Shenandoah Living FALL 2009

SHENANDOAH Fall 2009 | Issue 9

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WE LOVE FALL!The Valley’s Most Colorful Season:Leaf Peeping on the Shenandoah | Festivals Galore

The Magazine for Those Who Live in and Love the Valley

2 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

PUBLISHERSBrad Jenkins Toni Mehling

ADVERTISINGLinda Swecker

Cesi MyersFrank Batres-Landaeta

Allison FaroleJim Stevens

Chelsea White

PHOTOGRAPHYHolly Marcus

CONTRIBUTORSLuanne Austin

Karen Doss BowmanJenny Brockwell

Martha Bell GrahamDale Harter

Jeremiah KnuppNancy Nusser

COPYEDITINGRebecca Rohlf

HOW TO REACH USAdvertising: (540) 830-5400

Editorial: (540) 578-2334

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY

Route 11 Publications LLCP.O. Box 313

Lacey Spring, Virginia 22833

Shenandoah Living is published quarterly by Route 11 Publications LLC. 10,000 copies are distributed throughout the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. For

distribution points, go to our Web site, www.shenandoahmagazine.com.

Direct story queries to our editorial phone number or e-mail. For advertising questions, call

(540) 810-5820 or go to our Web site.Copyright © 2009.

Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Shenandoah Living is a registered trademark of

Route 11 Publications LLC.

shenandoahmagazine.com

SHENANDOAHLiving

ECO AWARENESS

Developments text and cover pages are printed using SFI-certified Anthem paper using soy ink.

DEPARTMENTS

4 Route 11 News from up and down the Valley.

6 DaytripsYou don’t have to be rich to experi-ence the posh Homestead.

8 FoodThese biscuits must be beaten to be enjoyed.

16 Great OutdoorsSee the fall colors on the Shenan-doah River.

18 Arts & EntertainmentThese people work by day and are on stage by night.

20 Home & GardenPrepare now to have a keyhole-shaped garden come spring.

22 HistoryA 1970s game took players around the country in a big rig.

28 TicketYour guide to fall events.

24 Horse StepsA Valley couple is part of a grow-ing group of people who raise Mountain Horses.

10 On the FarmJMU students get hands-on farm experience through a university program (above).

[ Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009 ]

ON THE COVER: Mums, the ever-present shrub of fall, on display at the Dayton Autumn Celebration last year. Fall is a time for festivals in the Valley.

ABOVE: Janet Ripley of Janet’s Gar-den in Greenville shows James Madi-son University student Andy Moss how she plans to grow raspberry bushes on a trellis system she installed.

Photos by Holly Marcus.

FEATURES

CONTENTS

Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 3

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ROUTE 11notes from life up and down the valley

» www.shenandoahmagazine.comThis is just a sampling of what’s going on in the Valley. For more on life up and down the Valley, check out our companion Web site atshenandoahmagazine.com.

President Barack Obama has nominated a

man with Staunton roots to lead the National

Institutes for Health.

Dr. Francis Collins, who gained fame with

his work on the Human Genome Project, is

Obama’s pick.

The Associated Press called Collins “one of

the nation’s most influential geneticists.”

Collins helped map the human genetic

code. He called it “the book of human life.”

“Dr. Collins is one of the top scientists in

the world, and his groundbreaking work has

changed the very ways we consider our health

and examine disease,” Obama said in a press

release.

Collins has written about the relationship

between faith and science in the book “The

Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence

for Belief,” which was a New York Times

bestseller.

Collins is the founder of The BioLogos

Foundation, a group of scientists who believe

in God.

Collins is no stranger to presidents. In

2007, President Bush awarded Collins with the

Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Obama Reaches to Valley for Health Pick

The Shenandoah Valley’s history will be on display at a new mu-

seum in Luray, the town famous for its caverns, starting next spring.

The Luray Valley Museum and Gardens will look at the Valley’s

history from 1720 to 1920, Rod Graces, the vice president of Luray

Caverns, told the Daily News-Record.

“We want to tell a story that hasn’t been told,” he told the

paper.

The museum will be 6,600 square feet. It will be called the

Stonyman Museum, and will be located in a restored log cabin.

Much of the museum will focus on the Luray area and its Ger-

man heritage. An 1836 Bible from that country will be featured.

The project began in 2007.

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BY LUANNE AUSTIN

No matter how many times you drive

along Route 220 south through Bath

County, rounding the bend to the sight of

The Homestead is always a surprise. Its

tower rises from among the Blue Ridge

Mountains, the resort spreading out

comfortably in the landscape. It looks like

it belongs here. With origins dating to

1766 — before the American Revolution

— it does.

The Homestead has long been a vaca-

tion and recreation spot for the rich and

famous — their photos hang in hallways

and public rooms — but the price of

an overnight stay need not prevent the

recession-wary from enjoying the resort’s

history and delightful amenities. Daytrip-

pers, says Melissa Pogue, public relations

director for the resort, are more than

welcome.

Visitors can dine in The Homestead’s

restaurants, get pampered in the spa,

play golf on one of three courses, or take

a horseback ride. In the winter there’s

downhill and cross-country skiing, snow-

mobiling and ice skating.

Perhaps the most relaxing and luxuri-

ous activity is a soak in the Jefferson

Pools. Thomas Jefferson stayed at The

Homestead for more than three weeks

in 1818, soaking in the Gentlemen’s Pool

House three times a day. He described

the spring waters as being “of the first

merit.” The two covered pools — one for

men, one for women — have not changed

much since Jefferson’s visit. In fact, the

first of the two octagonal buildings was

constructed in 1761.

The water stays about 96 degrees all

year round and many are convinced of its

healing powers. Entrance to the Jefferson

pool (clothing optional) costs $17. It’s

open seasonally, so call if you’re not sure.

No-Cost Activities Some of the

best activities at The Homestead are free,

like people-watching in the Great Hall,

the resort’s main lobby (where blue jeans

are “discouraged”). Just off the Great

Hall are delightful rooms to roam in. You

can admire the historical murals in the

Jefferson Parlor, cozy up with a book or

Be Pampered. Or a Pauper.» The Homestead is posh, but it need not break the recession-weary bank.

DAYTRIPS

Courtesy The Homestead

The Presidential Lounge at The Homestead features portraits of presidents who have stayed at the resort.


game of chess in the Washington Library, and enjoy the view

from a white rocker on the front porch. The President’s Lounge,

a huge round room with a club-like feel, features portraits of all

the U.S. presidents who have stayed at the hotel, from George

Washington to Bill Clinton.

...Til You Drop If shopping is your idea of fun, there

are some out-of-the-ordinary items at the Homestead’s many

shops, and sometimes there are great sales. One corridor is just

off the Great Hall. Golf and tennis clothing, jewelry, toys, house

and bath items, all of the best quality, are available. Cottage

Row, along the backside of the hotel, features outdoor outfit-

ters, a photography shop and several gift shops. The village of

Hot Springs offers a variety of shops, too, where you can buy

vintage and designer clothing, antiques, art and crafts, books

and toys.

Eat it Up The resort has several excellent restaurants. Chef

Rodger Martin oversees all of The Homestead’s restaurants so

the quality of each is assured, whether it’s a full meal or soup

and sandwich. Lunch at the Casino Club, where you can eat for

$10 to $20 per person, is recommended. The salads, along with

soup du jour, are a substantial meal in themselves, whether it’s

the beef tenderloin or the Ahi tuna and Gulf shrimp salad. The

crab cake sandwich with sweet potatoes fries is to die for. Have

your dining mate order the Allegheny trout sandwich on pita

and swap halves.

