December 2017 Vol. 2, No. 8 FREE
Special delivery SPCA takes pets on the road
In harmony
Organizations support school bands www.FarmvilletheMag.com
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY JOB:
“I love how our coaching staff focuses on teaching and challenging our guys not just to be better baseball players but better people as well.”
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Undebatably Henry Sixty years of hometown news
Civil War Santa
Familiar with Farmville
History and holiday fun combined
Exhibit with an artist’s-eye view
A love of reading Right in the Heart of Virginia
High Bridge
Green Front Accessories
Flippen leads hike into history
Where dogs are front and cent er
A proud heritage
Fairly uncertain
Dowd keeps the family land alive
A look at the county fair m
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Farmville the Magazine
Feature Southside SPCA specializes in bringing pets and people together. When the supply of homeless animals in Farmville and nearby counties exceeded demand, the SPCA began transporting them to other locations. Since 2001, over 14,000 puppies have found homes through the SPCA’s Homebound Hound Program; more cats and dogs have found homes in Richmond and Northern Virginia. The slogan on SPCA vans says it well — “Love knows no boundaries.” On the cover: from left, SPCA President Mark Fink, student volunteer Alex Lee, PR Coordinator Stephanie Carwile, SPCA Director Sandy Wyatt, Fundraising Chairman Steve Smelcer and Patrick Carwile. At left: Currently under SPCA foster care, Muffin models a Santa outfit.
Publisher — Betty Ramsey Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag.com Designer — Troy Cooper Troy.Cooper@FarmvilletheMag.com
Editorial Marge Swayne Marge.Swayne@FarmvilletheMag.com
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Morgan White Morgan.White@FarmvilletheMag.com Emily Hollingsworth Emily.Hollingsworth@FarmvilletheMag.com Titus Mohler Titus.Mohler@FarmvilletheMag.com
Advertising Director — Jackie Newman Jackie.Newman@FarmvilletheMag.com Steve Wallace Steve.Wallace@FarmvilletheMag.com Rachel Fielding Rachel.Fielding@FarmvilletheMag.com
Contributors: Jimmy Hurt, Cynthia Wood and Halle Parker Cover photo by Marge Swayne 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.
Preserving the magic
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A Look into the Past
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Also... Publisher’s Notebook Good Reads Where Am I? Serving it Up From the Ground Up
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Artist in Residence Catching Up With... Party Pix Town and Gown Why I Love Farmville
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Publisher’s Notebook
Sweet sights and sounds of Christmas W
elcome to this month’s issue of Farmville the Magazine. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks. Dressed in holiday style. In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile… The sweet sights and sounds of Christmas are a reminder and opportunity for us to put political differences aside and come together in peace. It’s a time to pull close to our families, friends and neighbors and celebrate all that makes this community a great place to live, work and play. The sidewalks of our city streets Betty Ramsey, are spruced up for the occasion, dressed in their Publisher holiday best. Pine boughs and Christmas trees perfume the air, while sprays of holly and twinkling lights flickering in the evening light further delight our senses. If you have some time on your hands this holiday season and are looking for a good read, you can’t go wrong with the latest issue of Farmville the Magazine. Time to snuggle up in your favorite chair with a beverage of choice and hopefully your four-legged friend from the Southside SPCA. For more good reads
you’ll want to turn to Page 6 where we have a full lineup of ideas and suggestions. Favorite author J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Letters from Father Christmas” is a sure crowd pleaser, while Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York: Stories” is sure to intrigue and cause reflection. There are many more stories within these pages, and we hope you will enjoy them. As this is a magazine about and for you, dear readers, 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, by giving us a call at (434) 392-4151 or by sending me an email at Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag. com. We publish Farmville the Magazine in the months of March, April, May, June, September, October, November and December. We invite you to pick up a copy of the latest issue as there is sure to be someone inside it you know — a neighbor, family member, a friend or perhaps even you! If you want Farmville the Magazine delivered to your home or office, we offer subscriptions for $30 per year, just enough to cover the postage. To subscribe call us at (434) 392-4151. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing you in March. Betty Ramsey is publisher of Farmville the Magazine. Her email address is Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag.com.
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Farmville the Magazine
Good Reads
Holiday reads and more Looking through the shelves at the bookstore while trying to figure out what to buy for your loved ones for the holidays? Let us help. Dive into Christmas and pages full of humor, hang out with superheroes or explore compiled stories of other people. Whichever you decide on, there’s something special to discover in each book. “Letters from Father Christmas,” by J.R.R. Tolkien Written by the famed “Lord of the Rings” series writer before the epic was published, J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Letters from Father Christmas” are letters Tolkien would write to his children each Christmas as if they were written by Father Christmas. Posthumously published, the letters look imaginatively into Father Christmas and his elvish helpers working at the North Pole. Critics say the book may have been a precursor to Tolkien’s later fame with his Middle Earth related works. “The Little Prince,” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry “The Little Prince,” first published in French in 1943, is disarmingly tender and painful, covering a lot of life lessons within its simple text and illustrations. I remember first reading it when I was 11, and then at 20. Whether you are a kid or an adult, it seems to be the sort of book one can pull different things from at different times in life. I liked the illustrations and settings at 11, and at 19 I enjoyed the characters and their dialogue. It can offer perspective in the way that we sometimes let the pressure to have money and success overrule things like knowing and loving others and pursuing the things that you enjoy, even if those things may come across as strange to others. The discussion of relationships, showing both pain and joy, have stayed with me for years, and I still am trying to learn from them.
“One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories,” by B.J. Novak This collection of stories hinges on the ability of writer B.J. Novak — who is most well-known for his work on the NBC show “The Office” — to take mundane, everyday events and flip them on their head to see where the real humor in moments lie. This book is best for those in their 20s as the stories are short, easily digestible and definitely laugh worthy. Don’t expect depth, because that’s not what these stories are about, but if you stick with it, you’ll find an easy read for any hectic schedule. “Humans of New York: Stories,” by Brandon Stanton It can be easy to be pulled into a Facebook post by Humans of New York: the image draws you in, could make you laugh or think, and then you hear someone’s story struggle or the things important to them. Having the stories in book form would seem like an ideal gift for someone who loves stories and may not be in the mood for full-fledged novels but enjoy paging through the engaging images and stories collected by Brandon Stanton. “Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet,” by Brian Stelfreeze and Ta-Nehisi Coates For Marvel and comic book fans, this may be an engaging read ahead of the feature film set to be released in February 2018. Like a holiday gift, my copy of this remains in the package that it was first delivered in, and I’m excited to use Christmas as a chance to read it. Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has written this particular version of the Black Panther franchise, may be best known for his book, “Between the World and Me” released in 2015 that details his experience with race and current social issues through letters written to his son. One can expect Coates’ lyrical writing and insightful analysis of characters to heighten the fluid and vivid art in the series. This particular edition also includes concept art of the series and an interview with artist Brian Stelfreeze.
