Arts & Entertainment
By Taylor Faw | New River Voice correspondent
This year's Harvest Festival was a celebration of music and farm life. (Photo by Taylor Faw)
The wool went flying as Derrick Spangler snipped away at an unsuspecting, four-legged fluff ball. The sheep-shearing demonstration was just one of the many agriculture-oriented events at the 6th annual Floyd County Harvest Festival and County Fair on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.
Farm-minded people from around the New River Valley flocked to the “4-H & Extension Office” lot of Fox Street to get their fix of antique tractors, line-dancing, and of course, Floyd heritage. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the property was transformed from an ordinary parking lot to a local fairground featuring activities for the whole family.
This animal farm was no dystopia; the Livestock Show was extensive and daylong, because what’s a fair without a truckload of goats? Some checked out the early morning Dairy Heifer exhibit while the lactose-intolerant hit the Lamb Show.
Heritage demonstrations took place throughout the day, offering insight to unique crafts of the region’s past, like Spikenard Farm bee-keeping, Blacksmith Forge and Home Food Preservation. The Master Gardener Volunteers shared their secrets through plant and gardening clinics throughout the day. Competition for the blue ribbon was high; whether it was the Farm Bureau Ag Olympics, pie-baking, or photography contests.
The Floyd County Harvest Festival and County Fair was fortified with an army of local vendors selling anything from fresh squeezed lemonade to puppets to insurance.
Bootleg Barbeque appeased the carnivores with its Hickory Smoked Southern Style Chicken, pulled pork and ribs. Barbara Von Claparede, practitioner of the dark arts of pastry-craft, cooked up a plethora of delicious homemade cakes, sweet breads, cookies, and jams. Harvesters from all over brought fruits, vegetables, and baked goods to sell.
The makeshift amphitheater, consisting of a vast ocean of haystacks and some P.A. equipment, gave barnyard refugees a place to lay low and enjoy some live music. Performances ranged from the acoustic Americana music of Andrea Marshall to the hybrid sound of Friends of Bernie, incorporating bluegrass flatpicking with Django-style gypsy jazz.
The Floyd County Harvest Festival and County Fair, coordinated by Dawn Barnes, was created in order to highlight Floyd County’s agricultural climate, both past and present. It was also intended to give people an opportunity to recognize the county’s history.
“Our goal is to keep the youth interested in agriculture throughout the community and to promote leadership skills,” said Barnes.
The festival was free to the public this year, however, donations were accepted to help front the costs for next year’s celebration. The event was sponsored by over 20 entities from the nearby community. Sponsors were broken down by their level of contribution; bronze, ($26 – $50) silver, ($51 -$125) and gold. ($126 and above) Some of the highest bidders included Floyd County Farm Bureau, James W. Shortt and Associates, P.C. and Quilters of Floyd.
The Floyd County Harvest Festival and County Fair is expected to continue the tradition next September.
Thousands of bikers, bicyclers, that is, are coming to the New River Valley. From June 24 to June 29, about 2,000 bike lovers from all over are going to be camped out and enjoying the area’s natural beauty. They are part of a bike tour, Bike Virginia, that travels to different locations throughout the state, camps and bikes their routes.
Deborah Cooney, Radford’s Director of Tourism, is excited about the pick. She said this is not Bike Virginia’s first trip to the New River Valley. They came once before in 2002. “The economic impact is great … People see the beauty, the scenery, and hopefully come back,” said Cooney.
The courses are of varying difficulty, with 1 being the easiest and 10 being the hardest. Along with being rated numerically, the different routes are color coded. The “Pink” course is the regular course that is used daily. The “Red” trails are shorter, while the “Orange” trails are longer. There is a “Green” alternative route as well.
The natural beauty and potential of the area is not a secret to those who live here. “I think both the biking enthusiast and the casual biker will be impressed with the variety of terrain and trails we have in our area,” Mayor Dr. Bruce Brown said. “From the Radford Bikeway/Walkway to the Huckleberry Trail to the New River trail- we are blessed to have the resources in our area.”
The guests are either staying in local hotels, which are filled to capacity, according to Cooney, or in Tent Cities. These are designated areas (Pulaski County High School and Radford High School) where bikers can bring tents and camp.
Radford is hosting several events to complement the event. There will be live music on main street, creek walk, bird tours, paddle board lessons, and much more. Nesslerod on the River, Radford’s Bed and Breakfast is hosting a Garden Party for the Bike Virginia participants. The party will include catered food, fly fishing demonstrations and a free beer and wine tasting.
The average day for a Bike Virginia biker starts at about 6 a.m., when breakfast is served. The route opens at 7 a.m, while lunch is served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Throughout the day, a sports massage is available, as well as a bike repair service. The route closes at 5 p.m., proceeded by dinner from 5-8 p.m. The biker’s day ends with quiet hours, starting at 10 p.m.
Bike Virginia was started in 1988 by Dr. Kim Perry, an avid biker. While it started out with just a handful of bikers, it grew to 2,000. They then capped the participation number in order to keep things going smoothly. In the past three years, they have covered about 7,000 miles in Virginia, with stops in Chesapeake and the Shenandoah Valley.
April 13th, 2011 · 1 Comment
By Jason Coleman
With the arrival of spring, people are making vacation plans. New River Vally residents may be thinking about the beach or some far off oasis, but they could be overlooking a paradise in their own backyards.
