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NOV2008
I N S I D E smoke & tobacco 12 16 blocks: one year out 14 fashion as art 16 holiday drinks 18
NO.12 FREE
Opening Exhib itions include
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AKING FRAMING TM M RIN
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THIS MO THTEHIS GAM LLOENRTYH ANaTTtHtAhTe G MISHallMeIrSy a H PNovemb t Mish Mish
LIES PAINTIN UPP G ES
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Revo/oveR
Virginia Tech D igital Arts Research Colla borative Now - March 1,
2009
ROANOKE www.taubmanmuseum.org
NO.12 N ov e m b e r 2 0 0 8
12
suggestive smolders
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one year out...
A t B lacksburg P ip e and T obacco , som e tim e s it ’ s the rich smell that brings you back.
. . . and W hat a Vi e w . 1 6 B locks c e l e brat e s our on e year anniversary with a collection of our best photos
1 6 Blo c ks
Arts and Culture Magazine November 2008 Issue #12 Contact us for subscription rates, general questions, corrections, if you’re interested in submitting short stories for our Logos Section, letters to the Editor, or if you just want to say hey. 16blocksmagazine@gmail.com www.16blocksmagazine.com www.myspace.com/16blocksmagazine Check us out on Facebook!
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16 BLOCKS FASHION F ashion as art , from th e drawing board to th e sewing machine to the runway, a story about student designers and their work.
P.O. Box 279 Blacksburg, VA 24063 No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.
C ov er
gr a i n a nd g r a pes S p e cial H oliday S e l e ctions from F lad and P laid
Photos and Photo Illustration by David Franusich
sta f f Hart Fowler
Editor in Chief, Publisher
16blocksmagazine@gmail.com David Franusich
a n a n n i v e rsa ry n ot e f r o m o u r pu b l i s h e r
G
oing by the calendar, the magazine’s official date of delivery was October 18, 2007. It was warm out like it is now when we made that first drive to pick up the stacks from the press at Main Street Newspapers in Salem. Our release party was the night of Hillel’s concert honoring Danny Pearl. 16 Blocks Magazine was unveiled with a huge celebration of downtown night life, Boogieburg’s ReFill at the Mill, bookending the Gogol Bordello show at the Lyric. It was a wild party and a gorgeous start to our new endeavor. We weren’t sure if anyone thought there would be a second issue, although we did put “October” on the cover. 16 Blocks was never intended to be a ‘zine. We funded the publication with local advertising from the beginning so that we could bring our readers something special and large-scale on a continuing basis. Month after month, local businesses placed ads in our pages and readers all over the area picked up our magazines because they were interested in what we were doing. The reason: our focus on local creative talent and energy, and our ambitious graphic layout.
In our Christmas issue we asked Santa for a place in Blacksburg where the music would play every night. Our wish has come true. All over town the question of what to do at night actually involves choices. From Gillie’s to Champs, Awful Arthur’s to the Lantern, not to leave out the ongoing weekly shows at the Cellar, there’s too many shows in a month for us to fit in our To-Do list. As for local visual art: painters, sculptors, photographers -- we’ve even spotlighted a banjo maker and a bonsai artist -- an abundance of great talent is thriving all around us. We have always taken pride in our writers, from short fiction authors and poets to columnists and reporters. Some of us were already seasoned freelancers, while others honed their first published work for our pages. We take a lot of pride in our presence on the web: alumni and Blacksburg expatriates everywhere who can’t pick us up at Bollo’s anymore can always come home to 16blocksmagazine.com. With the release of our anniversary issue, we believe we have great things in store for our readers. At this time, we are no longer just a publica-
tion. “16 Blocks Presents” will be holding more music and fashion shows, and plans are in the works for an art and event space downtown. We can’t forget to point out that in just one year we have had over 100 volunteer contributors. Our staff works for next to nothing and still gets excited about the next issue and the next event. “Labor of love” doesn’t even cover it: 16 Blocks is an ongoing, free, creative work by and for the community.
Head Print Designer, Co-Art Director
16blocks.graphics@gmail.com Christina O’Connor
Director of Photography, Co-Art Director
16blocks.photo@gmail.com Amy Splitt
Editor / Writer
asplitt@gmail.com David Williams Webmaster
dtw@vt.edu WILL BOYAR
Advertising Executive
16blocks.ads@gmail.com
CONT R I BU TOR S 04 Know Your Rights 06 Politics: ALL YOUR FAULT! 08 Artist Spotlight: Teddi Fuller 09 Artist Spotlight: Bryan Hey 10 Artist Spotlight: Mikaela Larson 20 Going Native 22 To Do List 24 Support Our Advertisers 26 Idle Minds
Ben Capozzi Illustrator Danny Phillips Illustrator Pris Sears Features Writer John Boyer Wine Columnist Danny Flad Beer Columnist Griffin Covey Guest Writer Rosanna Brown Guest Writer Brian Hey Featured Artist Teddi Fuller Featured Artist Mikaela Larson Featured Artist Chuck Ronco Chess Guru Sindy Huang Graphic Designer Angie Moran Graphic Designer Jon Strumfeld Graphic Designer
KNOW YOUr Rights RIGHTS A Great Complaint: Parking Problems in
the 16 Blocks. The meter is always ticking,
be aware.
