observatory, chlorine-free swimming and luxurious spa treatments. Colleen Redman

The Imagine Tent teen scene at Floydfest was conceived of two years ago during Floydfest Revival when a group of local teens, who were wandering the festival grounds, waved down festival staffer Joe Klein, wanting a ride in his golf cart.  After talking to the teens and learning that they had outgrown many of the activities at the Children’s Universe, Klein asked what they would like to see at Floydfest for their age group.   A brainstorming session ensued, which included the idea of having a tent just for teens.   Klein spoke to Floydfest co-owner Kris Hodges who was immediately on board with the idea and had already been thinking about adding more teen-centered events and activities at the festival.

“Kris wanted a safe and sober hangout were teens would be exposed to consciousness raising opportunities and where they could feel a sense of belonging,” said Klein, founder of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), an organization that hosts transformative retreats for teens, parents and professionals that work with teens.

The Imagine Tent, hosted by iBme, made its debut in the Global Village at the festival in 2010.  This year the tent and scheduled activities were expanded and drew anywhere from a dozen to sixty teens at once throughout the four day music festival, said Kolisha Stermer, an iBme staffer and co-director with Klein of the Imagine Tent.  Participating teens came from all backgrounds. Some had been to iBme retreats in the past, but the majority of participants were newcomers to the scene.

“Kids that didn’t know each other made friends.  A couple of kids from Australia weren’t sure they would fit in but ended up feeling accepted,” said Stermer, who was instrumental in creating a welcoming and relaxing ambiance in the 100 x 40 foot tent, one of the largest at the festival.

Using draped fabric, hanging lamps, and greenery, Stermer and other staff transformed one section of the tent into a lounge. “Floydfest provided the couches, pillows and carpets, as well as a laser light show. Plants were donated on loan by Slaughters,” Stermer said.

Incorporating the iBme teen retreat model, Stermer, Klein and other iBme staffers facilitated  periods of meditative silence and led the teens in small discussion groups and games, designed to help create a sense of community.  Teens also attended “wisdom talks” and workshops, such as mural painting and creative writing.

Some Imagine Tent activities were for teens only, others were open to festival-goers of all ages.  William “Whit” Whitten of Drum Talk in Charlottesville and Charisse Minerva of Portsmouth, a spoken word artist and drummer, led well-attended open drumming lessons, along with spoken word poetry with teens.

Speaker and author of Dharma Punx, Noah Levine, who traveled from California, spoke to the teens on topics of interest to them. Levine, who was a troubled youth, turned his life around through the practice of mindfulness.  “The status-quo is confusing pleasure with happiness,” he said.  He spoke of our culture’s aversion to neutrality, asking, “how can I be happy even when there is no fun or it’s boring or painful?’

Other speakers included Klein, who gave a wisdom talk titled “Sex, Drugs, Facebook, and Ice Cream, which explained to teens how mindless consumption can lead to addiction.

At a closing circle on Sunday afternoon the teens shared appreciation for each other, for the adults involved and for the opportunity to have their own space.  They made a list of suggestions for how to improve the scene for next year. One of the ideas they will be working on is a contest to see who can design the most creative cup holder.  They collectively decided that they didn’t want to use so many plastic bottles of water after being exposed to ideas on sustainability at the festival. Some attended a sustainability panel discussion led by Hodges, SustainFloyd director Mike Burton and several performing artists.  Plans are also in the works to further expand the Imagine Tent offerings to include making musical instruments available for teens that want to learn more about music production and performance.

“The kids were fantastic. They responded to the opportunity and took responsibility for keeping the scene safe and clean,” said Stermer.   The only tricky part was that the teen lounge was so inviting that the Imagine Tent staff had to gently redirect adults who wanted to hang out there.  ~ Colleen Redman

The 10^th annual Floydfest music festival kicks off six weeks from today.  The Floyd Fandango Beer and Wine Festival is just two weeks away.  Volunteers were busy last weekend preparing the 80 acre Blue Ridge Parkway site for the annual festivities.

Along with landscaping volunteers trading labor for festival tickets, were workers finishing building projects. New construction at the site includes a Japanese styled entrance to the Global Village, a permanent community coffee house, and a timber framed on-site headquarters building.

The headquarters building, situated where the old Floydfest office trailer used to be, was designed by Streamline Timberworks and has a reception area, a kitchen, a radio room, a loft area and bedroom.

Construction manager Bob Forman said the building was sponsored by the generous donations of Streamline; Acme Panel, who donated the panel for the walls and roof; and Griffith Lumber, who donated the floor and siding lumber.

He pointed out a patio for sitting, where staff will eat during the festival, and explained that the back porch will be incorporated into the nearby Beer and Wine Garden, providing a laid back place where VIP ticket holders can sit and enjoy stage performances.

