The Valley Today

Our conversation today with Katie Mercer, Director of Marketing & Events for the Town of Woodstock gave us all the details for the Shenandoah Valley ArtFest happening on Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 10am - 6pm in Woodstock's Court Square. Katie told us about the various artists who will be selling their pieces, offering demonstrations, performing, and showcasing their talents during the free event...

Our conversation today with Avery Harper, a domestic violence advocate, and Kristen Gregg, a children's advocate, both with Phoenix Project included information about their programs and prevention tips for parents.  At the start of this year, Phoenix Project was recognized as a dual agency that now serves survivors of sexual assault AND survivors of domestic violence. Avery explained what that pro...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from  Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Ryan Cubbage, Assistant Superintendent of Luray Parks & Recreation . We recorded our conversation on the front porch at  Main Street Catering & Bakery - last month's guest . Ryan gave us all the details for Downtown GetDown happening on July 4, 2023, beginning...

Our conversation today with Vicki Ruckman, Secretary & Event Coordinator for the Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail and Lee Hartman, winemaker at Bluestone Vineyards gave all the details for the Shenandoah Valley Wine Festival happening on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley from 1pm - 7pm. The rain or shine event will feature wine tastings, music, craft vendors and food truc...

Our conversation today for "Extension Office Friday" featured Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners , Elaine Specht & Dianne Lacy to give details for the Gardening in the Valley Tour happening on Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 9am - 4pm. The pair told us about the featured gardens and the unique things you will encounter when visiting each. There are four featured gardens that can be visited i...

Our conversation today with Michelle Ross, Executive Director at Samuels Public Library and Melody Hotek, Vice President/President-Elect of the library's board of trustees gave some insight into the current status of library funding, new policies, and how decisions are made about administrative matters. In the first segment, Michelle & Melody explained the inner workings of the library that includ...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Randy Arrington, Publisher of PageValleyNews.com and PVN Sports. We recorded our conversation on the front porch at Main Street Catering & Bakery - last month's guest . Randy told us about his long history in media and explained how its come full circl...

It was our final conversation today with Alex Flanigan in her role as Main Street Program Manager for the City of Winchester . When today's show aired, she has already moved on to a new career challenge. She took some time to talk with us last week (while she was still a city employee) and explained what will happen with the Main Street Program moving forward. Joining her was Katie Mooney-Buzby, E...

Our conversation today with Joan Chapman from Shenandoah Reel Women included Julia Sargent, Director of Programs for Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River to talk about their upcoming overnight camp for girls to learn flyfishing. The pair explained why the camps are important, walked me through a typical day, and talked about the mentorship and growth that has come from the camps. Joan...

Today's Strolling Strasburg conversation with Olivia Hilton, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Town of Strasburg was a rundown of several events and happenings going on in June & July. First, Olivia gave us a recap of "Pizza Week" and told us about the winners and community involvement. Then we dived in to talk about the lineup for Front Porch Fridays which kicked off on Friday, June 2, 20...

Our conversation today with Guy Curtis, Director of Marketing for Laurel Ridge Community College gave details about the new Fauquier Trades Center set to open in a few months on their Fauquier campus. Joining us to talk about their trades programs was Donna Comer, Program Manager at  Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions / Fauquier County Economic Development Coordinator and Anna Teter, Program Manager...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Front Royal/Warren County edition - with Niki Foster from Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce to earn details about several upcoming events: Business After Hours at Bing Crosby Stadium on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 from 5:30pm - 7pm. Red, White, and Block Party in partnership with Town of Front Royal on Saturday, July 1, 2023 from Noon til 3pm...

Our conversation today for Tourism Tuesday - Shenandoah County edition - with Kary Haun from Shenandoah County Tourism took us to Woodstock to chat with Darren Ward from Wholesome Foods Butcher & Deli. We recorded our chat at Sakura 22 just a few doors down from Wholesome Foods Butcher & Deli in the Walmart shopping center. Darren gave us some Wholesome Foods history and talked about his long rela...

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 and chall...

Our conversation today with Kendra Sours, CPR Coordinator for Lord Fairfax EMS Council was very insightful. She talked about the statistics surrounding cardiac events & cardiovascular disease. She gave details about the types of training they offer to a wide variety of individuals. American Heart Association classes offered by Lord Fairfax EMS Council include: Healthcare Provider CPR The BLS Cours...

Our conversation today for Traffic Safety Thursday with Lt. Warren Gosnell from Frederick County (VA) Sheriff's Office gave advice, information, and explanations for a variety of topics. We discussed: your options if you see a pet inside a car on a warm day; what happens if you mow your grass into the roadway;  when your wipers AND headlights need to be on; the new move over law taking effect July...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today happened in the conference room at the Frederick County Economic Development office as it does whenever there is an "extra" Wednesday in the month. Shayla Rickard, Business Retention Manager for FredCo EDA joined me for the chat with her guest, Alison Post, Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Frederick County Public Schools . We talked about all the o...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Berryville/Clarke County edition - featured Sarah Ames, Executive Director for Barns of Rose Hill, and Nathan Borger, Director of Operations & Programs. We talked about memberships & endowments plus art shows & exhibits. Through a collaboration with Shenandoah Arts Council, their next exhibition "Opposites Attract" will showcase the diverse talents of fifty S...

Our conversation today with Jennifer Hall, Senior Director of Community Impact for United Way Northern Shenandoah Valley featured Jennifer Locke, Managing Attorney for Blue Ridge Legal Services. Blue Ridge Legal Services is a nonprofit legal aid society providing free civil legal assistance to low-income residents of the Shenandoah Valley and Roanoke Valley of Virginia . Jennifer explained a popul...

It was a great conversation today with Laura Elliott. Laura is an award-winning Washington-based magazine journalist, covering women's issues, mental health, and the performing arts, before becoming a New York Times best-selling author of historical and biographical fiction. Her novels explore a variety of eras (the Italian Renaissance, the American Revolutionary War, WWII, and the Cold War), and...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Top of Virginia Regional Chamber took Kory Campbell & me to West Oaks Farm Market to talk about a few events the chamber recently hosted as well as get details about several upcoming events & programs. Kory gave a quick recap about a few events that have happened in the last few weeks such as Bloomin Donut Dash , Movie Night at Winchester Regiona...

Our conversation today for Tourism Tuesday - Winchester/Frederick County edition - with Justin Kerns from Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau also featured Samantha Armel from Frederick County Homesteaders and Caleb Fahnestock from Back to Basics Farm. Sam told us how her organization came into existence and talked about the importance of knowing where your food comes from AND...

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 Rochelle Dornatt, District 5 Represe...

Our conversation today with Joanne Royaltey gave all the details for Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener's GardenFest happening on Saturday, June 3, 2023, from 8am - 2pm at Belle Grove Plantation . Joanne is a Program Associate with Frederick County Cooperative Extension , and an Extension Master Gardener. We talked a bit about the history of NSV Master Gardener Association - 30 years - plu...

As part of our community health partnership with Valley Health , our conversation this month focused on loneliness. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Joining me to give some insight and advice were therapists  Whitney Maddox & Amariah Williams from Winchester Medical Center Outpatient Behavioral Health.  The pair explained the symptoms of loneliness and talked about it's impact on those who ar...