Fall/winter 2015-16
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA PREMIUM LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Discover downtown Residents open their homes for a look at city life
Fall Home Show has it all under one roof
Artist Susan Harb finds splendor in the trash
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If you’re old enough to remember Petula Clark’s “Downtown” hit from the mid-1960s, then you probably remember when downtown Roanoke meant the S&W Cafeteria, Sidney’s and other businesses, many long gone. In her song, Clark urged those whose “life is making you lonely” to go downtown, where “you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares.” But Clark’s lyrics include nothing about going home downtown. Back then, you didn’t live downtown unless you had to. That’s not the case today. The gentrification of downtown Roanoke began about a decade ago when developer Ed Walker opened his first major residential renovation of million-dollar condominiums. Other developers followed suit.
In recent years, many old buildings have been transformed into residences. Singles, retirees and families — all kinds of people at all stations of life — comprise the downtown population, many of whom left the suburbs for a more convenient lifestyle. For this issue, we visited three downtown residences whose occupants graciously agreed to open their homes, which are as different as their lifestyles. Yet, all the residents are proponents of downtown living. Speaking of different, that’s one way to describe the work of artist Susan Harb. It’s also been called “thought-provoking, irreverent and humorous.” You can see her art, beginning on page 28. It’s fashioned from the junk, trash and dis-
cards she collects. You’ll enjoy reading about how she came into her craft later in life. Take a drive up to Lexington, where her studio is located, to see for yourself; email ahead and let Harb know you’re coming. Along the way, you can take in the brilliant display of fall foliage, especially if you travel the back roads. I believe autumn showcases the best of our region. In addition to nature’s splendor, it means football, tailgating, apple butter, pumpkins and anticipation of the holidays. It’s also the time for the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s annual Fall Home Show, and new seasons for many local arts organizations. You’ll find details in this issue. Also this fall, acclaimed entertaining guru James Farmer
Elizabeth Hock ThE roANokE TIMES
will visit Roanoke to share ideas and introduce his new book, “A Time to Celebrate.” Starting on page 40, find out how this Southern gentleman has built his brand, and get a sneak peak at his latest book with a recipe he shares. There’s a lot happening in Southwest Virginia this time of year. Get out, breathe in that crisp air and have some fall fun. I can’t think of a better place to do so.
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4 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
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contents
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Downtown
Residents with varied lifestyles open their homes and talk about their zest for city life.
28
Transforming trash
Artist Susan Harb makes rubbish riveting and relevent.
35
Home show
Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s Fall Home Show offers inspiration and a whole lot more.
38
Early risers
You’ll be happy you planted those bulbs in fall when spring peaks through.
40
Entertaining expert Meet James Farmer, who is bringing his brand of Southern hospitality and geniality to Roanoke.
44
Steeped in tradition
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Synonymous with fall in these parts, making of apple butter soon may be a lost art.
48
Sizeable selection
54
Advisers’ advice
Local experts offer suggestions for getting and keeping your financial house in order.
56
Engagement
At the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, performances are more than performances.
60
On stage
Regional arts organizations preview season highlights.
63
Ring in the season with special craft beer offerings.
Huong Fralin huong.fralin@roanoke.com
Holiday hops
65
52
Short day trips can lead to memories and magical moments.
These supplies will give your tailgating party some extra kick.
Editor
Elizabeth Hock liz.hock@roanoke.com
Janette Saviano janette.saviano@smithmountainlaker.com
Explore the uses and benefits of artisan olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
Pregame props
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Hit the road
PUBLiCAtioN dEsigNEr
PhotogrAPhEr
sALEs MANAgEr
Alicia Lovern alicia.lovern@roanoke.com AdvErtisiNg sALEs ProFEssioNAL
Barry Wright barry.wright@roanoke.com oN thE CovEr: Butch, downtown dwellers Clare and Dan Callaghan’s rescue dog, relaxes in the couple’s home at the Lofts at First and Kirk. Photo by Huong Fralin.
Š 2014 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchise of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomerServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America Inc.Ž Equal Housing Opportunity.
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Upscale Urban meets
Virginia Tech casUal in couple’s downtown Roanoke condo
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aute Hokie is one way to describe the decor in Ellen and Jim Wade’s sprawling high-rise condominium. But their 4-bedroom, 3 ½-bath home at 204 Jefferson St., in the heart of downtown Roanoke, is more haute than Hokie. Neighbor and interior designer Mary Jean Levin of Halifax Fine Furnishings in Roanoke says she was going for a “friendly formal” feel when tasked with helping decorate the Wade’s condo. A cosmopolitan, elegant interior was what Ellen Wade envisioned. “I wanted something urban,” says Ellen, who’s from Long Island, just outside of New York City. “I wanted an Upper East Side look with a modern twist.” Ellen serves on the board of directors for Jefferson College of Health Sciences and volunteers for the March of Dimes. Jim, a Floyd native, is the retired president of Advance Auto. They both wanted the home to reflect their love for Virginia Tech, their alma matter. It was important that the condo have an open feel, with a floor plan that flows to accommodate the couple’s frequent entertaining of friends, Tech supporters, fellow volunteers and prospective business owners. Levin managed to deliver all that, a mix of casual and sophisticated not unlike downtown Roanoke itself.
LeFt: Jim, retired president of advance auto, and ellen, an active community volunteer, wanted an open floor plan conducive to entertaining.
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opposite page: Visitors to ellen and Jim Wade’s condo at 204 Jefferson st. arrive via elevator and step onto a marble floor. an oil painting by Roanoke artist terry Lyon is to the left of the elevator.
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OPPOSITE PAGE: The kitchen, which Ellen Wade admits is one of the least utilized rooms in the condo, has an open, spacious feel. TOP RIGHT: A pair of paintings by Chico Harkrader hangs above the sofa in the living area, which also includes pillows that match the fabric on a pair of chairs. TOP LEFT: The entry to the Wade’s condo looks straight through to the informal eating area. ABOVE: The dining area, which is located at the front of the home along with the living room and casual eating space, allows some of the best views of the valley.
Custom rugs from Valeta Pittman at Halifax Fine Furnishings; works by local artists including Chico Harkrader, Jane Duncan Stogner and the late Vince Miller; a combination space that encompasses living and dining room, an informal eating area and kitchen with stunning views of the valley; and amenities such as a coffee bar help impart an upscale, urban flavor. The condo was painted what Ellen calls a “Harley Davidson orange” when the couple, who both are in their 60s, bought it and a neighboring studio five years ago. That shade is gone, but there is still plenty of orange, albeit accompanied by maroon, throughout their home. In addition to school colors, a “Hokie room,” Tech mementos and photographs of the campus are testaments to the couple’s devotion and lend a casual vibe. The friendly formal style used throughout the rest of the house meant her decorating skills were put to the test in the Hokie room, Levin says. “It was a challenge to do it in a way that suited friendly formality,” she says. “In this case, it’s probably more friendly.” The condo occupies an entire floor in the old Colonial Arms building, which houses Hometown Bank on the bottom floor and 11 residences on floors 3 through 12. Blake Construction renovated and combined a full-size unit and a neighboring studio into one 4,000-square-foot residence. Ray Craighead, owner-architect at Craighead and Associates, executed the architectural design, which is characterized by arches and curves influenced by the curving fireplace in the living area.
“We’re on the most desirable corner in downtown Roanoke. We can go out for coffee while other people are shoveling snow. There’s always a bar or a restaurant or somewhere to walk to or something going on.”
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As one would expect, the “Hokie room” is decorated in orange and maroon, as are the chairs at the bar in the adjoining snack kitchen.
“The fireplace sets the tone for the house,” Ellen says. Columns set on marble flooring greet visitors as they step off the elevator, helping give the home that sophisticated Upper East Side look, she says. The Wades moved from Roanoke County because, Ellen recalls, they wanted a place that offered views of Roanoke and its surrounding scenery. “We are southwest county people,” she says, adding that there was a recession at the time they were looking and there was not much new construction in Roanoke County. They found the condo and “were just in awe of the views,” Ellen says. Those views can be seen along the front of the home from the kitchen-living room-dining area. Six windows, each 39 inches wide and 69 inches tall, line the front wall and bathe the area in natural light. The Wells Fargo building, the Roanoke Higher Education Center, the Taubman Museum of Art and a sliver of Hotel Roanoke are among the landmarks that are easily spotted. The Fort Lewis mountains loom to the west. The Wades can watch the Salem fireworks show and see all the way to Bonsack from their condo. A glass-topped table with four ottoman-type stools, located be-
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12 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
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ALL POINTS
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tween the living room and dining areas, allows Jim and Ellen to watch the big-screen television in the living room while eating. Near the glass table sits a small children’s table once used by the couple’s two daughters, Amanda, of Roanoke, and Jennifer, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two children. Since their granddaughters’ arrivals, the couple have split their time between Roanoke and Charlotte, where they also own a condo. The home has two kitchens. One, a snack kitchen with bar, icemaker, beverage refrigerator, wine refrigerator and under-counter microwave, is located off the Hokie room and is perfect for entertaining. Connecting the living and dining space on the front of the home is a full kitchen, which, Ellen confesses, may be one of the less utilized areas in their home. “We eat out a lot. Even on holidays, we get side dishes from Alexander’s and only have to cook the turkey,” she says. That’s one of the many perks of living downtown, according to Ellen. There are plenty of others. “Living here is fabulous, especially where we are in life — in the lock-and-leave stage,” she says. “We’re on the most desirable corner in downtown Roanoke. We can go out for coffee while other people are shoveling snow. There’s always a bar or a restaurant or somewhere to walk to or something going on.” Ellen Wade says she expects to see more going on in the years to come. That includes the new Hampton Inn going up over the Market Garage, and a future Amtrak station within walking distance of their home. Ellen says she and her husband believe that Roanoke’s future is tied to Virginia Tech and Blacksburg, where technology reigns. “Roanoke is primed,” she says. “I believe the best is yet to come.”
TOP LEFT: The master bath includes a soaker tub and whirlpool, double sinks and granite countertops. TOP RIGHT: A dresser from Stickley Furniture’s Metro Collection takes up almost a full wall in the master bedroom. INSET: The condo is located at Campbell Avenue and Jefferson Street in the heart of downtown. LEFT: Ellen’s Judith Leiber bag, a gift from Jim, is displayed on a bookshelf in the living room. BELOW: The master bedroom is located in the part of the condo that was previously a studio.
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Clare and Dan Callaghan are delighted to be downsized and downtown
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OPPOSITE PAGE: Clare Callaghan relaxes with a book in the loft she shares with her husband, Roanoke City Attorney Dan Callaghan. TOP: The Callaghan apartment is filled with family photos, mementos and special pieces, many of which are family-connected.
ROANOKE.COM 17
ABOVE: At the left of the loft is a staircase leading upstairs to the master bath and bedroom space. The star wall art is from Black Dog Salvage.
hen Dan and Clare Callaghan lived in Manchester, New Hampshire, they opened their home and their hearts to politicians and their relatives and staff members who were stumping the state where the first presidential primary is held every four years. Clare recalls hosting a tea at home for the wife of then-Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois, and an overnight stay by the brother of former Nebraska governor Bob Kerry in the Callaghan’s attic. This election cycle, there won’t be any primary candidates stopping over at the home of the Callaghans, who reside in Roanoke now. When you live in a one-room loft, there’s just no room for overnight guests. And not even Donald Trump could get Butch, the Callaghan’s lovable rescue dog, to give up either of his beds in the downtown apartment the couple rents. “Now, our guestrooms are the Hotel Roanoke and the Inn on Campbell,” says Clare, flashing a warm smile. Three years ago, Clare and Dan left New Hampshire, headed south and never looked back. Their only child, Chris, who lives with his wife in Boston, was out of the house, and the couple, both approaching 60, decided they’d had enough of New England’s brutal winters. A number of relatives (Dan and Clare each have five siblings) already had scattered to cities such as Wilmington and Asheville, North Carolina. That included Clare’s brother Chris Morrill, Roanoke city manager, who had relocated here with his family. When Dan got the job as city attorney for Roanoke, the Callaghans sold their home, distributed many possessions to family members and made a lifechanging decision.
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OPPOSITE PAGE: The bedroom, along with closet and a master bath, occupies the top level. With storage space at a premium, Clare says she utilizes the area under the bed to stash belongings. Besides storage space, a porch is what she misses most, she says.
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ABOVE rIGhT: The original flooring from when Leggett occupied the building remains in the updated kitchen. The Lofts on First and Kirk are owned by John Garland and Ken Ferris. TOP: Butch, the family dog, is reminded every time he eats of the couple’s allegience to the Boston red Sox. Clare and Dan are New England natives. ABOVE: A bench, which was painted by an artist for a benefit auction, is part of the seating at the wrought-iron table.
They were going to live downtown. The couple found the place they wanted at the Lofts on First and Kirk, one of developer John Garland’s downtown Roanoke renovations. Their 980-square-foot unit is located on First Street beside the old Frank L. Moose Jeweler store. The other 11 apartments in the complex are accessed from Kirk Avenue. There’s a distinctive 1920s look to the apartment’s exterior. Inside, it manages to retain a cool vibe while at the same time feels welcoming and well thought-out. Clare says it once housed a Leggett department store, and the original floors remain in the living and dining areas. “It’s so different from a cookie-cutter apartment,” she says. The major difference, of course, is the lack of space. The couple’s move from a large house to a downtown loft meant major downsizing. Each furnishing in their new home has a reason for being there or means something special to the couple. Above the the Callaghan’s bed is a wall hanging made by Clare’s sister-in-law, Betsy Morrill, a fabric artist in Burnsville, North Carolina. A bowl on the dining table is from Wanchese Pottery in Manteo, North Carolina, and was made by Bonnie Morrill, another sister-in-law. Other pieces were chosen for their usefulness. “Everything has to open so I can stash things,” Clare says. The wooden coffee table that sits in front of a gas fireplace in the front right of the apartment opens to reveal placemats, magazines and other items Clare wants to keep close at hand. The table, which is made of poplar, was fashioned from an old fence on a North Carolina
farm. The copper wire handles were part of the gate and the holes in it were courtesy of wood-boring bees, Clare says. It was made by Keith Poindexter and purchased at Birdie’s Loft, which closed recently, in downtown Roanoke. In addition to two sitting areas, one with television and gas fireplace, the downstairs includes a kitchen space and eating bar; dining area; a small bar; half-bath or powder room located under the staircase; a reading nook with leather armchair and ottoman; and two sleeping spots for Butch, whose crate is situated under the staircase, and his bed, off the kitchen. A table that, according to Clare, “sat on our screened porch for 30 years” in the dining area complements a brightly colored bench that seats diners. It was painted by artist Alyssa VanGuilder as part of a fundraiser years ago in New Hampshire. “It was auctioned off and as soon as I saw it, I loved it,” she says. Upstairs is the couple’s bedroom, bathroom, laundry area and a large closet. “Don’t look under the bed,” Clare says, quickly adding, “bedskirts are important.” The lack of storage space aside, Clare says it has not been hard adjusting to living a downscaled life. “We had a sitting area in the kitchen in our old house where everybody gathered,” she recalls. “So, it seemed familiar.” Clare has embraced what she calls the “walking lifestyle” with unrestrained enthusiasm. A non-driver, she loves to take the bus and
There’s a distinctive 1920s look to the apartment’s exterior. Inside, it manages to retain a cool vibe while at the same time feels welcoming and well thought-out.
