December 2018 Vol. 3, No. 8 FREE
Piedmont Senior Resources
A year-round gift for area seniors
Holiday Showing
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our campus is
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YOU ARE INVITED TO LONGWOOD FOR EVENTS
that enrich the lives of adults and children. PLEASE JOIN US!
ART
DEC. 7 & FEB. 15
SEASONAL WINE & BREW: Art, conversation and adult libations. Cash bar. 5-7 p.m.
All events at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, 129 N. Main St. lcva.longwood.edu
EATRE TH
FEB.
20–24
“
JAN. 25 – MARCH 31
EXHIBITIONS: Eva O’Leary: Spitting Image. A series of photographs and videos that document, through a two-way mirror, the reactions of 11- to 14-year-old girls to their own reflections. Morgan Everhart: Flowers for my Failures. An introspective exhibition of paintings that cultivate feelings and memories of people, places and experiences. Opening reception: 5:30-8 p.m. Jan. 25.
A MASTERPIECE OF COMIC…TIMING! 7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Center for Communication Studies and Theatre
434.395.2504 music@longwood.edu
CONCERT: Longwood Honors Band, 7:30 p.m. Jarman Auditorium.
FEB. 5
CONCERT: The Turtle Island Quartet, 7:30 p.m. Wygal Hall Auditorium.
FEB. 27
You’re going to spend the entire show laughing. The pace is insane. Every other line is a joke.” —Jordan Stroud ’19, director of A Masterpiece of Comic … Timing!
SPORTS
KID STUFF
Tickets: longwoodlancers. com/tickets or at the door
FEB. 9
BASKETBALL: vs. Charleston Southern. Women’s tipoff at noon, men’s tipoff at 3 p.m.; Willett Hall.
MUSIC JAN. 11
Tickets: longwoodtickets.com
JAN. 12
Morgan Everhart, For my mother and mirrors (detail), mixed media on two panels, 48 x 48 inches, 2016, private collection
CONCERT: Longwood Wind Symphony with Fuqua and Prince Edward County High School Bands, 7:30 p.m. Jarman Auditorium.
FREE FAMILY WORKSHOP: Art to Your Heart’s Content, 10:30 a.m. Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, 129 N. Main St. Information: 434-3952206. lcva.longwood.edu
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE unless otherwise indicated
and are open to the public. Times and locations are subject to cancellation/change. Check longwood.edu for additional events, updates and a campus map.
Farmville the Magazine
Publisher’s Notebook
The season of giving W
elcome to the December issue of Farmville the Magazine. It is said that December is the season of giving, and nowhere is the season of giving more alive and evident than right here in Farmville. In this edition we’ll share the story of Piedmont Senior Resources (PSR) and their mission to help area seniors. On the cover is Justine Young, PSR Executive Director who leads a team, some would say, of angels that step up and provide help where help is needed. Turn to Page 18 and follow along with us as we learn more about the many services PSR Betty Ramsey, provides. Publisher Each month we share a favorite recipe, and I’m looking forward to trying this one soon. Vicky Oakes was kind enough to share her Sweet Onion Casserole recipe with us and you dear readers, and it sounds delish! Sweet onions, swiss cheese, mushrooms and more in a dish that is promised to be easy and yet will delight your family and friends. Turn to Page 8 to find out more and thanks for sharing with
us Vicky. 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 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, 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 and gift 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 next spring. Betty Ramsey is publisher of Farmville the Magazine. Her email address is Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag.com.
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Feature It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and Piedmont Senior Resources (PSR) is ready. Through the Subaru Share the Love Senior Santa project, over 400 seniors in seven counties will receive a Christmas gift bag. “For some, that’s the only gift they’ll receive,” PSR Executive Director Justine Young says. The Christmas gift distribution is only one of many services available to local residents 60 years and older — read more about the program in this month’s issue. Photo at left: PSR deliver meals each week to over 400 homes. On the cover: Justine Young presents Julia Hamilton with her Christmas gift.
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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Emily Hollingsworth Emily.Hollingsworth@FarmvilletheMag.com Titus Mohler Titus.Mohler@FarmvilletheMag.com
ADVERTISING Director — Jackie Newman Jackie.Newman@FarmvilletheMag.com Debbie Evans Debbie.Evans@FarmvilletheMag.com Kyla “Miss Kiki” Silver Ms.Kiki@FarmvilletheMag.com
CONTRIBUTORS: Cynthia Wood and Rucker Snead 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.
Farmville Holiday Showing
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A Home for the Holidays
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Artist in Residence Party Pix Town and Gown Why I Love Farmville
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Also... Publisher’s Notebook Events Serving it Up From the Ground Up Where Am I?
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Farmville the Magazine
Events Celebrating seven decades of success in the area the chamber will hold their annual awards ceremony and New Year celebration. The event will take place at the Sports Arena in Farmville, Saturday, Dec. 29, from 6 p.m. – midnight. Awards to be announced are the 2018 Citizen of the Year, 2018 Member of the Year, 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, Business of the Year, New Business of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year and Looking Our Best. For tickets visit call (434) 392.3939, email admin@farmvilleareachamber.org or visit their Facebook page for a link to online ticket sales. A Taste of Farmville
Presented by the Farmville Rotary Club this annual event has a new home at The Sports Arena located at 1328 Zion Hill Road, Farmville. A real crowd pleaser, A Taste of Farmville, draws hundreds each
year by serving up a taste of the area’s best offerings. To get your tickets visit Eventbrite online or contact a Rotary member. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door for adults, children 6 and under tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. The 2019 event will be held Thursday, Jan. 31, from 5-8 p.m. Moton Community Banquet
The eighth annual Moton Community Banquet will be held March 2, 2019, at the Longwood Health & Fitness Center. This night brings together all members of our community to recognize donors and to honor local civil rights history when the courage and sacrifices of young people and their families expanded equality for all Americans. The keynote speaker will be announced in the coming months. For more information visit motonmuseum.org. For more Farmville area events visit www. farmvilleherald.com.
