Showcase Magazine May 2022

Get Inside Your Head

AND WORK THINGS OUT The Peacefulness of Overlanding

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CONTENTS

Showcase Magazine

MAY 2022

@showcaseDVA

Showcase Magazine

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FEATURES Get Inside Your Head and Work Things Out 9

Having a Blast

Putting smiles on faces with the Otterbots 12

Confessions of a 30 Something We Will Always Love You, Gray 22

Get Inside Your Head

and Work Things Out

PG.

9

ALSO INSIDE Editor’s Letter

Just One Acorn 6

Who am I? Who are you?

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A few things to know about therapy…

18

Paws for a Cause Meet Little Bit 21

Games

Crossword & Wordsearch 20 MAY 2022

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PG.

12

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Just One Acorn Overlanding. That’s a new word to me. This month, we delve into the art of overlanding with Scott Buckner.

showcase MAY 2022

CEO Andrew Scott Brooks scott@showcasemagazine.com

I love learning new things. It’s one of my favorite things about working at Showcase. Another is meeting interesting people. I didn’t meet Scott through Showcase. I’ve known him for many years.

He’s always been a lover of nature, but just recently, I learned about overlanding through his YouTube channel. The peacefulness and freedom that comes from being one with nature fascinates me.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Paul Seiple | paul@showcasemagazine.com

May is the perfect month to introduce readers not familiar with the term to overlanding.

FINANCE MANAGER Cindy Astin | cindy@showcasemagazine.com

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Nature plays a big role in positive mental health. The last few years have been taxing on many people’s mental health, mine included. I’ve found solace in taking long hikes just to free my mind. Mother Nature is medicine.

Things started feeling “off” for me early last winter. I lacked the motivation to accomplish anything other than the bare minimum required. I only looked forward to sleeping. A similar thing happened to me a few years ago around wintertime. I had heard of the term “seasonal depression” but never thought it applied to me. I liked winter.

I looked deeper into seasonal depression. It turns out my body and mind aren’t fond of winter.

In the cold season, I stay cooped inside where it’s warm. It has always made me feel that’s when I should be more productive. When I should write more books or create new projects.

In the winter, I overload my to-do list with things I “need” to get done while it’s too cold to do anything outside. Get it out of the way so I can enjoy springtime.

I don’t know that I truly have seasonal depression. I know I burn myself out in the winter. And I learned this on a hike earlier this spring. Nature in all forms is therapy for me. I used to dislike lawn care, so much that I paid someone else to do it. This year, I am using it to work out the thoughts in my head while breathing in fresh air (when pollen isn’t punching me in the nose.)

Something I used to dread has now become a thing I look forward to. Why? Because being outside makes me feel good.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kim Demont | demontdesign@verizon.net

ADVERTISING Lee Vogler | Director of Sales and Marketing lee@showcasemagazine.com | 434.548.5335 CUSTOMER SERVICE Subscribe to Home Delivery for $24 per year 753 Main Street #3, Danville, VA 24541 Phone 434.709.7349 info@showcasemagazine.com www.showcasemagazine.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paulette Dean | Sam Jackson | Brandie Kendrick Barry Koplen | Lee Vogler | Davin Wilson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Scott Buckner | Danville Otterbots Brandie Kendrick | Barry Koplen | Lee Vogler COVER Photo provided by Scott Buckner

Scott says overlanding lets him, “get inside his head and work things out.” That is exactly what experiencing Mother Nature does for me.

Back to Mental Health Awareness Month. In our area, we are fortunate to have many top-notch organizations and knowledgeable people to help promote the importance of positive mental health.

Awareness months are great in bringing light to subjects, but each day should be an awareness day.

Your mental health is just as important as physical health.

If you, or someone you know, need to talk about things, please reach out for help.

And, as always, be kind to others. I came across a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson that I’d like to share that relates to nature and kindness. “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”

And one act of kindness can lead to many more.

Enjoy the issue

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FEATURE GET INSIDE YOUR HEAD AND WORK THINGS OUT

Get Inside Your Head and Work Things Out

The peacefulness of overlanding

BY DAVIN WILSON PHOTOS BY SCOTT BUCKNER

S

cott Buckner was driving his Outback along the Piney River in Nelson County when he had what he described as a National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation golden Christmas tree moment.

