Farmville the Magazine - December 2022

Expert skin care for the entire family

Christmas is about community

It’s not about the presents, although I’ve never turned one down. It’s also not about the decorations, although I do love putting them up each year. Christmas is about community, spending time with friends and family, giving gifts and spreading joy.

Think back to some of your best Christmas memories. Who did you spend those times with? What did you do? How do you remember those times? My wife and

else was 100% Eleanor’s design. Now we can look back and remember that, while displaying her work on our tree.

And that’s what we’re focusing on in this month’s edition of Farmville the Magazine, memories of Christmas, of family and different ways of celebrating the season. Farmville author Jerry Todt wanted to focus on a different type of story, one he didn’t see as much in bookstores. Now that story is a Hallmark Channel movie, part of their holiday celebration. And maybe, in turn, Jerry will help another family develop their own tradition, through watching his work, as reporter Abigail Grifno explains.

There’s also the makers of Farmville, those who build arts and crafts with their hands. Reporter Rachel Austin sits down with several of our painters and pottery makers, to talk about how they got started and what they enjoy about the work. If you’re looking for a recipe to help warm up on a cold winter’s night, we can help there too. And who can forget about the Farmville Christmas tree lighting? We’ll take you back to this year’s event.

There’s something for everyone in this month’s edition of the magazine, so we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did putting it together. And we hope you have a Merry Christmas, wherever the holiday finds you.

Brian Carlton is editor of Farmville the Magazine. He can be reached at Brian.Carlton@FarmvilletheMag.com.

Publisher — Betty J. Ramsey

Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag.com

Designer — Troy Cooper

Troy.Cooper@FarmvilletheMag.com

EDITORIAL

Brian Carlton

Brian.Carlton@FarmvilletheMag.com

Crystal Vandegrift

Crystal.Vandegrift@FarmvilletheMag.com

Alexa Massey

Alexa.Massey@FarmvilletheMag.com

Rachel Austin Rachel.Austin@FarmvilletheMag.com

ADVERTISING

Director — Jackie Newman

Jackie.Newman@FarmvilletheMag.com

Advertising — Debbie Evans Debbie.Evans@FarmvilletheMag.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. Cynthia Wood Abigail Grifno

Cover Photo by Connor Thompson

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.

On the cover: Residents from Farmville and the surrounding area came out on Friday, Nov. 18 to watch the Town Christmas tree lighting, a new tradition that’s growing in popularity.

Farmville Crafts 10

From the Ground Up Unsung heroes of the winter garden

As Sir Francis Bacon wrote in his essay on gardens, “There ought to be gardens for all months in the year, in which, severally, things of beauty may then be in season.” He continues by discussing the importance of evergreens and scents for refreshing the human spirit.

Unfortunately, we tend to forget about our gardens in winter. Sometimes it just seems too cold and dreary to venture outside. It’s true that the winter garden isn’t full of bright colors, but it has a special, peaceful quality that’s refreshing after the gaudy colors of fall and summer. Winter in the garden is a time for contemplation of details. With the sun lower on the horizon, the light is softer, allowing us to see subtle differences in shades of gray, brown and green. Textures become more

important.

What to plant to make the garden especially beautiful in winter? There are many choices – bulbs, hellebores and evergreens. Even plants with interesting bark.

Some of the best bulbs for winter flowers are snowdrops and early blooming daffodils. Snowdrops are traditionally one of the first signs of new life returning to the garden. They usually bloom in February and just don’t care that it’s still winter. They can be tucked underneath shrubs as accent plants or planted as drifts in wooded areas. Galanthus nivalis is the most commonly grown variety and is especially suited for naturalizing. It has the classic white, drooping bell-shaped flowers and pointed, sword-shaped foliage. Another choice is

Story and photos by Dr. Cynthia Wood

Galanthus elwesii ‘Emerald Hughes’ has petals tipped with green.

G. elwesii, often called the giant snowdrop. It has fragrant blooms and can grow to be a foot tall. It’s considered easy to grow. All snow drops require well-drained, rich soil.

Some daffodils also bloom during winter. The earliest to bloom in our area is Rijnveld’s Early Sensation, which reliably blooms from late December until mid-January. It’s a classic yellow trumpet daffodil that grows about 4 to 6 inches tall and is fragrant. Plant Rijnveld’s Early Sensation in an area with full sun and well-drained soil. Another choice is Tete a Tete, a small heirloom variety that blooms a month to six weeks later. It’s excellent for growing in pots, naturalizing, and forcing.

