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Bloom celebrating Valley women

Museum m a ve n

Penny Imeson celebrates h i s to r y i n t h e Valley

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INSIDE BLOOM

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16 Keep going, and keep growing Christina Kunkle clears the path for resilient women to keep treading when stumbling blocks appear. p. 13

Museum maven

Penny Imeson, the woman behind the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society and Dayton’s Heritage Museum, shares her history. your CAREER Clocking out (and back in).

Welcome back, ladies! It’s hard to believe fall 2014 is here already, and with it another issue of Bloom — but the patchwork quilting the Valley and the chill in the morning air says it’s true.

As Jim Bishop says, “Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” The Bloom staff hopes this issue shines as we tackle everything from politics to beauty, spirituality to career.

This edition serves as a platform for area women to weigh in: Some Valley ladies share what makes them feel beautiful (page 10), while others tackle the same-sex marriage debate in the first installment of Your Politics (page 14).

For those looking at the autumn of their careers, retirees who have found jobs after crossing the threshold share their stories

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your BEAUTY p. 5

your SPIRITUALITY Returning to the fold.

Fall 2014

A hop, skip and jump across the pond

What makes you feel beautiful? p. 10

your POLITICS p. 8

Same-sex marriage debate.

Staff writer Candace Sipos shares what she learned during her first trip abroad.

She visited Thailand and Cambodia over two weeks in early September.

p. 22

p. 14

(page 5). Christina Kunkle clears the path for resilient women to keep going and growing when obstacles appear ( page 13).

And we’re given a glimpse into the life of one such resilient lady: Penny Imeson, director of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society and Heritage Museum in Dayton. Penny discusses her admittedly lateblooming love of history and rolling with the punches (“Museum maven,” page 16).

As John Greenleaf Whittier put it: Autumn is “a mighty flower garden blossoming under the spell of the enchanter, frost.” Winter will be here before we know it, ladies, let’s enjoy fall while we can!

Kate Kersey Editor

B l o o m St a f f

Kate Kersey, editor Matt Gonzales, staff writer Katie King, staff writer Candace Sipos, staff writer Hannah Pitstick, staff writer Kim Potter & Sara Schu, account executives

Bloom is a publication of Rockingham Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright © 2012 Rockingham Publishing Co., Inc. 231 S. Liberty St. Harrisonburg, VA 22801 For advertising information, contact Kim Potter at 574-6224 or kpotter@dnronline.com or Sara Schu at 574-6227 or sschu@dnronline.com.

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your CAREER

oris Showalter hasn’t held a full-time job since 1999, but she never really stopped working.

“If you don’t keep busy, it just isn’t pretty,” Showalter says. “I don’t understand why the closer to the end of life people become, the less motivated they seem. Your time is running out and it seems more important than ever to do, seek, read and grow.”

Still on the

Clock

ARTICLE BY HANNAH PITSTICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL REILLY

And she isn’t the only one who feels that way. According to a recent survey commissioned by the Federal Reserve and released in July 2014, more than half of the respondents aged 60 years and older said they plan to work in retirement.

Showalter hadn’t yet reached retirement age when she quit working at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic in 1999, but the now 68-year-old was “totally burnt out,” she says.

After that, she began volunteering, raising her two grandsons and sewing for interior decorators. Last July, she was shopping at Ragtime Fabrics, where she has been a customer for years, when the owner asked if she would like a job.

“I went home and talked it over with my husband and we decided no nights, no Sundays. I love fabric, I love to talk, no brainer,” she explains.

Showalter works about 25 hours a week at the store, and between that and her volunteer work, she keeps busy.

She says all the employees at Ragtime are part-time, and none are younger than 50.

“Everyone has this rich life experience,” she says. “One lady is very good with crafting; another at working with knits and jerseys, and one is a master of garments.”

Showalter earned the title “Apron Queen” from her coworkers and is the go-to for interior design questions. The job comes with a paycheck, but she says the extra cash is a small part of why she continues to show up for work.

“I started in early July of last year, and in late August, one of my daughters died and the job became a Godsend,” she says. “Having to get up, get out, deal with the public and put on a face was really wonderful. Had I not lost my daughter, I don’t know how I would feel about working, but I need this much more than they need me.”

Need to work

While Showalter finds reward in the work, for many over

Doris Showalter examines a seam gauge during a class she teaches at Ragtime Fabrics on West Market Street. Though she retired in 1999, Showalter never really quit working.

retirement age, an additional source of income is vital.

Mary Rouse, a 71-year-old widow and former school teacher, has not been able to fully retire because she lost her husband to leukemia when she was 53.

When he was diagnosed, Rouse was not employed, and when she attempted to get back into teaching, her credentials worked against her. With a master’s degree in education and more than 80 extra credit hours in art, Rouse was even turned away from a part-time job as a grocery checker because she was deemed over-qualified.

“I met with one of the human resource managers at one school,” Rouse says. “And I was told ‘We can’t afford you; you have too much experience.’ She didn’t say you’re too old, but that came with it.”

Rouse has been giving private piano lessons in her home at Sunnyside Retirement Community and selling handmade jewelry and other crafts since her husband passed away to supplement Social Security, which she says doesn’t realistically consider inflation, and to pay for unexpected expenses, which add up as one ages.

