Evince Magazine May 2011 by Andrew Brooks Media Group

Jane Carter

Deﬁes Critics and Succeeds Page 5

Robin Crutchﬁeld Using Art Every Day Page 7

DPL Upgrades Include Art Room Page 8

Page 2

May 2011

Editor’s Note

Don’t you love those smiling, happy faces on the cover? Save that picture, because in the years ahead, hopefully, we’ll see more of these fledging artists, whose award-winning work will be flying on Main Street this summer (page 3). Those students and this Voice of Art issue of Evince are meant to inspire you to develop your own creativity. Don’t think that applies to you? Nonsense. Read The Artist Way by Julia Cameron and use it as a guide to find a more creative life in your chosen field—playing music, dancing, cooking, writing, painting, acting, gardening, photographing, etc. The list is endless. But don’t look for a quick fix. According to Linda Lemery’s Finding the Artist within You (page 12) 10,000 hours will be a good start to becoming exceptional. For inspiration along the way, read how Robin Crutchfield is using art on the job (page 7) and how Jane Carter didn’t listen to a naysayer and is now a professional artist (page 5). Just for fun, stop by the Danville Public Library and add your creative touch to their new art/activity room (page 8). Then, mark your calendar to attend Art on Main and Art on the Lawn (page 22). And don’t forget to honor Mom on Sunday, May 8th, because you know what a wonderful person she and Dad created!

May Contents

Editor’s Note

Outdoor Art Gallery to Fly on Main Street by Liz Sater

She Said He Said / The Good Life by Dena Hill & Larry Oldham

Jane Carter Deﬁes Critics and Succeeds by Joyce Wilburn

Robin Crutchﬁeld: Using Art Every Day by Joyce Wilburn

Danville Public Library Upgrades Include Activity/Art Room by Arnold Hendrix

Second Thoughts / The China Syndrome by Kim Clifton

OICE OF ART

Publisher Andrew Scott Brooks Editor Joyce Wilburn joyce@evincemagazine.com (434.799.3160) Associate Editor Larry G. Aaron larry.aaron@gmail.com (434.792.8695) Contributing Writers

Lynne Bjarnesen, Melissa Charles, Pam Clark, Kim Clifton, Alexis Ehrhardt, Debbie Flinn, Mary Franklin, Deb Graham, Arnold Hendrix, Dena Hill, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, Michelle Motley, Larry Oldham, Donna Redd, Liz Sater, Russell Scruggs, Connie Fletcher Whitlow, Joyce Wilburn, Mack Williams

11 Wounds by Telisha Moore Leigg 12 Reﬂecting Forward / Finding the Artist within You by Linda Lemery 13 Seniority by Mack Williams

Business Manager Paul Seiple paul@evincemagazine.com (1.877.638.8685) Sales Manager Larry Oldham larry@evincemagazine.com (434.728.3713) Sales Associates Kim Demont (434.836.1247) kim@evincemagazine.com Misty Cook (434.728.2905)

14 Calendar 15 Where Can I Find an Evince? 17 Book Clubbing / Magnolia Muses Book Club by Connie Fletcher Whitlow Spotting Exceptional Customer Service by Alexis Ehrhardt 18 What to Volunteer but Don’t Know Where? by Debbie Flinn 19 Throw Out the Mess and Organize the Rest May is Mailbox Makeover Month by Joyce Wilburn 22 Calendar Clips

On the Cover:

Photo of ArtWaves winners by Michelle Dalton taken on the steps of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, 975 Main Street. See story on page 3.

Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont) evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly: reveal syn see SHOW Editorial Policies:

eVince is a monthly news magazine covering the arts, entertainment, education, economic development, and lifestyle in Danville and the surround ing areas. We print and distribute eVince free of charge due entirely to the generosity of our advertisers. In our pages appear views from across the social spectrum. They do not necessarily reﬂect the views of the publisher. We reserve the right to accept, reject, and edit all submissions and advertisements.

EVINCE MAGAZINE 753 Main Street Suite 3 Danville, VA 24541 www.evincemagazine.com

See the May Issue of Showcase Magazine

Slam Book Issue

Meet Some of Our Writers

Sincerely,

Credits: Editor’s photo by Lona Kodinda; Makeup & Hair: Katie Mosher; Skin Care: Catherine Adkins; Nails: Janelle Gammon; Genesis Day Spa & Salon

THE

We now accept Visa, MC, and Discover for ad payments

Alexis Ehrhardt is the Transition Counselor at DCC and a life-long student of style.

Pamela Clark is the President of the Halifax Women’s Club and a retired newspaper, photojournalism and English teacher at Halifax County High School.

Liz Sater, whose column appeared monthly in Evince from 2003-2007, is employed in the law ofﬁce of Luis Abreu.

Kim Clifton has given us Second Thoughts to ponder for the past 14 years. Her reﬂections may make you laugh or make you cry. But they always make you glad to know that someone else feels the same way, too.

For Subscriptions, call 1.877.638.8685 ext. 6. Deadline for submission of June stories, articles, ads, and calendar items is 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 19. Submit stories and articles to: joyce@evincemagazine.com. Submit calendar items to: kim@evincemagazine.com. For ad information contact a sales associate or sales manager above.

Evince Magazine

brightest students. You might discover what the DDA already knows—Downtown Danville is a great place to live, work and play.

ome inner cities have problems with youth taking to the streets to express their artistic passions through unauthorized paintings. In Downtown Danville, however, students were encouraged to provide samples of their artwork-not with grafﬁti, but with entries in the ArtWaves Banner Contest.

ArtWaves Winners The art created by these students has been reproduced on banners that will ﬂy on Main Street in Downtown Danville beginning in late May.

Artwork by Annie Barnett.

Based on a similar project in Winchester, Virginia, ArtWaves features a juried selection of 20 pieces of art created by kindergarten through 12th grade Danville school students. Each city art teacher could submit the work of three students. After a blind judging, 20 works were selected; they were professionally photographed by Jonathan Scollo, laid out by Demont Design, and fabricated on 8-foot banners by Captain Copy. Beginning in late May and continuing through early September, the banners will ﬂy from the Victorian light poles along Main Street creating a oneof-a-kind outdoor art gallery. When the Downtown Danville Association Design Committee heard about ArtWaves in other cities, they recognized it as a project that could uplift community spirit and expose viewers to the creative energy of our youth. By replacing old downtown banners with fresh, colorful ones fashioned from students’ artwork, the look of the downtown district would improve, city students would become involved in the revitalization of the area, the arts would be promoted as a means to bring people back into the heart of the community and local companies would become engaged. The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History mounted and hung the original submissions in one of their galleries and hosted a reception catered by the Lawson-Overbey Inn in April. While students nervously awaited the outcome of the judging, they posed for pictures (including the cover picture) until Tony Gioia, Master of Ceremonies, announced the 20 winners. (See sidebar.) Make plans to stroll along historic downtown Main Street and enjoy the eclectic collection of artwork by some of our best and

Page 3

Outdoor Art Gallery to Fly on Main Street by Liz Sater

13 9

15 12

5 1

ArtWaves School Winners:

Bottom Row: 1.Noah Reed*; 2.Mallary Yeatts*; 3.Bryson Allen* 2nd Row: 4.Jordan Huemoeller; 5.Kensley Yeatts*; 6.Trent Gauldin; 7.Jason Guzauskas; 8.Amy Tseng* 3rd Row: 9.Annie Barnett*; 10.Tatyanna Hatchett*; 11.Tahvon Davis*; 12.Kai Stevenson* 4th Row: 13.Leisy Flores Hernandez*; 14.Tyler Jarvis*; 15.Raven Crane Top Row: 16.Melvin Wiles III*; 17.Desiree Dalton*; 18.Markeis Chandler *indicates a city-wide winner

Elementary School: 1. Shayna Gomez: Teacher Martin Mann @ Sacred Heart 2. Gregory Hairston: Teacher Matthew Payne @ Park Ave. 3. Bryson Allen: Teacher Matthew Payne @ Park Ave. 4. T’ziah Toomer: Teacher Matthew Payne @ Park Ave. 5. Kensley Yeatts: Teacher Judith Sudduth @ Schoolfield 6. Mallary Yeatts: Teacher Judith Sudduth @ Schoolfield 7. Noah Reed: Teacher Judith Sudduth @ Schoolfield 8. Mason Moore: Teacher Meredith Schwane @ Epiphany Episcopal Middle School: 1. Annie Barnett: Teacher Martin Mann @ Sacred Heart 2. Tahvon Davis: Teacher Sara Camburides @ Bonner 3. Tatyanna Hatchett: Teacher Pat White @ Westwood 4. Leisy Flores: Teacher Pat White @ Westwood 5. Desiree Dalton: Teacher Angela Van Fossen @ Gibson 6. Lauren Dickerson: Teacher Meredith Schwane @ Epiphany Episcopal High School: 1. Kai Stevenson:Teacher Kay Stephens @ GWHS. 2. Tiffany Pritchett: Teacher Kay Stephens @ GWHS 3. Denisha Saunders: Teacher Sandra Marsh @ GWHS. 4. Tyler Jarvis: Teacher Sandra Marsh @ GWHS 5. Melvin Wiles: Teacher Sandra Marsh @GWHS 6. Amy Tseng:Teacher Martin Mann@ Sacred Heart This project was funded in part by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Teachers of winning students received gift certificates from APlus Education. Every banner is sponsored by a local merchant.