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has gotten to know several of the regular riders, she says. She’s a familiar face at the YMCA, and can often be seen around town walking Butch, whose background is unknown but likely includes a lot of basset hound, according to Clare. Clare has embraced volunteer work as much as she has urban living. Active in classical theater, she also volunteers at the Science Museum of Western Virginia and is a tutor for Blue Ridge Literacy. She and Dan typically make a trip for major grocery shopping on the weekend. But most of what they need can be found down the street or around the block, including at a drug store across the street and at the Roanoke City Market. One of the things Clare says she likes best about living downtown is that she and Dan have a chance to help establish a Butch, the 11-year-old rescue dog, neighborhood identity. Safety is not an issue, has the run of the loft. One of the she says, nor is noise. things Clare says she likes about There’s another perk or two. living downtown is the “very dog“Dan comes home for lunch,” she quickly friendly” atmosphere. recalls. “That never would have happened before. Oh, and the dry cleaners stayed open for me one time because they knew my schedule.” “And festivals — there’s always something going on.”
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20 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
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TOP: An atrium connects the two sides of the Lofts at West Station in downtown Roanoke. ABOVE: Michael Frodyma is seen in a reflection of his liquor case, which he purchased at Roanoke’s Black Dog Salvage.
or Michael Frodyma, the best thing about living in the Lofts at West Station in downtown Roanoke is the location beside Beamer’s Restaurant. It’s also the worst. “I ask myself all the time, ‘Do I cook tonight or do I go down and get an awesome pizza and beer,’ “ says Frodyma, a 44-year-old Rhode Island native. “You know what usually happens ... and it happens more times than I’d like.” Food bill aside, the appeal of living downtown is simple, he says. “No car. Being able to walk and be somewhere in five minutes,” Frodyma says. “I can come home, park my car and that’s it.” That’s a far different lifestyle than when he lived in the Glade Creek area on Bent Mountain during his first stop in Southwest Virginia. He resided in the small scenic community for about five years before his job took him to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was there that the department manager for Novozymes, a Danish biotech company, got his first taste of downtown living. His home was right in the heart of Saskatoon. Frodyma was so captivated with urban life and being close to the action that when he was transferred back to Roanoke, he knew he couldn’t go back to the solitude and isolation of Bent Mountain. “It was gorgeous, a beautiful place, but it took 45 minutes just to get into the city,” Frodyma recalls. “I couldn’t get friends to come out. Nobody wants to have a couple of beers and drive back down [U.S.] 221.”
LEFT: Frodyma says he misses “the forest, greenery and green space” he gave up when he moved downtown. He traded them for this view looking east from his apartment. BELOW: Frodyma poses for a portrait in his two-bedroom, two-bath apartment at the Lofts at West Station in downtown Roanoke. BOTTOM RIGHT: A common area on the fourth floor of the Lofts is used often by Frodyma. He gets together with other residents for poker, partying or watching TV.
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So he moved into the two-bedroom loft on Salem Avenue three years ago. It’s a good fit, he says. A self-described “social person with lots of friends,” Frodyma says the building affords him plenty of opportunities to come into contact with other young to middle-age professionals. He gets together with them in the building’s fourth-floor common room/lounge, which has a big-screen television and bar. Frodyma said he probably uses the space more than other residents because it’s right across from his apartment. His guests often spill over into the room. “I use it all the time. If I have a big dinner party, we have dinner in there. We have poker Sundays when we watch football and play poker,” he says.
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Other amenities for use by all residents are a theater on the first floor, free-weight room on the second and a cardio room on the third floor. Frodyma has a washerdryer in his apartment. Frodyma’s home, which is about 910 square feet, has a kind of urban-industrial chic vibe. Because he is on the top floor right below the roof, white pipes run across the top of the ceiling. It’s a feature Frodyma says he loves. “They’re very unique. White drywall and beige carpet ... how boring is that?” Actually, painted drywall is predominant throughout Frodyma’s apartment, although the exposed brick outside wall, which allows a view of downtown, provides a visual change of pace. The floors are hardwood. His love for books is reflected in the spacious kitchen/living room, where one of four bookcases towers over a large farm table purchased at Renovation Hardware. The chain store is one of Frodyma’s favorite places, along with Roanoke’s Black Dog Salvage, to shop. In the guest room is an armoire made by Black Dog employees for use on their television show, Salvage Dawgs. It’s made of iron and recycled farmhouse planks. “They put it up for sale and I was lucky enough to hit it the day they put it out,” says Frodyma, who admits to being a chronic Black Dog scavenger. He has several pieces from the architectural salvage operation in the apartment. Since he first lived in Roanoke, Frodyma says, the city’s downtown has added a number of conveniences. “There’s an organic food market, farmers market, more bars and restaurants,” he says. “If I have a drink, I don’t have to worry about driving.” Frodyma parks his car behind the apartment building; another parking space is available to him in a parking garage several blocks away. A pleasant surprise has been the lack of noise, which he expected living close to the railroad tracks. “I thought I’d be driven nuts by the noise,” he says. “But that hasn’t happened at all. I don’t even notice it anymore.”
Frodyma’s home, which is about 910 square feet, has a kind of urban-industrial chic vibe. Because he is on the top floor right below the roof, white pipes run across the top of the ceiling. It’s a feature Frodyma says he loves.
TOP RIGHT: Frodyma’s living room is located in the back of his apartment, which he rents for about $1,000 a month on the top floor of Lofts at West Station. TOP: A narrow entry hall leads to the living/dining area. A bath, guest room and master bedroom with bath are located off the hall. ABOVE: The master bedroom in Frodyma’s apartment includes a bigscreen television and a bookcase.
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ome homeowners are at a double disadvantage when it comes to home design apps, because they’re not especially comfortable with interior design or with technology. So a group of designers were asked which apps they find most helpful, and how they use them. All are free and available on both iOS and Android, unless otherwise noted. • Dwell magazine’s app (content ranges from free to $7) is a favorite of David Mitchell of David Mitchell Interior Design in Washington. The app offers videos and slide shows, as well as product reviews and stories. It also provides links and detailed photos of products for purchase. • Brightnest: From the company behind Angie’s List, this app acts as a personalized reminder system for the maintenance tasks, such as changing
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smoke-detector batteries, that homeowners commonly forget. Available for iPhone and iPad. • SnapShop: Visualizing how new furniture will look in a space can be a challenge. SnapShop allows users to upload an image of a room and virtually overlay furniture from select retailers, such as CB2 or Pier 1 Imports. Available for iPhone and iPad. • Pinterest and Houzz: Both are recommended by designer Regan Billingsley, owner of Regan Billingsley Interiors in Maryland. The Houzz app focuses more on home design than Pinterest, according to Billingsley, and provides open forums for community engagement and discussions with design professionals. • roomScan (99 cents for iPhone): This is used by Wing Wong, AIA project manager for the Takoma Park, Marylandbased Dep Designs. It is an app that can
draw floor plans. • Chairish: If you’d like to buy or sell high-quality preowned decor, this is a onestop shop. Sellers can upload photos of furniture via the app, and then Chairish’s curators decide which items to sell. Listing items is free, and the seller keeps 80 percent of the sale. • Sherwin-williams’ ColorSnap and Benjamin Moore’s Color Capture: These apps provide instant paint color matches based on a photo taken by the user. • iHandy Level: Hanging a picture or building a custom piece of furniture? This app will seamlessly straighten anything out for you. • likethat Decor: When you see a piece of furniture you like, snap a picture of the item, and the app will instantly match you with similar pieces available to purchase.
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Next Day Delivery ••Next Day Delivery Lowest Price Guarantee ••Lowest Price Guarantee See store for delivery areas and times
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26 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
Within 30 days if you find the same item elsewhere Within daysrefund if you find the item for less30 we’ll 110% ofsame the difference, 125% elsewhere for less we’ll refund 110% of the on mattresses. We guarantee our own prices too! difference, 125% on mattresses. We guarantee our own prices too!
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10 design details that will make your life easier S
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n recent years, there has been a boom in both home renovations and new construction. It is an exciting time as homeowners, designers and builders are incorporating thoughtful design details into projects. Some are functional or aesthetic. Following are 10 renovation trends that will put your home on the cutting edge. • Kitchen cabinetry: Good quality cabinetry includes “soft close” (a.k.a “self close”) features on the drawers and dovetail joints. Inset cabinets (as opposed to overlay) require a higher level of craftsmanship and have more of a finished look. Of course, they cost more money. • Smart use of pocket doors: Where there are too many doors opening into an area or just a need for precious space, pocket doors make sense. They also allow for easier placement of furniture and avoid the inadvertent crash of doors.
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• Attic HVAC unit: Most attic A/C air handlers are located in an unconditioned area. When the unit is built in a “conditioned” room, the A/C unit cools itself — making it run far more efficiently and extending the life of the unit. Very cool. • Backsplash outlets no more: In the past, homeowners have gone to great lengths to mask these outlets. A more elegant solution is tucking the kitchen electrical outlets neatly under the hanging kitchen cabinets. • Floor vents and return grilles: Finished floor vents custom crafted from the same material as the floor are vastly better than a cheap metal insert. • Placement: Look for bathroom shower and tub faucets conveniently located where you can turn on the water without getting wet. Similarly, “toe kick” light switches make it easy to turn on lights with dirty or wet hands.
• Electric outlets: Incorporating combo electrical outlet/USB ports into key areas in the kitchen, by bed tables and in home offices, can make charging your devices far more convenient. • Doors and thresholds: Hollow doors make a home feel flimsy. Look for solid core doors with good quality hardware. Taller door thresholds on the main level create a more open feeling and let light travel between rooms. • Solar tubes: Solar tubes are cylinders connecting from the roof to a ceiling bringing natural light into a home at a fraction of a cost of skylights. They help save electricity costs and can brighten up an otherwise dark part of the home. • Wood burning fireplace with gas starter: A gas starter for a wood burning fireplace is the best of both worlds. With a gas starter, you can look like an Eagle Scout starting a fire effortlessly.
HALL ASSOCIATES CAREER CENTER The HALL ASSOCIATES CAREER CENTER offers free career advising and employment assistance to Virginia Western Community College students and alumni. Employers can recruit on-site, post openings to an exclusive job bank and find well-prepared internship candidates. Services at the Hall Associates Career Center include: One-on-one career counseling drawing on the latest labor market information A free online job bank open exclusively to students, alumni and local employers Assistance with resume and cover letter writing Interview preparation, including computer-based and individualized mock interviews
contact us at
The Hall Associates Career Center is located on the Virginia Western Community College campus in the second floor of the Student Life Center: 3096 Colonial Ave. S.W., Roanoke, VA 24015 Call: (540) 857-7298 Email: careercenter@virginiawestern.edu Online: www.virginiawestern.edu/career_center/
VIRGINIA WESTERN STUDENT LIFE CENTER
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HALL ASSOCIATES CAREER CENTER
Proudly sponsored by Hall Associates Inc., a Roanoke-based commercial and residential real estate and property management company
28 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
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Riveting rubbish: Artist Susan Harb rescues castoffs and turns them into art that will make you look twice STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS | THE RoANoKE TImES
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usan Harb is talking trash again. It’s one of her favorite subjects and her medium of choice. The 66-year-old Lexington artist takes rubbish and reinvents it into relevant, converts useless into wondrous, scrap into satire and castoffs into cash. Her junk art is meant neither to save the environment nor to make political statement, Harb says. Her intent is to make something out of nothing and to utilize what she finds. What she finds in the corroded, misshapen and purposeless is joy, redemption — and humor. “Deterioration is a state of beauty,” Harb says. And she’s not kidding. Harb zips around town one step ahead of the garbage truck looking for others’ discards to convert into unconventional works of art. The locals pay her no mind. They are used to her one-woman salvage operation and sometimes bring her odds and ends such as an old muffler or a copper toilet bowl floater. She also scours auto graveyards, junkyards, garbage dumps, trash piles, a Guatamalan flea market, an Argentine street sale. The world is her art supplier. “A good day begins with a Lexington artist country yard sale, a great day with Susan Harb takes a flea market, and an exceptionally a break from delivering great day with an auto graveyard,” some of her art work Harb says. “Then, I’ve died and to Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, where it gone to heaven.” will be for sale to the An insatiable collector, Harb says public. Harb creates she’s seduced by the thought of the unconventional pieces next find. out of junk at her For her 66th birthday, there was Wonderland Studio. no diamond bracelet, no fancy sports car wrapped in oversized ribbon waiting in the driveway. What she did get was a trip to Jimmy Souther’s junkyard, a gift from her husband of 19 years, Tommy Spencer. After 4 ½ hours, she came away satisfied with two Ford tailgates, a half-dozen old license plates, a car emblem and a couple of hidden gems. Harb hauled the refuse to Wonderland, her studio packed with someday-I-might-need-them
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stuff, including about 70 old globes and a collection of dolls in various states of disrepair. The studio is attached to a sleeping porch and located down the hill from the house she and Spencer share. A tiny woman at barely 100 pounds, Harb occasionally struggles to get her more sizable supplies, such as car hoods, home. “It’s not for the wimpy,” she says. “It’s heavy stuff.” Under a canopy of trees outside her studio, in the stillness of the hilltop compound that looks out over the mountains and (on a clear day) downtown Lexington, Harb saws, drills, cuts and fashions her finds into offbeat pieces of art that are ingenious, humorous and often irreverent. An old mailbox becomes a torso; a stump, an end table; and a pair of hubcaps, breasts. “I call it slow art; the process is quiet and peaceful,” Harb says. “My work is cold constructed. I use wire, nuts and bolts, self-tapping metal screws.” Sometimes, she flattens pieces of metal by driving over them with her truck or tractor. She uses a tabletop drill press, a table saw, a hand sander, a couple electric drills, bolt cutters and dozens of screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, wire, nails and screws. A self-taught artist with no formal training, Harb said she came by
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EXAMPLES OF SUSAN HARB’S ARTWORK 1: Old dolls in various states of disrepair, waiting to be repurposed, occupy space in Harb’s Wonderland studio. 2: Coffee pots, Miss Espressa Bean and Miss Café Latte, are among the artist’s creations. 3: From scrap to sophisticated: Above the fireplace in her home is a metal sculpture crafted by Harb. The base was a rusty metal freezer door that had been used for target practice, the sun was the bottom of a barrel. Both were found on Brushy Hill near her home. 4: A dinosaur with a bear’s head guards the entrance to the Lexington home of Susan Harb and Tommy Spencer. The 65-foot-long “bearasaurus” is a collaboration between the couple. It was Spencer’s first and only time chainsaw carving when strong winds upended the tree. It was named by three young neighbors who passed by on their way into town, Harb says. 5: “Jesus and the 10 Condiments,” a kitchen blessing, is one of Harb’s favorite pieces. 6: “Moon over Virginia,” a piece of assemblage art, is priced at $350.