by Griffin Covey illustration by Aerin Toler
O
ne click too many and the clock strikes the rallying call to the patrollers of parking. You have officially EXPIRED, and those magic tokens that kept the bad guys away now revert back to their pathetic original form: pocket change not even valuable enough to pay for a coffee. That’s a $15 mistake in Blacksburg. Your wallet and its contents are now vulnerable to the garish money-swallowing envelope that appears under your windshield wiper. Now another meter is ticking, and this one resides in the district courthouse. You’ve got 15 days before the state sees your Lincoln and Hamilton and raises you a Hamilton and two Jacksons. And though you may have absently tossed your ticket away like the movie-ticket stub from a bad date, I wouldn’t bank on the state conveniently forgetting about money due. 15 days and that 50 cent meter charge just became a big $65 ouch and all you get to do to feel better about yourself is bitch to your friends about The Man. 16 Blocks Magazine’s chess guru, Chuck Ronco, took an alternate course when he got hit not by one but two metered space violations. At first he thought, “C’est La Vie;” but then it started to bother him and that’s when he started doing his homework. Like taking the measure of an unknown opening he encounters on the chessboard, when Ronco sets his ego and mind on something, he’ll wrangle and reckon it out till he’s satisfied. In
this case he felt his rights were violated, and his gambit was to take it to court. Hopping on Lexis-Nexis to research the issue, he determined that his 5th and 14th amendment rights may have been violated. These amendments proclaim that we cannot have our life, liberty or property taken away without due process of law. There happens, however, to be no due and timely process for contesting a parking ticket - either pay up immediately, or incur a late fee. In order for Ronco to contest the tickets, he had to break another law. Not paying the tickets resulted in a fine, but he held that paying the tickets would constitute an admission of guilt -- a violation of due process against him, according to his conclusions. Ronco found that the 8th Amendment also protects us from excessive fines and bail. Precedent exists saying that the fine needs to be proportional to the crime. A $50 late fee for a $15 ticket seemed excessive enough. He got a good rest, dressed nice, and showed up for district court pro se (without a lawyer) on behalf of all those who have suffered under the burden of parking tickets. Ronco had found a precedent in Illinois that ruled in favor of the defendant on an excessive fine, but District Court Judge Williams disallowed it because the case didn’t occur in Virginia. He said the constitutionality of the law had already been proven and he found Ronco guilty. Ronco appealed. This time Circuit Court Judge Turk took the case home with him over the
04 1 6 B L O C K S
weekend. Upon returning the following Monday, the judge ruled that the way to avoid late fees was by paying the ticket. He stopped Ronco’s interruption by reassuring him that he was not going to receive any more fines on top of the late fees and court costs. But in the end the appeal still cost Ronco even more than what he owed in tickets. Where does it stand now? Ronco has until late November to appeal to the Richmond State Court of Appeals by writing a brief, which is a task for professionals and not for Chemistry/ Math undergrads. He’s looking for an
attorney interested in a pro-bono case that might strike a victory for parkers everywhere. Otherwise he plans to petition the state legislature for more reasonable late fees and due process when dealing with parking issues. But until our fine chess-master here at the 16 B’s changes the very fabric of Virginia law as we know it, he’s carrying around a handful of quarters at all times. The meter that has the power to collect a quarter has the same power to collect a crisp Ben Franklin, so don’t forget to feed it.
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NOV2008 05
Disclaimer: Issue #12 of 16 Blocks Magazine went to press on November 5th, but
M c Cain Won! -andI hope you’re happy! by Amy Splitt
R
06 1 6 B L O C K S
ed or Blue true-believers are all the same: their knees just jerk in different directions. Now we hear them cackling with glee or preparing to riot about Obama’s loss. As a perplexed independent, all I can do is hand out the booby prizes for this clusterfuck of an election. First of all, I’d like to give special thanks to all the civic-minded volunteers who showed up outside selected polling places on November 4th wearing pointy white hoods. It’s great to remind voters of America’s fine tradition of the secret ballot. Remember, no one has the right to know whom you voted for! And, with Diebold’s handy vote-flipping touchscreen ballots, neither do you! And Democrats, especially you leftwing pundits, I also have some gold stars for you. Your schoolboy razzes against Hillary Clinton really kept the primaries classy, and laid the foundation for Rove’s brilliant idea to choose a genuinely hot female candidate as McCain’s VP. Finally, a woman that even unrepentant male chauvinists could justify voting for. Who knew the horndog vote would put the “schwing!” in swing. Obama didn’t have a chance. Any of you moderates who comfort yourselves in the notion that once he’s safely inaugurated, the new, oddly pro-torture John McCain will revert to his relatively moderate and bipartisan ways are cordially invited to wake up from your nap. Republicans would have voted for an actual elephant in an Uncle Sam top hat rather than let superliberal Barack
Obama get elected. Johnny, why couldn’t you just be yourself? The answer is that John McCain secretly died on the campaign trail. We’re not sure how it happened, but it’s clear from his new mealymouthedness about issues he stood for before the nomination that the Senator from Arizona is dead and his empty shell is being operated like a R/C model airplane by Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. So, prepare yourselves, America: Our new Commander in Chief will commit to victory over terrorism by rotating our military personnel between deployment overseas and police action on our streets. Because the best way to show foreign enemies we mean business is martial law at home. Vice President Palin will take over as the U.S.’s Family Planning Czar. We can predict a new trend for empirewaisted, all-white prom dresses, as starry-eyed teens prepare for the two happiest days of their lives at once: their first formal dance and their shotgun wedding. America will sever its dependence upon foreign energy by mining every beach, wildlife preserve, and backyard septic tank for its precious, carbonny goodness. And when that’s used up, we’ll set all the terrorist POW’s and domestic agitators on fire. And when they’re gone, we’ll put all the loan defaulters into giant, Dickensian, workhouses where they can work off their financial flabbiness on giant gerbil wheels connected to industrial turbines. That’s all, folks! Hope you like gruel!
regardless of who actually won, we won’t deprive you of double your fair share of satire.
obama Won! -andillustrations by Ben Capozzi
it’s all your fault! by Pris Sears
N
ow that you lily-livered, weak-in-the-knees, tree-hugging, babykilling, terrorist lovers have stolen the election, don’t say we didn’t warn you. This is what Americans have to look forward to in the coming years: All pregnancies will be terminated via abortion and all men 12 and over will be vasectomized by hand-picked teams of atheist and Satanist medical workers (in full compliance with the HHS document HHS-OS-2008-0011-0001, “Ensuring that Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices In Violation of Federal Law”). All already-born children will be forced to attend public schools with mandatory sex education featuring in-class demonstrations, and science classes that brainwash them about evolution, global warming and bleeding-heart garbage about “endangered species.” The army and nuclear programs will be downsized and the funding redirected to Public Radio and Communist artists that put crosses in cups of pee. There will be nothing at the theaters but Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand and Sean Penn movies, and nothing on the radio except Diane Rehm, “A Prairie Home Companion” and the Dixie Chicks. Democrats are completely inexperienced at domestic terrorism, so President Obama will overpay a think
tank of experts to determine whether gun shows, Rush Limbaugh tapings or KKK rallies would be the most effective targets, and whether to attack with lectures, coddling or Freudian talk-therapy. In preparation for 12/12/12 (divide it in half and you get TWO 666s), Obama will overpay a group of egghead academics and Christianhating scientists to experiment with stem cells, aborted fetuses and cloning to create a nuclear-powered, seven-headed, tenhorned, talking sea monster that shoots lasers out of its mouth. While the country is mesmerized by the sea monster’s appearances on YouTube, Saturday Night Live, David Letterman and the Daily Show, Obama’s administration will federalize all the banks. Obama’s private army made up of Muslim extremists, Black Panthers, and the Weathermen will enforce universal tattooing of bar codes on all citizens for access to bank accounts, social security benefits and universal health care. Tragically, our most patriotic citizens will be forced to give up their sixth and seventh homes and convert their
Humvees to biodiesel, while the lazy lower class will be living high on the hog eating free government cheese in subsidized housing. This is why we have fought tooth and nail for all these years against giving up our 200 million semi-automatic handguns, .38 Special and .357 revolvers, 12 gauge shotguns, AK-47 assault
rifles, M16s and AR-15s, Remingtons, Rugers, Glocks and Berettas. We will put our trust in General John McCain, who will lead us into battle (after the Bush family has safely retreated to their 90-thousand-acre ranch in Paraguay to escape criminal charges and potential nuclear fallout). Civil war is coming and it is ALL YOUR FAULT!