Page 4

May 2011

SHE SAID

be negative...it just slipped out. I love you.

by Dena Hill

HE SAID

The Good Life Just so people won’t think all we do is pick on each other, or worse yet, ask if we’re going to make a go of it, let me say how proud I am to be your wife. In reality, I don’t constantly berate you for not living up to my expectations. You are an adult and know better. What I would like for people to know is how active you are in church as a Sunday School teacher, an Elder, and serving on the committee to select our new pastor. Also, you won Salesman of the Year for the Virginia Press Association last month in Norfolk and handled it with style, grace and, might I add, a huge case of nervousness. There aren’t many times when you are speechless so I savored that moment. In fact, our table was hoping you weren’t going to give a speech and “thank all the people who helped me along the way....” I’ve always heard that ladies should choose a man based on the way he treats his mother and you are so kind to your mom--calling her every day and visiting her on weekends. You also check on your sons to be sure they’re happy and life is good for them. You give back to our community by serving on the board of the Free Clinic and any other board that you are asked to join, if you think you have something positive to add. You are a good friend to our many classmates and help keep the class connected and in touch with all of the changes going on with them as we get older. You have a job that you take to heart by thinking of all of your clients as friends and you truly want to help them grow their business. That explains the award. So while you’re thinking about all of the good things you’re involved in, how about taking a little time to empty your house out and take the next step toward starting our life together. Oops! I promised I wouldn’t

by Larry Oldham Now I am sitting here with a tear in my eye wondering why I did not marry you years ago. Just think what you could have done for my ego and how much larger my head would be today if you had started all this bragging about me long ago. I thank you for your words of kindness and I guess it is better to talk about our positive sides sometimes and not about our other sides. The only problem though is that everyone needs a good laugh at least once a month and this column isn’t funny. You are probably one of the most dedicated teachers I have ever known. You go to work at 7:30 a.m. and come home at 7:00 p.m. almost every night. I know that you tutor kids who are having a hard time and that you help students with their homework assignments. You work hard to help your own children and were a single mom with three children through kindergarten, high school, college, and medical school. This takes a tremendous amount of skill, emotional comforting, and physical stability to accomplish such a feat. I know others have done it, but since I know you personally, it has affected my life to see you contribute to the success of all three of your children. You do this while taking care of me, your fourth child. Cooking, sewing, cleaning, caring and keeping me on the right track is almost a fulltime job in itself. I guess our column this month is somewhat self-serving; however, it answers the question that we are so often asked, “When are you two going to break up?” It seems that some readers take our differences as a serious sign of unhappiness. Really none of these things happen to us, well maybe...

She said He Said

He Said / She Said can be seen in Showcase Magazine.

Evince Magazine Jane Carter was told she wasn’t an artist. “When I was a little girl, my parents were friends with the head of the art department at the University of Tennessee where I was taking lessons on Saturday mornings. They were at a cocktail party one evening when my mother asked if he had seen my work,” remembers the awardwinning local artist. He replied that he had seen it and then cautioned Jane’s mother, “Don’t waste your money.” Jane laughs when telling the story while seated in her Art Barn/ Studio in Providence, North Carolina, surrounded by four walls of colorful paintings— many of them awardwinners. The most recent honor given to the well-traveled artist was for Cheese Shop. It was selected from over 1,500 entries from 18 states and the District of Columbia to be used by the Southern Watercolor Society on the invitations and program covers for by Joyce their 34th Annual Juried Exhibition this month in Greenville, North Carolina. When asked what the inspiration was for the painting, Jane replies, “It was a photograph I had taken of a shop in Paris.” When she returned home and tried to paint the scene with watercolors, the results were not pleasing to her, so she used acrylics and changed the image into abstract shapes. “Honestly, it’s really not that good,” she quips, but obviously, others think differently. The list of honors and awards received numbers over 50 for the Knoxville, Tennessee, native and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jane attended her home-town University for two years and was promised by her father that if she made all As, she could transfer to UNC—and she did. While in college, she married Ed Carter and after graduation, chose to forgo using the newly earned history degree. Instead, she ran a decorating business for 20+ years in Connecticut and Washington, DC.

and together they raised three daughters. “We lived all over the world, wherever Ed’s career took us, including twice in London,” she recounts. Coming to the Carter family farm in Caswell County after the death of her motherin-law, Jane credits the remoteness of the former tobacco farm for helping to advance her career in painting. “Living in the country and working in this wonderful space has allowed me to ﬁnd my creativity. Because I had no one to paint with or take a lesson from, I had to ﬁnd my own individual style and signature,” she says, referring to the uniqueness of her paintings. Jane has entered shows since 2006 and is a signature member of three Watercolor Societies: Georgia, North Carolina, and Southern, which means she has been juried into each of their national shows three times. Wilburn Hoping to pass along some of what she has learned over the last 25 years, Jane teaches a small group in her studio and a class at Epiphany School in Danville. “I teach the students to get out of the box—don’t paint exactly what you see,” she explains. She then issues a challenge, “Find a new way of expressing yourself that no one else has done. Everyone has their own creativity and shouldn’t copy someone else. Go to as many art exhibits as you can and learn to look at art—not at the subjects, but the shapes, values, and colors.” Good advice from Jane Carter, who once was told she had no talent and now is winning honors. In fact, art has become such a fundamental part of her life that she can’t spell her last name without including art.

Jane Carter Deﬁes Critics and Succeeds

For more information, visit www. janecarterart.com or call 434.489.3016. Jane Carter’s art can be seen at the ParsonsBruce Art Gallery, 317A Main Street, South Boston, VA. 434.572.2432.

Page 5

Choose Gretna Health & Rehab — and get back to life!

My InnerView Survey Results: 100%! Our Customers Expressed 100% Satisfaction with Our Rehabilitation Therapy Services!

�� ®

www.lifeworksrehab.com

Gretna Health & Rehabilitation Center

�� Gretna HRC Evince ad_1_11.indd 1

1/13/2011 2:14:43 PM

Page 6

May 2011

Evince Magazine

Robin Crutchﬁeld:

Using Art Every Day by Joyce Wilburn

As a high school student and even before, Robin Crutchfield loved art classes and always wanted to use the principles and fundamentals she learned. The Decorating Consultant at Danville Paint & Supply tried other jobs and career paths, but finally found her niche in 2004. “It’s by the grace of God I fell into this job,” says the married mother of two daughters and then adds, “and I love it.” Robin enjoys telling the story of how a chance encounter led to her current career. After leaving her previous workplace late one night, she stopped for gas on the way home. While completing the purchase, Robin had a serendipitous meeting with a friend who was a neighbor of DP&S owners, Keith and Dolores Evans. After chatting for a few minutes, the friend told her, “I know exactly where you need to work.” Evidently, that acquaintance was right, because 7 years later, Robin says, “I wouldn’t work anywhere else.” From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Robin is the first person customers see when entering the store on Monroe Street. Her desk to the right of the front door is surrounded by samples of wallpaper and floor covering—and just a few steps away are samples of paint colors and ceramics. “I enjoy this so much, I won’t quit,” she says, even when friends encourage her to slow down a little. “I do more before I come to work, than most people do all day,” she quips, referring to the bookkeeping she does for her husband, Mike, owner of Parkview Marathon service station and the co-parenting for 13year-old Chatham Middle School and Meredith Gravely School of Dance student, Sarah. (Daughter Renee will receive a master’s degree this month from Longwood University.) The Pittsylvania County native adds, “I have a quote by Thomas Edison on my refrigerator that says, ‘If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.’ ” With that quotation in mind, Robin works with customers measuring and selecting paint colors for walls and trim, wallpaper, carpet, and ceramics. “Most artists like a clean canvas. I like the challenge of having to make something work that is already in existence, for instance, finding what would be historically appropriate for an 1857 or a 1932 house,” she explains. “I love to bring a room back to its original state and appreciate people who don’t destroy details like the hand-carved molding. It’s worth so much more to scrap it down and repaint it or in some cases to replace it with what should be there,” she says acknowledging that the expense of an authentic replacement is much greater than using a cheap imitation. Knowing that home improvement projects can take a while, she develops long-term plans for her customers. “Maybe you can’t afford to redo your entire house this year, so we’ll work on the main level,” she says, adding, “I love talking with people. My favorite part of this job is putting the personality of my customers into their homes.” And with a little time for reflection, she’d probably add... “and using the ideas I learned in art classes.” Danville Paint & Supply is located at 532 Monroe Street. For more information call 434.792.8521 or visit www.danvillepaintandsupply.com.

