Evince Magazine October 2021

Rachel Nershi

Having Fun Playing with Fire p5

Page 2 October 2021

Evince Magazine Page 3

Editor’s Note

Celebrating Milestones

A

fter 19 months of COVID

restrictions, we are

learning to gather safely outdoors-- a milestone in our journey of adjustment to new rules of engagement. No one will be near Rachel Neshi (pictured on the cover) when she dances at HOWEL, because her partner is fire! See details on page 5.

Other community groups are coming to life after taking a year off. Read and save “Let

the Seasons Begin” on page 8.

In “Milestones, Mile Markers, and Memories”, Linda Lemery tells how she has combined those things with decluttering on page 11.

Dave Slayton has a suggestion to acknowledge Evince’s 25th birthday in “When Celebrating Milestones, Sparkle!” on page 7.

For a recap of Evince’s history, see page 6.

The Book of Joy reviewed by Diane Adkins on page 10. Do you have dinner plans? I’m cooking Annelle Williams’ spaghetti squash recipe on page 13 tonight.

Finally, make time to celebrate milestones in your life every day. If you don’t honor the small accomplishments, the big ones might not come along.

Sincerely,

If you only have time to read one book this month, make it

On the Cover: Photo of Rachel Nershi taken on the lawn of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History by Michelle Dalton Photography

3 Editor’s Note

8

Let the 2021-2022 Seasons Begin!

Calendar

9 Exceptional Customer Spotting

11 Milestones, Mile Markers,

and Memories Red Light

Kenny Thornton Jr, Account Executive (434.250.3581) kenny@showcasemagazine.com

by Linda Lemery

12

Having Fun Playing with Fire

on Market and Main Fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg

Kim Demont Graphic Design, Marketing (434.792.0612) demontdesign@verizon.net evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly; reveal syn see SHOW

13

by Joyce Wilburn

6 Evince Celebrates Its 25th Birthday

by Dave Slayton

Marketing Consultants For ad information contact a marketing consultant listed below.

Deadline for submission of November stories, articles, and ads is Tuesday, October 19, at 5:00 p.m. Submit stories, articles, and calendar items to joycewilburn@gmail.com.

5 Rachel Nershi

7 Sparkle!

Contributing Writers Diane Adkins, Kirsten Halverson Aherron Matt Bell, Lewis Dumont, Helen Earle, Barbara Hopkins, Scott Jones, Scottie Emerson Lavinder, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, C.B. Maddox, Kevin Matheson, Bernadette Moore, Janet Roberson, Desiree Shaffer, Cheryl Sutherland, Dave Slayton, Ann Sylves, Joyce Wilburn, Annelle Williams, David Worrell

Lee Vogler Director of Sales and Marketing (434.548.5335) lee@evincemagazine.com

by Scottie Emerson Lavinder

When Celebrating Milestones,

Copy Editors Jeanette Taylor, Larry Wilburn

Finance Manager Cindy Yeatts (1.434.709.7349)

Service

by Joyce Wilburn

Editor / Joyce Wilburn (434.799.3160) joycewilburn@gmail.com

Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont)

October 2021

Content

CEO / Publisher / Andrew Scott Brooks

10 Book Clubbing The Book of Joy

by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu review by Diane Adkins

Editorial Policies

Make This Easy, Healthy Fall Dish

Cheesey Spaghetti Squash with Spinach and Alfredo Sauce

by Annelle Williams

14 Trivia Night submitted by Scott Jones

Evince is a free monthly magazine with news about entertainment and lifestyle in Danville and the surrounding area. We reserve the right to accept, reject and edit all submissions and advertisements.

EVINCE MAGAZINE 753 Main St. Suite 3, Danville, VA 24541 www.evincemagazine.com For subscriptions to Evince, email info@evincemagazine.com.

Cost is $24 a year. © 2021 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part in any medium without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Page 4 October 2021

Evince Magazine Page 5

Rachel Nershi

Having Fun Playing with Fire

by Joyce Wilburn

Willis, Virginia, awaits early the next morning. During the day, Rachel’s flame of creativity produces something delicious for the taste buds. After dark, it yields something graceful and beautiful for the eyes.

Photos by Michelle Dalton Photography

P

laying with fire is often

associated with taking

risks and putting oneself in danger. Neither statement is true, however, for fire spinner and dancer, Rachel “DandeLion” Nershi. In fact, it’s second nature for the Ohio native and resident of Floyd County, Virginia, who is performing in Danville this month.

