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Editor’s Notebook
Farmville the Magazine
September inspires many songs S
eptember is a month that has inspired artists to break out in song over and over again. From Frank Sinatra’s “The September of my Years” to Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” the month comes up again and again in the lexicon of our American soundtrack. From the funky sounds of Earth, Wind and Fire asking if we remember dancing in September to the classic “September Morn” by Neil Diamond, this non-descript, generic brand month comes up again and again in songs perhaps because it is relatively easy to rhyme or perhaps because it has three syllables. There are sunny, cool days, but it can just as well be 90 degrees and humid at some points Roger Watson, Editor in the month. It can be a dry month leading into fall, or the area can just as easily get ran over by a hurricane. September is when college football returns, when school schedules crank back up to full speed and often when we first feel that familiar chill in the air that lets us know fall isn’t far behind. It’s when coffee shops bring out pumpkin spice way too early and other residents have days when they use the heat and air conditioning in the same day. It’s a time for fairs and fall festivals. In Farmville, the weekend of September 17 will feature three events expected to bring more than 17,000 people to town on one day. The Heart of Virginia Festival makes a special fall appearance after being canceled in May of 2020 and May of
2021 due to COVID-19. On that same weekend, Longwood will have its family weekend and Hampden-Sydney College will have its Hall of Fame weekend game at home against Shenandoah University. It’s pretty clear it will not be “A Lonely September” as the band the Plain White T’s described in their sound from 2007. In this issue of Farmville the Magazine, we have a busy September as well with some fresh new voices writing articles for us this month. Shannon Watkins, a new staff writer here at Farmville the Magazine, profiles the fun that can be found at Sandy River Outdoor Adventures in Rice where you can spend the night in a tipi and speed through the forest on a zip line. Senior Restaurant Correspondent Alexa Massey gives us a taste of the sweet treats that come from Farmville’s Main Street at Mill Street Sweets on Main. There’s also a piece from Dr. Ryan Pemberton of Hampden-Sydney College profiling former Hampden-Sydney President General Samuel Wilson and also a contribution from Jeanne Grunert who lets us in on the secret of the hidden treasure of folk art that can be found in Worsham at Folk Art by Kathryn where Kathryn Burch exhibits a wide array of wonderfully artistic creations. Our old friend Cynthia Wood tells us how to handle the dog days of gardening and the Where Am I photo is sure to challenge this month. Enjoy what we hope will be a collection of glorious September morns. As always, if you have suggestions or feedback about stories you would like to see in the coming editions of the magazine please let me know by sending an email to Roger.Watson@FarmvilleTheMag.com.
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Publisher — Betty J. Ramsey Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag.com Designer — Troy Cooper Troy.Cooper@FarmvilletheMag.com
EDITORIAL Roger Watson Roger.Watson@FarmvilletheMag.com Crystal Vandegrift Crystal.Vandegrift@FarmvilletheMag.com Alexa Massey Alexa.Massey@FarmvilletheMag.com Shannon Watkins Shannon.Watkins@FarmvilletheMag.com
ADVERTISING Director — Jackie Newman Jackie.Newman@FarmvilletheMag.com Debbie Evans Debbie.Evans@FarmvilletheMag.com
CONTRIBUTORS
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Mill Street Sweets on Main
From tipis to treetops
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On the cover: Tessa Ayers, left, shows off Mill Street Sweets on Main's best selling cake, carrot cake, while fellow pastry chef Amanda Winfree holds the business’ ever-popular chocolate cake.
Dr. Cynthia Wood Cover photo by Stacy Ayers 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.
General Sam Exhibit Also... Editor’s Notebook
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From the Ground Up Where Am I?
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From cakes and pies to cookies, brownies and parfaits, Mill Street Sweets on Main has something for everybody.
