Evince Magazine May 2010 by Andrew Brooks Media Group

Evince Magazine

Page 1

Page 2

May 2010

Editor’s Note

The late U.S. Congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm, is credited with saying, “Service is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” If that is the case, the people featured in this Evince are renting multi-room mansions. Read the inspiring stories of Donna Redd, who is working to build houses at Habitat for Humanity, and Fred Meder, a volunteer who is helping the YWCA to become a spiritual mecca. Then turn to page 21 and read about Karen Johnston, Danville Cancer Association supporter, who is organizing a 5K Run/Walk this month. Also learn about Charles Ellis’ retirement after 10 years of service as Danville Symphony Orchestra’s volunteer conductor. Linda Lemery and Annelle Williams remind us of the daily service our mothers give in Breakfast with Mom on page 4 and Around the Table on page 9. Linda and Annelle are two of 14 people who have volunteered their time to create this issue for your enjoyment. Their only pay is a thanks from you. We enjoy hearing from our readers. On page 15. read the results of our informal surveys about what businesses or services you’d like to see in Danville. I’m adding two items to the list. I’d like to see a guided walking tour of the historic African-American community beginning at the RossHolbrook Streets intersection to complete the Danville Historical Society’s tour of Millionaires Row. I was reminded of this gap in our local history, while touring the Victorian home and birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in Atlanta. (See picture.) On my recent visit, I also rode a zipline through a canopy of trees north of Atlanta. (See picture.) Wouldn’t it be fun to have one in Ballou Park? After you have finished reading, think about ways you can be of service to your community, because it’s time to pay the rent. Sincerely,

May Contents

Editor’s Note

Donna Redd –Jumping in with Both Feet by Joyce Wilburn

Reflecting Forward / Breakfast with Mon by Linda Lemery

She Said He Said / Riding the Food Train by Dena Hill & Larry Oldham

Ve ince THE

OICE of SERVICE

Publisher

Andrew Scott Brooks

Editor Joyce Wilburn joyce@evincemagazine.com (434.799.3160) Associate Editor Larry G. Aaron larry.aaron@gmail.com (434.792.8695)

7 Second Thoughts / Luck Be a Lady Tonight by Kim Clifton

Contributing Writers

9 Tour Gardens Created by Master Gardeners by Archer McIntire Around the Table / Celebrate with Coconut Cream Tartlets by Annelle Williams 14 Spotting Exceptional Customer Service / by Dave Slayton Where Can I Find an Evince?

Gordon Bendall, Kim Clifton, Mary Franklin, Dena Hill, Karen Johnston, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, Archer McIntire, Larry Oldham, Liz Sater, Dave Slayton, Joyce Wilburn, Annelle Williams, Jane Wiseman

Business Manager Paul Seiple paul@evincemagazine.com (1.877.638.8685) Sales Manager Larry Oldham larry@evincemagazine.com (434.728.3713)

15 Threshold / by Telisha Moore Leigg And the Surveys Say… / by Liz Sater

Sales Associates Kim Demont (434.836.1247) kim@evincemagazine.com

16 May Calendar

Misty Cook (434.728.2905) misty@evincemagazine.com

17 Starry-Eyed Seduction / by Gordon Bendall 18 Fred Meder – Cheerleader for the YWCA by Joyce Wilburn

Art & Production Director Vaden & Associates (Dan Vaden)

19 Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth – A Review / by Jane Wiseman 21 Danville Symphony Conductor Retires by Mary Franklin On the Battlefield with Cancer / by Karen Johnston 22 Calendar Clips

On the Cover: Photo of Donna Redd by Michelle Dalton. See story on page 3.

Graphic Designer Kim Demont

evince\i-’vin(t)s\

1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly: reveal syn see SHOW Editorial Policies:

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

EVINCE Magazine

See the May issue of Showcase Magazine featuring The Man Behind The Movie Soundtrack: Matt Compton Talks Shop.

Meet Some of Our Writers

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

For Subscriptions, call 1.877.638.8685 ext. 6. We now accept Visa, MC, and Discover for ad payments Jane Wiseman lives by the dictum, "so many books... so little time." Jane teaches English at Averett University, where she reads for a living. A native Danvillian, she has returned to town from decades in other places.

Liz Sater is the Economic Development Projects Coordinator for the City of Danville VA. .

Mary Franklin Mary is the Legislative Aide to Delegate Danny Marshall in the Virginia House of Delegates. She volunteers as Publicity Chair for the Danville Symphony Orchestra.

Linda Lemery works at Mary B. Blount Library at Averett University in Danville. llemery@ gamewood.net

Deadline for submission of June stories, articles, ads, and calendar items is 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 20. Submit stories and articles to: joyce@evincemagazine.com. Submit calendar items to: kim@evincemagazine.com. For ad information contact a sales associate or sales manager above.

Evince Magazine

Donna Redd

Jumping in with Both Feet

photo by Michelle Dalton

by Joyce Wilburn

usic is a vital part of Donna Redd’s life even when she’s sitting behind the desk at her Habitat for Humanity office on Hughes Street in Danville. Before she can “build hope and change lives” as the Development Director for Danville-Pittsylvania County’s nonprofit housing ministry, she tunes into the music that becomes the soundtrack for her day. “I graduated from the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music with a degree in music education, a major in voice and a minor in piano,” says the welltraveled daughter of an army colonel and an art educator, who was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and graduated from the International (High) School of Bangkok, Thailand. Although the family moved a lot, Donna always felt grounded because when they arrived at a new location, her mother required Donna and her two younger siblings to stay at home for a week to cement the sibling relationships before venturing out into the community with its exciting new distractions. When she was a teenager, Donna left home and took her first trip alone from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Winchester, Virginia, for the Conservatory’s entrance audition. Even though she came from a musical family and had successfully auditioned and performed solo at the age of 10, the life-defining significance of the college audition made it stressful. Looking back, she realizes that the years of dealing with self-imposed performance pressure and adapting to new situations were two skills that helped her secure and keep interesting and fulfilling jobs. “Instead of using my degree in music to teach after I graduated, I went on a Royal Viking cruise ship and performed,” she says remembering the 5-star floating hotel with obvious pleasure and then adds, “I call myself a singer who can move,” downplaying her ability to dance. For a year in the 1980s, she cruised the waters off New England and Canada, then headed south to the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera, South America, through the Panama Canal to Hawaii, and around the South Polynesian Islands. After a year of sailing, Donna landed the position of Assistant Promotions Director for Hawaii Public Radio where she gained fund raising and capital campaign experience. In the 1990s, she moved to Northern Virginia and became the Director of Special

Page 3

Events for Wolf Trap Foundation of Performing Arts. “I was a young 30-something raising half of their operating budget and doing things like organizing a welcoming reception for the Bolshoi Ballet and interfacing with the Russian Embassy,” she says adding, “Sometimes, I’d pinch myself and say, ‘Is this really happening?’” After traveling the world and working for other non-profits in the D.C. area and in Michigan, she came to Danville in 2006 to be closer to her parents and help care for her 80-year-old mother. From 2007-2009, she was Danville Science Center’s Development Director until budget cuts eliminated the job. On July 1, 2009, her career found a new home as Habitat for Humanity’s Development Director. Speaking about the journey around the world that brought her to Danville, she says, “I embrace the size and warmth of Danville and I feel the hug back. I’ve never felt like an outsider. My military background helped me to jump in with both feet.” She lists Danville Area Choral Arts Society, Averett Singers, and the choir at First Presbyterian Church as groups that helped her become acclimated to her new hometown. The Habitat job is also a perfect fit even in a tight economy. “Being in nonprofit fundraising makes sense,” she quips, “I’m use to stress!” • For more information about Danville-Pittsylvania County Habitat for Humanity, visit www.DanvilleHabitat.org. or call 434.793.3630 to schedule a speaker or to volunteer. • Habitat has built 33 houses since opening in 1991 and is currently building two houses on Burton Street • Restore at 503 Hughes Street accepts gently used or new appliances, architectural items, building materials, cabinetry, residential doors, flooring, furniture, lighting fixtures, lumber and sheetrock. Proceeds from selling the donations support the construction of new homes. • Donna will be performing with the Danville Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, May 22, at George Washington High School Auditorium starting at 8 p.m.

Page 4

May 2010

Reflecting Forward Breakfast With Mom by Linda Lemery

The most important steps in creating a philosophy of living are universally simple. When I think about this, I realize that I’ve become my mother in many of the ways that matter. It makes me smile. The last time this happened, I was standing in my kitchen slicing grapefruit. When we would visit Mom in Florida, we would have citrus fruit at breakfast. I have distinct memories of Mom in her kitchen, wielding a grapefruit knife with a skill born of long practice, while standing in a circle of morning light that surely resembled a spotlight on a stage. My love of grapefruit grew out of the labors of my mother, but I didn’t learn to like grapefruit for a long time. Some tastes – and skills – are acquired. How to cut up grapefruit was one of many skills she taught me, as she taught so many things, with few words exchanged. Here’s how: Start every task with a sharp tool. Blunt tools yield flawed products. Often in life, simple is better. There are special knives one can use to cut grapefruit, but a simple paring knife, sharpened just before the act, serves me as well as the curved grapefruit knife that I can never find. Take in hand a mature grapefruit that has already developed most of its own sweetness. This should be fruit from the tree, not from the ground, for fruit with bruises can turn bitter, changing its character. The fruit must be ripe or the sharpest knife will yield a poor echo of what the product should be. Cut the grapefruit in half across the equator. Then cut evenly, delicately, carefully around the inner edge of each segment in a vague triangle, separating the lush fruit from its anchoring membrane. Some segments resist. One must persist. If one cuts with precision, when the grapefruit half is tipped over a bowl, the triangles of fruit topple out of their protective nests. To extract the remaining juice, one cups the peel side of the half-sphere and squeezes such that the rim of its outer edge comes together in an arc. If one does it right, the arc looks like thin yellow lips, separated by a pink line curving upward in a smile. That’s how I try to do it: with gratitude to my mother. So many tasks in life require a fine balance. One can’t cut too deep, but one must cut deeply enough. To get the end product, it takes the right fruit, the patience to wait for the right time to harvest, a sharp tool used in the right way, and time. Mom taught me to do this process -- as she taught me everything else -- in a way that generates, if possible, that promising arc. About the Author: Linda Lemery works as Circulation Coordinator at Mary B. Blount Library at Averett University in Danville.

