If you’re hoping to get away for the day, look no further than Altavista, Virginia—located only a 30-minute drive from Lynchburg.

When incorporated in 1912, the town encompassed a little under two square miles. Since then, it has more than doubled in size—adding new shops, restaurants and attractions. But Altavista still has always retained that small town feel. “Most of our businesses are locally owned and have been here for over 50 years or longer,” notes Lori Johnson, president of Altavista on Track.

Explore the heritage and history in this antique-lover’s haven by visiting its shops, restaurants, and sites.

Main Street

Avoca Museum

One of the first things to catch your eye after taking the Altavista exit off Route 29 is a beautiful American Queen Anne–style home. Built in 1901, the Avoca Museum is open to the public for tours Thursday through Saturday—and be prepared to learn about a range of local history.

“The site doesn’t mark one specific event or personality. Instead, Avoca interprets 12,000 years of human history from the local Native American civilization to present day,” explains Executive Director Michael Hudson.

Also on the grounds are a Victorian garden, an arboretum and a covered pavilion.

The Shoppes of Altavista

Offering a wide variety of farmhouse and primitive decor, The Shoppes of Altavista beckons you with wide windows featuring seasonal displays. As you walk in the door, you are immediately greeted by the smell of warm candles and a friendly “hello” from the counter.

Owner Barbara Gibson often finds herself directing visitors around the town and enjoys helping customers find what they need. “I love it when someone brings in a photo of a gallery wall in their home,” she says. “We look around the shop together to find something that would be the perfect fit.”

Main St. Cafe and Coffee & Main St. Shoppes

Conveniently located on the corner next to a free public parking lot, Main St. Cafe and Coffee smells of sweet treats. At the counter, you can order from a delicious menu full of sandwiches, wraps, soups, gluten-free options, and baked goods. Notable fare includes “The Italian Stallion” (a sandwich filled with Italian meats and spices), “The Fightin’ Colonel” (a Tex-Mex chicken dish), and “The Luigi” (a vegetarian panini).

Pass through the dining area after you eat and browse the Main St. Shoppes. Their eclectic selection includes Vera Bradley designs, luxury body products, and fine jewelry. The navy blue walls are contrasted with bright white displays and add a touch of elegance to your gift shopping experience.

The General Store and Inn

From the sidewalk, you can peek inside the windows of The General Store and Inn and see big barrels of old-fashioned candy. Candles, children’s toys, home decor, and locally-sourced groceries pack the floors. Talking to Manager Alison Patterson, you get a glimpse into the heart behind this unique store.
“The owner, Dale Moore, started the business because he grew up in a general store—his grandparents owned one,” explains Patterson. “His family wanted to bring some nostalgia back to Altavista. The General Store and Inn, along with their Main St. Shoppes and Main St. Cafe and Coffee, is one of the ways they celebrate local history.”
To feel truly transported back in time, you can enjoy ice cream at the counter or drink a glass bottle of soda at the gazebo out front. From that spot, you can see the beautiful winding staircase that leads to the boutique inn upstairs. It offers three private suites, each with a king-size bed, living area, work desk, treadmill and high-end bathroom with walk-in shower.

Pittsylvania Avenue

English Park

Already known as a great place for hiking, boating, and play, English Park is upgrading its amenities this summer. New additions include a splash pad, playground equipment, and additional shade structures.

Scoops Ice Cream Shop

Featuring 22 flavors of Hershey’s Hand-Dipped Ice Cream, Scoops Ice Cream Shop is one of the newer businesses to open in downtown Altavista. Choose a cake or waffle cone then fill it with your favorite flavor. They also sell Granny P’s cookies, cakes, and pies.

Elba Butcher Shoppe

As the main grocery store, Elba Butcher Shoppe is a locally-owned business offering fresh produce, meats and pantry items. In the back, you can view the “butcher” part of the name with a shining case of fresh pork, chicken, and beef.

Broad Street

Vital Edge Nutritional Center

As you enter Vital Edge Nutritional Center, you are welcomed by the smell of essential oils and pleasant greetings of the Rorer family, who decided to bring their knowledge about natural medicine, herbs, essential oils, and homeopathy to the local community. Rows of specialty items line the shelves—from delicious treats such as raw honey to natural air fresheners, this shop offers a variety of homeopathic solutions for your everyday life.

Vintage on Broad

As a shop that recently gained national attention through a feature on the History Channel’s “American Pickers” television show, Vintage on Broad doesn’t disappoint. From front to back, you can find primitive items, farmhouse-style decor, and classic antiques. As you walk along the long rows of interesting finds, you’ll quickly learn this shop is deceptively deep.
Pretty Please

With adjoining doors that make friendly business neighbors, Pretty Please sits right next to Vintage on Broad. Inside, the fashion finds take you on a whimsical, and often glittery, journey around the glamourous, light-filled space. You’ll find chic shelves overflowing with rhinestone costume jewelry, beaded masks, embroidered dresses, and sparkling platform heels.

Just Outside of Town

Bittersweet Antiques (1666 Wards Road)

With large, rustic furniture that you can see from the roadside, Bittersweet Antiques is already a head-turner on U.S. 29. Inside, their shelves overflow with primitives, vintage wall art, lighting, plants, and nostalgic decor.

Virginia Found Goods (710 Pocket Road)

Although Virginia Found Goods has an address in Hurt, the giant warehouse is just outside the town of Altavista. Drive along Pocket Road until you see the Instagram-friendly vintage trucks marking the entrance. After you grab a complimentary cup from their coffee bar, you can browse the large factory which is full of painted furniture, barn wood, and chippy, rusty goods.

