Shout Outs
Our recent story on KAYA Health’s art service project—The Art of Healing, found in our Sept/Oct issue—is gathering supporters for KAYA Health’s cause! Read what Dr. Andrew Anderson, owner of KAYA Health, had to say: “Thank you to Lynchburg Living magazine for the kind article and for bringing awareness to our little project. I just got a call from a Girl Scout troop yesterday asking to donate to our walls and purpose. I love seeing the kindness of others and sharing in the blessing that it is!”

Top Teachers
Lynchburg Living is recognizing and honoring the amazing, inspiring educators in our area with the Lynchburg Living Top Teachers Awards. Submit your entries on lynchburgliving.com for your favorite current and local teacher who, if chosen, will be honored in our upcoming March/April 2023 issue of Lynchburg Living magazine. Nominations are open until November 30th.

Email us at megan@lynchburgmag.com.
Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

Recognizing Educators

Lynchburg Living is recognizing and honoring the amazing, inspiring educators in our area with the Lynchburg Living Top Teachers Awards. Submit your entries for your favorite current and local teacher who, if chosen, will be honored in our upcoming March/April 2023 issue of Lynchburg Living magazine. Nominations begin October 1 on lynchburgliving.com.

Corrections

In our July/August story, Calling All Good Dogs, photo credit wasn’t appropriately given to Raspberry Hill Adult Daytime Center. Thank you so much to Raspberry Hill for hosting our photoshoot and for being such wonderful hosts to Cece and Joyce. Photos by Ashlee Glen.

In our July 2022 issue of Lynchburg Business, Central Virginia Family Physicians was listed as Gold in Best Health Insurance, when Weaver and Weaver should have been listed as Gold. Lynchburg Business regrets this error.

We Want to Hear from You!
Send us an e-mail to megan@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

Social Media Buzz
Lots of readers were quick to weigh in on social media about our Top Teacher surprise at Brookville High School. In January, we caught math/physics teacher Corey Bonheim off guard with the news that he was selected as the #1 Lynchburg Living Top Teacher.

Jordan Evans wrote on Facebook: “He made physics so much fun. He completely deserves it!!!” Tiffany Burnette added: “So well-deserved. I always looked forward to his class. Congrats!”

Check out the full list of Top Teachers starting on page 89!

Community Calendar
Want to spread the word about your organization’s event? We’ve set up a new community calendar on our website where you can submit all of the information easily!

Just visit www.lynchburgliving.com/calendar-of-events/ to get started.

Spreading the Word

A local putt-putt group contacted us to say thank you after some new faces joined their fun. Willie Perry, a volunteer organizer of the Senior Putt-Putt League, told editor Shelley Basinger they had about five or six new people come out to play, all because they read the article in the July/August issue of Lynchburg Living, “Mini Golf, Big Benefits.” Perry says they typically average about
30 people every time they play.

Their 2021 season has ended but will resume in April at the Putt-Putt Fun Center on Timberlake Road.

Taste Try Outs

Long-time contributor Mikael Blido says he has never received so much feedback about one of his cooking articles. Since the release of our September/October issue, he says he has heard from four separate individuals—two men and two women—who made (and enjoyed!) the chicken pot pie from his “Dudes CAN Cook” feature.

Be sure to check out all of the year’s recipes at lynchburgliving.com and let us know how your meal turns out!

The Votes Are In

We want to once again thank you, our readers, for casting votes in our annual Best Of Lynchburg contest. Thousands of you went online to pick your favorite restaurants, businesses and more; we logged close to 43,000 total votes!

Look for the full list of winners in our January/February 2022 issue.

Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

Readers Taking Action
We are always thrilled to hear how our magazine is improving the community. Thank you to reader June Najjum for sending us this note about our March/April issue: “I wanted to thank Kaye Moomaw for writing the article about ‘Planting for Birds and Bees’ in the March issue. I turned my garden into a certified pollinator habitat. I don’t live in Lynchburg but I live in nearby Bedford County. I’m proud of my sign in the front yard. I happened to pick up your magazine at an antique shop in Lynchburg while I was shopping with a friend.