“Most of us have to pay our own health insurance supplement to Medicaid and that doesn’t cover a lot of things,” she says. “It doesn’t cover dental, it doesn’t cover new glasses, which cost more every time we have to add a layer; it doesn’t cover the shingles shot, which I feel is necessary, and it doesn’t cover many of the medications for blood pressure and common ailments.”

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Rouse has taught students throughout the past 53 years. After her husband died, she took on as many as 52 students to prove that she could make enough to be self-sufficient.

“I was 53, so I couldn’t access retirement until I was 65,” she says.

“My father always said piano lessons were a waste of money, but not for me; it’s been my living.”

With Medicare and a small private pension, plus what she makes teaching piano, Rouse says she’s comfortable as long as she doesn’t do anything extra.

She adds that the job is important to her for reasons other than money.

“I find interaction with the students and their families is a vital part of my life,” she says. “It helps keep me in contact with the rest of the world.”

In the beginning

Historically, retirement is a new concept. Until early medieval times, people simply worked until they died, which was typically before age 40.

Retirement became a popular idea in the United States during the Industrial Revolution, when older workers caused

unemployment among the younger population by refusing to retire. It eventually became apparent that the only way to get people to stop working was to pay them not to work. So, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed the Social Security Act of 1935, which made workers pay for their own old-age insurance, according to the Social Security Administration website.

“People never retired prior to the implementation of social security,” Showalter says. “It was implemented years ago when unemployment was high and you could effectively, for political purposes, alter the number of unemployed if you designated X percent of those retired. It changed the landscape of what the world looked like.”

Looking forward

With baby boomers retiring, much debate has arisen regarding how the economy will handle a shrinking labor force, but it seems many have no plans to stop working.

“It’s interesting for me to look at people retiring at ages 50-60 — those are children,” Showalter says. “I think they will go on to reinvent themselves and do

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something a little bit different.”

Linda Miller, a former elementary school teacher, has reinvented herself into an author of children’s books, something she never dreamed she would do. She retired six years ago when she wasn’t yet 65, and decided to work parttime to offset the cost of the traveling she and her husband wanted to do.

“I was substituting for a third grade class and I assigned the students to write a story, and thought maybe I should write a story, too,” she says. “I wrote a story about a little girl who came to the school house, and then I had several more ideas. I thought: ‘I’m not a writer, where did this come from?’ ” Miller is self-publishing the book, titled “A Surprise for Ruth,” and plans to release it as part of a series. That project, along with her part-time jobs and volunteer work, has made her busier than ever.

“People ask if I’m retired, and I’m like: ‘From what? From teaching full time, yes, but I’m busy all the time.’ ” Hannah’s mother — who recently retired and has already started sending out her resume — inspired this story.

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Finding your way alk in the media about American millennials leaving the Christian church spurs numerous explanations and just as many pointed fingers.

Some are even convinced that no such problem exists, or that it will be reversed as soon as the age group — loosely defined as those born after 1980, who began to reach adulthood around 2000 — settles down. You know, when those teenagers and 20-somethings find fulltime jobs, move out of the house and start their own families.

Only that’s not happening at the same rate or on the same schedule as it has in previous generations.

According to ongoing research from the Barna Group, which has interviewed more than 27,000 millennials for more than 200 studies conducted throughout the past decade, millennials are trending away from the Christian church.

In 2013, the group reported that, over the previous decade, the number of unchurched millennials rose from 44 to 52 percent.

Nearly 60 percent of young Christians leave the church for at least an extended period of time after age 15, the group discovered. The majority of them are considered “nomads,” meaning they

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AR TICLE BY CANDACE SIPOS PHOTOGR APHY BY JASON LENHART

back into the fold still consider themselves Christian but become far less involved with the church, the research found.

Millennials cite several factors for the schism, including a lack of depth in their church experience, the feeling that they have to choose between science and religion in the church and the idea that the institution is too fear-based, exclusive and judgmental, especially when it comes to sexuality, according to the Barna Group.

To be fair, the number of Americans unaffiliated with any religion has been on the rise across the board, according to the Pew Research Center, though adults age 18-29 are far more likely to be non-religious than older people, and they’re much more likely to be unaffiliated than people from previous generations were at a similar age.

Like these research groups, many local pastors and church-goers are under no impression that the issue is fabricated.

Rising to the task

“It’s a hugely significant issue,” says Amanda Garber, pastor of the millennial-heavy congregation that meets at

Court Square Theater: RISE, a United Methodist faith community.

She frequently discusses the topic, actually.

“Most of what I’ve read has said [millennials] are leaving and they’re leaving for good, or they’re never coming,” she said. “The vast majority of denominations are shrinking at a rapid pace among young adults.”

As a result, many churches are disappearing, thanks to an aging populous complicated by a resistant youth. That’s true of many mainline evangelical denominations, but some Eastern religions — such as Buddhism — are growing, she pointed out.

It’s not necessarily that young people are hostile toward organized religion, Garber says. They just don’t see the point.

“The resistance is really not to Jesus,” she explained. “The resistance is to legalism and an institution that is, at best, irrelevant.”