Take The Party Outside With These Recipes For Easy Entertaining

One of the best perks of summer is the opportunity to enjoy a meal outdoors. Whether on the patio or by the water, we love packing a cooler, firing up the grill and pouring a few chilled sips as we converse with friends. What we don’t love, however, is spending hours in the kitchen, especially when there’s summer fun to be had. We’ve gathered a menu of recipes to keep in mind when hosting your next summer shindig. Simple to prepare, enjoyable to eat and popping with fresh summer bounty, these dishes are sure to delight in the great outdoors.

White Gazpacho with Green Grapes & a Twist

Recipe provided by Betsy DiJulio, author at The Blooming Platter, TheBloomingPlatter.com

Soup, you say? On a summer day? Oh yes, you may! This white (although technically light green) gazpacho is naturally creamy, cool as a cucumber and looks quite fetching garnished with a grape and served in chilled tasting glasses.

Ingredients
2 cups bread torn into bite-sized pieces
2 cups whole or slivered blanched, skinless almonds
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 large European seedless cucumber, peeled or unpeeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1/4 cup fennel fronds and tender stems
2 large cloves garlic, halved (use roasted garlic if you prefer less pungency)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish: finely chopped fennel fronds and green grapes

Method
Place bread and almonds in a large bowl.

Scald milk in a saucepan on top of the stove, or heat for 2 minutes in the microwave and pour immediately over bread and almonds. Let soak for an hour, pressing solids down into milk every so often.

At the end of the soaking time, place cucumber, fennel, garlic, sherry, vinegar and a large pinch of sea salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Process for a couple minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary until smooth.

Add bread, almonds, milk and another pinch of salt and pepper and process for about 3 minutes, again scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, or until very creamy and smooth.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Add plenty of salt to amplify the flavors, although the soup shouldn’t taste salty.
Garnish with finely chopped fennel fronds, if desired, and a green grape, speared on a cocktail pick and rested across the rim of
the glass.

Yield 8 cups

Clambake Packets

Recipe provided by Laura Davis of Tide & Thyme, TideAndThyme.com

Nothing says summer quite like a steaming packet of Old Bay–seasoned seafood. Add in a few ears of corn, quartered red potatoes and sausage, and you’ve got yourself a proper clambake. What’s especially charming about these packets, though, is that you can prep them ahead of time, toss them on the grill and voila—each guest can enjoy their own individual clambake, the most glamourous grab-and-go imaginable.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shell on25 littleneck clams, scrubbed and rinsed
12 ounces kielbasa or andouille sausage, sliced about 1 inch thick
3 ears corn, shucked and cut into 1-inch slices
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, quartered fresh lemon, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Old Bay
kosher salt

Method
Devein shrimp but leave the shell on as it helps retain moisture. Set aside in a medium bowl.

Prepare packets by tearing 6 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 12 inches long. Stack in a pile and assemble ingredients inside.

Divide potatoes, corn, sausage, clams, shrimp and lemon slices into equal portions in the center of each piece of foil.

Fold up the sides of the packets. Add olive oil, Old Bay and a sprinkle of salt. Gently toss to combine. Fold the sides of the foil over the ingredients, bunching and folding until completely sealed.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place packets on grill and cook for 20–25 minutes until the shrimp are pink and the clams have popped open.

Yield 6 clambake packs

Watermelon Salad with Thai Flavors, Cotija Cheese & Sea Salt

Recipe provided by Jason Arbusto, Culinary Director for The Craddock Terry Hotel, Shoemakers Restaurant and Waterstone Pizza, Shoemakersdining.com

When summer is in full swing, an ice-cold slice of watermelon does the trick to cool us down. Elevate that idea by adding some fresh herbs, lime juice and Cotija cheese for a summer salad that’s a little sweet, a little salty and a whole lot invigorating.

Ingredients
4 pounds watermelon
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh mint, roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh cilantro, roughly chopped zest and juice of 3 limes
4 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled sea salt sprinkled to season

Method
Cut ripe watermelon in bite-sized cubes. Toss with herbs and add lime zest and juice. Crumble the Cotija cheese over the top and season with sea salt and olive oil.

Yield approximately six servings

Mason Jar Lemon & Raspberry Parfaits

Recipe provided by Jason Arbusto, Culinary Director for The Craddock Terry Hotel, Shoemakers Restaurant and Waterstone Pizza, Shoemakersdining.com

When it comes to outdoor entertaining, simplicity is key, even when it comes to dessert. No slicing, scooping or baking required, these individual lemon and raspberry parfaits can be made ahead of time and placed in a cooler until you’re ready to pass out the spoons. The bright tartness of the lemon curd, combined with the airiness of the whipped cream and yogurt, plus a burst of fresh raspberry in each bite, makes this dessert an ideal way to cap off any event.

Ingredients
Easy Lemon Curd
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice
4 teaspoons lemon zest
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
All at room temperature

Whipped Cream
2 cups cold heavy cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 pints fresh raspberries

Method
For the Lemon Curd
In a small saucepan, add sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and eggs. Heat on low heat and add the butter in small pieces as you whisk, cooking the curd for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Strain it though a fine sieve and reserve. *Editor’s Note: To thicken, we brought the temperature of the curd to 170F.

For the Whipped Cream
In a mixer, mix the cream and the sugar for about 3–5 minutes on high to form stiff peaks.

To Assemble
Mix the whipped cream with the Greek yogurt. Layer a mason jar with as many or as little layers as you would like with the lemon curd, raspberries, and whipped cream/yogurt mix. You can make all of this in advance and store in the fridge up to a few days or build your own at the table.