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NO WINNER FOR NOVEMBER ISSUE No one was able to correctly identify the “Where Am I?” photo from the November edition, which was a mailbox on the old town hall building on North Main Street facing north.
Where Am I? 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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Farmville the Magazine
Serving it Up
Steven Olson’s Creative Desserts Story and photos by Titus Mohler
W
orking in the kitchen gave Steven Olson direction in his professional life. He was originally preparing for a very different career. “I didn’t know which way I was going in the beginning when I was younger, and I started off in an engineering school for civil engineering,” he said. “And then while I was going to school, I was working in restaurants part time, and I enjoyed that. And I figured, ‘Oh, this is more enjoyable than doing engineering work.’ So, I went in that direction.” The seeds for his interest may have been planted when he was growing up. “My mother did a lot of baking when I was little, and I used to always help her out, and that may have been a little inspiration there, because I enjoy doing that,” he said. After finding his direction, Olson went to cu-
linary school at Johnson & Wales University and graduated from there. “I started off in baking, working the horrible hours at 1 in the morning till like 11 in the morning,” he said. “And I got out of that, and I got back into the restaurants and started doing catering as well.” Early on, he started off at restaurants as a prep cook, preparing the food for other chefs to work with, and he slowly graduated up to line cook and beyond. He actually branched out on his own for a couple of years. “I had my own deli for a while in Keysville, which was very successful,” he said, referring to Raspberry’s Delicatessen. “But personal things got in the way with that. So I came to Aramark, and I’ve been with Aramark for five years now, and I enjoy it very much.”
He estimates he has been working as a chef now for 35 years, the last five of which have come as an employee with Aramark, working at Longwood University. He presently serves as a catering chef. For Olson, the joy of the profession stems from the creative opportunities it provides. He noted this has been particularly evident when it comes to cake decorating. “You have freedom to do whatever you want in the creativity with the cakes, which was very inspiring for me,” he said. Presently, “I don’t do the baking, because we have bakers now, but we garnish platters, we have nice little canopies that will spin on trays and garnish those and make them look really nice.” His Chocolate Genoise Cake is a creation that he noted he has worked on for years.
Ready to eat is another dish produced by Steven Olson — an Asparagus Cheesecake.
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CHOCOLATE GENOISE CAKE Butter Cream In a large mixing bowl, assemble the following ingredients in order: 1 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup unsalted butter Mix together in mixing bowl until smooth. 6 ounces semisweet chocolate melted to room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla, add to butter and mix well
2 pounds 10x sugar, sift, gradually add sugar 1 cup at a time at medium speed until all is added 7 tablespoons milk, add and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy
Cake (makes 2 10-inch rounds)
Add butter and cocoa mixture to dry mixture, mixing at low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed, and mix for about 1 1/2 minutes. Add egg mixture in three stages, mixing for about 30 seconds each time. Grease and flour 2 10-inch round cake pans. Scale at 2 pounds 6 ounces per pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until done. Cake should spring back at touch, or a toothpick should come out clean. Assemble cake round on bottom. Place butter cream between layers. Frost and garnish for completion.
3.5 ounces unsweetened cocoa 12.5 ounces boiling water, whisk together then cool to room temperature 8 ounces egg, beaten well with 4 teaspoons vanilla Combine eggs with 1/4 cocoa mixture, and set aside. 12.5 ounces cake flour, sifted 16 ounces sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder 1 1/8 teaspoons salt Place dry ingredients in mixing bowl and blend about 45 seconds until well mixed. 12 ounces softened butter (room temperature)
Remember to scrape bowl, both bottom and sides, during each step to make sure all is blended well.
Aramark Catering Chef Steven Olson presents his Chocolate Genoise Cake that he had made earlier in the day. It was the product of a recipe that he has been working on for years.
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From the Ground Up
Winter splendor
Farmville the Magazine
Using plants to brighten your home
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Story by Cynthia Wood Photos by Jay Wilkerson and Titus Mohler
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he darkest days of the year are here. Many of us brighten them with holiday lights and sparkly decorations, but when January arrives, and all the lights and sparkly decorations are put away, our homes can seem terribly dark and dreary. One of the easiest ways to combat winter gloom is to plant a succession of indoor flowering bulbs. Paperwhite narcissus provide both blooms and intense fragrance. Amaryllis bulbs offer bold, colorful flowers that can be single, double, plain, striped or many other combinations. Try planting some of each. There are many varieties of paperwhites to choose from; new varieties have sturdier stems, bigger blooms, and a less cloying fragrance. After selecting a variety that you like, you can plant the bulbs in either coarse, moist potting soil or pea gravel. Just about type of container can be used – an elegant stemmed wine glass, a large planter, or a classic bowl for bulbs. Single bulbs are especially attractive when planted in multiple containers of different heights and then grouped. If planting the bulbs in pebbles, leave about the top third of each bulb exposed and add water just until it reaches the bottom of the bulbs. Start the bulbs in a cool location and then move them to a warmer, sunnier spot after foliage appears. Once flowers appear, move the plants to a cooler location with indirect light. To keep narcissus from sprawling and drooping, bind multiple blooms together with a wide ribbon and pin it together in the back. Twigs can be used to support single stems. If you’re adventuresome, you may want to try Cornell University’s technique for reducing stem height. Start the bulbs in plain water. When some roots have formed, and the green shoots are several inches tall, pour out the water and replace it with a solution of 4 to 6 percent alcohol. If you’re using gin or vodka, mix 7 parts water to 1 part booze. Use the same solution for watering the bulbs. The blooms won’t be stunted, but the stems will be shorter. Amaryllis are equally easy to grow indoors. Just remember to choose a sturdy pot for planting because the blooms are large and can make the plant top heavy. The diameter of the pot should be just slightly larger than the bulb, maybe an inch. Make sure the pot has drainage holes so that the bulb won’t rot. Place fresh, moist potting soil in the pot. Allow about two inches of soil below the bulb. Add the bulb to the pot and fill in all around with soil. Most gardeners recommend leaving the top third of the bulb exposed, but I like to cover it a bit higher up the shoulder. The extra soil helps stabilize the bulb. Put the pot in a cool but bright place, preferably on a heated grow mat, until the bulb shows several inches of green. Water sparingly. After new growth appears, remove the pot from the grow mat and place it in a cool location away from direct light. This choice of location will help prolong the life of the flowers. Blooms usually appear 5 to 6 weeks after the bulb was planted. Stake the bloom stalk with a twig from the garden and use twine to tie the bloom stalk to the twig. Yes, December and January can be gloomy, especially after all the holiday cheer, but plants are an excellent way to add cheer to your home. Just growing something also makes most of us feel better too.