Buckner was on one of his overlanding trips — more on that in a minute — and had spent the last hour or so looking for the perfect spot to camp. Unable to find it, he had just about resigned himself to spending the night at the campground at Devils Backbone Camp in nearby Roseland when he saw a golden sight.

Coming down the mountain, he rounded a curve and there on the right was his Christmas tree campsite, absolutely deserted as if it had been waiting just on him.

“It was huge. Ten people could’ve camped there. It was completely deserted. I pulled in and was like, ‘Is this for real?’” he recalled laughing. “It really was like that scene out of Christmas Vacation, the very beginning when the family is Christmas tree hunting, and they come across this tree in the woods that is just glowing.”

Unlike the Griswolds, Buckner didn’t get stuck under a tractor-trailer on his way back. Instead, he parked, set up camp, and spent the rest of the night enjoying his good fortune, listening to the sound of the two adjoining creeks and river surrounding him.

While Buckner’s experiences are like camping, this occurred on one of his many overlanding trips.

What’s the difference between overlanding and camping?

Overlanding and camping differ in three major areas: the focus on the journey versus the destination, the level of planning done ahead of the trip, and the gear you’ll need to bring.

Buckner described the experience in a way that would’ve caught the late Ralph Waldo Emerson’s attention, even inadvertently using one of the writer’s most famous adages.

“Overlanding is not staying at the same place two nights in a row,” Buckner said. “The idea is going from one place to the next, using your vehicle as a vessel, using only what you have on you, and focusing more on the journey than the destination.”

A few weeks back, Buckner hopped in his Outback and headed up to George Washington National Forest with only what he needed and no specific place to stay. After completing the 78-mile journey to the national forest, he found his ideal campsite completely off the grid and spent the rest of the night next to a river before falling asleep in his car. The next day, with no tent to pack up, he simply got up and headed to another place in the forest where he met up with some friends and spent another night.

A lifelong outdoorsman, Buckner is used to the planned and often strict regimen of camping at a Continued to Page 10 www.showcasemagazine.com

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FEATURE GET INSIDE YOUR HEAD AND WORK THINGS OUT

Continued from Page 9

campground. However, he’s found none of that in overlanding.

Not long after, he headed out on his first trip, a solo one to boot, leaving him a little pensive despite his extensive outdoor experience.

“I’ve always done regimented camping and have dealt with all those types of time restraints, check in, check out at a certain time, but with overlanding, you can throw all of that out the window,” he said. “You leave at six in the morning, 10 in the morning, two in the afternoon. It doesn’t matter. You should be able to set up and break down your camp in 10 minutes and move to the next spot, so there’s a lot of satisfaction in that.”

“I was very apprehensive because it was the first time I’d gone out in the middle of nowhere by myself,” Buckner said. “You feel safe when you encounter wildlife in a campground around other people, but it’s not like that overlanding. I thought, oh, it’s just me, and there’s all these big hemlocks and deer. It’s bear country, mountain lion country. I was anxious.”

Buckner got into overlanding back in June 2020 after coming across a series of YouTube videos. To use another adage, “It was love at first sight.”

It turned out Buckner’s fears were unfounded. He didn’t have any dangerous run-ins with the wildlife.

His first trip coincided with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic. He found relief in his newfound passion.

“I was just flipping through YouTube and came upon a couple of these overland videos. I had heard the expression before. I knew what the word meant, but had never experienced it before,” Buckner said. “Then I started following a few channels, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I want to do that, I want to get away, get farther out.’”

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“I saw my spirit change on my overlanding trips. I let go of social media,” Buckner said. “COVID was new.

I escaped all of that. There was a sense of escapism in all of that, and it was just the best reset. I went every two or three months and have ever since. Sometimes I go with others, sometimes by myself, but every time

I get that sensation of being stress free. It’s been great for my soul. No doubt about it.”

Buckner recalled a specific trip that engulfed him in silence.

