Benefit for Kendall Bayne

Where: Radford University in Preston Hall

When: February 9th  7-10 p.m.

Admission: 1$ – plus donations

Tonight, in Preston Hall, Radford University students will be rocking out to raise money for 15-year-old Roanoke girl, Kendall Bayne. RU Parks, Recreation and Tourism students are putting on “Battle of the Bands” to raise money for Bayne, who was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer, Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma, last February.

“She lives up the street from me in Roanoke. And I’m up here in Radford. I wanted to get involved some way,” said Senior Ben Perfater, who coordinated this event with the help of his classmates.

“It was the first thing that popped in my mind. Maybe we can do something for this girl,” Perfater said.

The entry fee is only one dollar, but bands will have their own donation buckets. The buckets will be used as the voting process and donations will be accepted throughout the entire concert. At the end of the show, the band with the most donations wins.

A variety of music will fill Preston Hall tonight in honor of Bayne, who will not be present due to another surgery. Eight bands are scheduled to play music from rock to “easy-listening country” and from blue-grass to jam bands. All band members are students at RU.

“All money that we make goes to Kendall,” Senior Sarah Davis said. “Everything.”

If you can’t make it out tonight, there is always a way to help Kendall Bayne and her family at kendallbayne.com

This family-owned winery has grown into one of the commonwealth's leading wineries.

Click here for the video.

By Corey Mann and Taylor Kelly | New River Voice correspondents

The constant hum of a grape press isn’t just a soothing noise in the background for customers to enjoy; it’s a constant reminder of the hard work David Morrisette has put in to create the biggest winery in the New River Valley.

The family-owned winery started in the mid ’70s in a blasted underground cave. By 1981 it had evolved into a full-scale winery, restaurant and gift shop known as Chateau Morrisette. The Floyd County tourist destination, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, is now one of the most profitable wineries in all of Virginia.

Morrisette met Bob Burgin, now vice president of the winery, when they were two of three enology majors at Mississippi State. They graduated just before the program closed down. “We went our separate ways, and when I realized I shouldn’t be the wine maker because I was terrible at it, he came in and took over,” Morrisette said. “I should have been doing other things, like marketing.”

Chateau Morrisette produces and ships 15 different wines that are sold throughout the commonwealth and along the East Coast, including North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee and West Virginia. With 70,000 cases and more than 100,000 customers each year, the winery is flourishing. October is by far the best month for sales, as the fall season brings in much more business than the winter.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing. “We put it up for sale three times during the ’80s, and even now it’s a tough market. It’s hard for all the wineries right now.” The family has learned from experience. “In 1987 the temperature was 35 degrees below, and we had all our grapes grown here in Floyd. Needless to say we lost 100 percent of our grapes. That’s when we decided we needed to grow them in different areas around the state.”

Through trial and error, Morrisette has found better locations. “Different grapes grow better in different microclimates. The grapes are brought in 24 hours a day by refrigerated tractor-trailers.” They have grapes growing in Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, the Shenandoah Valley, Patrick County and anywhere from 10 minutes away to five hours away. No matter where the grapes are grown, every last one is shipped through the mountains to the beautiful winery in Floyd to be pressed and used.

With their Sweet Mountain Laurel and Red Mountain Laurel dessert-style wines flying off the shelves, most profits come from grocery chains. “Walmart, Sam’s, Kroger, whatever grocery chain. But Kroger was the main chain that helped us get our foothold,” he said. “It’s nice because now Walmart is pushing to have regional products in their stores, from wine to apples, pears, local beef — anything local you can put in there.”

Gov. Bob McDonnell has made a big push to promote Virginia wineries, in contrast with some past governors who never served Virginia wines at the Governor’s Mansion. In this economy, the governor isn’t the only one pulling for the wine industry. According to the Virginia Wine Marketing Office, sales of Virginia wine reached an all-time high in 2011, with more than 462,000 cases sold. The office reported that it was an 11 percent increase over 2010, making the commonwealth the nation’s fifth largest wine producer.

Suzette Miller, one of 85 current employees in Floyd, had nothing but great things to say about the winery. Her job consists of greeting customers, taking them through the wine-tasting process, giving tours of the production facilities, and sharing interesting facts. She was the ultimate guide. Miller was an intern who just couldn’t leave. “I can’t express how much I enjoy working here and being apart of this winery, giving to the Service Dogs has really won me over.”