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At right, Wood presents Phalaenopsis orchids that she said are easy to grow. Below left, offering another option to brighten homes during the holiday season, this photo presents a cyclamen, which is a tropical plant that is often given to people at Christmas. Below right, paperwhite narcissus bulbs are planted in rocks, ready to sprout forth.
Farmville the Magazine
GIVE THE GIFT OF A LIFETIME Exceptional preparedness for success in college and life is more affordable than you may think.
EXPLORE With students from 11 counties in grades PK3-12, Fuqua School has a reputation for academic excellence. Fuqua is proud of its advancements in STEAM related programming and innovative classes such as aviation, robotics, AP environmental science, externships and college classes.
Plan a visit today by contacting the Director of Admissions at (434) 392-4131 or visit FuquaSchool.com. Fuqua School is located at 605 Fuqua Drive, Farmville. Fuqua School admits students of any race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to the students.
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Artist in Residence
Possibilities
forged in
fire Story and photos by Titus Mohler
W
hat lights up children’s eyes as they stand in a blacksmith’s shop is not just the fire emanating from the forge but also their imaginations as they begin to understand the creative possibilities that are present when working with metal. David Wine, of Andersonville in Buckingham County, has been stoking their imaginations as a blacksmith. “This is not my full-time occupation,” he said. “It’s my fun, something I very much enjoy doing.” For his full-time job, he operates Blackberry Farm Enterprises, running a carpentry business and selling Schaeffer Oil. But for a couple hours a month, he enjoys honing his craft as a blacksmith. He does demonstrations at festivals, and Buckingham schools will bring their students to him to learn about the process. Though he has a space on his farm where he does some work as a blacksmith, he has an indoor space called Abbitt Forge in The
Blacksmith David Wine stands next to the forge that he helped design and uses in The Historic Village at Lee Wayside in Buckingham County. Wine has practiced at his craft as a blacksmith for the past six years and gives demonstrations at festivals and to students in the area.
Farmville the Magazine
David Wine heats an old paint roller frame in the forge as he works to transform during a piece of the frame into a coat hook.
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Historic Village at Lee Wayside. On a brisk mid-November day in the village, he explained how he got his start in this work. “Well I was a woodworker, and I wanted to learn to make my own tools,” he said. “... And I’ve always been a little old fashioned.” This led to him taking a one-day class in Lynchburg offered by the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association. There he learned the basic methods of blacksmithing. “There’s drawing out, upsetting, bending, twisting, cutting and welding — very simple,” he said. “That’s all you ever do.” On his first day, he made a fire poker, which involved almost all of the basic methods. “And I went home with this,” he said, “and they said, ‘Now, you’ve learned everything you need to learn. Now you’ve just got to go practice.’ So, that is, indeed, what I have been doing the last six years.” He does sell some items, with the biggest sellers tending to be little ornamental items like decorative hooks, letter openers and key chains. He made it clear a blacksmith is not going to get rich off of their work. “You cover your expenses,” he said. But the greatest pleasure he derives from the activity comes when he is doing demonstrations for children.
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Above, with his hammer, Wine makes a decorative finial on the end of the coat hook he is creating. Bottom left, Wine presents the product of his first day of blacksmithing — making a fire poker. “I took a piece of half-inch rod and did that,” he said. “I did everything but welding.” Bottom right, giving a before-and-after perspective, Wine holds up against the wall of Abbitt Forge an identical old paint roller frame, left, to the one from which he had just fashioned the ornate coat hook on the right.
Farmville the Magazine
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He cited an instance in which he would show them a half-inch hole put through a three-eighth-inch piece of metal. “How did I drill a hole in a piece of metal that’s bigger than the actual (piece of) metal,” he said. “... It’s actually got all the strength of the steel still there, but now you can put something through it. So, that’s the joy of it for me. I mean, I enjoy doing it, I enjoy the work, but I enjoy watching young children, their minds open up and the possibilities of, ‘I can do something with this.’ That, to me, is the fun part.” On that mid-November day, he demonstrated some of the possibilities by taking an old paint roller frame that was destined for the trash and made part of it into a coat hook. “Back in the good old days, that would have never been wasted,” he said of the paint roller frame. “So, I tell people the blacksmith was the first recycler, because they could not afford to let a piece of metal go to waste.” He has made his own tools, including the tongs he used to hold the paint roller frame as he reshaped it. When he couldn’t find the tongs that he needed to grip smaller items like the frame, he simply plunged the tongs he was using into the fire, and after it was sufficiently heated, he modified its grip. “Being a blacksmith, if you needed something, you can make what you’ve got work,” he said. “It might take a little bit of creative adapting, but…” The possibilities of his craft became very clear.
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David Wine has a space where he works as a blacksmith on his farm, but while in The Historic Village at Lee Wayside, he works in the blacksmith shop known as Abbitt Forge.
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Pet project
bringing pets to the people Story and photos by Marge Swayne
Farmville the Magazine
Southside SPCA located in Meherrin has been matching pets with people for over four decades. Under the leadership of Director Sandy Wyatt, the SPCA continues to place unwanted or homeless animals in loving homes in the 12-county area surrounding Farmville as well as other locations. Pictured with a handful of hard-to-resist kittens are Volunteer Coordinator Carolyn Hudson and Fundraising Chairman Steve Smelcer. (Photo courtesy Navona Hart’s Blog.)
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t’s a busy Sunday at the Southside SPCA in Meherrin. The yard’s bustling with people and pets mingling around tables and booths filled with gift baskets. While Christmas is several months away, there’s a holiday feeling at the Fall Festival and Open House. “You could say this event is our gift to the community,” SPCA Fundraising Coordinator Steve Smelcer says. Matching pets with people is a gift, and this
SPCA does it well. Waiting to greet guests in front of the dog kennel, SPCA Director Sandy Wyatt smiles and waves. Wyatt ‘s been working with the SPCA since 1985. “The SPCA started in Meherrin in 1975,” she explains. “I was living in Amelia then and working for the railroad.” One day Wyatt made a visit to the SPCA. “I didn’t like what I saw,” she says. “So I started going to meetings and got myself on the board.”
James Early and wife Liz Chassey take part in the SPCA Fall Festival with a booth offering pet portraits. Christmas collectibles from Germany add an international touch to Christmas celebrations in the Crute home.
After retiring from RF&P Railroad in 2000, Wyatt took over as SPCA director. She’s been there ever since. While we chat more people and pets, many attired for the costume contest, stop to admire the gift basket table. A woman carrying a puppy in a red bandana waves at Wyatt who calls back, “Glad you could come!” Across the way a German shepherd wearing a Batman cape pauses to sniff the popcorn booth, confirming a sign that reads,
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Top left, the SPCA offers opportunities to adopt cats at Pet Smart in Midlothian and Three Oaks Pet Resort in Farmville. Top right, a walk through the SPCA kennel confirms a quote from author Karen Davison, “Saving one dog won’t change the world, but for that one dog the world will change forever.” (Photo courtesy of Navona Hart.) Middle left, napping on a holiday bed, a cat waits for a home of its own. Above, the SPCA provides home-like surroundings for cats and dogs — including a holiday stocking. At left, a bed and blanket make dogs in the SPCA kennel feel at home.