Page 7

Page 8

May 2011

Danville Public Library

Upgrades Include Activity/Art Room by Arnold Hendrix

If you wanted to design an activity room for children that focuses on creative learning, what would you do? What if you take an empty wall – nine feet tall and nearly 15 feet wide – and cover it with chalkboard paint? Then mount two large LED televisions for use with controller-free gaming systems such as Kinect for Xbox 360. And make available toy robotics. That is exactly what has taken place at the Danville Public Library. “I anticipate hearing quite a bit of noise from that activity room,” Library Director Shelly Janosko says adding, “I am looking forward to it.” The activity room is an acknowledgement that a library is more than just books. “We offer a means for creative learning. Our community needs access to it. If they are not fortunate to have it, then the library can provide it for them. We invite everyone to the library to experience our redesigned activity room. The room and the items inside are available for use for free, just like all other library services.” “The activity center will focus on action games that stimulate the mind, create challenges, and inspire creative thinking, artisticthought processes and alternative learning,” she notes. “The gaming room and movie center add

additional elements that should inspire and encourage learning.” The activity room, however, is just one of the library’s new features. Others include: • a movie center in the children’s area upstairs for watching educational movies and documentaries. • all-in-one personal computers on the main level. • a new online public access catalog. • a new website that caters to children. • a new heating, air conditioning and ventilation system. “Libraries have to keep changing,” Janosko says. “I’m all about technology – and having fun. We want to be creative and do something for the community. And now, we want parents to come in with their children and see what is here.” The library offers more than 126,000 books and periodicals, 5,000 CDs, cassettes and other audio materials, and more than 4,500 DVDs disks and 2,500 VHS tapes. And if you hear a lot of noise coming from one of the rooms upstairs, you will know why. For more information, visit the DPL, 511 Patton Street, or call 434.799.5195.

Evince Magazine

The China Syndrome I saw more April showers than the meteorologists at The Weather Channel. Last month while they were in the studio talking about Japan, I was in Belk talking about china. Both sad stories, although in totally different ways. One is about a country trying to overcome horriﬁc destruction from a tsunami. The other is about my checkbook trying to recover from the devastation of too many bridal showers. Even though I own my share of it, I think wedding china is a colossal waste of money. With the possible exception of Prince William and Kate, no one really uses it. I might as well blow a wad of cash on a MasterCuts gift card for Donald Trump. Nevertheless, it’s the law of the

land: You get married. You get dishes...which must be presented to you at special gatherings that serve no other purpose. I don’t know which is worse: having to dress up for some dainty afternoon tea or having to feign excitement over a turkey platter while I’m there. There’s got to be a way to control this nonsense, especially since my mailbox is already overﬂowing with other invitations that cost money, such as graduations and jewelry parties. Seems I rarely open an envelope nowadays that doesn’t cut into my bank account and my free time. If we can regulate how many deer you can shoot in a season, surely we can restrict how many invitations one person can receive in a month. To that end, I’ve come

up with an idea, especially since so many of my friends are planning weddings this summer. Here’s how it works: The bride goes to Belk and inputs both her gift and guest lists. When the names are cross-referenced in the database, it kicks out the folks who’ve been invited too many times and have met their quota. Or as I like to call it, The Shower Cap. When my idea catches on, I know how we can skip the required parties as well. All it would take is a self-checkout system attached to the registry kiosk. That way I’d just query the system, make my selection, and pay the bill. The computer would then validate the transaction and e-mail the bride for pick up. Sounds a bit impersonal, I know, but it’s really a win/win deal if you think about it. She still gets her gold-lined footed nut bowl and I still get my Sundays free. It has been funny, though, to listen to all these china dolls talk about their good patterns and even funnier to see them. Colors are bolder. Shapes are different. Plates aren’t round. I guess the boxy look is a reminder to eat square meals. Too bad it doesn’t stop there. Brides also must have an everyday pattern. I’ve got one myself, but it’s a lot different now than when I was starting out. Now my everyday pattern is ﬁnding some way to eat without messing up the kitchen. Actually, I think we need to call these dishes something other than “everyday.” There’s nothing I use every day, except the bathroom. A better description might be “the dishes you can afford to break.” Fear of breaking my china isn’t the real reason it’s never been touched, except by movers when we bought this house. If I am supposed to use the other stuff every day, there were never openings on the calendar to use anything else. I debated writing this column because the last thing I’d want to do is to offend the very people who matter most to me. I hope they understand I was just having a little bit of fun this month. If they don’t, I’ll be paying for this in more ways than one. Either way, the showers will end and the monthly invitations will be replaced by invoices. In the meantime though, one thing’s for certain. When it comes to wedding china, I dish it out. And they take it.

Page 9

ASK DR. JUDITH

��

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month During this month we encourage people to be aware of their hearing, protect it and have it evaluated. Some hearing loss is unavoidable but one type of hearing loss is avoidable. That is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Loud noise, either a sudden noise such as a gun shot or continuous noise such as machinery can damage the cells of the inner ear. Damaged inner ear cells can cause decreased hearing, decreased clarity of speech and tinnitus. Below are common sounds and their typical loudness level in dB (deciBels - a level of loudness) : • Typical conversation = 60 dB • Radio, TV or Vacuum cleaner = 70 dB • Power Mower = 90 dB -prolonged exposure can cause progressive hearing loss • Motorcycle = 95 dB-prolonged exposure can cause progressive hearing loss • Wood shop= 100 dB - after 15 minutes of exposure cell damage can occur • Rock concert, MP3 player, at max volume = 110 dB– exposure of more than 1 minute, on a regular basis, can cause permanent hearing loss NIHL generally begins in the high frequencies (Hz). These Hz make up the consonants of speech; /p/, /t/, /s/ etc. In English, consonants carry most of the speech information. This explains why people can hear speech but not understand. If you have this problem, please call (434) 791-4170 to schedule a comprehensive audiological evaluation. You can easily avoid NIHL by limiting your exposure to loud noise and wearing hearing protection. Hearing protection includes earplugs, either store bought or custom -made and/or hearing protection ear muffs. Musicians can use musician earplugs. They are designed specifically for musicians You can obtain custom-made ear plugs and musician ear plugs at Danville ENT Hearing Center. To make an appointment for a comprehensive audiological evaluation or to obtain custom made hearing protection please call Danville ENT Hearing Center at (434) 791-4170. To learn more about NIHL and hearing protection visit: www.nidcd.gov • www.dangerousdecibels.org

� � � � � � �

��

Page 10

May 2011

Nurses Week is May 2-6

Celebrate May with Danville Regional Medical Center Nurses Week is May 2 – 6 Hospital Week is May 9 - 12 May is a special time around the halls of Danville Regional Medical Center. It’s during this time that we pause to recognize all of those providing care at the bedside and throughout the hospital. Nurses Week begins on May 2 and concludes on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, since she is recognized as the founder of modern nursing. During that week we honor our nursing staff with special events and attention. Nurses are the heart and soul of a hospital. They devote their efforts to serve others. They provide comfort when it’s needed and are committed to helping heal the sick.

