Virginia News

Virginia
NEWS

DON'T MISS EDINBURG, VA'S OLE' TIME FESTIVAL

Mark the calendar. September 19 through 21 are this year’s dates for the sixteenth annual Edinburg Ole’ Time Festival.There’s no better way to celebrate the beginning of the fall season than in downtown Edinburg, VA, with its famous small town hospitality.There’ll be plenty of food, fun and crafters on hand, plus daily self-guided walking tours. Take Interstate 81 to exit 279.

VIRGINIA'S FALL FOLIAGE ENCHANTS ACTIVE TRAVELERS

Whether hiking the trail, bicycling down country roads, paddling rivers or soaring hot air balloons, you will marvel at Virginia’s natural autumnal beauty.

From early September through November, you’ll see the red-orange of the maples, the maroon of the tupelos, the golden flowers of the witch hazels and the red of the sumac and sassafras.

The first areas to show vivid reds, yellow and oranges are the mountain areas such as the Southwest Blue Ridge Highlands. By mid-October, nature’s paintbrush decorates the Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia and Northern Virginia.

The New River, flowing through the Southwest Blue Ridge Highlands, is the most ancient river in North America, geologists say. But don’t let its two billion years deceive you. It makes for exciting whitewater rafting and challenging canoeing. The New River Company in Pembroke offers one to five day canoe and kayak trips on the river from Claytor Lake Dam and Bluestone Dam.

The area surrounding Mt. Rogers, the highest mountain in the state, is a world of its own where outdoor adventure is a way of life. For something out of the ordinary, stop by the Mt. Rogers High Country Outdoor Center in Troutdale. There you will find wilderness day ridges, covered wagon day rides, overnight pack trips and overnight horse and covered wagon trips with pack mules. The center has shuttle services to support backpackers and mountain bikers wishing to gain access to more remote areas.

To the west, in historic Abingdon, is a trailhead for the noted Virginia Creeper Trail. This 34-mile-long trail is a fine example of the Rails-to-Trails movement, and is enjoyed by cyclists and hikers alike. Blue Blaze bike and shuttle service supports the needs of hikers, backpackers and mountain bikers. The reserved shuttle service for high country trails also rents bikes and packs box lunches. Full moon night rides are available.

The beauty and romance of the Shenandoah Valley draw visitors from around the world. For the hiker, Mountain Memory Walks offers an array of unusual and interesting trips of one to several days. Stay at charming inns and explore the countryside while you take in the brilliant fall colors at a pace right for you.

For mountain bike and road bike enthusiasts, Pineapple Pedalers Touring offers single and multi-day rides that explore the Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah National Park and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.

To see the foliage while paddling the famous river, contact Shenandoah River Outfitters in Luray to arrange your canoe or kayak trip. Groups are welcome. The hearty riverside lunches prepared and served by staff and all-you-can-eat steak or barbecue chicken dinners at day’s end are popular. A tent campground with hot showers and a rental cabin that sleeps 4-6 are available.

Down the valley, canoeists and kayakers can paddle on scenic rivers such as the James, Maury and Tye with the assistance of the Lexington-based James River Basin Canoe Livery. Trips of one to seven days can be arranged across flatwater and challenging whitewater.

The Blue Ridge Mountains, which border Central Virginia on the west and the rolling Piedmont foothills offer many possibilities.

For tranquillity, it’s hard to beat a passenger balloon ridge for a truly breathtaking view of the fall colors. The FAA-licensed commercial balloons pilots of Bear Balloon Corp. have taken more than 15,000 passengers up and away from the launch site at the elegant Boar’s Head Inn near Charlottesville. The company flies one of the largest passenger carrying balloons in the U.S. Group flights with several balloons are easily arranged.

West of Charlottesville in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Wintergreen Resort offers autumn chairlift rides every weekend in October, plus mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking. Wintergreen’s Fall Foliage Weekend, October 18-20, has guided foliage field trips.

Vermont Bicycle Touring organizes a variety of trips in the region supported by their Virginia office located in the town of Orange. Their Horse and Wine Country Tour is a charming way to visit the Piedmont countryside.

For a free guide to Virginia’s outdoors and a state highway map, call (800) 827-3325.

HIGHLAND COUNTY, VA, CELEBRATES THE SEASON WITH ANNUAL FALL FOLIAGE FESTIVAL

A county-wide celebration of autumn takes place in Monterey and McDowell as well as other locations here in Highland County, Virginia, October 17-19, 1997.

The festival in McDowell and Monterey include mouth-watering events like apple-butter making and apple cider demonstrations, plus bake sales. Enjoy these and other seasonal foods like barbequed chicken, country ham, Allegheny Mountain trout and more.

In Monterey, a farmers market offers a chance to sample the area’s harvest of vegetables and fruits. There’s also a juried arts and crafts show on the Highland County Courthouse lawn. Saturday afternoon will see a clogging exhibition and street dance. Later in the afternoon, a cake walk and pork barbeque provides succulent dining at the Highland High School.

