The Valley Today Janet Michael

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 ShenArts members of all ages. The artists work in various media including photography, sculpture, fiber, oils, acrylics, watercolors, digital, and collage. The show will run from June 1 - July 31, 2023, with an opening reception on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, from 5pm - 7pm. 
Nathan told us about several upcoming music performances:
Brendan Mulvihill, Angelina Carberry & Dan Brouder Buffalo Nichols Chris Jones & the Night Drivers Learn more about Barns of Rose Hill on their NEW website: https://www.barnsofrosehill.org/ and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
 
 

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 popular misconception that everyone is entitled to free legal representation but the reality is that that only applies to criminal matters. Their legal assistance ranges from advice or brief service to ongoing representation in negotiations and litigation in state and federal courts and administrative agencies, depending on the needs of the client, the type of case, and available resources.
The most common legal problems handled by Blue Ridge Legal Services include:
Family disputes (for example, domestic violence, divorce) Problems dealing with debts and bankruptcy Housing and landlord-tenant disputes Eligibility for various government benefits (such as food stamps, TANF, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits) Access to health care (for example, issues involving Medicaid and Medicare) Consumer disputes, and Issues affecting seniors (such as exploitation and problems with nursing homes). They do not handle criminal matters, traffic violations, personal injuries or malpractice cases, and other cases outside of their priorities.
Learn more about Blue Ridge Legal Services here: https://brls.org 
Jennifer Hall gave us details for Project Connect happening at Central High School in Woodstock on Friday, June 2, 2023, from 9am - 2pm. A second event will be held at Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary School in Winchester on Friday, July 28, 2023, from 9am - 3pm.
Project Connect is the Shenandoah Valley's one-stop FREE resource fair. Receive assistance from more than 50 service providers, all under the same roof. What often takes months to accomplish can be completed in one day.
Project Connect is a project of United Way NSV that strengthens and utilizes collaborations with agencies, businesses, organizations, and the community to provide comprehensive services through an in-person resource fair event for those who are at risk of becoming homeless, are currently experiencing homelessness, or are living on the cusp of making it or not.
Attend the Woodstock event: Pre-register for quick access or to reserve a specialized service.
Provide a service at the Woodstock event: Are you a nonprofit? Inquire here about setting up at the event.
Volunteer at the Woodstock event: Over 18 and looking to give back? See their volunteer needs here.
Check out the highlights from Winchester's Project Connect 2022. Or view highlights from Woodstock's Project Connect 2022.
Learn more about both events here: https://www.unitedwaynsv.org/projectconnect. Learn more about United Way Northern Shenandoah Valley here: https://www.unitedwaynsv.org/ 
Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend at:
Newtown Heritage Festival in Stephens City - hear that conversation here.
Safe at Home Community Day at Bing Crosby Stadium hosted by Reaching Out Now - hear that conversation here.
Meet local author Laura Elliott at her Winchester Book Gallery event - hear that conversation here.

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 are written for a variety of ages. Many of her works have been named NCSS/CBC Notables (National Council of Social Studies and Children’s Book Council), Bank Street College Best Books, Jefferson Cup Honor Books, Kirkus Bests, and Grateful American Book Prize winners.
Today, we talked about several of her books including the two that she'll be featuring during a book event at Winchester Book Gallery (located at 7 N. Loudoun Street on the Old Town Walking Mall in downtown Winchester) on Sunday, May 28, 2023, from Noon til 2pm. 
Bea and the New Deal Horse is a lyrical middle-grade historical novel set during the Great Depression - a moving tale of the spirit of American persistence, found family, and the magical partnership between girl and horse.
Storm Dog is a whimsical, contemporary story of a young teen misfit finding her voice through the redemptive magic of nature, music, a stray dog, the power of her imagination, dog-dancing, and an apple blossom parade.
Laura explained how she researches her books, offered suggestions for encouraging your teens/young adults to read - particularly boys - and talked about her love of historical fiction.
Our conversation continued after the radio show ended where she told me how she chooses the names for her characters and talked about the struggle she faces to stop researching (the fun part according to her) and start writing.
During our chat today, she talked about a few of her other books:
Under a War-Torn Sky about Henry Forester, a downed B-24 co-pilot saved by the French Resistance.
Walls is the story of two cousins in 1961 Berlin—caught on opposite sides of the Cold War standoff between American and Soviet forces and the city’s constant espionage—confronted with the overnight raising of the Berlin Wall.
Hamilton and Peggy! A Revolutionary Friendship is a biographical novel about the “wicked wit” Peggy, the youngest of the Schuyler Sisters made famous by the musical Hamilton.
Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves is a homefront portrait of a young teen living in Hitler’s U-boat hunting grounds along the VA coastline, trying to help her family survive sudden loss, with the help of the indomitable, cat-charmer Cousin Belle. 
Da Vinci's Tiger is a biographical novel about Ginevra de Benci, the celebrated young, protofeminist poet in Leonardo’s first portrait (the master’s only work permanently housed in the United States), set in the intrigue and pageantry of the Renaissance’s mecca, the Medici-run city of Florence.
You can find/order her books at Winchester Book Gallery and many other independent booksellers.
 

