Evince Magazine Page 1
Clara Gutierrez
Throwing Paint at Cancer Page 5
Michele “Mike” Miraglia
Bringing a Touch of Italy to Danville See Page 3
Photo by Michelle Dalton Photography
Page 2 June 2017
Editor’s Note
Mike Miraglia, pictured on the cover, came to America because of the promise of working with friends. Now he is bringing a little of Italy to his new homeland. His story on page 3 reminds us of the promise that Christmas is coming. Clara Gutierrez, also on the cover, arrived in Danville from South America because of the promise of being near family. Her promise of community involvement is told on page 5. At the end of the story, you will be challenged to follow her example. Dave Slayton promises a good glass of wine, but you must use the correct wine glass. See page 26 for instructions. Linda Lemery writes that promise and potential are synonymous. On page 28, she gives a guide to developing your potential—those hidden talents that need to be nurtured. For examples of people who are using their skills and talents in exceptional ways, see the Evince Spirit Awards starting on page 15. Be sure to support them. Summer is a time for relaxation and doing fun things. For ideas, read Calendar Clips on page 12 and the calendar on page 23. Book Clubbing on page 25 suggests a good read. DIY Do or Don’t on page 24 gives directions for an easy craft project. Read Deb Henderson’s review of the new movie at Danville Science Center’s Digital Dome on page 29 and then go see it. I promise there’s so much to do if you are curious—and that’s a promise that can be easily kept.
June Contents
2 Editor’s Note
3 Michele “Mike” Miraglia Bringing a Touch of Italy to Danville by Lanie Davis
OICE OF PROMISE
CEO / Publisher Andrew Scott Brooks President Director of Sales & Marketing Larry Oldham (434.728.3713) larry@evincemagazine.com
4 She Said He Said Running Out of Gas by Dena Hill & Larry Oldham
Editor Joyce Wilburn (434.799.3160) joycewilburn@gmail.com
5 Clara Gutierrez Throwing Paint at Cancer by Kate Stokely Powell 7
THE
Associate Editors Jeanette Taylor Larry Wilburn
You’re Invited to Pittsylvania County’s 250th Birthday Party by Larry Aaron Spotting Exceptional Customer Service by Shelia Baynes
Contributing Writers
Larry Aaron, Diane Adkins, Shelia Baynes, Kevin & Hosanna Blanchard, Kim Clifton, Cathy Cole, Lanie Davis, Mary Franklin , Kristi Hall, Karen Harris, Deb Henderson, Dena Hill, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, Erica Lowdermilk, Jeanne Nostrandt, Larry Oldham, Kate Stokely Powell, Rachel Shaw, Dave Slayton, Jay Stephens, Donna Strange, Lisa Tuite
9 Second Thoughts Sweet Tea by Kim Clifton
Business Manager Paul Seiple (1.877.638.8685) paul@evincemagazine.com
10 Passport / Fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg 11 What’s Happening in the Public Libraries 12 Calendar Clips
Marketing Consultants Kim Demont (434.792.0612) demontdesign@verizon.net Lee Vogler (434.548.5335) lee@showcasemagazine.com Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont)
15 2017 Spirit Awards 23 Calendar
evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly: reveal syn see SHOW
24 DIY Do or Don’t? Mod Podge Projects by Kristi Hall 25 Book Clubbing At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier a review by Diane Adkins
Deadline for submission of July stories, articles, and ads is Tuesday, June 20, at 5:00 p.m. Submit stories, articles, and calendar items to joycewilburn@gmail.com.
26 Wine Spot Is Your Glass Delivering What Your Wine Promises? by Dave Slayton
For ad information contact a marketing consultant or the Director of Sales & Marketing listed above.
28 Reflecting Forward The Voice of Promise by Linda Lemery
Editorial Policies:
29 Earth, Moon & Sun / Danville Science Center a review by Deb Henderson 30 Photo Finish
On the Cover:
Photo of Mike Miraglia by Michelle Dalton Photographer
Don’t Forget to Pick Up the June Edition of Showcase Magazine
Meet Some of Our Contributors
eVince is a monthly news magazine covering the arts, entertainment, education, economic development, and lifestyle in Danville and the surrounding 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 St. Suite 3, Danville, VA 24541 www.evincemagazine.com © 2017 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part in any medium without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
Sincerely,
Credits: Amber Wilson: hair; Catherine Saunders: skin care and makeup; Genesis Day Spa & Salon, 695 Park Avenue, Danville. Janelle Gammon: nails; Salon One 11, 111 Sandy Court, Danville.
Deb Henderson teaches nursing at Danville Community College. See page 29.
Larry Aaron is a retired teacher, a published author and happy husband of Nancy Aaron. See page 7.
Dave Slayton is a member of the Master Court of Sommeliers. See The Wine Spot on page 26.
Donna Strange, a retired public relations/marketing manager, lives in Halifax County in a restored circa 1779 home. See page 12.
We now accept Visa, MC, and Discover for ad payments
For subscriptions to Evince, email cindy@showcasemagazine.com
Evince Magazine Page 3
W
hen Michele “Mike” Miraglia left his home in Naples, Italy, to travel to the United States, he did not expect to find a new passion in an old Italian tradition. He came on a three-month visa in 1998 to help his friends at Frank’s Italian Restaurant in Danville and intended to leave after ninety days. He stayed a lot longer, however, after meeting his future wife Jeanne at the popular eatery. Eventually, he applied for permanent residency and has been living and working in Danville and the surrounding area for nearly nineteen years. “I have had good experiences, opportunities to meet people and chances to work and enjoy being with different people,” Mike says with a charming Italian accent. When Mike’s parents came to the U.S. to attend his citizenship ceremony, they brought him a nativity scene as a gift from his home country. That’s when he decided to start creating nativities to remember the birth of Jesus. “I wanted to keep my Italian tradition,” Mike says, adding that he feels blessed to have this God-given artistic talent. “When my parents brought me that (the nativity scene), I wanted to see what I could do.” In Italy, it is common to see nativities like Mike’s and the materials to make them. In fact, when Mike and Jeanne visit Italy, they come back with the supplies, especially the figurines, needed for Mike to create the nativities. “When you go to Italy and Naples from October to Christmas, the streets are lined with shops that have all the things you need to make your own,” Jeanne says. “All the bark, the cork, the little houses. Everything is there.” Back in Danville, Mike makes the nativities when he is not working as a custodian at the Pittsylvania County Career Center. The nativities are very intricate and usually include different materials, like cork, wood and Styrofoam. They are placed in different objects, such as boxes, domes, frames and even old clocks that Mike finds at Goodwill and yard sales. Some also have lights and waterfalls. “I never make them the same,” Mike comments while holding up a nativity scene covered with a glass dome and then shows other examples. “They’re all different. I have this one in a dome and
Mike paints a one-of-a-kind nativity scene. Photos by Michelle Dalton Photography.
Michele “Mike” Miraglia Bringing a Touch of Italy to Danville by Lanie Davis another one in a rocking chair.” Considering the nativity is put together by hand and is one of a kind, Mike takes his time when making them and prices them accordingly. Depending on the size and materials used for the nativity, it could take anywhere from a half-day to more than a month to create. While they may be popular in Italy, nativities like Mike’s are not as common in Danville. “Since I’ve been here, I haven’t seen things like these around,” remarks Mike. “It’s something unique.” Jeanne, who grew up in nearby North Carolina, adds that she has never seen art like this here. “You see pottery, paintings, and jewelry, but you don’t see this,” she says with a hint of pride in her husband’s work. “People have bought and shipped them to Florida, New Jersey, Texas and New York.” Mike smiles at the thought of his creations being
sent around the U.S. He’s also very pleased that an old Italian tradition has taken root in Danville and is spreading. • Mike will be taking orders and selling his nativities at Art on the Lawn on Saturday, June 10, at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, 975 Main Street, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. • For more information on the nativities, call 434.799.1920.
