Shenandoah Living Fall 2009

The Magazine for Those Who Live in and Love the Valley

SHENANDOAH Fall 2009 | Issue 9 FREE

WE LOVE FALL! The Valley’s Most Colorful Season: Leaf Peeping on the Shenandoah | Festivals Galore

SHENANDOAH Living

shenandoahmagazine.com

PUBLISHERS Brad Jenkins Toni Mehling

CONTENTS [ Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009 ]

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

4 Route 11 News from up and down the Valley.

10 On the Farm

6

JMU students get hands-on farm experience through a university program (above).

8

24 Horse Steps

16

A Valley couple is part of a growing group of people who raise Mountain Horses.

Daytrips You don’t have to be rich to experience the posh Homestead. Food These biscuits must be beaten to be enjoyed. Great Outdoors See the fall colors on the Shenandoah River.

18

Arts & Entertainment These people work by day and are on stage by night.

20

Home & Garden Prepare now to have a keyholeshaped garden come spring.

22

History A 1970s game took players around the country in a big rig.

28

Ticket Your guide to fall events.

ON THE COVER: Mums, the everpresent shrub of fall, on display at the Dayton Autumn Celebration last year. Fall is a time for festivals in the Valley. ABOVE: Janet Ripley of Janet’s Garden in Greenville shows James Madison University student Andy Moss how she plans to grow raspberry bushes on a trellis system she installed.

Photos by Holly Marcus.

ADVERTISING Linda Swecker Cesi Myers Frank Batres-Landaeta Allison Farole Jim Stevens Chelsea White PHOTOGRAPHY Holly Marcus CONTRIBUTORS Luanne Austin Karen Doss Bowman Jenny Brockwell Martha Bell Graham Dale Harter Jeremiah Knupp Nancy Nusser COPYEDITING Rebecca Rohlf HOW TO REACH US Advertising: (540) 830-5400 Editorial: (540) 578-2334 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY Route 11 Publications LLC P.O. Box 313 Lacey Spring,Virginia 22833

Shenandoah Living is published quarterly by Route 11 Publications LLC. 10,000 copies are distributed throughout the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. For ECO AWARENESS distribution points, go to our Web site, www.shenandoahmagazine.com. Developments texttoand cover phone pagesnumber are printed using SFI Direct story queries our editorial or e-mail. For advertising questions, call s 3&) CERTIlEDPRODUCTSCOMEFROM.ORTH!MERICANFORESTSM (540) 810-5820 or go to our Web site. Copyright © 2009. s 3&)STANDARDSCONSERVEBIODIVERSITYANDPROTECTSOILAND Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Shenandoah Living is a registered trademark of s 3&)FORESTSAREAUDITEDBYINDEPENDENTEXPERTSTOENSUR Route 11 Publications LLC.

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ROUTE 11

notes from life up and down the valley

Obama Reaches to Valley for Health Pick Italian Dining PresidentCasual Barack Obama has nominated a and examine disease,” Obama said in a press man with Staunton roots to lead the National at the foot of Massanuttenrelease. Institutes for Health. Dr. Francis Collins, who gained fame with his work on the Human Genome Project, is Obama’s pick. The Associated Press called Collins “one of the nation’s most influential geneticists.” Collins helped map the human genetic presentit this ad.book Valid for code. (must He called “the of meals human life.” of $30 or more. Excludes alcohol) “Dr. Collins is one of the top scientists in the world, and his groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health

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Collins has written about the relationship between faith and science in the book “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief,” which was a New York Times bestseller. Collins is the founder of The BioLogos Foundation, a group of scientists who believe in God. Collins is no stranger to presidents. In 2007, President Bush awarded Collins with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

New Museum Has History in Mind The Shenandoah Valley’s on display at a new mu42 Island Fordhistory Roadwill |be (540) 289-5770 seum in Luray, the town famous for its caverns, starting next spring. romanositalianbistro.com The Luray Valley Museum and Gardens will look at the Valley’s history from 1720 to 1920, Rod Graces, the vice president of Luray Caverns, told the Daily News-Record. “We want to tell a story that hasn’t been told,” he told the paper. The museum will be 6,600 square feet. It will be called the Stonyman Museum, and will be located in a restored log cabin. Much of the museum will focus on the Luray area and its German heritage. An 1836 Bible from that country will be featured. The project began in 2007.

» www.shenandoahmagazine.com

This is just a sampling of what’s going on in the Valley. For more on life up and down the Valley, check out our companion Web site at shenandoahmagazine.com. Life’s too short not to have a fabulous kitchen.

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DAYTRIPS

Courtesy The Homestead

The Presidential Lounge at The Homestead features portraits of presidents who have stayed at the resort.

Be Pampered. Or a Pauper. » The Homestead is posh, but it need not break the recession-weary bank. BY LUANNE AUSTIN No matter how many times you drive along Route 220 south through Bath County, rounding the bend to the sight of The Homestead is always a surprise. Its tower rises from among the Blue Ridge Mountains, the resort spreading out comfortably in the landscape. It looks like it belongs here. With origins dating to 1766 — before the American Revolution — it does. The Homestead has long been a vacation and recreation spot for the rich and

6 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

famous — their photos hang in hallways and public rooms — but the price of an overnight stay need not prevent the recession-wary from enjoying the resort’s history and delightful amenities. Daytrippers, says Melissa Pogue, public relations director for the resort, are more than welcome. Visitors can dine in The Homestead’s restaurants, get pampered in the spa, play golf on one of three courses, or take a horseback ride. In the winter there’s downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ice skating. Perhaps the most relaxing and luxurious activity is a soak in the Jefferson Pools. Thomas Jefferson stayed at The Homestead for more than three weeks in 1818, soaking in the Gentlemen’s Pool House three times a day. He described

the spring waters as being “of the first merit.” The two covered pools — one for men, one for women — have not changed much since Jefferson’s visit. In fact, the first of the two octagonal buildings was constructed in 1761. The water stays about 96 degrees all year round and many are convinced of its healing powers. Entrance to the Jefferson pool (clothing optional) costs $17. It’s open seasonally, so call if you’re not sure.

No-Cost Activities Some of the best activities at The Homestead are free, like people-watching in the Great Hall, the resort’s main lobby (where blue jeans are “discouraged”). Just off the Great Hall are delightful rooms to roam in. You can admire the historical murals in the Jefferson Parlor, cozy up with a book or

game of chess in the Washington Library, and enjoy the view from a white rocker on the front porch. The President’s Lounge, a huge round room with a club-like feel, features portraits of all the U.S. presidents who have stayed at the hotel, from George Washington to Bill Clinton.

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are some out-of-the-ordinary items at the Homestead’s many shops, and sometimes there are great sales. One corridor is just off the Great Hall. Golf and tennis clothing, jewelry, toys, house and bath items, all of the best quality, are available. Cottage Row, along the backside of the hotel, features outdoor outfitters, a photography shop and several gift shops. The village of Hot Springs offers a variety of shops, too, where you can buy vintage and designer clothing, antiques, art and crafts, books and toys.

