Curio (Spring 2018)

The Valley Magazine

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Volume 41, 2018

Caroline Jansen

Madisson Haynes

Maeve Reiss

Executive Editor

Editor

Managing Editor

cURIO READER, The Valley is a beautiful oasis nestled comfortably between the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains. For some folks, they’re lucky enough to call this special place home. With mountains, caverns and more than a couple breweries, this place sticks with you even when life calls you outside of the Shenandoah.

I had the pleasure of writing about Bryan Black, a local woodworker in Staunton, who discovered wood has been running through his veins for nearly 400 years (cover). He opened my eyes to what it truly means to be a resident in the Shenandoah Valley — warm, kind and welcoming to all neighbors no matter their origin.

Our goal when putting this magazine together was to be your eyes and ears into some of the Valley’s best kept secrets. We’ve worked hard to provide the perfect blend of stories to satisfy your curiosity. You’ll find some familiar faces like WHSV anchorman Bob Corso and Congressman Bob Goodlatte.

However, you’ll also find some hidden gems such as a local audio contractor who preserves the only musical instrument inside of a cavern, as well as a family of refugees who have found a home in the Valley.

The Valley has changed since Curio first published 40 years ago. No longer is it filled to the brim with agriculture and farmlands — although the smell of chicken feed overwhelms residents every time in rains. We hope you enjoy reading through the Valley — both new and old.

Enjoy exploring,

Caroline Jansen

About curio Curio, a magazine highlighting Harrisonburg and its surrounding communities, is published by students in the Media Arts & Design program at James Madison University. Curio is a non-profit organization that was founded by Dr. David Wendelken in 1978 and is supported by the College of Arts and Letters and the School of Media Arts and Design. Subscriptions are not available.

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meet the

CURIO

2018 staff

Kaitlyn McNutt Creative Director

Emily Olivier Articles Editor

Christy Freitag Articles Editor

Alyssa Antonio Photo Editor

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a 397-year journey

the man behind the organ meet the valley scholars american shakespeare’s home in staunton whatever you want ‘like heaven’ klines 75th anniversary

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valley anchorman llife with llamas unity of farm to table gentle as a lam taste of india crossing boundaries

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STORY BY Christy Freitag PHOTOS BY Alyssa Antonio

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THE MAN BEHIND THE ORGAN: Audio contractor preserves the world’s largest instrument from the limestone of Luray Caverns

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ourists gather around a wooden organ within the eery limestone of Luray Caverns. As the instrument echos the tune of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” throughout acres of the subterranean landscape, children on the tour are more interested by sudden movement coming from behind the Great Stalacpipe Organ. “I just saw a hand back there!” one child exclaims.

Otto Pebworth emerges from the shadows. He is the man responsible for operating what some say is the world’s largest musical instrument.

This is an average day for Pebworth as an engineer for the Great Stalacpipe Organ at Luray Caverns. He’s in charge of the electrical and audio maintenance of the only musical instrument inside of a cavern, an invention created in 1957 and enjoyed by visitors ever since.

“I’ll bet you can count on both hands the numbers of tours since 1957 that have not heard this instrument,” John Shaffer, director of public relations, said. “It’s a very hostile environment. You walk through, it’s beautiful but it’s damp. It’s almost like having an instrument on the moon, I say. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. So the maintenance is daily.”

Pebworth works on this one-of-a-kind instrument in 87 percent humidity within the 450-million-year-old cavern. The invention uses 37 hidden solenoid rubber mallets attached to specific stalactites spanning 3 ½ acres of the cavern. The keyboard console activates these mallets to gently strike the stalactites, producing music throughout the entire cavern. The Organ is technically considered a lithophone, and Pebworth says it compares closest to the functioning of a harp on a theater organ.

“At night, if you turn off just about everything that can be turned off, including the sound system and all the lights, everything, you can actually play the instrument and hear it ring through the whole cavern,” Pebworth said.

Almost as unconventional as the Organ he maintains, Pebworth defines

himself as a “freelance audio musical contractor,” with his work at the caverns being just one of many “hats” he wears. Pebworth’s specialty is understanding audio systems of pipe organs, with around two dozen clients in Virginia, even one in North Carolina, who rely on him for his expertise in church organs. His main job as part-time engineer for Harrisonburg’s WXJM and WMRA stations provides Pebworth with some stability in his otherwise irregular career. But Pebworth’s new job at Luray has allowed him to return to the instrument that captivated him from a young age.

Pebworth was raised in the Shenandoah Valley and first came to Luray Caverns on a tour when he was six. While the organ now operates mostly automatically, Pebworth says his favorite aspect of the job is when he’s able to manually play the instrument live for tourists and witness the same wonder from children like he did.

“That’s the thing I love, seeing the effect the instrument is having on the younger children because that’s something that will stick with them like it stuck with me,” Pebworth said.

Pebworth joined the team two years ago after chief engineer Larry Moyer noticed issues with the audio system in the organ’s wooden console. When they have problems, Pebworth, along with a few employees, like Stephanie Beahm, climb to each of the notes scattered about the cavern to make sure the harmony of the lithophone is just right.

“We’ll sometimes spend three hours just trying to track down one note that’s not working,” Pebworth said. “I walk the room and listen and say, OK, I’m not hearing this particular inner harmony that I should be hearing.’”

Beahm, who has worked at Luray for over a decade, has spent most of her time as a tour guide. She now assists Pebworth in the maintenance of the organ, having the chance to witness the 64-acre cavern in a new way.

“When you’re climbing around, you’re like, ‘Oh I didn’t notice that before,’” Beahm said. “You get to see it from a

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different view other than the pathway [that tourists use].”

While Beahm and Pebworth work on the daily upkeep of the organ, the man in charge of its overall operation is Moyer, who has been at the caverns for 37 years.

Moyer began his career here at 14, working as a tour guide and as the “apprentice” for the organ’s inventor himself, Leland Sprinkle; he was a mathematician and electronics scientist at the Pentagon and even worked on the UNIVAC, the United States’ first commercial computer. But after a tour at Luray in 1954, Sprinkle was set on transforming the cavern into a musical instrument.

With it being an unprecedented invention, Sprinkle needed someone like Moyer who had the knowledge to carry his masterpiece forward after his death in 1990.

“There’s no Great Stalacpipe Store,” Moyer said. “We’ve had to make everything ourselves.”

Since then, Moyer has passed his knowledge on to others like Pebworth. The Great Stalacpipe Organ has remained shockingly in pitch throughout its 61 years.

“I’ve kidded with a couple of groups and said, ‘Well these things grow one cubic inch every 120-odd years. Maybe another couple of two or three hundred years it might go

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slightly flat, I’m not gonna worry about that,’” Pebworth said.

With more than half a million visitors a year coming to the Caverns to hear the awe-inspiring instrument, Pebworth’s job can be hectic. He balances all his other “hats” including his job at Luray but says it’s all rewarding. Although there are unique moments where he gets to interact with groups, Pebworth and Beahm try to remain unseen by the frequent visitors.

“We know to drop back into the shadows when the tours come through,” Pebworth said.

But for a man who’s built a career around music, the power of the silence that fills the caverns when the organ is not playing is never lost on Pebworth.

“It’s a totally different world, literally,” Pebworth said.

“What I really like is, I get down here and my cell phone stops working. There is no signal down here. It’s nice and quiet and before I get back to work, I’ll just sit and just let the quiet permeate a little bit.”

The silence doesn’t last long before sounds of energetic tour groups echo through halls again. With that, Pebworth returns to the shadows to make sure the organ’s music fill the Caverns as usual. ◆

Meet the Valley Scholars STORY BY Catie Robertson PHOTOS BY Alyssa Antonio

The Valley Scholars are a group of first-generation, financially eligible college students chosen from middle and high schools in the Shenandoah Valley who show academic promise. Students apply to the program and are admitted based on academic and extracurricular merit. These students are offered educational and cultural enrichment opportunities to help foster skills that will be useful to the students in college. They are then admitted to James Madison University if they have met all academic requirements and receive tuition assistance for their time at the university.

For high school students, junior year is crucial for the college preparation process. For the Valley Scholars, it is a valuable time to prepare, reflect and be excited for what is to come. Curio caught up with some members of the first Valley Scholars class to learn more about their perspectives and aspirations.

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Brooklyn Brooklyn attends Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, Virginia. She became part of the Valley Scholars Program in the eighth grade and has her sights set on James Madison University ever since.

Leadership is one of her many strong suits; at her high school, she is a part of “Lee Leaders.” This leadership program involves the students in finding ways to improve different aspects of the school as well as teach them valuable life skills.

In addition to Lee Leaders, Brooklyn has been the president and vice president of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter at her high school. FCCLA promotes individual development as well as leadership development through family and consumer sciences education.

When Brooklyn arrives at JMU at the start of the 2019 academic year she hopes to pursue other leadership opportunities and says she is excited to attend many of the sporting events JMU holds, as she enjoys the environment. She would like to major in kinesiology and minor in business. She has a passion for helping children with special needs. This is due, in part, to the fact that one of her friends is on the Autism spectrum. She recalls the day she became friends with her.