Page 4 June 2017
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SHE SAID by Dena Hill
Running Out of Gas What a huge waste of my time! There are so many things I could be doing other than going to a gas station to fill up my car. Granted, it runs a lot better when it has a full tank and is clean and spit-shined-much like the way you function. I always check on weekends to be sure I have enough gas for the coming week because a stop for gas isn’t figured into my allotted schedule. My morning routine is so precise, you can set your watch by it. I get up at the same time every day (even setting two alarms in case one of them decides not to function), workout, shower, and do my hair and make-up. With that done, I’m in the kitchen cooking by 7:00. Of course, everything has been put out the night before. You can imagine how it affects my schedule when I get into the car to go to school and the gas needle is on empty. I know the driveway is small so we have to park one behind the other and it’s easier to take my car if you go out at night. What you don’t think about is that when the gas tank is empty, I don’t have time to fill it up before going to school. This happened twice last month. The whole time I’m driving in the morning, I worry about stepping on the accelerator and nothing happening! I could be on the side of the road because gas fumes are all that’s left in the tank. Your reasoning is that when the car registers empty, it can still go another fifty miles. That’s probably wishful thinking. But I have to admit...the result of your causing me to run out of gas would be a sight to see, and filling up a car is “a husband’s job.” You know you’re
my knight in shining armor and will always be my first call when I need to be rescued, dear!
HE SAID
by Larry Oldham You know the word if only has two letters. If you were in Hawaii and you were driving down the street and all of a sudden you decided to traverse up an old mountain road to see the island from a higher place, a volcano could erupt and your car might catch on fire, and the fire department might not be able to reach you in time and you start running and while you are running you are trying to call 911 but your cell phone could be dead, and then someone would probably see the smoke from your burning car and that would lead them to call the police and the police might have a flat tire on the way up the mountain so they might not be able to come and rescue you.
She said He Said
He Said / She Said can be found in Showcase Magazine.
Here is a question for you. Did you run out of gas? No. Have you ever run out of gas after I have driven or moved your car in the driveway? No. Have you ever in the fifty- three years that I have known you, put gas in my car or worried about my running out of gas? No. My two points are these: every Monday through Friday you will be driving to work. If you happen to notice on Tuesday or Wednesday that your car is half full, would it not be prudent to stop and fill up your gas tank to relieve you of all the stress that you encounter when the needle hints that you are becoming low on fumes? My second point is this: because you didn’t run out of gas and you have never run out of gas, what is your point? Your whole rant was hypothetical and based on the what if theory, plus you have set the women’s movement back fifty years with your statement about filling up a car is a husband’s job. We are equal now, remember.
Evince Magazine Page 5
Clara helps Donna Pleasants with a painting during a recent “Throw Paint at Cancer” event at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History.
Clara Gutierrez
Throwing Paint at Cancer by Kate Stokely Powell About a year ago, Clara Gutierrez, a talented, Spanish-speaking newcomer to Danville, read an item in the Evince calendar and was inspired to action. The Colombia, South American native explains, “I always had this idea to volunteer with cancer patients because my two brothers died of cancer. There were no opportunities in Colombia for me to do this due to working full-time and taking care of my mother.” Moving to Danville changed that. She continues, “Then I read about Throw Paint at Cancer! in the May 2016 Evince. My daughter encouraged me to reach out to the Cancer Research and Resource Center of Southern Virginia.” Charlotte Litzenberg, CRRCSV Coordinator, adds to the story, “After coming to Danville to live near her daughter’s family, Clara called our office. Being an artist, Throw Paint at Cancer! caught her eye and she offered any help that she might be able to give. She soon became a volunteer assistant to our instructor, Cynthia Hubbard. This allowed the opportunity for more one-onone teaching during the sessions. Soon we asked Clara to translate the program flyer into her native Spanish. Thanks to Clara, we are now able to host Spanishspeaking individuals at Throw Paint! Her talent and gracious manner have been an asset from the start.” During a typical Throw Paint at Cancer! session, Clara will walk around the room, sit next to participants, talk with them about their art work and their journey with the disease. It’s a time to connect with people who have an understanding, one way or
the other, about cancer. “For me, it’s a gift! It’s beautiful,” comments Clara and then adds, “It’s heartfelt. The opportunities for survivors, for caregivers and loved ones--the time to focus on something nice, to paint, relax, talk about different experiences, relate to people with the same interests and challenges. You can learn, focus on something different (other than cancer).” Clara’s skills are now being used to help develop several one-day Throw Paint! workshops. They will offer a glimpse of this experience to families and individuals unable to commit to a series of classes and to encourage the Spanish-speaking population. Her outreach grows and it all started because she read the Evince calendar. See page 23 and maybe you’ll be inspired to action like Clara was. • Clara’s paintings and those of Throw Paint! participants will be on exhibit at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History’s Art on the Lawn to be held June 10. See additional story on page 3. • Throw Paint at Cancer! is a free peer-to-peer support group for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers sponsored by Danville Regional Medical Center, Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History and the Cancer Research and Resource Center of Southern Virginia, which is funded by VCU Massey Cancer Center and the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. A special one-day workshop will be held Saturday, July 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Call 434.421.3060 for more information.
Page  6 June 2017
Evince Magazine Page 7
Spotting Exceptional Customer Service by Shelia Baynes
You’re Invited to Pittsylvania County’s
250th Birthday Party by Larry Aaron President, Pittsylvania Historical Society June 1 is a milestone for Pittsylvania County. The beginning of the County dates to June 1, 1767, precisely 250 years ago --the day it received its name from William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham. He was a member of the British Parliament who had defended the Colonies against Parliament’s heavy-handed attempts to burden them with taxes. Pittsylvania County once included what is now Patrick, Henry, and part of Franklin Counties stretching all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It reached its present size in 1777 during the American Revolution and still remains the largest county in Virginia, only two percent smaller than Rhode Island. If joined end to end, its rivers and streams would stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to Colorado. Pittsylvania is a big county and is planning a big celebration for its semiquincentennial. You are invited. Thursday, June 1: There will be an opening reception of Images of Pittsylvania County at Reid Street Gallery from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The exhibit will be on display during regular business hours during June. Thursday & Friday June 15 and 16: A LOVE sign (as in “Virginia Is for Lovers”) will be installed in front of the Courthouse, 1 North Main Street, as a backdrop for photo opportunities. Saturday, June 17: The 1813 Clerk’s Office behind the Chatham Town Hall at 16 Court Place will be open from 10:00 a.m. until noon. From 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. the following will be open: Simpson Funeral Museum, 16 South Main Street; the History Center at the
restored Southern Railway Station, 340 Whitehead Street; and Reid Street Gallery. At noon, General Assembly Delegate Les Adams will present the Joint Resolution from the Virginia Legislature recognizing the 250th anniversary at the Pittsylvania County Courthouse, 1 North Main Street. Bob Warren, Chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, and Chatham Mayor Roy Ford will speak. New, commemorative town banners will be unveiled. The event will also include a LOVE Photo Contest. From 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. there will be family fun at Silas Moore Park at Collie and Clement Streets, one block from Depot Street, featuring an inflated slide, bouncy house, games, and food. From 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. downtown Chatham will be closed to traffic with dancing, music, and refreshments available. Music will be provided by Rocksteady, and River City Rousers, with local musician Jim Canody as Master of Ceremonies. Food vendors include Pinos, El Cazador, Chatham Public House, Le Petit Rebelle, and Kim’s Kitchen. Chatham First will offer soft drinks, popcorn and water in Competition Alley. Events have been organized by Chatham Rotary, Pittsylvania Historical Society, Chatham First, the Town of Chatham and Reid Street Gallery. Pittsylvania County may be old, but not too old to celebrate. The public is invited to join the birthday party. • For more information, email pco1767@gmail.com or visit “Pittsylvania Historical Society” on Facebook.
At the recent Make Danville Shine event, I found someone who truly makes Danville shine, and therefore, I nominate him for the Spotting Exceptional Customer Service Award. Kevin Vaughan of DanTastic Resources: Personal, Business, & Elder Services is a shining example of the kind of citizens we have in Danville. Mr. Vaughan had a business display highlighting his company and the services it offers. I was volunteering at the event, helping prepare popcorn and cotton candy when the popcorn machine stopped working properly. I remembered a friend pointing Mr. Vaughan out to me while saying, “He is the best handyman around.” I went to him and asked if he would take a look at the machine. He did not hesitate, came right over, figured out what was wrong, used his own tools, and fixed it. He also came to check on us several times to be sure everything was working perfectly. He certainly made Danville shine! Thank you DanTastic Resources’ Kevin Vaughan! Be sure to check him out at www.dantasticresources.com. Evince and the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce want to encourage and recognize exceptional customer service. When someone gives you exceptional service, please let us know. In 300 words or less, tell us what happened. Email your story to joycewilburn@ gmail.com or chamber@dpchamber.org.
