Evince Magazine 0911

Couple Finds Home & Opens Art Gallery near the Dan River Page 5

Nine Visions

Art Exhibit & Writing Competition Page 18

Annelle Williams

CampďŹ re Cookery Page 19

Cindy Zook: Organizing the River District Festival

September 2011

Photo by Bobby Carlsen.

Page 2

Editor’s Note

If you’re watching a movie and rain starts to fall on the main characters, pay attention; the plot is changing. In storytelling, water symbolically washes away the old, and when the clouds disperse, new life comes into focus.

This month, Evince turns its attention to the large body of water in the middle of our city because it’s bringing new life to Danville. Our history from settlement to city has always revolved around the Dan River. The 214-mile long winding waterway once provided transportation for our tobacco trade and power for our textile business. Now it’s playing a more light-hearted role and is being recognized for its beauty and recreational opportunities.

We will celebrate this new chapter in the city’s history book at the upcoming River District Festival organized by a large group of volunteers with Cindy Zook at the helm (page 3). Acknowledging the beauty of the River, Sally Popu and Wayne Kumpitsch moved their home and work within sight of it (page 5). Linda Lemery has even found a way to incorporate the Dan River into caring for her mom in The Riverwalk and Eldercare (page 16). The next time you are enjoying the Riverwalk near Union Street Bridge, look for the sign that marks the spot where the Old 97 train wreck took place.

Mack Williams ponders that event on page 7. On page 17, Arnold Hendrix gives us an overview of what the new River District will look like.

As Danville evolves from a tobacco-textile city to a diversified business community, many things will change, but the Dan River will always be our constant companion.

Be sure to visit and appreciate our wonderful waterway during the River District Festival and whenever you need a loyal friend.

Sincerely,

Credits: Hair: Katie Mosher; Skin Care: Catherine Adkins; Nails: Janelle Gammon; Genesis Day Spa & Salon

September Contents

2

Editor’s Note

3

Cindy Zook / Organizing the River District Festival

by Joyce Wilburn

4

She Said He Said / You Talk Too Much

by Dena Hill & Larry Oldham

5

Couple Finds Home & Opens Art Gallery Near the Dan River

by Joyce Wilburn

7

Train Wreck of Legend Track Wreck of Memory

by Mack Williams

9

Second Thoughts / Private Practices

by Kim Clifton

THE

OICE OF THE RIVER DISTRICT

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

Lynne Bjarnesen, Kim Clifton, Patsi Compton, Melissa Charles, Cherie Guerrant, Arnold Hendrix, Dena Hill, Mark Holland, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, Larry Oldham, Joyce Wilburn, Annelle Williams, Mack Williams

Business Manager Paul Seiple paul@evincemagazine.com (1.877.638.8685)

11 Fight

by Telisha Moore Leigg 13 Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Mark Holland 14 Calendar

Sales Manager Larry Oldham larry@evincemagazine.com (434.728.3713)

16 Reflecting Forward The Riverwalk Trail & Eldercare

by Linda Lemery

Sales Associates Kim Demont (434.792.0612) demontdesign@verizon.net Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont) evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly: reveal syn see SHOW

17 The New River District Takes Shape

by Arnold Hendrix 18 Calendar Clips 19 Around the Table / Campfire Cookery

by Annelle Williams

Editorial Policies:

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.

On the Cover:

Photo of Cindy Zook by Michelle Dalton.

See story on page 3.

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

See the September Issue of Showcase Magazine Featuring Working Positive.

Meet Some of Our Writers

Mark Holland is an Attorney at Law on Main Street in Danville.

Chérie Guerrant is a graduate of Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida, with a degree in history and is currently pursuing her master’ºs degree in human services at Liberty University. A former paralegal and law librarian, she is now a professional volunteer and is passionate about social justice issues.

Kim Clifton has given us Second Thoughts to ponder for the past 14 years.

Her reflections may make you laugh or make you cry. But they always make you glad to know that someone else feels the same way, too.

Telisha Moore Leigg’s fiction has been published in magazines and anthologized. She teaches Japanese and magazine journalism at George Washington High School. She is a wife and a mother of twoyear-old twin boys.

© 2011 All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use in whole or in part in any medium without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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

For Subscriptions, call 1.877.638.8685 ext. 6.

Deadline for submission of October stories, articles, ads, and calendar items is 5 p.m. on Monday, September 19.

Submit stories and articles to: joyce@evincemagazine.com.

Submit calendar items to: calendar@evincemagazine.com.

For ad information contact a sales associate or sales manager above.

Evince Magazine

Organizing the River District Festival

by Joyce Wilburn

S

ome 28 years have passed since Cindy Zook helped organize an arts fair near the Riverwalk in Naperville, Illinois.

Now the former principal turned realtor is probably experiencing “déjà-vu all over again” as she directs the preparation for the first River District Festival just steps away from the Riverwalk in Danville, Virginia.

“This is going to be a multifaceted festival involving people from all walks of life. Our desire is to draw people down to Newton’s Landing,” she says, referring to the area on the Dan River near Bridge Street where a lot of the activities will take place. “We will have three days of events to encourage out-of-towners to spend the weekend in Danville,” she continues and then notes that activities will be also be held in the parking lot and grassy area across from Jake’s on Main, at the Crossing at the Dan, and at the Worsham Street Bridge Arch off Bridge Street.

Just up the street from where the festival will materialize in October, Cindy sits behind her desk on a hot afternoon in August in a small office at Prudential Manasco Realty on Main Street and tells about the journey that brought her to the River City.

“I have an eclectic background.

My father was a principal for the Department of Defense school at the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. We lived in a German village where there were no Americans, so I spoke fluent German,” she admits, without any semblance of boasting, “and then we moved to Japan and I attended high school near Tokyo.”

Her college years were spent in River Forest, Illinois, at Rosary

College, a Catholic girls’ school (now Dominican University) where she met her future husband, Dave, on a blind date arranged by a friend. Thirty-eight years and two children later, the couple arrived in Danville after a few years in Illinois and Minnesota (she hated the cold weather) and 13 years in Louisville, Kentucky.

When daughter, Sara, was accepted at William & Mary in Virginia, and son, Jason, was studying at Wake Forest in North Carolina, the Zooks realized that living in Kentucky didn’t make sense. She explains, “We had planned to retire in this area near a lake, so I thought, why not move now?” Soon all the pieces fell into place: a principal’s job in Roxboro, an available house on Hyco Lake, and a great spot in Danville for Dave’s new business, HorizonTech, sealed the deal and the couple moved near the Virginia/ North Carolina border in 2000. In 2004, Cindy was named principal at Forest Hills School in Danville, a position she held for two years.

Then, she accepted the position of Assistant Director for Special Education in 2006 and retired in 2007. That didn’t last long. In December 2008, she became a Virginia realtor and a North Carolina realtor in 2009.

After decades of living and traveling worldwide, Cindy has found a place where her heart is at home. “We love Danville. It’s a phenomenal community,” says the Executive Director of the River District Festival, adding with conviction, “The arts are crucial to a community. It is vital to our quality of life to provide more cultural experiences like the River District Festival.

People will move to communities for the arts and they will leave it if they are lacking.”