22 Farmville the Magazine “Delicious Popcorn.” It’s a beautiful day in an equally attractive setting. It wasn’t always that way. Pointing with pride to three neatly landscaped buildings on the SPCA’s 19-acre lot, Wyatt reminisces. “We had to have a new shelter, so we started raising money in Farmville,” she relates. “We finally raised enough in 2007 and started with the puppy building.” Unwanted puppies were becoming an increasing issue for the no-kill shelter. It was basically a problem of supply and demand, so when Wyatt heard about a town with a demand for mixed-breed puppies, the Homebound Hound Program was born. “Every week we loaded 45 puppies in a van and drove them to an animal shelter in Massachusetts,” she adds. “Mixed breed puppies — I’m talking hounds that people stepped over at dumpsters — were adopted out right away there.” The SPCA goal of finding loving homes was quickly achieved — and then some. “Since 2001 we’ve sent over 14,000 puppies up north — we went through three vans!” she adds. Wyatt waves at another group of visitors inquiring about dogs. With adoptions in mind, she directs them to the kennel. While resident dogs and cats have the comforts of home at this SPCA, there’s a key factor missing — a home of their own. As visitors walk through the kennel, dogs with soulful eyes line the aisle to wait and watch. Some extend a hopeful paw with a look that clearly says — “take me, please!” “Of the 1,100 animals we rescued in 2016, 1,066 were adopted into good homes or were transferred to other non-euthanizing organizations,” SPCA President Mark Fink adds. Fink, working his way from booth to booth, stops long enough to comment on the organization. “These folks at the Southside SPCA work tirelessly to find loving homes for unwanted dog and cats — I’m proud of the great work they do for the community.” As Fink hurries by, SPCA Assistant Director Francee Schuma calls out numbers at the gift basket table. “I was working in a veterinary hospital,” Schuma recalls. “One day I saw this woman outside peddling puppies. It was Sandy Wyatt, and I decided she needed some help.” Wyatt and Schuma, who’s been with the SPCA 20 years now, handle the weekly intake of animals. “We go to animal controls in surrounding counties and bring animals back,” Schuma says. “We’re a ‘one-in, one-out’ facility.”
Volunteer Coordinator Carolyn Hudson reassures a recent arrival at the shelter. In other words, when one animal is adopted, another homeless animal takes its place. “Every Saturday we take 12 to 15 dogs to PetSmart in Richmond,” she says. “Cat adoptions are held at the PetSmart in Midlothian and also at Three Oaks Pet Resort in Farmville.” “As the population here grows, adoptions also increase,” she adds. “With more people spaying and neutering pets there’s a definite decline in the number of animals.” To continue that trend, the SPCA partners with local veterinarians to offer a free or low cost spay/ neuter program. Another recent addition to SPCA services is dog training.
“Katie Locks is our trainer and oversees our Pen Pal Program,” Schuma says. In this program dogs with behavioral problems are transported to prisons and matched with inmates who train them. “Katie also does in-home work with SPCA dogs who develop behavior issues after adoption,” Schuma adds. Several booths over, Smelcer instructs a group of Longwood University students who’ve come to volunteer. “I helped plan this event,” Alex Lee says. “I hope to work for a non-profit after graduation. I love animals, and I enjoy volunteering for the SPCA.” Another all-volunteer project of the SPCA,
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The Southside SPCA believes in the logo printed on its vans. “Love knows no boundaries” — taking pets to other locations for adoption is a plan that leads to happy endings.
Tailwaggers Thrift Store, recently opened in Keysville under the management of Susan Estes. “The thrift store is managed entirely by volunteers, and every dollar goes to the SPCA,” Shuma adds. Raising funds for these programs is always on the minds of SPCA staff and volunteers. The
SPCA’s Holiday Donation Drive, started six years ago by Smelcer and his wife, is now the main fundraiser of the year. This year a second day of holiday events has been planned for the first weekend in December. While pet adoptions are discouraged during the busy Christmas season, the SPCA encourag-
es giving gifts that come with four legs and a tail. Gift certificates, with adoptions arranged after the holidays, are available for Christmas giving. When shopping for a pet, it makes sense to visit the SPCA. It is, after all, a place where loves knows no boundaries and best friends meet.
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Catching Up With...
Pamela Slayton Jones Story by Emily Hollingsworth
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amela Slayton Jones, who was raised in Prince Edward County and currently lives in Grove City, Pennsylvania, felt compelled to write the story of her daughter’s life, particularly the struggles and triumphs her daughter Christiana had experienced having cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities. She described the decision to publish “A Miracle Called Christiana” as a nudging from God and numerous friends and family members, who felt Christiana’s story, and Jones’ own, could help other families. Jones credits God for Christiana’s recovery following a prolonged seizure in 2008, which
lasted more than five and a half hours that led to a non-responsive state for nine days. “We planned her funeral because the CT scan showed that there was minimal brain activity. She was on full life support, and God woke her up,” Jones said. Jones said Christiana is 25 this year, and the book details her love of musicals, Disney films and sharing memories with her family. Jones said after sharing a draft of the book with friends, she sent the book to a publisher, Christian Faith Publishing. “They were wonderful to work with,” Jones said about the publisher and about friends and family
who have shown support. “People who know Christiana and have known our family are just so supportive of me trying to do this.” She noted that having a child with special needs can create anxiety and can be an isolating experience for families. “I hope (readers) realize they’re not alone,” Jones said about what she hopes people will take away from the book. “Because having a special needs child can be very isolating … and that faith makes a difference also, and trusting God with the situation. It made a difference for me.” Jones and her family visited Farmville Nov. 18 and held a book signing at the Barnes & Noble
Longwood store on 200 N. Main St. Jones has often revisited her home in Prince Edward County. “It’s home,” Jones said. “My mom and my brothers are still there, and lots of cousins are close by, and my husband’s a minister, so we moved around a lot, and it’s always nice to come home.” Her son had attended Hampden-Sydney College. Jones graduated from Prince Edward Academy, now Fuqua School, in 1980 and from Longwood University. Jones received a degree in early childhood education from the college. Jones currently serves as the youth leader at Harmony Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Harrisville, Pennsylvania, where her husband is the pastor. Before that, Jones earned a master’s in education from James Madison University and worked in Charlotte County Public Schools and Luther Memorial School in Richmond. She noted some dramatic changes between Pennsylvania and Virginia, particularly that she estimated Pennsylvania would receive snow before Thanksgiving. “We live about an hour south of (Lake) Erie, it’s winter nine months of the year here,” Jones said. “You’re used to Virginia being a calmer four-season spot, and you live there, you grew up there and then you move up here,” Jones said. “But I love where we are. It’s just really pretty, and the people up here are wonderful.” Jones noted the differences between how the two states react to snow. “It’s dry most of the time. When it snows, you sweep it off the steps with the broom. And we can get out. It’s not a big deal up here,” Jones said. “In Virginia when it snows, everything shuts down. And you stay inside, and you lose power and you make the best of it for a few days. But here it snows, it stays on the ground for a few weeks. Nothing stops, everything just keeps on going.” To learn more about “A Miracle Called Christiana”, visit Amazon.com, where the book is currently available.
