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Teamwork Strengthens Family Ties
EATING WELL On a Budget
August 2013 | Virginia’s Blue Ridge Edition | NABlueRidge.com
never glossy, always green
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The Blue Ridge region is home to more than a dozen wineries. A winery visit allows you to sample wines, enjoy beautiful scenery and talk with winemakers and owners. While in the area, park the car and walk along the main street of the nearest charming small town. Ask a local resident where to eat or shop. Look for regional wineries and wine trails at VirginiaWine.org. by Anne Piedmont Local residents, why leave home for a vacation? Spend a few days discovering, or rediscovering, why millions of people travel to the Blue Ridge area every year. From almost every point in the region, travelers are within a few hours of local, state Take the next exit. or national parks, historic landmarks, Take the long way home. recreational attractions, antique shops, vibrant cities and quaint towns. Take the scenic route. 25th Annual Secondary roads make the trip Take in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. more enjoyable than traveling by interstate. The famous Blue Ridge Parkway, Fincastle Vineyard and Winery, Botetourt County one of America’s favorite roads, travers25th Annual es the region and is visited by more than 15 million travelers annually. The he 15-county region of central and blue, thanks to a chemical released by parkway enters Virginia near Galax and western Virginia features some of pine trees. It’s possible to enjoy the vistas terminates near Charlottesville, where it America’s best scenery, including while driving along on the interstate, meets Skyline Drive. In between, there the Blue Ridge. And the Blue Ridge but the region is best savored at a slower are overlooks, hiking trails, campAnticipated Attendance: 10,000+ Mountains actually do appear to be pace.
Traveling Virginia’s 25th Annual Blue Ridge
Photos by Anne Piedmont
25th Annual
Agreement between SMLRCC and Natural Awakenings– Virginia’s Blue Ridge
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Agreement between SMLRC Agreement between SMLRCC and Natural Virginia’s 27 Awakenings– Virginia Wineries
Natural Awakenings– Virginia’s Blue Rid Agreement between SMLRCC and
Four Bands! Natural Music Awakenings– all day bothVirginia’s days Blue Ridge 25th Annual Attendance: 10,000+ Anticipated
85 Craft & Food Anticipated Vendors Attendance: 10,000+ 10,000 Anticipated Attendance: 27 Virginia Wineries 27 Virginia Wineries
Virginia September 28 27 and 29, Wineries 2013
Four Bands! Music all day both days Four Bands! Music all day both days
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Agreement between SMLRCC and both da FourSeptember Bands! Music all29, day 28 and 29, 2013 Natural Awakenings– Blue2013 Ridge September 28 Virginia’s and
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SeptemberSponsored 28 and 29, 20 by: September 28 and 29, 2013 LakeWatch Plantation Route 122, Moneta, Virginia
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grounds, cabins and other lodging. Some of the region’s better known attractions include the Peaks of Otter, in Bedford County, and Mabry Mill, in Floyd County. Roanoke and Asheville, North Carolina, are the two largest cities located along the parkway. A detour into Roanoke includes museums (and the newly renovated Center in the Square), art galleries, shopping, restaurants and the oldest continually operating farmers’ market in Virginia. The parkway isn’t the only “road” that highlights the region for both visitors and residents. In 2004, the Virginia Legislature designated a series of roads throughout the Blue Ridge region as the Virginia Heritage Music Trail, better known as the Crooked Road. The trail begins (or ends) in Franklin County and winds through Floyd, Carroll and Grayson Counties, to Abingdon and Bristol, and through the coalfields of far southwestern Virginia before ending at Breaks Interstate Park, on the Kentucky border. Venues along the road offer music and Appalachian culture all year long. Find out where to listen (or join in) at TheCrookedRoad.org. Virginia’s Blue Ridge offers something different every day, as the weather and
Little Stoney Creek, Peaks of Otter, Bedford County
seasons change. Immerse yourself in the region’s art and culture. Enjoy locally produced food and wine. Breathe in the fresh mountain air and make plans to return again and again. Anne Piedmont is a writer, research associate and community researcher based in Roanoke. She began her career as a newspaper reporter and has never lost the journalist’s curiosity and love of writing. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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MASSAGE & YOGA SCHOOL
Celebrating Sustainability in the Blue Ridge
A Life of Service
SOULFUL WORKOUTS Pumping Up Both Body and Spirit
DEEP-HEALING YOGA Release Trauma, Build Resilience
September 2013
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FAT FIGHT
Pets Need Diet and Exercise, Too |
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CELEBRATING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BLUE RIDGE
EVENTS TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE
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ravelers to the Blue Ridge region of Virginia can find an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities, including backpacking, camping, music, wine trails and dozens of festivals and fairs. This month, travelers may want to immerse themselves in events that celebrate the region’s abundant natural resources and meet the leaders who work to protect them for future generations of travelers to enjoy. In this month’s installment of Blue Ridge Green Travel, we explore three such events.
Get Outside Expo and Radical Reels Tour oanoke Outside’s annual Get Outside Expo and Radical Reels Tour will be held on September 11 at the Jefferson Center, in downtown Roanoke. The expo will be held from 5 to 6:15 p.m. and the Radical Reels Tour will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event is free with a donation of canned goods for Feeding America Southwest Virginia. Beer, wine and food will be available for purchase. The expo, located in the center’s Fitzpatrick Hall, will feature more than 30 exhibitors, including local outdoor and environmental groups, causes, organizations, outfitters, nonprofits, volunteer groups and businesses. “Guests can learn what it means to place land in a conservation easement, volunteer their time on the Appalachian Trail, meet a guide who will teach them to rock climb, help build a trail and shake hands with the technician that tunes their bikes,” says Pete Eshelman, organizer and director of outdoor branding for the Roanoke Regional Partnership. After the social hour, a series of action sport films will be shown in Shaftman Hall. National Geograhic’s Radical Reels Tour is a traveling film festival sponsored by The Banff Centre. Each year, filmmakers from around the world visit Banff, Canada, for the “Sundance” of outdoor films. The winning films then travel the world as the Radical Reels Tour. Visitors can expect to see 10 to 12 films of varying length throughout the two-hour viewing period. Cost: Free with canned food donation. Location: Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave., Roanoke. For more information, call 540-343-1550, ext. 104, email Pete@ Roanoke.org or visit RoanokeOutside.com/RadicalReels.
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© Dan Milner
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Blacksburg Celebrates Sustainability
Celebrating Conservation
elebrate Sustainability 2013 (formerly Sustainability Week) will be held September 18 through 20 at various locations in Blacksburg and on the Virginia Tech campus. Celebrate Sustainability is a “green partnership” between Student and community volunteers plant the Town of Blackstrees at Celebrate Sustainability 2012. burg, Virginia Tech and the local citizen’s group Sustainable Blacksburg. It seeks to highlight the work that the town and the university have done in advancing sustainability in the community and reducing the area’s environmental footprint. Events are intended to “Celebrate, Educate, Motivate,” showing local Blacksburg residents and VT students, faculty and staff what resources are available and how they can do their part. Celebrate Sustainability 2013 will begin on Wednesday morning, September 18, with an Active Commute Celebration on the Virginia Tech Drillfield, featuring information about alternative transportation in Blacksburg and a breakfast for bike and foot commuters. A tour of the Virginia Tech Horticulture Garden will be held at noon. It will be followed by an expo of local environmental nonprofits, student groups and businesses, held from 2 to 6 p.m. across the street from the Blacksburg Farmers’ Market. Friday, September 20, will feature the official unveiling of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification Plaque for Lavery Hall. LEED is a nationally recognized system for determining the sustainability of buildings. Senior university leadership will be present, and a tour of the building will follow the ceremony. Other events will include the annual tree-planting event, a presentation from the Catawba Sustainability Center, a tour of the solar Lumenhaus and a TED-style talk at the Lyric Theatre. For a schedule, maps and other information, visit Facilities.VT.Edu/Sustainability.
he Blue Ridge Land Conservancy will honor Mrs. Lucy Ellett, an environmental leader in the Roanoke Valley, with the A. Victor Thomas Stewardship Award at its annual Conservation Celebration. The event, which is open to the public, will be held at Braeloch, near Vinton, from 4 to 7 p.m. on September 22. Born and raised in Roanoke, Ellett has been called the “champion of Roanoke’s greenway trail system,” for which she strongly advocated while president of Valley Beautiful. Seeing the need for an organization to assist with the acquisition of rights-of-way and transfer of property for the greenways, she then helped found the Western Virginia Land Trust, which later became the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. As a member of the land conservancy’s board of trustees, Ellett helped the organization refocus its energy on protecting and preserving the rural and scenic landscapes that make the region special. Ellett’s hard work has paid off for citizens and visitors. More than 23 miles of greenways have been built in the valley to date. Additionally, the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy has permanently protected more than 16,000 acres of land and 34 miles of streams. Ellett continues to serve the community as a board member of the Richfield Retirement Community, Foundation for Roanoke Valley, local BB&T Bank and Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. She is also an active member of the Mill Mountain Garden Club and Second Presbyterian Church. The celebration will include a gourmet, local-foods dinner from Blue Ridge Catering, appetizers and beverages, as well as music from the Easy Pickin’s band and a silent auction. Cost: $55 per person before September 13; $65 thereafter. Free for children under 12. Location: Braeloch, 2392 Hammond Dr., Vinton. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 540-985-0000 or visit BlueRidgeLandConservancy.org/Celebration. See ad on page 31.