And that’s from someone

Photos by Michelle Dalton Photography.

Cindy Zook

who knows a thing or two about arts festivals.

• The 2011 Festival includes a Downtown Danville Association Catfish & Crawdads Festival on Thursday, October 6, from 5-9 p.m. at the Community Market.

Contact robdaddy@verizon.net.

A Beer & Chili Fundraiser will be held at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History on Friday, October 7. Contact lynne@danvillemuseum.org. The River District Festival at Newton’s Landing will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 8.

• An Art on Main Street Juried Show will be held on Saturday, October 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Original art work can be viewed and purchased.

• A talent competition will be held on Saturday, October 8, from 2-4 p.m.

Auditions at the City Auditorium will be Wednesday, September 14, 5-7 p.m. & Saturday, September 24, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

• Three professional acts are scheduled: Kelly Price, Carbon Leaf, JCisco. Local talent will be: Maxwell Street Band, Healing Force, Nu Found Soul.

• The Danville Area Association for the Arts & Humanities and the Danville Regional Foundation entered into a partnership to host this event to energize activity along the Dan River and in the Tobacco Warehouse District.

• Visit www.riverdistrictfestival.org or call 3336.592.0222 for more information.

Page 3

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This takes time and effort but the results are worth it. The benefit from hearing instruments is dependent on the quality of the hearing instrument, the wearers residual hearing and speech comprehension and most importantly on their willingness to go through the process of relearning how to communicate. There is a DVD/CD program designed specifically to improve a hearing instrument wearer’s communication skills.

Patients who have completed this training have an average 40% improvement in listening skills for hearing speech clearly in background noise. This DVD/CD is now available as part of the total care treatment you receive when you obtain your hearing instruments from Danville ENT Hearing Center.

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Page 4

September 2011

SHE SAID

by Dena Hill

You Talk Too Much!

you. It took me awhile but I’ve learned not to send you to the grocery store for a forgotten ingredient in the middle of meal preparation because dinner will be over before you get back. I hope you will take this as constructive criticism instead of turning it around and making it about me like you usually do.

When I moved to Danville to be with you, one of my concerns was that I would be moving to a new place where I didn’t know anyone except you. Living in Danville for over HE SAID 30 years, you had already established

by Larry Oldham many friendships and it bothered me You would have to be a peoplethat we would be with your friends person to understand what makes exclusively. me tick. I love people and I love to You have done a fairly good job of talk. That’s the introducing me to bottom line. But I your friends. When have to admit that people come up I was wrong the and talk, you always other night when introduce me (if you I got caught up in can remember their conversations with names). We often so many people. have friends and For that, I genuinely strangers approach apologize to our us and mention the friends. I can’t draw column. I’m keeping the line between a mental poll of my business who agrees with relationships me and who agrees and my personal with you. So far, I’m friendships. I ahead. The reason consider business I’m expounding on connections my our relationships friends also and is that you seem I wouldn’t want to be getting more to inadvertently like a politician and overlook someone less like a friend. and step on any Honestly, you can toes by not being really “work” a room. cordial. This does not take away from When we go into an establishment, the fact that I sincerely wanted to speak you have to have a long conversation to each and every one of them and I with everyone you know. Pretty also wanted to speak to the chef to let soon, people are going to run in the him know that we enjoyed our meal. opposite direction to avoid being tied On the other hand, I did leave you to up with you and your endless chatter. entertain our friends and them on the Just say, “Hi, how are you?” and keep sidewalk waiting to say goodbye. That moving. If they want to talk, they’ll wasn’t fair to you or them. Hopefully, stop you. they will read this column and see how The other night as we were leaving apologetic I am. a restaurant, you stopped at three I guess I should have been a tables before we finally reached the politician instead of a marketing and door. We were with two other couples advertising salesman. Maybe this so I had to make excuses and we revelation will put my life on the right all laughed about the situation. track. I saw in the paper that the city Meanwhile you were strolling through is looking for a dog catcher, although the restaurant shaking hands, that is probably not the politically telling your wild tales, and looking correct name. Maybe I could apply for like you were running for office. So that opening. Then I can be known I explained to our friends that this as the pet consultant. I would also be is a common occurrence and I just hated for picking up the wandering usually wait for you. They didn’t seem pets of our friends and then no one dismayed and sort of laughed it off would speak to us in restaurants. We saying, “Well, this is just Larry.” would be ostracized by every pet lover All I am asking is that you be more and people would boo us as we left the considerate of our friends when we restaurant. Is this really what you want? are out. I already expect to wait for He Said / She Said can be seen in Showcase Magazine.

She said He Said

Evince Magazine

Couple Finds Home & Opens Art Gallery near the Dan River

by Joyce Wilburn

Wayne Kumpitsch and Sally Popu both lived near water as children—he in Niantic, Connecticut, on the Long Island Sound and she in Budapest, Hungary, on the Danube River. Now the couple work and live in Danville on North Union Street near another body of water, the Dan River.

Wayne explains how the couple discovered the River City, “We were restoring historic farm houses in the Southside of Virginia and one Sunday afternoon, we were driving through Danville and saw the potential here. It might be depressed in areas, but it has potential.” Sally quickly interjects, “We always wanted to move from New York City and have a big space for painting and then we saw this building with its tall ceilings and knew it was perfect.”

They believed the former Beanie’s Army & Navy Store was a diamond in the rough and purchased the building in 2010 based on that brief visit to the city and what they saw by peeping through its windows.

The two-story storefront with pressed metal ceilings and hard wood floors has morphed over the last 100 years from a furniture store, a grocery store, and a clothing store into an art gallery for Wayne’s 200+ canvases and living quarters for the creative couple.

“This building was once a Kroger’s food store,” says Wayne pointing to ex-grocery shelves that have been converted into bookshelves for their studio apartment at the rear of the building. “We also found a ruler with the name of Cole’s Furniture Store on it,” he says, adding, “I love doing renovations; it’s so much fun.”

Taking old and ugly and making it new and beautiful is not only a talent but a skill that Wayne brings to his business, Hands on Painting. “I will show up and do it right,” he says referring to his personal guarantee of being dependable and punctual when he is hired to paint walls, hang wallpaper or faux finish walls or furniture--a decorative painting technique that replicates marble and wood with paint .

Sally hastens to show off another eyecatching creation—a customized blackand-white painted floor cloth that is used in place of a traditional rug.

“Back before there were carpets, oil cloths were used.

They can be any

color, any design,” explains Sally holding up a rectangle of painted geometric shapes that had been on the floor.

Sally nurtured her artistic instincts while studying for a degree in photography at LaGuardia College, but that was her second career. “I had been an investment banker for 14 years in Hungary and moved to NYC nine years ago,” she recounts noting that it was photography that brought the couple together. “I was shy and couldn’t speak English. We met on MySpace and emailed for 6 months,” she says, pausing to smile at Wayne and then adding, “For my final project at school, I had to do some portrait photography outside the studio and no one else was available, so we met for a photo shoot.” That initial meeting led to others and a mutual admiration developed. “We have the same style and taste. We work together well,” says Sally and Wayne agrees. “Art has turned my life around and changed it so much,” he admits with obvious pleasure.