Say “thanks” to a nurse. We certainly will. Danville Regional is celebrating Nurses Week. It’s an occupation so special, many nurses feel they were born for it. Many think of it as a higher calling. They devote their careers to the service of others. This week, Danville Regional Medical Center salutes our nurses with a series of events in their honor. These activities include gifts, service awards and other tributes. Nurses are, without question, the backbone of our hospital. They care for their neighbors with compassion and grace. So to each nurse, we offer our deepest thanks. We simply couldn’t do without you.

142 South Main Street • Danville, VA 24541 • 434.799.2100 DanvilleRegional.com

It’s because of that commitment that we celebrate and offer them our thanks the ﬁrst week of May. We realize it takes all of our dedicated associates working together to keep our community healthy. So, we extend the recognition to all of our hospital associates throughout the second week of May during Hospital Week. From the laboratory to child care center from security to environmental services, it takes all of these talented teams to create a healing environment. Our hospital is the sum of many talented, unique individuals devoted to caring for their neighbors. Please take a moment during May to thank the associates of Danville Regional Medical Center, who everyday are dedicated to providing healthcare excellence close to home.

Evince Magazine

aurel Knox heard her mother, Clarisse Knox, tell her in a tentative voice she would be, in two days, a chaperone on the Richmond, Virginia, museum trip for her junior class because Mrs. Frances, Laurel’s friend’s mother, came down with the flu. Her mother said this while making the same crustless, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches she always made for Laurel’s lunch. Laurel Knox had expected this need of her mother to be closer to her. Laurel knew that Clarisse had no real idea that coming into her world, into her school life would be the worst way to accomplish this need. The surprise was that she would do it now years after they had all fallen apart. Laurel said nothing but wondered if her mother had bumped into her father again somewhere, been reminded again that she had been left in the divorce like waterlogged soap in the dish. Clarisse wrung her fingers in a faded dish towel and then went back to the sandwiches. So, even as Laurel picked at her strawberry pop tart in the yellow and beige kitchen, she tried to hold back the panic, tried to be a dutiful daughter and smile. “I can always...,” Clarisse began. “...cool, Mom,” Laurel said, a moment too late, long enough for Clarisse to know she really didn’t mean it. The room became too small, the exit from the kitchen to the den a tunnel too narrow. They looked at each other for a moment, and both knew that Laurel really wanted Clarisse Knox to stay home with her jeans with the elastic waistbands, the blouses that looked like pastel boxes, and her hair scraped back in the permanent scrunchy. She also wanted Clarisse to keep away her sorrow, her feeling of failure like nails put in wrong, Clarisse’s shame, unspoken and deep. Laurel took a breath. Her mother’s chaperoning would not be the end of the world, but it wouldn’t be great. Laurel put her purse under her arm. “I’ll be right back, Mom. Left my planner in my room.” A muffled “okay” and Laurel closed her bedroom door, sat on the white eyelet bedspread. Laurel pulled the little black make-up case from a purse compartment, opened it. One small cut was all she needed. “Ready, Mom,” Laurel called. They left. Neither spoke on the drive to her high school. Laurel watched the trees on Emerly Lane bend like swaying hula dancers in the May air that was still a little windy. Laurel touched her new wound softly as she thought of the upcoming trip. She loved her mother, but she didn’t know her mother’s pain and didn’t want to look too closely at her own. Her love for her mother was thick, slow-moving like molasses; nothing had made it move closer any faster; nothing made it burrow under the skin.

Wounds

ﬁction by Telisha Moore Leigg

“Later, Mom,” Laurel called as she was closing the car door. Two days later, Laurel watched from a tinted bus window as her mother boarded the bus after reparking the car and watched her mother hug her purse. Clarisse, on the second step, made no move to go further on and no move to leave, so Laurel pulled her mother to her seat, even though she had planned to sit with her friend, Lucinda. Five minutes of sitting on the plaid, padded seats and Laurel was putting her cooler with more peanut butter sandwiches over the top storage section of the chartered bus, when her mother grabbed her arm and held it. Laurel knew what she had seen, the small lines like soft gills of a ﬁsh. Laurel didn’t jerk away even though her pulse pounded. They both pretended. Clarisse’s lips opened like a broken sieve. Around them there was the sound of laughter, John, Lucinda, Anna-Marie, the Marvin twins, friends, parents in the front. The bus driver was checking the gas, the gauges, the oversized steering wheel. There was the smell of diesel fuel, dampness in early morning air. There was a hum both inside and outside of Clarisse and Laurel that had nothing to do with the engine starting. All accounted for and they were off. Laurel thought she knew what her mother was thinking-- why hurt when you didn’t have to, wasn’t there enough pain already? But Laurel couldn’t explain in words that would make the world right for her mother again. Laurel made good grades, As and Bs, was a basketball cheerleader for varsity, dressed with style and appropriateness. If not in she was on the edge of the

beautiful people because Laurel Knox was a beautiful girl, a blonde-brown color, like light touching caramel, hair long enough and soft enough to be envied but still textured enough to braid. Laurel would identify no sadness in herself like her mother’s nearly concrete stacking of pain. At 11:15, they went into the museum. The guide talked about art and beauty like a cloak you could wrap around you, talked about the Masters like they were her godparents. She was lean, young, college-aged, and hip-- the kind that completely changed her hair in a safe way and called it highlighting instead of the dyeing it really was. Laurel could tell that this job was really important to her, that she wanted to do well, way beyond wanting, almost desperate. And her shoes were worn. She had struggled from somewhere and survived, put herself together like a puzzle that didn’t ﬁt until she made something that did, like art. During a lull, they stopped for lunch; she—Claire, the guide’s name was Claire—asked a few students their names. When Laurel said her name, the guide said it meant victory in ancient times. Laurel frowned at that, because she had never thought of her name as meaning anything. Meanly, Laurel thought, Claire was full of facts and her face full of hope and friendliness. She seemed to think that life was free and open like a pool of water; this pulled Laurel down because she didn’t think life was like that and secretly didn’t think Claire did either. Clarisse just hugged her purse looking at Laurel through shadowed and shuttered eyes. She didn’t eat, but watched every bite of food go inside her child. Laurel

Page 11

gave a strained smile and ate every bite of those hated peanut butter sandwiches. They looked at some sculptures, some paintings as big as an entire wall, and some so small they could ﬁt in a book bag. There was a blue one, with a sailboat and a sky and sea, a couple of paintings before the last. Laurel had wanted to stay at that one, but the tour was over so they left. On the way back home, the bus broke down on 360. Cars whipped by along the highway, making the bus seem to shiver and sway. Around them, kids pulled out cell phones, speculated that it was because the bus driver forgot to get gas; they took pictures through the tinted windows with their cell phones and giggled about what their parents would do when they found out. One girl screamed when a tractor trailer zoomed by making the bus seem frail, and many got out despite the teacher’s worried looks and admonitions. They stood around and looked at the trafﬁc go by. On the bus, Laurel stood and Clarisse stood too. Laurel took a step and Clarisse was right behind—military honed to target. So that is how it will be now, Laurel thought but didn’t fade inside. She rubbed a new wound, thought of that painting with the sailboat. Both mother and daughter stayed on the bus waiting through the trembling for some rescue.

Page 12

May 2011

Reﬂecting Forward Finding the Artist within You by Linda Lemery

I have to admit that figuring out how to speak to the theme of this month’s Evince, The Voice of Art, left me baffled for awhile. Though I’m a writer, I don’t consider myself an artist because my training is in science. I write to find out what I think about something. It’s a compulsion, a passion, as it were. While I know nothing about art, I admire and pay attention to a passion for any discipline and love viewing and studying the products of people’s expertise. So, in desperation while trying to write this column, I used that filter to think about visual art by artists whose work I like. For example, my friend Shelby, who was determined to expand my horizons, dragged me to a Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition at Chicago’s Art Institute many years ago. I still remember staring at the colored line drawings of Jane Avril, one of his favorite subjects. In bare strokes, the artist captured the selfassured pose of a woman who knew both her history and her worth. In just a few lines, her face was wreathed in a character-revealing smile. That the artist could capture such energy and character in so few strokes is a mark of the thousands of hours he spent honing his craft. I bought two of the Jane Avril prints, framed them, and they hung in my parents’ home for many years. I don’t know how he painted those pictures, but for me, they are art. Thomas Cole’s The Voyage of Man series is another one of my favorites. Each of these scenes, respectively entitled Childhood, Youth, Adulthood, and Old Age, has a male figure in the relevant stage of his life positioned alone in a boat and traveling down a sometimes turbulent river of life over time. As one studies the paintings, one realizes the figure is not so alone after all. A master landscape artist, Cole founded the Hudson River School of Art. The expertise he worked so hard to attain showed in