“I’m a spinner, but more of a dancer,” explains the young woman who radiates positive energy. “When I was a young kid, I twirled a baton for five years and competed regionally,” she says recounting her journey from novice to professional. Her first exposure to spinning fire was at age eight. “My baton instructor took us to a parking lot and allowed us to do easy tricks with fire batons,” says Rachel. Things changed as Rachel matured.

“In high school I had to choose between being a majorette or being in the marching band.”

She chose clarinet over baton because she jokingly explains, “I was too cool for baton.”

Studying French and majoring in hospitality management at Kent State University in Ohio brought more opportunities for extracurricular activities. Rachel continues the story: “I got into hula hooping as a flow art after I attended concerts by String Cheese Incident, a Coloradobased jam band founded by

my uncle, Bill Nershi. In the late 90s they started passing out large, homemade hula hoops at their shows, thus starting the modern hoop dance movement.

They often have fire dancers, LED hula hoopers, and aerialists performing at their larger shows, and the hooper-crossing sign is an enduring symbol of the band.

Fans still turn pedestrian crossing signs into the hoop-crossing signs all over the country and beyond.”

Back at school, Rachel started the Kent State Hoop Troupe. “Then I obtained a set of fire fans and started playing more with fire,” she remembers.

“Once I graduated I needed a job to make money, but I also wanted to enrich my life and continue doing what I love,” she says. Through the internet, event planners found her as a hoop dancer and fire spinner, and in 2013, the gigs started rolling in. Standing close by at all her performances is her significant other and fire safety assistant, Campbell Jones, who also works as her DJ. After a brief preview of the upcoming performance on the lawn of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, Rachel and Campbell pack up the fire hoops, batons, staff, and palm torches and head back home. Her day job as a professional bread baker at a sourdough bakery in

• Fire dancer, Rachel Neshi, will perform on Saturday, October 30, at sunset (6:30ish) as part of the HOWEL 2021 (Halloween in the Old West End Lanternfest), a free community event on the lawn of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, 975 Main Street.

• HOWEL 2021 will host activities for the whole family beginning at 2:00 p.m. The first portion of the event will include children’s activities, museum tours, vendor booths, opportunities to engage with community nonprofits, local artists, and craft demonstrations. The day will transition to a lively evening with fire dancing performances, the lighting of the lanterns, live music, dancing, food trucks, and adult beverages, ending at 8:30 p.m.

• Children can enjoy face painting and games by Smokestack Theatre and a pumpkin painting contest (pumpkin carving for adults).

Costume contests for both youth and adults will be held.

Grizzly Hatchet House will set up lanes for hatchet throwing.

• HOWEL 2021 is a collaboration of five nonprofits: David Worrell of BookEnds (formerly Friends of the Library); Evelyn Riley and Kellis Wyatt of the Dan River Non-Profit Network; Josh Lucia of Smokestack Theatre Company; Elsabe Dixon of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History; and Tina Marklew and Anne Williams from the Friends of the Old West End. Other committee members are: Steve DelGiorno from Crema & Vine and Joshua Hearne of Grace & Main Fellowship.

• For more information about fire dancing, email Rachel at dandelionershi@gmail.com.

• For more information about HOWEL 2021, email info@ howeldanville.com.

Page 6 October 2021

Evince Celebrates Its 25th Birthday!

T

hanks to our loyal

advertisers, this award winning publication has always been free to our readers.

For those of you who have read Evince since the beginning, you might remember a few of these highlights from the past 25 years:

July/August 1996

• The bimonthly Evince is published for the first time.

Associate editors are Rick Barker, Joe Kauffman, and Larry Oldham. Kim Demont is the graphic designer for ads (and still is doing layout!).

In the 1990s:

• Evince wins first place out of 1,423 entries in the Printing Industries of Virginia competition in 1997.

• Evince wins first place out of 1,558 entries in the Printing Industries of Virginia competition in 1998.

• The Danville Historical Society presents an award to Evince for its dedicated commitment and service to historic and cultural preservation and development in 1998.

• Evince becomes a monthly publication in 1999.

The first issue of Evince was published in 1996.

Meg and Whitt Clement were on the cover.

In the 2000s:

• Virginia Press Association presents five awards to Evince writers.

• The Printing Industries of Virginia Association awards Evince first place in a field of 1,938 entries for excellence in preparation and printing.

• Virginia Press Association presents six awards to Evince writers and a photographer.

• Virginia Press Association presents ten awards to Evince for design and presentation, photography, feature writing, stories and feature series.

Winners included current writers Linda Lemery and Joyce Wilburn.

• Evince website goes live.