Other exhibits include antiques, collectables, and classic cars. Don’t miss the children’s fair and the historic district tour.

Information: (540) 863-3181.

THE FAMOUS NEW RIVER TRAINS ROLL AGAIN THIS OCTOBER FROM HUNTINGTON, WV

Four 300-mile, New River passenger trains will travel through the autumn foliage on October 18-9 and October 25-26. Operated by the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society in cooperation with Amtrak and CSX, the trains will originate in Huntington, WV.

The trains will consist of new Amtrak locomotives and a mixture of late model bi-level superliner coaches, Amtrak-approved lounges, dome/coach diner and an open platform private car, the North Star.

These four, one-day round trips are sponsored by the Railroad Historical Society, a non-profit educational and charitable organization. Passengers on the New River trains will traverse the entire 65-mile-long New River Gorge where the sole vestige of civilization are the old C&O railway track, the New River Bridge and the white-water rafters on the river.

The trains depart Huntington’s old C&O depot, on 7th Avenue and 9th Street, daily at 8 a.m The depot now serves as the CSX office building complex. To pick up passengers, the train will stop in St. Alban’s at the old depot and Montgomery, WV at the Amtrak stop. It will then proceed to Thurmond where it will make an hour stop at the restored historic depot and National Park Service Visitors Center. It then goes to Hinton, arriving about 1 p.m.

At Hinton the train makes a three-hour layover, allowing riders to visit an arts and crafts street fair. From there the train returns via Montgomery and St. Alban’s, finally arriving in Huntington about 7:30 in the evening.

Don Maxwell, executive and trip director, commented that in view of steadily rising costs, the special trains are a real gift to the public. "Rider support and patronage is essential in order to preserve this annual event," he says.

A variety of fares are available including coach, deluxe and premium plus private car travel in the North Star observation car.

For fares and availability, including group discounts, contact The Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, 1429 Chestnut St., 2nd fl., Kenova, WV 25530-1235, phone (304) 453-1641.

RADFORD, VA'S HIGHLANDERS FESTIVAL IS OCTOBER 11

To celebrate the area’s Scots-Irish heritage and Appalachian traditions, the city of Radford will hold its second annual Radford Highlanders Festival on October 11. A joint project of the city and Radford Univeristy, the festival will feature traditional Celtic and contemporary entertainment with Highlander games, music, dancing, crafts, storytelling and food.

Information: Radford University Public Relations, PO Box 6916, Radford, VA 24142; (540) 831-5182.

ROANOKE, VA, HOSTS 1997 RAILWAY FESTIVAL

Travel back through time at this exciting festival celebrating Virginia railroads and the Civil War, hosted on October 11-12 by the Virginia Museum of Transportation, Inc., in Roanoke, VA.

Here the second Virginia Cavalry will re-enact battles and Virginia Grays Fife & Drum Corps will play. See the underground railroad exhibit, hear the songs about it, and see an authentic slave wagon from Historic James town Society.

Take a bus tour to Hanging Rock historic battle site and the Jubal Early Homeplace. Don’t miss the photographic exhibit, Traveling Through the Civil War, from the Association of American Railroads. For kids and rail buffs alike, there a Norfolk Southern locomotive simulator. Art lovers will enjoy the Kemper A. Dobbins art show.

The festival is organized by the Virginia Museum of Transportation in partnership with the Hanging Rock Foundation, the Jubal Early Foundation and the Harrison Museum of African American Culture.

Information: Virginia Museum of Transportation, (540) 342-5670.

VISIT VIRGINIA'S ROANOKE VALLEY FOR A REAL TASTE OF AUTUMN

Nestled in a snug little valley in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains just off milepost 120 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Roanoke is a city as rich in color and diversity as the mountains around it.

From late September through November, the area abounds with activity, from the Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works at Mill Mountain Theater to the popular ZooBoo at Mill Mountain Zoo.

While traveling the Parkway, for example, stop at Virginia’s Explore Park, Milepost 115. This living history park demonstrates the life of European settlers and local Native Americans who lived in this area during the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. The Park is open Friday through Tuesday through October. Attend Muster on the Green, a commemoration of the local political debate over Virginia’s secession from the Union. It features Civil War re-enactments, traditional music and games on September 27-28.

For another kind of celebration, go to the Fall Harvest Festival. It honors the changing of the seasons with spinning and weaving demonstrations, candle-making and apple butter-making on October 11-12 and an eighteenth century style All Saints’ Day observance on October 25-26. Children will enjoy the last weekend in October when ghost stories and haunted trails celebrate Halloween. Admission is charged at the Park.

If you enter Roanoke by way of the Mill Mountain Spur, stop at the Mill Mountain Zoo. It features Ruby the Siberian Tiger and Boris the snow leopard, as well as golden lion tamarinds, prairie dogs and other exotic species. The zoo is great for kids and offers activities like an early morning breakfast with the animals on October 11 and ZooBoo, with free pizza for those in costume, a parade, a scavenger hunt and other games on October 25. Admission is charged.