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7: A mermaid sculpture greets visitors as they wind up the long driveway to Harb’s and Spencer’s home, which is located about 2 miles west of Main Street in Lexington.
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her craft in part because of her rural background, growing up in a small town in pre-Disney central Florida, where her father was a welder and mechanic. Harb’s grandfather owned a sawmill in Kentucky. “I’ve always been around and I feel comfortable with machines and at home in a welding shop,” she says, adding that she loves rust, drawn by its texture, in addition to wood and odd shapes. She comes from a family of practical people who lived by the motto, “We fix it, don’t ditch it,” Harb says. She ditched her career as a journalist at newspapers and other publications in a number of cities, including Richmond, Raleigh, North Carolina and Washington, D.C., before opening a business in Virginia Beach, where she pedaled folk art, jewelry and clothing she found in developing countries. She also freelanced as a travel writer. During a visit to Lexington in 1989, she spotted an empty storefront, rented it and began selling her wares. She closed the business in 2004. Five years ago, a local gallery contacted her about showing some of her work, and a full-time devotion to her craft took off from there. Late to the professional artist’s world, she’s made up for it; Harb said in those five years, she’s completed hundreds of pieces. She dedicates almost every day to her art. Prices for her work range from about $75 to $350. Chuck Almarez, co-owner of Fire and Light Gallery in Clifton Forge, confesses to being a fervent Harb fan. “Susan makes you think about the art she makes — and it’s fun to look at,” says Almarez, who met Harb when she was a student in his photography class. “To think she can pull stuff literally out of a junkyard and attach it together to make something is just amazing.” Her great sense of humor and irreverence (but not to the point of being offensive, he says) set her work apart, according to Almarez. Harb acknowledges that she may, in fact, offend some with her play on religious icons, which she says are universally recognized, over used and often in-yourface. “I get a frozen yogurt from a cashier at Sweet Frogs who has ‘Forever Relying On God — FROG’ on her T-shirt — a sermon with my treat,” she says. One of her pieces, a statue of Jesus festooned with paper money, rhinestone jewelry and coins at the feet, is part of a tongue-in-cheek series based on the sentiment that there’s more than one way to get to heaven. In this case, she implies, you can buy your way in. Harb says one of her favorites is a kitchen blessing: a Jesus chalkware figure in a wooden box surrounded by 10 spice tins. She calls it “Jesus and the 10 Condiments.” She says her art is not meant to offend, but to draw a second look, and, perhaps, a laugh. Her hope, she adds, is that those who view her work can appreciate it for itself, the irony or comic relief. So far, says Harb, she hasn’t gotten any objections. “I haven’t been stoned,” she says. “If there is a God, surely he or she has a sense of humor.” Harb’s artwork is on display at Nelson Gallery, 27 West Washington St., Lexington, on the annual Lexington Rockbridge Studio Tour in May and at Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke. She welcomes visitors to her studio, but email 10s.harb@gmail.com or call 817-3603 first.
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She says her art is not meant to offend, but to draw a second look, and, perhaps, a laugh. Her hope, she adds, is that those who view her work can appreciate it for itself, the irony or comic relief.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Susan Harb points out a piece of her work outside the home on Brushy Hill she shares with her husband, retired attorney Tommy Spencer, who co-founded Lime Kiln Theater in Lexington. TOP: A metal-bodied horse with wooden legs sits among the other junk animals in Harb’s yard. ABOVE: Harb’s papier mache horse head will be on display at the Nelson Gallery in Lexington through the end of the month. It’s part of the show, Cowboys, Karma and a Rodeo Queen, and is priced at $300.
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SAVE THE DATE
SEPT 24 & 25, 2016
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You’ll find everything you need to build, remodel or enhance your home or outdoor living space at the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s Fall Home Show
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This year’s RRHBA’s Fall Home Show, Sept. 26-27 at the Salem Civic Center, will be chock full of ideas and inspiraton for your home.
Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s 20th Fall Home Show What: a two-day show with a variety of vendors and exhibitors displaying the latest in home-related products and services. also includes the home show University with educational courses, a juried art gallery, playhouse giveaway and an opportunity to adopt a pet. When: saturday, sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and sunday, sept. 27 from noon until 5 p.m. Where: salem Civic Center Cost: $6 for adults, good for both days; admission for those under 18 is free. Parking is free. Information: www.rrhba.com
COURTESY OF RRHBA
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rab your to-do list, dust off your wish list and head out to the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s 20th annual Fall Home Show on Sept. 26-27 at the Salem Civic Center. That’s where more than 80 exhibitors and vendors will be waiting to help mark those items off your list and make your dream home a reality. You’ll find the local home industry’s most trusted and qualified professionals, happy to share their expertise. Besides vendors displaying the latest in home-related products and services, there will be plenty to keep the entire family entertained and engaged, from show-only discounts to an art show to educational sessions to a playhouse giveaway. “We’re moving from just a home show to more of an event,” says Bo Bohon, chairman of the Fall Show. Call it a show or an event, either way Al and Betsy McClearn of Roanoke County plan on being there; they rarely miss a show, fall or spring. “Al seldom misses a home show because he gets ideas to make our home even better,” says Betsy. Al, former principal at Glenvar High School, and Betsy, also an educator, select a home improvement project every year to mark their anniversary. After they both retired in 2000, they decided to look ahead and begin updating their home to make it more handicapped-accessible. When the McClearns attended the 2014 Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s Spring Show, they had custom railings on their minds. “We were thinking wood, but after going to the home show, it was metal,” Betsy recalls. “We returned with three names, and Al called each one.” It was Mark Williams of The Metalist who got the job and made an “instant connection” with the couple when they visited his showroom, Betsy says. It was a good match because both Williams and her husband, who is a woodworker, are meticulous, she adds. Williams installed railings in several locations around the home, including the front entrance, a side courtyard and along steps leading down to their deck. It was Williams’ attention to detail, flexibility and expertise that impressed the McClearns.
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“He is very talented and artistic,” Betsy says. “We ended up having quite a bit of metal work. Our imaginations became reality when Mark suggested a Juliet Window above the copper overhang at the front entrance. We liked it so much we added a second one to another part of the house. Often used in France, Italy and Spain, it gives the appearance of a balcony.” Al accepted Williams’ invitation and made multiple visits to his showroom and shop to monitor the project. “He really understood what we wanted, and the price was very fair for the amount of custom work and time,” Al says. Williams is already working on an inside project that is expected to be completed in November. The McClearns had good luck with another RRHBA member whom they met at a show. They added a bathroom with “everything you would need as you grow older,” says Betsy. “There’s not a day gone by that we have not enjoyed our bathroom.”
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New ideas Bohon, of Bohon Construction, who has been a RRHBA member for three decades, is serving as chairman of the Fall Show for the second year. The Association’s home shows are great places, he says, to incubate ideas. “I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older that the more ideas you see, the more it gives you a better sense of your possibilities,” Bohon says. “There are limitless possibilities. You just have to have enough imagination to think about it.” Bohon is astute enough to recognize that there are many possibilities to keep the Fall Show itself fresh and engaging. Last year, an art gallery with displays by local artists was a “great, great addition,” he says. And another benefit for the show visitors, as well as the vendors. “I had a customer I met last year at the Fall Home Show. She came not to see the exhibitors, but the art gallery,” Bohon recalls. “She bought two paintings. I was there and she met me as well.” What resulted was a job for Bohon. The chairman said the biggest obstacle to the art gallery this year was getting someone to move the displays. Grand Home Furnishings came through. A playhouse giveaway and a pet adoption have been added this year. Interest in the two playhouses that will be given away shouldn’t be limited to children or their parents. The playhouse also could be used as a storage building or potting shed, Bohon points out.
Get aNd Give Carolyn MacLeod, Director of Trade Shows and Office Operations, will observe her 40th anniversary with RRHBA in March. She’s responsible for securing the vendors and serving as their liaison for the show. What MacLeod says makes the home shows so inviting are the variety of exhibitors and the special features. “We’ve got interior designers; cutlery; custom metal work; builders and remodelers; guttering; roofing; flooring; mortgage
al and Betsy mcClearn were extremely pleased with the wrought iron railings by mark williams of the medalist, whom they found at the rrhBa home show.
lenders, insurance agents; kitchen designers; portable spas; bathroom remodeling; and ergonomic tools for women — something for everyone,” she says. In addition to providing a place where visitors can get valuable information, the show also provides an opportunity to give back. MacLeod says representatives for the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program and for the American Red Cross with Service to Armed Forces will be on hand giving out information and letting people know how they can help.
Playhouse Giveaway Bring the kids out to watch students of the Burton Center for Arts and Technology construct a playhouse. Then register to win one of the the 8-by-6-by-8-foot playhouses, each valued at $3,200, that will be given away during the show. Kids also will have the opportunity to create a “Build and Grow” wooden project compliments of Lowe’s.
adoPt a Pet Representatives of the Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection (RCACP) will be conducting a “Name Your Own Price” adoption of lovable pets ready to find their forever homes.
the home show art Gallery Work by a number of well-known and talented local artists will be on display waiting for you to take home the perfect piece. Approximately 25 regional and juried artists, including Ann Glover and Margaret Sue Turner Wright, daughter of NASCAR racing legend and Hall of Fame member Curtis Turner, will have their artwork featured at the rear of the show floor. A complete list of the artists is available on rrhba.com.
the home show uNiversity The Home Show University, located at the rear of the show floor, will be led by local industry professionals, who will address topics such as how to find a professional contractor, comparison of building methods, and how to make sure your house is airsealed and insulated. The sessions are free, general in nature and scheduled to each last about 35 minutes. See session descriptions on the next page and at rrhba.com. The Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association, which is observing its 60th anniversary this year, is a non-profit professional trade association. Its mission is “To Serve, Support & Represent The Building Industry.” The more than 300 members are builders, developers, remodelers, subcontractors, suppliers and home-related service providers who are certified, licensed, knowledgeable and skilled. It serves the counties of Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin and Roanoke, and the cities of Roanoke and Salem. For information on membership, call 540-389-7135 or visit www.rrhba.com
RRHBA to launch consumer-friendly website You realized the plumber you hired to fix your toilet was unqualified when days later you found water dripping onto the ceiling below. Or how about the guy who promised you’d have new flooring in place by Thanksgiving and then disappeared as quick as the pumpkin pie, never to be seen again. It’s a good bet that many homeowners have experienced similar scenarios. Building or renovating a home can be daunting, especially when it comes to finding reliable, credentialed people to do the work. The Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s (RRHBA) new website, which is scheduled to go live later this month, can help locate a professional who is licensed and insured, in addition to providing information about the group’s activities, including its annual home shows. “The new website is directed more to the consumer,” says Devan Logwood, Director of Membership and Marketing for RRHBA. “It’s a place where the public can go and browse and search through different categories such as
landscaping and contractors. All our members are listed on there.” Pete McKnight, two-time president of the RRHBA, compares the listings on the new website to Angie’s List — with one big difference: The information is free. McKnight, a local developer as McKnight & Company, Inc., says most members of the RRHBA are not builders, but associate members such as carpet suppliers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC contractors and painting contractors. They are but a few of more than 300 goods and service providers represented by RRHBA. Instead of catering to members, he saiys the new website will make it a marketing vehicle for the members and more user-friendly for the public. Logwood agrees. “I think the look has improved dramatically; it’s a lot cleaner with a lot more photos. It’s easier to use, especially the search features that the public can use to find the professional they need,” she says. The website also will offer tips for consum-
Photo courtesy rrhBA
The Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association’s new website will include a listing of licensed professionals and information on the group’s fall and spring home shows.
ers on keeping your home up to date; a calendar of events; information on RRHBA and how to become a member; and a guide to the annual spring and fall home shows, including a list of vendors scheduled to attend, photos and highlights from previous shows and information on how to become an exhibitor. rrhba.com - Elizabeth Hock
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ho doesn’t love the first sparks of spring color? Bright crocuses, trumpeting daffodils and tight-lipped tulips poking through the gray of winter? The hard part is remembering to plant them — a full six months ahead of when they bloom, at the end of September, with summer’s light waning yet before the ground has frozen. in short, now. But planning ahead may be the toughest part of successfully growing spring bulbs. For the most part, bulbs are easy to tend, apt to return year after year and nearly maintenancefree. Depending on the bulb, the blooms may even multiply, making for a stronger stand as the seasons go by. “Buy bulbs that will naturalize,” suggests Becky Balzer, a
horticulturist at Townside Gardens in Roanoke. “They make a bigger bed every year and you can pretty much leave them alone.” So, what are you waiting for? Start by finding a sunny spot with well-drained soil. You’ll want to dig up the area where you’ll be planting and work in compost or peat moss. next, choose your bulbs.
