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ON THE WATER | Volunteers do the crucial work of keeping channel markers and buoys ship-shape. By Jason Dunovant
Can-Do Spirit
PROFILE | Canneries help growers store their harvests safely. By Molly Hunter
HOMES | The Charity Home Tour sees a big boost in attendance. By Jason Dunovant
ESSAY | Vicki Gardner breaks down that Christmas menace: the candy cane.
Editor Creative Designer
Kimberly Dalferes, Jason Dunovant, Vicki Gardner, Chad Gilmore, Ferne Hale, Molly Hunter
Jason Dunovant, Jerry Hale, Molly Hunter, Scott P. Yates
Laker Media products offer the largest reach in the Smith Mountain Lake market. For information on advertising your business in print or online, contact:
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540-981-3262, office 540-797-4444, mobile barry.wright@roanoke.com
Laker Magazine welcomes story ideas, photos for our Travels and Lake Views sections, calendar items and creative works (essays, poems, paintings and photography) by local artists. Submissions must include your name and telephone number. Contact tad.dickens@roanoke.com for more information.
Free copies of Laker Magazine and Laker Weekly are available at dozens of locations around the lake region, including Kroger, Food Lion and the SML Visitor Center at Bridgewater Plaza.
Sweet treats are one of the best parts of the holiday season, and there’s no shortage of talented bakers right here at the lake. Find out more on Page 38 Cover photo: Scott P. Yates
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The Roanoke Times. Smith Mountain Laker Magazine is a community publication solely owned by The Roanoke Times. It is published for the residents of Smith Mountain Lake and is subject to The Roanoke Times’ editorial policies. The views and opinions are those of the authors. The opinions expressed, unless otherwise noted, should not be construed to be those of The Roanoke Times or its affiliates. Lists are for reference only and do not necessarily imply approbation. Paid advertising does not represent an endorsement by this publication. Content cannot be reproduced without written consent from The Roanoke Times. All rights reserved. Real estate advertised in this publication is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968.
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and exercise.
Longtime lake residents, even some consistent visitors, might take those spots for granted. But wow, that park is a gorgeous resource, with a family friendly beachfront, lots of picnic areas and plenty more trails than we could explore on one weekend day. The Bridgewater area, which feels to me like the central point of lake access, is loaded with busi nesses, including live music and dining options that both tourists and locals can enjoy.
I know there is so much more to do out there, and I aim to dig into as much as possible while I’m on this job. For now, I’m learning a little bit about it through editing the issue you are reading.
For starters, I see that a lot of you are eager to do fun things that help others. Jason Dunovant’s article on the Charity Home Tour reveals that folks opened up nice homes to ticket buyers who wanted to see them, and the sales were worth tens of thousands for such groups as Smith Mountain Lake Good Neighbors, which provides help to school children in need.
LIFe IS A SeeMINGLY LIMITLeSS SeRIeS of transi tions. Is seems like just last week the summer sun was warming us all. Now the days are growing cold. Laker Magazine is having a little transition, too. That’s my cue to introduce myself. I’m Tad Dickens, features and special sections editor at The Roanoke Times. I’ll be sit ting in for this and at least one more issue here at the Laker, as we search for someone new to guide this very fun magazine.
I’m not a lake guy, though I love it where you are. I’m deep into two decades of work in Roanoke, having covered Bedford County for a year — during which I did spend a fair amount of time at SML and grew to love it quick ly — then Roanoke’s courthouse, some online editing, music reporting, cover ing Botetourt County and, now, settling into an editor’s desk.
Trips to the lake have been rare for me, but in a coincidence, I took my trusty dog, Buster, for a late summer
ta D D i C k EN s Editorjaunt just before I learned I would be Laker magazine’s interim editor. We started at Bridgewater Marina, where I bought a cheap sack of popcorn to rouse the fat and happy carp population. I was super curious to see how Buster would react to the teeming blobs. He acted as though the school didn’t exist, but boy, was he interested in the popcorn. After ward, we drove to Smith Mountain Lake State Park, where we explored a few trails before the rain forced us back to our car and spoiled hours more of potential fun
Chad Gilmore’s Reel Adventures fish ing column showed me that SML is an angler’s destination regardless of sea son, and striped bass lures, including one made locally, are designed to get that prized fish biting. Another Dunov ant piece details the lake-area volun teers who keep an eye on the channel markers and buoys that keep boaters safe in potentially tricky spots of this man-made water body.
There are some absolutely wondrous views both on and off the lake, and we have photos to prove it, from Grant West and Roanoke Times photographer Scott Yates. The latter photog captured a thrilling shot while getting work in on the channel markers story, but I’m not going to spoil it here.
There’s plenty more in this issue, and as I look to edit plenty more into the next, I hope you’ll note my email address, tad.dickens@roanoke.com . You’ll see it elsewhere in the mag, and I hope you’ll remember it, because I wel come your ideas. After all, I don’t get over there much — yet.
“ The LifeCare of fering at Brandon Oaks was first and foremost on my list when finding a new home for the future. At my age and circumstances, I wanted a g uarantee for my care and a feeling of security and comfor t for my family. I also found a new family of fellow residents and a tr uly compassionate staf f.” Buster Jones, resident
s C ott P. Yates , a staff photographer for The Roanoke Times, caught these feathered residents of Smith Mountain Lake while on assignment recently in Union Hall. At left, a heron pauses for a rest at the end of a dock. Above, a bald eagle flies away triumphant after catching its dinner.
SHOW US YOUR LAKE VIEWS! h ave a photo of our stunning scenery that you’d like to share? We’d love to showcase your landscape and wildlife photos in our January/February issue. Email them to tad.dickens@roanoke. com . Photos can be of anywhere around the lake (not just the water) and must include your name, the location of the photo and a short description.
a L on G the sho R e in union ha LL
in moneta
GR ant west took this lovely photo of fall leaves at their peak along farm fields in La Casa Court in Bridgewater Bay, Moneta, looking south toward Smith Mountain.
in hu DDL eston
GR ant west came upon these deer at Mariners Village in Mariners Landing, Huddleston. White Tailed deer are crepuscular, meaning they forage for food most often at dawn and dusk, though they can change their patterns depending on the weather and their environment.
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a s the days grow shorter, we met the volunteers keeping our channel markers ship shape and their lights aglow. Plus the can-do spirit of local canneries, great fishing lures for cold weather, and why it was a big year for the Charity h ome Tour.
channel markers and buoys on Smith Mountain Lake. The markers serve invaluable functions, directing boat ers and warning them of danger. A light out on a channel marker at night or a missing shoal marker could be disastrous for a water pilot.
A group of dedicated lake residents has taken on the task of making sure these critical markers remain in place and operational. These volunteers participate in the Tri-County Lake Administrative Commission’s long-running Adopt-a-Light and Adopt-a-Buoy program.
The program was created in 1996 as a way for TLAC to keep an eye on the lake’s channel markers and buoys. With more than 200 markers along the lake’s 500 miles of shoreline, it would be impossible for the lake commission to regularly inspect each one on its own.
“They are really essential,” Kristina Sage, execu tive director of TLAC, said of the program’s dozens
of volunteers. She is seeking even more of them to monitor the many as-yet unadopted markers on the lake.
A majority of the participants live near the lake, with a view of the channel markers. Sage said being a part of the program can be as simple as occasion ally looking out the window to make sure everything is in order with the markers.
Volunteers who notice anything wrong are asked to call TLAC, which will send someone out to repair the marker — if it is TLAC owned. For markers that Appalachian Power owns, the lake commission contacts the company to request repairs.