Yield 12 servings if using miniature Mason jars

A voyage on Virginia’s “Valley” road

STORY & PHOTOS BY JOE TENNIS

Route 11 parallels I-81 like a neighborly older sibling, taking you from the scenic Shenandoah Valley to the majestic mountains of Southwest Virginia. This highway grew from the Native American Warriors Path to the Great Stage Road and the Valley Turnpike. It’s a road that runs more than 339 miles in Virginia, north to south, slipping in and out of Staunton and Salem, Roanoke and Radford, yet always staying close to I-81. >>

Winchester sits near the top, little more than a dozen miles from where U.S. 11 enters Virginia at Berkeley County, West Virginia. Winchester is the hometown of country crooner Patsy Cline, as well as where George Washington established a surveying office in 1755, long before the Revolutionary War. I visit monuments to both individuals in Winchester and take a stroll at the handsome pedestrian mall of “Old Town Winchester,” just off U.S. 11.

Heading south, I soon slip into Stephens City, checking out the Newtown History Center. Then I take a 4.7-mile detour on Va. 277 to discover Dinosaur Land, where timeless replicas of reptiles stand with frozen ferociousness alongside educational explanations.

Back on Route 11, I meander into Middletown and stop at Shaffer’s BBQ & Market; it sports a funky collection of rehabbed furnishings inside what was once a service station. “We’re a Route 11 barbecue joint,” says storeowner Matt Shaffer. “Route 11 used to be, before the interstate, the only way to get around. And barbecue is sort of timeless in that sense, as well.”

For lunch, I sample Shaffer’s most popular items—a chopped pork barbecue sandwich with a side of broccoli salad. Next, I find Strasburg, where Route 11 makes a hard right beside buildings boasting murals. Near this small town’s center stands a movie theater transformed into the Box Office Brewery.

Just beyond, Strasburg signals the start of Route 11’s gorgeously green “Scenic Road” status, which rolls south for more than 30 miles to New Market, passing through Woodstock, Edinburg and Mount Jackson in Shenandoah County.

A quick detour off the highway finds the factory of Route 11 Potato Chips. Originally established at Middletown, in 2008, this company moved to its present location at Quicksburg, where the business now handles 14,000 pounds of potatoes per day. All chips are kettle-cooked, says clerk Freda Sigler. “And we cook six days a week.”

Through most of its journey, Route 11 is a connector of colleges, caverns and courthouses. Until I-81 came on the scene in the 1960s, this was the main north-south route through the Valley of Virginia, cutting past the campuses of James Madison University, Radford University, Mary Baldwin University, Virginia Military Institute, Washington and Lee University and Hollins University—to name a few.

Route 11 remains a gateway to subterranean treasures called Dixie Caverns, Shenandoah Caverns, Endless Caverns, Grand Caverns and the Caverns at Natural Bridge. Also, just north of Harrisonburg, where Route 11 resembles a country road, you’ll see a wedding venue called Melrose Caverns—the site of a cavern that’s been closed to the general public for more than 50 years. Still, says owner Richard Yancey, this Melrose place is sometimes shown to curious wedding parties.

Historical markers line Route 11 from Glade Spring to Greenville. And you could spend days reading about long-gone battles and pioneers. Or you can make Route 11 a journey of wine, wild honey and a school bus turned into a food truck at the Valley Pike Farm Market.

Housed inside a “bank barn,” relocated to the Weyers Cave community, the Valley Pike Farm Market faces Route 11, midway between Harrisonburg and Staunton. “One of the biggest draws that we have is just the building and the warmth of the building,” says owner David Gardner. “It was going to be destroyed, and I just hated that. It was 125 years old.”

Down in Staunton, I explore the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States and a guiding force during World War I. Where Wilson lived for the first few months of his life is preserved along Route 11—just like the birthplace of his second wife, I shall find, many miles down the line.

But, first, it’s time for an ice cream break. And I take a right at Wright’s Dairy Rite, a Staunton landmark along Route 11 since 1952. Golden oldies blast on the jukebox at this frozen-in-time ice cream stand.

I order a chocolate malt milkshake at Wright’s and head to Lexington for the night, moving into a 1901 house called A Secret Garden. It’s a bed-and-breakfast that’s not marked with a sign, but they will leave the light on for you.

For dinner in downtown Lexington, I take a brisk walk to feast on steamed mussels and a salmon club at the Southern Inn. The next morning, for breakfast, A Secret Garden’s Amber Barraclough serves a spinach frittata with fresh fruit and thick slices of bacon. Later, for lunch, I savor shrimp tacos at the Devils Backbone Outpost Tap Room & Kitchen, which sits on a hill overlooking Route 11, just a couple miles north of this handsome city’s historic district.

Lexington is where the South’s two greatest generals, Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, lay at rest—now more than 150 years since the silence of the Civil War battlefields. Lee and Jackson are loved in Lexington, and their names are on monuments and street signs. You will also find a museum dedicated to the early life of Jackson, pinpointing the time when the devout Christian served as a teacher at Virginia Military Institute during the 1850s-years before the Civil War.

The most entertaining way to see Lexington is to take the carriage tour, where you’ll hear stories of fires that fell on the city and how the streets were lowered to help wagons roll uphill. You’ll even hear about the ghost of Lee’s horse, Traveller, as the tour rolls to Washington and Lee University. “His ghost was seen running across the campus of the school,” says Courtney Rhodenizer, a longtime guide for the Lexington Carriage Company.

Heading south from Lexington, I cannot resist stopping at what sits essentially at the center of Route 11 in Virginia—and even beneath the actual road: Natural Bridge.

Now the centerpiece of a state park, Natural Bridge is the key attraction of a Rockbridge County village that includes the fun-loving Dinosaur Kingdom II. Much like Dinosaur Land near Stephens City, Dinosaur Kingdom II is a showpiece for the fertile imagination of artist Mark Cline.