every stroke of his brush. On a local level, I recently saw some amazing drawings of West End buildings by students of George Washington High School Art Teacher Sandra Marsh. That teenagers could blend color and form and detail so effectively is just astonishing to me. The budding expertise they are exhibiting can be attributed to hard work and practice, which subsequently shapes creative expression that speaks to viewers on deeper levels. (See story on page 3.) The designation of art, however, cannot be limited to visual art. By the application of the expertise filter, art can encompass just about any creative discipline: sculpture, writing, music, whatever. A couple of examples? Novelists use their expertise to create their own art, and the expertise a poet demonstrates on the page comes of long practice. In the book, Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, the author postulates that it takes at least 10,000 hours of practice in a field to achieve the level of expertise necessary to be ready for one’s big break when it finally comes. I am convinced that people like ToulouseLautrec and Cole invested far more than those 10,000 hours, and that the students in the GWHS art class and all the rest of us are at different stages of this same journey. Gladwell has his own passion: understanding how the world works and then writing about it. His work, though challenging to comprehend, is well worth the struggle. So as a result of writing this column, I now think that when I’m viewing art, I’m looking for evidence of a passion for and expertise in the rendering, regardless of the medium. Could it possibly be this simple? About the Author: Linda Lemery (llemery@averett.edu) mulls over everything while she works as Circulation Manager at Mary B. Blount Library, Averett University in Danville. She welcomes your comments.

Evince Magazine

��

�� WE’RE SELLING HOUSESSM

with rope to One morning, I the ground. saw an article and Such careful pictures in the disassembly of Danville Register the trees was and Bee about being done, of the four large course, to protect white sycamores passersby and in front of Averett the Admissions University’s Building. Admissions Office. by Mack Williams Knowledge of Tree experts that still didn’t had evidently seem to detract from the seeming made the determination that air of reverence and care which there was no longer any life left accompanied their dismantlement. in them (in the floral world, the As I passed by the sycamores final pronouncement of death later that day on my exercise walk, apparently taking longer than I also thought back to an earlier in the case of fauna). That same article that same week in the week in the newspaper, there Danville paper about abolishing had been an article and picture the time-honored policy of of a bulldozer bringing down the seniority. When it came to future old Danville Hospital building on reductions in the city’s workforce, Jefferson Avenue, that building priority would be given to younger dating from 1903. workers with more training and The prediction made in both skills. stories was that their prospective Despite that article, the recently subjects would be down by the discarded city policy of seniority end of the week. The manner of seemed to still be in effect in the old hospital’s removal seemed regarding the removal of the cruder with less respect than the sycamores. Those parts that had method for the trees’ man-made lived for the shortest amount of descent to the ground. time, the twigs, branches, and In my mind, I compared the limbs were being the first to be hospital’s rough handling to how let go, while the massive, much the sycamores were being taken longer-lived trunks would be the apart piece-by-piece, almost last to leave. reverently, and gently lowered

Seniority

Page 13

Page 14

May 2011

May Calendar Ongoing

Guided Walking Tour – Millionaires Row, The Secrets Inside. 434.770.1974. www.danvillehistoricalsociety.org. See pg 13.

Thru May 8

Danville Museum Exhibit - A Sense of Place – Landscapes by American Landscape painter David Grafton. Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History (DMFA&H) – 434.793.5644.

Through May 8

Scenes from Our City – Display of children’s paintings of prominent Danville downtown landmarks. M-S 9:30 am–5 pm, Sun 1–5 pm. Danville Science Center (DSC) – 434.791.5160.

Through May 14

Arbor Day Exhibit – Artisans incorporated dogwood in their pieces to celebrate Arbor Day. 5/6 Reception 5-7 pm. Southern Virginia Artisan Center (SVAC) – 276.632.0066.

Through June 5

City Tulips Exhibit – Series by photographer Sandra Gottlieb. DMFA&H – 434.793.5644.

Through June 25

A Few of Nancy’s Friends Exhibit. Sat. 2-5 pm. The Langhorne House. 434.791.2256

Through September 5

DSC Exhibits – Tech City and Sonic Sensation. M-S 9:30 am–5 pm, Sun 1–5 pm. DSC – 434.791.5160.

May 1

The Dixie Swim Club – Comedy of a women’s college swim team that meets every August for a week of reminiscing and recreation. Gretna Movie Theatre. 434.228.1778.

May 1 (thru 30)

YWCA Programs & Fitness Classes – Programs: Bible Speaks, Domestic Violence Advocacy Program, Young Women’s Leadership Program, Project Literacy and labyrinth walk. Fitness: Better Health for Pre-Teens, Aikido, Belly Dancing, Zumba, and swimming lessons for children. Days/times vary. YWCA – 434.792.1522.

May 1 (thru 31)

Fitness Classes – Yoga, Pilates, Spin, Aerobics, Zumba, Water Aerobics, Zumba Aqua. Days/times vary. YMCA – 434.792.0621.

May 2 (thru 23)

Boogie Monday – Cha Cha II. M 7-8:30 pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

May 2 (thru 30)

Senior Yoga. Mondays 11 am. YMCA – 434.792.0621. Step-Aerobics. MW 5:15 pm. Community Center, Chatham – 434.432.3115.

May 3

Eat Out to Help Out God’s Storehouse. See story page 22.

May 3 (thru 31)

Zumba Class. Tu 9 am, Sat 10 am. Community Center, Chatham – 434.432.3115.

May 3 (thru June 14)

Zumbatomic - Crazy-cool dance ﬁtness workout for kids, set to hiphop, salsa, and more. 5/3-Trial Class. Ages 4-12. 5 pm. Coates Rec. Center. 434.797.8848.

May 3 & 17

Coffee and Crayons – Creative fun for your kids and networking with other parents. 9-10 am. City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

May 3 (thru 31)

Koates Kids Pre-School Program – Different themed activities introduced each week through various events, games, arts, and crafts. Ages 3-5. T/W 9:30 am–12 pm. Coates Rec. 434.797.8848. African Dance Ensemble – Learn the beautiful art of African Dance. Tues 6:30 pm. Pepsi Building. 434.797.8848.

May 4

Senior Bowling Tournament. 10 am12 pm. Riverside Lanes. 434.791.2695. Lots of Discussion & More - with Diane Moore.12:30-1:30 pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

May 4 (thru 25)

S.T.R.E.A.M. Kids – Kids will explore local creeks, streams and rivers to become educated on the way these bodies of water work together and how we impact them. 3:30-5 pm. 434.799.5215. Youth Martial Arts. Wednesdays 12 pm. YMCA – 434.792.0621.

May 4 (thru 28)

Live Bands & DJ Music. Wed-Sat. Back to Bogies – 434.791.3444.

May 5

Bob Ross Painting Class – High Chateau. 10 am–3:30 pm. Piedmont Arts (PAA), Martinsville – 276.632.3221. Shrimp Fest – All-you- can eat shrimp with all the ﬁxings, adult beverages, and a great dance band. Roxboro, NC. 336.599.8333.

May 5 & 26

Kayak Trip – Dan Daniel Memorial Park to Anglers Park. 6-8 pm. 434.799.5215.

May 5 (thru 26)

Aquacize – Aerobic workout that is easy on knees, ankles and other joints. TH 8:15 am. YWCA. 434.797.8848. Curiosity Corner – Make crafts, play games and have fun. Ages 3-5. TH 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Coates Rec. 434.797.8848. New Yoga Class. Thursdays 12 pm. YMCA – 434.792.0621. Kuumba-West African Dance – Live drumming and energetic dancing. TH 6:30-8 pm. City Armory. 434.797.8848. 57 Express Bluegrass Concert. TH 7 pm. Community Center, Chatham – 434.432.3115.