And then there are hellebores, those lowgrowing evergreen plants with showy foliage that can be solid green or veined with red, yellow or silver. The flowers can be single or double. Although they aren’t fragrant, hellebore blooms come in a variety of colors – deep maroon, creamy white, pink, and yellow. Some are speckled and others have frilly nectaries. Hellebore blooms can be flattened with snow

Winterberry is a native deciduous holly that’s covered in fall and winter with bright red drupes.

and ice, but pop back up a few days later. They’re easy to grow in partially shady areas and require little maintenance.

Many shrubs add textural interest and color to the winter garden. Crape myrtles, such as the tall Natchez, are old southern favorites that provide blooms in summer, bright reddish orange leaves in fall, and interesting multi-colored, peeling bark during winter that is especially striking when dusted with snow. This crape myrtle (yes, this is the correct, traditional spelling) grows 20 to 30 feet fall. The blooms support a variety of pollinators, and the seeds are eaten by songbirds.

Edgeworthia or paperbush is perfect for adding fragrance to the winter garden. It’s a large, deciduous shrub that grows four to six feet wide and equally tall, with a rounded shape. During late summer, fuzzy, silver bloom buds develop. In late winter, they open to reveal clusters of small yellow and white flowers that are very fragrant and last for at least a month. Edgeworthia is a great, low maintenance shrub that grows best in full to dappled sunlight and welldrained soil. Pruning isn’t necessary and the plant is not attractive to most pests.

Trees can also be used to add interest to the winter garden. The American holly (Ilex opaca) is a small evergreen tree with bright red drupes and toothed leaves tipped with spines. It has been used in traditional Christmas decorations of mixed greens for years. The American holly is adaptable to varying soil types and requires no special care. Another choice is winterberry (Ilex verticillata). It’s a slow growing, deciduous species that adapts well to most soil types and is covered with dense clusters of red drupes during winter. In a large garden, a group of winterberries is striking. Both American holly and winterberry are dioecious, so at least one male plant must be present for drupes to be produced.

The river birch (Betula nigra) is another good choice. It has exfoliating cream and pinkish brown bark. A row of river birches makes a low maintenance privacy screen, and the bark adds high impact textural interest to the winter garden.

The garden isn’t dead in winter; it’s just different. With some planning, the winter garden is a perfect place to meditate, relax, and dream. Maybe even read all those seed catalogs that appear in early winter.

With fragrant colorful flowers, fuzzy buds, and textured bark, paperbush is a high value plant for the winter garden.

A row of birches planted close together makes a perfect privacy screen.

Left, Rijnveld’s ‘Early Sensation’ isn’t a particularly showy daffodil, but it’s always the first to bloom. Right, Hellebores can withstand snow and ice and are deer resistant.

Where Am I?

LAST ISSUE'S WINNER:

Earl Swink Jr., is the winner for the November edition of Where Am I? He knew that the last photo was the picture on the window of the Uptown Coffee Cafe. Swink wins a free subscription to Farmville the Magazine.

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

Farmville artisans create memories with their crafts

If you look it up in the dictionary, Merriam-Webster defines a craftsman as “a person who makes beautiful objects by hand”. These are people, the dictionary says, that “create or perform with skill or dexterity, especially in the manual arts.” That truly defines the Town of Farmville. All it takes is a drive through the downtown area to see the work going on.

It’s especially true at Christmas. With the season finally here, many people stroll through these shops for some last-minute shopping and encounter everyone from painters to sculptors, from those who knit scarves and teddy bears to folks who create full-blown wood pieces.

After taking a pottery class 11 years ago, Pam Butler realized that Downtown Farmville would benefit from having a similar studio for residents and visitors. With her youngest off to college, Butler decided that she would open one herself.

“It was just an idea that wouldn’t go away,” said Butler. “I knew it was something that I was supposed to do.”

She purchased the former Goodwill store, located at 217 N. Main Street. Then she got to work, creating her own pottery studio and art store known as Mainly Clay. In the store, folks can purchase all the supplies they need to do pottery work including tools, brushes, texture mats, stamps and glaze. Along with these are some unique pottery pieces made in the studio along with scarves, books, greeting cards and other items.

“We find that people typically come to our shop come December and pick up that unique gift,” said Butler. “We have a lot in the $5 to $15 range that are nice to pick up for a small gift.”