The new Floydfest Community Coffee House is a collaboration of Red Rooster Coffee Roasters and the Black Water Loft.  Haden Polseno-Hensley of Red Rooster Coffee Roaster said the coffee house will sell Red Rooster’s freshly roasted, organic fair trade coffee by the bag and by the cup.  The post and beam structure is being built with white pine by Polseno-Hensley and family members and friends.

The new entrance to the Global Village is a Japanese Tori Gate designed by Streamline Timberworks and constructed by Streamline and Sticks and Stones Construction. “It seems a fitting way to honor our Japanese brothers and sisters given all that they have been through this year,” reads an update on the Floydfest webpage (floydfest.com)  Bruce Reisinger of Sticks and Stones Construction said the structure, made of indigenous locust and white oak, will be completed after Fandango with a top arch being added to the design.

The push to finish the building projects for the July 2 and 3 Fandango date was evident by the sound of hammers banging.  What isn’t finished by then will be completed for Floydfest, which promises a “best of the decade” musical line-up from July 28- 31.

~ For more information call Across the Way Productions at 888-823-3787.

~ The following was published in The Floyd Press newspaper on June 9, 2011 and on the paper’s webpage HERE.

The first electric car charger in Floyd County and maybe in the New River Valley is now located in the parking lot of the Hotel Floyd’s new addition.  Kamala Bauers, one of the hotel owners, explained at the building’s recent Open House that the hotel will be listed on websites and in visitor guides as green lodging in Virginia that can accommodate travelers with electric cars.   “It’s a new model with a quick charge that charges in 4 to 6 hours,” she said.

The new building, adjacent to the hotel office building and down from the hotel’s 14 themed rooms also accommodates guests who travel with pets.   Two pet friendly suites, which are more like efficiency apartments with complete kitchens, include dog beds and bowls and lawn space for animals.

The rooms, named the Humane Society Suite and the Local Foods Suite, have king-sized beds and pull-out queen sofas.  The quilt-designed spreads in the bedrooms are also pet friendly, “easy to wash,” Bauers said.

The Local Foods suite is accented with photographs depicting local farming scenes.  A notebook chronicles stories and photographs of Floyd’s local food initiatives, including the Floyd Farmers Market, Sweet Providence Farm, Good Food Good People, Seven Springs Community Supported Agriculture, and the King Brothers Farms and Orchards.

Animal décor, prints, photographs, and stories of rescued animals are featured in the Humane Society Suite. Details on the purpose and projects of the Humane Society have been collected in a notebook for reading. Some of the furniture in both rooms is recycled, purchased at Fancies and Follies and Finders Keepers.  One-of-a-kind pieces made by Floyd furniture makers at Phoenix Hardwoods add to the decor.

In the light-filled Humane Society suite, designer and Humane Society member Diane Giessler, was putting the finishing touches on the room as guests streamed in and out, enjoying refreshments as they toured the building.

Hotel manager Derek Wall said that the suites were already booked for the weekend and that the apartment below the suites is already rented.   Hotel co-owner Jack Wall explained that the rooms in the main hotel, built in 2007 with the latest in green technologies and building materials, are allergen-free.  Considering that some guests have animal allergies, it’s good that the new rooms are set apart.

It’s a net zero energy usage building,” said Bauers.  Renewable energy used in the building is produced with thermal water heaters, photovoltaic solar panels on the roof, and thick insulation, which also gives a degree of sound proofing. There is continuous fresh air entering the building that is heated and cooled through a heat exchange system. The building also has a cistern that collects rain water for watering plants and lawn.    ~ Colleen Redman

Post note: Some photos of the Hotel Floyd’s original 2007 open house of their locally themed rooms can be viewed HERE and HERE. HERE is a post on the hotel’s Writers Suite that was decorated by the writer’s group I belonged to.

~ The following (a slightly adapted version) appeared in The Floyd Press newspaper (as Musical Festival in Full Siwng) on June 9, 2011.

National Music Festival (NMF) performances took place over a two week period at various locations in Floyd, including the Floyd Market Pavilion, Bell Garden and Gallery, the elementary school gymnasium, the high school auditorium, the Presbyterian Church of Floyd and the Jacksonville Center for the Arts. Performances have varied from improvisational playoffs to band marches, from Bach concertos to a Piecaitis CATcerto, written for a piano playing cat named Nora.

At the Floyd Country Store on June 2nd, NMF apprentices and mentors played an assortment of chamber music to a full house.  Audience members were transfixed as apprentices, who auditioned to play earlier in the day, presented performances with intense focused expression. The evening’s program included a cello solo, a double bass solo, a harp duet, song, and NMF founder and art director Richard Rosenberg on the theramin, an early electronic musical instrument that’s played without any physical contact for an eerie effect.