Mill Street Sweets on Main Where sweet dreams become reality
Story by Alexa Massey Photos by Stacy Ayers
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s one strolls down Main Street in Farmville on any given Saturday morning, they should take steps to prepare themself before walking past Mill Street Sweets on Main. The scent of buttery, sugary baked goods and a sign out front advertising fresh glazed donuts is enough to drive one mad. Stepping into the small bakery, visitors are greeted by display cases featuring delectable desserts of every shape and size. From cakes and pastries
to cookies and coffee, the store has got it all. One might be fooled by the shop’s quaint size into thinking Mill Street Sweets is a tiny operation. While all of the business’ desserts are made in-house, the bakery’s signature cakes are actually shipped out and served at dozens of restaurants throughout the commonwealth. Tommy Graziano co-owns Mill Street Sweets on Main as well as Charley’s Waterfront Cafe and Wine Bar and The Virginia Tasting Cellar with
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his business partners, John Magin and Andrew Pollster. The bakery’s origin story began, as one might assume, over on Mill Street, the location of the trio’s two other aforementioned businesses. Graziano opened Charley’s 28 years ago, buti it was around 13 years ago the successful restaurant hired a baker and began producing a variety of desserts to be featured in-house. Thus, Mill Street Sweets was born. The sweet treats became a hit both locally at Charley’s and around the state. As the years went by, the business began picking up cake orders for restaurants in Richmond, Lynchburg and Charlottesville who wanted to sell these Farmville favorites. But expanding operations would require a much larger space. “We didn’t have room,” Graziano noted during a Tuesday, Aug. 10, interview. It was five years ago that business owners began renting a building at 218 N. Main St. While the storefront appears small, the back of the business, where the magic happens, features all the equipment needed to run a bustling bakery sending orders out all over Virginia, including a cake oven the size of a bedroom. Mill Street Sweets on Main, as the name now suggests, has called Main Street home for half a decade now. Every sweet tooth around is no match for the siren's call
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While the front of Mill Street Sweets on Main may look tiny, the back of the building includes a cake oven the size of a bedroom, helping the bakery to make hundreds of cakes each week.
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of the local bakery, and it’s not hard to see why. A trip into the shop means staring down glass display cases filled with nearly any gooey, flakey or fudgy treat one could possibly yearn for. In addition to the bakery’s famous carrot cake, chocolate cake and flavored cheesecakes, Mill Street Sweets on Main also offers items such as cupcakes, cookies, brownies, croissants, homemade parfaits, whoopie pies and much more. The bakery also offers a variety of glutenfree items, and seasonal sweets are available at different times throughout the year. But according to Graziano, the business’ most popular items, without a doubt, are the doughnuts. Gloriously glazed, undeniably humongous and offered in a multitude of flavors, hundreds of these treats are fried up and sold every Saturday, and it doesn’t take long before they’re gone. “We run out of doughnuts every Saturday,” Graziano noted. Like most businesses in the area, Mill Street Sweets did not go unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic. Before COVID hit the area, the bakery had around nine employees as well as 34 different restaurants across Virginia it was selling and delivering desserts to. At the height of the global health crisis, the business shut down for approximately five months, and several employees were lost. After opening, new workers had to be hired and trained. The bakery is now back in full swing and operating Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to the goods offered in the front of the store, the business also fills custom orders for birthday parties, weddings and other celebrations. And while the bakery still makes desserts for Charley’s, they continue to sell and ship hundreds of treats each week to restaurants throughout Virginia. The business also partners with Louisa County-based distributor Cavalier Produce which sells Mill Street Sweets baked goods to restaurants as nearby as Farmville and as far away as Virginia Beach. Whether it’s because of the smiling faces of bakers Amanda Winfree and Tessa Ayers or the doughnuts the size of a person’s head, customers keep coming back to this Farmville-founded sweet shop whose desserts are enjoyed all over Virginia.
Customers itching for a sweet treat can always find several flavored cheesecakes for sale.
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Left, the bakery offers many gluten-free dessert items. Right, huge fried doughnuts are hands-down the most popular item sold at the bakery. Co-owner Tommy Graziano noted the business always sells out of these delicious treats.
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Where there are giant doughnuts, one can always find giant doughnut holes.
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Mill Street Sweets on Main sells its popular cakes to different restaurants in cities across Virginia. The bakery also fills custom orders for birthdays, weddings and other celebrations in the area.