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO TRY

Those who would like to try their hand at this art can sign up for a one-session class. After a few years of having the typical eight-session pottery classes, Butler realized that many people did not want to take on such a large time commitment. Now her one-session classes

Story by Rachel Austin

Farmville residents show off some of their creations after attending one of Pam Butler’s classes.

allow folks to create their own work of art in just one class session. Classes include handbuilding techniques, pottery wheels, stained glass and potholder making.

During the classes, Butler enjoys seeing strangers come into a class and end up talking like old friends. The classes usually take around three hours to finish the project in one day with the pottery classes returning in a few weeks to pick up their finished artwork.

“I definitely enjoy being downtown,” said Butler. “I know it’s not everyone’s thing, but it adds a different vibe as it’s not another office.”

A TRIP TO A RED DOOR

Just up North Main Street is Red Door 104. The iconic red door leads to an art gallery and studio owned by Audrey Sullivan.

Sullivan has created art her whole life as she has worked as an apprentice set designer at the Royal Opera House in Naples, Italy and spent the past 20 years owning and operating a decorative painting business.

In the Red Door 104 gallery, over 20 local artists are on display with a variety of artwork. Sullivan selected the pieces to give a variety for those looking for a great gift. Unfortunately, this will be the last holiday season for the gallery as this portion will close at the end of the year.

“It’s a great place to find something unique for anybody you’re buying for,” she said.

Red Door 104 also offers classes for those wanting to try something new or create something special. The studio offers painting, drawing, mosaic and needle felting. According to Sullivan, she’s always had the love of art and loves having the opportunity to teach and share with others.

“Homemade gifts show thoughtfulness and time spent on making something special,” said Sullivan.

Whether that last-minute gift is for a family member, a coworker or something to treat yourself, it might be close to home in a small shop Downtown.

“I encourage people to get out and support local people,” said Sullivan. “We need art in our lives.”

A class from Mainly Clay shows off some pottery that they are working on.

A look at some of the work on display at Mainly Clay on Farmville’s Main Street.

Serving It Up Creamy tomato soup

with homemade vegetable stock

It’s that wonderful time of year again in which the days are shorter, colder and we can’t wait to get home to our loved ones and cuddle up under a fuzzy blanket with a big bowl of warm, comforting soup in our hands.

Not to toot my own horn, but I believe I may have perfected one of the world’s most comforting dishes -tomato soup- and I’m sharing that recipe with you all in hopes that it will bring you some warmth and joy this holiday season.

This soup takes inspiration from chef Ina Garten’s recipe for Roasted Tomato Basil Soup. I’ve made some adjustments and included some decadent upgrades by adding in a few roasted peppers, parmesan, cream and my secret ingredient: a touch of brown sugar! And perhaps the best part is that this recipe includes instructions on how to prepare your own vegetable stock from kitchen scraps collected

Story and photos by Alexa Massey

in a freezer bag! It’s resourceful, it’s fun and it’s downright delicious.

Here’s the recipe:

CREAMY TOMATO SOUP WITH HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 35 minutes

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon-sized Ziploc bag’s worth of frozen vegetable scraps (or 4 cups chicken broth)

• 1 cube of Knorr Chicken Bouillon (if making homemade broth)

• 2.5 lbs. roma tomatoes, halved

• 6 oz. baby tomatoes

• 1 (28 oz) can of whole peeled tomatoes

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced

• 2 large yellow onions, diced

• 7 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 2 tbsp. salted butter

• 2 cups basil leaves, packed

• 1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. Dried thyme

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 tsp. brown sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup heavy cream of half/half

Recipe:

Traditionally, tomato soup is made with chicken broth. However, I’ve included within this recipe instructions on how to make your own vegetable broth which can be made into chicken broth using a bit of chicken bouillon. Making homemade vegetable broth has become a tiny obsession of mine over the last few months. In my kitchen, vegetable scraps are flying all over the place nearly every day and I began to feel guilty about not making use of the items that don’t make it into the final dish like vegetable peels, onion skins, the tops of bell peppers, etc.

You could always compost these items, but another great way to make use of your veggie scraps is to make a homemade broth, and it’s extremely easy and tasty! All you need to do is collect your vegetable scraps in a large, gallonsized Ziploc bag which you store in the freezer. As you cook throughout the month (or however long it takes you to fill the bag up) simply toss your scraps in the bag and place it back in the freezer.

