Is there a busier time of the year than the holidays? Family get-togethers, office parties, Secret Santa swaps—and let’s not forget the rushing around to decorate, shop for gifts, and meal plan.

Despite the busy season, there’s nothing I love more than cold winter evenings huddled around a table with those I love the most. There’s an energy in the air that isn’t always present the rest of the year. It’s a spirit of gratitude and cheerfulness that I can’t help but join in on.

This issue is all about helping you get the most out of this season. We have all of the tips you need to create the perfect wine and cheese pairings for your holiday table, thanks to Everyday Sommelier. Flip to page 125 to read how wine experts create a delectable cheese board at any price point. On page 31, you’ll learn how to navigate any holiday stress so you can truly remain present throughout the season. And on page 35, you can learn or rediscover the Kwanzaa holiday traditions of family and unity.

We have some topics to share to keep the conversation around the table lively, too. On page 58, you’ll read the story of Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, a local artist residency program that was the birthplace of Dopesick, the book that has been turned into a wildly popular Hulu series. On page 102, you can find the story of Dr. David Horton and his Hellgate ultramarathon. Read about the 66.6 mile race through the cold Virginia mountains, and maybe get inspired to start training for next year’s race. Or learn how to tap local trees for syrup on page 129 and share your newfound knowledge with your friends and family.

As you’re prepping for the holiday season, we have your local gifts covered as well. Read the story of EmGe Naturals, a local, all-natural skin care business with an online and in-store presence, on 43. Their scrubs, lotions, and body butters are perfect gifts for anyone in your life. We have also compiled our annual Holiday Gift Guide full of local products for you to snag for your loved ones. Find the start of the Gift Guide on page 74.

There are so many holidays and celebrations across these next few months, and I hope it’s a season of joy and gratitude for you. However and wherever you are celebrating, I wish you moments of ease and comfort, gathered together with the people you love the most.

Megan Williams, Managing Editor, megan@lynchburgmag.com

I remember the first time I felt truly impacted by art. I was on a class trip to Washington, D.C., and we were in the middle of a tour of the National Gallery. Along an unassuming wall amidst stunning landscape paintings was Thomas Cole’s four-part allegorical series, The Voyage of Life. In it, Cole depicted a pilgrim’s journey through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Each scene showed an aging man’s voyage along the River of Life and the various trials and influences to be found along the way.

What was so moving about the quartet of paintings wasn’t the weight of the brush strokes, or the way Cole used light to mesmerize the viewer and move their eye across the scene. Rather, it was the unspoken message that the paintings conveyed. Even as a young student, I sensed the urgency and eternal hope that Cole depicted in those paintings. Now, whenever I am in D.C., I make my own pilgrim’s journey back to those paintings—each time finding a new detail that adds another piece to the narrative.

That’s what is so special about art: It makes you pause, consider your own position, and it sticks with you.

In putting together this issue, I discovered something else that makes art so special. It builds community.

Our city is full of inspiring, hardworking, and creative artists, and this issue only begins to brush the surface of that community. Within these pages, you’ll read stories of veterans using art to overcome their service injuries—which you’ll find on page 49—as well as stories of art working alongside medicine to bring a new level of healing to patients. You’ll find that story on page 31. You’ll also find stories of people coming together because of art, like the LoveLYH Flea Market on page 53, and the legacy of the Academy Center of the Arts on page 62.

If you haven’t taken the time to explore the art and artists within our city, I hope this issue encourages you to. Start with a First Fridays tour of Lynchburg’s galleries, or simply pop into one that catches your eye. Visit any local coffee shop and appreciate the local art they have on display. Or even try your hand at creating art yourself at one of the many classes our city has to offer—such as the Jackson Heights Studio on page 45. At the very least, take a moment to support the artists in your own circle, whether that means buying a piece for your home or simply supporting them on social media. Our city is vibrant and alive because of them.

I hope you find a piece of art—whether it’s music, pottery, paintings, or dance—that speaks to you like The Voyage of Life did to me so many years ago. I’m grateful that I don’t have to travel to D.C. any time I am looking to be inspired by art, though—I simply need to turn a corner in our own beautiful city.

Megan Williams, Managing Editor
megan@lynchburgmag.com

Season of Change

Hello, Lynchburg, and greetings from Virginia Beach! I am the Editor-in-Chief of Coastal Virginia Magazine, a lifestyle magazine similar to Lynchburg Living and, like this publication, a member of the VistaGraphics publishing family. I had the privilege of working alongside Lynchburg Living’s former editor, Shelley Basinger, for almost three years and, like you, I will miss her talent, tenacity and dedication to the Lynchburg community.