Longtime Adopt-a-Light volunteer Stan Strong looks out his window almost nightly to make sure channel markers B4, B6, B8, B8A, BU1 and BU3 are still operating. He has a tradition of counting the lights on each of the channel markers.
“B8 has been a nemesis of mine for years,” Strong said, because it is slightly dimmer than the rest of the lights and harder to detect.
Most volunteers who check on channel markers and buoys live near the lake. Being a part of the important program can be as simple as occasionally glancing out a window to make sure everything in in order.
Strong learned about the program in a newspaper article he read shortly after moving to the lake in 2001. Since then, he has kept close tabs on the channel mark ers. He said that he worries when taking trips because he is unable to check on the channel markers while he is away.
Strong said he has seen the impor tance of the channel marker lights for himself while maneuvering around the lake by boat at night. He said one light out at a critical spot on the lake could lead to a boater heading in the wrong direction or getting lost completely.
“You’ve got to depend on those lights to find your way,” Strong said.
While keeping an eye on the markers is important, it is rarely eventful. “Some times you might go a year or so without anything to report,” Strong said.
Sage said the lake commission receives one or two calls per month about one of the lake’s 153 channel mark er lights needing repair. The calls come from program volunteers as well as boat ers and other residents who notice the damage in passing.
over the years the channel marker lights have been upgraded to solar
g ET INVOLVED
Volunteers report a few channel marker light outages each month.
power, and the units require little mainte nance. All they require is a decent amount of sunshine most days.
In addition to the channel markers lighting the way for boaters at night, the lake’s buoys help to keep boaters out of dangerous areas. There are more than 60 buoys on the lake warning of shoals or rocks.
Mary Thurmond volunteers responsi bility for shoal marker buoys S021A, S021B and S021C from her home near channel marker G1. She knows how dangerous the area can be and is thankful the buoys were put in more than a decade ago.
“It’s not a particularly safe place,” Thurmond said of the shoal that can
sometimes be difficult for boaters to see — especially new boaters to the area who may not know their way around.
Before the buoys were put in place, Thurmond said her neighborhood would put up signs warning of the dan ger. She said the buoys are able to do the job now. She just makes sure they stay in place and are undamaged.
“It’s easy for me,” Thurmond said. “They are all right here.”
only about half of the lake’s channel markers and buoys have been adopted. Sage said many of those in SML’s upper channels still need adoption. Sage encouraged anyone who is willing and able to keep a look out to volunteer.
anyone interested in participating in the adopt-a- light or adopt-a-Buoy program can contact the tri-County l ake administrative Commission at 540-721-4400.
Li G hts nee D in G aD o P tion:
b eaverdam Creek: BE4 and BE5
b lackwater River: B9, B13, B14, B16, B18, B21a , B30a , B31a , B32, B33, B34, B37, B40, B41, B45, B46 and B49
Craddock Creek: C1, C2 a and C6
Gills Creek: G1, G2 and G4
Roanoke River: R1, R2, R6, R8, R11a , R13, R17, R18, R21a , R24, R25, R28, R30, R39, R41, R42, R58a , R61, R65, R65a , R68, R70, R73, R74, R75, R75a , R76, R77, R78, R79, R80, R81, R83, R85 and R87
witcher's Creek: W1
bou Ys nee D in G aD o P tion: b lackwater River: s 020 (near B11), s 022 (near B23), s 028 (near B4), s 037 (near B10a) and EE (near B8a)
Gills Creek: GG (near G4)
Roanoke River: s 002 (near R6), s 006 (near R15), s 023 (near R11), s 029 (near R16), s 029a (near R14), s 040 (near R85), s 041 (near R87), s 042 (near R87), s 050 (near R6), s 051 (near R6), s 054 (near R12), P (near R11), aaa (near R11), Q (near R11), W (near R26), DD (near R6), JJ (near R27a), kk (near R27a), X (near R27a), BB (near R6), aa (near R6), F (near R6), R (near R11), s (near R11a), BBB (near R11), CC (near R6), t (near R15) and Y (near R27a)
walton’s Creek: u (near WC1) and V (near WC1)
Free-to-use canneries help growers ensure their harvests are stored safely
story & photos by MO llY hu N t ERIT ’S APPAReNT ABoUT TeN MINUTeS after stepping inside one of Franklin County’s canneries that a sense of com munity is strong there.
At its most basic level, canning is a method of food preservation that uses high tem peratures to sterilize a container and its contents and create an airtight seal to prevent decomposi tion. Different processes are required to cook, steril ize and seal different foods. Anyone with the right equipment may can at home, but the cannery facili ties allow for big batch processing all in one place.
Cannery operators Ronald David and Toni Stump said church groups, youth clubs and other
organizations often make use of the canneries. one such group from Faith Fellowship Church took over the Callaway cannery oct. 7 to make apple butter, as it has every year for several years.
The canneries have been owned and operated by Franklin County Public Schools for decades. The county government contributes money to keep them running. Although they do charge for tin cans
provided there, the canneries are otherwise free to use. David noted that the canneries do not exist to turn a profit. Rather, they exist to be a community resource.
“It’s like another service that the county provides,” David said.
Importantly, the two canneries are not businesses. They don’t sell goods or process foods for people or groups. They are more like a makerspaces or commu nity workshop, equipped with pressure cookers, water baths, steamers, sinks, meat grinders and all of the other nec essary tools. over the summer, each can nery received a new boiler.
Residents can use the facilities and the equipment there to process the foods they bring. The operators are responsible for making sure cans are loaded, cooked and processed at the correct tempera ture and time for their contents, weight and size.
Stump has been the Callaway can nery’s operator for about six years but she’s come every day it has been open for 20 years. David and his wife, Carol, have been the Glade Hill cannery operators for about 29 years. The canneries open in July and close in December.
Canning does require the spirit of an early bird. Stump said she regularly gets up at 3 a.m. The operators arrive in the morning’s wee hours.
The operators provide oversight, but David stressed that everyone does their own work. There is certainly no space for idle hands in a cannery, but they foster a cooperative atmosphere, with people trading or gifting foods to one another.
The canneries would be nothing without the communities that have grown up around them.
“The first day I walked in I felt like I had come home,” Stump said.
Some people come by even when they don’t have their own canning work, just to be present.
David said many of the regulars had their first expo sure to canning when they were young children helping their grandparents.
“Now they come here as old men and stand around and help each other and talk
about their aunts and their grandmas,” Stump said.
David said the majority of the Glade Hill cannery’s regulars are about retire ment age.
“The young people know how to do it but the young people have jobs,” David said.
However, Stump said Callaway has seen more newcomers in the last year or so. She attributed part of that to a resur gence in the popularity of canning since the start of the CoVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“It could be the empty shelves but a lot of people, too, are just wanting to garden more organically, more natural, know what’s in [their food],” Stump said.
Stump said many newbies are sur prised to learn just how many things may be canned. Fruits, vegetables, meats — just about anything can be canned. This
The operators provide oversight but everyone does their own work. There is no space for idle hands in a cannery.
year, Stump said she is experimenting with “meals in a jar” where, for example, all the makings of a bur rito are combined and canned, ready for easy use.
As the open season for Franklin County’s can neries winds down, anyone wanting to try home canning should know that it comes with risks. Food borne botulism is a particular concern. A page on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says botulism is a “rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves. It can cause difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death.” The toxin that causes botulism is invisible, odorless and tasteless.