Sitting beside each other surrounded by art, the pair seems very content to have found an old home and a new hometown near the Dan River.

• Hands on Painting is located at 210 North Union Street. For more information, call 561.714.8872.

• The public is invited to a reception at the Danvillian Gallery at 210 North Union Street on Friday, September 9, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. featuring Wayne’s work in remembrance of 9/11. Barry Koplen will read his poetry and violinists Lei Riece Miller and Kalya Cramton from E.A Gibson Middle School will perform.

• The Gallery’s official opening will be an exhibit by members of the Danville Art League during the River District Festival on Saturday, October 8, from 10 a.m., to 6 p.m.

• Sally’s work can be seen at www.sallysusan.weebly.com.

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September 2011

Evince Magazine

Page 7

Train Wreck of Legend;

Train Wreck of Memory

by Mack Williams

a passenger train and as far as I can remember, unlike the 1903 wreck, there was no loss of life. I remember seeing boxcars lying on their sides, having slipped from their controlled roll down the rails. Having seen trains coming through the Salisbury station, the aftermath of the sudden static death of all of this metal in motion seemed to re-enforce that often-made statement about the change brought about by death, “It only takes an instant.”

Since there was no loss of life and no inspiring song written about the Salisbury train wreck of my youth, the memory of it will die eventually with the passing of the crew and those sightseers, like me, who made the trip to that site. The crew of the train wreck I saw probably slept a little fitfully on the night following their wreck, but unlike some of the crew members of the Old 97’s wreck, their rest was for only the normally prescribed number of hours that sleep dictates.

• The 2011 Old 97 Rail Days will be held Saturday, September 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. See N-scale model railroads racing down the tracks through detailed dioramas.

• Tour the fully restored Norfolk and Western caboose with the DSC tour guide on Saturday only.

• Admission for Saturday only is $1 per person. Sunday’s admission fees are $7 for adults; $6 for seniors; $5 for youth; free for 3 and younger.

• The Wreck of the Old 97, written by local author, Larry Aaron, can be purchased in the Danville Science Center gift shop. Aaron will be signing books between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

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On September 27, 1903, the Fast Mail train No. 97 of the Southern Railway wrecked in Danville, plunging off Stillhouse Trestle onto a narrow stream bed below.

Because the narrow stream was not a river, the cars and engine of that train met solid ground. Even if it had been somewhat cushioned by a fall into the Dan River, the outcome might have been just as tragic. As everyone from Danville knows ( or should know), the wreck inspired the ballad The Wreck of the Old 97, which was popularized by a number of recording artists. This later led to the inspiration for the Old 97 Rail Days held on the last weekend of every September at The Crossing at the Dan on Craghead Street.

In the lobby of the train station, now the natural history museum building of the Danville Science Center, sits a replica of the Wreck of the Old 97, crafted through the combined efforts of model railroaders from Richmond and Lynchburg, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Nearby is the reproduced photograph of the Old 97’s conductor, J.T. Blair.

Some accounts of the wreck state that the Old 97’s destination of Spencer, North Carolina, also had a more personal meaning for its conductor-- his home was there.

Even if that fact is questionable, there is absolutely no doubt that my father, Bernard R. Williams, worked in the Spencer yard office as a clerk, some 50 years later. He was born in 1906, three years after the tragic wreck and didn’t start working in Spencer till the late 1940s. In referring to that gap of time from the date of the wreck to my father’s first day on the job, I could say that his initial arrival at the Spencer yard was somewhat delayed, but on September 27, 1903, the Old 97 never made it at all.

In thinking about the Wreck of the Old 97, I am reminded of my visit to the site of the wreck of a freight train just south of Salisbury, North Carolina, in the early 1960s.

Fortunately, like the Old 97, it wasn’t

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Page 8

September 2011

Evince Magazine “What-in-the-worldis-that-crazy-thing?” my stunned nephew Andrew asked, when we visited him in Destin, Florida last July. Sad isn’t it.

Twenty-nine years old and the man-child had never laid eyes on a telephone booth. The tall kind. The kind that once stood on every street corner and required real coins, not a two-year contract. The kind that Clark Kent used to change into Superman. Andrew doesn’t know what it’s like to look for a phone to make a call if he’s not home.

And I’m not talking about searching in his car or fishing in his coat pocket for one.

His world is different from what mine was at his age. For me, landlines meant property markers, so neighbors knew how much yard to mow. A cell was the biological unit of an organism, not a means of portable communication. Technology has evolved to the point where phones are smarter than we are. Mine can instantly give me turn-by-turn directions to a Poughkeepsie Pizza Hut I’ve never seen, but I have to scratch my head to count the number of traffic lights between my house and the mall.

Second Thoughts

by Kim Clifton ©2011

Private Practices

Andrew also didn’t see the need for the booth to have a folding door that sealed you in. No wonder he’s confused.

People in his world walk around with phones strapped to their ears and belts. With the possible exception of a Catholic confessional, few whisper behind closed doors anymore. Or even go behind them...just look at how we

vote. You don’t have that gray curtain swinging behind you any longer after you’ve yanked the red lever to shut it. Now you simply lean over a touchscreen to punch selections with about as much effort as ordering a sandwich from Sheetz.

Telephone and voting booths aren’t the only times I need closed doors. I once left a department store when I realized trying on clothes meant going into a communal dressing room. Like Greta Garbo, I find “I vant to be alone, dah-link” especially if swimwear is involved.

Page 9

Clearly, the need for privacy was the genesis of the phone booth, once party lines were discontinued. I remember those all too well because my grandmother had one. If it rang once, it was for her. If it rang twice, it was for her neighbor. The experience taught me a lot about phones. If I didn’t breathe directly into the mouthpiece, I could eavesdrop without detection. Of course, if she had ever caught me, I wouldn’t have been breathing at all.

I credit most of this openness to social networking. The world’s all a Twitter, with over a billion recorded tweets. Seems the caged bird isn’t the only one singing anymore, but I don’t know why. I rarely blog because it reminds me too much of the diary I kept locked and hidden under my mattress as a kid. Even I got bored with it. Shoot, I’m still amazed that people read my column every month.

Like it or not, the time has come when I’ve got to face up to facebook. Even my octogenarian aunt is active daily, which leaves me quite possibly the last person on earth without an account. In August, I received a message on my husband’s “wall” from a childhood playmate. We grew up together. We rode bikes, played hopscotch and kickball together. We shared meals. We shared secrets. And until she left for college, we shared rides to school. She said, “Kim. For God’s sake, get on facebook already. I want to be your friend.”

Funny, I thought she already was.

Page 10

September 2011

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Evince Magazine

Fight fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg

W

hen Tyrion saw the Knox boy on Saturday at 2 a.m. on Marveaux Street with the two white boys, Colby and Mark, he balled his hands into fists and didn’t smile. Instead, Tyrion tipped his head down into his Braves ball cap, tucked himself into the jacket the Knox boy’s father had charity-given him and blended into the red brick wall behind the street light, a shadow throwing no shade. Tyrion saw Matthew Knox and he didn’t see Matthew Knox. Not seeing Matthew was the gift he gave him. That was the way the street worked and Tyrion knew the street. The boy and his friends were going about being down here on Marveaux Street all wrong. Big feet stepping on toes with their loud talk hiding fear, their grinning and looking around like they were country boys in the big city; walking on this street was not street smart.