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26 Farmville the Magazine
Preserving the magic bands and charity partner
Story and photos by Emily Hollingsworth
Farmville Lions Club President Greg Cole, left, Prince Edward County Middle School Band Director David Ganzert and High School Band Director Tiarrah Crouch take part in a presentation following the Lions Club’s donation of specialized earplugs for students in the band.
Farmville the Magazine
A
t the Prince Edward County High School Barbara Rose Johns Auditorium, there was a moment of silence before the roughly two dozen members of the High School Band began to play. The selection, “Air for Band” by Frank Erickson, soon filled the auditorium. The students used wind and percussion instruments to create its melody, both soothing and energizing. Students in the high school and middle school bands, as they pick up their instruments, will no longer need to worry about the potential risk of hearing damage or loss as a result of the sound. Members of the Farmville Lions Club and Longwood
University’s Speech, Hearing and Learning Services (SHLS) partnered with the school division to provide the two school bands with specialized earplugs, which will protect students’ hearing without them missing any crucial notes. This makes Prince Edward the first school division in the state to take on this action, according to High School Band Director Tiarrah Crouch. The Lions Club provided 150 of the specialized earplugs to each of the school bands. The electronic earplugs are engineered to protect the wearer’s hearing once sounds exceed the decibel level that could damage hearing, but it won’t muffle sounds that fall within normal decibel levels.
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Members of the Prince Edward County High School Band play a selection called “Air for Band” by Frank Erickson. Pictured are, from left, front row, Corbin Jones, Deanna Camp, Renee Stimpert, Hannah Roldan, Amber Maliangos, Rebekah Godfrey; back row, Jenna Lankford, Joseph Edwards, Benjamin Roberts, Brandon Jackson, Pieter Green, Audrey Butler and Connor Stimpert.
UNITING FOR SOUND How did a group of high school and middle school students, a team of audiology educators and a service-oriented organization come together to make this possible? The inspiration for the earplugs came from Longwood University student Meredith Puryear. Puryear said the idea of hearing preservation had always been in the back of her mind. She described having chronic ear infections and having to use tubes to drain fluid in the ears, which eventually led to a perforated eardrum that had to be surgically repaired. Puryear said she understood the importance of hearing in education, particularly for musicians. Helping Crouch during a summer band program, Puryear realized the constant exposure school band members have to loud noise. “When I was helping Ms. Crouch this summer set up for band camp, and I was listening to just how loud everything is that they have to use to be in the amazing band that they are,” Puryear said. “When I heard everything was so loud, I thought in my head that I needed to talk to Dr. (Mani) Aguilar, because to me they needed a little something more than they already had.” Dr. Aguilar is a specialist and professor with SHLS, who encouraged Puryear to take action about her concerns.
Prince Edward County Middle School Band Instructor David Ganzert, left, thanks Farmville Lions Club member Jim Gussett following a presentation by the Prince Edward middle and high school bands in which they thanked Lions Club members for their efforts to protect the students’ hearing.
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That’s when the Farmville Lions Club stepped in. The Farmville Club is the fourth oldest Lions Club division in Virginia, having started in 1925. The Club currently provides assistance for eyeglass wear, eye exams and hearing aids for community members who may not be able to afford them. Club President Greg Cole, a former high school
band member, said he played the trumpet and said his placement in the band was where the noise was loudest, by the percussion set. “These Prince Edward Middle School and High School students, we really need to help them conserve their hearing. And there are great earplugs out there that reduce the decibels but still (let you) hear what you’re playing. As a matter of fact, I hear
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that you can hear the notes a little bit more clearly,” Cole said. Dr. Lissa Power-deFur with SHLS also spoke during a presentation by the school division and commended Puryear, the band directors and Farmville Lions Club for their work “My colleague Dr. Mani Aguilar, audiologist at Longwood Speech, Hearing and Learning Services.
Top left, Dr. Barbara Johnson addresses the audience during a presentation where members of the Farmville Lions Club and Longwood’s Speech, Hearing and Learning Services donated specialized electronic earplugs for the division’s band students. Top right, Farmville Lions Club President Greg Cole discusses the services of the Lions Club and their donation of specialized earplugs for members of the Prince Edward County Middle School and High School bands. Above left, Dr. Lissa Power-deFur with Longwood University’s Speech, Hearing and Learning Services gives a presentation at Prince Edward County High School. Above right, Meredith Puryear with Longwood University, who headed the project to give Prince Edward County Middle and High School band members specialized earplugs to preserve their hearing addresses an audience during a presentation at the high school auditorium.
30 Farmville the Magazine Mani has been with us for three years … teaches our class on audiology, and Meredith was in that class, and was really impressed by the impact of noise on hearing. And Mani is a woman that challenges people to make a difference in the world. And I think she found that Meredith took the challenge and made a difference right here in Prince Edward.”
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT “When we’re born, in the middle of our ear here, are 20,000 hair cells,” Power-deFur said in a surprising opening to a presentation regarding hearing preservation. She encouraged the audience to look at the fingernail on their pinky finger. The two parts are more connected than one may think, Power-deFur said. “(The fingernail’s) about as large as that inner ear, and 20,000 hair cells are packed into that, and something that is a cochlea, like a little snail shell. And we are given 20,000 of those when we’re born, and we don’t get any replacements.” Power-deFur said. Power-deFur said she knew a colleague, Dr. Brenda Ryals, who has spent 30 years studying if hair cells in the ear could be regrown. Power-deFur said the study came with some surprising results. She noted she and others have not been able to discover how to regrow the cells. As of now, PowerdeFur said if the gene to potentially grow hair cells is activated, it can also potentially grow cancer cells. Power-deFur noted that hearing loss is common
with age, as people grow older more and more of the hair cells become damaged or die. However, she said age isn’t the only factor. “Hearing loss can be prevented,” Power-deFur said. She said she always tells her husband to wear earplugs when mowing the lawn, using the leaf blower or even using a chain saw. “We have established what the level was for normal hearing about 70 years ago, and we used young men about 20-25, and we measured what their hearing was, and that became the standard for normal,” Power-deFur said. A worrying statistic Power-deFur noted concerned young people today. She said upon measuring the hearing of young people, researchers have found that they had similar hearing to those in their 40s. “We have impacted our hearing with so much noise whether it is iPods that we listen to, whether it is mechanical equipment.” Power-deFur noted a recent contest during a Seattle Seahawks game to see how much noise the stadium could make. She said noise levels came up to 135-138 decibels. “That causes pain,” Power-deFur said. A series of measurements taken with instruments from two professional bands at the Royal Military School of Music in 2006 found that the decibel level of the tuba, at its peak, can reach 146 decibels, more than 60 decibels above the point that sound can create hearing loss, which is 85 decibels. Other instruments, including the clarinet, French horn
and bass drum peaks between 140-145 decibels. Power-deFur noted the importance of the earplugs protecting students’ hearing. “What you have to do is an incredibly progressive program. This recognizes that we want to be musicians. And we want to make a difference through making beautiful music. But we don’t want to do it at a level where I won’t be able to enjoy music as well when I’m 40, or 50, or 60, or 70,” Power-deFur said.
MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL The earplugs will give members of the band a cutting edge while they are already on the top of their game. The high school band won first place in every category during a competition at Midlothian High School on Oct. 7, Crouch said. The band won second place in all categories on Oct. 14 at Bluestone High School’s Band Camp. That Saturday, Crouch said the band was heading to Powhatan High School to participate in the Music Class 3A, a state assessment Crouch described as being the band’s equivalent of the SOLs. The band’s success is well earned. Crouch said the band meets every day to practice. Crouch, who is a first-year band instructor, asked the audience to take a deep breath. She said members of the high school bands take that same breath and make music from it. “There are a lot of components when you take that air and you make it beautiful, but that’s a musician’s job. We choose this job because it’s
Tiarrah Crouch, standing, conducts a selection played by the Prince Edward County High School Band.
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Members of the Prince Edward County High School band, school division administration, representatives of Longwood University’s Speech, Hearing and Learning Services and of the Farmville Lions Club come together after the Lions Club had donated specialized earplugs for members of the Prince Edward Middle and High School bands to preserve their hearing. something that we love. And I tell my students, what you do is amazing. What you do, I have no other adjectives for but awesome. It’s pretty stinkin’ cool,” Crouch said. “Not only are they making noises that somehow seem to work together magically, their job is to listen to others, and to plan with others. There’s a million and a half things going on at one time when they’re playing their instruments or they’re singing. They’re focusing on how much air they put into that instrument. They’re focusing on, are they playing the right notes? Are they pressing down the right keys? Are they having good posture? Are their feet on the floor? They have so many things going on in their minds that essentially if you boil it down, what they are doing is making that air beautiful.” Students, as they carefully put away their instruments and helped clear the stage, thanked members of the Lions Club, many who were in the club’s yellow vests, for the earplugs. Senior student Amber Maliangos was one of those students. Maliangos, who plays bass clarinet and is drum major, said the earplugs are a step in enabling her to pursue her career in music. “I think it’s really cool they donated this to us as a lot of us want to pursue music after high school,” Maliangos said. “I want to be a band director, and want to hear for the rest of my life.”
Members of the Farmville Lions Club attend a presentation following their donation of 300 specialized earplugs for the Prince Edward County Middle and High Schools bands. Pictured are, from left, Greg Cole, Kim Boswell, Darrell Person, Dr. Marvin Scott, Janet Bowles, Steve Lindsey, Chris Bolt and Tim Cook.
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DUDLEY SAUVE CELEBRATION An estimated 150 people came out to Waterworks Theater on Oct. 29 to join a celebration honoring Dudley Sauve, who, for the last 43 years, has greatly impacted the world of community theater in the area as a teacher, director and actor. Those attending the celebration had the opportunity to speak with Sauve, read scrapbooks containing memories of his career, leave a written message for him on a poster board that many signed and eat celebratory cake that was offered. PHOTOS BY TITUS MOHLER
Richard Stockton and Margaret Stockton
Don Blaheta, Jennifer Miskec, Hannah Boswell and Greg Tsigaridas
W. Nelson Webber III and Laura Webber
Erika Evans, Moffatt Evans and Jan Evans
Edward Ntunde, Dudley Sauve and Stefan Migac
Betty Fanelli and Alfred Richard
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Ken Meade and Donna Coleman
Frankie Todt and Lauran Todt
Trace Morgan and Richard Morgan
Jim Dyk and Daphne Mason
Raymon Stafford and Phyllis Stafford
Linda Rofe and Virginia Kinman
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MOTON AND LONGWOOD LITERACY EVENT Area kids had the chance to combine summertime fun and the chance to learn new words during a literacy event Nov. 4 hosted by the Moton Museum and professors and students with the Department of Social Work & Communication Sciences and Disorders at Longwood University. Kids during the event, which had the theme “Under the Sea,” got to play “Beach Ball Words,” where kids got to a catch a beach ball and think of words that
Tyriq Williams
Aspen Mickles and Grace Schroeder
De’siree Fairley
McKenzie York and Manna Edwards
Bryah Holland and McKenzie York
Eden Zelly, Olive Zelly and Tyriq Williams
Farmville the Magazine
started with a letter on the ball. Activities also included “fishing for words,� where kids caught different sentences using toy fishing rods and magnets and got to toss toy balls into a wooden shark mouth. Each kid got a free book during the event.
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PHOTOS BY Emily Hollingsworth
Judy Kovach and Noah Bird
Jill Manning and Henrietta Morgan
Alyce Hepp, Dr. Ronda Walker and Grace Schroeder
Kateri Layne and Abel Layne
Karen Ryan and Katy Pugh
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NEW LIFE CHURCH FALL FEST The Farmville Community Marketplace was buzzing with activity Oct. 27 as the New Life Church Fall Fest took place. Families, including costumed children and adults, flocked to the event, which featured free games, candy, prizes, face painting and popcorn, food trucks, a truck-pulled train ride for children and more. PHOTOS BY TITUS MOHLER
D.J. Perry, Reginald Paris and Tiffany Paris
William Randolph-Jones and Amy Randolph
Hannah Layne, David Layne and Early Layne
Mara Houston and Chris Houston
Benjamin Doss, Jessica Doss, Chip the Unicorn and Laura Doss
Shalaina Baker and Jeremiah Francis
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Jason Long, Lora Long and Mia Long
In front, Morgan Wolf; in back, Brianne Wolf, Adam Wolf and Dorinda Saul
In front, Emmett Scott; in back, Amy Scott, Lex Scott and Karen Montgomery
Makayla Eppes, Jayden Eppes, Yvonne Hartwill and Skylar Eppes
Mike Hertzler and Jessica Hertzler
Luke Lafata, Ashley Lafata, Claressa Townsend, Neal Townsend and Emmett Townsend
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PSR holds open house Leadership of Piedmont Senior Resources (PSR) Area Agency on Aging Inc. held an open house and ribbon cutting to welcome the community to its new location at 1413 S. Main St. in September. PSR offers numerous services for people 60 or older across the Heart of Virginia. During the ribbon cutting ceremony and open house, participants
Tarika Brown, Pauline Stokes and Lonnie Calhoun
Chuck Moore, Patsy Hannah and Lydia Counts
Kerby Moore, Chris Brochon and Dan Dwyer
Helen Simmons, Edward Pennington and Justine Young
Sari Goff, Dotty Newcomb, Roma Morris and Karen Blackwell
Stephen Blewett, Linda Cheyne and Navona Hart
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enjoyed finger foods, a cash bar and a chance to tour the new facility, which includes offices, a meeting space open for area organizations and a full kitchen.