Every year in July, thousands of people from around the country flock to Floyd County to share a festival experience like no other.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of FloydFest—now coined FloydFest X, The Experience.
Ten years ago, Kris Hodges and Erica Johnson, owners of Oddfellas restaurant in Floyd and Across the Way Productions, wanted to bring world class entertainment to the New River Valley. What began in 2001 as a gathering of 1,500 like-minded souls has grown to house 12,000 patrons and entertainment from around the world.
“Our vision was to produce a world music festival for the entire family and that’s not just a catch phrase, we mean it,” said Linda DeVito, Operations and Development Director for Across the Way Productions. “We pride ourselves in the fact that most of us have kids, we wanted to provide a festival where a patron, even us, would feel comfortable in bringing our kids to.”
“My first FloydFest experience came when [Across the Way Productions] came to me to do the mapping for the event,” said Andrew Foy, instructor of Geospatial Science at Radford University. “I’ve been to five or six FloydFests since then because it is a festival like no other.”
Don’t compare FloydFest to other festivals such as Bonnaroo or All Good. FloydFest provides an atmosphere for the entire family, not just a field where kids get their heads spun. It is important that FloydFest be a place where all are comfortable to bring their children.
FloydFest X provides a Children’s Universe where children can create costumes and parade them around the grounds, music classes and performers aimed at kids, and even an open mic where children can stand on stage and share in the experience. Babysitting services are also provided by the festival for a small fee. FloydFest creates a family friendly environment where parents feel comfortable and kids are safe.
But FloydFest—featuring nine stages and more than 60 bands—is not just for kids. Bluegrass legends such as The Del McCoury Band, Australia’s own Xavier Rudd, and the Affrilachian sounds of the Carolina Chocolate Drops serve as a small example to the wide array of musical tastes that FloydFest will be offering to diverse palates.
“We have worked hard to bring in an eclectic mix of genres that will appeal to a mix of people,” DeVito said. “People call it the vibe … the vibe we have is people coming together to experience camaraderie and hear great music and want to come for a weekend to have a great time.”
Off-site parking is new this year for FloydFest allowing for more camping and play space, accompanied by shuttle service to and from the parking lot. Heated stall showers, food vendors, and a beer tent will also be available to all who need soap or a little help relaxing. New to FloydFest is a community-supported Coffee Barn Project where attendees can enjoy artisan roasted coffee in an on-site coffee house.
“It’s a journey and a growth and we are lucky to do what we love,” DeVito said. “There is a love that spreads out and in return we are loved. You can see in the amount of people attending this year that if you do it for the right reasons people recognize it and want to be a part of it.”
Day passes will be limited this year due to the high number of tickets already sold. FloydFest organizers encourage people to buy passes if you plan on coming to the event.
“We are building a community,” Devito said. “We are lucky to share in these milestones and moments in people’s lives and we want to honor that trust. It’s what keeps us true.”
The city of Radford is gearing up for the annual Vulture Fest, being held Saturday Feb. 19, 2011.
Among activities are an early morning bird walk (starting at the Rec Center), educational talks at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. (at the library) and a photo contest (deadline Feb. 18).
All ages are encouraged to enter the photo contest….
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Radford, by Scott L. Gardner
Scott L. Gardner and the Radford Public Library put together a book that looks at Radford today and from the past. The book was released this month and Gardner will be signing copies of the book at the Radford Public Library Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 1 to 3 p.m.
As part of Arcadia Publishing’s Then & Now series, Radford offers historical images side by side with contemporary photographs to chronicle the area’s past. In 96 pages, the book uses dozens of photographs to show a thriving town from the past and contrasts that to the City of Radford that we now know. (more…)
By Mike Andrews
The new year will bring in some new faces at Radford University’s Art Museum at the Covington Center, as RU announced an exhibit of a painting by legendary artist Vincent Van Gogh.
Starting Friday and going until March 4, 2011, students, faculty, staff and guests will be able to see “The Wheat Field behind St. Paul’s Hospital”, an oil on canvas painting by Van Gogh.
The university worked with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to bring the painting, as well as 27 other works of art from many periods and cultures to RU as a part of VMFA’s 75th anniversary celebration.
Steve Arbury, Director of the RU Art Museum, worked with Dr. Richard Bay and Kim Cochran, RU Art Museum Registrar, to make the exhibition possible.
Renovations to the museum, including an improved climate control system, new lighting, and new flooring had to be made to prepare for the extensive exhibit. In addition to this, extensive security measures had to be taken to ensure the safety of the painting.
The museum upgraded the security system, adding new alarms, security cameras, and human monitors in the gallery when it is open to the public. Steve Arbury has complete confidence that the security features will be successful in keeping the paintings safe.
“There are contact alarms on the doors as well as motion detector alarms which means if you beamed in from outer space you would still set off the alarm.”
On a campus where it is often hard to get students to come out for various events, the RU Art department has already done nearly everything to reach out to not only the RU community, but the New River Valley community as well.
“An electronic invitation has already gone out to…approximately 10,000 people, and more announcements will be sent out to others through the Public Relations Office, the RU Foundation and Alumni Affairs,” said Arbury.
In addition to this, most of RU’s art classes will visit the exhibition and discuss it in class. RU currently has nearly 1000 students enrolled in art classes this semester.
Vincent Van Gogh is best known as an Expressionist painter and is considered one of history’s greatest artists. He also suffered from mental illness, and cut part of his own ear off. One of his most popular paintings, “The Starry Night” is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
RU Art Museum hours are Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
