Farmville the Magazine — April 2021 by The Farmville Herald

April 2021 Vol. 6, No. 2 FREE

Focus on the arts

Tourism Center draws visitors with Farmville’s outdoor art

‘At ease in a familiar place’ Farmville barbershop is an institution

www.FarmvilletheMag.com

For putting yourselves on the line… … In the clinics and in the hospitals … In the classrooms and on the streets … In the ambulances and on the fire engines … In the stores and the restaurants restaurants,, the barber shops and salons

THANK YOU You have made all the difference

Publisher’s Notebook

Farmville the Magazine

Let the good times roll S

pring is here and just in time is the April edition of Farmville the Magazine. Have we got an issue for you! From an assortment of tasty beverages to wet your whistle to a COVID-friendly scavenger hunt, we are confident you won’t be disappointed. Pull up a chair and join us as writer Alexa Massey explores six of the tastiest adult beverages to be found in Farmville. Don’t let the colors or the names fool you — fresh fruit and citrus flavors are expertly mixed to create tasty treats to delight and tease your palate. The Fish, a familiar favorite courtesy of The Fishin’ Pig, is a blue concoction of fruity flavors that Betty Ramsey, has been delighting patrons for years. New Publisher to Farmville is the Bandidos’ Paloma — this popular drink from Mexico just might become a new local favorite. A tasty tequila-based drink, it features freshly squeezed grapefruit, orange and lime juice and promises to be light and refreshing. Turn to page 6 for more Farmville favorites. Warm sunny days are the perfect backdrop for a scavenger hunt. If you

want to get outdoors and enjoy some sunshine along with great local art, you’ll want to turn to page 12. Designed under the direction of former Virginia’s Heartland Regional Visitor Center Director Magi Van Eps, this scavenger hunt will take you through town, exploring many of the outdoor art venues Farmville has to offer. Farmville the Magazine strives to tell the story of our community. Each month within these pages is the story of a community, bursting at the seams, with people that step up each day and make a difference. There are many more stories within these pages, and we hope you will enjoy them. As this is a magazine about and for you, we welcome your ideas and invite you to share with us what you would like to hear more about by sending us a note at P.O. Box 307, Farmville, VA, 23901, giving us a call at (434) 392-4151 or sending me an email at Betty.Ramsey@ FarmvilletheMag.com. We publish Farmville the Magazine in the months of March, April, May, summer, September, October, November and December. We invite you to pick up a copy of the latest issue as there is sure to be someone you know inside — a neighbor, a family member, a friend or perhaps even you!

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Feature Virginia’s Heartland Regional Visitor Center, under the direction of Magi Van Eps for the past 14 years, knows how to bring visitors to town. Van Eps’ latest campaign, launched before she retired in February, draws on local art. It features a COVID-friendly scavenger hunt with a treasure map to lead visitors to artwork in and around town. Many of the 32 hints on the map focus on outdoor art, a growing trend in Farmville. “Everyone loves a scavenger hunt — and who doesn’t like art,” Van Eps said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.” Left: Street banners add an artistic touch to Farmville’s downtown.

Publisher — Betty J. Ramsey Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag.com Designer — Troy Cooper Troy.Cooper@FarmvilletheMag.com

EDITORIAL Roger Watson Roger.Watson@FarmvilletheMag.com

Marge Swayne Marge.Swayne@FarmvilletheMag.com Titus Mohler Titus.Mohler@FarmvilletheMag.com Crystal Vandegrift Crystal.Vandegrift@FarmvilletheMag.com Alexa Massey Alexa.Massey@FarmvilletheMag.com

ADVERTISING Director — Jackie Newman Jackie.Newman@FarmvilletheMag.com Debbie Evans Debbie.Evans@FarmvilletheMag.com

On the cover: Customers often ask bartender Cal Bledsoe to make them whatever he feels like making. After one taste, the Cal Vibes becomes many patron’s go-to item, and by the end of the night, the entire table is drinking one.

CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Cynthia Wood and Dr. Jim Jordan Cover photo by Alexa Massey On the web: www.FarmvilletheMag.com To subscribe, contact Circulation@FarmvilletheMag.com Farmville the Magazine P.O. Box 307 Farmville, VA 23901 (434) 392-4151 Farmville the Magazine is published eight times annually by Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Copies are available free at businesses throughout the Heart of Virginia. For convenient mail delivery of each issue, cost is $30 per year.

A comfortable tradition Also... Editor’s Notebook Serving it Up From the Ground Up

20 3 6 26

Artist in Residence A Look into the Past Where Am I? Catching Up With...

30 34 38 39

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Serving it Up If you’re a margarita lover and are looking to branch out without disappointment, the Paloma may become your next go-to drink. It even comes with a salted rim.

GREAT LOCAL COCKTAILS Story and photos by Alexa Massey

armville isn’t just a great place to be — it’s a great place to wet your whistle, too. Bars and restaurants across town have an amazing variety of colorful, kooky and downright delicious cocktails to choose from. Across the next few pages you’ll find six great mixed drinks found in the Farmville area. These beverages aren’t your average Manhattan or mojito (no offense if that’s how you pick your poison). These cocktails have been specially curated by local bartenders and restaurant owners. They’re unique, tasty and are a great way to celebrate the arrival of spring. This is in no way a definitive list of all the wonderful drinks Farmville has to offer, nor do these drinks appear in any particular order. However, these are six great drinks, and they all have the potential to be your next Friday night pick-me-up. Some you can find on the drink menu, and others you’ll have to ask your bartender for politely. Try one or try them all, but be sure to drink responsibly.