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Page  8 June 2017
Evince Magazine Page 9 like but I’ve seen its lobby. This place has the elegance of a castle making it look more like a movie set than an inn. It is peppered with groupings of couches and chairs providing the comforts of home in which to enjoy private conversations. I scoped the fancy room to see if there were others who favored the plain Jane likes of me, but found none.
Diane Shelton and Kim enjoy tea for two at the O. Henry.
Second Thoughts by Kim Clifton ©2017
Sweet Tea It’s Christmas Eve. A young husband sells his prized pocket watch to buy a set of bejeweled combs for his bride’s long hair. The wife cuts her beautiful tresses and sells them so she can buy her husband a chain for his watch. Having done so, both give presents that neither can use. It is a story of irony. It’s a story of sacrifice. Mostly, it’s a story of love and is O. Henry’s most famous one, The Gift of the Magi. Although traditionally read during the holidays, my story this spring has roots in it. What had been planned as an uneventful trip to Greensboro was instead paving new routes down memory lane. You’re invited to Tea for Two at the O. Henry Hotel my sister, Diane, had written in a card she handed to me as we headed out of town. I panicked when I read
it. I wasn’t dressed for a formal afternoon tea. With my sneakers and khakis, I was barely fit to slurp a Coke at Burger King. It had been a few rough weeks. I was tired. I was cranky. I was depressed. My to-do lists had crested well above the flood stages. All I wanted was to crawl in a hole, hide from the world, and sleep. I was more interested in bingewatching Netflix than I was riding to Hamrick’s, but even that was not to be. Ready or not, we were headed to the hotel named after the famous writer and Greensboro native, William Sydney Porter, or better known to rest of the world as O. Henry. I’m not sure what’s more impressive: the writer himself or this building for whom it’s named. Let me put it this way: I don’t know what heaven looks
Kim and Diane had tea in the O. Henry social lobby. Note the writing near the ceiling. Photo by QW Hotels,LLC.
In one corner, an expectant mom was opening gifts from a gathering of friends. In another, a bride-to-be was holding a makeshift bouquet of bows which had earlier been atop each present. Beside us was a proud family toasting a graduate, and just across the way a sofa was lined with costumed youngsters celebrating the end of a recital. It was a room of special occasions…and us. My sister and I had no official reason to be there, but we were. Just like the others, we drank tea from fragile porcelain cups. We indulged from tiered serving trays loaded with savories and sweets. We talked. We laughed. We listened. The refreshments nourished my body but more importantly, the experience nourished my soul. For the first time since I could remember, my spirit felt at peace. After the teapot had been emptied and the final morsel devoured, I settled back in my chair absorbing every minute we had left. I looked up and noticed the vaulted ceiling was encircled with forest green wallpaper. It was inscribed with elegant gold lettering recounting the entire story I mentioned earlier. Just like those characters wanted to surprise each other, my sister was just as eager to surprise me with a special treat. So much so that she took me to this lavish location knowing I would likely be dressed as shabbily as the characters in the story. She gave up her day of things she wanted to do for a day of something I needed to do. Hers was also a story of sacrifice and of love. It was also a story of irony. I’ve never felt more connected to a place where clearly people like me didn’t belong. My lifestyle is more about perils than pearls. Even so, nibbling crumpets beneath a writer’s version of the Sistine Chapel was actually a good fit. Moreover, sipping Earl Grey in this majestic setting was clearly my cup of tea. A Note from Kim: This month my sister, Diane, celebrates her birthday. I can only hope this column of thanks brings with it the same gift of joy that her generous surprise gave to me.
Page 10 June 2017 “We can’t come back. You can’t fly and fall at the same time. Shhh. Don’t cry. … Ah, Anna-girl, did you really not know?” Dr. Corinth, father of AnnaMargaret, aka Mandy Blue Eyes)
T
hat is what my father said to me in Sears on the first June summer Tuesday when I was fifteen almost sixteen. He wasn’t talking about the store. Of course, he dropped this bombshell in the men’s department and we weren’t even sitting down. Papa could do that; drop the world into wooden splinters and step over the mess. Today, he was buying another pair of black slacks to take on our trip for his sabbatical to Ireland. I was his daughter. I was to go with him to Ireland. I was fifteen; I was proud. And today, I was to find a cardigan. I concentrated on that and not what Papa said. He turned his fingers on the circular racks evaluating trousers as I twirled in an A-line belled skirt with an on-sale cardigan cradled to my chest. I kept looking up while spinning with tearfilled eyes. “Anna-bean.” Papa stopped my twirling, steadied me with two hands, began looking me in my sky-blue eyes; he did not look away even when he released me. “Anna, we are going to stay in Ireland; we are not coming back.” Right hand slightly trembling, I hung that yellow cardigan among the slacks on the trouser carousel and followed Papa solemnly to the checkout. I don’t think I blinked the whole time. Papa paid for the slacks,
Passport fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg and he and I went to the car. I sat in the back seat, instead of the front, and pretended to look at the other bags with our purchases as we drove away from the department store. Through the rear-view mirror, I saw Papa clear his throat, as he began again his earlier comment. “Anna-bean,” he called me again, “I will never come back here.
You know this, right?” I swallowed; I believed him. Papa kept on driving down the main streets of Boris and I kept on blinking back tears that wouldn’t stay away. I remember vaguely a funeral, my grandfather’s. I think this is right, even though I don’t remember my grandfather’s name. I could ask now, but I sense the past, and those in it, aren’t talked about by Papa… even though it was Papa’s father. I was so young, but I remember fields of wheat, how it moved like a golden sea rippling. Maybe it was August or July. I remember the miles between houses and how those homes sat back from the road with their gravel driveways like long pimpled gray tongues. For some reason, I think my mother drove then, not Papa, which was strange. He was looking out the window and his reflection made a mirrored image on the dusty car window. I remember it was dusty; the air in our rental car smelled like pine trees and stale bubble gum. Maybe I was four, maybe five. Finally, we pulled up to a farm as the sun was just starting to move down the sky toward some angry, red rest. The car rumbled through Boris, North Carolina, swish-quiet-like, as if it had rained. I tell you, if I thought I could change Papa, I would. Changing Papa would be like harnessing the moon closer to the sun. If I thought bribing him with my smiles, my good behavior, my transparently telling him how much he was revered at his old college, or anything else, would unmoor him, I would do it. Deep down, if I could give Papa Mother back from Harold (her new husband), I would, but that broken love can’t be re-fired in any kiln. And everything was in shambles for Papa. And still we swish-moved through the town. Papa didn’t speak and I didn’t either. Never coming back? My problem wasn’t that I couldn’t make a choice between leaving with Papa or staying with Mama, but that I always had chosen Papa and it would hurt Mother to know it.