Evince Magazine

She Said by Dena Hill

he Said by Larry Oldham

and gravy). I grew up in a home that served what I like to refer to as country cooking (ham hocks and collards). Many mornings my breakfast consisted of a peanut butter and egg sandwich and a Coca Cola. I took a sandwich for lunch and we always had a meat and two vegetables for supper (pork chops and apple sauce). So to say that my palate was unusual would be considered by some to be high praise (corn bread and buttermilk). I surely do not think that you are wrong in your desire for better concocted meals (blackeyed peas and cream corn) and I have to agree that you certainly deserve the best in a palatable toothsome meal (apple pie and vanilla ice cream). I don’t understand why you think I would enjoy eating casseroles and tofu (meat loaf and gravy), when I have surrounded myself with delectable menu items (hot dogs with chili) that I have eaten all my life (pinto beans and onions). Maybe you are in your comfort zone and you need to experiment (banana pudding) and learn to eat foods that I enjoy (macaroni and cheese). You need to take me as I am (fried tomato pies) and I will work hard to accept your odd and quirky taste (asparagus and salads). Sometimes I think you are trying to leave me subtle hints about the kind of food you want me to eat. I would never do that to you (chocolate pie). Maybe we can find a cruise ship that has food we both enjoy.

Being the southern gentleman that I am (fried chicken and okra), I will try and answer you as humbly as I can (mashed potatoes

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

Riding the Food Train Why is it that any time I make a dish with more than two ingredients, you gag? I have heard of a “meat and potatoes man” but you really carry it to extreme. Casserole is not a four-letter word. In fact, in my other life, I planned casseroles just so there would be leftovers for another meal. That’s like having a night off from cooking and cleaning up dishes. No wonder it never takes us long to grocery shop; we eat the same thing every week. Haven’t you heard that variety is the spice of life? The only time I can experiment in the kitchen is when one of our kids is coming for dinner. Then I open the recipe books or go online to find something new that will awaken our taste buds. Yours are dead. There are supermarkets in Greensboro that have interesting out-of-this-world food selections. Anyone with an imagination could make a meal that would be a true epicurean delight, but it would send you running to McDonald’s as fast as your little legs could carry you. I was shocked when you ordered frog legs at Steaks on the Square one night; I thought Nathan would have to carry you out after eating so many of them. Do you think you could get out of your comfort zone a little more often? By the way, they serve meat and potatoes on cruise ships.

She said He said

Page 5

Page 6

May 2010

Vasectomies are the most cost effective and efﬁcient form of birth control Danville Urologic Clinic offers the most economical vasectomy in the region, performed under conscious sedation at our AAAHC-accredited Ambulatory Surgery Center

CALL (434) 792-1433

Dr. Joseph M. Carbone

Dr. Brett D. Akers

Board-Certiﬁed Urologist

WE CATER TO COWARDS

Evince Magazine

Luck Be a Lady Tonight Just because they call Las Vegas, “Sin City,” doesn’t mean you have to. Sin, I mean. I’d better begin my column by making that clear, since my mother and her Sunday School class are readers. Otherwise, she’s liable to end up with a pastoral visit she didn’t expect. Doesn’t help that I left on Easter Sunday, although it bothered me a lot that I did. Skipping church is one thing, but skipping it on the holiest day to fly to a city that’s legalized both gambling and prostitution is hard to defend. It’s my sister Diane’s fault really. All my life she’s been the one to talk me into doing things I didn’t want to do. Except she’s always gotten off scot-free and I always got busted. Like the time she told me to pick up the cigarette butt our dad had tossed on the lawn. So, I did. Boy, mothers sure come unglued when they look out the window and see a fiveyear old puffing a Marlboro. To her credit, she re-grouped and took matters into her own hands. Let’s just say that it was awhile before I could sit down again…and we’ll leave it at that. Diane and her husband, Kent, convinced my husband, Robert, and me to go with them to Las Vegas over spring break. Naturally, I worried what kind of trouble we’d find ourselves in, since this column has proven more than once we’re gifted that way. My mom worried more about what we’d do with so many temptations before us. At least we didn’t go to one of those shows where the dancers wear more feathers than fabric. We had other stuff to see although there’s no way you can take it all in. Even though the Las Vegas Boulevard’s only four miles long, it’s packed with the most amazing hotels in the world. Each is a mini-theme park with lobbies that are cities in themselves. That’s the new Las Vegas. Very high-dollar and very chic. If you really want to experience this place, head out to the old Las Vegas on Fremont Street. That’s the Vegas you see in the movies… where clanging coins still spill into the tray when three cherries line up

on the slot machine. That’s the Vegas where you can still get prime rib dinners for five bucks and a pitcher of margaritas for $1.50. We’re talking bands, light shows, and mobs of people dancing in the streets. It’s Mardi Gras overdosed on neon…except it’s not just on Fat Tuesday. It’s 24/7.Even still, that’s not what fascinated me most. It was the wedding chapels. Our tour guide offered to stop so we could renew our vows. My husband and I decided to leave well enough alone. We were afraid we’d rethink them. Turns out we wouldn’t have had to get out of the bus at all. There’s a drive-thru chapel, where you order your wedding from a Bojangleslooking menu. Packages vary in price depending on whether you wanted just rings or if you supersized it with flowers and photos. After you’ve placed your order, you drive around to the pick-up window where a minister marries you. Girls, listen to me. If he’s too lazy to get out of the truck to marry you, then you can bet he’s not going to take out the trash. As crazy as mobile-matrimony sounds, that doesn’t hold a candle to the other lunacy I saw. There’s a hotel called the Stratosphere, which reminds me of the Space Needle in Seattle. On the roof is a rollercoaster with rails that spill into the sky. What’s more…

for $100.00 you can also pay to bungee jump out of its windows. At least that ticket price included a pair of clean boxers from the gift shop.

Page 7

I will make one confession. My sister did convince me to look at something I shouldn’t have. Or, at least, wished I hadn’t. On the curb were magazine stands with books like those which show thumbnails of houses to buy. Except these thumbnails had real thumbs…as well as legs, arms and everything else in-between. These models weren’t lifetime investments, however. You bought these by the hour or by the evening. That’s when I thought about what I’d learned from the ladies in my mom’s class when they were my Sunday School teachers. Just because something’s legal, doesn’t make it right. And with that, I looked skyward and thought… “Jesus, I’d really appreciate it, if you could hold off coming back until after Friday. Sin City isn’t where I want You to find me.” There’s so much more that I could tell. But this is Mother’s Day month and we’ve embarrassed ours enough as it is. Besides I know the rules. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Page 8

May 2010

Evince Magazine Garden enthusiasts are in for a treat because Danville Master Gardeners are sponsoring a tour of member gardens. Seven gardens will be open and master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions, help identify plants, and share their love of gardening. An added feature of the tour on Friday will be a chance for the public to visit four of Danville’s Interchange Gardens (DIG). City workers will identify plants and answer questions about the landscaping and maintenance that makes Danville a beautiful place to live and visit. The gardens encompass a wide variety of interests and personal style. From smallscale gardens to expansive acreage, each garden on the tour has its own appeal: raised vegetable beds, fruit trees, grape arbors, potting sheds, a conservatory, a fern gulley, a secret garden, berries, hostas, a plethora of flowers, kid goats, guineas, and chickens – definitely something for everyone.

Road (Chatham), and 17054 Philpott Road (Alton). Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are volunteers who have taken an extensive eightweek, 50-hour course in environmental horticulture, and completed 50 additional hours of education and volunteer service. Stuart Sutphin, Danville Environmental Horticulture Agent, oversees the Master Gardener program.

Tour Gardens Created by Master Gardeners by Archer McIntire

Gardens open for the tour are located at: 140 Dovie Court, 162 College Avenue, 1725 Orphanage Road, 205 Jamerson Road, 7713 Franklin Turnpike, 3053 Spring Garden

• This self-guided tour is free and open to the public on Friday, June 4, and Saturday, June 5, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. • Sutphin will be visiting the gardens and answering questions. • Driving directions will be available at local garden centers by Saturday, May 15. • For more information, call 434.797.3544.

Page 9

We’re

on Danville! Janet Laura • Holley Lewis Owner/Broker Owner/Broker

HOLLEY & LEWIS REALTY COMPANY

339 Piney Forest Rd., Danville, VA 24540

Ofﬁce: (434) 791-2400 Fax: (434) 791-2122 Visit our website at

www.eraholleyandlewis.com

Celebrate with Coconut Cream Tartlets by Annelle Williams

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

May is a month filled with activity. We find ourselves as busy as the bees swarming the flowers of blooming shrubs and trees. There are school parties, bridal showers, graduations, celebrations of every kind. It’s the perfect time of year to break out the party hats. It’s also a great time to take a moment and acknowledge all the many people who give of themselves so unselfishly, making our world, communities, neighborhoods, and homes better places to live. I suggest you begin with your mom. Say thank you to mom with a sweet treat that tastes as delicious as it looks. The ease of this recipe makes it perfect for such a busy time. My friend, Julie Bobrow, a pastry chef in New Jersey, gave me the secret to her wonderful coconut cream pie filling that I use in these little cups. They look and taste like you spent hours, but really they only take minutes.

Coconut Cream Tartlets (makes 48) 2 (16 oz.) packages (24 each) of refrigerated sugar cookie dough 2 tsp. granulated sugar 3 cups heavy whipping cream 1 cup Half & Half 2 (3.5oz.) packages instant vanilla pudding 1 T almond extract 1 small package shredded coconut, toasted* *Spread coconut on sheet pan. Place in 275° oven, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove and cool.