When deciding what vegetables to include in your stock, keep in mind that foods in the Brassica family such as broccoli, cabbage or

bok choy will turn broth bitter. Vegetables like onions, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, celery, leeks and bell peppers are great in vegetable stock, and other herbs and veggies like dill, thyme, eggplant, green beans and asparagus (plus way more) are very good in small quantities, no more than 1/10 of the bag.

Begin this soup recipe by preheating your oven to 400º. While the oven is heating up, take your bag of frozen vegetable scraps and empty

it into a large pot. Cover the scraps with water and add in a few bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the water to boil before reducing to a simmer. Allow the stock to simmer for 45 minutes.

While the stock is simmering, you can roast your tomatoes. Add your sliced roma tomatoes, baby tomatoes and sliced bell pepper to a baking dish. Toss in ¼ cup of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the dish in the oven and allow it to roast for 45 minutes.

Once your stock has finished cooking, use a bowl beneath a colander to strain out the vegetable scraps. You could stop here, or add one cube of chicken bouillon in order to turn your veggie stock into a nice chicken stock perfect for tomato soup.

To a large pot or dutch oven, add in the remaining oil and butter, the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

To the pot, add four cups of your homemade broth, the can of tomatoes, brown sugar, basil, thyme, and your tray of roasted vegetables with the juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer, uncovered, for an additional 40 minutes.

To finish off the soup, blend the mixture until velvety-smooth using a heat-safe blender (or a handheld, immersion blender if you’re like me and Christmas came early this year) before adding in the cream and parmesan. Serve topped with more cream, a drizzle of olive oil, a basil leaf and, of course, a gooey slice of grilled cheese!

A Farmville author creates his own Christmas miracle

Story by Abigail Grifno

During the winter season in Farmville, you likely get to spend some time with family around your fireplace, eating delicious homemade food. Many of us also can’t resist the temptation of a sweet and wholesome Hallmark film.

Hallmark Christmas movies pull us out of the cold and into the warmth of tender romance, loving families and conflicts we know the characters will be able to overcome. They remind us that the holiday season can be a time of reconnection, renewed faith and so much more.

If Hallmark holiday movies are part of your family tradition, then you are not alone. Author Jerry Todt also has a deep appreciation for the classic films. His love of those storylines, hard work and just a bit of luck, helped him land his own Christmas romance on the big screen.

A LIFELONG WRITER

Todt’s always had a deep interest in writing.

“It was one of my favorite things to do when I was in high school… and then in college,” Todt said. “It was my artistic outlet, but I never thought seriously about being a published writer.”

The universe had different plans for Todt though, and when the economy crashed in 2008, he was forced to pivot in his career. He was brought back to the joy he found in writing and became determined to make his dream come true. He said to himself, “hey, I’m going to write a book.”

The first novel Todt wrote was self-published and distributed mostly among friends and family. He didn’t know much about the publishing business but wanted to “jump in with both feet.” His novel was well-received, giving him the encouragement he needed to start his second book.

All he needed was an idea.

FINDING INSPIRATION

Todt attended several writing conferences over the years and looked up the published writers he met. Learning about their processes and success was exhilarating, and Todt left every conference feeling encouraged and excited.

But then he got a new job and life got busy again. His dream got put on the back burner as he worked hard to raise his three daughters and enjoy life in Farmville. Then, he and

Above, the cover of Jerry Todt’s book, A Maple Valley Christmas. Inset, Jerry Todt poses for his author photo. Photos courtesy of Anaiah Press.

his wife discovered Hallmark movies.

They began watching them regularly, loving the resilient characters and the wholesome nature of the content.

One day, when they were watching a film on the channel, Todt thought to himself, “I love these storylines.” And that’s when the realization struck, he thought, “I think I could write this.”

The idea hadn’t come to him before because Todt had never envisioned himself as a romance writer. In fact, his specialty was mystery novels.

Still, he took a leap and began writing his first romance, A Maple Valley Christmas. Once he’d written it, he spent about a year looking for an agent with little luck. But he believed in his story and knew it would resonate with readers. He wasn’t giving up.

Finally, he found a small Christian press, Anaiah, that wanted to work with him. The rest of his publishing journey, as they say, is history.

FROM THE PAGE TO THE SCREEN

Todt has remained humble even as his book found great success. Everyone loved the charac-

ters and storyline, and the book even contained some mystery alongside the relationship focus.

As Todt found support from friends, family and romance novel lovers, a new opportunity arose. Jerry had a friend who loved the novel and told Jerry it would make a great Hallmark movie. The friend passed it on to a connection he had with the Hallmark production company.