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Daffodils are great, Balzer says, because the moles, voles and deer that might eat or move your sweeter-tasting tulips will leave your daffodils alone. But don’t limit yourself to the spring-bulb standbys. There are dozens of kinds of bulbs that produce flowers of every hue. Think white snow drops, pastel hyacinths, star-like scilla, buttery eranthis, fuscia alliums and tall, powder-blue camassia. “I really encourage people to look to the smaller bulbs,” says Barbara Leach, horticulture technician at Roanoke’s Virginia Cooperative Extension office. “There are some little teeny bulbs out there, the size of your fingernail. It’s much less likely for squirrels to find them and dig them up.” When buying bulbs, be sure the bulb is firm, with no soft spots. If you do get a bulb with mold or fungus, better to throw it out rather than risk contaminating your whole planting area. Once your bulbs are home, the quicker you put them in the ground, the better. “They will be building a root system that starts feeding the bulb,” says Leach. “That gives them a little bit of a leg up. Bulbs that go in really late ... when they do bloom, you’ve just used all of their energy. They may not bloom the following year.” Townside’s Balzer says you needn’t worry about fertilizing the first Andersen® 400 ® Series windows and patio doors are time-tested to stand up year. The key is choosAndersen 400 Series windows and patio Andersen 400 Series windows and patio doors are time-tested to standdoors up to Mother Nature and so they take the worry out of selecting windows and doors. When you’re loo ing top-quality bulbs. so they take ®the worry out of selecting windows and doors. When you’re looking for windows and d are time-tested towindows stand up toendure Mother Nature Andersen 400 Series and patio doors arechoose time-tested Andersen® 400 Series windows patio doors are tobrand stand up to Mother tochoose Father Time, * to stand to the brand builders trust most —and Andersen. Why anything else?up Forand the greatest vi-time-tested to the builders trust most —Nature Andersen. Why anything else? so they take the worry out of selecting windows and doors. When you’re loo and to endure Father Time,* so they take the sual impact, plant in so they take the worry out of selecting windows and doors. When you’re looking for windows and doors that perform, look ® Andersen 400 Series windows and patio doors are time-tested to stand up to Mother Nature and to endure Father T to the brand builders trust most — Andersen. Why choose anything else? clusters, not a straight to the brand builders trust most — Andersen. Why choose anything worry else? out of selecting windows and doors. line. Get creative by so they take the worry out of selecting windows and doors. When you’re looking for windows and doors that perform you’re looking for windows and doors mixing different bulbs in—up Andersen® 400 Series windows and patio doors arebuilders time-tested tomost stand to When MotherWhy Nature andanything to endure Father Time,* to the brand trust Andersen. choose else? *Visit anderse “ENERGY STAR” is a registered trademark of the U.S Andersen 400 Series windows Andersen and patio 400 doors Series are windows time-tested and to patio stand doors up to are Mother time-tested Nature to and stand to up endure to Mother Father Nature Time, *and to endure Fat the same bed. You can that perform, look toandperform, the brand builders trust “Andersen” all other marks where are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. ©2014 Ander so they take the worry out of selecting windows and doors. 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Why else? digging larger bulbs lower and placing smaller ones above DEALER COPY HERE. *Visit andersenwindows.com/warranty for details. in the same hole. “ENERGY STAR” is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “ENERGY STAR” is “Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are trademarks of And “Andersen” all other marks where “An old-fashioned way to plant bulbs — and and I think is denoted are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. ©2014 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. DEALER COPY HERE *Visit andersenwindows.com/warranty for Dealer address 30 characters most natural way,” says Leach, “is to take a small handful of “ENERGY STAR” is a registered of the U.S. Environmental Protection *Visit trademark andersenwindows.com/warranty for*Visit details. andersenwindows.com/warr Address 2Corporation. also 30 Environmental characters “ENERGY STAR”of is aAndersen registered trademark “ENERGY of the U.S. STAR” Environmental is a registered Protection trademark Agency. of the U.S. all other marks where denoted are trademarks Corporation. ©2014 Andersen All rightsPror bulbs and throw them up in the air. Wherever they land,“Andersen” dig and “Andersen” and all other marks where denoted “Andersen” are trademarks and all other of Andersen marks where Corporation. denoted are ©2014 trademarks Andersen of Andersen Corporation. Corporation. All rights reserved. ©2014 Andersen Corporation. All Town Name here, State, 0000 DEALER COPY HERE DEALER COPY HERE. *Visit andersenwindows.com/warranty for details. them in there. That way, they’ll be in random drifts rather than (111) 111-1111 “ENERGY STAR” is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Dealer a sentinel lines.” “Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. ©2014 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. DEALER COPY HERE. DEALER COPY HERE. Address DEALER COPY HERE.Dealer address 30 characters Once you’ve decided where your bulbs are going, you’ll Dealer add Town Na Dealer Address 2 also 30 characters Address 2a Dealer address 30 characters want to dig them three times as deep as their longest meaDealer address 30 characters Dealer address 30 charactersTown (1 Town Name here, State, 00000 Name Address Address 2 also 30Address characters 2 also 30 characters Address 2 also 30 characters surement (width or height). DEALER COPY HERE. (111) 111-1111 (11 Town Na DealerWebsite.com Town Name here, State, 00000 Town Name here, State, 00000 Town Name here, State, 00000 Dealer address 30 characters “Very rarely can you get them too deep,” Leach says. (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 ( (111) 111-1111 Address 2 also 30 characters “Most people tend to plant them way too shallow.” Dealer address 30 characte TownDealer Name here, State, 00000 Address 2 also characte Finally, don’t forget to water them. Just because theyDealer are address Dealer address 301characters address Dealer 30 address characters 30 characters Dealer 30 address 30 cha 30 characters AWC130169_Mag_Ad_Performance_Consumer (111) 111-1111 Address 2 also 30 characters Address 2 also Address 30 characters 2 also 30Name characters Address 2State, also 30 char Town here, 000 underground, doesn’t mean they’re not growing. Address 2 also30 30characters characters address 30 characte Dealer address Dealer 30 Dealer characters Town Name here, State, 00000 Town address NameTown here,Name State, here, 00000 State, 00000 Town Name here, State (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 Town Name here, State, 00000 Address 2 also 30 characte Then, all that’s left is the waiting. DealerWebsite.com Address 2 also 30 DealerWebsite.com characters Address 2 also 30 characters DealerWebsite.com 3564 Electric Road | Roanoke, VA Name 24018 (111) 111-1111 Town here, State, 00 And right about the time when you need that early spring Town Name here, State, Name here, State, Dealer00000 address 30 Town characters Dealer00000 address 30 characte (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 lift, Leach says, the bulbs will bloom and remind you: “Yes, DealerWebsite.com Address 21-540-400-8790 also 30 characters Address 2 also 30 characte DealerWebsite.com AWC130169_Mag_Ad_Performance_Consumer AWC130169_Mag_Ad_Performance_Consumer 1 1 2/6/14 6:13 PM there’s hope, summer is on the way!” Town Name here, State, 00000 Town Name here, State, 000 www.neathawkwindowgallery.com Dealer address 30 characters Dealer address 30 characters AWC130169_Mag_Ad_Performance_Consumer 1 (111) 111-1111 (111) 111-1111 Christina Nifong writes about food DealerWebsite.com and gardening at Address 2 also 30 characters Address 2 also 30 characters Monday - Friday From 8am-5pm www.curlalittlefinger.com. Town Name here, State, 00000 Town Name here, State, 00000
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Daffodils are great, Balzer says, because the moles, voles and deer that might eat or move your sweetertasting tulips will leave your daffodils alone.
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ENTERTAINING
SWVA LiVing
A man for all
seasonings James Farmer builds his brand on Southern style
food
about James Farmer Credentials: Lifestyle expert, president of James Farmer Designs, editor at large for Southern Living, author of seven books, has appeared on hGTV, NBC’s Today show Favorite meal: Breakfast for supper — fried eggs, grits, bacon, biscuits, pancakes, peaches or blueberries in season
40 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
Favorite appetizer: Southern staples “when married or buried”: chicken salad with pears or apples, pimento cheese with pecans Favorite flower to use in an arrangement? “Depends on the time of year; right now, hydrangeas, zinnias and black-eyed Susans.
B
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ThE roANokE TIMES
he multi-talented James Farmer has his hands full as a professional decorator, designer, chef, gardener, author of seven books, editor at large for a major lifestyle magazine, a contributor to the Today show, and all-around entertaining guru. He’s also Southern, and that’s his calling card — engraved, of course, and in the best of taste. Where else would a well-known expert on entertaining use “a little bit of taxidermy — stuffed pheasant, stuffed quail” — as a table centerpiece and call it “taxidermy chic?” The 33-year-old lifestyle expert has embraced the South for its “magic and authenticity” like kudzu hugs a tree. He’s built his brand on the gracious entertaining, heirloom china, freshly cultivated food and porch sitting of the old South, where mamas and manners still matter. Farmer taps into traditions and his heritage, but that’s not to say his ideas are stale. He also acknowledges contemporary tastes, filtering them through his own experiences, whether arranging flowers from his garden, decorating for the holidays, cooking with fresh ingredients or sharing stories with his readers. His latest book, “A Time to Celebrate,” which will be released this month, is based on the premise that life has many occasions to celebrate — weddings, high holidays, Christmas — but there are others worth commemorating, such as a quiet Sunday night at home. Farmer said entertaining is different below the Mason-Dixon Line. “We’re much more flamboyant in the sense that it’s not fancy or pretentious, but much more celebratory. We love the idea of having a party, whether it’s a major event or inviting friends to the house,” he says. “We’ll be eating barbecue with one hand and drinking out of a silver julep cup with the other.” The Roanoke Valley Garden Club will bring Farmer, along with his Southern charm and style, to Roanoke on Oct. 6 as part of its biannual speaker series. During his presentation at the Taubman Museum of Art, he’ll preview his new book, which includes a foreward by Jenna Bush Hager. “Her grandmother entertained at the White House and mine entertained in a white house,” Farmer quips. It was in that white house that Farmer learned to fry chicken from Mary, the family cook. From his late grandmother Mimi, a school teacher, he soaked up life lessons that still resonate. “My mother and grandmother taught me about eating with your eyes first — at a pretty table — and about feeding people’s body and soul.
ABOVE: Farmer uses peaches or other fresh fruit not only in his dishes, but as centerpieces for the table. BELOW RIGHT: “A Time to Celebrate,”James Farmer’s new cookbook, is being released this month. It will be available for purchase during his presentation on Oct. 6 at the Taubman Museum of Art.
Even if it’s a tomato sandwich with mayonnaise on white bread, it’s an honor to feed people,” he says. Farmer, a native of Perry, Georgia, still lives in the town of about 15,000 outside of Macon. Go ahead and call him a Southern gentleman; it’s a label he wears proudly. “A true Southern gentleman knows how to treat PhotoS courteSy of jameS farmer a Southern lady, how to respect his elders, and more than likely, how to make or appreciate a good biscuit,” he says. This Southern gentleman knows it’s tasteful, albeit trendy, to mix things up at the table. “It’s all about the mix. It’s fine to use heirloom silFundraiser for Roanoke Valley Garden ver with everyday china or to eat fried catfish on your Club. Proceeds will go to the club’s great-aunt’s china. community projects. Underwritten And you don’t have to worry about having a full by Provisions/RSVP and Berglund set of china; go ahead and intermingle your place setAutomotive. Books available for $35. tings when serving fresh vegetables from your garden or fruit from your neighbor’s, another trend in enterWhen: Oct. 6 at 10 a.m. taining, Farmer says. Where: Taubman Museum of Art Farm to table, farm to fork, sustainable eating: Call it what you want, but here in the South, it’s called food, Cost: $50 per person, premium Farmer says. Roadside vegetable stands, farmers marpackage, which includes book, seat on kets, backyard gardens — if we’re not growing it ourselves, we’re buying first two rows for $100. Make checks payable to RVGC it and often from those we know. and send to Paula Irons, 2731 Carolina Ave., Roanoke “I grew up with a little girl in class whose family grew peaches; another VA 24014. To buy tickets online, visit daddy grew pecans. You knew where it was coming from,” Farmer says. www.jamesfarmerinroanoke.com. “It’s not a new notion, but it’s respected now.” Farmer says he also loves combining seasonal foods to use as decoration.
James Farmer in Roanoke
ROANOKE.COM 41
ENTERTAINING
SWVA LiVing
“I love having ... something you’re eating — apples, citrus, nuts — all mixed together.” Farmer mixed it up on the set with with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford when he appeared on the Today show last year shortly before Thanksgiving. He pitched the two hostesses on how to set a Southernstyle Thanksgiving table, mixing different china patterns and using monogrammed linens (monogramming is an obsession in the South, according to Farmer) along with a “beautiful cake and fruits of the season.” How’d they like it? “They ate it up,” he says. Organizers from the Roanoke Garden Club said they think local audiences will appreciate the entertaining Farmer. Paula Irons, who is chairing the event with Nancy Peake, attended a presentation by Farmer at a Garden Club of Virginia symposium in Williamsburg. “He was delightful — charming, witty and just a wonderful presenter,” she says. Ladies of the clubs are among his favorite audiences. Garden clubs, in particular, have helped launch his career, both in the South and elsewhere, Farmer says. Outside the South, his audiences seem especially drawn to the region’s entertaining style. “They have an attraction and fascination. They want to know what we do, why do we host and entertain the way we entertain,” Farmer says. “I think no matter where it is, people are fascinated by Southern culture. “We have a way of keeping our bloodlines alive through food. If you ask for recipe, you’re not going to get just a cup of sugar, but also a story. We’re preserving our history and heritage, one recipe at a time.”
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Farmer is adamant that mixing different pieces of china and other place settings makes a more interesting table.
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42 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
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Potage of Autumn Vegetables with Pralines and Dried Summer Fruits from “A Time to Celebrate” by James Farmer recipe 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 Tbsp. olive oil 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts chopped (about 4 cups) 1 cup chopped celery 1 shallot, chopped Salt and pepper Nature’s Seasons, seasoning blend ¼ cup dry white wine 4 cloves garlic minced (about 4 tsp.) 1 large russet potato or a handful of baby Dutch yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 cups) 1 small turnip, chopped (about 1 heaping cup) 4 medium carrots, chopped (about 3 cups) 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 dried bay leaf 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock ¼ cup buttermilk or heavy cream (optional)
• Melt butter in olive oil in large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Add leeks, celery and shallots and season with salt and pepper and a dash of Nature’s Seasons. Cover and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown. Stir often.
• Once the vegetables are wilted, stir in the wine and garlic, and cook uncovered for 1 to 2 minutes or until most liquid has evaporated and cooked out. You want a little bit of liquid still left in the pan.
• Add potatoes, turnips, carrots,
Garnish liberally: dried blueberries, dried, cranberries, raisins or pralines; toasted pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds Fresh herbs for garnish Sour cream or heavy cream for garnish
thyme, bay leaf and 2 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the soup and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and
simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
• Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor or with immersion blender until smooth. I like to add a splash of buttermilk or heavy cream — about ¼ cup. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle the potage into soup bowls and top with dried blueberries, dried cranberries, raisins and pralines. A sprinkling of fresh herbs or toasted pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower kernels is wonderful. A dollop of sour cream or a light lacing of cream at the table is sumptuous, too.
