The Day Tripping Issue Sponsored by
Page 2 June 2021
INTRODUCING THE BEE HOTEL With its buzzworthy backstory and unique urban style, The Bee made a headline-making hotel debut in Danville’s bustling River District.
420 Patton Street Danville, Virginia 24541
T: 434-234-9440 Email: gm@danvillebeehotel.com
www.danvillebeehotel.com
The 47-room newcomer is located in what was once home to the city’s iconic broadsheet, The Danville Register & Bee, now freshly reimagined as a warm and welcoming home base for business travelers and Virginia vacationers offering the largest rooms for the value in addition to apartment suites ideal for extended stay. Located in the heart of Southern Virginia on the banks of the Dan River, Danville blends small-town charm with rich history and outdoor activities for the adventure-seekers. A one-time textile and tobacco epicenter, it offers easy access to the Virginia International Raceway and the future Caesars Virginia casino.
Where Contemporary and Historic Meet in The River District
SUITES One and Two Bedroom Suites Ideal for extended stays, nearly half of the hotel’s guest rooms are light filled loft-style retreats featuring full kitchens, lightening fast wi-fi and smart TVs.
FEATURES & AMENITIES:
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS • Danville’s River Walk Trail
• Free high-speed WiFi
• Averett University
• 43 or 55-inch HDTV with cable
• Danville Museum of Fine Arts
streaming services
& History
• Work desk with ergonomic chair
• Virginia International Raceway
• Mini-fridge and Microwave
• Angeler’s Ridge Mountain Bike Trail
• Keurig coffee maker
• Danville Braves
• Premium bath amenities
• Danville Science Center
• Hair dryer
• Dan Daniel Memorial Park
• Iron and ironing board
• Tank Museum
• Pet-friendly
• Wreck of the Old 97
• Smoke-free
• Local Craft Brewing Companies
• Fitness Center • Rooftop Veranda (seasonal) • Free Parking
Staycation With Us!
Editor’s Note Going Away
I
f you are reading this on a weekend, don’t expect to see the person pictured on our cover in Danville. Corey Williams has made going away for a few days every month a habit. Follow in his footsteps using page 5 as a guide. Another suggestion is on page 14: an outdoor sculpture garden in Martinsville. Perhaps you want to stay close to home. Plan a special cookout to celebrate Father’s Day and
Photo by Michelle Dalton Photography
Evince Magazine Page 3
the first day of summer using the recipe on page 13. The Evince Calendar is filling up with social opportunities like it’s pre-COVID! Read page 6. Let your mind take a vacation by reading the book recommended on page 12.
a catchy tune that will stick in your head until you reach your destination. Whether you stay or whether you go, enjoy every day. Sincerely,
Need help packing for a weekend getaway? Just for fun, listen to Lisa Loeb’s “Going Away from Home” on youtube.com. She’ll sing you a list of items to take and things to do before departure. Careful though--It’s
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. Clothing: Rippe’s 100 Years of Fashion, 559 Main St.
CEO / Publisher / Andrew Scott Brooks Editor / Joyce Wilburn (434.799.3160) joycewilburn@gmail.com Copy Editors Jeanette Taylor, Larry Wilburn Contributing Writers Diane Adkins, Courtney Dodson, Lewis Dumont, Helen Earle, Kimberly Eaton, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, Josh Lucia, C.B. Maddox, Carla Minosh, Bernadette Moore, Desiree Shaffer, Dave Slayton, Cheryl Sutherland, Joyce Wilburn, Annelle Williams, John Wilt Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont) Finance Manager Cindy Yeatts (1.434.709.7349)
On the Cover: Photo of Corey Williams by Michelle Dalton Photography.
Marketing Consultants For ad information contact a marketing consultant listed below.