Preheat oven to 350°.Spray two 24 space mini-cupcake pans with butterflavored baking spray. Fill pans with raw cookie dough pieces and bake for about 16 minutes until cookies are lightly golden brown. Remove pan from oven and very gently press down each cookie with the end of a wooden spoon dipped into granulated sugar, just enough to make a little cup indention. Let cookies completely cool in pans. Gently remove cookie cups from pans. Add whipping cream, Half & Half, instant pudding and almond extract to mixing bowl. Whip until the consistency of firmly whipped cream (completely holds its shape) about 3-4 minutes. Fill each cooled cookie cup with cream filling. Dip each tartlet top into the toasted coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

WE’RE SELLING HOUSESSM

Page 10

May 2010

Feel Better by Exercising Outside by Dave Gluhareff MFS,CFT-ISSA

We all make choices in life. We can choose to take the right paths or the wrong ones. Going outside and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation is a right path. Exercise is a right path. Combining the two is an even better path. After sitting inside all day at work, coming home and sitting inside isn’t a good choice. Choosing to be lazy, inactive, and not exercising affects your well-being and can also have an influence on those around you. Go outside, stay in shape, feel better about yourself. Set a good example for your kids. Be a role model by taking them outside to play, walk, ride a bike, and exercise. Exercising outdoors can improve your spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health immediately. You will feel, look, and move better through life with regular exercise and enjoyment of the outdoors. After the stress of working all day inside, my clients exercise outside, increase their energy levels, and lift their moods. I work with them one-on-one or in small groups with my Fitness Bootcamps (www.VirginiaBootcamp.com). I walk, jog, and exercise with them because it helps me to be a more energized personal trainer. When I am outside exercising with my sons, we all have better moods, more energy, and healthier and better relationships. Take action now. Go outside and exercise to make yourself a better person and those around you better people. Visit Dave at www.TrainWithDave.com, email: trainwithdaveg@yahoo.com

Ponderings by Torrey Blackwell

Your Dealer For The People

Texting, tweeting, Facebook comments, emails, YouTube videos, and all the things we can do on a cell phone are astonishing. Texting is not just for teenagers. Text messaging is on the rise no matter what the age. My 78-year-old fatherin-law, always on the cutting edge, has a Facebook page and is proficient at texting. These methods of instant communication have become the norm. At the dealership, I’m seeing a rise in the number of accidents and close calls that are probably caused by texting while driving. Lawmakers are already trying to restrict the use of cell phones while driving and especially texting. I admit that I’m guilty. The phone beeps and I automatically look to see the new message. I’ve sat at traffic lights reading my email or the latest Facebook updates. After reading an article in Car and Driver, “Texting While Driving How Dangerous Is it?”, my use of the phone while driving is over. The article compared driving while texting to driving while impaired. There was a simple study that measured reaction times of drivers while texting or reading a text. Then the drivers had a few alcoholic drinks and drove the same course. According to the research, the drivers performed better on the course while impaired than when they were texting or reading text messages while sober. Let’s be clear. Neither this article nor the study condones driving while drinking. It’s just amazing to me how distracted we are while using our phones. Save a life. Put down your phone while driving. Torrey Blackwell is a Christian businessman and consumer advocate. He has spent his life fighting the negative stigma that plagues car dealers around the world. He does this by fighting for the consumer as a car dealer who advises people and helps them buy the quality vehicle they want and deserve in a positive and safe environment.

Page111 Evince Evince Magazine Magazine Page

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

hool has been a Epiphany Episcopal Sc ildren’s lives. We true blessing in our ch rs and staff at believe that the teache educators who are EES are outstanding onment that is able to create an envir nurturing. We have challenging, fun, and owth in our children’s noticed significant gr skills since they classroom and social highly recommend have attended EES. We nt who is seeking the Epiphany to any pare child. best education for their ten, 1 LJ, parent of kindergar and 3rd grade students

What I say to potential parents looking for a great school…GO to EES! As an educator, I know that my child is receiving the best. I know my child is getting the opportunity of a lifetime. My daughter is not just going to grow and learn at EES, she is going to grow and learn in a safe, enriched, nurturing environment where the administration and faculty see the “big picture”. As a former employee of Mrs. Miller, I absolutely know that there is no better place for my daughter to grow into a young adult and receive a well-rounded rigorous education. I am proud to say that Mrs. Miller is my mentor, and I am so very grateful to the Epiphany Episcopal School and Church for creating this awesome school.

Parents sent us notes to show you how they feel about sending their children to Epiphany Episcopal School. If you have children or grandchildren, you’ll find this really interesting.

GH, parent of 4th grader

my grandchild’s EES has nurtured so that she is excited osity, intellectual curi participating in what d about learning an s to offer. She has truly ha the larger world dividual due to the caring in an as ed m ol, blosso assroom and scho g to cl e th of t en nm enviro ves goin the first time, lo and she now for itely changed all of our lives fin school. It has de the Christian values have d for the better, an n family unit. Without r ow hild’s strengthened ou S for my grandc ank EE g in ct le se t, a doub on. Th en a smart decisi education has be for all of us!!! re you for being he t of a 3rd grader JV, grandparen

nd ging about the la I have been brag e school. I tell to th that was gifted g that is the best thin others that EES ildren – and therech happened to my always mention Latin. I . ily m fa y yone fore m been telling ever ve ha I k, ee This w onor Roll.. my son made H th and 3rd graders LT, parent of 5

I could not be my daughter more pleased with the edu is ca so many oppo receiving at EES. She is of tion rtunities at E fe red piph would not hav e anywhere el any that she se. The curriculu challenging. T m is outstanding and quite h anywhere and ere are no better teachers th Because of th eir dedication is unparalle e small class led. size are able to re ally understan , the teachers d my daughte strengths and r’s weaknesses. The classes w al k to Danville Pu once a week, blic Library wal swimming, an k to the YMCA for gym tim d e Institute of A attend many Field Trips to and dvanced Learn the ing and Resea EES is educati rc service is a la ng the whole child. Comm h. rge focus of th u e curriculum. nity the fact that m I like y daughter is important it is be to “give back” ing taught how in which she to the commu liv n school that “g es. We LOVE EES. Finally ity ets it”!!! a EV, parent of th 7

I have a son who is in kindergarten at EES, and I am absolutely thrilled with everything that goes on there!! My son is learning a foreign language (French), and is doing exceptionally well. He attends chapel daily, exercises after lunch, and enjoys his “small” classroom setting. The teachers and staff seem to genuinely care for the students and I am so happy that he is a part of such a great team. His being able to attend is literally an answered prayer. MA, parent of a Kindergartner

grader

lly at EES rea s r e h c a te . If the I feel that erstand my children ith w d n d u le d d an know an rise, it is h idual needs a s e o d m ’s indiv a proble to my child ach child is sensitivity lity. They see that e through a ay and person son, finding their w ful. r te e a p r l g a specia r that, I am fo d n a ld r this wo rd ders th and 3 gra 7 f o t n e r RP, pa

Page 10 12 Page

May2010 2010 May

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

1. The classical curriculum is unlike anything offered in schools I have visited around the country. The combination of very small classes, the range of offerings in foreign languages, and the ability to move at the pace of each individual student in math and science is something I have not encountered at other schools I have visited around the country. I have seen one or two of these “pieces” of Epiphany offered elsewhere but never in the combination offered at EES. 2. The Episcopal faith is one of welcome, acceptance, and of seeking to improve oneself through knowledge and service. Just about anyone of another faith could walk into an Episcopal service and feel as if they were welcome. Being an Episcopalian, the Chapel services and regular prayers are comforting to me. Knowing that a set of values is in place at EES, honoring honesty, acceptance, caring, responsibility, and service is comforting to me. My child will know that he is blessed in many ways and has a responsibility to himself and to his community by what I teach him at home and by what he learns at school. on some of my Also wanted to pass erning what conc son’s and my quotes S. My son says EE t ou we like/love ab to take French he likes that he gets Dad some new and and teach his Mom He also states y. sa to French words France one day, that when he goes to to talk to the w he’ll already know ho the many of e On e. kids over ther t EES is the ou ab e things that I lik e and the special small classroom siz ts. Matthew ge attention each child y occasions an m on e has said to m t noisy in his that he’s glad it’s no st year and s la classroom like it wa time with his e or m ve that he can ha teachers. ergartner

KD, parent of Kind

When my children we public school system re enrolled in the , they were disinter es and disengaged. Ep iphany has restored ted th youthful fascinatio n with learning with e in them. This school has greatest investmen been one of the ts I have ever made. CK, parent of 8th, 6th , and 2nd graders to be embarrassed e to ve ha t n’ do sizes ar The kids cause the class ask questions be midating; the teachers inti the small and less more time with ke ta to nding are able ta rs are not unde students if they ill always catch them w something; you t on something they en ud st a praising lling at hed or are exce have accomplis up on things they em and building th they are able to walk ; on k or w need to ce days d the “Y” on ni an ry ra lib to the eak br a that extr which gives them fore concentrating on be they may need . se el something SF, parent of 7t

h grader

3. The faculty is beyond fantastic. I have had nothing but excellent communication with and partnership with the faculty. Whenever I have had a question about my child’s performance his feelings or my request for information, I have had timely responses from the faculty and whenever a change was requested or necessary, I have been informed and felt very comfortable with the decisions made to serve my child. The experience of the faculty and the dedication to teach is without exception in another private school in this area. My children have attended several and the “cookie cutter” student is the norm at almost all other area schools. That child who thinks outside the box or comes to a solution in a different fashion is not appreciated elsewhere. At EES, I feel that my child has been encouraged to think outside the box, problem solve, and use the information he has learned rather than repeat facts and trivia and I feel this is an exception in most schools, private or public, across the country. The person who can think outside the box, problem solve, and create is going to be the successful leader in the 21st century. EES offers the structure and tools to create and nurture this leader of the 21st century. I am truly grateful that EES is my son’s school. He has found support, appreciation and challenge. He is more comfortable in his own skin at EES than he has been anywhere else. His unique style of problem solving and love of math and science are appreciated at EES where they have never been appreciated elsewhere. Thank you again for all you have done and continue to do for my son and all of the children at EES. I am perhaps your biggest cheerleader. SH, parent of a 7th grader

