metropolis | august 2007

Written by Nicci Page and Elizabeth Parsons

 

not just another summer music fest
Music lovers: heads up this Labor Day, September 3rd, Grahamfest descends on Max Meadows—combining a first-hand view of the South’s historic past with front row seats to some of the area’s greatest musical performers. Held in the beautiful hills of Southwest Virginia, organizers tout the event as “the Southeast’s MAJOR premier music festival.”  Featuring Josiah’s Mountain Rock Music Band and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, a Dave Matthews tribute, a Beatles tribute, country music, dancers, bluegrass, and oldies musicians on no less than four separate stages, this family-oriented event is meant to promote mountain music. The festival boasts quality vendors, a children’s play area, and a NASCAR and vintage vehicle display area. Get ready to get down with some down-home music, food, and non-alcoholic drink, all nestled on 1,000 gorgeous acres in the Appalachian Mountains. According to GrahamFest founder and headline performer, J.C. “Josiah” Weaver, “The music of these mountains is at the very core of my life. It is my wish to celebrate my deep Virginia roots and my love of music and life at this festival…So let’s rock and roll!” 
www.grahamfestusa.com  276.284.0006

 

a fresh perspective on history
Our country is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year and the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville is making sure that Virginians don’t forget those who went before us.  From now through January 20, 2008, the Museum presents “Beyond Jamestown: Virginia Indians Yesterday and Today,” a one-of-a-kind exhibit that looks at Virginia history from the Native American point of view. “A lot of exhibits related to Jamestown are told from a European perspective. For the first time, the story of the Virginia Indian is being told by Virginia Indian Tribes and leaders,” explains Ryan Barber, director of marketing for the museum. Curated by Virginia Indian anthropologist and editor of the recently published Virginia Indian Heritage Trail, Karenne Wood, the exhibit features images and artifacts of modern Virginia Indians as well as those past. Text panels guide visitors through the rich yet tumultuous history of Virginia Indians, including the tribes’ uneasy first relations with the English. “Native peoples have lived in the area we now call Virginia for as many as 15,000 years.  But if you ask Virginia Indians how long they have been here, they will probably say, ‘We have always been here’,” Wood says. “Our histories, our ancestral connections, and our traditions are intertwined with the land called Tsenacomoco by the Powhatan peoples.” Against a lush aural background of birds, water, and Native flutes, visitors can examine displays of tools, bone fish hooks, inscribed hair pins, decorated potsherds, and ceramic pots. Other highlights include a wigwam replica, a dugout canoe that visitors can touch and sit in, and a re-created one-room school with antique desks and rare photos of Indian schoolchildren from 1914 through 1940. The exhibit also showcases an impressive contemporary display of beadwork, leather crafts, flutes, woodcarvings, pottery, and art. The “Beyond Jamestown” exhibit is sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and the Martinsville Henry County Virginia Economic Development Corporation. 
www.vmnh.net  276.634.4141

 

the best of the best for va cooks
Yum
 Quail Ridge Press has just released the Best of the Best from Virginia II Cookbook, 288 pages and 350 listings of carefully selected recipes gathered from kitchens from Hot Springs to Hampton, and retailing for around $16.95. In this, the sequel to the Best of the Best from Virginia Cookbook which sold over 100,000 copies since 1991, Editors Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley searched state-wide for recipes most representative of Virginia kitchens. The Best of the Best series is part of these innovative cooks’ effort to preserve America’s food heritage, with each cookbook incorporating servings of history and little known facts on various dishes and culinary traditions. The Virginia II edition includes  tantalizing dishes like Hampton Roads Crab Imperial, Dockside Potato Salad, Smithfield Inn Stewed Tomatoes, and desserts like Tidewater Toffee and Strawberry Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust. It’s available at many bookstores, kitchen and gift shops; or you can order it yourself by visiting www.quailridge.com or calling 800.343.1583. ~EP
www.quailridge.com  800.343.1583

 

mmmm
. beer
Finally, it’s time once again to join your community in a celebration of, you guessed it…beer, as The Square Society presents the mid-Atlantic’s premier micro and craft beer festival. The 10th Annual MicroFestivus takes place at Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke on August 11th between 2 and 8 pm. And this year, organizers promise significant improvements to relieve the long lines! Taste from a selection of more than 50 beers from 20 micro and craft breweries from the region and beyond—in years past, attending brewers have included Hilltop Brewing Company, Legend, New River Co., Old Dominion Brewing Co., Queen City Brewing, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, South Street Brewery, Starr Hill Brewery, Troegs Brewing Co., Valley Distributing, Weeping Radish Bavarian Restaurant and Brewery, and many others. And that’s just a start; live music, food, and festivities tickle the senses as well. Scheduled bands this year are the ever-popular Key West Band from 1:30–3:15 pm; Pop Rivets from 4–6 pm, and Lloyd Dobler Effect from 6–8 pm. Ticket prices vary based on how many tastings you intend to imbibe, and an I.D. is a must. (Regular admission tickets with no tastings are $6; discounted admission is available if purchased online before 5 pm on Friday, August 10th). Proceeds from Microfestivus benefit one of City’s favorite causes, Center in the Square.  
www.microfestivus.com