NOV2008 07
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TEDD I F UL LE R fullertk@vt.edu
Teddi weighs in with a haiku: People’s underwear. Perhaps very serious, yet, quite humorous. 1. Matt 2. justin 3. johnny * All paintings are 48” x 30” and are oil on canvas. They are for sale, prices upon request.
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BryAN Hey www.hawaiianbryan.com
I
didn’t begin doing pinup artwork until I got to highschool. In fact, I was almost expelled for turning in a nude for my final Grade 13 art project (Canada has 13 grades). I maintain that it was tasteful, but my art teacher didn’t seem to think so. Needless to say, I was glad when I came to Virginia Tech and life drawing was not only acceptable, but there were courses devoted entirely to that. Artwork, to me, is basically made up of 3 components: subject, response, and process. My influences (Varga, Elvgren, and Petty) introduced me to the subject, and my response to their artwork is what I’d like to re-create, but what separates me from them is the process. I have a different “brush.” All of my artwork is vector-based computer illustrations (made with Adobe Flash, and Illustrator). I chose computer graphics because it allows me a level of control that traditional mediums don’t. My work is controlled with mathematical precision. The end result is a very clean, sculptural, and pure artwork. My goal was to evolve pinup, and I think I have achieved that. 1. Veronika 2. Jessica 3. Marilyn
NOV2008 09
Mikaela Larson M
y art reflects the wild, random depth of the ocean and the categorical organization of maps with a touch of magical realism. Paint, paper and clay are my mediums, and I strive to make objects that engage the viewer. I like the idea of creating or recreating a world that demands interaction, whether it is by moving around the piece, or by picking it up or eating from it. My work encourages the viewer to create a story or meaning for it of his or her own. Top: “Indian Ocean Map” - paper collage, watercolor, ink, dye 42”x48” 2008 $300 Left: “Barnacle Bowl” - stoneware 6”x4” 2007 NFS (commissions accepted)
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U PCOM I NG
G armory gallery 201 draper rd blacksburg
G
open Tu-Sa armory gallery 12- 4pm 201 draper rd blacksburg 5 4 0 . 23 1 . 55 47 open Tu-Sa 12- 4pm 5 4 0 . 23 1 . 55 47
AT
TH E
USEPTEMBER PCOM N G 10 A T 3 - IOCTOBER
TH E
AR MO RY ART GALLE RY
AR MO RY ART GALLE RY "LA DANSE DE LA VIE" Sculptures and paintings by Jennifer Kaye Martin. Reception for the Artist: September 3, 4 - 6pm. OCTOBER SEPTEMBER21 3 -- NOVEMBER OCTOBER 1021 MARYANN HARMAN "LA DANSE DE LA VIE" New paintings Maryannby Harman. Sculptures and by paintings JenniferRecepKaye tion for the Artist: October 21, 4 - 6pm. 3, Martin. Reception for the Artist: September 4 - 6pm. THANKSGIVING BREAK: NOVEMBER 22 DECEMBER 3 - NOVEMBER 21 OCTOBER 21 MARYANN HARMAN DECEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 19Harman. RecepNew paintings by Maryann SENIOR SHOWS tion for the Artist: October 21, 4 - 6pm. Participants and reception dates to be announced THANKSGIVING BREAK: NOVEMBER 22 DECEMBER 3 DECEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 19
v i s i t u s o n l iSENIOR ne: w w w. g a l l e r y. v t . e d u SHOWS Participants and reception dates to be announced
v i s i t u s o n l i n e : w w w. g a l l e r y. v t . e d u
Bohemian Trading Co. ...recycled fashion.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ...in style. 1400 S. Main #3 Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 953-2953
Open M - Sat 10AM - 6PM Located in Gables Shopping Center
NOV2008 11
HOW Ab OU t
A SMOke?
An after noon a t B l ac k s b u r g Pi p e a n d To bacco
by Hart Fowler
“A good cigar lasts a little over an hour. You don’t tap the ash like a cigarette, you roll it off in a smooth motion, like pouring wine from a bottle. “
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I
photos by Christina O’Connor
n some lines of business, scent sells. Think of passing a bakery, a coffee roastery, or a barbecue joint. Like burning leaves in autumn or an old lover’s perfume, certain smells will stop you in your tracks and make you remember. That’s what attracts customers into Joe Nazaré’s Blacksburg Pipe and Tobacco store downtown on North Main. On another unseasonably warm autumn day, Nazaré stood behind the counter at 411 North Main Street as he has for 11 and 1/2 years. He wears the tan he was born with in the Azore Islands, and he speaks in the accent he grew up with in Providence, Rhode Island. “People like the aromas. I have customers who come in here that don’t even smoke. They like to come in here and take a whiff,” Nazaré said. When he is speaking of tobacco, his voice sounds like the way he describes a finely aged cigar: silky smooth. He doesn’t understand people who smoke cheap tobacco loaded with chemicals, people who throw their cigarette butts on the ground, and people who try to ban smoking from public places. The door jingled and Pat Dedrick entered the shop. He’s 20, quit smoking cigarettes and now smokes a pipe,
Read the Cigar Club’s latest cigar review online at www.16blocksmagazine.com
and about a year ago was one of those customers attracted by the rich smell. “My grandfather smoked cherry pipe tobacco every day of his life until he died, and he died from natural causes,” Dedrick said. “I smelled it walking by and came in.” Nazaré continued: “He comes in the door, looks at me and goes ‘You know what, I don’t know why the hell I’m here, but it feels good to be here. That’s nice when you hear that kind of thing.” A steady stream of mid-afternoon customers enter and exit the shop to the friendly greetings and farewells Nazaré offers them, often by name. He’s obviously content in the shop and shows it. His clientele are smokers like him. An attractive young woman, back in town from California, buys a couple of Nat Sherman cigarettes because they burn slow. She and Nazaré discuss California smoking restrictions, laughing in agreement at the absurdity of the park and apartment bans. In the back, employee Ross Long opened up the day’s delivery boxes -master-crafted cigars from Nicagura, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, mostly by way of Miami. Long majors in Aerospace Engineering and works part time for Nazaré. “What do I enjoy about
a good cigar? It’s relaxing,” he said. “There are just some amazing flavors that you don’t get from anything else. Cigars you can compare to foods, you can compare to drinks, to the woods; when you smoke you get all of that at once.” At a slow part of the day, Nazaré opened the transparent door to one of the shop’s humidors (the smaller one is the size of a large medicine cabinet; the bigger one is the size of a large passenger elevator). The optimal temperature and humidity for aging a cigar is typically 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 percent humidity -- comparable to the climate where the tobacco was grown. “That’s a 17-year-old wrapper and it smokes like a dream. It’s really awesome. That’s a $26 cigar but man, it’s fabulous. A really incredible smoke,” he said running it under his nose. He put the cigar back in the box and closed the door. “What most people don’t know is that you can actually keep cigars forever. I have cigars that are 8, 9, [or] 10 years old. They’re really nice. They get older. Cigars that are really strong like these are very powerful. The power sort of subsides, but the flavor stays robust.” Later that day, Nazaré’s old friend
Pièrre Couture stopped in. Seven years ago after meeting over cigars at a party, Nazaré helped Couture pick out a pipe for his father-in-law, visiting from Quebec. “And that’s the reason I’m here today, because I want to buy a pipe for my father-in-law who is visiting again,” Couture said. He peered through the glass of the pipe counter and picked out two cherry-red pipes, laughing that he’ll offer his father-in-law a choice and then keep the other one for himself. As for Nazaré himself, he usually smokes two cigars a day. Sometimes three, but that is only if he’s doing something special in the evening, like having conversation over some wine with friends. A good cigar lasts a little over an hour. You don’t tap the ash like a cigarette, you roll it off in a smooth motion, like pouring wine from a bottle. As opposed to cigarettes, a cigar is a deliberate enjoyment, not a hurried habit. Nazaré doesn’t plan to quit. “I see myself sitting on a covered porch with a pipe when I get older,” Nazaré said. “A little bit of jazz in the background, a beautiful day, and my dog sitting there with me.” The image is aromatic.