Tyrion followed. They never even looked behind themselves. Two blocks down and one turn and Tyrion thought the boys’ traveling had some purpose, more than schoolboy stupid to see a side of town they didn’t have to live. But they were going about even that all wrong. Because if there was a right way to get hurt, the boy did it by stopping to ask questions, staging big boy swagger, and repeatedly going in his pockets and out like a fish forcing air.

Snapper, 17, from over Wharton Street way, a bad kid to know even if he liked you, started to step out into their path until Tyrion tipped up his head and nodded.

Snapper faded back with a question in his eyes. The boys kept on going with Tyrion right behind, the same question Snapper had had in his eyes was in Tyrion’s heart.

But, Tyrion knew the answer.

Loyalty, that was something he could respect. Tyrion owed Tim, the boy’s father, a little something, he guessed. He knew Tim’s heart was breaking like a pot with a hole slowly seeping love with Tyrion’s mother, knew she wasn’t what he wanted.

And deep down, okay, more like floating on the top, Tyrion knew that he wasn’t what Tim really wanted either. Tim was just his mother’s lover, a shoe that fit so he walked it. And Tyrion’s mother was just the woman who had helped bust up Tim’s marriage to Mathew’s mother. And Tyrion wasn’t his son. Naw, Tim loved the boy on his way down the street, on his way down to a bad path. So Tyrion followed a little further until they stopped, went into Roe’s Alley with a man named Big Claude and did or got what they came for. Tyrion didn’t even begin to wonder what they wanted with Big Claude, didn’t matter. It was trouble.

Next day at school, Tyrion took his free lunch tray and walked right up to the boy, not that Mathew would even speak. Mark was off getting an extra carton of milk, but Colby was right there, gray-eyed with a real tattoo of a bird, maybe a hawk, cawing on his upper arm. The tattoo surprised but didn’t deter Tyrion.

“Don’t go down there no more. (He nodded at Colby.) Don’t let your friends get you messed up.” Although Tyrion didn’t say where there was and didn’t say ‘messed’ up.

“Fa (A teacher walked by)--forget you, man.” And Tyrion could hear the forget

you wasn’t what it started out to be but what ended up coming out. And Tyrion could understand that--how what you wanted to say wasn’t exactly what you could say.

Tyrion had much more he wanted to say.

He wanted to ask, Boy, you stupid? Your home straight; your food right; you prettyboy set. Why you tripling up your pain?

How you going to throw it all away like tossing salt into the sea? Tyrion thought of his own existence then puffed air inside him to hold himself up. Boy, you don’t even know what you giving up. And there was more, but Tyrion couldn’t say even that. To admit was to let truth in and letting truth in was putting water on a live wire, corroded you, made you weak, and weak on these streets meant a fight you wouldn’t win.

Tyrion’s boys, his friends, watched him. So Tyrion backed a little away from the cafeteria table, away from Matthew.

Colby stepped in a little further to Tyrion, right in his face and said, “Yeah, what?” like he was going to do something. Maybe he would have, but Mark came back with his milk, and Colby kept talking junk and the air turned quick and stormy, like anything could come off. Teachers and security came from different directions saying blurred words, but didn’t get too close, until Mr. Loman, Tyrion’s French teacher, gently touched his arm and Tyrion flinched, but let him touch him, before moving away from his touch.

And Matthew Knox just sat there for a while, didn’t get up, his eyes slit in a grieving anger, fists clenching. Tyrion knew he and the boy would fight, now or later, didn’t matter when. But today he tried to walk away. And that was his second gift to Matthew Knox.

“Your mama ain’t nothing but a...”

Matthew started and Tyrion didn’t turn to let him have it. He started looking for his table to eat his lunch with his boys, his look telling them to be cool. Besides, it was probably true although Tyrion loved his mother.

Matthew bolted up; like a dam breaking, he kept talking, telling Tyrion’s business out loud in front of all the kids and teachers, the real heat and sadness of his life, and Tyrion let him while another teacher held Matthew who still screamed his pain kicking to get closer and Tyrion unable to not come closer whether to fight or not he didn’t know.

Matthew’s foot got free and kicked Tyrion’s tray out of his hands and the food went back on Tyrion’s shirt and jacket, on his shoes.

Ruined them. Matthew punched and caught Tyrion in the gut. And Tyrion never forgot the look on Mathew’s face, the relief, like a white balloon into a blue sky. This was what the boy wanted, so Tyrion fought back and gave it to him, but holding back much of that touch of pain the boy seemed to need.

A bloody nose, some scratches, hurts to heal and it was over quickly though kids either ran to or away from the fray screaming, “Fight, fight.”

All through it, Tyrion never stopped watching Tim’s boy, never. And he never hit as hard as he could, never drew more blood than he should. Another gift. Because he understood rage like pain and how to give and receive it. And above that he understood loyalty and Tim had been that for him. And here was Tim’s boy and Tyrion was not.

Page 11

Page 12

September 2011

Evince Magazine

To encourage exceptional customer service, the Business Development Committee of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce and Evince will recognize those who give it. When you experience exceptional customer service, tell us about it in 300 words or less. Include your name and phone number. Email your story to joycewilburn@gmail.com or visit www.dpchamber.org; click What’s New Customer Service Award Nomination.

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Mark Holland

Chick-Fil- A, 3535 Riverside Drive, merits recognition for their outstanding service.

I can’t single out any specific individual, but more than once, while I have stood near the cash registers waiting for my disorganized family, every member of their front-line staff asked me if I had been helped. I contrast this to other fast food restaurants where every time I face the front-line employees, they don’t say a single word to me. At Chick-Fil-A, they communicate in a helpful, friendly manner.

Another customer writes: The customer service at Chick-Fil-A has impressed me on numerous occasions and more importantly has become apparent even to a 3-year-old. On one visit, when my granddaughter and I walked through the door, the toddler said, “There’s my best friend,” pointing to the white-haired woman behind the counter who had helped us on previous visits.

On several occasions after taking our order, an employee has carried the tray of food to our table, covered the table with a placemat, refilled our glasses when needed, and asked if there was anything else we needed. That isn’t the norm for a fast-food restaurant.

Chick-Fil-A is a family-friendly restaurant. I once overheard a young dad say, “We’ve been here so often, we should have bought stock in the place years ago.”

Obviously, his children liked it as much as my granddaughter.

Manager Colin Brady and his staff are to be commended for exceptional customer service.

(Pictured from left to right) Gen. Manager Steve Jones, Asst. Manager Patrick Keene, Franchise Operator Colin Brady, Team Member Demetrius Williams, Team Member Tara Ferris.

Picture taken by Marketing Director Chris Hodnett.

If you’re over 50 or have osteoporosis, it’s important that you don’t ignore your back pain.

It may signal a spinal fracture. See your doctor right away if you think you may have one.

Spinal fractures can be repaired if diagnosed.

TA KE C HA RG E Don’t turn your back on back pain.

KYPHON® Balloon Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive treatment for spinal fractures that can correct vertebral body deformity, reduce pain and improve patient quality of life.