Fresh food, proper canning techniques and common sense go a long way toward safety.
Home canning must be done on a stovetop, using specific equipment. Information about local home food preservation programs can be found through Virginia Cooperative extension and online at ext.vt.edu/food-health/home-food-preserva tion. The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning is
comes to canning, both for taste and safety. Produce should be canned seasonally as it is harvested, but meat may be canned as long as it’s relatively fresh.
High-acid foods, like fruits, may be processed in a boiling water bath.
According to the USDA Complete Guide, “lowacid foods must be processed in a pressure canner to be free of botulism risks. Although pressure can ners may also be used for processing acid foods, boiling water canners are recommended for this purpose because they are faster.”
Glass jars and tin cans each come with pros and cons. Glass jars are reusable but don’t have a tin can’s range of pressure and temperature tolerance.
While the canneries are open, though, Stump and David are happy to help teach newcomers the ropes.
t he lake’s annual Charity h ome tour saw a big boost in attendance this year
by Jas ON D u NOVa N t | photos by s COtt. P Yat E sGooD WeATHeR AND CRoWDS eAGeR to see some of the area’s most interesting homes helped to make this year’s Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour a success.
More than 2,000 tickets were sold at this year’s tour, a significant increase over previous years where the tour has averaged around 1,400 tickets sold. Liz Harrison, the tour’s executive director, said a steady crowd was seen at each of the homes throughout the the weekend.
“The lines to enter the homes were long all day, every day,” Harrison said.
The increased interest in this year’s tour led to even more sponsorship donations this year. Har rison said the sponsorships totaled $157,450, the third highest in the tour’s history.
The final ticket sales count was 2,150, which added up to $51,785, the fifth highest in the tour’s history. organizers will give the money to the eight participating charities at an upcoming event for tour volunteers and families who opened their homes.
Smith Mountain Lake Good Neighbors has tradi tionally been one of the participating charities. Judy Wolfe, SMLGN’s charity lead for the tour, said the donations they receive make a significant impact.
That funding is even more essential, as the orga nization sees increasing need for its after-school and summertime education assistance programs. Wolfe said their programs help students catch up after they’ve lost class time during the CoVID-19 pandemic.
Andrea Fansler, director of the Franklin County Family YMCA at SML, said the tour is one of the three main fundraisers for the Franklin County Family YMCA each year. “It’s instrumental for us and the community,” she said.
Donations from the tour fuel key programs in the community, Fansler said.
When the weather turns cold, here are the artificial lures we reach for
by guest columnist C ha D G il MORE
SoMe oF THe BeST STRIPeD BASS fishing on Smith Mountain Lake will be available to anglers hearty enough to venture out in the colder temperatures of November and December. The water temperature cools enough that Striped Bass are comfortable to feed any where in the water column. This means you will need to keep your eyes on your electron ics and on the surrounding water. Striped bass feed heavily in the fall, and this leads to some great action if you are prepared. In this column we will cover some of the artificial lures that are late fall/early winter favorites and how/when to fish them.
In previous articles we covered the dif ferent forage options that the Striped Bass have in Smith Mountain Lake. For this arti cle, we just need to remember that the baits are somewhat different in size, but they all share about the same silver color. Your lures should match the bait, especially if the water is clear. If you are fishing in water that is dis
colored, your lure can have the added flash of chartreuse.
When the fish are actively feeding on the surface, there are several options that will catch them. The option that most people immediately grab is a top water bait with treble hooks. There are many different brands, and all will catch fish. Just make sure the hooks are strong enough to withstand the fight of a striped bass. The second photo on the left is one example that matches the forage at Smith Mountain Lake — the h eddon Zara s pook . The only nega tive about this bait: multiple hooks will be embedded in the fish’s mouth. It will take longer to remove the hooks, poten tially harming the fish.
A great option that is a single hook and won’t harm the fish as much is the s torm w ild e ye s wim s had . These baits cast well, are a great option for novice or youth anglers and a simple retrieve usually catches fish.
Many anglers prefer to use swimbaits that they assemble using a jig head and shad body. This allows the angler some creativity to match the bait and the con ditions they encounter on the water. Jig heads and shad bodies come in all shapes and sizes; the example above is a s torm 360G t s earchbait . But first, remember if fish are on the surface, a lighter jig head is preferred so the bait doesn’t fall too quickly through the feed ing fish. If the fish are deeper, a heavier jig head is preferred. A general rule is that a ½-ounce jig head will fall about two feet per second through the water column. If you are seeing fish on your electronics at 20 feet, cast the bait and count to ten and begin your retrieve.
A local favorite is a lure produced right here at Smith Mountain Lake by Lacy Burnette. It is called the s wamp m onkey, and its versatility is off the charts. It is a very simple design, a round jig head with a silicone skirt tipped with a Zoom fluke. It can be used to cast to busting fish (when it hits the water start your retrieve) or it can be used to catch deeper fish (cast, count down and retrieve).
The magic in the bait is how the skirt
flares when the bait falls You will want to make that bait fall as often as you can during the retrieve. This can be accom plished by popping the rod tip slightly, letting the bait fall, a few revolutions of the reel handle and repeat. This bait is especially effective as the big fish move
into the creeks to chase bait in the shal lows. They can be found at SML Tack leShack and Captains Quarters here at the lake.
These are just a few options on how to connect with SML’s most sought after trophy fish.
f or m ore on s triper f ishing
l t here are many other ways to present live bait to striped bass in s mith Mountain l ake. t he s mith Mountain s triper Club holds regular meetings featuring guest speakers that explore these very topics. More information can be found at smithmountain striperclub.com or by joining the club. Membership information is available on the website.
Chad Gilmore is the president of t he s mith Mountain s triper Club.
CE l EBR ati NG lak ER a R t & a R tists
be fooled: there’s nothing sweet about this holiday “treat”
Be PRePAReD MY FRIeNDS,THe HoLIDAYS are here with glowing lights, sparkles, the smell of evergreen, presents, and candy canes.
What are the holidays without Santa and Candy canes? This red and white striped delight is appealing to the eye and taste, but watch out, this Christmas treat cannot be trusted.
In store displays, candy canes are bright and strong in appearance. Always packaged in neat rows, they remind me of little toy sol diers. Because of the allure, when holiday dis plays go up, I become hypnotically induced to purchase a box or two, possibly three. After all, these treats are multi-functional. They can be décor for the tree, add holiday glimmer to wrapped gifts, and crushed, they add a sweet rim on a glass of eggnog. It all sounds wonderful until I fork over the candy cash and take possession. once out of the store’s parking lot, the striped sugar canes begin to take control of my life.
grate, they infiltrate, beginning with the seat of my car. Little slivers of red and white begin working their way out of the packaging and adhere themselves to clothing and such, like the lower backside of my long red winter coat.
Essay by V i C ki G a RDNERone of the first indications happens when I see a white powdery substance seeping from the transpar ent plastic wrappers. Candy canes don’t just disinte
Most God-fearing people do not actually eat candy canes. When temptation strikes, this little stick of candy can be sharp as glass and have the capa bility of ripping the walls inside your mouth to shreds. Designed after barber shop poles, which originally signified “bloodletting,” one ought to contemplate the history before bit ing into one of these sucrose marvels. Children, who are always looking for inventive ways to upset their parents and grand parents, love to create instruments of death out of candy canes. Kids instinctively know that, if held in the mouth long enough, and with a bit of skill, they can make a needle-sharp point out of the pepper mint stick. This confectionary weapon is ideal for jabbing at siblings before dropping it on the floor then inserting it back into their mouth and running down a flight of stairs. Let us not overlook the poten tial ‘poke your eye out’ alarm.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: SHAWN GARRETT; ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Vicki Gardner has served as COO of inspecx inspection services since 2019. Previously she was executive director of the smith Mountain lake Regional Chamber of Commerce from 2002 to 2019 and has held several other leadership positions in the region. Vicki and her husband, tim, have been smith Mountain lake residents since 1986. she has two daughters and six grandchildren. in her personal time, Vicki enjoys boating, all water activities, writing and painting.
