The Valley Today

Our conversation today with Cynthia Morris gave SO many details about the 53rd Annual Bluemont Fair happening Saturday/Sunday September 16-17, 2023, from 10am - 5pm. She gave the history of how the event started and talked about how it's grown over the decades. She described the magical 200-year-old village nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains that is Bluemont. The event spans most...

Our conversation for Traffic Safety Thursday was live in the studio with Lt. Warren Gosnell from Frederick County Sheriff's Office . It was not without it's glitches: the computer wouldn't play my intro music so Goz played HIS intro music from back in the day. But, as I listened to the recording, the mic didn't pick it up either. Regardless, it was as always, a great conversation full of solid inf...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Front Royal/Warren County edition - with Niki Foster from the Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce featured Ryland Greenhouse and Melania Castegnaro, owners of Melania's Gourmet. Melania's Gourmet is a P astry Shop, Chocolaterie, and Boho Cafe opening September 7, 2023, at 104 South Royal Avenue in the historic district of Front Royal, VA o...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Shenandoah County edition - with Kary Haun from Shenandoah County Tourism also featured Darrell Wood, Director of Operations at Shenandoah Downs. Darrell gave us bit of history for harness racing in Woodstock and quite an education on how it works, the terminology, and the entertainment value it provides to visitors, families, and residents across the Shenand...

Our conversation today with Nathan Stalvey, Executive Director for Clarke County Historical Association gave us details for several upcoming events and programs. Nathan told us about the return of Trivia Nights at Barns of Rose Hill. They are held the first Tuesday in September, October, and November beginning at 6:30pm. Categories include History, Movies, Literature, Science, and more. Local area...

Our conversation today with Lisa Sipp, Executive Director for Shenandoah Arts Council gave us plenty of details for ShenArtsFest, upcoming shows, and ArtScape banners. ShenArtsFest takes place on September 9/10, 2023 from 11am - 6pm on the Downtown Walking Mall in Old Town Winchester. It's an immersive art experience showcasing established, emerging, and unrepresented artists. The event will inclu...

Our conversation for the Valley Business Today featured Shayla Rickard, Business Retention Manager for Frederick County Economic Development Authority , and Ben Waterman, Head of Business Development for Monoflo International. We met at their logistics facility in Stonewall Industrial Park where Ben gave us a tour and gave us some history of the company. We talked about the types of products they...

Our conversation today with Megan Gordon, Executive Director for Page Alliance for Community Action (PACA) and Ryan Cubbage, Asst. Superintendent of Luray Parks/Rec gave all the details for the Page Valley Sunflower Festival happening on Saturday, September 2, 2023. The pair talked about the various activities that will be available when the festival kicks off at 10am - there's a fun run that kick...

Our conversation today with Tyler Hinkle, Shenandoah County's Planner is part of an ongoing series following the work on Shenandoah 2045 - Shenandoah County's comprehensive plan. The planning process will unfold over the course of four years with the majority of the community collaboration occurring from 2020-2022, with input in 2023-2024. Today's chat featured Vito Gentile, Chair of Citizens Advi...

Our conversation for United Way Day with Kaycee Childress, CEO of United Way Northern Shenandoah Valley featured Dawn Devine, Executive Director and Tammy Stevenson, Director of Development & Marketing for Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum . We learned all the details for several of their upcoming events including the return of their Sunset Series on Thursday, August 31,  and the "Wander the Wate...

Our conversation today with Melinda Topham from JustServe.org gave us all the details for their Community Connect & Serve event happening on Thursday, September 28, 2023, from 3pm - 7pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (399 Apple Pie Ridge Road, Winchester.) Melinda explained what both nonprofits and residents can expect when they attend the event. She talked about the success of...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today featured Blair Jewell (Director of Marketing/Communications) and Vanessa McAllister (Director of Programs/Events) from the T op of Virginia Regional Chamber . The pair gave details for their Valor Awards happening on September 21, 2023 from 5pm - 9pm at Backseat Events. The event recognizes public safety professionals, volunteers, and citizens who hav...

