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Mountains and Waters A little house tucked away in the center of downtown Christiansburg, Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center, shows interesting works of local artists and students. Up the stairs, in the office to the left, the director works alone in this creaky to make sure all is ready for the newly entering exhibit. From organizing the gift shop to running the day-to-day maintenance of such an old building, Sue Farrar, of Christiansburg, makes the Montgomery Museum efficient. Betty Moore’s Mountains and Waters exhibit will be shown from July 1 to August 24. “Betty will be here for the opening reception,” Farrar said, “July 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.” Miss Arlington Does It Again
A synchronized dance routine comprised of cha-cha movements and pivot turns to the song "21st Century Girls" marked the beginning of the Miss Virginia Pageant as 29 contestants competed for the title. After each contestant was presented to the audience, Miss Virginia 2008, Tara Wheeler, addressed the audience by highlighting the details of her year as Miss Virginia. Among her achievements, Wheeler raised $30,000 in 30 days for pediatric cancer research. It's Lavender Time In Blacksburg Once Again
“There’s a real intrigue about lavender,” said Joyce Beliveau, whose lavender-colored outfit in a recent interview with Planet Blacksburg suggested she’s hooked. Beliveau is eager for others to fall for one of the oldest recorded herbs in history. Chronic Disease Fund Goes Rock-n-Roll Panicking as her eyesight slowly began to fade, Tammy O'Brien needed help. Without medical insurance, she was unable to afford her medication at a cost of nearly $2,500 a month. After much searching, she found a solution - the Chronic Disease Fund. "Because of them I can take my medication everyday and am feeling the best that I have in years," said O'Brien. As a thank you to the fund for paying for her medication, Tammy and her husband Danny will be hosting the Jammin' for the Chronic Disease Fund on Saturday at the Christiansburg Event Center from 3 to 10 p.m. PBTV: Blacksburg Businesses Struggle to Survive
Transferring Not So Tough If You Do Your Homework Emma Indingaro did not know what to expect when transferring colleges between her freshmen and sophomore year. Indingaro, a sophomore at Virginia Tech who recently transferred from University of South Carolina, said, "Transferring colleges was the best decision I made even though it was hard to decide where to go." Transferring colleges may be more common than most think. According to Virginia Tech's 2008-2009 Transfer Guide, 800 transfer students enroll at Virginia Tech annually. Fifty percent are from Virginia's community colleges. Plenty To See On Wildflower Walk The sun was able to peek through the dreary gray clouds for the first ever Spring Wildflower Walk led by Dr. Holly Scoggins at Mid-County Park. With the walk being postponed from last weekend, participants were hoping for sun like last weekend. "It looks like it was going to rain while we were on the walk, I'm glad it held off," participant Erin Dreux said. "The phrase April showers bring May flowers hopefully will be true after these past rainy days." Upon arriving, participants in the walk received a list of Woodland wildflowers that could be seen on the trail in April and that the participants would hopefully be seeing on the walk. The flower that was seen most on the walk was the Trillium grandiflorum (large-flowered trillium). Town Council Passes Change To Restaurant Tax Discount In lieu of budget cuts, the ordinance passed unanimously with a motion made by Tom Sherman and a second by Susan Anderson. "Nobody is happy with any of these cuts," said Sherman. "None the less, we have less income than last year, so there have to be cuts." |
Floyd County Prepares for the Floyd Fandango Beer and Wine Festival In the past, Floyd county has held two summer events: the “Wine Down the Music Trail” and “Floyd Fandango Faire and Brew”, but this year, the county is trying to dance to the beat of a new drum, combining these events into the Floyd Fandango Beer and Wine Festival. Erika Johnson, director of this year’s festival, said the events were combined because “They were individually enjoyed and successful, but we don’t have the time, energy, and resources to continue to do them separately.” “There are so many wine festivals these days, we were trying to keep this one unique and fresh, bringing wine and crafts, extending the hours and allowing camping,” said Johnson. Highlights of the event are regional wine tastings, learning about beer and wine and main stage music. The band Buck Wheat will be stopping in Floyd for their 30-year reunion tour. Virginia Tech's Own Competing for Miss Virginia Title Gucci, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana are in? Think again. Bargain shopping has become the trend for Miss Virginia contestants as the economy continues to flounder. It comes as no surprise that Amanda Jones, 22, a recent Virginia Tech graduate, has curtailed her clothing and accessory expenditure as she prepares to compete in the upcoming Miss Virginia Pageant. The theme of the pageant, Miss Virginia 2009 ‘Gets Real’, shows the organization’s efforts to create realistic role models for young girls said Jones. Summer Solstice Festival Goes Green "It's not a shopping festival," said Laureen Blakemore. "I call it a community party." That party will commence this Saturday when the community of Blacksburg celebrates its second annual Summer Solstice Festival from noon to midnight. This year the festival will move towards being a pure green event. There will be recycling and sustainability displays and food vendors located in the Tech Bookstore parking lot. All materials for the festival have been printed on recycled paper as well. News of Neck's Departure Creates Stir Among Students, Alumni He is featured on YouTube for his unconventional, yet widely popular in-class rap session. He has shared the stage with CEO's, NFL players, and even Bill Clinton's Secretary of Commerce. He has authored five books and has had over 80 articles published in scholarly journals. This is the kind of resume you may think any university would hope for in a business professor--unless you're Virginia Tech. After a two-year battle over a promotion to gain his status of full professor, a battle he lost, Chris Neck will be walking away from Blacksburg to take a job at Arizona State University--essentially the same job Virginia Tech refused to grant him. Peace Corps Vols Share Stories The ideal Peace Corps candidate is someone who is flexible, open to new experiences, and prepared for the strangest situations life may throw at them in a foreign culture. This was one of the key points made by returned volunteers from the Peace Corps who gathered at Virginia Tech on Wednesday to share their stories, experiences, and challenges with interested students. This open panel was organized by the Peace Corps at Virginia Tech and held in the Graduate Life Center. Tech Reviews First Year Of QEP Virginia Tech held a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday to discuss its first year experience of the Quality Enhancement Plan for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. "I'm real pleased to see so many of you here for this Town Hall Meeting," said Provost Mark McNamee as he introduced and welcomed everyone in attendance. "This may come as a shock to some of you but it was about two years ago that this same group started the process of talking about the QEP party implement plan brought by Virginia Tech. " Conference Says Women Must Learn What Makes For A Healthy Relationship Unless women understand what constitutes a healthy relationship, it will not be for them to have one. That was one of the key messages delivered during a presentation on domestic violence, relationship violence and sexual assault put on The Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley Monday in Virginia Tech's Squires Colonial Hall. Beamer, Others, Deliver Rousing Talk On Legendary Challenges Enter Sandman blared from the speakers while the crowd was standing, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Virginia Tech head football coach, Frank Beamer, to the stage of room 64 in the Graduate Life Center. On Saturday, Beamer joined Christopher Neck, who holds a doctorate in management, and Eddie Royal, current Denver Broncos and former Virginia Tech wide receiver, as participants in the Legendary Challenge seminar. Hundreds of people, including camera crews from Roanoke TV stations, packed into the auditorium to learn about leadership and accomplishing goals, or "legendary challenges." "A legendary challenge is any really important goal in your life, that you feel can make a difference, whether it's in your professional life, your personal life or to benefit your community," event host Michael
Woodhead said. 
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Small businesses across the country are in trouble, including the ones in downtown Blacksburg. This commentary, as told by local small business owners, sheds light on the issues that are hurting local business and are not just caused by the recession.