BANDIDOS’ PALOMA This tequila-based cocktail comes courtesy of Farmville’s newest restaurant. Bandidos, brought to town by brothers and business partners Alejandro and Robert Arellano, features a variety of traditional Mexican fare with the drinks to match. Robert says while margaritas are typically the most-ordered mixed drinks in Mexican restaurants here in the U.S., the Paloma, meaning “dove,” is one of the most popular drinks down in Mexico. The cocktail features Hornitos Reposado tequila, grapefruit Jarritos (a type of Mexican soda) and freshly squeezed grapefruit, orange and lime juice.

Robert added this drink, sort of a hidden secret of Mexico, is refreshing, citrusy and perfect for the long-awaited summer. He especially recommends it for anyone looking to step away from their go-to margarita without disappointment. The drink goes great with mariscos, or seafood, of any kind, especially Bandidos’ shrimp cocktail. You may also want to consider trying it with the birria tacos for a mouthwatering combo you can’t go wrong with. If you don’t spot this delicious drink on the menu, don’t sweat it. Ask and you shall receive, but be prepared, as the Paloma will likely become your new favorite.

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THE BREW HOUSE’S RUM PUNCH PITCHER There are those of us who want a small, dainty drink to sip on every now and then, and then there are those of us who want a literal pitcher to drink out of. The Brew House’s Rum Punch is very much the latter. According to restaurant manager Amberly Eels, the pitcher was added to the menu to complement the beer pitchers also offered by this popular local restaurant. Since then, it’s become a fan favorite. The Rum Punch Pitcher is fruity, strong and packed with ingredients you can’t go wrong with. The cocktail features a trio of Malibu, Captain Morgan and white rum, plus coconut cream, orange juice and ginger ale. This tropical-tasting drink pairs great with The Brew House’s Caribbean tacos, their Hawaii Five-O burger and the pineapple crush cake. Share this drink with a loved one, or be selfish and keep it all to yourself.

The Brew House’s Rum Punch Pitcher is the perfect thing to sip on while participating in the restaurant’s trivia night.

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The Bella Berry Spritzer features the fruity and effervescent Virginia-made Horton Blueberry wine. Try it out on the patio while enjoying the view of the riverfront.

CHARLEY’S WATERFRONT CAFE AND THE VIRGINIA TASTING CELLAR’S BELLA BERRY SPRITZER This wine-based drink is the brainchild of Charley’s bartender Amanda Picard, whose cocktail creations are frequently featured on the restaurant's menu. According to Picard, the Bella Berry was created as a springtime version of its popular winter predecessor, the SleighBella, which featured pear and cranberry. Served in a wine glass, the Bella Berry Spritzer is light, effervescent and perfect to be sipped out on the patio and by the riverfront. It can also be ordered downstairs at The Virginia Tasting Cellar, which sells the Virginia wine featured in the beverage. The Spritzer is composed of moscato, Virginia Horton Blueberry wine, frozen mixed berries and soda and comes with a lime for garnish. The lightness of the drink means it pairs great with delicate, seafood flavors such as the ever-popular crab cakes and crab dip. It also goes great with a salad. Picard recommends the drink for anybody looking to sip on something nice and bright.

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THE FISHIN’ PIG’S THE FISH This titular cocktail has been dominating the drink sales of The Fishin’ Pig since its opening, years ago. Featuring grapefruit vodka, pineapple rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice, sours and soda, this brilliant-blue beverage is perfectly fruit-forward without being too sweet. Caley Fiscus, former bar manager at The Fishin’ Pig, is a big fan of working with customers to find

what drink fits them best. She says The Fish catches the eye of bar patrons night after night, and it’s not hard to see why. A citrus-forward mixed drink, The Fish, ironically, pairs fantastically with seafood. Fiscus recommends customers try it with the restaurant’s famous fried catfish basket. And be sure to try The Fish’s counterpart cocktail, The Pig, a Jack Daniel’s-based, fiery-red treat.

The Fish has been the most popular drink menu item since The Fishin’ Pig opened. With citrusy notes of pineapple and grapefruit, this blue beverage pairs well with the fried catfish basket.

10 Farmville the Magazine ONE19’S MO’GARITA Named and inspired by one19 owner Bill McKay’s jalapeno-loving wife, Maureen, the Mo’garita is a unique spin on the classic margarita that has been catching the attention of one19 customers since the Tex-Mex-influenced restaurant’s inception. Simply put, the Mo’garita is a cucumber-jalapeno margarita. McKay highlighted that all of one19’s cocktails are made by hand and never use any mixes. But don’t be frightened by the idea of such an adventurous drink — while you can taste the jalapeno tequila, the beverage isn’t overly spicy. In fact, it’s refreshing, aromatic and goes well with anything on the menu, especially tacos. While even non-jalapeno fans will enjoy this drink, McKay especially recommends it for those who like to live life on the edge. If jalapeno tequila isn’t enough for you, ask for the Mo’garita Mas, featuring one19’s own habanero-infused tequila.

one19 owner Bill McKay says the jalapeno Mo’garita pairs well with anything on the menu, from chips and salsa to tacos.

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Citrusy and crisp, the Cal Vibes hits just right when enjoying the sunshine out on the patio at the North Street Press Club.