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FROM TIPIS TO TREETOPS Photos and story by Shannon Watkins
For nine years, Sandy River Outdoor Adventures in Rice has greeted guests from all over in every season. About three years ago, it sprouted a host of tipis which visitors can rent for glamping. “Glamping” is a shortened version of “glamorous camping” wherein the best perks of roughing it and the best perks of a hotel stay are combined. “There was nothing out here, and then the owner, Mark Smith, started building log homes,” Sandy River’s office manager, Sarah Detrick, said. “So he built a little log home out here, lived in it, and then built a big log home,”
Detrick said, “and they moved into the big log home. Then his wife said, ‘Let's start renting out the little cabin,’ and then it just all started from there.” Mark started out in construction, but by virtue of his wife’s suggestion and his own drive to create, ended up owning and running Sandy River. “He built the rest of the cabins, and then went on to the tipis,” Detrick said. “He's definitely an entrepreneur dreamer, but he does it. He didn't just dream it. He is very creative and likes to create things and do things.” Mark, from Virginia Beach, and Candice, from South Africa, would normally
be available to tell the story, Detrick said., but they’re currently in New England, picking up a still. The barn Mark is reconstructing of old wood, which you can see close by when you drive up to the office, will be the site of a distillery they’re adding to the mix. The six tipis sit spaced along a smooth, green field with a swimming pool Mark designed himself. They’re close enough that you could wander over to say hello to your temporary neighbors if you wanted, but far enough away that it’s not awkward to keep your distance if you’d rather be alone. They have evocative names, like Moon Dance and Thunder Bird, and
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The six glamping tents at Sandy River Outdoor Adventures are tipi-themed and provide a haven away from visitors’ everyday cares. Set a perfect distance apart to ensure privacy, they draw guests from all over the world.
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Sarah Detrick, Sandy River’s office manager, welcomes guests at the entrance of a luxurious tipi. Bottom: The inside of each tipi is unique but all feature a natural, rustic look. Top right: Sandy River director of operations Maggie Brown prepares to demonstrate the zipline. Several are available as part of treetop obstacle courses with varying degrees of difficulty.
sport amenities like kitchenettes, fire pits, full bathrooms and Wi-Fi. They also sport homemade booklets about Native American history, both in general and in Virginia, that guests may peruse if they like. “I would say the tipis are the most popular thing here,” Detrick said. “Basically, in the teepees there's air conditioning, there's heat. There's heated cement floors. They're all very tastefully done. There's memory foam mattresses. It's definitely not tent camping.” There’s plenty of added things to do and enjoy at Sandy River, including hiking, yoga (twice-weekly classes are free to guests), boating, biking and perhaps most exciting of all, the Adventure Park, a series of six ziplines, starting with a beginners’ level and going up to a thrilling expert challenge. To reach them, guests are safety harnessed and climb up an aerial obstacle course through the trees, with features like ropes, bridges and catwalks. Then they connect their harness to a zipline and slide down a gradual incline to the ground, flying through the air. Operations Manager Maggie Brown demonstrated this, putting on zipline gear and showing the basics of ziplining at Sandy River. “So actually, you'll have to start on a yellow or green when you first get here,” she said. In the color-coding of the courses, yellow and green are for beginners or those with minimal experience.
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Maggie Brown rides the zipline down. The staff ensure safety and can help scared guests down if they wish but encourage them to try new and exciting experiences.
“The one that I'm doing is actually considered a yellow course,” Brown said. “Our blue course is actually considered our advanced. The one next to it is the black course. That's the one that's slightly higher. That's considered an expert level.” Anyone who participates in ziplining has to be at least 40 inches tall and weigh between 60 to 260 pounds, for safety reasons. Most participants have a good idea of what they can handle, but cold feet sometimes happen. “I've had quite a few people back out when
they get up there, but typically I like to challenge them to try to finish a course,” Brown said. “If they can't get through it, we have emergency lowering procedures that we do to get them to the ground, because of course we don't want to force anybody to do something they're not comfortable with. And sometimes people will know by about the first obstacle if it's something they can do or not.” Brown, however, continued the demonstration with ease as she climbed a tree, made her way
deftly through the obstacles of the yellow course and mounted the platform she ziplined from. She sailed off it, legs extended, sailing by an observer before she made a running stop on the ground that rose to meet her. It looked like a fun and exciting but relatively gentle introduction to the activity, safe but thrilling. Brown’s grin while ziplining confirmed Detrick’s earlier words. “This is a really special place,” she said. “It's just a unique place. It's easy to sell because it's fun.”
