Farmville the Magazine - April 2020

April 2020 Vol. 5, No. 2 FREE

Heart of Virginia Community Band A place for all to play and perform

Destination Creativity Mainly Clay offers creative getaway

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Join Us for Events in April

Music

Information: 434-395-2504

Wellness

APRIL 16 Concert: Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble. 7:30 p.m., Jarman Auditorium, High Street.

APRIL 17 Hearing Aid Support Group: “Learning to Use Auditory and Lip Reading Cues.”

Hearing aid checks, 12:30 p.m.; program, 1 p.m. Speech, Hearing and Learning Services, 315 W. Third St. Information: 434-395-2972.

Theatre

JAZZ ENSEMBLE

APRIL 26 Concert: Percussion Ensemble. 3 p.m., Wygal Auditorium, Longwood campus.

APRIL 28 Concert: Longwood Choirs. 7:30 p.m., Jarman Auditorium, High Street.

Community Recognition APRIL 24 Community Achievement in the Arts Awards Ceremony. 5 p.m., Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, 129 N. Main St. Information: 434-395-2662.

APRIL 15-19 Theatre: Baskerville.

7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Communication Studies and Theatre Arts Center Mainstage, Longwood campus.

Tickets: longwoodtickets.com.

Information: 434-395-2474.

YOUTH ART MONTH EXHIBITION

Art

All events at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, 129 N. Main St. Information: 434-395-2662 APRIL 5-MAY 3 Youth Art Month Exhibition: Start with Art—Learn for Life. Opening reception: 2-4 p.m. April 5.

APRIL 19-MAY 13 Exhibition: Point of Departure, featuring works

by Longwood art students. Opening reception: 5:30-8 p.m. April 18.

APRIL 22 Art After Dark: “Women in Botanical and Scientific Art” with Emma Steinkraus. 6 p.m.

Film

APRIL 10 Cabin Film Series: The Lost Boys.

7 p.m., Longwood Cabin, 1401 Johnson Drive.

Information: 434-395-2662.

For Longwood athletics game schedules, go to longwoodlancers.com.

All events are free and open to the public unless costs, tickets, etc., are noted. All events are subject to cancellation and change. Please visit longwood.edu for updated information and a campus map.

Farmville the Magazine

Editor’s Notebook

The silence is deafening I

t may be the oddest spring ever.

We should be hearing the crack of baseball bats, the sounds of kids playing together on school playgrounds and the sounds of church bells around town heralding Holy Week events.

Instead. Silence.

The silence is deafening. It is allencompassing.

It is the kind of silence you hear on a snowy winter’s morn when you rise before the dawn to find six inches of snow covering everything. Except this silence comes with bright sunshine, beautiful flowers and the warmest spring in many years.

Roger Watson, Instead of a bustling town, Farmville Editor is suffering through a spring filled with a deserted Longwood campus, a community calendar filled with nothing but white space and closed restaurants and shops.

The coronavirus has caused us to slow down, stay inside and clean everything. NCAA Tournament — gone. Baseball — not yet started.

It’s a the oddest spring ever.

We hope this month’s Farmville the Magazine will help fill some of the void left by the cancellations and restrictions placed on our society.

Please wash your hands before reading this and make sure you are six feet

away from everyone. Then enjoy. This month, our cover story is about the Heart of Virginia Community Band. Crystal Vandegrift provides an update on the Mainly Clay business and how they are doing in Downtown Farmville.

Titus continues his series on some of the best baked goodies in the area with a tasty recipe from Regina Hux on how to make sourdough cinnamon bread. I bet that smells great when it comes out of the oven.

Farmville the Magazine strives to tell the story of our very special community. Each month within these pages is the story of a community, bursting at the seams, with people that step up each day and make a difference.

There are many more stories within these pages, and we hope you will enjoy them. As this is a magazine about and for you. We welcome your ideas and invite you to share with us what you would like to hear more about by sending us a note at P.O. Box 307, Farmville, VA 23901, giving us a call at (434) 392-4151 or sending me an email at Roger.Watson@ FarmvilletheMag.com.

We publish Farmville the Magazine in the months of March, April, May, summer, September, October, November and December. Pick up a copy of the latest issue and share it with a neighbor. There is sure to be someone you know inside — a neighbor, a family member, a friend or perhaps even you.

Roger Watson is editor of Farmville the Magazine.

His email address is Roger.Watson@FarmvilletheMag.com.

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Feature The Heart of Virginia Community Band is an enthusiastic group ranging in age from middle school to senior citizens. Affiliated with the Longwood Center for Community Music (LCCM), the band practices every Monday night from mid-August through May. “A lot of people were in a band in school but after graduation put their instruments in a closet,” Scott McElfresh said. It was his idea to organize the band in 2014. Current director of the band, David Ganzert invites local musicians to attend a practice session and give the band a try. Pictured at left: Ray Hinde, Ronald Carricato and Stuart Fowlkes warm up in the brass section. On the cover: Martha Dorrill, Director David Ganzert and Nick Magill.

Publisher — Betty J. Ramsey Betty.Ramsey@FarmvilletheMag.com Designer — Troy Cooper Troy.Cooper@FarmvilletheMag.com

EDITORIAL Roger Watson Roger.Watson@FarmvilletheMag.com

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Marge Swayne Marge.Swayne@FarmvilletheMag.com Titus Mohler Titus.Mohler@FarmvilletheMag.com Crystal Vandegrift Crystal.Vandegrift@FarmvilletheMag.com Alexa Massey Alexa.Massey@FarmvilletheMag.com

ADVERTISING Director — Jackie Newman Jackie.Newman@FarmvilletheMag.com Debbie Evans Debbie.Evans@FarmvilletheMag.com

CONTRIBUTORS: Dr. Cynthia Wood, Marcus Pendergrass and Dr. Jim Jordan Cover photo by Marge Swayne On the web: www.FarmvilletheMag.com To subscribe, contact Circulation@FarmvilletheMag.com Farmville the Magazine P.O. Box 307 Farmville, VA 23901 (434) 392-4151 Farmville the Magazine is published eight times annually by Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Copies are available free at businesses throughout the Heart of Virginia. For convenient mail delivery of each issue, cost is $30 per year.

Destination Creativity

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Fling with Spring

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Also...

Editor’s Notebook Staying in Serving it Up From the Ground Up Artist in Residence

3 5 8 10 14

Town and Gown Where Am I? Party Pix Why I Love Farmville

32 33 34 50

Staying in

Farmville the Magazine

What you should be watching

By Alexa Massey

I know the current climate of the world feels very frightening. Ongoing concerns about the coronavirus have cancelled many events and gatherings in our area, and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has even ordered all K-12 schools to close for two weeks.