NORTH STREET PRESS CLUB’S CAL VIBES The mantra of the Press Club is “global grub, local vibes.” In fact, employees at the restaurant wear a T-shirt that says just that. When bartender Cal Bledsoe was working one night, his flannel shirt was partially covering up part of the saying. A confused customer looked up at him and asked, “What does ‘Cal Vibes’ mean?” Bledsoe is an expert cocktail crafter, and patrons are often asking him to make whatever drink he feels like putting together. His most common “make me whatever you want” drink became a citrus-forward, refreshing mix featuring mango syrup, Bacardi rum, lemon juice, fresh cucumbers, simple syrup and club soda. The drink was summery, light and crisp, and it deserved a name of its own. That name? Cal Vibes. This beverage is fresh, fun and balanced and will likely become the new favorite of any mojito or margarita lover. It pairs great with delicate flavors like the salmon entrée or the Press Club’s poke bowl. If you think it couldn’t possibly taste any better, try it while sitting outside on the patio on a sunny day. You’ll likely find Cal Vibes on the Press Club’s spring menu. Or, you can just ask if Cal’s working.

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Art goes outdoors BRINGING BEAUTY TO FARMVILLE’S DOWNTOWN

Painting the town with outdoor art started in 2014 with a larger-than-life mural on a North Street warehouse. Pam Butler, owner of Mainly Clay and head of the design committee for Farmville Downtown at the time, commissioned artist and Longwood alum Monty Montgomery to create the Warehouse Triptych Mural.

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Story and photos by Marge Swayne

hat do tourism and art have in common? The answer, according to Magi Van Eps, is everything. Van Eps, who retired in February after 14 years as the tourism coordinator of Prince Edward County, recently launched an art-related scavenger hunt that is already bringing tourists to the area. The focus is outdoor art on display all over the town. “Everyone loves a scavenger hunt — and who doesn’t like art?” Van Eps said. Farmville’s abundance of outdoor art is a perfect tie-in for the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s statewide WanderLove campaign designed

to offer safe, close-to-home day trips. The state’s tourism initiative also highlights Virginia’s unique “roadside attraction” — LOVEworks. Farmville has four LOVEworks signs in and around town. LOVEworks, established by Virginia Tourism in 2013, was designed to promote travel in Virginia and strengthen awareness of the “Virginia is for Lovers” message. “Our theme for the WanderLove campaign is our hashtag: #FindWhatYouLoveInFarmville,” Van Eps said. “Visitors can pick up a treasure map at the visitors center and follow the clues to local art, most of which is outdoors. Everyone who brings back a treasure map, even

14 Farmville the Magazine partially completed, gets a grab bag prize.” “When we put together the treasure map for our scavenger hunt, we had no idea how much art Farmville actually had,” Van Eps added. It’s obvious Farmville is an art-loving town. “We have the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA) and Central Virginia Arts (CVA),” Van Eps said. “CVA turned Riverside Café into an art gallery where you can have breakfast or lunch and even buy the art off the wall.” Farmville shoppers also have artistic choices on Main Street: Red Door 104 and Mainly Clay, and both offer classes along with original art. Pam Butler, who owns Mainly Clay, was part of the effort to launch Farmville’s outdoor art trend in 2014. “Sally Thompson and I met with Longwood alum Monty Montgomery to see if he was interested in doing a mural,” Butler recalled. Montgomery, an artist specializing in wall and mural art, was happy to share his artistic talent, and the larger-than-life mural adjacent to the Farmers Market was the result. Artistically speaking, the handwriting was on the wall. Farmville began taking the arts to the street in new and varied ways. Montgomery’s blaze of color on the aging North Street warehouse was just the beginning of an ongoing effort to beautify downtown. In 2015, the effort to beautify Farmville began in earnest after Longwood University was selected as the site for the U.S. Vice Presidential Debate. Downtown Farmville, under the leadership of design committee chair Pam Butler, started a street banner program that placed patriotic flag-themed banners at every street corner. The banners were particularly eye catching during the 2016 debate when “the eyes of the world” were, in fact, focused on Farmville. Another debate project was the restoration of two vintage Coca-Cola murals, one on Main Street and the other on the corner of North and Third streets. As journalists from around the world arrived to cover the debate, Farmville was ready for the cameras, complete with Uncle Sam, aka John Burton, strolling along Main Street. “I think Farmville’s experienced a renaissance,” Burton said at the time. “There’s a kind of magic in town that seems to attract people and keep them here.” That magic seemed to inspire local artists as

Magi Van Eps, who retired in February after serving 14 years as Prince Edward County’s tourism coordinator, holds a WanderLove scavenger hunt treasure map. they continued to add art on a variety of canvases. Painting the town with student art was an idea literally brought to the table at the town’s annual SOUP event in 2017. Supporting Outstanding Urban Projects (SOUP), a Downtown Farmville event to select proposals to improve the community, awards grants to several winners each year. Voting is done by community members literally bringing their ballots “to the table” to vote for favorite proposals. Carley York’s Student Artist Mural Project proposal was a 2017 winner. With grant money from SOUP, York’s young artists, ages 12 to 21, hit the streets with new ideas and colorful designs. York’s student artists

consider their project a work in progress. To date they’ve completed six murals and continue to make plans for more. “Currently we’re collecting new ideas,” York commented. “We have a block-long wall to divide and fill with student artwork as well as three large spots on the corner of North and Third streets.” Community members are encouraged to offer input on the group’s Facebook page: The Student Artist Mural Project. Van Eps found her job over the 14 years she served as tourism coordinator fulfilling. “I was lucky because I got here in 2006 just as the state was getting ready to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown,” Van Eps recalled.

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At right, Pam Butler helped coordinate numerous projects to beautify downtown, including Farmville’s street banner program and the Two-College Town mural that was located on the Doyne Building before its renovation. Below, a new LOVEworks sign, created by Red Door 104 owner Audrey Sullivan, at right, will be placed at High Bridge once replanking of the bridge is complete. Pictured are, from left, High Bridge Trail State Park Chief Ranger Kenny Strum, Magi Van Eps, Sullivan, and High Bridge Trail State Park Manager Daniel Jordan.