“In fifth grade this girl was getting bullied … and I stood up for her and became her friend,” Brooklyn said. “Ever since then, I’ve loved working with and being around special needs kids and kids in general.”

Brooklyn’s involvement with Valley Scholars has exposed her to children with special needs and has motivated her to pursue a career in this field through occupational therapy and to later attend graduate school for occupational therapy.

Brooklyn describes herself as a person who tests boundaries and she is optimistic about her future.

“I don’t like playing it on the safe side, so to speak,” Brooklyn said. “I like challenges, I don’t like easy stuff. I like to challenge and push myself to try new things.”

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Whitley Whitley attends Page County High School in Shenandoah, Virginia. She became involved in the Valley Scholars Program when representatives visited her school in the seventh grade. After hearing about the program, she immediately knew she wanted to apply for it.

Whitley has been active in her middle and high schools. She’s been in choir since middle school, taken the stage in three musicals, participated in the National Honors Society and is a tour guide at Luray Caverns.

Whitley is particularly excited for her future and the chances the Valley Scholars Program has given her.

“It means a lot,” Whitley said. “It means that I know I will be successful in my future and I’m going to be able to do more than what my family did in school.”

When she arrives at JMU she hopes to join a lot of clubs. Though she isn’t sure what major she’ll choose at JMU, she knows she wants to be involved in communications. She would like to travel in the future and publicly speak on important issues, and she feels communications will help her achieve that goal.

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Raven Raven is a junior at Stonewall Jackson High School in Quicksburg, Virginia. She began her time with the Valley Scholars Program in the seventh grade. She has been a member of the choral group at her high school, student council and plays soccer. She’s also participated in musical theater.

When she begins her time at JMU, she hopes to become involved with music. She’s always loved to sing and wants to join a choral group. In addition to vocal performance, she plays three instruments: piano, guitar and ukulele.

“It’s kind of an escape for me,” Raven said. “I learned all these instruments to take my mind off of what is going on.”

Though she isn’t sure what her major will be at JMU, she has her heart set on medical school and would like to become a pediatric oncologist.

Raven has a bleeding disorder called Von Willebrand disease; this disease makes it difficult for one’s blood to clot. Because of her experience with hematology from this disease, she has become very invested in the similar field of oncology and wants to help children who suffer with cancer. She also would like to incorporate music into her work as a pediatric oncologist.

“I really love kids and I want to be able to help them,” Raven said. “I want to use music as therapy for the kids,.”

Raven describes herself as someone who loves to make others smile.

“I’ve always wanted to be a good person, and I would love to help people because I feel like everyone needs someone to rely on,” Raven said. ◆

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American Shakespeare’s Home in Staunton “T

o be or not to be? That is the question.”

Josh Innerst stood center stage inside the Blackfriars Playhouse. He wore a loose, white, long-sleeved, low cut v-neck dress shirt covered by a striped, black, silk vest, and yet another smaller velvet, red vest on top of that. The cuffs of his shirt were rolled up allowing his expressive hands to capture the audience’s attention and exude emotion. His pants were black and loosely fitting, held up by a black belt and silver buckle. The left leg of his pants was cut short and torn right above the knee, revealing a tighter red cloth that traveled down his leg until reaching black leather boots.

He looked out toward the high school student audience in attendance of the 10 a.m. matinee performance of Hamlet. He made eye contact with students right in front of the stage. Students also sat on small wooden gallant stools next to him on stage. The stools and audience-lit theater, called universal lighting, were all part of the experience, because the American Shakespeare Center adheres to original Shakespearean staging conditions.

Light brown curls fell messily from the top of his head before his hair narrowed into an undercut. The same color appeared on his face. A contained yet thick beard touched the parameter of his chin, while a thick mustache swirled on either side of his nose into pointed tips. Bright blue eyes beamed as his mouth delivered Hamlet’s lines, which have been performed for over four hundred years.

ASC puts on historically accurate English renaissance performances, and its mission is to bring William Shakespeare’s theater, language and humanity to life. Blackfriars Playhouse, the home theater in Staunton where the group performs, is the world’s only re-creation of the Blackfriars Theatre. The Blackfriars Theatre was built in London, England, and staged Shakespeare’s plays until 1642.

“Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them?”

Innerst poses this question to the students: should you put up with bad luck,

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or should you give up?

Innerst has been a member of the acting company for five years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Performance Studies and a minor in English, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Classical Acting from Illinois State University. He performs all types of theater, but finds himself drawn to acting companies like the ASC. “Walking into the rehearsal room here, I know all these actors,” Innerst said.

“I trust them. I just know intimately that they have me, you know, it’s like a trust fall.”

The students scramble out of the theater for intermission. Lines protrude from the bathrooms and snack bar station. A blonde woman walks purposefully to the front desk as she checks in with the staff and shares information. Group and Education Sales Manager Jacquelynne McClelland wore a bright green shamrock scarf.

“It was the perfect job at the perfect time,” McClelland said. “I have a strong background in customer service so I really enjoy being on the front lines, dealing with people face to face and promoting what we do, for the sake of continuing arts education.”

McClelland has a background in Music Business and International Political Economics. She promotes ASC shows to educators, attends tradeshows and conferences such as the Blackfriars Conference, sends emails to public and private schools and countless other tasks aimed at reaching broad student demographics. Students up and down the east coast attend performances, but the reach often extends further, which has in the past included students from Texas, and even Trinidad and Tobago. They can choose to participate in educational workshops and Playhouse tours.

A young boy picked up the Coke can near his feet and took a swig before placing it slowly back down and shifting his gaze back to the stage. His eyes went wide and a true smile fell across his face, as Innerst sat cross legged in meditation on the stage. But his meditation included rude hand gestures and crazed eyes as Innerst portrayed Hamlet in the crazy state the character experiences in the play’s second half.

“Every student I spoke with during and after had positive things to say about

STORY & PHOTOS BY

Emma Friedman

the play and the humor especially,” Jordan Kroll, Stafford County Brooke Point High School English teacher, said.

Kroll’s juniors in her international baccalaureate language and literature class, had previously read Hamlet for their class. It is one of the books students are tested on, so they had previously analyzed the play, and Kroll says they were very interested to see it after that.

Ten different schools attended this single performance of Hamlet, and countless others can experience shows through ASC on Tour, which travels all over the United States.

“It’s not just a local kind of thing, its reaching further beyond that so that we can offer an opportunity … it’s like taking a trip to London without the passport,” McClelland says. “So, they get to really experience Shakespeare in his original, intended setting without having to have that cost of an international trip.”

Innerst sat on a small wooden gallant stool, better known as a Shakespearean bar stool or on stage seating option at the theater, among a few his fellow actors on center stage for the talkback. After college student attended performances, several of the actors elect to come back on stage to answer audience questions for 30 to 60 minutes. One student asked what their favorite lies from Hamlet were.

“Some [students] are having talkbacks with actors where they get to ask questions one on one about why the actors choose certain staging conditions or certain characteristics to highlight from performances,” McClelland said.

“So, it really is a neat opportunity.”

Innerst’s said his favorite line of Hamlet is a combination of the famous quote “to be or not to be that is the question,” and the play’s conclusion of that question when Hamlet comes to the realization of the answer “let be.”

This is a powerful plot point where Hamlet struggles with what to do in life’s difficult situations, and whether to try to maintain control by choosing death.

Acceptance of the answer “let be,” reflects Halmet’s and Innert’s understanding, of letting events unfold without trying to force a result because ultimately, you cannot control what is destined to occur.

Innerst’s graduate school experience included a summer abroad semester, where he studied at the Globe Theater in London. The program involved seeing shows for a week in London, participating in workshops put on by instructors at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon for a week, as well as a month of intensive classes at the Globe in that included subjects such as text, acting, movement and combat.

“We spent a lot of time doing exercises,” Innerst said. “Kind of getting verse embedded in our kinesthetic memory the way that Shakespeare writes so that as actors we could spend a lot of time working on that.”

Innerst’s special passion for acting companies lends itself to involvement with one of his favorite playwrights. “[Shakespeare] was a darn good writer. And it’s a really practical skillset to develop as an artist in America because Shakespeare’s the most produced playwright. Not just in America, in the whole world. So, if you can do Shakespeare really well and you can establish a reputation for that, you’ll work a lot.”

For Innerst, the ASC embodies the environment most conducive to his own goals, and those of Shakespeare himself.

I think the work, especially when you’re doing classical work like this, its always better I think when you have an acting company, a resident troupe that’s been working together for a while, because that’s what Shakespeare was writing for, and so I always gravitate towards those styles of companies,” Innerst said. “I’ve been here for five years and like I said, I’ve taken a couple seasons off and I’m taking this next season off as well, so it’s all just what the universe lines up for you.”