Miller is referring to Chateau Morrisette’s community involvement. It is known for its support of “Dogs 4 A Cause,” one of many service dog organizations Chateau Morrisette supports. Profits from Liberty and Independence wines benefit St. Francis Service Dogs. “The money pays for the dog as well as the training to serve as a service dog,” Miller explained. They also give to “For the Love of Dogs,” which benefits the research for EPI, Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, a disease in which a dog has the inability to digest food due to a lack of pancreatic digestive enzymes.

The black labrador, or “Black Dog,” featured on a number of the wines at Chateau Morrisette, has been a symbol of the winery for more than 25 years. Winery? Black lab? Where’s the connection? While Morrisette was growing up, he was the proud owner of a black lab named Hans. When Morrisette took over the winery, Hans could always be found snooping around, as he had a fine taste for a special vintage.

Trilogy was Hans’ favorite wine, an off-dry wine with a blend of cabernet, chambourcin and merlot. Though Hans could always be found slurping up a freshly poured bowl of what is now known as “The Black Dog,” he lived a long and loving life until he passed at the age of 15. Morrisette was so affected by Hans’ death that he decided to start the Black Dog marketing strategy, showing his respect for the dog he loved. Little did he know, the strategy turned into what is now one of only two wineries in Virginia that sells more than 50,000 cases of wine a year.

Chateau Morrisette has found its place in wine making and is doing extremely well on the East Coast. Though Morrisette is grateful for all that the winery has accomplished, he’s considering expansion. As of right now, they are working on exporting to China. Morrisette plans to visit Hong Kong to start selling his wine there as well.

It’s important to David, his seven children and four dogs to keep the winery in the family. Even though his children are young, Morrisette can tell some are destined to join the family business. “I know a couple of them are really interested in the winery. They’ll definitely want to get involved when they’re older.”

By Shaina Stockton | New River Voice correspondent

To Ali Tobia, former executive director at the Pulaski County Humane Society, no shelter animal that enters or leaves is just a dog or a cat. Tobia knows them all by name and personality. She establishes a connection that impacts each animal and stays with them even when they have found a new home.

“We have a rescue transport that runs from Roanoke to Northern Virginia,” Tobia says. She recalls her time with the humane society using the present tense — as though she never left. “I saw one of our adult dogs that was on transport. He saw me and lit up. The foster mom said to me, ‘Oh wow, he knows you!’”

This type of bond is important to Tobia in her line of work. Her experiences at the shelter, along with a lifelong love for animals, inspired her to pursue a career as a shelter veterinarian. “What draws me to the shelter environment is giving the animals a sense of family,” Tobia said.

Today, at 24, Tobia lives in Starkville, Miss., where she is enrolled in the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She plans to graduate in 2015.

“I have no spare time,” Tobia laughed when asked about her hobbies and extracurricular activities. “All I do is go to class study, sleep, and take care of my dog. That’s it! But it’s so worth it and I am having a lot of fun.”

Candice Simmons took over as executive director after Tobia left for school. “Everything I hear about Ali is very positive,” Simmons said. “It speaks highly of her that she was promoted to interim director so quickly.”

Still close with the society that helped her along her career path, Tobia keeps touch through email. “This is a great relief to those of us who are new at this,” Simmons said.

Tobia learned from living in several places that home is defined by family, not location. She was born in New York, N.Y. She spent many years living with her family in Fairfax Station, Va., and spent four years living in Asia. After graduating high school in 2005, she went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of William and Mary in 2009.

“I first became involved in [the Pulaski County Humane Society] because I adopted my dog Nicci from them,” Tobia said. “I was looking for hands-on experience to add to my vet school resume.”

After graduating from college, Tobia wanted to establish a sense of independence, while still remaining close enough to keep in touch with her family. “My sister goes to Virginia Tech, so the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area was a good choice,” Tobia said.

Tobia gained more experience than she expected from working at the shelter. She became the rescue coordinator in August 2009 and volunteered for spay/neuter clinics and several other events. The board of directors praised her hard work and granted her a paid position. “I was so grateful for that, because it meant they noticed how hard I was working to make a difference,” Tobia said.