And with the NBA season suspended and the national news bringing nothing but fear, it seems many Americans can’t even relax from the comfort of their own couches, as it feels like there’s nothing to watch.

I thought I’d lighten the mood a little by offering those of you that have elected to stay indoors a way to still get your entertainment fix. I’m not a binge-watcher and don’t spend too much time utilizing streaming services, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

So, here’s a list of Netflix shows that I think you will enjoy right now, picked personally by yours truly:

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo

This Netflix original series premiered last year and pleased audiences worldwide. If you haven’t seen it already, now is the time. Expert organizing consultant Kondo spends each episode helping families organize their disheveled homes and lives using the Konmari method— a system of simplifying and organizing a home by getting rid of items that do not spark joy in life.

Just one episode of this series will leave you wanting to clean out the closet and finally organize your 1,000 pieces of mismatched Tupperware.

The Great British Baking Show

You don’t have to have any interest in baking to enjoy this series. Although it encompasses all the drama and nail-biting of a fast-paced cook-off, The Great British Baking Show is a light-hearted baking competition that produces

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both breathtaking works of culinary art and baking flops that will have you saying, “Yep, that’s what my baked Alaska would look like, too.”

Enjoy this series with a cupcake at the ready.

The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez

Okay, so perhaps not everyone wants to immerse themselves in cakes and decluttering. If you prefer to get lost in a chilling and mysterious true crime documentary, this new, six-episode series about the court trials of a young boy’s murder will gladly take over your day. In an effort to prevent spoilers I won’t give too many details here. Just know that this one is best suited for adults.

Bondi Rescue

This is one of the very few television shows on Netflix that I have watched to completion. Each episode documents just a few days in the lives of lifeguards on Australia’s notorious Bondi Beach. Some episodes will make you burst out laughing at the lifeguard’s antics. Others will break your heart as they fight to save the lives of drowning victims. From jellyfish stings to matters of life and death, this show has got it all.

Love is Blind

If you’re a fan of “The Bachelor” types of TV shows, look no further than this brand new series. Watch singles fall in love and get engaged without ever meeting face-to-face, and discover what happens when that love is thrown into the real world in-person. This series questions the notion of love at first sight and the binary of emotional connection and physical attraction.

There’s thousands of other things to watch on Netflix and this is only an example of my taste, so don’t get too judgy. However, if you’re looking to escape from the real world for a bit and aim your attention at your laptop, phone or TV screen for an afternoon, here’s what I think you’ll enjoy today.

Farmville the Magazine

March 2019 Vol. 4, No. 1 FREE

October 2018 Vol. 3, No. 6 FREE

Management style

Gerry Spates recalls 40 years on the job

Sharing a journey

CSCH volunteers

Two people speak about immigrating to America

A tradition of service and smiles

Living well

Health store offers resources, education

www.FarmvilletheMag.com

www.FarmvilletheMag.com

April 2018 Vol. 3, No. 2 FREE

December 2018 Vol. 3, No. 8 FREE

Piedmont Senior Resources

A year-round gift for area seniors

Holiday Showing

First class in Farmville Historic hotel goes boutique

Training Tigers

Leonard leads on the trail, in the pool www.FarmvilletheMag.com

www.FarmvilletheMag.com

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Serving it Up

A baker’s delight

Regina Hux presents cinnamon sourdough bread with icing.

Sourdough bread, in a couple of different forms, is a staple of her culinary endeavors.

Farmville the Magazine Story and photos by Titus Mohler

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egina Hux, of Farmville, said she is not one of those cooks who can just throw anything together and have it come out well.

“I’m going to go by a recipe,” she said.

Hux grew up in Hickory, North Carolina, but the bulk of her experience in the kitchen came after she grew up.

“My mother died when I was 8, so I had a stepmother who I learned a little from, but most of it was just trial and error afterwards on my own,” she said.

She was on her own starting when she was 21, and she did not get married until she was 28.

Over the years, she has learned that she enjoys baking in general, and she enjoys sweets.

“I’m a chocoholic, for one thing,” she said, noting that she makes fudge, brownies and sometimes cookies.

She also makes her husband’s favorites.

Among the things she enjoys baking is sourdough bread.

“This is one that I can do without looking at the recipe,” she said as she prepared a version of sourdough bread she has now made hundreds of times.

Hux was introduced to this bread recipe years ago by a neighbor when she was living in the Battleboro community of Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

The bread has since become a regular product of her work in the kitchen.

“I’ve made it for ‘thank you’ gifts,” she said. “I’ve made it for when our church has the bazaar at Heart of Virginia (Festival), and I usually then try to make mini loaves.”

She has made different versions of the bread over the years, including some that feature cinnamon, vanilla icing and raisins. The recipe indicates the bread is often made in three loaves.

“I’ve just been doing this for a number of years and give most of it away, definitely,” Hux said of the bread. “We have even made pizza with one of the three loaves.”

Hux stirs the different ingredients that she is mixing together to create sourdough bread.

SOURDOUGH BREAD Sourdough bread starter 1 package dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water 1 cup warm water 3/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes Combine ingredients and let stand out all day.

Refrigerate that night.

After three days, take out and feed again.

NEXT MORNING: Punch down with fist and divide into three parts. Knead each part on a floured surface and put into three greased loaf pans. Brush with oil (optional). Cover with Saran Wrap. Let stand and rise six to 12 hours.

EVENING: Bake on bottom rack at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan. Brush with melted butter.

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD (THREE LOAVES)

MORNING: Sourdough starter must be regulated every three to five days as follows: Remove from refrigerator and add 3/4 cup less two tablespoons sugar, three tablespoons instant potatoes and one cup warm water. Mix well and let stand out of refrigerator all day.

Remove one cup to use making bread and return the rest to the refrigerator as starter.

Keep covered. Repeat every three to five days.

If you are not making bread after feeding starter, throw away or give a cup of starter away.

EVENING: Place the one cup of starter into a large bowl, add 1/2 cup less two tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup corn oil and one tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 cups warm water and six cups sifted bread flour. Make into a stiff batter, roll in corn oil and put into large, greased pan. Cover lightly with Saran Wrap. Leave on counter overnight to rise.

Follow the same steps until the morning to punch down. Make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cinnamon).