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SWVA Creative Economy Conference | Sept. 19-20 in Abingdon, VA
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HOW TO EASE
GLOBAL WARMING Cooling Strategies Can Make a Difference
Do A Little,
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ENERGY HEALING
Gains Acceptance in Mainstream Medicine
October 2013
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge Edition
GREEN TRAVEL Honoring the Blue Ridge
|
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HONORING AND PRESERVING the Beautiful Blue V Take Your Life to the Next Level!
Blue Ridge Potters Guild Show and Sale
Women’s Retreats
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May 16, 17, & 18, 2014 Ft. Lewis Lodge Hot Springs, VA
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge
irginia’s Blue Ridge is famous for its beautiful landscape, which has drawn nature lovers and inspired artists for generations. During the fall, Virginia’s brilliant colors attract more visitors than at any other time of the year. Appreciating, honoring and protecting this precious area is at the heart of our showcase events this month. Two art events—The “Nature Nurture” exhibit at The Jacksonville Center for the Arts and the annual Blue Ridge Potters Guild Show and Sale—feature photography, drawings, mixed-media works, and pottery, all inspired by our region and the people who live here. The Go Outside Festival celebrates our abundant natural resources and recreational opportunities. And the annual Green Living and Energy Expo educates us on how to preserve these resources and live more gently on the Earth, now and for years to come.
he 14th annual Blue Ridge Potters Guild Show and Sale will be held October 18 through 20 at Patrick Henry High School, in Roanoke. The event’s hours are 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. This year’s theme, “Clay, Fire and Art,” provides the inspiration for the guild’s potters to create unique pieces of work to enter in the juried gallery that is part of the show. The first show, held in 2000, had only a few potters participating; today there are approximately 70 potters who exhibit and sell their work. Over the years, the event has grown to include additional features as well as more potters, such as community outreach and demonstrations and a kids’ corner, where children can play with clay. Show attendance has grown to more than 3,000 visitors. Many guild potters have come to Roanoke from other cities, states and countries to make up a broad, eclectic group with diverse ideas and experiences. The variety of pottery on display and the demonstrations offered will reflect those varied backgrounds and experiences. Cost: Free admission. Location: Patrick Henry High School, 2102 Grandin Rd., Roanoke. For more information, visit BlueRidgePotters.com. See ad, page 24.
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Curated Exhibit Nature Nurture at Floyd’s Jacksonville Center
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he Jacksonville Center for the Arts, in Floyd, announces a curated exhibit, Nature Nurture: Reflections on the Land by Christine Carr, Genesis Chapman and Suzanne Stryk. The exhibit will run from October 12 through November 30, in the center’s Hayloft Gallery. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on October 12. The exhibit will feature three of Virginia’s renowned artists who look deeply at of nature through a careful investigation and documentation of the unique terrain of Roanoke, Bent Mountain and Bristol among other locales. During the opening reception, all three artists as well as guest curator Amy G. Moorefield, museum director and chief curator of the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University, will be in attendance. “Throughout the compelling work on view created by Virginia based artists, Nature Nurture will challenge our assumptions of the native environment, our interventions on it and its inhabitants,” Moorefield says. Carr is a Roanoke photographer whose pigment prints capture the relationship between humans and the natural environment. Bent Mountain native Chapman depicts the environment of creeks and streams in precise India-ink drawings. Stryk’s mixed media works create distinctive images of Southwest Virginia’s flora, fauna and landscapes. Location: The Jacksonville Center for the Arts, 220 Parkway Ln. S., Ste. 1A, Floyd. For more information, call 540-745-2784, email Info@ JacksonvilleCenter.org or visit JacksonvilleCenter.org.
Third Go Outside Festival Scheduled for October
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he annual Go Outside Festival, also known as GO Fest, will be held October 18 through 20, in Roanoke. The free event is held along the Roanoke River Greenway, near the River’s Edge Sports Complex on Wiley Drive. The three-day event highlights a variety of outdoor activities, including camping, biking, boating, races and geocaching. As the festival is situated along the Roanoke River Greenway, participants can try new bikes, shoes, kayaks and other outdoor supplies and equipment, as well as new activities. The 2012 festival showcased more than 50 outdoors-industry vendors, including Keen and Sierra Nevada, and more are expected this year. Attendance this year may top 10,000, say the festival organizers. “What’s unique about GO Fest is that it is not an ordinary sit-in-yourseat kind of event; it is designed to encourage participation and involvement,” says Pete Eshelman, director of outdoor branding for the Roanoke Regional Partnership. “Festival-goers walk around in the beautiful backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, touch and try out gear, sample food and drink, listen and dance to live music and have fun.” Admission and demonstrations are free. Food and beverage vendors will be on site throughout the weekend. The schedule also includes a film festival and music, the highlight of which is a performance by The Hackensaw Boys on Saturday night. “The Go Outside Festival is connecting outdoor enthusiasts to the things they love,” Eshelman says. Cost: Free. Location: Roanoke River Greenway, Wiley Dr., Roanoke. For more information, visit RoanokeGOFest.com or Facebook.com/ RoanokeOutside. See ad on page 16.
Free Fun at the Green Living and Energy Expo
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he 14th Annual Green Living and Energy Expo will be held at the Roanoke Civic Center on November 1 and 2. The event’s hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The expo will feature exhibits, speakers, demonstrations and family activities focused on energy conservation, renewable energy, green building and sustainable living. Admission to the event is free. New this year is an expanded Youth Area, featuring Mill Mountain Zoo, Clean Valley Council and the Science Museum of Western Virginia. The zoo will bring live animals to the event and give brief programs about the importance of animal habitats. Clean Valley Council will have an enviroscape and a hydro-powered toy car, as well as model solar homes and a recycling game. There will also be designated story times with readings of The Lorax and other children’s books In addition, the expo will feature a new series of “how to” workshops to help homeowners and renters save energy and money. Topics will include weather-stripping doors and windows, water heater installation and maintenance, use of lighting, thermostat and low flow mechanisms and attic-hatch sealing. Dozens of green-living vendors will be on hand to answer questions and provide samples and demonstrations of products and services. Organizer Billy Weitzenfeld says, “The Green Living and Energy Expo encourages people to ‘take action’ and provides the necessary tools to help make it happen.” Cost: Free. Location: Roanoke Civic Center, 710 Williamson Rd. NE, Roanoke. For more information, contact Billy Weitzenfeld at 540-745-2838 or aecp@swva. net. For workshop schedules and topics, visit AECPES.org. See ad page xxx.
natural awakenings
October 2013
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Thanksgiving Natural and Local
CLEAN AND EARTH-FRIENDLY FAST LIVING ENLIGHTENMENT GREEN Green Shopping and Local Eco Efforts Pay Off
Holiday Crafts
Personal Growth Tools Abound
November 2013 | Virginia’s Blue Ridge Edition | NABlueRidge.com
never glossy, always green
Coming Next Month
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AWAKENING
HUMANITY Revolutionize Your World
Thanksgiving:
Natural and Local by Anne Piedmont
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hanksgiving, that quintessential American holiday, is just around the corner. This year, why not take a page out of the Pilgrims’ book and go natural and local? The Pilgrims and other early settlers did not have a choice. Their meals were all-natural and, by necessity, locally sourced. Since residents of Virginia’s Blue Ridge region are surrounded by nature’s bounty, creating a natural and local feast from wine to dessert should be as easy as pie. Start with the wine. There are 230 wineries in Virginia, many of which produce award-winning wines, says Adam Markham, beverage manager at Tinnell’s Finer Foods, in Roanoke. Markham stocks 80 Virginia wines, one of the largest selections in the area. Tinnell’s also offers products of three Virginia cideries: Castle Hill (Keswick), Foggy Ridge (Carroll County) and Bold Rock (Nellysford). “Cider is one of the best beverages to go with a Thanksgiving dinner,” Markham says.
Beyond that, some of his favorites are a dry Petit Manseng from Chester Gap Cellars, near Front Royal; a Pinot Gris from White Hall Vineyards, near Charlottesville; and a Cabernet Franc from Rockbridge Vineyard. He calls Cabernet Franc “one of Virginia’s most successful wines.” For sparkling wines, he likes the Mousseux Extra Dry from Veritas Vineyard and Winery, in Afton, and Virginia Fizz from Thibaut-Janisson, in Charlottesville, which, Markham says, is made from 100-percent Chardonnay grapes. And, speaking of Chardonnay, Markham suggests both the Leesburg-based Tarara Winery’s “almost un-oaked” Chardonnay or Veritas’ Harlequin, which is oaked. Markham is also fond of Virginia beer for Thanksgiving. His favorites are Starr Hill’s Boxcar Pumpkin Porter and Parkway Brewing’s Raven’s Roost Baltic Porter and Bridge Builder Blonde. Starr Hill is located in Crozet, and Parkway Brewing is in Salem.
HONORING AND PRESERVING
For more information about advertising and how you can participate, call
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge
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Thanksgiving goods at S&W Market
with the December issue of Natural Awakenings
Tinnell’s Finer Foods carries Virginia wines
Many families in the Blue Ridge area will serve dinners with food they grew, raised or hunted themselves. The rest of us will have to buy and cook our meals. Two local markets, which emphasize local and natural food, offer both complete meals and all the ingredients to make your own. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op will offer complete Thanksgiving meals per person. John Bryant, marketing coordinator, says the meals will be traditional. In the past, the co-op has tried complicated, more exotic meals, but finds that customers prefer basic dishes this time of year. The meals will feature turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables and cranberry sauce. The co-op also will offer a variety of pies (some gluten-free), coffee cakes and breads. For those who like to make the meal themselves, there will be fresh, organic turkeys from J and L Green Farm, in Edinburg. Bryant says there will only be 150, so it’s important to order early. Frozen organic turkeys also will be available. Bryant explains that the benefits of organic turkeys come from the way they are raised and what they eat. “They taste better and they’re more nutritious,” he says.