For two nights, I move into the Country Inn & Suites near Hollins University, only a half-mile
from Route 11 on the north end of Roanoke.

This hotel proves the perfect point to base explorations, beginning with a late-night supper
at the nearby Hollywood’s Restaurant & Bakery, which serves a Cranberry Salmon entrée on a
menu that also features a “Route 11 Burger.”

At daybreak, I make a beeline for Buchanan, a town on the James River, about 20 miles north of Roanoke. I trace the swinging bridge above the James, stretching beside Route 11. Then I take a five-mile kayak journey with Twin River Outfitters, a business operated by twin brothers John and Dan Mays.

“People like the scenery,” John Mays tell me while standing on the banks of the James River. “It’s just a fun, family-friendly activity, outdoors, in nature.”

On the river, I drift across light riffles and slip beside the silent stone pillar of a former railroad crossing. I also paddle beneath I-81, where I quietly listen to its roaring traffic. I spy on turtles and baby ducks. And I work up a hunger for more fish—satisfied with a chunk of fried Pollock at the Buchanan Fountain and Grille on Main Street.

Back down in Roanoke, I roll down Route 11 on Williamson Road, which leads to the attraction-packed downtown district, where you’ll find the O. Winston Link Museum, Taubman Museum of Art, Virginia Museum of Transportation, Hotel Roanoke and Center in the Square. You’ll also catch a glimpse of the famous star on Mill Mountain without ever leaving Route 11.

A caveat: It’s terribly tough trying to figure out where Route 11 continues through Roanoke. It’s not well-marked.

Maps and GPS also do not agree. But do find and follow Salem Avenue, take a left on 13th Street, and keep going across the Memorial Bridge, eventually coming upon Raleigh Court, a neat neighborhood centered by the Grandin Theatre, built in 1932.

Sailing into Salem, Route 11 crosses the Roanoke River three times until reaching Salem’s quaint downtown district, where I window shop at the Antiques by the Market Antique Mall then munch on a soft-shell crab sandwich at Awful Arthur’s Seafood Company. I also devour a plateful of oysters, which, I’m told, had been harvested from the James River—many miles downstream from my kayak ride into Buchanan.

South of Salem, Route 11 overlaps U.S. 460 on a scenic stretch that links Elliston and Shawsville to Christiansburg, the courthouse town of Montgomery County.

Here, I find another retro restaurant, Dude’s Drive-In, standing next to the Starlite Drive-In Theatre.

I ramble on to Radford, cross the New River and then pass through Dublin. I ultimately land in Pulaski, where I stand in awe of the stately Pulaski Train Station then study the model railroads at the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum.

Brace yourself: Leaving the once-booming factory town of Pulaski, Route 11 climbs up and over Draper Mountain. It’s a fun ride on a motorcycle. Crossing Draper Mountain also affords overlooks on both sides of the highway, providing picnic sites and insights into the valley below.

In what you might call Route 11’s final act through Virginia, the highway drifts down Draper Mountain and simply joins I-81 for the next 16 miles, zipping past truck stops and antique markets. Then it takes a fancy curve into the handsome town of Wytheville, with its roomy Main Street anchored by the Bolling Wilson Hotel. I spend the night on the fourth floor of this structure, topped with “The Perch,” affording a bird’s-eye view from the roof.

This is the hometown of Woodrow Wilson’s second wife, Edith Bolling Wilson, and her story is told at this hotel through her love of canaries, orchids and bourbon. It is also shared at a museum in the “Bolling Building,” her birthplace. Various scenes of her life, as well, appear on a mural just off Main Street in an alley at a crosswalk near the center of Wytheville.

Come dusk, I cross Main Street near that downtown mural.

And I take a taste of light beer while tearing into a rack of ribs—served with sweet potato fries—at the new 7 Dogs Brew Pub on Wytheville’s Spring Street.

About 25 miles south of Wytheville, Route 11 provides the Main Street of Marion, a town where the nationally-televised “Song of the Mountains” PBS TV-Show originates from the 1929 Lincoln Theatre. Marion is also known for its downtown chili cook-off that coincides with the Hungry Mother Festival at nearby Hungry Mother State Park on the third weekend of each July.

At the end of July, look for the Virginia Highlands Festival in artsy Abingdon, a courthouse town lying about 25 miles south of Marion—yet little more than 15 miles above Route 11’s touch into Tennessee at Bristol. Abingdon is where you’ll also find live musicals, dramas and comedies at the Barter Theatre—right on Route 11—plus the must-try Strawberry Kiwi Cosmopolitans at Morgan’s, an upscale restaurant on Main Street at Courthouse Hill.

Bristol wraps up Route 11’s ride through the Old Dominion with a green space at Sugar Hollow Park, open space for development at The Falls and a salute to songwriters at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Bristol is the town where country music legends Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family each made their first recordings, separately, in 1927. It’s also where current country music superstar Kenny Chesney made his first recordings—for a cassette, released in 1990—at Classic Recording Studio on Moore Street. All of these musical milestones—and more—are celebrated with block parties, festivals and concerts on Bristol’s State Street, where you’ll see Virginia on one side and Tennessee on the other. State Street lies about 300 miles south of where country music’s Cline lies at rest in Winchester—a far journey, for sure, yet one that’s connected by that long and winding road.

Singer-songwriter returns to Lynchburg, where it all began

Asked how she’s doing one Tuesday evening in March, Jane Claudio describes herself as “a little emotionally drained.” The 28-year-old singer-songwriter, who got her start in Lynchburg and has since moved to Nashville, has just spent the day at a women’s prison.