16 Farmville the Magazine Not to be outdone, Van Eps located a James Town closer to home. “We found a James Town on the border of Amelia and Prince Edward counties; it was the first town in Prince Edward,” she said. “The framework of the town’s still there along with a very, very old cemetery.” Capitalizing on the original Jamestown’s publicity, Van Eps helped organize three events for Prince Edward’s James Town. “We held events for the descendants of the people, both black and white, living there in the 1700s,” she added. “I was also involved in Farmville’s two lights of reconciliation, the World War II memorial, and the ‘In the Line of Duty’ World War I memorial.” The Civil War sesquicentennial in 2015 was another memorable tourism event. “A living history group approached High Bridge Trail State Park about the event,” Van Eps recalled. “They wanted to encamp, march across the bridge and reenact what actually happened during the final days of the Civil War.” “This group was hard core,” Eps added. “They wanted to fire real weapons.” Even with blanks in place of bullets, the state park decided that would not be a good idea. “So, at the last minute we had no one. Unbelievably, we found a General Grant and General Lee who weren’t booked for that date,” Eps said. “Cumberland reenactor John Butler (also known locally as Civil War Santa) even brought his cannon to Riverside Park.” The authentic Civil War cannon was fired three times. “I got to fire it once,” Van Eps recalled. An enlarged photo of the event still hangs in a place of honor on her office wall. Many fond memories of Farmville, like the photo of Van Eps’ hurried exit from the field of battle, go with her as she leaves for Texas. “Farmville’s really thriving now, and I’ve been privileged to be a part of that,” Van Eps concluded. “Our visitors see what I’ve seen — Farmville is the coolest town around!”

Above, Lago admires a portrait of himself welcoming visitors to Red Door 104. Below, Farmville’s Student Artist Mural Project was launched with this “Greetings from Farmville” mural. Prince Edward County High School art teacher Carley York’s student mural proposal was a 2017 winner in Farmville’s annual SOUP competition. Pictured, from left, are Julianna Swanson, York, Carrington Detrick, Eve Utzinger, Kailynn Hamilton, and Audrey Magill.

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Two of Farmville’s “ghost murals,” originally created during the 1920s, were restored in anticipation of the U.S. Vice Presidential Debate in 2016.

At Cumberland Schools, you matter.

18 Farmville the Magazine Magi Van Eps makes a hasty retreat from the field of battle after firing a cannon at a Riverside Park reenactment during the town’s Civil War sesquicentennial celebration in 2015.

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A COMFORTABLE TRADITION ENDURES

Farmville the Magazine

Story and photos by Titus Mohler

tradition that may span more than a century endures in the iconic Doyne Building today with each cut of the scissors and each friendly conversation that accompanies it. The Farmville Barber Shop has been an institution in the ground floor of the historic building on North Main Street in downtown Farmville. Located at 146 N. Main St., the shop moved to the left side of the ground floor in March 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “I know that when we were next door, we were the oldest business doing the same thing in the same location, and it had been here, they say, over a hundred years,” Farmville Barber Shop Operator Summer Overton said. “So I have older men that are (in their) 80s on, and they talk about coming in here when they were little.” Pictures are on the wall from circa 1906 and 1907 with the Doyne Building prominently on display. “You can see it was a barbershop back then,” Robin Davis said. Davis is the current owner of the barbershop. She and her daughter, Overton, have been the caretakers of the Main Street barbershop tradition, keeping alive the business’ enduring appeal. Davis pointed to Harry Yates and Jim McCormick as previous owners of the barbershop.

Top, Summer Overton presents an Imperial Rolls Razor that would have been used at the Farmville Barber Shop many years ago. This razor is on display at the shop now and was a gift from former Town Manager Gerry Spates. Middle, on display at the Farmville Barber Shop are the old number tags that customers used to take when they came in and were waiting behind people to receive service. Bottom, also on display at the Farmville Barber Shop is this old hand clipper. Summer Overton briefly demonstrated its use, highlighting how strong a barber’s arms and hands had to be to operate it.

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Summer Overton is the operator of the Farmville Barber Shop, located at 146 N. Main St. inside the iconic Doyne Building in downtown Farmville. “They were both going to retire and close the barbershop, and my mom came in and bought it,” Overton said. Davis said she almost did not do it. “I was so afraid, (Farmville) being a small, country town, how they would take to a woman barber in there,” she said. But then she added that she heard Tanya Tucker, a popular country singer, say on the radio, “‘If you don’t go out on the limb, you’ll never get the good fruit.’ I made up my mind right there.” She decided it was better to try and fail than to never try at all. “I told my husband, if I didn’t do it, years from now I’d sit back and wonder, ‘Man, what if I would have tried?’” she said. “So I did it, and it worked.” Davis worked at the barbershop for a year before buying the business from McCormick in 1995.