Farmvillethemag.com
Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Ceremony and Holiday Celebration
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Jimmy Gantt sizzles Bananas Foster during a previous A Taste of Farmville event.
Farmville the Magazine
Members of the community roast marshmallows at the Hat Creek Camps booth.
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Serving it Up
‘It’s always fun’
Doing what she loves, Vicky Oakes works at the stove. She mixes onion with butter and cooks the onion to translucence in the course of preparing Sweet Onion Casserole.
Story and photos by Titus Mohler
V
icky Oakes has been remarkably busy in her professional life, and yet she also might say she has actually “worked” very little in her life. “To me, cooking has never been work,” she said. She was able to use her abilities in the kitchen while working for Virginia Cooperative Extension. “I worked with them with their nutrition program for 13 years,” she said. “And then I went
to Buckingham Correction(al Center) and taught over there for 13 years, almost 14, in the food service department, getting the inmates ready to go out and get a job on their own after they were out. So that was just a real pleasure, it really was. It’s something that I thoroughly enjoyed doing.” After this, she spent 13 years working for Prince Edward County Public Schools (PECPS), becoming the director of food service for that division.
In addition to all of those duties, Oakes has, for around 40 years, operated Vicky’s, the catering service she founded. Though she retired years ago from her post with PECPS, she does still do some catering work. “I’m doing a wedding next weekend,” she said in early December. “I don’t do what I did do. One year I did 56 weddings and parties, plus working. But I was trying to get my children through
Farmville the Magazine
Vicky Oakes samples the Sweet Onion Casserole that she just made. She said it was a recipe “sent to me by one of my first cousins from Tennessee about six years ago, and I’ve had it every holiday, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, since.” Prince Edward Academy and both of them through college.” She enjoyed the work, though, and noted that she would be more active with it now, if her body and health allowed. Oakes’ recollections of cooking go back to when she was 8 years old. “There were only five of us children, and mama worked, and grandma took care of us, and so she had me stirring the pot while she was doing something else on the stove, and that was my first memory of cooking,” Oakes said. She noted that her mother ended up helping raise quite a few young people,
including her five children, first cousins and more who lived nearby. “Anybody that didn’t have a home, my mother told them to come on down, there was always room for one more,” Oakes said. “So at one time I was cooking for 15 after I got some age. And that’s what led into the catering and everything about food. And to me, cooking has never been work. When I was going to work every day and teaching cooking, it was just having something else for fun, because I’ve done it so much that I just enjoy any and everything about cooking. It doesn’t make any difference what it is, it’s always fun.”
SWEET ONION CASSEROLE 3 medium-size sweet onions 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 (4.5-ounce) jars sliced mushrooms, drained 2-quart Pyrex Portable Baking Dish 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk 1 tablespoon lite soy sauce 6 (1/2-inch-thick) French bread slices
Vicky Oakes slices an onion while working through the early steps of the recipe for Sweet Onion Casserole. She said it works great as a holiday dish because it is different, easy to make and something that people really seem to enjoy.
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley Preparation Cut onions into 1/4-inch-thick slices; cut slices in half. Melt butter in a large skillet; add onion and sauté until tender. Combine onion and mushrooms in lightly greased 2-quart baking dish; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Combine soup, milk and soy sauce; pour over cheese. Top with French bread slices; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup cheese and chopped parsley. Cover and chill 4 to 8 hours. Let casserole stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 more minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.
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From the Ground Up Floral interpretations of fine art
Story by Cynthia Wood Photos by Glenda Harris and Ursula Burgess
N
ot too many years ago, most country folks knew all about wild plants — their names, healing properties and whether they were edible or poisonous. They looked forward to ramps and dandelion greens in early spring because they provided something fresh and green after months of dried foods and salted meats. They knew that elderberries made great wine and jelly but that the rest of the plant wasn’t edible. They taught their children about wild blackberries and dewberries and routinely sent them out to gather these fruits for cobblers. Edible wild mushrooms were also collected and eaten fresh or dried for later use. As more and more people abandoned farm life and moved to the city, many forgot how to identify common plants, as well as how to use them. Today the average adult can identify only a handful of plants. At the same time, however, restaurants are focusing on locally grown foods, including foraged wild mushrooms and plants. It’s not unusual for
There must have been tremendous relief when the finished arrangement was moved into place and properly lit.