Spine specialists actively offering KYPHON® Balloon Kyphoplasty in your local area:

Danville Regional Medical Center Leon J. Abram, MD Eduardo Fraifeld, MD

434-791-4445 For more information on balloon kyphoplasty call 800-652-2221 or visit www.kyphon.com Medtronic maintains a list of physicians who have been trained to use, and are believed to be both active and proficient users of, Medtronic’s products and who are willing to accept patient referrals. Physician participation on this list is voluntary and free. All referrals are identified based upon geographic criteria only. Medtronic does not guarantee the accuracy of the listings or the capabilities of the physicians listed. The physicians referenced may be paid consultants of, and research cited may have been funded partially or in whole by, Medtronic.

Although the complication rate with KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty has been demonstrated to be low, as with most surgical procedures, there are risks associated with the procedure, including serious complications. This procedure is not for everyone. A prescription is required. Please consult your physician for a full discussion of risks and whether this procedure is right for you. © 2008 Medtronic Spine LLC. All Rights Reserved. ®

before

MEDTRONIC Spinal and Biologics Business 1221 Crossman Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA Tel: (408) 548-6500 16003152_025 [01]

balloon kyphoplasty

after

Page 13

Page 14

September 2011

September Calendar Ongoing

Guided Walking Tour – Millionaires Row. www.danvillehistoricalsociety.org.

See ad page 10.

Through September 5

DSC Exhibits – Tech City, Sonic Sensation & Dark Star Images. M-S 9:30am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm. Danville Science Center (DSC)– 434.791.5160.

Through September 27

Paintings by Wayne Dobson Exhibit.

See page 5.

Though October 1

PAA Exhibits – Lynwood Artists Retrospective, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Collection & Masterpieces of World Art. Piedmont Arts Association (PAA), Martinsville – 276.632.3221.

Through November 1

Writing Gallery Competition.

See page 18.

Through January 14

Living Off the Land Exhibit Virginia Museum of Natural History – 276.634.4185.

September 1

Bob Ross Painting Class.

10am–3:30pm. PAA, Martinsville – 276.632.3221.

September 1 (thru 15)

Fill the Bus Campaign. 9am-5pm.

First State Bank. 434.792.0198.

September 1 (thru 29)

Prime Time Fitness. M/TH 9:30-10:45am.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

Wheel Thrown Pottery. 5:30-8:30pm.

The Artisan Center – 276.656.5461.

57 Express Bluegrass Concert.

TH 7 pm. Community Center, Chatham – 434.432.3115.

Pick-up Soccer. TU/TH 7 pm. Smith River Sports Complex – 276.638.1387.

September 1 (thru 30)

Fetch Lab Carts. M-S 9:30am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm. DSC - 434.791.5160.

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

September 2

First Friday Art Walk. 5-7pm. Studio 107, Martinsville – 276.638.2107.

Fridays at the Crossing - Tim Clark Band. 6pm. Carrington Pavilion.

434.793.4636.

First Fridays Concert Series – Featuring Bob Margolin. 8 pm. Rives Theatre, Martinsville. 276.632.3221.

September 5 (thru 26)

Senior Yoga. Mondays 11 am.

YMCA – 434.792.0621.

Kids Zumba. Mondays 4:30pm.

YMCA – 434.792.0621.

September 5 (thru 28)

Step-Aerobics. 9/7-Cathy Holley returns.

MW 5:15 pm. Community Center, Chatham – 434.432.3115.

September 6

Southside Strollercise Club. 10:30am.

Pepsi Building. 434.797.8848.

Authors on Campus – Author Melanie Watkins. 7:30pm. Averett University, Blount Chapel. 434.791.5681.

September 6 (thru 27)

Bikes and Trikes. TU/TH 9-9:45am.

City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

ABC, Look at Me. 10-10:45am.

City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

Beginning 1 & 2 Digital Photography.

Ballou Annex. 434.797.8848.

Kids Combo. Mondays 4:30pm.

YMCA – 434.792.0621.

African Dance Ensemble. Tues 6pm.

Coates Rec Center. 434.797.8848.

Sewing With Kitty. Tues 6:30-8:30pm.

Coates Rec Center. 434.797.8848.

September 6 (thru Oct. 4)

Artisan Center Classes – Knitting II, Intro to Fine Woodworking. 5:30-8:30pm.

The Artisan Center – 276.656.5461.

September 6 (thru Nov. 22)

Around the World in Art. TU 3:304:30pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

September 7

Senior Bowling Tournament. 10am12pm. Riverside Lanes. 434.791.2695.

Saving with Coupons. 12:30-1:30 pm.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 7 (thru 28)

September 9 & 23

TGIF Concert Series. 7-10:30 pm.

Uptown Martinsville. 276.632.5688.

September 10

Ballou Yard Sale. 7am-12pm.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

Trip to Barter Theatre. 7am-10pm.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

River City 5K Run/Walk. 8:30am.

Anglers Park. 434.793.3409.

Build A Better World Disc Golf Tournament. 9:15am-2pm. Ballou Park. www.piedmontcu.org/discgolf.

Running Wide Open Cart Racing. VIR. 336.599.8333.

Danville Area Humane Society Adoption Fair. 10am-1pm. PetSmart.

434.799.0843.

Shag Line Dance Workshop. 11am2pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

Eden Cruise In. 4 pm. Sonic Drive-In. www.exploreedennc.com.

Vegas Night. 6-10:30pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 10 & 24

A Balanced Mind. 10am. City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

September 11

6 7 13 14 20 21 27 28

T 1 8 15 22 29

F 2 9 16 23 30

S 3 10 17 24

September 12 (thru Oct. 31)

FANS – Fitness & Nutrition Successes.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 13

Fall Book Review. The Age of Wonder

by Richard Holmes. 12pm. Danville Public Library Auditorium – 434.799.5195.

Financial Seminar I. 5:30-6:30pm.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 13 (thru Oct. 18) Zumba with Jennifer. 6:30pm.

434.797.8848.

September 14

Public Forum on the River District.

See story page 17.

Polliwogs & Science Stars. Ages 3–4, 1–2pm. Ages 5–7, 3:30–4:30pm.

DSC - 434.791.5160.

Low Impact Exercise. 2:30-3:30pm.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 14 & 16

Bingo. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 14 & 19

Internet for Beginners I & II Workshop. 11am-1pm. DPL. 434.799.5195.

September 14 & 24

River District Festival Talent Show Competition Audition.

See page 3.

September 15

VA Museum Of Fine Arts Lecture. 7am.

The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

Stand Up Paddle Board – Abreu/Grogan Park. 6-8pm. 434.799.5215.

Fall Lawn Care. 6:30 pm. Coates Rec Center. 434.797.8848.

Sky Watchers. Nightfall. DSC – 434.791.5160.

September 7 (thru Oct. 5)

September 12

Artisan Center Classes – Artisan Entrepreneurship, Basic Glass Fusing & Floor Loom Weaving II. 5:30-8:30pm.

The Artisan Center – 276.656.5461.

Meet the Mouse Computer Workshop.

11am-1pm. Danville Public Library (DPL).

434.799.5195.

VMNH Foundation Golf Tournament.