They didn’t have central air in the old white, weathered farmhouse. There were older cars and pickups both in the grass and dirt yard, people inside, maybe nine or ten, but no one really welcomed us. These people, some in overalls, looked at Papa in his dress shirt and pants quietly as we just came in and sat on a plastic-covered, floral couch that stuck to my legs as people kept moving in and out of some back room one at a time. There was a table of food but we weren’t offered any. I remember there was an older woman ladling potato salad who just nodded at Papa and he just dipped his head back. There was a man whose gaze never wavered from Papa as we sat, not while people came in and out of the house with the screen door flapping closed. The silence make me itch in my throat but I was afraid to cough. Mother would tell me that not everyone from this area was like that, but Papa’s people were cold. She held Papa’s hand and mine too on that couch and we both let her, until finally there were no more people to go into that room, but Papa. At home, I bit my nails down to the quick. I couldn’t look at Mother or Harold without tears forming. Inside, I railed; I tried to hold my own self in corners of rooms I rarely visited, wishing the world away. Maybe nine or ten weeks away from the trip, I had a passport, and I had not told a soul of Papa’s plan. I was fifteen; I was falling apart, wanting to leave and come back both. Or once you do one, you can’t do the other. I was folding tea towels with Mother in the pantry room next to the kitchen. My mother smoothed my hair and I started crying. When Papa stood, the man stood too. He shook his head just once, and Papa’s face was a waxed moon of despair before he cocked his head to the side and put his hands in his trouser pockets. Whoever was in that room wasn’t going to see Papa, and whoever was in front of that door wasn’t going to allow Papa to say goodbye. “Arthur,” Papa said, nodded his head, grabbed both of us, and we left. That’s all I remember. Mother told me, later when I was much older, maybe eight or ten, offhand as I went through a photo album that she had saved from my father’s determined yet quiet rages that it was my Uncle Arthur, Papa’s brother, who stared and kept the door. “There’s a world of hate there,” she muttered. Then just as abruptly, a year or two later, Mother said Uncle Arthur died in a wheat field fixing a tractor or a thresher. Papa didn’t go back. The woman in the room, Mother never said, but I think it was my grandmother. I remember the ride back to our home. I remember the cold, hard truth of sadness and no forgiveness and how my father said to Mother, gasping, “We, we…us (stabbing a finger at us all, and into his heart) all of them are dead to me.” And I remember understanding that he meant Mother and I were his only family. And now there was only Papa and me. Papa drove then, and I knew then we weren’t coming back.
Evince Magazine Page 11
Pittsylvania County
What’s Happening in the Public Libraries
Submitted by Lisa Tuite
Brosville/Cascade • Tuesdays: Summer Reading Programs for Kids 10am followed by lunch at the Brosville Methodist Church begins June 13 Needlework: noon. Bring your projects and work with friends. Help available. STEM Studio: 3pm begins June 13. • Wednesdays: Dancercise 9am Line dance for fitness. Wednesdays for Wees: 10am stories and more ages 0-5. • Fridays: Walk Fit 9am with Leslie Sansone Walk your way to fitness. • June 12: Movie Monday 2pm How big is your mind? Is it Mega? • June 15: Book Bingo 6-7:30pm family fun. Win books and other prizes. • June 19: Movie Monday 2pm Little Lost Robots • June 22: Game Night 6-7:30pm family board games • June 29: Craft Night 6pm Make
something special with Fuse-ABeads. Chatham • Mondays: movie matinees 2pm, all ages begins June 12 • Tuesdays: summer reading ages 0-5 10am- snack after
South Boston Public Library Submitted by Jay Stephens
• Tuesdays starting June 13: PALS: 2:30-4:30 ages 2-8 Eating the Alphabet Tweens and Teens 4:30-5:30 ages 8-17 Around the Library in 12 Dishes • Fridays starting June 16: Art @ the Library 4-5 pm ages 5 -17 Food for the Eyes
• Computer Class - Call for information and to register. • June 13: Adult Crafts 1pm For more information, visit South Boston Public Library, 509 Broad Street, or www.halifaxlibrary.org, or call 434.575.4228
Both South Boston and Halifax branches of the library will be feeding sites this summer. From June 5-July 20 a cold sack lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. and an afternoon snack will be served at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. These meals and snacks are free to those eighteen and under.
Halifax County Public Library Submitted by Jay Stephens
The summer reading program begins on June 10 at 10:30 a.m. with a performance of Fairy Tales with a Twist by Twisted Dog Productions at the Mary Bethune Complex, 1030 Mary Bethune Street in Halifax, thanks to the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. • Tuesdays: Throw Paint at Cancer 5 pm Call the Halifax County Cancer Association to register 434.476.2713. • Third Tuesday: Tea and Book Discussion Group 2:30-3:30 The book is Hillbilly Elegy. • Wednesdays starting June 14: PALS 2:30-4:30 ages 2-8: Eating the Alphabet Tweens and Teens 4:30-5:30 ages 8-17: Around the Library in 12 Dishes
• Thursdays starting June 15: Art @ the Library 4-5 pm ages 5 -17 Food for the Eyes • Third Thursday: Art for Adults 10 am-noon ages 18+ • Computer Class: Call for information and to register. • June 14: Adult Crafts 1pm For more information, visit Halifax Public Library, 177 South Main St. in Halifax or www.halifaxlibrary.org or call 434.476.3357.
Gunn Memorial, Caswell County
Submitted by Erica Lowdermilk Summer reading registration for all ages begins June 8. Children’s Schedule: • June 15: Billy Jonas • June 22: Fish the Magish • June 29: North Carolina Zoo
All children’s performances will take place at the Caswell Civic Center, 536 Main St, Yanceyville, NC at 10:00 am. • June 12: adult book club 6pm books provided
• June 19: writing group 5:30-7:30pm • Wednesdays: teen art club 5pm • Thursdays: teen summer reading ages 12-18; receive prizes including a boxed set of the Fast and the Furious franchise, a lava lamp and a manga series set. For more information, visit 161 Main Street East, Yanceyville, NC or www. caswellcounty.gov/library or call 336.694.6241.
Computer One-on-One Help 11amnoon summer reading program ages 6-11; 3pm • Wednesdays: Computer One-onOne Help 6-7pm • Thursdays: summer reading program for teens 3pm • Fridays: LEGO play, 10am-noon, all ages • June 2: crochet 3-4:30pm • June 3: Wonder Woman Day coloring and activity sheets • June 7: summer reading kickoff at Chatham Baptist Church 10am storyteller and ice cream • June 8: 2nd Thursday Discussion Group 4-5:45pm adults • June 14: Father’s Day card making 3-4pm all ages • June 17: Celebrate Pittsylvania County’s 250th Anniversary with family events at Silas Moore Park 3-5pm; dancing on Main Street. • June 21: Wii Bowling 10am-noon all ages • June 28: chocolate & fruit party 2-5pm all ages Gretna • Mondays and Wednesdays: group fitness 10am. Exercise and get fit using DVDs from the library’s collection. adults • Tuesdays and Thursdays: Summer reading program begins June 13. ages 0-11, 11am or 2pm. • Wednesdays: Summer reading program for teens begins June 7. ages 12-18 1pm • Healthy Living: 11am. A free 6-session program. Learn how cooking can be fun and easy; get more for your money at the grocery store. Call 434.432.7770. • June 1: Learn to Crochet 5pm All
levels welcome; bring a project you are working on or need help to complete. • June 6: Gretna Bookies Book Club 10:30 am Book of the month is Private Paris by James Patterson. DIY Craft: 5pm. Make alcohol ink mugs. $2.00 for materials • June 8: G-rated movie 3pm 98 minutes long. Learn to Crochet: 5pm. • June 13: 2nd Tuesday Recipe Club 5:30pm “Hawaiian Luau” Bring a dish and the recipe to share. • June 22: movie 3pm. PG-rated movie about a boy, a bean, and a giant 114 minutes long. Learn to crochet: 5pm • June 22: Learn to crochet: 5pm • June 27: Bingo for Books 5pm. Win books and other goodies. all ages • June 29: Learn to Crochet 5pm Mt. Hermon • Tuesdays or Thursdays: Labrary 4pm Invent and explore! ages 6-11; summer reading registration required. Limited to 12 children each day. • Wednesdays: Mother Goose on the Loose 10am fun interactive session ages 0-3 • Fridays: Young & Restless 10am a fun and active summer reading program ages 3-5 • Saturdays: June 10, 17, and 24 Things & Stuff 3pm special summer reading program for ages 12-17 • June 5: Knitting 6:30pm • June 17: Father’s Day card craft 10:30am • June 19: knitting 6:30pm • June 23: movie 3pm a new release about a dark knight made from plastic • June 24: movie 10:30am History Research Center & Library • June 27: Our Civil Rights film and discussion series 6:30pm; program begins at 7pm. Unless otherwise noted, all programs are free. For more information, contact Gretna Library, 207 A Coffey Street, 434.656.2579; Mt. Hermon Library, 2725 Franklin Turnpike, 434.835.0326; History Research Center and Library, 340 Whitehead Street, Chatham; 434.432.8931; PCP Main Library, 24 Military Drive, Chatham, 434.432.3271; Brosville Library, 11948 Martinsville Highway 434.685.1285 or www.pcplib.org.