When kneading dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar each time you roll dough out, and then put raisins on dough. Continue to knead and sprinkle generously with cinnamon, sugar, and then put on raisins. Brush with corn oil after putting in greased loaf pans. Cover with Saran Wrap. Let stand on counter to rise six to 12 hours.

ICING (FOR THREE LOAVES) 1 cup powdered sugar 1 to 2 teaspoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring 1 tablespoon melted butter Melt butter; mix with powdered sugar and add just enough milk to get an icing consistency.

Add vanilla flavoring. Pour over loaves when taken out of oven and remove from pans.

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From the Ground Up

Tulips abound there’s one for every garden Story and photos by Dr. Cynthia Wood

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ardeners have been rhapsodizing about tulips for hundreds of years.

They were first cultivated in 10th century Persia and somewhat later taken to the Ottoman Empire where they were reserved for the pleasure of Suleiman I and his court.

Tulips symbolized prestige, and there were laws governing their sale. During the mid-1500s, Clusius, the keeper of the Royal Medicinal Gardens in Prague, obtained some seeds.

He subsequently moved to the Netherlands and took his extensive tulip collection with him. Soon all the wealthy, important people there had to have tulips. The desire for tulips, especially those with unique colors and markings, was so intense that a single bulb could sell for as much as a house in a wealthy part of Amsterdam. Eventually this superheated market crashed, but the flower’s popularity continued.

Today tulips are the most popular bulbs planted in gardens around the world, and the Dutch still grow and export more tulips than any other country.

There are many different types of tulips, one for every gardening

Multicolored mass plantings of tulips are cheerful reminders that spring has arrived.

Farmville the Magazine

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12 Farmville the Magazine need. The large Darwin hybrids have sturdy stems and were developed specifically for floral arrangements. The double tulips have peony-shaped flowers and short stems.

The fringed tulips have finely fringed petals. The Fosteriana tulips are good for bedding and tend to bloom for several years. The Greigii tulips are another reliably perennial variety that are low growing, remain open at night, and have striped foliage and large flowers.

The Kaufmanniana tulips are another relatively perennial variety offering many, bright, contrasting colors. Lilyflowered tulips have pointed petals and are late bloomers.

Parrot tulips have large, heavily fringed, and scalloped flowers, sometimes with streaks of contrasting colors, and need protection from wind. Species tulips are the small forms from which the hybrids were created. They’re short, sturdy, and seem to bloom as soon as they emerge from the ground.

Tulips aren’t hard to grow. Select a location with full sun and well-drained soil. Plant them in the fall, at least a month before the ground freezes so that they have time to establish roots. Large bulbs should be planted 5 to 6 inches apart, while smaller ones can be planted 2 to 3 inches apart. Both should be planted 5 to 6 inches deep. Fertilize tulips in the fall and again in the spring. Dead head them as soon as the blooms are spent and don’t ever tie the foliage into bundles or remove until it has yellowed.

Happy gardening!

Above, Thomas Jefferson planted tulips in his garden at Monticello. Below, the English way to use tulips in the garden is to underplant them with pansies or another low growing annual.

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Artist in Residence

#SmallTownBigArt Story by Titus Mohler Photos by Carley Fetty and Titus Mohler

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arley Fetty, a visual art and photography teacher with Prince Edward County Public Schools, said she doesn't know she could really say when she started painting.

“I’ve always been creative,” she said. “I don’t really love to call myself artistic, because I feel like as far as abilities go, honestly, some of my students are more talented than I could ever imagine being. But as far as creativity, I’ve always loved going big.”

A national art honor society sponsor and a 2010 Longwood University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in fine art, Fetty said she loves painting big things.

“When I was in high school, we had a senior lounge,” she said. “We

would paint the walls in the senior lounge, and we painted the sides of our dugouts. And I went and I worked at 4-H after Longwood, and we would paint these big murals for the students.”

She noted that she has always loved the idea of mural painting.

“I just love the way it includes everyone in the art, even after it’s been finished,” she said. “Everyone that walks by it, and says, ‘That’s so cool,’ or takes a picture with it or takes a picture of it, they’re included in that art in some way. They’re a part of it. So I think that I’ve always loved the idea (that) this type of art brings people together continuously.”

This love of mural painting helped pave the way for different paint-

Farmville the Magazine

Prince Edward County Public Schools Visual Art and Photography Teacher Carley Fetty looks on with satisfaction at her contribution to the row of murals on South Street.

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Above, Carley Fetty spray paints the wall through the cut-out portions of the paper to create the image of a little girl painting the hearts already present on the retaining wall on South Street. Bottom, Carley Fetty, left, poses with eighth-grader Audrey Magill in front of the completed mural they designed on the side of the j ferguson gallery facing Walker’s Diner on North Main Street.

ings that have become part of the downtown Farmville landscape, including images from what is known as the Student Artist Mural Project.

The project, involving artists ages 12-21 from Prince Edward, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland and Lunenburg counties, was made possible by a SOUP grant offered through the Farmville Downtown Partnership. SOUP stands for Supporting Outstanding Urban Projects.

“I had never heard of the SOUP Project before where they award the small programs some grant money,” Fetty said.

She first heard of it at the same time that she was preparing for the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts’ Start With Art show, which highlights artwork of public, private and homeschool students in the area for a month.

“I was thinking about how because it’s such a great show, it’s such a shame that it has to come down so soon,” Fetty said. “And then almost the same day that I had this thought, I heard the ad for SOUP, and so I was like, ‘Hey, what if we did some kind of a student art thing that didn’t have to come down?’”

Helping bring mural paintings to the forefront of Fetty’s mind at the time was the then-recent unveiling of the mural formerly located in whole on the side of the Doyne Building at the corner of Main and Third Streets, heralding Farmville as “America’s First Two-College Town.” It was painted by Joe Giles and his team.

Fetty said she was surprised and very elated when her Student Artist Mural Project proposal won a SOUP grant in early 2017.

The project became active shortly thereafter and is ongoing in 2020, with finished paintings on display in three different locations in downtown Farmville.

“There have been five students who have completed their murals,” Fetty said. “The murals were individually designed by that student, and I helped along the way. But they were definitely painted collaboratively.”

She said there is a group of students that has probably shown up to every single mural to help the designer paint.

“It’s rarely a one-person job, which is really great, because it brings all of the artists in, and in the process of getting those painted up and

Farmville the Magazine

having all those extra hands, it even sometimes transforms what (the designer’s) original design might have been,” Fetty said. “So it’s definitely collaborative in that sense when it starts to go up on the wall.”