Tobia went on to add spay clinic coordinator and executive director to her résumé. “It’s not at all where I expected to end up when I started volunteering but I was beyond thrilled with the experience,” Tobia said.

Tobia’s other goals include opening her own animal rescue organization. “I would love to have a farm and have a ton of rescued animals: horses, dogs, cats, pigs, chickens,” Tobia said. “In particular, I’d like it to be a sanctuary or a kind of long-term rehab facility, where rescues or shelters could leave their animals in long-term foster with me if they needed to recover from a trauma.”

Through working with animals, Tobia has learned the main thing they need is someone who gives them attention, care, support and love.

“They know we are their family. I feel like it’s the ultimate in advocating for an animal,” Tobia said. “Just by saying, ‘I’m going to take care of you, and it’s going to be OK.’”

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.

Almost everything about Lucie Monroe’s is organic, fair trade and local. The walls are filled with local art and jewelry for sale and pictures of customers’ and employees’ pets. Different brews of coffee and tea are available along with a variety of drinking apparatuses. The cafe is spacious and stocked with warm, inviting decor. There are many places where a customer can go to be secluded, including a library themed spot off the main cafe.

The owners, Dawn and Gary Donson, have based their entire business from coffee roasted in Virginia and pastries baked on site. Dawn said it’s important for them to patronize local businesses and hard working, blue collar coffee roasters to give them the business they deserve. Located on Roanoke Street in Christiansburg, it is directly off of Route 460 East near Due South and Dude’s Drive-In. It’s in a developing strip mall, right next to the Weigh Station, owned by the Donson’s cousins.

Lucie Monroe’s sells coffees from Lexington Coffee Roasting Co., Red Rooster Coffee and Honduras Coffee. All these companies are Virginia based and are committed to fair, ethical and organic coffee. “The more natural, the more organic, the more local … that’s kind of how we make coffee,” Donson said.

Dawn Donson said her family has always loved coffee- it’s taste, it’s smell and it’s sense of community. As a life skills teacher for students with special needs in Indiana, Donson made her first foray into the coffee business. They set up a small coffee stand in the high school for the students to enjoy before and after school. It was a hit. So much of a hit, the school’s administration had to set aside extra time for the kids to get their much-loved coffee.

Then their journey landed them in Christiansburg with a brand new coffee shop. But what to name it? Lucie Monroe is Dawn and Gary’s 6-year-old boxer. That’s right, Lucie Monroe’s is named after a dog. She herself is named after two Hollywood icons- Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe. The store is filled with pictures, paintings and memorabilia of the shop’s namesake. She even comes to visit!

While Lucie Monroe’s was never meant to serve flavored espresso drinks, the employees are having fun with it. They work with a dual espresso machine, which allows the barista to control the shots and quality of milk. One of the employees, a former Starbucks barista, said it was nice to actually have pride in a drink he made. Along with the many flavor choices, customers can decide on much more. Lucie Monroe’s offers hemp and coconut milk, both more sustainable than regular milk.

Red Rooster Coffee, based in Floyd, developed an all organic coffee blend, specifically for the shop. Donson says Lexington Roasters has been great to work with; their reputation and excellent cupping scores haven’t hurt. Based in Lexington, VA this coffee company has prided itself in its sustainability and quality. They even produced an organic espresso blend for Lucie Monroe’s. Honduras Coffee owns its own coffee farm in Honduras and boasts “Farmer Direct”- from seed to cup.

All of these companies roast their own coffee beans. The roasting process takes specific skill – too much results in burnt beans but too little lacks the coffee essence. The International Coffee Organization gives a descriptive summary of what it takes to roast coffees. First, the beans are heated to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes, depending on the type of roast. Then, a chemical reaction occurs in which the entire cellular structure of the coffee bean is altered. At last, the heating process emits coffee oil, or caffeol, which makes coffee so special.

The Donsons have now started to work with coffee farmers in Guatemala and Nicaragua. This amazing dream would have never come true if Dawn had not heard the song “Coffee Shop” while browsing a local (there’s that word again) record store. She said, “We love when people are getting excited about a plain cup of coffee.”

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.