NOV2008 13
Photo Credits, Left-to-Right from Top: Row 1: David Franusich Issue 9, Al Fayez Issue 6, David Franusich Issue 6 Row 2: David Franusich Issue 2, David Franusich Issue 4, Christina O’Connor Issue 5 Row 3: David Franusich Issue 6, David Franusich Issue 1, Christina O’Connor Issue 3, Christina O’Connor Issue 3 Row 4: Christina O’Connor Issue 4, David Franusich Issue 4, Al Fayez Issue 8, Christina O’Connor Issue 6
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T
hese images are some of the best work by our photo team. They illustrate the stories we told over the past 12 issues.
In our earlier months we were limited to bringing you these lush images in austere black and white or with a color register that didn’t do justice to their depth. Changing presses allows our photographers to show you what they really saw. Leading by example, Co Art-Directors and Chief Photographers David Franusich and Christina O’Connor have assembled an on-the-spot group of photographers who have taken thousands of pictures to get the key shots that bring the stories together.
Photo Credits, Left-to-Right from Top: Row 1: Christina O’Connor Issue 7, Christina O’Connor Issue 1, Christina O’Connor Issue 1 Row 2: Tuan Pham Issue 7, Christina O’Connor Issue 2, Elizabeth Spencer Issue 9 Row 3: David Franusich Issue 9, David Franusich Issue 7, Al Fayez Issue 7
NOV2008 15
K O O B H C T E K S FROM
TO RUNWAY
WhAt INsPires BlACksbUrg’s YOUNg FAshiON DesigNers by Rosanna Brown photos David Franusich
D
o you think of “art” as a visual display placed on a canvas and framed in the hall of a gallery? Looking through the eyes of an apparel designer it is highly evident that fashion is art as well. In collaboration with local student talent, 16 Blocks Magazine brought you the latest in Blacksburg fashion at our recent launch party on November 12th at Awful Arthur’s in Downtown Blacksburg. From sketching that point of inspiration, to seam ripping the impossible stretch stitch on a knit fabric, Virginia Tech’s apparel design students know what it means to create something new, despite the challenges of the material. Lyndsay Tolbert, a junior studying apparel design and merchandising management, gave us her take on chic basics for any woman’s wardrobe, pairing a calflength, dark denim circle skirt with a stretch-knit gray jersey top. The top featured cuffed and puffed cap sleeves, and a scoop neckline. Her second ensemble was a knee-length, close-fitting teal jersey dress with a scoop neckline and the same puffed, cap sleeves. The dress’s low, scooped back gave it a sensual appeal that could easily go from office to party by simply removing a blazer. The inspiration for Lyndsay’s new line came about long ago when, as a precocious third-grader, she borrowed her aunt’s vintage cocktail dress, pinning it to fit and topping it off with a purple hat adorned with a silk flower. To inspire her now, she keeps idea books with sketches, magazine clippings, jotted notes, and even vibrant autumn leaves. With each new garment, she exudes excitement about bringing a concept out of her imaginative mind and into reality. “...[T]here’s this kind of fervor when you throw yourself into a new idea. When it’s something I’m really excited about, I just
16 1 6 B L O C K S
]
“Creating a garment is like creating any other form of art; you turn an idea into a reality that expresses your own personal style.” – Jessica German
“F
ashion, like art, is a representation of the spirit of the times. Dark, conservative colors, cuts, and lengths tend to come about at times when the economy is slowing down; much like the art of the Dark Ages, which tends to have conservative, religious themes and muted colors.” – Nancy Ballhagen
“C
onceptually, designers seek to invite certain emotions or reactions through the presentation of a garment, much in the same way a more ‘traditional’ artist seeks the same goals when creating a piece. My work normally involves designing a graphic and then printing it onto the fabric. Essentially
this process is no different from other artists with the exception that my finished product is wearable as opposed to frameable.” – Darren Bridges
“F
ashion is an expression of how the designer interprets the outside world; it’s wearable art that transcends
time because you live your life in it.” – Lyndsay Tolbert
“F
ashion design is art because of the intricate detail and challenges you face in the design process.” – Jessica Throckmorton
From left to right: Holly Cuneo, wearing dress by Lindsay Tolbert; Julie Burke, wearing blouse by Jessica Throckmorton; Kristin Elvinger, wearing skirt by Jessica Throckmorton; Alana Marrie, wearing pants by Jessica German; Leigh Sheldon, wearing tunic dress by Nancy Ballhagen; Laura Kershaw, wearing jacket by Jessica German; Jordan Lovik, wearing blouse by Jessica German; Joselyn Griffin, wearing blouse by Jessica German. Opposite page: Julie Karaffa, wearing pants by Jessica German.