May 5 (thru June 30)

Celebrity Grilling Classes - Local celebrities become grill masters sharing their outdoor grilling expertise. TH. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

May 6

Mother’s Day Celebration - Featuring Caswell County Senior Choir. 12-2 pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216. SHS Endowment Beneﬁt Golf Tournament - 18-hole, captain’s choice, 4 player tournament. 1 pm. Caswell Pines Golf Club. 434.793.2656. First Friday Art Walk – Visit the art studios, meet the artists, browse original works of art and participate in occasional arts–related activities. 5-7 pm. Studio 107, Martinsville – 276.638.2107. Creating Bath and Body Products – Make bath products including bath salts and bath bombs. SVAC – 276.632.0066. Fridays at the Crossing. See ad page 5. Chatham Concert Series – Romantic music for clarinet, piano and strings. 7 pm. Emmanuel Episcopal Church. kstrings@vt.edu. Joey + Rory – A night of country music featuring husband-and-wife team, Academy of Country Music’s 2010 Top New Vocal Duo winner, and Billboard hit makers. 7:30 pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339. First Fridays at the Rives – A concert series featuring Rooster Walk Preview. 8:30 pm. Rives Theatre, Martinsville. 276.632.3221.

May 6 (thru 8)

Heritage & Antique Machinery Festival – Highlighting rural & agricultural heritage in Halifax County with tractor pulls, quarter-scale pulls, music, entertainment and food. 5/7Author Larry Aaron will be signing his latest book, The Wreck of the Old Ninety-Seven. Times vary. Halifax County Fairgrounds. 434.572.6879.

May 6 (thru 27)

Food, Friends & Fine Crafts – An evening of art-making, food, and friends. Students explore a new craft with hands-on learning and will complete a project. F 6-8:30 pm. SVAC – 276.632.0066.

May 7

Farmers’ Market Opening Day – Kick off the fresh garden and produce season. 7:30 am–12 pm. Danville Community Market. 434.797.8961. Art on Main & Art on the Lawn See ad on back cover and story on page 22. Community Technology Recycling Day - Get rid of old computers, TVs, toner cartridges, printers, scanners, VCRs, stereos & more. 9 am-1 pm. Martinsville HS Tennis Court. www.martinsville.com. Fifth Annual 5K. Children’s Run9:30 am, 5K-9 am. Gretna. 434.656.8961 or 434.656.2925. DRBA’s First Saturday Outing – Start at Snow Creek Access and end at Hemlock Golf Course Access. 10 am. 336.547.1903.

MAY 2011 S 1 8 15 22 29

M 2 9 16 23 30

T 3 10 17 24 31

W 4 11 18 25

T 5 12 19 26

F 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

Bob Ross Painting Class – High Chateau. 10:30 am–3:30 pm. Ballou Park. 434.797.8848. Spring River Clean Up – Bring family, civic, church or community groups to help clean up the shores of the Dan. 11 am-1 pm. Pepsi Building. 434.791.5160 or 434.799.5215. Main Street Cruise-In – Enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of the downtown while cruising classic cars. 6-9 pm. Downtown Danville. 434.251.2237.

May 7 & 8

SCCA Al Fairer SARRC/MARRS Challenge. VIR – 434.822.7700.

May 7 (thru 28)

Auto Racing. 5/7 - PASS Super Late Model 150/T-NASCAR Whelen Late Model; 5/14 & 28 - Late Model/Limited/ T -Pure Stock/SV Modiﬁeds. South Boston Speedway – 877.440.1540.

May 9 & 16

Aqua Zumba – Combine the high energy of the Latin rhythms created in Zumba with water and you have this explosive and exciting aqua program. 5:30-6:30 pm. YWCA. 434.797.8848.

May 10

Habitat Village Open House. See story page 22. Polliwogs & Science Stars – Learn the difference between living and nonliving things in nature and work as detectives to search outdoors for signs of life. Ages 3–4, 1–2 pm. Ages 5–7, 3:30–4:30 pm. DSC - 434.791.5160. Girl Scouts Disc Golf – Share laughter along the fairways while enjoying an evening of playing disc golf. 6-7:30 pm. Ballou Park Disc Golf Course. 434.799.5215.

May 11

Homeschool Wednesdays – Earth Cycles. Ages 6-10 & 11-18. 10-11:15 am. VMNH – 276.634.4185.

May 12

Kayak Trip – Camilla Williams to Sandy River. 6-8 pm. 434.799.5215. Showcase Evening/Fine Arts Program - Visit the classrooms; meet the teachers, and tour the school. Students in grades K-6 will provide entertainment for the musical program. 6:15 pm. Sacred Heart School - 434.793.2656.

May 13

Exploring Fused Glass – Learn to make functional and ornamental fused glass pieces using colorful glass. SVAC – 276.632.0066.

May 13 & 14

No, No. A Million Times No. Gretna Theatre. 434.228.1778.

May 13 (thru 15)

Bosch Eng. 250 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. VIR – 434.822.7700. Festival in the Park. See ad page 21.

May 14

Nestle 5K Run/Walk/Wheel Chair/ Fun Run - 5K out & back road race. 8:30 am. Ballou Park. 434.548.9862.

Evince Magazine Community Shred Day. 9 am-12 pm. Tightsqueeze Plaza. 434.836.6990. Rabies, Vaccination, and Heartworm Clinic - Low-cost vaccines and tests for your pets. 9 am. Martinsville Henry County SPCA - 276.638.7297. Noland Village Days – Brunswick stew, live music, crafts, antique tractor & farm machinery, classic cars and more. 9 am. Noland Village. 434.454.2210. Health Fair – Blood pressure check, sight and hearing screenings, chiropractic screenings, memory screenings, info on drug interactions and holistic medicine, and more. 10 am-6 pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.797.8848. Non-Proﬁt Grant-Writing and Volunteer Recruitment Fair – See story page 18. Spring Pops Concert – Danville Symphony Orchestra. See story page 22. Javon Jackson Quartet. 7:30 pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

Relay for Life Diamondback Concert. See story page 22. Hammered Copper Earrings – Explore the techniques used in making jewelry using copper and metalsmithing techniques. SVAC – 276.632.0066.

May 15

Danville Area Humane Society Yard Sale. 7 am-12 pm. former Salvation Army Thrift Store. 434.799.0843. Science Wonders – Fascinating science behind bubbles, magnets and recycling and a static electricity demonstration. Ages 6-9. 10 am-12 pm. DSC – 434.791.5160. Cruise In. 5-8 pm. Uptown Martinsville, Church St. 276.632.5688.

Pink Zumbathon – Spend an afternoon of calorie-burning, bodyenergizing, awe-inspiring movements to raise cancer awareness. 1-5 pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.797.8848. Concert of Appreciation - Danville Junior String Quartet Graduation. 7-8:30 pm. West Main Baptist Church. www.facebook.com/djrsq. Raleigh Ringers. See ad page 7.

May 16 (thru 27)

Danville Art League’s 2011 Members’ Art Show. See story page 22.

May 17

Trip to Washington, DC. 5 am-11:30 pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216. Girl Scouts Creek Crawl – Explore the creeks in search of salamanders, lizards, frogs and more. Anglers Park. 434.799.5215.

May 17 & 24

Kayak Skill Classes. 5/17-strokes & maneuvers, 5/24-rescue & recovery. 5:45-7:45 pm. Abreu/Grogan Park. 434.799.5215.

May 18

Luncheon with author Phillip Watson. See story page 22.

May 18 (thru July 6)

Capoeira – Combination of martial arts, sports, and music. Wed. 5:306:30 pm. Ballou Park. 434.799.5216.

May 19

Third Thursday – Entertainment by The Brown Brothers; beer & wine garden. 6-8:30 pm. Downtown South Boston. 434.575.4209. Enchanted Evenings in The Park – Bring chairs, blankets and relax and enjoy the mid-evening fun. 6:30-8 pm. Ballou Park. 434.799.5216. Sky Watchers – Constellations Bootes & Virgo, the planet Saturn and Corona Borealis. Nightfall. DSC – 434.791.5160.

May 19 (thru June 23)

Hoop Dancing - Good cardiovascular workout builds stamina and improves agility and strength. TH 5:30-6:30 pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

May 20

Just Everyday Women Walking by Faith. 11 am-1 pm. Mary’s Diner. Bright Leaf Golf Classic. 12 pm. Caswell Pines Golf Course. 336.694.6106. Krazy Country Comedy. See story page 18.

May 20 (thru June 24)

Chair Yoga - Learn how to focus, relax, open energy channels. Simple yoga postures. F 9:30-10:30 am. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

May 20 (thru July 8)

Chair Aerobics. Fri. 11 am-12 pm. Ballou Park. 434.799.5216.

May 28

Chatham Cruise In. 5-9 pm. Main Street Chatham. 434.548.3233 or 434.489.6082.