“He was my boss, and then when I bought the place from him, I became his boss, and he worked for me for about a year or two, but he only worked one day a week, which gave me that day off,” she said. The shop involved long hours for Davis. “I would stand on my feet straight all the way through,” she said. “We didn’t open till 7:30 in the morning, and I would get there at 10 of seven, and you would have five, six people standing outside waiting on you. So the minute I got there, I would start, and I would work sometimes till 8, 8:30 at night. Yeah, that was nonstop.” She said she might get back for bathroom breaks, but she did not take a lunch break. “I had back surgery, but I continued to work, and it ended up I had to have foot surgery, and that took me out,” she said. But she noted working in the barbershop was something she loved and something she would

continue doing now if health allowed. “It was a lot of long hours,” she said. “I blew my back out, I blew my foot out, but today, I would go right back in it right this minute.” She served as owner and operator of the Farmville Barber Shop for approximately 20 years. Allowing her to rest now and keep the business going is her daughter. Overton estimates she has operated the business for six or seven years, but she has worked at the barbershop for 20 years and been around it even longer. “Honestly, I feel like I’ve been here since I was in diapers,” she said. Overton oversaw the move from the right side of the Doyne Building’s ground floor to the left side after the building was sold. “The new owner remodeled the whole building and did apartments upstairs,” she said. “The

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This circa 1907 photo of Main Street in Farmville hangs in the Farmville Barber Shop. A faint marking on the glass of the frame points out the location of the Doyne Building in which the barber shop is currently located.

The Doyne Building is pointed out by a written note on the glass of the frame that says, “Barber Shop,” in this circa 1906 photo of Main Street in Farmville. This photo hangs in the Farmville Barber Shop currently.

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Farmville Barber Shop features two old-style chairs for those receiving a trim.

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whole building looks really good, and so the way he wanted the layout was for us to be over here.” She said clients were mourning the change, and both she and they were afraid the classic, oldschool feel of the shop being lost. “It was old, and we had to move in here, and we wanted to be able to keep the old-themed barbershop,” she said, noting that kind of barbershop is hard to find. Though the space is new and nicely remodeled, classic elements remain, like the spinning barber’s pole outside and the old barber chairs and layout of the room inside. “I like for the customers to feel homey, and I didn’t want them to come in and feel like it’s too modern and they can’t come in if their shoes are dirty,” Overton said. “A man’s business, they come in, they’re dirty, OK, I can clean that up. I don’t want to, and I might fuss about it, but you know. “I think it was really important to be able to keep the business as, I don’t know if ‘old’ is the right word but to keep it as old-feeling and homey and welcoming as we could, because there were so many people that really enjoyed that feeling.” Part of what contributes to the classic feel of the barbershop is the people inside it as well. Occasionally Overton will learn from a faithful client fun anecdotes about what has unfolded inside the business’ four walls in previous years. “There are guys that come in here, and they tell me some of the neatest things about the barbershop,” she said. “They talk about how the Yates — there were brothers that worked in here — and they talk about how they remember the one had a spittoon, and he would spit, and I’m like, ‘What?’” Fun anecdotes are also born with first-time customers and college students who simply want to get their face shaved to see what it is like. Overton said some customers are also excited to get a neck shave. Davis spoke with joy about the multi-generational nature of the shop’s clientele. “We’ve got people that are in their 40s that came there when they were a kid, and now their kids are coming,” she said. “We’ve had college kids that graduated, whether it be Longwood or Hampden-Sydney, end up coming in, and they’re married now, and they have kids. They still come by and visit, which I think is so neat.” She noted that she has said it a million times — ”I do have the best customers. “They’re good, faithful, respectable customers, and I’d put them up against anybody’s customers

Robin Davis began working at the Farmville Barber Shop in 1994 and then purchased the business the next year. She remains the owner, and though back and foot issues have ultimately sidelined her from barber duties, if her health allowed, she said she would be back “right this minute.” because they are,” she added. “When I worked in a beauty shop, women would bring gifts in at Christmas and all that, and I was so surprised at Christmas when we got gifts, and even though I’m not working, I still get them. They don’t bring them in just for Summer. They’ll be like, ‘Here, give this to your mom.’” Asked what the appeal of the Farmville Barber Shop is, Davis had three main things that came

to mind. “I would say a good haircut (and) being professional but yet welcoming at the same time.” Friendly conversation is folded into the welcoming quality, helping make the customer feel at ease in a familiar place. “It’s like going to your grandmother’s house and opening the icebox,” Davis said. “You feel comfortable.”

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From the Ground Up

Public workshops have covered many topics and are usually very hands on.

Master Gardeners celebrate 20 years of service Story and photos by Dr. Cynthia Wood

ver since they were founded in 2001, the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners have been enthusiastic about sharing a love and knowledge of gardening with the local community. Started as a close-knit group of individuals passionate about gardening and community involvement, they haven’t stopped since. As soon as they completed their training, the new Master Gardeners group made plans to participate in a home and garden tour organized by several local garden clubs. Their unique contribution was a plant sale held at Longwood House. The community found the idea of healthy, inexpensive plants very appealing, and so a tradition was born. The Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners have now sold thousands of plants at their annual sale at the Heart of Virginia Festival.

It’s quite an event. There are often activities for children, short presentations on current gardening topics, and generous advice on how to grow various plants. Community beautification has always been part of the group’s mission. They planted and maintained a community garden at Grove Street Park, helped with landscaping for the Waterworks Players’ new facility, established a community garden near the YMCA, and have helped with the native plant garden at the Prince Edward County Extension Office. Education has been equally important to the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners. Over the years, their educational activities have evolved to meet changing community needs. For a while, they had an information booth at the local farm-

er’s market. Visitors could ask questions about their gardens and get help with solving problems. The Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners also offered speakers to community-based organizations. Popular topics included native plants in the home garden, gardening myths, reblooming amaryllis, growing the best tomatoes ever, and basic botany. As an adjunct activity, the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners began offering a series of short, public workshops on topics such as pruning fruit trees, growing succulents, identifying and treating plant diseases, carving jack-o’-lanterns, designing fairy gardens, making hypertufa containers, and much more. Eventually the workshops evolved into an ongoing lunchtime series called Lunch and Learn. In addition, Master Gardeners published a

newsletter, set up a website, and began a series of monthly informational radio spots on WFLO. One year, the monthly topics were compiled in a booklet that was sold at the spring plant sale. And as if these ongoing educational activities weren’t enough, the group began a series of annual gardening symposia that featured high-profile local experts. The first event featured the ever-popular Richard Nunnally, who was the host of “Virginia Home Grown” and who also wrote a regular gardening column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. His topic: “Oh, the Questions That People Ask!” In a program co-sponsored by the Heritage Garden Club, Jenks Farmer, the South Carolina-based crinum grower and author of the book “Deep Rooted Wisdom” talked about how gardening wisdom used to be passed from one generation to another and how that wisdom is being lost now. Plantsman Barry Glick discussed growing hellebores and other perennials. Several