Farmville the Magazine
Just about every member of the garden club visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to see “their” exhibit, including, from left, Kay Carter, Barbara Wheeler, Glenda Harris, Elfriede Wolford, Mary Lohr, Jeanette Reck, Barbara Knabe, Barbara Hansen, Agnes Cramer, Lou Ann Dumminger, Suzanne VanDe Grift and Elsie Towler. a restaurant to seek out knowledgeable foragers who can supply them with seasonal wild edibles. Stinging nettles, wild mushrooms and ramps are ubiquitous. Not too long ago, I took a walk on the wild side with a local forager. While we were primarily looking for mushrooms, we also noted other wild edibles that we saw. It was a good day. We found honey mushrooms, chanterelles, indigo milk caps and a morel that was clearly confused by recent weather, as well as persimmons, chickweed, dandelions, stinging nettles and black walnuts. Earlier this year, we found pawpaws, sorrel, violets and blackberries. All in all, a feast. If you’re interested in foraging, there’re some guidelines to remember that will help keep you safe and healthy. Before you venture out, read lots about what’s growing in every season; know what each plant looks like, where it grows and whether it has any evil twins — plants that look similar but are poisonous. It’s also important to know the scientific names of plants because common names can be confusing; it’s not unusual for a plant to have many common names or for one common name to refer to several very different plants. Once you’ve done your homework, find a forag-
ing partner, someone who is experienced. Make a list of what you think is in season and would like to find. When you find an item, check it and then check it again. Before you harvest the item, make sure it isn’t in an area where the soil and air may be polluted by car exhaust fumes or any chemicals. Don’t harvest plants from the median of busy highways or mushrooms growing in mulch, for example. And then yet another check: make sure you’re not harvesting a rare plant, and never harvest all of the plants growing in an area. Be environmentally savvy. When you’ve finally determined that your harvest is safe to eat and you cook it, don’t consume too much of it the first time. Just because the plant or mushroom isn’t poisonous doesn’t mean it will agree with your digestive system. What to look for in spring: dandelions, chickweed, ramps, sorrel, violets, purple dead nettle blooms, wild strawberries and lots of mushrooms. What to look for later during summer and fall: pawpaws, black walnuts, persimmons and blackberries. Just remember: there’re lots of delicious wild edibles; just make sure you know what you’re harvesting and preparing to eat. Caution is very important.
One club did a masterful interpretation of an Asian cock. (Photo by Ursula Burgess)
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Above, some of the other garden clubs had to interpret abstract paintings by using varying shades of the same color. (Photo by Ursula Burgess) At left, Harris and Wheeler had only two hours and a small work space in the Great Hall to make their arrangement.
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.
Farmville the Magazine LAST ISSUE’S WINNER Hazel Burley of Burkeville correctly identified the “Where Am I?” photo from the November edition, the windows from the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Farmville.
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Artist in Residence
REALIZING YOUR VISION Story by Titus Mohler Photos by Carley Fetty
C
arley Fetty has an immense impact on the development of young artists in the area, and there are plenty of reasons for why she is uniquely suited for this role. One of those reasons is that she can relate to young artists to a significant degree. Currently in her second year as a visual art teacher at Prince Edward County High School, Fetty began to pursue art in the classroom as a high school student. Her artistic experience is remarkably diverse, but personally, her foremost artistic medium has proven to be photography, leading to the founding of her business, CYork Photography.
Fetty captures a moment of wonder and excitement in the snow as Abbigal Lawson takes it all in, joined by her parents, David and Erin, in the background.
Farmville the Magazine
The aged setting and the poses of Josh and Lana Chilcoat create multiple points of interest in this photo by Carley Fetty in Richmond.
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A book-loving bridal party poses in this playful photo by Carley Fetty at a Longwood University-based wedding. “I started photography classes in the ninth grade after falling completely in love with Annie Leibovitz’s work,” she said. “... I fell in love with the way she captured people. She was taking images of these crazy big celebrities but in a way that felt so raw and so familiar, like you knew them personally just from looking at their photograph.” Once Fetty became engaged with the process of photography, she gained a passion for the medium in a whole new way. “From the very beginning I enjoyed every aspect of the photographic process …” she said. “... It all felt so controlled and so hands on. … With darkroom photography, when you’re starting out you roll the film, you control your camera, you’re processing negatives and exposing in the darkroom and processing with chemicals. You had to manipulate every single step of the process to make your vision turn out on paper. I liked that.” Fetty attended Longwood University, graduating in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in fine art and a concentration in photography. “It was very early into my photography studies at Longwood University that I realized I was not going to be one of those fine art photogra-
phers and that I just LOVED taking pictures of people,” she said. “I think I have always been an observer. I’m very much a people person. I love hearing their stories and seeing them through my lens. I was asked to shoot a friend’s wedding in 2010, and that’s when I fell in love with love. Shortly after, I established my business and have been shooting weddings and engagements ever since. To date I have photographed 85 weddings.” Though she does not necessarily consider herself a fine art photographer, she readily noted that aspects of her photography work remain centered in the fine arts. “I try to always have an artistic eye when photographing a wedding,” she said. “I think about what a bride might want to see hanging on her wall with her other artwork. And that also translates into what I expect of my students. I am always challenging them to not just complete the assignment ‘because that’s what you have to do. Put something of yourself into that assignment. Make it your own.’” Fetty’s fine arts students have certainly benefited from her photography education. “I have been able to give my students some fun projects that are based in Photoshop and
photo manipulation that I don’t think someone without a photography background could have done,” she said. “I also am a constant support for our photography teacher here. I often am helping students strive to make their photos better and teaching them different ways to make their cameras do what they see in their minds.” Fetty is in her fifth year of teaching visual art, having spent three years at Prince Edward County Middle School. At the high school, she teaches five different courses that are open to freshmen through seniors: Art Foundations 1, Art Foundations 2, Advanced Art 1, Advanced Art 2 and Crafts. “I conduct my Art Foundations 1 class as a media explorations class,” she said. “We study every type of medium we can because I want the students to be able to find the one that they excel at.” As for what she enjoys most about teaching fine arts, Fetty said she really loves being able to expose students to forms of art and mediums that they have not had the chance to work with yet. “Seeing a student have that moment where they are just completely shocked by how well they can draw this or paint that or build some-
Farmville the Magazine
thing out of clay is very rewarding,” she said. “For example my Advanced Art 2 students just completed stained glass designs, and seeing that moment when they were washing the flux off and holding it up to the window for the first time was absolutely the best feeling.” In addition to her teaching and photography work, Fetty runs the Student Artist Mural Project and is the sponsor for the new National Art Honor Society at Prince Edward County High School. If she had to give one piece of advice to young artists, especially photographers, she said she would encourage them to collaborate, to ask for help. “The artistic community, photography in particular, can sometimes be so competitive, and it really doesn’t have to be that way,” she said. “I go out of my way to help growing photographers when I can, and many of my photog friends in town have been lifesavers to me when I needed it. There’s no reason that we all as artists can’t be successful while still lifting each other up. I 100 percent believe in community over competition.”