When I transferred my son to EES the first thing he said to me wh en I picked him up on the first day of sch ool was, “Mom, what took you so lon g to send me to a school like this!” I didn’t know what to say. The only school he had ever been to was public sch ool (K-3rd grade). In August, 2009, he began 4th grade at his “old” school . Within a few weeks we knew he nee ded more than just education. He nee ded to be in a nurturing, encouragi ng, safe environment. A school that would build him up. A school that would cha mind. A school that would nu llenge his rture body and soul. And a school that was safe. We found all of these things at EES. Our son asked just the other day if he could stay at EES until he gradua ted. He has a sister that will be graduatin g from high school, so it’s been on his mi nd! I hope he can. Epiphany Episcopal School is one of the best things to happen to our family and especially our son. I am so thankful for the teachers, Father Sam , Mrs. Miller, and all the staff for teaching my child through example. TB, parent of 4th grader

n we st decisio d – e b e h t n has bee ew” chil Epiphany made. I have a “n rness to ge have ever onfidence and ea at I have -c h lf t e s s t f n o re full ys tell pa in my daughter a lw a I . n lear ange mplete ch g and seen a co d! She is outgoin hool which o sc for the go She is smiling at ltimately, . confident the case before. U spect is r e ic a v e n s wa e academ ed as well. h T !! y p p she is ha e have experienc have u the best w ll parents that yo educators e f t I always a “dream team” o so much g d assemble ue! She is learnin work in the r e t and it is the hours of hom n. ll o a without I could go on and . s evening nd ader t of 2 gr n e r a p , C M

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

My son’s father and I would like to take a moment to express our heartfelt thankfulness to both of you and The Epiphany Episcopal Staff. The church body saw the need in our community for a learning environment that will enrich, while nurturing the minds and souls of our youth by offering Christian values. It is clear you have taken care and consideration in hiring enriching, loving, and well-seasoned staff. Since making the transition from a public education to the Epiphany Episcopal School, our son has gone from solemn and shy in his outlook to enthusiastic and comfortable in the loving, family-oriented environment of EES. He comes home chattering about the events of each day. He is sure to keep us in the know about upcoming events he and his classmates will experience each week. EES has given our son the ability to feel confident with his instructors and peers as he is among family and friends on the home front. My son’s teachers are instilling biblical values and providing creative hands-on lessons that support his individual interests while strengthening areas that he has not yet fully mastered. He has been getting much-needed one-on-one instructional time with his first grade teacher, Mrs. Lee. She provides regular feedback and suggestions into his weekly progress. She makes us feel the freedom to come to her with any concerns and often these are unscheduled visits. Mrs. Lee is also more than willing to share classroom resources that help make us better instructors in our home. Our family has been very pleased with our son’s continuing progress at EES and greatly appreciates the unique educational opportunity our son has been blessed to experience in his early childhood education. We hope our son has many more wonderful years at EES. PH, parent of 1st grader

13 Evince Magazine Page 11

The Top 12 Reasons Epiphany is a Great School 1. Small class size with a teacher to student ratio of 1 to 10. 2. Experienced, knowledgeable teachers who are outstanding educators. 3. A safe learning environment where Christian Christian values and spiritual development are nurtured. 4. Foreign language instruction that includes Latin, French, Spanish, and German. (Chinese will also be offered beginning in the fall of 2010.) 5. A science program based on hands-on investigations and scientific research. 6. The Singapore Math program which nurtures the development of mathematical concepts and mathematical thinking. 7. A classical curriculum that integrates social studies and science. 8. Opportunities for community service that teaches responsible citizenship and meaningful contribution to the community 9. An emphasis on recognizing the gifts and talents of students, nurturing leadership skills, fostering individual growth, and creating life-long learners. 10. A challenging curiculum and teaching strategies designed to foster student success. 11. The positive attitudes and diversity of the students. 12. Supportive, involved parents who share common values and educational goals for their children.

Since January…only 3 ½ months ago, 9 students have transferred from other local schools to EES, because their parents found what they knew their children needed and weren’t getting. Perhaps it is time for you to seek admission for your children. EES is filling up for September much faster than last year.

A special message to parents of 3 and 4 year olds (Pre-K): We’re starting a Pre-K class in September. It will be far superior to Day Care. We’ll teach these young children how to begin speaking Spanish. Please call soon to discuss admission. 434.792.4334

115 Jefferson Avenue • Danville, Virginia • 434.792.4334 www.epiphanydanville.org If you know parents who you believe would prefer our school for their children, please give them this message. Perhaps they haven’t heard of EES.

Page 14

May 2010 To encourage exceptional customer service, the Dan River Hospitality and Travel Committee of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce and EVINCE would like to recognize those who give it. When you experience exceptional customer service, tell us about it in 300 words or less. Include your name and phone number. Email your story to joyce@evincemagazine.com. The chosen honoree will receive a small gift and a framed copy of the published story citing his/her exceptional service.

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service by Dave Slayton

The Danville Croquet Club meets once or twice a year and our most recent outing was a few weeks ago at the Berry Hill Resort and Conference Center in South Boston, more precisely, on the lawn just outside Darby’s Tavern. Even though we had played there once before with a croquet set provided by the resort, we called ahead to be sure a set was still available and were told it was. Shortly after arriving at the lawn outside the Tavern and before we began playing, our bartender, Travis Hogue, delivered an assortment of fresh, hot hors d’oeuvres and cold beverages with a broad smile on his face and a spring in his step. While making small talk, he learned that some of the wickets (the inverted U-shaped wire through which a player must tap a croquet ball) were missing. As we collectively pondered how to overcome this obstacle to our much anticipated, carefully planned croquet match, we began to have that sinking feeling that our efforts had been in vain. Then, like the cavalry coming to our rescue, Travis reappeared with wire coat hangers and a wire cutter and created, by hand, the wickets that were needed. He then covered them in white paper napkins so we could easily see them. It was at this point when I asked myself two questions, “Why didn’t I think of that?” and “How does this man muster that kind of drive to make his customers happy?” Travis was determined to use all his energy and creativity so we would have a good time. We learned that Travis’ other job is being a chef in a Lynchburg restaurant and his bartending job at Darby’s was a part-time, weekend job. This Culinary Institute of America graduate was expending this kind of effort and he wasn’t even a full-time employee. If you are the owner/manager of a service business and you have a Travis on your team, you are blessed, because there will always be customers knocking on your door.

Where Can I Find an Evince? Ten thousand copies of Evince are distributed each month at over 100 locations in Danville, Martinsville, South Boston, Chatham, Gretna, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, and in Yanceyville, Pelham, Roxboro, and Eden, North Carolina. Find your copy at: Danville Danville Community Market 629 Craghead Street Main Street Coffee Emporium 547 Main Street Buffalo Wild Wings 3425 Riverside Drive Los Tres Maguyes Mexican Restaurant 2818 Riverside Drive Chatham Area Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce 8653 U.S. Highway 29, Blairs, VA Chatham Community Center Main Street

South Boston Area Toots Creek Antiques 5293 Halifax Road Halifax,VA Enchanted Surroundings 209 Main Street Martinsville Area Walsh’s Chicken 600 Stalling Avenue Chamber of Commerce 115 Broad Street Eden NC Chamber of Commerce 678 Van Buren Road

Evince Magazine Page 15

And the Surveys Say...

heir daughter, Karen, was four days old when Regina and Mike were coming home from the hospital. It was in January; it had just snowed and was evening by the time they arrived. The sun had barely set over the roof of that three-bedroom Dutch Colonial they rented on Monroe Street. Regina sat in the open car door panting from the pain of her C-section staples. Coming up the icy walkway, Mike had the baby in both arms like a small chest of jewels, but he had no key out. Good man, but he was like that. By now, Regina had hobbled along despite Mike’s “I’ll be back for you, honey. Just wait.” Mike and baby were just rounding the threshold of the front door, when Mike’s foot tripped and he stumbled a little, just enough for all that love that deep down inside Regina shamefully hadn’t felt for her baby to come rushing forth like the milk that she didn’t exactly know how to express properly. She ran forward, felt she popped a staple, moaning and moving toward her baby. It was relief to feel such need. By now, Mike, 34 and slightly balding, had righted himself, shaken, leaned against the doorjamb. Once all inside, Mike’s junior accountant fingers, spent all night tearing up that threshold, pulling the plank, cursing the landlord who probably would have fixed it had he known it would be a problem, while Regina fell in love, only just then, with her baby, whose brown eyes barely opened to see the distress. That was ’91 and Regina found that nothing much had changed since then. She felt she would always love just before she would lose someone, like her love was trapped in a bottle and she too afraid to open it lest it spill. She thought of her mother then, sitting still on her living room couch next to her now 19-year-old daughter Karen and some fragile love came full bloom—because both were leaving her, Karen off to California as if the state college three hours away weren’t far enough and Mama probably to a nursing home by the summer. Karen, a pre-med major she said, but with the soul of a sociology major with all her causes; Mama storing away inside herself, molting into something that wouldn’t ever rise. Regina sighed and slightly pushed forward the spice cake on the coffee table she made the night before; she made herself listen to her sister, Clarisse, directly across from her explaining her mother’s feedings and “other necessary needs,” incidents and incidentals punctuating her words with speak-whispers and a right hand almost toppling the

by Liz Sater

threshold by Telisha Moore Leigg

silk orchid in the vase on the sofa table in front of the bay window. Mama looked at Regina with clear eyes. “She forgets her pills. Then you…” Clarisse wiped a hand across her brow. Trust Clarisse to bring Mama with just a couple changes of clothes. Leave it to Clarisse to play the martyr. Regina would be surprised if her baby sister stayed the night given the fact that Clarisse had hovered over the threshold like some misplaced wren, like a stranger until Clarisse had pulled her inside and into a hug. Regina knew her sister thought her lucky; you could feel the self-righteousness emanating off Clarisse. They wouldn’t fight about this. Regina made it to the door, staples and all, and took the baby. She knew then that away from roast beef sandwiches and green sherbet served in the hospital bed, the nurses who brought Karen to her to nurse in fits and starts that seemed properly regimented that she and Mike were into the woods on their own. That she was a mother now. She remembered wondering if her mother felt like that bringing her home and she had smiled. Karen, sophomore at a state college, wisped her bangs off her forehead, “Mama, do you know what you are doing? Taking care of Grandma….” Regina turned and pinned her with a you were asked something? look. Clarisse’s fingers trembled a little on the spice cake and Regina in her heart thanked her for letting her handle this. Clarisse was letting go, just as Regina felt herself picking up. And despite the pain it felt good to do this. Regina knew that the following morning, just after black coffee, Clarisse would be gone, without even a word to Mama, barely goodbye-gone back. Pain overwhelmed Clarisse like that. And Regina would clean the plates and put their cups in the dishwasher, cringe inside while her ever-neat Mama ate now with her fingers. Then there would be laundry to do, shopping for Mama, dinner, perfunctory loving for