June 2021
Content 3 Editor’s Note
9
by Dave Slayton
10
Kim Demont Graphic Design, Marketing (434.792.0612) demontdesign@verizon.net
Fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg
by Courtney Dodson
5 Corey Williams Running Wild
12 Book Clubbing The Music of Bees
by Eileen Garvin review by Diane Adkins
13
by Joyce Wilburn
6 Calendar
Plan a Cookout Using This Recipe
Green Bean Potato Salad
and Look to 8 Stalling Restarting 11 the Past Decluttering Train by Linda Lemery
Kenny Thornton Jr, Account Executive (434.250.3581) kenny@showcasemagazine.com
Scorpion Grass Part 2
Spotting Exceptional Customer Service
the
Lee Vogler Director of Sales and Marketing (434.548.5335) lee@evincemagazine.com
Day Trips and Wine Sips
for New Inspiration by Carla Minosh
by Annelle Williams
14 Photo Finish
evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly; reveal syn see SHOW Deadline for submission of July stories, articles, and ads is Sunday, June 20, at 5:00 p.m. Submit stories, articles, and calendar items to joycewilburn@gmail.com. Editorial Policies Evince is a free monthly magazine with news about entertainment and lifestyle in Danville and the surrounding area. 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 For subscriptions to Evince, email info@evincemagazine.com. Cost is $24 a year. © 2021 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part in any medium without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
Page 4 June 2021
Evince Magazine Page 5
Corey Williams
Running Wild by Joyce Wilburn
four hours away. “Another reason to travel is to visit my younger brothers. One lives in Charlotte and the other in Atlanta,” he explains.
Corey Williams wears his Danville shirt while walking on the Chinquapin Trail in Reidsville NC.
D
uring the week, Corey Williams is an enthusiastic, high-school English teacher who loves his career and is surrounded by teens and co-workers. On the weekends, however, the Halifax County native and Danville resident confesses to having a secret identity. He is Mr. Adventurer, a young day tripper who documents his escapades on Instagram @coreyrunswild. (That username also refers to the fact that he’s a runner.) The Liberty University doctoral student begins frequent out-oftown jaunts by throwing a few things into a backpack and jumping into his car. Corey travels alone except for maybe taking a good book for company, explaining nonchalantly, “I’ll make friends after I get there” —wherever there might be. “I usually find the downtown historic district of a new city the most interesting because that’s where the life, culture, and real personality of a city is located,” he says. Depending on how hungry he is after arriving at his destination, Corey might grab a bite to eat and then, “The adventure unravels,” he says with the excitement of anticipation.
Why does he do this? “To escape and to be inspired. It gives me a new perspective on Danville,” Corey comments. “I might see something and think Danville could do this!” For example, he views the new plans for the White Mill as very similar to the American Tobacco Campus, a historic tobacco factory complex and national historic district located in Durham, North Carolina. After a moment of reflection, Corey adds, “In fact, my day trips might decrease because some of my favorite things in other cities will now be here in Danville.” Thinking about other nearby get-aways, Corey continues, “I love the exhibits at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke.” The Museum has eleven galleries and originates fifteen to twenty exhibitions per year. After a few hours at the Taubman, Corey enjoys visiting Center in the Square in the downtown area. It’s a seven-story regional non-profit cultural center providing support for ten cultural and educational organizations. Favorite weekend trips include Richmond about three hours away and downtown Asheville, North Carolina, about three to
Traveling and teaching absorb most of his time. The remaining hours are used as the creative director for River Folk Media Company, a business he founded in 2020. “We specialize in photography, branding, design and social media management,” says the multi-talented young professional. Being a creative person was obvious to his parents at a very
early age. Laughing at himself, he tells the story that has become a family legend. “I was in kindergarten. I had a new pack of crayons and had just learned the word exit, so I took my new red crayon and wrote Exit all over the walls,” he remembers. “I guess I was looking for a way out, a way to leave,” he jokes. Decades later, that incident seems like a foreshadowing for someone who has made it a habit to do just that--at least twice a month. For more information about Corey’s favorite day trips, visit www.taubmanmuseum.org, and www.americantobacco.co.