Todt was amazed and thrilled when Hallmark said they also loved the book.

“It’s not what I set out to do, and then everything happened,” Todt said. “And I thought, maybe this is something I could do.”

EMBRACING THE CHANGES

Todt said that the film writers took creative control once he signed his agreement with Hallmark. They kept him updated on film and release dates, but mostly Todt had to wait along with everyone else to see what the movie would be like.

The film premiered on Nov. 5 and while the producers made some changes to the setting and characters, overall, Todt was happy to see

how everything turned out. He describes the whole process as a learning experience. In the meantime, he’s released a sequel, A Maple Valley Wedding.

He encourages every writer with big dreams to “write every day” and “persevere” in the face of rejection.

To celebrate the movie’s release, Todt gathered with friends and family for a party. He remains incredibly grateful for all of the support.

“The response has been tremendous,” Todt said. “I’m so thankful for the people who took the time to watch the movie and read the book.”

He specifically wanted to thank the Farmville community, as “the support I’ve gotten from the whole town, it’s just been great.”

Todt has some exciting things on the horizon, even though he can’t share them publicly quite yet. In the meantime, cozy up with A Maple Valley Christmas, which is streaming on the Hallmark channel.

Todt’s website is forthcoming, but for now, you can keep up with him on Twitter @todtjerry.

The lights go up in Farmville

Story by Brian Carlton

It’s still somewhat of a new tradition in Farmville. Music plays, a switch is flipped and the lights on the town Christmas tree sparkle. This year’s celebration marked the eighth year the practice has been happening in town and it’s changed slightly every time.

Originally, the town used a synthetic tree, one donated by Longwood University that had previously been in the Rotunda. But starting in 2020, the Town of Farmville went shopping for one of their own.

This year’s tree, named Sadie the Spruce by a poll of local residents, had a bit of a journey to get in its current position. The Norway Spruce was delivered from Pennsylvania on a tractor trailer, with town workers having to use bucket trucks to set the tree in its foundation. Then, to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere, the tree was welded in by town workers. The three also has some guide wires, to help it stay secure.

You may have noticed the star, but there are plenty of other decorations on the tree as well. Town officials estimate it took six or seven Farmville employees at different times to install and decorate the tree, which includes an estimated 250 ornaments.

You can visit the tree in Main Street Plaza through the end of December.

• The house was built by Taylor Manufacturing Company around 1921.

• The handsome brick home was modeled after the most modern architecture of the time.

• The house was commissioned to be built by Frank G. Baldwin

• Frank G. Baldwin is the son of R. A. Baldwin who is the founder of Baldwin’s Department Store. Frank later took over the store which had multiple locations in Virginia and North Carolina.

• The house was later owned by Alma Barrentine Glass (mother of Margaret Glass Whitlock)

• More recently the house was owned by the Andrews family. Danny Andrews passed away recently so now it is owned by Kathy Andrews.

• The owner of the house was James Luckin Bugg. He born in 1877 and passed away in April 1960. His parents were Charles Bugg and Martha King Bugg.

• James Luckin Bugg was the President of Peoples National Bank of Farmville and he was on the vestry of Johns Memorial Episcopal Church for more than 50 years.

• Other owners of the house include Claire E. Bugg who was James Luckin Bugg’s widow, Paul Rouilard and the current owner is Dr. Elizabeth W. “Libby” Etheridge.

• Dr. Libby Etheridge was featured in the September From the Ground Up article for her beautiful gardens.

The Andrews Family

Dr. Elizabeth W. “Libby” Etheridge

710

• The house was built in the late 1800s.

• Dr. Paulus Irving sold the property to R. A. Baldwin in 1898.

• Baldwin came to Farmville from Buckingham and was the Founder of Baldwin’s Department Store, a modest dry goods business which grew to four locations in later years.

• This house has had many owners over the years. They include Dr. Paulus A. Irving and then the owner was R. A. Baldwin, the founder of the Baldwins store chain. After Baldwin the owner was Kathleen MacDonald who was the widow of Wade E. MacDonald and a daughter of Baldwin. The following owner was Mrs. Douglas Breath who was the daughter of Kathleen MacDonald. The houses current owner is Elizabeth Taylor Carter of Farmville.

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• This home was built for Mary B. Bynum the daughter of R. A. Baldwin.

• The house was built by Taylor Manufacturing Company after 1922.

• Based on a map in 1918 there was an auto garage for the Baldwin house in the place where this house stands that was later knocked down so this house could be built.