I think the work, especially when you’re doing classical work like this, its always better I think when you have an acting company, a resident troupe that’s been working together for a while, because that’s what Shakespeare was writing for, and so I always gravitate towards those styles of companies,” Innerst said. “I’ve been here for five years and like I said, I’ve taken a couple seasons off and I’m taking this next season off as well, so it’s all just what the universe lines up for you.” ◆

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WHATEVER YOU WANT Harrisonburg native shares her passion for fashion

STORY & PHOTOS BY

Lauren Sampson

E

choes of David Bowie’s “Heroes” bounce off the walls as you pass by the splashes of garments draped on either side of you. Metallic “WHATEVER VINTAGE” letters stare back from the top, like a welcomehome banner embracing you into the store. Turning to your right is like entering a forest of fashion. Tones of lush greens, vibrant yellows and loud blues come into your vision. By your side is a simple table with a card reader, tablet, business cards in a neat stack and price tags sprinkled across. The wall behind the table holds peculiar paintings. Whether they depict the James Madison Quad that is down the street, or a colossal moon hovering over a village, they all have their own story.

Nestled away in the back of the store lies a 1950s pair of crystal white Levi’s shorts, Jessica Kyger’s most priced item she owns.

“I was so excited when I found them, I just blacked out,” said Jessica Kyger, the 29-year-old owner of the downtown thrift store Whatever Vintage. Her crystal white Levi shorts from the 1950s are kept in a pristine case in the back room, only to be admired by Kyger herself - she’s too scared to sell or cut them, for fear of regretting it.

Since March 2015, she has co-owned her shop with Leslie Torres, owner of the White Unicorn Hair Salon. Here Kyger says, everyone can be themselves at a unique and quirky haven.

Every Wednesday through Sunday a little before noon, Kyger enters the

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store to begin rack management. Golden light pours through the windows as she chooses a place for every item. Constant rotation and stocking of items each day is important for Jessica, as it gives her returning customers something new to find. There’s hardly any time for behind-the-scenes work once the store is open, aside from general cleaning and possibly a load of laundry between purchasing the clothes and selling them.

Kyger initially opened the store thinking she wanted to sell to young adults, but after four years the vintage vibe is for everyone.

“I like it to be a mix of lots of different styles, something from every decade,” Kyger said. “Old ladies come up here and are like ‘oh my gosh, I had one of these!’ It completely changed the way I originally thought about my demographic.”

Each customer who enters has their own reasons for shopping there.

“I like that you can find cheap high-quality items,” Matthew Isham said as he looked for the perfect pair of jeans. “I’ve known Jessica for years, and this is a great alternative to high-end fashion.”

For others, the store gives them a chance to try new looks.

“Can I just quote seventies ethereal, eighties colors and nineties accessories?” asked Samantha Jiacalone, a regular customer to the store, to which Kyger responded, “truly the best of everything.”

Whether it’s her vivid hair color that changes often or her admiration for ’70s fashion, Kyger prides herself on her own style.

Jessica Kyger initially opened the store back in 2015 with the intention to sell her clothing to young adults. However, she now thinks the clothes can be worn by all ages.

“I like the fact the clothing I wear or the color of my hair gives people a good idea of the person I am,” Kyger said.

Growing up in Harrisonburg, Kyger has always loved fashion and what it means to express yourself through clothes.

“When I was in high school, I would wear the craziest stuff, like go to Goodwill and buy 10 little boy’s t-shirts,” Kyger said. “I like the opportunity that you get to stand out wearing things that not everyone else is wearing.”

This lively small-business owner didn’t go straight from high school to owning the store. After graduating Harrisonburg High School in 2007, she attended James Madison University, but dropped out soon after she realized it didn’t have the entrepreneur program she was seeking. Instead, she gained experience at Kohl’s, Target and Plato’s Closet. After four years of gaining a good eye for the clothes that came in, she gave herself the deadline of by the time she turned 25, she’d finally generate her own business.

“I signed the lease here a few months before my 25th birthday,” said Kyger, discussing the place she visited as a child with her uncle. A wonderland with goodies and novelty items galore, Kyger knew this place had the “nostalgia factor” for her when it became available for rent.

“This building used to be Glen’s Fairprice. My uncle used to bring me here and this was part of the reason that I think that I got the thrill

of the hunt gene,” Kyger said.

She just celebrated her four-year anniversary of the store’s opening, so it’s no surprise she’s looking to expand in the next couple years as her collection grows.

“I would love to have a space this size or larger just to myself,” Kyger said.

She travels for hours discovering new inventory to incorporate into her boutique.

“There’s not enough hours in the day … it’s awesome because I get to go to every thrift store you see, but I don’t like having dead time where you’re just driving,” Kyger said.

While she’s content with her success now, Kyger knows the amount of effort it took to get her there. She encourages other small business owners to follow their passions.

“If you feel like you want to own a business, you can do it,” Kyger said.

With radiant colors woven throughout the store and years of trends waiting to be discovered, the thrift shop represents Jessica Kyger in more ways than one.

“My life motto is whatever,” Kyger said, while showing off her tattoo, crimson red flowers with leaves blooming around the word “WHATEVER” illustrated on her upper right arm. “Whatever you wear, wherever you want to go, whatever your style, I want to be able to find that for you.” ◆

Curio Curio | 19

‘Like Heaven'

STORY BY Kevin Romm PHOTOS BY Alyssa Antonio

Sudanese family seeks refuge in Harrisonburg

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“L

ike heaven.” That’s how 13-year-old Anas Sharhabeel imagined his life if he and his family ever had the chance to live in the U.S. In his home country of Sudan, Anas shared a two-room house with his parents, Abounda and Sema, and four siblings, spending most nights outside so he could stretch his legs while he slept.

Now, Anas is a 17-year-old high school sophomore sharing a two-story duplex on the outskirts of Harrisonburg with his family, who resides under refugee status. With his own bed and the ability to sleep with a roof over his head, he’s attained a quality of life better than his experience in Sudan.

But what he couldn’t foresee was the journey his family would endure to get here, as it would be far from paradise.

In Sudan, 95 percent of the population is Muslim, and those who don’t practice Islam often find themselves fighting an uphill battle of prejudice and injustice. Anas’ father, Abouna, was a Christian pastor, making him and his family obvious targets for persecution.

Fearing for their lives and unable to afford an education for Anas and his siblings, the family decided to leave Sudan and move to Egypt. Living just outside of Cairo, the children could walk and browse the small shops that lined the busy streets.

“I remember our father giving us money, and me and Golas would go to the stores and buy chocolate and ice cream,” recalled Husna, Anas’ youngest sister.

It was shopping sprees like these that made Anas’ siblings, Enas – now nine – and Golas – now five, favor their new home heavily over their original home in Sudan. But Egypt was also a majority Muslim nation, and once word spread that Abouna was a Christian pastor, the locals began making it clear Anas and his family weren’t welcome.

“You just walking and they would push you and they hit you,” Anas said.

Whether it was at school, or just walking through the streets, Anas recalled numerous times when the locals would entice him to fight just for being a Christian.

However, a more aggressive message would be sent to both of his parents.

“My mom was walking home from work and three men in a car drive up and took her and tried to kidnap her,” Anas said.

After his mother was forced into the car, Anas remembered the people in the streets fleeing from the scene in fear. As the vehicle began to drive off, Anas recalled witnessing what was probably his mother’s only chance to regain her freedom.

“She jumped out the window,” he said. “But she fell and hit her head.”

Once Sema threw herself out of the car, her face struck a rock on the ground, giving her a significant cut on her forehead just above her eyebrow.

Fortunately she would only suffer a minor cut that would heal. But had the situation gone in a more dangerous direction, she may have never seen her family again.

For Abounda, there was no direct threat to his life like there was for his wife, but he was thrown in jail for his vocation as a Christian pastor.

After the attempted kidnap of his mother, Anas and his family decided it was too dangerous to live in Egypt and, with help from the United Nations, they were picked to live in America as refugees.

The family was optimistic to start a new life, but for Husna, that feeling was quickly overshadowed when she realized one member wouldn’t be coming with them.

“I started crying because were going to have to leave our dad,” she said.

The family wasn’t certain when they would see or hear from their father again, but they knew their best chance at a better life meant leaving him behind.

Prior to moving to Harrisonburg, Virginia, the family lived in Tennessee for eight months and although Anas and his family no longer feared for

their lives, living as Sudanese refugees in the U.S. came with its own challenges.

Anas didn’t even know how to say “hello” when he first came to the U.S., and arriving just two months before starting school didn’t leave him with much time to learn English. However, Anas would quickly be united with a group of classmates who shared a common interest; soccer.

Through the sport, Anas was able to learn English while also showcasing his skills on the field. Once the family relocated to Harrisonburg, he was both well-versed in English and eager to take the field.

Currently, Anas is a sophomore at Spotswood High School, where he plays wing for the Blazers boys varsity team. When he’s not playing soccer, chances are he’s watching his favorite player, Lionel Messi, who he calls “The King.”

He humbly admits he won’t amass quite the skill as “The King,” but hopes he can get a scholarship to play in college, particularly at the University of Southern California.

