The Valley Today

Andy Gail to the rescue! Today's conversation happened because Andy Gail is an amazing human being and not was available himself to talk about Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area and their upcoming event, Oktoberfest but he also brought a guest! Joining us for the conversation was Brian Pellatt, chef and owner at Bonnie Blue Southern Market & Bakery. Brian explained his history as a chef and how t...

We recorded today's conversation on location last week at Bright Box Theater on the Old Town Walking Mall in Downtown Winchester with General Manager, Nick Helmut, and Chief Strategy Officer, Matt Martz. The pair gave a history of the building and the business. They explained all the different types of entertainment that can be hosted in the space as well as weddings, parties, dinners, and corpora...

Our conversation today with Tootie Rinker from Rotary Club of Winchester gave us all the details for the Shenandoah Valley Apple Harvest Festival happening on Saturday and Sunday September 17/18, 2022 at the Frederick County Fairgrounds from 10am - 5pm each day. The festival has always been family (and pet) friendly! MILITARY/VETERANS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE FREE! Age 10 and under are always FREE!...

Our conversation today with Guy Curtis from Laurel Ridge Community College included Chris Lambert , Student Life & Engagement Coordinator for the college. Chris explained the value of student activities and clubs as part of the overall college experience. He talked about how they made changes to keep students engaged during the pandemic.  We discussed the misconception that community colleges don'...

We recorded the first segment of today's conversation for The Valley Business Today - Front Royal/Warren County edition - with Niki Foster from Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerc e at Shenandoah Valley Axe Throwing Company . Holly Leach gave us the history of their family-run business and talked about their recent move to a new location at 20 South Street in Front Royal. Holly explained...

Our Shenandoah County Tourism Tuesday conversation kicked off with Barbara Adamson & Kary Haun giving all the details for Shenandoah County 250th Honoring Our Past Inspiring Our Future Festival happening on Saturday, September 10, 2022 from 11am - 5pm.   Festival visitors will enjoy the early 1800s farmhouse, Loom House Museum, springhouse, historic exhibits and demonstrations, local preservation...

We recorded our Strolling Strasburg conversation with Olivia Hilton, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the town of Strasburg at the Strasburg Visitors Center. We had two different guests to get a peek into the many faces of Strasburg. In the first segment, we talked with Naresh Boini, owner & pharmacist at Strasburg Pharmacy. He told us why he chose Strasburg to open his independent pharmacy a...

We were live in the studio for today's Traffic Safety Thursday with Lt. Warren Gosnell from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office . Our topic was enforcement. Lt. Gosnell explained the two priorities for enforcement: safety & compliance. Enforcement typically falls into three categories: proactive, reactive, and preventative. He gave examples of all three and talked about how checkpoints fit into...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today featured Patrick Barker, Executive Director of the Frederick County EDA and Jenna French, Director of Economic Development & Tourism for Shenandoah County to talk about Live Love Shenandoah. The program focuses on empowering employers/employees and raising awareness for both locals and those looking to relocate to the area for jobs. Information about...

Our Tourism Tuesday conversation today with Dave Van Devender from Shepherd's Ford Productions gave us all the details for the 18th Annual Watermelon Pickers' Fest happening September 15-17, 2022 at Clarke County Fairgrounds. Watermelon Pickers Fest is a family-friendly music festival created by Shepherds Ford Productions that is located just outside of Berryville, VA. Festivities include Concerts...

Our conversation 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. Joining us to talk about the role of the Northern Shenandoah Val...

Today's conversation with Katie Mercer, Director of Events & Marketing for the town of Woodstock gave us all the details for their WoodsTACO Street Festival happening on Saturday, September 10 from Noon til 5pm. The FREE event will feature live music by JunkFood as well as a beer & wine garden hosted by Woodstock Rotary. There will be games and lots of tacos to enjoy. The 300 lucky people who have...