VMNH – 276.634.4185.

Just Everyday Women Walking by Faith. 11 am-1 pm. Mary’s Diner.

September 7 (thru Oct. 12)

September 12 (thru 26)

September 16 & 17

Hand Sewn Quilts. 6pm. City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

Tai Chi Class. 6-7pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

Boogie Monday – Waltz II. M 7-8:30pm.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

Rally Dog Training. 6:30-7:30 pm.

Glenwood Community Center.

434.799.6469.

September 8

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

Danvillian Gallery Reception.

See story page 5.

Flip Flop Friday. Homeplace Vineyard.

See ad page 8.

Harvest Moon 10k Run. 7-8:30pm.

Martinsville. www.martinsvilleuptown.com.

5 12 19 26

W

September 15 (thru 29)

September 3

September 3 (thru 24)

September 9

4 11 18 25

T

Field Hockey Invitational. Smith River Sports Complex – 276.638.1387.

Danville Area Choral Arts Society Concert. 2:30-3:30pm. Episcopal Church. 434.822.0977.

Kathy Mattea Concert. 7:30pm.

The Kirby Theater – 336.597.1709.

September 7 (thru Oct. 27)

DRBA’s First Saturday Outing. 10am.

Mayo River. 336.349.5948.

Bob Ross Painting Class – Tropical Seascape. 10:30am–3:30pm. Ballou Park. 434.797.8848.

Auto Racing. South Boston Speedway – 877.440.1540.

Labor Day Celebration. 4-8pm.

Hyco Lake, Roxboro. 336.597.8000.

Main Street Cruise-In. 6-9pm.

Downtown Danville. 434.251.2237.

Drawing Aliens, Monsters, Villains & Heroes. Ages 7-12. 3:30-4:30pm.

DMFA&H – 434.793.5644.

Good Manners 101 for Dogs.

6:30-7:30 pm. Glenwood Community Center. 434.799.6469.

M

Kids Martial Arts. Mondays 4:30pm.

YMCA – 434.792.0621.

Art with Flo – Wet on wet technique.

Weds. Location/times vary. 434.797.8848.

Kuumba-West African Dance. TH 6:30-8pm. City Armory. 434.797.8848.

September 2 (thru 30)

Belly Dancing. Fridays 11 am.

YMCA – 434.792.0621.

September 8 (thru Oct. 13)

September 2011 S

Hoop Dancing. 5:30-6:30pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

Kayak Trip – Main Street to Anglers Park.

6-8 pm. 434.799.5215.

Take the Wheel - Get the Best Car Deal. 6:30 pm. Coates Rec Center.

434.797.8848.

September 12 (thru Oct. 10)

Belly Dance Classes. Mondays.

Intermediate, 5:30 pm, Beginning 6:45 pm.

Pepsi Building. 434.797.8848.

September 12 (thru Oct. 17) Forms in Clay. 6-9pm. DMFA&H – 434.793.5644.

September 8 (thru 15)

September 12 (thru Oct. 18)

Colors of the Rainbow. 10-10:45am.

City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

Zumba with Ruth – M or Tu. 434.797.8848.

September 8 (thru Oct. 6)

September 12 (thru Oct. 24)

Quilting Techniques. 5:30-8:30pm.

The Artisan Center – 276.656.5461.

Beginner Dog Obedience. 7-8:30 pm.

Coates Rec Center. 434.797.6564.

Story Time. TH 1pm. Mt. Hermon Library – 434.835.0326.

Parenting Coach to the Rescue.

TH 6pm. DPL – 434.797.8848.

September 16

RiverFest 2011. 9/16-5-10 pm, 9/1710am-10pm. Washington Street, Eden. ww.exploreedennc.com.

September 16 (thru 24)

Danville-Pittsylvania County Fair.

Times Vary. Danville-Pittsylvania County Fairgrounds – 434.822.6850.

September 16 (thru Oct. 28) Gentle Yoga. F 9:30-10:30am.

Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 16 (thru Nov. 13)

Nine Visions Exhibit See story page 18.

September 17

Danville Area Humane Society Dog Wash. 9am-12pm. Danville Community Market. 434.799.0843.

Toe Jam 5K Trail Run. 9am. Anglers Park. 434.799.5215.

Medical Exhibit Opens. South Boston Halifax Co. Museum. 434.572.9200.

JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. 10am.

Danville Braves Stadium. 434.797.3792.

Evince Magazine ABWA Day – Share the Past, Build the Future. 1-3pm. The Highlander Thistle Room. 434.799.2780.

Cooter & Cooter’s Garage Band. 3pm.

Halifax County HS. 434.454.4262.

Third Saturday Stroll. 3-7pm. Studio 107, Martinsville – 276.638.2107.

Cruise In. 5-8 pm. Uptown Martinsville, Church St. 276.632.5688.

Bluegrass Concert Series. 7-9 pm.

Rives Theatre, Martinsville. 276.632.3221.

September 21

September 17 & 18

Smokey Joe’s Cafe. See story page 18.

Intro to Email Workshop. 11am-1pm.

DPL. 434.799.5195.

Mosaic Fun. 6:30-8pm. Ballou Rec Center – 434.799.5216.

September 21 (thru 24)

Library Book Sale. Times vary. HCSB Public Library. 434.476.3357.

September 21 (thru 25)

BBQ & Wine Festival. See ad page 12.

Smithsonian Museum Day. VMNH – 276.634.4185.

September 24 & 25

Old 97 Rail Days. See ad page 16 and story on page 7.

CCS/ASRA End of Summer Cyclefest Motorcycle Roadracing. VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) – 434.822.7700.

September 26

Page 15

September 30 (thru Oct. 2)

Averett University Homecoming Hometown Party. Featuring the Backstreet Band. 6:30pm. Community Market. 434.791.5676.

Behind the Makeup Monologues.

7pm/3pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

September 30 (thru Oct. 28)

Senior Student Art Show. Averett University Student Center. 434.791.5681.

Upcoming Events October 2

Virginia Fusion 2.0 Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. Smith River Sports Complex – 276.638.1387.

The Dixie Swim Club. 9/17-6pm, Encore Performance, 9/18-2:30pm.

Gretna Movie Theatre. 434.228.1778.

September 22

September 17 (thru Oct. 8)

Theatre for Young People Show – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the Black Forest. 7:30/2:30pm.

Averett University, Pritchett Auditorium.

434.791.5712.

September 26 (thru 29)

September 23

Scholastic Book Fair. 8:30am. Sacred Heart School. 434.793.2656.

Beer & Chili Fundraiser. See page 3.

DCC Educational Foundation Golf Tournament. Danville Golf Club.

434.797.8495.

Macbeth. The Prizery. See ad page 18.

September 27

October 8

Sporties for Shorties. 11:30am12:15pm. Coates Rec Center.

434.797.8848.

September 18

Danville Historical Society Meeting.

3 p.m. www.danvillehistoricalsociety.org or 434.770.1974.

Sunday at the Kirby Gallery. 3-5pm.

The Kirby Gallery – 336.597.1709.

Kathleen O’Hare, Pianist Concert.

7pm. Moffett Memorial Baptist Church – 434.799.5402.

September 19

Photographer José Galvez Lecture.