Sema currently works at Cargill Feed Mill, working eight-hour shifts Monday through Friday, while also picking up shifts most weekends.

Because he’s constantly taking care of his younger siblings, an ordinary teenage life isn’t what Anas lives.

Learning to drive, socializing with friends and even watching Messi make magic on the soccer field must all take the back seat to Anas’ other priorities. He also juggles his school work, and watching his siblings when his mother is working.

Although it keeps him from living his youth as a carefree teenager, Anas is thankful for the sacrifices his mother makes, and happy to live in a place where he can walk without being pushed around.

Instead, he can freely kick the soccer ball outside with his siblings, or even meet some of his friends up a school for a pick-up game. And most importantly, he can sleep every night with a roof over his head and stretch his limbs to the end of his bed. ◆

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22 | Curio

STORY BY Caroline Jansen PHOTOS BY Alyssa Antonio

A 397-year Journey Staunton man gives wood a second life and discovers wood has run in his blood for centuries

T

he smell of wood finish fills the air. Sawdust coats the workshop’s floor, resembling delicate white piles of snow on the ground minutes after it begins to fall. A six-foot table stands mighty in the middle of the room as the man behind the masterpiece admires it, smiling softly.

“One last thing,” he said.

He burns a shell symbol on the lower right-hand corner of the table. A clam shell, part of his family’s crest, signifies a journey has been taken — but for Bryan Black, this journey dates back 397 years aboard the Mayflower.

Black, the owner of the reclaimed woodshop Concepts Created in Staunton, Virginia, began working with wood at the age of six.

“I grew up on Cape Cod and my dad was a commercial fisherman,” Black said. “On his offseason, he would build boats — small boats like dinghies and dories — and I would help him out, so I’ve been doing woodworking my whole life.”

However, contrary to the countless power tools housed in Black’s shop, his father taught him to work with wood the traditional way — with hand tools.

“My dad built pretty much everything by hand,” Black said. “He had some power tools but I wasn’t allowed to use them. If I had to cut a piece of wood, I had to take a handsaw and cut it, or if I wanted to drill a hole, I had to use a hand auger. My dad made sure I knew how to use hand tools before I used any of his power tools.”

When Black grew up and began his career in woodworking he couldn’t wait to get his hands on power tools. However, he appreciates the lessons his father taught him in his youth.

“My dad taught me the principles of woodworking with just hand tools,” Black said. “He also taught me not to rely on your power tools, but to rely on your creativity and ingenuity. If you have to do something, don’t say, ‘Oh I don’t have the tool to do that.’ Just figure out how to do it with what you have. That’s kind of what I do now, if I don’t have the ‘Shopmaster

5000,’ I can figure out how to do it with what I have.”

This creativity and ingenuity have become essential for Black’s day-to-day operation as no piece of reclaimed wood is ever the same. Reclaimed wood generally is old construction material used for things like holding up a roof of a house. However, for a piece of furniture or instrument, the log would be quarter-sawn, meaning it’d be cut with much greater precision.

“Quarter sawn wood is high quality, it doesn’t have a lot of wood movement, it’s not going to twist on you,” Black said. “But, reclaimed wood is just old construction materials, so it’ll twist and warp and do all kinds of crazy things. You have to work with that.”

However, for the man who’s perfected the craft of working with reclaimed wood, he used to work with new wood as his medium. It wasn’t until a client approached him to use reclaimed wood while he was working in a cabinet shop in California that he even considered the thought of it. After completing the project, he had leftover wood scraps and built a coffee table to bring home to his wife.

“I brought it to my wife and I was like, ‘Hey, look at this little coffee table,’” Black said. “And she saw it and sold it on Craigslist.”

“It’s amazing. Build another one,” Susan, Black’s wife, said. “’OK,’” Black said. “So, it just kind of grew into working with reclaimed wood.”

Susan noticed reclaimed wood was becoming increasingly popular as a medium for woodworking, and she admired how “reclaimed wood has a story.”

“I love old homes and while walking through them, I imagine the conversations that may have taken place and the relationships that were built through the years by families who once lived there,” Susan said. “You know that saying, ‘If walls could talk...?’ I like to think of it as, ‘If wood could talk.’

It’s fascinating to wonder what all went on in it’s former home, whether a barn, house or warehouse.

Now Bryan has the privilege of giving it a facelift and turning a pile of lumber into something beautiful for

yet another leg of its journey.”

When Black made the move from California to Virginia, he wanted reclaimed wood to remain a signature feature to his pieces. After opening Concepts Created and working with reclaimed wood exclusively, Black was searching for a symbol that would help clients easily identify his work.

Ironically enough, his mother was researching the family’s genealogy at the same time and discovered a clam shell was a prominent piece of the family’s crest. Upon further research, Black’s mother also discovered the family was directly related to John Alden, a passenger on the Mayflower. “[The clam shell] symbolizes a lot of things but one of the main things was that it symbolizes that the family took a journey,” Black said. “John Alden left England and came over to the New World so he used the clam shell as the symbol for the family journey. I use it for my company because this used to be joists in an old building and now it’s a dining table, so it symbolizes a journey.”

John Alden, although not a Separatist himself, was hired to act as the ship’s cooper, a carpenter in charge of building and maintaining the barrels on board.

Caleb Johnson, a historian who has been studying the Mayflower’s voyage and its passengers for the past 25 years, and has authored several books on the subject, stresses the significance of having a cooper aboard the ship.

“The role of a cooper was extremely important,” Johnson said. “It was actually a law that a ship must have a qualified cooper. Everyone’s food and drink for the voyage depended on properly maintained barrels, and the cooper could also fill in as an additional carpenter when needed.”

Once abroad, Alden decided to stay in the New World rather than return with the ship back to England. He was one of the few people to sign the Mayflower Compact and was one of the first settlers in the Plymouth Colony, eventually becoming the assistant governor.

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Desiree Mobed, the director at Alden House Historic Site in Duxbury, Massachusetts, studies the prominence Alden held within the colony.

“John was a tradesman but quickly rose to be an important member of Plymouth Colony,” Mobed said. “The colonists faced incredible hardships during those first years — remember that only half survived that first winter, which probably blurred class lines but John was also smart, reliable, and a leader. He served in numerous elected and appointed public positions almost until his death in 1687 ... John Alden represents the American dream of hard work and opportunity.”

Alden was the last surviving signatory of the Mayflower Compact and was buried in Duxbury — just 45 minutes north of where Black grew up.

Although wood appears to have run through

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the Black family’s veins for generations, Johnson believes this isn’t necessarily a common occurrence among families.

“As surprising as it may sound, I have not seen a strong correlation between a father’s trade, and a son’s trade, with the exception of the somewhat non-trade occupation of husbandry (farming),” Johnson said.

However, it’s almost impossible to not notice the parallels between Black’s life and the life of his great grandfather 12 generations back. Aside from working exclusively with reclaimed wood, Black uses other traditional colonial building techniques such as utilizing draw-bore pins, pegs, dowels and wooden bow ties.

The bow ties are used when there’s a crack in a plank of wood that goes all the way through. Depending on the location of the crack in relation to the center of the tree, a

wooden bow tie may be placed between the crack to act as a reinforcement so the wood expands and contracts as one unit, rather than two.

“This has been around for as long as woodworking has been around,” Black said.

“As long as they’ve been working with wood, they’ve been doing this ... It’s a neat little feature and it’s all done by hand.”

Black says working with the wood and being able to create usable tables means one must be able to understand and predict what the wood will do, which takes a lot of intuition — and maybe having the right genes doesn’t hurt.

“It’s really more like my expression of art,” Black said. I don’t just fasten pieces of wood together. I work them and shape them and sand them a certain way, and surface them a certain way to produce a look.”◆

"John Alden represents the American dream of hard work and opportunity."

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Celebrating 75 Years

PHOTOS BY Jessica Pink

26 | Curio 26 | Curio

I

n 1943, John and Grover Kline opened the doors to their custard shop in Harrisonburg and it quickly

became a Valley favorite. Initially, the shop operated out of the Kline’s home and had a walk-up window for customers. Kline’s is known for its high quality ingredients and old-fashioned ice cream making technique.

Now 75 years since its opening, Kline’s has expanded to four locations across the Valley.

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LOOKING BACK

Retiring Rep. Bob Goodlatte reflects on 26 years in office

A

fter what will be 26 consecutive years in office, Congressman Bob Goodlatte of the sixth district of Virginia

has announced his retirement. As House rules bar Goodlatte from serving another term as Head of the Judiciary Committee, he decided this was the right time to step down. Looking back on his 13 terms as Congressman, Goodlatte reflects on his time in Congress and the changes he witnessed throughout Washington, D.C.

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How did you originally become involved in politics? Did you have any particular experiences or personal inspiration?