For dinner, Sam Snead’s Tavern is the resort’s most casual,

although there’s nothing casual about the food. The menu is

based on exquisitely-prepared steaks and seafood. If you’ve

never had Oysters Rockefeller, this is the time and place to do it.

Fall Fun Outdoor activities for the fall are endless, includ-

ing golf, tennis, hiking and carriage rides. The drive out to The

Homestead takes you out to Churchville and south between

mountain ridges through Craigsville, Goshen and other towns

along the way. It’s sure to be a lovely ride full of autumnal

surprises. v

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BY MARTHA BELL GRAHAM

In the culinary world, beaten biscuits

are unique. Unlike their flaky cousins

and their historic relatives “hard tack,”

beaten biscuits reign as the only South-

ern biscuit made with a bat, a stump, an

ax, a mallet or the side of a tree. They

are literally “beaten” into deliciousness.

The recipe is simple enough: flour,

lard, cold milk or cream and lots of

elbow grease. Some cooks added a little

salt and sugar. Then mix, beat, cut,

pierce and bake. Some variations of

beaten doughs originated as far back

as pre-American Europe before baking

powder was commercially available. In

the 1800s pearlash (pronounced “pearl

ash”) was tried as an early leaven, but

this by-product of potash, also called

“salts of tartar,” made the biscuits bitter

and the method short-lived.

Cooks could produce the same effect

by beating their dough — a job often left

to young slaves. The “rising” of beaten

biscuits was accomplished by literally

beating air into the dough. And as the

dough was pounded the gluten began to

break down. For regular breads such a

thrashing would mean tough, rubbery

bread, but the trick with beaten biscuits

was to beat the dough beyond toughness.

One batch of dough could require several

hours of pounding.

The result was a mouthwatering

biscuit, crisp and shiny on the outside

but soft and crumbly on the inside.

And unlike yeast biscuits that start to

dry out the minute they exit the oven,

beaten biscuits (never served hot) could

be stored for days without hurting their

flavor, texture or goodness, making them

a versatile favorite of Southern cooks —

particularly when company was coming.

FOOD

No Flaky Biscuits Here» This beaten bread could help anger management.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup lard, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/3 cup light cream

2 tablespoons cold water (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together.

Use a fork to “cut” the lard into the flour until it looks

like coarse meal. Using a standing mixer, or a wooden

spoon, mix the dough as you slowly add the cream.

Mix well to form the dough into a ball, adding water if

needed.

3. Place the dough onto a tabletop, and knead

slightly. With a mallet or a one-piece rolling pin, beat

the dough a few times to form it into a rough rectangle.

Fold the dough over, and then beat it out again. Repeat

this process until the dough becomes white and blisters

form on the surface, about 15 minutes.

4. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut

into 2 inch rounds, and prick the top a few times with

the tines of a fork. Place on greased baking sheets.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.

— MBG

» BEATEN BISCUITS


Remembering Recipes In the 1953 edition of “The

Joy of Cooking,” authors Irma Rombauer and Marion

Rombauer Becker offered a little beaten biscuit ditty at-

tributed to Miss Howard Weeden that says it all:

“Two hundred licks is what I gives

For home-folks, never fewer,

An’ if I’m ‘specting company in,

I gives five hundred sure!”

Beaten biscuits are claimed by Virginians, Tennes-

seans, Kentuckians, Marylanders and most Southern-

ers. The Maryland version — also called Apoquiniminc

cakes — contained eggs and were hand-rolled to produce

a round, golf-ball sized biscuit. Southerners, however,

lay sole claim to the flat, mouthwatering, smooth-topped,

fork-pierced version often filled with country ham or

homemade jams. In a 1973 Washington Post article, one

Southern socialite declared, “You could never have a Derby

party without beaten biscuit. ”

Ellen Campbell of Harrisonburg, who grew up in

southwestern Virginia, remembers beaten biscuits well.

Her family made them with a “beaten biscuit machine,” an

1882-circa invention that preempted the labor-intensive

beating. The machine — also called a biscuit brake —

pressed the dough, producing the same effect as beating.

“The dough was placed on a slab of smooth marble,”

she remembers, “then it was run back and forth through

the beaten biscuit machine — it looked like a small wringer

washer but without the rubber pads. When the dough was

ready it was smooth and shiny — that was the sign.”

Next, the cut circles of dough were pierced with the

prongs of a fork before they were baked in a moderate

over for about 20 minutes. After baking, an authentic

beaten biscuit is round, about the size of a silver dollar,

one inch thick, creamy white and shiny.

“It still took a lot of work,” Campbell says, “but the end

result was worth it. Every family picnic, every event called

for beaten biscuits with Mother’s homemade butter and

Daddy’s smoked ham.”

Campbell would agree with the assessment of Mary

Stuart Smith. In “Virginia Cookery Book” (1885), Smith

wrote, “In the Virginia of the olden time no breakfast or

tea-table was thought to be properly furnished without

a plate of these indispensable biscuits…. Let one spend

one night at some gentleman farmer’s home, and the first

sound heard in the morning, after the crowing of the cock,

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Digging In


On a Friday Afternoon in April,

while most James Madison University students sat in classrooms

listening to lectures, Karen Baxter and Andy Moss were crawling

around in the dirt on a farm about 40 miles south of campus. They

pushed aside the soft soil, dropped a raw potato wedge in the hole,

covered it and moved on to the next one.

So what were these two English majors doing on this warm

spring day? Karen and Andy were part of the JMU Farm Internship

program that matches students with Valley farmers. The students

get hands-on experience and the farmer gets free labor. But it’s so

much more than that.

“They’re only here a few hours a week, but they make a huge,

huge impact,” said Janet Ripley of Greenville, whose potato patch

Karen and Andy planted. “Of course, I’m teaching them, too.”

The seed for the program was planted in April 2007 when Jen-

nifer Coffman took students from her seminar, “Anthropological

Perspectives on Environment and Development” to visit Elk Run

Farm in New Hope. In the classroom, the students had studied the

differences between organic and conventional food production,

local growing movements, debates over biotech food and more,

but out on the farm they didn’t even recognize what broccoli and

asparagus looked like growing in the ground. By the time Septem-

ber rolled around, Coffman had established a program to send

students to work on local farms.

On Monday afternoons in the spring, Karen and Andy carpooled

to Janet’s Garden and, on Fridays, to Nu-Beginning Farm, also in

Greenville. At Janet Ripley’s, they planted seeds and transplanted

seedlings in the greenhouse and cared for animals — chickens,

cows, sheep — around the property.

“A lot of the work is tedious and requires a lot of patience and

persistence,” said Karen, whose hometown is Roanoke. “Andy and

I have spent hours placing the smallest seeds in row after row of

beds. This wasn’t hard, but it took a while to get all of the seeds in

their proper place and covered with the topsoil.”

At Nu-Beginning, the pair did a variety of chores, from making

fruit jams to building a fence to tilling the soil. They spent two days

weeding the flowerbed and preparing the soil for new growth. “Our

hands hurt afterwards, but the end result was definitely worth hav-

ing soil-stained fingers,” Karen said.

The toughest job Karen ever had on the farm was to pour and

Story by Luanne Austin | Photos by Holly Marcus

Shenandoah Valley farms serve as classrooms for some JMU students.


spread spoiled milk over compost at Ja-

net’s Garden. “It stunk so bad,” she said.

Interns work at Avalon Farm in Broad-

way four days per week, said Lorinda

Palin, co-owner. Kristi Van Sickle, from

Bowie, Md., and Nicholas Melas, from

Springfield, were the Tuesday interns

in the spring. They did everything from

cleaning out chicken coops to planting

spinach seedlings in the garden.