She said the project’s first mural to go up was the Farmville postcard visible on the side of the j ferguson gallery facing Walker’s Diner on North Main Street. With some help from Fetty, it was designed by Audrey Magill, who was an eighth grader at the time.

The next mural was a clever repeating image designed by sixth-grader Kailynn Hamilton. It is located on the side of what was Christopher’s Fine Art and Framing at 111 E. Second St. “After that, we kind of hit a wall, so to speak, for where we could put some student murals, and we had a lot of students that were turning in ideas, but they weren’t quite full proposals,” Fetty said. “So we kind of took a step back and took our time finding a spot.”

She said her hope was to find a place where they could put a lot of murals very close together.

There is a retaining wall on South Street across from Macado’s that Fetty said she had been passing for 15 years and thinking that she wanted to paint. She arranged a meeting with then-Town Manager Gerry Spates to ask if it could be used for the Student Artist Mural Project.

“He didn’t even ask any questions,” she said.

“He was like, ‘Yes, let’s do it. Fill it up, it’s all yours.’ And he gave me the whole block.”

As of early March 2020, it features five murals with room for plenty more. Fetty contributed one, with the other four being made by students.

“We’re just going to keep adding every time a student turns one in and it gets picked to paint,” Fetty said. “We’ll just add it up to that wall.”

The finished student murals on the wall include one designed by Ava Tibbs, when she was in fifth grade. Another was a joint design by Carrington Detrick and Julianna Swanson, when they had just finished eighth grade. One was a joint design by recent high school graduate Jarrel Robinson and Fetty. Another was designed by recent high school graduate Nicole Leeds.

Directly inspired by the Student Artist Mural Project, Fetty got permission from Pairet’s to do her own separate painting of a butterfly on the side of their building facing Farmville Baptist Church on North Main Street.

“It was after being inspired by the kids for so long and helping them do their ideas, I kind of

Sixth-grader Kailynn Hamilton works on the mural she designed on the side of what was Christopher’s Fine Art and Framing at 111 E. Second St. in Farmville.

wanted to get my own thing out of my head, I guess,” she said.

She noted that a lot of other downtown areas in the U.S. have what they call “selfie spots.”

“They’re usually some kind of a butterfly wing or bird wings or something, just a place for people to stop and take a picture and post it, and it kind of gives the town some street cred,” she said. “And I’ve always wanted to have something like that here.”

She added the butterfly to a downtown art tapestry that also includes work by Audrey Sullivan, of Red Door 104, along with the students and Joe Giles.

“I think that the bigger picture is kind of how can all of these groups and people work together to kind of bring art downtown,” Fetty said. “And so that’s when I started tagging things with #SmallTownBigArt.” She said the goal is to have all of that art be recognized as having been done in Farmville.

“Regardless of what program did it, we want Farmville to be seen as this little hub of art and creativity and of community in this very rural, country area,” she said.

And so far, it’s been working.

“I follow the #SmallTownBigArt hashtag on Facebook, and there have been people that are

just randomly coming through town from way out of state, and they’ll take a picture in front of the butterfly wings, and they’ll use the hashtag #SmallTownBigArt,” she said.

She added that in a way, using the hashtag is connecting them not just to Farmville, but it’s then connecting them to all the other art in the town.

“So when they click on that hashtag now themselves, they’ll see the artwork that Audrey did, they’ll see the artwork that the students have done,” Fetty said. “So it’s all connecting itself back to this idea of Farmville being a creative central location.”

This spring, she hopes to both rekindle interest in the Student Artist Mural Project and also incorporate a Longwood artist, allowing them to add their seasoned brush strokes next to those of the younger artists.

“I just think that having that range of artistic ability would be really cool,” she said.

Those interested in participating in the project can send entries in digital format — .jpg, .png or .ai — to studentmural@gmail.com, and entrants should include the completed entry form with their submission. Only one entry per person/ team is allowed, and artwork should be entirely original and executed solely by the artist/artists.

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ONE ACCORD building a band the community way

Every Monday night the beat goes on in Wygal Hall on the Longwood University campus where you’ll find an enthusiastic group of musicians preparing for an upcoming performance. Open to all community musicians, the band practices from mid-August through May and presents three concerts every year. The band also performs at other events and functions in the community.

Farmville the Magazine

Story and photos by Marge Swayne

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and practice in Longwood University’s Wygal Hall has a different look on Monday nights.

The musicians tuning up in the music building’s lower level represent all ages from middle school to 80-plus — these aren’t your average college students. That’s exactly the dynamic Scott and Sarah McElfresh had in mind when they formed the Heart of Virginia Community Band (HOVCB) in 2014.

The goal, McElfresh noted at the time, was to create a band of community musicians that would include all ages and skill levels.

“A lot of people played in band in school but after graduation put their instruments in a closet,” McElfresh commented.

The concept of the community band McElfresh envisioned

was in line with another Longwood program initiated a year later in 2015. The Longwood Center for Community Music (LCCM) encourages community participation in music with lessons and other activities.

In the past year the HOVCB affiliated with the Longwood community music program. It was a natural progression. LCCM provides lessons and instruction; HOVCB puts community musicians on stage.

Craig Guthrie was among the musicians who answered the call when the band was formed. He’s glad he did.

Unpacking his cornet for the weekly band rehearsal, Guthrie commented, “Being part of the community band is one of the best

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20 Farmville the Magazine parts of my life. Mondays are the best day of the week for me.”

Playing the cornet (as well as valve trombone) is a bit different from Guthrie’s day job as chief ranger for High Bridge Trail State Park.

“Modern life can be very isolating,” Guthrie observed. “I think everyone needs a life outside of work. Being part of this band does that for me.”

LCCM Director Kristen Topham agrees.

Topham, who holds a degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College, sees music as a collective experience.

“Playing piano is very solitary,” she said. “That’s why I start my piano students in a class setting — if you’re with others who are playing, it makes a huge difference.”

“Community music is something I’ve always wanted to do. Lisa Kinzer set the program up, and I initiated it.”

LCCM continues to add to its offerings every year.

“We’re just getting started,” Topham says. “This semester we initiated a children’s choir funded by the painted piano project we did in Farmville last year. We’re also now offering lessons for clarinet, flute and trumpet, and we’re planning to start an adult piano class soon.”

The center for community music, as the name implies, does indeed have something for everyone.

“We offer music from birth to however old you want to be,” Topham said. “Our number-one goal is to make musical opportunities available to everyone. At LCCM you can take private instrument or voice lessons — and now you can join the community band.”