Millennials are seeking real relationships, meaning and authenticity, she said.

Amy Haloskey could attest to that; she’s been attending RISE for the past year and a half after a long absence from regular church attendance because she

your SPIRITUALITY

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couldn’t find the right fit. “[RISE] was literally everything I was searching for and I didn’t even know I was looking for,” she said. “I couldn’t really find anything that I genuinely connected to and a community that felt entirely authentic to me.”

Haloskey, a James Madison University student who lives in Harrisonburg and grew up in Broadway, describes RISE as “less legalistic” than other churches and a place that focuses on a God of love rather than fear.

Instead of simply attending a brickand-mortar weekly worship time disparate from the rest of the week, millennials are more concerned with church as a place to “empower us to go and be the hands and feet, love how Jesus would love,” Haloskey said.

The millennials she knows are more worried about serving the public than “trying to fit the mold of a perfect Christian,” more concerned with making a difference in the world than meticulously refining one’s own faith.

RISE embodies that philosophy, with community service projects such as Rise & Shine, which provides hygiene items to those in need, and Love Packs, which doles out weekend food-filled backpacks to students who need food assistance during the week.

“I wouldn’t say that we are necessarily leaving [the church],” Haloskey said. “I just think we’re exploring what it really means to truly follow the Lord.” »See SPIRITUALITY, Page 21

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your BEAUTY

What makes you feel

?

beautiful

thi

nk st o k.c oc m

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“Weight lifting then showering.”

“Sweating after a workout.”

CASSANDRA KILKENNY, AGE 20, OKINAWA, JAPAN

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“Being with my friends.”

FLORA JENKINS, AGE 85, HARRISONBURG

“Being around people I love that make me smile.”

“Getting new clothes.”

AMY BURWELL, AGE 17, HARRISONBURG

“Whenever I feel good inside.”

VIVIAN TURNER, AGE 84, BROADWAY

“When I’m with family.”

“Flushed cheeks and toned legs after a good run, followed by a hot shower and sometimes a sassy outfit.”

KATIE YOUNT, AGE 25, HARRISONBURG

“My daughter, a facial ... and a Bikram yoga class.”

“Keeping myself in shape.”

DAWN TURNER, AGE 48, BROADWAY

“Spending a day at the beach.”

BRANDI SOMERS, AGE 33, BROADWAY

KATIE KING, AGE 27, HARRISONBURG

SHANNON LAFY, AGE 39, HARRISONBURG

“Dancing and smiling with friends.”

ERIN MURRAY, AGE 30, HARRISONBURG

“Knowing that I have a heavenly Father who takes care of me and my family.”

t h i n k s t o c k .c o m

GLORIA GERBER, AGE 40, STUARTS DRAFT

ELLIE REID, AGE 20, HARRISONBURG

“Being pregnant, hanging out with friends and family.”

STORMY RICHARD, AGE 20, HARRISONBURG

“When I let go and truly am myself ...

I think it’s a combination of the purity of it and ... that I am actually comfortable with who I am in that moment.”

KENDALL WONDERGEM, AGE 34, HARRISONBURG

“When I feel good and have a smile on my face.”

MARY HAMBLIN, AGE 77, HARRISONBURG

“Getting my hair fixed ... and being with friends.”

HELEN DEAN, AGE 86, BROADWAY

“Being able to get dressed up and go out with my husband.”

MEEGAN CARR, AGE 38, WEYERS CAVE

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Christina Kunkle turns stumbling blocks into

Stepping stones Ro c k s i n m y p a t h ? I s h a l l kee p t h em al l . F or w i t h t h em I wi ll b u i l d m y c a s t l e .

— Ne m o No x

Tears filled my eyes when I saw Joan Lunden’s beautiful bald head and smiling face on the cover of People magazine recently. “You go, girl,” I said aloud.

It was the exact same feeling of awe and respect that washed over me when Robin Roberts revealed her battle with breast cancer and when Angelina Jolie disclosed her decision to undergo a double mastectomy after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene.

What really chokes me up is that in the midst of this potentially life-threatening diagnosis, they each moved far enough through uncertainty, fear, discomfort and vulnerability to allow their stories to be told, procedures filmed and treatment choices documented. Instead of shrinking back, they stepped forward in service to raise awareness, promote early detection, create a spirit of community, and save lives.

We all struggle, sometimes. Obstacles show up in many different ways, but eventually, all paths lead to rough terrain.

We have a bike accident; test results confirm a terminal illness; a loved one leaves; a family business is forced to close its doors after 30 years; our once-in-a-lifetime chance disappears, or fear of failure blocks us from moving forward.

We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can always choose how we think about them. Our thoughts are powerful! And because the actions we take are driven by our feelings, which come from our thoughts, it’s important to adopt a positive outlook on our challenges.

Of course, each of us has the right to choose whether our perception comes from a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.

A fixed mindset may allow the “rocks” in our lives to define or destroy us. Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stan-

ford University, describes those with a fixed mindset as negative people who avoid challenges, give up easily, take criticism personally and are threatened by the success of others.