You never know what kind of positive impact your magazine makes out there!”

Slight Change
Perceptive readers may notice a small difference in our Art department, which is now called Arts and Culture. We wanted to open up this section of the magazine to include not only local art forms—visual art, theater, dance etc.—but also in-depth articles about the ways of life and customs of different groups of people in our region.

Have an Arts and Culture story idea? Contact information for the editor is below.

LRW Recap
A huge thanks to everyone who came out to support our 10th annual Lynchburg Restaurant Week June 12-19. We had 13 restaurants participate this year, with many owners telling us they were impressed with the crowds.

On Facebook, Burt Taylor, owner of Stoney Badger, said: “We were slammed tonight because of it.” Also on Facebook, Tim Overstreet told us he had lunch at Trio during Lynchburg Restaurant Week: “First time there, very pleased. Will go back!”

A portion of our sponsorship proceeds was donated to Meals on Wheels of Greater Lynchburg. They tell us they have seen a surge in demand since the pandemic began. If you want to help out, visit their website to learn more about donating or volunteering: mealsonwheelslynchburg.org.

We Want To hear From You!
Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

Take Paws

We have to chuckle just a little as we apologize for an error in our May/June feature, “The Heritage Meal.” Writer Mikael Blido thought he heard Gail Pond, from Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, say Jefferson’s cook used cat paws to extract natural gelatin to make a wine jelly. But she said calf. Thankfully, you can buy gelatin packets at the grocery store so no cats should have been harmed due to this misunderstanding!

Voting Begins
It’s that time again! Voting for our annual Best Of Lynchburg Awards starts July 27 and runs through September 9. Be sure to visit our website, lynchburgliving.com, to vote for your favorite restaurants, destinations, people and more. The results will be published in the January/February 2022 issue of Lynchburg Living.

Bridal Showcase Success
Wedding season is back—and we couldn’t be more thrilled for couples and the local wedding industry. We held our annual Bridal Showcase on June 6, 2021, at the Kirkley Hotel; approximately 70 brides and their families came out to talk with vendors about their big day. Be sure to check out our sister publication, Central Virginia Bridal Guide, at vabridal.com or find one at local stands with Lynchburg Living.

We Want To hear From You!
Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

You’re Welcome
It was a delight working with Lonnie Hoade and Paul Webster, of T.C. Trotter’s Moose Mix for Bloody Marys, on our March/April feature, “Lynchburg is for Bloody Mary Lovers.” Lonnie sent a message to Editor Shelley Basinger after seeing the article in print for the first time: “Oh my goodness Shelley. I just saw the article. It’s amazing. And you two (photographer Ashlee Glen) did a fantastic job on those pictures. Thank you so much!” – Lonnie Hoade

Private School Omission
We unintentionally left a local private school off of our listing in the Lynchburg Area Private School Guide included in the March/April issue. World Community Education Center is located in Bedford, offering a Montessori education to children in grades pre-K through 12th grade. Learn more about the school at worldcommunityedu.org.

Social Media Buzz
Our 2021 Idea House had some of you chatting online: “Swoon!” said Hill City Mom @heireysays on Instagram. “Exquisite,” wrote FUSE Electrical, LLC on one of our Facebook posts. It was even prettier in person! Check out the recap of our Idea House open house weekends on pages 23 and 24.

We Want To hear From You!
Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

Top Teacher Awards
While we didn’t get to do many in-person presentations this year, that didn’t stop Lynchburg Living from spreading joy to local educators through our annual Top Teacher Awards. After reviewing dozens of nominations sent in by the community, our panel of judges selected 10 teachers to feature in this issue. In early February, Editor Shelley Basinger delivered a framed certificate as well as a swag bag from Chick-fil-A Wards Road/River Ridge to each teacher.
Flip to page 103 to learn more about this year’s incredible Top Teachers!