Being a part of this band, judging from the camaraderie among band members on Monday nights, is also a lot of fun. These band members share more than a love of music — they really like being together.

Laura French, who plays flute and serves on the HOVCB board, concurred.

“I’ve made a lot of friends here,” she said. “I play my flute at home, but it’s a lot more fun with other people.”

French nodded and smiled as more band members arrived. Soon warm-ups commenced, filling the halls with the sound of music.

Promptly at 7:30 p.m., David Ganzert stepped on the podium and raised his baton. The cacophony of sound morphed into scales, long tones and staccato notes.

This is Ganzert’s first year as director. Previously he played in the trumpet section and applied for the

Above, Craig Guthrie warms up for one of his favorite events of the week — Monday night band practice. Below, David Ganzert, who also directs the Prince Edward Middle School Band, took over as HOVCB director last summer.

Farmville the Magazine

director’s job last summer when the McElfresh family moved out of the area.

“When I came here five years ago, I was looking for some place to play,” he said. “I’ve always liked the community band experience. I played in Richmond and in Tulsa where I lived previously.”

Ganzert has band experience in more than one venue. He also teaches at Prince Edward Middle School where he directs the middle school band.

After the warm ups were done, Ganzert announced the first piece on tonight’s practice schedule — “A Hard Day’s Night.” The band is

preparing for a spring concert to be held in Wygal’s Molnar Recital Hall.

“Our affiliation with LCCM allows us to use Longwood’s practice room and recital hall,” Ganzert noted. “We’re very grateful for the support of the Longwood Music Department.”

“This year the board added Longwood professor Charlie Kinzer as a Longwood liaison,” French added.

Rounding out the HOVCB board are David Callihan, president; Martha Dorrill, secretary; Laura French and Craig Guthrie.

“During the year we get invitations to perform at various community functions,” Ganzert added.

“We’re also practicing patriotic songs for the VFW’s Salute to Vietnam Veterans to be held in the Fireman’s Sports Arena.”

Previously HOVCB performed at the Heart of Virginia Festival, as they will again this year, and for celebrations and race events at High Bridge and Twin Lakes state parks. The band also took part in the Civil War sesquicentennial celebration in Farmville in 2015.

“There are a lot of cultural activities in the

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Jerry Smith arranges his music in preparation for rehearsal.

Farmville community but not that many the community can participate in,” French said. “I think it’s important to have those opportunities — it makes the life in our town richer.”

In 2017 Herald columnist Karen Bellenir described a concert she attended: “Making Music with Friends: On a sunny

Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, I attended a performance by the Heart of Virginia Community Band. The concert opened with ‘America the Beautiful,’ which put me in mind of our magnificent country, its glorious vistas and the poet’s dream of brotherhood.

The performance continued with pieces that

were toe-tappingly familiar and some that were unfamiliar. After each, as the conductor lowered his baton, I played my part and joined the clapping of my hands to the audience’s appreciative applause… Community bands are wonderful creations because their members come from diverse walks of life. The Heart of Virginia Community Band includes members from seven counties. There are music teachers among them, but also computer scientists, lawyers, servicemen, athletic trainers, respiratory specialists, accountants, moms, elementary teachers, park rangers, office workers, middle and high school students, librarians, college professors, construction workers and retirees . . . They share a common goal: To have fun making music together.”

To prepare for concerts and other community events, the band practices every Monday night from mid-August through May. Local musicians are encouraged to join the band, and no auditions are required.

As the night’s practice wrapped up and musicians packed up their instruments, members of the band continued to smile.

The Heart of Virginia Community Band is a name that fits this group of musicians — all have a heart for music.

Members of the Heart of Virginia Community Band include: first row, left to right, Jerry Smith, Sarah Critzer, Amy Eberly, Becky McCarthy, Norma Uriarte, Beth Marmorstein, Lauren Brown, Laura French, Director David Ganzert; second row: Janice Goode, Bob Rietzke , Hannah Roldan, Debra Hulett; third row: Derrick Fellows, Stuart Fowlkes, Gabrielle Roldan, Craig Guthrie, Ronald Carricato, Ray Hinde, Neal Perry, Carlton Hobbs, Keith Hulett; fourth row: Sarah Rexroad and Martha Dorrill.

Not pictured are Michael Bomar, Rory Bray, David Calihan, Trey Carson, Curtis Gibson, Mark Gubash, Anna Hulett, Nick Magill, Amy Morgan and Paul Snyder.

Farmville the Magazine

In the percussion section Martha Dorrill and Nick Magill set a steady beat for the band.

877-240-3767

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24 Farmville the Magazine

Above, the flute section includes Becky McCarthy, Beth Marmorstein, Lauren Brown and Laura French (not pictured is Norma Uriarte). Right, Debra Hulett and Ray Hinde work on a few spots before practice begins.

Farmville the Magazine

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Left, Carlton Hobbs and Neal Perry practice some bass notes as a Monday evening session gets underway. Below, concentrating on warm-up exercises directed by David Ganzert are flutists Becky McCarthy and Norma Uriarte and bass players Neal Perry and Carlton Hobbs.

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Destination Creativity Mainly Clay offers creative getaway Story by Crystal Vandegrift

P

am Butler was born in Kentucky, but when she came to Virginia for college, she never dreamed that one day she would be the owner of her very own Downtown Farmville business.

Mainly Clay opened June of 2012, and Butler says being involved in the downtown community is fulfilling.

"Farmville has the small-town feel with many larger city advantages," Butler said. "Longwood,

Hampden-Sydney, and High Bridge State Park offer many opportunities. We are seeing more folks coming to town just to see what is here.

Some are looking in the windows or stopping in to see what we have to offer. It is fun visiting with all, those considering a move here, potential students with their parents, furniture shoppers taking a break, or those who are just strolling down the street."

Butler's background is in elementary education, not pottery, but when her youngest child left for college that all changed.

"I decided to do something different, and I started a pottery wheel class," she said.

"Instantly it became a passion. I bought a wheel and set up a studio at home."

Although Butler enjoyed her home pottery studio, it became lonely working alone, and

Farmville the Magazine

Gail Delaporte and Scott Wilson examine a piece of pottery during a class.

Right, a student works on pressing designs into the clay. Below, instructor Cricket Edmonson shows students how to roll out clay.

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28 Farmville the Magazine so the idea of opening a larger pottery business downtown was born.

"After going to the Longwood Small Business Development Center and talking to many involved in the community, opening a space still seemed like a crazy idea," Butler said. "It is not the average business plan."