However, a growth mindset will allow the “rocks” to develop us. Those with this optimistic outlook embrace challenges, use grit to persist in the face of setbacks, and see failure as an opportunity to learn. They genuinely celebrate the success of others, and choose collaboration over competition.

We’re here for such a short time, and life is too precious to waste on negativity. Are you ready to adopt a growth mindset?

Start seeing obstacles as “stepping stones of opportunity” that will lead us to deeper empathy and the motivation we need to blast through our barriers. Remember, the more obstacles we overcome, the stronger we become.

Take Action: What rocks are you facing in work and life, and how are you viewing them as obstacles?

Write down your old perspective — your circumstances as an obstacle.

Approach your situation differently, allowing this new perspective to transform the way you think about it. What if the “rocks” are there to test you and help you grow into your potential? What can you be grateful about, even in the midst of your struggle?

Now, write down your new perspective — your circumstance as an opportunity.

May you find the strength to believe in yourself, and discover the power inside you that is greater than any obstacle.

May you stay open, keep going and keep growing.

Christina Kunkle is founder of Synergy Life and Wellness Coaching LLC. Visit synergylifeandwellnesscoaching.com.

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Reaching across the aisle ARTICLE BY KATIE KING ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF THINKSTOCK.COM

ooking for a fight?

Try having a serious discussion about politics. In this country’s increasingly heated political atmosphere, even intendedly innocuous comments can spark outrage.

As a result, it may be tempting to avoid difficult political discussions altogether. After all, you can always take the easier route; sticking by those who share your beliefs and ignoring the opposing side.

However, on Sept. 23, community members gathered at Thomas Harrison Middle School to willingly discuss what’s arguably one of the most controversial current social issues — the legalization of same-sex marriage — among a crowd that held mixed viewpoints.

Hosted by the Community Dialogue Project, the event, dubbed “The State and Marriage: Understanding Two Perspectives,” encouraged participants to take off their boxing gloves and treat one another with respect.

To kick off the evening, two speakers took to the stage for a conversation about marriage.

Maggie Gallagher, a senior fellow with the Washington, D.C.-based American Principles Project, explained that she believes traditional marriage has long been a cornerstone of American society, and should there-

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fore not be redefined.

Meanwhile, James Parrish, the executive director of Equality Virginia, shared his opinion that the government has no right to deny marriage — and all the other rights the word entails — to same-sex couples.

The audience then moved into a cafeteria, where individuals were seated at randomly assigned tables.

With the help of a moderator to prompt conversations and ensure that all comments remained respectful, everyone was encouraged to discuss their own opinions and thoughts.

The goal wasn’t to start heated debates, rather to help each camp understand those with different political beliefs.

Harrisonburg resident Rita Dunaway, a CDP member, felt the evening was a great success.

Dunaway said she’s pleased to be part of the organization because it promotes conversations about tough topics.

“I think the whole tone and tenor of public discourse [in society] tends to be increasingly bitter and unkind,” she remarked, adding that she wants to help ensure society is capable of respectful discussions.

Though the Community Dialogue Project is comprised of members across all ends of the political spectrum, Dunaway said she personally supports the idea of traditional marriage, as she believes it’s ideal for children to have a father and mother.

“Kids need to benefit from being around and being nurtured by both genders,” she said.

Dunaway also worries that if the definition of marriage changes to include same-sex relationships, it will open the door for further alterations down the road.

However, although Dunaway advocates for traditional marriage, she says she has nothing against gay individuals.

“My experience has been that people who are advocating for same-sex marriage tend to assume that anyone who is a supporter of preserving the traditional definition has some sort of dislike for gay individuals or wants to harm them,” she explained. “And that is not true of me.”

Unlike Dunaway, Bryce Hayes, another CDP member, believes the right to get married should be extended to same-sex couples.

Adding that his partner, whom he legally married in New York, was unable to receive benefits in Virginia, Hayes thinks denying same-sex couples the right to marry is discrimination. “I really believe that this is an issue of equal rights,” he said.

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However, like Dunaway, Hayes thinks it’s important to keep the doors of communication open.

The better people get to know one another, reasoned Hayes, the harder it is “demonize” those with different opinions.

“It’s much harder to [hate someone] when you get to know people and share your stories and your common humanity,” he explained.

Less than two weeks after the dia-

logue at THMS, the Supreme Court of the United States turned away appeals from five states, including Virginia, which would have prohibited same-sex marriage. As a result, same-sex marriage became legal in the commonwealth on Oct. 6.

As Virginia is known for being a swing or battleground state — meaning it’s one in which neither political party has an overwhelming amount of support

— it’s understandable that the court’s recent ruling was met with mixed reactions around the Old Dominion.

However, as Hayes pointed out, prior to the ruling, even those who don’t agree still have to be neighbors and find a way to “co-exist.”

Now that the Supreme Court has made its decision, Katie hopes everyone in the Valley will be able to move forward peacefully.

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in full BLOOM ARTICLE BY MATT GONZALES PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOLLY MARCUS

Penny Imeson: Museum Maven

S

eated behind an oak table in the dining room of an otherwise empty 104-year-old white colonial house in downtown Dayton, Penny Paul Imeson is deep in thought.