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FOOD
SWVA LiVing
Fall FLAVoRITE
Annual making of apple butter bonds family and friends, but it’s a tradition that many fear may be disappearing B
y
C
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44 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
T
i f o n g
o spread a dollop of dark, spicy apple butter is to be transported to a simpler time. A time when farm families pulled together to preserve the harvest, when apple orchards in these parts dotted every rise in the road, when elders passed down their knowhow to ensure their heritage would never be lost. Smokey and sticky and smelling of cinnamon, apple butter captures the very essence of fall and conjures a favorite flavor of Appalachia. But all that goodness comes with a price. Making apple butter the old-fashioned way demands dozens of hands over days of work using methods that are generations old. Yet here in Southwest Virginia, apple-buttermaking traditions run deep. Even today there are churches in Daleville, Shawsville, Salem and Bedford; families and farms in Roanoke and Franklin counties; fire departments and community groups and festivals where folks commit a full weekend to re-create a taste that reminds them of their grandmothers. They do it for their love of apple butter, of course. But also as an excuse to pull away from their busy lives and gather around a kettle. “We do it because it’s ingrained in our souls now,” says Sarah Muse, whose Roanoke County family and friends have been meeting every fall since the 1970s to make apple butter. “It’s one of those slow-down moments where we can be together and commune.” But with every biscuit slathered with the sweet spread, comes a question: Will this tradition survive? “It’s sad to say, but I think it is slowly dwindling
away,” says Clifford Mullins, who heads up applebutter making at Cedar Bluff Church of the Brethren in Boones Mill. “We had a pile of people making it before and each year, we get less and less.”
Stirring and Sharing Understanding why apple butter took hold here is not hard. In Southwest Virginia, apples were as plentiful as hay bales. During Colonial times, they were exported to great acclaim in England and consumed as hard cider. There were so many apples, there were never enough ways to fix them. They were stirred into sauce and baked into fritters. They were stored in the cellar and dried in the sun. And they were cooked in a copper kettle over an open fire for hour upon hour, until they were a new substance entirely. It was German immigrants who brought the practice of boiling apples with sugar and spices to preserve their goodness. More recently, area churches made apple butter because someone in the congregation owned or worked at an orchard that donated truckloads of fruit. Church members gave their time to make it and the sales of the quarts and pints raised funds for mission projects or building repairs. There are different recipes for sure. Some stir it thicker and sweeter. Some boil it low and slow. But despite those, the way apple butter’s been made for centuries is strikingly similar to how it’s made today. It starts with bushels of local apples. A 50-gallon copper kettle calls for 16-18 bushels. It takes a small
LEFT: Ann Hubbard DeMaury sells 16,000 quarts of her specialty apple butter a year in local shops, including Ikenberry’s country Store in Daleville and in stores from Florida to Northern Virginia.
BOTTOM: The Muses grind their apples in a cider press before boiling them for 12-15 hours to make apple butter.
Interested in making apple butter, but can’t put your hands on a copper kettle or set aside a whole weekend for the project? Home cook Jodie Shawback has simmered and stirred apple butter in her kitchen crockpot for the past four years. The first weekend of October, she picks up 50-75 pounds of culled apples (sold cheaply because of cosmetic damage) from Ikenberry Orchards in Daleville. She peels and chops by hand, filling two to three crockpots as she goes. By evening she’s ready to can. “I’ve never had a bad batch,” she says. “It’s always nice, always thick, always flavorful.” Read more about apple butter making on Shawback’s blog, http://betterlivingbychoice.com/
All-Day Apple Butter recipe from Allrecipes.com INGREDIENTS: 5 ½ lbs. apples — peeled, cored and finely chopped 4 cups white sugar 2 tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground cloves ¼ tsp. salt Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well. Cover and cook on high 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate, freeze or can.
ROANOKE.COM 45
army to peel and quarter and core that much fruit. Before inventing an electric peeler and corer from repurposed motors and sewing machine pedals, the folks at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Daleville gathered every night for a week to prep their apples. “We had this old hand-crank model,” explains Terry Tolley, who has been making apple butter at St. Mark’s for 45 years. “You’d turn it three times to peel the apple, but then it still wasn’t cored. We had these old — I call ‘em knuckle busters — to get the core out.... It used to take us forever.” Then a team works to stir the boiling pot for 12 to 15 hours. The Muse family of Roanoke County wakes in the wee hours before dawn to light the fire and begin the boiling. They stir with a stick that was custom-made in Kentucky decades ago. It’s a vertical paddle, attached to a long pole, with a “T” on the end, so two people can stir together, telling stories and catching up. “It’s quite a lovely dance, stirring a pot,” Muse says. The Cedar Bluff folks start later and cook all night. Mullins begins with a fire and about half a kettle of mashed apples. As the apples cook down, he pours in more till all the apples are boiled and brown. Then it’s time to add sugar and cinnamon. Mullins makes apple butter at the Boones Mill Apple Festival every September and for Camp Bethel’s Heritage Day Festival in October. “I do it by look,” he says. “I don’t have a timer. No recipe. We just put apples in and cook. I spice it with cinnamon to taste and sugar to taste.” Several groups, including Mullins’ and Tolley’s,
REcIpE
Photo courtesy of chris Muse
Photo credit: christina nifong
BELOW: In Southwest Virginia, the tradition of making apple butter the old-fashioned way — in a copper kettle over an open flame — is still practiced by many churches, families and community groups.
Photo courtesy of chris Muse
FOOD
SWVA LiVing
apple butter starts with apples from local orchards. Many of those who make it use “seconds” or “culled” apples.
have fashioned automatic stirrers, so that no one has to stand over the kettle hour after hour. But a body still has to stay awake to watch the fire. Then comes the canning. For the Muses, it’s an assembly line with no fewer than 12, children and elders, side by side. Glass jars are filled, cleaned, topped and stored. “It’s a nonstop production,” Muse says. “Once it’s started, you cannot take a break.” In the end, there are cases of apple butter, to be eaten or given as gifts or sold to raise funds for charities. Even more valuable, say the apple-butter makers, are the hours of sharing that have gone into those jars, the kind that keep a family or a congregation together.
New old-fashioNed way For Ann Hubbard DeMaury, Virginia’s rich tradition of apple-butter making has become something else entirely — her livelihood. DeMaury grew up on a cattle farm in Botetourt County with German Baptist Brethren parents who produced apple butter as part of the farm’s income. With her mother’s recipe and her father’s timesaving inventions, DeMaury launched Ann’s Apple Butter in 1997. Since then, her gold-labeled jars have
been sold at stops such as Eli’s Provisions in downtown Roanoke, Ikenberry Country Store in Daleville and at the General Store at Smith Mountain Lake. But they’ve also found a home in specialty stores from Florida to Northern Virginia. Today, she cans 16,000 quarts of apple butter a year. She has modernized and she has not. She still cooks apples from Bryant Orchards in Daleville, from September to January, in a copper kettle. But she’s replaced the fire with a propane flame in her basement. These days she uses a commercial pulp extractor that saves her from peeling and coring. “I’ll be making apple butter ‘til I’m 75 years old,” says DeMaury, 61. “I feel grateful that I can make something that gives so many people such satisfaction.” But even she can see a time when apple butter won’t be as plentiful as it is now. She says she hopes her daughter might take over her business. But there are no guarantees. So be sure to find yourself some golden goodness this fall. Eat it on toast, cook it atop a chicken breast or turn it into barbecue sauce. Find it at a festival. Fall in love with its spicy tang. Because, as Tolley says, “Once it’s lost and people don’t know how to make it any more, it’ll be gone.”
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FOOD
SWVA LiVing
BeNefItS
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OPPOSitE PAGE: Kristi Gerhart is the owner of Oliveto — Cafe and Artisan Oils & Vinegars. BElOW: A tomato and Mozzarella Salad prepared with Balsamic Black Cherry Vinegar is tossed and served during a cooking class taught by Becky Ellis.
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BOttOM: An array of bottled products, including olive oils and balsamic vinegars, line the shelves at Oliveto — Cafe and Artisan Oils & Vinegars at West Village.
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andering through the rows of olive oils and vinegars at Oliveto — Cafe and Artisan Oils & Vinegars in Southwest Roanoke County would inspire even those who don’t know their way around a kitchen to get out a mixing bowl. Betty Bright of Roanoke says she doesn’t cook much anymore, but browsing through the store “is bringing me to the brink of wanting to cook again. It’s amazing.” She is especially partial to the dry rubs the store offers. She likes to mix them with olive oil and dip bread in them, she says. They smell so good, “you could put some behind your ears to attract men. “I’m in love with cranberry pear vinegar,” she adds, “and then there is all of that nice chocolate.” Bright says she visits the café at least once a week, sometimes more. “It’s a very quiet, private restaurant,” she says, and is a good choice for gluten-free and soy-free meals. “The salads are fresh and crispy, the sandwiches are good, and the prices are really fine, too.” Bright likes to entertain, and someday plans to use bottles of oil and vinegar as place cards. “The little bottles would be wonderful,” she says.
A nAturAl fit Owner Kristi Gerhart grew up in Roanoke County. Her father was an independent contractor, working in construction and property development.
“I grew up around people who worked for themselves,” she says, so it was only natural that she would want her own business. “I wanted something the family could do together,” says Gerhart. In 2010, with her husband, Greg, who was working as a real estate agent, Gerhart opened Pino Gelato, an Italian ice cream store, in Southwest Roanoke County. Next door was a shop specializing in olive oils and balsamic vinegars. When the family was looking for a focus for their business, Gerhart says, “oils and vinegars were our passion.” But one artisan oil and vinegar store is plenty for Roanoke, Gerhart says. Larger cities such as Richmond and Charlotte have only one or two, so they settled for the gelato, which “didn’t really take off here.” In October 2013, the olive oil store came up for sale, and the Gerharts snapped it up. They knocked down the wall between the gelato store and opened Oliveto — Cafe and Artisan Oils & Vinegars. “Oliveto” is the Italian word for olive grove, but there is no balsam in balsamic vinegars. The name refers instead to the distillation process. Olive oils and balsamic vinegars have been used for “eons” for both cooking and medicinal purposes, according to Michele Senac, a registered nurse and the author of a self-published book “As Old As Time — A Culinary Odyssey Using Flavored Oils and Balsamic Vinegars.” Images of harvesting olives appear on Egyptian pottery dating back to 500 B.C., she says, and the use of balsamic vinegars — which were so valuable they were often used as dowries — dates back to 1046 A.D.
“You don’t know what you’re getting,” Senac agrees. “You can’t taste it in the grocery store.” Artisanal oils and vinegars are more expensive than store brands, but Gerhart says the ones she sells make up for the cost in quality and taste. Some varieties are so flavorful, she says, “you only need a little bit.” Although it’s difficult to compare prices between artisanal oils and vinegars and grocery store brands, Senac estimates the cost to be around a third higher for basic, unflavored oil.
Favorites As for the vinegars, they are made from juice pressed from Trebbiano grapes that is aged in wooden barrels for a minium of 12 years. One of Oliveto’s most popular vinegars is an 18-year Traditional. “You can really taste the difference” because of the extra aging, Gerhart says. Vinegars can cost anywhere from $3 to $3,000 a bottle, Senac says, depending on how they’re made. Most, however, are sold “at a reasonable price that most people can afford.” There are probably as many types of flavored oils and vinegars as the producers’ imaginations can come up with, and they range from mild to robust. The Gerharts choose each flavor they sell by tasting it personally. Kristi Gerhart’s favorite is the Wild Mushroom Sage-flavored oil, while Greg will put the raspberry balsamic vinegar “on anything” says his wife.
recipe
Rotisserie Tuscan Chicken ingredients: 1-3 lbs. whole chicken ¼ cup Tuscan Herb Olive Oil 1 ½ Tbsp. sea salt 1 Tbsp. paprika ¼ Tbsp. ground black pepper
• Season the inside of the chicken
with a pinch of salt. Place the chicken onto a rotisserie and set grill on high. Cook for 10 minutes. Quickly mix together Tuscan Herb, 1 tbsp. salt, paprika and pepper. Turn grill down to medium and baste chicken with oil mixture. Close the lid and cook for 1-1 ½ hours, basting occasionally, until internal temp reaches 180 °F.
• Remove from rotisserie and let
stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.
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“They’re as old as time,” Senac says. So what makes these oils and vinegars so special? “Good, fresh production,” says Gerhart. “Olive oil is like juice. It’s best when it’s fresh.” While vinegar never goes bad, according to Gerhart, olive oil should be used within 12 to 18 months of the time it is processed. All of Oliveto’s oils and vinegars come from California-based Veronica Foods, which supplies 90 to 95 percent of all artisan oils and vinegars in the United States. Each fusti of oil — the official name for the bright metal tanks in which the oil is stored — is labeled by crush date and country of origin. The crush date is exactly what it sounds like — it’s the date the oil was squeezed out of the olives, most of which come from Spain, Italy, Portugal, California and Argentina. Knowing where the oil comes from is the most important factor, Gerhart says. Although olive oil producers world-wide have long been pushing for quality standards, there currently are none, so what consumers are actually buying can vary wildly. Gerhart says she expects that to change in the near future. Although most olive oils are sold as “extra virgin” — meaning they have been pressed once and no heat or chemicals were used to extract the oil, Gerhart says manufacturers only have to add a tiny amount to label an entire bottle “extra virgin.” The rest can be made up of corn oil or poor-quality, highly-processed olive oil, thereby reducing flavor and eliminating health benefits.
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Dipping Oil inGRedientS: ½ cup ultra-premium extra-virgin olive oil 2-3 Tbsp. parmesan or romano grated cheese 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced A drizzle of traditonal balsamic vinegar Pinch of red pepper flakes Salt and pepper
• Place the olive oil in a shallow bowl. Swirl
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar in the center of the bowl. Add olive oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese. Serve with crusty bread, such as Italian or French bread, cut into slices or cubes.
The most popular oil flavors include lemon, garlic, butter, chipotle and Tuscan herb. The balsamic vinegars come in two varieties: white and dark. The most popular white vinegars include peach, coconut, cranberry pear, Jalapeno and honey ginger. Among the darks are dark chocolate, cinnamon pear and dark espresso. For purists, Oliveto also offers unflavored oils and vinegars, as well as a few high-quality extra-extra virgin oils, which are fruitier and have lower acidity.