Mike, maybe rest sometime in the night if Mama stayed down. Now, stay in the now. Regina didn’t let herself think about the coming summer or her heart would implode under all her various ends. He replaced the pine with a piece of something like slate, looked good, but was slicker than the wood. Mike was no carpenter. So every time it rained, or snowed, or sleeted even a little, you had to step up and over and into your home with the slightest trepidation like falling into the familiar. They moved from there when Karen was six, but Regina never forgot that threshold, her fear of stepping across and out. Regina thought if her mother’s life had been a pattern, then Regina had sat down and cut it out, molded the fabric exactly, and then found out it didn’t fit. She could wear it, but the fit was off. And now her mother was with her, the model upon which she had built this life, and only now did it all come together, that you wore life or it wore you. Regina would have smiled at this knowledge if it wasn’t so useless now. She was 52, with one husband, one child—a daughter who terrified her with her freedom, a mother leaving in slow, sad degrees. Sitting at her breakfast nook, Regina stroked her mother’s hair. She knew that the time she could keep her mother was limited, a soft harkening of reckoning. Sure enough Clarisse left with the dawn. Regina took the spice cake and ate a piece. Before they moved, Mike dropped his bowling ball on that slate and it broke into two solid chunks. Beautiful, veined lines like an old lady’s hand, separate. They were moving to the new house. It didn’t matter to fix that threshold, repair what would be left behind, even if that was possible, and it probably was not.

Even an informal survey can be a valuable resource for economic development. It is good to find out what the public is thinking and, by golly, the public really likes to be asked. A recent survey taken by the City of Danville Office of Economic Development asked questions designed to gauge the interest level of the general public in supporting a brew pub in the Historic Tobacco Warehouse District. The answers to those questions provided not only some enthusiastic encouragement for the idea, but also a barometer of meaningful demographic information with which local economic developers can approach prospective investors. Tacked onto the end of the brew pub survey was a wide-open question, “What other businesses and/or amenities would you like to see in the Downtown and Tobacco Warehouse Districts?” The answers indicate that, if we may paraphrase Napoleon, Danville marches on its stomach. Restaurants and specialty food items top the list. Researchers were gratified to receive more than 1200 responses to the survey and noted that roughly 60% mentioned food of some kind. This mirrors the results of the informal surveys posed by the Evince Editor in the last two issues. Some of the suggestions respondents thought would be a good fit for future downtown development were: restaurants (“white tablecloth”, brick-oven pizza, Cook Out), unique specialty retail shops (bakery/donut, grocery, wine-and-cheese, home décor, high-end consignment, hunting/fishing) entertainment venues (dance/live music, outdoor movie theatre, indoor ice skating rink) arts and cultural venues (art gallery, children’s museum, aquarium), and more parking. While surveys give a good indication about the intentions and desires of the public, it remains the responsibility of the public to support the desired development with their patronage. It is important that the community embrace their locally owned, independent businesses. It will have an enormous impact on the local economy due to the economic multiplier effect. When you purchase goods or services produced locally, your dollars circulate throughout the community many times, as opposed to those dollars that are funneled away to company headquarters in other locations. Danville can look forward to some exciting opportunities in downtown development in the future and can learn a great deal from the valuable input from the public.

Page 16

May 2010

May Calendar Ongoing

Guided Walking Tour – Millionaires Row. See ad page 21.

Thru May 2

Year of the Woman Exhibit. Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History – 434.793.5644.

Through May 31

Quilts Exhibit. The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

Thru June 15

ArtSmart Exhibit. DMFAH – 434.793.5644.

Through September 6

Science Center Exhibits – Hatching the Past & Birds of the Riverwalk. M-S 9:30 am–5 pm: Sun 1–5 pm. Danville Science Center – 434.791.5160.

Through September 18

Messages from the Mesozoic Exhibit. Virginia Museum of Natural History. 276.634.4141.

May 1

Yard Sale/Bake Sale/Hot Dog Sale. 7 am-12 pm. Abingdon Place – 434.799.1930. Master Gardener Plant Sale. 7:30 am. Halifax Extension Office and Public Library. 434.572.2543. Farmers’ Market Opens. 8 am. Danville Community Market 434.797.8961. Art on the Lawn – Juried art show of the region’s finest artists and craftsmen whose works will be for sale. 10 am–4 pm. DMFAH– 434.793.5644. DRBAís First Saturday Outing See story page 22. Special Saturdays. 10 am-12 pm & 1-3 pm. VMNH – 276.634.4185. Dan River Spring Clean Up – 11 am–2 pm. Pepsi Building. 434.791.5160 or 434.799.5215. Derby Day – Kentucky Derby fun: indoor horse track racing, hat contest, food, beverages, prizes and more. 4:30-7:30 pm. Danville Golf Club. Arts and Humanities – 434.791.4091. Main Street Cruise-In – classic cars. 6-9 pm. Downtown Danville. 434.791.6813. Dance Recital. Meredith Gravely School of Dance – 434.799.8072.

May 1 & 2

Halifax Co. Heritage & Antique Machinery Festival – Antique cars, trucks, tractors and machinery, tractor pulls, music, food, entertainment, arts & crafts and antique vendors. Times vary. Halifax County Fairgrounds. 434.349.3349 or 434.572.6879.

May 1 (thru 9)

Suds -The Rocking 60’s – Halifax County Little Theatre. Times vary. The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

May 1 (thru 14)

Halifax County Fair Call for Vendors See story page 22.

May 1 (thru 29)

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

May 2

Motocross Championship. Birch Creek Motorsports Park. 434.836.7629.

May 3 (thru 26)

Pilates Class. 9:30 am. YMCA – 434.792.0621.

May 3 (thru 31)

Coffee & Networking – Learn more about opportunities, resources, and skills needed for today’s job market. Mon. 10:30 am12 pm. First Baptist Church, Gretna. 434.836.6990. Boogie Monday – beginner chacha. Mondays 7-8:30 pm. Ballou Center – 434.799.5216.

May 4 (thru 18)

Lampworking Class. Mon. 6-9 pm. Southern Virginia Artisan Center – 276.632.0066.

May 4 (thru 25)

African Dance Ensemble – Learn African Dance. Tues 6-7:30 pm. Pepsi Building. 434.797.8848. Sewing w/ Kitty. Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm. Coates Center. 434.799.6564.

May 4 (thru 26)

Koates Kids Pre-School Program – Ages 3-5. T/W 9:30 am–12:30 pm. Coates Center. 434.797.8848.

May 4 (thru 27)

Fitness for Older Adults, Ladies & ABSolute Fitness. Tues/Thur, 9–11 am; Ladies 10 am–12 pm; ABSolute Fitness 10:30-11:30 am. City Armory. 434.797.8848.

May 5

Caswell Book Club. 9:30 am. Yancey House Restaurant – 336.694.4225 Alzheimer’s Presentation – Ask the Elder Law Attorney. 12-1 pm. Craghead Street. 434.792.3700 x30.

May 5 (thru 26)

S.T.R.E.A.M Kids – Exploring local creeks, streams and rivers. Ballou Park. 3:30-5:30 pm. 434.799.5215. Guitar Basics Class – Wednesdays. Youth 5-17, 5 pm; Adult, 5:30 pm. City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

May 5 & 19

Doodle Bugs – 5/5-Cinco De Mayo, 5/19-Water Fun. 10 am & 3 pm. VMNH – 276.634.4185. Fetch! Lab. 5/5 – Write invisible codes and try to crack them by revealing the secret messages. 5/19 – Build a rubberband powered catapult and try to hit a target with marshmallows. Ages 8–12. 3:45–4:45 pm. DSC 434.791.5160.

May 6

Bob Ross Painting Workshop –Tree by the Trail. 10 am– 3:30 pm. Piedmont Arts,

May 2010 S

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

Martinsville – 276.632.3221. Business Expo. 11 am-6 pm. Former Peebles Building, Eden Mall. Eden Chamber – 336.623.3336. Shrimp Fest. 5 pm. X-TRA Storage Building, Roxboro. 336.599.8333. Canoe Trip – Abreu/Grogan Park to Islands. 6-8 pm. 434.799.5215. Annual Flowers Class – Tips and suggestion on how to plan and care for a vegetable garden. 6:30 pm. Coates Center. 434.797.8848.

May 9

May 6 (thru 8)

May 11 & 25

Dance Recital. Danville Academy of Dance – 434.792.9106.

May 6 (thru 9)

The Wall That Heals – Half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Dan Daniel Memorial Park. 434.799.2064.

May 6 (thru 27)

Curiosity Corner – Make crafts; play games; have fun. Ages 3-5. 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Coates Center. 434.799.6564. Aquacize – Aerobic workout that is easy on knees, ankles and joints. Thursdays 8:15 am. YWCA. 434.797.8848. 57 Express Bluegrass Concert. Thursdays 7 pm. Community Center, Chatham – www.chathamcares.org.