plunge in as soon as it hits me, almost like I have to get it out of my head and into some fabric. It’s a rush to think of this new little garment being born out into the world,” Lyndsay explains. Based on the garments she debuted on our runway, you would never know that sophomore Jessica Throckmorton’s very first garment was a pair of pajama pants. She now sets this group’s standard for eclectic ready-towear, presenting a deep purple bubble skirt with a hot pink lining. She also showed us an embroidered white tank with a tiffany blue sash for straps. Jessica’s zeal for fashion began in France in 2006 (she now majors in apparel design and French). Her inspiration is found in the changing seasons and in the raw fabric itself. She adds, “Though I love the current runway collections, which are filled with a sort of androgynous feminism, they all draw from the past (40s/80s). I love to see accessories and
cuts from the past come back in an updated form.” Thank goodness for high school electives, because the fashion industry might otherwise have missed apparel design and marketing management senior Nancy Ballhagen’s take on what a woman really wants to wear. “I truly fell in love with design my junior year of high school when I took my first fashion design class. When the other students were making pajama pants and trying to rush out of class to have early lunch, I was staying after school to work on my prom dress,” Nancy says. Her designs offer a clean, sophisticated silhouette with subtle feminine accents. Showcasing a gray knit minidress with an adorable teal paisley sash was just the makeover the neutral grays were asking for this season. A variety of sources inspire Nancy’s designing mind: flowers, her iPod’s playlists, or something dramatically
If you missed the 16 Blocks Presents: Art as Fashion Show, check out our slide show online at www.16blocksmagazine.com
visual. She says, “I love that feeling of being transported to another world and forgetting about reality for a little bit while watching a story unfold on the screen or stage...I especially like to channel the happy feelings into my designs, because I want to make the wearer feel beautiful and happy in my clothes.” Designing garments from screen printed tees to glow-in-the-dark panties (the matching bra is still a work in progress), Darren Bridges, a senior, is sure to set the urban fashion scene aglow. While finishing his degrees in marketing and merchandising management, he is also working towards the launch of a project called The Shred, fashion release events presented with a snow/skate/surf style party. Look for these events to liven up downtown Blacksburg in the near future! Finally, Jessica German is a senior apparel design major who has her own take on casual cool. This fashionista
learned to sew from her grandmother at the age of eight, and proceeded to create her own clothing throughout elementary school. Keeping practicality in mind, she is a mastermind at mixing and matching separates within various ensembles. Her featured designs in our fashion show included a purple handknitted turtleneck sweater, unconventionally stylish with a plaid jacket and jeans. She also built a white buttonfront jacket to pair with plaid-detailed jeans and submitted a simple black tank with a sweet cherry-print pencil skirt. Looking forward to her garment’s end results, she most often finds inspiration from nature and fabrics. “Everyone has their own ideas about what looks good and what doesn’t. My style isn’t for everyone, but I hope it can be appreciated for what it is,” Jessica said.
NOV2008 17
beer Harvest a tasty brew by Danny Flad
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olorful leaves cover the landscape, long nights are lit by a brilliant harvest moon, and the football fanatics are screaming, “Let’s go! Ho-kies!” Whether you’re one of the die-hard tailgaters or just trying to have a quiet night out, autumn is a great time to be in Blacksburg and a great time for beer. Here are some suggestions: Punkin Ale - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, Delaware If you’re in the mood for something different this fall, head to Vintage Cellar on South Main Street and sample one of the fine pumpkin ales you’ll find available there. Punkin Ale, from the good people at Dogfish Head Brewery, is one of the most popular beers of this kind. It has a pretty amber hue and its scant head of tiny bubbles hug the sides of the glass. A deep sniff reveals a potpourri of allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and the unmistakable smell of a late October pumpkin carving. A sip will reveal more of the same along with the taste of brown sugar. It finishes like pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner but with the pleasant warmth of a 7% alcohol ale. -- Rating: B Left Hand Milk Stout - Left Hand Brewing Company - Longmont, Colorado As the days grow shorter and the autumn chill grows stronger every night, you may find yourself out on the town looking for a place to relax, find a good beer, and warm yourself up. On occasions like these, I like to slip into “The Mill” (Rivermill Map Co., in downtown Blacksburg) and order a pint of Left Hand Milk Stout. Its filmy head and
flat black color seem unexceptional, but try a pint and you’ll find this stout is anything but ordinary. It has a lactic aroma and consistency that is almost sour at first but quickly balanced by the sweet taste of toasted malt with the subtlest hints of chocolate and sometimes coffee. Best of all is its finish: it goes down like a milkshake but leaves you with a hearty glow inside. -- Rating: A Brooklyn Local 1 - Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn, New York When you’re out on a date this fall and looking for a great beer to share with that special someone, head over to Boudreaux’s in downtown Blacksburg and order a bottle of Brooklyn Local 1. I don’t think that Garrett Oliver and his crew at Brooklyn Brewery are capable of making anything but a great beer and Local 1, in my humble opinion, remains one of their best efforts. Its huge, lacy head and opaque golden color make it a truly delightful beer to look at, but beware: behind this blonde beauty is a complex, 9% alcohol beast. Local 1 will take your nose and tongue on a wild rollercoaster ride, complete with apples, pears, citrus, honey, bitter hops, and spicy cloves all featured on a backdrop that’s sweet one minute and sour the next. This wonderful array of flavors along with a satisfyingly clean finish make Brooklyn 1 a beer delicate enough to be savored alone, but bold enough to stand up to the cajun-style creations dished out at Boudreaux’s. -- Rating: A
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Blocks is thankful. Thankful for readers, thankful for writers, thankful for artists, thankful for musicians, and thankful for those who support their endeavors by becoming involved in them. 16 Blocks is thankful for those who take risks and those who consider them. 16 Blocks is thankful for mom, dad, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, cousin, grandmother, grandfather, husband, wife, friends and part of the family. Thankful for love-lost and long-love and affection deep or flighty. 16 Blocks is thankful for the important things and the little details. 16 Blocks is thankful for turkey. 16 Blocks is grateful for its talented team of volunteers, appreciative of the labor, and most thankful for the perseverance that it has taken to get this copy in your hands. 16 Blocks gives thanks for one year at the outset of another. 16 Blocks thanks you.