Fetty employs an innovative angle that communicates the love of Lauren and Wynn Kiesel by highlighting their clasped hands, Lauren’s smile and Wynn’s kiss, all while alluding to their wedding’s special setting of Cancún, Mexico.
GIVE THE GIFT OF A LIFETIME
Our core values of HONESTY, RESPONSIBILITY, KINDNESS, COMPASSION, RESPECT, COMMITMENT, PERSEVERANCE, COOPERATION, and FAIRNESS are woven into the classrooms and campus activities. With 300 students from 11 counties in grades PK3-12, Fuqua School has a reputation for helping each student realize their boundless individual potential.An exceptional education is an investment in your child's future. Renewable need-based scholarships are available. Plan a visit by contacting Admissions at (434) 392-4131.
www.FUQUASCHOOL.com 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 at the school.
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holiday cheer to go
ON THE ROAD WITH PSR
Story and photos by Marge Swayne
Farmville the Magazine Story and photos by Marge Swayne
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t’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Piedmont Senior Resources (PSR). Darrell Person, loading boxes of frozen meals in his PSR van, smiles. Soon he’ll be delivering gifts to local seniors courtesy of PSR’s Subaru Share the Love Event Santa for Seniors project. While Person isn’t Santa, the seniors on his routes think he’s the next best thing. They know Santa only comes once a year; Person’s there every week with food and a friendly smile. PSR’s Senior Santa project, now in its fourth year, began when PSR Executive Director Justine Young learned about the Meals on Wheels of America collaboration with Subaru initiated to fight hunger and isolation among the nation’s homebound seniors.
“We needed to have a project to participate,” Young says. “We decided on the Senior Santa program. For the last three years we’ve teamed with Navona Hart and Real Living Cornerstone to provide homebound seniors with gift baskets.” Last year PSR delivered over 400 gifts. Bringing holiday cheer is only one of PSR’s services. All are designed to help seniors lead independent lives and remain safely in their homes. Person is among the PSR drivers who deliver meals each week to seniors in Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties. Today Person’s route is in Lunenburg. Heading out of Farmville, he
Piedmont Senior Resources (PSR) Executive Director Justine Young and Nutrition and Transportation Director Jordan Miles are ready to roll out a new transportation program for area seniors. Funding from a Department of Rails and Public Transportation grant provided this wheelchair-accessible van that PSR will use for non-emergency medical transport — just one of PSR’s many services available to those 60 years and older in Prince Edward and six surrounding counties.
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A Friendship Café in Lunenburg begins with a lively hymn sing. Friendship Cafés, held each week in each of PSR’s seven counties, include a meal and program as well as time for exercise and fellowship. explains weekly meal deliveries. “PSR drivers cover different routes each day,” he notes. “Each box we deliver includes five frozen meals for homebound seniors to heat and eat.” “Many of our clients can’t get to a grocery store or food pantry,” PSR’s executive director adds. “Often they’re frail and malnourished and in need. Some may have money, but that doesn’t help if they’re disabled or blind. Basically, they’re just trapped.” In addition to help for the homebound, PSR offers Friendship Cafes. A bus provides transportation to and from the weekly events. “It’s socialization as well as a meal,” Young explains. “The program runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes 30 minutes of exercise as well as a speaker or craft time. It’s a great day for seniors who can’t drive but still enjoy getting out and socializing.” Social contact, Person notes, is important to seniors on his routes. “I get to know my clients,” he says. “Sometimes they want to talk, so I listen.” Making a turn toward Lunenburg County, Person notes the rural nature of today’s route. Cows graze in the fields as we pass, and a few folks are at work in their yards. The peaceful scene belies the poverty we don’t see from the road. “Most people don’t see what I see,” Person comments.
Lisa Wallace, Jamie Anderson, and Justine Young present Peter Gilliam with his Christmas gift bag.
Farmville the Magazine
PSR driver Darrell Person loads boxes of frozen meals for a delivery route in Lunenburg County. PSR delivers meals to over 400 homes each week.
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22 Farmville the Magazine We arrive in Victoria, and Person consults his list to begin deliveries. As we travel out-of-theway roads, Person fills in the background of each client. “The client at the next house always says she’ll pray for me,” he adds with a smile. “She’s a special client,” he adds as we deliver her box. Some homes we visit have seen better days. “Our clients are people who’ve worked all their lives, but their income hasn’t kept up with the cost of living,” PSR’s director stresses. “They may own their own homes, but now they can’t afford the upkeep.” PSR offers a number of services to assist
seniors fill those financial gaps. “One client owned her trailer, but the furnace quit during a cold snap last winter,” Young continues. “All the pipes burst, and her trailer was condemned.” Young sent PSR Transportation Director Jordan Miles to Buckingham to assess the situation. “Jordan put the client in a motel and took food to her until we could figure out what to do,” Young relates. “We worked with Social Services and found that she had enough income to be placed in an assisted living facility.” Thanks to PSR, the story had a happy ending. The client was placed in assisted living where she was warm and comfortable.
Emergency situations such as this, Young explains, are not covered by PSR’s regular funding sources. “We depend on donations and our annual fundraiser to take care of these more immediate needs,” she adds. The community has rallied around PSR’s annual Kentucky Derby fundraiser that netted $20,000 this year. Some of that money, Young explains, is used to help those like the lady in the condemned trailer. PSR operates with state, federal and local county funding. “Our budget this year is $1.935 million,” Young notes. “A good portion of that goes to our
Beulah Reabis, center, and Felicia Hazlewood are all smiles as they visit on the porch with Darrell Person.
