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.

By Maria Medina

Rev. C.H. Charlton’s office at Northeast State Technical Community College has  a calendar, a few landscape paintings, photos of family framed on a book case, and words of inspiration to remind him of “what is important” in  life .

The office window looks out over the green fields of Tennessee, where he now makes his home.

It was a long journey to get there.

Before moving to Tennessee, Charleton expanded his education with a bachelor’s in philosophy, two doctorates in theology and a degree in Clinical Christian Counseling.

And before that, Charleton served the community of Radford, becoming the first African American mayor in Southwest Virginia.

“I knew how much we had gone through as an ethnic group, and how many challenges we had faced,” says Charlton of his recognition that becoming mayor in the mid seventies could have had its obstacles.

Charlton ran for Radford city council first in 1973 when he was 32 years old. Although he wouldn’t make it that year, he learned a lesson or two from his first shot at government. One of these lessons was that wardrobe choices would have an effect on his campaign.

“You know those bell bottoms pants?” he laughs.  “They used to be in style when I was growing up… that was just me. And then of course I missed it, and the next time I ran I wore a suit.”

Bell bottom slacks didn’t hold Charlton back from being appointed to the Radford board of education that year, where his network building really started.

“Any committees that came up that the city council was doing for something on this issue or that one, I would always get on the committees. One of the reasons was because I was interested. And it built a really good network by the time I decided to run,” says Charlton.

While others who served in city government had commonly already been to college and earned their educations in politics, Charlton’s path to the political arena was a little different. He became a minister first and later recognized he could have the ability to lead the city he grew up in.

“I had gone to seminary for a while, and had done some courses at New River Community College… I didn’t have any degree or anything,” Charlton says. “I never felt threatened by that either.”

In 1974 Charlton ran for city council again, and was appointed mayor based on a vote done differently than today. The direct vote by the people was not in place yet, and Charlton was voted into position by his peers in government.

The man who cast the deciding vote for Charlton was well known Mr. Thomas Starnes, who served after Charlton as the mayor of Radford for thirty years. The two still keep in touch today and have a lasting friendship.

Charlton and Starnes ran for council at the same time. Seventeen people were running for the three seats available. Starnes cast the deciding vote that gave Charlton the title of mayor, and with the second most votes Starnes became the vice mayor.

“I think he handled the situation very well. He had the respect of the community, the respect of the employees, and so forth. I think he did a good job,” says Starnes of his experience working with Charlton.

Both Charlton and Starnes say that their friendship not only carries on into today but that at no time was there a racial barrier between the two of them. Even as soon as the voting that elected Charlton mayor of Radford concluded, Charlton invited Starnes to a gathering in his neighborhood to celebrate.

“I can remember shortly after the election, there were some people in Rev. Charlton’s neighborhood that had a party for him. They invited my wife and I and we were the only white couple there… But we felt perfectly at ease. I just never experienced any racial tension,” says Starnes.

After being elected Charlton went to a week long seminar at the University of Virginia that was, for him, a crash course in running the city, “they train you,” he says. “They give you one weeks training and it’s really valuable.” Charlton also bought himself a book on state and local governments and politics and found himself ready to take on his new title.

Charlton says he believes one of his most important contributions during his service to the city was annexation, which expanded the city’s boundaries. He says most importantly though, he really wanted “to make sure people knew that someone felt and cared for them.”

Sarah Carter, a cousin of Charlton’s, says she thinks there were a few things that led Charlton on his path to helping Radford government integrate. She believes that it starts all the way back in slavery, when the region’s treatment of African American’s was unique in comparison to the rest of Southwest Virginia.

“Some of the slave owners, they bought slaves but they weren’t rich slave owners. So they bought slaves but then a lot of the times they had to work in the fields with them,” she says. “It was just like if you were to put them in a world of their own, and then to the side, they were just different than the others,” she says, in reference to how slaves were treated by their owners.

Carter also thinks that Charlton’s being a minister first helped him. She says, “Back then, being a minister was the top, respected position… the barriers were broken when the white and black ministers really bonded together… during the ministry, and then it went into the politics.”

Carter sees the last stepping stone to Charlton’s foot in the political door as his service on the school board. “I think that anyone, African American or white, it makes sense to go those steps… It’s always wise to take those steps and have something to be grounded in,” she says.

Not only raised in the same community, Carter also made racial history by being the first African American woman to win a scholarship to Radford University. Also in their genes is an aspiration to help others, as Carter self proclaims herself the “community mutt,” working with almost programs in the area that contribute to the welfare of others.

Charlton’s desire to give back was a main component to his decision to try to become mayor, and even after all this time his values are the same. “I would love to be able to be wealthy enough to help a bunch of people, to start a foundation to help a lot of people… My heart breaks for people when I see men who have worked all their lives and their jobs fail and they have nothing,” says Charlton, who became emotional when talking about the one thing he has not been able to accomplish yet.

The political playing field took a backseat to Charlton’s religious life after his term as mayor, when he says, “God called me to preach.” He says that though he fought becoming a preacher, in the end he answered the call with an easy “Yes, sir.”

Not only does he give back with his leadership role in the church community, he is also a teacher of many courses, including reading, black studies, and humanities at Northeast State Technical Community College.

“Education gave me choices,” he said about his choice to further his education as well as to teach so that others could have those same options. “Education gives you a broader view of life and it also gives you opportunities that you wouldn’t have without it,” he says.

Charlton also finds time to write, something he says he loves to do. He has self published eight books, his favorite being The Agony and Ecstasy of the Ministry. He says there are more in the works, including a book on love and marriage because “so many people ask me for advice and wonder how I have been married 50 years.”

Today, Charlton lives with his wife who was also his childhood sweetheart. He says she is “beautiful inside and out” and has helped him through every tough time. “That’s always been one thing that’s helped me so much, is that she loved me. And I always knew no matter what I was going through and what anyone else thought, she loved me.”

Charlton’s attitude towards his many accomplishments is one of gratefulness rather than self appreciation.

“If I left this world tonight, I have no complaints,” he said.  “I have been so blessed.”

Jane Vance says she likes to quote Georgia O’Keeffe. “Fill a space in a beautiful way,” she always says. And she does. Vance is bewitched by detail, and that makes her art, well, bewitching.Vance is an adjunct professor of The Creative Process at Virginia Tech, among many other activities. She also spends her days working with special-needs middle schoolers. So why did a small Nepali village throw this Blacksburg local such an extravagant, two-day celebration? (more…)

One of the most effective resources shoppers and travelers have to make their holiday season safe is themselves. Being cautious, staying alert, and planning ahead are essential for a happy and safe holiday, according to Radford University Criminal Justice Professor and former police officer Tod Burke.

“Putting your purchases in the trunk is certainly a lot better than putting them in view in the back seat,” Burke said. “Be smart. If you are going out alone, try to make sure you are parking in a well-lit, crowded area. Let someone know where you’re going but don’t put too much information out there.” (more…)

The Montgomery County Christmas Store is an all-volunteer, community-wide, nonprofit organization that assists low-income families in Montgomery County during the Christmas season by providing a shopping experience characterized by choice and dignity. Serving families with children is its first priority.

The Christmas Store has for the past five years been awarded Tax Credits by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Neighborhood Assistance Program. An outreach of the Department of Social Services, the Neighborhood Assistance Program encourages local businesses to contribute to programs that work directly in assisting low-income families. (more…)