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28 Farmville the Magazine programs, including “Back to Nature in the Yard” and “Landscape and Water in Your Landscape,” have been cohosted with the Piedmont Soil and Water Conservation District. For many years, the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners group made regular donations of books, magazine subscriptions, and related items valued at more than $3,000 to the Buckingham, Cumberland, and Prince Edward libraries. They briefed local garden clubs about the donations and encouraged members to use these community resources. After 20 years and more than 23,000 hours of volunteer work and encouragement of local gardeners, the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners remain as enthusiastic as ever. They believe gardening is essential for understanding nature and our place in it. As Carolyn Wells told a new group of Master Gardener trainees, “…you will learn the basics of how nature works as you become Master Gardeners, and in doing so, you will equip yourselves to help heal our planet from the decades of environmental insults it has sustained. Along the way, you will find delight in the wonder of nature’s intricacies; bring joy and peace to yourselves and to those with whom you share your knowledge. Enjoy the ride.” Gardening has never been more important than it is today. Happy anniversary to the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners.

Training for new Master Gardeners covers many topics, including basic botany, propagation of plants, use of pesticides, and soil.

Farmville the Magazine

The Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners traditionally hold a spring plant sale at the Farmville Train Station during the Heart of Virginia Festival.

30 Farmville the Magazine

Artist in Residence

Painting a visual symphony “Rookie” is a Charles Hartwill piece featuring golf-playing angels. Story by Titus Mohler Photos submitted

od answered Charles Hartwill’s prayer, and the rest was history. “When I was living in Maryland before I came to Virginia, I went through a turn of events in my life where I wound up being evicted, I was homeless, abandoned by some close friends, even a few relatives, and I remember the only thing I had while I was on the street was this huge art bag that I had, and I had all my art in it,” he said. “And I can remember praying to the God of the heavens that if He would just allow me to keep my talent, I knew it could change my life. “And it did.” Hartwill, who lives in Blackstone but is planning a move to Farmville, is now a noted artist whose paintings have been on display for years for the General Assembly in Richmond. He said he probably first fell in love with art in the 1970s. “Being in school, and you’re in grade school, and somebody gives you some candy for one of the comic heroes you drew, and I think I was hooked,” he said. “I was like, ‘People give me stuff for these things.’” He noted that as he grew older, the “stuff” became money. Around the age of 20, he went to Morgan State University and majored in art. But in the second semester of his junior year,

A golf-playing angel tracks the shot in this Charles Hartwill painting titled “Blessed.” his father became seriously ill. As a military veteran, his father went to a veteran’s hospital in Richmond. Hartwill left college and went to be with his family. Later, he tried to go back and finish school. “But it was kind of tough being a young person trying to run a household, doing classes, working, and it wasn’t long — I think within the next year — it just all unraveled, and that’s how the homelessness and everything else came about,” he said. He said he was about 23 years old when he was without a home.

“I wound up coming here to Virginia because my parents were down here,” he said. “They just had to settle here. It was easier.” Though he was in a difficult situation, he had a background in marketing and managerial experience that later gave him options in terms of employment. He ended up taking a job as a manager for a Dollar General, though this was not tapping into his artistic passion that was burning brightly. “I didn’t want to take a manager’s job because when I did come down here, I started a little greeting card business, and I was selling greeting

cards,” he said. “I did all the poetry on the inside, and I did all the pictures, and I was making a nice little piece of change.” But he took the manager position after he was told he was overqualified to take anything else there. “From there, I went and worked for American General, and I handled financial services, and it was around that time, a few years after working for American General, that I left the corporation, and I just said, ‘I’m going to be a full-time artist,’” he said. “And everyone thought I was crazy.” Hartwill said he decided he was going to leave and take a chance on himself. “One of the first things I did is I started going to art shows, looking at what was out there,” he said. He also presented his work to one of Virginia’s noted folk artists, Eldridge Bagley. “I went to see him, and I showed him what I had, and I can never forget,” Hartwill said. “We were in the South Hill Art Show, and he actually took time out, looked at my work, and he said, ‘Man, you need to do this.’ “And from there, I never looked back,” Hartwill said. “I decided that I love music, so that’s what I mainly paint — a unique jazz motif, and it just kept going by leaps and bounds.” His website notes that his “jazz-playing” snowmen have evolved into a signature series and have helped him progress to being one of Virginia’s

This piece of Charles Hartwill art named “The Night I Saw” features acrylic and glass.

Farmville the Magazine

Charles Hartwill is an accomplished artist who is known for expressing his love for music in visual form. He often utilizes a unique jazz motif, with the settings of his paintings mirroring the impromptu nature of jazz music.