Our conversation today with Carol Nansel, a Shenandoah County extension agent focusing on 4-H youth development was all about the 2022 Shenandoah County 4H/FFA Livestock Show & Sale happening on Saturday September 3, 2022 at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds. Joining us to talk about the show and sale was Lindsey Rigby and Chad Biby. We discussed their past experiences showing at the fair and talk...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Top of Virginia Regional Chamber gave us all the details for their upcoming Valor Awards. Joining me to talk about the event was Scott Harvard, CEO of First Bank (the title sponsor) & Executive Chair of the chamber board and Vanessa McAllister, Director of Programs & Events for the chamber. We talked about the importance of awards like this, the...

Our Tourism Tuesday - Winchester/Frederick County edition - conversation with Justin Kerns from Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau featured Karen Helm, board member for Celebrating Patsy Cline . Karen gave us some history about her organization and talked about the impact Patsy Cline has had on our area. She talked about the historic Patsy Cline house and the large number of...

We met up with Rusty Holland, Executive Director of Concern Hotline and Brad Veach, Executive Director of Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival at Brad's office to learn the details about their upcoming event collaboration happening Labor Day weekend. The pair explained how and why this partnership was formed and discussed all the benefits of teaming up going into their second year working together. T...

Our conversation for "United Way Day" featured Jenna DeHaven, Director of Advancement for United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley and Beth Ogle, Executive Director of Response, a partner agency at UWNSV. Response is a Shenandoah County community organization dedicated to preventing and helping people overcome the problems of sexual and domestic violence and other forms of abuse through outreach,...

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness month so our conversation today gave us great information about the ins and outs of breastfeeding. It is part of our community health partnership with Valley Health where we talk each month with administrators, physicians, and other Valley Health staff about health topics, events, and the community. Two lactation consultants from Winchester Medical Center...

We took a trip over to Richard's Fruit Market (6410 Middle Road, Middletown) to chat with Eddie Richard & his daughter, Kayla Richard Lawrence about the fruit stand, farming, and some upcoming festivals. Richard's Fruit Market is the oldest "country classic" open-air farmers market conveniently located on the Richard's fifth generation family farm (est. 1878) in Frederick County, Virginia. They of...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Davey Allen, a park interpreter at Shenandoah River State Park. Davey gave us a quick overview of the park and all the amenities it offers. We talked about the overnight accommodations, fishing opportunities, and the ways visitors can spend time on the water. We...

Our conversation for Municipal Monday featured Frederick County Administrator, Mike Bollhoefer . Mike took over as Administrator in November 2021 after serving for many years as the City Manager in Winter Garden, FL. We talked about the differences between the two localities and the adjustments he's made since relocating. He also gave us a quick rundown of several road projects and talked about th...

Olivia Hilton, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Town of Strasburg & I strolled to Alforno's Italian Cuisine for a conversation with the new owner, Brandon. He told us how he came to be the owner of Alforno's and gave us a quick rundown of items on his menu. We talked about dough-making, marinara simmering, and the high priority he places on the customer experience. View his menu and/or or...

Our conversation today with Guy Curtis , Director of Marketing for Laurel Ridge Community College featured Jelise Ballon from Laurel Ridge Community College Workforce Solutions . Jelise gave us the details for their upcoming webinar, Looking Ahead Together: 2022 and Beyond. The webinar will release data collected post-COVID about what issues small businesses now face. She gave us some insight into...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - featured Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce and his guest, Danielle Painter from LD&B Insurance. Danielle gave us really helpful information about Medicare plans and things to consider when making your choice. We talked about all the different factors that go into that decision as well as when you're...

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Old Town Winchester edition - with Alex Flanigan, Main Street Program Manager for Old Town Winchester gave us all the details for the Fiddles & Fifths Festival happening on August 26 & 27, 2022. Fiddles & Fifths Festival is a tribute to the great Appalachian tradition of bluegrass music and the homegrown taste of Virginia bourbon! This FREE street festival ev...