Farmville the Magazine
Piedmont Senior Resources recently moved to a new location in the College Plaza Shopping Center. Pictured are PSR staff members, from left, Lisa Wallace, Jamie Anderson, Claire Furber, Nicki Dean, Melvin Hodges, Laura Gaston, April Ross, Michelle Temple, Justine Young and Jordan Miles.
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Community support for PSR’s Kentucky Derby-themed fundraiser, A Racy Affair, has grown over the past four years. Modeling hats made at Red Door 104 for the event are, from left, Justine Young, Lorraine Blackwell, Audrey Sullivan and Joy Stump. nutrition program that provides over 80,000 meals during the year.” “I use the $20,000 from this year’s fundraiser to fill all those other needs,” she adds. A recent example was an 85-year-old couple that called to report a septic tank that had backed up. “They didn’t have water, and they didn’t have $440 to have the septic tank pumped,” Young relates. “I knew we had the money, so I made a call and had it pumped. That’s why we need the donations we get from our fundraisers.” Other services PSR provides include insurance counseling, legal services, patient advocacy, referral services and minor home repairs.
Homemaker aides are also available to do light housekeeping or run errands. During summer months PSR provides window units for those with medical issues, and during the winter PSR supplies firewood. “If a client doesn’t have a freezer, for instance, we have to get them one,” Young explains. “So I’ll go to Habitat’s ReStore or put that need out on Facebook.” The response, she adds, if often more than the request. “Usually we’ll get extra freezers or microwaves, so we just put them in the closet,” she adds. “Someone will come along who’s going to need them.”
Some PSR services, such as Medicare counseling and post-hospitalization care, are open to all seniors over 60 regardless of income. “If you had a hip replaced and can’t cook, we’ll deliver meals to you,” Young says. “If you need a grab bar in the bathroom, we’ll put that in for you.” Since assuming the director’s role, Young has become adept at grant writing. A recent grant through the Department of Rails and Public Transportation resulted in PSR’s new fivepassenger van. “It’s a wheelchair accessible van for nonemergency medical transport,” Young explains. “This van will be the basis for our Transporta-
Farmville the Magazine
tion Program. We’ll start in Prince Edward County and expand from there into other counties.” All of PSR’s services are geared toward helping seniors who’ve worked hard all their lives and now need a little help. For PSR clients, that help goes a long way. “Last year when we delivered gifts, a lot of my clients had tears in their eyes,” Person says. “Some don’t have any family — Senior Santa will bring the only gift they’ll have.” Each year the PSR staff signs Christmas cards to put with the gifts. “Some clients leave those cards on their tables all year long,” Young adds. “It makes them feel good to know someone still cares.” That care is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. For many local seniors, it makes all the difference.
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FARMVILLE
Holiday Showing Story and photos by Emily Hollingsworth
I
t was cool and a little windy, but sunshine greeted the vendors standing outside the Farmville Firemen’s Arena as people were beginning to mill around. It was among one of the first, if not the first, holiday-themed event in the Farmville area, which was held on Nov. 10-11. The show includes close to 40 vendors not only from Prince Edward and Buckingham counties but from all over the region, stretching as far as Powhatan, Richmond and Jetersville. The show raises money for a great cause as well, supporting Southside Training, Employment and Placement Services, STEPS Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides multiple resources to address poverty in the region, including everything from Head Start programs to employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. Folks vending outside the building came prepared, showcasing everything from knick-knacks, to leggings, to essential oils, to skincare products. Members of the Amish community offered woven baskets and giant decorative flowers made out of wood. Nicole Johns, who was selling LuLaRoe clothing outside the building, said this is her second year with the Farmville Christmas Show. Johns, from Burkeville, said she appreciates the camaraderie between all of the vendors. There’s also the opportunity to do a bit of holiday shopping she said. “I just like working with the other vendors,” she said.
Above left, small ceramic creatures are among those knick-knacks for sale at the Farmville Christmas Show. At left, intricate designs characterize the wooden saws from Gerald Freeman.
Farmville the Magazine
Above left are necklaces that can hold different scents. Above right are homemade baskets made by members of the area Amish community. At left, a wintery sign welcomes participants to a display at the Farmville Christmas Show. Below, wintry signs, made by Dixie Wood, announce the holiday season.
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Johns said the turnout is also typically strong, though she jokes the proceeds she makes often go back to her neigboring vendors from the shopping she does afterward. “This is the best show I do,” Johns said. The sentiment seemed to be mutual among a lot of the other vendors who participated. Tables laden with handmade signs, knitted hats and scarves, impressive metal and wood work items, scented soy candles, books, handmade wooden toys, pottery items, and endless holiday gift possibilities lined the inside of the arena. Santa Claus visited the arena, allowing children to tell him what they wanted for Christmas and take a photo with him. At the Christmas Show, Sharon Wright,
Reggie Shaw and Wanda Talbott helped sign participants in, welcomed them to the show and provided information about their experiences working with STEPS. Wright, Shaw and Talbott work at a sewing manufacturing site located in the neighboring Town of Victoria. Talbott, Shaw and Wright, at the manufacturing site, make everything from Taaluma Totes (durable backpacks made for travel), puppy bumpers (think of a neck pillow for dogs — the bumper keeps puppies from slipping out of fences), cosmetic bags and java bags, or specialty bags repurposed from coffee sacks. STEPS oversees the Victoria manufacturing site, a recycling center and a center that provides secure document shredding for businesses and
citizens. Each site employs adults with disabilities. STEPS also connects seniors over the age of 55 with employment training sites to gain employment skills and assists Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients with employment training. STEPS provides services in 11 counties, which include Amelia, Appomattox, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward. STEPS Inc. takes on the enormous task of working alongside those affected by poverty to provide solutions for some of the greatest challenges facing people in Central Virginia. The four main areas of service, called pillars by STEPS, are housing, education, workforce
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Pictured is a display of holiday decorations arranged during the Farmville Christmas Show Nov. 10.