Clad in orange to celebrate autumn’s onset, she casually sips her coffee before letting out a vivacious chuckle.

“I remember my first experience with struggling to keep my eyes open in history class when I was in college,” she says. “I remember the professor, I remember the room.”

Leaning in closer, she gently places her mug on the table and nearly whispers, “and I remember the pain.”

Penny doesn’t reminisce for the sake of nostalgia: The 50-year-old Harrisonburg resident is building to her next point.

“People learn in different ways, so when it comes to history, you have to offer different means. Some people are more visual, some learn better by ear,” she continues.

“When you read books and watch

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movies, they’re telling you stories. So, when it comes to history, you have to develop a story in such a way it engages an audience; coming up with creative ways to present history is so important.”

As the executive director of the Heritage Museum in Dayton, home of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society and the official town visitor’s center, Penny is an innovator. Each week, she must reel in visitors with enticing exhibits celebrating the past, through marketing campaigns and the most tried and true manner: word-of-mouth.

“That’s one of the things that I love about this job,” she says, smiling, “I get to be creative.”

A balancing act

Like most afternoons at the museum, Penny is on the move.

Just 24 hours removed from Labor Day, she scurries about a modestly-sized room in the back corner of the 14,000square-foot establishment. She’s surrounded by a library of worn beige boxes, stacked neatly on rows of shelves.

Each is filled with paperback publications made shabby with time, many of which have been gradually collected from donors throughout the years.

Penny leans into a stack of boxes, her gaze shifting from one to another, anxious to find the one she’s seeking. After a couple of minutes, she zeroes in on a box labeled “130.”

Inside are a stack of records, some dating back more than 300 years ago.

“This is so cool,” says Penny, as she adjusts her bright red glasses, flipping through the first few pages of the tattered publication. “This is actually a record of Rader Church, dating back to 1787.”

The document is filled with hundreds of records of children in the area during the 18th century, listing dates of birth and baptism, as well as the names of immediate family members. Each entry is penned in German, the mother tongue of many Valley residents of that era, she explains.

“When I was a little girl around here, some of the Mennonites spoke German,”

“

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Penny (OPPOSITE) retreats to her “True me” room — a pink tribute to cosmetics magnate Mary Kay Ash — to think, offer devotions and read.

The Heritage Museum Executive Director says, generally, her husband, Tom, and youngest son, Sam, (RIGHT) keep out “because of all of the pink.”

“

Yes, we have hurdles ... but that creates opportunity.

Everything is an opportunity to me.

“

she says, diving into another memory.

“Once upon a time, I was fluent in German, but not anymore.”

Surprisingly, prior to September 2010 — when she began volunteering at the museum — the self-proclaimed “champion of local history” had no background in the subject.

In college — where she endured the “pain” of history class — Penny earned degrees in mathematics and German, graduating magna cum laude from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg before studying business administration as a graduate student at the College of William and Mary.

She cut her teeth in the professional world as an assistant expediter for an interior design firm in New York City before serving as an administrative assistant, budget analyst, bookkeeper and director of a preschool over the course of the two decades that followed.

After four years as a stay-at-home mother, Penny began volunteering at the museum as a way to get out of the house. Fifteen months later, she was elevated from administrator to executive director by the organization’s board.

As the head of operations at the museum, her daily mission is to collect, preserve and share the stories of central Shenandoah Valley.

Her responsibilities range from creating pamphlets and newsletters to combing the Internet in search of primary sources while constructing an exhibit. Though volunteers create the backbone of the museum — dozens of locals offer assistance each week — Penny keeps the place running.

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“She really has a lot on her plate,” admits Margaret Hotchner, who assumed the administrator and researcher position in 2011, upon Penny’s promotion. “I think she does a great job balancing it all. She’s got a lot of hands in a lot of different things, and she can juggle them all.”

As a nonprofit, the organization relies on donations, which means constant fundraising. If she’s not promoting the museum at local events, Penny can often be found conducting “discovery interviews,” one-on-one meetings aiming to build rapport.

“If you look at a local library, they may list their fundraising job as a parttime position, 20 hours per week,” explains Penny, who has no such paid assistant. She has to either snag a volunteer to help fundraise or do it herself.

Though Penny spends 40 hours per week at the museum, at the bare minimum, in addition to helping her husband, Tom, 51, run an AAMCO franchise, she doesn’t grumble about her hectic schedule. Instead she views her full schedule as an “adventure.”

“She’s so energetic all the time,” confirms L.J. Purcell, a museum trustee who credits Penny with inspiring him to join the team. “And, most importantly, she’s effective.”

“I’ve been known to say I’m the most positive person I know,” notes Penny.

“Yes, we have hurdles and yes we could use more [volunteers] at the museum, but that creates opportunity.

“Everything is an opportunity to me.”

Growing up in the Valley

Born Jan. 7, 1964, Penny was raised on Harrisonburg’s Mason Street — the eldest of three children — enjoying what she considers a very active childhood.

She spent much of her youth basking in the Shenandoah Valley weather and riding her bike along the gravel trails of Purcell Park with friends. She also attended orchestral performances at Wilson Hall, took ballet lessons at the Warren-Sipe House — prior to its reinvention as the Virginia Quilt Museum — and participated in Girl Scouts.