May 7

SHS Endowment Benefit Golf Tournament. 1 pm. Caswell Pines Golf Club. 434.793.2656. First Friday Art Walk – 5:307:30 pm. Studio 107, Martinsville – 276.638.2107. Friday at the Crossing – The Tim Clark Band See ad page 6. Cruz-In. 6:30 pm. Roxboro Commons. 336.364.2760.

May 7 (thru 28)

African Dance Class. 6:30 pm. YMCA – 434.792.0621.

May 8

Cooking for Mom – Local chef will provide cooking tips and demonstrations. 8 am-2 pm. Danville Community Market. 434.797.8961. Gretna 5K Race. 8:30 am. Gretna Elementary School. 434.656.8961 Noland Village Days - Brunswick stew, country music, crafts, antique furniture, antique farm machinery, plant and herb sales, and a house tour. 9 am. Noland Village. 434.454.6962.

May 8 & 9

VCCS Conference Tournament. Dan Daniel Park. 434.836.3156. SCCA SARRC/MARRS Challenge –VIR 434.822.7700.

May 8 (thru 29)

Auto Racing. Saturdays. South Boston Speedway – 1.877.440.1540.

May 8 (thru June 22)

Acting Classes See ad page 5.

W T 5 6 12 13 19 20 26 27

F S 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

Leave Her to Heaven Matinee. 2 pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339.

May 10

Mariachi Band. 6:30-9:30 pm. Los Tres Magueyes Mexican Restaurant - 434.792.0601.

May 11

A Touch of Medical Surgical History – A history of surgical techniques from the past 2,000 years. 6:30 pm. DSC – 434.791.5160. Polliwogs & Science Stars. 5/11 - Create a symmetrical butterfly. 5/25 – Follow the life of a raindrop as it goes through the water cycle. Ages 3–4, 1–2 pm. Danville Science Center - 434.791.5160.

May 11 (thru 25)

West African Dance & Drumming Class – Tues 4:30-6 pm. City Auditorium. 434.797.8848.

May 12 (thru June 16)

Art with Flo – Wet-on-wet technique. Weds. Location/times vary. 434.797.8848.

May 13

Canoe Trip – Camilla Williams Park to Sandy River. 6-8 pm. 434.799.5215.

May 14

Chicken Breast Dinner. 5:30 pm. American Legion Post 1097. 434.793.7531. Meet The Art and Artist Workshop. 7-9 pm. Moving Voices Studio, South Boston. 434.517.0060.

May 14 (thru 16)

Festival in the Park See ad page 22.

May 15

Children’s Day at the Market – Farm animals for petting, makeand-take crafts, and more. 8 am2 pm. Community Market. 434.797.8961. Nestle 5K Run/Walk/1mile Fun Run. 8:30 am. Ballou Park. 434.548.9862. Amphibian/Reptile BioBlitz – Search for reptiles and Amphibians. 9 am-1 pm. Anglers Park Parking Lot. 434.799.5215. Adult Improv Workshop See ad page 5. Cruise In. 5-8 pm. Uptown Martinsville, Church St. 276.632.5688. Zephyr Lightning Bolts Concert 7-9 pm The Rives Theater. rivestheater@gmail.com. Muses of Modern Dance: The Legends and Their Legacies. 8 pm. Moving Voices Studio, South Boston. 434.517.0060.

May 15 & 16

Jazz by the Lake Festival. 4:30 pm. Occoneechee State Park, Clarksville. 434.738.8485.

Evince Magazine Page 17 May 15 (thru June 25)

Expressions 2010 - opening reception & awards ceremony 5/14, 6:30 pm. Piedmont Arts, Martinsville – 276.632.3221.

May 18

Comedy Social – Comedy to inspire, give hope and to help heal others. 6:30-8 pm. Ballou Center. 434.799.5216.

May 19

Alzheimer’s Presentation – Overview of Alzheimer’s How the SAAA Can Help. 12–1 pm. Craghead Street. – 434.792.3700 x30.

May 19 (thru June 26)

Zumba Fitness – Hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program. Wed 6:30 pm/Sat 10 am. Pepsi Building. 434.797.8848.

May 20

Kayak Trip – Abreu/Grogan Park to Islands. 6-8 pm. 434.799.5215. Enchanted Evenings in The Park – Bring chairs, blankets. 6:30-8 pm. Ballou Park. 434.793.4636. Richmond Symphony Concert. 7:30 pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339. Sky Watchers – Constellations Bootes & Cygnus and planets Venus, Mars and Saturn, and the first quarter moon. Nightfall. DSC – 434.791.5160.

May 21

Just Everyday Women, Walking by Faith. 11 am–1 pm. Mary’s Diner. 434.793.8140. American Idol Fantasia Concert See ad page 6. Community CampFires. 7-9pm. Roxboro. 336.597.7806.

May 21 & 22

Danville Cancer Association 5K Race See story pages 21 and 22. Rodeo. Danville Pittsylvania County Fairgrounds – 434.822.6850. Broadway Adventures Auditions See ad page 5.

May 22

HCPS Motorsports Academy Car Show. 7 am. Halifax Co. Middle School Tuck Dillard Stadium. 434.572.4100. Kayak Trip – Staunton River 8 am-6 pm. 434.799.5215. Spring Plant and Garden Show – Tips for planting & growing. Purchase plants. 8 am-2 pm. Farmer’s Market – 434.797.8961. Bug Daze Family Festival. 10 am4 pm. VMNH 276.634.4185 Timberlake’s Annual Memorial Festival and Parade. 10 am. Helena Elementary School area, Roxboro. 336.364.2760 or 336.364.1744. Bob Ross Painting Class – Tree by the Trail. 10:30 am–3:30 pm. Ballou Annex. 434.797.8848.

Spring Garden Tour. 1-6 pm. Roxboro. 336.597.2884. Danville Police Dept vs. Pittsylvania Co Sheriff’s Office – Charity softball game. 1 pm. Dan Daniel Park. MHC Car Club SPCA Car Show. 3 pm. Liberty Fair Mall. 276.340.9144. Chatham Cruise-In. 5-9 pm. Main Street 434.548.3233 MercyMe Concert. 6:30 pm. Carrington Pavilion. 434.793.4636. Lawson Creek Grass Concert. 7:30 pm. The Prizery – 434.572.8339. DSO Spring Pops Concert. See story page 21.

May 26

Alzheimer’s Presentation – The 5 Wishes Directive Workshop. 12-1 pm. Craghead Street. 434.792.3700 x30.

May 27

Greek Food Fest. Lunch - 11 am– 2 pm; Dinner - 4–8 pm. Episcopal Church of The Epiphany. 434.797.8202. Kayak Trip – Dan Daniel to Anglers Park. 6-8 pm. 434.799.5215.

May 28

TGIF - Backstreet Band. 7-10:30 pm. Uptown Martinsville - 276.632.5688.

May 29

Strawberry Festival. 8 am-2 pm. Farmers’ Market – 434.797.8961. Danville Area Humane Society Yard Sale. 7 am-12 pm. former Salvation Army Thrift Store. 434.799.0843. Teaching Parents to Teach – Parent practicum offering the Foundations and Essentials Programs, for parents and their children from age 12 and under. 9 am-4 pm. Chatham Baptist Church. 434.799.0133. Bluegrass Concert. 6-9 pm. Mayo Lake Amphitheater, Roxboro. 336.597.7806 Northridge Bluegrass Band Concert. 6:30 pm. Community Center, Chatham – 434.432.3115.

Upcoming Events June 1

Stock Car Open Test Day. VIR – 434.822.7700.

June 4

Friday at the Crossing See ad page 6.

June 4 (thru 6)

Heacock Classic Gold Cup Historic Races. VIR 434.822.7700.

June 11

Jazz on the Patio YWCA 5-7 pm. 750 Main St. Small Town Orchestra 434.792.1522

We’ll Give You a Reason to Smile

New Patients Welcome

• Preventive Treatment • Power Bleaching • Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy • Insurance Filed • State-of-the-Art Technology including Laser, Intraoral Cameras and the Highest Quality Dental Materials Used • CARE Credit, VISA & MasterCard Accepted

434.792.5416 1422 West Main St. • www.drheltondental.com • By Appointment Only

Starry-Eyed Seduction by Gordon Bendall

Romance consumes all ages, but none more than teens. Hormonal reactions and magnetic attractions, fed by blind inhibitions and hypnotic aromas, invite young couples to the edge. At the drive-in theater one warm summer night, the air was sweet and sticky. The scent of his Old English cologne blended with her Shalimar in a seductive mix. The movie was all Elvis. The bold songs from the worn speaker box hanging on the driver’s window pulled them closer together. As the show reached its peak, he turned over her hand, rubbing the life line running down the middle of her palm saying, “You’re going to have a long and happy life,” a trait a fortune teller had told him about at the beach. They watched Elvis make love to the microphone. She shifted closer to him in an open invitation. He couldn’t resist and while rounding third base, he said, “What time do you have to be home?” She answered, “Pretty soon.” The film was coming to a close. It happened very quickly, both hearts pounding… They buttoned up and went straight home, not saying much with only a short goodnight kiss at her door. Her mother let her in. He went off for an all-night poker game with the boys capped with a four-in-the-morning cheese dog and Mountain Dew at the Chicken Café. A few days later she called on the phone crying, saying she feared the worst. Scared to death, he went to a friend who

said, “Tell her to take One a Day with milk. It’s going to make her sick but she’ll be fine.” He drove over to her house saying he needed help with a final exam. He gave her the package at the front door and was not invited in. She handed him her chemistry notes. They were petrified. She wasn’t in school the next day but called, crying again, saying she was sick and wanted it to be over. He

told her he was sorry but that she would be fine. When she finally came back to school, meeting him in the hall, they didn’t know what to say to each other. It was such a secret, such a shame. They never went out again. From then on, love continued to entangle him with parents of girlfriends wondering where and how far their daughters were going. Few knew what really went on at drive-in movies and all-night games of cards.

Page 18

May 2010

ASK DR. JUDITH

Fred Meder Cheerleader for the YWCA by Joyce Wilburn

Judith A. Ostrowski, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology

Danville ENT Associates, Inc.