• Evince is given a Certificate of Recognition for being a Evince Magazine Page 1

Mark & Wendy Hermann

Seeing Potential and Realizing Dreams Page 3

nominee in the 2008 Governor’s Award for the Arts for outstanding achievement and significant contributions to the arts in Virginia.

• Scott Brooks of Brooks Media becomes the publisher. Joyce Wilburn becomes the editor in 2008.

2020

• On July 23, every issue of Evince from July 1996 through July 2020 (261) found a forever home at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, the state’s oldest institution dedicated to the preservation of Virginia history and culture. Every page of every issue can be viewed by readers throughout the world.

Evince Magazine Page 7

The top layer of cake is decorated with the oldest cover pictures.

The middle layer features pictures from the early 2000s including the three Evince founders: Rick Barker, Larry Oldham, and Danny Vaden.

The bottom layer has the 20th anniversary picture. No Champagne was wasted in the taking of this picture. (Photo by Janet Holley)

When Celebrating Milestones

Sparkle!

by Dave Slayton

a member of the Master Court of Sommeliers

C

hampagne. We sip it

(or another sparkling wine)

at weddings, birthday parties, New Year’s Eve parties, and other special occasions.

Champagne, however, shouldn’t be reserved for special events.

As Lily Bollinger of Bollinger Champagne said, “I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am.

Otherwise, I never touch it -unless I’m thirsty.”

So why do we drink champagne on special celebratory occasions? Short answer: tradition. In the book But First, Champagne, David White states that Louis XIV first tasted champagne in 1654 and rarely drank anything else afterward.

If the Sun King drank it, it’s got to be good, right? Kolleen M. Guy, Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at San Antonio, wrote When Champagne Became French.

She says, “Royalty loved the novelty of sparkling wine. It was said to have positive effects on women’s beauty and man’s wit.”

Speaking of tradition, I’ve always wondered why a new ship is launched by breaking a bottle of champagne on its bow. Upon

completing a new water vessel, the Babylonians sacrificed oxen and the Ottomans killed sheep.

In the Middle Ages, this practice was replaced by priests sprinkling holy water and giving prayers on British ships. Later, wine was shared among the attendees, poured on the deck, and then their goblets were thrown overboard. This proved expensive and simply breaking the bottle on the bow became the standard.

What about Sabrage, the ceremonial art of opening a bottle of champagne with a sword? Napoleon’s light cavalry, the Hussars, who carried sabers, are credited with this dangerous showstopper.

Legend has it that Dom Pérignon, a French monk, invented Champagne and said, “Come quickly, I am drinking the stars.”

Evince is celebrating its 25th birthday this year. I propose this toast, with champagne, of course: May Evince continue to be a shining star in our region’s cultural sky.

Cheers!

Page 8 October 2021

Let the 2021-2022 Seasons Begin!

Calendar of Evince

Save this page as a reference guide for the next few months. It includes activities through January 2022. Visit the websites for more events in 2022. Always check with the organization for updates.

Averett University

434.791.5600 www.averett.edu

October 1-3 Homecoming

October 21-23

Scotland Road a suspenseful play of intrigue and psychodrama 7pm Pritchett Auditorium in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center $10 adults/$8 students/senior citizens 60+

November 12-14

All Together Now This fundraiser features hit songs from some of Broadway’s greatest musicals, 7pm each day + 2pm on Sunday Pritchett Auditorium $10 adults/$8 students/senior citizens 60+

November 19

AU Cougar Band POPS Concert 7pm Pritchett Auditorium free

December 2

Averett Celebrates Christmas 7pm Pritchett Auditorium free

Chatham Concert Series Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 66 North Main Street, Chatham www.ClassicStringsDuo.com

October 24

Pianist Harold Brown will perform with violinist Kevin Matheson 3pm

December 5

Christmas Concert with Rainier Trio and soprano Leslie Mabe 3:30pm

January 23

Roanoke Ballet Theatre will perform new choreography to the music of Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” with the Rainier Trio. 3pm location TBD

Danville Area Veterans’ Council 434.836.0745

November 7

Veterans Parade begins at 2:30pm at the intersection of Broad and Rison Streets

Danville Christmas Parade December 4

Bright Lights and Holiday Nights hosted

by Riverview Rotary begins at 5pm at the intersection of Main & Broad Streets

Danville Historical Society

www.danvillehistory.org 434.709.8398

December 11

47th Annual Holiday Tour 11am-5pm Schoolfield Rising

Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History

www.danvillemuseum.org 975 Main Street 434.793.5644

October 16 (thru Nov. 21)

Smithsonian’s Crossroads: Change in Rural America and Carson Davenport paintings Opening October 16 24 Reid Street, Chatham 2-4pm Exhibit open from 11am-2pm Mondays-Saturdays and 2pm-4pm on Sundays.

