The Valley Today

We recorded this month's Strolling Strasburg conversation with Olivia Hilton, Director of Strategic Initiatives in the council chambers at Strasburg Town Hall . Joining us to give details for items they'll be offering at Cupid's Market were Jen Dufner ( Jen's Hookin & Stitchcraft ), Monica Heffner ( Posh Fairy Floss ), and Jade Harvey ( Jadeworks Studios ). We talked about all the different items...

We were live in the studio for today's Traffic Safety Thursday conversation with Lt. Warren Gosnell from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office . Today's topic was motor vehicle operations. We discussed how drivers should act/react in situations such as construction zones, crash sites, detours, road closures, and inclement weather. Lt. Gosnell gave examples, talked about best practices, and reitera...

We recorded today's conversation with Niki Foster from the Front Royal Chamber at On Cue Sports Bar & Grill to chat with the owner, Danielle Haase. Danielle gave us a quick history of the business and told us about their upcoming move into a new location on Main Street in Front Royal. The expansion will give them 6000 sq ft of additional space and the ability to bring more live entertainment to th...

We recorded our conversation today with Felicia Hart, Clarke County 's Director of Tourism & Economic Development at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center to learn the details of Clarke County's Groundhog Day happening on Thursday, February 2, 2023 from 9:30am - 11am at Clarke County Fairgrounds. The event is free and open to the pet-free public. Blue Ridge Wildlife Center and Valley Wildlife Care will be co...

Our conversation today kicks off 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 challenge community members to get involved by either participating in a monthly challenge or attending a Lunch and Learn s...

Our conversation today with Jenna DeHaven, Director of Advancement for United Way Northern Shenandoah Valley included Robyn Miller, Executive Director of the Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter . Robyn gave us the history of her organization and talked about the important role it plays for the homeless in our community. She explained how the overnight shelter works with support from local ch...

We recorded today's conversation about FredCo Eats Restaurant Week with Wendy May, Marketing Manager for Frederick County Economic Development Authority at Jordan Springs Market - one of the participating restaurants. FredCo Eats is an effort of the Frederick County Economic Development Authority to cultivate and elevate the full scope of the Frederick County, Virginia, food economy - from agricul...

We recorded today's conversation with a live studio audience at Handley Regional Library . Today was Media/Non-Profit Day for the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber 's Community Leadership Program. This nine-month program runs on the third Friday of each month from September through May. The program begins with an orientation on the third Friday in August, followed by monthly sessions studying speci...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Winchester/Frederick County edition - took place at the Winchester Visitors Center with Justin Kerns, Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau and his guest, local muralist/artist Sarah Gallahan. Sarah told us how she got started creating murals and talked about several of her local projects as well as Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center...

Our conversation today with Michelle Myers, owner of Michelle's Main Event gave us all the details for the Winchester Bridal Expo happening on Sunday, January 29, 2023, at Winchester Country Club. Michelle told us how she started her wedding & event planning business and gave us some insight into all the things that go into planning a bride's big day. She also explained the history of the Winchest...

Our conversation today with Lynn Hoffman & Rochelle Dornatt, NSV Master Gardeners gave us details for several upcoming events hosted by the organization. The 12th Annual Seed Exchange will take place on Saturday, January 28 from 10am - 2pm at t he State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy Experimental Farm located in Boyce, VA. If you're a home garden seed saver or have some extra commercially grown s...

As part of our community health partnership with Valley Health , our conversation this month focused on setting healthy intentions in 2023. Joining me was Tracy Mitchell, MS, CHES ® Director, Wellness Services & Risk Reduction and Katherine Sellors, RD, LDN, clinical dietitian, Wellness Services. They explained their roles at Wellness Services, how they engage with VHS employees and the community....

Our conversation today with Winchester Book Gallery owner Christine Patrick is the official kick-off to a new monthly segment highlighting local authors. Christine gave us some history of the now 51-year-old bookstore and talked about how she chooses the books you find on the shelves. We talked about local interests, special orders, and her work with local schools and organizations. We discussed h...

Our Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County - conversation today featured Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce and his guest, Bill Huffman from Luray Caverns. Bill gave us the history of Luray Caverns and answered several questions about the experience. He also explained that the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, Shenandoah Heritage Village, and Toy Town Junction are included with eve...

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. Kim Woodwell and Kevin Tate from Alliance for the Shenando...

Today's Strolling Strasburg conversation with Olivia Hilton, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Town of Strasburg took us to Strasburg Community Library for a conversation with Cheryl Metz, Operations Manager for the library. Cheryl gave us an "audio tour" of the library and talked about many of the programs they offer for people of all ages. We discussed how you can donate books, how to be...

Our conversation today with Guy Curtis, Director of Marketing for Laurel Ridge Community College featured Sharon Hetland, Director of Adult Education for Northern Shenandoah Valley Adult Education which is based at the college. Sharon explained the various programs they offer through the program for people at any stage of their life or level of education. They serve the region (City of Winchester...

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses as well as offering advice and resources to small businesses. We talked with Martin Short, Lead Economic Development Specialist & Public Information Officer at the Virginia-Richmond District Office for the US Small Business Administration about a new program: Community N...

Today's Tourism Tuesday conversation took place at Barns of Rose Hill with Executive Director, Sarah Ames and Martha Reynolds, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator. The pair gave me all the details for their new exhibit "World of Wood" on display from January 14 through February 25, 2023. It will highlight the art of woodworking. Featuring fine furniture, sculpture, and unique creations by local wood...

Today's conversation took place on Saturday at the Winchester Farmer's Market - a new market founded in 2022 - with a goal to provide a venue for local farms, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to connect with the community and highlight their products year-round. All their vendors live within an hour's radius of the market and all products sold at the market are locally grown and produced. They...

Our conversation today with Tammy Sharpe, Executive Director of the Phoenix Project gave us details about the organization and how/why it was formed as well as the services and programs they offer to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Tammy gave us a quick history lesson and explained how Phoenix Project was formed to serve those in the community after Harmony House closed in October...

We recorded today's Traffic Safety Thursday conversation on a Tuesday at the Frederick County Public Safety Building with Lt. Warren Gosnell from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office to learn some traffic numbers for 2022. Lt. Gosnell gave statistics for their December checkpoint and explained the logistics of how they work. We talked about the types of infractions they saw, learned when cars mus...

We recorded today's conversation for The Valley Business Today with Niki Foster, President of Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce to talk about growing your business, being an active participant in your community, and being educated about facts. All of these things can come from being a member of the Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce. Niki told us about all the benefits of be...

We recorded today's Tourism Tuesday conversation with Kary Haun from Shenandoah County Tourism at Flour & Water - 124 S. Main Street, Woodstock - to create a bucket list of things to do in Shenandoah County this year. We covered things and places from the ground ( Fort Valley Ranch & Secret Passage Ranch ) to the air ( hot air balloon rides & SkyDive Shenandoah ) and a little of everything in betw...

There was no radio show today, instead I've pulled together a compilation of conversations from guests the past few weeks. I asked many of them when they begin decorating for the holidays and when they take all their decorations done. Many of them shared a few traditions with me as well. Today's podcast features: Alex Flanigan - Main Street Program Manager for Old Town Winchester ; Dr. Jeffrey Fei...