Butler says she began looking at several rental spaces, but one area became rented just the week before and another the day before her inquiry.

"At this point, my mom asked me what I wanted," Butler said. "I told her that I wanted to be downtown in the middle of it all."

One day Butler was having lunch with her mom at The Bakery on Main Street after looking for yet another rental space.

"My mom asked about the building across the street for The Bakery. That building, 217 North Main Street, had burned in 2009." Butler said.

Although the building had a new roof, it was still in need of many renovations.

Butler purchased the building and began renovations in 2011.

It was a major project resulting in the pottery studio downstairs and the upstairs area from an upscale meeting space.

Ulrike Wilson is busy working on her cup.

Above is a finished decorating piece.

Today Mainly Clay offers visitors a getaway with a place to make their own unique handmade gifts by taking one of many classes Butler offers or just stopping by to pick out a handmade gift for

someone special crafted by one of several local artists.

"During our almost eight years, we have seen that Farmville and area residents need to get away

Mainly Clay owner Pam Butler glazes a piece of pottery.

Farmville the Magazine

Above, Leslie Murphy Brown, left, and Devonna Blevins work together during a class. Below is one of many finished pieces showing Farmville love. from regular routines and relax for a couple of hours creating something functional out of clay, hence our one-day class," Butler said. "We offer pottery wheel classes as well as handbuilding, along with making smaller, stained-glass pieces."

Mainly Clay also offers retail space in the front of its shop where pottery lovers can purchase pottery supplies, including tools, glaze and clay, but at the end of the day, Mainly Clay is a destination where people can become creative.

"We offer a space to relax, pick up a unique locally-made gift, or just to be greeted with a friendly smile," Butler said. "There is something about a creative space that just feels good."

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Mainly Clay offers many colors of pottery glazes to turn your handmade treasures into a masterpiece.

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Above are a set of completed pet bowls made by students.

Left are several rollers and stamps that students can use to press designs into the clay.

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Town and Gown

Keep it going We came to Farmville from Huntsville, Alabama in 2004 when my wife Leigh took a position in the math department at Longwood.

I had a little consulting business at the time, doing mathematical work for wireless communications firms, and I could do most of the work from home. We liked the smalltown friendliness of Farmville and its southern charm. I started doing some part-time teaching at Longwood and Hampden-Sydney, and by 2006 I had a full-time position teaching math at Hampden-Sydney. So yes, Farmville has been very good to us.

One of the first things we learned about Farmville, even before we moved here, was its historic role in the Civil Rights movement. I have always thought that the movement represented one of the finest moments in American democracy, and I had always admired its leaders, people like MLK, John Lewis, Diane Nash, and all the rest. But I had never heard of Barbara Johns and the Moton School strike. As I learned more about it, I was blown away by the courage and conviction shown by the 16-year-old Johns and her classmates as they demanded fair and equal access to education. And though the road was long and hard, we know that their actions ultimately made a huge difference: our town, our state, and our country, are now far better places because of what they did.

I’ve written and played music since I was a kid, and the first song I wrote after coming to Farmville was a tune called “Walkout,” in honor of Barbara Johns and the Moton School strikers. Several years back I had the honor of playing the song at the Moton Museum, and it is something I will always remember proudly. I continue to play the song

whenever I can, most recently at last year’s Heart of Virginia Festival, and I’m pleased and humbled by the acceptance it’s gained in our community. There’s a link at the end of this article where you can listen to the song.

The music scene in Farmville has expanded and diversified greatly since I’ve been here. Of course, Longwood and Hampden-Sydney both have excellent music departments, and their students and faculty have enriched our community for many years. But there are many great local musicians active in the area, and you can hear them most any weekend right here in downtown Farmville. My own local band is called Jackson, Pendergrass, and Townsend, and we do jazz, blues, and rock. I also play with a jazz group in Lynchburg called Feng Sway. But whatever your taste in music, you can bet someone is playing it live somewhere in Farmville.

Undeniably, Farmville is experiencing a renaissance, and I’m optimistic it will continue. Longwood and Hampden-Sydney are both growing, and both are increasing their outreach into the community.

Local arts organizations, like Waterworks Players, Voices of Unity Choir, Central Virginia Arts, Unified Theatre Company, and many others, are increasing the cultural offerings available here.

The restaurant and dining scene has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, and local businesses are thriving. Progress like this only comes when all segments of the community — “Town,” “Gown,” and everyone in between — work together. Let’s keep it going.

You can hear “Walkout” at the following webpage: https://fengsway.hearnow.com

MARCUS PENDERGRASS has taught mathematics at Hampden-Sydney College since 2006. He is interested in the relationships between mathematics and music, and has published research in this field. He is also a musician, and can be heard regularly at venues in Farmville and the surrounding areas.

Farmville the Magazine

Where Am I?

The Heart of Virginia offers beautiful scenery and architecture throughout downtown Farmville. “Where Am I?” offers residents a chance to identify one of our hidden gems across town. If you think you know where this photo was taken, email your answer to WhereAmI@FarmvilletheMag.com. We’ll draw one lucky name from among the correct answers for an annual subscription to Farmville the Magazine.

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LAST ISSUE’S WINNER Last month’s winner was Betty Eike who knew last month’s Where Am I photo was of the Longwood University Fountain. Good luck figuring out where this month’s picture is from.

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PARTYPix

BASKETBALL PARTY Flight Squad, a premier basketball team of high-flying former collegiate and pro players, challenged a local team of community leaders to a basketball game Tuesday. March 10 at Prince Edward Middle School. A big crowd attended the event which raised $10,000 for charity.