Eat it Up The resort has several excellent restaurants. Chef Rodger Martin oversees all of The Homestead’s restaurants so the quality of each is assured, whether it’s a full meal or soup and sandwich. Lunch at the Casino Club, where you can eat for $10 to $20 per person, is recommended. The salads, along with soup du jour, are a substantial meal in themselves, whether it’s the beef tenderloin or the Ahi tuna and Gulf shrimp salad. The crab cake sandwich with sweet potatoes fries is to die for. Have your dining mate order the Allegheny trout sandwich on pita and swap halves. For dinner, Sam Snead’s Tavern is the resort’s most casual, although there’s nothing casual about the food. The menu is based on exquisitely-prepared steaks and seafood. If you’ve never had Oysters Rockefeller, this is the time and place to do it.

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Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 7

FOOD

» BEATEN BISCUITS 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar 1/4 cup lard, chilled and cut into small pieces 1/3 cup light cream 2 tablespoons cold water (optional) 1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together. Use a fork to “cut” the lard into the flour until it looks like coarse meal. Using a standing mixer, or a wooden spoon, mix the dough as you slowly add the cream. Mix well to form the dough into a ball, adding water if needed. 3. Place the dough onto a tabletop, and knead slightly. With a mallet or a one-piece rolling pin, beat the dough a few times to form it into a rough rectangle. Fold the dough over, and then beat it out again. Repeat this process until the dough becomes white and blisters form on the surface, about 15 minutes. 4. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch rounds, and prick the top a few times with the tines of a fork. Place on greased baking sheets. 5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. — MBG

No Flaky Biscuits Here » This beaten bread could help anger management. BY MARTHA BELL GRAHAM In the culinary world, beaten biscuits are unique. Unlike their flaky cousins and their historic relatives “hard tack,” beaten biscuits reign as the only Southern biscuit made with a bat, a stump, an ax, a mallet or the side of a tree. They are literally “beaten” into deliciousness. The recipe is simple enough: flour, lard, cold milk or cream a ­ nd lots of elbow grease. Some cooks added a little

8 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

salt and sugar. Then mix, beat, cut, pierce and bake. Some variations of beaten doughs originated as far back as pre-American Europe before baking powder was commercially available. In the 1800s pearlash (pronounced “pearl ash”) was tried as an early leaven, but this by-product of potash, also called “salts of tartar,” made the biscuits bitter and the method short-lived. Cooks could produce the same effect by beating their dough — a job often left to young slaves. The “rising” of beaten biscuits was accomplished by literally beating air into the dough. And as the dough was pounded the gluten began to

break down. For regular breads such a thrashing would mean tough, rubbery bread, but the trick with beaten biscuits was to beat the dough beyond toughness. One batch of dough could require several hours of pounding. The result was a mouthwatering biscuit, crisp and shiny on the outside but soft and crumbly on the inside. And unlike yeast biscuits that start to dry out the minute they exit the oven, beaten biscuits (never served hot) could be stored for days without hurting their flavor, texture or goodness, making them a versatile favorite of Southern cooks — particularly when company was coming.

Remembering Recipes In the 1953 edition of “The Joy of Cooking,” authors Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker offered a little beaten biscuit ditty attributed to Miss Howard Weeden that says it all: “Two hundred licks is what I gives For home-folks, never fewer, An’ if I’m ‘specting company in, I gives five hundred sure!” Beaten biscuits are claimed by Virginians, Tennesseans, Kentuckians, Marylanders and most Southerners. The Maryland version — also called Apoquiniminc cakes — contained eggs and were hand-rolled to produce a round, golf-ball sized biscuit. Southerners, however, lay sole claim to the flat, mouthwatering, smooth-topped, fork-pierced version often filled with country ham or homemade jams. In a 1973 Washington Post article, one Southern socialite declared, “You could never have a Derby party without beaten biscuit. ” Ellen Campbell of Harrisonburg, who grew up in southwestern Virginia, remembers beaten biscuits well. Her family made them with a “beaten biscuit machine,” an 1882-circa invention that preempted the labor-intensive beating. The machine — also called a biscuit brake — pressed the dough, producing the same effect as beating. “The dough was placed on a slab of smooth marble,” she remembers, “then it was run back and forth through the beaten biscuit machine — it looked like a small wringer washer but without the rubber pads. When the dough was ready it was smooth and shiny — that was the sign.” Next, the cut circles of dough were pierced with the prongs of a fork before they were baked in a moderate over for about 20 minutes. After baking, an authentic beaten biscuit is round, about the size of a silver dollar, one inch thick, creamy white and shiny. “It still took a lot of work,” Campbell says, “but the end result was worth it. Every family picnic, every event called for beaten biscuits with Mother’s homemade butter and Daddy’s smoked ham.” Campbell would agree with the assessment of Mary Stuart Smith. In “Virginia Cookery Book” (1885), Smith wrote, “In the Virginia of the olden time no breakfast or tea-table was thought to be properly furnished without a plate of these indispensable biscuits…. Let one spend one night at some gentleman farmer’s home, and the first sound heard in the morning, after the crowing of the cock, was the heavy, regular fall of the cook’s ax as she beat and beat her biscuit dough.” v

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Digging In 10 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

On a Friday Afternoon in April,

while most James Madison University students sat in classrooms listening to lectures, Karen Baxter and Andy Moss were crawling around in the dirt on a farm about 40 miles south of campus. They pushed aside the soft soil, dropped a raw potato wedge in the hole, covered it and moved on to the next one. So what were these two English majors doing on this warm spring day? Karen and Andy were part of the JMU Farm Internship program that matches students with Valley farmers. The students get hands-on experience and the farmer gets free labor. But it’s so much more than that. “They’re only here a few hours a week, but they make a huge, huge impact,” said Janet Ripley of Greenville, whose potato patch Karen and Andy planted. “Of course, I’m teaching them, too.” The seed for the program was planted in April 2007 when Jennifer Coffman took students from her seminar, “Anthropological Perspectives on Environment and Development” to visit Elk Run Farm in New Hope. In the classroom, the students had studied the differences between organic and conventional food production, local growing movements, debates over biotech food and more, but out on the farm they didn’t even recognize what broccoli and asparagus looked like growing in the ground. By the time September rolled around, Coffman had established a program to send students to work on local farms. On Monday afternoons in the spring, Karen and Andy carpooled to Janet’s Garden and, on Fridays, to Nu-Beginning Farm, also in Greenville. At Janet Ripley’s, they planted seeds and transplanted seedlings in the greenhouse and cared for animals — chickens, cows, sheep — around the property. “A lot of the work is tedious and requires a lot of patience and persistence,” said Karen, whose hometown is Roanoke. “Andy and I have spent hours placing the smallest seeds in row after row of beds. This wasn’t hard, but it took a while to get all of the seeds in their proper place and covered with the topsoil.” At Nu-Beginning, the pair did a variety of chores, from making fruit jams to building a fence to tilling the soil. They spent two days weeding the flowerbed and preparing the soil for new growth. “Our hands hurt afterwards, but the end result was definitely worth having soil-stained fingers,” Karen said. The toughest job Karen ever had on the farm was to pour and