Ghosts and Gravestones. Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History.

Photo by Michelle Dalton Photography.

October 21, 22 & 23

Ghosts and Gravestones, a one-hour tour of Grove Street Cemetery by Smokestack Theatre Company 6:309pm Eventbrite.

Also, on December 12 at the Prizery, 700 Bruce St. South Boston Doors open 4:30pm; first note 5pm.

The Prizery

October 30

Piedmont Arts

October 9

Danville Parks & Recreation

October 7

October 27

HOWEL See page 5.

www.playdanvilleva.com

October 7

Barktober Fest Coates Bark Park, 1725 Westover Dr. free 6-8pm

October 29

Market Monster Mash Dash costume run for the family 6pm $25pp prior to race day Carrington Pavilion, 629 Craghead St.

October 31

Market Monster Mash, Trunk-or-Treat, and Halloween activities. 5-8PM. Carrington Pavilion 629 Craghead Street.

November 13

Bright Leaf Brew Fest Danville Carrington Pavilion, 629 Craghead St. 11:00am-5:00pm

December 9 (thru 23)

215 Starling Ave. Martinsville www.PiedmontArts.org 276.632.3221 Latin Ballet of Virginia: Verde reception 6:30pm performance 7pm $20/10

October 22

Opening reception for Print/Imprint: Asheville Printmakers Carl Chiarenza Tools of Happiness free 5:30-7:30pm exhibit open until January 6, 2022

October 23 (thru January 8)

Print/Imprint: Asheville Printmakers Carl Chiarenza Tools of Happiness and paintings by George Ray Shelton exhibit free

November 11

Brown v. Board of Education: Over 50 Years Later, a one-man play; reception 6:30pm; play 7pm $20/10

December 2

Christmas tree lighting 5pm GravelyLester Art Garden

www.danvillesymphony.net

October 23

Rule Britannia! Fall Classical Concert Danville City Auditorium, 125 North Floyd St. free Doors open 7pm; first note 7:30pm.

December 11

The Home for the Holidays Christmas/ Holiday Concert Danville City Auditorium, 125 North Floyd St. free Doors open 7pm; first note 7:30pm.

Danville Symphony Orchestra Doors open 4:30pm; first note 5pm

The Wednesday Club 1002 Main Street 434.792.7921 www.TheWedClubDanvilleVa.org All programs are free and open to the public. 3:15pm coffee/3:45pm program

October 20

Speaker: Tonya Fitzpatrick, three times TEDx presenter and podcaster, will talk about The Transformative Power of Travel.

October 27

Speaker: Felicia Edmunds will speak about her three sons all NFL players in Raising Three Sons in Times Such as These

Art at Happy Hour 5-7pm free

Danville Symphony Orchestra

December 12

River District Association

Danville Science Center

Zoom Into the V.O.I.D.: virtual live astronomy presentation highlighting this month’s celestial happenings noon

Opening reception for Trish Owen exhibit free 3pm Exhibit runs through December 31.

January 6

Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops Martinsville High School 3pm $5/15/25

October 12

The Bobby Blackhat Band A Night of Blues 7pm $17-$23

Speaker: Jennifer Williams presents The Second Chance Book Club She will talk about her experiences volunteering at the Danville City Library where she teaches a creative writing class and leads a book club.

December 5

Community Holiday Light Show Ballou Park, 760 West Main St. $10-$20

www.dsc.smv.org 677 Craghead Street 434.791.5160

700 Bruce Street, South Boston www. prizery.com 434.572.8339

208 North Union Street 434.791.0210 www.riverdistrictassociation.com

October 23

Bridge Street Food Truck Rodeo

November 26

HOME for the Holidays begins with weekly 20-30 minute segments featuring music, greetings, and merchant interviews. Community members can send ten-seconds of holiday greetings to home@riverdistrictassociation.com and be a part of the production. For more information or greeting prompts visit www.rdahomefortheholidays.com

December 3

Christmas on the Plaza JTI Fountain Main St. Danville 5-9pm There will be hot chocolate, cookies, entertainment, and a tree lighting ceremony.