The co-op also owns and operates Heritage Point Farm in Roanoke, which supplies a variety of the store’s organic vegetables, including squash and potatoes, as well as eggs. The co-op also sells local wines, beers and cheese. For a final touch, shoppers can pick up some gourds to decorate their tables. The coop’s gourds come from Good Food-Good People, a Floyd County organization that
provides locally grown and produced food to retail and wholesale buyers in southwest Virginia. Downtown Roanoke’s S&W Market, located where longtime Roanokers remember the S&W Cafeteria, will sell take-out turkey dinners for four, says general manager Clare Humphrys. This will be the market’s second holiday season, and the meals are offered in response to customer inquiries. The meals will include turkey, stuffing, vegetables, sweet potatoes, bread and pie. Cooks also can order all of the ingredients separately. S&W Market caters largely to downtown residents and workers. It sells groceries that are organic and all-natural, and local products whenever possible, says Humphrys. It also offers local wines and cheeses, as well as brines and spices. Humphrys says the store will be open the day before Thanksgiving, so downtown residents can stop by to pick up their Thanksgiving dinners on the way home. And isn’t that just what the Pilgrims would have done if they could? Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge
he holidays are upon us, and that can mean travel and lodging, for guests visiting from afar, sanity-restoring weekend getaways and overnight fun for the whole family. While early December might be too late for your preferred spot, last-minute deals and opportunities still exist. (And if they don’t, consider this the beginning of your 2014 holiday plans.) When planning holiday travel, don’t forget to keep the “green” in the traditional red and green. It doesn’t have to mean sacrificing luxury and comfort. Look for inns and hotels that value the planet and the community as well as the visitors. Roanoke’s Black Lantern Inn, which welcomed its first guests in 2009, is the embodiment of a philosophy that
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wastes nothing. Innkeepers Ron Chuman and Claire D’Alessandro bought a run-down house in the historic Old Southwest neighborhood in 2005 and spent four years rehabilitating and restoring it. They salvaged as much of the original structure as possible, Chuman says, but also added new features such as double-paned windows, insulation and high-efficiency appliances. The back patio is made from bricks salvaged from the chimney. Energy-efficient lighting is used both indoors and out. Guests are asked to recycle, and to use their sheets more than once to save water and energy. Chuman and D’Alessandro didn’t set out to open a bed and breakfast when they bought the nearly
100-year-old house. D’Alessandro eventually suggested it because she wanted to provide another nice place for people to stay in Roanoke. Her idea caught on: occupancy is up 30 percent from last year, Chuman says, and the inn is fully booked through Christmas. Last-minute travelers might have better luck finding a vacancy at Hotel Roanoke. Michael Quonce, the hotel’s public relations and advertising manager, says that December and January often have vacancies and some deals. The hotel even offers holiday packages that include breakfast and coupons for downtown Roanoke and Valley View Mall. Roanoke’s iconic hotel has been a Virginia Green Hotel and has been since 2005, one of the first in Virginia, says Quonce. The hotel has an in-house Green Committee that has established green initiatives for its dining room (the Regency Room), meeting rooms and guest rooms. Guests will notice optional laundry service, optional free newspapers, low-flow fixtures and reusable mugs and glasses. An herb garden was added this year as well. Quonce says that hotel management listens to guests’ feedback. “It helps us see where we can be better,” he explains. Another of the region’s well-loved hotels, Bedford County’s Peaks of Otter Lodge, is also committed to green practices. General Manger Robert Peters says the lodge is a Green Leaf Property through its parent company, Delaware North. The lodge, which sits on Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter, reopened this fall under new management. It has closed for the season on December 1 but will reopen in April. In April, guests will see a new shuttle bus, powered by propane or natural gas, says Peters. By this time next year, the lodge will have in place a program to recycle all food waste. Current initiatives include rooms with shower timers and recycling bins. The restaurant recycles its cooking oil as well. No discussion of green travel would be complete without a trip to Floyd County. Two Virginia Green Properties there, Bella La Vita Inn and Hotel Floyd, may still have vacancies for the holidays. And both tout their
green practices. Lisal and Matthew Roberts opened Bella La Vita Inn in 2011 in a geothermally built 2001 building. Other features include passive solar, no central heating or air conditioning (though window units are available), radiant hot-water floor heat and a Jotel wood stove that heats the whole house. Lisal Roberts noted that if they cut down a tree for heat, the replant another one in its place. In the four guest rooms, they use refillable containers of biodegradable soap and shampoo, and encourage guests to use sheets and towels more than once. In the dining room, they use cloth napkins and feature local and organic eggs and other food, when possible, and local roasted coffee on the menu. Lisal Roberts previously had been in the business as an “inn sitter.” She says she and Matthew wanted to move to Floyd, and opening an inn was an obvious choice. “We took a risk in a bad economy, and we’re flourishing,” she says. “Every day is a delight.” Also flourishing is Hotel Floyd, built of green design in 2007. It has 16 rooms (two of which are pet-friendly) and is adding 24 more rooms and a conference area, says General Man-
ager Derek Wall. His family owns the hotel and has lived in Floyd for many years. Hotel Floyd is “as green as a hotel can be,” he says. The original section features geothermal heating, low-flow fixtures and low-VOC paint. The two pet-friendly rooms were built with passive house design. “It is almost off the grid,” says Wall. The new section, which will open in the spring, will include solar power and solar thermal heating, and all-LED lighting. Wall is a big cheerleader for Floyd County. “It’s a growing destination,” he adds. “We want to be green, sustainable and enjoyable.” For more information on the locations above, visit BlackLanternInn. com, HotelRoanoke.com, PeaksOfOtter.com, BellaLaVitaInn.com and HotelFloyd.com. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
The Peaks of Otter lodge reopens in April
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December 2013
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Paths to Wellness Finding the Right Support
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VIRGINIA GREEN Travel Conference By Anne Piedmont
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om Griffin is excited about the future of green travel in Virginia. Griffin is Virginia’s Green Program Coordinator and his mission is to make Virginia a “Green Travel Destination.” The Virginia Green program is run through a partnership of the Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association. The program encourages green practices in Virginia’s tourism industry
and promotes green lodging, restaurants, wineries, events, attractions and meetings. Griffin says the program has about 1,400 partner organizations that have self-certified their green commitments. It’s his job to work with them and make them aware of steps they can take to become greener. “We start where they are and help them get better,” he says. Griffin looks for a full commitment by the green partners to such programs
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as recycling and water resource management. And now that he has that commitment from the 1,400 partners, he and his agency are ready to start marketing the advantages of green travel to consumers. The Virginia Green Travel section of the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s website offers features and tips to help families and individuals plan their green vacations, says Griffin. He admits that the concept of green travel is relatively new, but growing. And it’s a new marketing avenue for facilities and companies. He said they work so hard to be green, but then forget to tell people about it. He frequently needs to remind the participants to include the Green Virginia logo in their marketing materials. Look for a new marketing push in 2014, he says: “We’re revving up the marketing.” Part of that effort was on display in December at the first Virginia Green Conference and Travel Star Awards Celebration, held in Virginia Beach. It was an opportunity for those involved in green travel to learn, network and celebrate. The conference featured technical workshops on topics such as: recycling and composting; energy efficiency; solar and tax credits; marketing Virginia Green to consumers; green conferences and festivals; and green suppliers and products. Participants even had an opportunity to take part in a creek cleanup at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, where the conference was held. The Virginia Green program presented 14 Virginia Green Travel Star Awards for outstanding green tourism practices. Oak Grove Plantation Bed and Breakfast, located in Cluster Springs, near South Boston, was honored as the
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Green Bed and Breakfast of the Year. Seven partners also were recognized as Virginia Green Travel Leaders. Among those honored as leaders were the Roanoke Civic Center, the Inn at Riverbend, a bed and breakfast located on the New River in Pearisburg, and The Collins House Inn, a bed and breakfast in Marion.
Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau
The 2013 Virginia Green Travel Star Award winners are:
Green Attraction of the Year
Green Projects of the Year
Virginia Living Museum, Newport News Virginia Commonwealth University 810 Market, Richmond
Green Winery of the Year
North Gate Vineyard, Purcellville Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, Virginia Beach
Green Campground of the Year
Green Events of the Year
Williamsburg KOA The Virginia Green Travel Leaders are: Adventure Kayak Tours, Chesapeake Panache Catering Company, Middletown Roanoke Civic Center The Inn at Riverbend, Pearisburg The Collins House Inn, Marion Holiday Inn Express and Suites, Warrenton Sandbridge Realty More information about Virginia Green is available on the Department of Environmental Quality website, deq. Virginia.gov/Programs/PollutionPrevention/VirginiaGreen. aspx. Marketing information about the Virginia Green partners is available through the Virginia Tourism Corporation at VirginiaGreenTravel.org. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
Kingsmill Championship, Williamsburg ASAE Foundation Springtime Golf and Tennis Invitational at Lansdowne Resort
Green Restaurant of the Year Maple Avenue Restaurant, Vienna
Green Hotels of the Year
Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Richmond The Westin Richmond
Green Bed and Breakfast of the Year
Oak Grove Plantation Bed and Breakfast, Cluster Springs (near South Boston)
Supporting Organization of the Year Sandbridge Blue Realty Services Green Supplier of the Year RD Fresh, Newport News
Green Conference Center of the Year
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blueridgegreentravel Take the High Road
eco-travel How to make a difference on your trip
BY LINDA SECHRIST
W
hether we call it green travel, eco-travel or eco-tourism, the experience of traveling with a social or environmental conscience offers us limitless opportunities for meaningful life experiences and personal growth. It’s also a growing trend. Recently, the American Hotel & Lodging Association identified 43 million “environmentally minded domestic travelers” who sought significant cultural interchange and new ways to help the planet while traveling. The opportunities are as varied as the people who seek them. We can elect to color our travel green via geo-tourism, responsible tourism, sustainable tourism or community-based tourism. We can even choose to take a trip as a traveling philanthropist or goodwill ambassador.