Shenandoah Valley farms serve as classrooms for some JMU students. Story by Luanne Austin | Photos by Holly Marcus Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 11

Janet Ripley (center) and JMU students Karen Baxter (right) and Andy Moss spread compost at Janet’s farm in Greenville. Baxter and Moss interned at the farm as a part of JMU’s farm internship program. Previous Page: Nicholas Melas digs out dandelions at Avalon Farm in Broadway during his internship in the spring .

spread spoiled milk over compost at Janet’s Garden. “It stunk so bad,” she said. Interns work at Avalon Farm in Broadway four days per week, said Lorinda Palin, co-owner. Kristi Van Sickle, from Bowie, Md., and Nicholas Melas, from Springfield, were the Tuesday interns in the spring. They did everything from cleaning out chicken coops to planting spinach seedlings in the garden. “I find it to be therapeutic,” said Kristi, “the beautiful surrounding, working with my hands —it’s an escape from Harrisonburg.” One day, Nick dug out dandelions before adding compost to the spinach beds. He threw the dandelions in a pile to give to the chickens. He laughed about his “gardening shoes,” which were really boating shoes.

Applying The Lessons As anthropology majors, Kristi and Nicholas

12 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

believe their work on the farm is central to their studies. “It connects with anthropology because it’s seen as important to connect people with their food production,” said Nicholas. “A lot of people don’t know where food comes from,” said Kristi. “What we do applies across cultures because we don’t use large equipment, mostly hand tools,” said Palin. Nicholas thinks he can take what he’s learned at Avalon and use it anywhere in the world, even in Kenya. That’s where the connection to the International Programs comes in. As associate executive director of the program and an anthropologist, Coffman established and directs the JMU Field School in Kenya, taking students every summer. “Kenya and the Shenandoah Valley are both places where we don’t need a surplus of modern technology to make

things work,” Coffman said. “That’s the guiding arc.” Both the farm internship and Kenyan field school programs were sponsored by the International Beliefs and Values Institute at JMU. All the farms in the program are affiliated with the Downtown Harrisonburg and Staunton-Augusta farmers’ markets. Coffman found the smaller farms to be a much better fit, both for the geographical link and for practical reasons. “In the Valley we have a lot of big farmers who rely on fossil fuels and big machines to run their farms,” said Wayne Teel, an associate professor who teaches environment, agricultural systems and sustainability classes at JMU. “There’s really no hands-on work for interns.” Teel points out that, in the Valley, many big-time farmers work their farms part-time, while small farmers often work their farms full-time. “The small farmers

are out in their fields all day, doing 30 to 40 different tasks each day,” he said. “Each crop gets a different management strategy.” That’s why, in addition to her log, Kristi took really good notes. “Lorinda and Solly are good about explaining what they do and why they do it, why they do the processes they do,” Kristi said. “I feel like I’m learning so much. I want to record it, everything I’m learning about the plants, the processes.” Coffman enjoys reading the student logs, which she does three times per semester. She makes comments and asks questions that help the student get more from their experience. There is also required reading. Coffman and Teel are developing the farm internship program into a four-credit course that includes 90 minutes of classroom and eight hours of farm work per week.

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gram. They must be willing to take the time to teach the students, said Coffman. “All these people blow me away with how smart they are,” Coffman says of the dozen or so farmers she works with. “They’re always doing science and studying the markets.” When the students’ internships are over, they leave the program with a keener sense of their consumption patterns and their impact on the earth. “When they leave they are such strong advocates of local production,” Coffman said. “A whole new world has opened up to them. They don’t take their food for granted.” To Palin, it’s more than imparting knowledge. It’s matter of passing on her love for the land to the next generation. As students begin to appreciate the land, they often form a bond with the Karen Baxter hauls straw bales for Janet Ripley at her farm in farmers that go beyond their Greenville. four or eight hours per week. One day last spring, Jessie Dodson, an Avalon intern, organized a work day. She brought four other JMU students to help prepare 600 square feet for planting. Palin said it was a big help. “Several of our interns have become like extended family,” said Palin. “Like us, they feel a connection to the land and want to return.” v

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GREAT OUTDOORS

Holly Marcus

The Front Royal Canoe Company provides raft, tube, canoe and kayak rides along the Shenandoah River. Fall is a great time for the ride.

Floating for Foliage » One way to see autumn’s colors: on the Shenandoah. BY JEREMIAH KNUPP As he drives down U.S. 340 in a big white van, Don Roberts points to the Blue Ridge Mountains and makes sure his passengers note the silver line snaking near the summit of the peaks. It is fall, and the “silver line” is the traffic backed up on Skyline Drive, a metallic slug that inches its way forward all weekend when the fall foliage hits its peak. But for the van’s passengers, there will be no stuffy cars in slow traffic, no fighting for space at the overlooks, no crowds to take away from the grandeur of nature. These passengers are about to discover a well-kept secret. In autumn, both locals and out-of-town-

16 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

ers flock to the mountains that form the Shenandoah Valley to observe the changing leaves. But the best road on which to watch the passing colors isn’t a road at all. It’s the Shenandoah River. “Most people are driving their cars in traffic all week, driving to work or driving to the office. The river gives them a chance to get out of their cars,” Roberts said. “When the foliage on the mountain is at its peak and you’re on the Drive, you’re looking down on a Valley that’s still green. But on the river you can look up at the changing colors on the mountain.”

Fall is Perfect To Roberts, the owner of Front Royal Canoe Company, a business that provides raft, tube, canoe and kayak rides, fall is perhaps the best time to be on the Shenandoah River.

“In the fall there are usually better water conditions and no crowds, so there’s less waiting to get on the river,” said Roberts, who has been running his business for decades. “It’s very peaceful. There’s a carpet of leaves on the water and the water is clearer so it reflects the leaves that are still on the trees.” But leaves aren’t the only thing you’ll see on a Shenandoah River trip. The leaves share the branches with ospreys and eagles, while deer, otter, mink and the occasional black bear appear on the water’s edge. “Many people come just for the wildlife,” Roberts said. “It’s like paddling through a zoo at times.”

No Swimming Plying the waters of the Shenandoah in the fall has its own special set of circumstances. For

those who have enjoyed the water in the summer months, it’s a whole new river. Water temperatures have already started to drop, so unlike the summer months, river riders need to avoid taking a dip in the water by falling out of their watercraft. By October, fall rains have usually raised the water level and made the river travel faster. For this environment Front Royal Canoe Company has the perfect solution; inflatable rafts. Like a river-going mini-van, the rafts

will hold up to six people, so most families can ride together. It is ultra-stable, making it safe enough for passengers as young as 4 years old. The staff of Front Royal Canoe Company tailors each trip to the customer, based on their experience and how much time they want to spend on the water. For older or more experienced boaters, canoes and kayaks are also available, along with multi-day trips that cover up to forty miles of the river and include overnight camping.

River riders are shuttled up the Shenandoah to their starting point and float back the FRCC’s landing area. Roberts says that after many rivergoers take their first fall trip, they return year after year at the same time. “The Front Royal area leading up to [Skyline Drive] becomes a parking lot; being on the river is the reverse experience,” he noted. “On the river it’s very relaxed, very peaceful and stress free. There’s no better way to see the leaves.” v

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Acting Out Off the Job

» JENNY BROCKWELL takes a look at some of the regular folks who take the stage in community theaters in the Valley.