November 3

November 10

Speaker: Milbre Burch, internationally known storyteller, will explain how she uses storytelling to address social injustice in Transformations

November 17

Speaker: Charles Davenport, Jr., columnist and novelist, will discuss the cultural relevance of the written word and the horrors that inspired his first novel in A World of Words

December 8

Speaker: Pianist Telly Tucker will display real virtuosity as he entertains with his piano playing and singing in Tickling the Ivories in All Genres

Evince Magazine Page 9

Other October Events October 2

We’re

Pour Paint Workshop: Main St. Art Collective, 326 Main St. Danville 11am $40 434.602.2017

October 3

CROP Walk: a fundraiser to end hunger Ballou Park 2:45pm 760 West Main St. Danville www.danvillecropwalk.org

October 4 & 18

Trivia Night: See page 14.

October 6

Free Puzzle Swap: Main St. Art Collective, 326 Main St. Danville 11am 434.602.2017

October 9 & 10

DMFAH: free admission

October 15

on Danville!

Donna Gibson Owner

Of Ghosts and Stories: ghost stories from BookEnds and Smokestack Theatre Company; music by the League of Ordinary Gentlemen. free Crema & Vine, 1009 Main St. Danville all ages 7pm

October 22

Game Night & 3rd Anniversary Celebration: Main St. Art Collective, 326 Main St. Danville free 6-8pm 434.602.2017

October 25 thru Nov 29 DMFAH: Forms in Clay 6:30-9pm Mondays $95/105 Register 434.792.5355

October 29

Paint a Garden Gnome: Main St. Art Collective, 326 Main St. Danville 5:30pm $35 434.602.2017

October 30

Ring-Making Class: Main St. Art Collective, 326 Main St. Danville 11am $40 434.602.2017

Ongoing

DMFAH Attic Sale Donation Drop-Off no electronics or clothes; furniture donations by appointment.

Yoga on the Lawn Saturdays DMFAH Call to reserve a spot.

Spotting

Exceptional Customer Service

by Scottie Emerson Lavinder

October 16

Cars & Coffee: hosted by Old Dominion Classic Sports Car Club. See classic cars, sports cars, muscle cars, and more in the parking lot at Crema & Vine, 1009 Main St. Danville 9-10:30am 434.548.9862 String Art Sunflower Class: Main St. Art Collective, 326 Main St. Danville $40 11am 434.602.2017

Top: Christi Oakes, Salita Hairston, Isolene Barnwell; Bottom: Walker Hylton, Sierra Compton

HOLLEY & GIBSON REALTY COMPANY

339 Piney Forest Rd., Danville, VA 24540

Office: (434) 791-2400 Fax: (434) 791-2122 Visit our website at

www.holleyandgibsonrealty.com

I

would like to spotlight some

exceptional people at a

bank in Danville. I recently had the pleasure of finding a group of people who actually act like they love their jobs and mostly love their customers. Sierra Compton, Christi Oakes and all of the tellers at First

National Bank (formerly Virginia Bank & Trust Co) at 2600 Riverside Drive make banking such a pleasure again! They all are always smiling, happy, kind and so helpful. They all go out of their way to be friendly and treat everyone with respect.

I don’t dread going to the bank anymore. I actually look forward to seeing them, talking and catching up, just like friends do. What a difference they are making in Danville and in the banking business. Kudos to these awesome people for keeping customer service their priority.

Evince wants to encourage and recognize exceptional customer service.

When someone gives you exceptional service, please let us know. In 300 words or less, tell us what happened. Email your story to joycewilburn@gmail.com.

Page 10 October 2021

particular spoke of what he had lost but also what he gained through his exile: wider contact, new relationships, and more freedom to learn from others.

Similarly, Archbishop Tutu certainly embodies the gift of laughter; his mischievous spirit permeates the book. His ability to see humor in situations that might anger others is noteworthy. The book concludes with a section called “Joy Practices,” presenting simple practices that can help the reader overcome the obstacles to living a joy-filled life.

Book Clubbing

The Book of Joy

by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams review by Diane Adkins

A

rchbishop Desmond Tutu

and His Holiness the Dalai

Lama met together in 2015 for a five-day conversation and a celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. The meeting took place in Dharamsala, India, where the Dalai Lama has been in exile since 1959. The theme of the conference was cultivating joy, and the book is meant as a birthday gift to all people. As they state at the beginning, “Lasting happiness cannot be found in pursuit of any goal or achievement. It does not reside in fortune or fame. It resides only in the human mind and heart, and it is here that we hope you will find it.”

What better teachers could there be than these two? Living lives

suffused with joy, each of them has faced incredible obstacles.