May 28 & 29

SAAC / SVT Cobra Mustang Club. VIR – 434.822.7700.

Upcoming Events

Page 15

June 4

Auto Racing. South Boston Speedway – 877.440.1540. Danville Harvest Jubilee Concert Colt Ford & Corey Smith. 6 pm. Carrington Pavilion. 434.793.4636.

June 6

Chamber Classic Golf Tournament. Danville Golf Club. 434.836.6990.

June 3

Fridays at the Crossing - Backstreet. 6 pm. Carrington Pavilion. 434.793.4636.

May 20 (Thru September 5)

Dark Star Images Exhibit – Take a visual journey from the Sun to the Milky Way and distant galaxies through the compelling photos of local astro-photographer Tony Pilato. 5/20-Lecture, 6:30 pm. DSC – 434.791.5160.

May 21

May 21 (thru July 8)

Expressions 2011 Exhibit – Offering an eclectic mix of styles and media in this open-entry juried art exhibit featuring work by local and regional artists. PAA, Martinsville – 276.632.3221.

May 22

Aires and Arias - Presented by Raul West. 7 pm. Moffett Memorial Baptist Church – 434.799.5402.

May 23

Youth Swimming Lessons. M/Wed. Ages 3-14. YMCA – 434.792.0621.

May 24

Parent Tot Swimming Lessons. TU/TH. YMCA – 434.792.0621. Raising Awareness for Health & Wellness – Managing Hypertension. 5:30-6:30 pm. Ballou Park. 434.799.5216. Saturn, the Ringed Planet – Information and images of the great ringed planet with the planet being brought to life using “Science on a Sphere.” 6:30 pm. DSC – 434.791.5160.

May 24 & 25

Stock Car Test Days. 5/24-Pros, 5/25Regional. VIR – 434.822.7700.

May 25

Doodle Bugs – Under the Sea. Ages 3-5. 10 am & 3 pm. VMNH – 276.634.4185.

May 26

Organic Vegetable Gardening – Tips and suggestion on how to plan and care for a vegetable garden. 6:30 pm. Coates Rec Center. 434.797.8848. Richmond Symphony – One of the most looked-forward-to events of the season. 7:30 pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

May 27

Create a Beaded Bracelet – Learn to make a beaded bracelet using beautiful glass beads and imagination. SVAC – 276.632.0066. TGIF Concert Series - Fatz. 7-10:30 pm. Uptown Martinsville. 276.632.5688.

Where Can I Find an Evince?

Ten thousand copies of Evince are distributed each month at over 100 locations in Danville, Martinsville, South Boston, Chatham, Gretna, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, and in Yanceyville, Pelham, Roxboro, and Eden, North Carolina. Find your copy at: Danville H. W. Brown Florist 431 Chestnut Street (They deliver an Evince with your ﬂower order.) Danville Public Library 511 Patton Street GingerBread House 1799 Memorial Drive Mt. Hermon Library 2725 Franklin Turnpike Chatham Area Community Center - Main Street Chatham Public Library - 24 Military Drive

Yanceyville Caswell County Civic Center 536 Main Street East Yancey House 699 U.S. Highway 158 West South Boston Area Southern Higher Education Center 501 Bruce Street Halifax County Library 177 Main Street

Page 16

May 2011

Evince Magazine

Page 17

Book Clubbing Magnolia Muses Book Club, submitted by Connie Fletcher Whitlow Who & When: The Magnolia Muses meet once a month from September through June in the home of a member. Recently Read: Danville, Virginia and the Coming of the Modern South was written by Michael Swanson, a 23-year resident of Danville. The book begins with a chapter on the Danville riot of 1883 and ends with a chapter on Virginia in the 1940s. It details the shifting influence of various groups in our city as well as the rise of industry, unions, and the birth and growth of Dan River Mills. It is written in a narrative style, with quotes and letters from a variety of city residents. It was enjoyable to find names of families still in the area and specific places in the city, and to imagine the happenings in the context of where they occurred. After giving some background about the book, the author entered into a lively discussion with the Muses about various topics covered in the book, including the poll tax, the disparity of growth after 1900 between Danville and Greensboro, and the similarities between then and now in terms of the roles of socioeconomic groups. Swanson’s book is available for purchase at the Goodwill Book Store, 512 Westover Drive. What’s next: Blessings by Anna Quinlan. Editor’s Note: Send info about what your book club is reading to joyce@evincemagazine.com.

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service To encourage exceptional customer service, the Business Development Committee of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce and Evince will recognize those who give it. When you experience exceptional customer service, tell us about it in 300 words or less. Include your name and phone number. Email your story to joyce@evincemagazine.com or visit www. dpchamber.org; click What’s New - Customer Service Award Nomination. by Alexis Ehrhardt Lisa Kerr, General Manager at Rippe’s, 559 Main Street, is a gem. She always knows just what I’m looking for and what size will ﬁt best. More than the clothes, however, Lisa wants to make sure that I have a good experience each time I shop at Rippe’s. Part of her excellent service even includes holding my infant son while I shop! I know she provides this same level of service to all of her customers. Whether I have time to shop or I’m in a hurry, Lisa is always accommodating and fun to be with. Shopping with Lisa is like shopping with your best friend, who also happens to have a great eye for fashion. Because of Lisa I’ve all but stopped shopping out of town. We are so fortunate to have her in Danville.

Page 18

May 2011

Want to Volunteer, but Don’t Know Where? by Debbie Flinn Averett University MBA students are conducting a Volunteer Recruitment Fair and Grant Writing Workshop to benefit area non-profits on Saturday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Danville Life Saving Crew Training Center, 202 Christopher Lane. Why should you attend? Because volunteers help build strong, caring communities where friendships develop. Also, you can learn about opportunities at information booths. Area non-profits will describe what they do and how you can help. Keep in mind that volunteering doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment. You might listen to a child read at Project Literacy, raise a hammer for Habitat for Humanity, or learn to apply for a grant. The grant writing workshop will teach you the skills needed to secure the funds desired.

During the Fair, Danya Zuniga will lead two sessions of exercise and dance at Zumba in the Bay. Cost is $10 and proceeds will benefit the Danville Life Saving Crew. The following weekend, another AU MBA project, Krazy Country Comedy, a variety show, will be presented on Friday, May 20, at 8:00 p.m. in the GWHS Auditorium, 701 Broad Street. Tickets are $15 and profits will benefit the Miss Danville-Pittsylvania County Scholarship Pageant. Finally, AU MBA classes are accepting items for the Faith & Hope Clothing Distribution. If you would like to donate gentlyused clothing, call 434-792 0859 or 336-447-8068. You don’t have to go around the world to make a difference – start by attending the May 14th Volunteer Recruitment Fair in Danville.

Did you know ... • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Danville provides mentors and positive role models to hundreds of youth in our area, but they have a waiting of list of children in need of a strong inﬂuence. • The Danville Life Saving Crew travels more than 10,000 miles each year helping folks in need of emergency services; they need volunteer workers to respond to those free calls. • God’s Storehouse feeds hungry families and children; however, every day someone goes to bed hungry in our town.

Evince Magazine

Throw Out the Mess and Organize the Rest May is Mailbox Makeover Month by Joyce Wilburn National Association of Professional Organizers Mail is like the ocean tide—it never stops coming in. Bills, checks, catalogues, advertisements, invitations arrive daily whether requested or not, whether you are home or on vacation, asleep or awake, sick or well. It is relentless. Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Take two simple steps to reduce the flow and channel the remainder. Not only will you be able to find important correspondence when needed, the clutter and junk mail will slowly come to a halt. Wait until the next batch of mail arrives and then try this: 1. Sort the mail into categories that fit your lifestyle, for example, junk, bills, checks, invitations, catalogues. 2. Follow the OHIO Rule: Only Handle It Once. a. Open what looks like junk mail to confirm that it is useless. Then throw it away. Don’t ever discard an unopened envelope. I almost did that one time and found a $500 check inside! b. Open the bills; throw away the inserts; write the due dates on the envelopes where the stamps would be placed. Put in a designated place such as a bill box or a wall organizer. Arrange by date so the bill that needs to be paid first is on top. Each Sunday evening, pay the bills that are due during the following 10 days. c. Put checks with your checkbook until you can make the trip to the bank. I keep my checkbook with the bills. d. Place invitations in the pages

of your calendar and write the specifics on the appropriate date. Mark the RSVP date also as a reminder to respond. I prefer a book type of calendar because the meeting notices and invitations will fit between the pages of the appropriate month or week. Then if I need to refer to them, I’ll know where to look. e. Decide if you want to continue receiving catalogues because they multiply faster than rabbits. If you receive one that you don’t want, call the company’s toll-free number and ask to be removed from the mailing list. I have done this hundreds of times for myself and others; the customer service representatives have always been nice. To be removed from all unwanted mailing, visit www.dmachoice. org. The nice people at the Direct Marketing Association will give your mailbox a free makeover in three easy steps. When the number of catalogues is reduced, your other junk mail will diminish also because many catalogue companies sell their mailing lists to other businesses. This mailbox makeover is foolproof, if you are consistent. Ten minutes a day will stop the unwanted tide of mail and channel the good mail where you can find it. (Don’t look for Mailbox Makeover Month on any official websites. I created it because I love alliteration.)