WiNe Tipples for T-Day by Plaid Avenger
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obble, gobble, my plaid friends! That greeting’s usually reserved for when the Plaid Avenger is sipping on Wild Turkey whilst plotting his next international incident of intrigue! But this article is about another type of turkey altogether: Thanksgiving is almost upon us again, and that means it’s time to ponder which wines to pair with the fairest fowl in the land. Let’s talk turkey! And let’s choose some vino that plaid pilgrims at Plymouth would proudly partake of (which by the way, they didn’t, but they were beer and cider drinkers, to be sure)! T-Day festivities present a challenge to the wine drinker. Such a wide smorgasbord of mostly vegetablebased dishes, made in endless variation, representing the bounty of the harvest: sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry, corn, green beans, pumpkin, zucchini… and all these veggies are presented in a colorful conundrum of condiments and casseroles too! What the hell wine can you possibly pair with that? Oh no! Dinner is ruined! But hold on to your papoose there, Pocahontas. We can pick at least a few specific wine varieties that can do the job across this delectable diversity of dirt-derived edibles, and they will work for the main course and dessert too. If you are trying to pick a single white wine to do the job across the entire table, then reach for a a Gewürztraminer, a Pinot Gris, or a Grüner Veltliner. “Gunter Feltinger who?” Trust me, it’s a quite appropriate wine variety for this mission. What all three of these guys have in common are floral/fruity aromas (of melon, peach, fig, apricot), a kiss of sweetness, and a zesty clean
finish…thus allowing your palate to traverse the obstacle course of radically divergent flavors with ease. The Austrian varieties of Grüner make a particularly good choice in that even the fruitiness of the nose and in the wine is fairly subtle. The wines themselves are also fairly cheap. Look for one named Tegernseerhof for a solid example of what it’s all about. For the Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, I insist that you look to Alsace, the region of eastern France that rests on the upper Rhine. Gewürzt has a much more potent floral and honeyed aroma on the nose, but never fear: when from Alsace, it will be dry. Pinot Gris is just the French name for Pinot Grigio, but the way those Alsatians craft their white wines is magical. While most are bone dry, some maintain a creaminess in the body and a miniscule hint of sweetness on the finish too…the perfect combo for green bean casserole or pickled parsnips. Any label from the Trimbach or René Muré wineries is gold. For those of you that lean towards aggressive spices in your T-day dishes, particularly those of you that go for oyster stuffing, I would recommend an Albariño, another florally intense but clean-finishing white wine from northeast Spain. Pazo de Señorans has always been a personal favorite of mine, and it is awesome with the white meat and stuffing… Speaking of which, on to the main course! If you want to stray from the white wine, when Tom Turkey appears is the time to do it. The fowl itself is semi-problematic to pair with vino, because its balance of flavor veers between white and dark meat, and be-
tween heavy and light. Ha! Then we should pick a wine that can cross these spectrums as well: Pinot Noir. Pinot has long been a perfect pick for pilgrim pickin’s, since it pairs rich red wine flavors with white wine delicateness, and a body somewhere in between. Sounds like my kind of girl! But I digress…. Pinot Noirs offer a complex marriage of cherry, mushroom, earthiness, spice, and dried fruit flavors that will harmonize with everything from the rosemary infused bird to the mashed potatoes with giblet gravy. The Burgundy region of France is the preeminent home for great Pinot Noirs, but they usually come at a price. Look for good values in ‘village’ wines like Bocquenet Nuits St. Georges. Burgundy wines lean towards the earthy/acidic side of the spectrum. If you want a fruitier variation on that theme, then go west young man, to Oregon. Man oh man, are these wines fan-turk-tabulous! For full-on Pinot fruit flavor in elegant, smooth wines, check out anything from St. Innocent, Ken Wright or Patricia Green Vineyards. They are pricey too, but it’s a holiday. For your post-prandial pumpkin pie? If you want to impress your guests, try a Tokay from Hungary or any Sauternes from France: classic examples in the dessert category. I’ve also recently stumbled upon a wine named Mistela from a Spanish producer named Piñol that pairs perfectly with pumpkin parfait. So give thanks, have fun and drink well for America’s best-est holiday. What a coveted combination: great wines mixed with Tryptophan from a well roasted turkey. Let the nap-fest begin!
NOV2008 19
GO iNg N AtiV e K e NdA ll DAV ies
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or anyone who knows Downtown Blacksburg, the large twostory building that sits planted like an island in the parking lot behind behind Sharkey’s and The Cellar brings one thought to mind: “What is it now?” The answer is VT’s Play Hard Bar and Grille. This is the third name and style change Kendall Davies has made to the restaurant since he bought it six years ago. That’s out of six different variations on the restaurant and bar theme at 221 Progress over the past ten years. Some may wonder how long this one will last. Why does Mr. Davies persevere? “This is all I have right at the moment to work on, and my ego will not allow me to accept failure,” said Davies, who recently sold the clubs he had owned in his hometown of Virginia Beach and bought a condominium in Blacksburg. “So I’m here to make this work. Everything I’ve had has been successful to a degree and this has not.” Davies has been a successful entrepreneur since his early twenties, when he quickly rose through the ranks of the automotive industry as a consultant. He left the industry in his early thirties to venture into the construction business, and partnered with the owner of a small crew who worked mainly with home improvements. “He handled construction and I sold the product,” Davies said. “He developed and built what I sold.” He said the business eventually moved into bigger markets involving residential and commercial construction and went from making $250,000 a year to making $250,000 a week. Twenty years later, Davies left the construction business and became involved in a slew of other enterprises, including owning a seafood company, promoting big events, and managing the professional boxer Dorrin Spivey. It was these contacts that led him into the restaurant and bar business. He was holding successful boxing matches and music events at “The Rogues’ Gallery” in Virginia Beach and was approached by the owners of the club offering him the opportunity to buy the place. That became the famous and somewhat infamous club, “The Beach House,” a nightspot the size of a football field that could hold nearly 2,000 people. It was featured on MTV numerous times, and was a sometime hangout for celebrities like Missy Elliot and Pharrell
Williams. “The Beach House” quickly became a financial success, and Davies acquired more restaurants and clubs in Virginia Beach. Then he made another change. “I redesign my life every ten years. I’m like the poster child for ADHD,” Davies said. “Once I do something and accomplish it, I need something new.” Davies was approaching his fifties, and the popular club-owner lifestyle was wearing thin. He came to Blacksburg looking to invest in property development for students. “I started going to all the restaurants and they seemed to be missing a product,” Davies said, “and that was a finer dining restaurant with a more sophisticated nightclub.” He opened The NeRV in 2002, which impressed at first with its sophisticated menu but did not stand the test of time. Davies believes the bar failed in part because he was still living and running restaurants in Virginia Beach, and relying on inexperienced college students to run the infrastructure of his business. The next venture was supposed to be a partnership with Michael Vick called Vick’s Play Hard Bar and Grille; this deal fell through when Vick was indicted. Davies opened the Southern Oven last fall after visiting The Homeplace. He attributes the restaurant’s rapid turnover last summer to parking problems. “The aggravation exceeded the compensation,” said Davies, who thinks the town should consider obtaining the parking lot adjacent to VT’s and building a garage there to quell the downtown parking woes. So what is it now? “Good quality food under $10 in a relaxing environment downstairs,” said Davies, “and upstairs we’re here for the younger people coming in at night for the pool tables and poker and to watch the game...” He also has live music and karaoke coming up next month. As for the notoriously cheap booze, he jokes, “It’s not the government economic bailout plan, it’s the VT’s bailout plan. We’ve got the cheapest drinks in town.” For Kendall Davies, the question might not be “what is it now?”, but “where am I now?” “It’s a beautiful area, and the lifestyle’s a little more subdued,” Davies said. “At 51, that’s not something I’m opposed to.”