Archbishop Tutu, who turns 90 this month, was one of the leaders of the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Later, he chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a key to healing racial divisions there. Although he has retired, he remains diligent in support of human rights. The Dalai Lama was forced into exile at age 24 and his movements have been restricted ever since. The two have been friends for years, but celebrations together have been difficult.

The first half of the book focuses on the obstacles to joy—fear, stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, sadness, grief, despair, loneliness, envy, suffering, adversity, illness,

and fear of death. Both men are deeply familiar with these things.

They believe that although we have no control over the suffering we face, we can choose our response to it. That is at the heart of this book’s wisdom. They have discovered this secret: it is attitude rather than external things that is the source of joy.

The second half encompasses the eight pillars of joy: perspective, humility, humor, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity.

Both spiritual leaders seem to be masters of “reframing more positively”. The Dalai Lama in

Abrams does a good job interweaving the Christian and Buddhist traditions throughout, but the book is certainly accessible for those of any or no faith. The text is supported by numerous photos of the two men throughout the visit, including a lovely one of Archbishop Tutu showing the Dalai Lama how to dance at his birthday celebration.

In these troubling times, the words of these two leaders can light our way forward.

Diane S. Adkins is a retired Director of Pittsylvania County Library System.

Evince Magazine Page 11

Milestones, Mile Markers, and Memories

by Linda Lemery

E

vince has been serving

our community and

region for decades.

What a gift it has been to our community! When thinking about milestones for Evince, it seemed natural to draw parallels with my current focus on decluttering and personal mile markers. Let’s stroll together down this mile-marker trail.

Evince Milestone: 25 years old and still going strong. With every issue of Evince, whether print or digital, we learn about an activity, a theme, or an idea that can be incorporated into our lives.

Personal Mile Marker: I have reached the ripe old age of (… gesundheit!) and am looking back over my life. I have always loved to collect memories; the triggers for those memories are often items I’ve collected.

When I look at the porcelain birds that were given to me as a child by Danish relatives, the memories of time together flow forth in a cascade. When I look at my books, I see the relationships I formed with the authors by reading their stories, learning what they had to say, and incorporating what I learned into my life. When I see my mother’s picture, I remember the time our younger son, Dave, pushed Gramma Gladys, age 99, in her wheelchair around Sears while my husband Steve and I evaluated new gas stoves.

Our old gas stovetop (that likely came over on the Mayflower) had died suddenly and we had to have a replacement like yesterday. Dave wheeled Mom past the studio of the Sears photographer who asked if she could take a picture of Mom. When we all came back together, I was astounded by my son, my mother, serendipity, and the promise of a lovely picture (along with a new stove).

Evince Milestone: More streamlined than ever but packed with content. Evince is easy to read and holds relevant information that we use to shape what we do during that month.

Personal Mile Marker: I am beginning to get the hang of this decluttering thing. When we went on an extended driving trip last month, we practically vacuumpacked our minivan with gifts for people. Sure, we acquired stuff along the way, but more went out than came in, and love accompanied these gifts for the people and places we visited.

Everything we gave was relevant to the recipient, had been chosen because of a relationship, and was given with love.

Evince Milestone: More colorful than ever and ready for the future Personal Mile Marker: Most of what I acquired on last month’s trip, including regional foods, I have given away to friends and family along with the memories.

We’ve been intentionally coloring our histories and relationships with fun. It all feels so good.

Readers, you have your own personal mile markers that make it hard to declutter just like I do. Try contributing a memory to someone else by giving a tangible item away along with a description of the memory that goes with it. This is slow, but it’s progress. I am giving the memories in this column to you. Please look at your own treasured items, write a description of them, and give them to cherished family members or friends who will take care of them. We can do this!

Happy Halloween!.

About the Author: Linda Lemery llemery@ averett.edu lives and writes in Danville, VA. She welcomes reader comments.

Page 12 October 2021

Red Light

on Market and Main

fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg

A

llan,

I know you are hurting

‘cause your mama’s gone. This letter ain’t another sad song. Maybe it’s something kind.

You know she never liked me, and me, I felt for her the same.

But, baby, before she stopped recognizing you, Allan, your mama, I don’t know how to say it other than--her heart waited for you, until she told someone that love one last time. Sounds poetic, but it wasn’t. She grabbed my arm like a claw at the light. And won’t anyone around but me when she did it. “Fallen, tell him, you tell him, girl,” she spits out, rushed, rabid.

“You tell my baby I love him.” So

she told me she loved you the last time, sitting in our old Pontiac, at the red light on the corner of Market and Main, with cars behind us waiting for the light to go. It was dusk then. I should have told you, but you were already hurting so bad ‘cause of her dementia coming on so fast.