When I was about eight I started to come down to Washington with my mom and parents and I visited everything. All the museums on the Mall, the Capitol, the White House, Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and Mt. Vernon. I think that had an influence because ever after I wanted to serve in Congress. I became the president of the College Republicans there and then I went to law school at Washington and Lee [University]. Upon graduating Washington and Lee, I got a job with congressman Caldwell Butler and he served from 1972 to 1982 and I went to work for him in 1977. I worked for him for two years as his district director then went and opened a law practice. As soon as I opened the law practice I became Chairman of the Republican Party in the city of Roanoke. I was elected to that position and then elected to be the 6th District Republican Chairman, which I served five years from 1983 to 1988 and then I gave that up and I thought, “Well I don’t know if I’ll ever get an opportunity to run for office.” And then in 1992 my predecessor, Jim Olin, announced his retirement, and I jumped into the race and I got elected.

Monday through Thursday night. That’s the most challenging part of the job and it is the No. 1 reason I am looking forward to not having to do that.

As someone who has been in public service for 25 years, what suggestions do you have for young people to serve their local, state and national communities?

First of all, pay attention to what is going on.

No matter what your interests are, no matter what your political viewpoints are, it is important to understand that government at every level, local, state and federal, has a very significant impact on your life. The more you pay attention, the better off we are as a society because the people that you elect to serve on the city council or the people that represent you in the general assembly or United States Congress have an impact. Secondly, once you are paying attention, hopefully you will want to be more involved in the process. You want to make sure that you register to vote, that’s a given. That’s probably the most important thing you can do to protect your freedoms that we enjoy in this country.

What accomplishment do you consider to be the most significant in your career? Or something that you’re most proud of?

Well, I think two things. The opportunity to serve this congressional district and to become Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, first chairman of that committee from east of the Mississippi River in over 40 years, and then to become Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, first chairman from Virginia in over 125 years. Those are two great honors, great experiences and great opportunities for my constituents to really focus on issues and really bring their concerns and their attention to issues that you don’t get if you’re not chairman of a committee. But the thing that has meant the most to me has been helping people solve problems with legislation. More than a hundred thousand people now contact us every year on issues they are concerned about with phone calls, emails, letters, however they want to communicate with us. However they communicate with us, we try to respond to them.

How important is it for people to be exposed to differing political and social views?

Oh, it is really important for people to be exposed to differing points of view. When I was a kid, in terms of hearing about what was going on around the world, you had your local newspaper and you had a few radio stations in town and you had three television networks. That was it. Today, you have an unlimited number of sources for information. Those few outlets that existed back then, I think were more conscience of the fact that they had a limited area of people they were competing with and therefore I think their coverage of the news was more balanced. Today, it’s like people want to get into an echo chamber and hear what they want to hear. It’s important for people as they make judgments about who they elect, about how they feel about different issues, and how they voice those opinions, to get a balanced approach.

There are reasons to mistrust a lot of information from different sources on the internet because a lot of it is not double checked. One way to counter that is to listen to a few different sources, do your own checking and your own research and always double check. Don’t just go to your favorite site, go to something else and see what they’re saying too.

What has been the most challenging part about your work in Congress?

Easily by far the most challenging part about this job is being away from your family. Congress is [in session] 35 to 40 weeks a year and as a result of that, you are away one third of the nights. For 25 years, I have talked to my wife on the phone,

Many see Washington, D.C., in constant gridlock and argument. What needs to happen to change this culture?

I think that it’s the influence of not just social media, but also other forms of communication that cause people to become more polarized in their point of view. Trying to find solutions to problems

can be harder as a result of that. The hostile environment comes more from the outside than it does on the inside. Members of Congress, when the TV cameras are off and they aren’t talking to the media, get along very well with each other. I, for example, I don’t think I’ve ever passed a bill, and I’ve passed many, many bills over the last 25 years, never passed a bill that didn’t have bipartisan support that got passed into law.

When you ran in 1992, you said you would serve just 12 years, but you have served double that amount. Why did you do this, and do you think term limits can ever work?

When I ran in 1992, I said I was for term limits. I supported six two-year terms for House members, two six-year terms for Senate members.

I supported a constitutional amendment to require that members serve not more than 12 years. A reporter at my news conference said “Well what if the Congress doesn’t pass term limits? Will you limit yourself?” I had not given that any thought, but I responded saying, “Yes I would.” Once I got to Washington I realized that term limits don’t work. I like term limits, but they don’t work unless they apply equally to everybody because if the people who like term limits limit themselves, and the people who do not like term limits do not, then they are going to gain all of the seniority, all the experience, and they are going to control the agenda in the Congress. So that is why a constitutional amendment to require everybody would be a good thing, I still think it would be a good thing. One thing we did do two years later when Republicans got the majority, we imposed term limits on committee chairman. I think that is a very effective thing because it created competition within the Congress. You get more diversity, you get younger people, you get people who are not making all their decisions based on just holding the turf because they know they have a limited amount of time so if they want to get things done they better get it done in six years.

What do you plan to do during your retirement?

When I announced last November, I said I was not going to take anything off the table or put anything on the table and I have got a year basically to think about it. I have a lot of different things I could do. I could work for a law firm like I used to do, I could teach, I could work for a business, I could work for the government in some other capacity. I am just completely open and I am studying all the options and taking my time. I’ve got a lot to do here in the next few months and I want to take that time to do that work and think about what I want to do next. ◆

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The Valley's Anchorman WHSV's Bob Corso has delivered the news to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County for 30 years

STORY BY Jessica Newman PHOTOS BY Lauren Sampson

“B

ob Corso to the studio,” the news director says over the loudspeaker. Corso walks to the anchor desk and assumes his position, looking calm. He gazes into the camera as the news director counts down from 10.

It’s 5:55 p.m. in the evening, and inside WHSVs newsroom the production crew busily types away in front of their computer screens.

There’s five minutes until the six o’clock news, the busiest show of the day.

Corso tucks his microphone into his shirt pocket and checks his earpiece. “Check, check.”

The hustle of the broadcast news world can seem chaotic, but for Corso, it’s another day on the job.

As someone who has dedicated themselves to informing the Shenandoah Valley about local and national news, Corso has become one of the most identifiable faces in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.

“It’s funny because I was kind of embarrassed about it to begin with,” Corso said. “I thought I couldn’t handle it, and it would be very awkward, people recognizing you. But most of the people here are very nice, and you kind of get past that after a few years.”

He said that he always tries to engage with strangers who greet him in public, rather than just thanking them for watching, although sometimes he experiences some interesting encounters.

“Sometimes you’ll get people who tell me that

30 | Curio

they watch me every morning,” he said, “and I’m like, no you don’t, I’m not on the news in the morning.”

With a business degree from the College of William and Mary, newscasting was never in Corso’s plan. He worked in sales after receiving his degree, but when his company didn’t renew his contract, Corso was forced to make a choice.

“I was kind of like ‘OK, do I want to go for another company or do I want to try something different?’” Corso said.

He had always had an interest in sportscasting, so he thought, “Well, you ought to try it now!’”

So he did. He began by enrolling in a few classes at Arizona State until he was able to qualify for an internship. After a year, Corso scored an internship at a local PBS station, which ultimately led to a full-time job. After spending four years as a producer, he longed to come back to the Mid-Atlantic and get in front of the camera. In 1988, he accepted a job at WHSV as the weekend anchor, and he’s been a staple of the program ever since.

After holding the position for a few years, Corso finally got to do sportscasting at the station. Surprisingly, he didn’t like it as much as he thought he would. Working sports is much different than simply observing sports, he explained, with all the deadline pressure that came with the job.

Corso bounced around from news, to sports, to weather and then back to news. This time around, it stuck.

“Thirty years seems like a long time, but every

couple of years it seemed like I had a different job,” Corso said. “It’s not like I’ve been doing the same thing for 30 years.”

In an industry that sees talent come and go, what has kept him at WHSV for three decades?

He credits that to the job offer at time in his life when he says he was ready to settle down, at the age of 32.

One of the most memorable interviews Corso has conducted was with Gil Colman, a survivor of the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. Corso would call him every year on the anniversary with hopes to set up an interview, which Colman would respectfully decline. On the fifth anniversary, Colman finally agreed.

Corso can recall his interview with Colman as if no time has passed. Colman described to Corso the details of that tragic day for him.

During the shooting, someone climbed on top of Colman, covering him in blood. When the shooter came back through to kill any remaining survivors, he assumed Colman was dead.

“It was really pretty powerful to have him tell that story,” Corso said. “He actually got shot and didn’t even realize it; he thought he just got grazed or something.”

Corso says his favorite part of the job is setting up and conducting the interviews he does every day during his segment, “One on One.” His coworkers appreciate having his lighthearted spirit around the office.

“Bob will loosen up just like anyone else and make you laugh, so you get the best of both worlds,” WHSV Chief Meteorologist Aubrey

Urbanowicz said. “You get professionalism but you also get a fun coworker at the same time.”

Urbanowicz has worked with Corso for the past seven years. She recalls a newscast when, for some reason, the video went out, but the production team directed them to keep talking because there was no footage. The teleprompter read “As you can see in this video…”, and after Corso read that aloud, he stopped, and almost by instinct, began to act out the footage of what it would look like if you saw a bear climbing a tree.