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Top, Janet Benson stands with nutrition and skin products she sold during the Farmville Christmas Show. The show raised funds for nonprofit STEPS. Above, Nicole Johns is in her second year as a vendor for the Farmville Christmas Show. She enjoys the camaraderie between the different vendors and the array of items they sell.
development and supportive services. In particular, STEPS President Sharon Harrup said the organization uses the funds raised from the Farmville Christmas Show in part to help STEPS pay to match funding, which helps the organization receive more opportunities for grants. Funding also helps provide transportation for individuals with disabilities and helps those who are homeless to have shelter as the temperature drops. Individuals and organizations have provided donations to keep the show running, including Centra Southside Community Hospital. Harrup said in early December that they have not received all of the invoices from the Farmville Christmas Show, but are hoping for a net goal of $10,000. The event served as a place to both welcome the holiday season and embody what many consider to be the driving motivator for this time of year: to learn more and support organizations that serve those in need, in addition to supporting small businesses. To learn more about STEPS, or to donate, visit stepsinc.org, call the office at 434-315-5909 and contact extension 5909.
Farmville the Magazine
Above, Easton and Ella Calfee, at left and right, try out the aprons made by Judy Coghill, at middle. Below, Bonnie and John Earley stand with their ceramic and wooden toys and displays.
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PARTYPix
HAMPDEN-SYDNEY HOSTS 123RD EDITION OF ‘THE GAME’ Whenever the football teams for Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) and RandolphMacon College clash on the gridiron, it always draws a massive crowd. It is the Oldest Small-School Rivalry in the South, otherwise known simply as “The Game.” The 123rd edition of the rivalry took place Nov. 10 and had particularly high stakes,
Sean Carpenter, Baeu and Kinsey Pomeroy
Dean Dillingham and Lynn Dillingham
Michelle Kerkeslager, Christine Kerkeslager and Laura Ward
Robert Bourne, Isidro Pride, Noah Kramer and Shemar Blakeney
Alayna Long, Jimisha Harris and Courtney Hegwald
Scott Harwood Jr. and Kim Harwood
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with the winner claiming the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title and its accompanying automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Yellow Jackets won 48-35, but the Tigers still lead the series 60-52-11.
PARTYPix
PHOTOS BY TITUS MOHLER
Betsy Lash Snead and Chris Mason
Tori Vance, Hattie Vance and Kyle Vance
Veronika Cornick, Amir Sadeghi and Nikky Garden
Ian Lichacz, Isaiah Facemire and Colin Corini
Fuller Clark and Elizabeth Kline
Karen Guidon, John Guidon, Julia McLellan and Doug McLellan
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PARTYPix
CHAMBER OPEN HOUSE The Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce and Letterpress Communications held a Thanksgiving Holiday Open House on Nov. 28. PHOTOS BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH
Anne Tyler Paulek and Sinclair Kindle
Brandon Clark, Kate Eggleston and Joy Stump
Brian Ross and Rucker Snead
Cheryl Gee and Billie Jo Bailey
Danielle Hennessey, Jen Cox, Brandon Hennessey, Joe Hines and Mark Kernohan
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Justine Young and Cam Patterson
Lyndsie Blakely, Jenn Kinne and Julia McCann
Ilsa Loeser and Luke Osborn
Tarsha Perry, Angela Edmonds and Samantha Johnson
Jen Cox, Anne Tyler Paulek, Kerry Mossler, Joy Stump, Tom Robinson, Brad Watson, Kerby Moore and Linda Cheyne
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FALL FEST FOR GOOD CAUSE The Cumberland Fall Festival took place recently at Cumberland County Middle School. In addition to racks of free coats lining the school gymnasium for those in need, there was also a free lunch, live music, representatives of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Cooperative Extension
Sawyer and Katelyn Coffing, and Casey and James Wolford
Maddie and Mary Wright, and Paula Totten
The Rock Church Pastor Richard Tuttle, Fitzgerald Baptist Church Pastor Barry Vassar, Natalie Vassar, Payne Memorial United Methodist Church Pastor Jerry Drinkard, Cumberland Community Cares representative Jerry Seal, Hatcher Baptist Church pastor Cameron Cloud and Shiloh New Covenant Church Pastor Kyle Corbin.
Children’s coats line the rack at Cumberland County Middle School
Kate and Tom Spry
Taina Smith and Jayla Glover
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and Cumberland Community Cares who provided refreshments and activities, and free popcorn, a bouncy house, balloons and face painting. PHOTOS BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH
Sgt. S.K. Harris with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office
Lisa Davis and Barbara Gamage
Jeremiah Gee Sr. and Jeremiah Gee Jr.