I should have told you. I know. I know, honey. Look, you always knew, once a month, on Tuesday afternoons around 5 p.m., I used to take your mama, Bitty, to Rosie’s Sweet Curls for a wash and that blue rinse she liked. She never thanked me, was embarrassed by my dark hand holding her steady into the beauty shop, embarrassed by the looks of the other white ladies there. She never told them your connection to me, totally ignored her connection to me, but they knew. It’s a small town and not many mixed couples. Almost every time she “forgot,” asked me to stay in the car, even though she couldn’t always walk straight, or handle the money, or remember her stylist’s name right. Hate, prejudice, that she could remember, but not much else. The crying and arguing she could remember to do, the wrath because I wouldn’t

let her go in alone and let her fall. My anger seethed at her ungratefulness. There were stares or dropped-eyed pity by people for the both of us.

Those trips were an ordeal, ‘cause your mama, Bitty, we know--near the end--that her memory was beside her and not in her most of the time. I got no reason to keep up a lie, Allan. We both know despite my bathing of her, the wiping of her, that I was wishing she would either get better or die. Then there was that guilt from having those feelings, guilt even though she was not kind to me. And I was tired, overworked, and we were scraping by with little money and our girls. Martin, your daddy, was gone, and I was a woman too like Bitty scared of this world just like her, especially after the attack. I still won’t let you touch me because of that attack.

I could have used some kindness too.

There at that stoplight on Market and Main, Bitty grabbed me, pulled my right hand from the gear shift and put it to her cheek.

The light from another corner of the intersection turned yellow.

She looked ahead. She spoke

deliberately, pulling the words from her maw like holy script, “Fallen, take care of my boy; love him.” And I wasn’t sure if it was a declaration or a command. And then she was gone, dropped my hand like fire. I know she didn’t die then, but she died there. I can’t explain it. The light turned green, cars honked behind me.

Bitty looked down, slept and whimpered in that sleep all the way home.

She got so bad so quickly, we couldn’t go back to Rosie’s.

They sent flowers, you know, that peace lily that sits in the corner of our living room by your daddy’s boxed service flag. Months later, the coroner said she went in her sleep. The funeral was quiet, nice, small. Still, there was sadness left behind. Yeah, she died months later after that light on Market and Main. But, I remember, Allan. That red-light-love was the last time she was here and her last words were that she loved you. No, that’s not right; her last words were for me to love you. I am sure of that now. The weight of that. And I will. I do.

Yours, Fallen

Evince Magazine Page 13

Cheesey Spaghetti Squash with Spinach and Alfredo Sauce adapted from Half Baked Harvest 4 servings

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out and discarded 1 head of garlic, top sliced off, drizzled with oil and wrapped in foil 1 cup pre-made Alfredo sauce 1 (6oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 1T freshly chopped thyme leaves

2 T freshly chopped sage leaves 1 cup shredded mozzarella 1 cup shredded fontina, plus another 1/2 cup to cover the bottoms of the squash 1/4 cup grated Parmesan salt and pepper 2 T butter

Preheat oven to 425°. Place squash halves on foil-lined sheet pan.

Combine Alfredo sauce, drained spinach, thyme, sage, mozzarella, and 1 cup of fontina cheese in bowl. Stir to combine. Salt and pepper cut-sides of squash. Sprinkle remaining fontina evenly into bottoms of halved squash. Fill squash cavities with cheese mixture. Top with grated Parmesan. Cover with foil. Place foil-wrapped garlic on sheet pan next to squash. Bake for 30 minutes.

Make This Easy, Healthy Fall Dish

Cheesey Spaghetti Squash with Spinach and Alfredo Sauce

Remove garlic from oven and set aside. Remove foil from squash and return to oven for 25 minutes, until squash is soft when touched on the outside and cheeses have begun to brown. Don’t be afraid to hit the tops with a couple of minutes on broil to brown cheese. Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes to firm a little.

Squeeze roasted garlic into butter and combine. Spread across tops of squash. Cut each squash half into half again. Place in individual pasta dishes and let everyone shred their squash “pasta” into the sauce. (See picture.) Serve with crusty bread and salad.

INTRODUCING THE BEE HOTEL

by Annelle Williams winner of the national 2002 Sutter Home Recipe Contest

F

all arrived last month and

we’re probably headed

for a few months of living indoors and a bit of quarantining again. While we’re waiting to be free of this virus, there are lots of things we can do to stay busy.