What to do With them
50 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
So what can you do with them? Of course, you can make salad dressings and dip bread in them. They can also be used as marinades, drizzled over foods
as a substitute for butter or for sauteing. They can be used as dipping sauces or added to sparkling water. Some of the vinegars are so sweet and flavorful they can be used as a sugar substitute and drizzled over fruit, ice cream, berries or pastries. The butter and blood-orange flavored oils are great for baking, Gerhart says. First-timers and non-cooks often find all of these choices overwhelming, Gerhart says, so “we play 20 questions” to find out what the customer likes and how they plan to use the oils and vinegars.
“It’s very important that people get some professional advice,” Senac agrees. Gerhart also offers a list of available varieties, along with recipes and suggestions for pairing different oils and vinegars together. Senac’s book, which is for sale at Oliveto, contains 65 recipes and even more ideas for combinations. Some customers also use oils and vinegars medicinally, often drinking them straight for a laundry list of health issues. Olive oil and vinegar were once used to treat the plague as well as minor illnesses and injuries, Senac says, because of their
aBoVe: Becky ellis, who retired as senior director of dining at Carilion and started a blog, beckysbubblesblog.wordpress.com, teaches a cooking class at oliveto. She prepares a meal using the oils and vinegars sold at the specialty store. For the main course, she sautees dry scallops in Blood orange olive oil. Store owners, Kristi and Greg Gerhart observe in the background. LeFt: Stephanie davidson and Chris Smith of Roanoke head into the oliveto Cafe for a cooking class that includes recipes using the products sold at oliveto.
mild antiviral and anti-microbic properties. But there are many modern-day health reasons to use them, as well. “Olive oils are heart-healthy,” she says. They have been proven to prevent the formation of LDL — the bad type of cholesterol — thereby reducing the risk of stroke. They can help control blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and can lower triglycerides. In addition, they have anti-inflammatory properties, and can ease the symptoms of asthma. They are also good for the skin and hair. Vinegars have the advantage of being low in calories, especially when used as sweeteners, Senac points out. “They have some similar benefits to olive oils,” and also help improve digestion and bone health. Shoppers are welcome to taste as many of the oils and vinegars as they like, though anyone who plans to taste more than a few might want to bring along tart green apple slices, which professional tasters use to cleanse the palate. The oils are dispensed into glass bottles ranging from 60 milliliters up to 750 milliliters, and
the Gerharts encourage recycling by refunding 50 cents on the small ones and $1 on the large ones. Besides a menu of pizza, sandwiches and salads, the café offers cooking classes, catering, dinners and tasting parties from the store’s stock. The events are popular with book groups, businesses and Sunday School classes, Gerhart says. The room can hold up to 35 people. Recently, the Gerharts dedicated a corner of the store as a “Chocolatepaper Boutique” offering candies and greeting cards from a former neighboring business that has relocated to downtown Roanoke. “It brings new people in the doors,” she says. She also offers sample gift packs of oils and vinegars that can be customized, as well as locally made Baylee’s Best Chocolates. “We carry as many local items as we can,” says Gerhart. Gerhart says she and her husband are in the process of revamping the store’s website, but will post class and event times on it as well as on their Facebook page. olivetooliveoil.com
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tailgating
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Pregame provisions These tailgating supplies can help turn a pedestrian parking space into a festive gathering spot B P
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ith tailgating part of the autumn landscape, you can be as sure as the leaves are going to fall that there will be new gear every season to go along with standbys such as canopies and folding chairs. Whether you do it up big or pregame in a more intimate way, whether a Hokie, Hoo or independent, there are a variety of ways to show loyalty to your team and hospitality to fellow fans. Manager Mateja Kormann of Tailgaters United at Valley View Mall (there’s another store in Christiansburg) and Josh May of Countryside Classics in Salem shared some of the reliable and the novel tailgating supplies available at their stores.
Turn up the party with SoundCast portable speakers. At $599, the Outcast Junior is the most popular model at Countryside Classics, according to owner Josh May.
Tailgaters United’s 9-by-9-foot canopy is designed to fit into a parking space. The store stocks Tech and UVa models, but Manager Mateja Kormann said canopies for most any team can be ordered. The 100-percent polyester canopies have titanium poles to avoid rust and sell for $280, which includes bag with wheels.
Dress up your drinks and show support for your team with ice cubes from team trays ($19.99) or a cake baked in a silicone pan (with rack) for $29 at Tailgaters United.
Cornhole has proved a popular way to pass the time while waiting for kickoff. These boards, which are made locally, can be customized with your favorite school or professional team logo. At Tailgaters United, they sell for $330 with bags. A pack of eight bags is $40.
For those who want to keep their loyalties under wraps and dress in more generic attire, this tailgating T-shirt by Southern Style is available at Countryside Classics for $23.95.
The Charles Viancin line of outdoor cooking wear includes bowls, plates, wine stoppers, mugs and toppers from $10-$15 at Countryside Classics.
Coolers, made by Logo, come in both a rolling design (below) that doubles as a backpack for $64.99, and a pop-up style that folds down for transport and also can be used as a laundry hamper or trashcan. The pop-up retails for $36.99 at Tailgaters United.
These lightweight beverage tables can hold up to 30 pounds. They unsnap and fold into a bag, making them transportable. $44.99 at Tailgaters United.
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Big Green Egg: “Once you buy one, it’s the last grill you will buy,” says Josh May of Countryside Classics. The grill comes in seven different styles; one even hooks up to the back of your truck so you can cook while traveling to the game. The MiniMax model is so popular, Countryside has a hard time keeping it in stock, May says. What makes the grill, which comes with a lifetime warranty, special is “the insulation factor,” which keeps the moisture retention at about 90 percent, according to May. Grills retail from about $400 to $3,500.
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hile the advice given for getting one’s finances in order appears to be more common sense and practical than earth-shattering, it bears repeating because, according to some advisers, clients tend to get discouraged, give up too easily or think they’ve started too late. It’s never too late to get on the right financial track, says Mary Plott with Plott and French Financial Advisors in Radford. Priorities should be getting out of debt, understanding savings options and committing to a plan. Plott and French advises individuals, families and small business owners on how to save for their goals, whether for education, a new home or retirement. One of the first things Plott says she looks at is whether her client has a readily accessible cash account for emergencies. “If something comes up, they won’t have to immediately pull out the credit card. It doesn’t make sense to save if they need four new tires and put it on the card next month,” she says. Plott advises her clients to have covered three to six months’ worth of expenses, and she helps them calculate the amount. Emergencies such as illnesses or losing a job can occur and can “sabotage a financial plan,” she says. Jim Martin of NRV Financial, who has been in the financial services industry for 17 years, says the first step when advising his clients is for them to “take stock of where they are and what their goals are. Begin with an end in mind.” That means him sitting down with
clients and asking them what they want to accomplish, and then putting a plan into place. He asks if they have saved an adequate amount of money, if their savings are in the right place and if they have insurance for families. Hal Reynolds, a financial advisor with Investors Financial Advisors in Roanoke who works with clients planning for retirement, estates, taxes, education and investments, says ready cash is a must. “The first thing they need to do is make cash available for emergencies because if they don’t do that, that can derail a plan,” he says. Available cash should be in a checking or money market account, or some vehicle where you can move the cash to write smaller checks, Reynolds says. All three financial advisors put insurance near the top of the list – and that means short and long-term disability, health insurance, and, for their families, life insurance. Martin points out that for clients who have a substantial amount of money, an umbrella policy is advisable for protection. Plott says that while many have health insurance, fewer think about disability insurance. “What if they can’t work due to an illness or accident?” she asks. “I don’t feel good about starting them on a savings plan if they don’t have
Photo courtesy of Jim martin
Jim Martin of NRV Financial advises his clients to “take stock of where they are, and what their goals are. Begin with an end in mind.”
insurance.” Plott says life insurance decisions should be made on a person-by-person basis and most of the time calculated based on whether clients have children and debt. Reynolds says not having insurance can precipitate financial burdens in emergencies such as surgery. He advises getting both short- and long-term disability. Life insurance “is for those you leave behind, if you don’t want to impoverish them.”
Debt also needs to be addressed, Plott says. “Unfortunately, it starts with something very simple: You have to spend less than you make.” She has monthly budget forms for clients that are “not designed to tell them where to spend their money, but they can’t make good decisions until they understand where their money is going.” Reynolds advises clients to pay off the highest interest-rate credit cards first. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have a 22 percent interest rate on a card when you make less in savings and investing,” he points out. Martin agrees, saying that the first thing that needs to happen is for clients to pay down the highest interest rate debt first, whether that is a credit card or a car loan. “Debt is risk, ultimately, so you are better off without it. As they move into retirement, that frees up their cash flow,” Martin says.
Another important financial building block is to save with a purpose and a plan. Plott says that many times, people just aren’t aware of what they have, they don’t fully understand their pension and they are not taking advantage of employer matching. “That’s free money, and you can’t not take advantage of that,” she says. Plott says it’s common for people to not read their insurance policies. “I’ve had people say that they have plenty of life insurance, etc., and I have them bring their policies in. They don’t know the difference between accidental death and dying of natural causes.” And then, she adds, people think that even to approach a financial advisor, one has to have tons of money. “All you have to have are goals and a commitment to save on a monthly basis,” she says. Other than a ready cash reserve, that should be banked in a checking, savings or money market account, Plott says the stock market is most certainly not the place to put your emergency money.
Meet the Dean’s. Considering retirement and concerned about running out of money.
If you have a credit union through your work, take advantage of that – the money can be taken directly out of your paycheck before you even see it. Long term, she advises on investing in mutual funds, and researches as well as invests in those for clients. Reynolds says that at this time, there is no high-yield savings vehicle that is completely safe. A savings account, while not a good investment tool, is safe and will not dramatically drop the way stocks can. A common mistake his clients make is giving up on their investment plan too soon. The market drops, the money is long term and they panic, he says. They should not pull their money out at a bad time and then reinvest it at a bad time. They need to be patient about their investment plan, he says. Plott agrees: Patience and commitment are important for long-term plans. And one more piece of advice, which clients don’t always like to hear: “If you can’t afford to pay cash for it, you shouldn’t have it,” Martin says.
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ROANOKE.COM 55
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This is Jim Martin, President and Founder of New River Financial Group, and the Dean’s advisor. Passionate about family, church, hiking, BBQ, and helping his clients achieve financial freedom.
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ENGAGED Educating and inspring while entertaining is paramount at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech B
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RIGHT: Diavolo has been called “Los Angeles’ wild child, a company of daredevil dancers leaping and cavorting on pitching wheels, Goliath walls and other playground equipment from a supersize Wonderland.” The group’s artistic director and designer will team with Tech faculty and students to explore ideas for lighting and sound.
56 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
OPPOSITE PAGE: Country music star Roseanne Cash will perform on Dec. 11 at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.
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courtesy of center for the arts at virginia tech
ith its glistening glass exterior covering 147,00 square feet, innovative design by a world-renowned architectural firm and a $100 million price tag, the Moss Arts Center has taken its place among Virginia Tech’s signature buildings. Moss, which houses the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology is located at 190 Alumni Mall where the campus and community intersect. The site was chosen to symbolize the connection of the town and university, according to Ruth Waal-
kes, associate provost for the arts at Virginia Tech and executive director for the Center for the Arts. Moss may not be as well known or revered as Burreuss Hall or Lane Stadium — yet. But given its striking exterior, which includes the renowned Hokie Stone, and what goes on inside, that likely will change. Don’t expect to hear “Enter Sandman” echoing from the center’s performance hall, but both students and public have plenty of opportunities to hear and witness musicians and performance artists in a variety of genres. Natalie Cole, David Sedaris, Joshua Bell, Dance Theatre
of Harlem and Kathy Mattea are among those who have taken the largest stage on campus since the center opened in 2013. Roseanne Cash and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra have places on the center’s jam-packed 2015-16 calendar. But the center is more than a venue for entertainment. It’s where the performing artists stay around to engage, inspire and teach. “The heart of our programming is to find ways to engage,” says Waalkes. “The depth really comes in when we have artists work with students and the community.” Waalkes and her staff stay true to the
mission of the university — to teach and engage — and try to book those who are willing to do more than perform. They may not always be the biggest names in entertainment, but they all are touring professionals and among the best-known and respected in their genre, says Waalkes. On Oct. 25, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, a world-class chamber ensemble, will perform “Haydn Discovery” at 2 p.m. Not only will the foursome explore and perform the music of Joseph Haydn, but will lead the public in a Haydn jam session following the concert. “Those who sign up will play a string instrument,” Waalkes says. “We’ll have 30-40 people on stage — a mass quartet.” Ticket prices for “Haydn Discovery” are $20-$45, and $10 for students with ID and children 18 and younger, but the jam is free and open to members of the public of all skill levels. The quartet also will conduct a master class with students in a chamber music class. Waalkes says another objective is
to bring in performers unfamiliar to the Blacksburg community. “We want to expose people to different genres, things that people haven’t heard and to make sure many voices and cultures are represented,” she says. Jason Moran & The Bandwagon will join Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Brown, a celebrated choreographer, and Moran, a jazz pianist, and their respec-
tive ensembles will reflect on the importance of ancestors in “The Subtle One.” The evening also includes selections from Brown’s “One Shot,” which is based on the life of photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris, who documented the life of an African-American community over a span of 40 years, and set to music by Ahmad Jamal and Mary Lou Williams. Engagement events scheduled are a master class for music students, and a
Tuesday, November 11, 2015, 7:30 PM Julia Wolfe – SITI Company
Steel Hammer
Musical theatre production based on the John Henry ballad Tickets: $25-$55, $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under ROANOKE.COM 57
www.artscenter.vt.edu | 540-231-5300 MOSS ARTS CENTER, Blacksburg, VA
A country music to the soul of the South Friday, December 11, 2015, 7:30 PM Rosanne Cash, The River and the Thread $30-$65, $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under
www.artscenter.vt.edu | 540-231-5300 MOSS ARTS CENTER 90 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg, VA
dance and spirituality program and workshop open to students and the public. It’s not a dance workshop, says Susan Bland, the center’s communications manager. It involves storytelling and how to transform text into movement. Professional dance performances are a big draw at the center, Bland says, adding that many patrons purchase a package of tickets for dance-centered events. The puppets are coming to the center on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Blair Thomas & Company, a Chicago-based theatre company, will stage the world premiere of “Moby Dick.” The novel will be brought to life on the stage through bunraku puppets, rolling paper scrolls and a combination of folk songs by Michael Smith and the sounds from percussionist Michael Zerang. The puppeteers will perform a matinee for high school students, one of several
The Moss Arts Center houses the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.
matinees the center sponsors throughout the year. There is no charge to the students as part of the center’s outreach, Waalkes says. Back for the second time by popular demand, Diavolo: Architecture in Motion, will close out the season with “L’Espace du Temps,” sure to be ingenious, jawdropping and highly entertaining. On May 6, 2016, at 7:30 p.m., the Los Angeles-based group will combine vibrant music, dynamic movement and compelling sculptural art to explore the space of time using what they call “architecture in motion.” “They do very physical work on these incredible structures,” Waalkes says. Last year, the troupe, whose performance has been described as “a live abstract painting,” conducted a “soar workshop,” which focused on trust, with student dancers and members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. This year, members will visit Blacksburg over multiple trips to take advantage of the technology at Tech. Faculty and students from multiple departments
will huddle with Diavolo’s artistic director and designer to explore new ideas involving lighting and sound. They also will look at creating a virtual experience where “people could feel what it’s like to be a part of Diavolo,” says Waalkes. That will be another way to expand the creative process, which is important to the director. Waalkes says she’s not interested in the center becoming a “roadhouse,” but a place where learners of all ages can enjoy, engage with and learn from a rich and diverse arts program. For more information about Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, including a calendar of events and ticket information, visit www.artscenter.vt.edu.