Not long after I came on board at Coastal Virginia Magazine, I had the chance to take a road trip to Lynchburg along with Lynchburg Living’s wonderful art director Chris Meligonis. We spent some time exploring the downtown area, strolling the Bluffwalk and checking out the Craddock Terry Hotel. And, after a fun photo shoot for the magazine, we grabbed some pints and bites at Grey’s restaurant. I hope to visit again soon.

I think I speak for Shelley and Chris and the entire Lynchburg Living team in extending a big “thank you” to one of the magazine’s regular contributing writers, Emily Mook, for stepping in to assist with the production of this issue during a time of transition.

Have your napkins ready because this is the food issue, and you’ll find plenty to dish about including all of the participating restaurants in the 11th Annual Lynchburg Restaurant Week, happening June 18-25, as well as a guide to summer fun and a preview of Lynchburg Living’s Smith Mountain Lake Idea House.

Finally, I am thrilled to share that Megan Williams has accepted the Managing Editor position at Lynchburg Living. Megan comes to us with an impressive and diverse background in publishing and marketing that includes a key role in the establishment of this very publication and, most importantly, a passion for the community and culture of Lynchburg.

By the time this issue is published, Megan will have been on the job for just a couple of weeks. I hope you, our readers, and the Lynchburg community will embrace and support her in her new role. I have no doubt she will be a tremendous asset, and you will hear much more from her in our July-August issue. Welcome, Megan!

Happy summer and bon appétit.

Leona Baker, Editor-in-Chief, Coastal Virginia Magazine
Leona@CoastalVirginiaMag.com

The Best Learning Experience

In March 2016, I got a text from a friend, the former of editor of Lynchburg Living, telling me about her old spot opening up. “I thought of you,” Johanna Calfee said.

At the time I was five months pregnant with my daughter, and had just left the local TV industry for a marketing job, so I wasn’t really envisioning another career change. But the more I learned about the Lynchburg Living editor position, I realized it was one of those opportunities you just couldn’t walk away from. Before I knew it, I was officially accepting the job.

In the months that followed, I got a crash course in the magazine world.

I learned that a “dummy book” may sound stupid, but it’s actually the layout of the entire magazine. I learned writing a two-word headline can sometimes take days. I learned there is a difference between a hyphen and a dash…and that there are actually two different kinds of dashes.

I learned that I had a lot to learn.

While I had grown accustomed to the simple, no-fluff copy needed for TV news, this job challenged me to go back to the creative writing roots of my childhood and teen years, where there is room to elaborate. My first long-form feature was a lesson in patience, organization and time management.

And after spending about nine years working in local media, I thought I knew pretty much everything about greater Lynchburg—but turns out I didn’t even know the half of it. From the scope of our nonprofit community to a plethora of amazing artists, I re-discovered this region from a different viewpoint—and I have absolutely loved it.

But in life, sometimes it’s about learning when to move on.

As I approach nearly six years in this position, I have made the very difficult decision to move on to a new career opportunity. I am grateful to have been given the enormous responsibility to lead this magazine and its sister publications and extend a huge thank you to the leaders in our home office for entrusting me with these pages.

I particularly want to thank my co-worker, friend and Lynchburg Living art director, Chris Meligonis. He has held me together through challenging deadlines, two fussy babies, and all of the personal and professional in-between. If you want to know who the true backbone of this magazine is, it’s Chris.

I can honestly say I am moving on to my next chapter with more appreciation for the magazine industry, creative writing, and, most of all, the incredible community we all call home.

And also, I must add, a life-changing understanding of hyphens.

All My Best,
Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

An Accidental Tradition

A few years ago, my husband and I were looking for ways to spice up our Christmas a bit—or maybe it was to feel a little less lonely. With all of our relatives living out of town, and with little kids now in the equation, we had made the decision to always spend Christmas at home, instead of on the highway.

As we approached Christmas in 2018, I said to John, “Why don’t we see if some of our friends want to come over on Christmas night?” I honestly figured everyone would be busy with their families and didn’t have high expectations. But one after the other they all said, “Yes!” And on Dec. 25 of that year, we closed out our Christmas Day at a table full of friends, sipping cocktails and playing hilarious board games.

The next year everyone asked us, “Are you going to have people over again?”—and there you have it. An accidental tradition that is still going strong.

Traditions are defined in two ways: customs/beliefs that are passed down through the generations or something that is done time after time or year after year. They are important because when everything else is in chaos, traditions are something you can count on, keeping us grounded to our past and connected to our families and communities.

The concept of traditions is a common thread in this issue of Lynchburg Living—and it was a little by accident, to be honest—starting with our cover story about Woodruff’s Café and Pie Shop in Amherst County (page 133). It was an absolute joy to spend time at the shop with owner Angie Wilson and her family as I learned what has kept this shop going through the ups and downs. Hear what their well-known mother, Mary Woodruff, instilled in them, even up to the day she died earlier this year at 104 years old.