Read some of Kendall Davies’ thoughts about Downtown online at www.16blocksmagazine.com
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NOV2008 21
ys THe hackensaw bo /4, 8:30 @ The Lantern Thursday, 12 blacksburg 211 draper rd
The Hackensaw Boys
s. w/ The Never.
play Badass Bluegras
16
To Do List
chuck brown Friday 12/12, 8PM the Jefferson Center 541 Luck Ave, Roanoke
THE LEGENDARY Ch uck Brown, father of the booty-clocking, synco pated sound known as Go-go. You do NOT wa nt to miss this show! $24. WORTH IT.
Music -- Go Rock Out! Fridays at AA’s - Four shows at Awful Arthur’s in Blacksburg (213 Draper Rd) All shows begin at 10:00
11/19, 10PM @ The Lantern Basshound + Spark Arrester (Eclectic & Gaskins, show the love)
Friday 11/14 The Godfather of Soul may no longer be with us, but Greensboro seven-piece “The Soul Brothers Band” claims to be his funky spawn coming to resurrect and get you on the good foot. Friday 11/21 Local favorites “The Worx” have been packing AA’s for years, old fans unite, new listeners see what the fuss is all about. Friday 11/28 Escape from leftovers and family drama with Groovascape! The name pretty much describes the sound. Friday 12/12 It’s that hippie-laidback-sway that makes Rolling Green a rock group and a double entrendre.
Thursday 12/4, 7:30 @ The Sun Music Hall in Floyd - Folk Rock/Soul legend Richie Havens. It feels like winter came early this year, but here comes the sun. $32 in advance, $35 at the door -- if there are tickets left.
Thursday 11/13, 8:00 @ The Lantern Asheville’s piano & drum duo Speedsquare is coming back! Very weird. Totally fierce. w/ The Big Dirty -- uh huh, you know you wanna. Saturday 11/15, 7:30 @ The Sun Music Hall in Floyd - Scott Miller -- Ironically upbeat guitar-driven rock and roll with sharp-edged lyrics. If you like the juke box at the London Underground Pub, you’ll probably enjoy this guy.
Thursday 12/4, 8:30 @ The Lantern The Hackensaw Boys play Badass Bluegrass. w/ The Never. 12/5, 10PM @ Cabo Fish Taco DJ Wiseacre all the way from LA! 12/9, 10 PM @ Cabo Fish Taco The Shred Presents: Summer on the Slopes! DJ party in the key of the surf, the snow and the streets. Free lift tix giveaways all night! Friday 12/10 @ The Lantern Reigning 16 Blocks Heavyweight Metal Champs The Reasons Were Legion with Carnal Deformity, Anytime This Year, and An Eternal Decree. Friday 12/12, 8PM @ the Jefferson Center - THE LEGENDARY Chuck Brown, father of the booty-clocking, syncopated sound known as Go-go. You do NOT want to miss this show! $24. WORTH IT.
Sunday 11/16, 8:30 @ The Lantern Prabir and The Substitutes is a melodic vocally driven rock and roll band from Richmond, VA. We’re pretty sure it’s illegal not to love them.
22 1 6 B L O C K S
Art -- Go see some art!
See a movie!!
10/24-11/21, 1-4 PM daily @ the Olin Gallery: Roanoke College, 221 College Lane Salem - Moody, broody, oil paintings by Barbara Crawford. And @ the Smoyer Gallery, same location, same dates/times: “Yes, Let’s Go. They Do Not Move.” Haunting and clever 2-D atmospheres by Clover Archer
Lyric Pics of the month 11/15, 3 PM @ the Lyric, $1. Japanese film festival finale: “Nobody Knows (Dare mo shiranai)”, 2004, 141 minutes, Color. Award-winning movie based on a true story of kids abandoned to live by their wits in Tokyo.
11/7-11/21 Radford U. Flossie Martin Gallery (Powell 200, RU Campus, East Main St): Senior MFA candidates Exhibition -- 2-person show highly recommended by Hideki Tojo’s frantic front man, Kid Tojo. Common objects with an eerie sense of dream reality as painted by Kevin Inman; and Chinese Philosophy meets Abstract Expressionism in Louise Wu’s large-scale oil paintings 12/4-12/11, XYZ Gallery, Blacksburg: Mikaela Larson and Teddi Fuller, 2 of this month’s featured artists, show their painting and ceramics. Opening reception Dec 4, 5-7 PM 10/21-11/21 , Armory Gallery, Blacksburg: Maryann Harman presents the latest evolution of her painting, tackling emotional images from the headlines. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke Hey, check it out -- there’s a new art museum like half an hour away! Go see the freaky-ass multimedia exhibit the Digital Art Research Collective of VT put together, Revo-oveR. It’s an interactive imaginarium of wonder! Like, you will wonder what they were thinking!
11/21 - 11/27 Appaloosa - We love the new American Western Renaissance. Following Hoffman’s “There Will be Blood” and the Coen’s “No Country for Old Men”, director and lead lawman Ed Harris and sidekick Viggo Mortenson ramble into a dusty town to do battle with evil rancher Jeremy Irons. It might be the same old tune but who cares if it’s played well with a bit of nuance. 11/28 - 12/4 Religulous - Metaphor or fact. Interpretation or the Word of God. This is more like satire or Bill Maher acting the smug A-Hole. Luckily for him he’s working with Larry Charles (Borat, Seinfeld, Larry David Show). And at the Grandin Theatre 11/14 & 11/15, MIDNIGHT - Cult movie madness! Featuring “Christmas on Mars: a Fantastical Film Freakout Featuring the Flaming Lips”. Starring Fred Armisen of SNL, Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, and Steve Burns. Judging from the trailer, this Sci-Fi B-movie tribute will be tons of fun for people who like artsy-fartsy humor and/or stopped listening to the radio on purpose in 1998. 11/25, 7PM till ?, $5.75. Open projector night. Locally-produced short films. 12/20, another MIDNIGHT MOVIE, $8.25 John Waters’ scandalarious suburban spoof, “Polyester”, in ODORAMA. Starring Divine and Tab Hunter.