Buckner, a salesman for Specialty Beverages of Virginia, is used to his phone constantly alerting him of a new call, text, or email message. “In sales, it doesn’t matter if it’s 2 in the afternoon on a Tuesday or 8 on a Saturday night, you can get a call, but being completely cut off from that relaxes your mind a bit,” he said. “When you’re on a trip in the middle of nowhere, you don’t think about anything else except splitting wood, cooking food, and a little fishing. All the thoughts about the week just go by the wayside. It’s a nice disconnect.”

“There was one trip where I got set up in one spot.

There was no sound. None. I wasn’t close to a stream.

There wasn’t any wildlife, no birds, no vehicles, no people, and it was amazing,” Buckner said. “On trips like that you can really become introspective, get inside your head and work things out. There really aren’t any distractions when you’re overlanding.”

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FEATURE HAVING A BLAST

Having a Blast

Putting smiles on faces with the Otterbots

BY SAM JACKSON PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANVILLE OTTERBOTS

I

t’s almost time to brush off home plate, dig into the batter’s box and toe the rubber for a new season of Danville Otterbots baseball, the sophomore campaign of a club that’s made up, fittingly, of college freshmen and sophomores.

For General Manager Austin Scher, last season might have had a few growing pains, but he classified the 2021 Appalachian League campaign as a successful one, with an eye on even bigger things this year.

“Last year, there were some trials and tribulations, but when this league was reformed, it was pretty late in the process, and a lot of the big-name college guys had

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already ‘committed’ to summer leagues. But now, the ‘Bots are back with four returning players, and Scher is pleased with the roster the team has assembled.

The team has a “really, really solid group of returners,” he said. “Incredible kids from across the country.”

Thirty-two players from 26 colleges in 14 states, as well as British Columbia, are joining the club this year.

Righthander Tyler Judge, an Appalachian League AllStar last year, has returned for his second season as an Otterbot, as well as pitcher Eli Thurmond, shortstop Continued to Page 14

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FEATURE HAVING A BLAST

Continued from Page 12

Jevin Relaford (son of manager Desi Relaford) and outfielder Ryan Carr.

Scher said players are scouted and added to the roster from Major League Draft boards or through USA Baseball, the governing body of amateur baseball. What was once a minor league made up of professional rookies, the Appalachian League was reimagined in 2020 as a summer league for rising college underclassmen.

To help in that effort, the Bots have a full slate of promotions on tap for the team’s 29 home games, from giveaways, prizes, discounts on beer and concessions and on-field activities, which are so popular. Scher says, “Even fans of opposing teams ask to take part.”

“We had an amazing season under our belt, and lot coaches were impressed,” with the progression of the players, Scher said. “We’ve got incredible freshman talent. I’d be shocked if we didn’t have a terrific onfield product.”

This year, new wrinkles will be added, as American Legion Field will be the first park in the Appalachian League with a special sensory room designed to be a refuge from the lights and festivities during a game, especially for children on the autism spectrum.

Scher wants to be sure the park is an “inclusive and entertaining place” for everyone, not just during the season, but year-round. The sensory room will be open during the offseason as well, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is presented by the Hughes Center.

After a slow start, the Otterbots won 11 of their last 13 games in 2021, and Scher believed had the season lasted two more weeks, they would have played for the Appalachian League championship.

The Otterbots are partnering with Goodyear for the new “Goodyear’s Good Seats Program,” which will provide 20 tickets to three home games to participating nonprofit organizations.

Bots players benefit from the grind of an intense, 10week, 58-game schedule, allowing first or second-year collegiate players to get important experience.

The Otterbots partner with Danville Public Schools, helping to teach the basics of baseball and softball to students hoping to get more kids involved with the game.

The team features “STEM nights” where they promote the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

“They’re sitting behind upper classmen, (but) that doesn’t mean they can’t play,” Scher said. “It’s pretty valuable for these kids to get innings and at-bats.”

Scher said that while some summer leagues require the players to supply their own gear and find their own living arrangements during the season, Appalachian League teams provide those things now.

“We want them to focus on two things,” Scher said.

“Playing their tail off and having a blast.”

Speaking of having a blast, that’s Scher’s job, along with Coordinator of Fun, Wyatt Sutton, a graduate of Dan River High School. For Scher, his role encompasses everything from business operations, community involvement, and more.