Don’t
With all of this going against them, why are candy canes so popular? Because Santa endorses them. Santa always manages to have a few million of them in his bag for the good little children. As they hop down from Santa’s lap, children only have precious seconds to open the sheath holding the potential sword, get red stickies in their hair and all over their face before I, ‘the grouchy Gramma,’ steps in and steals the treats away. The candy is quickly stashed in the bowels of my purse. of course, I am always humble and polite to Santa saying, “The candy is for after lunch,” when what I really means is ‘after the kids go back to their mom and dad.
Most God-fearing people do not actually eat candy canes. They can be sharp as glass and can rip your mouth to shreds. They were designed after barber shop poles, which originally signified
The best rationale for keeping candy canes can be seen by looking at the bottom of my purse. once the wrappers wear away, sometime in July, the sticky remains make great lint catchers. one age-ripened sticky candy cane has the power to hold old keys, spare change, hair pins, and gum wrappers. Wait … there’s more! As an added bonus, the minty aroma keeps a purse smelling wonderful — that is until the ants arrive.
Which is another story for another time.
SHARE YOUR m OUNTAIN m USE! a re you a literary or visual artist or know someone who is? We’d love to feature your writing, photography, sculptures and paintings in Laker Magazine . Email tad.dickens@roanoke. com with your original artwork and a short description of yourself.
“bloodletting.”
Baking up sweet treats at home is one of the best parts of the holiday season, but sometimes you want a professional show-stopper for your shindig. luckily the lake area is home to some talented bakers whipping up s anta-worthy creations
written by ta D D i C k EN s
SMITH MOUNTAIN
LAKE COOKIE SHOP
C oo K i ES
AN e W BUT B oo MING BAK e RY business started on a search for a child’s birthday goodies.
emily Furrow, who started her Smith Mountain Lake Cookie Shop in April, is one of several lake-area businesses taking orders for holiday treats this season. Birthday-themed, decorated cookies have taken off in the past three years, and Furrow wanted some for her daughter, now 2½.
“I started shopping around, and it it just turned into ‘these are so cool and I think I could do these,’” Furrow said. “So I just started with real basic stuff and dabbling, and after a little bit of practice got pretty good at it, and friends were saying, ‘why don’t you bake me some?’”
Before long, she was baking all her friends’ cookies for free.
“It turned into … ‘why don’t I start charging and making a business out of it?’ … And I have grown to the point of almost outgrowing my kitchen and I am booked up months in advance and it has taken off on me beyond what I have ever expected,” Furrow said.
She gets most of her business from her Facebook page, and has built a customer base both at the lake and in Roanoke.
Customers are not cookie-cutter in their needs.
“Some people are very specific,” she said. “They know exactly what cookie they want and how they want it, and that’s fine.
“Some people say, ‘hey you do what you do and bake me something cute,’ and that’s what I’ll do.”
Smith Mountain Lake Cookie Shop offers dozens of flavors. Furrow said her favorite this season is cinna mon roll, but she offers the ever-popular pumpkin spice, too. In the spring, she’ll use fresh raspber ries in a cookie, along with blueberry-lemon and more.
She promotes pre-sales on the shop’s Facebook, where she posts photos of cook ies she has decorated. She timed one sale to the recent movie, “Hocus Pocus.”
“People just went crazy over that,” she said. “I got 75 messages, but I did only 20 orders. I had a lot of disappointed custom ers who didn’t get to me in time.”
This is the busiest time of year for the folks who call themselves “cookiers.” “That’s like your grind time,” Furrow said. According to her Facebook page, she had only three slots remaining for November orders and she implored customers to pre-order one or two months in advance. She didn’t have a website with order forms ready to go for the holidays, but accepts Facebook mes sages, she said.
At pickup time, she drives her red SUV to a parking lot — Food Lion in Moneta for lake customers, and TJ Maxx at Tanglewood for Roanokers — pops open her hatch and enjoys meeting people.
“A lot of people stick around, if I don’t have a bunch of people there at once, and chit-chat for a minute,” she said. “I enjoy that, getting to meet all these people that order cookies, and a lot of them are returning custom ers. … That’s one part about not having a storefront, is it’s just drop-off and buy, and you don’t get to interact with people as much.”
A storefront operation is a dream for now, and she jokes that her taste-tester husband says “These cookies can’t be in the kitchen all the time!”
Furrow, who calls herself a nurturer, gets to express that in her work.
“It is definitely a labor of love,” she said. “It’s not a stretch for me to spend six hours on one set of cookies. So if you break it down into ingredients and time, I’m probably making not even close to what I spend. But I enjoy it. I love seeing people get excited about it.”
540-598-7036, smlcookieshop@gmail.com On Facebook: smlcookieshop
Dee PATToN, WHo oPeNeD her business in 2017, said she started baking at 7.
“My great-grandmother was a true gypsy baker who fed villages of orphan children in Romania,” Patton said.
She is proud to carry on such work, and specializes in what she called “naked gourmet cupcakes” — a base cake with flavors, but customers pick the fillings, icing and toppings.
“I like the difference and the creativ ity that customers want … so they get exactly what they want,” she said.
Her general rule is a week’s notice for custom orders. For Thanksgiving, that means Nov. 18, and for Christmas, the deadline is Dec. 16.
Food trailer, custom work and events. 540-915-4678, shabbychix1.wixsite.com/ southerngypsycakery, on Facebook: southerngypsycakery
TARA Jo N e S START e D her business in 2020, and does mostly custom cakes and cupcakes.
“Back in 2020 my grandma passed away and I started bak ing,” Jones said. “It helped with my depression and anxiety and I’ve been baking ever since.”
Jones makes everything to order, with poundcake, pies and cheese cakes her biggest holiday season sellers. When she spoke with Laker Magazine, she was preparing to add an apple pie-stuffed cheesecake to her menu.
She will take orders until a week before an event.
Home-based. 540-819-0870, on Facebook: delightfullysweettreatsbyTee
MATT B ALDWIN HAS o NLY B ee N IN business for six months, with a focus on macarons and some special cakes.
“They’re quite difficult to make,” Baldwin said of his specialty. “… And there are not a lot of offerings close by.
The popular dessert is gluten free, with lots of fla vor profiles, so “you imagination is your limit,” he said. “They’re the best dessert to me of any out there. I love ‘em so I love to make ‘em.
His model is flash sales, once or twice a month, but Baldwin takes pre-orders two weeks ahead of time, for such events as parties and wedding show ers. He offers specific flavors, such as pumpkin spice and pecan oatmeal pie on flash sales, but pre-orders can be whatever customers want.