“I find it to be therapeutic,” said Kristi,

“the beautiful surrounding, working with

my hands —it’s an escape from Harrison-

burg.”

One day, Nick dug out dandelions

before adding compost to the spinach

beds. He threw the dandelions in a pile

to give to the chickens. He laughed about

his “gardening shoes,” which were really

boating shoes.

Applying The Lessons As an-

thropology majors, Kristi and Nicholas

believe their work on the farm is central

to their studies.

“It connects with anthropology be-

cause it’s seen as important to connect

people with their food production,” said

Nicholas.

“A lot of people don’t know where food

comes from,” said Kristi.

“What we do applies across cultures

because we don’t use large equipment,

mostly hand tools,” said Palin.

Nicholas thinks he can take what he’s

learned at Avalon and use it anywhere in

the world, even in Kenya. That’s where

the connection to the International Pro-

grams comes in. As associate executive

director of the program and an anthro-

pologist, Coffman established and directs

the JMU Field School in Kenya, taking

students every summer.

“Kenya and the Shenandoah Valley

are both places where we don’t need a

surplus of modern technology to make

things work,” Coffman said. “That’s the

guiding arc.”

Both the farm internship and Kenyan

field school programs were sponsored

by the International Beliefs and Values

Institute at JMU.

All the farms in the program are affili-

ated with the Downtown Harrisonburg

and Staunton-Augusta farmers’ markets.

Coffman found the smaller farms to be a

much better fit, both for the geographical

link and for practical reasons.

“In the Valley we have a lot of big

farmers who rely on fossil fuels and big

machines to run their farms,” said Wayne

Teel, an associate professor who teaches

environment, agricultural systems and

sustainability classes at JMU. “There’s

really no hands-on work for interns.”

Teel points out that, in the Valley,

many big-time farmers work their farms

part-time, while small farmers often work

their farms full-time. “The small farmers

Janet Ripley (center) and JMU students Karen Baxter (right) and Andy Moss spread compost at Janet’s farm in Greenville. Baxter and Moss interned at the farm as a part of JMU’s farm internship program. Previous Page: Nicholas Melas digs out dandelions at Avalon Farm in Broadway during his internship in the spring .


are out in their fields all day, doing 30 to 40 different

tasks each day,” he said. “Each crop gets a different

management strategy.”

That’s why, in addition to her log, Kristi took really

good notes. “Lorinda and Solly are good about explain-

ing what they do and why they do it, why they do the

processes they do,” Kristi said. “I feel like I’m learning

so much. I want to record it, everything I’m learning

about the plants, the processes.”

Coffman enjoys reading the student logs, which she

does three times per semester. She makes comments

and asks questions that help the student get more from

their experience. There is also required reading. Coff-

man and Teel are developing the farm internship pro-

gram into a four-credit course that includes 90 minutes

of classroom and eight hours of farm work per week.

A Big Help Not just any farmer is a fit for the pro-

gram. They must be willing to take the time to teach the

students, said Coffman.

“All these people blow me away with how smart they

are,” Coffman says of the dozen or so farmers she works

with. “They’re always doing science and studying the

markets.”

When the students’ internships are over, they leave

the program with a keener sense of their consumption

patterns and their impact on

the earth. “When they leave

they are such strong advo-

cates of local production,”

Coffman said. “A whole

new world has opened up to

them. They don’t take their

food for granted.”

To Palin, it’s more than

imparting knowledge. It’s

matter of passing on her love

for the land to the next gen-

eration. As students begin

to appreciate the land, they

often form a bond with the

farmers that go beyond their

four or eight hours per week.

One day last spring, Jessie

Dodson, an Avalon intern,

organized a work day. She brought four other JMU stu-

dents to help prepare 600 square feet for planting. Palin

said it was a big help.

“Several of our interns have become like extended

family,” said Palin. “Like us, they feel a connection to

the land and want to return.” v

Karen Baxter hauls straw bales for Janet Ripley at her farm in Greenville.

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GREAT OUTDOORS

BY JEREMIAH KNUPP

As he drives down U.S. 340 in a big

white van, Don Roberts points to the Blue

Ridge Mountains and makes sure his pas-

sengers note the silver line snaking near

the summit of the peaks. It is fall, and the

“silver line” is the traffic backed up on

Skyline Drive, a metallic slug that inches

its way forward all weekend when the

fall foliage hits its peak. But for the van’s

passengers, there will be no stuffy cars in

slow traffic, no fighting for space at the

overlooks, no crowds to take away from

the grandeur of nature. These passengers

are about to discover a well-kept secret.

In autumn, both locals and out-of-town-

ers flock to the mountains that form the

Shenandoah Valley to observe the chang-

ing leaves. But the best road on which to

watch the passing colors isn’t a road at

all. It’s the Shenandoah River.

“Most people are driving their cars in

traffic all week, driving to work or driv-

ing to the office. The river gives them a

chance to get out of their cars,” Roberts

said. “When the foliage on the mountain

is at its peak and you’re on the Drive,

you’re looking down on a Valley that’s

still green. But on the river you can look

up at the changing colors on the moun-

tain.”

Fall is Perfect To Roberts, the owner

of Front Royal Canoe Company, a busi-

ness that provides raft, tube, canoe and

kayak rides, fall is perhaps the best time

to be on the Shenandoah River.

“In the fall there are usually bet-

ter water conditions and no crowds, so

there’s less waiting to get on the river,”

said Roberts, who has been running his

business for decades. “It’s very peaceful.

There’s a carpet of leaves on the water

and the water is clearer so it reflects the

leaves that are still on the trees.”

But leaves aren’t the only thing you’ll

see on a Shenandoah River trip. The

leaves share the branches with ospreys

and eagles, while deer, otter, mink and

the occasional black bear appear on the

water’s edge.

“Many people come just for the

wildlife,” Roberts said. “It’s like paddling

through a zoo at times.”

No Swimming Plying the waters

of the Shenandoah in the fall has its

own special set of circumstances. For

» One way to see autumn’s colors: on the Shenandoah.

Floating for FoliageHolly Marcus

The Front Royal Canoe Company provides raft, tube, canoe and kayak rides along the Shenandoah River. Fall is a great time for the ride.


those who have enjoyed the water in the

summer months, it’s a whole new river.

Water temperatures have already started

to drop, so unlike the summer months,

river riders need to avoid taking a dip in

the water by falling out of their water-

craft. By October, fall rains have usually

raised the water level and made the river

travel faster. For this environment Front

Royal Canoe Company has the perfect

solution; inflatable rafts.

Like a river-going mini-van, the rafts

will hold up to six people, so most fami-

lies can ride together. It is ultra-stable,

making it safe enough for passengers as

young as 4 years old. The staff of Front

Royal Canoe Company tailors each trip

to the customer, based on their experi-

ence and how much time they want to

spend on the water. For older or more

experienced boaters, canoes and kayaks

are also available, along with multi-day

trips that cover up to forty miles of the

river and include overnight camping.

River riders are shuttled up the Shenan-

doah to their starting point and float

back the FRCC’s landing area.

Roberts says that after many river-

goers take their first fall trip, they return

year after year at the same time.

“The Front Royal area leading up to

[Skyline Drive] becomes a parking lot; be-

ing on the river is the reverse experience,”

he noted. “On the river it’s very relaxed,

very peaceful and stress free. There’s no

better way to see the leaves.” v

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Acting Out Off the Job» JENNY BROCKWELL takes a look at some of the regular folks who take the

stage in community theaters in the Valley.

When Susan Comfort’s co-workers

find out that she’s an actress, they aren’t

too surprised.