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month During this month we encourage people to be aware of their hearing, protect it and have it evaluated. Some hearing loss is unavoidable but one type of hearing loss is avoidable. That is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Loud noise, either a sudden noise such as a gun shot or continuous noise such as machinery can damage the cells of the inner ear. Damaged inner ear cells can cause decreased hearing, decreased clarity of speech and tinnitus (ringing or other sounds in the ear). Below are common sounds and their typical loudness level in dB (deciBels - a level of loudness) : • Typical conversation = 60 dB • Radio, TV or Vacuum cleaner = 70 dB • Power Mower = 90 dB -prolonged exposure can cause progressive hearing loss • Motorcycle = 95 dB-prolonged exposure can cause progressive hearing loss • Wood shop= 100 dB - after 15 minutes of exposure cell damage can occur • Rock concert, MP3 player, at max volume = 110 dB– exposure of more than 1 minute, on a regular basis, can cause permanent hearing loss Loud car stereos, although not listed here, are known to cause hearing loss for the car occupants. The drivers of the loud cars are probably going to need hearing instruments in a few years. NIHL generally begins in the high frequencies (Hz), around 3 to 6 kHz. These Hz make up the consonants of speech; /p/, /t/, /s/ etc. In English, consonants carry most of the speech information. This explains why people can hear speech but not understand. If you have this problem, please call (434) 791-4170 to schedule a comprehensive audiological evaluation. You can easily avoid NIHL by limiting your exposure to loud noise and wearing hearing protection. Hearing protection includes earplugs, either store bought or custom -made and/ or hearing protection ear muffs. Musicians can use musician earplugs. They are designed with a special filter to equally decrease sound across all Hz. This avoids distortion. You can obtain custom-made ear plugs and musician ear plugs at Danville ENT Hearing Center. To make an appointment for a comprehensive audiological evaluation or to obtain custom made hearing protection please call Danville ENT Hearing Center at (434) 791-4170. To learn more about NIHL and hearing protection visit: www.nidcd.gov • www.dangerousdecibels.org

Hearing Testing - Pediatric & Adult Hearing Aids & Aural Rehabilitation Assistive Listening Devices Custom-Made Swim Plugs Custom-Made Hearing Protection Race Car Driving Sets Payment Plan Available

159 Executive Dr. • Suite C • Danville, VA 24541 Fax 434.792.0468

434.792.0830 • 800.368.7183 www.denthc.com Hours 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

In a dark building in the heart of Danville’s historic district, there is a design of pavers reminiscent of a jigsaw puzzle with 20,000 pieces stretching 40 feet across a dusty floor in a pattern that is 800 years old. Sounds mysterious, like something from The Da Vinci Code doesn’t it? It’s not. The decorative art that took six weeks to create is an outdoor labyrinth that is waiting to be packed and moved to a private residence in North Carolina by its creator, Fred Meder, the owner of Outdoor Designs, Inc. This is the sixth labyrinth created by the New York native who moved to Danville in the 1980s. The fifth one is much closer to home and is painted on the floor of the YWCA multi-purpose room at 750 Main Street. Its purpose is to give walkers a serpentine path to follow from the edge to the center and out again while on a spiritual journey of meditation. Meder’s life and career have taken almost as many turns as the labyrinths he creates. “I was a history/political science major with a concentration in military science,” says the 1982 graduate of SUNY Fredonia State, who planned to become a teacher. Instead, he joined the military intelligence branch of the U.S. Army Reserves and also followed his passion for skiing. “For eight years after graduation, I skied and ran the racing department in Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia,” he relates. Deciding to settle down a bit, Meder moved to Danville in 1989 and bought a Victorian house on Sutherlin Avenue. “It lent itself to history. I was sitting right next to the Capital of the South,” explains the history buff.

Picking a new career was easy. “I’d worked in landscaping all my life. During high school, we cut 109 lawns a week,” he recalls. While cutting grass on wealthy estates in Long Island, he noticed their multiple stone terraces, cascading waterfalls, special lighting, and other beautiful living spaces. Those magnificent landscapes inspired him to open Outdoor Designs, a greenhouse and garden center across from Nor Dan Shopping Center. After awhile, the long hours, however, convinced him to close the store and work from home creating outdoor living spaces in commercial areas, like the Crossing at the Dan, and private residences. “It fills a creative niche. All I need is a picture and I can build it,” he says referring to the cloisters, prayer gardens, columbariums, retaining walls, ornamental landscape, fountains, outdoor lighting, and other unique outdoor improvements. A few years ago, he was asked to create a labyrinth for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church near Wilksboro, North Carolina. That request was followed by another one from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Greensboro, two private residences, and Danville’s YWCA. All mimic the medieval design of the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France with

small variations to make them unique for each customer. The YW’s indoor labyrinth is painted on the floor of their first floor multi-purpose room. When asked why he became involved with the YW, the current winner of two prestigious first place Main Street improvement awards in Reidsville, North Carolina, says, “My wife, Laura, is the president of the board and that makes me the de facto maintenance engineer.” Although he jokes about his volunteer work, he and his wife of 11 years are sincerely committed to it. “Laura and I are serious about helping people. The labyrinth is a tool that helps them to discovery more about themselves . We’re hoping people will become excited about the YWCA labyrinth and then use the whole facility,” he says, not realizing that his life and career have taken another turn—this time as cheerleader for the Young Women’s Christian Association. * Meder’s outdoor labyrinths can be seen at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 607 N. Greene Street, in Greensboro, NC and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 200 Cowles Street, Wilkesboro, NC. Visit www. labyrinthkeepers.com. • Meder’s Outdoor Design work can be seen at the awardwinning Gateway to Downtown Danville near the Martin Luther King Bridge. One future project is a plaza at Averett University connecting the Student Center on Woodland Drive and Jordon Common. • The YWCA labyrinth is open Sunday through Friday. Call 434.792.1522 to confirm its availability for walkers. • Outdoor Designs Inc. will paint an indoor labyrinth of any size for an organization or church that will make a substantial donation to the Danville/ Pittsylvania County YWCA. For more information, call 434.791.2483.

Evince Magazine Page 19

Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth A Review

by Jane Wiseman The first edition of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, by Episcopal priest Lauren Artress, was published in 1991. This little book, now in its second edition, jump-started a new spiritual practice: following a spiral path called a labyrinth as a way to pray and meditate. In the late 80s, while at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Artress began exploring the idea of the medieval labyrinth as a longneglected tool to help people gain a sense of themselves as spiritual seekers. Her book describes how she and a group of friends visited a very famous 12-century labyrinth pattern inlaid into the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. Artress became convinced that the ancient pattern of the labyrinth could greatly help people of all faiths explore their spiritual nature. She had a portable labyrinth designed on the Chartres

model and inscribed on canvas. It became part of the workshops on spirituality she began conducting nation-wide. Walking a labyrinth is a very ancient practice found in many religious traditions, times, places, and cultures. Artress’s book serves as a spiritual guide to using the labyrinth. The book explains, for instance, the difference between a labyrinth and a maze. A maze is a physical puzzle to solve. Artress calls the maze pattern multicursal—many-pathed. In a maze, there are typically a number of possible entrances and exits, and many dead ends. People who enter a maze tend to become lost; one of its attractions is solving the puzzle and finding your way back out. But a labyrinth is unicursal. It has only one path spiraling inward toward a center. This same path spirals back out again. “There are no tricks to it, no dead ends or cul-de-sacs, no intersecting paths,” writes Artress. While mazes present interesting challenges to our logical, choice-making selves, labyrinths appeal to our intuitive selves, our symbolic minds. Artress explains the deeply human need to seek out meaningful patterns and connections between the inner self and the outer world. The pattern

of the labyrinth taps into this need, serving as a spiritual tool fostering a sense of connectedness and centeredness between the “inside us” and the outside that surrounds us in all its complexity and confusion. As we finish a labyrinth exercise, “we are literally ushered back out into the world in a strengthened condition,” she writes. For many, walking a labyrinth becomes a meditation

or a prayer that has taken on physical form. Labyrinths installed at churches throughout the U.S. and worldwide are situated in the Christian tradition. But as Artress points out, these intricate patterns have figured in the spiritual and meditative traditions of many religions and cultures. One of the advantages of the labyrinth is its accessibility. Children, the elderly, hospital patients, churchgoers, meditators of all faiths and denominations, and those who are looking for spiritual aid outside a particular religion or creed have used the labyrinth to deepen their spiritual lives. The mission of Artress’ nonprofit organization, Veriditas (www. veriditas.org), is to “pepper the planet with labyrinths,” A “labyrinth seeker” page on the website lets visitors search for labyrinths by type and location. Now Danvillians too can walk the labyrinth. The YWCA at 750 Main Street commissioned a labyrinth that was dedicated on April 17th and is now open for walkers. Following the mission of Veriditas, the Danville YWCA is doing its part to “pepper the planet with labyrinths.” See story on page 18.

Page 20

May 2010

Evince Magazine Page 21

Danville Symphony Conductor Retires by Mary Franklin

In 1963, an energetic young music performance major, fresh out of college, brought his new bride, Carol, to the Danville area because he had been offered a job to direct a high school band. He bounded into the newly-built Dan River High School on a late summer day and excitedly entered his band room ready to teach and share his love of music. To his surprise there were no chairs, stands, or basic instruments. In the weeks to come he would recruit students who could not read music, didn’t own instruments and many who had never even held an instrument. Talk about starting from the ground up! Charles G. Ellis was that young man who set about establishing one of the first band and symphony music programs in Pittsylvania County Public Schools. Within 3 years he had produced a marching band that was selected to represent the entire Commonwealth at the

Festival of States in Florida and within 5 years led an award-winning nationally traveled band program. Charles’s contagious enthusiasm inspired his young students to love music while demanding the personal best from each one. After some years as a high school band director, Charles left teaching and pursued other professional positions in public relations and banking, served on various boards and donated many hours in the community, always staying involved in music. Well-known as a trumpet soloist, Charles regularly performed with dance bands, pit orchestras and ensembles.Ten years ago Charles accepted another music directing position, Director of the Danville Symphony Orchestra, the third conductor in its history. Many people may not know that Charles donated his time over those 10 years, putting in hours most weeks just like a full-time job. His only pay is hearing the beautiful music produced by the DSO players and seeing the smiling faces of the 750-900 people who attend the concerts. The music has a special heart because the performers are also donating their time and talent.