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Thinking of childhood teachers that made learning fun led Charles Hartwill to create this acrylic piece titled “Our Tree.” premier artists, with artwork now being featured on the VIDA clothing line, a line of art-inspired clothes, accessories, face masks and decor. He noted that his art has won quite a few awards, and the endeavor has gone further than even he envisioned it going. “I wanted to paint what I felt in my heart, so to speak, as opposed to what I thought would sell,” he said. “With my background in marketing, I know if you do something well enough, the passion shows up in the work, and that’s what attracts people, and that was the key to my artwork. I’m painting people playing the piano on the beach. You don’t see that every day, but people will pay me nice money for a woman, dressed, playing a piano on a beach.” Hartwill explained how he comes up with a visual scenario like that one. “With the jazz music, what my line of think-

ing was, because the music is impromptu, I allowed the settings to also be impromptu, and that kept me from painting pieces where everyone was always in a bar or a club,” he said. “I don’t have any work where you see them in that type of setting. So my settings tend to be very unique.” Some of his paintings reflect an affection for other types of music as well. “Because I like all forms of music, one of the things I taught my daughter was, ‘Learn to enjoy all forms of music so when you hear it, you don’t have to endure it,’” he said. There is always some form of music going on in his mind when he creates, and then it takes him somewhere on the canvas. Hartwill said he remembered opening a letter in the mail and reading excitedly that he was being invited to show his art at the General As-

sembly Building in Richmond. He said he continued to have his work on display up until they began doing renovations to the building a year or so ago. The space they gave him to fill grew significantly over the years. Farmville is where Hartwill said he is probably best known because he is there all the time. He has contributed art to the Heart of Virginia Festival and the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts. He also took the money he has made as an artist and bought a window-cleaning business. His art and window-cleaning businesses have ended up having a notable synergy. “Many of the businesses who we do the windows for now own my artwork,” he said. Those interested in purchasing or seeing more of Hartwill’s artwork can visit www.hartwillsart. com.

Farmville the Magazine

Above, “This is Mission Control ‘Really’” is a Charles Hartwill painting that he said only golf lovers could understand. Left, “The Battle Royal” by Charles Hartwill is an acrylic work that depicts something all kids do when school is closed due to a heavy snow.

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A Look into the Past

The five-story Paulett Factory, opened in 1898, had a steam-drying capacity of a million pounds annually. R. S. Paulett was perhaps the most famous of Farmville’s tobacconists.

Farmville in 1899:

‘We have a great and growing town!’ Story and photos by Dr. Jim Jordan

page one article in The Farmville Herald in 1899 began, “Farmville is the metropolis of Southside Virginia — the best built, best kept, best governed and one of the busiest towns in the south.” Lest some of the newspaper’s readers needed to be convinced of this claim, the article continued, “The Norfolk & Western Railway affords uninterrupted connection with the granaries of the west . . . and the deep waters of the Appomattox River. . . . Four tobacco warehouses provide every comfort for farmer and beast, the largest market in the state. Its plow handle factory is second to none in the country. Its flour and corn mill has no equal,

and its brickyards thrill with life. The grocery and drug businesses assume a commanding influence in trade circles.” One of those Main Street businesses was J. F. Walton’s Store, located between High and Third streets. Walton sold “farming implements of most modern make, handsome carriages, reliable fertilizers, harnesses, saddles, sugar, salt and swift guano (bat dropping fertilizer).” Once you had stocked up on farm supplies, you could walk right next door to “Doc” Winston’s Drug Company to purchase sickroom needs. Winston was “ministering to the sick, an accomplished pharmacist in compounding remedies,

and a skilled practitioner in the art of medicine.” With farm gear and medications in hand, on to Verser’s Emporium, “the mercantile mecca whose owner fanned the breezes of dry goods and the clothing business craft.” Verser’s displayed “the best goods in the best taste with gentle manners and modest demeanor.” Garments sold here were imported from the “principal cities” of the south and possessed “good taste and good judgment.” With all these prosperous businesses in town ringing up sales, there was a great need for a safe place for cash to be stored. Main Street was prepared for the task. The First National Bank was a few short steps

Farmville the Magazine

from Main Street stores and boasted “desks, and drawers, and tables, and chairs, with a mammoth iron safe well nigh providing the perfect banking establishment.” For folks still not comforted by that mammoth safe, just two doors away was Planters Bank, “Old Reliable,” as it was called. The folksy nickname was well earned, it seems. Founded the year after the Civil War ended in 1865, the bank “weathered proudly and triumphantly every panic guarding its precious cargo — the widow’s all, the orphan’s bread, the official’s deposits, the funds of church and school — and holds them securely ready to meet every demand.” While there was no UPS or FedEx in 1899, there was certainly a robust transportation system. For heavy loads like hogsheads of tobacco, boxes of guano, and loads of stone or sand, there were drays. A dray was a stout four-wheeled wagon, capable of hauling about 4,000 pounds, pulled by a team of two or four strong horses. For lighter loads, two-wheeled carts, often called “dog carts,” were used. These single-axle conveyances were actually pulled by ponies, not dogs. And for long distance transport of goods and people, there was the wonder of the age — travel by “the cars.” In 1899 that phrase meant the railroad, not the automobile, which was still in the future. Farmville was served by two railroads, the Farmville and Powhatan (the F. and P.) and the Norfolk and Western (N. and W.). Passenger trains through Farmville were so numerous a person could catch a morning train, ride through Prospect, Pamplin, Appomattox and into Lynchburg, sell a basket of blueberries at the Farmers Market, buy a pair of shoes at the Red Lion Factory, and catch the 3:30 p.m. eastbound coach back to Farmville in time for supper. Mail was delivered to the Farmville Train Depot seven times a day by westbound as well as eastbound trains. Tobacco was a prime good listed on the “bills of lading,” which was the official transportation ticket for each rail car. Dried and cured in Farmville’s seven nationally-famous tobacco factories and then compressed into wooden barrels called hogsheads, the 2,000-pound barrels were rolled like huge wheels or loaded on drays to the train depot to begin the journey to market. Most crossed the oceans to other countries. The most famous of the tobacconists was R. S. Paulett, whose five-story factory had a steam-dry-