“They would guess that I do acting

because I’m not a real shy person at

work,“ she laughed. “They get a kick out

of it.”

Susan is a special education instruc-

tional assistant for Harrisonburg City

Public Schools. But she also spends a

good deal of time on stage at The Play-

house in Harrisonburg.

Susan brings the theater into the class-

room — by adapting books like Dr. Seuss’

“Green Eggs and Ham” into a play.

“We get costumes together and vid-

eotape it, and the kids love it,” she said.

Susan’s passion for theater began

years ago when she first saw “The

Sound of Music,” then watched it

“about 20 times in a row,” she laughed.

She acted in high school, but instead

majored in journalism while at James

Madison University in the 1980s.

When her kids started participating

in the children’s plays at The Playhouse

in the 1990s, she started helping and

then auditioned in 1998.

“I got up the courage to do it and

have been involved ever since,” she

said.

Acting is an outlet Comfort needs to

explore herself.

“It’s art. It’s like anybody that would

paint a picture or play music. I get com-

pletely lost in it,” she said.

“It replenishes my soul to take a

couple of hours and totally concentrate

on something that ultimately makes me

a better person to do the other things in

my life, like take care of my family and

do my job.” v

» ‘I’m not a real shy person.’Teacher Susan Comfort, Harrisonburg


Barry Mines spends his working days

building custom homes, but during the

summer, you'll usually find him on the stage

at Theater at Lime Kiln, playing a role in

"Stonewall Country," about the famed Civil

War general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

“Double takes are pretty standard

when my coworkers find out that I act,” he

laughed. “They go, 'what?' They don’t know

much about that world, most of the people I

work with. They aren’t play goers or theater

song people at all."

While they may have different interests,

Mines said that he more than identifies with

his fellow construction workers.

“They are the guys who are trying to put

food on the table and raise a family. And I

am, too. But that part of my past has little to

do with their lives," he said. "So it’s pretty

interesting conversation.”

There are times when Mines has to call

upon his theater background in the construc-

tion business. “Having a degree in theater

exposes me to a wide variety of people.

When there is a situation with a client, I’m

usually the guy who has to go up and talk

to them, because I can empathize with both

parties right at the bat," he said.

Mines works as a leadman for Stonewall

Inc. a small custom homebuilding firm in

Lexington. He's only been in construction for

10 years; his passion for acting began earlier.

“I always did it in grade school and high

school, but never took it seriously until I

tried out for a play in college at the Univer-

sity of Nebraska,” he said. “My first year of

college, I was undeclared and then became a

theater major.”

When Mines discovered Lexington's Lime

Kiln Theatre, he immersed himself, becom-

ing not only an actor but a resident artist and

artistic director.

After six seasons, though, he knew he

must move on, and that's when he turned to

construction. But like any true passion, he

returns to Lime Kiln often as an actor. v

Ask pharmacist Steve Nichols when he caught the acting bug,

and his answer might sound like something you'd say.

“I watched a lot of TV as a kid, and I believed that I could act

as well as most of the talent I saw,” he said.

Today, in the era of reality TV, you hardly have to be an actor

to have your own show — and having acting skills is no longer

a prerequisite. But for those who truly love the art of acting,

they take to the stage; and in Steve's case, the intimate stage of

community theater. Since coming to Winchester 30 years ago,

Winchester Little Theater is the only stage he has been on.

By day, Nichols is part of a team of information-technology

workers, nurses and physicians who coordinate the technology

used for ordering, dispensing, administering and documenting

the pharmacy and nursing care at Valley Health in Winchester.

“What appeals to me about acting is that it combines the

structure necessary for a success-

ful production with the freedom to

move on when the production is

completed,” Nichols said.

In a technical day job as a phar-

macist, Steve says, he sometimes

calls upon his acting skills. “The

most I can bring from theater to

my real career is a skull-full of

punch lines and one-liners,” he

said. “Still, everybody likes a good

one-liner.”

Nichols’ latest stage stint was

in “Funny Money” at Winchester

Little Theatre in May. It's about

accountant Henry Perkins who, on

his birthday, accidentally trades

briefcases with another man. The

big surprise inside? Five million dollars. He tells his wife, Jean,

of their newly discovered fortune, and hilarity ensues as they try

to keep it a secret from their best friends, two detectives and Mr.

Big, who has come to take back his money.

“Actually, my character, Detective Sgt. Slater, was more the

straight man for Henry and Jean,” Nichols said. “I thoroughly en-

joyed setting up the punchlines for them. It reminded me of how

Jack Benny and George Burns were famous as straightmen for

their shows' other characters, like Gracie Allen and Dennis Day.”

It’s all been a good outlet. “In a good production, everybody is

focused together on the goal of bonding with each other and with

the audience to form a roomful of people in the embrace of the

story,” he said. “There's nothing quite like the atmosphere in a

theater.” v

» The Right PrescriptionPharmacist Steve Nicols, Winchester

» Constructing His Characters

Home builder Barry Mines, Lexington


HOME & GARDEN

BY KAREN DOSS BOWMAN

Your summer garden may have been

harvested, but fall is the perfect time to

start thinking ahead to next summer’s

crop. For a sustainable, organic design,

consider a sheet mulch keyhole garden

bed. When the spring rolls around again,

your soil will be rich with nutrients and

ready for planting.

The keyhole pattern, resembling a

horseshoe, is beautiful because it mimics

the meandering flow of the way plants

grow in nature, says Harrisonburg resi-

dent Tom Benevento, a staff member of

the Elgin, Ill.-based nonprofit New Com-

munity Project who is engaged locally in

numerous environmentally sustainable

projects.

“You don’t really see straight, rectan-

gular boxes in nature,” he says.

An ideal choice for small yards,

keyhole garden beds use about one-third

less path space per foot than straight-

edge beds, says Benevento. Additionally,

they’re easier to access than traditional

gardens because the gardener can step

into the keyhole pathway and tend a

large selection of plants from one spot.

Getting Started You can start your

sheet mulch keyhole garden bed almost

anywhere—on your grassy lawn or over

an existing garden spot. Here’s how to

get started:

1. Though the sheet mulching process

requires little, if any, digging, Benevento

recommends chopping up the ground

just a bit with a small pick to loosen the

soil. Do not remove the cut up greens.

2. Water the area.

3. Lay down a 6- to 10-inch layer of

The Keys to Garden Success» Fall is the time to prepare your yard for a keyhole garden.

Holly Marcus

Fall is a good time to prepare an area for planting a keyhole garden so you end up with something that turns out like Tom Benevento’s. The shape of the gardens is good for small yards, and they are easier to access than traditionally rectangular gardens.


fresh manure, grass clippings, veggies—anything green—

in the keyhole shape. “Don’t be afraid to get it messy and

yucky,” Benevento advises.

4. Water the area again.

5. Place a layer of heavy cardboard or thick newsprint

on top of the manure, loosely preserving the keyhole

shape. Be sure to overlap the cardboard by at least 6

inches from one piece to the next, Benevento says: “Don’t

leave any cracks so the weeds can’t squeak through.”

6. Add water.

7. Top it off with a layer of straw or leaf mulch.

8. Again, water it.

This sheet mulching technique not only reduces the

need for weeding, but also uses about one-tenth the

amount of water required by traditional gardens, thanks to

the thick layering that holds in moisture.

As the garden bed sits through the fall and winter, the

microorganisms and earthworms already in the soil acti-

vate their biological process of breaking down the materi-

als and ultimately producing a natural fertilizer. As they

do their work, these organisms basically till the soil for

you—and that’s good news for any gardener.