7:30pm. Averett University, Blount Chapel. 434.791.5681.

September 20

Fall Book Review. State of Wonder

by Ann Patchett. 12pm. Danville Public Library Auditorium – 434.799.5195.

Raising Awareness for Health & Wellness – Managing Your Cholesterol.

5:30-6:30pm. Ballou Park. 434.799.5216.

CreditAbility-Building a Strong Credit History. 6:30 pm. Coates Rec Center.

434.797.8848.

September 22 (thru 24)

Paul Wilbur Concert. See ad page 6.

Broadway’s Next Hit Musical. The Prizery. See ad page 18.

September 23 & 24

Carlisle Classic HS Field Hockey Tournament. Smith River Sports Complex – 276.638.1387.

September 24

Southside Scramble Mountain Bike Race. 8am. Anglers Park. 434.799.5215.

Harvest Festival. 9am-5pm. Downtown South Boston. 434.575.4208.

Bright Leaf Hoedown. 9am-8:30pm.

Downtown Yanceyville. 336.694.6106.

Conservation Quest & Tree Houses.

DSC. See ad page 16.

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

Volunteer Museum Guild Meeting.

11am. DMFA&H – 434.793.5644.

September 26 & 28

Basic Microsoft Word I & II Workshop.

11am-1pm. DPL. 434.799.5195.

Hunting Safety Course. 6-9:30pm.

Ballou Park Nature Center. 434.799.5215.

September 26 (thru 30)

Fall Book Review. The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough.

12pm. Danville Public Library Auditorium – 434.799.5195.

Faculty Recital – Janet Phillips and Dr. Gail Allen. 7:30pm. Averett University, Pritchett Auditorium. 434.791.5681.

September 28

StepN2the Artz. 8:30am-3pm. PCC Campus. 336.599.1181.

Tour of Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History. 12:30-2pm. 434.799.5216.

September 30

Relay for Life. Person High Stadium. www.relayforlife.org/person.

50th Anniversary Gala. 6:30-10pm.

PAA, Martinsville – 276.632.3221.

CROP Hunger Walk. See page 18,

October 6

DDA Catfish & Crawdads. See page 3.

October 7

Imagine Children’s Festival – Kids enjoy a variety of activities to stimulate the imagination. 10am-4pm. Carrington Pavilion. 434.793.4636.

River District Festival. See page 3.

Alice Jan Riddle Concert. Caswell Co. Civic Center. See ad page 12.

October 14

Spectrum Brass. See ad page 12.

October 21

Paws & Claws Gala – An evening of music by the Small Town Orchestra, food, friends, and a silent auction of celebrity items to benefit the Danville Area Humane Society. 7pm. Stratford Conference Center.

434.793.0441.

Page 16

September 2011

Reflecting Forward The Riverwalk Trail and Eldercare

by Linda Lemery

When I think of the Dan River, I automatically think of the Riverwalk Trail. For me, that Trail is an inextricable part of living in Danville.

In part, that has to do with my mother.

Mom moved here from Florida a few years ago to be closer to our family. As the years progressed, her health challenges increased.

Though I visit her every day after work, we have more time for community outings on weekends.

Because Mom can walk only short distances, I take her on these jaunts in a foldable, transport wheelchair that weighs a mere 20 pounds.

Having this light wheelchair has made it incredibly easier to get Mom out of the house.

Having our old van also facilitates the process and gravity plays a role.

Mom can stand up long enough to ease up into the front passenger seat, while gravity helps her ease out again and back into the chair. I wear a back support brace to help lift her. Transporting her in the van works better than in the compact car with its bucket seat.

The weather dictates where we go on weekends. We’re generally out in the afternoon, which can be blisteringly hot in the summer.

Thus, when the temperature is above 90 degrees, we go for indoor, retail experiences, and at other times, we head for the Trail. We enter it either across the trestle bridge at the Community Market or behind Biscuitville on Riverside Drive, both of which have plenty of parking and flat wheelchair access.

Walking roundtrip from Biscuitville to the Community Market or from the Community Market to Dan Daniel Park is about the right length for a walk before we have to be back for Mom’s evening meal.

We bring along dry bread so that Mom can feed the ducks and geese. I keep a plastic bag of end slices in our freezer and grab it on the way out the door. Mom loves feeding the ducks where the Trail is

close to the water. I love watching her joy. The scenery passes by slowly.

Everybody is faster than we are.

Though we comment on the fallen trees, the speedy bikers, and the faster walkers, much of our walk is silent. We slow down even more to count the turtles on the logs in mid-river, or to study (sometimes with binoculars) the birds and their nests, or to ask what the fishermen are catching. Some days we bring along a picnic and a deck of cards.

Having the Riverwalk Trail is a highlight of the Dan River Region.

A lot of singles and families use the Trail. However, it astounds me that on most of those weekend afternoons, the only wheelchair I see is the one I’m pushing right in front of me. This is truly an opportunity missed for folks with eldercare responsibilities. Maybe, these folks don’t think of taking their elderly relatives in wheelchairs on the Trail for a picnic or a short walk. Even independent or assisted living centers could match volunteers, wheelchairs, and elderly residents for a monthly wheelchair parade down the trail. There’s no cost involved but the time it takes to drive down there and park and the elderly residents would get a nature experience.

The Riverwalk is now an integral part of the lifestyle of those who love nature or who want to enhance their physical fitness in beautiful outdoor surroundings with a water view. However, if you have an elderly relative with restricted mobility, I urge you to try the Riverwalk Trail in this new way. The scenery is terrific, but in the end, the time spent together is all about love and connection, and that’s priceless.

About the Author: When she’s not planning wheelchair-accessible forays for her mother, Linda Lemery (llemery@averett.edu) is Circulation Manager at Averett University’s Mary B. Blount Library in Danville.

Evince Magazine

The New River District Takes Shape

Comments Welcomed

by Arnold Hendrix

Imagine a pedestrian-friendly area with green spaces, waterfalls, a new hotel and additional apartment, office, restaurant and retail space. That’s the vision of a team of consultants hired by the city of Danville to provide direction for the River District.

The River District will encompass the traditional central business district, the historic tobacco district and contiguous business areas. At the first three forums held in the spring and earlier this summer, the consultants, BBP & Associates and Allison Platt, presented a mix of public and private projects that they feel could bring new life to the district.

The public sector projects call for changes in vehicular traffic patterns and use of space that would allow for a more pedestrianfriendly area and include wider sidewalks, green spaces and a large “gateway” river park with a waterfall.

The private sector projects identified as best bets for initial investment include the Pemberton and Penn Building at 541 Bridge Street for use as a 60-room boutique hotel, the RJR Building at 401 Bridge Street for office space, the Smith Seed Building at 315 Lynn Street for apartments, and the Dan River Research Building at 109 Main Street for office, restaurant and retail space.

Consultants last month presented a second phase of private sector projects.

• To view the presentations from each forum and maps of the River District project, visit www. danville-va.gov and click on the River District Development tab on the left.

• Comments also may be submitted by way of the website.

• The last public forum will be on Wednesday, September 14, at 7 p.m. at the Community Market on Craghead Street.

Page 17

Page 18

September 2011

Calendar Clips Clip it. Post it. Do it.