Before heading down the mountain, stop at the Roanoke Star where you can get a great view of the Roanoke Valley from the foot of this man-made beacon, said to be one of the largest of its kind in the country.

Be sure to visit downtown Roanoke, along the historic Market Square area, to see the folks at the Roanoke Valley Visitor Information center, 114 Market Street. Pick up a Visitors Guide and walk through the Historic Farmers’ Market, one of the country’s oldest continuously operating open-air markets. The fall apple and pumpkin crops will be in. Get a glass of fresh cider!

If fine arts attract you, head to Center in the Square, a former furniture warehouse converted in 1983 to an urban planner’s delight and the recipient of many national and international awards. The Art Museum of Western Virginia, on the first and second floors, will showcase abstract painter Judith Godwin October 10-January 4, 1998. On the third floor of Center in the Square, the Roanoke Valley History Museum depicts the settlement and growth of the Roanoke Valley over the past 10,000 years.

Theater-lovers are in for a treat at the Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works. This highly-acclaimed theater festival produces works by new playwrights at the Mill Mountain Theater in Center in the Square. On October 16-18 in Theater B is a production of The Last Lists of My Mad Mother by Julie Jensen, runner-up in the 1997 Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works competition. The winning entry, Angels of Lemnos by Bill Henry, will be performed on the Main Stage November 6-9. Also at Mill Mountain Theater, Oct. 9-26, is the world premier of Only a Kingdom, a musical about the courtship and marriage of England’s King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. November 5-23 is Babes in Toyland, a children’s production highlighting various styles of puppetry. Call the theater box office at (540) 342-5740.

Festivals abound in the Roanoke Valley. Visit the Virginia/North Carolina Craftsmen’s Fall Classic September 26-28, or the Holiday Gift Show November 21-23, both at the Roanoke Civic Center. Don’t miss the Stocked Market Holiday Bazaar at the Salem Civic Center November 14-16. September 27 is the Henry Street Heritage Festival honoring Roanoke Valley’s African-American heritage. Then October 10-12, Native American tribes gather for the Indian Summer Pow Wow at Salem. The weekend of October 17-18 has two harvest festivals - one in downtown Roanoke and a children’s festival in downtown Salem. On October 25, go to nearby Ferrum for the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival with locally made crafts, Blue Ridge farming demonstrations and great Brunswick stew.

Information: Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau (800) 635-5535; website http://www.VisitRoanokeVa.com

ROANOKE'S SCIENCE MUSUEM OFFERS MANY TREASURES OF NATURE

The Science Museum of western Virginia offers a variety of sights, sounds and smells, right in downtown Roanoke, VA.

Deep Sea Treasures, from September 1997 through February 1998, explores the ocean depths. See treasures discovered by explorers and study technology used to locate and explore wreckage sites. Try on a diving helmet, touch a relief map of the sea bottom, maneuver a model ship across the ocean floor. Photography, graphics, actual artifacts, and a wreck site diorama show how archeologists study the sea’s history.

A new permanent exhibit is Rainforest, a simulated tropical ecosystem. It features plants and animals native to Central and South America including orchids, bromeliads and many lively and very small poison frogs. There’s also an interactive, multi-media computer program called Amazonia and a rainforest soundscape with rain and creature sounds.

Information: (540) 342-5710.

WOLF CREEK INDIAN VILLAGE IN BASTIAN, VA, IS FASCINATING TRIP INTO NATIVE HISTORY

Around the year 1215 A.D., a group of Native Americans went in search of a new tribal home. They found a valley nestled between two mountains with natural protection from harsh winter winds, a constant source of fresh water, abundant game, nuts, herbs and clay, and fertile crop land. Here they constructed a village.

Some 100 primitive Indians lived here several years, near what is now Bastian, VA. Where they came from, where they went and exactly who they were remains a mystery. But their story remains. That’s what Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum helps the visitor experience first-hand.

About 20 miles outside of Wytheville, Wolf Creek Indian Village and Museum, ia the only Native American village in Virginia that’s been completely excavated.

Owned by the Bland County Historical Society, the Village Living Museum is a palisaded village of wigwams, painstakingly reconstructed using native poplar trees covered with fiberglass shells made to look like rawhide. It matches the layout of an excavation just 200 feet away. The excavated site has been radio-carbon dated to 1215 A.D. and the Museum’s activities focus on that era. Guides dressed in primitive attire demonstrate the lifestyle and crafts of the locally collected artifacts, handmade replicas of tools and containers, brain-tanned hides.

Guests may also visit the garden and participate in primitive technologies such as making cordage, baskets, weaving, hide tanning and tool making.

Information: Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum, Rt. 1, Box 1530, Bastian, VA 24314-9715; (540) 688-3438.