» ‘I’m not a real shy person.’ Teacher Susan Comfort, Harrisonburg When Susan Comfort’s co-workers find out that she’s an actress, they aren’t too surprised. “They would guess that I do acting because I’m not a real shy person at work,“ she laughed. “They get a kick out of it.” Susan is a special education instructional assistant for Harrisonburg City Public Schools. But she also spends a good deal of time on stage at The Playhouse in Harrisonburg. Susan brings the theater into the classroom — by adapting books like Dr. Seuss’

18 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

“Green Eggs and Ham” into a play. “We get costumes together and videotape it, and the kids love it,” she said. Susan’s passion for theater began years ago when she first saw “The Sound of Music,” then watched it “about 20 times in a row,” she laughed. She acted in high school, but instead majored in journalism while at James Madison University in the 1980s. When her kids started participating in the children’s plays at The Playhouse in the 1990s, she started helping and then auditioned in 1998.

“I got up the courage to do it and have been involved ever since,” she said. Acting is an outlet Comfort needs to explore herself. “It’s art. It’s like anybody that would paint a picture or play music. I get completely lost in it,” she said. “It replenishes my soul to take a couple of hours and totally concentrate on something that ultimately makes me a better person to do the other things in my life, like take care of my family and do my job.” v

» The Right Prescription Pharmacist Steve Nicols, Winchester

Ask pharmacist Steve Nichols when he caught the acting bug, and his answer might sound like something you'd say. “I watched a lot of TV as a kid, and I believed that I could act as well as most of the talent I saw,” he said. Today, in the era of reality TV, you hardly have to be an actor to have your own show — and having acting skills is no longer a prerequisite. But for those who truly love the art of acting, they take to the stage; and in Steve's case, the intimate stage of community theater. Since coming to Winchester 30 years ago, Winchester Little Theater is the only stage he has been on. By day, Nichols is part of a team of information-technology workers, nurses and physicians who coordinate the technology used for ordering, dispensing, administering and documenting the pharmacy and nursing care at Valley Health in Winchester. “What appeals to me about acting is that it combines the structure necessary for a successful production with the freedom to move on when the production is completed,” Nichols said. In a technical day job as a pharmacist, Steve says, he sometimes calls upon his acting skills. “The most I can bring from theater to my real career is a skull-full of punch lines and one-liners,” he said. “Still, everybody likes a good one-liner.” Nichols’ latest stage stint was in “Funny Money” at Winchester Little Theatre in May. It's about accountant Henry Perkins who, on his birthday, accidentally trades briefcases with another man. The big surprise inside? Five million dollars. He tells his wife, Jean, of their newly discovered fortune, and hilarity ensues as they try to keep it a secret from their best friends, two detectives and Mr. Big, who has come to take back his money. “Actually, my character, Detective Sgt. Slater, was more the straight man for Henry and Jean,” Nichols said. “I thoroughly enjoyed setting up the punchlines for them. It reminded me of how Jack Benny and George Burns were famous as straightmen for their shows' other characters, like Gracie Allen and Dennis Day.” It’s all been a good outlet. “In a good production, everybody is focused together on the goal of bonding with each other and with the audience to form a roomful of people in the embrace of the story,” he said. “There's nothing quite like the atmosphere in a theater.” v

» Constructing His

Characters

Home builder Barry Mines, Lexington Barry Mines spends his working days building custom homes, but during the summer, you'll usually find him on the stage at Theater at Lime Kiln, playing a role in "Stonewall Country," about the famed Civil War general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. “Double takes are pretty standard when my coworkers find out that I act,” he laughed. “They go, 'what?' They don’t know much about that world, most of the people I work with. They aren’t play goers or theater song people at all." While they may have different interests, Mines said that he more than identifies with his fellow construction workers. “They are the guys who are trying to put food on the table and raise a family. And I am, too. But that part of my past has little to do with their lives," he said. "So it’s pretty interesting conversation.” There are times when Mines has to call upon his theater background in the construction business. “Having a degree in theater exposes me to a wide variety of people. When there is a situation with a client, I’m usually the guy who has to go up and talk to them, because I can empathize with both parties right at the bat," he said. Mines works as a leadman for Stonewall Inc. a small custom homebuilding firm in Lexington. He's only been in construction for 10 years; his passion for acting began earlier. “I always did it in grade school and high school, but never took it seriously until I tried out for a play in college at the University of Nebraska,” he said. “My first year of college, I was undeclared and then became a theater major.” When Mines discovered Lexington's Lime Kiln Theatre, he immersed himself, becoming not only an actor but a resident artist and artistic director. After six seasons, though, he knew he must move on, and that's when he turned to construction. But like any true passion, he returns to Lime Kiln often as an actor. v

Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 19

HOME & GARDEN

Holly Marcus

Fall is a good time to prepare an area for planting a keyhole garden so you end up with something that turns out like Tom Benevento’s. The shape of the gardens is good for small yards, and they are easier to access than traditionally rectangular gardens.

The Keys to Garden Success » Fall is the time to prepare your yard for a keyhole garden.

BY KAREN DOSS BOWMAN Your summer garden may have been harvested, but fall is the perfect time to start thinking ahead to next summer’s crop. For a sustainable, organic design, consider a sheet mulch keyhole garden bed. When the spring rolls around again, your soil will be rich with nutrients and ready for planting.

20 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

The keyhole pattern, resembling a horseshoe, is beautiful because it mimics the meandering flow of the way plants grow in nature, says Harrisonburg resident Tom Benevento, a staff member of the Elgin, Ill.-based nonprofit New Community Project who is engaged locally in numerous environmentally sustainable projects. “You don’t really see straight, rectangular boxes in nature,” he says. An ideal choice for small yards, keyhole garden beds use about one-third less path space per foot than straightedge beds, says Benevento. Additionally, they’re easier to access than traditional

gardens because the gardener can step into the keyhole pathway and tend a large selection of plants from one spot.