Melody and Caden Gee
Mark Tuttle with the Ruritan Troop 6357
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WORKSHOP OF WONDER Families throughout the region recently participated in the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts’ (LCVA) annual Winter Workshop program, sponsored by The Woodland. Children and grown ups got to decorate ornaments, get face paint, listen to carols from the Longwood Center for Community Music, craft snowflakes, eat snacks and gear up
Chaquita Venable and Ariyah Miller
Isabel Everhart
Ruby Pawlek, Ashley Pawlek, Greg Pawlek, Jeremy Pawlek and Scarlett Gaffney
Paige Flanagan, Eve Utzinger and Emily McNeil
Logan and Samantha King
Brody and April King
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for the holiday season with activities provided by volunteers from the Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Farmville Rotary Club and the Farmville Lions Club. PHOTOS BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH
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Jackson Hailey, Matthew Hailey, Kim Hailey, Jaime Eure and Emma Hailey
Dallas Mitchell, GJ Jenkins and Ajaini Jenkins
Darangi Harrison and Deacon Harrison
Annie and Cecilia Ramsay
Enajae Ceaser
Amber Bruce, Jimmy Paul and Ashton Smith
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PARTYPix
SALEM CHAPEL PARTY Calling it “Yesterday’s Grace with Today’s Amenities,” owner Caryn Kayton recently embarked on a new small business adventure. The restored chapel at 327 Rices Depot Road in Rice has seating for 120 guests and 1200 square feet of reception space along with a private bridal chamber and a catering station. PICTURES SUBMITTED BY FARMVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce was delighted to be a part of the Salem Chapel and Event Venue Grand Opening and ribbon cutting.
Jennifer Wall, Jimmy Johnson and Linda Yoder
Jennifer Wall and Joy Stump
Kate Eggleston and Mindy Osborn
Rucker Snead, Virginia Watson and Linda Cheyne
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PARTYPix
Rucker Snead, Rhonda Arnold and Jeff Gore
Anne Tyler Paulek, Jen Cox and Joy Stump
Brad Watson and Nash Osborn
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BLESSING ONE’S NEIGHBORS Several dozen volunteers and community organizations spent the day before Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving Day preparing and distributing more than 1,000 meals to those in need in the area. Smoove Rydaz VA, along with community volunteers distributed meals at the Farmville Train Station Wednesday, packaging meals that would be hot, ready and made with care when families and individuals arrived. St. John’s Lutheran Church on Milnwood Road had volunteers package
Jathan Buczek, Ryan Elam, Rita Anema, Brandon Prendergast, David Sorenson and Bracy Hochstetler
Katy and Mabelle Bloker
Buck Hefner and Red
Patty Johnson and Andre Anderson
Donald Hunter, Jordan Miles and Hannah Ramsey
Louis Gould, Hy’keim Wynn and Tylic Vaughan
Farmville the Magazine
hundreds of meals with bags and containers provided by various grocery stores and restaurants in the Farmville area. Drivers from both events delivered meals to individuals, creating an environment where drivers and neighbors can interact and brighten each other’s days. PHOTOS BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH
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Lanelle Harris, Lisa Harris, Alma Spragues, Valerie Anderson and Karen Langhorne
Olivia Sims, Henry Dillard, Valerie Anderson and Nia Lee
Teresa and Robert Fait
Mickey Henry and Barry Miles
Barbara Wheeler, Tom Dennison and Marianne Dennison
Consuela Alvarez and Mary Elizabeth Sorenson
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CELEBRATING THE USMC A recent celebration of the 243rd anniversary of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) held at Charley’s Waterfront Cafe featured a speaker considered a living legend among service members. Major (Ret.) Jim Land is a founder of the Scout Sniper program, and was instrumental in establishing the Scout Sniper school located in Quantico. Land, during his 24 years with the USMC, oversaw the sniper
Pictured is a cake made in honor of the United States Marine Corps’ 243rd birthday
Bill and Helen Talbert
Shane Seaborne, Jim Hall and Ray Bongiorno
Tom Hicks
Mary and John Sigman
Kirby Moore
Farmville the Magazine
courses during the Vietnam War, which had famed veteran Carlos Hathcock. Land is the former National Secretary of the National Rifle Association of America. PHOTOS BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH
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Jim Land
Jim Land and John Arsenault
Photos of Tom Hicks of his service during the Vietnam War
Jim Land, Roland Parris, middle and John Arsenault
CORRECTION In the Party Pix article, “Barbells, brews, being together” featured in the Oct. 2018 edition of the magazine, Ann Ligon is incorrectly identified as Carol Fauci. Jim Land, Roland Parris, and Lionel Bowles
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A Look into the Past
A home for the holidays Story by Jimmy Hurt
T
Pictured is a house catalog from Sears, Roebuck and Company dating back to the 1920s.
he Sears, Roebuck & Company distributed their annual catalogs by mail to families across America from 1896 to 1993. The Sears Wish Book became a holiday tradition for many families. Just like our Amazon of today, the Sears Company offered for sale by mail just about anything you could think of. Just about everyone at one time or another, dreamed about buying all of the wonderful items pictured in the Sears catalogs. Along the way Sears had special catalogs that featured large ticket items such as carts, buggies and wagons. By the fifties, Sears even sold automobiles, batteries, automobile tires, parts and automobile tools. Every customer needed a place to live, so Sears even had a special catalog in which they sold complete pre-cut home kits, cottages, bungalows, large barns for the farms, garages for the automobiles and even outdoor johns. Sears, as well as about a dozen other companies, would fill your order for a home, barn or garage and ship it to you by local rail service. There are pre-cut quality homes in Farmville and surrounding counties that arrived by way of the railroad. The lumber and other materials were unloaded at the freight depot on Main Street and hauled to the construction sites. The owners or their contractors put them together on site. Qualified buyers were offered financing options and warranty options. Catalog advertisements indicated owners could
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Top, order homes and household items were popular fixtures from Sears, Roebuck and Company, as demonstrated in the catalogs shown. Above, Catalogs from Sears, Roebuck and Company were considered staples in households during the 20th century, selling everything from clothing, to toys, automobiles, even homes. At right, pictured are ready-order homes from Sears, Roebuck and Company dating back to 1942.