Page 6 June 2021
June
Calendar of Evince Abbreviation Key
• AU=Averett University, 434.791.5600 www.averett.edu • 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 • PA= Piedmont Arts, 215 Starling Ave., Martinsville 276.632.3221 PiedmontArts.org
Ongoing
Guided Walking Tours: Millionaires Row, Holbrook Street and Tobacco Warehouse District. 434.770.1974 www.danvillehistory.org DMFAH: self-guided audio tours Camilla Williams Exhibit: Exhibit features her opera costumes including Madame Butterfly. DMFAH Danville Civil Rights Exhibition: The Movement on permanent display. DMFAH DSC: Learn about “Water”--its chemical makeup, the power it can generate, and the ecology of the Dan River. “Go!” highlights the intersection between the physics of machines and the biology of the human body. The J.T.-Minnie Maude Charitable Trust Creativity Lab is a makerspace offering hands-on access to craft and design tools.
June 1 Through July 16
Expressions 2021: This annual exhibition features an eclectic mix of work from more than 100 regional artists. PA free
gardening, lawn, or landscaping questions can call the Cooperative Extension office 434.799.6558 or email danvillemastergardeners@ gmail.com. Danville Farmers Market: Saturdays 7:30am to noon 629 Craghead Street 434.797.8961
June 2 Through July 21
Readings on the Lawn: Read plays with Smokestack Theatre Company DMFAH lawn Wednesdays 6pm free
June 2 Through 30
A Stich in Time: a yarn art class, knitting & crocheting part of the Yarn Bombing Project 10-11:30am Wednesdays DMFAH
DMFAH 9-11am $125 Showcase on June 18 at 6pm. 434.793.5644 x405
DMFAH Free Admission
Danville Children’s Festival: Carrington Pavilion free 10am-4pm www.playdanvilleva.com Youth Auditions: Smokestack Theatre Co. Youth Production for rising 6th-12th graders DMFAH 2-4pm. Pre-register for an audition slot on Eventbrite. Cars & Coffee: hosted by Old Dominion Classic Sports Car Club. See classic cars, sports cars, muscle cars, and more in the parking lot at Crema & Vine, 1009 Main St. Danville 9-10:30am 434.548.9862
June 12
June 20
June 11
Piedmont Arts 60th Anniversary Jubilee: This artsy gala will take place in the museum’s galleries and the front patio. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, complimentary bar, and music. Semi-formal attire suggested. $60 6pm PA
June 12 &13
20th Annual Run for Justice: Angler’s Park/River Walk Trail. 5K walk, 5K run and 10K run 9:00am Kid’s 2K starts at 9:10am ACJALAE’s Alpha Upsilon Lambda Professional Chapter members are coordinating. John Wilt at 434.770.8822 Book Talk & Signing: featuring local authors Donnie Stevens and James “JR” Edwards 2pm Main Street Art Collective, 326 Main Street, Danville 434.602.2017
Danville’s Juneteenth Celebration: Bring a blanket and Sunday dinner. Carrington Pavilion Register at 434.799.5150. 3:30-7pm
June 16
Hunt for Terrence the Turtle: scavenger hunt in the River District of Danville 10am-noon free 434.799.5195 DMFAH Attic Sale Drop-Off: Email davidc522@comcast.net for a time.
Puzzle Swap: Main Street Art Collective, 326 Main Street, Danville 11am free 434.602.2017
June 17, 24 & July 1
June 2 & 3
WANDERLove yarn bombing project along the Riverwalk Trail. Help prepare. All supplies provided. Volunteers aged 10+ needed. 2-4pm 6/2, 6-8pm 6/3 Main Street Art Collective, 326 Main Street, Danville 434.602.2017
June 19
Music at the Market: 629 Craghead St. Danville 7pm free Bring a blanket or chair. Performance by 6/17-Rivermist; 6/24-Apple Butter Soul; 7/1-West End Mambo. 434.793.4636
June 22
Piedmont Arts 60th Anniversary Luncheon: Celebrate the museum’s 60th anniversary at this catered luncheon featuring speakers on the history of Piedmont Arts. noon Tickets at piedmontarts.org.