Getting Started You can start your sheet mulch keyhole garden bed almost anywhere—on your grassy lawn or over an existing garden spot. Here’s how to get started: 1. Though the sheet mulching process requires little, if any, digging, Benevento recommends chopping up the ground just a bit with a small pick to loosen the soil. Do not remove the cut up greens. 2. Water the area. 3. Lay down a 6- to 10-inch layer of

» IN THE ZONE When the time comes to plant seeds in your keyhole garden next spring, Benevento recommends thinking in terms of grouping your plants in zones, rather than rows, since the design isn’t straight-edged like a traditional garden. Zone One Plants that are harvested on a regular basis should be placed closest to the pathway, for easy access. In one of his keyhole beds, for example, Benevento has placed greens, such as lettuce, in the front zone. Zone Two Plants that might be harvested less frequently—say, on a weekly basis, such as broccoli— can be placed slightly farther back from the pathway. Zone Three Plants that will be harvested just once, such as cabbage, could go farthest out from the keyhole pathway. — KDB

fresh manure, grass clippings, veggies—anything green— in the keyhole shape. “Don’t be afraid to get it messy and yucky,” Benevento advises. 4. Water the area again. 5. Place a layer of heavy cardboard or thick newsprint on top of the manure, loosely preserving the keyhole shape. Be sure to overlap the cardboard by at least 6 inches from one piece to the next, Benevento says: “Don’t leave any cracks so the weeds can’t squeak through.” 6. Add water. 7. Top it off with a layer of straw or leaf mulch. 8. Again, water it. This sheet mulching technique not only reduces the need for weeding, but also uses about one-tenth the amount of water required by traditional gardens, thanks to the thick layering that holds in moisture. As the garden bed sits through the fall and winter, the microorganisms and earthworms already in the soil activate their biological process of breaking down the materials and ultimately producing a natural fertilizer. As they do their work, these organisms basically till the soil for you—and that’s good news for any gardener. “You use the energy of biology to do the work for you,” Benevento says. “The microorganisms and worms do the work of digging the soil and moving it around and aerating it.” In the spring, Benevento says, open up the leaf mulch or straw layer in your keyhole garden bed, lightly chop up the deteriorated cardboard, and you’ve got fertile soil ready for planting. v

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HISTORY

Courtesy Photo

Fred Showker created “That’s Truckin’” in the 1970s, but he still gets some calls from fans. The game gives people the chance to “drive the big rigs across America.”

This Game Gets a 10-4 » That’s Truckin board game has roots with Harrisonburg native. BY DALE HARTER In the 1970s, truck-driving fever swept the nation. Cletus Snow and his 18-wheeler carried Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta while helping Burt Reynolds outsmart Sheriff Buford T. Justice in “Smokey and the Bandit.” Expressions like “Breaker, Breaker” and “10-4 Good Buddy” crackled from CB radios and became part of the national

22 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

vocabulary. TV viewers watched independent trucker Sonny Pruett in “Movin’ On.” C. W. McCall sang about “The Rubber Duck” in the popular tune “Convoy.” Meanwhile, a Harrisonburg native created a board game that gave people the chance to “Drive The Big Rigs Across America.” Fred Showker created the game. That’s Truckin’ was its name.

A College Project “The Game,” as Showker and other devotees refer to it, originated as his senior project at Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating in 1972 with a degree in communication arts and design, Showker

parlayed a passion for animation into a public television job in Richmond. Soon he and wife Carol tired of big-city life and moved to the Shenandoah Valley. In Harrisonburg, Showker became the creative director of the only advertising agency in town, earning a whopping $2.80 an hour. While honing graphic design skills, in 1974 Showker says he “decided to do the game.” Dusting off the prototype he created at VCU, the Showkers loaded up their Saab and headed west. They stopped at friends’ homes on their cross-country trip, played The Game and “worked out the bugs.” In the resulting game, each player drives across the country hauling loads

to pay for his or her rig. Players choose from 11 different trucks to drive, including a Mack Cruise-Liner, a Kenworth, a G.M.C. Astro 95 and a Brockway Huskie 761. Each load has a delivery deadline, with a cash bonus for arriving early. Red spaces along the way offer rewards or penalties. Per the instructions, the red spaces “represent situations all truckers find themselves in at one time or another – sometimes good, sometimes bad . . . THAT’S TRUCKIN’!” After returning to the Valley, Showker went to work as a graphic artist at The Print Shop, in Dayton. The couple started Showker Inc., to produce That’s Truckin’, and the owner of The Print Shop agreed to print the game. With the help of “anybody we could drag in,” the Showkers manufactured and packaged the pieces, cards, play money and instructions. Then, he and high school pal Neil Good transported the materials by van to a company in Baltimore that produced the game board. “In essence, we were truck drivers,” says Showker. Between 1974 and 1979, when he stopped marketing it, Showker, Inc. printed two editions and 30,000 copies of That’s Truckin’. In the end, Showker thinks he broken even or made a small profit. That’s Truckin’ sold for $6.95, and Showker figures they made about five cents per game after expenses. “You couldn’t build a business on a nickel a game,” Showker says. Showker, Inc. became one of the most successful graphic arts and design businesses in the Valley, producing more than 7,000 projects. His work now is mostly Internet-based. He began publishing DT&G Zine in 1988 and established The Design & Publishing Center in 1994, both award-winning entities found on his website, www.graphic-design.com. He devotes about 50 percent of his time to nonprofits, especially the Harrisonburg Children’s Museum.

Fans Still Call Through the years, a range of people have enjoyed That’s Truckin’. Trucking companies gave them to employees at Christmas. University of Virginia fraternities organized tournaments in the 1980s. A Virginia high school teacher taught geography with it as late as 2006. Showker occasionally is contacted by fans. Recently a sheriff’s wife in Tennessee emailed, explaining how her family had enjoyed the game through the years but that their copy had been lost or destroyed. She said something was missing from their lives without it and asked for a replacement copy. “That’s totally bizarre,” says Showker. And, That’s Truckin’. v The author is a trucker’s son and owns a tattered copy of the game his mother, a former credit manager at Harrisonburg-based Truck Enterprises, gave him as a child. When he plays “The Game,” he still rules the road in the Brockway Huskie 761.

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Story by Nancy Nusser Photography by Holly Marcus

Mountain Horses are gaining popularity throughout the country. Joellen and Mike Walker are introducing the Valley to the breed

one step at a time

24 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

T

he sky is awash in the pinks of a Shenandoah sunset but Joellen and David Yarber are oblivious to the beauty. Instead, their eyes are locked onto a blue-grey horse and his rider as they move at a fast clip around the couple’s riding ring. “Choke back a little, use your calf,” Joellen calls out. “There you go,” she says. The rider, Harrisonburg businessman Mike Walker, tightens the reins slightly, and Whiskey tucks his neck and collects his legs underneath himself to step in a high gait so smooth that Walker barely moves in the saddle. For a moment, they are in sync, then the Whiskey’s gait changes subtly—imperceptibly to an outsider. But Joellen is looking for perfection because she’s training this horse and rider to compete on regional and national show circuits. “Choke up,” she barks out again. With her quick laugh, Joellen seems easygoing, and David, rarely seen without his round-brimmed farmer’s hat pulled low over his ears, looks mild-mannered, But the Kentucky natives, living in Bridgewater since 1992, are intensely competitive. For more than a decade, they’ve been competing on show circuits for Mountain Horses, a little-known Kentucky breed rapidly gaining popularity throughout the United States. Last year, their best horse, HalfCocked, won five national show championships and was named top gelding for the year, and their chestnut mare, Red, has won several championships in her events. Still, the couple insists showing is not just about winning. The idea is also to use the show ring to generate more interest in Mountain Horses, whose numbers had dwindled to a few thousand. As such, they’re part of a growing Kentucky-based effort to revive the breed, which has had considerable success because of the horses themselves; they’re an unusually gentle and personable breed with a four-beat gait smooth enough for children and elderly people to ride. There are now about 25,000 Mountain Horses in the United States, compared to some 3000 in the early 1990s, said Vanessa Crowe, former president of the Kentucky-based United Mountain Horse Association (UMHA). “They really took off starting in about 2000,” Crowe says. “All of a sudden, people started breeding and training Mountain Horses. There were farms raising 50 to 60 foals a year,” she said. In the Shenandoah Valley, Joellen says, “they’ve really blossomed. A lot of hunt and jump people are here, and they’ve gotten older and they can’t ride the

Joellen Yarber of Summit Stables in Bridgewater rides B Almighty, a 4-year-old Rocky Mountain gelding. Yarber and her husband, David, have been competing for a decade in show circuits for Mountain Horses. The horses are a little-known breed that is gaining popularity throughout the United States.