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PHOTOS BY Emily Hollingsworth
Frank Harris and Melvin Hodges
Jim Christie and Guy Matthews
Tiffany Pratt and April Ross
Alanna Rivera and Jessie Woodson-Johnson
Navona Hart, Leanne Emert, Harlan Horton and Linda Cheyne
Jen Cox and Ilsa Loeser
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Sportsman Dinner draws crowd Members of the community and the Farmville Fire Department came out in support of the 8th annual Sportsman Dinner, held at the Fireman’s Sports Arena in Prince Edward County. According to Safety Officer Julie Bailey and Chief Dean Farmer, the activities during the dinner would raise funds for a rescue engine the
Emma Watson, Mary Gould and Gearl Reed
Jackie Reed, Robert Hurt and Lyric Roser
Mark Greenlaw and Matthew Sok
Nathan Turvyll and Zach Turvyll
Diana Williams, Tommy Price, Skyler Price and Dylen Price
Julie Bailey, Antwann Evans, Jeff Williams and Ronald Schaultz
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department will be set to have in December. Participants got to take part in a live and silent auction, and enter raffle tickets to win guns and hunting gear, including revolvers and rifles. PHOTOS BY Emily
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Hollingsworth
Jared Huark and Xavier Hyde
Kirby Mottley Sr. and Barbara Mason
Erian Rockwell and Gillian Rockwell
Dillon Tennis, Travis Finch and Bob Mansueti
Penny and Emily Osborne
Shawn Cain, Noah Lovelady and Matt Fults
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Brewery opens Members of the community join in during a ribbon cutting for Third St. Brewing on 312 W. Third St on Oct. 18. Picnic tables outside enabled people to enjoy specialty beers outside and some even brought their pets. Old and new friends reunited to share a drink and enjoy an evening. PHOTOS BY Emily Hollingsworth
Keith Rider, Grace Dupont, David Steeves and Sam Wiles
AJ Dalton and Niels Keiwiet de Jonge
Lonnie Calhoun and Chapman Hood Frazier
John Davis, Jerry Hatfield, Amanda Hatfield, Brian Vandegrift and Crystal Vandegrift
Audrey Sullivan, Dillon Faircloth and Ninshi
Travis Meadows
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Lisa Kraushaar and Savannah Mitchell
Mary and Brent Koontz
Cathy Hillier, Susie Rhea, Julianne Shibley and Otis Owens
Bruce Davis, Susan Sullivan, Jeff Gore, Brandon Clark, Teresa Stewart and Jay Stewart
Members of the community prepare to cut a ribbon to celebrate the opening of Third St. Brewing.
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LONGWOOD ATHLETICS EVENTS Longwood athletics held a couple of significant events recently. The fifth installment of the Longwood Athletics Benefit Celebration, which is Longwood athletics’ signature fundraising event, drew more than 250 Longwood alumni, faculty, staff, fans and student-athletes Oct. 21 to The Richmond Omni Hotel for an evening of food, dancing and a silent auction. The fifth Longwood Men’s Basketball Season Tipoff Reception
Natalie Toombs and Doug Toombs
Jayden Metzer and Elwood
Autumn Childress, Micaela Ellis and Dayna Rouse
Kirsten Gaines, Chris McGee and Elwood
Elwood and Roy Nunnally
Caroline Danielson and Reid Danielson
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was held Nov. 1 in Blackwell Ballroom and also drew more than 250 people. In addition to dinner alongside coaches and student-athletes, the event included addresses from ESPN analyst and NBA veteran Adrian Branch, Lancers Head Coach Jayson Gee and members of the Longwood men’s basketball team. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEITH
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LAWRENCE AND LONGWOOD ATHLETICS
Kim Mitchell, Bart Mitchell and Kris Denson
Lynette Gee and Kim Austin
Mario Huffman and Michelle Shular
B.K. Ashe, JaShaun Smith, Charles Glover and Jordan Cintron
Lucie McCarthy and Chip McCarthy
Lisa Simon, Jake Simon, John Larkin, J.J. Luhn, Jodi Luhn, John Luhn and Julia Luhn
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A Look into the Past
Mural has storied history Story by Jimmy Hurt
T
he buildings located at the northern end of Main Street are some of the oldest buildings in Farmville. Many of them date back to before the Civil War days. The Shoppes at Poplar Hall located at 308 N. Main St. is one of the oldest buildings in town. Today it attracts many customers as one of the finest antique centers in the area. One wall of the building is known for being hit by cannonballs during the last days of The Civil War. Another wall of the building is well-known due to the classic advertisements applied by The CocaCola Co. over the years. The practice of mural painting advertisements is evident all along Main Street. As the signs age and the paint fades away the signs become known as Ghost Signs. Many of our ghost signs are reminders of days gone by. Coca-Cola was being served at local soda fountains in Farmville by 1900. Records indicate that the Coca-Cola mural was first painted on the wall of the Poplar Hall building by 1905. An article on the front page of the March 17, 1905, The Farmville Herald reports that Mr. H. T.
A photograph estimated to have been taken in the 1920s shows the development of a Coca-Cola advertisement sign painted in 1905.
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Above, pictured is the outline of a Coca-Cola sign on North Main Street before it was repainted in 2016. Below, a photo of the recently repainted Coca-Cola sign on North Main Street. A Coca-Cola sign, a street advertisement first painted in 1905 with many repainting’s since, was repainted shortly before the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate.
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The Coca-Cola sign can be seen from the Historic Hotel Prince Edward in this photo dating from the 1900s.