“You use the energy of biology to do the work for you,”

Benevento says. “The microorganisms and worms do the

work of digging the soil and moving it around and aerating

it.”

In the spring, Benevento says, open up the leaf mulch

or straw layer in your keyhole garden bed, lightly chop

up the deteriorated cardboard, and you’ve got fertile soil

ready for planting. v

When the time comes to plant seeds in your

keyhole garden next spring, Benevento recommends

thinking in terms of grouping your plants in zones,

rather than rows, since the design isn’t straight-edged

like a traditional garden.

Zone One Plants that are harvested on a regular

basis should be placed closest to the pathway, for

easy access. In one of his keyhole beds, for example,

Benevento has placed greens, such as lettuce, in the

front zone.

Zone Two Plants that might be harvested less

frequently—say, on a weekly basis, such as broccoli—

can be placed slightly farther back from the pathway.

Zone Three Plants that will be harvested just

once, such as cabbage, could go farthest out from the

keyhole pathway.

— KDB

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HISTORY

BY DALE HARTER

In the 1970s, truck-driving fever

swept the nation. Cletus Snow and his

18-wheeler carried Coors beer from

Texarkana to Atlanta while helping

Burt Reynolds outsmart Sheriff Buford

T. Justice in “Smokey and the Bandit.”

Expressions like “Breaker, Breaker” and

“10-4 Good Buddy” crackled from CB

radios and became part of the national

vocabulary. TV viewers watched inde-

pendent trucker Sonny Pruett in “Movin’

On.” C. W. McCall sang about “The Rub-

ber Duck” in the popular tune “Convoy.”

Meanwhile, a Harrisonburg native

created a board game that gave people

the chance to “Drive The Big Rigs Across

America.”

Fred Showker created the game.

That’s Truckin’ was its name.

A College Project “The Game,” as

Showker and other devotees refer to it,

originated as his senior project at Vir-

ginia Commonwealth University. After

graduating in 1972 with a degree in com-

munication arts and design, Showker

parlayed a passion for animation into a

public television job in Richmond. Soon

he and wife Carol tired of big-city life

and moved to the Shenandoah Valley.

In Harrisonburg, Showker became

the creative director of the only advertis-

ing agency in town, earning a whopping

$2.80 an hour. While honing graphic

design skills, in 1974 Showker says he

“decided to do the game.” Dusting off the

prototype he created at VCU, the Showk-

ers loaded up their Saab and headed

west. They stopped at friends’ homes

on their cross-country trip, played The

Game and “worked out the bugs.”

In the resulting game, each player

drives across the country hauling loads

This Game Gets a 10-4» That’s Truckin board game has roots with Harrisonburg native.

Courtesy Photo

Fred Showker created “That’s Truckin’” in the 1970s, but he still gets some calls from fans. The game gives people the chance to “drive the big rigs across America.”


to pay for his or her rig. Players choose from 11 different trucks

to drive, including a Mack Cruise-Liner, a Kenworth, a G.M.C.

Astro 95 and a Brockway Huskie 761. Each load has a delivery

deadline, with a cash bonus for arriving early. Red spaces along

the way offer rewards or penalties. Per the instructions, the

red spaces “represent situations all truckers find themselves in

at one time or another – sometimes good, sometimes bad . . .

THAT’S TRUCKIN’!”

After returning to the Valley, Showker went to work as a

graphic artist at The Print Shop, in Dayton. The couple started

Showker Inc., to produce That’s Truckin’, and the owner of The

Print Shop agreed to print the game.

With the help of “anybody we could drag in,” the Showkers

manufactured and packaged the pieces, cards, play money and

instructions. Then, he and high school pal Neil Good trans-

ported the materials by van to a company in Baltimore that

produced the game board.

“In essence, we were truck drivers,” says Showker.

Between 1974 and 1979, when he stopped marketing it,

Showker, Inc. printed two editions and 30,000 copies of That’s

Truckin’. In the end, Showker thinks he broken even or made a

small profit. That’s Truckin’ sold for $6.95, and Showker figures

they made about five cents per game after expenses.

“You couldn’t build a business on a nickel a game,” Showker

says.

Showker, Inc. became one of the most successful graphic

arts and design businesses in the Valley, producing more than

7,000 projects. His work now is mostly Internet-based. He

began publishing DT&G Zine in 1988 and established The De-

sign & Publishing Center in 1994, both award-winning entities

found on his website, www.graphic-design.com. He devotes

about 50 percent of his time to nonprofits, especially the Har-

risonburg Children’s Museum.

Fans Still Call Through the years, a range of people have

enjoyed That’s Truckin’. Trucking companies gave them to em-

ployees at Christmas. University of Virginia fraternities orga-

nized tournaments in the 1980s. A Virginia high school teacher

taught geography with it as late as 2006.

Showker occasionally is contacted by fans. Recently a sher-

iff’s wife in Tennessee emailed, explaining how her family had

enjoyed the game through the years but that their copy had

been lost or destroyed. She said something was missing from

their lives without it and asked for a replacement copy.

“That’s totally bizarre,” says Showker.

And, That’s Truckin’. v

The author is a trucker’s son and owns a tattered copy of

the game his mother, a former credit manager at Harrison-

burg-based Truck Enterprises, gave him as a child. When

he plays “The Game,” he still rules the road in the Brockway

Huskie 761.

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Mountain Horses are gaining popularity throughout the country. Joellen and Mike Walker are introducing the Valley to the breed

one step at a time

Story by Nancy NusserPhotography by Holly Marcus


The sky is awash in the pinks of a Shenan-

doah sunset but Joellen and David Yarber

are oblivious to the beauty. Instead, their

eyes are locked onto a blue-grey horse and his rider as

they move at a fast clip around the couple’s riding ring.

“Choke back a little, use your calf,” Joellen calls out.

“There you go,” she says.

The rider, Harrisonburg businessman Mike Walker,

tightens the reins slightly, and Whiskey tucks his

neck and collects his legs underneath himself to step

in a high gait so smooth that Walker barely moves in

the saddle. For a moment, they are in sync, then the

Whiskey’s gait changes subtly—imperceptibly to an

outsider. But Joellen is looking for perfection because

she’s training this horse and rider to compete on

regional and national show circuits. “Choke up,” she

barks out again.

With her quick laugh, Joellen seems easygoing,

and David, rarely seen without his round-brimmed

farmer’s hat pulled low over his ears, looks mild-man-

nered, But the Kentucky natives, living in Bridgewater

since 1992, are intensely competitive.

For more than a decade, they’ve been competing

on show circuits for Mountain Horses, a little-known

Kentucky breed rapidly gaining popularity throughout

the United States. Last year, their best horse, Half-

Cocked, won five national show championships and

was named top gelding for the year, and their chestnut

mare, Red, has won several championships in her

events.

Still, the couple insists showing is not just about

winning. The idea is also to use the show ring to gener-

ate more interest in Mountain Horses, whose numbers

had dwindled to a few thousand. As such, they’re part

of a growing Kentucky-based effort to revive the breed,

which has had considerable success because of the

horses themselves; they’re an unusually gentle and

personable breed with a four-beat gait smooth enough

for children and elderly people to ride. There are now

about 25,000 Mountain Horses in the United States,

compared to some 3000 in the early 1990s, said Van-

essa Crowe, former president of the Kentucky-based

United Mountain Horse Association (UMHA).

“They really took off starting in about 2000,” Crowe

says. “All of a sudden, people started breeding and

training Mountain Horses. There were farms raising

50 to 60 foals a year,” she said.