For a handful of years, she took piano classes with an instructor in Harrisonburg by the name of Mrs. Watkins.

“I don’t play the piano very well,” she notes, grimacing. “I did it for per-

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sonal enjoyment, but my skills have definitely faded over the years.”

During most summers, her parents, Bonnie and John Paul III, would take Penny and her brothers, Abe and “TomJay,” down Va. 257 to Ottobine, where the young Pauls would spend time splashing in the creek and swimming in the pond.

Family jaunts included trips to Virginia Beach or the coastal parts of the Carolinas.

“We had some great crabbing experiences in North Carolina, too,” she notes, returning to her chair in the museum and gazing into the air. “I must say, I absolutely loved my childhood.”

But her youth wasn’t devoid of bumps: Her parents separated while Penny was in middle school. “[The separation] was ... , ” she starts, pausing to collect her thoughts, “It was sad.

But I’ve got to hand it to them, because they were always congenial.

“Not that it was [easy], but what I’ll say is when I graduated from college, they were there. It wasn’t this acrimonious split.”

Her father, John, a former Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer, eventually served as a judge in the Rockingham General District Court. Bonnie represented Rockingham County in the House of Delegates from 1976-80.

Penny could often be found by her mother’s side on the campaign trail.

“I remember riding down the streets in the parades,” Penny recalls. “I remember riding with her and throwing candy into the crowds. It was a lot of fun.”

Twelve years old at the time, Penny couldn’t have known life on the campaign trail would set up another chapter in her life.

Continuing a tradition

In 2008, Penny dipped her feet into a political pool of her own.

After learning of incumbent Har-

Penny Imeson lives in Harrisonburg with her husband, Tom, youngest son, Sam, and two black labs, Kate, 13, and Grit, 7 months.

risonburg Treasurer Rebecca Neal’s resignation in the wake of criminal allegations that January, Penny considered casting her hat in the ring.

“I went on a walk with my friends one morning. We were talking about current topics and we were talking about that,” she recalled. “When I learned about what was going on, I realized that it was a job that I thought I could do and make a difference in. I had some ideas about it. And given I come from a family that has served the community, I thought this would be my opportunity to continue that tradition.”

Getting the greenlight from her mother and husband, as well as family and friends, Penny officially announced her candidacy May 10, 2008. She represented the Republican ticket for the position of Treasurer for the City of Harrisonburg in a special election to be held that November.

While campaigning, Penny knocked on more than 5,000 doors in Harrisonburg — introducing herself and sharing her ideas.

She was a constant fixture on the

“

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I can hardly look at old photos of [my sons].

It all goes so fast. Those were the best of times.

Some people say they wouldn’t go back in time; not me, I’d do it all again.

James Madison University quad, talking to college students and passing out nickels stamped with “Vote 4 Penny.”

She also attended six town council meetings, where she shared plans she hoped to implement if elected.

That included the addition of online credit card processing and the removal of a city decal from vehicles in town.

“I remember going out to the Valley Mall, and I took a survey of every single car parked in the parking lot,” she recalls. “And you couldn’t believe how many didn’t have these decals.”

Almost as if she’s back on the trail, Penny continues: “There’s ways to not have to print these stickers and [prevent] people from having to get a sticker all the time. This is the wave of the future.”

Throughout the campaign, Penny was seldom seen without the rest of the Imeson family by her side.

“We helped raise money, knock on doors, put out campaign signs all over the place, helped her practice for debates, and provided moral support for the debates,” explains Tom, Penny’s husband of 27 years.

“We would ask our friends and coworkers for money to help with the campaign. It was a big effort.”

Ultimately, however, Jeff Shafer defeated both Penny and Democratic nominee Bill Ney for the position. She finished in third place with 3,647 votes.

“I cried for a day after-

wards,” she admits. “I didn’t even want to go into work the next day. It was a sad day.”

“We really thought we were going to win,” adds Tom. Penny, who calls her political run a “true growing experience,” maintains some positives came from the campaign, despite the loss.

She was able to swing the views of several Democrats, for instance, and ultimately win their votes.

Her time at JMU paid off, as well, as she swept the college-age demographic.

And, most importantly, the process acclimated her to speaking in front of large crowds, which now comes in handy with her position at the Heritage Museum.

“Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone. ... I pat myself on the back, not many people would put themselves out there like that,” she says.

Family Life

After an 8-hour shift at the museum, Penny is seated before her family’s black piano.

She plays the first few bars of “Amazing Grace” before surrendering for the evening.

“I play once a year, during Christmas-time,” explains Penny, as she turns her attention toward her two black labs, 7-month-old Grit and 13-year-old Kate, amiably nestled near the back door.

“But, the dogs calm when I play, so there’s that.”

Penny would much rather

“

2014FallBloom:

Penny began volunteering at the Heritage Museum in Dayton in 2010. Fifteen months later, she was elevated from administrator to executive director by the board.

spend the little free time she does have painting, blogging or taking photographs.

“I love photography,” she says from her carmine-colored sofa. “I’m a very visual person.”

The Imeson house boasts all shades of red — from the pillows to the furniture — save for Penny’s “True Me” room, which is surprisingly pink.