“Bob’s a character,” Urbanowicz said. “He’s serious about the news and passionate about the reporting and what we report.”

Although most know him as WHSV Anchor Bob Corso, he’s also a husband to Suzanne Miller-Corso, who is a professor of dance and musical theatre at JMU. They have two girls, ages 15 and 12, and on the weekends, you can find him coaching youth soccer. At the age of 62, he says he plans to stay at WHSV until he retires, with nothing planned on when that may be. ◆

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llife with llamas

ARTICLE BY Madisson Haynes PHOTOS BY Cassey Jennings

32 | Curio 32 | Curio

C

rumbled dirt and layers of hay sink beneath pairs of muddied work boots. The old, tattered barn seems as if it’s been empty for decades, and the worn, wooden fence is held shut with a singular latch. Its gatekeeper, the oldest and wisest in all of the acreage, peers over a post, looming stately, standing his ground.

Zapper the llama, one of Posey ThisIsIt LLama Farm’s residents, patiently waits. Joyce Hall, his caretaker, signals at the llama waiting at the entrance for his mid-day crackers.

“This is Zapper, he’s my boy,” Jamee, aged 56 and Joyce’s daughter, said, feeding the solemn llama a cracker, soon followed by a healthy treat of apples and carrots. Zapper stands over 6 feet tall and is dark like espresso. His face is solemn and his eyes stern, seemingly like a statue.

Not far beyond the old gate and into the fields are dozens of other llamas — 27 to be precise. Each have their own distinct color, ranging from pure white to speckled brown. The llamas have names that match their individual personalities, which aren’t hidden, either.

“Everybody names themselves around here,” Kevin, aged 52 and Jamee’s husband, said.

Joyce, with a face adorned with freckles, is 75 years old, but that hasn’t stopped her from caring for her family of llamas. She knows the names of each and every one by heart. After all, she has raised them for years. “Duette and Cinnamon Bear and Star,” Joyce trails on, not forgetting a single one. The llamas are like family to Joyce, and she treats them as such.

Joyce adopted each and every llama on the property, starting when she opened the farm in 1994 with just two llamas — Diagonal and Coco Puff — who just so happened to be pregnant at the time of their arrival. Since then, Joyce has continued rescuing llamas from other farms and families unable to care for them.

While the farm fronts as a llama rescue center, it’s the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the business up and running. That’s where Jamee comes in.

She spends much of her time shearing the wool from the llamas and creating crafts and handmade goods from the fiber. The goods are often sold in the local community of Toms Brook, Virginia, to support the donation-based farm. Plus, Jamee enjoys working with her hands.

“It’s a lot cheaper than a psychiatrist,” Jamee said. “It’s at-home therapy.”

Jamee spends much of her time spinning the llama’s wool into beautiful garments like scarves, hats and bath mats. Unlike her daughter, Joyce prefers to be in the fields tending to her animals. She doesn’t enjoy wool making.

To Joyce, the farm is a hidden gem, tucked away in the mountains between blueberry fields and wineries. But Joyce is no stranger to the public — events

are often held at the farm in support of local businesses or festivals. She’s famous in town for her llama kisses, and loves to show them off. Putting one cracker in her mouth, Joyce leans over to Cinnamon Bear’s mouth as the animal delicately takes the cracker from Joyce’s mouth and into its own, grunting and reaching her head into the bucket of fruit in Joyce’s hand. Joyce laughs and repeats the performance multiple times.

“They are piggy,” Joyce said. “They can eat and eat and eat all day.”

The farm also holds several other events to promote visitors. Joyce hosts adopt-a-llama, which allows those unsuited for a pet llama, to adopt one and visit it whenever they’d like. She also allows llama owners to board their furry friends at her farm and asks them to donate food for the animals as part of their fee.

Joyce believes that her farm has a purpose greater than caring for the llamas, so she often volunteers her time taking the llamas to nursing homes or schools. The llamas serve as therapy animals for the elderly population as well as children with special needs. Zapper in particular is especially good with kids.

“These animals are really helpful to a special needs child and they really are wonderful to work with,” Joyce said.

The children often work with the llamas’ fiber as well, creating crafts and then sending them back to the farm, thanking Joyce and Jamee for the fun they provide. The nursing home residents often find the llamas to be intimidating, but once Joyce brings Zapper, the monstrous yet melancholic giant, into their small room, the residents’ faces beam. Joyce finds these moments to be the single most important.

Joyce finds joy in making others smile, and welcomes visitors to the farm free of charge year-round. Visits are equipped with a full tour and introduction to all of its furry tenants, as well as a warm welcome from the animals themselves.

Joyce cares about her llama family immensely, and sees them as her old children. With each llama passing through the fields, she can recite when and where she received the llama and each of their personalities. According to Jamee, her mother loves the llamas so deeply she even lets them in her house on occasion.

“Duette comes down for her morning breakfast in the house,” Jamee said laughing.

“Well, yes, of course,” Joyce responded.

Joyce believes she was put on the earth for one thing, raising her llamas.

She says she refuses to stop doing it — for now anyway.

“I love what I do,” Joyce said. “I love sharing with people — the animals and farm life — No. This is my thing.” ◆

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Unity of Farm to Table STORY & PHOTOS BY Shelby Imes

34 | Curio

B

ill Daulton, g eneral manag er of Harrisonburg’s prestigious Joshua Wilton House, clutched the back of one of the interior lounges’ burgundy leather chairs, and explained that “we’ve always had really high standards for the quality of food they bring in.”

Moving on to finish the rest of our tour, he was frank about the abundance of quality, homegrown food in the Valley. “I always say if anyone opens up a restaurant in the Shenandoah Valley and they don’t utilize all the ingredients that are surrounding us, then you’re taking the long way around it.”

The Joshua Wilton House Inn & Restaurant has prided itself on locally sourcing its highly revered cuisine since opening in 1988, putting it ahead of

the curve of the explosive farm-to-table dining trend that made its mark on the restaurant business in the last decade.

But underneath localized food’s recently glamorized profitability and popularity lies a community of farmers and restaurants that have cultivated meaningful and lasting relationships— relationships that have always existed, although under the radar.

“Hello Elda, how are you?” Daulton cheerfully greeted as he made his way back to the empty kitchen from the wine cellar. It was midday, and the chefs were gearing up for the bustle of a Friday evening.

“Good, and you?” Elda, one of Joshua Wilton House’s food providers, responds as she treads to the car she just finished unloading her product from.

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“It’s a passion of bringing the farms back to what they used to be.”

36 | Curio

“This is the difference between working with farmers and sourcing locally, and buying from Cisco,” Daulton turned to say. “This is a farmer that has just come and backed up in a minivan, probably coming right from a market somewhere.”

The Joshua Wilton House restaurant sources from a deluge of different local farms, one of which being PolyFace Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Each fall, the owners of PolyFace and the farm’s summer interns haul in their own home-raised choice of protein for a harvest celebration feast and let the Wilton House chefs work their magic.

“We’ve been in business with them as one of the first ones, and we’re still in business with them,” Daulton said. “They appreciate that, it means a lot.”

With the support of restaurants and other farmers alike, the culture of helping one’s neighbor has taken on a new meaning, and in the end, has been the silent engine of the sustainable farming movement. In this industry, farmers and restaurants alike show their gratitude for one another.

Travis Reich, an owner of the White Barn Company in New Hope, Virginia not only takes part in this process by contributing to Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market, but Reich also helps to supply goods to other farms and programs around the Valley.

“There’s a lot of farmers around here, and there’s a lot to do,” Reich said, “There’s always a little bit of a niche for my kind of business.”

The White Barn Company runs out of Willow Creek Farm, the patch of land the Reichs bought as their homestead in 1991. The purple hills and mountains of Augusta County tower over the 75 acres of farmed land as Reich and his father, Ron, and brother, Lucas, are outside tending to their many pigs, calves, chickens, roosters, goats and horses. The company even has a few beekeeps, and also plans to uproot a greenhouse in the coming years.

Since starting White Barn in 2011, Reich has built a reputation for helping out other farms. After completing his portion of work on the farm, Travis will leave to help neighboring farms install gravel roadways, watering mechanisms for animals, fences, and any other tasks requiring skills he has.

“It seems like every month, we’re doing totally different projects,” Reich said. “Most farmers aren’t too skilled at that kind of stuff, and they don’t necessarily keep all the right equipment.”

Reich not only helps neighboring farms increase productivity, he also helps them take steps toward modernity through helping them implement

solar-powered irrigation systems, pole barns and other sustainable farming practices.

“It is evident that we live beside farms that don’t necessarily do those things,” Katie Reich, Travis Reich’s wife and the marketing consultant for White Barn, said. “It’s a passion of bringing the farms back to what they used to be.”