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General Sam Exhibit Open at Hampden-Sydney Museum Story by Dr. Ryan Pemberton, Director of the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden-Sydney College
Officer. Gentleman. Movie Star. Professor. Diplomat. College President. Spy. Civic Leader. Intelligence Official. Sunday School Teacher. All of these terms and more describe Lt. General Samuel V. Wilson (U.S. Army-Ret.), the former president of Hampden-Sydney College who passed away in 2017. General Sam, as he was affectionately known, led a fascinating, impactful and meaningful life—one that the public may learn more about by visiting an ongoing exhibit at Hampden-Sydney’s Esther Thomas Atkinson Museum titled “An Officer and a Gentleman: The Life and Times of Lt. General Samuel V. Wilson. ” A proud Price Edward County native, Sam was born on the family farm in Rice, enlisting as a bugler at just 16 years old to serve in World War II in June of 1940. Legend has it that Sam listened to Winston Churchill on the radio one night and was so moved that he woke up and hiked the six miles from Rice to downtown Farmville to begin a professional journey that would lead him back home 37 years later. Not long after enlisting, he found himself as part of the famed “Merrill’s Marauders” 5307th Composite Unit. Sam served as the unit’s chief reconnaissance officer and later as a technical advisor in the 1962 Hollywood blockbuster of the same name. After the war, he studied Russian and attended graduate school at Colombia University. That experience led him to serve in Eastern Europe where he spent time in the CIA’s clandestine services and as a foreign area officer in the Army. During the Vietnam era, Sam served as a Foreign Service officer and as a diplomat working to build capacity for our allies. From 1971 to 1973, Sam served as the Defense Attaché in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Rumor also has it that Sam served as the CIA’s Chief of Station during that same time. This dual service is so remarkable that it is possible no other person has served in both roles at the same time. His career was capped with a
Above is Wilson with actor Ty Hardin who played Second Lieutenant Lee Stockton in the movie Merrill’s Marauders. Right is Wilson briefing Richard Nixon on a plane prior to Nixon’s presidency. Nixon met with Wilson more than once in Vietnam.
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At left, in Vietnam, Wilson employed the counter-insurgency, or COIN, doctrine he helped formulate. Here, he poses with Vietnamese children. Below is Wilson in 1938, age 15. Wilson was a standout in high school, finishing at the top of his small class.
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18 Farmville the Magazine stint as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He retired as a three-star general in 1977. Along the way, Sam was credited with coining the term “counterinsurgency” and played a key role in the development of the unit known as the Delta Force. He was elected into numerous halls of fame and advised Tom Clancy on many of his books. If a movie were made about his life, it would be classified as fiction. What was Sam to do in “retirement?” Hollywood? New York? Washington D.C.? Sam chose to return home to what, in his words, “was his favorite place with his favorite people.” Upon retiring from the Army, he retraced his steps heading from Farmville to the farm in Rice and continued to serve the people and place that gave him all he needed for his exceptional career. Sam was called to serve as a leading citizen in various Prince Edward County and Southside Virginia organizations, including the Longwood College Board of Visitors, the Governor’s Advisory Board on Higher Education in Virginia and as president of the R.R. Moton Museum Board of Directors. Sam began teaching classes at Hampden-Sydney College shortly after returning, became the college’s 22nd president in 1992 and served with great distinction until 2000. Adored by students, General Sam was famous for teaching Sunday school every Sunday morning and inviting those students back to Middlecourt, the president’s home at Hampden-Sydney, for Mis Susi’s famous Sunday dinners. Always quick with a joke and exceptionally charismatic, Sam kidded often that he would “see 10 students at Sunday School and somehow 30 would show up for Sunday dinner…Mis Susi would miraculously have more than enough food…it was like loaves and fishes.” Students adored him because he was present. Athletics events, classes, breakfast in the Commons, Sunday school, campus events—General Sam was there. The holistic growth of “his young men” in hopes they would become the “good men and good citizens” needed to perpetuate our republic was his primary mission; that feeling was palpable on campus. Upon being elected as president, General Sam said “the single most important person on this campus is the student, followed closely thereafter by the faculty and staff who serve as his mentor. The single most important thing that happens on this campus is that colloquy between student and mentor. All else is secondary and supporting.”
