The Valley Today

Our conversation today with Kaycee Childress, CEO of United Way Northern Shenandoah Valley featured Andrea Cosans, Executive Director for Winchester CCAP .  Andrea gave us an overview of the various services they offer the Winchester/Frederick County community and talked about the 20% increase they've seen in need and requests for service. We talked about their "freedge" program and the immediate...

As part of our community health partnership with Valley Health , this month, we talked with Dr. Jennifer Cunningham , a board-certified family medicine physician, about  the vital relationship with your family practitioner. She also gave some insight into the differences between allergies, the common cold, and strep throat. We talked about the symptoms of each of the ailments and discussed treatme...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Top of Virginia Regional Chamber edition - with Kory Campbell included Blair Jewell. Kory explained his transition to Director of Media Services and introduced Blair who is the new Director of Marketing & Communications. Blair shared her story and told us how happy she is to have returned to the area where she was raised. We talked about the paralle...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Winchester/Frederick County edition - with Renee Bayliss from Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau also included Kristen Laise from Belle Grove Plantation and Rick Kriebel from Newtown History Center . The group gave details for Hungry for History - a food event showcasing fifteen historical sites in the City of Winchester, Clarke & Freder...

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 for Extension Office Friday happened at Northern Virginia 4H Educational & Conference Center with Stacy Swain , a Warren County Extension Agent and manages the Warren County 4H Program . The Clarke/Warren 4H Camp was in full swing and we talked with adult counselors, teen counselors, and several of the campers about their experiences and what 4H camp means to them.

Our conversation today with Jennifer Hall, Sr Director of Community Investment with United Way Northern Shenandoah Valley was a refresher for their upcoming Project Connect resource fair. She explained what the event is, how it works, and why it's an important part of their mission to serve the ALICE (Asset Limited Income Contrained Employed) population . They currently have a need for volunteer g...

Our conversation today with Margaret Jones Kilmartin, owner of Blue Ridge Baking Company gave us all the yummy details for her bakery that recently opened a retail space at 7726 Main Street in Middletown.  Margaret gave us some history about the bakery which has operated a successful wholesale division for many years. We talked about the retail space now open in Middletown plus got a long list of...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Christian Goebel from Shenandoah River Outfitters. Christian gave some history about how the business began in the early 1970's and told us all the ways that it's grown over the years. He talked of all the activities they offer including c anoeing, kayaking, tub...

Our conversation today with Dave Brotman, Executive Director for Friends of the North Fork Shenandoah River , and Seven Bends State Park Ranger Tom Stevens gave us all the details for their North Fork Conservation Corps . The pair explained how the program came to existence and told how it works and the benefits it provides to participating teenagers aged 13-17. We discussed the types of projects...

Our Strolling Strasburg series comes to an end with today's conversation. Olivia Hilton & I met at Nancy's Coffee Bar to have a look back at all that she's accomplished in the last five years she's been with the Town of Strasburg. We talked about events, partnerships, big projects, and she spoke about her pride of staff and the community as a whole. We talked about the new adventure she will begin...

Our conversation today with Guy Curtis from Laurel Ridge Community College included Paul Cissel , Program Director - EMS Education, and Dr. Craig Santicola , Dean of Professional Programs to talk about their various EMS programs. They explained what they are, how they work and the wide variety of jobs/careers that are available for those who choose the different certification(s). We talked about t...

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses and offering advice and resources to small business owners. We talked about the Community Navigator Pilot Program with Martin Short, Lead Economic Development Specialist & Public Information Officer at the Virginia-Richmond District Office for the US Small Business Admin...

Our conversation today with Katie Tennant, Executive Director at the Northern Virginia 4H Educational & Conference Center included Chirs Newlon, Reservation & Events Manager, and Megan Babcock, Outdoor Recreation Specialist.  They gave me a bit of history about the organization and explained how the center was built. We discussed the various programming they offer, including team-building events a...

Our conversation today with Lynne Phillips from Natural Art Garden Center was full of summer gardening tips. She talked about what you can plant in July, how to measure the amount of water you're giving your plants, plus we talked about bugs! She explained things to keep in mind if planting in pots, how to spot & remove bugs on your roses, and gave a strategy for tackling those weeds. Plus we talk...

Our conversation today with Kary Haun from Shenandoah County Tourism took us to Basye to chat with Eric & Jennifer Luvaas at Wetlands Trading Company. The pair gave us a bit of history for how the business got started and explained how it's changed and grown since opening in December 2022. Wetlands Trading Company features a gourmet market, a garden center, and a relaxing outdoor space to enjoy th...

Our conversation for Traffic Safety Thursday was live in the studio with Lt. Warren Gosnell from Frederick County Sheriff's Office . He gave an update on a few new/updated traffic laws that took effect on July 1, 2023. Lt. Gosnell explained the changes to the " Move Over Law " and why you must now stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk . We also discussed where you can and can't install a dash cam re...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Niki Foster from Front Royal / Warren County Chamber of Commerce featured Ian & Isaac Rushing - two of the three brothers behind Honey & Hops Brew Works.  Ian gave a bit of history for how the business started with the brothers and talked about the crazy growth they've seen since opening their doors in April 2020. The pair explained the mead-maki...

Our conversation today with John Huddy, Director of Handley Regional Library System took place at Handley Library in Old Town Winchester. We talked about a myriad of things including upcoming events, and a recap of their recent Rockin the Library event, plus we learned more about all the different services offered by the library that are not just books. John told us about a few apps that make your...

Our conversation today with Dennis Lynch, Director at the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival gave all the details for the upcoming season. He told us about each of the performances, the return of picnic food and ice cream for sale, new parking attendants, and he even shared a few deals! The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival is a not‐for‐profit performing arts presenter that has been bringing great mu...

Our conversation today with Chris Konyar, Director of Winchester City Parks & Recreation was full of updates about construction projects, pocket park improvements, park events, and of course, fireworks. Chris explained a few construction projects happening at Jim Barnett Park that include two new rectangular turf fields for soccer (primarily) that will also have lights, six new pickleball courts b...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Top of Virginia Regional Chamber 's CEO Cynthia Schneider and Director of Media Services Kory Campbell gave all the details for NEW Hob Nob in the Valley happening on Thursday, August 24, 2023, from 5:30pm - 8pm at the Winchester Regional Airport Hangar 509. Cynthia gave us a bit of history for the event that's been a signature chamber event for...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Winchester/Frederick County edition - with Justin Kerns from Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau featured Lenore Schmecko and Vincenzo Mazzone, the new owners of Knead Bread Artisan Bakery. They gave us a bit of family history and talked about how the bakery started and the generations of bakers that have come before them. We spoke of the...

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 Laura Bennett, District 4 Representa...

Our conversation today with Kaycee Childress, CEO, and Jennifer Hall, Senior Director of Community Investment for United Way Northern Shenandoah Valley gave us all the details for Project Connect . The pair explained how the event started, how it's grown, and why it's an important piece of serving the community. Kaycee told us about the recent event held in Woodstock and gave some statistics for t...