This room — which she

also dubs her “Mary Kay” room, in honor of cosmetics magnate Mary Kay Ash — is filled with some of Penny’s favorite books, inspirational posters and a vintage picture of Audrey Hepburn, one of her favorite actresses.

“Pink is a happy color that represents girly habits,” she says. “The boys don’t come in here because of all of the pink, so sometimes I come in here, sit quietly, read one of

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my books or give a devotional.”

The residence is home to Penny, Tom, and their 17year-old son, Sam. Their two other sons, Adam, 21, and William, 20, each moved out after college.

When the boys were young, the family moved around due to Tom’s career in the pulp and paper industry.

“I can hardly look at old photos of them,” says Penny, risking a gaze at a large print hanging over the fireplace.

“It all goes so fast. Those were the best of times.

Some people say they wouldn’t go back in time; not me, I’d do it all again.”

Though Penny is reluctant to voice her own personal achievements, she is quick to point out how “inquisitive” Adam has always been, how even-keeled and goal-oriented William is, and Sam’s perseverance and athletic abilities.

Sam, however, quickly reciprocates the compliment.

“My mom is one of the nicest, hardest working people I know,” he says as she not-so-subtly eavesdrops while slicing carrots and cucumbers in the kitchen.

“And she’s always upbeat

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Penny and Tom Imeson have three sons: Adam, 21, William, 20 and Sam, 17. Following in their mother’s footsteps — she graduated salutatorian at Lexington High School — the two eldest graduated with 4.0 GPAs, and Sam is on track to do the same.

and optimistic,” he adds.

“She’ll come home late every single night and she’s still energetic.

“She’ll find time to talk and have dinner with us, and she’s always interested about what’s going on in my life.”

Instilled Values

Penny attributes her temperament to the influence of figures such as Ash, James Dobson — founder of the Christian organization Focus on the Family — her friends and neighbors, and her mother, whom she

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From a young age, Penny’s parents instilled in her the importance of service, appreciation, hard work and honesty.

“I don’t want this article to be a sad story about how much I work,” jokes Penny, as she wraps an arm around Tom and Sam. “I do it all because I love it.”

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RISE isn’t the only faith community in Harrisonburg attracting millennials.

Local pastors list Muhlenberg Lutheran, Covenant Presbyterian, Eastside and Calvary Cross-link churches as just some of the examples of millennial-heavy congregations in the area.

Nationally, many such churches are from different ends of the spectrum, style-wise: some falling in to the “emergent church” category — a controversial cluster of congregations adapting to the postmodern, unchurched population — and others are more conservative, pulling from long-standing traditions.

The Church of the Incarnation, as an Anglican community, falls into that latter category. About half of the 250 or so people attending the four-year-old church are 14 to 34 years old, according to the pastor, the Rev. Aubrey Spears.

“It’s an interesting phenomenon, but the fastest growing segment of church in America [is] conservative evangelicals,” Spears said.

His church fits that bill, with traditional liturgy, unplugged worship and lots of methodical sitting, kneeling and standing.

“It’s not a modern rock-and-roll church,” he said.

‘A change in substance’

That’s part of the appeal. Some area pastors and national experts agree that new guitar effects, pastors in skinny jeans and a drum kit won’t do the trick, at least not on their own.

“Time and again, the assumption among Christian leaders, and evangelical leaders in particular, is that the key to drawing 20-somethings back to church is simply to make a few style updates,” writes Rachel Held Evans in her 2013 CNN Belief Blog post, “Why millennials are leaving the church.”

Making church a performance actually pushes away that age group because it seems inauthentic, she argues.

“What millennials really want from the church is not a change in style, but a change in substance,” she writes.

When Brian Scholl first attended the Church of the Incarnation as a sopho-

more at James Madison University, Spears invited him over to dinner with the pastor’s family.

“In my church growing up, I don’t think I had dinner with my pastor’s … family once,” he said.

He’s stuck with the church because of its openness to diversity and its roots in history and neighborhood.

The small groups at the church are based on neighborhood, not age.

In other settings, millennials tend to congregate together, which isn’t good, he says.

“I don’t think that we as a society are good at intergenerational relationships,” he explained, adding that the church can — though many don’t — offer the perfect space for those friendships.

From Day One, he’s felt part of the family at his church, which is what he was looking for and didn’t even realize it.

“Millennials are losing touch with how important it is to be a part of a family,” he said.

It seems that Candace’s millennial friends either became more passionate about church after high school or left it entirely.

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your VIEWPOINT

A Trip Across T he Pond

T

ravel writer Paul Theroux once wrote, “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.”

I pondered that line quite a bit as I trekked through Thailand’s unforgiving early September heat, backpack in tow, with the reprieve of air conditioning hard to come by.

I thought about it when, thanks to dehydration, I woke up frighteningly ill — I’ll spare you the details — on the third day of a two-week trip, and when I unintentionally let nearly my entire body crisp in

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the ruthless Asian sun, due to the antibiotics I was taking — which you can purchased over-the-counter in Thailand, may I point out.

Even now, weeks after returning to the States, the tops of my feet still look a little like someone took a curling iron to them. My hands are peeling.