Danville Public Library
Submitted by Rachel Shaw • Mondays: Computer Basics: 11am12:30pm. Maker Mondays: 5-6pm DIY crafts, technology, Legos, and other projects • Tuesdays: Genealogy 101: Getting Started 11am-1pm. Book Club @ Westover: Second Tuesdays 11am1pm. Crafter’s Corner: 4-6pm • Wednesdays: Computer Basics: 11am-12:30pm. Children’s Programs @ Westover: Third Wednesday 4-5pm • Thursdays: Intermediate Genealogy Classes: 11am-1pm • June 6: Finding Your Career: workshop sponsored by Educational Opportunity Center 1-3pm • June 12: African American Voices Author Talk: Beverly Jones Hairston 4-5pm. • June 13: How to Go for College: workshop sponsored by Educational Opportunity Center 1-3pm • June 20: Money Matters: financial literacy workshop sponsored by Educational Opportunity Center 1-3pm
DPL’s Summer Reading Program, Reading by Design, offers free Big Fun programs for all ages. The Book Challenge encourages reading throughout the summer. Participants will be awarded prizes at midway and completion points. Those who complete the challenge will be entered to win one of several grand prizes including art and building kits. Age groups are 0-5 years; 6-12; 13-17 and adult. Big Fun programs include Family Fun Nights on Thursdays from June 8 through July 27 5:30-6:30p.m. Adult programs are on Mondays from June 5 through July 24 from 5:30-6:30p.m. All programs are free but require registration at ww.playdanvilleva.com. For more information visit DPL, 511 Patton Street, www.readdanvilleva.org or call 434.799.5195. For the Westover Branch, visit 94 Clifton Street or 434.799.5152.
Page 12 June 2017
Calendar Clips Clip it. Post it. Do it.
For more activities, see the calendar on page 23.
Saturdays, June 3 - October 28 Danville Farmers’ Market
Visit the Market at 629 Craghead Street in the Historic Warehouse District to meet the vendors and farmers. From 7:30 a.m. until noon, buy fresh local produce, meats, and baked goods. Also available are arts and crafts, potted plants, bedding plants, herbs, cut flowers, honey, jams, jellies, and canned goods. For more information, call 434.797.8961.
Sunday, June 4 Clarksville Artisans Guild Art Exhibit Opening Reception
Day (1824 -1861). Enjoy delicious food, live music, dancing, antiques, arts and crafts vendors, historic home tours, exhibits, kids’ activity area, and more. A parade kicks off the event at 10:00 a.m. on Broad Street. The Thomas Day House Museum, the Milton State Bank/Museum of Milton, with other historic homes and buildings will be open. For more information, visit the Milton Street Fair Facebook page or call 434.728.5115. Also, the Thomas Day Performance Arts Festival and the Thomas Day House/Union Tavern Museum will present A Day in Thomas Day’s Shop 1850, a vignette written and directed by Fred Motley and featuring Brenda Ray, Margaret McMann, Rena Hicks, Kelvin Perry, and Brian Witcher, with special guest Barbara Martin. Shows at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Milton Women’s Club, 11928 Academy Street. For reservations to this free event call 336.234.9423. (submitted by Kevin & Hosanna Blanchard)
This summer exhibit is hosted by the Parsons-Bruce Art Association in the Robert F. Cage Gallery at the Prizery, 700 Bruce Street, in South Boston. The opening day reception will be from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Seven Guild members will exhibit diverse art styles in oil, acrylic, collage and mixed media paintings, sculpture, pottery, decorative gourds, stained glass, weavings, and wood turnings. Featured artists include: Sarah Bolduc, Helen Massingill, Willard “Moose” Yeates, Dot Tarleton, Carolyn Elliott (painting above), George Reebals and Lindie Watkins. The exhibit will be open for viewing and purchasing during the Prizery’s regular operating hours until August 17. (submitted by Cathy Cole)
Tuesday, June 27 Step by Step
Friday, June 16 God’s Storehouse Golf Tournament
Tuesday, July 4 DSO Patriotic Concert
This annual tournament in memory of Ben Toler will be held at Goodyear Golf Club. Lunch is at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. Cost is $100 a person or $400 per team. Registration deadline is Friday, June 2nd. For more information contact Carroll Walker cewalker06@gmail.com, visit www.godsstorehouse.org or call 434.793.3663. (submitted by Karen Harris)
Saturday, June 17 Book Signing by Author Robert Ramey
Robert H. Ramey, Jr. will sign his latest book, More Than a Memory, starting at 2:30 p.m. at The GingerBread House, 1799 Memorial Drive in Danville. This book provides guidelines on the back cover for its possible use, one of which is to read the meditations as personal devotions. This suggests a deep search into one’s thoughts and actions, especially interaction with his fellow man. This soul searching leads to the Communion, the visible connection one makes with God. The twenty-five meditations offer questions one might use to prepare for that connection. (submitted by Jeanne Nostrandt)
Saturday, June 17 Milton Street Fair
Between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. visit Historic Milton, North Carolina, A Museum Without Walls. Explore the hometown of cabinetmaker Thomas
Walk and talk with Gingy Blakely starting at 9:30 a.m. Meet at Karen’s Hallmark, Danville Mall, for a healthy walk indoors or outdoors if weather permitting. At 10:30 a.m. meet at Nature’s Essentials, 413 Mount Cross Road, for a talk “Healthy Grilling for Summer.” that includes a free healthy snack and tips for preparing it at home. Call the Cancer Research and Resource Center of Southern Virginia at 434.421.3060 or email dwhittle@vcu.edu.
Upcoming
Rounding out their 25th anniversary year celebration, the Danville Symphony Orchestra will present the “Our Heritage” concert at the Carrington Pavilion, 677 Craghead Street, starting at 8:00 p.m. This free concert will include the Gettysburg Symphonic Suite, an arrangement from the motion picture; music from the war eras including the majestic Victory at Sea; a piece to honor veterans from all branches of service, the Armed Forces Medley; traditional patriotic pieces including America the Beautiful; and a series of patriotic marches including Stars and Stripes and the Liberty Bell March. (submitted by Mary Franklin)
Wednesday, July 12 A Star-Spangled Evening with BRASS 5
BRASS 5, a quintet of horn players with a percussionist, will be performing patriotic songs, big band tunes, favorites from the 50s and 60s and classical selections during their “Star-Spangled Evening” performance starting at 7:00 p.m. at historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, 197 Mountain Road, Halifax, Virginia. The Roanoke-based group’s performance is partially sponsored by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets are $10. For more information, call 434.476.6696 or email carol. henderson60@gmail.com. (submitted by Donna Strange)
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t u o l e v a r t o t n o s a e r o n “ There is ” . e r a c t r a e h t a e r g r o f of t own — Jim Shields, Danville businessman
Keep Your Heart Close When Jim Shields suffered a heart attack, the cardiac catheterization lab team at Danville Regional Medical Center, a Duke heart affiliate, was able to quickly diagnose a blockage in his heart – “the widow maker.” Jim survived, thanks in part to the smooth and seamless care he received at Danville Regional. He participated in Danville Regional's cardiac rehabilitation program and still runs his business full-time. At Danville Regional, your heart is our priority. We are committed to delivering you expert, compassionate care from procedure through rehabilitation. With the region's only ER, only Accredited Chest Pain Center and only Advanced Certified Primary Stroke Center, the choice is easy. You can keep your heart close. Just like Jim. Read about Jim and other patients’ stories at DanvilleRegional.com/stories.
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Page 16 June 2017
WINNERS Exceptional Customer Service
Exceptional Products
Exceptional Community Spirit
Sam’s Club A-1 Custom Windows Service Abercrombie Oil Beacon Credit Union American National Bank Planet Fitness Steve Padgett Honda First Citizens Bank Four Seasons Pest Control Riverside Hardware
EA Vapes Reid Street Gallery Office Plus Mama Possum’s Drive-In Danville Women’s Care/Bellezza Piedmont Glass Piedmont Pharmacy Shhh... Intimacy on Another Level Womack Electric Goldstar Mortgage Co.