On Tuesdays, Claudio helps out with a Bible study and life skills classes and sometimes sings for the inmates. “It’s just a little bit draining,” she said. “These women’s stories are a lot to hear. That’s where I’m coming from.”

Claudio—Jane Marczewski when she lived in Lynchburg—has a story of her own. It’s one that started in 2009 at Liberty University, where she confessed she was “never quite good enough to make it on any of the music teams,” and came full circle when she opened for Grammy winner Tori Kelly at Liberty’s Vines Center on April 6.

Undeterred after being rebuffed by LU’s music teams, Claudio started writing her own songs. “I started to make music that wasn’t intended for church,” she said. “That was kind of funny. The disappointments in your life, the ways you feel you failed, set you on a path that you were supposed to be on. I started making music that was more honest.”

Soon, she was the “it girl” of the local music scene, performing at Speakertree Records, Canvas, White Hart Café and the Lynchstock music festival, and landing the cover of Lynchburg Living in 2014. Out of the spotlight, though, all of the attention was starting to affect her negatively.

“All I ever wanted to do was play music and have people’s attention, cheering about what I sang,” she said. “I succeeded at that a little too much, because it was bad for me. I didn’t like the person I was internally. I didn’t know who I was. I was really focused on succeeding in my career and being likeable and newsworthy, but wasn’t taking care of my inner self.” >>

So, toward the end of 2014, Claudio made a decision: She’d go home to Ohio for a couple months and then it was Music City or bust. Once at home, however, she met and fell in love with fellow musician Jeremy Claudio and two months stretched into nearly a year. They married and moved to Nashville together in 2015.

In Nashville, Jeremy started producing her music and performing with his own band. It was an adjustment for Claudio, who said it was “terrifying to be thrown into the culture where everyone is good at what they do.

“I feel like it just took some time … for me to exist without having to be special, in order for me to realize and accept that people care about me, even if I’m not impressive or the most beautiful or the most funny or whatever.’
“I was just born a little performer and when I came here I no longer had those tools to get attention.”’
Just when she was starting to get her footing, in September of 2017, Claudio was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. It wasn’t entirely unexpected. She said that around the time she left Lynchburg, she got a feeling that cancer would be part of her journey.

“I believe when you decide to follow Jesus—jump into that life—then we believe that God kind of lives in you through the Holy Spirit,” Claudio said. “I kind of had a little bit of a gut feeling or inkling that I’d get cancer.

“When you’re listening and paying attention, God gives you a little inkling of what’s to come. I felt like … there was going to be a three-year period to [get] to know myself and be healthy and I felt like music was going to come back to me.”

In the months that followed her diagnosis, Claudio had chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. For a while, she said, she was “bald and just looked like I hatched out of an egg.” She also didn’t feel like the “smart and witty” person she used to be.

“I didn’t have any of the things I’d had before but was still met with so much compassion and love and care,” she said. “This force of sympathy and empathy from people, it restored my faith in humanity, as tacky as it is to say that. It answered that question I’d been asking all my life: What if I wasn’t excellent? Would people still love me and still come?”

After surviving cancer, Claudio started to think about resurrecting her career. While known in Lynchburg as more of an American folk singer, she’d recently taken on a sound she describes as more “dance-y pop.” She chose a new name to go with it: Nightbirde.

Nightbirde came to her before she got sick, in a series of dreams. “I woke up three nights in a row, the same dream: all these birds singing outside,” she said. “It was almost like a dream within a dream. I’d wake up in the night with birds singing out my window.

“The third day, I woke up, went to the window and saw there were birds. It was so profound: this image of being able to sing through a dark time, even when there’s no proof that the sun is coming. To sing in anticipation of the dawn, even if you can’t prove it.”

During her treatment and recovery, Claudio said Nightbirde was “kind of like a flag I carried.”

After everything that had happened—the move, the romance, the cancer—Claudio hadn’t played a show in four years. It was then that she got an email from someone at Liberty. They needed an opener for Tori Kelly and thought of her.

“I haven’t played a show in about four years,” Claudio said a few weeks before the concert. “Open for a Grammy award-winning artist? Totally wild.”

With a gig on the calendar, Claudio got to writing. There was one “super meaningful” song she said she had to finish before the concert, “Heartbeat.” The chorus goes like this: “I’m just trying to tell myself you can be the only one in this world, still the song is worth singing and life is worth living, as long as you’re breathing and your heartbeat goes on.”

She performed “Heartbeat” at Liberty and also shared her cancer story. “Being the opener, I was mentally prepared to not have the attention of the room … but in my instance, I felt like as soon as I got there I had the entire room’s attention,” she said.

“It was very abnormal, the crowd was just awesome. I had so much fun. … I wish every day could be like that, like the day after Christmas.”

And so the old Jane—“it girl” of the local music scene—was resurrected, if only for a weekend. “It was a weird feeling to come back,” she said. “I left this little local celebrity persona behind and I got all this special treatment. It was super fun.

“I don’t miss being this special person—there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that—but it was fun to step back into that for a weekend.”

Jane is now focusing on releasing more content—be on the lookout for her songs and videos. Keep in touch with her career at www.nightbirde.com

My husband is really starting to wish we had never planned a Lynchburg Living Idea House.

He loves the house itself, of course—but me being at the house so often during the month of June was starting to put a strain on our marriage.

“I showed you the kitchen already, right? Look at it again… Are you looking? Isn’t that gorgeous? We should have tried to do that with the shelves. Should we try that backsplash?”

“John—they used this stuff in the house that looks like shiplap… but it’s not!!! It’s this other stuff that’s easier. Oh, I already told you? Well… could we do that maybe in the kids’ play area?”