Delivery. 540 588-1692, on Facebook: mattsmacarons
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l Get b aked 45 Market Pl. Dr, Rocky Mount On Facebook: getbakedwithjudith l Kupkakery b akery & Desserts 540-493-2212 140 Franklin s t., Rocky Mount kupkakery.com
l my way b akery 540-719-0062 13359 Booker t Washington h ighway, Moneta mywaybakery-bakery. business.site
l akers form close-knit communities that share the season in different ways. We went in search of some their favorite activities
NoTHING SAYS “HoLIDAYS” quite like gaily decorated Christmas cook ies, and leave it to lakers to find ways to brighten the season with yummy treats for friends, family and less-fortunate strang ers. Here are four great examples.
Karen Ann Campbell was 3 when she started help ing her mother make “tea cookies” — little sweets that you could eat in one or two bites — some of which look more like what we would call candies. each year her parents invited friends to a cookies and caroling party, and Karen Ann and her siblings would be there to sing a song before heading off to bed. After Karen Ann married Konrad Crist, they decided to revive the cookies and carols tradition with a party with friends in 1979, and for many years thereafter. They even had the little antique carol
booklets from her parents which now have been reproduced into full-page size booklets for easier reading. In addition to the delicious tea cookies, she added a dinner buffet. A highlight of the carol ing has been “The Twelve Days of Christmas” per formed as solos, often with accompanying actions by various guests. What a festive and tasty party!
In the 1960’s when Maria Meleis was 16, she got an old family recipe for baklava from an Iraqi neighbor. She has been making it at Christmas time for friends and family ever since (her son-in-law, who is allergic to milk, especially likes it because it has no dairy). Maria explains that the traditional Greek baklava is made with butter and sugar syrup, but this rec ipe uses safflower oil and honey instead. Layers of paper-thin filo dough, which less-experienced cooks would find difficult to work with, provide the
top and bottom extra-flaky crust for the filling, comprised of toasted walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cardamon. Maria even has a stock of gift boxes into which she nestles each person’s baklava allot ment. Yummy!
Thirty-one years ago, while Sandy Samp son was living in New Hampshire, she decided that decorating cut-out cook ies would be a good holiday activity for her sons, ages 3 and 8. So she made a big batch, cut them into stars, bells, wreaths and snowmen, and invited their play mates — two girls from down the street — over on Christmas eve. Said Sandy: “I thought this would keep them busy … and maybe take their minds off Santa’s arrival.” The kids loved it, and they began a tradition.
About seven years later, the family moved to Morningwood at the lake, and the Christmas cookie decorating party tradition came along. “Some years it was so big we had to have two parties,” Sandy said. She also makes soup and chili for the party, and the guests bring assorted other noshes to add to the event.
Sandy begins preparing well in advance, baking two-to-three dozen cookies per day for a week or more. Last year she made 20 dozen, but she notes, “Due to CoVID, that was one of the smaller party years.” She uses the deluxe sugar cookie recipe from “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.” Sandy prepares frosting in several colors and puts it in bags for piping. Additionally she sets out sprinkles of many colors, edible pearls, mini M&M’s and miniature white and chocolate chips.
“I have just one rule for the party: everybody has to decorate at least one cookie,” says Sandy, a former teacher. “one year a neighbor gruffly stated, ‘I’m not doing any cookie.’ Well I sat him down at the table and, wouldn’t you know, he then spent most of the evening decorating cookies. He liked it so much.”
Sons Chris and Mike have their own families and live too far away to make it back home every season, but they carry
on the tradition with their own parties, including their children and friends.
In the Park Place neighborhood, a group of friends had gathered for a Christmas cookie exchange for three years in a row. Then CoVID hit. But these cookie bakers were not to be thwarted by a pandemic. Neighbor Sue Gallagher knew about The Landing Love Project, a charity begun three years ago by The Landing restau rant to help feed those in our community who are struggling with food insecurity. She, along with neighbors Sarah Chich ester and Susan Drombetta, proposed supporting the Landing Love Project by baking Christmas cookies to be distrib uted with the boxed meals. Drombetta, a member of the SML Women’s Club, pitched the idea to that group also.
Word was spread to the Women’s Club and Park Place neighbors via email, and soon 15-20 people each donated at least four dozen cookies. Then more people got involved. “Not everyone bakes,” Gal lagher said. “others make cash dona tions to cover the cost of buying cookie boxes online.”
There is a lot of work required to orga nize and box the cookies, and the boxes must be delivered to The Landing res taurant for their volunteers to include with meals for the recipients. The Land ing Love Project needed 50 boxes with 2 dozen cookies in each last year. The ladies and their friends also provided boxes of two dozen cookies to each of the Scruggs Volunteer firefighters and members of the Franklin County Sher iff’s office. 2022 marks the third year for this caring project, and the women plan to ensure that it continues.
With harvest behind and the winter holidays ahead, there are plenty of places to get locally raised fare for the year’s big meals written by MO llY hu N t ER
A free-range pig raised by Mike and j en Powers stands outside its woodland home in Franklin County. OPPOSITE PAg E : A chicken roams her fields on the farm of Mindy Hartbecke — the “Ferrum Chicken Lady.”
Mindy Hartbecke processes about 700 chickens per year, which arrive as chicks through the mail in early April. She’s done raising them by Labor Day.
MINDY HARTB eCKe HAS BeeN the Ferrum Chicken Lady for three years.
“I started up the year of the pandemic — that was my first year,” Hartbecke said. “I did not expect that when I actually put in my chicken order.”
even so, Hartbecke’s Ferrum Chicken Lady busi ness has flourished.
“I grew up on a farm in Iowa and we raised chickens … in the summer,” Hartbecke said.
Supporting a local food economy has been a priority for her for the last 15 years, but she said it can be difficult to find locally-sourced chicken.
When she relocated to Franklin County about four years ago, though, she finally had access to enough land to fill the gap herself.
“I actually despised butchering chickens as a child and my mom gave me so much grief when I told her that I was going to do this,” Hartbecke said, laughing.
Hartbecke currently processes about 700 chick ens a year. She gets them through the mail as twoor three-day-old chicks.
“The post office and I have our numbers on speed dial so I know when they’re being delivered and I go over right when the truck delivers them and pick them up,” Hartbecke said.
Her chicks arrive in early April and she’s done raising them by Labor Day.
For the first three weeks, they must be kept in a brooder with heat lamps. After that, they move outside.
“They live in like a chicken tractor — a little mobile pen — to keep them safe from predators,”
Harbecke said.
She buys non-GMo feed for them locally.
“He’s a German Baptist guy who’s committed to raising grains locally,” Hartbecke said. “And if he hasn’t got the grain on his farm he actually person ally knows the farmer he got it from.”
After seeing them through “all of their good days,” Hartbecke takes the chickens to ecoFriendly, a USDA-inspected processor in Moneta.
“He does whole chickens and then I do bone less, skinless chicken breast, wings, bone-in skinon wings, leg quarters that have the bone in them and the skin on them and the assorted hearts and livers and all of that,” Hartbecke said.
Hartbecke said she will probably run out of chicken breast before the end of the year, but a healthy stockpile of leg quarters and whole chick ens keeps her in business year-round.
“I work a fulltime job on top of this,” Hartbecke said.
She can be found at the Rocky Mount Farmer’s Market, although she wraps things up there near the end of october.
“I have online sales and right now I do pick-up at my house in Ferrum,” Hartbecke said.
ferrumchickenlady.com
the Lazy Acres Angus beef cattle opera tion in 1960. Before that, it was a dairy farm.
“My daddy started farming in 1960. We had milk cows. Sold out of milk cows and switched to beef. He bought his first registered cows in 1960,” Thurman said. “He worked at Dupont and he sold quarters and halves the whole time he worked at Dupont.”