On The Battlefield with Cancer by Karen Johnston

I have always been a strong supporter of charities that help those afflicted with various diseases and disorders and those that seek a cure. After losing a number of friends and my beautiful sister, Phyllis, to cancer I began making contributions to various cancer research groups and charities. I also decided to grow my hair longer and donate it to Locks of Love, the organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children

suffering from long-term medical hair loss. It seemed like a way to give from the heart and I took comfort in knowing that I would be helping someone in a difficult situation. In 2009, I donated an 11-inch ponytail. I also resolved to take care of myself and stay healthy and strong: bike riding, running, horseback riding, walking, reading, spending time with my family. These seemed like good ways to enjoy life. Many of these activities I undertook with

Some of us who were a part of that early program will be on stage performing, in the lobby greeting, or in the wings assisting with Charles’s final performance as Director of the DSO on Saturday, May 22. The community is invited to attend the free Spring Pops Concert, “It’s Show Time on Broadway” featuring Mamma Mia, highlights from Wicked and The Sound of Music and many other popular favorites. The doors open at George Washington High School auditorium, 701 Broad Street, at 7:30 p.m. and the concert begins promptly at 8:00 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring two non-perishable food items or a cash donation for God’s Storehouse.

friends, none of us knowing what was ahead in my journey. In 2008, I was diagnosed with cancer and my own life’s course was changed forever. I was no longer on the sidelines witnessing the battle; I was on the battlefield. Cancer patients spend a great deal of time in doctors’ offices and labs and that was true for me. At each visit, I noticed and appreciated the care and love from our local oncologists and their staffs. Without fail, they treated me as if I were the only patient ever to be diagnosed, as if I were the most important person in the world. Over time, I came to see that they treated every patient this way. The doctors, nurses, technicians, receptionists-- they were incredibly wonderful people. In the chemo lab especially, as I sat for hours connected to intravenous therapy, I watched and listened and felt awed at the kindness of the staff – their words of wisdom, their compassion, their gentleness. They even inspired me to consider becoming an oncology nurse so great was my desire to help people suffering with this illness and so remarkable were the men and women committed to healing me. During my treatments, I met some of the finest people I have ever encountered, including other patients. We were a team; we were there for the same purpose – trying to stay alive. Over time I noticed that some patients never had (continued next page)

Page 22

May 2010

Calendar Clips Clip it. Post it. Do it.

Here are a few highlights of activities you don’t want to miss this month. Cut out the ones that interest you; post it on your refrigerator as a reminder; enjoy a new experience. For more activities, see the calendar on page 16-17. Saturday, May 1 Dan River Basin Association

The First Saturday Outing will be a 5-mile float on the Smith River from Fieldale, Virginia, to Doe Run Park in Henry County. Participants will meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Fieldale Canoe Access, 3521 River Road, at the trailhead of the Fieldale Trail. Participants should bring boat, paddles, life jackets, a change of clothing, water and lunch; wear water-shedding artificial fabric or wool (neither cotton nor jeans). Outings and meetings of the DRBA are free and open to the public. For more information about the trip, contact coordinator Charlie Williams, 336.337.8843 or chawilliams59@yahoo.com. For membership information, visit www.danriver.org.

Saturday May 1 – Friday, May 14 Halifax County Fair Call for Vendors

Entries are being accepted for HaliFair, an arts, crafts, and horticulture festival to be held at the Halifax County Fairgrounds on Highway 360 in South Boston on Saturday, June 5, from noon until 10:00 pm. The festival will feature activities for all ages, cruise-ins, and live music throughout the afternoon and evening. Proceeds from the Festival will be contributed to the Halifax County Fair to be held in October. All artists, artisans, horticulturists, retail vendors, food vendors, and non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply. The number of available vendor spaces will be limited to create diversity and to provide vendors with a successful market. All applications must be submitted with full payment by Friday, May 14. Vendor applications and more information are available at www.halifairva.com or 434.517.1551.

(ON THE BATTLEFIELD continued from page21) family or friends visit like I did. I listened as patients tried to figure out how they were going to return for the next doctor or chemo appointment or how they were going to pay for their medications or their utilities. It was obvious that some patients didn’t have insurance, jobs, transportation, family, or the energy to get through the next day. Even as cancer medicines dripped into my veins, I felt I had to count my blessings and give thanks to God for sparing my life. I realized I needed to do something to help those less fortunate. Then, the light bulb came on while I was talking to a physician’s assistant at my doctor’s office. A 5K Run/ Walk would be a great way to involve the community and raise money for the Danville Cancer Association while simultaneously promoting good health habits for participants. What better way for our community to support the DCA, which receives no funding from the American Cancer Society? Members of the DCA don’t toot their own horns because they’re too busy helping others.

Most people don’t know that last year the DCA gave $82,197 in service to the people of Danville, Pittsylvania County, and Caswell County. Nearly everyone’s life has been affected by cancer, either personally or through a family member or friend. Until there is a cure, there is no escaping it. I have witnessed and felt firsthand the warmth and caring of the people of Danville and Pittsylvania County. I work at Karen’s Hallmark Shop in Piedmont Mall and over the years I have met some of my best friends there. Such loving and giving people: parents, family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and customers. I am truly blessed to live in this wonderful community of such solid, good-natured people. Southside Virginia is truly a place where people care about each other. We each have talents or gifts that we’ve been given and we must use them in positive ways. When all join together like my friends and family have done, there is nothing we can’t accomplish. Join us in helping the DCA. Start by reading the details of the Bridge to Bridge 5K in the May 21-22 Calendar Clips at left.

Friday, May 21 Kick-off for Bridge to Bridge 5K

This benefit for the Danville Cancer Association will begin at 6 p.m. in the Community Market on Craghead Street. Backstreet will perform until 10 p.m. A silent auction will include beach trips and restaurant gift cards. Door prizes will be given. Admission is $5. Call 434.791.3277.

presents

Saturday, May 22 Bridge to Bridge 5K

The Danville Cancer Association and other community groups are sponsoring a 1 mile Fun Run for Kids ages 10 and younger at 9 a.m. Registration is $10. A 5K Run/Walk for adults will begin at 9:30 a.m. Registration is $20. The Danville District UMC Mission Celebration will host a full day of activities at the Carrington Pavilion including a performance by the Christian pop band Mercy Me. Visit www. missioncelebration.com. Registration forms are available at Karen’s Hallmark Shop in Piedmont Mall and the YMCA at 810 Main Street. For more info, call 434.791.3737. The DCA provides support, services, financial assistance and equipment to local families dealing with cancer.

Concert Stage Schedule Friday May 14 • 5:30 - 8:30

“Party in The Park”

featuring The Magniﬁcents

Wrist Band Night

All Rides for $15 - 4-8 pm

Saturday, May 15

1:00 – 2:00 • Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys 3:00 – 4:00 • Tommy Edwards Band featuring Artimus Pyle

5:00 – 8:00 Little Texas Sunday, May 16

1:00 – 2:00 • Glen Shelton 2:30 – 4:00 • Sammy Terry & the Spiritual Highlights

• Festival Stage • Friday May 14

4:00 – 5:00 • Blue Ridge Gymnastics 5:00 - 8:00 • D J Bob Turner

Saturday, May 15

10:30 – 11:00 • Young People’s Theatre Guild 11:00 – 1:00 • City of Danville Schools Music Dept. 1:00 – 1:15 • Rising Stars 1:30 – 2:30 • Sahara Raggae 3:00 – 4:00 • Morwenna Lasko and Jay Pun 4:30 - 5:30 • Small Town Orchestra

Sunday, May 16

1:00 • Angela Harris (play) 1:30 – 2:30 • Small Town Orchestra 2:30 – 3:30 • Karate 3:30 • Young People’s Theatre Guild

Party in the Park The Magniﬁcents

Straight from Racin’ & Tastin’ The Magnificents are ready to kick festival off with a “Party in the Park”. Named, the 2007 CBMA Favorite New Artist of the Year, the Magnificents are known for the variety of music they play including classic soul, beach, top forty, and dance. Join the Magnificents at the Festival Concert Stage Friday, May 14 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm. Adult beverages available.

Little Texas

LITTLE TEXAS was conceived in Nashville, Tennessee, by a handful of guys in their early 20s who were willing to do just about anything to bring their brand of rockin’ county to the forefront of the music industry. Their first radio release, “Some Guys Have All The Love,” became a Top-10 hit, as did their next single, “First Time For Everything.” After the album First Time For Everything was released, five singles reached the top of the charts. The second album, Big Time, truly was the big time for Little Texas. The sophomore release, which has sold more than three million copies to date, spawned three No. 1 singles—“What Might Have Been,” “God Blessed Texas” and “My Love”—and captured the group’s first CMT Award, a Billboard award, a Radio & Records award and a Grammy nod. Don’t miss their return to country music.

Glen Shelton

Sunday in the Park opens with Glen Shelton’s unique blend of Christian Country. With three songs reaching the top ten of the Christian Country Charts in the last year, Glen is well on his way to musical success.

Sammy Terry and the Spiritual Highlights Sammy Terry and the Spiritual Highlights formed in Danville in 1996. God is a Good God, was their ﬁrst CD release in 2003 and He’s My Rock followed in 2006. The group has traveled extensively since the very beginning, but they call Danville home. Festival in the Park is proud to welcome them to the Festival Concert Stage.

Sponsored by Pepsi • Budweiser • Harvest Jubilee • Piedmont Shopper URW Community Federal Credit Union Big Boned BBQ • Sam’s Club • Woodall Auto Mall Thunder Road Harley-Davidson For more information call 434.794.4636 or visit www.festivalintheparkofdanville.com

Evince Magazine Page 23

Page 24

May 2010