Danville Pittsylvania Community Services Danville Toyota Holley & Gibson Realty Co. The Tabernacle River District Association Danville Regional Medical Center 2 Witches Winery & Brewery Jarrod Brown, DDS Middle Border Forward Karen’s Hallmark
Exceptional Community Involvement
Exceptional Service
The Arc of Southside Averett University Danville Community College Danville Family YMCA PATHS Danville Science Center URW Federal Community Credit Union Steve DelGiorno Wilkins Realty Co. Hot Asana Yoga
Cherrystone Veterinary Hospital Computer Bookkeeping and Tax Service Danville Orthopedic and Rehab First State Bank Golden Leaf Bistro Harris, Harvey, Neal & Co. Haymore & Holland Law Piedmont Credit Union Piedmont Regional Feeding & Oral-Motor Clinic Townes Funeral Home
Evince Magazine Page  17
We are honored to be recognized for our
Spirit of Customer Service Congratulations to fellow award recipients and nominees. 26 locations across the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia.
amnb.com ANB_SpiritAwardAd_4-875x6-5.indd 1
5/17/17 8:30 AM
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Thanks for Recognizing ERA Holley & Gibson for
Exceptional Community Spirit
Janet Holley Owner
Donna Gibson
HOLLEY & GIBSON
Owner
REALTY COMPANY
339 Piney Forest Rd., Danville, VA 24540
Office: (434) 791-2400 Fax: (434) 791-2122 Visit our website at www.eraholleyandgibson.com
Page  22 June 2017
Team MBF is honored to be named a 2017 Spirit Award Winner for Exceptional Community Involvement and we invite to join the movement! Find out how at www.middleborderforward.com.
Evince Magazine Page 23
June Calendar Abbreviation Key
• AU=Averett University, 434.791.5600 www.averett.edu • CRC=Cancer Resource Center 434.421.3060 • DMFAH=Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, 975 Main St. 434.793.5644 www.danvillemuseum.org • DSC=Danville Science Center, 677 Craghead St. 434.791.5160 www. dsc.smv.org • HNT=Historic North Theatre, 629 North Main St. Danville www. TheNorthTheatre.com 434.793.7469 • PA=Piedmont Arts, 215 Starling Ave, Martinsville 276.632.3221 www.PiedmontArts.org • RSG=Reid Street Gallery, 24 Reid St. Chatham 434.203.8062 reidstreetgallery.com • The Prizery=700 Bruce St. South Boston 434.572.8339. www.prizery.com
Ongoing
Eat Well, Play Well – DSC brings nutrition and fitness education together to encourage all-around healthy living for visitors of all ages. Learn the science of making healthy food choices while exploring fun and interesting ways to stay active and healthy. Guided Walking Tours – Millionaires Row, Holbrook Street and Tobacco Warehouse District. Danville Historical Society. www.danvillehistory.org. 434.770.1974. The 1963 Danville Civil Rights Movement – The Protests, the People, the Stories. The Danvillian Gallery. 434.466.7981. DMFAH self-guided audio-visual tours. 434.793.5644. Public Library Events. See page 11. Tai Chi with Wyona – A slow moving exercise to enhance breathing, calm the mind, relieve stress $6. Ballou Rec. Center Mondays 11:15am-12:15pm & 5:45-6:45 p.m. Wednesdays 3:30pm4:30pm 434.799.5216. Tai Chi with Paul. Ballou Nature Center Wednesdays 3:30pm-4:30pm Thursdays 11:15am-12:45pm. Let’s Dance – Learn new dances, make new friends. Donna Robbins teaches a variety of dances in a fun atmosphere. A partner is not necessary. Adults 18+. Tues 7-8.30pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.799.5216. Art with Judie – Learn how to paint with acrylic, oil, or water color. M/ TU – Times vary. Ballou Annex. 434.799.5216. Kuumba African Dance – a great workout with live drumming and energetic dancing. Kids M/W 5.30pm; Adults M 6-7.30pm. 434.799.5150. Prime Time Fitness – Low-impact aerobics workout with a mix of various dance steps. Tu/Th 9.30-11am. Coates Rec. Center. 434.799.5150. Zumba Classes – Hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves create a one-of-a-kind interval training fitness program with fun routines that tone and sculpt the body while burning fat. 434.797.8848. Art with Flo – Wet-on-wet technique of oil painting. Ages 18+. W 9.3011.30am. Glenwood Community Center; 6-8pm, Ballou Annex. 434.799.5216. African Rhythms by Nguzo Saba –
West African dance to live drumming. W 6-7pm. Pepsi Building. 434.797.8848. Ballou Jammers – Acoustic musical jamboree. Bring a stringed instrument or listen. TH 3-5pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.799.5216. Friday Night Fun and Dance – Live music provided by the City Limits Band on the first, third, and fifth Friday. The Country Pride Band plays on the second and fourth Friday. Ages 50+. F 7.30-10.30pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.799.5216.
June 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29
Throw Paint at Cancer: Peer-to-peer support group for cancer survivors and caregivers. Registration required. DMFAH 4-6pm free
June 2, 3 & 4
Play On! Presented by Gretna Little Theatre. Gretna Center for the Arts 101 Main St Gretna 7:30pm/2:30pm $10.50 regular admission $9.50 senior, military, and student For reservations, call 434.656.2458 Yappy Hour: This event includes pet product vendors, live music, beverages, and activities for you and your pup. Crossing at the Dan 629 Craghead St Danville 6-9pm free 434.799.5150
June 3
Bridge Street Food Truck Rodeo: thirteen different food trucks will have food for sale. Danville noon-6pm prices vary Downtown Danville First Saturdays: features food, art, dance and music. Main and Union Streets Danville 10am2pm free Summer Concert Series: “Old Dominion” will provide music. Carrington Pavilion Craghead St. 6pm. www.danvilleharvestjubilee.org
June 4
Little Theatre of Danville auditions for Elvis Has Left the Building DMFAH 2-5pm
June 5
Danville By Choice – Quizzo: 4 rounds of invigorating trivia. Teams may have up to 4 people. Assemble team at 5:30pm; trivia begins at 6pm. No cover charge or pre-registration required. 2 Witches Winery and Brewery 209 Trade St 5:30pm-8pm
June 6
River District Scavenger Hunt: Win $500 in River District dollars by visiting businesses. free ice cream, drinks, music 5:30-8pm 434.791.0210
June 8
Music on Main Concert Series: Les Moore Trio will provide music. Main Street Plaza 111 Main St Danville 6:30pm free Bring a lawn chair or blanket. In case of rain, concerts will be moved to the Carrington Pavilion. 434.793.4636
June 9
Segregation in Virginia: Ed Ayers, historian and co-host of Virginia Foundation for the Humanities BackStory, will discuss the evolution of segregation, disfranchisement, and resistance in Virginia and in the South from emancipation into the early 20th century. High Street Baptist Church 630 High St. Danville 6:30-8:30pm
Red Skelton Tribute Show: family friendly comedy show for all ages. HNT 2pm & 7:30pm tickets $15/$20 The Ramsey Art Exhibit, A Family Affair: Art show opening of recent works by Phil, Curt & Wyatt Ramsey. DMFAH 6-10pm
June 10
Art on the Lawn Festival: juried art show of paintings, photography, ceramics, and other fine arts media for sale; children’s activities; silent auction DMFAH 10am-5pm free The Children’s Book Festival: Local authors will be available with their books and activities for children of all ages. Brewed Awakening 610 Craghead St Danville 10am-2pm 434.483.2138 Comedy Magic Show Starring Celebrity Magician Wayne Alan: HNT 2pm $15/$12 for kids 12 & under
June 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Summer Sensory Friendly Nights: Sensory friendly activities by The Hughes Center plus a movie in the Digital Dome Theater at 6:30pm. Danville Science Center 677 Craghead St 5-7:30pm Free for the first 100 individuals who pre-register call 434.791.5160 Music on Main Concert Series: Wayne Euliss will provide music. Main Street Plaza 111 Main St Danville 6:30pm free Bring a lawn chair or blanket. In case of rain, concerts will be moved to the Carrington Pavilion. 434.793.4636
June 23
Canvas & Cabernet: social painting class, pre-registration and payment required. DMFAH 6:30-9pm cash bar/ concession available
June 26 (thru 30)
Elements of Art: an art class for children ages 7 to 13. DMFAH 10am1pm $75 per student call Linda Gourley to register at 434.724.6427
Sutherlin Guard Civil War Camp: Children 8-12 can learn what life was like during the Civil War. DMFAH 9am-12:30pm $65 for Museum members, $75 for non-members call 434.793.5644 to register
June 12
June 27
June 12 (thru 16)
New Play Reading Group meeting: Reading the bawdy comedy Hand to God by Robert Askins. 7pm Contact James Anderson at skipson111@gmail. com for details
June 13
History United Meeting – Meet our summer intern: Meeting to encourage collaboration through history. Open for all who are interested in being involved or just want to know what’s new in local history. They’ll be welcoming their summer intern, UVA public history graduate student Aldona Dye. Milton Renaissance Foundation 169 NC-57 Milton, NC 5-6pm
June 15
Step by Step: Healthy walk and talk with Gingy Blakely. Meet at Karen’s Hallmark in Danville mall to walk at 9:30am. Meet at Nature’s Essentials, 423 Mt. Cross Rd, at 10:30am to learn why physical activity is good for preventing cancer. free healthy snack. dwhittle@vcu.edu History United - Our Civil Rights: Race & Labor: Facilitated by Dr. Andrew Canady of the history faculty at Averett, this is a series of conversations that explore the history of race as it influenced labor in the nation, the South and in our local community. Pittsylvania County History Research Center and Library 340 Whitehead St Chatham free 6:30-8:30pm
Trip to Fairy Stone State Park: departs from Ballou Rec Center 760 West Main St. pre-register 434.799.5216 Cost: tba Science after Dark: Danville Science Center 677 Craghead St 5:30-9pm $5
June 30
June 16
Upcoming
Classic film screening: East of Eden starring James Dean. Cash bar/ concession available. DMFAH 7pm Regular admission fees apply, free for members.