Applewhite, a representative of Coca-Cola, was visiting Farmville and setting up display advertisements in store windows along Main Street. At this same time, the “Refreshing and Delicious� Coca-Cola mural was painted on the south wall of The Poplar Hall building. The property owners would receive payment for the display space. From old photos we can see the sign was renewed several times by Coca-Cola. Often the slogan and graphics would change. Over the years this building had ownership changes and different tenants. Records indicate there was a clothing store, a hardware store, a dry goods store, a general merchandise store, a 5 & 10 cent variety store and by the 1920s there was an automobile repair garage followed by Garnett
Motor Company selling new Hudson brand cars. In more modern times it was known as The J. H. Whitfield Co., a feed, seed, and hardware store. The advertisement murals changed from time to time. Most old photographs show various Coca-Cola murals. A photo from about 1930 shows Coca-Cola is gone, replaced by a different type sign. In the 1950s, another photo indicates Mr. Whitfield advertised his own company name and Purina Feed Products. Mr. Whitfield retired, and another Coca-Cola mural reappeared. The new Coca-Cola sign remained for many more years until it also faded away. In 2016 concerned downtown merchants heard about a new restoration program for old Coca-Cola signs. They contacted Charlotte, North
Carolina based Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, the nation’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler. Plans were made to restore the old Coca-Cola mural just in time for the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate which would bring many new people to Downtown Farmville. In September 2016 the sign painters arrived and within about a week, two old Coca-Cola murals were restored. With the work completed in record time, the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated hosted a big party with food and plenty of Coke refreshments for everyone at the High Bridge Plaza on Main Street. There are many old ghost signs in Historic Downtown Farmville, just look around and enjoy them.
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Veterans Day events held Nov. 10-11 honored veterans. Among those held included a Fuqua Veterans Day community program and an Elvis impersonator performance at the Fireman’s Sports Arena in Farmville. PHOTOS by Morgan White
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Jim and Sarah Maddox Dunn
Frank Medlin, Shorty Osborn, Fred Hill, Chere Hill and Dennis Merkle
Nate Littlejohn and John Miller
Judy Chantelois, Jim Dunn, Sarah Maddox Dunn, Gail Reed
Melissa and William Bailey
Ireland Seagle and Alex Huggard
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Town and Gown
Growing beyond the bounds of a course catalog A
few weeks ago, my class was asked to describe the house they would call their home. Well, for someone who has moved several times, I don’t define my home by the roof over my head. It is where I feel comfortable and secure; a place where I’m surrounded by warm, loving people. For me, Farmville is home — or at least one of them. When I chose to attend Longwood University four years ago, I couldn’t have fathomed how much I would come to love not only the school but the surrounding counties. I love Farmville because there’s always something new to discover, a hidden curiosity to unlock and a way to positively impact a stranger’s life. Whether you’re eating at Walker’s Diner or walking the halls of the R. R. Moton Museum, the town’s heart is embodied in each of its residents. At any time of the day, I could stroll down Main Street to find a friendly face, especially if Jordan Miles is out for a run. Far too many Longwood students remain in the dark about the history and future of Farmville. Over the past three and a half years, my personal development has been directly tied to the town’s continued growth. Beyond the town’s most obvious influences in my life – working for The Farmville Herald, the Vice Presidential Debate – listening to the abundance of incredible, moving stories continues to carry the most weight. Beyond the university’s course catalog, a 96-year-old Cumberland man taught me lessons about life and death. A young Fuqua men’s basketball player transported me to the mysterious streets of Cleveland, Ohio, exemplifying the impact one’s environment plays in their life’s direction. I’ve documented residents rallying around causes they believe in on the lawn of the Prince
Edward County courthouse, whether they’re rejecting hate or standing for their heritage. Through researching and discussing Farmville’s Confederate monument, my desire to understand the mentality of all sides in any argument was tested. Today, I’m still constantly learning and working to understand life through my professors and my experiences. Both Longwood and Farmville continue to challenge my worldview by offering conflicting perspectives and approaches to society’s larger problems like racism, public education and poverty. Almost all of which can be examined within the Farmville town limits. Thankfully, life in Farmville constantly reminds me that though the world’s problems aren’t solved and the task of doing so seems daunting, I can make a difference right where I am. In her remarks at Longwood’s convocation in September, Prince Edward County Commonwealth’s Attorney Megan Clark encouraged the seniors to truly embody the essence of citizen leadership by turning your eyes from your own issues to those of your community. “Decide how you are going to contribute to the world around you,” she said. “You are only one person—so am I—but that is all it takes sometimes to affect a great change. Are you supposed to stay silent because an issue doesn’t affect you personally? No— being a citizen leader requires the opposite of you.” Halle Parker is a senior at Longwood University and EditorLast spring, residents on South Virginia Street taught In-Chief of The Rotunda, the me the detrimental power of stereotypes and fear, and how Longwood University student newspaper. She has reported the two combined can hurt the reputation of a small comfor The Farmville Herald and the munity. Earlier this fall, the release of state scores showed Richmond Times-Dispatch.” Prince Edward County Public Schools’ ongoing accreditation issues. Last week, I watched a homeless family feeding their daughter in their minivan as I pulled out of Walmart parking lot. As someone who constantly has my nose in the latest national news, this beautiful community anchors me to here and now. I’m thankful to live in a town that understands there is still more work to be done, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to be a part of it.
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Why I Love Farmville
Dr. Wilma Albert Q: What led you to open Kenny’s Health Food Emporium?
A: Ownership of an herbal store stemmed from two motives. First, was a thought placed on paper during my first year in college at a tender age of 17. For my business class, I presented a business proposal named, “The Herb Shop.” Second, relocating from a grand city such as the “Big Apple” with a wide array of natural product choices grew very slim. New York is familiar ground which was revisited monthly to procure natural products. Virginia was new and also unfamiliar ground left to explore. Q: How has running this company enhanced your appreciation of Farmville?
A: I’ve noticed how this small community has excelled via infrastructure and individuals are keeping abreast of natural eating and holistic healing. Healthy Living LLC. has created a customer base and seeing those patrons regularly eating healthy and embracing nature’s remedies over pharmaceuticals. This, I truly appreciate knowing the information we here at Healthy Living LLC. provides is not falling on deaf ears. What is your favorite thing about Farmville?
A: Farmville and St. Lucia are closely related in its natural beauty. St. Lucia is a small tropical island located in the West-Indies which sits to the west of Barbados. Both places are small in radius, offer the choice to grow your own food and the people are incredibly pleasant. What are some of your favorite things to do in Farmville on weekends?
A: Visiting Farmville allows me to connect with friends and family. I have the benefit of taking my daughter to the library in the children’ section. It permits her access to her own computer with educational programs for her age group. Right after visiting the library she has access to the playground where she socializes with other children. Describe the Farmville community.
A: There is a kaleidoscope of cultures here. One can taste foods
from Japan, the Caribbean, America, Mexico and China. This diversity teaches us tolerance and acceptance. There is great intimacy being portrayed in this town amongst shoppers, drivers and joggers along the main streets. What has kept you in Farmville?
A: I am here to stay and this is my mission. This mission has already begun since the creation of Healthy Living LLC. over a decade ago. My mission is educating the citizens of Farmville and the neighboring counties how to use herbs, fruits, vegetables, sunlight, pure water and air to sustain life.
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