June 26
July 4
Danville Symphony Orchestra Concert: The Music of America 7:50pm Carrington Pavilion. danvillesymphony.net
We’re
June 5 Through 26
Firefly Yoga on the Lawn: Saturdays 10:30-11:30am DMFAH
June 6
Art Exhibit Opening Reception: Timothy Duffy-Blue Muse: Gallery Space, 536 Craghead Street 2-5pm DMFAH
June 7 Through 18
Smokestack Theatre Summer Camp: two-week camp for 1st-5th graders
on Danville! Donna Gibson Owner
June 1 Through August 28
Timothy Duffy - Blue Muse: Gallery Space, 536 Craghead Street, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays noon8pm; Sundays noon to 5pm DMFAH
June 1 Through October 31
Danville Master Gardener Help Desk: Master Gardeners love to research gardening problems. Anyone with
HOLLEY & GIBSON REALTY COMPANY
339 Piney Forest Rd., Danville, VA 24540
Office: (434) 791-2400 Fax: (434) 791-2122 Visit our website at
www.holleyandgibsonrealty.com
Evince Magazine Page 7
Page 8 June 2021
Stalling and Restarting the
Decluttering Train
by Linda Lemery
I
’ve learned six lessons about decluttering in the last month meaning I’ve learned how to both derail and put the train back on the track. Let me explain. A fire pit arrived as a gift, assembly required (shudder). Although the assembly graphic had been reduced to nano size, the sequential directions were readable. I put together an easy section first, then read the part about extending the fire pit’s life by spraying the pan, the mesh lid, and the grate with high-temperature primer (not included). My husband Steve put together the undecipherable section. He discovered that the predrilled holes didn’t quite align.
His solution to this problem was to drill larger holes. Then we went shopping for the high-temperature primer. Locating the right primer at the store required reading microscopic print on every single can. We purchased two cans of primer (in case one ran out, which it did), nineteen plants, and four storage tubs (I’d freed up seven storage tubs over the past two months of decluttering, but Steve needed smaller ones). At home, we hung the unpainted fire-pit parts from tree branches and sprayed them to coat and recoat. While they were drying, I started planting eight tomato, one dill, one basil, seven pepper, and two cucumber plants.
I decluttered all the junk on the refrigerator door. Photo by Linda Lemery.
However, the ground had to be weeded first and I ran out of time. Lesson 1: Every choice with its downstream activities consumes time. We love day trips and visited other cities, acquiring specialty food, thirty-four used books, a baby gift and drawer, a pail, pants, CDs, a DVD, and seven pairs of jeans for an out-of-work friend. Don’t even get me started on the huge Ikea desk and chair, Christmas tree, two hoses, shovel, spade, and firewood holder that fell into my lap since last month. My point here is that I was supposed to focus on decluttering. However, I ended up acquiring stuff instead, then had to burn more time to decrypt, assemble, read, paint, weed, plant, shop, wash, clean, dry, and store it all in the house, the ground, or mailing it out-of-town. Lesson 2: If more comes in than goes out, that’s not decluttering. I was horrified to find that I had to get rid of eighty-four items just to stay even with what I’d acquired! I mailed a skirt and dress to Wisconsin and seven pairs of pants to New Jersey. Thirty clothing items went to friends locally. Fifty books went to used bookstores and donation centers. Ten shirts and pants and a big bag of yarn were sequestered for one son and daughter-in-law. I was sending my possessions on day trips, and they weren’t coming home. The count was now at one hundred items going out. Lesson 3: Count quantity, not bulk, of outgoing vs. incoming items, to keep the decluttering train rolling.
