The Valley Today

Our conversation today with Cindy Schelhorn, Senior Director, Communications and Marketing, Alzheimer's Association National Capital Area Chapter and Whitney Pyles , Financial Advisor with Edward Jones and Walk Committee Member centered around the Walk to End Alzheimers that happens on Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 9:30am at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (or in your own neighborhood!) The pa...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so we invited breast cancer survivor, Dr. Colleen Perry Keith back for a conversation about her journey from diagnosis to treatment to being cancer free. Dr. Keith told us about her family history with cancer and explained her diagnosis & treatment plan. We talked about what she would change if she were diagnosed today and she offered advice for those who'...

Our conversation today with Larry Weiss, Director of Community Foundation of Northern Shenandoah Valley included an update on recent grant disbursements and the impact those monies will have on our community. He explained the grant process & encouraged all non-profits to register through their grant portal to be notified when future grants come available. We also got the details for an upcoming ev...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Cynthia Schneider, CEO of Top of Virginia Regional Chamber included Stacey Barrett Haines from Barrett Machine to talk about how their business & manufacturing as an industry has changed over the last 30 years. Stacey told us about several open positions they have for machinists & fabricators and explained what a typical day might look like. She...

Our Tourism Tuesday conversation today with Justin Kerns from Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau centered around Old Town Winchester Business Association and their upcoming Halloween & holiday events. Joining us for the chat was Andy Gail, President of Old Town Winchester Business Association (and director of Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area ) and Bonnie Landy, VP of the o...

Our conversation with Tyler Hinkle, Shenandoah County's Planner focused on the ongoing work for their comprehensive plan "Shenandoah 2045" and all the public outreach currently underway. Tyler told us about the district information sessions that they've been hosting. There are 3 more in-person events scheduled: October 27th - Districts 5 & 6 @ Strasburg Town Hall @ 6:30 PM  November 18th - Distric...

Our conversation for United Way Day with Elise from United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley featured her guest, Lt. Jared Martin from Winchester Salvation Army who told us about their shelter for men/women/children and all the great works they do not just in our community but internationally. Lt. Martin talked about the thrift store, bell ringing and the need for volunteers. He explained what it'...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so we chatted for our Community Health episode (in partnership with Valley Health ) with Dr. Anita Minghini, breast surgeon & Medical Director, Valley Health Breast Center at Winchester Medical Center. We talked about the medical and technological advancements in the detection & treatment of breast cancer. We talked about all the options that are now avail...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Code Ninjas owners, Kim Hancock & Chris LaCross provided an update on their business since opening earlier this year. They told us about their new, larger location that offers better visibility and access for their students and gave us all the details for their upcoming Halloween event. They will host a Halloween party on Saturday, October 30 fro...

We chatted with Edie Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce and her guests Rita & Allen from Massanutten Creek - a new wedding venue that's accepting wedding/event dates for Fall of 2022. The pair explained how they found the property and told us about the work they've put into renovating it to make it "wedding-ready." For more information about the venue, visit their website: https://massanut...

We strolled Strasburg for our regular monthly conversation with Interim (soon to be permanent I HOPE!) Director of Community Development, Olivia Hilton to chat with a few small businesses and get the details for the upcoming Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Festival happening on Saturday, November 6, 2021. At our first stop, Artisan Avenue LLC, we chatted with owner Becky about all the creative and un...

Our conversation today with Corey Childs , Extension Agent - Agriculture and Natural Resources Animal Science was all about preparation. He gave us some tips and suggestions for getting our homes, farms, lawns, gardens, crops, and equipment ready for winter. Corey explained that many things can and should be done now to save some heartache when the temps begin to drop. He also told us that supply...

We chatted today with Guy Curtis from LFCC Workforce Solutions and Sarah Pangle , Academic Advisor & Career Services Specialist for Lord Fairfax Community College . We talked about all the different types of students who come to LFCC for the beginning of their education journey, midway through it, or who are returning to up-skill or re-skill themselves for the job market. Sarah explained her role...