In the Shenandoah Valley, Joellen says, “they’ve

really blossomed. A lot of hunt and jump people are

here, and they’ve gotten older and they can’t ride the

Joellen Yarber of Summit Stables in Bridgewater rides B Almighty, a 4-year-old Rocky Mountain gelding. Yarber and her husband, David, have been competing for a decade in show circuits for Mountain Horses. The horses are a little-known breed that is gaining popularity throughout the United States.

Jerry Hatton of Deep Meadow Farm leads C.D.’s Gambler, a Rocky Mountain stallion, out to pasture. The Hattons breed and show Rocky Mountain horses at their farm in Waynesboro.


hunter-jumpers anymore, so they’re look-

ing to this.”

Like most horse people, the Valley’s

Mountain Horse owners form a clique, in

which everyone seems to know each oth-

er. There are the Chittums, from Mount

Sidney, who show their Palomino stal-

lion in local shows and regional shows.

Karen and Gale Billheimer breed Moun-

tain Horses from their Linville farm.

Bridgewater residents Dorothy and Leon

Showalter and Joe and Faye Wampler

own and sell Mountain Horses. And then

there are the Hattons, who breed and sell

Rocky Mountain Horses from a sprawling

110-acre ranch in Waynesboro.

Strong Horses The first Moun-

tain Horse breed, known as Mountain

Pleasure Horses, originated 160 years

ago in the Kentucky Appalachians. Poor

farmers who could afford only one horse

bred them to be useful—strong enough

to pull plows and live outside during cold

winters and gentle and smooth-gaited for

children to ride.

Since then, Mountain Horse has

become an umbrella term for several

breeds: Kentucky Saddle Horses, Spotted

Mountain Horses, Mountain Pleasure

Horses and Rocky Mountain Horses.

Along with gentleness and their four-

beat gait, they have in common medium

size and relatively arched necks and fine

heads. Their colors are unusually varied;

they can be champagne, Palomino, buck-

skin, dun, and various shades of mottled

grey and beige.

The most prized color is a rich choco-

late with flaxen mane and tail, the legacy

of a legendary Kentucky stallion named

“Tobe.” In the early 1900s, Tobe’s owner

bred him to local Mountain Pleasure

Horses, and his numerous offspring

during the 37 years of his life became the

foundation for what are now known as

Rocky Mountain Horses, according to the

UMHA. “You see that chocolate in Saddle-

breds and Shetland ponies sometimes,”

David Yarber says. “But it’s a real rarity.”

By the 1990s, the UMHA had formed

the first registries for the three most

prominent breeds—the Rocky Moun-

tains, the Mountain Pleasures, and the

Kentucky Saddlebreds. Although their

numbers have grown exponentially,

they’re still relatively rare horses, which is

one reason for their high price. They cost

at least several thousand and as much

as tens of thousands for a well-trained

trained horse.

It was the Yarbers who introduced

Mountain Horses to the Shenandoah

Valley when they moved here in 1992. Mary Stuart Hatton brushes C.D.’s Gambler, one of the Rocky Mountain stallions that she breeds and shows.


“This was Tennessee Walker country,”

says Joellen. “People called Mountain

Horses daisy clippers, because they don’t

have a lot of high step.” But in a region

with rugged mountains and hills, the

Mountain Horses’ sure step and calmness

along treacherous trails “caught the eye

of the trail pleasure person,” Joellen says.

“People started going to Kentucky and

buying and bringing back horses.”

Among them were the Hattons, Jerry

and Mary Stuart, whose ranch, Deep

Meadow, sprawls below Skyline Drive.

Years ago, the couple rode Quarter Hors-

es in Greene County with local friends

who favored smoother-gaited Tennessee

Walkers. “There would be three or four

banjos playing blue grass music and 30

horses and riders,” Jerry says. “We’d ride,

and listen to music, and that’s what got us

into gaited horses.”

Back then, Mary was riding a Leopard

Appaloosa “that just about killed me.”

She crosses one long blue-jeaned leg over

the other and laughs. “About every time

I rode him there was a trip to the hospi-

tal. I just wanted a horse with a different

disposition.”

First Steps The pink sunset has dark-

ened into an evening sky, but the Yarbers

are still watching Whiskey and Walker

circle their riding ring. The horse turns

with the tug of a finger or the pressure of

a calf, and he responds instantly to voice

commands. It’s still early in the show

season, but he has already picked up blue

and red ribbons, as well as a champion-

ship trophy on the northeastern circuit.

The driving high step of his front legs and

his speed, as he rockets around the ring,

catches judges’ eyes.

But getting him to this level of perfor-

mance has required constant training,

physical conditioning and attention to

feet—David’s turf, since he’s a ferrier. He

explains that the angle of a horse’s hoofs

and the weight of its shoes can make or

break its performance. “The horse’s first

step determines the rest of its steps,” he

says. “The first creates the horse’s flight,

height, and animation.”

As Whiskey moves smoothly through

a turn, Joellen calls out, “There you go,

that’s nice.” David, usually the pickier of

the two because he’s been trained as a

judge, mutters his approval.

After he circles the ring a few more

times, Walker dismounts and he and the

Yarbers disappear into the barn, leaving

the horse behind. He’s completely uncon-

trolled now; he could do anything. But he

follows them into the barn as obediently

as a family pet, which is why Joellen calls

Mountain Horses the Golden Retrievers

of the equine world. v

Jerry Hatton of Deep Meadow Farm leads C.D.’s Gambler, one of his Rocky Mountain stallions, out to pasture.


TICKETSEPT OCT NOV things to do from winchester to lexington

MORE EVENTS ONLINE:www.shenandoahmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER

3 Henry IV, Part 1 opens, American

Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 3-Nov. 27),

www.americanshakespearecenter.com

4 Fridays on the Square, Court-

house lawn, Harrisonburg, 7 p.m. FREE

http://downtownharrisonburg.org

Horse-drawn Carriage Ride Tours,

Hardesty-Higgins House, Harrisonburg, 6 p.m.,

www.harrisonburgtourism.com

First Fridays Walking Tour, Hardes-

ty-Higgins House, Harrisonburg, 6 p.m., www.

harrisonburgtourism.com First Friday, Art

Group, Mount Jackson, 7-10 p.m.,

www.theartgroup.com

Fall Arabian Classic, Virginia Horse

Center, Lexingon, (Sept. 4-6), www.horsecen-

ter.org

Old Dominion Morgan Horse Show

and Open Carriage Show, Virginia Horse

Center, Lexington, (Sept. 4-6), www.horsecen-

ter.org

Boots N’ Hats for Patsy Cline, The

George Washington Hotel, Winchester, 7-11

p.m., www.visitwinchesterva.com

5 Fall Arabian Classic Open

Hunter and Trail, Virginia Horse Center,

Lexington, (Sept. 5-6), www.horsecenter.org

Fall Arabian Classic Open Dres-

sage Show, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington,

(Sept. 5-6), www.horsecenter.org

Old Time Music Jam, Work Horse Cafe,

Virginia Horse Center, Lexington,

www.horsecenter.org

6 Labor Day Festival: Blues,

Bluegrass & BBQ, Theater at Lime Kiln,

Lexington, 6 p.m. www.theateratlimekiln.com

7 Labor Day Horse Auction & Fair,

Rockingham County Fair Grounds, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.,

www.rockinghamcountyfair.com

All’s Well That Ends Well opens, Ameri-

can Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 3-Nov. 27),


10 Grottoes Family Bluegrass

Faestival, Grand Caverns Regional Park, Grot-

toes, 4 p.m., www.grottoesfamilybluegrass.com

Virginia Quarter Horse Associa-

tion Breeder’s Futurity, Virginia Horse

Center, Lexington, (Sept. 10-13), www.horse-

center.org

11 Fridays on the Square, Court-

house lawn, Harrisonburg, 7 p.m. FREE

http://downtownharrisonburg.org

Gardens at Night Concert, Mu-

seum of the Shenandoah Valley,

Winchester, 7-9pm, www.ShenandoahMuseum.