Farmville the Magazine
Pictured is the home of Chuck and Faye Green located at 207 First Ave., discovered to be a home built by a home-order service provided by the Sears, Roebuck and Company.
buy for less than the cost of renting. Sears also stood ready to furnish buyers with furniture, appliances, curtains, carpets, paints and even pillows and sheets for the beds. The catalogs came complete with forms for personal and shipping information as well as finance applications. Correspondence was done by mail — no faxing, texting or internet messages. Sears reports they offered over 450 different homes for sales. The buyer would choose the home they liked from the catalog photos and floor plans listed. Changes could be made to the floor plans. One or two story homes were available. There were about a dozen different roof
styles. The buyers would choose the window and door styles, the kitchen cabinet style, the flooring, and even the plumbing fixtures. The type of roof covering was chosen as well as the heating system. The pre-cut home kit was included in the advertised base price. The plumbing, electrical fixtures, doors, windows, heating system ordered would raise the cost depending on what level of systems you ordered. Most home kits ordered cost from $1,000 to $3,000. The buyer then was responsible for freight and the construction cost. Often buyers were in a position, with the help of family and friends, to do much of the construc-
tion work themselves. Are you living in a Sears home today? How can you tell if your home is one of the many manufactured homes from the past century? There are books for sale that give tips and clues. The same information can be researched on line. There are visible clues on many of these homes such as the lumber has hand written or stamped numbers and letters. Boards may still have shipping affixed. Check things like the plumbing fixtures which may have Sears embossed on them. Often the woodwork styles are a clue. These homes are of good quality and often sought after by collectors.
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Town and Gown Community connection is paramount
M
y family and I have now called Prince Edward County, and specifically Hampden-Sydney, home for nearly two and a half years. We quickly came to love the Farmville region, its people, rich history, and the many cultural and outdoor recreational opportunities that make life here so rewarding. As president of the nation’s oldest college for men, I am also thankful for way the community welcomes our students. Our young men call this area home for just four years, but the Farmville region will remain special to them for their entire lives. The James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence, a member of Hampden-Sydney’s class of 1987, still continues to sing the praises of the chocolate chess pie at Walker’s Diner! Our students also contribute to this area, volunteering at schools and many other organizations. Already this fall, Hampden-Sydney students have devoted more than 3,000 hours of service to the community. When I am not at Hampden-Sydney, my travels to see the College’s alumni frequently take me further afield, but our daughter attends Prince Edward County High School, and my wife, Lesley, is now the librarian at the elementary school. They are daily ambassadors to Farmville, and we rarely go out in the community without seeing classmates and students they know. We want local residents and visitors to feel welcome on the Hampden-Sydney campus. Local high school students can take classes at the College. Our historic and beautiful 1,300-acre campus is a wonderful destination, and we encourage hikers and mountain bikers to enjoy our Wilson Trail, which winds through forest land on our campus. The College also offers many lectures and musical and theatrical performances that are free and open to the public, as are exhibits in the College’s art gallery in Brinkley Hall and at the Esther Thomas Atkinson Museum. Tiger student-athletes also welcome you to cheer them on in NCAA Division III athletic contests. Admission is free, and the complete Tiger athletics schedule can be found at www.hscathletics.com. The Manor Golf Course, located between Farmville and Hampden-
Sydney, is the region’s only 18-hole golf course, and local residents are always welcome. If you are looking for new dining options, consider the Tiger Inn café, located in the Brown Student Center overlooking Chalgrove Lake for lunch or dinner. The Pannill Commons features an outstanding brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and LARRY STIMPERT is the themed dinners on most Thursday nights. Meals require president of Hampden-Sydney no advance reservations and meals can be purchased at College, a private liberal arts the door. Where else can kids get all the pizza, French college for men located in Prince Edward County. fries, and ice cream (as well as an almost unlimited array of healthy items) that they can eat? The best college towns are those in which colleges and their local communities interact. We are blessed that both Longwood and Hampden-Sydney have such strong relationships with the local community and each other, all collaborating in many ways for mutual benefit—because we know that what is good for the town is almost always good for the gown.
Farmville the Magazine
Why I Love Farmville
Richard ‘Den’ Cralle III President of Green Front Furniture Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU CALLED FARMVILLE “HOME” AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE HERE?
A: “Growing up, I spent most of my time in between Charlottesville and Farmville. I came back to work with my father at Green Front.” Q. WHAT MIGHT OUR READERS BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT GREEN FRONT FURNITURE?
A: “The amount of furniture we have here. We have selections from all over the world, a million square feet of showroom space downtown, and a large distribution center across the river in Cumberland County. We are one of the largest stocking dealers on the East Coast for many manufacturers and one of the largest rug selections in North America. My father grew Green Front from a one-building furniture store on Main Street to what it is today. Although there are some things we are working to modernize, Green Front has been able to process a large amount of furniture for 50 years using some very simple systems and very committed employees. We are a small-town, family-owned business that was named to Furniture Today’s Top U.S. Furniture Stores in 2018, alongside the likes of Ikea and Restoration Hardware. Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A WEEKEND HERE IN TOWN?
A: “Weekends, especially Saturdays, are busy for us at the store. Most of my time is taken up by that. When work is done I might get drinks and tacos at One19 and then brunch at Effingham’s on Sunday. Q. TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE FARMVILLE MEMORY.
A: “The Vice Presidential Debate: the fact that the eyes of the world were on this little town. Very cool ...” Q. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE FARMVILLE COMMUNITY TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER BEEN HERE?
A: “A cozy town with a vibrant and thriving Main Street, anchored by Hampden-Sydney College and Longwood University. We are a closeknit community. We are growing because our local businesses and stakeholders are willing to partner with each other.”
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