Travel on Purpose
In The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred, author Phil Cousineau reveals the rewards awaiting those who travel “with a sense of purpose.” In his book, more than 100 vignettes from Cousineau’s lifetime of pilgrimage show how simple acts of intention and attention can “transform even a sleepwalking trip into a soulful journey.” Cousineau says that physical, emotional and spiritual rewards come when we practice even a few principles of “re-
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sponsible stewardship.” Conscious travelers get a visceral kick out of patronizing businesses that conserve resources, shun overdevelopment, and apply limits and management techniques designed to sustain natural habitats, heritage sites, local culture and scenic appeal. Such an approach goes well beyond nature travel. It seeks to add to the well being of both residents and visitors. Geo-tourism in particular seeks to sustain and enhance a unique “sense of place”—the mix of unspoken character, environment, culture, aesthetics and heritage that distinguish a location. A Nigerian folk-saying holds that “The day on which one starts out is not the time to start one’s preparations.” Cognoscenti agree that taking the time to learn about a destination before embarking makes the journey more memorable. Being open to unexpected delights on the journey is another way to get the most out of our travels. In the words of 20th century American poet Muriel Rukeyser, “The Universe is made of stories, not atoms.” Rukeyser understands that we often build our liveliest memories from golden nuggets of conversational pleasantries, offbeat remarks and casual exchanges with those we meet on our trips.
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Expansive Horizons
The form of eco-tourism dubbed community-based tourism is the fairly recent brain-child of ResponsibleTravel.com and Conservation International. These journeys afford travelers meaty opportunities to interact with the community life of remote tribes and villages. Both visitors and locals can benefit from an experience that helps to break down perceived boundaries between peoples, cultures and lifestyles. These community-centric programs also spark and help fund local employment, education, earth-friendly development, and conservation initiatives. Conservation International currently works in more than 40 countries, helping indigenous peoples to establish economically viable practices that are less harmful to their natural environment. As an online travel agent, ResponsibleTravel.com offers holidays that are designed to benefit local people and their environment. “The market for more responsible holidays is growing quickly,” observes Justin Francis of ResponsibleTravel.com. “Our business has doubled in each of the past three years.” Eco-wise travelers understand that taking trains, buses and bicycles instead of cars and planes can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Statistics show that air travel alone contributes as much as five percent of total global emissions. Even a typical domestic flight releases 1,700 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per passenger into the atmosphere. Something as simple as taking public transportation to and from airports, at home and abroad, can help to cut the load. Today, more travelers also are purchasing carbon offsets through organizations like Climate Care, which direct offset fees into renewable energy projects aimed to neutralize, or offset, traveler’s current use of polluting fossil fuel. For example, a cross country domestic roundtrip flight from Miami to Los Angeles carries a $15 carbon offset fee. Voluntarily paying this helps the planet and enables us to travel guiltfree. Once we know what to look for, we discover many ways to make our travel less hurtful and more helpful.
Be Aware
If eco-travel appeals to you, it helps to be savvy about potential misuse of the term, and misleading marketing. “Much of what’s touted as eco, sustainable or responsible travel is no more than spruced up conventional tourism with a public relations spin,” says Claire Hendrie, customer services manager for Green Globe Asia Pacific and Green Globe International. “It helps to read the small print, do your homework, ask questions, and look for certification and approval seals from recognizable organizations such as Green Globe.” The trend toward spending travel dollars consciously is catching on in many countries. In its recent report on travel trends in the UK, ResponsibleTravel.com reports that where there is an “ethical alternative,” demand for responsible travel can zoom ahead of conventional avenues by as much as 500 percent. Vacation planners worldwide are waking up to the fact that patronizing hotels and airlines with an environmental agenda is casting a vote for change. Travelers have it in their power to revolutionize the industry by using “green” hotels that implement water- and energy- saving measures and reduce solid waste. Additionally, guests can tell the housekeeping staff that changing towels and sheets daily is unnecessary. Turning off the lights, TV, and air conditioners in a room when exiting also conserves energy, as does leaving behind unopened bottles of amenities, or taking opened bottles home to finish off and recycle. When it comes to purchasing vacations, we can effect social change by choosing travel and tour companies that practice the most recent form of ethical travel, known as travelers’ philanthropy. Here, travel businesses pledge a percent of profits and/or goods and services to support local schools, health clinics and orphanages in host countries.
Restful Alternatives
If, like Dorothy from Kansas, you believe that “there’s no place like home,” you may find that the best vacation is the one spent leisurely around the house, or exploring neighborhood delights. Ignoring the “to do” list and striking out for nearby destinations
and local attractions can be both energizing and surprisingly nurturing. Costs are often reasonable, and there’s no re-entry jetlag or recuperating from different time zones before heading back to work. Sometimes, a quick getaway for a weekend’s respite can be more refreshing than a vacation far from home. Opting for the low-impact lodging of a green spa, or an area bed and breakfast that adheres to the best practices of green travel, can be elegant, ethical fun.
Of course, regardless of where or how often we choose to travel, true eco-tourism always begins at home.
Eco-wise travelers understand that taking trains, buses and bicycles instead of cars and planes can reduce greenhouse emissions and global warming. Before dashing off to any adventure, we can remember to lower the AC/heat and hot water thermostats, unplug appliances, and turn off the icemaker. Upon arriving at our destination, the first rule of responsible travel continues to apply: “Take only pictures and leave only footprints.” Along the way we discover the larger picture of our place in the world, and gain respect for those with whom we share it. And we can change our behavior as tourists, so that we leave with new awareness, fond memories, a clear conscience, and appreciation for the words of writer Aldous Huxley, who said, “I wanted to change the world, but I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.” Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings.
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EATING LOCAL by Anne Piedmont
G
ood things happen when you eat local. You’re eating fresher food, supporting the local economy and helping the environment. The “locavore” movement has taken hold in the Blue Ridge region, from farmers’ markets to restaurants to many of us growing our own food. Local Roots restaurant, in Roanoke’s Grandin Village, is a perfect embodiment of the movement, even including “local” in its name. “We believe in what we’re doing on a cellular level,” says owner Diane Elliot. She bought the restaurant from her son, Reeves, and opened it in its present location in August 2010. Her commitment to local sustainability even extends to the tables and bar, made by Floyd’s Phoenix Hardwoods, a company that makes furniture from fallen trees. Elliot sums up the Local Roots philosophy as “SOLE: sustainable, organic, local and ethical”--and, she adds, “delicious.” The menu changes with the season and features only what is currently growing in the area. In other words, you won’t find a sliced tomato on your plate in January. Elliot notes that they do can and pickle local produce in the summer, so it may make a winter appearance in soups or sauces. While she won’t put a distance on “local,” Elliot sources her foods from the restaurant’s own garden and from farmers in Bedford, Floyd, Roanoke and Montgomery counties, as well as suppliers such as Good Food Good People in Floyd. She even ventures out of the local region to Prince Edward Island for mussels that she knows are gathered sustainably from pristine waters. She believes it is important to have a relationship with her sources. “It’s really a community, from suppliers and farmers to our guests,” she says. At Natasha’s Market Café, in Floyd, Natasha Shishkevish has been serving “upscale comfort food” for five years. Her goal is to “get people back to eating real food.” To do that, she sources food that’s healthy, in season and local.
Strawberry mojito made with local strawberries at Local Roots last spring. Note the table made from fallen trees by Phoenix Hardwoods.
She is committed to giving back to the community by buying as much as possible in Floyd County. If she can’t find what she wants there, she’ll look farther out. In the summer, she often doesn’t have to even go out and look for produce. “We’re small enough that local farmers will be back-door suppliers,” she says. They often bring extra food from their gardens or from the local farmers’ market. Firefly Fare was designed for its space in the Roanoke City Market Building, and opened with the newly renovated market building in October 2011. Owner Chris Parkhurst says his challenge was to bring healthy food to a quick-service environment. “The name of the restaurant is a playful nod to that as well as a reminder of fresh summer produce,” he says. He tries to buy the freshest, highest-quality ingredients and then “present them honestly on the plate.” He lets his family grown ingredients speak for themselves. Parkhurst serves locally sourced food because it is better and fresher, and also because buying local helps keep the local economy strong and “preserves green space” by supporting local farms. His commitment to sustainability extends beyond his suppliers to the restaurant itself. He promotes environmental stewardship through composting and recycling. “In the United States, 50 percent of the food produced in
restaurants goes into the trash,” Parkhurst says. While not a fully locally sourced restaurant, Salem’s Veggies To Go is dedicated to bringing healthy food to its customers. Owner Jeff Snyder describes it as an alternative to fast food. “We’re quick, but we’re not fast food,” he says, a combination that makes it possible to be “the only restaurant in the Roanoke area where you can get collard greens at the drive-thru.” Besides vegetarian and vegan meals, as the name suggests, Veggies To Go also sells meat dishes such as pork and chicken. All year long, the food is made from scratch daily, and the vegetables are local when they are in season. Snyder’s goal is to “offer serious healthier food choices.” A real estate agent as well, Snyder returned to the restaurant business where he had spent 21 years earlier. He started Veggies To Go two years ago with a colleague who always wanted to open a restaurant. “It’s a lot of fun,” he says. “I enjoy cooking for people. People make the business fun.” For diners who enjoy the experience of eating local, there are plenty of choices, offering local food and serving opportunities to improve the community as a side dish. For more information on the locations above, visit LocalRootsRestaurant.com, NatashasMarketCafe.com, FireflyFare.com and Veggies To Go, Inc., on Facebook. See Local Roots ad on page 20 and Community Resource Directory, page 29. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com. Kahlua mousse brownie at Natasha’s Market Café.