“Thank you so much for everything! It was such a great surprise!”
– Itzel Nogueras, Heritage High School

“Thank you so much for this honor”
– Kevin Latham, Fort Hill Community School

– Lauren Hensley, R.S. Payne Elementary School
– Lindsay Donaruma, Yellow Branch Elementary School

We Want To hear From You!
Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

Blind Billy Update
We have received so many positive comments about our feature, “Blind Billy’s Beacon,” found in the November/December issue of Lynchburg Living. Reader Linda Marion wrote us to say, “This story truly warmed my heart.”

The article focused on a painting by local artist Kevin Chadwick of Blind Billy, a beloved fifer and slave in Lynchburg who died a free man after members of the community purchased his freedom. The painting was part of a live auction at the Art for Achievement virtual event to benefit Lynchburg Beacon of Hope. Organizers tell us the painting sold for $14,500 to a “syndicate” of individuals who plan to hang it at E.C. Glass High School. Overall, the nonprofit made an astounding $86,000 at the event to fund scholarships and other resources for high school students.

“The event was just amazing! Truly. Thank you so much for everything you did to help us, Shelley,” Beacon of Hope Executive Director Laura Hamilton wrote to editor Shelley Basinger.

You’re Welcome
After seeing our article about The ETC Shop, a nonprofit consignment store benefiting the Lynchburg Junior Woman’s Club, Susan Kidd sent us this kind thank you:
“We are so excited to have this recognition and share space in the magazine with so many other wonderful groups! Thank you so much! Reaching this milestone has been such a blessing and this is the icing on the cake!”

We Want To hear From You!
Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.

Long Distance Inquiry
We were delighted to hear from a reader in Newport News! Charlie Rhodes, who told us he is in his upper 70s, sent us a letter. He was born in Lynchburg and still has many family members and friends who live in the area. He and his wife receive Lynchburg Living by mail and say they enjoy every issue! Charlie also wrote to us to get more information about the elderberry products mentioned in our September/October article “Natural Cold Cure?”. Thank you for your letter, Charlie. It made our day, and we were happy to help!

You’re Welcome
We were close to approving our September/October issue when we learned about an art show for Inez Blanks, a well-known local artist who passed away this past summer. Inez’s husband, Norris, sent Editor Shelley Basinger an email: “I want to say a huge thank you for the wonderful article you engineered and crafted at the last moment for Inez. I was so delighted and heartened to see it and felt immediately uplifted by your generosity in making it a reality on such short notice.”

Ellen Dorman, whose Campbell County home was featured in our September/October issue (“A Warm Welcome”), sent Editor Shelley Basinger a kind message:
“A sincere THANK YOU for the amazing feature! Charlotte’s words are absolutely beautiful and Heather’s photographs are stunning! Great work by all involved.”

Correction
In our Bridal Buzz section of the September/October issue, we accidentally omitted several credits to vendors on the Trend Alert page. We have included that page here with the appropriate mentions and hope you will consider reaching out to these local businesses if you are planning a wedding or event.

CLOCKWISE:
Hanging floral display featuring Happily Ever After Event Rentals, Castle Lighting and Fox Grape Designs for florals.
A Little Party Events. Photo by Laura Bryan Photography.

Purple Door Catering at Sierra Vista. A Little Party Events.

Purple Door Catering.

Balloon display by FLOCK Designs at The Glass House.

Reception hall décor at Sierra Vista featuring Love is in the Air florals, Happily Ever After Event Rentals.
A Little Party Events.
Photo by Sam Stroud Photography.

Best Of Buzz
Our readers once again came out in force for our annual Best Of Lynchburg Readers’ Choice Awards—we logged a total of 43,360 votes! Look for the full list of results in our January/February issue!

Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.