“You know how we need to stain our deck? They used this really light gray stain. What do you think? Could we do something like that… and maybe before Brooks’ first birthday party? Possibly?”

Bless his heart.

I’ve explained in prior editor’s letters about how we built our own house in 2016-2017 (and we are still finishing it… which apparently is completely normal when you are on a budget and have two small children). But because of that experience, I was in absolute awe of the Idea House as it came together over the past month. Scott Elliott and his team at Custom Structures paid attention to every single detail in this home. From the appliances to the flooring to the décor, they went above and beyond to truly make this a house full of ideas for you.

This project has been a labor of love from everyone involved: Custom Structures, our Preferred Partners, other various subcontractors who worked on very tight deadlines, Woody Watts with Watts Creative Studios who helped photograph and promote the house, and the entire Lynchburg Living team. Summer, for many, is a time to let work take a backseat for a bit so you can take a few extra days off. But those who were a part of our Idea House worked overtime in May and June—and it shows.

You can find the full Idea House feature starting on page 60. And if you want to see it for yourself—or even get your hands on a piece of furniture or décor—save the date for one of three open house weekends in July. Find event details on page 75 or at lynchburgideahouse.com.

I hope to see you there! (And if you notice a guy walking around taking notes and looking overwhelmed, that’s my John. He’s about to start about 10 new projects around our house!)

All My Best,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

Father’s Café and Bakery Joins the Community Market Family

For Father’s Café and Bakery, May 18 was like a family reunion.

After a five-year hiatus, owner Ken Reed and his team re-opened their ovens in a new location inside the Lynchburg Community Market. The bakery serves fresh and handmade breads, muffins, pastries and gourmet donuts.

“Welcome to our little hole in the wall,” said Reed.

After Reed moved from the Catskills in upstate New York to Lynchburg in 2004, he opened his first Lynchburg bakery, Father’s Table, in Forest. On March 29, 2014, Reed closed that shop and pursued a career at Runk & Pratt.

When the well-known Lorraine Bakery closed in the Lynchburg Community Market late last year, Reed looked into the space. The previous manager of the market was a former customer of Father’s Table and encouraged Reed to recharge his former passions.

Reed described the celebration of his bakery’s rebrand and re-opening as “humbling.”

“I think we will do okay here, it’s a good location. The people at the market are wonderful,” said Reed.

For hours on that first opening day, hungry customers waited in line for baked goods like ciabatta bread, cinnamon rolls, muffins, crusty French bread, danishes and other Reed-designed creations.

“The reception of the vendors and the shoppers has been overwhelmingly positive. I really felt welcomed last weekend,” said Reed.

Through laughs, the 63-year-old said the experience almost made him emotional.

“A lot of our old customers have come and are so happy that we are in business again. … It’s like I had unfinished business,” said Reed.

Hannah Frazier is the manager at Father’s Café and Bakery and previously worked at Lorraine Bakery as a crepe maker. When she knew her time there was coming to a close, she approached Reed and asked to be a part of his work family.

“[Reed] is so great, he is so nice and he is so respectful. It’s really hard to keep him from giving everything away,” said Frazier.

One example of his generosity and connection with the community—Reed added challah (a special bread in the Jewish community) to the menu per request of a local rabbi so that those local congregations can properly observe the Sabbath. Reed also works hard to ensure his breads are primarily GMO-free—they also use cage-free eggs.

Frazier described their home in the community market as having “a special atmosphere” and said there’s not another place in Lynchburg like it. With over 45 diverse vendors, the market has been a fixture in the city for generations.

“Where else are you going to go in Lynchburg where there are all these farmers and all these artisans?” said Frazier.

Reed started baking when he was 15 years old. He studied at culinary school in New York and later baked for a Bible college and Christian conference center in upstate New York. When he’s not baking, he’s outside in his garden or fishing. He practiced taxidermy for 20 years and enjoys working with his hands.

“But—baking is my passion,” said Reed.

By Lillian Abbatacola
Photos by Ashlee Glen

Smith Mountain Lake Pirate Days
July 17-21
Batten down the hatches and raise your Jolly Roger as pirates take over Smith Mountain Lake! Back by popular demand, the lake’s “Pirate Days” weekend includes numerous events and activities such as a Pirate Ball, Pirate Trivia Night, and Pirate Ship Parade. Learn more at www.visitsmithmountainlake.com/sml-pirate-days/.

Steve Miller Band with Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
July 20, 7 p.m.
Classic rock meets classic country in this incredible summer tour that’s making a stop at Lynchburg’s Riverfront Park. Find ticket information at www.cityauditorium.com.

State Games of America
July 31-August 4
Approximately 15,000 athletes from across the country will descend upon the Hill City to compete in this Olympic-style event at Liberty University.  Sports competitions include track and field, archery, yoga, figure skating and much more. Opening ceremony is August 2. Visit stategamesofamerica.com for more information.

Daniel’s Hill History Days
August 17 (10 a.m. – 1 p.m.), August 18 (1 – 4 p.m.)
The Lynchburg Museum needs your help documenting the untold stories of Daniel’s Hill and illustrating African American life in the neighborhood through the years. Gather your old photos, memorabilia and memories and stop by the Carriage House at Point of Honor.

Race 4 the Fallen Glow Run
August 24, 8 p.m.
Bring the whole family to Percival’s Island for a colorful, nighttime event that raises money for the Police Benevolent Foundation. Register today at runsignup.com

Local Openings And Closings
Hello! to Mighty James River Company, a fully mobile float company on the James.

Hello! to wine tasting room Reserve by VinoWine on Jefferson Street.