org/calendar

Rockbridge Mountain Music & Dance Festi-

val, Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, (Sept. 11-12)

www.glenmaurypark.com

12 Grottoes Family Bluegrass,

Grand Caverns, Grottoes, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.,

www.grottoesfamilybluegrass.com

Professional Auction Services Fall

Sale, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington,

www.horsecenter.org

Rockbridge Food & Wine Festival,

Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington, 12-5 p.m.

www.lexrockchamber.com

Bluegrass & BBQ, Abram’s Delight

historic home, Winchester, 1-4 p.m., www.

winchesterhistory.org

13 Grottoes Family Bluegrass,

Grand Caverns, Grottoes, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.,

www.grottoesfamilybluegrass.com

Hear the Beat Horse Show - ben-

efit for Hoofbeats Therapeutic Riding Center,

Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, www.

horsecenter.org

Virginia 4-H State Championship

Horse and Pony Show, Virginia Horse

Center, Lexington, (Sept. 17-20), www.horse-

center.org

23 American Saddlebred Horse

Association of Virginia Horse Show,

Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Sept. 23-26),

www.horsecenter.org

24 Dracula or How’s Your Blood

Count, Theater at Lime Kiln, 7:30 p.m. (Sept. 24-

26), www.theateratlimekiln.com

Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival,

Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, (Sept. 24-26),

www.glenmaurypark.com

OCTOBER

1 Irish Draught Horse Society

of North America, Virginia Horse Center,

Lexington, (Oct. 01-04 ), www.horsecenter.org

The Merry Wives of Windsor,

American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept.

9-Nov. 27), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

Henry IV, Part 1, American Shakespeare

Center, Staunton, (thru Nov. 27),


Winchester’s involvement in the John

Brown Raid Exhibit, Hollingsworth Mill, Win-

chester, (thru Oct. 31), www.winchesterhistory.org

2 Eastern Seaboard Gaited

Horse Show, Virginia Horse Center, Lexing-

ton, (Oct. 2-4), www.horsecenter.org

First Friday, Art Group, Mount Jackson,


7-10 p.m., www.theartgroup.com

Titus Andronicus, American Shake-

speare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 9-Nov. 28),


3 Oktoberfest, Strasburg, 2-9

p.m., www.strasburgvachamber.com

Much Ado About Nothing, American

Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (thru Nov. 29),


7 The Rehearsal opens, American

Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 9-Nov. 28),


9 O Shenandoah! Migrations

and Settlements Across the Valley, State

Genealogy Conference, Winchester, www.

svgs.org

Central Virginia Paint Horse

Club Color Classic and Fall Futuri-

ty, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct.

9-11), www.horsecenter.org

10 O Shenandoah! Migrations

and Settlements Across the Valley, State

Genealogy Conference, Winchester, www.

svgs.org

Apple Grape Harvest Festival,

Mount Jackson, , www.mountjacksonva.org

House Mountain Horse Show,

Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 10-

11), www.horsecenter.org

13 Old Time Music Jam - LIVE

from the Work Horse Cafe, Virginia Horse

Center, Lexington, www.horsecenter.org

16 Old Dominion Futurity

Benefit Horse Show, Virginia Horse

Center, Lexington, (Oct. 16-17), www.

horsecenter.org

Virginia Presidential New

World Show VI PFHA Event,



Virginia Alpaca Owners and

Breeders Association Alpaca Expo,

Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct.16-


17 Mounted Map and Orien-

teering Clinic, Virginia Horse Center,

Lexington, www.horsecenter.org

22 Great American/USDF

Region 1 Dressage Championships

and VADA Fall Competion, Virginia

Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 22-25),

www.horsecenter.org

22 Colonial Day, Abram’s De-

light historic home, Winchester, 10 a.m.-4

p.m., FREE www.winchesterhistory.org

30 Virginia Horse Trails,


Nov.1), www.horsecenter.org

31 Halloween on Court

Square, Woodstock, 1-2:30 p.m.,

www.townofwoodstockva.com

NOVEMBER

1 Nurturing the Four-part

A Cappella Tradition, Bridgewater

Church of the Brethren, Bridgewater, 4

p.m., www.vbmhc.org

Henry IV, Part 1, American Shakespeare

Center, Staunton, (thru Nov. 27),


4 Much Ado About Nothing,

American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (thru

Nov. 29), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

5 The Merry Wives of Wind-

sor, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton,

(Sept. 9-Nov. 27), www.americanshakespeare-

center.com

Titus Andronicus, American Shake-

speare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 9-Nov. 28),


6 Southwest Virginia Hunter-

Jumper Association Medal Finals,

Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Nov.

6-8), www.horsecenter.org

Friday Night Lights, downtown,

Lexington, www.lexingtonvirginia.com

10 Old Tine Music Jam - the

Work Horse Cafe, Virginia Horse Center,

Lexington, www.horsecenter.org

13 Virginia Horse Show As-

soc. Associates’ Championship

Show, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington,

(Nov. 13-15), www.horsecenter.org

17 Wine Tasting Dinner,

Southern Inn, Lexington, southerninn.com

21 Klassic Kar Nutz Cruise In,

Buena Vista, 11 a.m., www.klassickarnutz.

com

26 Possum Ridge String Band,

Skyland Resor, Shenandoah National Park,

8 p.m., www.visitshenandoah.com

27 Candlelight Processional

and Tree Lighting Ceremony,

downtown, Lexington, www.lexrockcham-

ber.com

Want to list an event? E-mail bjenkins@

shenandoahmagazine.com

. . . come on out to play!

don’t forget massanutten

Ad needs to include the website ad-dress hesscornmaze.com

Harrisonburg

Open August 29-November 8Over 25 activities with one admission:

punkin chunkin, pig races, costume contests and much more!

2915 Willow Run Rd. near d’town H’burghesscornmaze.com


CAVERNS

Crystal Caverns at Hupp’s Hill 33231 Old Valley Pike,

Strasburg, (540) 465-8660

Endless Caverns U.S. 11, New Market, (540) 896-2283

Grand Caverns Caverns, hiking, biking, pool, picnics, Grot-

toes, (888) 430-2283

Luray Caverns 970 U.S. 211 West, Luray, (540) 743-6551

Natural Bridge Caverns U.S. 11, Natural Bridge, (800)

533-1410

Shenandoah Caverns I-81, Exit 269, Shenandoah Caverns,

(540) 477-3115

Skyline Caverns U.S. 340 South, Front Royal, (800) 296-

4545

PARKS AND OTHERS

Edith J. Carrier Arboretum A beautiful oasis in Harri-

sonburg, featuring trees and plants native to Virginia. Off University

Boulevard near JMU, Harrisonburg. (540) 568-3194

George Washington & Jefferson National Forests

All kinds of recreation, camping and hiking, including part of the

Appalachian Trail. (540) 265-5100

Gypsy Hill Park Sports, recreation, duck pond, bandstand

and more. At the corner of Thornrose and Churchville avenues in

Staunton. (540) 332-3945

Massanutten Resort Skiing, golf and more. Resort Drive

10 miles east of Interstate 81 exit 247A on U.S. 33. (800) 207-

MASS. www.massresort.com

Massanutten Waterpark Indoor and outdoor water

attractions. Indoor features open all year. Located at Massanutten

Resort. (540) 437-3340

www.massresort.com

Natural Chimneys Camping, swimming, picnics, hiking. Va.