June 17
Danville Children’s Festival: Crossing at the Dan 629 Craghead St 10am4pm free admission, crafts, and children’s rides 434.793.4636 Danville Hobby Convention: Pepsi Building 629 Craghead St. noon-3pm free www.playdanvilleva.com
June 22
Sip & Shop in the River District: Visit downtown Danville as shops offer great sales, promotions, giveaways and free refreshments. 5-8pm For a complete list of specials, visit facebook.com/ downtowndanville.
Trip for Grandparent & Grandchild: Greensboro Science Center departs from Ballou Rec Center, 760 West Main St. $22 9:15am-4:30pm 434.799.5216
July 4
July Fourth Celebration: Patriot Challenge 5K/10K and Children’s Fun Run on Anglers Ridge Mountain Bike Trail 8am; free entertainment, arts, crafts, Captain Jim’s Magical Illusion Show, food, amusement rides, Danville Symphony Orchestra concert at dusk; fireworks display weather permitting Carrington Pavilion 667 Craghead St Danville 6-10pm free 434.793.4636
July 10
Danville By Choice – Quizzo: 4 rounds of invigorating trivia. Teams may have up to 4 people. Assemble team at 5:30pm; trivia begins at 6pm. No cover charge or pre-registration required. 2 Witches Winery and Brewery 209 Trade St 5:30pm-8pm
For more events see Calendar Clips on pages 12. The deadline for submitting information for the July calendar is Tuesday, June 20, at 5:00 p.m. Please send just the basic information following the format on these pages to joycewilburn@gmail.com.
Page 24 June 2017
DIY: Do or Don’t? Mod Podge Projects by Kristi Hall Do-It-Yourself Projects always look easy when someone else is doing them. Kristi will test them for you and give her opinion about whether it’s worth your time and effort. The projects you can design with Mod Podge are unlimited. For those who are not familiar with Mod Podge, the product is an all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish that leaves a glossy film. Mod Podge is the perfect way to flip an old item or add some extra zing to a new one.
DIY Picture Frame
Supplies: • wooden plaque picture holder from a craft store. I bought a plaque with a binder clip picture holder. • scrapbook paper • Mod Podge • thick sponge brush
We’re Exceptional Community Spirit Since 1999, the River District Association has worked with business owners and community members to create a vibrant downtown. Our efforts ensure the long-term viability of Danville’s River District as a center for business and civic life, and a source of community pride. .
Join us for our upcoming events! River District Scavenger Hunt Tuesday, June 6, 2017 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
on Danville! Janet Donna Holley • Gibson Owner Owner
Enter a raffle to win $500 in River District Dollars & great prizes
Sip & Shop in the River District Thursday, June 22, 2017 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Enjoy sales and refreshments at participating businesses
River District First Saturdays
June 3, July 1, August 5, September 2 10a.m. - 2 p.m. See live entertainment on the sidewalks & shop special sales
Follow us for more information on events & businesses! DowntownDanville
RiverDistrictAssociation
DowntownDanVA
HOLLEY & GIBSON REALTY COMPANY
339 Piney Forest Rd., Danville, VA 24540
Office: (434) 791-2400 Fax: (434) 791-2122 Visit our website at
www.eraholleyandgibson.com WE’RE SELLING HOUSESSM
• scissors • pictures or items for display Directions: • Cut out pineapples from one sheet of scrapbook paper. (I was creating this for my mom who loves pineapples.) • Arrange the pineapples on the plaque. Put a small amount of Mod Podge on the back of each. Once they dry, paint over the pineapples covering the entire wooden plaque with Mod Podge. • Dry overnight and display pictures, grocery list, or other keepsakes.
DIY Plant Pot
Supplies: • flower pot (I bought a medium -size brown one for $1.) • paint • paint brushes • scrapbook paper (I used a cactus print because that was what I wanted to plant.) • scissors • Mod Podge • plants or flowers Directions: • Paint the pot applying a couple coats of green and white. • Measure how much scrapbook paper is needed. I decided to put the paper at the rim but you could cover the whole pot or just the bottom half. I covered the back of the paper with Mod Podge and placed it on the rim. I found it easier to paint over with Mod Podge as soon as it stuck. I applied 4-5 layers. • Cover the bottom half of the pot with Mod Podge to give it shine. This was now a new home for a cactus. I would give both projects five out of five stars because they are fun and easy even for kids who could create their own masterpieces.
Evince Magazine Page 25
Book Clubbing A Review by Diane Adkins
At the Edge of the Orchard The Racial Integration of the Southern Textile Industry by Tracy Chevalier
I grew up in Perrysburg, Ohio, a beautiful place in which to raise children. We lived across the street from parklands that contained baseball fields and a huge municipal swimming complex. I walked to school every day, and I could ride my bike everywhere I needed to go. It was truly an idyllic childhood. It wasn’t always so in Perrysburg. The beginning of Tracy Chevalier’s novel is set in the Black Swamp of northwest Ohio; Perrysburg is where the main characters go for provisions. And though it was no surprise to me that the pioneer families of that corner of Ohio had it hard---after all, that’s the story of my own great-grandparents—I didn’t know how hard. Many pioneers heading west just bogged down in the mud of the Black Swamp and had to stop there. The area was densely wooded, so to grow food required considerable effort just to clear a space for a garden. It was commonplace to lose half your children to swamp fever, a terrible disease borne by the ubiquitous mosquitos. No wonder many settlers drank away their sorrows with applejack. The Perrysburg section of the book shows us the dysfunctional relationship between James and Sadie Goodenough. James has brought apple seeds from Connecticut and is helped to grow his small orchard by John Chapman--Johnny Appleseed. Sadie spends much of her time drunk on applejack that Chapman provides her. She’s a terrible mother and an unfaithful spouse who’s fixated on the idea that James loves his apple trees more than he loves her. A violent act, the turning point of the novel, is the impetus for their son, Robert, to run farther west. The story’s second part is comprised of his letters home to what’s left of his family. The love of trees is deeply ingrained in Robert, and in his running, he finally reaches the grandest ones of all, the redwoods and sequoias of California. At that point, his running is done for there is no more country left. He must turn and face his past, which eventually arrives incarnate in his sister, Martha. How they negotiate their reunion gives us a picture of sibling love, offsetting their dysfunctional beginnings. Robert’s childhood in Perrysburg was not the idyllic one mine was. The horrors of it, however, allowed him finally to graft a good life onto the misshapen tree of his past, much as his father grafted sweet eating apples onto the sour trees. This meticulously researched work of fiction manages to make the hardship and disappointments of pioneer families real and nearly unbearable to read about, and also to show how some were capable of rising to a life that overcame and transcended its difficult beginnings. Diane S. Adkins is a retired library director living in Henry County. She remembers with fondness the delicious apples she picked from the trees her father planted at their home in Perrysburg, Ohio.