 

27 years of community spirit
Each year since 1980 the close-knit community of Blacksburg comes together for Steppin’ Out—an annual street festival that takes place on the first Friday and Saturday of August (the 3rd and 4th this year). From 10 am until 10 pm each day, Steppin’ Out features over 170 craft vendors from around the globe peddling unique handcrafted items like jewelry, pottery, textiles, fine art, metal work, and stained glass. There is all manner of ethnic and regional food provided by downtown restaurants, children’s activities, and three stages of live music with performances brought to you by DLP Concerts. “We like to feature a lot of local and regional talent, with just a couple of headline acts,” says DLP Concert’s Dylan Locke. “Blacksburg is a wonderful, really strong community with smart, creative, artistic, and musical people…Steppin’ Out focuses on [that] community, crafts, and music,” he adds. Headliners this year include banjo prodigy Tony Trischka, a mentor to BĂ©la Fleck who was recently featured on The Late Show with David Letterman, as well as world-beat sensations Baaba Seth out of Charlottesville. And don’t miss the Annual Draper Mile road race Friday at 6:30 pm, starting and ending on Draper Road with a finish line smack dab in the middle of the festival. The main stage provides continuous live music at the intersection of Draper Road and College Avenue Friday and Saturday; an acoustic stage features folk and contemporary sounds in the B-burg Post Office parking lot. There’s also a community stage to showcase regional performers from cloggers to belly dancers and beyond. This big, beautiful, and vibrant event is free—parking, shuttles, and all…Don’t miss the Burg’s best arts bash! 
www.downtownblacksburg.com  540.951.0454  

 

savoring success in two fabulous new venues
In only eight years of operation, Schaal’s Catering and Events has become one of the most prominent catering and event-design businesses in the area. (And for good reason—City’s own editor, in fact, had the pleasure of sampling Schaal’s fantastic food and service at her father’s home wedding in December). Owners Jim and Amanda Schaal’s latest news is their recently acquisition of two stunning new locations: Fincastle’s exquisite Kyle House, at the corner of Main and Church Streets, and a Jefferson Street location in the heart of downtown Roanoke, in the former location of d’Espresso coffee shop.  Fincastle’s Kyle House is a historic three-story brick structure with a hand-laid limestone foundation, best known for its sumptuously carved interior woodwork on fireplace mantels, archways, door frames, and the large scale, three-story open staircase. The classic and expansive ballroom (30 by 40 feet) is another “wow” factor. Says Co-owner Amanda Schaal, “Schaal’s Catering is just delighted to be out in Fincastle, and especially in such a great location. The Kyle House is a magnificent venue and we look forward to hosting many events there.” The Jefferson Street venue in downtown Roanoke, at the bustling corner of Church Street, is a prime location with tall, gleaming glass windows gazing out onto the urban scenery. It offers something different for those seeking a hip and modern ambiance for their function. “We weren’t trying to be another ballroom,” says Amanda of the Jefferson Street location. “We’re going for a more contemporary yet earthy feel, and we think we have achieved that. It’s very beautiful.” The Schaals also offer an intimate venue on Campbell Avenue, and they will arrange travel to homes and to other regional destinations to provide full event-design and catering services. ~EP 
www.jimschaalcatering.com 540.343.2577 info@schaalsevents.com

 

shopping for a bright future
Parents look toward the coming school season with mixed emotions. On the one hand, they dread the endless errand running to prepare kids for the “big day”…but also: Yes! They’re (almost) out of the house again! Fortunately, Loews Hotels in Washington DC, Annapolis (MD), and Philadelphia (PA), along with Nordstrom department stores, are making the back-to-school chaos an exciting adventure with their exclusive “Back to School” package. Available July 5 through October 31, this shop-and-stay deal includes overnight deluxe accommodations in one of these fashion-forward cities; a $25 Nordstrom gift card; a personalized “piggy” bank with a presidential gold dollar coin inside; lunch for two at CafĂ© Nordstrom; plus the hands-on assistance of a personal fashion stylist for selecting the hottest fashion trends of the season. Package rates start at $289 for weekends or $229 for weekdays (per room, per night), plus tax. Bring the camera (and the credit card); it’s a unique opportunity for parents and kids to connect and experience the unparalleled sites, culture, and of course shopping (!), of one of these neighboring cities.
www.loewshotels.com  800.23.LOEWS