I then launched into the kitchen, paying bills like crazy and whipping up a list for Steve, including delivering checks, recycling, acquiring groceries and potting soil, and expelling expired coupons. I decluttered all the junk magnetically attached to the refrigerator door. Now I could see the color of the appliance instead of just a colorful hodgepodge of fluttering paper. Lessons I learned on what not to do: Lesson 4: Don’t go to another city for special groceries. Thrift stores might be nearby where you look for jeans for an outof-work friend and find seven pairs that need to be washed, dried, packaged, and mailed to another state. (Readers can adapt and personalize this metaphor.) Lesson 5: Don’t take a day trip to visit two bookstores and a thrift store when you love to bring home literature. Buy only what you need. Exercise instead. Burn calories, not space. Lesson 6: Don’t consider decluttering a sprint. It’s a step-by-step marathon. I’m seeing airspace in a bookshelf right now. Though that won’t last, seeing unoccupied space makes me smile. All aboard! About the Author: When she’s not decluttering, Linda Lemery llemery@ averett.edu works as Circulation Manager at Averett University’s Mary B. Blount Library in Danville. She welcomes reader comments.
Evince Magazine Page 9
Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History presents
A STITCH IN TIME
Community Knit Fiber Art Yarnbombing Exhibition Danville Riverwalk July 4 - September 28, 2021
There is still time to be a part of this creative and fun project, contact us at info@danvillemuseum.org.
Day Trips and Wine Sips
June 26-28: Fabric panels will be on display for the public to view prior to installation 530 Craghead Street A Stitch in Time
Download the Distrx app (Apple Store) to locate and view installation sites
New Exhibit at the Gallery Space
by Dave Slayton
a member of the Master Court of Sommeliers
w
ine lovers who live in Southern Central Virginia are fortunate to be close to many Virginia and North Carolina wineries. That is particularly true if you travel about two and a half hours north to the Charlottesville area because there are more than thirty-five wineries within a thirty-mile radius of C’ville. Wines from the Monticello American Viticultural Area are considered some of the best in the Eastern United States. The area’s concentration of wineries makes it easy to visit many in a day. A word of advice: plan your tour before you leave. You will be tempted to visit each winery you see and that will require more than a day. I suggest using the Virginia Wine Board’s winery map to assist you in planning a day trip. You can use the internet, but I’ve found that having the paper map in hand really helps. This map can be found in area wine shops and it also includes cideries and meaderies. Here are some wineries you may want to consider for your trip:
Barboursville Vineyards: Located a few miles north of Charlottesville, it is usually a strong contender in the Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup competition for various wine varieties. And because you’re in the area, visit nearby Horton Vineyards and sample their malbec. Further south, near Monticello, is Gabriele Rausse Winery nestled in the woods along Carter’s Mountain Road. Consider trying their cabernet sauvignon, especially if it is the reserve. Not far from Gabriele Rausse is Jefferson Vineyards. Stop and taste their viognier. The 2019 vintage won double gold recently. Nearby is Michael Shaps Wineworks. Their petit verdot and petit manseng are exceptional. If you find a wine that you really like, ask the tasting room pourer if that wine is distributed beyond the winery. If not, this is your only chance to buy a bottle. Have a good trip. Cheers! • For a wine map of Virginia, visit www.virginiawine.org.
Timothy Duffy: Blue Muse
Preserving the Roots of the American South
Masterful one-of-a-kind tintype portraits of American musicians
Gallery Space at 536 Craghead Street in River District Thursday / Friday / Saturday • Noon – 8pm | Sunday • Noon – 5pm Reading on the Lawn with Smokestack Theatre Co. June-July • Wednesdays • 6pm • Bring a chair or a blanket and have fun! Free Yoga on the Lawn with Firefly Yoga Saturdays • 10:30 am • Bring a mat Camilla Williams | Danville’s Diva Tobacco Trade that Built Hearth & Home The Movement: Danville’s Civil Rights Danville Between the Lines 1861-1865 The Civil War Exhibitions 975 Main Street, Danville VA Monday - Friday | 10am-5pm Saturday | Noon-5pm Sunday | 2pm-5pm 434-793-5644 975 Main Street, Danville, VA
danvillemuseum.org
Page 10 June 2021
Spotting
Scorpion Grass
Exceptional Customer Service
Part 2
fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg
by Courtney Dodson John Talbard
w
R
ecently I leased a small storage unit from a new business, Hi and Dri Storage, 532 Bridge Street, in Danville’s River District. Months ago as they were doing the construction necessary to refit the historic building, I put my name on a list in order to be called when their storage facility was officially open for business.