“It really is a focus on the fan experience,” he said. “I gauge my success on the amount of people leaving the ballpark happy.”

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The Otterbots will host a summer reading program, the goal of which will be to get kids to read for at least 360 minutes (each minute representing the distance around the bases to hit a home run). Kids who round the bases will earn a special T-shirt.

Scher said the goal of the Otterbots is for American Legion Field to become a “community gathering location 365 days a year.”

“Players will begin to arrive on Memorial Day, and the team will hold a meet-and-greet for fans,” Scher said.

After all, it’s all about putting smiles on faces with the Bots.

“We spend the other 10 months of the year working for the season,” Scher said. “If we waited to plan the season until this time of year, we’d have baseball, and that’s it.”

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FEATURE WHO AM I? WHO ARE YOU?

Who am I? Who are you?

BY BARRY KOPLEN PHOTOS BY BARRY KOPLEN

T

hose two questions, as important as they are, are seldom asked.

Instead, some rely on assumptions regarding the ‘who’ questions, assumptions that are often based on political clues. In that case, if someone supports candidates of a certain party, that support may serve to reflect on the innate value of that person.

In other words, if a friend suddenly voices support for a candidate from a party other than the one they had usually supported, that friend’s integrity might suffer.

The message to the (former) friend might be clearly stated as, “The old you would never have supported such a scoundrel.”

Implications follow. If that friend has switched party preferences, it might be assumed that the friend’s philosophical foundations had shifted too. And the assumption may have been made that the person that friend had been must have changed fundamentally.

Of course, such conclusions are absurd.

Politicians are, all too often, chameleons. That means that adhering allegiance to a candidate or the candidate’s party may have little to do with the supporter’s private convictions.

In fact, for some of us, the most attractive candidate is one who is guided by their integrity, their willingness to find the best answer for the good of the country regardless of their party’s position.

Such candidates are hard to find.

Too many politicians concern themselves with making decisions that are politically correct rather than voicing a difficult, but honest, alternate opinion.

I can relate to such difficulty. Especially now.

That’s why, when I consider what’s best for our country, I allow myself to be open to all arguments.

Likewise, when it comes to interacting with people as ordinary as I am, I listen to their opinions. Often, I’m supportive. At times, I’m not.

But I’ve always been that way since I reached adulthood. Although I falter at times, I am guided by the Ten Commandments and the over-arching Golden Rule.

That’s why I don’t demean those who disagree with me; I don’t want them to do that to me.

If I’ve learned to trust and respect someone after years of friendship, I don’t dismiss our connections because we express ourselves differently at the ballot box.

My values are more stable than that; I know the guidelines I rely on.

And they have little to do with political affiliations.

If you and I have established a friendship, that friendship does not depend on what you do at a voting booth. It has everything to do with the trust we share.

Just so you’ll know, dear friend, nothing matters more.

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FEATURE A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THERAPY…

A few things to know about therapy…

BY BRANDIE KENDRICK PHOTO BY BRANDIE KENDRICK

1. Therapy isn’t one size fits all. We are all uniquely and wonderfully made. Our therapy should be as well. I have ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (plus a few other likely non-diagnosed things). It was important for me to find a therapist who understood anxiety and ADHD and the blurry mess that it is for my brain. I know how brave it is to muster up the courage to even admit therapy is needed, but I want to plead with you to PLEASE do your research. It is sometimes difficult to find exactly what you need in smaller places like our city. So foremost, do your research and find a place that feels like it may be a good fit.

2. Therapy is expensive. Once you have completed your research and you think you have found the right therapist, call your insurance company. Ask the therapist’s organization if it offers any form of assistance. Some employers have an Employee Assistance Program that may provide free or reducedcost sessions with a therapist. After spending several months paying out of pocket for it, I realized the importance of therapy. I changed our family’s insurance this past year to get on a plan that had better coverage for mental health-based services. I made these changes because I have learned the value of prioritizing my mental health and well-being.

There is only one way to find out… make the call.