Another tradition many in this area know about, but may not know the backstory of, is the Troops Rally in downtown Lynchburg—a straightforward gathering of veterans 20 years ago that turned out to be a recurring weekly event (page 106). We are also highlighting a tradition that’s 50 years strong in the Hill City, the Virginia Christmas Spectacular at Thomas Road Baptist Church (page 53).

As you rush around to finish your Christmas shopping and make it to all of those holiday events, remember to step back and give your traditions the respect, and the breathing room, they deserve. They don’t have to be complicated, specific or even have a long history.

As I’ve learned, sometimes you just have to create your own.

Cheers,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

New Perspectives

You know the phrase, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”? Well it certainly doesn’t apply to our cover story about Lisa Richards and Michele Fredericks.

When I started chatting with Lisa in the summer of 2020 about possibly featuring her home in our magazine this year, my ears perked up when she told me I might want to look at her daughter’s house too. Words like “modern” and “cool architecture” didn’t sound anything like Lisa’s traditional Colonial with abundant antiques.

A few weeks later when I saw both homes in person, I had to chuckle. A mom and daughter with a fantastic bond, but their home styles didn’t seem connected in any way—at least that was my first impression.

Once we dug a little deeper, however, we realized each woman has been inspired by the other’s aesthetic and even applies some of these concepts and ideas to their own home.
That’s what’s so great about our Home feature, it pulls double duty—highlighting two completely different (but equally stunning) home styles while also showing how you can incorporate one look into another. Flip to page 49 to learn more about Lisa and Michele, “The Modern Traditionalists.”

Call me too philosophical, but this mother/daughter team also inspired me in another way. I think there is a notion, especially in today’s world, that we have to pick sides on everything. All or nothing. Black or white. No gray area.

Do you ever feel like you are boxing yourself in too often? Fall into a new routine this September and October that includes considering ideas and concepts that “aren’t really your style” while also staying true to who you are.

It’s a delicate balancing act, I can personally attest, but it’s certainly worth sorting out as we all try to keep moving forward in this crazy season of our lives.

All my best,
Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

Over the past decade, but more so in the past five years, we have watched my mother-in-law slowly progress through the devastating stages of Alzheimer’s.

While there were plenty of benchmarks that gradually revealed her decline, cooking was one of the top indicators—long-time family recipes that usually didn’t need to be referenced became overwhelming and confusing.

In an effort to preserve her cooking legacy, and other family recipes as well, my sister-in-law compiled some well-known favorites into a cookbook by scanning in original, handwritten recipes. How special it is to flip through and see these weathered, yellowed, sometimes barely legible pieces of paper sharing Southern dishes, including my favorite: the Mayonnaise Cake, a to-die-for chocolate cake that tastes nothing like mayo, by the way.

Not long after receiving this cookbook as a gift, Taste contributor Mikael Blido pitched the idea of “Heritage Recipes” in Central Virginia. My nostalgic soul said absolutely, yes—what a creative concept for our annual Food Issue.

Of course, he proposed to go much further back than my “Family Recipes” cookbook, to the roots of Central Virginia’s ancestors. The amount of time Mikael spent reading history books, interviewing local experts and even experimenting in the kitchen was absolutely incredible. Starting on page 96, learn more about how three groups of people from our region’s history ate back in the day, culminating with Mikael’s modern spin on a 300-year-old meal.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and “going out to eat” became a part of mainstream culture. Tying in with our nod to the past, we wanted to spotlight homegrown restaurants that have been a part of the city’s dining culture the longest. In “Legendary Eats,” we’ll tell you about four spots that have been serving hungry guests for about 335 years combined.

All restaurants, old and new, need our support as we continue to recover from the ongoing pandemic and its restrictions. This year marks the 10th anniversary of our Lynchburg Restaurant Week, a time for local restaurants to showcase their best dishes. We have 13 restaurants on board this time; several just opened their doors this year. Check out their menus starting on page 86 and make it a point to support these small businesses June 12-19.

Whether you are making Great-Great-Grandma’s famed chicken and dumplings or heading to that quaint diner where you remember eating as a kid, I think we can all agree that food—both the preparation and enjoyment of it—is not only a big part of who we are today, but it also connects us to our past.

For my mother-in-law, that past is slipping away, but we find some comfort in knowing that even when her mind is gone, we can still celebrate who she once was with a savory slice of Mayonnaise Cake.

All My Best,
Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

While I can’t remember everything I learned in my college journalism program, there is one foundational lesson that I carry with me: Always plan for
Murphy’s Law.

Murphy’s Law is loosely defined as: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”

So—let’s chat about this issue of the magazine.