As the chefs and cooks quietly flit around the Wilton kitchen, Daulton unknowingly echoed Katie’s sentiments. “[Farmers] want to bring it back to the focus of you know, being family run businesses, taking care of their animals the right way, and having integrity with their product.” Daulton said The smell of old Victorian home wafts in and out of awareness in the Joshua Wilton House restaurant as protein and vegetables raised within a 10-mile radius line plates for the evening dinner rush— the setting brings one back to times when “Grandaddy Itis” was still back on the farm. In a fast-moving world where food trends come and go, farm-to-table’s timeless quality will remain in the Valley, forged by the hands of those who help one another. ◆

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Gentle as a Lam Elkton Man Finds New Life in an Unlikely Profession

W

hen Ray Lam works, he has 50 pairs of eyes watching him. Dead animals cover every wall and much of the floor space of Lam’s workshop.

Antlers and claws protrude from the walls as if they were part of the structure itself. Perched on a wooden stool, Lam is completely at ease among familiar faces.

Lam is the owner of Cub Run Taxidermy in Elkton, Virginia.

He has been practicing taxidermy since he was in his mid-twenties. Since then he has worked on about a thousand animals.

Two years ago, Lam officially launched Cub Run Taxidermy. Now 44-years-old, he has since been able to retire from his construction business and pursue taxidermy full time, working 50 to 60 hours a week in his backyard workshop.

Most animals take somewhere between 10 and 20 hours to complete. The first and maybe most important step, according to Lam, is to take a series of measurements from the animal. After that, he will send away for a Styrofoam form.

Next, Lam will “cape the animal out and flesh it down,” meaning he will take the hide off of the animal and remove the meat so only raw hide remains. He then tans the hide and refrigerates it until the form arrives. Then Lam lays the hide over the form and attaches the glass eyes. He stretches the hide and starts sewing it up around the form.

Then he attaches the mounting.

The animal has to sit and dry for a period of 15 to 20 days. After that time, he cleans it up and begins working on the fine details with epoxy and paint.

Since there are so many steps to the process, Lam is always working on multiple animals at a time.

“I’ll mount 10 or 15 [deer] heads in one week.

I’ll have the walls stacked full of them,” says Lam. Deer and fish are the most common request, but he has also worked on bighorn sheep, goats, dall sheep, mule deer, elk, caribou, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, squirrels, even an alligator.

“My favorite, I’d have to say, is bobcats. I love putting bobcats together,” says Lam. “When you start putting the hair patterns where they’re supposed to go, it looks so real.”

Lam has one rule when it comes to his business: no pets.

“I know these animals, I know when they’re in the right position and the wrong position. I don’t know that about your pet,” says Lam. Lam’s fascination with taxidermy grew from a love of| hunting that was instilled in him by his 38 Curio

STORY BY Emily Olivier PHOTOS BY Casey Jennings

Lam has been practicing taxidermy since his twenties. He now owns Club Run Taxidermy and works there full time.

grandfather.

“He would come pick us up and we would be on the river fishing or we would be up in the mountains hunting with Granddaddy,” says Lam. “For us, it wasn’t just a sport. It was what we did for food when I was a kid. We lived off that.”

The family took their animals to local taxidermist Tom Auville. Eventually Lam asked Auville if he’d consider teaching him the craft. Auville agreed, and for eight years Lam studied under him, helping him with animals and taking taxidermy classes at a community college in Surry, North Carolina.

“We’ve been friends for a long time and he was interested in doing taxidermy, so he’d come by quite often and help out and we’d work together,” says Auville. “I know he’s come along in pretty big ways.”

As Lam continued to improve, friends and family began asking him to do taxidermy work for them.

It wasn’t until an experience building a church at the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana that Lam considered taking on taxidermy as a career.

“While we were there, God used my taxidermy skills to fix an animal for one of the natives, and come to find out, in the process of me doing that, it bonded a relationship that had been broken between two brothers,” says Lam. “While I was there I just really felt like God was nudging me out into doing this full time.”

For Lam, taxidermy has always been about more than just putting animals together.

“This is what feels like my ministry,” says Lam. “I get a lot of men that come through this door that would never go to a church. When they come in here, we’re on the same level plane. There’s no laws, there’s no fakeness to it. We’re passionate

about hunting. We’re passionate about animals, and I have an opportunity just to be real with these men.”

One of those men is Nicky Workman, a childhood family friend of the Lam’s and the most frequent customer of Cub Run Taxidermy.

“I’m allergic to deer and I love to hunt,” says Workman. “Ever since I’ve been hunting he’s been my deer dragger and cleaner and he mounts all my stuff. So he’s been there for me all my life.”

Although Lam is now an established taxidermist, he is always improving his craft.

“I’m still learning every day: different techniques, different styles, new ways of doing things from what I was taught,” says Lam. It’s not only taxidermy that Lam is learning from.

Aside from his passion for the craft, Lam’s children were a big part of his decision to retire from the construction industry and work from home. As much as Lam loves taxidermy, there are more important things in his life.

“Now that [Lam and I] are getting older,” says Workman, “it’s all about the kids.”

Doctors told Lam and his wife that they would probably never be able to have children. They now have two.

“Took us a while, but we had them. And they’re ours. They’re mine,” says Lam. In Lam’s deer-lined workshop, his son sits on his knee, both clad in matching denim. Lam’s arms are wrapped around the toddler. The boy wiggles free and runs to pet one of the hides resting on the floor of his father’s workshop before scampering out into the yard. Lam’s eyes follow him.

“You don’t know what living is until you have those.” ◆

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Taste of India

STORY BY Emma Friedman PHOTOS BY Alyssa Antonio & Emma Friedman

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shok Kunver’s love of cooking began when he was just a kid. He watched his father work as a server for Sun-N-Sand, a five-star hotel on the sandy beaches of Mumbai, India. Then, his father moved to Albany, New York where he began his family’s legacy, opening their first Indian restaurant.

Ashok’s passion for food slowly blossomed as he and his family opened businesses across the country, finally settling in Harrisonburg. Ashok and his wife began the businesses in Harrisonburg on their own, while caring for Ashok’s elderly parents. His father passed away just last year.

“I followed my dad’s path,” Ashok said. “I like tasty food … I’m very picky.”

Ashok’s father started out working for smaller street-style vendors in India.

After just one year in New York, the Kunver family, including 13-year-old Ashok and his two brothers, moved to California where they lived for about 16 years, and worked in the restaurant business. They then traveled to Hartford, Connecticut where they opened their first Taste of India restaurant, and where Ashok’s two brothers still live. Then, Ahsok, his wife and children moved to Flint, Michigan before the Friendly City.

“I came here 10 years ago. I opened … Taste of India restaurant on University Boulevard. That restaurant my wife runs.” Ashok says. “Mr. Padam runs [Taj of India] … I just control the food quality.”

Ashok’s wife Sita Kunver was manager at a Dunkin Donuts in Connecticut before working as manager of Taste of India. Both she and her husband share in a love not just for cooking.

“I’m a people person. I love people. I think thats the main reason I like

40 | Curio

restaurant business,” Sita said. “A lot of people don’t like to, you know, to talk with each other. But you know, I’m not that kind of person.”

Kunver and Sita have personability in common.

“I like to be surrounded by people, so restaurant business is the perfect business for me,” Ashok said in agreement.

Padam Sapkota also values the support of the community. He found his business partners in Harrisonburg, helping the Kunver family open Taj of India in September 2016, where Sapkota is part-owner and manager.

Sapkota pointed in the direction of the bar where Ashok sat. From the square table in the front window of Taj of India, his eyes sparkled and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

“To do the restaurant business I was inspired by him ... I learned everything from him,” Sapkota said.

Sapkota met Ashok in Harrisonburg when their families met together in the community for holidays and religious festivals like Thanksgiving and Holi, the festival of colors, traditionally celebrated in Indian regions and throughout the world. Sapkota immigrated to Harrisonburg from Nepal, where he was previously a high school chemistry teacher.

After receiving admission to graduate schools, Sapkota realised a path toward higher education was not his, because it didn’t offer him the lifestyle he wanted. As a father of two daughters and a devoted husband, he wanted to spend more time with his family. Luckily, he stumbled upon the perfect opportunity when he began his business career with other devoted parents.

“We want to raise our children surrounded by good people. We’ve got three kids,” Sita said. “It’s less traffic, it’s less stress … You can survive very well here

Ashok and his wife, Sita, came to Harrisonburg 10 years ago and opened Taste of India. Sita serves as the manager of the restaurant and enjoys interactions with customers.

so we like that the most. Easy life, so we can spend time with the kids, you know?”

Because in Connecticut Ashok would often work from 8 a.m. until the following morning at 2 a.m., they decided to create a restaurant schedule in Harrisonburg to foster a work-life balance.

Sita arrives at work at 9:30 a.m. She and her staff work busily in the kitchen for the next hour and a half on the buffet so that at 11 a.m., they can welcome customers. “[It’s] my hobby to cook and stuff like that, so when I don’t have a chef there I go back too, I don’t mind,” Sita said.