Jerry Hatton of Deep Meadow Farm leads C.D.’s Gambler, a Rocky Mountain stallion, out to pasture. The Hattons breed and show Rocky Mountain horses at their farm in Waynesboro.

Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 25

hunter-jumpers anymore, so they’re looking to this.” Like most horse people, the Valley’s Mountain Horse owners form a clique, in which everyone seems to know each other. There are the Chittums, from Mount Sidney, who show their Palomino stal-

lion in local shows and regional shows. Karen and Gale Billheimer breed Mountain Horses from their Linville farm. Bridgewater residents Dorothy and Leon Showalter and Joe and Faye Wampler own and sell Mountain Horses. And then there are the Hattons, who breed and sell

Mary Stuart Hatton brushes C.D.’s Gambler, one of the Rocky Mountain stallions that she breeds and shows.

26 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

Rocky Mountain Horses from a sprawling 110-acre ranch in Waynesboro.

Strong Horses The first Mountain Horse breed, known as Mountain Pleasure Horses, originated 160 years ago in the Kentucky Appalachians. Poor farmers who could afford only one horse bred them to be useful—strong enough to pull plows and live outside during cold winters and gentle and smooth-gaited for children to ride. Since then, Mountain Horse has become an umbrella term for several breeds: Kentucky Saddle Horses, Spotted Mountain Horses, Mountain Pleasure Horses and Rocky Mountain Horses. Along with gentleness and their fourbeat gait, they have in common medium size and relatively arched necks and fine heads. Their colors are unusually varied; they can be champagne, Palomino, buckskin, dun, and various shades of mottled grey and beige. The most prized color is a rich chocolate with flaxen mane and tail, the legacy of a legendary Kentucky stallion named “Tobe.” In the early 1900s, Tobe’s owner bred him to local Mountain Pleasure Horses, and his numerous offspring during the 37 years of his life became the foundation for what are now known as Rocky Mountain Horses, according to the UMHA. “You see that chocolate in Saddlebreds and Shetland ponies sometimes,” David Yarber says. “But it’s a real rarity.” By the 1990s, the UMHA had formed the first registries for the three most prominent breeds—the Rocky Mountains, the Mountain Pleasures, and the Kentucky Saddlebreds. Although their numbers have grown exponentially, they’re still relatively rare horses, which is one reason for their high price. They cost at least several thousand and as much as tens of thousands for a well-trained trained horse. It was the Yarbers who introduced Mountain Horses to the Shenandoah Valley when they moved here in 1992.

“This was Tennessee Walker country,” says Joellen. “People called Mountain Horses daisy clippers, because they don’t have a lot of high step.” But in a region with rugged mountains and hills, the Mountain Horses’ sure step and calmness along treacherous trails “caught the eye of the trail pleasure person,” Joellen says. “People started going to Kentucky and buying and bringing back horses.” Among them were the Hattons, Jerry and Mary Stuart, whose ranch, Deep Meadow, sprawls below Skyline Drive. Years ago, the couple rode Quarter Horses in Greene County with local friends who favored smoother-gaited Tennessee Walkers. “There would be three or four banjos playing blue grass music and 30 horses and riders,” Jerry says. “We’d ride, and listen to music, and that’s what got us into gaited horses.” Back then, Mary was riding a Leopard

Appaloosa “that just about killed me.” She crosses one long blue-jeaned leg over the other and laughs. “About every time I rode him there was a trip to the hospital. I just wanted a horse with a different disposition.”

First Steps The pink sunset has darkened into an evening sky, but the Yarbers are still watching Whiskey and Walker circle their riding ring. The horse turns with the tug of a finger or the pressure of a calf, and he responds instantly to voice commands. It’s still early in the show season, but he has already picked up blue and red ribbons, as well as a championship trophy on the northeastern circuit. The driving high step of his front legs and his speed, as he rockets around the ring, catches judges’ eyes. But getting him to this level of performance has required constant training,

Jerry Hatton of Deep Meadow Farm leads C.D.’s Gambler, one of his Rocky Mountain stallions, out to pasture.

physical conditioning and attention to feet—David’s turf, since he’s a ferrier. He explains that the angle of a horse’s hoofs and the weight of its shoes can make or break its performance. “The horse’s first step determines the rest of its steps,” he says. “The first creates the horse’s flight, height, and animation.” As Whiskey moves smoothly through a turn, Joellen calls out, “There you go, that’s nice.” David, usually the pickier of the two because he’s been trained as a judge, mutters his approval. After he circles the ring a few more times, Walker dismounts and he and the Yarbers disappear into the barn, leaving the horse behind. He’s completely uncontrolled now; he could do anything. But he follows them into the barn as obediently as a family pet, which is why Joellen calls Mountain Horses the Golden Retrievers of the equine world. v

Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 27

MORE EVENTS ONLINE:

www.shenandoahmagazine.com

SEPT OCT NOV SEPTEMBER 3 Henry IV, Part 1 opens, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 3-Nov. 27), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

4

Fridays on the Square, Courthouse lawn, Harrisonburg, 7 p.m. FREE http://downtownharrisonburg.org Horse-drawn Carriage Ride Tours, Hardesty-Higgins House, Harrisonburg, 6 p.m., www.harrisonburgtourism.com First Fridays Walking Tour, Hardesty-Higgins House, Harrisonburg, 6 p.m., www. harrisonburgtourism.com First Friday, Art Group, Mount Jackson, 7-10 p.m., www.theartgroup.com Fall Arabian Classic,Virginia Horse Center, Lexingon, (Sept. 4-6), www.horsecenter.org Old Dominion Morgan Horse Show and Open Carriage Show,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Sept. 4-6), www.horsecenter.org Boots N’ Hats for Patsy Cline, The George Washington Hotel, Winchester, 7-11 p.m., www.visitwinchesterva.com

5

Fall Arabian Classic Open Hunter and Trail,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Sept. 5-6), www.horsecenter.org Fall Arabian Classic Open Dressage Show,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Sept. 5-6), www.horsecenter.org Old Time Music Jam, Work Horse Cafe, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, www.horsecenter.org

6

Labor Day Festival: Blues, Bluegrass & BBQ, Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington, 6 p.m. www.theateratlimekiln.com

28 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

TICKET things to do from winchester to lexington 7

Labor Day Horse Auction & Fair, Rockingham County Fair Grounds, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., www.rockinghamcountyfair.com All’s Well That Ends Well opens, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 3-Nov. 27), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