The Taylor Manufacturing Company that employed many in Farmville, and nearly the whole village of Prospect, paid its workers in “Taylor money.” It was legal tender only in Southside Virginia. ing capacity of a million pounds annually. Some of that was shipped out on batteaux poled down the Appomattox River. More than 100 workers were employed when the building was opened in 1898. Today that huge brick structure still operates — as part of the Green Front Furniture company. It was perhaps the very same day that the Paulett Factory opened in 1898 that a photo was taken of J. Barrye Wall on Main Street — in his baby carriage. Without J. Barrye Wall, there would be no Farmville Herald today. While some things from the past remain today, some do not. Did you know there was once a dollar bill and quarter coin that were legal currency in Southside Virginia and no place else? The Taylor Manufacturing Company that employed many in Farmville and nearly the whole village of Prospect paid its workers in “Taylor money.” Perhaps Farmville shoppers spent some of that Taylor money on two items no longer available in town today, Goo Goo Eye Whiskey and Laxakola Constipation Cure. According

Goo Goo Eye Whiskey was once a popular brand available to downtown shoppers.

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A dray was a stout four-wheeled wagon pulled by a team of two or four strong horses and capable of hauling around 4,000 pounds. to advertisements at the time, short-changed whiskey bottles and “clogged stomachs” were a problem of that era. There is one thing missing in Farmville that makes me rather sad. When I came to town in 1978, I would hear the sound of a train whistle blowing for the Main Street crossing. That locomotive call is a haunting memory in my mind — and I miss it.

Another sound, which I’ve never heard but wish I had, was the pealing of bells on drays or carts as they approached the corner of Main and High streets. Bells hanging from the yoke under a horse’s neck called out a warning at each intersection: “Beware — traffic is coming.” Today there are 31 stoplights at street corners in Farmville — I know this because I spent an afternoon counting them. While you may not

believe this, I thought I heard the faint tinkling of bells each time I stopped. The next time you find yourself waiting at a red light in town, take a moment to reflect on Farmville’s past. Echoes of history can still be heard — all you have to do is listen. Dr. Jim Jordan taught at Longwood University for almost 40 years before retiring as the Board of Visitors Distinguished Professor of Anthropology.

Farmville the Magazine

In 1899, the phrase “travel by car” referred to rail travel rather than automobiles. Here Jim Jordan stands at the brake wheel of the last Norfolk Southern caboose to travel through Farmville.

38 Farmville the Magazine

Where Am I?

LAST ISSUE’S WINNER Jeffree Hudson was the winner for the March “Where Am I?” feature. Jefferee recognized the mystery photo was of the sign on the covered park bench near the LOVE sign. For being last month’s winner, Jeffree will receive a free subscription to Farmville the Magazine.

The Heart of Virginia offers beautiful scenery and architecture throughout downtown Farmville. “Where Am I?” offers residents a chance to identify one of our hidden gems across town. If you think you know where this photo was taken, email your answer to WhereAmI@ FarmvilletheMag.com. We’ll draw one lucky name from among the correct answers for an annual subscription to Farmville the Magazine.

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Catching Up With...

Blake Phillips Story by Crystal Vandegrift

lake Phillips found his way to Farmville by way of Longwood University when he took the job as a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the university. Today, Phillips lives on the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife but says that he is looking forward to visiting Farmville soon. "I love Farmville because it is the 'big city' of South Central Virginia," Phillips said. "It is small enough to be considered a small town but large enough to have plenty of things to do." Currently, Phillips is studying full-time as a Master of Divinity student at GordonConwell Theological Seminary, which was founded by the evangelist Billy Graham. Phillips, a 2016 graduate of Old Dominion University, says some of his favorite spots in Farmville are the High Bridge Trail and Three Roads Brewing Company. "I love Baine's Books and Coffee too when I can make it over to Appomattox," Phillips said. Now that Phillips is living in Boston, he says he misses the sense of community that he had while in Farmville. "I could walk around downtown Farmville or Longwood University and unexpectedly see friends along the way," he said. "I miss the spontaneous conversations." Phillips said that he is learning to love his new city and is exploring the area every chance he gets. "I enjoy running outdoors, especially if it is a scenic route, so I am exploring the city of Boston as well as the surrounding cities and towns," he said. As he works his way into the ministry, Phillips says he gives all the credit for his success to God, his wife, and his mom. "They are my motivation and the ones who continually ground me," Phillips said.

Expert Orthopedics in Farmville

Marcy Cole, PA-C, ATC | John Kona, MD William Andrews, MD, FCCP | William Fluker, PA-C Centra Centra Medical Group Orthpedics welcomes William Andrews, MD, FCCP, and William Fluker, PA-C. They join John Kona, MD, and Marcy Cole, PA-C, ATC, in the practice located at Centra Southside Medical Center. Dr. Andrews earned his medical degree from Duke University. He completed his internship and surgery residency at University of Virginia Hospital and served his orthopedic residency at Duke University. William Fluker, holds bachelor of science degrees in biology from the University of Kentucky and from the physician assistant program at James Madison University.

Accepting New Patients To make an appointment, please call 434.315.5360

935 South Main Street, Farmville, Virginia | CentraSouthside.com | 434.315.5360