Virginia Tech Department of Theatre Arts Presents
IPHIGENIA 2 . 0 BY Charles mee
A Greek Myth Remixed
November 14-16, 18-20 at 7:30 pm; squires studio theatre
Tickets: 231.5615 or www.tickets.vt.edu More Info: www.theatre.vt.edu Virginia Tech Department of theatre arts School of performing arts and cinema
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NOV2008 23
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Wondering how 16 Blocks gets published, when we have never charged for a single copy? Does a grant or bank loan help us bring you the unique content and provocative, beautiful graphics we’ve become known for? Do we have wealthy parents or did one of us seduce a millionaire? None of the above.
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Every issue of 16 Blocks Magazine comes to you courtesy of our advertisers. Businesses from our community entrust our team to bring you their messages along with our own. We give thanks to our advertisers for their continued support. We could not exist without them.
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BLACKSBURG A: The Lantern (Ad on pg. 21) B: Armory Art Gallery (Ad on pg. 11) C: Awful Arthur’s Seafood Company (Ad on pg. 25) D: 310 Rosemont (Ad on pg. 5) E Cabo Fish Taco (Ad on pg. 27) F: Mish Mish (Ad on pg. 2) G: Chantilly Lace (Ad on pg. 5) H: The Cellar Restaurant (Ad on pg. 5 ) I: Wireless Zone (Ad on pg.27 ) J: Ceritano’s Restaurant (Ad on pg. 25) K: Big Al’s & Poor Billy’s (Ad on pg. 21) L: Kent Jewelers (Ad on pg. 5) M: The Inn at Virginia Tech (Ad on pg. 23) N: Matrix Gallery (Ad on pg. 21) O: Capone’s Fine Jewelry (Ad on pg. 11) P: Gillie’s (Ad on pg. 25) Q: Mainstream Music (Ad on pg. 27) R: Mad Dog (Ad on pg. 23) S: Smithfield Plantation (Ad on pg. 25) T: Zeppoli’s Restaurant (Ad on pg. 11) U: YMCA (Ad on pg. 23) V: Fit You Right (Ad on pg. 5) W: John’s Camera Corner (Ad on pg. 21) X: Bohemian Trading Co. (Ad on pg. 11) CHRISTIANSBURG Y: Inside Out Salon (Ad on pg. 21)
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radford Retro to Go (Ad on pg. 11)
E N A
24 1 6 B L O C K S
ROANOKE Jefferson Center (Ad on pg. 13) Taubman Museum of Art (Ad on pg. 2)
Late Night Stage @ Gillie’s y Frida FREE etizers! pp ight A
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Matt Walsh
Fri Nov 14 9:30P | rockabilly/blues from NC
Saluda w/ Here’s To The Long Haul open late!
Sat Nov 15 8:00P | americana/old time
Jason Byrd & Friends Fri Nov 21 9:30P| local jam band
local singer/songwriters Sat Nov 22 7:00P | contact us!
VA Tech vs. UVA weekend
Erik Akers
nue Fri Nov 28 9:30P | instrumental/electronica ing Ve k o m open late! Non-S
Croatan Sound
Sat Nov 29 9:30P | classic/southern rock
The Young Sinclairs Fri Dec 5 9:30P | Magic Twig favorites
American Roots
Sat Dec 6 7:00P | local acoustic duo
Stereo Reform
Fri Dec 12 9:30P | pop/groove from Los Angeles! www.myspace.com/gilliesmusic 153 college street | downtown blacksburg | 540.961.2703
c e r i ta n o ’ s The Best Brick-Oven Pizza in the New River Valley! LUNCH BUFFET
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www.tinagourmet.com
Seek Education, Explore, DiScover! Serving the community since 1995. SEEDS has a mission to teach kids civic responsibility and accountability in a sustainable society. www.seedsguys.org 540.552.3914
NOV2008 25
Chess Solution : 1. Nc7+ Kb6 2. Na8+ Ka6 3. Ra1+ Ba4+ 4. Rxa4+ Qa5 5. Nb4#
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35
36
42
10
46 49
50
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
7. Uniform 8. Comic Foxx 9. Cytokinin occurring in corn 10. Smith's block 11. Golfer Aoki 12. Undoing 13. Sushi choice 21. Uncovered 22. Pong maker 25. Row 26. Els with tees 27. Ran swiftly 28. Plants 29. Ground 30. Old Testament book 31. Gannet 32. Rendezvous 34. Traditional prayer ending 35. Melodious 37. Affectation of sophisticates 38. Performs surgery 43. Capital of Greece 44. Narrate 45. Ruin 46. Skinflint 47. Wise one
48. Like some vaccines 49. Duration 50. When said three times, a 1970 war movie 51. Able was ___... 52. Predictive sign 53. PBS science series 54. Scale notes
Solution on pg. 24
Crossword Puzzle provided by Bestcrosswords.com, used with permission
Chuck Ronco’s
“Whyte’s Assault”
PROBLEMS
Here, White’s king is stuck under the crossfire of Black’s bishop and queen, however the Black king is not very comfortable in front of his pawns rather than behind them. White has the initiative, let’s hope he can use it.
CHESS
This month’s puzzle is the product of a local chess phenom, Dominic Whyte, age 11! Whyte to move and mate in five. Solution at top of page.
26 1 6 B L O C K S
ANNOUNCEMENTS: The Second Annual Hokie Memorial Chess Open will be held on Sunday, November 16 in Squires Student Center. Information can be found on the Chess Club’s webpage, www.chess.org.vt.edu Adult and K-8 sections, rated and unrated. All ages and skill levels are welcome to play. See webpage and flyer for details. Also, come play in Squires each Saturday from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM in the Chess Lounge. VT club members are on-hand to teach (and be taught!)
BENEFIT AUCTION For The Community Foundation of the New River Valley &2)$!9 $%#%-"%2 7INE AND (ORS D /EUVRES 2ECEPTION AT P M ,IVE AND 3ILENT !UCTION AT P M AT KEN FARMER AUCTION GALLERY (ARRISON 3TREET 2ADFORD 6!
HOLIDAY SHOPPING FOR A CAUSE !UCTION ITEMS INCLUDE 6ACATION ON THE )SLAND OF .EVIS 'OLF #OURSE 0ACKAGE 3USTAINABLE 7OODS &LOORING 2ACE 4RACK $AY $ECORATED #HRISTMAS 4REES 0HOTOGRAPHS #ONCERT 4ICKETS (OTEL 2OOMS 7INE &OOD "ASKETS 0OTTERY 7OODWORK ETC ETC
3PONSORED BY +EN &ARMER !UCTIONS !PPRAISALS
AND 6INTAGE #ELLARS
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