731 in Mount Solon. (888) 430-CAMP

Shenandoah National Park Great valley views from

Front Royal to Waynesboro. Plus hiking, climbing, scenic driving on

Skyline Drive and more. (800) 778-2851

» GET OFF THE COUCH!Before you hibernate for winter, get outside a few more times . . .

Get back to the life you love.

Valley Orthopedicsand Sports MedicineRMHOnline.com

RMH: We’re here for you.

Begin your recovery today. Call RMH Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

1661 South Main Street, Harrisonburg

540-433-1473


» MUSEUMSAmerican Celebration on Parade

Features inaugural parade floats and more,

I-81, Exit 269, Shenandoah Caverns,

(540) 477-4300

Augusta Military Academy Mu-

seum Tells the story of the now-defunct

academy, U.S. 11, Fort Defiance,

(540) 248-3007

CrossRoads Valley Brethren-

Mennonite Heritage Center Features

the Valley’s early days, pioneer times, a Civil

War-era home, a 1904 schoolhouse and

church. 1921 Heritage Center Way, Harrison-

burg. (540) 438-1275. www.vbmhc.org

Eavers Classic Cars & Collect-

ibles Museum Exit 217, off Interstate 81,

Mint Spring. (540) 337-1126

Frontier Culture Museum Numer-

ous farms tell the story of culture in America

and Europe, I-81, Exit 222, West on U.S. 250,

Staunton, (540) 332-7850

George C. Marshall Museum Tells

the story of the military leader, and includes

exhibits that feature his Nobel Peace Prize

Medal among other items, VMI Parade, Lex-

ington, (540) 463-7103

George Washington’s Office

Museum Between September 1755 and

December 1756, Washington kept an office

in this log cabin. Washington’s real hair is on

display. Open April 1-Oct. 31. Braddock &

Cork St., Winchester, (540) 662-4412

Harrisonburg Children’s Museum

It’s interactive, and kids will have all sorts of

things to keep them busy and learning. 30 N.

Main St., Harrisonburg, (540) 443-8900

Hostetter Museum of Natural

History More than 6,000 artifacts. Eastern

Mennonite University’s Suter Science Center.

(540) 432-4400

Mineral Museum More than 500 min-

erals. Memorial Hall at JMU. (540) 568-6130.

Museum of American Presidents

130 N. Massanutten St., Strasburg,

(540) 465-5999

Museum of the Shenandoah

Valley Traces the history and culture of

the Valley from Native American days to the

present. 901 Amherst St., Winchester,

(540) 662-1473

Natural Bridge Wax Museum

Features Shenandoah Valley history in wax,

U.S. 11, Natural Bridge, (800) 533-1410

Old Court House Civil War Mu-

seum Located in a courthouse that housed

prisoners and patients during the Civil War.

20 N. Loudoun St., Winchester,

(540) 542-1145

P. Buckley Moss Museum Cel-

ebrates the art of the woman who brings

Valley scenes and the Amish to life in her

work. 150 P. Buckley Moss Dr., Waynesboro,

(540) 949-6473

Plains District Memorial Museum

Features the history of northern Rocking-

ham County. 107 McCauley Drive, Timber-

ville. (540) 896-7900

Port Republic Museum Civil War

history in the Kemper House. At the inter-

section of Port Republic Road and Water

Street. (540) 249-3156

Reuel B. Pritchett Museum More

than 10,000 pieces, including a saber-toothed

tiger skull. Cole Hall, Bridgewater College.

(540) 828-5457

Shenandoah Valley Discovery

Museum Hands-on displays feature science,

math and the humanities. 54 S. Loudoun St.,

Winchester, (540) 722-2020

Shenandoah Valley Folk Art and

Heritage Center Focuses on the history

and culture of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham

area. 382 High St., Dayton, (540) 879-2616

Stonewall Jackson House Mu-

seum Tells the famous general’s story. 8 E.

Washington St., Lexington, (540) 463-2552

Virginia Quilt Museum Quilters’

delight, with historic and modern quilts. 301

S. Main St., Harrisonburg, (540) 433-3818

Valley Turnpike Museum Looks at

the history of what is now U.S. 11. Hardesty-

Higgins House, 212 S. Main St., Harrisonurg.

(540) 432-8935

VMI Museum All kinds of VMI infor-

mation, including an exhibit of Stonewall

Jackson’s horse, Little Sorrel. VMI Campus,

Lexington, (540) 464-7334

Woodrow Wilson Presidential

Library, 18-24 N. Coalter St., Staunton,

(540) 885-0897

CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS

Cedar Creek Battlefield 8437 Valley Pike,

Middletown, (540) 869-2064

Kernstown Battlefield Located in Winchester,

www.kernstownbattle.org

New Market Battlefield State Historical

Park The battlefield where Virginia Military Institute

cadets gained fame, located right off Interstate 81 in

New Market, (540) 740-3101

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Founda-

tion Offers all kinds of Civil War information for

novices and experts alike, 298 W. Old Cross Road,

New Market, (540) 740-4545

OTHER HISTORIC LOCATIONS

Belle Grove Plantation An 18th-century grain

and livestock farm near the site of the Civil War battle

of Cedar Creek, 336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown,

(540) 869-2028

Confederate Soldiers Cemetery Some 400

soldiers are buried here; the cemetery was dedicated

in 1866, Main Street, Mount Jackson.

Hardesty-Higgins House Mid-1800s house

was once home of Harrisonburg’s first mayor; it now

houses the city’s tourism office, plus Mrs. Hardesty’s

Tea Room, the Valley Turnpike Museum and Rocktown

Gift Shoppe. 212 S. Main St., Harrisonburg. (540) 432-

8935. www.harrisonburgtourism.com.

Historic Long Branch Since the early 18th cen-

tury, the estate has been owned by a series of famous

men, including Lord Culpeper, Lord Fairfax and Robert

“King” Carter. A young George Washington helped to

survey the property. 830 Long Branch Lane, Millwood,

(540) 837-1856

Natural Bridge Its name says it all—a naturally

formed rock bridge that will amaze. U.S. 11, Natural

Bridge, (800) 533-1410

Silver Lake Mill Tours available Thursdays and

Fridays. 2328 Silver Lake Road, Dayton. (540) 879-2800.

www.silverlakemill.com

Historical Walking Tours

New Market Guided tours of the town’s historic

areas, featuring costumed guides. Tuesdays, Fridays, Sat-

urdays at 10:30 a.m.; Sundays at 5:30 p.m. By appoint-

ment, too. (540) 325-9529

Staunton Every Saturday starting at 10 a.m.

Starts at Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library. (540)

885-7676

» DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY?


FALL FESTIVAL2009

BRIDGEWATER HOME AUXILIARY

SATURDAY, SEPT. 197:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Rockingham County Fairgrounds

Benefit AuctionDonations from Businesses & Individuals

Art, Quilts & Household Itemsbegins at 9:30 am

Silent AuctionThemed Gift Baskets, Handcrafts & More

begins at 7:30 am

Specialty Shops Baked Goods,

Plants & Garden, ReRun Shoppe, Yard Sale & Cottage Gifts

Breakfast served 7:30-10 amOmelets made to order,

applesauce, homemade bread, jellies, doughnuts

Lunch begins at 10 amSoup, sandwiches & homemade pies

Glenn Garner has donated hun-dreds of baskets over the years for auction. This year he gave 52 baskets that will be used to cre-ate themed gifts for the auction. Come bid on your favorite baskets.

Documents

Shenandoah Living FALL 2009