Page 19

Page 20

May 2011 Paid Advertisement

You Can Have a Healthy Lifestyle

by Dave Gluhareff MFS,CFT-ISSA Why is it so hard to become and/or stay a healthy person? We have the brains and all the necessary human equipment to achieve great health so why is it so hard? Why are so many of us dying because of obesity, bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease? I believe we are missing three important values, or if we have them, they are out of order: desire, knowledge, and persistence. If you have these three essentials in your life, in this order, the excuses are out the window. Desire (To wish or long for; to crave) We need the desire to be healthy people spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, mentally and physically. We need a burning desire inside of us to want to be whole people. Knowledge (familiarity, awareness, or comprehension acquired by experience or study) Attaining knowledge is key. We need to become as familiar and aware as possible of what is healthy. We need to know how to effectively implement healthy habits in our lives to make us successful. Persistence (the act of persisting; to hold steadfastly and ďŹ rmly to a purpose or undertaking, despite obstacles, warnings, or setbacks) With desire and knowledge comes persistence. We must hold on with a strong grip to our purpose, which is to develop and keep our healthy lifestyles. Great health needs to be a way of life. We need to eat, sleep, think, and breathe healthy. Now is the time to stop eating processed foods with trans fats, drinking colas and excessive alcohol, partying with little sleep, thinking and speaking negatively, smoking cigarettes and/or doing drugs. We need to stop complaining and blaming other people and things for causing us to be unhealthy. We are in control of our lives. We are our own managers. We need to have the desire, knowledge and persistence to be successful at healthy living. For more information call 434.728.0952, email trainwithdaveg@yahoo.com or visit www.TrainWith Dave.com.

Evince Magazine

Page 21

Page 22

May 2011

Calendar Clips Clip it. Post it. Do it.

Here are a few highlights of activities you don’t want to miss this month. Cut out the ones that interest you; post them on your refrigerator as a reminder; enjoy a new experience. For more activities, see the calendar on page 14-15.

Tuesday May 3

Eat Out to Help Out God’s Storehouse

Twenty-six Danville restaurants will donate 10% of their proceeds on this day to God’s Storehouse. Organized by co-chairs Janie Leigh Carter, from Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, and Karen Harris, from First Baptist Church, and representatives from eight Danville churches, this event will be held during regular business hours at each location. For more information, email janieleighc@hotmail.com or kekoonce@hotmail.com. (submitted by Russell Scruggs)

Friday, May 6 - Sunday, May 8 Heritage & Antique Machinery Festival

Highlighting rural & agricultural heritage in Halifax County with tractor pulls, quarter-scale pulls, music, entertainment and food. 5/7-Author Larry Aaron will be signing his latest book, The Wreck of the Old NinetySeven. Times vary. Halifax County Fairgrounds. 434.572.6879.

Saturday, May 7 Art on Main

From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the Danville Area Association for the Arts & Humanities will host a free spring outdoor arts and cultural festival. This event, which brought over 1,000 people in attendance during its launch in October of 2010, will take place on several blocks of Main Street in historic Downtown Danville. The festival is a new collaboration between A & H (Art on Main), the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History (Art on the Lawn), Danville Science Center and the Community Market. Main Street will be buzzing with a variety of visual and performing artists, several performance areas with live entertainment, a GREEN art gallery, the Kids Imagination Station, an Art Wall, food vendors and more. Call 434.792.6965 for more information. (submitted by Melissa Charles)

Saturday May 7 Art on the Lawn

This outdoor exhibit will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the historic Sutherlin Mansion/ Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, 975 Main Street. (Rain date Sunday, May 8, from noon to 5 p.m.) The juried art show will feature some of the region’s ﬁnest artists and crafts persons whose works will be for sale. Mediums displayed include woodturning, painting, printmaking, pottery, jewelry, photography, and mixed media. The overall theme of Art on Main is recycling – Green. Art on the Lawn will offer take-home art projects made San Antonio Trolley from recycled or found objects as part of by Norma Martin this theme. There will be three performances by the children’s theater group, North Star Productions, who will present Exit Stage Left at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.. Make a day of it – start at the Community Market for its opening day, take a free trolley ride up to the Museum, and then take the trolley down to Art on Main in the downtown/River District. DMFAH will store any of your purchases from Art on the Lawn while you visit Art on Main. Bring the whole family, have a picnic on the lawn (including goodies from the Community Market), and enjoy some of the best art in the region. (submitted by Lynne Bjarnesen)

Monday, May 9 Ticket Purchase Deadline/ Luncheon with author Phillip Watson The Halifax County Women’s Club presents renowned landscape designer, author, and QVC celebrity who will speak on gardening landscape design on Wednesday, May 18, at 11:00 a.m. at The Prizery in South Boston. A catered luncheon will follow his presentation. Each guest will receive an autographed complimentary copy of Pleasure Gardens, his new book. Cost is $25.00 and will beneﬁt the Club’s scholarship fund for graduating high school seniors. For more info, call 434-476-7020. (submitted by Pam Clark)

Tuesday, May 10th Habitat Village Open House

From 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., the Danville Pittsylvania County Habitat for Humanity will open the door to their 35th home still under construction at 617 Lee Street in Danville. Join them for a grilled hot dog as you walk through the newest addition to the Habitat Village area. See the handiwork of many dedicated donors, local volunteers and college students from universities across the country. For more information, call 434-793-3630. (submitted by Donna Redd)

Saturday, May 14 DSO Concert

American Treasures: Big Band Classics

The Danville Symphony Orchestra will present a pops concert featuring highlights from the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s including medleys from the big bands and Broadway. Many of the best tunes from the swing era will be included. The program will offer World War II favorites, Moonlight Serenade and In the Mood, and highlights from the careers of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael and Sammy Nestico. They will also perform medleys from Gershwin’s classic American opera, Porgy and Bess and Frank Loesser’s Broadway hit show, Guys and Dolls. The ﬁrst downbeat is at 8 p.m. at George Washington High School, 701 Broad Street. Thanks to generous community donors, the DSO offers this concert free to the public. The DSO is currently holding auditions for the positions of trumpet, violins, violas, cellos and French horns. For more information, email: leighlatchum@comcast.net. (submitted by Mary Franklin)

Monday, May 16 - Friday, May 27 Danville Art League’s 2011 Members’ Art Show

The public is invited to view original art by members of the local community in the lobby of American National Bank, 628 Main Street, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Best-in-Show, First, Second, and Third Place, Judges’ Select, and Honorable Mention Awards will be noted. For more information, contact 434-822-7942. (submitted by Deb Graham)

May 20 Relay for Life

Diamondback Concert

From 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Carrington Pavilion on Craghead Street, Diamondback will give a free concert to celebrate the end of events that benefit the American Cancer Association. In the fall of 2010, Diamondback , led by the vocals of Pittsylvania County native, Michelle Motley, had a part in the feature film Lake Effects, which was filmed at Smith Mountain Lake. Stars Jane Seymour, Ben Savage, Scottie Thompson, Richard Moll, Madeline Zima and Richard Riehle appear in the movie. In addition to providing music and band characters for the wine festival scenes, Diamondback has two original songs, Stars Are Falling and Closer Than We’ve Ever Been, on the soundtrack. The band includes Steven Blevins and Bo Heatherly on guitar, Billy White on bass and Herb Brown Jr. on drums. To learn more about Diamondback, visit www.diamondbackva. com or call 434.369.1959. (submitted by Michelle Motley)

Evince Magazine

Page 23