3. Therapy is hard. Not every session is hard, but a lot of the sessions are. Therapy opened my brain to think more. For someone who has about 34 years of repressed feelings, it was like opening a can of those springing snake toys. Once the seal was broken, all the thoughts, feelings, and emotions flew out. This doesn’t happen every session. I think in the past six months I have only cried twice while in therapy, but for me, that is progress. Some sessions are lighter and feel like a casual conversation, with pauses for deep thoughts. While other sessions feel like we are digging out the junk that has been buried down in my chest. Therapy is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult, but like Glennon Doyle says in her book Carry on, Warrior, “These things will be hard to do, but you can do hard things.” So, carry on my warrior friends and do the hard things. You got this.

4. Therapy isn’t magical. I, with my Type-A personality, thought I would attend a few sessions and check it off my to-do list, while therapy would just magically fix all the problems in my life. I didn’t expect it to heal my anxiety disorder, but I certainly thought it wouldn’t be something I do forever. Yet here I am weekly, visiting with my girl Mary, talking

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about life and working through my terrible coping (or lack of coping) skills. Some weeks I leave therapy with my brain clear and confident, while other weeks I leave a blabbing mess. I think it is important to understand it takes time. If we can wait patiently for 40 weeks to grow an entire human, then we should give ourselves enough grace to try therapy for nine months. Isn’t our brain worth working on?

5. You can fire your therapist. Not all therapy is created equal, and sometimes therapists aren’t a right fit. There is no sugarcoating it. If you have done your research, called your insurance company, and sat down with a therapist who just isn’t working out, you can fire them. You can pull the “It’s not me, it’s you” line. Wait, I messed that up, didn’t I? You can pull the “It’s not you, it’s me” line. (Insert a mischievous smile here).

You may not find the right fit on the first try. In the past year, I have seen three different therapists. By the time

I found my current therapist, I was exhausted and did not want to have to share my entire story with another person. But I did. At the end of my intake session, she shared her thoughts, a little about herself, and then stated she would like to work with me if I were interested in working with her. I understand the feedback she gives me. She relates to motherhood. She laughs at my humor even though it’s a total defense mechanism. She knows I am a pastor’s wife, but places no judgment on me. She is even okay with me using a few four-letter words when I just can’t find something else in my vocabulary that fits the type of passion I need to communicate.

I found a great therapist, but it took working through a lot of not-so-great therapists to find the right fit.

So, please do not be afraid to fire your therapist. You wouldn’t pay a plumber for fixing a leaking toilet if it was still leaking once he left, right? Then don’t pay for a mediocre therapist. Find the right one for your money.

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EXTRA GAMES

Games

Crossword Puzzle ACROSS 1 Association (abbr.)

5 Poke 9 Do a dance 14 Tardy 15 Day-time tv’s Mr. Donahue 16 Bye 17 Moved air 18 Air (prefix) 19 Plastic wrap 20 United States of America 21 Soft drink brand 23 African nation 24 City in India 26 Insult 28 Lode yield 29 Nearly horizontal entrance 31 Foreign Agricultural Service 34 Motel (2 wds.)

37 Steam bath 39 African nation 40 Attack 41 Babysit 42 Be concerned 44 Able to be stowed

47 Poem of praise 48 Fair 50 Estimated time of arrival 51 Pounds per square inch 52 Flirting 56 Absent without leave 59 Accident 63 Delaware 64 Demonstrations 66 Central Thai 67 Mistake 68 Hauls 69 Tiny body part 70 Alack’s partner 71 Pick up 72 Head coverings 73 Evils DOWN 1 Picture book 2 Popular condiment 3 Word with home or in 4 Not old 5 Scantier 6 Biblical “you” 7 Put on __

8 Coalition 9 Used to be 10 Belonging to Eve’s husband 11 Italian currency 12 Bluish green 13 Member of an Arizona Indian tribe 2Card game 22 Sum 25 Rotating mechanism 27 Possessive pronoun 29 Negatively charged particle 30 Ancient Indian 31 Butane 32 Green Gables dweller 33 Miserable 34 Atmosphere 35 Giant 36 Island 38 Treed (2 wds.)