Preceding his introduction to a French horn performance, horn mentor Lowell Greer explained to the audience that the playing of French horns originated as hunting calls in the fields of Europe to communicate the status of the hunt. The horn became a rage in France like Super bowl Sunday is in the U.S. today, he said.

Under the community pavilion at the Artisan Market Friday evening, shoppers and artisans gathered to hear a group of young violinists play.  Violinist Zhangyi Chen repeated his original composition that he played at the Country Store the night before, after it was requested by an audience member.  Chen, who is from Singapore, is scheduled to perform his composition at the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra later this year.

At the Floyd Elementary School later that evening, Roberto Palmer, a Spanish apprentice conductor with a lively conducting style, joked that the audience was about to hear something “brand new” before leading the NMF Symphonic Wind Ensemble in a performance of  John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. March Militaire, written by Richard Strauss and arranged by Richard Rosenberg was part of the program.  Mentor Demondrae Thruman and three apprentices in a tuba-euphonium quartet presented one of the evening’s memorable performances.

A NMF family concert at the Presbyterian Church was geared towards children. Musicians explained the instrument families – horn, woodwind, and stringed – what they are made of and how they are played.  One of the songs performed was a version of Old McDonald Had a Farm with stringed instruments representing different animals.  The string ensemble also played Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldiers Tale as dancer Allie Berger danced the part of the princess. The piece was conducted by mentor Janina O’Brien, who explained that the composition included jazz, tango, waltz and march rhythms.

With a mission of mentoring and providing performance experience to gifted musicians at the beginning of their professional careers, while also providing high-quality performances, education and other music-related activities at reasonable cost to residents and visitors, the festival’s 2012 season is scheduled for June 3 to the16th.   Colleen Redman

Students file up to the podium to receive their diplomas during Sunday’s Graduation Exercises at Floyd County High School.

Some students sported personalized mortarboards for the occasion.

Teachers checked that gowns and caps were straightened before students stepped up to the podium.

Class Valedictorian Russell Callahan receives his diploma and a handshake from Principal Barry Hollandsworth as Superintendent Terry Arbogast looks on.

After exiting the stage with their newly received diplomas, most students stopped to be photographed by friends and family members.

At the close of the ceremony, classmates ceremoniously moved the tassels on their caps to the left side, signifying their graduate status.

Graduates mingled in the parking lot, receiving congratulations and well wishes from friends and family.  Aaron Martin (right) commented that it felt “great” to be a graduate.  He is pictured with Courtney Huff and Josh Miller.

Ethan Eanes, pictured with friend and fellow graduate Ryan Baker, flashes his diploma. ~ Colleen Redman

Post notes: Look at photos from the 2010 Floyd graduation HERE.

1. A group of Tour de Floyd cyclists in the Harvest Moon Parking lot last Saturday morning prepare to begin the 4th annual ride. The weather was warm and sunny for the 62.4 mile loop that stretches along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. The ride is a Town of Floyd event and fundraiser for the Floyd Rescue Squad, organized by local cyclist Paul LaCoste and supported by rest stops and support vehicles.

2. Future cyclist, Colden Doyle, balances on his father Michael’s bicycle seat.  Michael came from Charlottsville with his son and wife Kathleen to participate in the ride, staying the weekend in a local B&B.

3. Sheriff’s deputy Chris Reeves stopped traffic at the stoplight, allowing cyclists turn onto 221 from Route 8.

4. The majority of riders shouted “thank you” to Deputy Reeves as they passed.

5. Floyd resident Dennis Ross waved to bystanders as he passed the courthouse.

6. A group of Tour de Floyd cyclists make their way up Franklin Pike.  Floyd Countian Robert Shelor is pictured in front.

8. A rider on Franklin Pike.

9. Tony Nesbitt said he drove four hours from Stafford, Virginia only to get a flat tire in the first three miles of the ride.  Fellow cyclist Greg Edwards from Fincastle stopped to aid Nesbitt. Edwards had his own flat tire just before stopping to help Nesbitt.

10. A Tour de Floyd cyclist on the Blue Ridge Parkway takes in the view of Buffalo Mountain.

~ See photos from the 2009 ride HERE.

There aren’t many reasons why I’d be sitting by myself on the wall along the courthouse at 8:30 in the morning. But that’s what I was doing yesterday, the morning of the predicted Rapture when more than 200 million people were supposed to be swept up to heaven.   I wasn’t waiting for the end of the world, but for a group of about 100 cyclists, who were about to ride a 63 mile countryside loop and enjoy the heaven on earth views of the Blue Ridge Parkway to benefit our county rescue squad.

Look for more photos and narrative of the 4th annual Tour de Floyd in The Floyd Press this week and here at Loose Leaf Notes.