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Harvester Performance center Southwest Virginia’s newest venue for music, comedy and theatrical performances, Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount has drawn more than 50,000 visitors since opening in April 2014. It’s making a name for itself with performances by such legendary artists as Merle Haggard, Leon Russell and Dr. John. Featuring a 475-seat main facility with its state-of-the-art sound system and the smaller Landing Pad stage downstairs, the Harvester is operated by the Town of Rocky Mount as a non-profit economicdevelopment project. Upcoming events include performances by Annie Moses Band (Sept.
17), The Marshall Tucker Band (Sept. 18), Mountain Heart (Sept. 25), The Willis Clan (Sept. 27), Lonesome River Band (Oct. 3), Aaron Neville (Oct. 4), and the Olate Dogs (Oct. 9). Save the date for Three Dog Night on Nov. 21. The Harvester offers children’s discounts and group rates. The TNT Harvester Shuttle runs from Roanoke and Smith Mountain Lake. For more information or to order tickets, call GUITARS (484-8277) or visit www.harvestermusic.com. The Harvester adds shows daily.
Jefferson center What do you do with an old high school, long closed and badly vandalized? Restore it, keep the sculptured ceilings and original marble and terrazzo floors, and bring it back to life as a destination for musical performances of all genres and a home for non-profit organizations in the performing arts, education and social services. On Luck Avenue near downtown Ro-
anoke, the Jefferson Center’s showpiece is the Shaftman Performance Hall, once the school’s auditorium, which hosts a variety of concerts and performances. The 2015-2016 Star City Series opens Sept. 25 with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Mandolinist David Grisman, backed by the Bluegrass Experience, appears Oct. 15, with Sierra Hull also performing. The Jazz Series opens Oct. 8 with The Jazz at Lincoln Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and continues Jan. 28 with jazz singer Rene Marie. The season also features performances by the Robert Glasper Trio and Regina Carter’s Southern Comfort. In the Family Series, the Golden Dragon Acrobats appear Nov. 22, and Mummenschanz, a Swiss theatrical troupe, will perform Feb. 6. The Jazz Club season includes The Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio, the Shayna Steele Band, Warren Wold and Wolfpack, and
For more information, visit www.operaroanoke.org. For a complete list of performances and educational offerings, check www.jeffcenter.org.
Lim KiLn Lime Kiln Theater brings music and theater to a natural, outdoor setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains, presenting plays and concerts in a turn-of-the-20th century lime quarry and kiln just west of Lexington. The venue is intimate, with 350 first-come, first-served seats, and room for a few lawn chairs. Lime Kiln Theater’s 2015 season — its second season back after a two-year hiatus – was strong, with most of the nine performances sold out. The theater’s 2016 season opens in May. For more information, visit www.limekilntheater.org or facebook page (Lime Kiln Theater). Individual and season tickets can be purchased online.
Lyric TheaTre In the heart of downtown Blacksburg, the historic Lyric Theatre is a not-for-profit theater and community center presenting movies, live music performances and special events. One of the first theaters in the state to screen “talkies,” the Lyric now specializes in indie and art movies, foreign films and well-reviewed mainstream movies. One Saturday morning each month the theater hosts family-friendly current classics. Popcorn is free on Mondays. Upcoming live events include “The Second City: Fully Loaded,” Sept. 17; “Mark and Maggie O’Connor perform American Classics,” Oct. 17; and the American Shakespeare Center’s production of “Julius Caesar,” Nov. 10. For the regular schedule of movies and special events, show times and ticket prices, visit www.thelyric.com or call the movie line at 951-0604.
miLL mounTain TheaTre
To order season tickets for the plays, call the box office at 342-5740 or visit the box office at 1 Market Square SE, Roanoke. Individual tickets also may be ordered at www.millmountain.org.
The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of David Stewart Wiley, opens its 2015-2016 season Oct. 10 with “Opening Night: A Gershwin Gala.” Concerts range from the music of Rocky Horror to classical Masterworks selections, and from Led Zeppelin to the RSO’s biggest event of the season, the Holiday Pops Spectacular featuring the full orchestra, the Roanoke Symphony Chorus and the Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir. Most concerts take place at the Berglund Performing Arts Center, the Salem Civic Center or the Jefferson Center, but the season also includes three “destination concerts” at Calvary Baptist Church in Roanoke, College Lutheran Church in Salem and the Vinton War Memorial.
opera roanoKe Opera Roanoke celebrates its ruby anniversary – that’s 40 years of bringing opera to Southwest Virginia – Oct. 24, with a gala at the Taubman Museum of Art. The party honors long-time Opera Roanoke supporter Sheila Strauss, and will feature singing, a live auction and a fashion show presented by Frances Kahn. Opera Roanoke brings “Sweeney Todd,” Stephen Sondheim’s musical thriller, to the Jefferson Center’s Shaftman Hall on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, with baritone Corey Crider in the title role and Carla Dirlikov as Mrs. Lovett. In April, soprano Amy Cofield Williamson sings the role of Violetta Valery in the Opera Roanoke production of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The cast also includes baritone Levi Hernandez. Buy individual and season tickets online or by calling the Jefferson Center box office Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at 345-2550, or visiting during box office hours at 541 Luck Ave. To order tables and tickets for the gala, call 224-1257 or email lwebb@operaroanoke.org. For more information visit www.operaroanoke.org.
roanoKe chiLdren’s TheaTre Roanoke Children’s Theatre’s 20152016 season of family-friendly professional theater opens Oct. 1 with “James and the Giant Peach,” adapted from the book by Roald Dahl. The adventure continues with “Shrek, the Musical” in December. In March, the theater’s RCT4TEENS series presents “The Ice Cream Man,” which tackles the dangers of heroin and substance abuse. Each performance of this production will be followed by talkback sessions, with health professionals on hand to answer teens’ questions. The season concludes in May with “Rapunzel, the Musical,” a new spin on the fairy tale. For performance dates and more information, check the RCT website at www.roanokechildrenstheatre.org. RCT is located in the historic Dumas Center, 108 1st (Henry) St. NW, in Roanoke. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the box office at 224-1200.
Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the box office at 343-9127. A variety of packages are available, as are individual tickets. For full details of the RSO season, as well as Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra concerts, visit www.rso.com.
aBoVe: The Lyric was voted the best movie theater in the new river Valley for 2015. opposiTe paGe: opera roanoke performers include a mix of highly regarded veterans and apprentices to the art form.
showTimers The Showtimers 2015 season continues with Reginald Rose’s “12 Angry Men,” opening Sept. 23 under the direction of Aisha Mitchell, and concludes in November with “Bloody Murder,” a farce by Ed Sala, directed by Christa Woomer. The non-profit, all-volunteer community theater holds open auditions for all its shows. The theater is housed in a former church at 2067 McVitty Road, just off
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Mill Mountain Theatre continues its 2015 season with “On Golden Pond,” which opens Sept. 30, and wraps up the year with “42nd Street” in December. Once a summer stock theater, founded in a vacant resort hotel on the theater’s namesake mountain overlooking Roanoke, MMT has grown into a professional year-round theater performing at Center in the Square, 20 East Church St.,
roanoKe symphony orchesTra
in downtown Roanoke.
MATT GENTRY | ThE RoANokE TiMEs
Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom. The Jefferson Center Presents series continues Sept. 18 with De Temps Antan. Pokey LaFarge appears Sept. 23.
and drama groups, and providing educational opportunities, including The Junior Appalachian Musicians program in local schools. Upcoming SMAC events include The Lake Players presentation of “Drinking Habits,” Sept. 25-27 at Bethlehem United Methodist Church, Moneta. SMAC presents an Acapella Extravagana, with “Pitch Perfect Comes to SML,” featuring Kings Post, Pitches Be Crazy, and Uncommon Vocals, Sept. 19 at Trinity Ecumenical Parish, and the 26th Annual SMAC Art Show, which opens with a reception Oct. 23 at Resurrection Catholic Church, Moneta.
To order tickets, call the box office at 7742660 or toll free at 877-336-9294. Tickets for adults are $12 for comedies and dramas and $15 for musicals. Tickets for ages 18 and under are $5 for all shows. For times and directions, visit www.showtimers.org.
Smith mountain artS Center Smith Mountain Arts Council promotes visual and performing arts in the lake area by sponsoring concerts and annual art and photo shows, serving as an umbrella organization for music, writing
JOHN ROARK | THe ROANOKe Times
SWVA LiVing
art
419 near Oak Grove.
TickETS oN SAlE NoW
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revelers dance to the embers at the harvester Performance Center.
Pick OCTOBER 10
For more information on events, contact information for individual events and ticket information for performances, check www.smithmountainartscouncil.com.
taubman muSeum of art The Taubman Museum of Art – where to start? Maybe with the Judith Leiber handbag collection, or the dye transfer photographs of Audrey Flack or the woodcuts of Japanese artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. And that’s just a start. The museum’s permanent collection
Masterworks
MARCH 5
Sat, October 10, 2015 | 7:30 PM Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
David Stewart Wiley & Norman Krieger, pianos
t g Nigh penin tional Tie op
DECEMBER 4
PoPs
Holiday Pops Fri, December 4, 2015 | 7:30 PM
Salem Civic Center
with
OCTOBER 16
PoPs
Time Warp:
The Music of Rocky Horror
Masterworks
Wagner Barber Tchaikovsky
A Gershwin Gala
Black
For more information on the Taubman’s exhibits, programs and classes for all ages, visit the website at www.taubmanmuseum.org.
3 and save up to 40%
Opening Night:
o
boasts more than 2,150 pieces, from the 10-foot sculpture “Art World” by James Harold Jennings to the inch-and-a-half square photograph “Maggie on Beach with Dog” by Thomas Eakins. Upcoming special exhibitions include a site-specific fabric installation by Rachel B. Hayes, which will act as a canopy 80 feet above the atrium floor (opens Sept. 26); art pieces from Africa’s Akan and Kuba Kingdoms (opens Sept. 26); and “Salt Marsh Suite,” an art installation and contemporary dance performance based on fieldwork, data collection and observation in a North Carolina coastal estuary (opens Oct. 3). “Tobacco People” by local photographer Sarah Hazlegrove opens Oct. 10. General admission to the Taubman Museum of Art is always free; some special exhibitions require an admission fee. The Taubman is located in downtown Roanoke at 110 Salem Ave. You can’t miss its sweeping profile near the City Market.
Adrienne Danrich RSO Chorus Roanoke ValleyChildren’s Choir
Sat, March 5, 2016 | 7:30 PM Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
with
Akemi Takayama, violin Wagner
Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin
Barber
Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4
orites tic Fav n a m Ro
Over 200 musicians on stage
Fri, October 16, 2015 | 7:30 PM
Salem Civic Center
with
on raditi iday T A Hol
Jeans 'n Classics Orchestra, rock band, vocalists
mp... st a ju “ it’s ju e lef t !” to th
chooSe aNy
Fridays & Saturdays /concert from when you Pick 3.
$19
3
Friday & Saturday
Nights
MAY 6
PoPs
The Music of Led Zeppelin Fri, May 6, 2016 | 7:30 PM Salem Civic Center
with
Jeans ‘n Classics The 2016 Pops finale - it will blow your mind!
ocks! RSo R
Express seating, call 540.343.9127 The Pick 3 pack is available for other concerts too.
RSo
Date-Night
Now
Pick 3 of these Friday & Saturday concerts. Create your
Date-Night Now
ticket pack.
Save up to 40% compared to single tickets. The Pick 3 pack is available for other concerts too.
For details and express seating, call the RSO at
540.343.9127.
More ticket packs at rso.com
RSo
R o a n o k e Symphon y oRcheStRa D av i D S t e wa r t w i l e y, MuSic Director
Hear and Now
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Photo courtesy of chuck Garst
Microbreweries offer up seasonal selections
R
Nippy Lil’ Bugger, a spiced winter warmer may help take the edge off the cold this holiday season. Vanilla bean, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon provide the spice at Big Lick Brewing Co.
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oanoke and surrounding areas have a number of microbreweries offering a continually changing menu of beers. Come holiday season, the brews change accordingly to reflect the spices, aromas and other flavors that are reminiscent of the fall and winter and to pair well with holiday meals. Sean Osborne, co-owner of Soaring Ridge Craft Brewery on Shenandoah Avenue in Roanoke, says in addition to introducing new brews about every six weeks, there also are seasonal releases. Osborne says Soaring Ridge has a basic brew for which herbs, spices and hops can be added. He also is planning on adding a pumpkin porter and a chocolate stout in November and December. “We go a little heavier during the wintertime – the chocolate stout has a lot of chocolate notes in it,” he says. Osborne is a beer guy; he prefers it over wine at any time. During the colder months he likes drinking darker beers. He suggests a nut brown ale such as the brewery’s Trail Head, which is malty, a bit sweeter and holds hints of caramel.