A portrait of Lt. General Samuel V. Wilson from 1974.
When he retired in May of 2000, he closed commencement with these final words as president: “It’s now your world; it’s not mine anymore. It’s a beautiful, blue jewel… a shining sphere. Love it, cherish it, protect it and keep it.” Upon his retirement, the college named the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest in his honor. The center houses the Hampden-Sydney’s leadership and civic education programming. It coordinates two academic minors (leadership in the public interest and national security studies), hosts numerous lectures and programs throughout the year and houses the Wilson Leadership Fellows program—a cocurricular effort to provide young men with skills, traits and experiences to help students become the very best versions of themselves. The mission
of the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest is to “prepare men of character for lives of consequence.” As a former student of General Sam’s, I am honored to serve as director of the Wilson Center. General Sam’s memory serves as a role model. Our current students were not lucky enough to know him, but every young man with whom we work learns from or is inspired by his life of service. They are an important part of his legacy. Upon General Sam’s passing in June of 2017, his family gave nearly all of his belongings, personal effects and writings to the college. It is a veritable treasure trove including 307 boxes of papers, books and writings. Highlights include his induction papers to the army, green beret, bugle, diplomatic passports, signed books, pictures,
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This desk and chair are part of the exhibit. awards, personal correspondence and writings about everything from national security policy, higher education and civic affairs. Two years ago, a group of loyal supporters provided funds to the college to hire a full-time term archivist. The archivist, Dr. Colin Woodward, finished his work in June of 2021. Bortz Library Director and Chair of the Wilson
Center Faculty Advisory Committee Shaunna Hunter stated that “working with the Wilson collection has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my career” and that as we move forward we will “add steel shelving to hold the collection and ensure that our finding aides are available to researchers online while digitizing selected portions of the material.” Researchers or students
interested in higher education, World War II history, the Vietnam era, formation of the CIA, the Cold War, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency theory or simply 20th Century American History can benefit greatly from this collection. The Esther Thomas Atkinson Museum opened an exhibit dedicated to this special collection in the spring of 2021. “ An Officer and a
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Gentleman: The Life and Times of Lt. General Samuel V. Wilson” was curated by Atkinson Museum Director Angela Way and Dr. Richard McClintock. The exhibit is open from 10-12 and 1-5 on weekdays and special event Saturdays through the 2021 fall semester. All are welcome and encouraged to attend, especially friends from Farmville and Southside Virginia. General Sam was a Prince Edward County native. He was born here and passed away here. This was his home. This exhibit examines his life and also firmly connects him to this place. To know General Sam is to know Southside Virginia, and to know Southside Virginia is to know General Sam. Those traits that made General Sam special — humility, a belief in education, a commitment to service, friendliness, a strong work ethic, an ability to see the whole person, authenticity and a deep faith — are the same things that characterize the people who live here. Come learn about an amazing and impactful life and the people and places that paved the way.
The top photo is of a commemorative plaque for the groundbreaking for the Defense Intelligence Analysis Center that was held April 21, 1981. The bottom photo is a picture of Wilson with George Bush in March of 1976.
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At left is the academic regalia Wilson would have worn as college president. It was made by trustee wives for the inauguration of President Bunting in 1975 and was used until President Bortz commissioned the Presidential medallion and chain. Above is a plaque that includes an Army airborne master parachutist badge and a gold braid, an Army dress aiguillette which is worn only when personnel are performing duties as aides.
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From the Ground Up
Cleomes at the back of the border offer both late season color and interesting seed pods.