PHOTOS BY ROGER WATSON

Charles Williams, Joshua Dalby and Zachary Dalby

Page McWilliams, Juanita Giles, Virginia McWilliams and Marion McWilliams

Patty Newcombe and Sari Goff

Elizabeth Spillman, Wade Spillman and Bailey Spillman

Hykeim Wynn, Michael Reamer and Daniel Meadows

Taylor Yeager, Bailee Jenkins and Kenneth Ashley

Farmville the Magazine

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Chaquitta Tillerson and Makylah Tillerson

CJ Felder, Cayden Felder, Aundrea Felder and Cameron Felder

Whitfield Paige and Cindy Wahrman

Nikki Dean and Laura Gaston

Bernetta Watkins and Brenda Nash

Ashton Giles, Brianna Perkins and Maddie Moreland

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GALA PARTY Hundreds of supporters turned out for the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts Winter Gala held on Feb 15 at Longwood University. The annual event raises funds for the center. PHOTOS BY CRYSTAL VANDEGRIFT

Jim and Lynne Hensley

Bobby William and Dawn Williams

Olivia McIntosh and Logan Williams

Nicole Perkins, Amber Litchford and Ashley Long

Kim Taylor, Bryan Fair and Kevin Harrell

Donna and Bob Browning

Farmville the Magazine

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Garrett Shifflett and Ross Fickenscher

Clint Mooney

Justin Adams and Katie Kline

Kristen Boyle and Dean Boyle

Kelly Hammocl and Heather Courter

Kim and Kris Goin

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GALA PARTY

Lucy Carso, Keisten Mosley and Ken Hicks

Bruce Davis and and Susan Sullivan

Cameron Patterson and Jonnelle Davis

Kylie Dyer and Avery Ivers

Kathryn Copeland and Debbie Epperson

David Hart and Dr. David Pruitt

Farmville the Magazine

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Seth Otey and Sierra Smith

Richard Gerguson and Melanie Niemela

Irene Girgente and Benedict Chatelain

Dr. Robert Wade and Sherry Swinson

Samantha Jenkins and Allan Bilicki

Jennifer Kinne and Martha Butler

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PARTYPix

MOTON PARTY Hundreds of community members and visitors throughout Virginia gathered Saturday, Feb. 29, for the Ninth Annual Moton Community Banquet. Held at the Longwood University Health and Fitness Center, the evening recognized the Robert Russa Moton Museum’s donors and honored local Civil Rights history.

PHOTOS BY ALEXA MASSEY

Fantasia Funtatalee and Kemyra Carrington

Frank Carrillo and Kathy Carillo

Tyrensia Braxton and Melissa Trombley

Dorian Eaker, Ashley Freeze and Angela Robinson

Sidney Allen, Rochette Allen and Anita Allen

Jessica Ward Simmons and Pattie Cooper-Jones

Farmville the Magazine

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Erich Bridges and Jayne Johnson

Jon Marken, Sherri Marken and Trina Mansinon

John Utzinger, Dan Dwyer and Ginnie McDonald

Inez Blow, Barbara Person and Tyra Bell

David Emert, LeAnne Emert and Jay Stafford

Odessa Pride, Cameron Webb and Pattie Cooper-Jones

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PARTYPix

LCVA PARTY PIX Longwood Center for the Visual Arts partnered with United Way of Prince Edward to hold their Seasonal Wine and Brew Friday, Feb. 28. Community members gathered at the exhibit to drink spirits, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and view artwork while kicking off sales for the Great Farmville Duck Derby. PHOTOS BY ALEXA MASSEY

Rob and Tory Wade

Joni and Andy Beachly

Rucker Snead, Tim Tharpe and Wade Bartlett

Enfinatie Phillips

Dave Salye and Maureen Walls-McKay

Stephen Marion and Jes Simmons

Farmville the Magazine

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Jamie Ruff and Lucy Carson

Lonnie Calhoun and Leigh Lunsford

William Bishop, Patricia Carter and Paige Flanagan

Virginia Watson and Terri Atkins-Wilson

Fay Jean Royce

Chuck Dowdy and Ann Yoelin

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44 Farmville the Magazine

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LCVA PARTY PIX

Linda Cheyne, Joy Utzinger and Rachel Ivers

Tricia Crute and Jennifer Fraley

Bev Roberts and Navona Hart

Dodger Harrison and Shirley Blackwell

Farmville the Magazine

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Helen Warriner-Burke and Sandy Wowdy

Bev Roberts and Francis Thompson

Lisa Tharpe, Matthew McWilliams, Angie Clements and Wade Clements

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46 Farmville the Magazine

A Look into the Past

Farmville’s fling with spring

By Dr. Jim Jordan

T

here’s a tale told about a judge some 200 years ago in Farmville who happened to gaze out his courtroom window one warm April day.

The lordly dignitary, upon seeing a cluster of wild daisies that had just burst into bloom, stood up and announced, “You all may leave. I have just discovered that I have an important appointment — with spring!”

Although we usually don’t think of it that way, all of us have an appointment with spring. In nearly every society, spring means rebirth, renewal and regrowth.

Technically speaking, spring begins at the instant of vernal equinox — when there are exactly equal hours, minutes and seconds of daylight and darkness. For Farmville folks the vernal equinox will fall each year on March 19, 20 or 21, depending on the angle of the sun.

For thousands of years this astronomical event has been a signal for humans to “get ready.”

The arrival of spring and the days and weeks following

Farmville the Magazine

Elaborate May Day festivals like the one pictured here were held in the natural amphitheater located behind Longwood House.

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48 Farmville the Magazine were packed with social events and festivities.

People in the past usually understood why these activities were symbolic of spring. Today we frequently continue the customs but have lost sight of their origins and meaning.

The rituals of Easter, for example, are rich with symbols of renewal. The very word “Easter” comes from the old English word “Eastree,” which means “toward the rising sun” — the direction ancient people would scan for the first light of dawn. Nowadays we simply glance at our calendars.

In the olden days, however, it was more complicated to know when Easter Day would arrive. Fortunately, in 1789 a group of clergy and church members got together in Philadelphia to solve the Easter Day dilemma. They drew up and published a ponderous book, “A Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church.” On page 880 the book describes “Rules for Finding the Date of Easter Day: the Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox on March 21, a date fixed in accordance with an ancient ecclesiastical computation and which does not always correspond to the astronomical equinox. Easter Day may not be earlier than March 22 or later than April 25.”

Thank goodness they decided on the date.

Now folks could gather all the traditional items to properly celebrate: colored Easter eggs, Easter baskets, Easter lilies and traditional Easter foods.

There are special reasons for each of these.

Easter eggs, traditionally a sign of renewal, were stained with dyes, wax and twine. In days past, eggs were pierced and blown hollow so they could be preserved from year to year.

Easter baskets, the stand-in for nests that in real life held birds’ eggs or cuddly rabbits, were also an important part of the celebration.

Another animal associated with spring was the lamb, a sign of youth and purity and a centerpiece of many Easter meals. Ewes giving birth in early spring also served as a seasonal marker for people in the past — nature’s alarm clock as it were.

All of these spring and Easter symbols were an important part of celebrations in the 1800s in Prince Edward County. In 1896 Herbert Clarence Bradshaw described festivities in Farmville in his “History of Prince Edward County.”