If anything could go wrong, get delayed, be quarantined, be running late, be canceled, be snowed/sleeted/rained on in the past month, it did.

I hesitated even writing this editor’s letter—because isn’t that what we do nowadays? Sob uncontrollably behind our phones (an exaggeration… maybe) but then post all of the perfect stuff for everyone to see?

But I thought, maybe it’s okay to admit there were plenty of challenges in making the 2021 Lynchburg Living Idea House a reality, because anyone who has built a new home or attempted any type of major home/garden project—especially during a pandemic—is familiar with the concept of Murphy’s Law. When there are so many balls in the air, something WILL go wrong. It’s how you handle the issues that determines the final outcome.

That being said, after all of the ups and downs, I believe our final outcome is a showstopper—from the classic Colonial-style exterior to the elegant gold fixtures to the high-tech amenities. We are thrilled to take you room by room through this year’s Idea House in our main feature, starting on page 42, and sincerely hope it gives you “ideas” for your next project. Also in our Home & Garden Issue, learn more about the latest in smart home technology, colorful cabinetry, starting plants indoors, Virginia Garden Week, and much more.

Finally, to everyone involved in making this publication a reality—from our numerous Preferred Partners (found on pages 52-67) to the Custom Structures team to the incredible group of freelance writers and photographers I consider myself lucky to work alongside—I thank you for working hard, pushing through to the end, but most importantly, showing a lot of grace. You all are proof that in a world where lots can go wrong, there is plenty going right.

All My Best,
Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

Roll out the red carpet and give me a trophy, because I actually kept one of my New Year’s Resolutions last year.

As 2020 began, I told my husband, “I’m going to reclaim reading this year.” As a child, my nose was always in a book. (Humble brag: I was the number one Accelerated Reader in my elementary school for a couple of years in a row.) But through the years, reading became less of a priority, usually saved for the beach or a plane ride.

So, I set a modest goal to read 15 books in 2020. I figured that was reasonable after only reading maybe one or two books each year in the recent past. Well, not only did I reach that goal (in September as a matter of fact) but I also managed to read five more titles before the ball dropped.

I can now officially say that reading has reclaimed one of my top hobby spots. Getting lost in a book at night after my kids have gone to bed gives me something that’s just for me—it’s a way to refill my cup when I’m often running on empty.

I think there is a stigma that New Year’s Resolutions, or goals in general, have to be something that’s either super hard or something we don’t really enjoy. But with all that’s going on in the world, who has time for that?

As I saw on a fitness-related Instagram post the other day:
If you don’t like running, don’t try to run as a way to shed pounds. If you love breakfast, don’t choose the intermittent fasting diet.

Remember to be true to yourself when goal-setting or resolution-making as we enter what’s expected to be another roller coaster year. And also, remember to take care of yourself first, before trying to help others. There is a reason why flight attendants tell you to put on your oxygen mask first. An empty cup has nothing to pour out.

What will you change this year to improve your life? I would love to hear from you.

Also, book recommendations are welcome—I’m shooting for 30 in 2021.

All my best,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

Have you ever experienced a major gift-giving fail? I have—and it was just last Christmas.

My daughter asked for a play kitchen, and Santa shipped it to our house the first week of December so that we could assemble it (wink wink). Instead of actually opening the cardboard box and inspecting its contents, we did what most normal, busy parents do—we pushed it to the side, of course.

You can tell where this story is headed.

Once the kids were asleep on Christmas Eve, we rolled up our sleeves, finally opened that box, and found a heavily damaged kitchen in such disrepair we couldn’t even assemble it. Thankfully, my daughter was young enough that she believed our story about Santa accidentally leaving the kitchen in his sleigh and how he was going to have the mailman drop it off in a few days. Crisis averted, but I had learned my lesson.

This year, I started doing my shopping very early—September to be exact—as I started looking around town for local items to include in this year’s Holiday Gift Guide. While we couldn’t feature everyone, we did our best to highlight a range of gift options from stores across Central Virginia. As we all know, it’s been a tough year for the retail industry, and local stores need you to shop small now, more than ever. I hope as you flip through this year’s guide, starting on page 75, that you either see something you have to buy or, at the very least, are simply inspired to visit one of our area’s numerous locally owned stores.

Also inspiring in this issue, our annual Giving Back and Community Impact Awards. The needs in the region are even more pronounced in 2020, but local nonprofits and businesses haven’t missed a beat in filling the gaps. We chose 15 outstanding nonprofits and eight community-focused businesses to feature in this year’s respective features. As you make a budget for your Christmas shopping, consider carving out a donation for a cause that speaks to you or even giving the gift of your time.

Even though it feels like 2020 has been the longest year ever, I personally don’t want the next two months to fly by. Here’s to being present this holiday season—and remembering to check your presents too.

Cheers,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com