hen our girls come back to me, because they will come back, broken, still unwoken from the truth of fake-movie-perfect love, they will still be searching the wrinkles in my face for a trail to follow, a map of the type of love that I barely found, only kept because you held onto me. But pride... regret... I will not be able to say all that to them, and they wouldn’t understand anyway. Love, for me, has always been work, always me barely understanding love’s laws, love’s owl-wise eyes are older than sand and look on me with such pity. Allan, Allan...Jesus... then I woke up, just like that. I thought about it all day till now, the billboard, love, time, the scorpion grass you transplanted from the billboard to our front yard flower bed. My heart was pounding then, Allan. That is the truth, and I could not sleep again. Tonight, I wake up beside you and tell you of my dream. You listen as I try to piece it together; you hear me gasping, breathing; you grunt, the tip of your index finger curled on the back of my left hand. Long later, you are not asleep because I don’t hear you snore. Then...two weeks later the first message on that billboard, and yes, folks talked about it for weeks. But that lesson is later, not today, not important now. In the now, I’m reading your heart in the braille of the calluses on your hand. I grasp your hand holding on. Today, I made meatloaf. I did. It’s dinner and nothing is lost yet. The girls are laughing and giggling, watching us, as the dog, Rapunzel, dances on her back legs for table scraps. Allan, I take
In late April, I received a call from John Talbard. When I dropped by their offices to set up a lease, John was very polite and informative. The whole
process took under fifteen minutes while I waited in my car. When the transaction was finished, I drove away with my lease, good instructions, and a lock and keys. Hi and Dri Storage does all of its billing online and provides a customer portal. The facility is very clean and brightly lit at night and has a variety of sizes of storage units available. With its contemporary look and mindset, Hi and Dri Storage is a welcomed addition to Bridge Street. Our family’s bikes will be very happy there. Thanks John!
Evince wants 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.
it back. I won’t poison the well; I won’t tell our girls that love will come for them, but it won’t be like those romance novels I hid under my bed, those fifty-cent Silhouette novels I sneakily bought in garage sales when I was a child. Allan, if I did tell them wrong, I imagine you would let me, as you looked, silent, waiting, as you scraped silverware on that old auction milkglass plate you always liked to eat off of. Today, Allan, how could I not love you, I think? I feel like crying because I think I see you; I think I now know that acceptance of those who truly love us is the first lesson of love to tell our girls. I think then of that billboard everyone keeps asking about. You take out the trash after dinner, putter around in the shed out back, and I think about how you are loving me, how you were loving me all along, and I should feel ashamed because some people call scorpion grass forget-me-knots, and some people even know the myth about the knight who fell in the water with that plea, taken down by the weight of his armor.
Evince Magazine Page 11
Look to the Past for New Inspiration by Carla Minosh
Sallie Dooley’s bedroom at Maymont features a swan bed and a narwhal tusk dressing table.