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 Regional Airport, and a Cashmere concert to celebrate 10 years of Bright Box.
He also gave us details for a slew of upcoming events and programs:
Hope Restored Credit Repair Ribbon Cutting on May 31, 2023, at 4:30pm. Timber Ridge School Ribbon Cutting to celebrate their new CTE Trades Academy on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 5:30pm. UNO's Pizzeria Ribbon Cutting on Friday, June 2, 2023 at Noon. ArtScape 14 Ribbon Cutting & Banner Reveal on June 12, 2023, at noon. Business After Hours hosted by The Village at Orchard Ridge on June 14, 2023 at 5:30pm. Business & Breakfast Mixer hosted by Our Health on June 21, 2023, at 7:30am. Valley BusinessWomen Quarterly Series at Rock Harbor Golf Course on June 21, 2023, at 5:30pm. National Spine & Pain Centers Ribbon Cutting on June 29, 2023, at 5pm. We also talked about the upcoming graduation for the Community Leadership Program and he reminded us that applications for the next class are currently being accepted. The Business Leadership Program will pick back up in September. Applications for that are currently being accepted as well.
Stay up to date on all the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber happenings on their website: https://www.regionalchamber.biz/ and by following them on Facebook and YouTube.
 

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 being able to afford it. Caleb told us how his farm life began and how much its grown.
The pair gave us details for their upcoming Farm Crawl happening on Saturday, June 17, 2023, from 10am - 4pm. The semi-annual event (one also takes place in the fall) offers attendees the opportunity to spend a day exploring Frederick County’s local farms and homesteads while participating in farm-related activities, sampling local farm fare, touring each farm, and getting to know your local farmers. Each farm or homestead will have its own activities to offer on the day of the event, including farm products for sale, tours, Q&A’s, demos, exclusive CSA sign-ups, and maybe even a hayride or two. Tickets can be purchased online with check-in the morning of the event at Solenberger's True Value Hardware to receive your farm guide, swag bag, lunch tickets, and map.
Learn more about Frederick County Homesteaders on their website: https://www.frederickcountyhomesteaders.com/ and by following them on Facebook.
Learn more about Back to Basics Farm on their website: https://www.back2basicsfarm.com/ and by following them on Facebook.

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 Representative & Vice Chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). Rochelle's group is working on Chapter Six: Community Services and Facilities, Chapter 8: Health, and Chapter 10: Recreation. She walked us through the draft of those chapters and explained why they've been broken out into separate chapters from the former plan.
You can find the chapter overview below and view the entire plan in various forms here: https://shenandoahcountyva.us/2045plan/ 
Chapter 6: Community Services and Facilities
Provides a vision and objectives to protect and enhance aspects such as the private services such as automotive repair, haircuts, cafes, and other service businesses that serve as important semi-public spaces non-profit organizations and churches landfill, trash, and recycling services as well as composting opportunities public buildings and government services Chapter 8: Health
Provides a vision and objectives to protect and enhance aspects such as the Hospital expansion and new construction Small clinics in Towns and in villages in the County Service providers and the split between traveling to Harrisonburg, Woodstock, Winchester, or Luray Major health concerns with the population and ways to work towards a resolution of the concerns Private businesses that provide coverage for medical aspects such as dentists, surgeons, eye doctors, family physicians, and other medical professionals. Chapter 10: Recreation
Provides a vision and objectives to protect and enhance aspects such as the Trails in federal, state, county, town, and private lands Parks River and stream access Gyms and recreation centers Private providers of recreational amenities Tyler told us about the process and talked about next steps for getting community input through various outlets including community events. For more information about the planning process, visit their website: https://shenandoahcountyva.us/future/ and follow them on Facebook.
You can listen to my previous conversations with Tyler about Shenandoah 2045 by clicking here.