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GREEN WINERIES by Anne Piedmont
The West Wind Winery building features a lot of windows and passive heating.
R
ed wine? White wine? “Green wine?”
That’s your choice in Virginia now, thanks to the Virginia Green Wineries program. The program is part of the Virginia Green program, a partnership of the Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association. The Virginia Green Wineries program encourages green practices in Virginia’s tourism industry, of which wineries are an important part. All attractions bearing the Virginia Green logo have self-certified their green commitments, says Tom Griffin, the Virginia Green program coordinator.
At the very least, a winery must verify that they: •
Recycle and reduce wastes
•
Minimize the use of disposable food service products by using products that are made from biobased or renewable resources
•
Minimize of the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers, and have a plan to minimize the use of chemical treatments
•
Use water efficiently
•
Practice energy efficiency
The green travel effort is a fairly new one, and Griffin’s program has so far attracted 18 wineries out of Virginia’s 248. “Our goal is to get more wineries into
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the program,” he says, but notes that a barrier for some wineries is the need to use chemicals in this climate. That’s where Griffin will work with them to find a “practical point.” The use of pesticides and fungicides is rarely an issue for Paul Hric of West Wind Farm Vineyard and Winery, in Max Meadows. A former nursery owner and long-time beekeeper, Hric keeps his chemical use to a minimum. “My bees are right where the vineyards are; it makes me avoid pesticides,” he says. “And if I do, I use the most insect-friendly.” He also restricts the amount of fungicides he uses, spraying only when he has to. The result? “I have very few fungus problems and virtually no pests,” he says. Hric and his wife, Brenda, bought the farm from her uncle’s estate and planted the first vines in 2003. Hric says he had always wanted to run a winery. The two built their winery building in 2006 and served the first wines from the 2005 grapes. Some of their green efforts include passive heating and the use of many windows. The winery also composts waste products during the harvest and puts it back into the vineyard. Like the Hrics, Brad and Drema Sylvester had always wanted to open a winery. They planted the first vines at Bedford County’s White Rock Vineyards and Winery in 2000 and opened the tasting room five years later. Sylvester says his family is from Italy and “this was something we decided to do.” “We’re farmers, stewards of the land,” he says. “We’re dependent on the environment, so we want to make sure we get from it what we give.” That includes making sure the silt fences stay up, that every possible thing is
recycled and that electricity use is closely monitored. They also make sure guests understand that the winery is green. White Rock is one of two green wineries in Bedford County. The other is Peaks of Otter Winery. It was the 50th in Virginia to be licensed in 1995 and was the state’s first all-fruit winery. Danny Johnson says his family decided to start making wines as a way to get more people onto the farm to buy fruit. Like the Sylvesters, Johnson says they try to be good stewards of the land. “When I’m gone, I hope this land will be better than I found it,” Johnson says. He was born on the farm and he and his wife, Nancy, have lived on it for 54 years. Johnson says they believe in recycling everything. They find reuses for the shipping pallets and feed the waste from wine making to the farm animals. “They go after it like a kid after candy!” Johnson says. The many corks and the bottles the winery generates go to crafts people for a variety of projects and products. “We try to do everything we can,” Johnson explains. Rik and Melissa Obiso, of Attimo Winery, in Christiansburg, fell in love
The owners of White Rock Vineyard and Winery view themselves as “stewards of the land.”
with the area when they attended Virginia Tech. Both have farming backgrounds from growing up in Sussex County, New Jersey. They have always enjoyed entertaining, says Melissa. She adds that Rik, who holds a doctorate in anaerobic microbiology and chemistry, “has been fermenting things for years and years” and making wine for friends and family. So the couple made plans to own a winery and moved back to Montgomery County. Obiso says they use green chemicals unless absolutely necessary. She acknowledges that there is a practicality
to chemical use, if the other choice is losing everything they’ve worked for. They also have bees on the property to help with pollination. They use a natural soap product that can be sprayed on vines if they find pests. Their entire winery building was built green, using recycled insulation and natural lighting. Obiso says it is a passive solar building, but is set up so they can add active solar equipment at some point. They compost the grapes and vines and add them back to the land. They belong to a program that takes used corks and processes them into other products, such as shoes and boards. Like other green wineries in the area, Melissa says, “We tread very lightly on the land.” For more information on the locations above, visit WestWindWine. com, WhiteRockWines.com, PeaksOfOtterWinery.com, AttimoWinery.com, Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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Music Venues by Anne Piedmont
The Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount was originally an International Harvester dealership
I
f you can’t find live music in the Blue Ridge region, you’re not looking—or listening—very hard. Our hills are alive with it. Many restaurants offer music several nights a week, and local wineries feature concerts throughout the warm weather months. Floyd County’s Chateau Morrisette, for example, offers a concert series monthly from July through October. The winery’s “Sunday Sounds” in the courtyard from June through October brings in local and regional musicians and entertainers while listeners enjoy picnic fare. The Botetourt Wine Trail offers a Summer Concert Series with events in May, June and August. Music is part of the experience at Draper Mercantile and Trading Company, in the Pulaski County community of Draper. The Mercantile has been a part of the community for more than 125 years, most recently as a furniture store, clock shop and antiques venue for 20 years, before closing in 2007. The vision of Bill and Debbie Gardner brought it back to life as much more. The Gardners already owned the New River Retreat, 34 vacation homes within about half an hour of the Mercantile, and were looking for ways to bring in more tourists. “We wanted to represent Southwest Virginia as best we can,” says Debbie Gardner, which means the location includes music, food, art and the outdoors. As she’s gotten to know
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the history of the Mercantile, she’s become aware of what it means to the community and the responsibility the Gardners have to maintain its integrity. “We renovated it and created a platform,” she says. “The people here have made it special.” It’s not just the local folks who enjoy the Mercantile. Gardner estimates that people routinely travel about an hour, depending upon the musical act. A recent appearance by Elvis (actually Stephen Freeman, a wellknown Elvis tribute artist) brought fans from as far away as Florida and Tennessee. The Gardners’ first act several years ago was a sold-out concert by bluegrass legend Wayne Henderson. Gardner likes to have a variety of music genres and often ties the music to the food at the Blue Door Café, the Mercantile’s upscale restaurant. Wind Down Fridays offer jazzy music during dinner. On the fourth Friday, Blues Night, rhythm and blues begins around 8 p.m. Sunday brunch features acoustical sounds. Gardner pairs the food with the music of the concerts, such as bluegrass with barbeque. Music was the spark that started a renaissance in Rocky Mount. The Franklin County town is the start (or end, depending on your perspective) of the Crooked Road, Virginia’s Music Heritage Trail, and it did not have a music venue, says Matt Hankins,
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assistant town manager and community development director. He says the town had been working for years to open some sort of venue when a building, now called the Harvester Performance Center, became available. Originally built in the 1940s as a hardware store and International Harvester dealer, it had been turned into a multi-tenant facility in the 1990s. Raymond Loewy, the iconic designer, worked for International Harvester in the 1930s, including creating a standard prototype for dealerships. It’s that connection, Hankins says, that allowed the town to use historic property tax credits for the renovation. Loewy’s influence can be seen in the building’s tongue-and-groove, knotty pine ceiling, a feature that once had been covered over. The Franklin Street building features 8,000 square feet both upstairs and downstairs, which allows for simultaneous events. The town hired Hill Studios, a Roanoke-based architecture firm, to do preliminary drawings. Construction started in June 2013, and the Harvester Performance Center recently held its first concert. The town hired Gary Jackson as the venue manager. He brings 40 years’ experience to the job, including his work at Roanoke’s Kirk Avenue Music Hall, where he handles the sound and books the acts. Jackson’s contacts also helped him find a buyer for The Grove, a historic home near the Harvester, which is being converted to a bed and breakfast. A former pizza place across the street will reopen soon as The Bootleggers’ Café. “It really is a case of ‘If you build it, they will come,’” says Hankins, who has seen a spike in economic development activity over the past six months. He and Jackson estimate that the Harvester will bring between 25,000 and 50,000 people to Rocky Mount, 80 percent of whom may live outside Franklin County. “That’s new money,” Hankins says. “They’ll be coming for the music, where they would have had no other reason to come to town.” Some of those reasons include acts such as The Indigo Girls, Jerry Douglas Band, Carolina Chocolate Drops and Rodney Crowell.