Our conversation today for Tourism Tuesday - Winchester/Frederick County edition - with Justin Kerns from Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau took us out in the county to Laurel Grove Wine Farm where we met up with Jaclyn Mommen. Jaclyn is the proprietor, farmer, viticulturist, (the list goes on) along with her husband, Dustin, as they transform one hundred acres of their 400-...

Our conversation today with Celeste Brooks, Community Outreach Coordinator for Northwestern Prevention Collaborative and Warren Coalition also included Cori Pence, Communications Specialist for Northwestern Community Services Board . The pair gave details for the Overdose Awareness Vigil happening on August 31, 2023, from 6:30 to 8pm at the Front Royal Moose Lodge. Although this event is specifica...

Our conversation today for Extension Office Friday with Carol Nansel , a Shenandoah County Extension Agent who works with the 4H program also featured several students who will be showing in the 2023 Shenandoah County 4H/FFA Livestock Show & Sale at the Shenandoah County Fair on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Returning to the show was Lindsey Rigby. Lindsey is in her second year at Laurel Ridge Comm...

As part of our community health partnership with Valley Health , this month, we talked with Aubrey Presha , Director of Telemedicine for Valley Health. We discussed the systems behind making telemedicine work for patients and how it's changed and grown since the pandemic when it became a necessity. We talked about the value and convenience of telemedicine, plus Aubrey explained how much room there...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today featured Stephanie Lillard , People Incorporated's Director of Community Economic Development and Rachel Fogg , Director of Communications. We discussed what community development & economic development look like within their organization and talked about the large geographical footprint they serve. Stephanie told us about a few of the loan programs,...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce took me to South Court Inn in Luray to chat with innkeeper, Shannon Socolosky.  Shannon told us the story of how she & her husband Joe came to be innkeepers at the 1875 property which includes the manor house, a cottage, and beautiful outdoor gardens. She walked us through the process...

Our conversation today with Rachel Shaefer, Executive Director for Opportunity Scholars & Heather Waugh, their Outreach & Fundraising Manager included details about an upcoming event and an overview of their non-profit.  Rachel explained their mission and the work they do to connect with students and their families to facilitate a pathway for further education and a solid career in a number of dif...

Our conversation today with Cori Pence, Communications Specialist with Northwestern Community Services Board Prevention & Wellness Services is part of a year-long partnership with Northwestern Community Services Board highlighting eight different dimensions of wellness. Their "Rooted in" campaign is in its third year with 2023's message: Rooted in Wellness . Each month they will encourage communit...

Our conversation today with Guy Curtis from Laurel Ridge Community College included Jodi Navin, a Corporate Training Instructional Designer for Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions . The pair gave details for an upcoming Workplace Wellness series that will begin mid-September. Jodi explained the five topics that will be covered on alternating Wednesday evenings during the classes on the Middletown Cam...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce featured Anthony Craft , a financial advisor with Edward Jones . Anthony explained how a high school class led him to his career as a financial advisor. We talked about the different services he offers, and how his core values make him different from other advisors. H...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Old Town Winchester edition - featured Jenny McDonald from the City of Winchester to give several updates about new businesses, Piccadilly Street renovations, and upcoming events. Jenny highlighted a new business Lion + Ram Boutique . They are a women's fashion boutique located at 127 N. Cameron Street in Old Town Winchester. She also told us about Still Mead...

Our conversation today featured Alicia Aston from Dakota's Dream Animal Rescue to learn more about the non-profit. Randy Woodward joined us to discuss a fundraiser he's hosting to help one of the cats in their care. Alicia told us how the animal rescue got started and talked about the types of animals - mostly cats - that they take and provide medical care for. She told us how Liam came to them an...

There wasn't an actual conversation for the second segment of today's show. A last minute guest cancellation gave me an opportunity to step onto my "soapbox" and spend a few minutes talking about the importance of being involved in your community. The transcript is below. If you have questions, need resources or access to information, feel free to email me or send a text to 540-635-4121 and I'm ha...