I thought about that quote when I was teetering over a squat toilet on a Thai sleeper

train, hoping that ONLY my urine fell down the hole, and I’m thinking it now as the cold I picked up somewhere along the 60-odd hour journey back to Virginia ravages my body.

This was a vacation, right?

And, I should note, my only longer-than-a-weekend vacation of the year?

When that cold landed me in the doctor’s office, earning an actual prescription for more antibiotics, the doctor was surprised to learn that my first trip overseas led me to Thailand, both to Bangkok for a few days and to one of the southern islands, Ko Samui, and Cambodia.

Didn’t I consider somewhere, a bit, I dunno, easier? Somewhere more … first world?

Naturally, I told the doctor about my medical troubles and a rough sketch of my daily

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schedule there — waking up around or before 8 a.m. and passing out around or before 10 p.m. — and he laughed.

He’d much prefer spending his (no doubt, heftier) vacation allowance on a trip to Spain or some other European country, eating as much as possible and sleeping in until 2 p.m.

I couldn’t disagree, that sounds relaxing and — don’t get me wrong — I certainly want to pursue that very vacation someday. This isn’t about comparing or patronizing travel destinations; trust me, I’d go just about anywhere save a few choice locations. (North Korea, for instance, doesn’t seem too inviting.)

But for this first trek across a pond, I had years’ worth of goals to fulfill. I not only wanted to go somewhere beautiful, with a low cost-of-living, I wanted to go somewhere that was more than just a tourist hub, somewhere with a culture vastly different from my own. I wanted to learn something, challenge myself. Plus, I

hope there will be plenty of time for vacations with the sole purpose of relaxation later, when I’m not as fit as my current 25year-old self likes to think I am.

So, I upped my personal longest flight-time statistic from about four to nearly 20 hours. Thank you, Air China, for your touch-screen TVs. For someone who has such a fascination with travel, you may ask, how is it that I’ve managed to avoid international flights for the entire first quarter-century of my life?

Well, I’ve only recently — and, I mean, within the last three years or so — become intrigued by the idea. I really only remember “traveling” to Virginia Beach and Disneyworld several times as a child, and I skipped over those college summer abroad trips due to fear and lack of funds. (Now, I know they’re well worth the added debt.)

So, I didn’t have that travel bug from an early age, but at some point after my 21st birthday, I realized that travel marries all of the passions of my life: culture, language, religion, people, even writing.

During a two-week trip to Thailand, Candace visited Wat Pho in Bangkok, the Thai capital.

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ABOVE: A riverboat taxi takes Candace up the Chao Phraya River to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. She also visited the Angkor Wat temple (OPPOSITE) in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Intense humidity penetrated the camera lens, creating a minor haze effect.

Last year, I paid for my first plane ticket to Seattle, where I spent a few days with my mom before we took the Amtrak down to Portland. We went to Boston together to visit family a few months later.

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I was instantly hooked, despite the inevitable frustrations. Even staying within the country, something is bound to go wrong. My boyfriend (my travel date this go around) and I repeatedly

announced to each other — out loud, sans any wood-knocking — that our recent vacation would be no different; Murphy’s law is fierce. We wanted to be mentally prepared for whatever would go wrong, and, frankly — and thankfully — not a lot did.

Sure, it was in the 90s and humid throughout our time in Asia, our $1,100-apop flights weren’t fun and we had to go searching for a pharmacy — where no one spoke English, mind you — at 5 a.m. one morning. But we motorbiked around an island for two days, which we had no business (or insurance) doing, and we left unscathed. We managed to hang on to our passports and our money, survive the seatbelt-less taxi rides and (this is for you, Mom!) not succumb to the fate of Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale in Brokedown Palace. (Hint: Maybe not the best movie choice before a trip to Thailand.)

Did I mention that we watched the sun rise at Angkor Wat, one of the largest religious monument in the world? We puttered around the Angkor complex, a UNESCO heritage site that spans nearly 100,000 acres, on a tuk-tuk, driven by one of the nicest and most genuine people we

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“[Travel] simultaneously s h r i n k s t h e w or l d a n d makes it bigger, illuminates people’s curious differences while declaring that we’re all t h e sa m e . ”

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met in our travels.

(Cambodia was the hottest, most difficult chunk of our vacation, both physically and emotionally, and also my favorite part.)

We watched elderly women practice Tai Chi at the oldest public park in Bangkok early one Saturday, checked out some of the most revered Buddhist and Hindu religious monuments in the world, went kayaking underneath a volcanic rock formation and ate way more authentic Thai food than we should have at one of Bangkok’s floating markets.

One evening, I literally ran out of the shower, clutching only a towel, and watched the At the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute Snake Farm in Bangkok, Thailand, Candace had sun set brilliantly over the Gulf of her first experience with a Burmese Python.

Thailand.

My point is this: My first trip overseas was exhausting and not without its setbacks, but it taught me more than I was even expecting, so, mission accomplished. Not only did I learn about each of the specific countries we chose to visit, but I also started down what I hope will be a lifelong, travel-induced education that simultaneously shrinks the world and makes it bigger, illuminates people’s curious differences while declaring that we’re all the same.

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