For more activities, see the calendar on page 14-15.

Friday, September 16 – Sunday, November 13 Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History

Nine Visions, an exhibit of nationally known or emerging photographers, is being curated by DMFAH President Glenn Scarboro and will be mounted in the Jennings and Schoolfield Galleries. Emmet Gowin has an international reputation and is a Danville native who frequently returns to the family compound on Baldwin Street. He first came to the attention of the art world with his unique studies of his wife and family. The other photographers use their southern sensibilities as they look at the people and folkways of the South. The free opening reception is Friday, September 16, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There is a small admission fee at other times. Admission is free the first Saturday and Sunday of the month for residents of Danville, Pittsylvania County, and Caswell County.

The DMFAH is open Tuesday through Friday 10 a. m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 975 Main Street. (submitted by Lynne Bjarnesen)

8th Annual Writing Gallery Competition

Students in grades 3 through12, college students and adults are invited to submit original prose or poetry compositions inspired by a selected work from Nine Visions. Details and rules are available at DMFAH, 975 Main Street, and at www.danvillemuseum.org. Deadline is 2 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1. This contest is co-sponsored by the Danville Public Library and the DMFAH. (submitted by Patsi Compton)

September 21-25 Smokey Joe’s Cafe

Leiber and Stoller virtually invented rock ‘n’ roll and now their songs provide the basis for an electrifying celebration of the golden age of American entertainment. The classic themes of love won, lost and imagined blend with hilarious set pieces and slice-of-life emotions in this song-anddance smash. Featuring nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded – “Poison Ivy,” “Fools Fall in Love,” “Yakety Yak,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Potion No. 9,” “Spanish Harlem,” “Stand By Me” and many more – Smokey Joe’s Cafe isn’t just great pop music, it’s compelling musical theatre. (submitted by Melissa Charles)

Upcoming Event Sunday, October 2

Danville Area CROP Hunger Walk

Join your neighbors for this 5K or 1M walk to bring awareness to the local and international hunger issue. CROP Hunger Walks support the overall ministry of Church World Service, especially grassroots, hunger-fighting development efforts around the world. CWS helped victims of the U.S. tornadoes and are currently fighting hunger in Somalia. Participants in the Danville Walk will raise money for God’s Storehouse and national and international hunger relief organizations.

The Walk begins in the parking lot of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 107 West Main Street. Registration is at 2:30 p.m. and the walk begins at 3:00 p.m. For more information, call 434.793.6824. (submitted by Cherie Guerrant)

Evince Magazine

Page 19

Campfire Cookery

by Annelle Williams

I just read the book Campfire Cookery: Adventuresome Recipes and Other Curiosities for the Great Outdoors by Sarah Huck and Jaimee Young. Roughing it never sounded so good.

My dad was a Dutch oven master. We enjoyed his outdoor cooking during many years of wagontrain vacations and weekend camping. His most popular dinner was chicken and potatoes with dried beef followed by peach cobbler. No one ever turned it down.

I can’t tell you how many potatoes and onions I peeled to satisfy the hungry faces around his breakfast fire. “How you want your eggs?” was the question asked, but it was more of a polite morning greeting than a promise of having a choice. The eggs were always fried over-easy and served with toast, fried potatoes, and a big slice of tomato.

This new book, Campfire Cookery, throws a new light on camping meals. These ladies give all the needed tips on how to build and hold the fire, what type of wood produces the best coals and the necessary cooking implements—all information you need to be a successful camp cook. But their recipes branch out with a near gourmet appeal. Basic camp food is nothing short of delicious, even if it’s a hotdog on a stick (as long as it’s a good hotdog). If you would like to take your campfire or back deck cooking to a new level, give this book a try. You’ll enjoy the new twists on old tried and true camping recipes, along with completely new ideas to tempt your adventurous side.

PINE-SMOKED & MAPLE-GLAZED WILD SALMON from Campfire Cookery by Sarah Huck and Jaimee Young (serves 4)

Find more recipes, on my blog: http://aroundannellestable.blogspot.com/

1 to 2 large handfuls of green pine needles 1/2 cup bourbon 1/2 cup grade-B, freshly tapped maple syrup 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons freshly milled black pepper 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, patted dry kosher salt, to taste 1 (9-inch) round wire cooling rack

For all the robustness of the ingredients of this dish, the end result is notably delicate.

One might ask, “Oh, but won’t the bracing scent of pine make the dish taste of Christmas fir or, worse, freshly waxed parlor?” It will not. The smoked needles impart a light, balsamic flavor akin to rosemary (indeed one might substitute a bundle of that herb in this recipe) and the light glaze allows the pine flavor to shine through. The overall effect proves an excellent complement to the moist, flaky fish this cooking technique yields. Should one desire a more intensely flavored glaze, one might make a bit extra to brush over the fish before serving.

Prepare a medium-high-heat fire, with the flames occasionally licking the grill grate. Let it burn for at least 30 minutes. While the fire heats, soak the pine needles in the bourbon.

In a bowl, whisk together the syrup, mustard, and pepper. Season the salmon generously with salt and coat with the glaze.

Place a large cast-iron skillet upon the grill grate. Let it heat until very hot.

Using tongs or gloved hands, press the needles into the bottom of the skillet, taking care not to drizzle combustible bourbon into the flames. Place the rack on top of the needles. Place the fish on top of the rack and cover the pan. Cook until the fish is just opaque, about 15 minutes for medium. Serve, brushed with additional glaze, if desired.

Danville Regional: For a Healthier You When an accident or illness affects your ability to lead an active life, Danville Regional Medical Center can put you on the road to recovery.

We are proud to have certified, multi-skilled therapists and other caring staff to serve our patients. These professionals, who bring years of experience to Danville Regional, work closely with each patient to provide complete care based on their specific needs.

Offering a range of therapies available on an outpatient basis, we help our patients get back to their daily routines. Available services include Cardiopulmonary Health Services and Speech, Physical and Occupational Therapy.

CARDIOPULMONARY HEALTH SERVICES Nurses with specialized training in cardiac and pulmonary services and a respiratory therapist provide one-on-one consultation and therapy to help patients get back to an active lifestyle.

Cardiac rehab is designed to help patients increase functional capacity and reduce cardiac risk factors. The goal of pulmonary rehab is to help patients cope with their lung disease and daily limitations. Patients also receive education about nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle changes.

The unit includes an exercise room equipped with treadmills, stationary bikes, arm and leg equipment and a trampoline.

For more information, please call 434-799-4445.

SPEECH, PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Full-time therapists, assistants and technicians provide consultation and therapy to help patients improve their health.

Illness or injury can cause speech and language problems, limited movement or disruption of daily routines. Physical therapists work with patients to restore function, increase movement and decrease pain. Occupational therapists help patients restore health and increase independence.

Speech therapists assist patients with their ability to communicate and comprehend.

The unit uses equipment such as electrotherapy, ultrasound and exercise machines to help patients restore their health. Patients are also advised on nutrition and exercise programs to follow outside of therapy sessions.

For more information, please call 434-822-0484.

142 South Main Street • Danville, VA 24541 • (434) 799-2100 • www.DanvilleRegional.com