w
orking on an historic home requires plenty of research before embarking on a project to reimagine the interior design that has been lost to time. While the house can talk to you and show you layers of wallpaper and painted-over faux-grained wood from generations past, usually most of the historic fabric of the home has been replaced by more modern tastes. In the absence of photographic evidence, we can only guess at the original look and feel of the rooms. Fortunately for us, there are a number of historic homes within
#HalifaxVA
an easy drive of Danville that are of the same general vintage as our home with many of their interior decorative elements intact. Our favorite is the grand mansion on the James River in Richmond that belonged to Major James Dooley and his wife, Sallie Mae. Today the house is known as Maymont Mansion--a name that combines Mrs. Dooley’s maiden name and the French word for hill. The Dooleys had no children and upon their deaths, they deeded the home and the land intact to the City of Richmond to become a house museum on a 100-acre estate and public park. The
house’s plasterwork, moldings, and furniture are a feast for the eyes and a real example of how homes were decorated in the 1890s. Among the most jawdropping pieces of furniture in their possession is the Tiffany silver “Viking” style mirrored dressing table and chair constructed around a set of narwhal tusks. The mansion, surrounded by a farm and manicured gardens, is a delight and an inspiration. The Dooley’s summer residence, Swannanoa, lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the quiet community of Afton. It was built to capture the cool mountain air so that the Dooleys could escape the heat of Richmond summers. The ItalianRenaissance Revival house is a miniature duplicate of the Medici palace in Italy. Perhaps even grander than their Richmond home, this edifice fared less well
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over time. Although the interiors are still mostly original, they are worn, tired, faded, and even broken. The original brilliance of the interior decoration, now a soft echo of its former self, is still there for those who know how to look back through time and see things with their mind’s eye as they once appeared. The spectacular tripartite Tiffany window on the landing is the frosting on the top of this hidden gem. The grounds, once grand and exotic, are still worth walking, if only to experience the water tower modeled after a medieval castle turret. We have mined the walls and ceilings of this home for ideas and inspiration to conform to those ancient sensibilities. We are most fortunate to have these treasures within easy reach so that we can be inspired and outfit our grandest ideas for our Main Street beauty in Danville.
Page 12 June 2021
his great uncle when he answers Alice’s help-wanted ad. She hires him on the spot, and he starts to use his carpentry know-how and engineering skills to design and build bee boxes. Just as bees organize themselves into a community, so do these three very different people.
Book Clubbing
The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin review by Diane Adkins
A
s spring changes to summer this month and many of us can move a bit more freely thanks to the availability of vaccines, an uplifting book seems right for June. The Music of Bees is Eileen Garvin’s first novel. It is a touching story of people overcoming grief and loss to shape a new future. Jake Stevenson and Alice Holtzman meet when Alice runs into him—literally—as he is waiting to cross a road in his wheelchair. Jake is a recent high school graduate whose dreams of college and a career in music are cut short by a freak accident that has left him a paraplegic. He has
been depressed and rudderless, living with his saintly mother and abusive father. Alice is forty-four, a county planning department employee in Hood River, Oregon. She is a hobbyist beekeeper and a recently widowed loner who always dreamed of being a farmer like her parents. When Alice upends Jake’s wheelchair with her truck, she is transporting 120,000 bees she has just bought, bringing them home to her hives. The accident does not hurt Jake, but he is immediately fascinated with the bees swarming around them, peppering Alice with out-of-theordinary questions. His sense of
humor charms her, too, and when she discovers his living situation, she offers him room and board in exchange for helping with the bees. Jake accepts and moves in, quickly learning in the process how to make himself indispensable. He works with the bees and teaches himself all there is to know about them. Enter Harry Stokes, another young man with a troubled background. Recently released from prison, Harry is crippled by insecurities and is searching for some way to connect and belong to something beyond himself. He has been staying in a disheveled trailer outside of Hood River with
When a pesticide that is being marketed to orchardists with the blessing of the county government department threatens Alice’s bees, the trio join with local environmentalists to raise the alarm. The battle will mark each of them in different ways, but it also solidifies their commitment to each other. This is a story of how wrenching grief can be transformed. Jake realizes he no longer feels broken. Harry discovers his voice and his abilities. Alice finds herself sitting under the cotton tree with the young men “…It was an odd little group gathered there, crying and laughing by turns. But it happened like that sometimes… in their grief they could be their true, bald selves.” They could be a true family. Diane S. Adkins is a retired Director of Pittsylvania County Library System.
Evince Magazine Page 13
Plan a Cookout Using This Recipe Green Bean Potato Salad by Annelle Williams winner of the national 2002 Sutter Home Recipe Contest
I
t’s time to celebrate. We can hug, party, shop, attend church, and return to the routines we knew before COVID-19. Thanks to a vaccine that is extremely effective against this deadly virus, we’re getting our lives back. The key is being vaccinated. That’s all we have to do to protect ourselves and those around us. We’re celebrating with gettogethers for family and friends, picnics, and neighborhood block parties. Everyone is so happy to
be out and about again. Let’s have a cookout and be grateful. I recently saw a recipe for Green Bean Salad with Bacon and Onions. The dressing was very similar to German Potato Salad, so I boiled a few new potatoes and added them to the mix. I think you’re going to love it!