Goodbye to McCraw’s Furniture, an iconic furniture and collectibles shop on Main Street.

Hello! to a second location of Market at Main in the Boonsboro Shopping Center.

Hello! to Sugar Rush, a new candy shop in River Ridge Mall.

Hello! to Wingstop on Wards Road.

Hello! to an expanded Oshun Organics in the Lynchburg Community Market.

Goodbye to Emerald Stone Grille on Jefferson Street.

Hello! to Everyday Sommelier, a wine education and tasting shop on Fifth Street.

Hello! to home furnishings store Bailey Grey Interiors in the Boonsboro Shopping Center.

Hello! to BVA Mercantile, a home décor/furniture store, in Downtown Bedford.

Hello! to Main Street Nutrition, a wellness and shake bar located inside the Holiday Inn Downtown.

For The Birds
Local man with learning and developmental challenges breaks stereotypes with woodworking creations
By Logan Smith

Chris Russell has always appreciated nature.

But something was different when the 46-year-old and his father, Mark Russell, stepped outside their Boonsboro home nearly a decade ago.

A bluebird, perched on a tree limb several yards away, caught their attention. Bright blue coated the feathery creature’s head and back, and a rusty orange pigment highlighted its soft belly and neck.

“Chris watches nature very closely,” Mark Russell, 71, said of his son who was born with mental health challenges, intellectual challenges and a seizure disorder. “He loves walking through the woods and observing animals.”

The bird remained on the branch for a short period, possibly looking for soft grasses or pine tags to enhance its nest. After surveying its surroundings, it fluttered out of sight—but not out of Chris’s mind.

His observation, although brief, prompted a conversation with his father that ultimately changed Chris’s life—and the Lynchburg community—for the better.

That day, Chris learned about the struggling bluebird population and the necessity for human intervention. Bluebirds experienced a decline in population during the 20th century, but have gradually recovered thanks to the efforts by many, including Chris Russell.

Bluebirds reside in meadows and small openings surrounded by trees. You may see them perched on wires or low branches, and they commonly use woodpecker holes as homes, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a member-supported organization dedicated to the understanding and protection of the natural environment.

After observing the bluebird in its simple, yet beautiful setting, Chris decided to make a difference.

“For the Birds” was born.

For more than eight years, Chris has used his woodworking skills to handcraft high quality bluebird houses, wood duck boxes and other products. He operates his business at Wall Residences in Madison Heights, an organization that assists individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

He sells his woodworks to members of the greater Lynchburg community and to several retailers including Ace Hardware.

“If I don’t help them, then the baby bluebirds will get eaten by other animals,” Chris explained. “[For the Birds] gives me a place to go when I’m extra bored at home. If we don’t build the birdhouses, the birds will get eaten by the hawks. We don’t want dead birds.”

Chris uses western cedar and pine to craft his birdhouses. Unlike many birdhouses purchased online, Chris fastens his birdhouses with wooden screws, not nails, to guarantee a secure, crack-free surface.

Unique equipment decorates Chris’s shop, including a table saw, drill press, electric sander and chop saw. A long, heavy concrete table stores most of the wood.

Chris works hard, sometimes daily, and he occasionally juggles multiple orders at once. While he executes most of the hands-on work, his father and several employees assist when needed.

“I just love for Chris to be able to make a difference and to be proud of everything,” Mark Russell said. “I’m 71 and he’s 46, but I just love for him to have a real productive and positive life.”

Chris’s intellectual disabilities include reading comprehension and math, and his medical side effects result in weight gain. He also struggles with PTSD and anxiety.

Similar to those with Asperger syndrome, Chris cannot read emotions. He does not have Down syndrome, although many may mistakenly assume.

Despite his disabilities, Chris’s love for people outweighs his condition. You may find him at a coffee shop with a friend, playing bongos at his church, or volunteering with Meals on Wheels.

“[I like] going out and having fun, staying happy, seeing people and having regular conversations with them,” Chris said.

Through his hard work, love from his family and gracious support from Wall Residences, Chris has taken agency over his life. Not only has he helped the natural habitat, but he has also made his own money to purchase CDs, movies, food and coffee.

Other than Chris’s earnings, “For the Birds” does not generate profit, but he normally breaks even on materials.

Mark expressed satisfaction that his son has pierced the traditional mold of citizens with disabilities by staying occupied and adding value to the greater Lynchburg community—instead of simply occupying a facility.

“The important thing for Chris is that he owns his own life,” Mark said. “People need to be in the community, not just living in a nice house somewhere.”

Watt Foster, CEO of Foster Fuels, has been one of Chris’s faithful customers for years, purchasing more than 120 birdhouses to spread over 2,000 acres.

“When I see all the bluebirds on my farm, I appreciate Chris and his efforts,” Foster said.

Foster noted that Chris’s birdhouses are excellent, complete with precise sizing, crawl capability for baby birds, and an easy opening door for nest cleaning. Chris sometimes even installs small screen ladders for baby birds and ducklings to comfortably crawl out of their home.

“[Chris] is passionate, and dealing local is important to me,” Foster said. “Chris is fun, and I really enjoy being with him.”

Chris has lived in Lynchburg for more than 40 years and enjoys interacting with members of the community like Foster. But the great outdoors is his greatest joy—he loves walking through the woods and keeping an eye out for numerous wildlife including birds, turtles and foxes.

“I like to watch birds, and I love nature. It’s neat to see all kinds of nature,” Chris Russell said.

Unearthing stories and secrets at New London’s “Magnificent House”

In the decades before the American Revolution, New London, Virginia, was what 19th-century historian Henry Howe described as “a place of considerable importance.”