It’s a family operation, through and through.
“When we grew up he said, ‘I’ve got three lazy boys and that’s what we’re calling the farm — Lazy Acres,’” the younger Thurman said.
John and Rita Thurman, their son Jason Thur man and their nephew Steve Furrow look after things now.
They ranch on a couple hundred acres north east of Rocky Mount, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“We go through about two animals a month, roughly. It depends a little bit on the demand that we have,” Furrow said.
All of the processing is done at Piedmont Cus tom Meats in Gibsonville, North Carolina, but before that the cattle spend their entire lives at Lazy Acres Angus.
“The animal is born here, raised here, fed here. … We’re pasture-raised and grain-finished. They’re on the pasture all the time so they have access to grass but we do feed them some corn there towards the end of their life,” Furrow said.
They raise Angus cattle, he said, and try to select for animals with higher marbling.
“We offer brisket, steaks, like ribeye, filet, New York strip, sirloin, some chuck eye steaks. Then you get into flat iron. Beyond that we have roasts and ground beef, both in pound packages and patties,” Furrow said.
All of the product is frozen, but Furrow said they go through it fairly quickly.
“Some folks want wholes, quarters and halves. We try to work with them the best we can. Since CoVID, processing has been tough … to get the slots,” he said.
Customers can reach out through lazyacre sangus.com or find Lazy Acres Angus products at the Redwood Community Farmer’s Market and the Rocky Mount Farmer’s Market.
Franklin County’s Center Stage Catering also uses Lazy Acres Angus.
TeRA AND JoRDAN SHARPeS Do NoT CoMe FRoM farming backgrounds, but they are about eight years into making a go of it in Franklin County as Rabbit Head Farm — so named for the shape of the Sharpes’ property near Hardy. “We are a regenerative farm,” Tera Sharpes said.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on management prac tices that restore systems — for example, soil — to improve pro ductivity. There is overlap with sustainable agriculture, but the regenerative approach treats the entire farm almost as if it is its own ecosystem or self-sus taining unit.
Rabbit Head Farm offers a limited number of Thanksgiv ing turkeys each year. They also raise and offer veal and lamb, but poultry — turkeys and chickens — is their main focus.
The poultry range freely in open pastures, but not in normal chicken tractors or pull coops.
“The coops are seasonally stationary. We’ll put them in one place for a year and then build the bedding in there, but the birds aren’t trapped in there. They have nice shelter on deep bedding, so we’re building com post. … We can put the birds on land that would otherwise not get the benefit of that manure so easily,” Tera Sharpes said.
It also means they can use land that is not completely level.
The poultry’s diet is then sup plemented with locally-grown and -milled non-GMo grain.
“our feed is locally-produced so we’re kind of keeping that car
bon loop closed,” Tera Sharpes said. “everything is right from Franklin County, from the feed on down.”
They also work with Mike and Jen Powers to breed, raise and sell free-range pork using a hybrid system very similar to the one implemented for the poultry.
This year, Rabbit Head Farm launched a community-support ed agriculture group, or CSA, for meat.
According to the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture, a CSA “con sists of a community of individu als who pledge support to a farm operation … with the growers and consumers providing mutu al support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. … In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season.”
“We do a meat CSA. We run it in six-month intervals and it’s basically a meat box for either pick up delivery. We deliver to Bedford, Franklin and Roanoke and it’s a once-a-month deliv ery,” Tera Sharpes said. “We also have items just a la carte that you can add on. A lot of folks will add on a box of ground turkey or something like that.”
A group of turkeys gather near their beds at Rabbit Head Farm. Rabbit Head offers an array of meats, but the focus is on poultry.
a RO u ND th E lak E
t hese four businesses make up only a fraction of what Franklin County has to offer in the way of local producers. a comprehensive list is available on the website for the Franklin County Master Gardeners at bit.ly/franklin countyproducers
GeNe SIMMoNS IS A FRANKLIN CoUNTY NATIVe. He grew up near Hardy, where his family farmed. Simmons and his wife moved to Penhook in 2017. In 2019, Sim mons started farming as Sycamore Springs Berry Farm.
“I really only farm about an acre for the produce and ber ries, and then I have the pigs … in a small paddock, and chickens and turkeys,” Simmons said.
This year, he raised about a dozen turkeys for Thanksgiving.
“This will be my second year selling them. I sold 12 last year and did really well. … People enjoyed them. They’re free range pasture birds that go out and do what they do,” Simmons said.
Customers can ask Simmons about getting a turkey at the Rocky Mount Farmer’s Market.
Simmons also sells eggs from his 50-or-so freely roaming chickens at the farmer’s market, along with the produce he raises: corn, okra, squash, pumpkins, potatoes and tomatoes, along with blackberries, strawberries, jams and jellies. He’s hoping to add blueberries, pears, peaches and apples to the list in the next few years.
Peaches are his favorite fruit, he said, and the apples will go
into apple butter.
“It’ll probably be a couple more years. They’re produc ing some now but … nothing much,” Simmons said.
Simmons also keeps a couple of pigs every year. He and his wife keep a little of the meat for themselves, but he sells most of it at the market.
“I get the pigs in February. [They’re] maybe four weeks [old], possibly six,” Simmons said.
He has them butchered in Moneta at ecoFriendly foods.
He and his wife also keep four goats, but Simmons said those are less like farm animals and more like pets that eat weeds.
It’s a quiet life, but after a military career, that’s what Sim mons wanted to go back to.
“When I retired from the military … I wanted … to have some peace and quiet,” Sim mons said.
On Facebook: SycamoreSprings BerryFarm
Volunteer j an Sommers picks out a doll for Lake Christian Ministries’ A Child’s Christmas in 2017. Charity organizers said they’ve seen an increase of 42% in the number of families in need this year.
than ever to be in need of donated presents this holiday season.
Volunteers
last year.
LAK e C HRISTIAN M INISTRI e S IS continuing its holiday-season tradi tion of making sure that no area child wakes up on Christmas without a present under the tree. And just like in previous years, many in the lake community will be lending helping hands.
Angel trees will be popping up in coming weeks around the lake, with cards attached for area children in need of assistance. Several area churches and busi nesses have partnered with LCM to display the trees.
The children on the cards are from families who have signed up for assistance from Lake Christian Ministries in recent months. Struggling parents or guardians who can’t afford holiday gifts can sign up for A Child’s Christmas.
Jane Winters, executive director of LCM, said volunteers are preparing for an increase in need this year. A tumultuous economy in recent years is finally hitting area families.
While CoVID-19 led to job losses nationwide, pro grams became available to briefly keep people afloat. Utility cutoffs and evictions were postponed. once that ended, Winters said the need greatly increased.
“It was like postponing the rug being pulled out,” Winter said of the delay in evictions. once landlords could once again require renters to pay back rent or be evicted, several residents in the sur rounding area suddenly became home less.
LCM has seen a 42% increase in the number of families in need this year. The nonprofit is on target to spend $300,000 on financial aid to families.
This comes at a time when donations to nonprofits are trending down. Winters said donations often rise and fall with the stock market, which has seen a signifi cant dip in the past few months.
In recent years, A Child’s Christmas provided toys and clothes for between 450 and 550 children. Winters said that number could increase to more than 600 children this year.
“It is heartbreaking,” Winters said.
As volunteers for A Child’s Christmas brace for an increase, they are optimistic that the lake community will step up to meet the challenge. Lynda Imirie has wit nessed the community’s support since helping to first organize the program in 1996.