39 Couple 43 Okay 45 Small items 46 On top 49 Vigor 51 Works soil

53 54 55 56

Country poem Asian nation Burnish Totals

57 “as you __” 58 Asian country 60 Annoying, like a bug bite

61 62 65 67

Popular stadium Cease South southeast Thai

Word Search BUNT

MITT

FOUL

OTTERBOTS

SAVE

UMPIRE

LEAGUE

PITCHER

STEAL

UNIFORM

LINEUP

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RUN

STRIKEOUT

WALK

Answers on Page 23

PAWS FOR A CAUSE

Paws for a Cause WRITTEN BY PAULETTE DEAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY

In May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. The very word “mother” brings to mind safety, warmth, care, and love. There are bad mothers, to be sure, but the vast majority offer unconditional love.

In fact, all nature values mothers.

There is a reason our planet is called Mother Earth.

At the shelter, we dread the times when obviously nursing dogs and cats are brought in as strays without their babies. If we know where the animal came from, we go and attempt to find the babies. Many times, we have put a mother dog on a leash, and she has led us to her puppies so we can rescue them.

Puppies and kittens adjust easily and quickly to shelter life if they come in with their mother. As long as they have her, all is right with their world.

People know to exercise caution approaching a mother animal that has her babies with her. Even some very trusting dogs and cats become nervous when a human picks up their young.

In the wild, most fights with a female are caused by a protective mother.

Wild animal poachers and collectors know that in order to capture a baby or a young animal, the mother first has to be killed.

There are many documented stories about the care animal mothers give. In 1988, several female elephants brought one of their babies to a park ranger’s office for help. When the baby was hurt, they walked two miles to the ranger’s office, where the baby would be safe from other animals.

MEET LITTLE BIT This kitten needs a human mama! He is about four weeks old and came to us a stray.

Cows are very maternal, and sadly, that leads to sorrow for them. Dairy calves are immediately taken from their mothers after birth, and the cows look for the babies and try to get to them as they hear the calves’ cries.

Mother chickens can recognize their chicks’ peeps, and sheep and goat

mothers make sure their offspring play with others in their own age group.

Even some species of insects are raised by their mothers!

How grateful the earth and its creatures should be for the institution of motherhood. I know I am grateful for my mother.

DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY www.showcasemagazine.com

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CONFESSIONS OF A 30 SOMETHING

Confessions of a 30 Something We Will Always Love You, Gray

BY LEE VOGLER PHOTO BY LEE VOGLER

Our sweet Mr. Gray crossed the Rainbow Bridge on April 13, 2022. He came into our lives on January 12, 2016 (which I had forgotten I captured on video). He walked onto our back deck in Grove Park when he was around 2-years old.

We would later find out Gray was a neighborhood stray. It immediately amazed me at how friendly he was, especially with our son Kingston. We started taking care of him and, after he got injured climbing a neighbor’s fence, we moved him inside with us for good.

see in almost every photo of him. He was beyond sweet and always seemed his happiest when he was with us. He loved to be rubbed behind his ears. And he liked to give you his paw when he wanted more rubs.

This has been hard for our family, since it happened so suddenly. Gray was our younger cat. I had always envisioned him being there as Kingston graduated high school. They are roughly the same age.

He and Marshall (our other cat) soon became like brothers, and Kingston had found his new best friend. Once Ava was born, Gray was just as friendly to her. She loved her “Gray Gray.”

In fact, I’ve never known a cat that loved people as much as Gray did. Every morning when I’d take the kids to school, he would climb in the front window to say goodbye. When we’d get home, he’d be the first thing we’d see coming through the door.

In the days since Gray’s passing, the hurt hasn’t gone away.

Obviously, we still miss him. We always will. Lately, however, we have been able to focus more on the six-plus years we had with him and all the wonderful memories we shared together.

To our Gray Gray, Gray Bae, Gray, Mr. Gray: you chose our family. And we, in return, chose you all those years ago.

It was the greatest blessing we could ever ask for. We will always love you. And we will see you again one day.

He watched many football, basketball, or baseball games on TV with us. Gray loved snuggling up with us, as you can

-Lee, Blair, Kingston, Ava, and Marshall

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P.O. Box 718, Danville, VA 24543

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Games Solutions Continued from Page 20

Crossword Puzzle

Word Search

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