10

Grottoes Family Bluegrass Faestival, Grand Caverns Regional Park, Grottoes, 4 p.m., www.grottoesfamilybluegrass.com Virginia Quarter Horse Association Breeder’s Futurity,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Sept. 10-13), www.horsecenter.org

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Fridays on the Square, Courthouse lawn, Harrisonburg, 7 p.m. FREE http://downtownharrisonburg.org Gardens at Night Concert, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, 7-9pm, www.ShenandoahMuseum. org/calendar Rockbridge Mountain Music & Dance Festival, Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, (Sept. 11-12) www.glenmaurypark.com

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Grottoes Family Bluegrass, Grand Caverns, Grottoes, 8 a.m.-11 p.m., www.grottoesfamilybluegrass.com Professional Auction Services Fall Sale,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, www.horsecenter.org Rockbridge Food & Wine Festival, Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington, 12-5 p.m. www.lexrockchamber.com Bluegrass & BBQ, Abram’s Delight historic home, Winchester, 1-4 p.m., www. winchesterhistory.org

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Grottoes Family Bluegrass, Grand Caverns, Grottoes, 8 a.m.-11 p.m., www.grottoesfamilybluegrass.com

Hear the Beat Horse Show - benefit for Hoofbeats Therapeutic Riding Center, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, www. horsecenter.org Virginia 4-H State Championship Horse and Pony Show,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Sept. 17-20), www.horsecenter.org

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American Saddlebred Horse Association of Virginia Horse Show, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Sept. 23-26), www.horsecenter.org

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Dracula or How’s Your Blood Count, Theater at Lime Kiln, 7:30 p.m. (Sept. 2426), www.theateratlimekiln.com Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival, Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, (Sept. 24-26), www.glenmaurypark.com

OCTOBER 1

Irish Draught Horse Society of North America,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 01-04 ), www.horsecenter.org The Merry Wives of Windsor, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 9-Nov. 27), www.americanshakespearecenter.com Henry IV, Part 1, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (thru Nov. 27), www.americanshakespearecenter.com Winchester’s involvement in the John Brown Raid Exhibit, Hollingsworth Mill, Winchester, (thru Oct. 31), www.winchesterhistory.org

2

Eastern Seaboard Gaited Horse Show,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 2-4), www.horsecenter.org First Friday, Art Group, Mount Jackson,

7-10 p.m., www.theartgroup.com Titus Andronicus, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 9-Nov. 28), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

3

Oktoberfest, Strasburg, 2-9 p.m., www.strasburgvachamber.com Much Ado About Nothing, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (thru Nov. 29), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

7

The Rehearsal opens, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 9-Nov. 28), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

9

O Shenandoah! Migrations and Settlements Across the Valley, State Genealogy Conference, Winchester, www. svgs.org Central Virginia Paint Horse Club Color Classic and Fall Futurity,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 9-11), www.horsecenter.org

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O Shenandoah! Migrations and Settlements Across the Valley, State Genealogy Conference, Winchester, www. svgs.org Apple Grape Harvest Festival, Mount Jackson, , www.mountjacksonva.org House Mountain Horse Show, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 1011), www.horsecenter.org

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Mounted Map and Orienteering Clinic,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, www.horsecenter.org

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Great American/USDF Region 1 Dressage Championships and VADA Fall Competion,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 22-25), www.horsecenter.org

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Old Tine Music Jam - the Work Horse Cafe,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, www.horsecenter.org

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Virginia Horse Show Assoc. Associates’ Championship Show,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Nov. 13-15), www.horsecenter.org

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Wine Tasting Dinner, Southern Inn, Lexington, southerninn.com

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Klassic Kar Nutz Cruise In, Buena Vista, 11 a.m., www.klassickarnutz. com

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Possum Ridge String Band, Skyland Resor, Shenandoah National Park, 8 p.m., www.visitshenandoah.com

Colonial Day, Abram’s Delight historic home, Winchester, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., FREE www.winchesterhistory.org Virginia Horse Trails, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 30Nov.1), www.horsecenter.org Halloween on Court Square, Woodstock, 1-2:30 p.m., www.townofwoodstockva.com

NOVEMBER 1

Nurturing the Four-part A Cappella Tradition, Bridgewater Church of the Brethren, Bridgewater, 4 p.m., www.vbmhc.org Henry IV, Part 1, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (thru Nov. 27), www.americanshakespearecenter.com

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Candlelight Processional and Tree Lighting Ceremony, downtown, Lexington, www.lexrockchamber.com Want to list an event? E-mail bjenkins@ shenandoahmagazine.com

don’t forget massanutten

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Much Ado About Nothing, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, (thru to www.americanshakespearecenter.com include the website adOld Time Music Jam - LIVE Ad needs Nov. 29), dress hesscornmaze.com from the Work Horse Cafe,Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, www.horsecenter.org The Merry Wives of Wind-

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sor, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, Harrisonburg Old Dominion Futurity (Sept. 9-Nov. 27), www.americanshakespeareBenefit Horse Show,Virginia Horse center.com Center, Lexington, (Oct. 16-17), www. Titus Andronicus, American Shakehorsecenter.org speare Center, Staunton, (Sept. 9-Nov. 28), Virginia Presidential New www.americanshakespearecenter.com World Show VI PFHA Event, Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct. 16Southwest Virginia Hunter18), www.horsecenter.org Jumper Association Medal Finals, Virginia Alpaca Owners and Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Nov. Breeders Association Alpaca Expo, 6-8), www.horsecenter.org Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, (Oct.16Friday Night Lights, downtown, 18), www.horsecenter.org Lexington, www.lexingtonvirginia.com

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. . . come on out to play! Open August 29-November 8 Over 25 activities with one admission: punkin chunkin, pig races, costume contests and much more! 2915 Willow Run Rd. near d’town H’burg hesscornmaze.com

Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 29

» GET OFF THE COUCH! Before you hibernate for winter, get outside a few more times . . . CAVERNS Crystal Caverns at Hupp’s Hill 33231 Old Valley Pike, Strasburg, (540) 465-8660 Endless Caverns U.S. 11, New Market, (540) 896-2283 Grand Caverns Caverns, hiking, biking, pool, picnics, Grottoes, (888) 430-2283 Luray Caverns 970 U.S. 211 West, Luray, (540) 743-6551 Natural Bridge Caverns U.S. 11, Natural Bridge, (800) 533-1410 Shenandoah Caverns I-81, Exit 269, Shenandoah Caverns, (540) 477-3115 Skyline Caverns U.S. 340 South, Front Royal, (800) 2964545 PARKS AND OTHERS Edith J. Carrier Arboretum A beautiful oasis in Harrisonburg, featuring trees and plants native to Virginia. Off University Boulevard near JMU, Harrisonburg. (540) 568-3194

George Washington & Jefferson National Forests All kinds of recreation, camping and hiking, including part of the Appalachian Trail. (540) 265-5100 Gypsy Hill Park Sports, recreation, duck pond, bandstand and more. At the corner of Thornrose and Churchville avenues in Staunton. (540) 332-3945 Massanutten Resort Skiing, golf and more. Resort Drive 10 miles east of Interstate 81 exit 247A on U.S. 33. (800) 207MASS. www.massresort.com Massanutten Waterpark Indoor and outdoor water attractions. Indoor features open all year. Located at Massanutten Resort. (540) 437-3340 www.massresort.com Natural Chimneys Camping, swimming, picnics, hiking.Va. 731 in Mount Solon. (888) 430-CAMP Shenandoah National Park Great valley views from Front Royal to Waynesboro. Plus hiking, climbing, scenic driving on Skyline Drive and more. (800) 778-2851

Get back to the life you love.