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Jackson has been involved with the Harvester from the beginning, hired by Hill Studio as a consultant during the design work. “I fell in love with the idea of running the venue,” he says. “This is a dream come true for me. I’ve taken all the best of everything I’ve learned and put it into the Harvester.” Lexington’s Lime Kiln Theater is experiencing a renaissance as well. The performance venue, built in an abandoned lime quarry and kiln, had offered outdoor entertainment from the summer of 1967 until it closed in 2012. This season it will be back, with a full schedule of entertainment, says director Spencer McElroy. He was approached by the venue’s owner, Rusty Ford, and asked to bring the theater back to life. McElroy plays guitar and drums himself, and with college friends produced the Elysian Field Music Festival near Winchester for four years. Now, thanks to his music contacts and knowledge, an energized board and his construction skills, the Lime Kiln is ready to welcome audiences starting this month, starting with The Infamous Stringdusters on May 17. “I’m glad that the Lime Kiln is coming back,” McElroy says. “I’ve been attending shows at there since I was 8 years old.” For more information on the locations above, visit TheDogs.com, BotetourtWineTrail.com, DraperMerc. com, Harvester-Music.com and LimeKilnTheater.org. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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June 2014 | Virginia’s Blue Ridge Edition | NABlueRidge.com
blueridgegreentravel The Botetourt Farmers’ Market is open Saturday mornings at Daleville Town Center.
FARMERS’ MARKETS by Anne Piedmont
I
t’s spring, and that means farmers’ markets are popping up around the area like new green shoots in the fields. Perhaps the best known is Roanoke’s Historic City Market, located in the heart of downtown Roanoke and open all year long. But there are other markets in neighborhoods throughout the city and county, including the Grandin Village and West End Community Markets, Lick Run Market and Greenbrier Market, and in communities around the Blue Ridge Region, such as Bedford, Blacksburg, Catawba, Covington, Floyd, Salem, Shawsville, Troutville, Vinton and Wytheville. Each one is unique and worth the trip. The Botetourt Farmers’ Market is revamped and ready for the season. This is its second year at Daleville Town Center (off U.S. 220). Board President Dayna Patrick says the market is in a new, easy-tofind location, with 22 vendors. The market is open Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, from May through mid-October. The original Botetourt Family Farmers’ Market was located at Ikenberry Orchards and, later, a second group split off and set up shop in the Town of Troutville. The two groups came back together last year and landed at the Daleville Town Center. Patrick says the new, energized group has been working since last fall to prepare for this season. The vendors all are producers, so
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they can answer questions about their products. Visitors will find produce, plants, eggs, beef, breads, arts and crafts and wine from Blue Ridge Vineyards. Patrick says they also will be supporting a different local nonprofit each week, such as 4-H and a beekeepers’ group. Additionally, the market is a drop-off location for the Botetourt Food Pantry. “It’s been very well attended,” Patrick says. The Pulaski Market Place also is in its second year. Peggy White, market manager, says the Town of Pulaski asked the Pulaski Chamber of Commerce last year to revamp the old farmers’ market. The old market was more like a flea market, she explains, and inconvenient for local producers who wanted to participate in other markets on Saturday. They chose a weeknight so that growers and vendors could continue at the markets they attend and still support Pulaski. The Market Place is open Tuesday, 4 to 8 p.m., from May 20 through October 16, at the Historic Train Station. “It’s become an event place Tuesday nights,” White says. Also, vendors reported making four times what they had at the old farmers’ market, she adds. As the Chamber of Commerce discussed what form the Market Place would take, they studied other markets and looked at what the community wanted. They ended up with a “complete experience,” says White. Local chefs prepare meals according to the season.
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Area restaurants participate as vendors and musicians provide live music. There are wine and beer tastings, thanks to West Wind Winery, Barrel Cave Wines (a local gourmet store) and Virginia Eagle Distributing. And there is local produce. White says the market has become so popular with producers that the spaces under the train station have sold out and vendors are bringing their own tents. The Lexington Farmers’ Market is well-established. It is open Wednesday, 8 a.m. to noon, from the third week in April to the day before Thanksgiving. Like the Botetourt market, it is a producer market, with vendors selling what they grow or make. The market sets up in the parking lot on Jefferson Street behind the Southern Inn (McCrum’s Parking Lot), and features occasional live music in a social atmosphere. “But visitors are there to buy produce,” says manager Mitch Wapner, who is one of the 18 vendors himself. He sells honey, herbal tea, vegetables, jams and seedlings. He also makes pies with seasonal produce. Other vendors, all of whom come from within a 50-mile radius, sell produce, eggs, dairy products, breads and desserts. Wapner also is one of 12 vendors at the Rockbridge Farmers’ Market, open Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Virginia Horse Center. Like the Lexington and Botetourt venues, it is a producer market, but it features more crafts. When Wapner isn’t selling at a farmers’ market, he is the manager of the Rockbridge Farmers’ Alliance, a community-supported agriculture organization, or CSA. “I think it’s the future,” Wapner says. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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CAMPING WITH KIDS
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Family-Friendly CAMPGROUNDS by Anne Piedmont
Fishing in Goose Creek is a favorite activity at Camp Karma
I
t’s summer, and a good time to head out to the country with family and friends. Camping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and loved ones, without paying for an expensive resort vacation. Susan Martin didn’t camp until she was in college, but once she did she was hooked. She and her husband, Tim, took their children camping when they were young and ended up owning one of the places where they camped. They bought Middle Creek Campground in 2006 and operate it every year from April 1 to November 30. Martin says it is a true family campground, and, as they homeschool their children, their whole family is involved. Located in the Jefferson National Forest near Buchanan, Middle Creek offers both tent and recreational vehicle sites, a pool, ponds, playground and views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The campground is near the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the James River and everything that they have to offer. Martin notes that they get a lot of Appalachian Trail hikers. “We
meet a lot of neat people,” she says. Martin says her favorite thing about operating a campground is being able to see children spy deer or turkeys, or catch their first fish. Because families come back year after year, Martin has been able to watch those children grow up. She makes a good case for camping. “We need to go outside and connect with other people,” she said. “And it’s a chance to eat well. There’s always a designated cook in any group.” Owning a campground is like “having a party at your house every weekend.” Bedford County’s Camp Karma bills itself as an “upscale primitive campground.” Owner Eric LaBorie explains that while primitive camping involves going out into the woods and setting up camp, his campground offers designated tent camping sites (no RVs), bathrooms, hot water and a store. He and Linda Frisbee have operated the camp for five years on land that Frisbee has owned for 30 years. “It was her idea to eventually do this,” he says. “It’s a beautiful piece of property.” Located two miles off Virginia 122 and about three miles from Moneta, Camp Karma is close to Smith Mountain Lake, wineries and other local attractions. Guests also can stay at the 42-acre camp and wade, swim and fish in Goose Creek. Camp Karma’s official season runs from March through November, but, because Frisbee and LaBorie live on the property, they will accept campers any time they are home. There is an off-season discount as well. Unseasonably warm winter days often bring visitors from urban areas as far away as Washington, D.C., Richmond and Charlottesville. “It offers a sense of getting back to nature,” says LaBorie.
Camp Easter Seals offers the camping experience to people of all abilities. Located in Craig County, it was established in 1957 to provide a typical summer camp experience to children and adults with disabilities, and to their families, says camp director Alex Barge. Activities include swimming, archery, canoeing and horseback riding, and campers sleep in cabins equipped with electricity. Barge says an average summer will bring in 400 campers. The camp offers weekly sessions, based on age, and campers can sign up for one, two, three or four weeks. There is a family week at the end of the summer and weekends for campers and families in the spring and fall. The camp also is available for group rentals. Barge notes that while the weekend sessions attract campers from the region, weekly sessions tend to attract campers from as far away as Raleigh, Charlotte and Richmond. The campers at Easter Seal gain more than just a good camp experience. The camp fosters independence, since it offers them a chance to spend time away from their parents, try new things and socialize in an accepting atmosphere. “First of all, they have a good time,” says Barge. “And they get to be outside.” For more information, visit MiddleCreekCampground.com, CampKarmaVirginia.com or CampEasterSealsUCP.com. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
One of the two ponds at Middle Creek Campground natural awakenings
July 2014
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Visitors to the Salt Cave at London’s Salt Spa, in Forest, can relax in anti-gravity chairs.