Then the county seat of Bedford County, New London boasted 70 to 80 homes, an arsenal and a magazine. There also was a court house, pictured in Howe’s book, Historical Collections of Virginia, as a rectangular wooden structure surrounded by a simple fence.

Across the road from the court house, on the present-day corner of Alum Springs and Town Fork roads, was Mead’s Tavern. It was built in 1763 for Col.

William Mead, a French and Indian War veteran, and his business partner Benjamin Howard.

Mead, who lived on a nearby plantation called Royal Forest, owned the tavern for 20 to 25 years, but never personally operated it. He and his family later moved to Georgia, where he died in 1805. The tavern that bears his name still stands, although it has traded hands and uses numerous times since then.

“[It’s] a remarkable survival from the colonial backcountry,” Dan Pezzoni, an architectural historian who’s been studying the tavern, said. “Historical, architectural and archaeological analysis is revealing and has the potential to reveal a wealth of information about everyday life in 18th-century New London, one of western Virginia’s most important colonial and early national communities.”

In the mid-18th century, the two-story, Georgian tavern would have been an unusual sight in what was then wilderness. “We take two-story buildings for granted today, but in the colonial backcountry, they were a rarity,” Pezzoni said.

“Even in Williamsburg, the colonial capital, many taverns were only a story and a half. William Mead’s business partner …
wasn’t exaggerating when he described the tavern as ‘a very Magnificent [sic] house.’”

The Mead’s Tavern research is sponsored by Liberty University. Liberty bought the tavern in 2015 and later purchased the Alum Springs Hotel, a 19th-century resort named for the nearby alum springs. The hotel, which sits a stone’s throw from the tavern, is thought to be on the site of the aforementioned arsenal.

Keith Adams, director of Hurt & Proffitt’s Archaeology and Material Conservation Labs, also is working on the project. He said the tavern could be the “oldest, still-standing structure in the region” and with its close proximity to the court house it “saw many events and people over the years.”

Numerous historic figures made appearances in New London, which sat along a popular route between the East Coast and the frontier. Various accounts provide a “who’s who” list of early visitors, among them Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark.

Gen. Andrew Jackson, eventual seventh president, passed through in 1816, fresh off his victory at the Battle of New Orleans. According to “The Papers of Andrew Jackson: 1816-1820,” he and his family were en route from Washington, D.C., to their home in Nashville, Tennessee.

While at a tavern in New London—which tavern isn’t stated—Jackson was allegedly challenged to a duel by a local youth. A passage from “New London Today and Yesterday,” by local historian and educator Daisy I. Read, tells the story this way: Jackson was drinking hard cider with Col. Alexander Austin, a friend in New London, when they were approached by “Long Bill” Callaway who, as Read puts it, “had already had more than his share of cider.”

Callaway started an argument with “Old Hickory” and “made a remark to which the general took exception and was immediately challenged to a duel,” Read writes. “Knowing Jackson to be a sure shot, entirely sobered by this time, the young man spent a sleepless night; and it was only through the intervention of the youth’s father the facts were made known, the proper apologies were made by young Callaway and the duel called off. But there was a scared young Callaway!”

Donna Donald, history professor at Liberty and secretary for the Friends of New London, a nonprofit that works to preserve the town’s historic structures and share its history, didn’t dispute the entertainment value of the story. She did, however, question its veracity.

“The Andrew Jackson story might be just that,’ she said.

While Donald and others might question the stories that were passed down, there’s no denying the evidence left behind at the tavern. Artifacts discovered thus far have included, among other things, smoking pipes, ceramics, glassware, buttons, pins, thimbles, keys and gaming pieces.

Many items were found at the site of the tavern’s original front porch. Randy Lichtenberger, an archaeologist with Hurt & Proffitt, said a “dense deposit of artifacts”—he called it a “midden”—was found there beneath six inches of dirt.

Asked about the most exciting discoveries they’d made at Mead’s Tavern, his colleague Adams said, “I know most people think of objects as exciting, but as far as excitement, the idea of discovery, no matter what is being uncovered, is exciting to me.

“Finding archaeological evidence for the early 18th-century porch, after many weeks of carefully removing all the layers of 21st-, 20th- and late-19th-century debris that accumulated over roughly 250 years—that’s exciting.”

Adams added that the “historical sequence of porch configurations being revealed through the porch project will add greatly to our knowledge of the evolution of the structure as it changed over time to fit each new use.”

The focus of Liberty’s investment in New London is providing educational opportunities for its students. “President [Jerry] Falwell is really interested in history and he wants to have hands-on experience for our students,” Roger Schultz, dean of Liberty’s College of Arts and Sciences, said. “He seemed passionate about the potential for our history students.”

Students have assisted the architects and archaeologists at Mead’s Tavern as part of classes in public history, historic preservation and digital history.

Rachel Gilbert, who graduated from Liberty in May with a Master of Arts in Teaching degree, worked on the project for Introduction to Public History, a class she took for her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education-Social Studies.

In addition to compiling a “Chronology of New London” for the Friends of New London website, Gilbert worked as a tour guide for New London Day,
a fall festival that celebrates the history of New London. Last year’s event drew about 1,200 people. (See sidebar below for event information.)

“We gave tours of Mead’s Tavern all day, describing the historic uses of the building over its 250 years and how we know some of those things, based on records, archaeological finds and structural clues,” she said. “We had an amazing turnout.”

Schultz recalled one instance where a student found a piece of flintlock rifle.

“He was grinning ear to ear,” Schultz said. “He lit up; he was so excited.

The archaeologists working with us, they really enjoy working with the students. … It’s so interesting. The students just love it, especially when you have specialists who are so knowledgeable about what they’re doing.”

Photos By Ashlee Glen