You can’t buy Soaring Ridge’s beer in shops around town; you have to go to its brewery to get your growler filled. Chaos Mountain Brewing in Callaway, down U.S. 220 South, also changes brews come cold weather. Brewer Will Landry says winter beers tend to be stronger and more flavorful, “but not necessarily dark.” He says that once he’s filled up with heavy food, the last thing he wants is “an effervescent heavy beverage in my stomach. There is a lot to be said of white wine with white meat, etc., and you can do something similar with beer. Turkey might pair will with a lighter style such as a pilsner or a lighter Belgium beer.” Landry adds that a lighter beer likely will not weigh one down so consumers don’t have to worry about drinking more than one. For roast beef or ham with a glaze, he suggests a beer that is “bigger and stronger” such as their Squatch Ale, a Scottish beer described as big and malty with a hint of sweetness, but finishing off dry, according to the brewery’s website. Landry says his brewery also offers “bigger Belgium Agents of Chaos,” which has been aged in red wine barrels and has fruits such as plums and raisins. “While some drink this as a dessert, it goes well with darker meat,” he says. Bryan Summerson, brewer at Big Lick Brewing on Salem Avenue in Roanoke, says a big stout is being planned for the colder months. “We’ll also be brewing our winter beer, ‘Nippy Lil’ Bugger, again. It’s a holiday-spiced amber ale that was quite popular last year,” he says. “We’ll be playing it by ear and seeing what tickles our fancy.
BEER
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That’s one of the perks of being a small brewery. As far as the other breweries go, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of pumpkin beers.” Roanoke Railhouse on Franklin Road, owned by Steve Davidson, also changes its brews with the season. The fun thing about these beers is that their names are all railroad terms, such as Track 1, Switch Monkey and Conductor’s Choice. Davidson says that for the fall, a lighter Germanstyle beer that’s a bit richer than a pilsner would be appropriate and go well with everything. Deeper into winter, he says, a double bock, which is along the same lines as Track 1, would be great. “It is a dark, German lager, and double bock means it’s going to be darker than what we have now, but along the same flavor profile,” he says. “Typically, there is also a higher alcohol content for the colder months.” Helles, which is German for bright, would go well with turkey, a light meat, Davidson says. Track 1, reminiscent of Octoberfest beer, which is darker, would be great during the winter months. All of Roanoke Railhouse beers can be picked up in the tap room and in area stores, but Davidson says Roanoke Railhouse has room for private parties in their tap room, as well.
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Move over, holiday wine Try some craft beer with your fruitcake By Sarah Cox
T
he pairing of wine with holiday staples, ham, turkey and roast beef, is a long-standing tradition. But it’s being nudged aside by craft beer. In fact, many would prefer having a beer with their slice of turkey and mound of mashed potatoes. Consider that the craft beer volume jumped 18 percent in 2014, according to the Brewers Association. American craft brewers now produce about one out of every 10 beers sold in the United States. In 2014, 22.2 million barrels, which is 11 percent of the total beer market, were produced, according to the Brewers Association. Gordon Kendall, a beverage expert and columnist who has worked in the wine and beer industry for years as a consultant and manager of wine shops, says there has been an “explosion of craft brews in the last three to four years. There are something like nine to 10 breweries near Roanoke now.” Kendall says local wine and beer stores are offering “a million kinds of craft brews with different ingredients and crazy high alcohol content and crazy labels.” He suggests trying some of them during tastings that many stores offer to explore your preferences. The tastings often have experts who can Wine expert guide you and explain the tastes. and columnist During the holidays, there are always going Gordon Kendall to be seasonally-related taste offerings. For insays holiday stance, Kendall says, Samuel Smith has a Welbrews typically come Winter ale, described by Merchant du Vin, have higher an importer, as “honey-amber colored, creamy alcohol content than beers head of small bubbles, floral aroma and deliproduced at cious caramel malt flavor with great finesse.” It is other times. paired with roast goose, smoked turkey with oyster dressing, rack of lamb, candied yams, Smithfield hams, and fresh pears and apples – traditional holiday fare. Kendall says holiday brews usually have a higher than average alcohol content and various flavorings such as cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and bourbon. Big Lick Brewery (135 Salem Ave, Roanoke) made a batch of stout that was aged in barrels that previously aged bourbon. “That’s the kind of thing I would serve for a Christmas dinner,” Kendell says. He suggests that instead of selecting a series of wines to go with the various courses, do the same with beer. “You can go through a progression from lighter to heavier, like you would wines.” For instance, start with a lighter, crisp beer such as hefeweizen or Kölsch, German-style beers. After that, he suggests India pale ale, which is crisp and hoppy. “Parkway Brewery has a good IPA,” he points out. And as you head toward dessert, he says to progress to something more malty, or a coffee or bourbon barrel stout. To round out the evening, Kendall would pick a Chimay grand reserve, which is a dark, rich beer with a full head.
Close to home for the
holidays For many, a short road trip can replicate the magic of the season as they once experienced it y
B
e t h
J
o
J
a c k
Photo courtesy of the omni homestead resort
B
L
Resort in Hot Springs. “They always come because they say, ‘We were always brought here.’ There’s a lot of people and they’re all dressed up, the little tiny ones in their little velour outfits.” Judah, marketing manager of the resort, where she has worked for more than a quarter-century, says she often sees faces from the Roanoke Valley at the resort’s annual Christmas tree lighting in the Great Hall. Last year’s tree, which was planted in 1986, stood 23 feet tall. “Especially over the holidays, you find
most of the long-time folks come back,” she says. “It’s almost like they’re coming home.” Following are some places within a few hours’ drive of Roanoke to celebrate the holidays, and a sampling of their seasonal events in case you’re dreaming of starting new holiday traditions.
Oversized gingerbread men and candy canes greet holiday visitors to The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs.
ROANOKE.COM 65
ike the sea turtles who return to the beaches where they were hatched to lay their own eggs, we humans seem to yearn to return to the places — often, with our own kids in tow — where we experienced magical holiday moments. For some in Southwest Virginia that means taking a road trip during the holiday season. “We have a lot of families who come year after year,” says Eileen Judah of the holiday season at The Omni Homestead
One Lodge St., Asheville, North Carolina; www.biltmore.com, 800-411-3812
Cathy Barnhardt spends her entire year planning what the holidays will look like at the Biltmore, George Vanderbilt’s French Renaissance chateau. “I love Christmas, and it’s a good thing I get excited about it,” says the floral displays manager for the home, which was built in 1895 and now operates as a tourist attraction. The theme for this year’s celebration is “A Gilded Age Christmas.” “It will be rich and opulent, but also very gracious,” Barnhardt says. “Lots of rich darker tones with burgundy enchanced with a lot of gold.” Note: Prices vary; call before you go.
Candlelight Christmas evenings See the home’s holiday decorations accented by the warm glow of lit candles and fireplaces. This is the only time of the year when the home is open for evening tours.
Photo courtesy of the Biltmore
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travel
Biltmore
Daily, Nov. 6 through Jan. 2 Adult: Mon.-Thur. $70, Fri.-Sat., Dec. 18-Jan. 2, $85; youth (ages 10-16): Mon.Thur. $35, Fri.-Sat. $42.50; child (9 and younger): free, but child ticket required.
Annual Gingerbread House tea A pastry chef will assist guests with assembling gingerbread homes. Dec. 17-19. Inn on Biltmore Estate $49 per person
tHe GreenBrier 300 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia; www.greenbrier.com, 855-453-4858
This National Historic Landmark, which has hosted guests since 1778, celebrates “60 Days of Holiday Cheer” beginning in November. After some pumpkin pieinfused events to celebrate Thanksgiving, The Greenbrier kicks off the Christmas countdown with several tree lightings.
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This event includes caroling and hot chocolate on the front lawn and an appearance by Santa, who arrives by horsedrawn sleigh and then flips the switch to turn on the resort’s extensive holiday lights. “It’s pretty cool,” says Betsy Conte, director of social activities for The Greenbrier. On the night before Christmas, in addition to the Gingerbread Ball, The Greenbrier offers a concert by the West Virginia Brass Quintet and a traditional Yuletide Yule Log Ceremony, along with caroling and hot chocolate. “Christmas Eve is a very special day,” says Conte. Note: Many of the resort’s delights are open to day visitors, but it’s a good idea to call ahead for details before making the trek up Interstate 64.
Christmas by Candlelight Tours
1766 Homestead Drive, Hot Springs; www.omnihotels.com, 800-838-1766
Salem Christmas A celebration of Moravian traditions with carol singing, sampling of Christmas cakes and lighting of the Christmas pyramid. Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Adults: $23; children 6-16: $11. Children 5 and younger: free
Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.
Christmas Eve Gingerbread Ball
Visitors to the resort can take some laps on the ice-skating rink ($15 for halfday) before heading out on a hayride ($20 for adults; $15 for children 12 and younger) to view outdoor decorations that include oversized gingerbread figures and candy canes, a family of reindeer along with animated swans and toy soldiers. The trip ends with a stop at the fire pit for hot chocolate or s’mores. Call for details.
Great hall Christmas Tree Arrives The grounds crew manages to squeeze a 23-foot tall Fraser fir through the 4-footwide door to the Great Hall. Nov. 23, about 10 a.m.
Anniversary Lovefeast at St. Philips African Moravian Church
Great hall Christmas Tree Lighting
A Christmas Lovefeast to commemorate the first service held in the church on Dec. 15, 1861. Christmas music will be provided by The Voices of God’s Children, and Lovefeast buns and tea will be served. Dec. 12 at 11 a.m.
When the switch is hit and the tree lights up, everybody cheers, Judah promised. “Then we announce we have a visitor,” she says. “Poor Santa can barely get to the tree because the children are so excited.”
Photo courtesy of the Greenbrier
The activities staff gets extra points for cuteness for decorating the tables with centerpieces made earlier in the day by children. The serious eats will be paired with music for dancing by Gary Williams and Jeff Bryant Jazz Quartet. Other entertainment options include sitting for family photographs or a caricaturist, as well as the spectacle of balloon artists, strolling puppets and dancers performing selections from the “Nutcracker Suite.” Santa and Mrs. Claus also take a break on their busiest night of the year to make an appearance. Dec. 24 from 6 to 10 p.m. Adults: $89, children 4-12: $49
OPPOSiTE PAGE: The Biltmore outside of Asheville, north Carolina, will give visitors a look at how the holidays were celebrated by the George Vanderbilt family in the early 1900s. LEFT: The Omni homestead’s Christmas tree watches over the Great hall. ABOVE: There’s plenty of chocolate to go around at The Greenbrier.
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Photo courtesy of the omni homestead resort
OLd SALEM MuSEuMS And GArdEnS
This historic district probably isn’t the best destination if your tastes lean toward 30-foot inflatable snowmen and Christmas lights flashing in time to hits from the “Frozen” soundtrack. Here, the holiday will be celebrated with the simpler customs and traditions of the Moravians, who founded Salem in the 18th century. Expect traditional
ThE OMni hOMESTEAd rESOrT
The tour includes music, food and drink and interaction with Old Salem interpreters. Nov. 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28 and Dec. 4, 5, 11, 17, 18, 19. Tours leave at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. $25 for adults and $20 for children. Preregistration required.
Tree Lightings at The Greenbrier
900 Old Salem Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; www.oldsalem.org, 336-779-6140
wreaths and lampposts wrapped in winter greenery.
Blue Ridge/Troutville Area
206 Wyndermere Drive - $339,000 Spacious, well maintained home featuring a large, updated kitchen with granite counters, lots of cabinets with some pull-outs and all appliances. Many recent updates; such as new roof in 2013, interior and exterior Shannon Hines painting, newer heat pump for upstairs, updated master 540-520-8316 bathroom, etc. Greatroom w/gas log fireplace (w/new logs in 2014), formal living and dining rooms, 4 bedrooms ShannonHin@aol.com and 4 bathrooms. MLS# 811442. www.RoanokeHomesNow.com
68 Fall/winter 2015-16 | SWVA LIVING MAGAZINE
Daleville
Blue Ridge
294 Heritage Drive - $429,925 This home offers one level living and an inground pool w/ great mountain views! This home was totally redone in 2010! Granite counters and tile backsplash in large kitchen that offers large pantry and large island with sink and room for seating. Built-in bookshelves in family room, along with gas log fireplace and skylights. Beautiful, sunny breakfast area offers access to the large, Trex decking. Master bedroom is very roomy, with sitting area. MLS# 812212.
Shannon Hines 540-520-8316 ShannonHin@aol.com www.RoanokeHomesNow.com
Eagle Rock
451 Wentworth Lane - $334,900
5001 Craig Creek Road - $139,925
Stately home in popular Wetherwood neighborhood, that offers beautiful mountain views & great living spaces. Home offers 6 Shannon Hines bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and a nice finished 540-520-8316 basement. Fenced backyard and nice deck to ShannonHin@aol.com enjoy time with family and friends! MLS# 817104. www.RoanokeHomesNow.com
Affordable vacation home with hard to find water frontage on Craig Creek. This home has been updated for your enjoyment. Beautiful vaulted ceiling in living room with wood accents, updated kitchen and bathroom, and two Shannon Hines bedrooms. Covered porch, patio and decking to enjoy 540-520-8316 the sounds and views of Craig Creek. Home is currently being used as a vacation rental, but would be a great ShannonHin@aol.com family getaway, as well! MLS# 817526. www.RoanokeHomesNow.com
Southwest County
Southwest County
6301 Midsummer Lane Gorgeous home in Prime SW County location on Huge Corner Lot. Features Custom Cherry Kitchen Cabinets, Solid Surface Countertops, Tiled Backsplash, New Stainless Steel appliances. Handcrafted Tile Fireplace Surround, Elegant Oak Front Staircase, Crown Molding, Trey Ceilings in Master Chris Smith Suite & Living Room, Rear Staircase, Ceramic Tiled Baths, 540-537-2967 Unbelievable Downtown Roanoke views. Hardwood Floors on ChrisSellsRoanoke@gmail.com entry level. Amazing Must See 4th level.
4101 Snowbird Circle, SW • 4 Bedrooms, 2 ½ Baths • 3882 Finished Sq. Ft. • Updates Throughout • Fantastic Kitchen
• Replacement Windows • Large Storage Shed • $324,000 • MLS# 818211
Vickie Clarke 540-798-3957
www.VickieClarke.com
Southwest County
6154 Homewood Circle - $525,000 Amazing 4 BR, 2.5 BA home located in desirable Wexford subdivision. Gleaming hardwoods, 2 story entry and great room w/ towering stone fireplace and windows showcasing a mountain view. Well Stephanie Varney appointed and move in ready, over 3,400 finished sq. 540-798-0529 ft. Over 1,600 sq. ft. in walk-out lower level framed/ stephanie@stephanievarneyhomes.com ready to finish w/ 12 ft ceilings. Robert Lichtenstein Owner may consider up to $85k owner financing 540-354-7042 or lease/purchase for well qualified buyer!
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