NATURAL SPAS in Central Virginia by Anne Piedmont
M
any of us dream of a luxurious spa getaway. Thanks to the vision of three women, we need not look any farther than Central Virginia for a green, natural or unique spa experience. For London’s Salt Spa, in Forest, it all started with allergies. Owner Debbie Naff says that when her allergy-suffering husband and son found relief at a salt spa, she embarked on a plan that resulted in Central Virginia’s only salt spa, and the second on the East Coast. After spending a year researching salt caves, she found an ideal building off U.S. Highway 460, bought 21 tons of pink Himalayan salt and opened her spa in November 2012. It is modeled after Poland’s Wieliczka Salt Mine, the world’s largest underground rehabilitation and treatment center. Salt therapy was discovered in 1843, when physician Dr. Felix Boczkowski noticed that people with pulmonary and respiratory problems experienced healing effects after breathing the air in the Wieliczka salt mines. Naff explains that pink Himalayan salt is filled with more than 80 minerals, including calcium, magnesium,
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potassium, copper and iron, which saturate the air inside the cave so that it is 10 times purer than outside air. The oxygen and negative ions improve lung function, which speeds healing and boosts organ function, leaving guests both relaxed and energized. Visitors relax in anti-gravity chairs, under blankets (they can bring their own or use one provided). Naff encourages
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people to meditate, listen to music or just “take your glasses off, breathe deeply and take a nap.” It’s a chance to “go someplace else for a while,” she adds. Massages and facials also are available, and Naff has created her own, all-natural products, including a salt scrub made with coconut oil. At The Labyrinth Spa, in Bedford, owner Chastaneyka Willcox says her goal is to “provide a space of healing.” She began her massage career in Bedford more than 20 years ago. She moved away briefly, but was drawn back by her love of the area and founded the spa, located in a pre-Civil War home on Main Street, in January 2010. Willcox says she offers “a little bit of serenity in the middle of everything,” with spa treatments in a “simple, homegrown atmosphere.” Her expansion plans include a café that will feature local food and produce. Willcox’s green philosophy embraces recycling and reusing, and she buys new materials only when necessary. She uses locally sourced, fair trade and organic products and works hard to reduce waste and eliminate products with a high waste impact, replacing them with reusable, recyclable, repurposable and/or compostable products. The labyrinth, from which the spa gets its name, is located in the back yard and is made from used bricks donated by a
The Labyrinth behind its namesake spa, in Bedford, is made from reused bricks.
local man. Willcox’s goal is to become a zero-waste facility. Lynchburg’s Isis Spa and Salon is the dream of Samantha Harvey, who moved to Virginia from the Napa Valley of California. She offers a full-service day spa with an extensive menu of options, including massages, body care, relaxation facials, exfoliation peels and hair removal. She also offers spa packages. Harvey blends organic and natural products and approaches with cosmeceutical-grade skin care.
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Harvey opened Isis in 2004, bringing with her 20 years of spa experience. She also has an extensive background in photography, makeup artistry, health care and beauty. “Isis is a friendly and artistically relaxed atmosphere, with customized service and where the very best products are used generously,” Harvey says. Isis also offers its own line of organic body oils and polishes. All staff members are licensed estheticians, massage therapists and cosmetologists. “Our goal is to make you feel beautiful inside and astonishingly striking esthetically,” Harvey says. For more information, visit LondonSaltSpa.com, TheLabyrinthSpa. com and IsisSpaAndSalon.com. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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blueridgegreentravel
RETREATS by Anne Piedmont
I
t was an unseasonably cool Sunday afternoon in August as Virginia Mountain Vineyards hosted Yoga with Wine. As the 10 guests stretched out on their mats for Savasana (or “Corpse Pose”), the relaxation pose at the end of a yoga session, they were visited by a hummingbird. Its hum mingled with distant conversations and other winery sounds. Yoga away from the studio, church basement or gym brings a new aspect to the ancient practice. “Yoga” is an umbrella term for physical, mental and spiritual practices aimed at transforming body and mind. While the origins date as far back as the fifth century, yoga began to gain popularity in the western world in the 1980s. Yoga studios and other practice opportunities abound in the Blue Ridge
Toby the dog visits Yoga and Wine at Virginia Mountain Vineyards last April. (Photo from The Yoga Center)
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region, but sometimes it’s nice to get away and focus on the yoga itself. “Sometimes we just need to retreat,” says Debbie Stephens, owner of The Yoga Center, in Roanoke. She partnered with the Botetourt County vineyard for the Yoga and Wine event and led the yoga session. “I like to do events like the Virginia Mountain event, because they allow us to align ourselves with nature, to connect with the natural world,” she says. “There are fewer distractions and it’s easier to stay focused. It’s important to set aside time for ourselves.” Stephens started The Yoga Center 16 years ago, and it has been in its Grandin Road location since 2010. Her intention was to create a space dedicated to yoga, away from other settings and other distractions. The Omni Homestead Resort, in Hot Springs, added yoga to its fitness offerings about a year ago, says Lynn Swann, director of marketing and communications. The resort undertook a major renovation of its famous spa at that time, adding the Spa Garden. In addition to the River Reflexology Walk (to stimulate reflex points on the soles of the feet) and historic hot springs, the Spa Garden also is the site of Yoga in the Garden. Swann says the daily yoga classes, including Yoga Foundations, Vinyasa Flow (movement synchronized to breathing and involving poses flowing together) and Restorative Yoga, also are available in the fitness area.
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Yoga was added to the lineup when the resort enhanced its fitness offerings, including a summer “Yoga for Kids” class. “The response has been very positive,” Swann says. The nearby Greenbrier Resort, in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, offers classes for all levels of yoga practitioners. Gentle Yoga is for beginners, and the intermediate YogaFit features a mix of gentle poses with a Vinyasa-style flow. The Yoga Walk is a two-mile power walk finished with Vinyasa Yoga by the resort’s Meditation Trail. The Greenbrier also is offering a Yoga Retreat and Unlimited Golf weekend, October 31 through November 2. The yoga portion of the weekend features luxurious accommodations, intermediate and advanced classes and an invitation to the Gatsby at the Greenbrier Party.
Virginia Mountain Vineyards is a relaxing setting for yoga.
Primland, a luxury retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Max Meadows, created a space for yoga when the spa opened in 2010, says spa director Melissa Dillon. She notes that they wanted to incorporate fitness and yoga into the spa vision. “Yoga is a form of exercise that brings harmony and balance to those who practice it,” she says. “It allows us to disconnect from our daily lives.” The spa offers private sessions, as well as complimentary (for guests) classes on weekends. It features two types of yoga: Ashtanga and Kripalu. Ashtanga involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures, which produces intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that
Lotus Shrine Meditation Hall at Yogaville. (Photo courtesy of Yogaville)
detoxifies muscles and organs. Kripalu uses inner focus, meditation, standard yoga poses and breathwork to develop relaxation. No discussion of yoga retreats would be complete without Yogaville, a spiritual community and retreat located on 750 acres in Buckingham. Yogaville offers programs year ’round, says Bill Geoghegan, director of social media marketing, especially training for teachers, at basic, intermediate and advanced levels. Outside teachers also come to the retreat and offer their own programs. “The classes are pretty diverse,” he adds. For people looking to get away for yoga, he recommends the Welcome Weekends, which run from Friday afternoons through Sunday afternoons. Guests can choose from private rooms, dormitories or tent sites. The weekend involves yoga classes, meditation and vegetarian food. Geoghegan says guests can do as much or as little as they choose during the weekend, although he does encourage them to walk around the grounds and visit the Lotus Shrine Meditation Hall. “It’s a meditative experience,” he says. For more information, visit VMVines. com, TheYogaCenterInc.com, TheHomestead.com, TheGreenbrier.com, Primland.com and Yogaville.org. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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blueridgegreentravel
Roanoke Region Focuses on
THE OUTDOORS by Anne Piedmont
E
ven if you’ve never set foot on one of the Roanoke Region’s greenways, never ridden your bicycle at Carvin’s Cove or never pulled into an overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy the view, you’ve still benefitted from these local assets. Clean air, clean water and miles of greenways and hiking trails are enhancing the Roanoke Region’s image as a “vibrant community,” says Pete Eshelman, director of outdoor branding for the Roanoke Regional Partnership. His job involves building brand recognition of outdoor recreation and its increasing role in making the region a desirable place to live, work and invest. His efforts have included developing the comprehensive website, RoanokeOutside.com, and founding the Blue Ridge Marathon, known as “America’s Toughest Road Marathon” as well as
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge
the Anthem Go Outside Festival. Eshelman says local economic developers are being asked more often about quality of life, adding that emphasis on outdoor amenities and activities is especially attractive to entrepreneurs and other people who can work anywhere. He calls the greenway system “one of the greatest things that has happened to the region” and the nearly 24 miles of paved trails a “gateway resource” that beckons people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the outdoors. “They are making us all healthier,” Echelman says. The greenways are just part of the 270.9 miles of walking, biking and hiking trails that run through the region, according to the 2013 Roanoke Valley Greenways Annual Report. In addition to the 27.3 miles of paved greenways, there are seven miles of cinder-surfaced trails, 82 miles of bike lanes and routes and 158.3 miles of natural-surfaced trails, including the Appalachian Trail. A newer initiative is the development of the Roanoke River Blueway, or water trail. Shane Sawyer, a regional planner at the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission, says that the effort to formalize the 45-mile stretch from the South Fork Roanoke River ,at East Montgomery County Park, to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Hardy Ford boating access, at Hardy Road in Bedford County, at Smith Mountain Lake, began about a year ago. The blueway includes
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sections of the South Fork Roanoke River, Tinker Creek and Back Creek and flows through or borders the cities of Roanoke and Salem, the counties of Montgomery, Roanoke, Bedford and Franklin, and the Town of Vinton. Sawyer says the Blueway Stakeholder Committee has been working to get the word out by connecting with tourism groups, RoanokeOutside.com and the news media. Next steps will include unobtrusive signage and developing additional access points. Sawyer says the blueway initiative is not just about paddling. He wants the awareness of the river as a recreation resource to bring people to it for fishing, wildlife observation and simply enjoying it. He also hopes that greater awareness of water quality will be educational and will lead to greater stewardship of the Roanoke River. He notes that the river offers something for everyone: some parts of it are undeveloped and some parts are urban. There are fishing pools and rapids. He says that while many people see the shallow sections of the river near the greenway, there also are sections that are wide and deep and are appropriate for boating. Beyond the Roanoke River, there are designated blueways in Botetourt County on the Upper James River, in the Alleghany Highlands encompassing the Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers, Douthat State Park and Lake Moomaw and in Franklin County on the Pigg and Blackwater Rivers. The outdoors, and various ways to enjoy it, takes center stage at the Anthem Go Outside Festival, October 17 through 19 at River’s Edge, in Roanoke. The event, now in its fourth year, is a partnership with the Roanoke City