Begin your recovery today. Call RMH Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 1661 South Main Street, Harrisonburg

Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine RMHOnline.com RMH: We’re here for you.

30 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

540-433-1473

» DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY? CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS Cedar Creek Battlefield 8437 Valley Pike, Middletown, (540) 869-2064 Kernstown Battlefield Located in Winchester, www.kernstownbattle.org New Market Battlefield State Historical Park The battlefield where Virginia Military Institute cadets gained fame, located right off Interstate 81 in New Market, (540) 740-3101 Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation Offers all kinds of Civil War information for novices and experts alike, 298 W. Old Cross Road, New Market, (540) 740-4545 OTHER HISTORIC LOCATIONS Belle Grove Plantation An 18th-century grain and livestock farm near the site of the Civil War battle of Cedar Creek, 336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown, (540) 869-2028 Confederate Soldiers Cemetery Some 400 soldiers are buried here; the cemetery was dedicated in 1866, Main Street, Mount Jackson. Hardesty-Higgins House Mid-1800s house was once home of Harrisonburg’s first mayor; it now houses the city’s tourism office, plus Mrs. Hardesty’s Tea Room, the Valley Turnpike Museum and Rocktown Gift Shoppe. 212 S. Main St., Harrisonburg. (540) 4328935. www.harrisonburgtourism.com. Historic Long Branch Since the early 18th century, the estate has been owned by a series of famous men, including Lord Culpeper, Lord Fairfax and Robert “King” Carter. A young George Washington helped to survey the property. 830 Long Branch Lane, Millwood, (540) 837-1856 Natural Bridge Its name says it all—a naturally formed rock bridge that will amaze. U.S. 11, Natural Bridge, (800) 533-1410 Silver Lake Mill Tours available Thursdays and Fridays. 2328 Silver Lake Road, Dayton. (540) 879-2800. www.silverlakemill.com Historical Walking Tours New Market Guided tours of the town’s historic areas, featuring costumed guides. Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.; Sundays at 5:30 p.m. By appointment, too. (540) 325-9529 Staunton Every Saturday starting at 10 a.m. Starts at Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library. (540) 885-7676

» MUSEUMS American Celebration on Parade Features inaugural parade floats and more, I-81, Exit 269, Shenandoah Caverns, (540) 477-4300 Augusta Military Academy Museum Tells the story of the now-defunct academy, U.S. 11, Fort Defiance, (540) 248-3007 CrossRoads Valley BrethrenMennonite Heritage Center Features the Valley’s early days, pioneer times, a Civil War-era home, a 1904 schoolhouse and church. 1921 Heritage Center Way, Harrisonburg. (540) 438-1275. www.vbmhc.org Eavers Classic Cars & Collectibles Museum Exit 217, off Interstate 81, Mint Spring. (540) 337-1126 Frontier Culture Museum Numerous farms tell the story of culture in America and Europe, I-81, Exit 222, West on U.S. 250, Staunton, (540) 332-7850 George C. Marshall Museum Tells the story of the military leader, and includes exhibits that feature his Nobel Peace Prize Medal among other items,VMI Parade, Lexington, (540) 463-7103 George Washington’s Office Museum Between September 1755 and December 1756, Washington kept an office in this log cabin. Washington’s real hair is on display. Open April 1-Oct. 31. Braddock & Cork St., Winchester, (540) 662-4412 Harrisonburg Children’s Museum It’s interactive, and kids will have all sorts of things to keep them busy and learning. 30 N. Main St., Harrisonburg, (540) 443-8900 Hostetter Museum of Natural History More than 6,000 artifacts. Eastern Mennonite University’s Suter Science Center. (540) 432-4400 Mineral Museum More than 500 minerals. Memorial Hall at JMU. (540) 568-6130. Museum of American Presidents 130 N. Massanutten St., Strasburg, (540) 465-5999 Museum of the Shenandoah Valley Traces the history and culture of the Valley from Native American days to the present. 901 Amherst St., Winchester, (540) 662-1473

Natural Bridge Wax Museum Features Shenandoah Valley history in wax, U.S. 11, Natural Bridge, (800) 533-1410 Old Court House Civil War Museum Located in a courthouse that housed prisoners and patients during the Civil War. 20 N. Loudoun St., Winchester, (540) 542-1145 P. Buckley Moss Museum Celebrates the art of the woman who brings Valley scenes and the Amish to life in her work. 150 P. Buckley Moss Dr., Waynesboro, (540) 949-6473 Plains District Memorial Museum Features the history of northern Rockingham County. 107 McCauley Drive, Timberville. (540) 896-7900 Port Republic Museum Civil War history in the Kemper House. At the intersection of Port Republic Road and Water Street. (540) 249-3156 Reuel B. Pritchett Museum More than 10,000 pieces, including a saber-toothed tiger skull. Cole Hall, Bridgewater College. (540) 828-5457 Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum Hands-on displays feature science, math and the humanities. 54 S. Loudoun St., Winchester, (540) 722-2020 Shenandoah Valley Folk Art and Heritage Center Focuses on the history and culture of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area. 382 High St., Dayton, (540) 879-2616 Stonewall Jackson House Museum Tells the famous general’s story. 8 E. Washington St., Lexington, (540) 463-2552 Virginia Quilt Museum Quilters’ delight, with historic and modern quilts. 301 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, (540) 433-3818 Valley Turnpike Museum Looks at the history of what is now U.S. 11. HardestyHiggins House, 212 S. Main St., Harrisonurg. (540) 432-8935 VMI Museum All kinds of VMI information, including an exhibit of Stonewall Jackson’s horse, Little Sorrel.VMI Campus, Lexington, (540) 464-7334 Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, 18-24 N. Coalter St., Staunton, (540) 885-0897

Fall 2009 | Shenandoah Living | 31

BRIDGEWATER HOME AUXILIARY

FALL FESTIVAL 2009 SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 7:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Rockingham County Fairgrounds Benefit Auction Donations from Businesses & Individuals Art, Quilts & Household Items begins at 9:30 am Silent Auction Themed Gift Baskets, Handcrafts & More begins at 7:30 am Specialty Shops Baked Goods, Plants & Garden, ReRun Shoppe, Yard Sale & Cottage Gifts Breakfast served 7:30-10 am Omelets made to order, applesauce, homemade bread, jellies, doughnuts Lunch begins at 10 am Soup, sandwiches & homemade pies

32 | Shenandoah Living | Fall 2009

Glenn Garner has donated hundreds of baskets over the years for auction. This year he gave 52 baskets that will be used to create themed gifts for the auction. Come bid on your favorite baskets.