Late Summer in the Garden Story and photos by Dr. Cynthia Wood
When the dog days of summer set in, most gardeners and their plants just quit. The humans are exhausted and can’t stand the heat and humidity. The plants are tired too — crunchy around the edges with fewer flowers. Nevertheless, the gardening season in our area is getting longer, and there are ways to keep our gardens looking their best up until late fall. What to do? One of the simplest and most important tasks for a gardener is to deadhead spent flowers and seed heads as soon as they appear. In fact, the goal is to prevent seed heads from appearing since they signal to plants that it’s time to stop blooming and shut down for the season. The Chelsea chop is another way to prolong the bloom season. Just cut plants back by half in late April or early May, and they will be shorter and sturdier and will flower several weeks later than usual. By cutting back part of a spring planting at one week intervals, it’s possible to prolong the bloom period for up to a month. Another approach is to lop off just part of individual plants. Plants bloom longer and look less stressed when
Coleus and lantanas add an intense tropical vibe to a garden.
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This homeowner has created a low maintenance container garden that is color coordinated with his front door.
24 Farmville the Magazine Rattlesnake master has a prickly, silvery texture that contrasts nicely with coneflowers and blackeyed Susans.
they have sufficient moisture. Apply plenty of mulch when setting out plants in spring and then water them regularly during the hottest, driest part of the summer. And then, finally, the type of plant selected for a late season garden is important. Be sure to choose heat-tolerant plants. Try mixing in some tropicals, such as elephant’s ears, cannas and aechmeas. The elephant’s ears and aechmeas have interesting foliage colors and textures, while the cannas have vivid blooms. Coleus are another option for adding vivid, sometimes even shocking, combinations of colors. Newer varieties are also more tolerant of full sun than older ones. Cleomes are a great choice for the back of the perennial border where they add height, color and texture. So are perennial hibiscus. Autumn Joy sedum, lantana and plumbago are all great choices for the front of a planting. The sedum is attractive even after the flowerheads fade, while the lantana attracts many pollinators and will bloom until frost. The clear, sky blue of plumbago adds a cooling note to all the other hot, fiery colors so typical of late summer. Native plants are also useful in prolonging the gardening season and will provide much-needed support for pollinators. Large flowered purple asters make a tall, bold display and only begin to bloom in mid to late August. Small white asters and white wood asters are less dramatic but help fill in the front and middle of the perennial border. Both ironweed and Joe Pye weed are extra tall, tough plants that add interest to the back of the border. In addition, there are shorter cultivars of Joe Pye weed available that can be mixed throughout the garden. Rattlesnake master adds texture to the late season garden. It has silvery foliage that resembles that of yucca and spherical inflorescences of tiny, whitish flowers that develop into seed heads that remain attractive all winter. And don’t forget to include some goldenrods, especially stiff goldenrod, which grows very tall and has early leaves that look like a prehistoric spinach. Late summer gardens don’t require massive amounts of work, just some planning and a little ongoing attention. Early morning walks through the garden get the day off to a slow, meditative start and get deadheading done too. Happy gardening.
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Joe Pye weed is easy to grow and is much loved by pollinators.
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Where Am I?
LAST ISSUE’S WINNER Robin Sedgewick is the winner for the summer edition of Where Am I? She and her daughter Elizabeth found the special “I Love Farmville” table located at the trail crossing near the old caboose in downtown. For finding the pictured table, Sedgwick 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.
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Home filled with hand-painted treasurers
Story by Jeanne Grunert
Nestled inside a large, white clapboard house in Worsham is a hidden treasure. A retail shop inside an 18th century home that brims with charm and handcrafted wonders. Primitive, country, farmhouse, cottage and nautical décor abound in the foyer, former library and dining room of the home on Route 15 that now houses both owner Kathryn Burch and her business, Folk Art by Kathryn. “See this?” Burch points to a chair tucked into a corner of the dining room. “Although I’ve painted the angel many times, each one is 100% unique. Whether it’s the color of her eyes or her hair or the background, no two are ever the same.” The same may be said for almost every item inside Folk Art by Kathryn. No two items are ever the same among Burch’s hand-painted treasures. From the patriotic-themed table gracing the foyer to the angel chair tucked in a corner of the dining room, Kathryn Burch’s artistic touch is everywhere.