My answer to being indoors is cooking all the wonderful dishes I love and haven’t prepared over the summer—that season

of salads, seafood, grilling, and outdoor living. Now I’m returning to the kitchen with some of my favorite recipes. This is the perfect fall recipe. It looks like fall, smells like fall, tastes like a million dollars, and it’s healthy. It’s also very easy to prepare. Add a salad and some crusty bread and you have a great meal.

With its buzzworthy backstory and unique urban style, The Bee made a headline-making hotel debut in Danville’s bustling River District.

420 Patton Street Danville, Virginia 24541

T: 434-234-9440 Email: gm@danvillebeehotel.com

www.danvillebeehotel.com

The 47-room newcomer is located in what was once home to the city’s iconic broadsheet, The Danville Register & Bee, now freshly reimagined as a warm and welcoming home base for business travelers and Virginia vacationers offering the largest rooms for the value in addition to apartment suites ideal for extended stay.

Located in the heart of Southern Virginia on the banks of the Dan River, Danville blends small-town charm with rich history and outdoor activities for the adventure-seekers. A one-time textile and tobacco epicenter, it offers easy access to the Virginia International Raceway and the future Caesars Virginia casino.

Where Contemporary and Historic Meet in The River District

SUITES One and Two Bedroom Suites Ideal for extended stays, nearly half of the hotel’s guest rooms are light filled loft-style retreats featuring full kitchens, lightening fast wi-fi and smart TVs.

FEATURES & AMENITIES:

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS • Danville’s River Walk Trail

• Free high-speed WiFi

• Averett University

• 43 or 55-inch HDTV with cable

• Danville Museum of Fine Arts

streaming services

& History

• Work desk with ergonomic chair

• Virginia International Raceway

• Mini-fridge and Microwave

• Angeler’s Ridge Mountain Bike Trail

• Keurig coffee maker

• Danville Braves

• Premium bath amenities

• Danville Science Center

• Hair dryer

• Dan Daniel Memorial Park

• Iron and ironing board

• Tank Museum

• Pet-friendly

• Wreck of the Old 97

• Smoke-free

• Local Craft Brewing Companies

• Fitness Center • Rooftop Veranda (seasonal) • Free Parking

Staycation With Us!

Page 14 October 2021

Trivia Night submitted by Scott Jones

(the first answer will start with the letter a. The second answer will start with the letter b, etc.)

1. What fictional asylum for the criminally insane has housed such criminal masterminds as Hugo Strange, Ra’s al Ghul, the Mad Hatter, and Mr. Freeze?

2. What Latin term, often used in the law, means “good faith”?

3. Who played Archie Bunker on All in the Family and Chief William Gillespie on the TV series In the Heat of the Night?

4. What is the capital of Syria?

5. What word means the study of words, not to be confused with a very similar word that means the study of insects?

6. What word, synonymous with whipping, refers to the act of beating the human body with special implements, such as whips, rods, or switches?

7. What was the earliest major book printed using massproduced movable metal type in Europe?

8. Also known as suppuku, what is the Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment also known as?

9. What epic poem, traditionally attributed to Homer, is set during the Trojan War? 10. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, who wore #6 for the Philadelphia 76ers and was one of the first basketball players to endorse products and to have a show marketed under his name?

1. What mathematical diagram is depicted as two overlapping circles?

2. What animal is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse?

3. When looking at a beer menu, what does the “U” in “IBU” stand for?

4. What is the name of the small, shrill flute often used with the drums in military bands?

5. What book by Peter Benchley takes place on the fictional coastal town of Amity, NY? 6. According to Greek mythology, what river separates the Earth and the Underworld?

7. What Australian hard rock band was formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young?

8. What South American country and its capital both fit this category?

9. What chess pieces start the game in the four corners of the board?

10.What 1970 Robert Altman film was the first American movie from a major studio to use the “f” word?

Answers to Four-Letter Words 1. Venn 2. mule 3. unit (International Bitterness Unit) 4. fife 5. Jaws 6. Styx 7. AC/DC 8. Lima, Peru 9. rook 10.M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital)

ABCs

Four Letter Words

Answers to ABCs 1. Arkham Asylum 2. bona fide 3. Carroll O’Connor 4. Damascus 5. etymology (entomology is the study of insects) 6. flagellation or flogging 7. Gutenberg Bible 8. hari-kari 9. The Iliad 10.Dr. J (Julius Erving)

z

oom in to Trivia Night on

the first and third Mondays

of the month at 7:00 p.m.

For more information, email scott. jones@richmond.edu.

Evince Magazine Page 15

Page 16 October 2021