Page 26 June 2017 There was a time when I thought it didn’t make a lot of difference whether you drank wine from a coffee mug or a Mason jar. I was wrong. Recently I blindfolded myself and drank a good Chardonnay from two differently shaped wine glasses. One glass was an ordinary wine glass and the other was a Riedel brand glass shaped specifically for Chardonnay. To my dismay, the Chardonnay in the Riedel glass tasted noticeably better. Why was I disappointed? The Riedel (Vinum series) glass costs about $25 per stem. Why the difference? Research has shown that glass shape matters. In 2015, a Japanese medical group developed a special camera that photographs ethanol vapors as they leave the opening of a glass. It is useful to photograph the movement of these vapors because when they enter your nose, the vapors enable you to taste wine, hence Riedel’s emphasis on glass shapes specific to wine types. The bowl of a wine glass is probably most important. Here you’ll find the most variation between glasses. The bowl shape
The Wine Spot Is Your Glass Delivering What Your Wine Promises? by Dave Slayton
a member of the Master Court of Sommeliers
helps to capture and distribute a wine’s aroma toward your mouth and nose. The bowls of wine glasses are also designed to allow an amount of surface area appropriate to the wine. For example, red wine glasses have a larger amount of surface area for the wine in order for it to breathe; white wine glasses will have a smaller amount of surface area. To say a wine is breathing means a wine is aerating or being exposed to oxygen. Breathing begins the moment a cork is pulled or a twistoff is uncapped. But if that’s all you do, the amount of surface area the wine has that can be exposed to oxygen is only the size of a nickel. For more aeration, pouring the wine into a glass will help, as will swirling the wine around in the glass. Typically, as a wine is exposed to oxygen, it becomes more expressive, releasing aromas and flavors. Each wine is different so having a bowl shape conducive to its special attributes allows you the opportunity to taste more of what a wine promises to offer. Now, with that said, would I refuse Chateau Lafite-Rothschild because it was served in a red Solo cup? Never. Cheers!
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Reflecting Forward The Voice of Promise by Linda Lemery
F
or me, the word promise means potential: the potential of people to give back to individuals, community, region, nation, and the world. Ultimately, meeting needs and giving back are what life is all about. I started thinking about this while attending the 2017 Averett University graduation ceremony and listening to an inspiring speaker, John Bridgeland, who left a corporate career path for one of service. He talked to a packed house about lives of service and gave fascinating examples of how people have contributed to the lives of others. I found myself reflecting on the graduates and thought about their majors: equestrian, aviation, business, accounting, English, sociology, criminal justice, mathematics, computer science, biology, psychology, education, athletic training, and more-such a large number of fields involving a wide gamut of skills and talents. Then I wondered where the graduates had come from and that made me think about the audience. Undoubtedly everyone in the room, introverts and extroverts, had hidden skills and talents. I identify with the introverted faction. I am a writer, which involves a skill that’s largely internal. It cannot be seen
from the outside unless I put my work in a venue to be examined by others. This is hard for an introverted person, but introverts can teach themselves to muster the confidence to share their work. Writers know they’re learning and improving when, driven by the need to understand, they write about issues that would have made them uncomfortable in the past. For extroverts, showing their skills may be less daunting. Still, for either personality type, confidence has to be built, and there has to be the determination to initiate conversations about meaningful issues. Diverse people, diverse skills, diverse drives: all are capable of changing their worlds. The other element to be factored in is time. Unless we start, we never progress, and sometimes we run out of time. No matter how busy we are, we have to start now. How? by becoming involved in our communities and seeing a need and thinking about how to meet it. These efforts generally start small. Examples? The Averett international students needed furniture for an apartment; we contributed. Children attending the Averett Christmas reading needed books; we contributed. New neighbors didn’t have a lawn mower yet; our son mowed their lawn. The humane society needed dog-walkers; I walked a dog. Small efforts make a difference. They build and grow. For me, promise hinges on people. Without people to conceive of ideas and implement them, they’re like atoms that never come together to form something more substantial. The promise of that educated, graduating class and its families and what they could collectively do for the world was inspiring. But efforts start small. So, I ask Evince readers: How do you serve others? Count the small ways … and then promise to add one more. About the Author: When she’s not thinking about the benefits of serving others, Linda Lemery llemery@averett.edu is Circulation Manager at Averett University’s Mary B. Blount Library in Danville. She welcomes your comments.
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Earth, Moon & Sun
now showing at the Danville Science Center Digital Dome Theater a review by Deb Henderson If you swallow chewing gum, it will take seven years to digest it. Handling a toad will give you warts. Spicy food causes peptic ulcers. The world is flat. These are all misconceptions – ideas that everyone thought were true but turned out to be false. Except for our recent rainy season, we see the sun and moon almost every twenty-four hours so surely we know all about them, right? Well, actually many misunderstandings about the sun and the moon persist, such as why the moon changes from a full moon to just a sliver in the night sky, why the moon is sometimes visible during the day and what causes an eclipse. Earth, Moon & Sun is an entertaining film that corrects these and other fallacies and it does this in an engaging and clever way. The main character in this movie is Coyote based on the Native American folklore’s use of the mythological coyote as an explanation for natural events. In Earth, Moon & Sun, Coyote shares beliefs that were held by Native American people about the sun, moon and the night sky and modern misconceptions. He also provides comic relief as various myths and misconceptions are presented and then explained using scientific tools.
The Digital Dome Theater is perfect for seeing explanations of lunar phases, sunrises and sunsets, eclipses, and learning about space travel to the moon. Earth, Moon & Sun runs about thirty minutes and its target audience is youngsters between the ages of five and eleven, but its quick pace and humor will appeal to kids of all ages. By the way, this film was produced just down the road by the University of North Carolina Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and I think they did an excellent job. The film is followed by Live Sky, a presentation of the stars in our region’s night sky, projected on the forty-foot wide dome ceiling of the planetarium. A very knowledgeable staff member explains in understandable terms just what you’re viewing. The Digital Dome Theater really makes learning science fun. And that’s no misconception! Earth, Moon & Sun plays on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. • For more information, visit www. dsc.smv.org, call 434.791.5160, or visit 677 Craghead St. Movie admission is $6/adults 13-59; $5/youth ages 4-12 and seniors 60+. You do not have to be a DSC member to attend movies.
Page 30 June 2017 Al Becker of Poquoson, Virginia, stands beside his 1929 Packard.
Photo Finish The Colonial Region Classic Car Club of America toured the Danville area over a threeday period in May. Evince photographer Von Wellington found the vintage cars and their owners on Sutherlin Avenue minutes before the group took a guided walking tour of the historic district. The Club was charted in 2005 “for the development, publication and interchange of technical, historical and other information for and among members and other persons who own or are interested in fine or unusual domestic or foreign motor cars built between the years 1915 and 1948...” For more information, visit www.classiccarclub.org.
Rick and Brenda Rowland, who hosted the group, enjoy driving their 1931 Cadillac convertible coupe.
Rebecca and Duane Perrin of Staunton, Virginia, drove their 1929 Stearns Knight Cabriolet Coupe.
First Presbyterian Church on Main Street provides a classic backdrop for Akin Davis’ 1946 Bentley.
All photos by Von Wellington except where noted. For more info visit www.vonwellington photography.com or call 434.770.3553. See more pictures on Facebook.
The Colonial Classic Car Club lines up on Sutherlin Avenue before the guided walking tour of Millionaires Row begins. The group took Danville Historical Society’s guided walking tour of Millionaires Row. Here they stand in front of First Presbyterian Church and admire the mansions across the street. Photo provided by the CCCC.
A visit inside Paul and Marjory Liepe’s house on Main Street was a highlight of the guided walking tour. Photo provided by the CCCC.
Bob Mantz stands beside his 1941 Cadillac. Photo provided by the CCCC.
Organizer Rick Rowland guards the classics while their owners take the DHS trolley tour of the Tobacco Warehouse District. Photo provided by the CCCC.
The classics prepare to depart the circular driveway at Berry Hill Plantation Resort in South Boston. Photo provided by the CCCC.
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