We chatted with Edie Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce and her guest, Pastor Audre King from Living Legacy for The Valley Business Today. Pastor King told us about the non-profit, Living Legacy that he started in 2017 with a goal of restoring the "old Andrew Jackson school" and turning it into a community center to serve youths and adults throughout the community. He explained the history...

Our conversation today with Ashley Sonntag, Operations Manager/Curator for Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation took place in their museum located at 8437 Valley Pike in Middletown. Ashley told us about the organization and explained it's mission and current restoration projects. She talked about the history in Shenandoah Valley not just during the Battle of Cedar Creek but throughout the 19th centu...

We recorded our conversation today in person at Dodson Pest Control to chat with District Manager, Vince Kidwell and Service Supervisor, Tim Michael about the bug business. Vince explained the different types of services they offer to both residential and commercial clients and talked about how being a true family owned & operated company affords them opportunities to serve those customers in a mo...

Our conversation today with Laura Walls, LPC with the Outpatient Behavioral Health Program at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital centered around COVID fatigue. Laura explained what many in our community (and the country) are experiencing as the pandemic drags on. She offered advice for managing the uncertainty that included the mindset that it's okay to not be okay. We discussed real life situations and...

We recorded today's conversation on-site at Barns of Rose Hill to learn the details about their upcoming benefit concert on Saturday, October 16, 2021 and the next exhibit opening this weekend. Sarah Ames, Executive Director & Morgan Morrison, Program Director invited me to Barns of Rose Hill to talk about the benefit concert that will (sort of) replace their 10-year anniversary gala. The concert...

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Niki Cales from Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce and her guest, Kevin McDonald Assistant Park Manager for Shenandoah River State Park included lots of information about the park. Kevin told us about their trails, their shelters, access to the Shenandoah River and how much the community has enjoyed the park during the pandemic. He als...

For today's episode of Tourism Tuesday - Shenandoah County edition - we chatted with Kary Haun from Shenandoah County Tourism about scenic drives through the county. She told us about a recent blog post that outlines some "off the beaten path" drives that offer great leaf changing views as well as some country stores for a pit stop along the way. They also feature a scenic drives tab on their webs...

Interested in becoming a "Master Gardener?" Here's your chance! We chatted today with Mark Sutphin from VA Cooperative Extension & Elaine Specht from the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners Association about the upcoming 2022 program. Elaine explained the expectations for those applying for the program and walked us through how the classes will work this year. They will be a hybrid of onli...

We recorded our conversation today at Belle Grove Plantation to talk with Director, Kristen Laise and USBCHA member Linda Tesdahl to learn about the dogs, the competition, and the sheep! Kristen walked us through the logistics for purchasing single day and/or multi-day tickets for the competition. You can purchase them online here: https://www.bellegrove.org/ Linda told us about the training that...

Winter Brooks, organizer of the 2021 Out of the Darkness Walk gives us all the details for the event that happens on Saturday, October 9, 2021 at Sherando High School/Sherando Park. Winter gave us a bit of history about the event - now in it's seventh year - and told us how people can register to walk, to volunteer, or simply support those who are. She explained the honor beads and talked about th...

Our conversation today with Amber Koehler, owner of Twice is Nice Consignment Boutique located in Old Town Winchester gave us some insight into the second-hand/thrift/consignment industry.  We talked about the increase in demand for secondhand items and what reasoning might be behind it. Amber's shop specializes in women's and juniors clothing size XS to XL. She explained the difference between th...

We recorded today's conversation in person at Vault & Cellar, a new restaurant that's opened on Main Street in Middletown. Joining me for this Tourism Tuesday episode is Justin Kerns from the Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau , Kari Rushing, co-owner & head chef, and her husband Ian Rushing, co-owner & chief marketing officer for the restaurant. The two explained how they ca...