 

jammin’ to a sustainable beat in floyd
In July, the folks of the famous Floyd Country Store unveiled its bright new face. Most area residents know of the store’s Friday Night Jamboree—where old-timers and newcomers alike join to jam and flatfoot to some of the region’s finest bluegrass and old-time music around—a musical institution going strong for twenty-five years. Now, under the innovative ownership of Woody and Jackie Crenshaw, the freshly renovated and greatly expanded store incorporates the works: an original 1930s soda fountain, homemade ice cream, buckets and buckets brimming with penny candy, hand-made gifts, and regional music for sale—lots of music.  What’s best about the changes, however, is that the new owners since Spring of 2005 have worked fastidiously (and expensively) to honor the history and character of the Crooked Road landmark.  Relative newcomers (having lived in Floyd for only twenty years, hailing from North Carolina and England, respectively), the pair even distributed flyers to the people of Floyd asking what their country store should shelve. And to avoid biting into the business of other key Floyd industries, they are keeping it light on arts and crafts. “When we bought it two years ago,” says Woody Crenshaw, “We felt it was important to return it to the community as a country store
 We’ve tried to maintain the ambiance… We’re also specializing in music and we want to have a very deep collection of recordings, CDs and videos, of the music of this region.” The grand opening in mid-July was welcomed whole-heartedly by regulars of the institution, praising the seamless and authentic blend of history with the present. Speaking of the present, you can even view a video tour of the revived store on YouTube, narrated by Mr. Crenshaw himself. “I’d say the great thing about the Country Store is that when you’re out on the dance floor on a Friday night with grandparents and grandchildren, with teenage girlfriends and boyfriends and couples, there’s a real spirit and real joy to it that is undeniable, that is tangible…” The Crenshaws will also be bringing in folks to offer music lessons and workshops based in the store’s traditional roots.  It’s all in the name of progress, in the true sense of the word.  (Visit the Country Store at 206 South Locust Street in Floyd—especially for the famous Friday Night Jamboree that gets going at 6:30 pm). ~EP
www.floydcountrystore.com  www.thecrookedroad.org  540.745.4563

 

happy birthday, chocolatepaper!
Congratulations to Chocolatepaper for completing a sweet and successful first year in July. City has been a fan of the unique boutique since day one, as Chocolatepaper sells unusual and kitschy finds made out of two of our favorite things: chocolate and paper, of course. The store is a great place to find funny and funky greeting cards and magnets, unusual and beautiful stationary and gift paper, plus an incredible array of chocolate. It’s the newest addition to the “family” of well-established small businessmen Stan McCulloch, Mark Burkett, and Matt Burkett (uncle and nephew, respectively). The trio also owns and runs a popular gift and home accessory boutique in Richmond called Mongrel, which recently celebrated its sweet sixteenth. But Roanoke resident Matt Burkett wanted to bring something to his hometown community, too (Mark also hails from Roanoke, but now lives in Richmond). McCulloch comments, “We felt it was a unique concept, that there was nothing quite like it in Roanoke. We felt like we were adding something to the retail selection in the city.” Indeed. The goods at Chocolatepaper are unmatched by any other candy or card store we know of in the area. The owners work hard in seeking out lines “that are a little less obvious, not quite as accessible as the things you would find at a grocery store or card shop.”  The result is a bright and cheerful space bursting with floor-to-ceiling (eye)-candy, like 1950s inspired greeting cards and cases of chocolates sprinkled with edible glitter or filled with unexpected goodness like lavender or rose crùme (Chocolatepaper also carries a great selection of the tried-and-true candy classics). It also offers the friendly and knowledgeable service of the Burketts and McCulloch.  The place is “about fun—we want it to be a fun store,” says McCulloch.  “There’s a lot of humor here.” Visit Chocolatepaper at 3260-505 Electric Road SW, and look for its retail website, coming  soon, www.chocolatepaperroanoke.com. And a word to the savvy giver: ask about Chocolatepaper’s amazing gift baskets. ~EP 
540.989.7025 

Posted: August 1st, 2007 under Performing Arts.
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~Nicci Ray is a freelance writer whose interests lie in arts, entertainment, fiction and fine cuisine. A Roanoke resident by birth, she has worked with such publications as The Roanoke Times & World News, Artbeat Magazine, Radford News Journal, Christiansburg Messenger, NRV News, and In the Loop Magazine of The Tampa Tribune. She holds a degree in Print Journalism from Radford University. Nicci can be contacted in care of City Magazine at 540.345.6300 or contact@citymagazineonline.com.