Candy pulls, Easter egg hunts and hayrides . . . like the one Farmville young people took

A trio of Farmville ladies display their entries in the Dahlia Show held on Main Street as part of May Day celebrations. to Worsham. Mayor A. R. Venable entertained his class of Sunday School girls at the Farmville Presbyterian Church with strawberry picking in his “patch, and they then enjoyed them with cream . . . Another particularly festive occasion was an oyster supper served at eleven o’clock in the evening, and games continued afterward until a very late hour.

Another grand merriment in Farmville, and almost every town in Virginia in the 1800s, was the May Day Festival. Like Easter, May Day festivals symbolized renewal. In farming towns like ours, the May Day Festival was organized around a set of common themes. A May pole was set up in a public space to illustrate vegetation bursting forth from the earth. Garlands of flowers graced all participants, especially the May King and Queen, while young people, caught up in the

gaiety of the occasion, celebrated the occasion by dancing around the May Pole.

Farmville was renowned throughout Virginia for its elaborate festival featuring students from the Farmville Normal School for Women, now Longwood University. Normal School students wrote, enacted and directed a drama of song and dance to be performed around the May Pole. This extravaganza, held each year in a natural amphitheater on the Longwood House grounds, attracted thousands of visitors. There were even special trains arriving in Farmville from Roanoke, Lynchburg Richmond and the Tidewater area.

May Day evening featured a Daisy Chain Race staged between young men and women who were linked together with easily broken daisy chains. The results of these contests were believed to foreshadow marital prospects of the

Farmville the Magazine

Dr. Joseph Jarman, president of the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) from 1902-1946, is pictured in 1902 with students preparing for May Day festivities. contestants for the year ahead.

After the race, garlands of flowers were arranged in baskets to be left on the doorsteps of selected families. Good luck and prosperity as well as marriage and fertility were said to bless the houses where these baskets were placed.

Students at the Farmville Normal School complemented Daisy Day events with candy making made all the sweeter by the fact that dormitory rules did not allow cooking in the rooms. Miss Gay Ashton, who participated in this forbidden activity in 1899, even recorded a favorite recipe in her diary: 1 pound sugar, 1 pound nuts, 1 cup orange juice, 1 pound shredded coconut and 2 cups slice cherries.

While young ladies on High Street were consuming sugar-loaded candy, the Farmville Dahlia Show was underway on Main Street.

Missie Bernier, who coordinated the show in 1920, observed: “The Dahlia Show is always one of the big social events of the year . . . The interest created in growing flowers has resulted in the beautifying of many lawns in and around Farmville.”

Taken together these spring activities had a common goal in mind: to restore the joy to everyday lives stunted by the limitations imposed by winter. With the coming of spring, there was gaiety and merrymaking — think parades,

Preparations for an elaborate Easter meal were a spring tradition in colonial homes. Today this plantation in Amelia County appears much as it would have in the late 1700s. music, games, dancing, and feasting — not to mention that extra freedom for courtship and wooing and some license to violate the rules of normal behavior.

In other words, spring fling delights.

Scientifically speaking, the return of spring is based on the changing angle of the sun, but even modern eyes can see that spring and all its

traditions do more than that. Spring renews the world — its plants and animals — and people.

So go ahead and revel in the merriment.

It’s April after all, and spring has sprung.

Dr. Jim Jordan taught at Longwood University for almost 40 years before retiring as the Board of Visitors Distinguished Professor of Anthropology.

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50 Farmville the Magazine

Why I Love Farmville

Farmville the Magazine

Dr. Scott Davis

Farmville’s New Town Manager

Q: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN FARMVILLE AND WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU REMEMBER NOTICING ABOUT THE AREA?

A: “I started working here in October of 2017, and I had a transition period before we actually moved here. As part of the job of assistant town manager, I was required to live in the town limits. And so we actually closed on a house and renovated a little bit of it. I started living here in May of ’18. My family moved in the following month in June, when school was out where we were living before.

So, I’ve been here employment-wise a little over two-and-a-half years and living here almost two years.

I had been to Farmville as a college student visiting friends who had gone to Longwood, but I hadn’t really been back probably since that time, maybe passing through. One of the first times I came back was when I was being interviewed for the position of assistant town manager and looking at the town. What I noticed is, a lot of small towns in America don’t have as prosperous and aesthetically pleasing downtown as the Town of Farmville does.

When you come in and you see that type of vitality, it really captures your attention.”

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FARMVILLE MEMORY?

A: “I don’t think it’s really one in particular. My first one is my wife and I bringing the kids to town for the first time and letting them see different things. We took a picture in front of the ‘LOVE’ sign.

My son is on my daughter’s back, like piggyback.

And probably our first Christmas tree lighting. We got to be a part of that and part of a community event within two months of starting here. Seeing how people come together to see the tree being lit for an occasion like that, that’s a memorable event.”

Q: HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FARMVILLE GROW OR CHANGE IN THE FUTURE?

A: “I think what we have a real opportunity of growth in is entrepreneurship in a town like this. We have the opportunity to try to continue to have students attracted to the town from Longwood University or Hampden-Sydney and potentially entrepreneurship-

type programs which can help our economic impact in the community and also keep a different generation in town and draw new growth from that. Being a two-college town I think we have a lot of opportunities of economic growth in certain areas of town. There are some things that are untapped that we have the opportunity to collaborate with them further and look at how we enhance our economic interests together.”

Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE PEOPLE OF FARMVILLE AND YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH THEM?

A: “From the very beginning, as far as business owners to citizens to other partners in the community, everyone has been very welcoming to me and my family. I think that’s the part of being in a close-knit, small town is that you have the ability to meet people relatively easily and quickly. Fortunately, the positive part of that is that people have been very welcoming.”

Q: IF YOU HAD TO LEAVE FARMVILLE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU MISS THE MOST?

A: “I would probably miss the aspect of visiting locally-owned businesses, whether it’s retail or whether it’s the restaurants. I like the ability that we have choices here, and that we are locallyowned businesses. I like to spend money with people are reinvesting in the community.”

Q: IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A PICTURE AND SHOW IT TO SOMEONE, WHAT PICTURE WOULD YOU TAKE TO REPRESENT FARMVILLE?

A: “I think it would have to be an aerial viewpoint for a lot of it to show how you can have a whole community of people in one picture. From the retail shops of downtown, to include all the different storefronts of Green Front to the recreational opportunities we have of High Bridge right there together with lodging opportunities, eating opportunities to one of the other economic engines in our area in the middle of town of Longwood University.

You can see a little bit of all that makes up the town.”

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