“We’ve always had a lot of community support,” Imirie said.
Volunteers worked out of a run-down home on Rucker Road those first few years. The home was eventually torn down to make room for the Moneta Vol unteer Fire Department.
More recently volunteers have worked out of local churches, preparing donations for each child on the list. Vol unteers spend several days organizing community-purchased gifts from the
Amid a tumultuous economy, Lake Christian Ministries expects to need gifts for more than 600 area children this year.j an Ruehle (left) and Linda Spencer prepare bags of toys and clothes to hand out to families for A Child’s Christmas in 2017.
angel trees, as well as donated toys.
Sea Tow of Smith Mountain Lake col lects a large number of toys each year. The business often holds donation days at local Dollar General stores and has received donations from stores through out the region.
In August, Sea Tow SML collected 687 toys from Dollar General stores at a regional meeting held at Smith Moun tain Lake. All of the toys go directly to A Child’s Christmas program.
Capps Home Building Center in Moneta traditionally will buy gifts for an entire angel tree filled with cards, and Westlake Automotive provides free inspections with the donation of a toy to the business for the program. Multiple other businesses participate, too.
Due to the the lake community’s propensity to give, A Child’s Christmas usually costs LCM very little, Imirie said. While the total cost of the program usu ally exceeds $30,000, the community and
those who shop for a child on an angel tree cover more than 90% of that budget.
Most years, volunteers may have to make a few last minute purchases to make sure each child participating in the program was able to get enough clothing, a jacket and a toy, Imirie said. That shopping is done in December as volunteers ramp up in the program’s final weeks.
It takes more than 100 volunteers to keep the program running each year. Most have been doing it for several years.
Imirie has been the longtime supervi sor of the program, overseeing the orga nized chaos of the final few days before the gifts are distributed in mid-Decem ber. This year she will turn over the reins to lake resident Dianna Weiner.
Weiner, after watching the program come together last year, said she was impressed with how well everyone worked together. “It’s like a well-oiled machine,” she said.
one of the finishing touches on the program is when items are checked off each angel tree card and placed in a black bag for parents to pick up. Imirie said the black bags are not very festive, but they believe parents should have the oppor tunity to wrap and surprise their children with gifts. They don’t want to take that joy away from parents.
on pick up day, families are invited to visit one of the local churches to pick up the gifts. Most years Santa will make a visit to greet any children who have come along for the pick up.
It is the final step in a nearly two month long process that has been helped along by volunteers and multi ple donors and donations from around the lake. Winters is optimistic that the community will step up once again this Christmas, especially with an expected increase in need.
“This community never ceases to amaze us,” Winters said.
m istletoe m akers m arket: Celebrate the holidays and shop local handmade goods! Wonderful artisan and food vendors and family-friendly art activities. Bower Center for the a rts, Bedford. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. $2 donation. bowercenter.org
From local gift markets to light displays, there's plenty of ways to celebrate the season at the lake compiled by C
variety of vendors! Munsey’s s moke s hack will be on site. CVCC, Bedford. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5 (2 and under free). bedfordareachamber.com
ho L i D aY event
n eedle felting: Winter ornaments. learn how to use special barbed needles to compress and join fibers to make a wool ornament. ages 18+. s pace is limited. Registration required! Franklin County library-Rocky Mount. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Free. www. franklincountyva.gov/156/PublicLibrary
family fun n ight: B i NGO Edition! kids and families are invited to join us this evening for B i NGO night! i f you’re lucky you might win a fun prize. Moneta/s M l library. 6 to 7 p.m. Free. 540-425-7004
b lue Ridge m osaic artists: s ee locally crafted examples of this ancient art form in the MOarts Gallery. Moneta/ s M l library. Regular library hours. Free. 540-425-7004
ho L i D aY event
Land of Lights Drive-thru Christmas Light Display: Franklin County Recreation Park, Rocky Mount. 5 to 9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. playfranklincounty.com
fall s ocial with m ill m ountain Zoo: the Zoo is bringing the animals to us! Refreshments provided. Please pre-register. Essig Recreation Center, Rocky Mount. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free. 540-483-9238
veterans Day o bservance: keynote speaker tBa . National D-Day
n ote: t he events listed here were scheduled when this issue went to press. h owever, it is best to confirm the date and time of these events with the specific venues before venturing out.
Memorial, Bedford. 11 a.m. to noon. Free admission until noon. dday.org
Disc Golf Curious: Register by Nov. 10! Come learn what disc golf is all about from a PDGa professional. Discs provided, or bring your own. Waid Park, Rocky Mount. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. $12. playfranklincounty.com
thomas j efferson wine festival: live performances by local musicians, foods by local vendors, artisan market with one-of-a-kind items, reducedrate tours of Jefferson’s private retreat. t ickets include tastings and complimentary wine glass (while supplies last). Poplar Forest, Forest. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $30 advance, $35 at the door; non-tasting tickets $15; children age 6 and under free. poplarforest.org
ho L i D aY event
Christmas h oliday m arket: a great opportunity to explore local businesses this holiday season. Join us for fun, food and shopping with a
h ammer & forge b rewing Company Grand Closing: Come celebrate the good times we’ve all enjoyed with this brewery! h ammer & Forge Brewing, 70 Main st., Boones Mill. s ee social media for times and other details. hammerandforgebrewing.com
ho L i D aY event
n eedle felting: Winter ornaments. learn how to use special barbed needles to compress and join fibers to make a wool ornament. ages 18+. s pace is limited. Registration required! Franklin County library-Westlake. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Free. franklincountyva. gov/156/Public-Library
n ew standard b luegrass in Concert: a variety of styles and influences ranging from traditional artists to contemporary bluegrass and gospel. Bower Center for the a rts, Bedford. 6 to 8 p.m. $15 advance, $20 at the door. bowercenter.org.