Above is the sign along Route 15. The shop is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Below, Folk Art by Kathryn is located in an 18th century home in Worsham.
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Owner and artist Kathryn Burch poses with a hand-painted folk art table. PURSUING A PASSION
Burch didn’t set out to run a retail shop. When her husband, Duane, enlisted in the Navy, the couple moved to Virginia Beach. There, she resumed decorative painting classes to pursue a lifelong interest in art. Duane Burch loved woodworking and opened a workshop in their garage. He made an easel for their niece, Kira, for Christmas. The couple began hand-crafting gifts for family and friends. Soon, word spread about the couple’s artwork, and people asked to purchase their handmade items.
ART TURNED INTO BUSINESS
A friend asked Burch to join her selling items at a craft show. “I was amazed,” she said. “I sold out almost immediately. Little did I know that the show was one of the top 20 in the country, according to Sunshine Artist Magazine.” Soon, Burch began submitting juried items into fine arts and craft shows nationwide and traveling to exhibit and sell the couple’s wares. When Duane Burch left on deployment, Kathryn Burch enlisted family and friends to accompany her to shows. She transformed trash
into treasure, eventually working in new mediums including paper mâché, tin and glass, painting folk art designs that celebrated simpler times and the joy of the changing seasons. HOMESPUN TREASURES
Over time, Burch added new items to her shop including 650 different cookie cutters made in Pennsylvania and hand-sewn items created by her mother, Bonnie. Aprons, table linens and other items added the final touch to the growing retail business.
30 Farmville the Magazine WELCOME HOME TO FARMVILLE
Sadly, Duane passed away in 2005 of a rare blood disorder. Kathryn and her mother moved to Farmville in 2015, purchasing a house in Worsham. The 18th century home includes a schoolhouse, which is now refurbished into a vacation rental property, and several outbuildings. But at its heart lies Folk Art by Kathryn. From the front porch, shoppers pass artfully arranged decorative items. A reindeer crafted from wooden logs, a sled and several tin buckets suggesting Christmas in the country greet holiday shoppers. Once inside the foyer of the home, artful displays of handcrafted German glass Christmas ornaments, hand-painted Christmas and folk-art items, electric and traditional candles and displays of every kind draw shoppers further into the store. Along the back wall in a repurposed breakfront stands artfully arranged seasonal candles by Cheerful Giver. The country-themed holders can be repurposed once the delightfully scented candles are finished. “These are some of our best sellers,” Burch said. The centerpiece of the room is a large table hand-painted by Burch with a patriotic theme. “I paint and finish all of the furniture myself,” she said. Burch currently employs a local woodworker, and the two collaborate together using their own ideas as well as some of Duane’s original drawings to recreate popular furniture items. “It’s a labor of love,” Burch said. “I love creating items that my customers cannot find anywhere else and still enjoy refurbishing customer’s furniture or other belongings with my style or their own custom idea.”
Above, the Christmas shop features German glass Christmas ornaments. Right, one of Kathryn's signature folk art angels peers from the back of a recycled chair.
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Above, a seasonal Holiday display welcomes visitors to the shop. Below, Battery-powered candles with realistic flames blend modern convenience with old-world charm.
Expert Orthopedics in Farmville
Marcy Cole, PA-C, ATC | John Kona, MD William Andrews, MD, FCCP | William Fluker, PA-C Centra Centra Medical Group Orthpedics welcomes William Andrews, MD, FCCP, and William Fluker, PA-C. They join John Kona, MD, and Marcy Cole, PA-C, ATC, in the practice located at Centra Southside Medical Center. Dr. Andrews earned his medical degree from Duke University. He completed his internship and surgery residency at University of Virginia Hospital and served his orthopedic residency at Duke University. William Fluker, holds bachelor of science degrees in biology from the University of Kentucky and from the physician assistant program at James Madison University.
Accepting New Patients To make an appointment, please call 434.315.5360
935 South Main Street, Farmville, Virginia | CentraSouthside.com | 434.315.5360