But from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. the restaurant closes, and by 9 or 9:30 p.m. they head home for the night.

“Here we don’t have like long hours you know, now we take a break, we go home, stay with the kids,” Sita said. “It’s very easy, good family life.”

Harrisonburg’s way of life takes a more casual tone as it sits in a more rural portion of Virginia, and Sita feels there’s not much traffic or stress. Sapkota is taking advantage of opportunities that exist in this community setting to further business.

Among laughing children and vibrant celebration, Sapkota passes out menus and coupons to passers by.

“Right now I’m focusing to the county area,” Sapkota said. “There are a lot of wine festivals, international festivals, craft festivals, a lot of festivals in the surrounding area like Broadway, Bridgewater, Dayton.”

Sapkota also donates food, and gives gift

certificates to schools and churches, sporting events and even to other businesses like radio stations. In the future he wants to become more involved with the Harrisonburg community outside the restaurant.

“I like Harrisonburg to live. It is good town to start a small business like a restaurant ... customers here are very loyal,” Sapkota said.

Taj of India sees lots of lots of customers from JMU as well as locals, who turn into regular customers. The businesses are spurred on by discount opportunities. Students receive 10 percent discounts at the lunch buffet and 15 percent discounts off normal menu items. There is also a 15 percent discount for public servants such as veterans and police officers upon showing valid identification.

In addition to a robust community of consumers, the Downtown Renaissance representatives, including Executive Director Andrea Dono, contribute to the restaurant’s success. When she passes by the restaurant, she will say hello and point out small things to help fix or strengthen the business, and provide positive feedback.

“Sometimes the buffets, when the food is cold, we’re busy running here and there … ‘Excuse me, the food is cold, I’m good but I just wanted to remind you,’” Sapkota said.

Dono will make suggestions about how to better promote the success of the restaurant. If customers can’t see that Taj of India is busy, they may be less likely to eat there.

“We put the customers in the back area during the dinner because it’s cold. [Dono] told me to put the customers by the window. So we are busy but the people do not see we are busy,” Sapkota said.

“Customers sit by the window so other customers see you’re busy, otherwise even if you are busy, in the back nobody sees.”

It seems this advice is working well, because both restaurants receive a host of support and attendance across the multicultural Harrisonburg community.

“You know all the international people, because those are the people who like to have different authentic cuisines. I’m a people person, so I love to be surrounded by it,” Kunver said.

A certain few Indian dishes stand out at the restaurants. Chicken Tiki Masala, Tag Vindaloo, Momo and Goat Curry are the most memorable.

Because of Ashok’s family background experience as a cook for many years, he dictates all the food recipes at both Taste of India and Taj of India. All the spices are made from scratch, and Ashok personally trains the secondary staff in the kitchen.

In the kitchens at Taj of India, a knife quickly cuts through cumin. Small cracking noises pierce the air as cinnamon sticks break in two. Green and black cardamoms sit whole on the counter, the next spice in line to prepare for customers that day.

“Here, like the chicken tikka masala, when you go to the D.C. area restaurants, you won’t like it because my recipe is a little different than other recipes,” Ashok said with a laugh.◆

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Crossing Boun ARTICLE BY Catie Robertson PHOTOS COURTESY OF DUCC

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t the beginning of Divine Unity Community Church’s Sunday services, Pastor Chris encourages the congregants to reach up towards the heavens. When these people’s hands raise toward the ceiling, something becomes noticeable.

It’s not what jewelry they’re wearing and it’s not the movements they make. It isn’t even the magical feeling that begins to rush through the crowd. It is the numerous colors of skin at the service that tend to surprise people.

On April 17, 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on NBC’s primetime program “Meet the Press.”

During this interview, he uttered a few of his most famous words concerning segregation of faith: “I think it is one of the tragedies of our nation, one of the shameful tragedies, that eleven o’clock on Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours, if not the most segregated hour, in Christian America.”

Nearly every church in the United States has its own specific racial population. The division sums up simply: there are black churches, and there are white churches.

Though this racial divide is still an aspect of many churches in the United States, churches like Divine Unity Community Church are the exception. Founded in 2012, DUCC is a Christianbased faith community as well as a valuable part of the Harrisonburg community. It has community service efforts and a very strong campus ministry presence at most of the universities in Harrisonburg and surrounding areas.

In a small apartment near Bridgewater College’s campus, Chris Johnson and two of his fellow football players were relaxing on a night in.

They were finally seniors and had already given the typical college lifestyle a try; partying, being reckless, and hopefully making it to class on time.

But, something was missing for them.

Chris had lived a culturally Christian life, attending church and studying the Bible. He was also born into hip-hop culture and found his personal taste reflected in this music as well.

However, these two aspects of his life conflicted for him and he felt the messages of rap music were not always cohesive with the lifestyle Christianity encourages.

Interrupting the movie they were watching,

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Chris looked at his friends Derrick and Troy and asked to pray together. The three men were Christian and had been searching for spiritual engagement, so they agreed to. They bowed their heads and made their place with God known.

This began Chris’ journey and work on college ministry. He strove to answer the question, “Can you be a Christian and still be relevant in culture without compromising?”

He began attending New Life Ministries and searched to define his faith. He was by no means a white-collar man: his burliness and affinity for hip-hop made him feel excluded from most traditional church communities. That didn’t stop him, however. By the end of 2005 a campus ministry was born from his friendship with Troy Burnett and Derrick Burroughs.

They held weekly devotionals and often shared meals with attendees. Week after week their ministry grew, and it wasn’t just Bridgewater students anymore. Students from Mary Baldwin College, James Madison University, Eastern Mennonite University and beyond started to attend what had been dubbed “DURAG Ministries,” an acronym for Divine Unity Righteously Applying God. By 2010, it was clear that DURAG was more than a campus ministry. Chris received his Master’s degree in divinity from Eastern Mennonite University and prepared himself to help lead the members of DURAG who had committed to the Harrisonburg community, all because of the divine unity they found in each other and God. As Chris said, “We recognized our call wasn’t just to the campus, it was also to the community.” And thus, Divine Unity Community Church (DUCC) was born in Pastor Chris’ mind.

Current Children and Youth Pastor Gianne Harper described the process of creating DUCC. Moving from a campus ministry to a fully-grown church had many steps: they held Bible studies, met with pastors from other churches, and travelled to speak in different places. A location was eventually established in a small shopping center in Harrisonburg and Gianne described the first Sunday service held there as a pivotal moment in the success of the church. Concerned that there wouldn’t be enough people, they were shocked when more than eighty attended. Pastor Harper still breathes a sigh of relief when she tells

the story, remarking, “Lord… thank you. We really weren’t sure. We thought we might get twelve college students.”

DUCC is no average faith community, however.

Pastor Chris relates his devotion to multiethnic and multigenerational worship to the Gospels of the New Testament. In Ephesians, after the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice, God says he has torn down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, creating a new man.

This “new man” is a new race, a new people.

“It wasn’t about skin color, it wasn’t about socio-economic class, it wasn’t about age, it wasn’t about the divisions that existed. It was about something greater,” said Pastor Chris. For DUCC, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross broke down the walls between the people of earth, leaving them with the divine unity that was intended for them.

Pastor Gianne adds to this, saying that this divine unity means nothing about looking the same. Nothing and no one at DUCC is uniform.

“God has given you your uniqueness, and we want to celebrate your uniqueness in his plan,” she said.

Life Pastor and congregant Rob Buchanan spoke of this non-homogeneous community affectionately, mentioning his brokenness of spirit and self when arriving at DUCC. Despite this pain, he says that “Pastor Chris says that everyone here has a limp, come on in.”

This process isn’t as fluffy or beautiful as it sounds, however. There is a core issue of reconciliation in America that must be dealt with, and that reconciliation goes beyond black or white. Pastor Chris reminds his congregants that it takes effort from every person of every

ndaries One Valley church’s desire for diversity color to truly unite as one. Even the smallest of details at DUCC make the biggest difference, creating a more inclusive worship environment for everyone present. In fact- the windows at the very front of the church say “Welcome Home,” suggesting that anyone who enters the building is welcome as family.

Chris, and other speakers at the church, address the issue of racial division directly in their services. They call on the congregants to reach out to one another and see their shared love of Christ. They ask them to look around and take note of all the different faces, colors, and representations within their own worship services.

It is unfortunate that, even in 2018, Martin Luther King Jr’s words on racial divisions within church communities still apply. However, a new approach is being taken up in some faith communities that aims to remedy this. Divine Unity Community Church is one of these places attempting to reconcile racial issues through scripture, community, and application. Though its beginnings were limited to a collegiate environment, DUCC is now an integral part of the Harrisonburg community. It proves that people of different races, backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses can come together in the name of Christ to celebrate what unites them: a divine unity.

When asked how he has helped DUCC become a successfully diverse and welcoming community, he talks about the need to interpret the Bible and word of God in everyday moments, through actions, and through love. To sum it up, he says, “We have to live lives outside of Sunday that scream diversity.”◆

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