Green Bean and Potato Salad with Bacon and Onions 1 lb. fresh green beans 1 pound small new potatoes 8 slices thick bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 small sweet onion, cut into half-inch pieces 1 garlic clove, minced
2 T brown sugar 2 T cider vinegar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce 1 tsp. seasoned salt 1/2 tsp. pepper
Trim beans and boil in salted water for about 12 minutes just until tender. Drain. Boil potatoes in salted water about 10 minutes, until they easily pierce with a fork, but not falling apart. Cut bacon into one-inch pieces and place in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until nicely browned, turning occasionally. Remove from pan to paper towel leaving 2 T bacon drippings in pan. Add onions and garlic to pan with bacon drippings and cook over medium heat until onions are tender and translucent. Add remaining ingredients to pan and cook for about two minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add green beans to pan turning gently with tongs to coat with sauce. Add potatoes and repeat. Finally, add bacon and gently mix. Serve warm or cold.
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Photo Finish
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lan a day trip to Martinsville’s Piedmont Arts (PA) and their Gravely-Lester Art Garden. Take Evince along as a guide because each sculpture/work of art/building tells a story that adds meaning to everything you see. A 100-year-
old Remarkable Tree of Virginia, a post oak, provides shade on sunny days. After your walk in the garden, visit inside Piedmont Arts, 215 Starling Avenue. It’s a museum that boasts a performance hall, seven galleries, a large classroom, a reference library and a Discovery Room for children. It curates thought-provoking exhibitions by international, national and regional artists and offers performing arts, events, and art classes. For more information, visit www.piedmontarts.org.
This friendly dinosaur invites children to come and play.
This Little Post Office from 1893 played a critical role in the expansion of the United States mail’s star route in the late 19th century. It provided services to rural communities in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Over the years it expanded to include Maryland, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Colorado, serving over 500 routes. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is also a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Cliffhanger Daffodil was commissioned by businessman Will Pannill in memory of his father, Bill “DaffyBill” Pannill (1927-2014), a Martinsville native, businessman, textile industry executive, amateur botanist and noted daffodil hybridizer. Created by artist Jeff Fetty of Spencer, West Virginia, the sculpture is ten feet tall and weighs 500 pounds! Bill’s love and knowledge of daffodils led him to be known as the “World’s Greatest Authority on Daffodils”. Although he was an amateur botanist, his bulbs are grown by the acre in Holland and sold all over the world. Live daffodils surrounded the base of the sculpture earlier this spring.
Four Seasons, a twelve-foot tree sculpture, was created by Ed Dolinger and represents four different species of trees, each taking on one of the four seasons. It incorporates a built-in chair, where visitors can sit and enjoy the Art Garden. Dolinger was inspired by the old trees in the garden.
Day in the Life was created by Mark Wright using found objects and repurposed wood from pallets and furniture. The wood pays tribute to Martinsville’s history as a furniture maker. It’s an interactive piece: a machine that sews, a spool of yarn that rings a bell, and a saw blade that moves.
Mosaic murals on the gateway sign to the R.P. Gravely-A.J. Lester Art Garden welcome visitors. Artist Beryl Solla created two murals on the front of the sign featuring plants native to Virginia. The four murals on the back of the sign represent the four seasons: a dogwood bloom, a butterfly, a pumpkin and a cardinal.
Lovework/Horseshoes was created by Jessie Ward, a third-generation blacksmith by trade and an artist by choice. The piece is made of 400 pounds of hand-forged horseshoes. The farrier reimagined the shape of a common horseshoe and hammered out a pattern where each shoe would connect with another
Evince Magazine Page 15
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