s aturday m atinee: “Where the Crawdads s ing.” kya (Daisy EdgarJones) is a young woman who practically raised herself in the North
Carolina marshlands after being abandoned by her mother when she was a little girl. When a man who takes an interest in her dies, she becomes the town’s prime suspect. PG-13. s nacks and drinks served. Moneta/ s M l library. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Free. 540-425-7004
ho L i D aY event m istletoe m akers m arket: Celebrate the holidays and shop local handmade goods! Wonderful artisan and food vendors and family-friendly art activities. Bower Center for the a rts, Bedford. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. $2 donation. bowercenter.org
ho L i D aY event n eedle felting: Winter ornaments. learn how to use special barbed needles to compress and join fibers to make a wool ornament. For teens. s pace is limited. Registration required! Franklin County library-Rocky Mount. 4 to 6 p.m. Free. franklincountyva. gov/156/Public-Library
n ikki Lane: One of outlaw country’s most gifted songwriters and performers takes the stage. h arvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount. 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). $32-$57. harvester-music.com
ho L i D aY event
Land of Lights Drive-thru Christmas Light Display: Franklin County Recreation Park, Rocky Mount. 5 to 9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. playfranklincounty.com
ho L i D aY event
h oliday Candlelight tours: Celebrate the advent of the Christmas season
with Jeffersonian style! tours are followed by hot cider and cookies. Reservations required. Poplar Forest, Forest. Dec. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 15, 16, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. $25 per person. poplarforest.org
Computer Class: Where’s My stuff?!? this class will discuss basic file/folder structure in Windows 10. learn and practice how to find, move, copy, delete and backup files. Moneta/s M l library. 1 to 2 p.m. Free. 540-4257004
thursday n ight texas h old’em Poker. Fun, easy, no-threat poker games. all skill levels welcome — we will help you learn. two games per night, every thursday. Please arrive early. h ot s hots Family Restaurant, 13360 Booker t. Washington h wy., Moneta. 6 and 8 p.m. Free. Richard Millar, rhmillar@gmail.com, text 703819-0157
flames of m emory: thousands of luminarias throughout the grounds will shine in recognition of Overlord's fallen and in tribute to the ultimate sacrifice each made to relight the lamp of freedom. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 5 to 9 p.m. each night. Free admission; donations welcome. dday. org
Lunchbox Lecture: Pearl h arbor. Captain James Ransom, u s . Navy (ret.), reflects on the Japanese attacks on Pearl h arbor and other Pacific territories in December 1941. Online via Youtube and Facebook. Free. dday.org
ho L i D aY event
Christmas in s edalia: u nique handcrafted gifts, light lunch items, hot cocoa and fresh-baked Christmas cookies, and a visit from s anta! s edalia Center, Big i sland. t ime tBa . Free admission. sedaliacenter.org
h omegrown m usic s eries: Open jam from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; intermission
6:30 to 7 p.m. (food truck available; this is a no-alcohol event); band 7 to 9 p.m. Rocky Mount Depot. Free for jam; $5 for band (children 12 and under free). 540-489-0948
tab b enoit w/ Dirty Dozen b rass b and: Grammy-nominated Benoit brings his gritty and soulful Delta swamp blues from the rich bayous of s outhern louisiana. New Orleansbased Dirty Dozen Brass Band takes brass band music and incorporates it into a blend of genres, creating what the band calls “musical gumbo.” h arvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount. 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). $52-$72. harvester-music.com
s outhern Culture on the s kids: s COts ’ eclectic range of a mericana and band members’ wacky antics make for legendary live shows. h arvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount. 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). $22-$42. harvester-music.com
ho L i D aY event
Glow Pickleball Christmas s ocial: Register by Dec. 9. Wear a white shirt and come glow the evening away! Refreshments provided. Essig Recreation Center, Rocky Mount. 4 to 8 p.m. $10. 540-483-9238, playfranklincounty.com
ho L i D aY event
Christmas with the templetons: an afternoon of Christmas tunes. sweet treats provided. Please register. Essig Recreation Center, Rocky Mount. 1:30 to 3 p.m. Free.540-483-9238, playfranklincounty.com
s aturday m atinee: “ top Gun: Maverick.” Pete “Maverick” Mitchell ( tom Cruise) finds himself training a detachment of top Gun graduates for a specialized mission. PG-13. s nacks and drinks served. Moneta/s M l library. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Free. 540425-7004
SEND US YOUR EVENTS! Email the date, location and a brief description including admission cost and contact information to christina.koomen@roanoke.com
Me : “Goo D M o RNING !
Up and at ‘em, today’s the day.”
h ubs: “Uh oh, today’s the day for what?”
“Decorating! Today we get to deco rate the house for the holidays.”
“What, again already? That can’t be right, wasn’t it just Halloween?”
“Yes dear. And, now it’s December. You promised to help with the decorat ing this year, remember?”
“Um, kinda.”
“oh, do NoT go there. We specifically talked about this. We agreed that on the first weekend after Thanksgiving that we — you and me, the married couple that is “we” with a capital “W” — we would
decorate the house together this year.”
“I vaguely remember a conversation where you said something like ‘decorate or die’ and I generally like to avoid the whole death thing.”
“Look at me. Do I look like I’m jok ing?”
“No, you do not. You look like you’re going to melt my face off.”
“Definitely a possibility.”
“o K, I’m just joking, I know this is important to you. Put me in coach, I’m ready to play. But I should probably get dressed first.”
“That’s the spirit! Throw on those jeans and meet me in the basement. our first step is to get the decorations and the artificial tree up to the first floor.”
“All those red and green plastic bins?
You know I gotta be careful with my back, and it’s kinda scary down there. I think a family of mice has set up a com pound near the furnace. Could be rac coons. Maybe a bear.”
“Hey! Focus. You’re a project man ager, how would you tackle this assign ment as a project manager?”
“I would assign it to the junior ana lysts and ask for a status report by the end of the week.”
“Well, darlin,’ we are a delivery team of two and the client wants this com pleted by the end of the weekend.”
“Fine. Let’s go see what we’re dealing with.”
In the hubs’ defense, the basement is a bit foreboding and messy. over the decades we’ve organized and re-orga nized and cleaned out and re-stacked and yet somehow the unfinished storage area always resembles the before photos from the show “Hoarders.”
h ubs: “This is nuts, we have enough Christmas decorations to fully outfit the White House.”
m e: “oh yeah, Joe and Jill called; they want their inflatable Santa back.”
“Inflatable Santa – yes! Where is he? I love that guy!”
“oh no, really? I was thinking tradi tional and tasteful decorations this year, not white trash wonderland.”
“Come on, 20-foot-tall, blow-up Santa is awesome! everybody loves him — he glows in the dark! You didn’t throw him out, did you?”
“of course not. He’s in the back cor ner, in the box labeled ‘why the neigh bors hate us.’ even the mice think he’s ridiculous.”
“There he is! oK, I’ll be out front set ting him up. This is so much fun! Thanks Babe, I love helping with decorating.”
Friends, no jury would convict me. Happy holidays, and if you’re in the neighborhood, stop on by and wave at Santa. He waves back when it’s breezy.
Published each Wednesday, Laker Weekly is free and includes news on area people, businesses, recreation and real estate, as well as an extensive calendar of events. Readers are invited to share information, story ideas, photos and calendar items by emailing news@ lakerweekly.com.
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Access current and back issues of Smith Mountain Laker Magazine on your tablet by visiting issuu.com/smithmountainlaker4 It’s free and available on desktop devices, too.
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of print and digital products at SML. All Laker Media publications are free and available at business locations around the SML area and at our offices ( Page 13 ). In addition, Laker Media products are available online by visiting smithmountainlake.com.
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*Map i D corresponds to the map on the following pages, as well as the larger, more detailed l aker Map produced each year by l aker Media. Laker Map is available in racks around the region, including the offices of l aker Media, 272 Westlake Rd., h ardy (behind k roger).
b erkshire Hathaway HomeServices Smith Mountain Lake Real Estate 76 E7
Horne, j ane Sullivan b erkshire Hathaway HomeServices Smith Mountain Lake Real Estate
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Lake Retreat Properties 72 C11
Mc d aniel, Glenda Long & Foster Realtors 8 C8
Mc d onald, Mary Lou ML Realty 23 d11
Millehan, v icki and Shelton, d ebbie b erkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Smith Mountain Lake Real Estate
Montgomery, d ana b erkshire Hathaway HomeServices Smith Mountain Lake Real Estate
7475 E7
4 E7 b USINESSES PA g E / m AP ID* REAL ESTATE PA g E / m AP ID* Advertise with Us: Call or email for rates, circulation and distribution information: Barry Wright Marketing Consultant 540-981-3262, 540-797-4444 barry.wright@roanoke.com Calendar of events submissions deadline: Dec. 5 Email complete details to christina.koomen@roanoke.com
A WHERE'S THE CROSSWORD? Due to a technical issue with our vendor, the regular crossword puzzle is absent from this issue. Laker Magazine apologizes for any inconvenience. PHOTO: SCOTT P YATES Boaters enjoy a warm fall day on the lake in October.
27 E7