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Department of Parks and Recreation. “It’s 100-percent free,” says Eshelman. “Its mission to move people to connect with the outdoors.” The festival attracted approximately 15,000 people last year, up from 4,500 its first year. There also will be local food vendors and local craft beers. This year’s activities, vendors and demonstrations are organized into three categories: Try It, Watch It and Race It. Try It will offer festival-goers opportunities to try out gear such as mountain bikes, stand-up paddle boards, kayaks, slacklines and fly fishing rods. There also will be skills workshops and clinics, and fun activities such as a zipline and a portable bike pump track. Watch It will feature Jeff Lenosky Bike Trials Demos, a Pro Town BMX Stunt Show, Gibbon Slackline team shows, the Ultimate Air Dogs, Red Bull Extreme Films and live music. Race It offers a variety of racing and sports events, including a Star Cross exhibition event, a Go Cross Cyclocross Race, the Hometown Trust Superhero Fun Run/Walk (which benefits Family Promise of greater Roanoke), the Wild Gear Chase urban scavenger hunt, the Odyssey Mill Mountain Trail Half Marathon, the Bank of Fincastle Fall 5K and 10K run, the Ultimate Frisbee Hat Tournament and the Ultimate Frisbee Team Tournament. “The festival is structured so people can see what’s available, try it out and get more engaged,” Eshelman says. For more information, visit RoanokeOutside.com. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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Virginia Green Travel Alliance by Anne Piedmont
T
he Virginia Green Program continues to evolve. Earlier this year, a new 501c3 non-profit organization, the Virginia Green Travel Alliance, was formed to support and expand its marketing and outreach efforts. The program is a partnership of the Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association. The Virginia Green Program encourages green practices in Virginia’s tourism industry, and promotes green lodging, restaurants, wineries, events, attractions and meetings. More than 1,450 tourism businesses and organizations have self-certified their environmental commitments with the Virginia Green program. The new organization was created to expand consumer-based marketing and the resources and services provided to Virginia Green partners. Virginia Green Coordinator Tom Griffin is the executive director of the new organization. John Cario of the Hilton Garden Inn is the chair of its board of directors. Operating out of office space in Richmond’s trendy Carytown Shopping Dis-
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge
trict, VGTA will initially focus on staff-level training and certification opportunities, technical assistance and auditing services and innovative marketing partnerships. The new organization will be able to pursue grants, sponsorships and promotional partnerships that support its mission of supporting green tourism in Virginia. In a recent conversation, Griffin explained the importance of Green Travel Certificate training programs for both facilities and their staffs. The facility partners benefit from having staff trained and knowledgeable in green practices, while employees will earn credentials that will allow them to work for Virginia Green-certified partners.
Initial certificate trainings include: Virginia Green All-Staff Certificate: A complete orientation of what it means to work in a Virginia Green-certified facility. The class will cover core commitments, expectations, recycling systems, tracking of environmental progress, green meetings and cost savings. It has been designed for all new-hire orientations.
NABlueRidge.com
Virginia Green Meeting Professionals Certificate: In-depth instruction on how to be ready for, and attract, more green meetings business. The class will include instruction on how to design a green meetings sales package and how to address green requirements in requests for proposals. If educating facilities and employees on being green and staying green is one side of the coin for Griffin and VGTA, educating the public is the other. To that end, the organization wants to increase public awareness of opportunities to “Travel Green in Virginia.” That includes asking travelers to provide constructive feedback on partner organizations and/or to fill out Virginia Green’s customer feedback cards. In addition to its outreach efforts to tourism organizations, VGTA is asking many businesses and non-profit organizations for simple commitments to the program and to promote green travel to their staffs and member organizations. For instance, organizations can challenge members and affiliates to hold green meetings and conferences. They also can look for green-certified options when travelling, and “meet green” by having meetings and conferences at green-certified facilities and working with staff to plan green events. Another way VGTA is reaching consumers is through the certification of green festivals and events, which is an opportunity to engage and educate the public. In keeping with that initiative, VGTA’s first regional green tourism project was the “Greening of the Richmond Folk Festival” in October. VGTA led the recycling and volunteer Green Team efforts for the event. Griffin and the VGTA want to work
with convention and visitors bureaus and other regional tourism organizations to market their communities, attractions and events as “Virginia Green Travel Destinations.” As they did with the Richmond Folk Festival, VGTA hopes to work with Virginia festivals to help them become as green as possible through joint marketing and partnership arrangements.
Feeling Stressed, Depressed, Anxious, or Overwhelmed?
Furthermore, VGTA will offer:
Counseling (Adults, Children, Adolescents, Families, & Couples) • Groups •
Green Event Sponsorships: VGTA will work with certified festivals and events to find sponsors to help pay for recycling, composting, signage, staffing, eco-disposables and additional costs associated with green events. Green Event Volunteer Networks and Training: The organization will work with local communities to develop and train volunteers and staff to support recycling and other green activities for festivals and other events.
Is Your Life Out of Balance? We have Solutions Through:
Living Well Seminar BEFRIENDING THE DARKNESS:
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Join Jenny Finn, LSW, Ph.D. on November 19th from 6:30 to 7:30pm and learn some practices to more deeply explore what your shadow has to teach you. When we have the courage to face what we don’t
Space is limited.
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Check out our website for more details LifeInBalanceCenter.
For more information, visit VirginiaGreenTravelAlliance.org.
125 Akers Farm Rd. Suite D. • Christiansburg
Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com. The Second Annual Virginia Green Conference and Virginia Green Star Awards Celebration will be held December 8 and 9 at the Virginia Science Museum in Richmond. Griffin says there will be workshops, tours and a Green Marketplace featuring Virginia Green Suppliers and partner organizations.
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August 2013
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December 2014 | Virginia’s Blue Ridge Edition | NABlueRidge.com
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Buying Art for the Holidays by Anne Piedmont
A
Artist-made ornaments at the Market Gallery
s sure as fall turns to winter, consumers are bombarded by holiday ads from large retailers. And, for many, the holiday shopping season starts before Halloween. But a new voice is emerging, encouraging us to shop local and to buy art as gifts. Opportunities abound in the Blue Ridge Region, with its many galleries, local art cooperatives, museums and working artists. “Buying art in our own region, community or neighborhood guarantees publicity and support for local artists, which they very much need to survive,” says Ibby Greer, a Roanoke-based author and artist. “The arts community in the region is astounding, with authors, jewelers, potters, painters and more.” One place to find art and the artists who make it is at The Jacksonville Center for the Arts, located in a former dairy barn in Floyd, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The center’s mission is to facilitate and showcase artistic endeavors and creativity and to provide education in the arts throughout the community and region, something the organization has been doing for 20 years. Jeff Liverman, Jacksonville’s executive director, calls it a “resource
that connects artists to art lovers.” He says he sees the center’s two main roles as supporting working artists and providing opportunities for learning. It offers a robust class schedule, featuring accomplished local artisans who teach disciplines as varied as blacksmithing, glassblowing, jewelry making, pottery and painting. Liverman says there are several reasons to buy original, local art. “It’s unique and one-of-a-kind; it supports the local economy, and it supports the artist,” he explains. Plus, he adds, when a person buys a piece they love, it may lead to making something like it. “It can become a jumping-off point for learning,” Liverman says. The Jacksonville Center is holding its 20th annual Winterfest Crafts Festival on December 6 and 7, at which art lovers can purchase local art. Like the center, the event has grown over the past two decades. The first Winterfest was designed as a year-end showcase of local artisanship and creativity. It was timed for local residents, many of whom have always bought local, to do some holiday shopping. Now, 20 years later, organizers say it remains the best opportunity for shoppers to find a variety of handmade, local, unique
If you haven’t got any
charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. ~Bob Hope
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge
NABlueRidge.com
The crowd at Winterfest 2013
gifts in one place. Buying from local artists is fun and unique, says Greer, who likens her search to buy art from artists she knows as “a treasure hunt.” So, how does one find and connect with local artists? It might be as easy as visiting galleries or studios in one’s community. Most artists have Facebook pages, where they will post information about their works and events. An excellent resource is the Artisan Center of Virginia, the official state artisan center, which works to promote Virginia artisans and their communities. The Staunton-based organization has created artisan trails
throughout Virginia that connect artisans, venues, galleries and retailers with local points of interest, restaurants and accommodations. The network allows arts tourists to plan their own adventures while they explore the state’s back roads and artisan culture. The center also publicizes events and other helpful information. Art is for sale every day at galleries all over the region. The Market Gallery, in downtown Roanoke, is a cooperative gallery. Each of its 26 member artists takes turns working the front desk, greeting visitors and answering questions. “Buying art is a way for artist and collector to make connections that add to the community,” says member artist Bill White. “Art is a choice someone makes because it speaks to them in a personal way.” He adds that art will last a lifetime, far longer than the latest must-have fashion or toy. “It’s always valuable to have the experience of knowing my work is appreciated in the same community,” White says. For more information, visit JacksonvilleCenter.org, MarketGalleryRoanoke.com and
Interior of The Market Gallery
ArtisanCenterOfVirginia.org. Anne Piedmont is a writer and research associate based in Roanoke. For more information, visit PiedmontResearchAssociates.com.
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